Increased 5-hydroxymethylcytosine and Ten-eleven Translocation Protein Expression in Ultraviolet B-irradiated HaCaT Cells / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>DNA hydroxymethylation refers to a chemical modification process in which 5-methylcytosine (5mC) is catalyzed to 5- hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) by ten-eleven translocation (TET) family proteins. Recent studies have revealed that aberrant TETs expression or 5hmC level may play important roles in the occurrence and development of various pathological and physiological processes including cancer and aging. This study aimed to explore the relation between aberrant DNA hydroxymethylation with skin photoaging and to investigate the levels of TETs, 5mC, and 5hmC expression 24 h after 40 mJ/cm2 and 80 mJ/cm2 doses of ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation to HaCaT cells.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>To explore whether aberrant DNA hydroxymethylation is also related to skin photoaging, 40 mJ/cm2 and 80 mJ/cm2 doses of UVB were chosen to treat keratinocytes (HaCaT cells). After 24 h of UVB irradiation, 5mC and 5hmC levels were determined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and immunofluorescence (IF), and at the same time, the expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase 1 (MMP-1) and TETs were assessed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction or Western blot analysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After 40 mJ/cm2 and 80 mJ/cm2 doses of UVB exposure, both IHC and IF results showed that 5hmC levels increased significantly, while the 5mC levels did not exhibit significant changes in HaCaT cells, compared with HaCat cells without UVB exposure. Moreover, compared with HaCat cells without UVB exposure, the levels of TET1, TET2, and TET3 mRNA and protein expression were significantly upregulated (mRNA: P = 0.0022 and 0.0043 for TET1; all P < 0.0001 for TET2; all P = 0.0006 for TET3; protein: P = 0.0012 and 0.0006 for TET1; all P = 0.0022 for TET2; and all P = 0.0002 for TET3), and the levels of MMP-1 mRNA expression increased dose dependently in 40 mJ/cm2 and 80 mJ/cm2 UVB-irradiated groups.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>UVB radiation could cause increased 5hmC and TET expression, which might become a novel biomarker in UVB-related skin aging.</p>

Study on epidemic characteristics and etiology of community acquired pneumonia in Guangzhou from 2009 to 2012 / 中华预防医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the epidemic characteristics and pathogenic spectrum of community acquired pneumonia (CAP) in Guangzhou from 2009 to 2012.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>14 major comprehensive hospitals were selected from 11 districts as sentinel hospitals for CAP cases surveillance, including 18 982 223 in total during the 4 years. The characteristics of pathogenic spectrum of CAP were stratified and analyzed by year, age and season.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>18 982 223 cases were included in the surveillance from year 2009 to 2012, in which 56 618 cases were CAP. The number of CAP cases increased from 8677 in year 2009 to 19 947 in year 2012 in Guangzhou; while the percentage of visits for CAP raised from 0.22% (8677/3 893 800) to 0.41% (19 947/4 839 766). The difference showed statistical significance (χ(2) = 2693.00, P < 0.05). Among the hospitalized CAP cases, 66.05% (10 954/16 585) were aged ≤ 5 years old or > 66 years old. The percentage of cases infected by a single pathogen was 88.11% (14 613/16 585), while co-infected cases accounted for 4.17% (691/16 585). Bacteria accounted for the largest proportion of 65.25% (10 821/16 585) as a single pathogen, followed by mycoplasma 13.54% (2245/16 585), virus 9.01% (1494/16 585) and chlamydia 0.32% (53/16 585). The proportion of virus infection was increasing from 4.74% to 11.64%. The difference showed statistical significance (χ(2) = 135.32, P < 0.05). Bacteria infection was the leading causes for CAP cases in all age groups; however the percentage increased with the increasing of ages. The rate of bacterial infection was increased from 48.35% (2993/6191) among children aged ≤ 5 years old to 81.31% (3873/4763) among adults aged over 65 years (χ(2) = 1632.00, P < 0.05). The rate of atypical pathogens (mycoplasma, chlamydia) for children ( ≤ 15 years old) (25.99%, 1805/6945) was higher than that for adults aged ≥ 16 years old (5.12%, 494/9640) (χ(2) = 2.11, P < 0.05). The effect from season on the pathogenic spectrum was not observed.433 hospitalized CAP cases were dead from 2009 to 2012. Case fatality rate was highest among people aged over 65 years old (4.70%, 224/4763) and lowest among children aged between 6 to 15 years old (0.27%, 2/754).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The incidence of community acquired pneumonia was rising in Guangzhou from 2009 to 2012. Bacteria was the dominant pathogen. Children and old people were the high-risk population of community acquired pneumonia; while co-infection was still at low level.</p>

Evaluation on the risks of H5, H7 and H9 avian influenza infections in Guangzhou: using data from the 2006-2012 avian influenza surveillance program / 中华流行病学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analyze the results of avian influenza surveillance program in Guangzhou from 2006 to 2012 and to evaluate the risk of infections with H5, H7 and H9 subtypes avian influenza viruses.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Avian influenza surveillance system in Guangzhou consisted five components:serum surveillance on occupational population, environmental specimen surveillance of avian influenza virus, avian flu emergency surveillance, influenza viruses surveillance on ILI patient and surveillance on pneumonia of unknown causes. Hemagglutination inhibition test was conducted to detect the antibodies against H5, H7 and H9 while RT-PCR was used to test the nucleic acid of H5, H7 and H9 viruses.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>From 2006 to 2012, 4103 serum specimens were collected from occupational populations and the overall positive rate of H5/H7/H9 antibodies was 3.82% . The antibody positive rates for H5, H7 and H9 were 0.22% ,0.00% and 3.70% respectively. 4 serum specimens for H5 and H9 simultaneously showed antibody positive. The positive rate of H9 among occupational populations(4.21%)appeared higher than that from the control population(2.16%). 2028 specimens were collected from poultry sites and 55 samples found positive for H5 nucleic acid (positive rate:2.71%), 14 samples positive for H9 nucleic acid (positive rate:0.69%), 5 specimens, simultaneously positive for H5 and H9 nucleic acids. However, none of the samples showing H7 nucleic acid positive. From 2006 to 2012, all the tested H5/H7/H9 virus were negative from the respiratory/serum specimens among those close contacts of patients or high risk groups through the avian flu emergency surveillance program,ILI patient influenza virus surveillance programs or pneumonia of unknown causes surveillance program.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Contamination of H5/H9 avian influenza virus did exist in the poultry sites in Guangzhou, especially in the wet Markets. The H5/H9 avian influenza virus caused asymptomatic infection was proved to be existed within the population exposed to the poultry, suggesting that the poultry occupational population in Guangzhou was under the risk of avian influenza virus infection.</p>

mRNA and protein expression of haptoglobin in lesions of condyloma acuminatum / 中南大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the expression of haptoglobin in the lesions of condyloma acuminatum (CA) at the mRNA and protein level, and to explore its role in the pathogenesis of CA.@*METHODS@#The expressions of haptoglobin protein and mRNA in the skin tissues of 30 patients with CA and 20 normal controls were detected by immunohistochemistry(IHC), Western blot, and hybridization in situ.@*RESULTS@#The in situ hybridization study showed that haptoglobin mRNA was expressed in the epidermal cells in the lesions of CA. The distribution of haptoglobin mRNA expression in the lesions of CA was similar to that of the normal controls, and the expression of haptoglobin mRNA in CA was higher than that of the normal controls. There was a significant difference in the positive expression of haptoglobin mRNA between the CA group and the control group (P<0.05). The immunohistochemical study showed that haptoglobin protein was expressed in the whole layers of epidermal keratinocytes in the lesions of CA at a high level and stronger staining was seen in the stratum basale and stratum spinosum. Haptoglobin protein was expressed predominantly in the stratum basale in normal skin tissues, while weak staining was seen below the stratum spinosum.There was a significant difference in the mean gray value between the CA group and control group (P<0.05). Western blot showed that the haptoglobin expression in CA lesions significantly increased compared with the normal skins (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#The expression of haptoglobin mRNA in the CA lesions obviously increases and the epidermal cells in the CA lesions are able to synthesize haptoglobin protein. Haptoglobin in the CA lesions may involve in the local immunity escape by preventing Langerhans cell functional maturation and inhibiting the immunocompetence of keratinocyte.

Apoptosis of psoriatic keratinocytes and the severity of patients' condition / 中南大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the correlation between the apoptosis of psoriatic keratinocytes (KCs) in the psoriatic lesions and patient's condition.@*METHODS@#Thirty patients with psoriasis were included. Activated caspase-3 was examined by colorimetric method in skin biopsy specimens. The apoptotic KCs were detected with terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay in skin biopsy specimens. The severities of 26 patients with psoriasis vulgaris (PV) were assessed using the PASI scoring system and the severities of psoriatic lesions.@*RESULTS@#Apoptotic indexes (AI) were higher in the pustular psoriatic lesions than those in the vulgaris psoriatic lesions (P0.05). The severities of psoriatic lesions were positively correlated to AI or the expression of activated caspase-3 in PV lesions (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#The amount of apoptotic KCs may be related to varied types, stages of psoriasis, and severities of psoriatic lesions.

Female urogenital mycoplasma infection and drug sensitivity status in Changsha / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To survey mycoplasma infection in female urogenital tract and analyze the drug sensitivity of mycoplasma in Changsha.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Ureaplasma urealyticum (Uu) and Mycoplasma hominis (Mh) were detected in 6566 cases of female urogenital tract infection by means of mycoplasma culture and drug sensitivity reagent kit. Sensitivity tests for 10 antibiotics were also performed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A total of 2938 cases were mycoplasma-positive (positivity rate of 44.75%), including 2469 Uu-positive cases (37.6%), 52 Mh-positive cases (0.08%) and 417 cases positive for both Uu and Mh (6.35%). Josamycin, doxycycline, clarithromycin and azithromycin were more effective against Uu infection. Josamycin, doxycycline and thiamphenicol were more effective against Mh infection. Mixed infection with Uu and Mh was more resistant to most antibiotics but Josamycin and doxycycline.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The female urogenital mycoplasma infection results mainly from Uu. Compared with simple Uu or Mh infection, mixed infection with Uu and Mh has significantly greater resistance to a wider variety of drugs. Josamycin and doxycycline are the primary choice for female urogenital mycoplasma infection in Changsha.</p>