Analysis of the Electrophoretic Profiles of Prion Protein in Carcinous and Pericarcinous Lysates of Six Different Types of Cancers / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

Objective@#To find the different electrophoretic profiles of prion protein in carcinous and individual pericarcinous tissues in lysates of gastric, colon, liver, lung, thyroid, and laryngeal cancers.@*Methods@#Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and Western blot were used to test the amounts and electrophoretic patterns of total PrP and the tolerance of PK (protease K) digestion among six various cancer tissue types.@*Results@#A mass of PrP signals with a large molecular weight were identified in the homogenates of peripheral tissues. The amounts and electrophoretic patterns of total PrP did not differ significantly between carcinous and pericarcinous tissues. PrPs in all types of the tested cancer samples were PK sensitive but showed diversity in the tolerance of PK digestion among various tissue types.@*Conclusions@#The study revealed that the included electrophoretic patterns of carcinous and pericarcinous tissues were almost similar. Unlike PrP-specific immunohistochemical assay, evaluation of PrP electrophoretic patterns in the peripheral organs and tissues by Western blot does not reflect tumor malignancy.

Genetic Prion Disease: Insight from the Features and Experience of China National Surveillance for Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease / 神经科学通报·英文版

Human genetic prion diseases (gPrDs) are directly associated with mutations and insertions in the PRNP (Prion Protein) gene. We collected and analyzed the data of 218 Chinese gPrD patients identified between Jan 2006 and June 2020. Nineteen different subtypes were identified and gPrDs accounted for 10.9% of all diagnosed PrDs within the same period. Some subtypes of gPrDs showed a degree of geographic association. The age at onset of Chinese gPrDs peaked in the 50-59 year group. Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker syndrome (GSS) and fatal familial insomnia (FFI) cases usually displayed clinical symptoms earlier than genetic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (gCJD) patients with point mutations. A family history was more frequently recalled in P105L GSS and D178N FFI patients than T188K and E200K patients. None of the E196A gCJD patients reported a family history. The gCJD cases with point mutations always developed clinical manifestations typical of sporadic CJD (sCJD). EEG examination was not sensitive for gPrDs. sCJD-associated abnormalities on MRI were found in high proportions of GSS and gCJD patients. CSF 14-3-3 positivity was frequently detected in gCJD patients. Increased CSF tau was found in more than half of FFI and T188K gCJD cases, and an even higher proportion of E196A and E200K gCJD patients. 63.6% of P105L GSS cases showed a positive reaction in cerebrospinal fluid RT-QuIC. GSS and FFI cases had longer durations than most subtypes of gCJD. This is one of the largest studies of gPrDs in East Asians, and the illness profile of Chinese gPrDs is clearly distinct. Extremely high proportions of T188K and E196A occur among Chinese gPrDs; these mutations are rarely reported in Caucasians and Japanese.

Genetic Prion Disease: Insight from the Features and Experience of China National Surveillance for Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease / 神经科学通报·英文版

Human genetic prion diseases (gPrDs) are directly associated with mutations and insertions in the PRNP (Prion Protein) gene. We collected and analyzed the data of 218 Chinese gPrD patients identified between Jan 2006 and June 2020. Nineteen different subtypes were identified and gPrDs accounted for 10.9% of all diagnosed PrDs within the same period. Some subtypes of gPrDs showed a degree of geographic association. The age at onset of Chinese gPrDs peaked in the 50–59 year group. Gerstmann–Sträussler–Scheinker syndrome (GSS) and fatal familial insomnia (FFI) cases usually displayed clinical symptoms earlier than genetic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (gCJD) patients with point mutations. A family history was more frequently recalled in P105L GSS and D178N FFI patients than T188K and E200K patients. None of the E196A gCJD patients reported a family history. The gCJD cases with point mutations always developed clinical manifestations typical of sporadic CJD (sCJD). EEG examination was not sensitive for gPrDs. sCJD-associated abnormalities on MRI were found in high proportions of GSS and gCJD patients. CSF 14-3-3 positivity was frequently detected in gCJD patients. Increased CSF tau was found in more than half of FFI and T188K gCJD cases, and an even higher proportion of E196A and E200K gCJD patients. 63.6% of P105L GSS cases showed a positive reaction in cerebrospinal fluid RT-QuIC. GSS and FFI cases had longer durations than most subtypes of gCJD. This is one of the largest studies of gPrDs in East Asians, and the illness profile of Chinese gPrDs is clearly distinct. Extremely high proportions of T188K and E196A occur among Chinese gPrDs; these mutations are rarely reported in Caucasians and Japanese.

Utilizing databases to study the expression of FAM83C in gastric cancer and its clinical significance / 医学研究生学报

ObjectiveAs the pathogenesis of gastric cancer remains unclear, this paper aims to investigate the expression of FAM83C in gastric cancer tissues, to analyze the relationship between the expression difference and clinicopathological features and prognosis, and to further explore the mutation sites and methylation of FAM83C in gastric cancer.MethodsData mining of FAM83C was conducted by TCGA database and Oncomine database to analyze the expression of FAM83C in gastric cancer and other multiple types of cancer. The relationship between the expression of FAM83C and the clinicopathological characteristics of gastric cancer was analyzed by LinkedOmics database. The effect of FAM83C expression on the prognosis of patients with gastric cancer was analyzed by Kaplan Meier Plotter database. The mutation sites and methylation of FAM83C in gastric cancer was analyzed by cBioportal database and MethHC database. The protein network interacting with FAM83C was analyzed by String database.ResultsThere were 56 studies on FAM83C expression differences in the Oncomine database with statistical significance (P<0.05), among which 46 studies suggested that FAM83C was highly expressed in a variety of cancer tissues, and its high expression in gastric cancer was statistically significant (P=0.000733). Meanwhile, the analysis of 637 gastric cancer samples in the TCGA database showed that FAM83C was highly expressed in all kinds of gastric cancer tissues (P<0.05). The differences between FAM83C expression level and patients' age (P=0.0344) and T stage (P=0.034) were statistically significant (P<0.05). The group with high FAM83C expression had shorter survival time and worse prognosis, and the difference was statistically significant (P=0.0071). FAM83C mutations in gastric cancer include missense mutation, frame-shift mutation and splicing mutation. The methylation level of FAM83C gene promoter region in gastric cancer was significantly higher than that in normal gastric tissue (P<0.005). The proteins interacting with FAM83C include SLCO5A1, AKR7A3, MMP24, EIF6 and ARL11, etc., and may participate in the cellular function process together.ConclusionFAM83C is highly expressed in gastric cancer. In addition, its expression level has a certain correlation with the degree of malignancy and poor prognosis of gastric cancer, which is manifested in the characteristics of proto-oncogenes to a certain extent, and is expected to become a new target for clinical diagnosis and treatment of gastric cancer.

Preparation of PrP-specific Polyclonal Antibody Immunization of -knockout Mice with Recombinant Human PrP Protein / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

Objective@#The definite diagnosis of human and animal prion diseases depends on the examination of special pathological changes and/or detection of PrP in the brain tissues of suspected cases. Thus, developing methods to obtain PrP antibody with good specificity and sensitivity is fundamental for prion identification.@*Methods@#We prepared a PrP-specific polyclonal antibody (pAb P54) in a -knockout mouse model immunization with recombinant full-length human PrP protein residues 23-231. Thereafter, we verified that pAb in Western blot, immunohistochemistry (IHC), and immunofluorescent (IFA) assays.@*Results@#Western blot illustrated that the newly prepared pAb P54 could react with recombinant PrP protein, normal brain PrP from healthy rodents and humans, and pathological PrP in the brains of experimental rodents infected with scrapie and humans infected with different types of prion diseases. The electrophoretic patterns of brain PrP and PrP observed after their reaction with pAb P54 were nearly identical to those produced by commercial PrP monoclonal antibodies. Three glycosylated PrP molecules in the brain homogenates were clearly demonstrated in the reactions of these molecules with pAb P54. IHC assay revealed apparent PrP deposits in the GdnCl-treated brain slices of 139A-infected mice and 263K-infected hamsters. IFA tests with pAb P54 also showed clear green signals surrounding blue-stained cell nuclei.@*Conclusion@#The newly prepared pAb P54 demonstrated reliable specificity and sensitivity and, thus, may have potential applications not only in studies of prion biology but also in the diagnosis of human and experimental rodent prion diseases.

Assessment of the Sensitivity and Specificity of the Established Real-time Quaking-induced Conversion (RT-QuIC) Technique in Chinese CJD Surveillance / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

Real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) assay is a newly established PrP -detecting method. The development of RT-QuIC improves the diagnosis of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD), showing good sensitivity and specificity in many countries when the method was used in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples. However, in China, the sensitivity and specificity of RT-QuIC has yet to be determined due to the lack of definitive diagnosis samples. Recently, 30 definitive sCJD and 30 non-CJD diagnoses were evaluated by RT-QuIC assay. In the 30 sCJD CSF samples, 29 showed positive results. By contrast, all the non-CJD samples were negative. The sensitivity and specificity of our RT-QuIC assay were 96.67% and 100%, respectively, and are comparable to other published data. Results can provide a fundamental basis for the usage of RT-QuIC assay in CJD surveillance in China.

Characteristic of sexual behavior and their associated factors among male and female partners of men who have sex with men / 中华疾病控制杂志

Objective To understand the characteristic of sexual behavior and their associated factors among male and female partners of men who have sex with men in Anhui province. Methods Cross-sectional studies were conducted among MSM in Hefei, Wuhu and Liuan in Anhui province. MSM were recruited through “snowball sampling” and “internet-based recruiting”, and eligible participant received an anonymous survey. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis model was used to identify risk factors associated with having sex with women in the last 6 months among MSM. Results Of the 1 200 MSM interviewed, 78.3% had anal sex with men, and 20.9% had vaginal intercourse with women, and 16.5% had sexual intercourse with both men and women in the past 6 months. Less MSM reported using condom every time with women (29.9%) in the past 6 months than with men (53.0%), and less reported using condom with women (52.2%) during the last sexual intercourse than with men(79.6%) (all P<0.05). The results of mutivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that MSM who were married(including currently married/cohabitating/divorced/widowed), lived more than 2 years in the surveyed city, and had commercial sex with men were more likely to have sex with women. Conclusions There was a high proportion of bisexual behavior and low rate of condom use among MSM. It should strengthen the sexual health education, risk perception education and behavioral intervention among MSM.

Expression of galectin-1 in Chinese laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma patients and its clinical significance / 中华实验和临床病毒学杂志

Objective@#To observe the expression and clinical significance of galectin-1 in Chinese laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma patients.@*Methods@#Immunohistochemical technique was used to test the galecin-1 protein expression in the 50 laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma patients and Western blot method was used to test the galecin-1 protein expression in the 3 of the patients. SAS 9.4 software was used to analyze the relationship between the galectin-1 protein and the clinical degrees, pathological grades and lymph node metastasis in all the cases.@*Results@#In the 50 laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma patients, the positive rate of galectin-1 protein was 74% (37/50). The expression of galectin-1 protein was correlated with the severity of clinical staging, pathological differentiation and lymph node metastasis.@*Conclusions@#High expression of galectin protein related with the occurrence and development of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas.

Analysis of human papillomavirus infection and p53 expression in patients with hypopharynx squamous cell carcinoma / 中华实验和临床病毒学杂志

Objective@#To analyze the infection of human papillomavirus and expression of p53 in patients with hypopharynx squamous cell carcinoma.@*Methods@#The pathological samples of 15 clinically diagnosed hypopharynx cancer patients were collected. Lunimex and PCR techniques were used to detect the human papillomavirus (HPV) gene and immunohistochemical method was used to analyze the HPV protein expression in the samples. PCR and direct sequencing were used to screen the mutations in p53 gene and immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate the expressing profiles of p53 proteins.@*Results@#In the 15 cases, 6 were positive for HPV16/18 gene and 2 cases were positive for HPV16/18 E6 protein expression. The total positive rate was about 46.7% (7/15). In addition, 9 of 15 (60.0%) cases had sequencing-confirmed p53 mutations and p53 immunohistochemistry (IHC) confirmed 9 (60.0%) cases had positive staining.@*Conclusions@#The high HPV infection rate and p53 expression in hypopharynx squamous cell carcinoma patients in the study lays a foundation for further elucidating the pathogenesis of this kind of cancer.

Association between prion infection and Ryanodine receptor 2 in scrapie-263 K infected hamster / 中华实验和临床病毒学杂志

Objective@#To classify the expression of RyR2 in the brain of prion infected hamsters.@*Methods@#Immunohistochemical assays was used to verify that the location of RyR2 in the brain slices of hamster. Assays of the brain samples of intracranial inoculation of scrapie infected hamster (agent 263 K) and normal hamster were tested to evaluate the RyR2 expression by Western Blotting. Immunofluorescent assays were used to verify the co-location between RyR2 and PrP protein.@*Results@#RyR2 mainly located in cortex and Purkinje cells with parts of which are distributed in thalamus, hippocampus and olfactory bulb. The expression of RyR2 significantly decreased in the 263 K infected hamster at terminal stage. The Immunofluorescence tests showed that RyR2 was colocalized with PrP protein.@*Conclusions@#The experimental data showed that RyR2 may play a crucial role in prion disease, which might be closely linked to the cognition impairment and neuron loss. The relation between RyR2 and prion disease still needs further research.

Experimental study on the effect of moxibustion at Shenque (CV 8) for long-term exercise-induced fatigue / 针灸推拿医学（英文版）

Objective: To investigate the effect of moxibustion at Shenque (CV 8) on fatigue in rats with chronic exercise-induced exhaustion. Methods: Thirty male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into a blank group, a model group and a moxibustion group, 10 rats in each group. Except rats in the blank group, the remaining rats were subjected to create long-term exhaustion models by repeated swimming. After successful modeling, rats in the moxibustion group received mild moxibustion at Shenque (CV 8) for 15 min, once every other day with a total of 10 times. Rats in the model group and the blank group did not receive moxibustion. At the end of the treatment, the exhausted times, and the body weight of rats before and after the experiment were compared among groups. The levels of blood malondialdehyde (MDA) and urea nitrogen (BUN), as well as the activities of aspartate transarninase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were also measured by the automatic biochemical analyzer, 24 h after the exhausting excise. Results: The 10th swimming time was significantly longer in the moxibustion group than that in the model group (P<0.01). The increase rate of the body weight was lower in the rats of the moxibustion group than that in the model group before the 7th and the 10th exhausting excise (P<0.05, P<0.01). The levels of serum MDA and BUN, as well as the activities of AST, ALT and LDH in the model group were higher than those in the blank group (all P<0.01). The levels of serum MDA and BUN, as well as the activities of AST, ALT and LDH in the moxibustion group were lower than those in the model group (P<0.01). Conclusion: Moxibustion at Shenque (CV 8) can decrease the serum levels of MDA and BUN, as well as activities of AST, ALT and LDH in the long-term fatigue rats, thus to improve the symptoms of fatigue.

A comparative study of the effect of low-frequency electroacupuncture on blood lipids between men and women with simple obesity / 针灸推拿医学（英文版）

Objective: To observe the difference of the effect of low-frequency electroacupuncture (EA) on blood lipids between male and female patients with simple obesity due to damp induced by spleen deficiency. Methods: Eighty patients with simple obesity were recruited, including 37 males and 43 females, to receive low-frequency EA by selecting Yinlingquan (SP 10), Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Zusanli (ST 36), Fenglong (ST 40), Quchi (LI 11), Tianshu (ST 25), Zhongwan (CV 12), Shuifen (CV 9), Qihai (CV 6) and Guanyuan (CV 4), with needles retained for 30 min. The treatment was given once a day, 10 sessions as a treatment course, for 2 courses in total. The contents of body fat percentage (F%), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), blood glucose (Glu) and adiponectin (ADPN) in serum were observed to see the changes, and the two groups were compared and analyzed. Results: After the treatment, F%, and serum contents of TC, TG, LDL, Glu and ADPN dropped significantly in the two groups (P<0.05 or P<0.01) and the serum content of HDL increased significantly in male group (P<0.05). The decrease of F% in female group was more significant than that in male group (P<0.01); the decrease of ADPN in male group was more significant than that in female group (P<0.05). Conclusion: EA can regulate the disordered blood lipids in male and female patients with simple obesity, with certain differences between genders. The decrease of subcutaneous fat content is more significant in females than that in males, while the decrease of ADPN is more significant in males.

Establishment of Quality Control System of Nucleic Acid Detection for Ebola Virus in Sierra Leone-China Friendship Biological Safety Laboratory / 病毒学报

The quality control process throughout the Ebola virus nucleic acid detection in Sierra Leone-China Friendship Biological Safety Laboratory (SLE-CHN Biosafety Lab) was described in detail, in order to comprehensively display the scientific, rigorous, accurate and efficient practice in detection of Ebola virus of first batch detection team in SLE-CHN Biosafety Lab. Firstly, the key points of laboratory quality control system was described, including the managements and organizing, quality control documents and information management, instrument, reagents and supplies, assessment, facilities design and space allocation, laboratory maintenance and biosecurity. Secondly, the application of quality control methods in the whole process of the Ebola virus detection, including before the test, during the test and after the test, was analyzed. The excellent and professional laboratory staffs, the implementation of humanized management are the cornerstone of the success; High-level biological safety protection is the premise for effective quality control and completion of Ebola virus detection tasks. And professional logistics is prerequisite for launching the laboratory diagnosis of Ebola virus. The establishment and running of SLE-CHN Biosafety Lab has landmark significance for the friendship between Sierra Leone and China, and the lab becomes the most important base for Ebola virus laboratory testing in Sierra Leone.

Risk factors which were associated with heroin use during the methadone maintenancetreatment among 1301 patients in 9 cities of China / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective To determine the proportion of heroin use among patients who were involved in community-based methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) program and to identify the risk factors associated with heroin use. Methods This study was conducted in 9 MMT clinics within 3 provinces. Thirteen hundred and one patients who met the study criteria were selected from each of the five groups with different dosages of methadone users. An administrative questionnaire was applied to explore the demographics,drug abuse-related behaviors and MMT services received by the clients,etc. The prevalence of depression and anxiety among the clients were also collected by SAS and SDS. Urine samples were collected as a biological marker to indicate if heroin had been used. Results Of the 1301 patients,76.2% were males. The mean age was (34.6±6.5) years while 71.7% had an education level of primary school or below. The average daily dosage of methadone was (48.1±29.4) mg and self-satisfied evaluation score on treatment was 8.6. On average,27.7% urine samples showed positive opiate evidence. Marital status,employment status,treatment retention,self-satisfied evaluation score on dosage and dropout history were found to be significantly associatedwith heroin use,while gender,education level and dosage had no significant association with heroin use. It seemed that risk factors that associated with heroin use were different from areas to areas. Conclusion High quality MMT clinic services,high self-satisfied score,longer treatment retention and low dropout rate seemed to have the effects of reducing the risk of ongoing heroin abuse under the methadone maintenance treatment program.

Clinical applications of the postfemur island flap pedicled with the postfemur neurocutaneous nutrient vessel / 中华整形外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the application of the island flap based on the postfemur neurocutaneous nutrient vessel.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The flap was designed and applied to repair the defects in the gluteal, popliteal fossa or the bilateral postfemur areas. A total of 11 cases (12 defects) were treated with this method. The size of the defects ranged from 4.0 cm x 7.8 cm to 8.3 cm x 16.6 cm.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Of the 12 defects, 9 achieved complete success. Epidermal necrosis occurred in the distal part of the flap in 3 defects owing to venous stasis, which were cured with skin grafting. Postoperative follow-up for 8-19 months showed that the appearance, texture, and function of the flap were satisfactory.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The advantages of the flap lie in the reliable blood supply, constant anatomy, and without sacrificing a major artery. The key points for the flap survival are utilizing the "Superficial vein-nutrient vessel of the cutaneous nerve system" and retaining a comet tail-shaped soft-tissue pedicle in the flap creation.</p>