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Background Both domestic and foreign studies on the diet quality of patients with thyroid nodules are rare at present, and the relationship between thyroid nodules and diet quality is still unclear. Objective This study aims to evaluate the diet quality of thyroid nodules with the China Healthy Diet Index (CHDI) and to explore the relationship between diet quality and thyroid nodules. Methods We conducted a hospital-based case-control study in which 387 patients with thyroid nodules were matched individually (1∶1) by gender and age (±3 years) to the controls who ordered a routine physical examine and with negative thyroid nodules reported by B-ultrasound in the same hospital. A structured questionnaire was applied to collect data on general characteristics and diet. CHDI was employed to evaluate the diet quality of the two groups. CHDI is based on the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents and the recommended food intake in the balanced diet pagoda, combined with the dietary nutritional status of Chinese population. The index contains 13 scoring components, and the highest total score is 100, with a higher score representing better dietary quality. CHDI scores < 60, 60-<80, and ≥80 are recognized as unqualified, qualified, and good diet quality, respectively. Results The scores of the thyroid nodule cases were lower than the scores of the controls in total vegetables, dark vegetables, fruits, and fish/shrimps (all Ps<0.05). The nonparametric test results found that there were significant differences in the distributions of scores in total vegetables, dark vegetables, fruits, soybeans, and fish/shrimps between the case and the control groups (all Ps<0.05). The percentages reaching the full scores in food variety, meat and eggs, and empty calories in both groups exceeded 60%, while the percentages reaching the full scores in whole grains/beans/tubers, dairy, soybeans, and sodium were lower than 30% in the two groups. The median CHDI scores of the thyroid nodule cases and the controls were 69.1 and 72.9, respectively; the cases' CHDI score was lower than the controls' (P<0.05). The proportions of unqualified diet in the case and the control groups accounted for 23.0% and 13.7% respectively (P=0.001). After being adjusted for education level, marital status, occupation, monthly household income per capita, body mass index, hypertension/diabetes, energy, and iodine intake, the results of logistic regression analysis showed that the risk for thyroid nodules was negatively associated with CHDI score (CHDI qualified group vs. CHDI unqualified group, OR=0.484, 95%CI: 0.291-0.804; CHDI good dietary quality group vs. CHDI unqualified group, OR=0.414, 95%CI: 0.230−0.746). Conclusion The diet quality of patients with thyroid nodules is lower than that of the control group, as the former reported lower consumptions of total vegetables, dark vegetables, fruits, and fish/shrimps. Those who have good or qualified diet quality show a reduced risk of thyroid nodules than those with unqualified dietary quality.
ABSTRACT
Funds management,which has a direct effect on the development of scientific research projects,is an important part of the scientific research management in hospitals.By investigating the present situation of the scientific research funds management in a local hospital in Shanghai,this paper analyzes the problems commonly found in the scientific research funds management.Based on the findings of the analysis,this paper proposes some corresponding recommendations and countermeasures to improve the management.
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<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the mechanism of di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) and cypermethrin (CYP) inducing gonadal dysgenesis in prepubertal male rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 40 healthy 3-week-old specific pathogen-free male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly and equally divided into four groups: control group (corn oil), DEHP group (500 mg/kg, dissolved in corn oil), CYP group (80 mg/kg, dissolved in corn oil), and combined exposure group (exposed to 500 mg/kg DEHP and 80 mg/kg CYP, dissolved in corn oil). Rats were treated by gavage administration once a day for 30 days. Twenty-four hours after the last exposure, the animals were sacrificed. The body weight and the wet weight of testis were determined, and the weight coefficient of testis was calculated. Radioimmunoassay was used to determine serum testosterone level. Ultrastructural-level histopathological changes of the testis were examined by transmission electron microscopy. The mRNA and protein expression of follicle stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR), androgen binding protein (ABP), inhibin beta-B (INHBB) and vimentin (VIM) were analyzed by real-time PCR and Western blot, respectively. Factorial design analysis of variance was used to compare differences between groups; interaction diagrams were used to determine the interaction between DEHP and CYP.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with those of the control group, the testis weights and testis coefficients of the DEHP, CYP, and combined exposure groups significantly decreased by 39.3-59.2%and 19.7-58.6%, respectively, and all exposure groups showed significant reductions in serum level of testosterone, ranging from 49.1% to 62.7% (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). And all the exposure groups showed different levels of ultrastructural damages in the testes. Compared with that in the control group, the mRNA expression of FSHR, ABP, INHBB, and VIMin the DEHP group was down-regulated by 1.72, 2.64, 2.83 and 1.79 times, and their protein levels were significantly reduced by 65.2%, 53.7%, 70.1%, and 51.9% (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). Significant decreases in mRNA expression of ABP (down 1.72 times) and INHBB (down 2.06 times) were observed in the CYP group, and their protein levels decreased by 38.3% and 49.7%, respectively (P < 0.05). The combined exposure to both DEHP and CYP resulted in big decreases in the mRNA levels of FSHR (down 1.62 times), ABP (down 2.00 times), INHBB (down 2.35 times), and VIM (down 1.54 times) and protein levels of FSHR (down 52.1%), INHBB (down 53.9%), and VIM (down 58.8%) (P < 0.05). Factorial design analysis of variance showed that the combination of two substances had an antagonistic effect on the expression of ABP and INHBB (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>DEHP and CYP, alone or combined, can lead to gonadal dysgenesis in prepubertal male rats. Both of them can disrupt functional mRNA and protein expression in Sertoli cells to certain levels. The combination of DEHP and CYP shows antagonistic effects, and DEHP has a stronger reproductive toxicity than CYP.</p>
Subject(s)
Animals , Male , Rats , Diethylhexyl Phthalate , Toxicity , Gonadal Dysgenesis , Pyrethrins , Toxicity , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , Sertoli Cells , Metabolism , Testis , Cell BiologyABSTRACT
Environmental endocrine disruptors are pollutants of many exogenous chemical classes,which are ubiquitous and persistent in the environment and can interfere with the body 's natural steroidogenesis,secretion,transport,and receptor binding,biotransformation and removal of other aspects,thus,they may disturb normal hormone maintaining the organism 's balance and regulating development process.Therefore,exposure to these pollutants is one of the biggest factors that induce sex differentiation and sexual abnormality in children,which has been proved by many data from epidemiological researches.Environmental endocrine disruptors may influence the sexual differentiation and sexual development process of children by disturbing the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis and affecting the biosynthesis,transport,receptor binding,metabolism and clearance of androgen as well as interacting with genes.