Clinical features of SF3B1 mutation in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome with excess blasts / 中华内科杂志

Objective: To exploring the clinical features of SF3B1-mutated myelodysplastic syndrome with excess blasts (MDS-EB) and analyzing the association between SF3B1 mutation, and efficacy and prognostic significance for patients with MDS-EB. Methods: This was a retrospective case series study. The clinical data of 266 patients with MDS-EB diagnosed in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University between April 2016 and November 2021 were analyzed. The observed indicators included blood routine counts, mutated genes, overall response rate (ORR), overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and leukemia-free survival (LFS). The Kaplan-Meier method was used to depict the survival curves. The Log-rank test method was equally used to compare survival across groups and performed the Cox proportional hazard regression model for prognostic analysis. Results: In 266 patients with MDS-EB, 166 (62.4%) were men, and the median age was 57 (17-81) years. Moreover, there were included 26 and 240 patients in the SF3B1-mutated and SF3B1 wild-type groups. Patients in the SF3B1-mutated group were older [median age 65 (51, 69) years vs. 56 (46, 66) years, P=0.033], had higher white blood cell (WBC) counts [3.08 (2.35, 4.78) × 109/L vs. 2.13 (1.40, 3.77) × 109/L], platelet (PLT) counts [122.5 (50.5, 215.0) ×109/L vs. 49.0 (24.3, 100.8) × 109/L], absolute neutrophil counts (ANC) [1.83 (1.01, 2.88) × 109/L vs. 0.80 (0.41, 1.99) × 109/L]and occurrence of DNMT3A mutation [23.1% (6/26) vs. 6.7% (16/240)] (all P<0.05). The ORR were similar in both groups after 2 and 4 cycles of therapy (P=0.348, P=1.000). Moreover, the LFS (P=0.218), PFS (P=0.179) and OS (P=0.188) were similar across the groups. Univariate Cox analysis revealed that SF3B1 mutation did not affect the prognosis of patients with MDS-EB (OS: P=0.193; PFS: P=0.184). Conclusions: Patients with SF3B1 mutation were older, with greater WBC, PLT, and ANC, and SF3B1 mutation easily co-occurred with DNMT3A mutation. From this model, there were no significant differences in efficacy and survival of MDS-EB with or without SF3B1 mutation.

Gene Mutation and Overexpression of Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma Patients / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To analyze the characteristics of gene mutation and overexpression in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) patients.@*METHODS@#Bone marrow cells from 208 NDMM patients were collected and analyzed. The gene mutation of 28 genes and overexpression of 6 genes was detected by DNA sequencing. Chromosome structure abnormalities were detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH).@*RESULTS@#Gene mutations were detected in 61 (29.33%) NDMM patients. Some mutations occurred in 5 or more cases, such as NRAS, PRDM1, FAM46C, MYC, CCND1, LTB, DIS3, KRAS, and CRBN. Overexpression of six genes (CCND1, CCND3, BCL-2, CCND2, FGFR3, and MYC) were detected in 83 (39.9%) patients, and cell cycle regulation gene was the most common. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) changes were detected in 169 (81.25%) patients, the TP53 P72R gene SNP (70.17%) was the most common. Abnormality in chromosome structure was correlated to gene overexpression. Compared to the patients with normal chromosome structure, patients with 14q32 deletion showed higher proportion of CCND1 overexpression. Similarly, patients with 13q14 deletion showed higher proportion of FGFR3 overexpression, whereas patients with 1q21 amplification showed higher proportion of CCND2, BCL-2 and FGFR3 overexpression.@*CONCLUSION@#There are multiple gene mutations and overexpression in NDMM. However, there is no dominated single mutation or overexpression of genes. The most common gene mutations are those in the RAS/MAPK pathway and the genes of cyclin family CCND are overexpression.

Expression and cellular function of long non－coding ＲNA SFTA1P in non－small cell lung cancer / 中华疾病控制杂志

@#Objective To investigate the expression of long non－coding ＲNA SFTA1P in non small cell lung cancer ( NSCLC) and its biological function in NSCLC cell lines． Methods Quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction( qＲT－PCＲ) was used to detect the expression of SFTA1P in 18 pairs of NSCLC tissues and adjacent normal tissues． The expression of SFTA1P was detected by qＲT－PCＲ in five different NSCLC cell lines ( A549，SPCA1，H460，H1975 and H1299) and one normal lung epithelial cell line ( HBE) ． The overexpression vector of SFTA1P was designed and constructed． The overex- pressed cell line was constructed by transfection，the effects of overexpression of SFTA1P on proliferation， invasion and migration of NSCLC cells were detected by CCK－8 assay and transwell assay． Ｒesults The expression of SFTA1P in NSCLC tissues was lower than that of adjacent normal tissues ( t = 2. 158，P = 0. 043) ． SFTA1P expression was detected in 5 strains of NSCLC cell lines and normal lung epithelial cell line． The expression of SFTA1P was the lowest in A549 and H460 cell lines ( t = 5. 769，P = 0. 004; t = 5. 772，P= 0. 004) ，and the highest in H1299 and H1975 cell lines ( t = 22. 248，P＜0. 001; t = 11. 814，P ＜0. 001) ． SFTA1P overexpression cell models were successfully constructed using A549 and H460 cell lines( all P＜0．05) ． The overexpression of SFTA1P could inhibit proliferation，invasion and migration of H460 and A549 cells ( ( all P ＜ 0． 05) ． Conclusions SFTA1P can affect the biological functions of NSCLC cells by inhibiting the proliferation，migration and invasion． SFTA1P may play a role as a tumor suppressor gene in tumorigenesis and development．

Comparision of Mutational Spectrum between Elderly and Young Adults with Acute Myeloid Leukemia Based on Next Generation Sequencing / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To compare the gene mutational spectrum between elderly and young adults with acute myeloid leukemia(AML) based on next generation sequencing(NGS).@*METHODS@#The specimens of 250 AML patients in first affiliated hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2018 to November 2018 were collected and analyzed retrospectively. The mutation of 22 related genes were detected by using AML NGS chips. Then, the differences between elderly (≥60 years old) and young adults (＜60 years old) were compared.@*RESULTS@#The most frequent mutations of 250 patients were as follows: NPM1(22.4%), FLT3-ITD(18.8%), NRAS(17.2%), DNMT3A(14.4%), TET2(11.6%), IDH2(9.6%), Biallelic CEBPA(8.8%), Moallelic CEBPA(8.4%), KIT(8.4%), RUNX1(7.6%), IDH1(7.6%), ASXL1(6.0%), U2AF1(5.2%), SRSF2 (3.2%), SF3B1(3.2%), TP53(2.4%), KRAS(2.0%). The NPM1, CEBPA, DNMT3A mutation significantly increased in intermediate prognosis group while KIT significantly increased in favourable prognosis group. The TET2 and IDH2 mutation rate in elderly patients were significantly higher than that in young patients (21.8% vs 8.7%) (χ=7.180, P=0.007) and (20.0% vs 6.7%) ( χ=8.788, P=0.003) respectively. Compared with young patients, the frequencies of DNA methylation and demethylation mutations (including DNMT3A, TET2, IDH1, IDH2) and RNA splicing enzyme mutations (inc-luding SRSF2, SF3B1, U2AF1, ZRSR2) in elderly patients significantly increased(67.3% vs 36.4%) (χ=16.653, P=0.000) and (23.6% vs 8.7%)(χ=9.041, P=0.003) respectively.@*CONCLUSION@#The gene mutational spectrum in elderly and young adult AML shows heterogeneity. Compared with young adults, the frequencies of DNA methylation and demethylation mutations and RNA splicing enzyme mutations in elderly patients significantly increase.

Protective effect of astrocyte exosomes on hypoxic-ischemic neurons / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effect of astrocyte exosomes on hypoxic-ischemic neurons.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Rat astrocytes were cultured in vitro, and differential centrifugation was used to obtain the exosomes from the cell supernatant. Transmission electron microscopy, Nanosight, and Western blot were used for the identification of exosomes. BCA method was used to measure the concentration of exosomes. Rat neurons were cultured in vitro and then divided into control group, exosome group, oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD) group, and OGD+exosome group (n=3 each). The OGD and OGD+exosome groups were cultured in glucose-free medium under the hypoxic condition. The exosome and OGD+exosome groups were treated with exosomes at a final concentration of 22 μg/mL. The control and OGD groups were given an equal volume of phosphate-buffered saline. ELISA was used to measure the level of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in neurons. The terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling was used to measure the apoptotic index of neurons.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The identification of exosomes showed that the exosomes extracted by differential centrifugation had the features of exosomes. Compared with the control and exosome groups, the OGD group had significant increases in LDH level and apoptotic index (P<0.05). Compared with the OGD group, the OGD+exosome group had significant reductions in LDH level and apoptotic index (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The exosomes from astrocytes have a protective effect on neurons with hypoxic-ischemic injury.</p>

Antitumor activityand mechanism of JD20,a newly synthetic analog of natural ent-kaurane diterpenoid / 中国药理学与毒理学杂志

OBJECTIVE To study the anti-tumor activity and molecular mechanism of natural diter-pene derivative JD20 in vitro. METHODS Screening the sensitive of gastric carcinoma cell lines to JD20 by cytotoxicity test for 24 h.Cell morphology was evaluated by using DAPI.After staining of can-cer cells with PI or annexin V-FITC/PI respectively,the cell cycle and apoptosis induced by JD20 were detectded by flow cytometry. The change in cell membrane potential was detected by JC-1 test kit. Western blot method was used to detect the apoptosis-related protein. RESULTS The novel natural kaurane diterpene derivative JD20 had a significant inhibitory effect on tumor cells and was particularly active on gastric cancer cell lines HGC-27 (IC50=4.72 ± 1.37 μmol·L- 1) and MGC-803 (IC50=7.36 ± 0.86 μmol·L-1).Further studies found that JD20 resulted in thecell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase,and induced a significant apoptosis in HGC-27. In addition, JD20 also caused the drop of mitochondrial membrane potential of HGC-27 within a short time (3 h). Furthermore, the Western blotting analysis showed that JD20 could induce the up-regulation of p53,Bax and Bim protein expression in gastric can-cer cells,and the releasing of cytochrome c from the mitochondria into the cytoplasm,as well as the ac-tivation of casepase-9/3.CONCLUSION The natural kaurane diterpene derivative JD20 can inhibit the proliferation of various human cancer cells by blocking the cell cycle and inducing apoptosis, and its mechanism of inducing apoptosis may be related to the mitochondria-mediated apoptosis pathway.

Anti-esophagus cancer activity and mechanism of DN3,a novel natural diterpenoid derivative,as a dual inhibitor of glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation / 中国药理学与毒理学杂志

OBJECTIVE To probe into the anti-esophagus cancer activity and mechanisms of DN3, a novel natural diterpenoid derivative. METHODS The anti-tumor activity in vitro of DN3 was evaluated by MTT, and by using human esophageal carcinoma cells xenografted into athymic mice model in vivo. The specific mechanisms of DN3, as a dual inhibitor of glycolysis and oxidative phos-phorylation(OXPHOS)were explored through cell and molecular biology techniques.For instance,the manner of cancer cell death induced by DN3 was characterized by hoechst33342, FITC-Annexin V/PI staining and flow cytometric analysis,then these changes of glucose consumption,glucose uptake and lactate production in glycolysis, as well as oxygen consumption rate (OCR) and ATP content in OXPHOS caused by DN3 were performed separately through related kits and SeahorseBioscience XF24 Extra-cellular Flux Analyzer.Furthermore,in order to obtain a clear understanding of the inhibition of DN3 to glycolysis and OXPHOS, these regulatory factors were investigated by Western blot, such as PI3K/AKT, c-Myc and p53 of glycolysis, Bax and HK2 of mitochondrial function. RESULTS DN3 inhibited the growth of esophagus cancer cell EC9706, EC109 and EC1 cells in a dose and time dependent manner,but showed no significant effects on human esophageal epithelial cells(HEECs).DN3 caused significant G2/M arrest of esophagus cancer cell lines and induced apoptosis of these cell lines, which indicated DN3 inhibited the growth of esophagus cancer cell through blocking cell cycle and inducing apoptosis in a dose and time-dependent manner. Importantly, 8 μM DN3 decreased the extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) by 45% in EC109, which indicated glycolysis was inhibited by DN3. Mean-while, DN3 decreased the oxygen consumption rate (OCR) and the OCR linked to intracellular ATP production in EC109 cells,but that was not obvious in HEECs,so which indicated that DN3 could selec-tively block OXPHOS of cancer cells. In addition, the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the drop of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) were also observed in EC109 incubated by DN3,which suggested mitochondrial biological function was disturbed.Furthermore,the expression of PI3K/AKT, c-Myc and HK2 related to glycolysis were down-regulated by DN3, but the p53 and Bax were up-regulated in esophageal carcinoma cells. The changes of these enzymes accounted for the decreased glycolysisand OXPHOS in esophageal carcinoma cells treated by DN3. CONCLUSION The new compound DN3 has a strong anti-esophageal carcinoma activity,and it is tolerable that DN3 is seen as a dual inhibitor of glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation.

Metabolic heterogeneity of gastric cancer cell lines / 中国药理学与毒理学杂志

OBJECTIVE Gastric cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors,and the inci-dence rate is the highest in all kinds of tumors in China. However,it remains unclear that how signifi-cantly gastric cells are dependent on glycolysis,and which type of gastric cells are sensitive to glycolysis inhibition. In this study, several kind of gastric cancer cell lines were used as the research object, and the metabolic characteristics of different cell lines were systematically analyzed to provide theoretical support for the accurate treatment of gastric cancer. METHODS We examined the energy metabolism of four gastric cancer cell lines(MGC-803,SGC-7901,HGC-27 and BGC-823)by using glycolysis inhibitor, 2-deoxy-D-glucose(2-DG)and inhibitor of oxidative phosphorylation,oligomycin.Oxygen consumption rates(OCR)and L-lactate were also measured with an XF96 Analyzer(Seahorse Biosciences)to deter-mine the significance of metabolism of oxidative phosphorylation and aerobic glycolysisin gastric cells. In addition, western blot was used to detect the contribution of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), and anti-apoptotic proteins(Bcl-2 and survivin)to clarify the mechanism of death or survival of gastric cancer cells treated by 2-DG or oligomycin. RESULTS In this study, it was shown that the growth of gastric cell lines were suppressed by 2-DG.However,the sensitivity to 2-DG was quite different among cell lines:IC 50 of 2-DG was from 3.28 mmol·L-1(MGC-803)to 15.57 mmol·L-1(BGC-823).MGC-803 was relatively sensitive to 2-DG (IC 50:3.28 mmol·L-1), consumed more glucose and produced more lactate (waste product of glycolysis) than the three other cell lines. Consequently, MGC-803 could be more dependent on glycolysis than other cell lines, which was further confirmed by the fact that glucose (+)FCS(-)medium showed more growth and survival than glucose(-)FCS(+)medium.Alternatively, BGC-823, most resistant to 2-DG (IC50: 15.57 mmol·L- 1), was most sensitive to oligomycin, and showed more growth and survival in glucose(-)FCS(+)medium than in glucose(+)FCS(-)medium. Thus,we had reasons to think BGC-823 cells depended on oxidative phosphorylation for energy production. In BGC-823,AMPK,which is activated when ATP becomes limiting,was rapidly phosphorylated by 2-DG, and expression of Bcl-2 was augmented,which might result in resistance to 2-DG.Interestingly,AMPK phosphorylation and augmentation of Bcl-2 expression by 2-DG were not observed in MGC-803,which is 2-DG sensitive. CONCLUSION There is a large metabolic difference between gastric cancer cell lines,which will facilitate the future gastric cancer therapy by targeting metabolic pathways.

Protective effect of histone acetylation against cortical injury in neonatal rats / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the protective effect of histone acetylation against hypoxic-ischemic cortical injury in neonatal rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 90 neonatal rats aged 3 days were divided into three groups: sham-operation, cortical injury model, and sodium butyrate (a histone deacetylase inhibitor) treatment. The rats in the model and the sodium butyrate treatment groups were intraperitoneally injected with lipopolysaccharide (0.05 mg/kg), and then right common carotid artery ligation was performed 2 hours later and the rats were put in a hypoxic chamber (oxygen concentration 6.5%) for 90 minutes. The rats in the sham-operation group were intraperitoneally injected with normal saline and the right common carotid artery was only separated and exposed without ligation or hypoxic treatment. The rats in the sodium butyrate treatment group were intraperitoneally injected with sodium butyrate (300 mg/kg) immediately after establishment of the cortical injury model once a day for 7 days. Those in the sham-operation and the model groups were injected with the same volume of normal saline. At 7 days after establishment of the model, Western blot was used to measure the protein expression of histone H3 (HH3), acetylated histone H3 (AH3), B-cell lymphoma/leukemia-2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2-associated X protein (BAX), cleaved caspase-3 (CC3), and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Immunofluorescence assay was used to measure the expression of 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) as the cortex cell proliferation index.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The sodium butyrate treatment group had a significantly lower HH3/AH3 ratio than the model group (P<0.05), which suggested that the sodium butyrate treatment group had increased acetylation of HH3. Compared with the model group, the sodium butyrate treatment group had a significant increase in Bcl-2/Bax ratio, a significant reduction in CC3 expression, and a significant increase in BDNF expression (P<0.05). The sodium butyrate treatment group had a significant increase in the number of BrdU-positive cells in the cortex compared with the model group (P<0.05), and BrdU was mainly expressed in the neurons.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Increased histone acetylation may protect neonatal rats against cortical injury by reducing apoptosis and promoting regeneration of neurons. The mechanism may be associated with increased expression of BDNF.</p>

Expression of CD58 in childhood B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia and its feasibility in minimal residual disease detection / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To measure the expression of lymphocyte function-associated antigen-3 (CD58) in childhood B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) and to explore the feasibility of CD58 as an indicator for minimal residual disease (MRD) detection in childhood B-ALL.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Eighty-seven children diagnosed with B-ALL between January 2014 and September 2014 were enrolled, and 20 hospitalized children who had no tumor or blood disease and had normal bone marrow cell morphology served as the control group. The expression features of CD58 in bone marrow samples from the two groups (at diagnosis, on day 15 of induction chemotherapy) were analyzed by four-color flow cytometry (FCM). Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and FCM were used to detect MRD in B-ALL patients on day 33 of induction chemotherapy.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The mean fluorescence intensity of CD58 expression in the 87 B-ALL cases (91±33) was significantly higher than that in the 20 controls (14±6) (P<0.01); CD58 was over-expressed in 44 of the B-ALL cases. In the B-ALL children, the expression of CD58 on day 15 of induction chemotherapy (105±22) was not significantly different from that at diagnosis (107±26) (P>0.05). In the 44 B-ALL patients with CD58 over-expression, FCM showed 9 MRD(+) cases and 35 MRD(-) cases, while qRT-PCR showed 11 MRD(+) cases and 33 MRD(-) cases; 42 cases (95%) showed consistent results of the two tests, so there was no significant difference between the two methods in detecting MRD (P>0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>CD58 is over-expressed and stable in children with B-ALL, and it can be considered as an indicator for MRD detection in childhood B-ALL.</p>

Semen quality of the men from six districts in Chongqing / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the quality and spatial distribution features of semen and to evaluate the reproductive health of the males in the Chongqing section of the Three-Gorge Reservoir area.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We collected semen samples by masturbation after 2 -7 days of abstinence from the men in Nan'an, Shapingba, Zhongxian, Wanzhou, Yunyang and Wushan of Chongqing, which are geographically and demographically representative of the Three-Gorge Reservoir area. We analyzed the semen quality of all the samples and evaluated the reproductive health of the men.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The mean value of the five semen parameters of the male subjects from the six districts was within the normal range, including semen volume, sperm concentration, total sperm count, rapid progressive motile sperm, and total motile sperm. Those from Shapingba, Yunyang and Zhongxian exhibited abnormal sperm motility. According to the WHO criteria, normal value of all the semen parameters was found in less than 50% of the semen samples from the six districts, in 47% of those from Yunyang, and only 16% of those from Wanzhou. Spatial distribution maps of the semen parameters revealed significant spatial differences in seminal quality among the six districts, the highest in Yunyang, and the lowest in Wanzhou and Wushan that are located in the middle and lower reaches of the Three-Gorge Reservoir area.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The mean value of semen parameters was low in a large proportion of men in the Chongqing section of the Three-Gorge Reservoir area, with spatial differences along the Changjiang river.</p>

Molecular characterization of embB306 gene in Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from tuberculosis patients in Chongqing municipality / 中华预防医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To understand the characteristics of embB gene mutation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) isolates from tuberculosis patients in Chongqing, and the value of embB306 as a molecular marker used to diagnose ethambutol (EMB)-resistant MTB strains.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Direct sequencing was used to analyze the polymorphism of embB mutation in 51 EMB-resistant MTB strains and 50 EMB-sensitive MTB strains. And diagnostic testing was used to evaluate the value of embB306 as a molecular marker of EMB -resistant MTB strains as compared with the traditional sensitivity test.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>All 34 of 51 EMB-resistant strains (66.7%) and 3 of 51 EMB-sensitive strains (6%) had had embB306 mutation. The embB306 mutation rate in EMB-resistant strains coming from previously treated case was 87.5%, showing significantly higher than that from new cases (48.1%, P < 0.01); embB306 mutation rate was increased with the number of the resistant drugs; embB306 mutation serving as a marker to diagnose EMB-resistant MTB strains comparing with the traditional sensitivity test, had the rate of sensitivity = 66.7%, specificity = 94.0%, accuracy = 80.2% and Youden index = 60.7%.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>embB306 mutation should be the main mechanism of MTB resistance to EMB in Chongqing, showing an association with the history of the treated and numbers of the resistant drugs. embB306 mutation should be a good marker to diagnose EMB-resistant MTB strains.</p>

Effects of smoking on sperm apoptosis and semen quality of adult males in the main urban area of Chongqing / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effects of smoking on sperm apoptosis and semen quality of healthy adult males in the main urban area of Chongqing.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>According to the smoking habit, we divided 235 healthy adult males into a non-smoking group (n = 89) and a smoking group (n = 146). Then we detected the routine semen parameters by the computer-assisted semen analysis system and obtained the parameters of sperm apoptosis (the ratios of AN-/PI-, AN+/PI-, AN+/PI+ and AN-/PI+ sperm) by flow cytometry combined with Annexin V-FITC/PI fluorescence staining.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The rate of early apoptotic sperm (AN+/PI-) was higher in the smoking than in the non-smoking group ([8.1 +/- 5.1]% vs [6.8 +/- 3.8]%; P = 0.039), but there were no significant differences between the two groups in the rate of late apoptotic sperm (AN+/PI+) ([5.6 +/- 5.2]% vs [5.5 +/- 5.1]%; P = 0.87), as well as in such routine semen indexes as semen volume, sperm density, sperm motility, sperm vitality and normal sperm morphology (P = 0.30, 0.82, 0.37, 0.81 and 0.84, respectively).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The rate of early apoptotic sperm is higher in smokers than in non-smokers, suggesting that smoking may induce early damage to sperm cells. Compared with routine semen parameters, sperm apoptosis is a more sensitive biomarker to reflect smoking-induced damage to sperm.</p>

Development of a model for the diagnosis and risk classification on anthrax through artificial neural network / 中华流行病学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>Based on data through clinical and epidemiological studies, a model regarding the diagnosis and risk classification on anthrax was developed by artificial neural network (ANN). The model could integrally diagnose anthrax cases, judge the risk tendency in time, and increase the ability of recognizing the anthrax accidents.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Clinical, laboratory and epidemiological data from anthrax cases was collected and analyzed. The important factors which could greatly influence the results on diagnosis and judgment was chosen and used as the neural units. Through the use of artificial neural network analytic method (back propagation, BP), an intelligent model on the diagnosis and risk classification was developed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Results from the multivariate analysis revealed that: 11 factors including incubation period, chest radiographic and microscopic findings, characteristics on professions etc. were associated with the judgment on the diagnosis and intensity of the epidemics. Through 500 times training on the neural network, the performance error decreased from 6.669 59 to 5.051 19 x 10(-11). The model was then validated. With 100% average correct rate, the predictive value was good.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>It was feasible to use the disease information to develop a diagnosis and risk classification model on anthrax by artificial neural network. With 100% average correct rate, the established model was valuable in practice.</p>

Epidemiological investigation of host and focus of natural infection on hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in migration areas of the Yangtze River Three-Gorge Reservoir Chongqing region / 第三军医大学学报

Objective　To ascertain the natural infection rate of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome virus (HFRSV) among its hosts and the type of the natural foci for providing some baseline data for the immigrant health and epidemic prevention of the Three-Gorge region. Methods　Epidemiological survey on the field was performed including epidemiological data collection, ecology of rodents and pathogen detection. HFRS virus antigen of hosts were detected by the direct immunofluorescent assay (DIFA) technique and determination of HFRSV-RNA by ISH were carried out from HFRSV-Ag-positive animals. Results　HFRSV-Ag-positive animals were found in 5 migration areas ie Baitao Town of Fuling Section, Wansheng Village of Fengjie County and Dachang Town of Wushan County. The positive hosts were as follows, Rattus Norvegicus, Apodemus agrarius, Anourusurex squamipes, Mus musculus and Rattus flavipectus. The positive rate of HFRSV in the mice of 5 migration areas were 19.4%, 17.0%, 14.0%, 13.7%, and 8.5% respectively. The results showed that the lung tissues of some hosts in all five migration areas were HFRSV-RNA-positive. Baitao Town and Peishi Town were attributed to mixture type epidemic areas while. Kangle Town, Wansheng Village and Dachang Town were domestic rats type epidemic areas. Conclusion　This study shows that the five migration areas are natural epidemic foci of HFRS. It is predicted that maximum risk of HFRS breakout or epidemic may take place after the completion of the San Xia Reservoir(the Three-Gorges Reservoir), which results from rodent moving toward higher land. Therefore, deratization and preventive measures for rat are important in migration areas.

Epidemiological investigation of host and focus of natural infection on hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in migration areas of the Yangtze River Three-Gorge Reservoir Chongqing region / 第三军医大学学报

Objective　To ascertain the natural infection rate of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome virus (HFRSV) among its hosts and the type of the natural foci for providing some baseline data for the immigrant health and epidemic prevention of the Three-Gorge region. Methods　Epidemiological survey on the field was performed including epidemiological data collection, ecology of rodents and pathogen detection. HFRS virus antigen of hosts were detected by the direct immunofluorescent assay (DIFA) technique and determination of HFRSV-RNA by ISH were carried out from HFRSV-Ag-positive animals. Results　HFRSV-Ag-positive animals were found in 5 migration areas ie Baitao Town of Fuling Section, Wansheng Village of Fengjie County and Dachang Town of Wushan County. The positive hosts were as follows, Rattus Norvegicus, Apodemus agrarius, Anourusurex squamipes, Mus musculus and Rattus flavipectus. The positive rate of HFRSV in the mice of 5 migration areas were 19.4%, 17.0%, 14.0%, 13.7%, and 8.5% respectively. The results showed that the lung tissues of some hosts in all five migration areas were HFRSV-RNA-positive. Baitao Town and Peishi Town were attributed to mixture type epidemic areas while. Kangle Town, Wansheng Village and Dachang Town were domestic rats type epidemic areas. Conclusion　This study shows that the five migration areas are natural epidemic foci of HFRS. It is predicted that maximum risk of HFRS breakout or epidemic may take place after the completion of the San Xia Reservoir(the Three-Gorges Reservoir), which results from rodent moving toward higher land. Therefore, deratization and preventive measures for rat are important in migration areas.