ABSTRACT
Objective@#To understand the status of iodine nutrition and its related influencing factors of school-age children in Wuhan, so as to provide the basis for adjusting the strategies of IDD prevention and control.@*Methods@#In 5 districts of Wuhan (Hongshan, Hanyang, Hannan, Jiangxia, Dongxihu), non-boarding students aged 8-10 years old were selected from each of the five sample areas in the east, west, south, north and middle. Samples of urine and the cooking salt from their home were randornly colleted among children. Height, weight measurement and a self-administered questionnaire were conducted at the same time. A total of 942 valid questionnaires were collected, including 484 boys and 458 girls.@*Results@#The median of iodine content of children s household salt was 23.20 mg/kg, the median of urinary iodine of children in the city was 251.00 μg/L. Children s random urine iodine concentration was related to gender, whether kelp was consumed the day before the survey, the frequency of consuming milk, and whether they received radiological examinations(P<0.05). Male (OR=1.38, 95%CI=1.04-1.82), consumption of kelp the day before the survey (OR=1.67,95%CI=1.13-2.47) and radiological examination (OR=1.26,95%CI=1.05-1.52) were risk factors for children with urinary iodine concentration higher than the upper limit of the appropriate value(P<0.05). The awareness rate of children s iodine deficiency disease prevention knowledge in Wuhan was 69.64%.@*Conclusion@#The iodine nutritional status of children aged 8-10 years in Wuhan was higher than the appropriate level recommended by international organizations. The random urine iodine concentration of children was affected by many factors and the awareness rate of children s iodine deficiency disease knowledge in Wuhan was low. Therefore, health education for children and residents on iodine deficiency disorders should be strengthened, and they should be properly guided and intervened to ensure that iodine deficiency is prevented while iodine excess is avoided.
ABSTRACT
<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Scavenger receptor that binds phosphatidylserine and oxidized lipoprotein/CXC chemokine ligand 16 (SR-PSOX/CXCL16) promotes foam cell formation through the tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha mediated mechanism. Because chemokine CXCL16 could be expressed in atherosclerotic lesions and induce smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation, we presume that the monocyte SR-PSOX/CXCL16 detection in the patients' peripheral blood will be important for early diagnosis and prognosis of atherosclerosis (AS).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Enrolled in this study were 40 patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), including 20 patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and 20 patients with unstable angina pectoris (UAP), and 20 normal controls. Monocytes in the peripheral blood were isolated, and the changes of expression of CXCL16/SR-PSOX mRNA were compared using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), with beta-actin as internal control. We compared the expression of CXCL16/SR-PSOX in the ACS subgroups, using Western-blot to analyze protein expression levels. Tissue sections were made from biopsy specimens taken from patients with infective endocarditis, liver cirrhosis, and lung cancer as well as normal controls. And the expression of CXCL16/SR-PSOX was analyzed with a confocal microscope.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The expression of CXCL16/SR-PSOX mRNA and protein in the monocytes of peripheral blood was significantly higher in ACS patients than in normal controls (P < 0.05); however, there was no significant difference in CXCL16/SR-PSOX expression between UAP group and AMI group (P > 0.05). Immunofluorescence showed that there were low expression of SR-PSOX in normal vascular endothelial cells and enhanced expression in every layer of the infected vessels, while spreading from endothelial cells to surrounding tissues as infection worsens. Confocal microscopy showed that the expression of SR-PSOX was enhanced in the infiltrated lymphocytes in liver cirrhosis, and that the expression level was proportionate to the degree of inflammation in the portal hepatis and folia.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The expression of CXCL16/SR-PSOX in the monocytes of peripheral blood was significantly higher in ACS patients than in the controls. CXCL16/SR-PSOX-mediated inflammation may contribute to the pathogenesis of ACS, and CXCL16 may play an important role in the pathogenesis and development of AS in humans.</p>
Subject(s)
Humans , Acute Coronary Syndrome , Allergy and Immunology , Blotting, Western , Chemokine CXCL16 , Chemokines, CXC , Blood , Genetics , Coronary Angiography , Fluorescent Antibody Technique , RNA, Messenger , Blood , Receptors, Scavenger , Blood , GeneticsABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To construct a reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)approach that can improve the specificity of primers while dropping down the nonspecific amplification.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>In the recent study we reported a new RT-PCR assay which improved markedly the specificity. However its efficiency of regressing nonspecific amplification remains to be accurately checked and further documented. In primer design, we looked over again some sequences that showed differences at 5' or 3' ends between human CAV1 and mouse Cav1 genes. cDNAs and the diluted plasmids which harbored the sequence of human CAV1 or mouse Cav1 gene were chosen as the templates. The ordinary PCR compared with one, of which primers modified by phosphorothioate and combined with proofreading polymerase, for their efficiencies of nonspecific amplification inhibited.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Taq DNA polymerase without proofreading activity could efficiently catalyze the extension of primers with a single or multiple mismatched base pairs at the 3' terminus, but the kind of primer extension can be effectively blocked by phosphorothioate modified primers combined with proofreading polymerase. Compared with ordinary PCR reaction, this new PCR method can effectively regress the primer mismatched amplification of 50 ng DNA almost equaling to 2 x 10(4) unmatched template copies in a final volume of 50 microL.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Compared with the first generation of polymerases with or without proofreading activities mediating RT-PCR reaction, the introduction of nuclease-resistant 3' modified primers (3' phosphorothioate primer extension) can offer more simplicity, accuracy, and also decrease cost.</p>