Mechanism studies underlying the alleviatory effects of isoliquiritigenin on abnormal glucolipid metabolism triggered by type 2 diabetes / 药学学报

Isoliquiritigenin (ISL) is an active chalcone compound isolated from licorice. It possesses anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative activities. In our previous study, we uncovered a great potential of ISL in treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Therefore, this study aims to reveal the mechanism underlying the alleviatory effects of ISL on T2DM-induced glycolipid metabolism disorder. High-fat-high-sugar diet (HFD) combined with intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ) were used to establish T2DM mice model. All animal experiments were carried out with approval of the Committee of Ethics at Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. HepG2 cells were used in in vitro experiments, and sodium palmitate (SP) was applied to establish insulin resistance (IR) model cells. The effects of ISL on body weight, fasting blood glucose levels, and pathological changes in the livers of mice were examined. Enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay (ELISA) and real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) were applied to detect the regulatory effects of ISL on key targets involved in glucolipid metabolism. Additionally, molecular docking and analytical dynamics simulation methods were used to analyze the interaction between ISL and key target protein. The results indicate that ISL significantly downregulates the transcriptional levels and inhibits the activities of key enzymes involved in gluconeogenesis, including pyruvate carboxylase (PC), phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK), and fructose-1, 6-bisphosphatase (FBP). It also downregulates the transcriptional and protein levels of hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α (HNF4α) and cAMP response element binding protein (CREB), the two transcriptional factors involved in gluconeogenesis. Thus, ISL inhibits hepatic gluconeogenesis in T2DM mice. In addition, ISL reduces total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) levels in the livers of T2DM mice. Moreover, ISL downregulates the mRNA levels of lipogenesis genes and upregulates those of genes involved in fatty acid oxidation, lipid uptake, and lipid export. In conclusion, ISL suppresses hepatic gluconeogenesis, promotes lipolysis, and restrains lipogenesis in T2DM mice, thereby improving the abnormal glycolipid metabolism caused by T2DM.

Isoliquiritigenin alleviates energy metabolism imbalance in type 2 diabetic mice / 药学学报

Isoliquiritigenin (ISL) is a flavonoid compound isolated from licorice. It possesses excellent antioxidant and anti-diabetic activities. This study aims to investigate the molecular mechanism underlying the alleviatory effect of ISL on energy metabolism imbalance caused by type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). 8-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were used in in vivo experiments. The high-fat-high-glucose diet combined with intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin was applied to establish T2DM animal model. All animal experiments were performed in accordance with the Institutional Guidelines of Laboratory Animal Administration issued by the Committee of Ethics at Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. HepG2 cells were used in in vitro experiments. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) were used to examine the protein and mRNA levels of mitochondrial function-related targets. The levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) in HepG2 cells were measured by the flow cytometry. Additionally, the molecular docking of ISL and key target proteins was analyzed. It was found that ISL significantly inhibited the activity of mitochondrial respiratory chain complex I and increased the protein levels of uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) in the livers of mice and HepG2 cells. It also obviously decreased the ROS levels and increased the MMP levels in cultured HepG2 cells. In addition, ISL promoted mitochondrial biogenesis by activating proliferator-activated receptor gamma co-activator 1α (PGC-1α) and enhanced mitophagy by upregulating Parkin. It also improved mitochondrial fusion by increasing the mRNA and protein levels of mitofusin 2 (MFN2). In conclusion, ISL alleviates energy metabolism imbalance caused by T2DM through suppression of excessive mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and promotion of mitochondrial biogenesis, mitophagy, and fusion.

Potentiating effect and mechanism of extract of Jingfang Granules on activation of macrophages / 中国中药杂志

This study aimed to explore the potentiating effect and mechanism of the extract of Jingfang Granules(JFG) on the activation of macrophages. The RAW264.7 cells were treated with JFG extract and then stimulated by multiple agents. Subsequently, mRNA was extracted, and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) was used to measure the mRNA transcription of multiple cytokines in RAW264.7 cells. The levels of cytokines in the cell supernatant were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA). In addition, the intracellular proteins were extracted and the activation of signaling pathways was determined by Western blot. The results showed that JFG extract alone could not promote or slightly promote the mRNA transcription of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, MIP-1α, MCP-1, CCL5, IP-10, and IFN-β, and significantly enhance the mRNA transcription of these cytokines in RAW264.7 cells induced by R848 and CpG in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, JFG extract also potentiated the secretion of TNF-α, IL-6, MCP-1, and IFN-β by RAW264.7 cells stimulated with R848 and CpG. As revealed by mechanism analysis, JFG extract enhanced the phosphorylation of p38, ERK1/2, IRF3, STAT1, and STAT3 in RAW264.7 cells induced by CpG. The findings of this study indicate that JFG extract can selectively potentiate the activation of macrophages induced by R848 and CpG, which may be attributed to the promotion of the activation of MAPKs, IRF3, and STAT1/3 signaling pathways.

Effect of advanced paternal age on reproductive outcomes in IVF cycles of non-male-factor infertility: a retrospective cohort study / 亚洲男科学杂志(英文版)

Advanced paternal age has been overlooked, and its effect on fertility remains controversial. Previous studies have focused mainly on intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles in men with oligozoospermia. However, few studies have reported on men with semen parameters within reference ranges. Therefore, we conducted a retrospective cohort study analyzing the reproductive outcomes of couples with non-male-factor infertility undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles. In total, 381 cycles included were subgrouped according to paternal age (<35-year-old, 35-39-year-old, or ≥40-year-old), and maternal age was limited to under 35 years. Data on embryo quality and clinical outcomes were analyzed. The results showed that fertilization and high-quality embryo rates were not significantly different (all P > 0.05). The pregnancy rate was not significantly different in the 35-39-year-old group (42.0%; P > 0.05), but was significantly lower in the ≥40-year-old group (26.1%; P < 0.05) than that in the <35-year-old group (40.3%). Similarly, the implantation rate significantly decreased in the ≥40-year-old group (18.8%) compared with that in the <35-year-old group (31.1%) and 35-39-year-old group (30.0%) (both P < 0.05). The live birth rate (30.6%, 21.7%, and 19.6%) was not significantly different across the paternal age subgroups (<35-year-old, 35-39-year-old, and ≥40-year-old, respectively; all P > 0.05), but showed a declining trend. The miscarriage rate significantly increased in the 35-39-year-old group (44.8%) compared with that in the <35-year-old group (21.0%; P < 0.05). No abnormality in newborn birth weight was found. The results indicated that paternal age over 40 years is a key risk factor that influences the assisted reproductive technology success rate even with good semen parameters, although it has no impact on embryo development.

Analysis and perspective of the grants funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China in the field of laboratory medicine from 2010 to 2021 / 中华检验医学杂志

Objective:To analyze and summarize the overall results of application and funded projects by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) in the field of laboratory medicine from 2010 to 2021.Methods:Application and granting data in the field of laboratory medicine during 2010 and 2021 were collected from NSFC. Amount of funded projects, geographical distribution, supporting institution, distribution of keywords and representative research results in the field of laboratory medicine were analyzed. The overall characteristics of funded project in the past decades were summarized.Results:From 2010 to 2021, NSFC received a total of 7 746 project applications, among which 1 152 projects and a total of 506.317 million RMB were funded in the field of laboratory medicine. Project applications increased from 228 in 2010 to 1 184 in 2021. Among them, the number of funded projects increased from 36 in 2010 to 137 in 2021, accompanied by an increase in the amount of project grants from 10.12 million RMB in 2010 to 65.38 million RMB in 2021, but there is still a gap compared with other disciplines. In the field of laboratory medicine (H26), the sub-disciplines H2605 (molecular biological examination) and H2606 (new technologies and methods for laboratory medicine research) were the two directions with the highest number of funded grants, with a total of 688 grants, accounting for 59.7% (688/1 152) of the total funded grants. Among the region of funding, Beijing, Guangdong, Shanghai, Chongqing, Zhejiang and Jiangsu were the top six regions with the successful funding, accounting for 60.2% (695/1 152) funded projects. Thirty supporting institutions received 826 grants in the field of laboratory medicine, accounting for 71.7% (826/1 152) funded projects. Among all the funded projects tumors (37.1%, 427/1 152), infectious diseases (26.9%, 310/1 152), circulatory diseases (5.3%, 61/1 152), autoimmune diseases (4.3%, 49/1 152), and endocrine and metabolic diseases (2.8%, 32/1 152) ranked the top disease types of successful funding; proteins (33.4%, 385/1 152), DNA (19.4%, 224/1 152), RNA (17.3%, 199/1 152), exosomes (6.0%, 69/1 152), and cells (5.9%, 68/1 152) ranked the top targets of successful funding; nanotechnology (6.0%, 69/1 152), mass spectrometry (3.0%, 34/1 152), probe technology (1.82%, 21/1 152), electrochemical technology (1.6%, 19/1 152), and second-generation sequencing technology (1.6%, 18/1 152) ranked the top technologies of funded projects. Within the last decade, many breakthroughs have been made by many distinguished national research groups in developing reference ranges, identifying novel biomarkers, and inventing novel laboratory medicine technologies.Conclusions:The number of projects and the total funding amount are increasing annually in the past decade in the field of laboratory medicine granted by NSFC. The funding of different secondary codes, regions and supporting units varies remarkably, and the scope of funded projects is wide. Many research groups have achieved landmark progress in novel biomarker identification and technology development. The overall level of research in the laboratory medicine is expected to be significantly improved in the future.

Role of pyroptosis in severe COVID-19 / 中国药理学通报

Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infec¬tious disease endangering the respirator)' traet and multiple or¬gans of the whole body caused by severe aeute respirator)' syn¬drome coronavirus 2 ( SARS-CoV-2).More than 200 million people in the world have been infected with the disease, which is an unprecedented global plague.Most patients with C0VID-19 only show mild symptoms with a good prognosis, but about 20% of them may develop into severe cases and eause serious compli-cations, including acute respirator)' distress syndrome ( ARDS) , systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) , cytokine re¬lease syndrome (CRS) , etc.Pyroptosis is a kind of programmed cell death characterized by significant inflammatory response.It is often mediated by inflammatory caspase and the gasdermin family of membrane perforating proteins is the final effector mol¬ecules, resulting in cell membrane swelling and rupture to death, accompanied by the release of a large number of pro-in¬flammatory cytokines (such as IL-lp and IL-18, etc).Pyropto- sis affects the occurrence, progression and treatment of many diseases due to its inflammatory and morphological characteris¬tics, and also plays an important role in severe COVID-19.Therefore, drugs that target key molecules in the pyroapoptotic pathway could he a promising breakthrough for treating severe COVID-19.This article reviews the role of pyroptosis in severe COVID-19 complications ARDS and CHS.

The output efficiency of the National Science Foundation′s rehabilitation funding from 2009 to 2018 / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

Objective:To analyze and compare rehabilitation research funded by China′s National Natural Science Foundation (NSFC) with that funded by America′s National Institutes of Health (NIH) so as to provide references for future funding.Methods:Articles reporting rehabilitation research funded by the NSFC and the NIH were retrieved from the NSFC′s Science Output Service website and the NIH′s Project Report website and analyzed.Results:From 2009 to 2018 the NSFC funded 421 rehabilitation studies which resulted in a published report while the NIH funded 312. In 2018, the NSFC budget (US$3.89 million) was 8.46 times that of 2009 (US$460, 000), while the NIH′s grant budget (US$36.08 million) was 2.17 times that of 2009 (US$16.62 million). The number of published papers resulting from the Chinese and American studies was 1111 and 2571 respectively. Their impact factors mainly ranged between 0 and 3 points. Among the journals with an impact factor of 6 or more, published papers from the United States (297) were much more numerous than those from China (18). The number of SCI papers per million US dollars increased by 2.25 times in China and 0.05 times in the US.Conclusions:Both China and the United States have been investing more in rehabilitation medicine research, and that has resulted in more published papers. There is still a gap in funding and output between the two countries.

The role of licorice DXS knockout and overexpression in glycyrrhizic acid biosynthesis / 药学学报

1-Deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate synthase (DXS) is a rate-limiting enzyme involved in the 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway for terpenoid precursor biosynthesis. DXS plays an essential role in glycyrrhizic acid (GA) biosynthesis. Based on our previous transcriptome study, there was a negative correlation between DXS expression and GA content. Therefore, we explored the regulatory role of DXS in GA biosynthesis using both gene overexpression and gene knockout in a hairy root culture system. DXS was cloned from Glycyrrhiza glabra L. (GenBank Accession No. MN158121). A plant binary expression vector pCA-DXS was constructed by a gene fusion method. The sgRNA sequence was designed based on the first exon of DXS to construct the gene editing vector pHSE-DXS. Hairy roots overexpressing or knocking out DXS were generated through an Agrobacterium-mediated method with licorice hypocotyls as explants. Wild-type hairy roots and negative control hairy roots containing empty plasmids were also evaluated. UPLC was used to determine the GA content in each licorice hairy root line. Results showed that the content of GA in the hairy root group knocking out DXS was significantly higher than that in the wild-type and negative control groups, while in the hairy root group overexpressing DXS was significantly lower, suggesting that DXS plays a negative role in GA biosynthesis. This study provides a foundation for determining the function of DXS in terpenoid metabolism and for further establishment of a molecular regulatory network of GA biosynthesis.

Naringenin increases Nrf2/phase II detoxifying enzymes to reduce vascular inflammation / 中国药理学通报

Aim To investigate the role of naringenin in nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)/ phase II detoxifying enzyme activities and evaluate its effects on vascular inflammation. Methods Western blot, immunofluorescence and reverse transcription- qPCR were used to detect the protein expression. The activities of phase II detoxifying enzymes were measured by commercial kits. Immunoprecipitation technology was used to detect the interaction between Nrf2 and kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 ( Keap-1). Results Naringenin promoted the dislocation of Nr£2 from Keap-1 and increased Nrf2 nuclear accumulation in RAW264. 7 macrophages. Naringenin up-regulated expressions of phase II detoxifying enzymes such as NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase ( NQO-1), gluta thione S-transferase (GST) and glutamate-cysteine lig- ase (GCL). It also reduced the levels of cytokines in macrophages. Moreover, the Nrf2 inhibitor ML385 reduced phase II detoxifying enzyme expressions and increased cytokine levels. In addition, we found naringenin increased the expressions and activities of liver phase II detoxifying enzymes ( NQO-1, GST and GCL) and reduced aortic inflammation in atherosclerotic model mice. The effects were dependent on Nr£2 activity. Conclusions Naringenin activates Nrf2 and promotes phase II detoxifying enzyme activities, which leads to the inhibition of vascular inflammation.

Ferulate 5-hydroxylase gene (F5H) regulation of glycyrrhizic acid biosynthesis determined by gene overexpression and knockout / 药学学报

Ferulate 5-hydroxylase (F5H) is a key enzyme involved in the phenylpropane metabolism pathway. Based on our previous transcriptome sequencing study, F5H played a negative regulatory role in glycyrrhizic acid (GA) biosynthesis. Therefore, in this study we cloned the F5H gene and investigated its regulatory effect on GA accumulation through gene overexpression and knockout. F5H was cloned from Glycyrrhiza glabra L. (GenBank Accession No. MK882511). A plant binary expression vector pCA-F5H was constructed by inserting F5H into pCAMBIA1305.1 at Spe I and Bgl II sites. The sgRNA sequences were designed based on the first exon of F5H. The CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing vector pHSE-F5H was constructed by inserting F5H sgRNA into pHSE401 at two Bsa Ⅰ sites. PCA-F5H and pHSE-F5H were transfected into Agrobacterium tumefaciens ATCC15834, which was used to induce hairy root overexpressing or knocking out F5H with licorice hypocotyl as explants. At the same time, wild type and negative control hairy roots were also generated. UPLC was used to assay the GA content in different hairy root lines, and results showed that the GA content in hairy root lines knocking out F5H was significantly higher, whereas in hairy root lines overexpressing F5H GA content was lower than that in the wild-type and negative control. In this work, through a reverse genetics strategy, the negative regulatory effect of F5H on GA biosynthesis was confirmed through gene overexpression and knockout. This work will lay a foundation for further elucidation of the molecular regulatory network of GA biosynthesis.

A four-component combination derived from Huang-Qin Decoction significantly enhances anticancer activity of irinotecan / 中国天然药物

Huang-Qin Decoction (HQD) is a classic prescription for diarrhea in Chinese medicine treatment. Recent studies have demonstrated that HQD and its modified formulation PHY906 could ameliorate irinotecan (CPT-11) induced gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity and enhance its anticancer therapeutic efficacy. Nevertheless, which constituents in HQD are effective is still unclear so far. The study aims to screen out the key bioactive components combination from HQD that could enhance the anticancer effect of CPT-11. First, the potential bioactive constituents were obtained through system pharmacology strategy. Then the bioactivity of each constituent was investigated synthetically from the aspects of NCM460 cell migration, TNF-α release of THP-1-derived macrophage and MTT assay in HCT116 cell. The contribution of each constituent in HQD was evaluated using the bioactive index E

Guilingji Capsules reduce 900 MHz collphone electromagnetic radiation-induced testicular oxidative damage and downregulate Prdx2 protein expression in the rat testis / 中华男科学杂志

Objective@#To investigate the relationship of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) from 900 MHz cellphone frequency with testicular oxidative damage and its influence on the Prdx2 protein expression in the rat testis, and to explore the mechanism of Guilingji Capsules (GC) alleviating oxidative damage to the testis tissue.@*METHODS@#Fifty healthy SD male rats were randomly divided into five groups of equal number, sham-EMR, 4-h EMR, 8-h EMR, 4-h EMR+GC and 8-h EMR+GC and exposed to 900 MHz EMR (370 μW/cm2) for 0, 4 or 8 hours daily for 15 successive days. The rats of the latter two groups were treated intragastrically with GC suspension and those of the first three groups with pure water after exposure to EMR each day. After 15 days of exposure and treatment, all the rats were sacrificed and their testis tissue collected for observation of the histomorphological and ultrastructural changes by HE staining and transmission electron microscopy, measurement of the levels of serum glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) with thiobarbiuric acid and determination of the Prdx2 protein expression by immunohistochemistry and Western blot.@*RESULTS@#Compared with the rats in the sham-EMR group, those in the 4-h and 8-h EMR groups showed different degrees of histomorphological and ultrastructural changes in the testis tissue, significantly decreased levels of GSH (［80.62 ± 10.99］ vs ［69.58 ± 4.18］ and ［66.17 ± 8.45］ mg/L, P < 0.05) and SOD (［172.29 ± 10.98］ vs ［158.92 ± 6.46］ and ［148.91 ± 8.60］ U/ml, P < 0.05) and increased level of MDA (［7.51 ± 1.73］ vs ［9.84 ± 1.03］ and ［11.22 ± 2.13］ umol/ml, P < 0.05), even more significantly in the 8-h than in the 4-h EMR group (P < 0.05). In comparison with the sham-EMR group, the expression of the Prdx2 protein was markedly downregulated in the 4-h and 8-h EMR groups (0.56 ± 0.03 vs 0.49 ± 0.03, 0.21 ± 0.01, P < 0.05), but again upregulated in the 4-h and 8-h EMR+GC groups (0.55±0.03 and 0.37±0.04) (P < 0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Electromagnetic radiation from cellphones can cause ultrastructural damage to the testis tissue of male rats, while Guilingji Capsules can alleviate it, presumably by upregulating the Prdx2 protein expression in the testis tissue and reducing testicular oxidative damage.

Retraction Note to: Ambient air pollution and adverse birth outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis / 浙江大学学报（英文版）（B辑：生物医学和生物技术）

Retraction Note to: J Zhejiang Univ-Sci B (Biomed & Biotechnol) 2019 20(3):238-252. https://doi.org/10.1631/jzus.B1800122. The authors have retracted this article (Guo et al., 2019) because some data from the original literature had not been converted to appropriate units in the paper, which resulted in deviation of the meta-analysis results. For example, for the forest plot used to examine associations between PM exposure and the risk of adverse birth outcomes, the estimates from Brauer et al. (2008), Pedersen et al. (2013), Zhao et al. (2015), and Hansen et al. (2006) were on the originally reported scales of 1 µg/m, 10 µg/m, 10 µg/m, and Inter Quartile Range, respectively. None of these estimates had been converted to 20 µg/m increase scale that was stated in the article. Similar problem exists in the analysis on associations between NO exposure and risk of adverse birth outcomes. Therefore, the results of the meta-analysis are misleading. All authors have agreed to this retraction and express their deepest apologies to the original authors, publishers, and readers.

Rehabilitation research supported by the NSFC between 2009 and 2018 / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

Objective:To investigate research into medical rehabilitation supported by China′s Natural Science Foundation (NSFC) between 2009 and 2018.Methods:Medical rehabilitation research projects supported by the NSFC between 2009 and 2018 were compiled. The project leaders, funding, awardee organization, research area and results were collected and analyzed.Results:There were 348 researchers who were supported in 421 projects during the period studied. They received ￥168.541 million and made 1395 achievements between 2009 and 2018. Neurological rehabilitation was the most popular research area, followed by musculoskeletal rehabilitation, while cardiopulmonary and pain rehabilitation were rarely covered.Conclusions:Rehabilitation medicine has been developed actively, but NSFC support has still been insufficient.

Analysis and future perspectives of the grants funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China on tumor biomarker research in laboratory medicine from 2010 to 2018 / 中华检验医学杂志

To summarize the projects granted by National Natural Science Foundation of China related to tumor biomarkers in laboratory medicine from 2010 to 2018. The projects are categorized and analyzed according to tumor classification, biochemical properties of biomarkers. What's more, characters of granted projects of tumor biomarkers in recent 9 years are summarized and development trends are pointed out.

Prognostic value of metabolic tumor volume and total lesion glycolysis from ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT in lymph node metastases and risk stratification of endometrial carcinoma / 부인종양

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prognostic value of metabolic tumor volume (MTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG), measured by preoperative ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT), in risk stratification of patients with endometrial carcinoma (EC). METHODS: The patients with pathological diagnosis of EC who underwent preoperative ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT imaging were retrospectively selected for analysis of the prognostic values of PET parameters in risk classification and lymph node metastases (LNMs). Receiver-operating-characteristic analysis was used to analyze the correlation of PET parameters cutoff values with deep myometrial invasion (MI), lymphovascular space involvement and LNM for prognostic values in risk stratification. RESULTS: The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy for detection of LNM are 83.3%, 99.7%, 90.9%, 99.5% and 99.2%, respectively. The MTV and TLG of primary lesion of EC in the patients with LNM are notably higher than those in patients without LNM, p<0.010. The MTV and TLG of the EC primary lesions in high-risk patients are significantly higher than those in low-risk patients (p<0.010), but the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) is not. The MTV and TLG of primary lesions were superior to SUVmax for predicting of deep MI, LNM and high-risk of EC (p<0.005). CONCLUSION: MTV and TLG of primary lesions are more valuable in predicting risk stratification of EC patients. Preoperative ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT imaging is useful in predicting the LNM of EC and may help guide pelvic lymphadenectomy to avoid unnecessary pelvic lymphadenectomy in EC patients with low-risk stratification.

Analysis of funded projects in fields of emergency and intensive care medicine/trauma/burns/plastic surgery from national natural science foundation of China in 2014-2018 / 中华创伤杂志

Regarding to the sharply increased applications and relatively lower rate of successful funding for major projects in the fields of Critical Care/Wounds and Injuries/Burns/Plastic Surgery from the National Natural Science Foundation of China in recent years, the author summarized the funded projects in this specific field from 2014 to 2018, discussed the characteristics and trends of these applications and grants, and summarized the hotspot issues and frontier researches so as to help the applicants in the future.

Ambient air pollution and adverse birth outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis / 浙江大学学报（英文版）（B辑：生物医学和生物技术）

Several reviews have assessed the relationship between exposure to ambient air pollution and adverse birth outcomes during pregnancy, but the results remain controversial. The objective of this study was to assess this correlation quantitatively and to explore sources of heterogeneity. We included all published case-control or cohort studies that evaluated the correlation between ambient air pollution and low birth weight (LBW), preterm birth (PTB), and small for gestational age (SGA). Analytical methods and inclusion criteria were provided on the PROSPERO website (CRD42018085816). We evaluated pooled effects and heterogeneity. Subgroup analyses (grouped by exposure period, study settings, study design, exposure types, data source, Newcastle-Ottawa quality score (NOS), and adjustment for smoking or meteorological factors) were also conducted and publication bias was examined. The risk of bias in systematic reviews (ROBIS) tool was used to evaluate the overall risk of bias in this review. Forty studies met the inclusion criteria. We observed pooled odds ratios (ORs) of 1.03-1.21 for LBW and 0.97-1.06 for PTB when mothers were exposed to CO, NO2, NOx, O3, PM2.5, PM10, or SO2 throughout their pregnancy. For SGA, the pooled estimate was 1.02 in relation to NO2 concentrations. Subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis decreased the heterogeneity to some extent, such as the subgroups of continuous measures (OR=0.98 (0.97-0.99), I2=0.0%) and NOS>7 (OR=0.98 (0.97-0.99), I2=0.0%) in evaluating the association between PTB and NO2. This review was completed with a low risk of bias. High concentrations of air pollution were significantly related to the higher risk of adverse birth outcomes. However, the sources of heterogeneity among studies should be further explored.

Molecular identification of Tibetan medicinal plants based on ITS2 sequence / 中草药

Objective: The barcoded ITS2 DNA sequence was used to identify 44 Tibetan medicinal plants. Methods: Genomic DNA of Tibetan medicinal plants were extracted with high salt and low pH method. The PCR technique was performed to obtain the ITS2. A total of 145 ITS2 sequences was obtained belonging to 24 families, 39 genera, and 44 species. Some homologous sequences were also selected according to sequence alignment from Genbank database. The ITS2 sequences were aligned using Bioedit and the intraspecific and interspecific Kimura 2-parameter genetic distance was calculated using MEGA, and the neighbor-joining (NJ) phylogenetic trees were constructed to analyze phylogenetic relationship. Results: ITS2 regions have significant intra-and inter-specific difference, phylogenetic analysis based on ITS2 regions concurred with the result of morphological classification, and it could also determine the phylogenetic relationship between species. In addition, the secondary structure of the ITS2 sequence of Tibetan medicinal plants is different, providing another method for species identification. Conclusion: ITS2 can be used as a very effective single-locus barcode in the identification and phylogenetic study of Tibetan medicinal plants. The barcoding technique provides a scientific baseline for the utilization of resources and conservation of Tibetan medicinal plants.

Risk of congenital heart disease due to exposure to common electrical appliances during early pregnancy: A case-control study / 西安交通大学学报(医学版)

Objective: To compare the exposure of commonly used electrical appliances by mothers in early pregnancy so as to explore the association between electromagnetic exposure in daily life and congenital heart disease (CHD). Methods: We conducted a hospital-based case-control study. Totally 274 mothers in the case group and 548 mothers in the control group were interviewed through a face-to-face questionnaire. The multivariate logistic regression was applied to analyze the association between CHD and electromagnetic exposure. Results: After adjustment for the confounding factors, in early pregnancy, mothers' exposure to cell phones (OR=0.20, 95% CI: 0.07-0.58), induction cookers (OR=1.97, 95% CI: 1.31-2.96) and microwave ovens (OR=2.90, 95% CI: 1.41-5.97), and wearing radiation suits (OR=0.58, 95% CI: 0.39-0.86) were related to the occurrence of CHD. In the subgroup analysis, compared with the non-radiation suit, microwave oven exposure of the mothers in radiation suits did not significantly affect CHD in early pregnancy, but exposure to induction cookers could increase the risk of CHD in both subgroups. Conclusion: Mothers' exposure to microwave ovens and induction cookers in early pregnancy may increase the risk of CHD in the offspring. The exposure should be decreased and avoided as much as possible.