Early-life exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals associates with childhood obesity

Increasing prevalence of childhood obesity poses threats to the global health burden. Because this rising prevalence cannot be fully explained by traditional risk factors such as unhealthy diet and physical inactivity, early-life exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) is recognized as emerging novel risk factors for childhood obesity. EDCs can disrupt the hormone-mediated metabolic pathways, affect children’s growth and mediate the development of childhood obesity. Many organic pollutants are recently classified to be EDCs. In this review, we summarized the epidemiological and laboratory evidence related to EDCs and childhood obesity, and discussed the possible mechanisms underpinning childhood obesity and early-life exposure to non-persistent organic pollutants (phthalates, bisphenol A, triclosan) and persistent organic pollutants (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, polychlorinated biphenyls, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). Understanding the relationship between EDCs and childhood obesity helps to raise public awareness and formulate public health policy to protect the youth from exposure to the harmful effects of EDCs.

Expression of human long-acting FSH in CHO cell and its bioactivity in vivo / 生物工程学报

Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) is a pituitary glycoprotein hormone that is essential for the development of ovarian follicles and testicular seminiferous tubules. The relatively short half-life of FSH in vivo requires daily injections for more than 10 days that is inconvenient and possibly contribute to the stress perceived by the patients. The goal of the present study was to increase FSH glycosylation, in order to develop a long-acting recombinant FSH. The cDNA of native alpha and beta subunit of human FSH was linked by a sequence with two N-linked glycosylation sites, and the resulted DNA was inserted into pcDNA3.1 vector to generate a recombinant vector of pcDNA3.1-FSH. The pcDNA3.1-FSH was linearized and transfected into CHO-K1, positive transformants were selected by G418 and confirmed by PCR and Western blotting. A single chain recombinant FSH was expressed, with molecular weight of about 49 kDa. The recombinant FSH expression level in CHO-K1 cell strain in serum-free culture was 3 mg/L. Single injection of this recombinant FSH could induce folliculogenesis and ovulation in rats, the efficacy was similar with the commercially available FSH preparation (Folltropin-V) administrated 8 times consecutively. The results suggested a long-acting FSH was produced successfully.

The feasibility of PICC insertion through the veins of lower extremity in neonates / 中国实用护理杂志

Objective To investigate the advantage of detaining peripherally inserted central catheter through the veins of lower extremity in neonatal intensive care unit.Methods 165 cases of infants were randomized into veins of lower extremity group (first saphenous veins,then popliteal vein) and veins of upper extremity group (first basilic vein,then median cubital vein,cephalic veins) from January to December 2012.We observed the success rate of detaining,catheter tip location,and complications such as phlebitis in the two groups.Results The success rate of detaining of lower extremity group was higher than that of upper extremity group,and ectopic rate of lower extremity group was lower than that of upper extremity group.There was no significant difference in complications such as phlebitis between two groups.Conclusions Peripherally inserted central catheter through the veins of lower extremity has more advantage over through the veins of upper extremity group.