Exposure level of neonicotinoid pesticides and their metabolites in pregnant women in the suburb of Shanghai / 中华预防医学杂志

In 2021, a total of 151 pregnant women were selected from the suburb of Shanghai. A questionnaire survey was conducted to obtain data about maternal age, gestational week, total annual household income, education level and passive smoking among pregnant women and one spot urine was collected. The concentrations of eight neonicotinoid pesticides and four metabolites in urine were measured by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The differences in detection frequencies and concentrations of neonicotinoid pesticides and their metabolites among pregnant women with different characteristics were compared, and the influencing factors of the detection of neonicotinoid pesticides in urine were analyzed. The results showed that at least one neonicotinoid pesticide was detected in 93.4% (141 samples) of urine samples. The detection frequencies of N-desmethyl-acetamiprid, clothianidin, thiamethoxam, and N-desmethyl-clothianidin were high, about 78.1% (118 samples), 75.5% (114 samples), 68.9% (104 samples), and 44.4% (67 samples), respectively. The median concentration of the sum of all neonicotinoid pesticides was 2.66 μg/g. N-desmethyl-acetamiprid had the highest detection concentration with a median concentration of 1.04 μg/g. A lower urinary detection frequency of imidacloprid and its metabolites was seen in pregnant women aged 30-44 years [OR (95%CI): 0.23 (0.07-0.77)]. A higher detection frequency of clothianidin and its metabolites was seen in pregnant women with per capita annual household income≥100 000 yuan [OR (95%CI): 6.15 (1.56-24.28)]. There was widespread exposure to neonicotinoid pesticides and their metabolites in pregnant women from the suburb of Shanghai, which might pose potential health risks to pregnant women, and maternal age and household income were potential influencing factors of the exposure to neonicotinoid pesticides.

Disease burden and pathological characteristics of hepatic fibrosis induced by parasite infection / 中国热带医学

@#Abstract: Parasites such as schistosome, liver fluke, and echinococcus mainly parasitize or cause diseases in the liver, and liver fibrosis is the main pathological feature and primary cause of morbidity and mortality of hosts after infection. The liver fibrosis caused by these parasites still has a heavy disease burden in the world, and due to its unique disease characteristics, the animal model of liver fibrosis caused by parasites has a unique position in the study of liver fibrosis. The essential distinguishing feature of parasitic infection-induced hepatic fibrosis from other types of hepatic fibrosis is the variety of parasitic-secreted molecules initiating fibrosis, including proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, metabolic small molecules and other types. These molecules induce the formation of type 2 immunity or inflammatory microenvironment in the host liver. Although in-depth research has been conducted on the initiation, maintenance, and regression of type 2 immunity in the liver after parasitic infection, many core mechanisms remain unclear. Chronic inflammation ultimately activates stellate cells and other types of cells to differentiate into myofibroblasts (MF), thus promoting the formation of liver fibrosis. After clearing parasites, MF may undergo reverse differentiation, apoptosis or senescence, and liver fibers may undergo reversal. Deep research on the activation and regression of MF is the foundation for effective prevention and treatment of liver fibrosis. This article reviews the disease burden and pathological characteristics of liver fibrosis caused by parasite infection.

Establishment and evaluation of a mouse model of schistosomiasis liver disease induced by portal vein injection of worm eggs / 中国热带医学

@#Abstract: Objective　To construct a mouse model of Schistosoma japonicum liver disease induced by direct injection of Schistosoma japonicum eggs through the portal vein and evaluate its effectiveness, in order to provide a new animal model for schistosomiasis liver disease research. Methods　Fifteen 8-week-old C57BL/6 male mice were randomly divided into control group and egg injection group, with 5 in the control group and 10 in the egg injection group. On day -14, 5 000 live eggs were injected into the abdominal cavity of mice, and on day 0, the mice were anesthetized and the abdominal cavity was opened. 5 000 live eggs were injected through the portal vein, and the control group was injected with equal volume of phosphate buffer (PBS). 5 mice in the egg group were killed on day 10 and 30, respectively. The control group mice were killed on day 10, and their serum and liver tissue were collected. Hematoxylin eosin staining (HE) and Masson staining were performed, and alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and liver hydroxyproline (HYP) content were detected using a microplate spectrophotometer. Liver fibrosis-related genes, Th1 and Th2 type immune response-related genes were analyzed by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (qPCR). Liver injury, egg granuloma and fibrosis, and adaptive immune response were detected to evaluate the effect of portal vein injection of eggs while inducing mouse model of schistosomiasis liver disease. Results　The results showed that significant egg granulomas appeared in the liver of mice after injection of eggs into the portal vein for 10 and 30 days. There was no statistically significant difference in the area of egg granulomas between the 10-day group and the 30-day group (t=0.975, P=0.332). Masson staining and liver hydroxyproline content detection showed significant fibrosis in the liver. The qPCR results showed that, compared with the control group, the expression levels of fibrosis marker genes, such as α⁃Sma (alpha smooth muscle actin), Col1a1 (collagen type Ⅰ alpha 1), and Tgfb1 (transforming growth factor beta 1), were significantly increased (t=6.380, 7.533, 5.314; P=0.002, 0.001, 0.007), and then decreased on the 30th day, with no statistical difference compared to the control group (t=0.940, 1.529, 1.746; P=0.778, 0.543, 0.457). At the same time, the expression levels of Th1 type immune response-related genes, such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (Tnf), interferon gamma (Ifng), and Th2 type immune response-related genes, such as interleukin-5 (Il5), interleukin-13 (Il13), significantly increased 10 days after eggs injection (t=6.163, 4.589, 5.651, 5.367; P=0.003, 0.018, 0.020, 0.009). In addition, there was no significant change in the levels of AST and ALT in the serum of each group of mice (t=0.982, 3.450; P=0.771, 0.074. t=1.164, 0.564; P=0.697, 0.917). Conclusions　A mouse model of schistosomiasis liver disease induced by portal vein injection of worm eggs was constructed. The study provides a new modeling method for studying the mechanism of liver fibrosis in schistosomiasis..

Advances of environmental DNA technology in schistosomiasis surveillance / 中国热带医学

@#Abstract: Schistosomiasis, an important zoonotic parasitic disease, is one of the six major tropical diseases identified by WHO, and also one of the most important parasitic diseases for prevention and control in China. After more than 70 years of efforts, the prevention and control of schistosomiasis in China has made great achievements, and the current epidemic of schistosomiasis in China has entered an extremely low epidemic state, but the distribution base of the only intermediate host of schistosomiasis, Oncomelania hupensis, is still large. For now, the techniques used to monitor schistosomiasis have shortcomings such as time-consuming, laborious and low sensitivity, which cannot meet the current needs of China. Environmental DNA (eDNA) refers to DNA that can be extracted from environmental samples (such as soil, water or air) without isolating any target organisms, which is a complex mixture of genomic DNA and its degradation products from different organisms in the same environment. eDNA technology can reflect the community or species composition information in the ecosystem through DNA extraction and detection of environmental samples. Compared with traditional biological monitoring methods, eDNA technology has the advantages of high efficiency, high sensitivity and environmental friendliness. eDNA has been successfully used for the specific detection of Schistosoma mansoni, Schistosoma haematobium and Schistosoma japonicum. This paper reviews the current detection methods of eDNA, the application and technical limitations of eDNA technology in schistosomiasis monitoring, aiming to provide scientific reference for research in the field of schistosomiasis surveillance.

Host-schistosome interactions mediated by cross-species microRNA / 中国热带医学

@#Abstract: Schistosomiasis is a serious major parasitic disease that threatens human life and health. A better understanding of the mechanism of host-schistosome interactions is the key to designing new prevention and control strategies. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous small non-coding RNA molecules, which lead to the degradation of the target messenger RNA (mRNA) or inhibition of its translation in a sequence-specific manner. Both schistosome and its host produce miRNAs, which can be secreted by extracellular vesicles (EVs). There is accumulating evidence that miRNAs from schistosome can be taken up by host cells, and finely manipulate the phenotype of host cells for their survival or pathogenesis in a cross-species manner, even inhibiting the growth and metastases of hepatoma cells. It is still unknown whether host free miRNAs can be taken up by schistosome, but this phenomenon is highly probable. miRNA-mediated cross-species regulation has emerged as a novel mechanism for host-schistosome interactions, and this review summarizes the advances in this regard.

Analysis of the Efficacy of Irinotecan in the Second-line Treatment of Refractory and Relapsed Small Cell Lung Cancer / 中国肺癌杂志

BACKGROUND@#Among malignant tumors, lung cancer has the highest mortality rate. Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a kind of malignant lung cancer. Its doubling time is very fast. Patients are prone to drug resistance during treatment, and their condition often deteriorates rapidly after recurrence. Except for topotecan, there is a lack of effective second-line single-agent chemotherapy. This study aims to analysis the efficacy and safety of irinotecan (CPT-11) in the second-line treatment of refractory and relapsed SCLC.@*METHODS@#A total of 107 SCLC patients were collected from the Department of Oncology, Jilin Guowen Hospital, who were diagnosed from April 2012 to March 2020, relapsed within 6 months after first-line treatment, and received second-line chemotherapy with single-agent CPT-11. Follow-up until November 2020, calculate the patient's progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS), and summarize the effects and adverse reactions of CPT-11 chemotherapy.@*RESULTS@#The patient's median PFS was 3.8 (3.4-4.4) months, median OS was 8.1 (6.5-10.9) months, objective response rate (ORR) was 16.82% (18/107), and DCR was 55.14% (59/107). The incidence of grade 3-4 adverse reactions in patients was relatively low. Among them, neutropenia was 13.08%, delayed diarrhea was 7.48%, nausea and vomiting was 17.76%, and liver function impairment was 6.54%. The influencing factors of PFS in single-agent CPT-11 second-line chemotherapy were gender (P=0.001), NSE (P=0.029), and effusion (P=0.040). While the influencing factors of OS were NSE level only (P=0.033).@*CONCLUSIONS@#For patients with refractory relapsed SCLC, CPT-11 single-agent second-line chemotherapy has a certain effect, is well tolerated, and is worthy of promotion.
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Anatomical Study of the Accessory Tendon of the Extensor Hallucis Longus Muscle and Its Clinical Application

Background@#The accessory tendon of the extensor hallucis longus (ATEHL) muscle is a common abnormal structure, and its clinical significance remains debatable. In this study, we provide the incidence of the ATEHL and characterize its morphological types in Asian cadavers and investigate its clinical applications. @*Methods@#The tendons from 50 adult cadaveric feet, fixed in 10% formalin, were analyzed. We measured the length and width of both the ATEHL and the extensor hallucis brevis (EHB). @*Results@#All dissected specimens had an ATEHL. The first metatarsophalangeal joint was surrounded by an accessory tendon that inserted onto the joint capsule and the dorsal base of the proximal phalanx. We classified the ATEHL into 3 types based on their directions. Differences in ATEHL type based on sex were not statistically significant. @*Conclusions@#We found an ATEHL in all cadaveric specimens in this study. We surmise that the ATEHL acts as an antagonist with the EHB when the toe is extending, which might help prevent the occurrence of hallux valgus deformity.

Anatomical Study of the Accessory Tendon of the Extensor Hallucis Longus Muscle and Its Clinical Application

Background@#The accessory tendon of the extensor hallucis longus (ATEHL) muscle is a common abnormal structure, and its clinical significance remains debatable. In this study, we provide the incidence of the ATEHL and characterize its morphological types in Asian cadavers and investigate its clinical applications. @*Methods@#The tendons from 50 adult cadaveric feet, fixed in 10% formalin, were analyzed. We measured the length and width of both the ATEHL and the extensor hallucis brevis (EHB). @*Results@#All dissected specimens had an ATEHL. The first metatarsophalangeal joint was surrounded by an accessory tendon that inserted onto the joint capsule and the dorsal base of the proximal phalanx. We classified the ATEHL into 3 types based on their directions. Differences in ATEHL type based on sex were not statistically significant. @*Conclusions@#We found an ATEHL in all cadaveric specimens in this study. We surmise that the ATEHL acts as an antagonist with the EHB when the toe is extending, which might help prevent the occurrence of hallux valgus deformity.

Pollution， human exposure and harmful effects of neonicotinoid pesticides / 上海预防医学

Neonicotinoid is a kind of neuroactive pesticide， and it has become the most widely used pesticide in the world. In recent years， neonicotinoid has been detected in the environment and food， suggesting that human can be exposed to this kind of pesticide through drinking water， ingestion and respiration， which poses potential health hazards to human. However， there is no comprehensive report on the pollution level of neonicotinoid pesticides in the environment and food and the impact on human health. In this paper， the pollution status， population exposure level and potential health risks of neonicotinoid pesticides in water， air and food were reviewed. We found that neonicotinoid residues are widespread in fruits and vegetables， of which imidacloprid has the highest detection rate. Except for a few samples with excessive neonicotinoid detection， the detection level in most samples did not exceed national food safety standards. A variety of neonicotinoid pesticides have been detected in the air， surface water， tap water and drinking water. External exposure studies in the population have shown that ingestion is the main route of exposure to neonicotinoid， and the external exposure level is much lower than its chronic reference dose. The internal exposure study mainly detected the concentration of neonicotinoid pesticides and their metabolites in urine. A variety of neonicotinoid pesticides and their metabolites are detected in urine， and the concentration range is ng/ml level. Internal exposure studies found that the detection rate of thiamethoxam and dinotefuran in urine is higher， and the detection rate of neonicotinoid in Asian countries is higher than that in European and American countries. Occupational exposure studies found that neonicotinoid exposure levels increased after pesticide spraying， and the exposure levels in rural areas where pesticides were commonly used were higher than those in neighboring urban areas. Animal experiments have found that neonicotinoid pesticides have reproductive toxicity， genetic toxicity， neurotoxicity， immunotoxicity， liver toxicity and nephrotoxicity to non-target organisms. Cell experiments suggest that neonicotinoid is an endocrine disruptor. The symptoms of acute exposure in humans are related to the exposure dose， route and physical condition of the exposed person， which ranges from mild symptoms （nausea， vomiting， headache and diarrhea） to death. Population epidemiological studies have shown that chronic exposure to neonicotinoid pesticides is associated with adverse health effects in humans such as neonatal tetralogy of Fallot， anencephaly， and adverse mental symptoms.

Insights of a comprehensive target and performance evaluation for public hospitals in Wuhu / 中华医院管理杂志

This paper presented the practice of performance evaluation at public hospitals in Wuhu.The performance evaluation system at public hospitals should emphasize public benefits,present a true picture of work and management performance,and help build the incentive and constraint mechanism.In addition,it should encourage public hospitals to strengthen management,improve quality of care and control health care costs.The system is designed for providing a safe,effective,convenient and inexpensive medical and health services for the people.

Molecular authentication of the traditional Chinese medicinal plant Angelica sinensis based on internal transcribed spacer of nrDNA / Autentificación molecular de la planta medicinal tradicional china Angelica sinensis basada en el espaciador interno transcrito del ADNnr

Traditionally, the authentication of the traditional Chinese medicines (TCM), Angelica sinensis, is based on slightly different morphological characters and complex compounds. Usually, those methods are simultaneously affected by several factors, leading to subtle and ambiguous results. In this study, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of A. sinensis and seven other Angelica species used as adulterants were sequenced. A pair of specific primers was designed from the polymorphic ITS regions to distinguish A. sinensis from the adulterants and regional substitutes. These ITS-derived primers amplified approximately 520 bp specific fragments from the adulterants, whereas no products was amplified with the DNA of A. sinensis. We tested eight commercially crude materials purchased in the market by using these specific primers. The result showed that there were four samples adulterating A. sinensis with regional substitutes. This indicated that A. sinensis could be accurately distinguished from the adulterants and regional substitutes. Therefore, the method of molecular authentication based on the ITS sequences may be contributed to raw material production and quality control of A. sinensis.

Identification of circulating type II pre-dendritic cells (pDC2) and its clinical significance in chronic hepatitis B virus infection / 中华实验和临床病毒学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the characteristics of circulating type II pre-dendritic cells (pDC2) and evaluate its role in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The quantitative alterations of pDC2 in 27 chronic HBV-infected patients as treated group and 15 healthy individuals as a control group were analyzed by using flow cytometry based on the comparison of CD4+/CD8+ ratios of T lymphocyte subsets between the two groups. The IFN-alpha-producing ability of pDC2 after incubation was determined by ELISA.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The percentage of pDC2 (0.096 +/- 0.086) from the peripheral blood in chronic HBV-infected patients were significantly lower than that (0.304 +/- 0.093) from the normal controls (P less than 0.001) while the CD4+/CD8+ ratios were higher than those in normal controls (P less than 0.01). The values of IFN-alpha-producing function and IL-12 of circulating pDC2 in chronic HBV-infected patients group were significantly lower than those in healthy subjects (P < 0.001). The percentage of pDC2 and CD4+/CD8+ ratios were higher in the patients positive for HBV DNA in sera than those in patients negative for HBV DNA in sera (P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The decreased number of circulating pDC2 and IFN-alpha-producing function from peripheral blood in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection may result in the decline of host immune response, which may partially contribute to the disease progress of HBV infection and existence of viral genomic DNA in patient's sera.</p>

Antiviral effect of human CTLs activated by HBsAg stimulated dendritic cells in vitro / 中华实验和临床病毒学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the ability of human dendritic cells (DCs) inducing specific T lymphocyte response and inhibit the expression of HBeAg and HBsAg in 2.2.15 cell culture supernatant.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>DCs were prepared from peripheral blood mononuclear cells induced with granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor(GM-CSF) and interleukin 4. DCs was impulsed with pure HBsAg before DCs maturation and cocultured with self-blood T lymphocyte, while DCs without pure HBsAg stimulated group, T lymphocyte group and only T lymphocyte group were prepared as control group. The culture supernatant of 2.2.15 cell with stimulated T lymphocytes was collected on day 1, day 3, day 5 and day 7, respectively. The expressed levels of HBeAg and HBsAg were detected by ELISA method.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>DCs after antigen stimulation had a strong ability to present antigen and induce immune activation, DCs after loading with antigen in normal control and chronic hepatitis patients group had stronger stimulative ability for T lymphocytes proliferation than that of DCs without loading with antigen and only T lymphocyte group(P less than 0.01). The stimulating ability of DCs had a positive correlation to the dosage of loaded antigen; CTLs produced as a result of DCs stimulation had a specific inhibitive effect on the expression of HBeAg in 2.2.15 cell supernatant,but not on the expression of HbsAg.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Human dendritic cells stimulated with HBsAg in vitro can efficiently present antigen and stimulate the production of specific CTLs to HBV, which can efficiently inhibit the expression of HBeAg in 2.2.15 cell supernatant- DC vaccine may become an antiviral therapy strategy for chronic hepatitis B virus infected patients in future.</p>

Study tetrandrine defer extraceller matrix mechanism / 中国临床药理学与治疗学

Aim The effect of tetrandrine on TGF-?1 mRNA expression in glomerulosclerosis rat was observed. Methods The rats were randomly divided into four groups, such as the normal control group (sham operative rat), glomerulosclerosis model group,tetrandrine group and amlodipine group. The expression of TGF-?1 mRNA was analyzed by Northern blot hybridization. Results The expressions of TGF-?1 mRNA in two treating groups were much lower than untreated model group. There were no difference between these two treating groups. Conclusion Tetrandrine can decrease the expression of TGF-?1 mRNA in glomerulosclerosis rat induced by unilateral renctomy plus adriamycin.