The clinical characteristics of COVID-19 omicron variant infection in pregnant women and their neonates.

Objective: The objective of this study was to analyze the clinical characteristics of pregnant women infected with the COVID-19 omicron variant and their neonates during the outbreak in Guangdong province, China. Methods: The clinical data of pregnant women infected with the COVID-19 omicron variant and their neonates were retrospectively collected from two hospitals in Guangdong province. Information recorded included age of mother, date of birth, sex, weight at birth, mode of delivery, gestational age, feeding mode, Apgar score, signs, medical records, underlying comorbidities and laboratory results. The presence of SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA was tested using an real-time PCR assay. Results: Seventy-nine pregnant women infected with COVID-19 omicron variant and their 68 neonates were included in this study. The vast majority (86.1%) of pregnant women was in their third trimester of pregnancy, and only 11 cases (15%) were in the first or second trimester. Of 79 pregnant women, 39 cases were asymptomatic at the time of infection, and 40 mothers presented with mild manifestations of COVID-19. The most common symptoms were fever (92.5%, 37/40) and cough (57.5%, 21/40). All of pregnant women did not receive chest computed tomography (CT) scan or X-ray. No pregnant woman developed severe pneumonia. A total of 68 neonates (3 set of twins) from 65 mothers with COVID-19 were reviewed. Among women who delivered, 34 cases underwent cesarean section, 31 cases underwent vaginal delivery. According to the timing of birth, there were 10 (14.7%) preterm neonates. Two babies were born dead (intrauterine fetal death after 22 weeks of gestation). Of the live babies born (66 cases) from mothers with COVID-19, 9 newborns were lower weight, and one preterm case was born with respiratory distress and intubated, he recovered and developed normally. SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid testing was conducted on 41 neonates daily after birth, with only one neonate testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection on the third day after birth. The infected neonate exhibited typical fever and acute respiratory tract syndrome but ultimately had a good prognosis, recovering after 5 days of treatment. Conclusion: Although preliminary data suggests the risk of severe maternal and fetal complications from Omicron variant infection during pregnancy is lower than previous variants and Delta variant. Our study, which was conducted on a limited population sample, indicates that there is a possibility of severe complications, such as stillbirth, occurring in some fetal cases. These findings emphasize the need for continued attention from obstetricians.

Comparative Utility of Genetic Determinants of Drug Resistance and Phenotypic Drug Susceptibility Profiling in Predicting Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Multidrug-Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Setting: Programmatic management of drug-resistant tuberculosis in Ningbo, China. Objective: To assess whether data-driven genetic determinants of drug resistance patterns could outperform phenotypic drug susceptibility testing in predicting clinical meaningful outcomes among patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). Design: We conducted a prospective cohort study of 104 MDR-TB patients. All MDR-TB isolates underwent drug susceptibility testing and genotyping for mutations that could cause drug resistance. Study outcomes were time to sputum smear conversion and probability of treatment success, as well as time to culture conversion within 6 months. Data were analyzed using latent class analysis, Kaplan-Meier curves, and Cox regression models. Results: We report that latent class analysis of data identified two latent classes that predicted sputum smear conversion with P = 0.001 and area under receiver-operating characteristic curve of 0.73. The predicted latent class memberships were associated with superior capability in predicting sputum culture conversion at 6 months and overall treatment success compared to phenotypic drug susceptibility profiling using boosted logistic regression models. Conclusion: These results suggest that genetic determinants of drug resistance in combination with phenotypic drug-resistant tests could serve as useful biomarkers in predicting treatment prognosis in MDR-TB.

Reduced CpG island methylation of the TBC1D8 gene may predict risk for osteoporosis in Chinese postmenopausal women.

OBJECTIVE: In this study, we collected samples from postmenopausal women aged >60 y and evaluated bone mineral density (BMD) in addition to other biochemical variables to evaluate risk factors for osteoporosis. Furthermore, we investigated whether an association exists between the CpG island methylation levels in the promoter region of the TBC1D8 gene and osteoporosis incidence. Our goal was to identify contributing factors to the pathogenesis of osteoporosis and provide a theoretical basis for osteoporosis testing and therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used questionnaires to collect data from Chinese Han women in their communities. The following parameters were measured: uric acid, high density lipoprotein, low density lipoprotein, fasting blood glucose, serum creatinine, serum calcium, serum phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase, P1NP, ß-CTX, PTH, 25(OH)D and bone mineral density from lumbar spine 1 to 4, femoral neck, and total hip. DNA was also extracted to assess the methylation level of the TBC1D8 gene. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that a lower body mass index (BMI) infrequent exercise and certain sleep durations may be associated with osteoporosis. In addition, higher serum creatinine, ß-CTX and PTH and lower 25(OH)D levels may be associated with osteoporosis. In Chinese Han postmenopausal women, decreased methylation of the TBCF1D8 gene promoter CpG islands is associated with osteoporosis. Finally, we also observed that TBC1D8 is negatively correlated with high density lipoprotein in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis.

The prevalence and incidence of community-acquired pressure injury: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Pressure injury (PI) is a serious problem in health care settings globally. It leads to tremendous burden both individuals and healthcare systems. Since 2008, hospital-acquired pressure injuries have been a major focus of nursing quality improvement programs within hospitals and are considered never events. However, insufficiency attention has been paid to community-acquired pressure injuries (CAPI) or pressure ulcers that occur at home or in nursing homes. The prevalence or incidence of community-acquired pressure injury has been reported but never been synthesized in a meta-analysis manner. To fill the gaps in the evidence matrix, the aims of this study are to estimate the prevalence of CAPI in the general population and to pool the overall incidence of CAPI in the general population. METHODS: PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, CINHAL, the Cochrane Library, Chongqing VIP, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure were electronically searched to identify eligible studies updated to May 2020 to collect studies on the prevalence or incidence of community-acquired pressure injuries. Two reviewers independently will screen the literature, extracted data, and assess the risk of bias of included studies using the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guideline. Meta-analyses of pooled weighted estimates will be calculated using random effect models with 95% CIs reported due to high heterogeneity. RESULTS: Of the 5242 studies initially identified, of the 22 studies (total 479,761 participants) 17 reporting prevalence of community-acquired pressure injury and 5 reporting incidence were included. Other results of this study will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. CONCLUSION: This study will summarize the pooled estimate prevalence and incidence of community-acquired pressure injuries and the pooled estimate of frequencies of different anatomic sites. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approval and patient consent are not required, because this study is a meta-analysis based on published studies. INPLASY REGISTRATION NUMBER: INPLASY202080044.

Computational modelling of foot orthosis for midfoot arthritis: a Taguchi approach for design optimization.

PURPOSE: Evaluation of the internal biomechanics of the foot-and-ankle complex is challenging for the prescription of orthosis particularly for midfoot arthritis patients in which the joint condition is crucial. METHODS: Using computational modeling and design optimization techniques, the objective of this study was to compare the biomechanical functions among different combinations of design factors using computer simulation. A finite element foot model was reconstructed from a midfoot arthritis patient. Orthotic designs with 3 levels for each of the 3 design factors (arch height, lateral wedge angle, and insole stiffness) contributed to 9 configurations using a fractional factorial design were tested. RESULTS: An increase in peak plantar stress of the midfoot was facilitated by a medium arch height and wedge angle, and stiffest insole material, notwithstanding the combination neither reduced the peak plantar stress of other foot regions nor was consistent with the combination that minimized the stress of the articular cartilage. CONCLUSIONS: Insole with high arch (H = 30 mm), low stiffness (E = 1.0 MPa), and medium wedge angle (A = 5°) could minimize the stress of the cartilage at the arthritic joint (primary outcome) and could be beneficial to the patients. Also, insole stiffness predominantly influenced cartilage stress. However, secondary outcomes including the stress of the navicular and medial cuneiform and the regional plantar stress did not produce the same solution. Future studies can consider a patient-specific loading profile to further the investigation on the stabilizing effect and the attenuation of load transfer induced by the insole.

25-Hydroxycholesterol provides antiviral protection against highly pathogenic porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus in swine.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is a severe respiratory disease that leads to huge economic losses in the pig industry throughout the world. Although there are several vaccines available, the protective efficacy is limited. Therefore, new control strategies to prevent PRRS virus (PRRSV) infection are urgently required. We have previously reported that CH25H and 25HC can significantly inhibit the replication of PRRSV by preventing viral entry. In the present study, we found that 25HC with a low IC50 value significantly decreased the replication of different PRRSV strains, and increased the production of IL-1ß and IL-8 in porcine primary alveolar macrophages and the lung tissue. In pigs challenged with highly pathogenic PRRSV, treatment with 25HC was associated with an obvious reduction in the level of viremia and viral load in lung samples and nasal swabs, as well as decreased lung injury and an increased survival rate. These findings suggest that 25HC could be a promising antiviral drug against PRRSV in the future.

Alternaria yunnanensis sp. nov., a New Alternaria Species Causing Foliage Spot of Rubber Tree in China

A new species of Alternaria causing leaf spots on the rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) in Yunnan, China, was isolated, examined, and illustrated. Morphologically, it belongs to the section Porri of Alternaria, which produces relatively large conidia and a simple or branched, filamentous long beak. It is, however, characterized by conidiophores gradually enlarging near the apex into a clavate conidiogenous cell and long ellipsoid to obclavate, smooth-walled conidia with a long filamentous beak. Molecular phylogenetic analyses based on ITS rDNA, GAPDH, and TEF1-alpha sequences demonstrate that the phytopathogen falls in the clade of the section Porri, being most closely related to A. sidae, A. sennae, A. deseriticola, A. cyamopsidis, A. rostellata, A. nitrimali, A. crassa, and A. thunbergiae.

Influence of psychological capital on occupational stress of employees in labor-intensive electronic companies / 中国职业医学

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of psychological capital on occupational stress of employees in labor-intensive electronic enterprises. METHODS: A total of 1 723 employees in 5 labor-intensive electronic enterprises were selected as study subjects by cluster sampling method. The Psychological Capital Questionnaire and Simple Job Stress Questionnaire were used to investigate their psychological capital and job demand-control( JDC) occupational stress. The effect of psychological capital on occupational stress was analyzed. RESULTS: Total average score of psychological capital of the study subjects was( 4. 4 ± 0. 7). The average scores of self-efficacy,hope,resilience,optimism dimensions were( 4. 3 ± 0. 9),( 4. 5 ± 0. 8),( 4. 5 ± 0. 8) and( 4. 4 ± 0. 7),respectively. The proportions of active,relaxed,nervous and passive occupational stress accounted for 24. 2%,24. 7%,23. 5% and 27. 6% respectively. The detection rate of JDC mode high occupational stress was 68. 7%( 1 184/1 723). The proportion of active occupational stress of the low-psychologicalcapital group was lower( 28. 3% vs 20. 2%,P < 0. 001),the proportion of passive occupational stress was higher( 23. 4% vs 31. 7%,P < 0. 001),the positive rate of JDC high occupational stress was higher( 63. 3% vs 74. 1%,P <0. 01),compared with the high-psychological-capital group. The multivariate logistic analysis showed that the risk of JDC high occupational stress in the low-psychological-capital group was higher than that in the high-psychological-capital group( P < 0. 01),after eliminating the confounding factors such as length of service,education level and personal monthly income. CONCLUSION: The psychological capital of employees in labor-intensive electronics enterprises was associated with the occupational stress of the JDC model. The occupational stress can be reduced by improving the psychological capital of workers.

Lycium barbarum polysaccharides attenuate oxidative stress injury of hu-man endothelium-like EA. hy926 cells induced by hydrogen peroxide / 中国病理生理杂志

AIM:To study the effect of Lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LBP) on oxidative stress injury of human endothelium-like EA. Hy926 cells induced by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). METHODS:The EA. Hy926 cell model of oxidative stress injury was established by H2O2 treatment. The EA. Hy926 cells were divided into 5 groups:control group, damage (H2O2 at 50 mmol/L) group, LBP (100 mg/L) group, anti-damage groups (LBP at 50 mg/L, 100 mg/L or 200 mg/L+50 mol/L H2O2), and LY294002 (20 μmol/L) group. The effect of LBP at different concentrations on the cell viability of EA. Hy926 cells was measured by CCK-8 assay, and the optimum concentration of LBP was screened out. The apoptotic of EA. Hy926 cells was analyzed by flow cytometry. Acridine orange/ethidium bromide ( AO/EB) staining was used to observe the morphological characteristics of the apoptotic cells. The cell migration ability was detected by scratch method. The levels of nitric oxide (NO) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the cell culture medium were examined. The protein levels of cleaved caspase-3, Bax, Bcl-2, endothelial NO synthase (eNOS), p-eNOS and p-Akt were determined by Western blot. RESULTS:LBP at concentration of 100 mg/L significantly attenuated the injury of EA. Hy926 cells induced by H2O2, as indicated by improved cell viability ( P <0.05 ) and decreased apoptosis ( P <0.05). Pretreatment with LBP elevated the levels of NO and VEGF (P<0.05), and promoted the migration ability of EA. Hy926 cells. LBP also increased the Bcl-2/Bax ratio, down-regulated the protein level of cleaved caspase-3, and up-regulated the protein levels of eNOS and p-eNOS. The protective effect of LBP were abolished by pretreatment of the EA. Hy926 cells with the inhibitor of PI3K (P<0.05). As a result, the protein level of p-Akt was down-regulated, and the level of NO was also significantly reduced. CONCLUSION:LBP has protective effect on H2O2-induced EA. Hy926 cells by attenuating apoptosis of the cells. The mechanism is closely related to the activation of PI3K/Akt/eNOS signaling pathway.

Ecology suitability study of Ephedra intermedia / 中国中药杂志

The study aims at predicting ecological suitability of Ephedra intermedia in China by using maximum entropy Maxent model combined with GIS, and finding the main ecological factors affecting the distribution of E. intermedia suitability in appropriate growth area. Thirty-eight collected samples of E. intermedia and E. intermedia and 116 distribution information from CVH information using ArcGIS technology were analyzed. MaxEnt model was applied to forecast the E. intermedia in our country's ecology. E. intermedia MaxEnt ROC curve model training data and testing data sets the AUC value was 0.986 and 0.958, respectively, which were greater than 0.9, tending to be 1.The calculated E. intermedia habitat suitability by the model showed a high accuracy and credibility, which indicated that MaxEnt model could well predict the potential distribution area of E. intermedia in China.

Sleep duration and total cancer mortality: a meta-analysis of prospective studies.

OBJECTIVE: Epidemiological evidence suggests a possible association between sleep duration and cancer-related mortality, but the reported findings are inconsistent. We conducted a meta-analysis of prospective studies to evaluate the relationships between sleep duration and cancer mortality. METHODS: Potentially relevant studies were identified by searching PubMed and Embase databases in addition to manual searches of references of retrieved full publications. The summary relative risks (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed using a random-effect model. The meta-regression analyses were performed to explore any potential effect modifier. RESULTS: A total of 17 reports from 11 independent prospective studies were included in this meta-analysis. When comparing with reasonable sleep duration (mostly defined as 7 or 7-8 h), the summary RR for long sleep duration (mostly defined as ≥9 or ≥10 h) and short sleep duration (mostly defined as ≤6 or ≤5 h) was 1.11 (95% CI = 1.05-1.18) and 1.05 (95% CI = 0.99-1.11), respectively, with little evidence of heterogeneity. There was evidence of publication bias for the association of long sleep duration with cancer mortality, and the summary RR was slightly attenuated to be 1.10 (95% CI = 1.02-1.18) after using a statistical method to correct for the bias. CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis of prospective studies suggests that long, not short sleep duration is associated with significantly increased risk of total cancer mortality.

Inhibiting effect of IL-24 combined with targeting attenuated Salmonella vector SL 7207/pBud-Vp3 on growth of gastric cancer cells / 重庆医学

Objective To investigate the inhibiting effect of interleukin (IL)‐24 combined with targeted attenuated Salmonella typhimurium vector SL7207/pBud‐VP3 on the growth of gastric cancer cells .Methods The co‐expression eukaryotic expression plasmid pBud‐VP3‐IL‐24 was constructed .The plasmid pBud‐VP3‐IL‐24 was transformed into attenuated Salmonella typhimurium SL7207 by using the high voltage electroporation for constructing the SL 7207/pBud‐VP3‐IL‐24 strain .The mouse gastric cancer transplantation tumor model was established and randomly divided into the normal saline control group ,SL7207/pBud group , SL7207/pBud‐VP3 group and SL7207/pBud‐VP3‐IL‐24 group .The tumor‐bearing mice were fed by oral administration of bacterial strain .The tumor volume was measured and the tumor inhibition rate was calculated .The expression of IL‐24 was detected by Western blotting .The levels of IFN‐γ,IL‐6 and TNF‐αin tumor tissue were detected by using RT‐PCR .The expression of Caspase‐3 and VEGF were detected by using immunohistochemistry .Results The plasmids attenuated Salmonella typhimurium vector carrying the gene IL‐24 was successfully constructed .The IL‐24 protein expression was detected in gastric cancer tissue after 14 d treatment .The tumor volume after 28 d treatment in the SL7207/pBud‐VP3‐IL‐24 group was reduced compared with the other groups ,moreover the tumor growth was significantly inhibited ,and the differences were statistically significant (P<0 .05) .RT‐PCR and immunohistochemistry results showed that IL‐24 combined with SL7207/bBud‐VP3 could significantly increase the expression levels of immune factor IL‐6 ,IFN‐γ and TNF‐αin tumor tissue ,.in addition ,up‐regulated the expression of Caspase‐3 and down‐regulated the VEGF expression(P<0 .05) .Conclu‐sion IL‐24 combined with SL7207/pBud‐VP3 can synergically play the inhibitory effect on the growth of gastric cancer cells ,its mecha‐nism is related with the tumor apoptosis promotion ,tumor vessel inhibition and immune regulation .

Research Progress in Experimental Methods for the Evaluation of Adhesion Property of Bioadhesive Drug Delivery Systems in vitro / 中国药师

Bioadhesive delivery systems with sustained release characteristics can promote the absorption and increase the bio-availability of drugs by prolonging the residence time on the applied site. The evaluation of adhesion property of bioadhesive drug deliv-ery systems is important because the sustained release effect and the absorption are closely related with the adhesion. The methods for the evaluation of the adhesive properties of bioadhesive drug delivery systems in vitro were summarized in the article, including determi-ning the minimum peel force, measuring the residues on mucosa surface, determining the retention time on mucosal surface, measuring the swelling and the viscosity of fluid and so on, and the operation of some methods were described simply as well.

Role of serotoninergic/melatoninergic system in melanin metabolism in melanocytes exposed to serum of rabbits fed with Liuwei Dihuang decoction / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effects of Liuwei Dihuang (LWDH) decoction on serotonine (5-HTs), melatonin and the activity of the rate-limiting enzymes ANNAT and HIOMT in cultured human melanocytes and in melanocytes co-cultured with keratinocytes.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>CCK-8 assay was used to assess the proliferation of melanocytes and melanocytes co-cultured with keratinocytes after treatment with the serum from rabbits fed with LWDH decoction. High-performance liquid chromatography was used to determine 5-HT and melatonin contents, and real-time fluorescent PCR was employed to evaluate the ANNAT and HIOMT activities in the cell cultures.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The serum from rabbits fed with LWDH Decoction at low doses did not affect the proliferation of melanocytes co-cultured with keratinocytes, but at the concentrations of 20%-40%, the serum significantly inhibited the proliferation of melanocytes, and the effect was optimal with a concentration of 40% (P<0.05). 5-HT and melatonin contents in the cell culture decreased as the serum concentration increased (P<0.05), which was the most obvious with a serum concentration of 40% (P<0.01). Exposure of the cells to low and moderate doses of the serum caused a dose-dependent decrease in AANAT activity (P<0.05), but the serum produced no significant changes in the level of HIOMT mRNA expression in the cells.</p><p><b>COUCLUSIONS</b>The serotoninergic/melatoninergic system mediate the regulation of melanin metabolism by LWDH Decoction, the mechanism of which may involve 5-HTs, melatonin and ANNAT.</p>

Seroprevalence and associated risk factors of pseudorabies in Shandong province of China

A cross-sectional serological study was conducted in Shandong province of China to determine the seroprevalence and risk factors associated with seropositivity due to pseudorabies virus (PRV) infection in small- and medium-sized farrow-to-finish herds following outbreaks of variant PRV strains. A total of 6,035 blood samples from 224 randomly selected herds were screened. The results showed that 25.0% of the herds and 56.7% of the serum samples were seropositive for field strains of PRV. Herds consisting of 50–100 breeding sows had higher herd seroprevalence and serum sample seroprevalence than larger herds. Both the highest herd seroprevalence and highest serum sample seroprevalence were observed in western Shandong, followed northern Shandong. Based on univariate analysis, the following risk factors were utilized in subsequent multivariable logistic regression analysis: region, herd size, weight of purchased gilts, and all-in/all-out practice. Upon multivariate analysis, region, herd size, weight of purchased gilts and all-in/all-out practice were significantly associated with PRV herd seropositivity. These findings indicate that we are facing a serious situation in the prevention and control of pseudorabies. The results could help predict the next outbreak and set out control measures.

The influence of pretreatment with PPI on helicobacter pylori eradication:a Meta analysis / 重庆医学

Objective To systematically investigate the pretreatment impact of proton pump inhibitor (PPI) on Helicobacter pylori (HP) eradication rate .Methods PubMed ,EMBASE ,Cochrane database ,Web of Science ,Clinical trial .gov ,SinoMed ,China National Knowledge Internet ,WANFANG Data ,VIP database and Google Scholar were used to search for randomized controlled trials(RCT) .HP eradication rate was calculated by per‐protocol analysis (PP) .RevMan 5 .2 was applied to analyze data .Results There were 10 articles included (982 cases) ,43 cases didn′t meet the program have been removed ,a total of 939 cases included .The result showed that there was no significant difference between the pretreatment of PPI group and the control group ,RR= 0 .99 (95% CI:0 .95-1 .04 ,P=0 .75) .Conducted a subgroup analysis according to eradication regimen ,regimen combining a PPI ,amoxi‐cillin and clarithromycin and regimen combining a PPI ,clarithromycin and metronidazole the pooled risk ratio were 1 .02(95% CI:0 .90-1 .14 ,P=0 .79)and 1 .02(95% CI:0 .92-1 .12 ,P=0 .74)respectively ,there were no significant difference as well .Conclusion The pretreatment with PPI does not affect HP eradication rates of triple or quadruple therapies for HP eradication .We can eradi‐cate HP directly for the patients who have used PPI but were diagnosed to be positive to HP .

Association of serum Dkk-1 levels with β-catenin in patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

Wnt signaling plays an important role in the bone development and remodeling. The Wnt antagonist Dkk-1 is a potent inhibitor of bone formation. The aims of this study were firstly to compare the serum Dkk-1 levels in postmenopausal osteoporosis patients with age-matched healthy controls, and secondly, to assess the possible relationship between Dkk-1 and β-catenin, sclerostin, or bone turnover markers [CTX, PINP, N-MID-OT and 25(OH)D] in the setting of postmenopausal osteoporosis. A total of 350 patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis and 150 age-matched healthy controls were enrolled, and the serum levels of Dkk-1, β-catenin, sclerostin, OPG, and RANKL were detected by ELISA, and bone turnover markers [CTX, PINP, N-MID-OT and 25(OH)D] were measured by Roche electrochemiluminescence system in two groups. Serum Dkk-1 levels were significantly higher in postmenopausal osteoporosis group than in control group (P<0.001). Univariate analyses revealed that serum Dkk-1 levels were weakly negatively correlated to β-catenin (r=-0.161, P=0.003) and OPG (r=-0.106, P=0.047), while multiple regression analysis showed a negative correlation between serum Dkk-1 levels with β-catenin (β=-0.165, P=0.009) and BMD (β=-0.139, P=0.027), and a positive correlation between serum Dkk-1 levels and CTX (β=0.122, P=0.040) in postmenopausal osteoporosis group. No similar correlations ware observed in control group. The results provided evidence for the role of Dkk-1 in bone metabolism and demonstrated the link of Dkk-1 and Wnt/β-catenin in some ways.

Effect of Qing'e formula on circulating sclerostin levels in patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

Serum sclerostin is positively associated with serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D concentration. Our preliminary studies confirmed that Qing'e formula (QEF) could effectively increase serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D concentration in patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP), but the effect of supplementation with QEF on serum sclerostin is unknown. This study investigated the effects of supplementation of QEF on serum sclerostin levels in patients with PMOP. Totally 120 outpatients and inpatients with PMOP treated in our hospital between January and October 2012 were randomly divided into QEF+calcium group, alfacalcidol+calcium group, and placebo+calcium group (n=40 each), with a follow-up period of 2 years. The serum levels of sclerostin, 25 hydroxyvitamin D, and bone turnover markers (β-CTX, N-MID and T-PINP) at baseline and at the 6th month, 1st year, 1.5th year, and 2nd year after treatment were measured. The results showed that the levels of circulating sclerostin were increased significantly at the 6th month after treatment in QEF+calcium group and alfacalcidol+calcium group as compared with placebo+calcium group (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference between the former two groups (P>0.05). The levels of β-CTX, N-MID and T-PINP in serum were decreased in both QEF+calcium group and alfacalcidol+calcium group at the 6th month after treatment, without significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05). But the levels were significantly lower than that in placebo+calcium group (P<0.05). These results suggest that the mechanism by which QEF modulates bone metabolism in patients with PMOP might be related with the effect of QEF in increasing sclerostin expression. Our findings provide a scientific rationale for using QEF as an effective drug to prevent bone loss in PMOP.

Association of serum Dkk-1 levels with β-catenin in patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

Wnt signaling plays an important role in the bone development and remodeling. The Wnt antagonist Dkk-1 is a potent inhibitor of bone formation. The aims of this study were firstly to compare the serum Dkk-1 levels in postmenopausal osteoporosis patients with age-matched healthy controls, and secondly, to assess the possible relationship between Dkk-1 and β-catenin, sclerostin, or bone turnover markers [CTX, PINP, N-MID-OT and 25(OH)D] in the setting of postmenopausal osteoporosis. A total of 350 patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis and 150 age-matched healthy controls were enrolled, and the serum levels of Dkk-1, β-catenin, sclerostin, OPG, and RANKL were detected by ELISA, and bone turnover markers [CTX, PINP, N-MID-OT and 25(OH)D] were measured by Roche electrochemiluminescence system in two groups. Serum Dkk-1 levels were significantly higher in postmenopausal osteoporosis group than in control group (P<0.001). Univariate analyses revealed that serum Dkk-1 levels were weakly negatively correlated to β-catenin (r=-0.161, P=0.003) and OPG (r=-0.106, P=0.047), while multiple regression analysis showed a negative correlation between serum Dkk-1 levels with β-catenin (β=-0.165, P=0.009) and BMD (β=-0.139, P=0.027), and a positive correlation between serum Dkk-1 levels and CTX (β=0.122, P=0.040) in postmenopausal osteoporosis group. No similar correlations ware observed in control group. The results provided evidence for the role of Dkk-1 in bone metabolism and demonstrated the link of Dkk-1 and Wnt/β-catenin in some ways.

Effect of RbAp48 knockdown on migration and invasion of human cervical cancer cell line MS751 in vitro / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect of RbAp48 knockdown on the migration and invasion of human cervical cancer cells and explore the mechanism.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A small interference RNA (siRNA) was used to knock down the expression of RbAp48 in MS751 cells. The changes in cell migration and invasion were evaluated using wound healing assay and Transwell assay, respectively, and the expressions of RbAp48, vimentin, N-cadherin, E-cadherin, Snail, Twist, MMP-2 and TIMP-2 were determined with Western blotting.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After siRNA-mediated RbAp48 knockdown, MS751 cells showed a significantly reduced expression of RbAp48 with significantly suppressed cell migration and invasion (P<0.01). RbAp48 knockdown induced obvious down-regulation of the expressions of interstitial cell phenotype proteins vimentin, N-cadherin, and MMP-2 and up-regulation of epithelial cell phenotype proteins E-cadherin and TIMP-2, suggesting the inhibition of epithelial- mesenchymal transition of the cells. The expressions of Snail and Twist were significantly down-regulated in the cells following RbAp48 knockdown.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Knockdown of RbAp48 can significantly inhibit epithelial-mesenchymal transition and suppress the migration and invasion of cervical cancer cell line MS751, the mechanism of which may involve the down-regulation of Snail and Twist expressions.</p>