Associations of cord blood meta-inflammation and vitamin D with neurodevelopmental delay: A prospective birth cohort study in China.

Aim: To estimate the associations of cord meta-inflammatory markers with neurodevelopment, including the potential impact of cord blood vitamin D levels. Method: The prospective cohort study comprised 7198 participants based on the Maternal & Infants Health in Hefei study. Cord blood C-peptide, high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, total cholesterol, triglycerides and 25(OH)D levels were measured. The Gesell Developmental Schedules were used to assess neurodevelopmental outcomes in offspring. Results: After adjusting potential confounders, per quartile increase in cord blood 25(OH)D concentrations was associated with a decreased risk of neurodevelopmental delay [hazard ratios (HR) 0.65 (95% CI 0.57, 0.74)]. Conversely, significant positive associations with cord blood serum C-peptide levels above the 90th percentile [HR 2.38 (95% CI 1.81, 3.13)] and higher levels of cord hsCRP (per quartile increase) [HR 1.18 (95% CI 1.01, 1.37)] with neurodevelopmental delay were observed. These associations could vary by quartiles of cord blood 25(OH)D levels: the adjusted HRs in neurodevelopmental delay comparing children with vs without hyperinsulinemia were 1.28 (95% CI: 1.03, 1.59) for quartiles 1 (lowest), and 1.06 (95% CI: 0.78, 1.44) for quartile 4 (highest). Conclusions: Immune activation and metabolic abnormalities in fetal circulation were associated with neurodevelopmental delay in offspring, which could be attenuated by higher cord blood 25(OH)D levels in a dose-response manner.

Socioeconomic disparities and infancy growth trajectory: a population-based and longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: The association of low socioeconomic status (SES) with childhood and adolescent obesity has been reported. It is unknown whether low SES affects body mass index (BMI) growth trajectory in the first 12 mo of life. Moreover, accelerated growth as a compensatory mechanism for low birth weight (LBW) during infancy, is an important predictor of later obesity. The aim of the present study was to examine the association of low SES with infancy BMI growth rate and trajectory for LBW and normal birth weight (NBW) infants. METHODS: From September 2012 to October 2014, a total of 387 infants in this longitudinal study was subjected to repeated measures of weight and length from birth to 12 mo in Hefei. Generalized growth mixture modeling was used to classify the infancy BMI growth trajectories. Differences in infancy BMI z score (zBMI) and BMI growth rate between low SES and high SES were estimated based on linear regression after adjusting for several confounders including maternal age, pregnancy BMI, physical activity during pregnancy, paternal BMI as well as alcohol use, paternal smoking status, breastfeeding duration and delivery mode. RESULTS: Infancy BMI trajectories in this study were classified into three categories: rapid growth (class 1), normal growth (class 2) and slow growth (class 3). Low SES infants had the higher zBMI than high SES infants for LBW group at age 6 mo [zBMI difference with 95% CI at 6 mo: 0.28(0.03, 0.53); at 12 mo: 0.21(0.01, 0.43)]. Low SES infants had more rapid zBMI growth rate than those with high SES for low birth weight between 0 and 6 months. Controlling for the confounders, these associations remained robust. We found the lower SES in the rapid growth group. CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlighted the impact of low SES on increasing BMI and accelerated growth during early infancy. Health care and relatively optimal family environment in the first 12 mo of life, especially for LBW infants, are benefit to shape the better infancy growth trajectory.

Prognostic significance of regional lymphadenectomy in T1b gallbladder cancer: Results from 24 hospitals in China.

BACKGROUND: Whether regional lymphadenectomy (RL) should be routinely performed in patients with T1b gallbladder cancer (GBC) remains a subject of debate. AIM: To investigate whether RL can improve the prognosis of patients with T1b GBC. METHODS: We studied a multicenter cohort of patients with T1b GBC who underwent surgery between 2008 and 2016 at 24 hospitals in 13 provinces in China. The log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards model were used to compare the overall survival (OS) of patients who underwent cholecystectomy (Ch) + RL and those who underwent Ch only. To investigate whether combined hepatectomy (Hep) improved OS in T1b patients, we studied patients who underwent Ch + RL to compare the OS of patients who underwent combined Hep and patients who did not. RESULTS: Of the 121 patients (aged 61.9 ± 10.1 years), 77 (63.6%) underwent Ch + RL, and 44 (36.4%) underwent Ch only. Seven (9.1%) patients in the Ch + RL group had lymph node metastasis. The 5-year OS rate was significantly higher in the Ch + RL group than in the Ch group (76.3% vs 56.8%, P = 0.036). Multivariate analysis showed that Ch + RL was significantly associated with improved OS (hazard ratio: 0.51; 95% confidence interval: 0.26-0.99). Among the 77 patients who underwent Ch + RL, no survival improvement was found in patients who underwent combined Hep (5-year OS rate: 79.5% for combined Hep and 76.1% for no Hep; P = 0.50). CONCLUSION: T1b GBC patients who underwent Ch + RL had a better prognosis than those who underwent Ch. Hep + Ch showed no improvement in prognosis in T1b GBC patients. Although recommended by both the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and Chinese Medical Association guidelines, RL was only performed in 63.6% of T1b GBC patients. Routine Ch + RL should be advised in T1b GBC.

Osthole inhibits the progression of human gallbladder cancer cells through JAK/STAT3 signal pathway both in vitro and in vivo.

Osthole is an antitumor compound, which effect on Gallbladder cancer (GBC) has been not elucidated. This study focused on its anti-GBC effect and mechanism both in vitro and in vivo. The antiproliferation effect on cell lines NOZ and SGC-996 were measured by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and colony formation assay. The effects on cell apoptosis and cell cycle were investigated by flow cytometry assay. The migration effect was checked by transwell assay and the expressions of proteins were examined by Western Blots. Also, we did an in-vivo experiment by intraperitoneal injection of osthole in nude mice. The results showed that cell proliferation and viability were inhibited in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The similar phenomenon was also found in vivo. Flow cytometric assay confirmed that osthole inhibited cells proliferation via inducing apoptosis and G2/M arrest. Transwell assay indicated that osthole inhibited the migration in a dose-dependent manner. Expression of key proteins related with apoptosis and cell cycle were testified after osthole treatment. Also, we found the key proteins involved in the JAK/STAT3 signal way decreased after osthole treatment. This study suggested that osthole can inhibit the progression of human GBC cell lines, thus maybe a potential drug for GBC treatment.

Cordycepin induces apoptosis in human pancreatic cancer cells via the mitochondrial-mediated intrinsic pathway and suppresses tumor growth in vivo.

BACKGROUND: Cordycepin, the main active ingredient of a traditional Chinese herbal remedy - extracted from Cordyceps sinensis - has been demonstrated as a very effective anti-inflammatory and antitumor drug. The present study investigated its antitumor effect on pancreatic cancer, a highly aggressive cancer with extremely poor prognosis due to malignancy, and clarified its underlying mechanism both in vitro and in vivo. METHODS: The antitumor viability of cordycepin on human pancreatic cancer MIAPaCa-2 and Capan-1 cells was determined by colony formation assays. Annexin V/PI double staining and flow cytometry assay were used to investigate whether cordycepin induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. The mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) was analyzed by Rhodamine 123 staining, and expression of related proteins evaluated by Western blot and immunohistochemistry, both on pancreatic cancer cells and tumor xenografts to reveal the potential mechanism for the effect of cordycepin. Furthermore, the in vivo efficacy was examined on nude mice bearing MIAPaCa-2 cell tumors treated by intraperitoneal injection of cordycepin (0, 15, and 50 mg/kg/d) for 28 days. RESULTS: Cordycepin inhibited cell viability, proliferation and colony formation ability and induced cell cycle arrest and early apoptosis of human pancreatic cancer cells (MIAPaCa-2 and Capan-1) in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The same effect was also observed in vivo. Decrease of ΔΨm and upregulation of Bax, cleaved caspase-3, cleaved caspase-9, and cleaved PARP as well as downregulation of Bcl-2 both in vitro and in vivo indicated that the mitochondria-mediated intrinsic pathway was involved in cordycepin's antitumor effect. CONCLUSION: Our data showed that cordycepin inhibited the activity of pancreatic cancer both in vitro and in vivo by regulating apoptosis-related protein expression through the mitochondrial pathway and suggest that cordycepin may be a promising therapeutic option for pancreatic cancer.

[Impact of maternal weight gain during pregnancy on the risk of infant obesity].

OBJECTIVE: To study the impact of maternal weight gain during pregnancy on the risk of infant obesity within 1 year old. METHODS: A total of 785 infants who were born in Hefei and participated children medical care in one district health center and their mothers were chosen as the research subjects from September 2010 to September 2011. Three groups were classified by weight gain during pregnancy according to the percentiles: excessive pregnancy weight gain group of 126 pairs, adequate pregnancy weight gain group of 542 pairs and inadequate pregnancy weight gain group of 117 pairs. Mother's general demographic information was collected. The height and weight were measured when the infant was 42 days, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months of physical examination. Z score was calculated. The differences of Z score in different groups were compared and the RR values of different weight gain during pregnancy on infant obesity were computed. RESULTS: The weight-for-age Z score (WAZ) of infant at 42 days 3, 6, 9 and 12 months in excessive pregnancy weight gain group were 0.23 ± 0.93, 0.25 ± 1.03, 0.23 ± 0.99, 0.28 ± 1.09, 0.26 ± 1.14, respectively, all higher than that of the corresponding age in adequate pregnancy weight gain group (-0.04 ± 1.02, -0.07 ± 0.99, -0.05 ± 0.98, -0.06 ± 0.97, -0.07 ± 0.95, respectively). The differences were statistically significant (all P values < 0.05). In excessive pregnancy weight gain group, infant body mass index (BMI) at 9 months ((18.01 ± 0.15) kg/m(2)) and 12 months ((17.66 ± 0.15) kg/m(2)) were higher than that of adequate pregnancy weight gain group ((17.63 ± 0.13) and (17.22 ± 0.15) kg/m(2), respectively). The differences were statistically significant (all P values < 0.05). Differences of infant Height-for-age Z score (HAZ) among three groups were not statistically significant (all P values > 0.05). Compared to adequate pregnancy weight gain group, RR (95%CI) value of infant obesity in excessive pregnancy weight gain group was 1.86 (1.14 - 3.03). CONCLUSION: Excessive maternal weight gain during pregnancy increased the risk of infant obesity within 1 year old.

[Influence of physical activity on postpartum weight retention among women, one year after childbirth].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the risk factors affecting the postpartum weight retention among women. METHODS: Six hundred eight postpartum women were involved to establish a baseline at 42 days of postpartum in Hefei Maternal and Child Health Center of Anhui province. Information regarding pre-pregnancy weight and weight gain during pregnancy and childbirth were obtained from the Maternal Information Management System. RESULTS: Women that under study were followed up at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after childbirth, with 502, 476, 469 and 434 available copies of valid data, respectively. Indicators of physical activity were observed. Relationship between postpartum weight retention and physical activities were analyzed by mixed-effect model, together with repeated measure-analysis on related variances. The pre-pregnancy average weight of the study objects was(54.26±8.11)kg, with postpartum average weight retention as(7.83±5.12), (6.58±5.21), (5.10±5.19), (4.07±4.96) and (3.43±4.98) kg in 42 days, 3, 6, 9, 12 months, respectively. Rates of weight retention was significantly different at different times of repeated measures analysis on variance (P < 0.001). Physical activities were also significantly different at different time spans (P < 0.001). Results from the mixed-effects model showed that physical activity and postpartum weight retention were statistically associated when adjustments were made on factors as:pre-pregnancy BMI, ways of feeding, mode of delivery and other confounders (P < 0.001) while results from the mixed-effects model showed that these data were stable from step adjustment on confounding factors. CONCLUSION: It seemed that the strength of physical activity play an important role on postpartum weight retention.