Value of faecal exfoliated cells in colorectal tumour screening using SDC2 methylation test.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic value of a non-invasive methylation gene test in clinical colorectal tumour screening. METHOD: The quantitative methylation-specific PCR technique was used to detect faecal methylated syndecan-2 (mSDC2) in patients who received the screening of colorectal cancer (CRC).To evaluate the positive predictive value (PPV) of mSDC2 in patients with colorectal cancer, advanced adenoma (AA), and colorectal tumor (CRN) in risk factor stratification. RESULTS: The PPV of CRC, CRC + AA and CRN in male patients were 28.03%, 43.55% and 56.24%, respectively, which were higher than female patients. The positive detection rate of mSDC2 and the PPV of CRC gradually increased with age; The PPV in patients aged over 80 years was up to 78.05%, which was more significant than in younger patients with CRC. The PPV of CRC, AA and CRN were 37.10%, 11.80% and 63.37%, respectively. mSDC2 has a high detection rate of 85-100% in AA with intramucosal carcinoma alone or in combination with severe atypical hyperplasia or villous adenoma. CONCLUSION: The mSDC2 test has a higher PPV in patients with colorectal cancer and colorectal adenoma (AD), especially in high-risk groups over 50 years of age, and may help in the early diagnosis of colorectal tumours in the future.

miR-138-5p Inhibits Vascular Mimicry by Targeting the HIF-1α/VEGFA Pathway in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Tumour vascular mimicry (VM) is the process by which new blood vessels are formed by tumour cells rather than endothelial cells. An increasing number of studies have revealed that the VM process is associated with cancer progression and metastasis. MiR-138-5p has been reported to act as a tumour suppressor in many cancers. However, the role and underlying mechanism of miR-138-5p in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) VM remain unclear. In this study, VM density was detected by CD31/periodic acid-Schiff double staining in HCC clinical specimens. We found that miR-138-5p expression correlated strongly and negatively with microvessel density. Additionally, the miR-138-5p mimic or inhibitor decreased or increased, respectively, tube formation capacity in HepG2 and Hep3B cells. Consistent with this finding, miR-138-5p repressed vessel density in vivo. Moreover, miR-138-5p targeted hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) and regulated the expression of HIF-1α and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA), which are established classical master regulators for angiogenesis. Consistent with these findings, the HIF-1α inhibitor CAY10585 effectively blocked HCC cell VM and VEGFA expression. In conclusion, miR-138-5p inhibits HepG2 and Hep3B cell VM by blocking the HIF-1α/VEGFA pathway. Therefore, miR-138-5p may serve as a useful therapeutic target for miRNA-based HCC therapy.

Association of Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 2 Gene Polymorphism with Myocardial Infarction.

OBJECTIVE: This study explored the correlation between myocardial infarction (MI) and the Glu504Lys polymorphism in the aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) gene in the Qingyuan area. METHODS: The Glu504Lys polymorphism of the ALDH2 gene was analyzed using the polymerase chain reaction and deoxyribonucleic acid microarray analysis for 468 patients diagnosed with MI for the first time and 132 healthy subjects. RESULTS: There was a significant difference in the distribution of the ALDH2 genotype between the MI group and the control group (P = 0.0492), but there was no significant difference in allele frequency between the two groups (P = 0.1363). The clinical data showed that there were statistically significant differences (P < 0.05) in the two groups' gender and age distributions, rates of diabetes and hypertension, levels of alcohol and tobacco use, serological levels of heart markers, blood lipids and glucose. The subgroup analysis of ALDH2 genotypes found that alcohol consumption, high levels of myoglobin, and low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were significantly associated with a higher incidence of MI (P < 0.05). After adjusting for gender, hypertension, diabetes, and other related influencing factors, logistic regression analysis showed that the ALDH2 genotype GA/AA was an independent risk factor for MI (P < 0.05, OR = 1.479, 95% CI = 1.003-2.179). CONCLUSION: The presence of risk alleles with the genetic effect (ALDH2 genotype GA/AA) is an independent risk factor for MI.

Establishment and Clinical Application of a Method for Detecting T Lymphocyte Subsets by Cellular Immunochip Technology.

OBJECTIVE: To establish and verify the method for detecting the immune phenotype of peripheral blood T lymphocytes by cellular immune chip technology, analyze the immune status, and discuss its clinical diagnostic value of different populations in the Qingyuan area. METHODS: First, a cellular immune chip was used to detect the number of T lymphocyte subsets CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, and CD4/CD8, followed by evaluating the accuracy and precision through a comparison with flow cytometry. After passing the performance verification, a large-scale detection was performed by a cellular immune chip in 8389 cases. Immunochip technology detects the expression of T lymphocyte subsets and analyzes the differences in cellular immune function among people with physical examination, inflammation, and cancer, as well as different cancer types and in genders. RESULTS: The cell immunochip method and flow cytometry method have the same accuracy and precision in detecting specimens, and the former is fast and simple, and is suitable for clinical use; big data analysis is expected to establish a reference range for CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+ T cell counts in Qingyuan. There are statistical differences in CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ T cell counts in physical examination, inflammation and cancer populations; there are also certain differences in CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ T cell counts and CD4/CD8 ratios between different cancer types and different diseases. CONCLUSION: The method of cell immunochip technology to detect T lymphocyte subsets is simple and practical, with accurate results and rapid detection. It can be used for immune function monitoring and treatment prognosis evaluation of people with different diseases, and it is worthy of popularization and application in clinical practice.

Male papillomavirus infection and genotyping in the Qingyuan area.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to screen the male human papillomavirus (HPV) infection status and genotyping in Qingcheng District, Qingyuan City, Guangdong Province, China to provide a reference basis for formulating prevention strategies for HPV infection. METHODS: The present study collected urethral epithelium or scraped penile epidermis from high-risk male patients in Qingyuan People's Hospital during the last five years, extracted DNA fragments using the boiling method, and detected 23 types of HPV genotypes by PCR-reverse blot hybridization. RESULTS: The positive detection rate was 54.31% of 1044 males with high risk of HPV (567/1044). Among these males, the positive detection rate of HPV was the highest in patients initially diagnosed with warts, and the rate was 66.47%. Five main HPV types are identified as follows: HPV6 18.87% (197/1044), HPV11 10.25% (107/1044), HPV52 8.81% (92/1044), HPV16 6.90% (72/1044), and HPV51 5.08% (53/1044). Among these HPV-infected patients, single infection mainly by low-risk HPV6 and HPV11 accounted for 56.61% (321/567); high- and low-risk combined HPV co-infections accounted for 29.10% (165/567). The HPV infected patients was mainly between 21 and 40 years old, and the HPV infection rate was higher with increased age. CONCLUSIONS: The HPV infection rate in the Qingyuan area is higher than in other areas and the main infection is single infection. Furthermore, HPV52, HPV16, and HPV51 are the main high-risk infection types, while HPV6 and HPV11 are the main low-risk infection types.

An analysis of the correlation between the human apolipoprotein E gene polymorphism and lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2.

BACKGROUND: Atherosclerosis is one of the most common cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. This study aimed to explore the correlation between gene polymorphism of human apolipoprotein E (ApoE) and lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2). METHODS: A total of 220 patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease who were treated in our hospital from June 2016 to March 2017 were enrolled in this study and assigned as the atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease group and 193 patients who were treated contemporaneously in our hospital but had no atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease were enrolled and assigned as the control group. Gene polymorphism of ApoE was detected by PCR-fluorescent probe technique and the level of Lp-PLA2 was detected by ELISA. RESULTS: There were a total of 5 genotypes of ApoE in these two groups, which were E2/3, E3/3, E3/4, E2/4, and E4/4. E2/2 was not found in any of the patients. E3/3 made up the majority in both groups. There was no significant difference between the proportion of genotypes and frequencies of alleles in the two groups (P>0.05). There was no difference between LP-PLA2 among the different genotypes in these two groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: We cannot conclude that ApoE gene polymorphism is related to atherosclerotic cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. And it cannot be concluded that ApoE gene polymorphism is related to Lp-PLA2 level.

Expression of H2S in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and Correlation Analysis with Inflammatory Markers IL-6 and TNF-α.

BACKGROUND: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a severe threat to the health of both mother and child. The pathogenesis of GDM remains unclear, although much research has found that the levels of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) play an important role in complications of pregnancy. METHODS: We collected venous blood samples from parturient women and umbilical vein blood (UVB) and peripheral venous blood (PVB) samples one hour after childbirth in the control, GDM-, and GDM+ groups in order to determine the concentration of glucose and H2S in plasma; to measure levels of TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6, TGF-ß1, and ADP in parturient women and the UVB of newborns; and to find the correlation of H2S with regression. RESULTS: We found that, with the elevation of glucose, the level of H2S was decreased in GDM pregnant women and newborns and the concentrations of IL-6 and TNF-α were upregulated. With regression, IL-6 and TNF-α concentrations were positively correlated with the level of blood glucose and negatively correlated with H2S concentration. CONCLUSION: This study shows that downregulation of H2S participates in the pathogenesis of GDM and is of great significance in understanding the difference of H2S between normal and GDM pregnant women and newborns. This study suggests that IL-6 and TNF-α are correlated with gestational diabetes mellitus. The current study expands the knowledge base regarding H2S and provides new avenues for exploring further the pathogenesis of GDM.

The Effects of Childbirth Age on Maternal and Infant Outcomes in Pregnant Women.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the effects of childbirth age on maternal and infant outcomes in pregnant women. METHODS: The clinical data of 4552 singleton parturient women and their newborns treated in the Second People's Hospital of Liaocheng, China from June 2015 to June 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. They were divided into group A (<20 yr old), group B (20-<30 yr old,), group C (30-<35 yr old), group D (35-<40 yr old), group E (≥40 yr old) according to the age of the parturient women. The incidence rates of pregnancy complications and adverse pregnancy outcomes of the pregnant and parturient women and their newborns in each group were compared. RESULTS: With the increase of childbirth age, the incidence rates of pregnancy complications in pregnant women were increased gradually (P=0.028, 0.038, 0.042, 0.025, 0.012). The incidence rates of adverse pregnancy outcomes were increased gradually with the increase of childbirth age (P=0.006, 0.026, 0.010, 0.028). After correction of factors including pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), parity, gravidity and educational level, the incidence rate of cesarean section was reduced and the incidence rate of premature birth was increased in group A compared with those in group B. The incidence rates of cesarean section, premature birth, postpartum hemorrhage of pregnant women and the transference of newborns into NICU in group C, D and E were higher than those in group B (P=0.002, 0.019, 0.043, 0.015). CONCLUSION: Both low and high age pregnancy can increase the incidence rate of adverse pregnancy outcomes.

[Screening, identifying of cellulose-decomposing strain L-06 and its enzyme-producing conditions].

Cellulases are relatively costly enzymes that are sold in large volumes for use in different industrial applications, and a significant reduction in cost will be important for their commercial use in biorefineries. The production of cellulase is a major factor in the hydrolysis of cellulosic materials. Hence it is essential to make the process economically viable. A strain (L-06) with high cellulase activity was screened from rice straw compost and classified as Penicillium decumbens by the analysis of its morphology and 18S rRNA gene sequences. Different conditions of liquid fermentation medium including nitrogen source, carbon source, surfactant, temperature, initial pH, inoculation quantity for the production of cellulase had been studied. The maximal beta-1, 4-glucosidase(BGL) activity was 1662 u/mL which is 1.49 times of the previous and the maximal exo-beta-1, 4-glucanases(CBH) activity was 2770 u/mL which is 1.36 times of the previous, cultured in the optimal condition for three days. And the maximal endo-beta-1, 4-glucanases (EG) activity was 18064 u/mL which is 1.87 times of the previous and the maximal filter paper enzyme(FPase) activity was 4035 u/mL which is 1.47 times of the previous, cultured in the optimal condition for four days. In the optimization experiments, the EG and CBH in the culture condition (pH10) maintained 70% and 43% activity. In the culture condition (50 degrees C) EG and CBH maintained 59% and 68% activity, which showed heat and alkali resistant characteristics.