EGFRvIII Promotes the Proneural-Mesenchymal Transition of Glioblastoma Multiforme and Reduces Its Sensitivity to Temozolomide by Regulating the NF-κB/ALDH1A3 Axis.

(1) Background: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and malignant intracranial tumor in adults. At present, temozolomide (TMZ) is recognized as the preferred chemotherapeutic drug for GBM, but some patients have low sensitivity to TMZ or chemotherapy resistance to TMZ. Our previous study found that GBM patients with EGFRvIII (+) have low sensitivity to TMZ. However, the reasons and possible mechanisms of the chemoradiotherapy resistance in GBM patients with EGFRvIII (+) are not clear. (2) Methods: In this study, tissue samples of patients with GBM, GBM cell lines, glioma stem cell lines, and NSG mice were used to explore the causes and possible mechanisms of low sensitivity to TMZ in patients with EGFRvIII (+)-GBM. (3) Results: The study found that EGFRvIII promoted the proneural-mesenchymal transition of GBM and reduced its sensitivity to TMZ, and EGFRvIII regulated of the expression of ALDH1A3. (4) Conclusions: EGFRvIII activated the NF-κB pathway and further regulated the expression of ALDH1A3 to promote the proneural-mesenchymal transition of GBM and reduce its sensitivity to TMZ, which will provide an experimental basis for the selection of clinical drugs for GBM patients with EGFRvIII (+).

Immunological profiles of human oligodendrogliomas define two distinct molecular subtypes.

BACKGROUND: Human oligodendroglioma presents as a heterogeneous disease, primarily characterized by the isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutation and 1p/19q co-deletion. Therapy development for this tumor is hindered by incomplete knowledge of somatic driving alterations and suboptimal disease classification. We herein aim to identify intrinsic molecular subtypes through integrated analysis of transcriptome, genome and methylome. METHODS: 137 oligodendroglioma patients from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset were collected for unsupervised clustering analysis of immune gene expression profiles and comparative analysis of genome and methylome. Two independent datasets containing 218 patients were used for validation. FINDINGS: We identified and independently validated two reproducible subtypes associated with distinct molecular characteristics and clinical outcomes. The proliferative subtype, named Oligo1, was characterized by more tumors of CNS WHO grade 3, as well as worse prognosis compared to the Oligo2 subtype. Besides the clinicopathologic features, Oligo1 exhibited enrichment of cell proliferation, regulation of cell cycle and Wnt signaling pathways, and significantly altered genes, such as EGFR, NOTCH1 and MET. In contrast, Oligo2, with favorable outcome, presented increased activation of immune response and metabolic process. Higher T cell/APC co-inhibition and inhibitory checkpoint levels were observed in Oligo2 tumors. Finally, multivariable analysis revealed our classification was an independent prognostic factor in oligodendrogliomas, and the robustness of these molecular subgroups was verified in the validation cohorts. INTERPRETATION: This study provides further insights into patient stratification as well as presents opportunities for therapeutic development in human oligodendrogliomas. FUNDING: The funders are listed in the Acknowledgement.

Correlation analysis of gout with body mass index and waist-hip ratio / 中国热带医学

@#Abstract: Objective　To explore the relationship between body mass index (BMI), waist-hip ratio (WHR) and the risk of gout in Urumqi. Methods　A total of 516 male patients with gout in a third-class hospital in Urumqi from 2015 to 2019 were randomly selected as the gout group and 516 male healthy subjects in the same hospital as the control group. The relevant blood biochemical indexes were examined and analyzed. Blood pressure, waist circumference and hip circumference were measured. Body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio were calculated. Logistic regression model was used to analyze the relationship between overweight / obesity, waist-to-hip ratio and the risk of gout. The test level is α = 0.05. Results　Uric acid, glucose, urea nitrogen, creatinine, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein, systolic blood pressure, weight and waist circumference in gout group were higher than those in control group, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05); There were no significant differences in age, height and diastolic blood pressure between the two groups (P<0.05). There was a positive correlation between BMI and WHR and the occurrence of gout (r=0.272, 0.345, P<0.05). There were significant differences in BMI, WHR and waist circumference between the gout group and the control group（χ2= 55.338, 54.928, 54.153, P<0.05）. After adjusting for age, aerobic exercise and other confounding factors, the results of multi-factor unconditional Logistic regression analysis showed that the odds ratio (OR) of gout in patients with BMI of 24.00-27.99 kg/m2 and ≥28.00 kg/m2 was 2.005 (1.337-3.006) and 2.677 (1.668-4.296) times higher than that of patients with normal BMI, respectively. The OR value of gout in patients with WHR≥0.90 was 1.668 times higher than that in patients with normal WHR, and the difference was statistically significant. The results of subgroup analysis according to age are generally similar. Conclusions　The BMI and WHR of man with gout in Urumqi are higher than those of normal people, and BMI, waist circumference and WHR are all associated with the incidence of gout. The risk of gout increases with the increase of BMI and WHR.

Gut microbiota may underlie the predisposition of healthy individuals to COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic is spreading globally with high disparity in the susceptibility of the disease severity. Identification of the key underlying factors for this disparity is highly warranted. Here we describe constructing a proteomic risk score based on 20 blood proteomic biomarkers which predict the progression to severe COVID-19. We demonstrate that in our own cohort of 990 individuals without infection, this proteomic risk score is positively associated with proinflammatory cytokines mainly among older, but not younger, individuals. We further discovered that a core set of gut microbiota could accurately predict the above proteomic biomarkers among 301 individuals using a machine learning model, and that these gut microbiota features are highly correlated with proinflammatory cytokines in another set of 366 individuals. Fecal metabolomic analysis suggested potential amino acid-related pathways linking gut microbiota to inflammation. This study suggests that gut microbiota may underlie the predisposition of normal individuals to severe COVID-19.

The effect of maternal food consumption during pregnancy on infantile eczema: a cohort study / 中华疾病控制杂志

Objective To investigate the association between maternal food group intakes during pregnancy and the risk of infantile eczema in a Chinese population. Methods A prospective birth cohort study was conducted and 523 women were recruited at 20-28 weeks of pregnancy in Guangzhou from 2017 to 2018. A validated 81-item quantitative food frequency questionnaire was used to assess maternal dietary intakes during the past month. Food items were divided into ten food groups according to the Chinese Dietary Guidelines. Offspring were followed up at 6 months by the symptom questionnaire of eczema. Multivariate Logistic regression model was conducted to evaluate the association between maternal food group intakes during pregnancy and the risk of infantile eczema. Results The cumulative incidence of eczema at 6 months was 51.8%. Maternal consumption of poultry was higher in the eczema group (27.62±25.20 g/d) than the control group (22.03±22.63 g/d, P=0.022). Comparing to the lowest quantile (Q1), higher maternal intake of poultry (Q4) and fish (Q3) were significantly associated with an increased risk of infantile eczema (OR=2.71, 95% CI=1.24-4.81; OR=2.38, 95% CI=1.23-4.59, respectively) after multivariate adjustment. Conclusion Higher intakes of poultry or fish during pregnancy were associated with an increased risk of infantile eczema in Chinese population.

Photosensitive resin used for 3D printing and its application in dentistry / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND:Nowadays,digitalization has become a major trend in the field of dentistry.It is highly important to apply 3D printing technology with the material of photosensitive resin to orthodontics,prosthodontics and so on.OBJECTIVE:To review the composition of photosensitive resin for 3D printing and its main commercial series,and to discuss about applications and prospects of photosensitive resin in the field of dentistry.METHODS:Using "3D printing,digitalization,photosensitive resin,dentistry" as key words in English and Chinese,the authors seareched the database PubMed and CNKI,respectively,for articles addressing the development of 3D printing technology,classification and composition of photosensitive resin as well as the progress and application of photosensitive resin in the field of dentistry over the past 15 years (1991-2016).RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Because of achieving the visualization of data,having advantages such as personalized design printing,fast small batch production,efficient and free molding manufacturing and being easy to manufacture complex modeling products,3D printing technology has been developed rapidly in various areas.Light-curing rapid prototyping technology (Stereo Lithigraphy Apparatus,SLA),based on photosensitive resin,is one of the most widely used technological processes of 3D printing.Photosensitive resin for 3D printing can be classified by composition and the main commercial series.At present,the development of photosensitive resin for 3D printing meets the demand of personalized design in the field of dentistry.It has been developed rapidly in orthodontics,prosthodontics,oral implantology,and oral internal medicine.It can be used in fixed denture,implanted surgical guide,base for removable denture and fused model manufacture.With the continuous expansion of the types of materials and improvement of material performance,digital dentistry will become a major trend in the future.

Characterization and expression of the antifungal protein from Monascus pilosus and its distribution among various Monascus species.

Monascus species are traditionally used for food preservation. This study used the disc diffusion method to verify the antifungal activity of protein extracted from Monascus pilosus BCRC38072 against 15 fungal pathogens. An antifungal protein, designated as MAFP1, was successfully purified and confirmed through N-terminal sequencing. To further explore the antifungal gene, a mafp1 gene that is similar to that of PgAFP from Penicillium chrysogenum was cloned from M. pilosus BCRC38072. According to the N-terminal sequencing and in silico analysis, the signal peptide was assumed to have 18 amino acids and the mature MAFP1 to contain 58 peptides. Moreover, the mafp1 gene was recognized in Monascus ruber, Monascus barkeri, Monascus floridanus, and Monascus lunisporas through polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing and showed high homology. By contrast, the mafp1 gene was absent in Monascus kaoliang, Monascus purpureus, and Monascus sanguineus. In addition, the mafp1 gene with N-terminal polyhistidine fusion was overexpressed in Escherichia coli. However, the antifungal activity of recombinant MAFP1 was significantly lower than that of native MAFP1. According to the properties of MAFP1, Monascus species may have food preservation applications.

Intervention results of cognitive training on cognitive function of the elderly in a community / 上海预防医学

Objective To explore the impact of cognitive training on cognitive function of the elderly in a community. Methods Ninety elderly people at and above sixty years old in a community of Shanghai were recruited in the study, and were divided into two groups: the cognitive training group and the control group.The cognitive training group conducted cognitive training for 12 weeks (24 times), a comprehensive training method incorporating cognitive training courses with Lumosity ( a brain functional exercise software) .The two groups were evaluated before and after the intervention with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale ( MoCA) . Results Before the intervention, the scores of four fields ( i.e. visual space and executive function, naming, delayed recall, and directional force) and the total score for the cognitive training group were higher than the control group ( P <0 .05 );there was no statistically significant difference in other three fields ( i.e.attention, language ability and abstract ability) between the two groups (P>0.05).After the intervention, the scores of four fields (i.e.visual space and execu-tive function, attention, abstract, delayed recall) and the total score for the cognitive group improved, compared with the control group ( P<0 .05 ) . Conclusion Cognitive training could improve or maintain cognitive function for the elderly in the community.

Cytomegalovirus Pneumonia in Patients with Rheumatic Diseases After Immunosuppressive Therapy: A Single Center Study in China / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Rheumatic diseases involve multiple organs that are affected by immunological mechanisms. Treatment with corticosteroids and immunosuppressive agents may also increase the frequency of infection. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a widespread herpes virus and a well-recognized pathogen, which causes an opportunistic and potentially fatal infection in immunocompromised patients. This retrospective study aimed to investigate the clinical and laboratory characteristics of CMV pneumonia in patients with rheumatic diseases after immunosuppressive therapy in a single center in Shanghai, China.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Eight hundred and thirty-four patients with rheumatic diseases who had undergone CMV-DNA viral load tests were included, and the medical records of 142 patients who were positive for CMV-DNA in plasma samples were evaluated. GraphPad Prism version 5.013 (San Diego, CA, USA) was used to conduct statistical analysis. The correlation between CMV-DNA viral loads and lymphocyte counts was assessed using the Spearman rank correlation coefficient test. Significance between qualitative data was analyzed using Pearson's Chi-squared test. The cut-off thresholds for CMV-DNA viral load and lymphocyte count were determined by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>One hundred and forty-two patients had positive CMV viral load tests. Of these 142 patients, 73 patients with CMV pneumonia were regarded as symptomatic, and the other 69 were asymptomatic. The symptomatic group received higher doses of prednisolone (PSL) and more frequently immunosuppressants than the asymptomatic group (P < 0.01). The symptomatic group had lower lymphocyte counts, especially CD4+ T-cells, than the asymptomatic group (P < 0.01). By ROC curve analysis, when CD4+ T-cell count was <0.39 × 109/L, patients with rheumatic diseases were at high risk for symptomatic CMV infection. The CMV-DNA load was significantly higher in the symptomatic patients than that in asymptomatic patients (P < 0.01; threshold viral loads: 1.75 × 104 copies/ml). Seven patients had a fatal outcome, and they had lower peripheral lymphocyte counts (P < 0.01), including CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells (P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>When CD4+ T-cell count is <0.39 × 109/L, patients are at high risk for pulmonary CMV infection. Patients are prone to be symptomatic with CMV-DNA load >1.75 × 104 copies/ml. Lymphopenia (especially CD4+ T-cells), presence of symptoms, and other infections, especially fungal infection, are significant risk factors for poor outcome, and a higher PSL dosage combined with immunosuppressants may predict CMV pneumonia.</p>

Reinforcing effect of calcium sulfate cement bovine bone morphogenetic protein on vertebral in the rabbit model of osteoporosis

OBJECTIVE@#To observe reinforcing effect of calcium sulfate cement (CSC) bovine bone morphogenetic protein (bBMP) on vertebral in the rabbit model of osteoporosis.@*METHODS@#A total of 48 New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into group I (blank control group), group II (CSC injection group), group III (CSC/bBMP injection group) and control group. White rabbit osteoporosis model was established rapidly by using castration method+methylprednisolone candidate. After modeling, groups II, III were given corresponding vertebral body injection material, and 4 animals were sacrificed respectively at 24 h, 6 weeks, 12 weeks after vertebral plasty. Tissue pathological status, vertebral mineral density and vertebral body bone mechanical strength were observed.@*RESULTS@#Vertebral body structure form was normal in the groups II and III. Trabecular bone coarsens, connection and repair were observed in micro fracture and bone defects, bone trabecular connectivity was superior to group I significantly; vertebral body compression strength in the group I was on the decline, vertebral compression strength in the groups II and III was on the rise, the largest vertebra. Postoperative BMC and BMD in groups II and III were increased, and significantly higher than group I after 6 weeks (P<0.05), BMC and BMD in group III after 12 weeks were higher than the other three groups.@*CONCLUSION@#Compound bBMP CSC has good bone induction. It can improve the three-dimensional construction effect for osteoporosis vertebral trabecula, and can significantly improve the vertebral strength, as a vertebral packing material with good application prospect.

A case-control study regarding tea consumption and risk of hip fractures in middle-aged and elderly Chinese / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective To assess the impact of tea consumption on the risk of osteoporotic hip fractures.Methods Between January 2008 and June 2012,581 (148 males,433 females) incident cases of hip fractures were enrolled from four hospitals in Guangdong province,with 581 sex-and age-matched (± 3 years) controls from either hospitals or communities.Face-to-face interviews wer conducted to collect data pertaining to tea drinking and various covariates.Results Results from univariate conditional logistic analyses showed that an inverse association was observed in tea drinking and hip fracture risk.Longer time,greater frequency and dosage of tea consumption were dose-dependently associated with lower risk of hip fractures (P-trend ＜0.05).Compared to non drinkers,the odd ratios related to regular tea drinkers,subgroups with different length,frequency,dosage,type of tea consumption were ranged between 0.54 and 0.74 (all P＜0.05).After adjustment for factors as age,daily energy intake,BMI,education levels,passive smoking,calcium supplement and physical activity,the dose-dependent associations among above said factors still remained significant.However,the strength of the association lowered slightly.The beneficial effect of tea was significant only in men but not in women.Similar effects were found in subjects with different education levels.Conclusion Regular tea drinking habit might decrease the risk of osteoporotic hip fractures in the elderly males.

Association between risk factors of cardiovascular diseases and osteoporosis in postmenopausal Chinese women / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective To assess the relationship between cardiovascular risk factors and osteoporosis. Methods 2202 women aged 50-73 years were included in this cross-sectional study from the communities in Guangzhou, from July 2008 to January 2010. Cardiovascular risk factors including age, years since menopause, physical activity, anthropometrics, body composition, blood pressure, fasting serum lipids, glucose and uric acid, intima-media thickness(IMT) of carotid artery were assessed. Ultrasonic bone density (speed of sound) at the radius and tibia were determined. Osteoporosis was defined as T-score≤-2.5. Common factors for the cardiovascular risk factors were extracted using the factor analysis method. Results Eight common factors representing obesity, lean mass, blood triglycerides and uric acid, cholesterol, age, blood pressure, IMT and physical activity were extracted. Data from the Multivariate logistic regression showed a dose-dependent association of greater scores of age and IMT factors and lower score of lean mass factor with the increased risk of osteoporosis at the radius and tibia. As compared with the bottom quartile, the OR (95%CI) of radius and tibia osteoporosis were 0.62 (0.44-0.88) and 0.62 (0.48-0.80) for lean mass factor, 4.02 (2.72-5.94) and 3.68(2.81-4.82) for age factor, 1.41 (1.00-2.00) and 1.54 (1.19-2.00) for IMT factors, respectively. Moreover, greater blood pressure score was associated with higher risk of radius osteoporosis while the higher obese score, was correlated with the increased risk of tibia osteoporosis. Conclusion The cardiovascular-related risk factors of greater IMT, obesity, blood pressure and lower lean mass scores were associated with increased osteoporosis risks while called for more concern among the Chinese women.

Study of effects of dietary fatty acids on the serum lipids in hypercholesterolemic subjects / 中华预防医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effects of dietary fatty acids on the serum lipids in hypercholesterolemic subjects.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>All 297 residents with hypercholesterolemia were enrolled in Guangzhou. The dietary composition and the changes in serum lipid levels during the 6-month follow-up were analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>(1) 297 subjects were enrolled and 281 subjects (88 male, 193 female) completed the 6-month follow-up. The serum TC concentration of the subjects was (6.09+/-0.68) mmol/L at baseline. (2) According to the percentage of energy from total fat, all of the subjects were divided into three groups, including total fat % en<25% (group I, 90 subjects), 25%-30% (group II, 97 subjects), >30% (group III, 94 subjects). The reduction of TC and LDL-C in group I and group II was greater than that in group III. (3) According to the percentage of energy from SFA, all of the subjects were divided into three groups, including SFA % en<7% (group I, 81 subjects), 7%-10% (group II, 129 subjects), >10% (group III, 71 subjects). The reduction of TC and LDL-C in group I and group II was greater than that in group III. (4) All of the subjects were divided into three groups, according to the percentage of energy from MUFA, including MUFA % en<10% (group I, 93 subjects), 10%-13% (group II, 106 subjects), >13% (group III, 82 subjects). The reduction of TC and LDL-C in group II was greater than that in group I and group III. (5) All of the subjects were divided into three groups according to the percentage of energy from PUFA, including PUFA % en<7% (88 subjects), 7%-9% (94 subjects), >9% (99 subjects). No significant difference was found among the reduction of serum lipids in the three groups.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Dietary total fat % en<or=30%, SFAs % en<or=10% and MUFAs % en 10%-13% should be conductive to reduce the serum lipids of patients with hyperlipidemia.</p>

Influence of stress from work and negative life events during pregnancy on different types of low birth weight / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective To explore the influence of occupational stress and negative life events that occur during pregnancy on different types of low birth weight (LBW). Methods 438 singleton LBW infants (birth weight of less than 2500 g and their pregnancy term from 28 to 42 weeks) were selected as case group, and they were further divided into symmetric LBW infants (337 cases) and asymmetric LBW infants (101 cases). According to situation of each LBW infant, a singleton with full term and normal birth weight was selected as control group matched by sex, pregnancy term, time during delivery and types of hospital.All of their mothers were inquired by well trained investigators on their socio-demographic characteristics, occupational stress, and negative life events that occurred in different pregnancy term. After controlling for mother's age, occupation,education level and family income, multinomial logistic regression was employed to asses the influence of occupational stress and negative life events on symmetric LBW and asymmetric LBW. Results Compared with those using low technical skills, mothers with high technical skill utilization significantly decreased the risk of laboring both symmetric LBW ( OR = 0.69, 95 ％ CI:0.49-0.98) and asymmetric LBW (OR = 0.53,95％CI: 0.31-0.89). Compared with those without exposure to negative life events, mothers with negative life event score ≥ 3 in the whole duration of pregnancy had significantly increased the risk of delivering symmetric LBW ( OR = 2.30, 95％ CI : 1.08-4.88), mothers with negative life event score ≥3 in the middle three months of pregnancy, ≥3 in the last three months of pregnancy, = 2 and ≥3 in the whole duration of pregnancy had significantly increased the risk of delivering asymmetric LBW, and their OR (95 ％ CI ) was 8.85 (1.97-39.68), 3.80 ( 1.40-10.29 ),3.58(1.33-9.66) and 3.48 (1.32-9.13), respectively. Conclusion Occupational stress and negative life events might produce different influence on symmetric LBW and negative life events that occurr in the different terms of pregnancy had different impact on symmetric LBW and asymmetric LBW.

Validity and reliability of Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Version 4.0 Generic Core Scales in Chinese children and adolescents / 中华流行病学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the reliability and validity of parent proxy-report scales of Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Version 4.0 (PedsQL 4.0) Generic Core Scales, the Chinese Version.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>3493 school students aged 6-18 years were recruited using multistage cluster sampling method. Health-related quality of life was assessed using the above-mentioned PedsQL 4.0 scales. The internal consistency was assessed, using Cronbach's a coefficient, while its validity was tested through correlation analysis, t-test and exploratory factor analysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The internal consistency reliability for Total Scale Score (Cronbach's alpha = 0.90), Physical Health Summary Score (alpha= 0.81), and Psychosocial Health Summary Score (alpha= 0.89) were excellent. Six major factors were extracted by factor analysis which basically matched the designed structure of the original version accounting for nearly 66% of the variance. The total Scale Score significantly decreased by 3.5 to 13.3 (P < 0.05) in children and adolescents who had diseases including cold, skin hypersensitiveness, food allergy, courbature or arthralgia, breathlessness with a frequency of 6 times or more per year or had asthma as compared to those with lower frequency (< or = 5 times/y) of the diseases or without asthma. We found moderate to high correlations between items and the subscales. Correlation coefficients ranged between 0.45 to 0.84 (P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The reliability and validity of the parent proxy-report scales of PedsQL 4.0 Generic Core Scales of the Chinese Version were as good as the original version. Our findings suggested that the scales could be applied to evaluate the health-related quality of life in childhood children in similar Chinese regions to Guangzhou.</p>

Study on food preference and dietary behavior to overweight/obesity in school children and adolescents in Guangzhou: a case-control study / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective This study assessed the effect of food preference and dietary behaviors on the risk of overweight or obesity in school children and adolescents aged 6-19 years.Methods A11 overweight or obeoe students,with age-and school-matched controls were recruited for this case-control study from 28 elementary and secondary schools in Guangzhou urban districts from October 2006 to April 2007.Weight and height were measured,and body nlass index was calculated for the classification of obesity.overweight and underweight.Their food preference and behaviors were asesbed using a structured questionnaire completed by their parents.Behavior and food preference were classified into four levels.and the relevant bottom levels were defined as control groups.Logistic regression wfs used to assess independent determinants of overweight and obesity.Results Among 7136 participants,1947 cases and 2136 normal weight controls from 5755 students with valid questionnaire data were included in the study.Results from univariate analysis showed that odds ratios for overweight or obesity were 0.60-0.69 in those with moat preference(top group)on vegetables,fruits,candy,evening snacks,0.50 in the students of less food partiality,1.84,1.30 and 1.26 in those of most preference for pork,beef and deep-fried foods.and 5.14 in students with fastest speed during eating,respectively(all P<0.05).Vegetable intake,evening snacks preference,speed during eating and food partiality remained with significant agsociation with overweight and obesity in multivariate analysis after adjusted for age,sex,family socio-economical status and their parents' body build. The adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) of the above items became 0.55 (0.42-0.73), 0.48 (0.35-0.65), 0.50(0.39-0.65),and 4.32(3.23-5.80) as compared to the relevant lowest categories, respecively. Conclusion Behaviors as eating more vegetable and slow-eating might be protective factos against overweight and obesity in school clildren.

Relationship of occupational stress and negative life events with low birth weight / 中华劳动卫生职业病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the influence of occupational stress and negative life events on low birth weight (LBW).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>1:1 matched case-control study was employed, in which 438 singleton LBW infants with birth weight less than 2500 g (their pregnancy term being 28 to 42 weeks) served as case group while 438 with singleton term normal birth weight served as control group matched by sex, delivery time and hospital. All of their mothers were inquired by well trained investigators about their socio-demographic characteristics, occupational stress, and negative life events occurring in different pregnancy term. After controlling for mother's age, occupation, education level and family income, conditional logistic regression was employed to asses the influence of occupational stress and negative life events on LBW.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with those with low technical skill utilization and low job decision, mothers with high technical skill utilization (OR=0.62; 95% CI=0.43 approximately 0.91) and high job decision (OR=0.67; 95% CI=0.46 approximately 0.97) significantly decreased the risk of laboring LBW. Compared with those not exposed to negative life events, mothers with negative life event score being=3 in the middle three months of pregnancy (OR=18.85; 95% CI=1.58 approximately 225.02), with negative life event score being 1 in the later three months of pregnancy (OR=2.67; 95% CI=1.14 approximately 6.28), with negative life event score being 2 (OR=2.80; 95% CI=1.04 approximately 7.52) and=3 in the whole time of pregnancy (OR=2.94; 95% CI=1.22 approximately 7.09) were the risk factors of LBW.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Negative life events might affect LBW and negative life events occurring in the different term of pregnancy impact LBW differently.</p>

Association of physical activity with bone mass in premenarche Chinese girls / 中华预防医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To assess the association of physical activity with bone mass in premenarche girls.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) at the whole body, femoral neck, Ward triangle and L1-L4 spine were measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in 194 premenarche girls (10 +/- 1, year). Physical activity and dietary calcium intakes were assessed by using frequency questionnaire and diary.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>It was found that BMD and BMC were significantly and positively associated with weight-bearing physical activities (WBPA) (P < 0.01), total physical activities (TPA) (P < 0.01) rather than non-weight-bearing physical activity (P > 0.05) at all the studied bone sites (P < 0.01). Both BMC and BMD were tending to a better increase of WBPA. When WBPA increases from 227 to 415 (kcal/d), mean BMC and BMD were increased in 17.5%-29.0% and 8.8%-17.1%, respectively.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>It should be helpful for premenarche girls to improve bone mass by increasing physical activities, especially weight-bearing physical activities.</p>

Novel indole-based peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor agonists: design, SAR, structural biology, and biological activities.

The synthesis and structure-activity relationship studies of novel indole derivatives as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) agonists are reported. Indole, a drug-like scaffold, was studied as a core skeleton for the acidic head part of PPAR agonists. The structural features (acidic head, substitution on indole, and linker) were optimized first, by keeping benzisoxazole as the tail part, based on binding and functional activity at PPARgamma protein. The variations in the tail part, by introducing various heteroaromatic ring systems, were then studied. In vitro evaluation led to identification of a novel series of indole compounds with a benzisoxazole tail as potent PPAR agonists with the lead compound 14 (BPR1H036) displaying an excellent pharmacokinetic profile in BALB/c mice and an efficacious glucose lowering activity in KKA(y) mice. Structural biology studies of 14 showed that the indole ring contributes strong hydrophobic interactions with PPARgamma and could be an important moiety for the binding to the protein.

Inhibition of hepatitis C virus replication by antimonial compounds.

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a worldwide health problem causing serious complications, such as liver cirrhosis and hepatoma. Alpha interferon (IFN-alpha) or its polyethylene glycol-modified form combined with ribavirin is the only recommended therapy. However, an alternative therapy is needed due to the unsatisfactory cure rate of the IFN-based therapy. Using a modified reporter assay based on the HCV subgenomic-replicon system, we found that sodium stibogluconate (SSG), a compound used for leishmania treatment, suppressed HCV replication. We have previously reported that SSG is effective at inhibiting HCV replication in a cell line permissive for HCV infection/replication and in an ex vivo assay using fresh human liver slices obtained from patients infected with HCV (26). In this study, we show that the SSG 50% inhibitory dose for HCV replication is 0.2 to 0.3 mg/ml (equivalent to 345 to 517 microM of Sb) in the HCV subgenomic-replicon system. We also found that SSG and IFN-alpha exert a strong synergistic anti-HCV effect in both the traditional isobologram analysis and the median effect principle (CalcuSyn analysis). The combination of SSG and IFN-alpha could sustain the antiviral response better than SSG or IFN-alpha alone. The results suggest that SSG may be a good drug candidate for use in combination with other therapeutics, such as IFN-alpha and ribavirin, to treat HCV infection.