Portable Photoacoustic Analytical System Combined with Wearable Hydrogel Patch for pH Monitoring in Chronic Wounds.

Timely diagnosis, monitoring, and management of chronic wounds play crucial roles in improving patients' quality of life, but clinical evaluation of chronic wounds is still ambiguous and relies heavily on the experience of clinician, resulting in increased social and financial burden and delay of optimal treatment. During the different stages of the healing process, specific and dynamic changes of pH values in the wound exudate can be used as biomarkers to reflect the wound status. Herein, a pH-responsive agent with well-behaved photoacoustic (PA) properties, nitrazine yellow (NY), was incorporated in poly(vinyl alcohol)/sucrose (PVA/Suc) hydrogel to construct a wearable pH-sensing patch (PVA/Suc/NY hydrogel) for monitoring of pH values during chronic wound healing. According to Rosencwaig-Gersho theory and the combination of 3D printing technology, the PA chamber volume and chopping frequency were systematically optimized to improve the sensitivity of the PA analytical system. The prepared PVA/Suc/NY hydrogel patch had excellent mechanical properties and flexibility and could maintain conformal contact with skin. Moreover, combined with the miniaturized PA analytical device, it had the potential to detect pH values (5.0-9.0) free from the color interference of blood and therapeutic drugs, which provides a valuable strategy for wound pH value monitoring by PA quantitation. This strategy of combining the wearable hydrogel patch with portable PA analysis offers broad new prospects for the treatment and management of chronic wounds due to its features of simple operation, time savings, and anti-interference.

Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Novel Purine Derivatives as Herbicide Safeners.

Mesosulfuron-methyl, an inhibitor of acetolactate synthase (ALS), has been extensively used in wheats. However, it can damage wheat (Triticum aestivum) and even lead to crop death. Herbicide safeners selectively shield crops from such damage without compromising weed control. To mitigate the phytotoxicity of mesosulfuron-methyl in crops, several purine derivatives were developed based on active substructure splicing. The synthesized title compounds underwent thorough characterization using infrared spectroscopy, 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR), 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (13C NMR), and high-resolution mass spectrometry. We evaluated chlorophyll and glutathione contents as well as various enzyme activities to evaluate the safer activity of these compounds. Compounds III-3 and III-7 exhibited superior activity compared with the safener mefenpyr-diethyl. Molecular structure analysis, along with predictions of absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity, indicated that compound III-7 shared pharmacokinetic traits with the commercial safener mefenpyr-diethyl. Molecular docking simulations revealed that compound III-7 competitively bound to the ALS active site with mesosulfuron-methyl, elucidating the protective mechanism of the safeners. Overall, this study highlights purine derivatives as potential candidates for novel safener development.

Design, Synthesis, and Structure-Activity Relationship of Novel Aryl-Substituted Formyl Oxazolidine Derivatives as Herbicide Safeners.

Nicosulfuron is the leading herbicide in the global sulfonylurea (SU) herbicide market; it was jointly developed by DuPont and Ishihara. Recently, the widespread use of nicosulfuron has led to increasingly prominent agricultural production hazards, such as environmental harm and influence on subsequent crops. The use of herbicide safeners can significantly alleviate herbicide injury to protect crop plants and expand the application scope of existing herbicides. A series of novel aryl-substituted formyl oxazolidine derivatives were designed using the active group combination method. Title compounds were synthesized using an efficient one-pot method and characterized by infrared (IR) spectrometry, 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). The chemical structure of compound V-25 was further identified by X-ray single crystallography. The bioactivity assay and structure-activity relationship proved that nicosulfuron phytotoxicity to maize could be reduced by most title compounds. The glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity and acetolactate synthase (ALS) in vivo were determined, and compound V-12 showed inspiring activity comparable to that of the commercial safener isoxadifen-ethyl. The molecular docking model indicated that compound V-12 competed with nicosulfuron for the acetolactate synthase active site and that this is the protective mechanism of safeners. Absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) predictions demonstrated that compound V-12 exhibited superior pharmacokinetic properties to the commercialized safener isoxadifen-ethyl. The target compound V-12 shows strong herbicide safener activity in maize; thus, it may be a potential candidate compound that can help further protect maize from herbicide damage.

Smartphone-Integrated Photoacoustic Analytical Device for Point-of-Care Testing of Food Contaminant Azodicarbonamide.

Azodicarbonamide (ADA) is widely used as a flour additive due to its oxidizing and bleaching properties, but it reacts with wet flour during heat processing and is easily decomposed into semicarbazide with genotoxicity and carcinogenicity. In order to improve the efficiency of food safety supervision and expand the scope of food safety control, it is of great significance to develop a facile method for point-of-care testing (POCT) of ADA. Herein, a field-portable and universal smartphone-based photoacoustic (PA) integration device is constructed for quantitative POCT of ADA in flour. The recognition probe Prussian blue with favorable stability is loaded on a flexible substrate for fabricating a portable test strip. In the presence of target ADA, the PA signal changes driven by a modulated 808 nm laser beam can be conveniently collected through the recording application (Audio Lab) of the smartphone. By combining the economic test strip and portable PA device with smartphone readout, it not only greatly simplifies the operation steps but also dramatically reduces the size and cost of the instrument. There is a favorable linear relationship between the PA signal and ADA concentration in the range of 10-200 µmol L-1 (R2 = 0.9928), and a detection limit of 5 µmol L-1 obtained is much lower than the maximum allowable ADA level in the extract of flour (388 µmol L-1). The present miniature PA device with strong POCT ability holds enormous public health significance and economic value in the field of food safety, especially in resource-limited settings.

Molecular and Supramolecular Approach to Highly Photocytotoxic Phthalocyanines with Dual Cell Uptake Pathways and Albumin-Enhanced Tumor Targeting.

Phototherapy for non-invasive cancer treatment has been extensively studied. An urgent challenge in phototherapy application is to fabricate appropriate targeted agents to achieve efficient therapeutic effect. Herein, a molecular and supramolecular approach for targeting phototherapy was reasonably designed and realized through the axial sulfonate modification of silicon(IV) phthalocyanines (Pcs), followed by supramolecular interaction with albumin. This approach can not only improve the photoactivities (e.g., fluorescence emission and reactive oxygen species production) of the Pcs but also enhance their tumor targeting. Most importantly, one of the deigned Pcs (4) can target HepG2 cells through dual cell pathways, leading to an extremely high phototoxicity with an EC50 (i.e., concentration of Pcs to kill 50% of cells under light irradiation) value of 2.0 nM. This finding presents a feasible strategy to realize efficient targeting phototherapy.

Screening of gene detection of monogenic inherited disorder in an infertile population in Henan Province: an autosomal recessive disorder carried by maple syrup urine disease.

Not required for Clinical Vignette.

Palladium-Catalyzed Carbene Migratory Insertion/Carbonylation Cascade Reaction: Synthesis of 2-Indolones with a C3 All-Carbon Quaternary Center.

An attractive palladium-catalyzed three-component reaction of ortho-amino aryl diazo esters, allyl carboxylates, and carbon monoxide (CO) has been developed. This catalytic system rendered domino carbene migratory insertion and carbonylation. Remarkably, 2-indolones 3 with a C3 all-carbon quaternary center can be selectively obtained in good to excellent yields via one-pot synthesis, in which two different C-C bonds and one C-N bond were formed in a straightforward manner.

[Influencing Factors of Pregnancy Outcome of in vitro Fertilization-Embryo Transfer].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the effect of factors relevant to blastocyst transfer on the pregnancy outcome of in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET). METHODS: The clinical data of 790 pregnant women who underwent IVF-ET in our hospital from July 2015 to July 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. The pregnancy outcome of blastocysts transferred on day 5 (D5, n=705) and those transferred on day 6 (D6, n=85) were compared. According to the pregnancy outcome, the cases were divided into a live birth group ( n=322) and a non-live birth group ( n=468), and multivariate logistic regression was conducted to study the effect of factors relevant to blastocyst transfer on the live birth outcome of IVF-ET. RESULTS: In the D5 group, the biochemical pregnancy rate, clinical pregnancy rate and live birth rate of blastocyst transfer were 69.93%, 64.96%, and 41.84%, respectively, which were significantly higher than those of the D6 group at 50.59%, 45.88%, and 30.59%, respectively. The difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the miscarriage rate between the D5 group and the D6 group ( P>0.05). Multivariate logistic analysis revealed that age>35 years, years of infertility>5 years, endometrium thickness<9 mm on the day of blastocyst transfer, trophoblast cell rating of C, blastocyst transfer performed on D6, and multiparity were all risk factors for non-live birth outcome of IVF-ET ( P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The adverse pregnancy outcomes of IVF-ET were found to be associated with age, duration of infertility, endometrial thickness on the day of to blastocyst transfer, trophoblast cell rating, and blastocyst transfer performed after how many days of embryo development, and multiparity, which should be closely monitored, and effective measures should be adopted accordingly to prevent adverse outcomes of pregnancy.

The Risk Stratification for Cervical Cancer and Precursors of Domestic HPV Testing With HPV 16/18 Genotyping in Women With NILM Cytology in CentralChina: A Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical performance and utility for risk stratification of DH3 HPV assay in women (≥30 years) with NILM cytology. METHODS: A prospective cohort was established in Central China between November 8 to December 14, 2016 which consisted of 2180 women aging 30-64 years with NILM cytology. At baseline, all women were screened using DH3 HPV assay. HPV 16/18 positive women would be assigned to colposcopy and biopsied if necessary. Then, hr-HPV positive women without CIN2+ lesions would be followed up by cytology every 12 months for two years. In the 3rd year of follow up, all women that were not biopsy proven CIN2+ would be called back and screened by cytology again. In follow-up period, women with ASC-US and above were referred to colposcopy and biopsied if clinically indicated. CIN2+ was the primary endpoint in analysis. The clinical performance and utility for risk stratification of DH3 HPV assay were assessed by SPSS 22.0 and SAS 9.4. RESULTS: Of 2180 qualified women, the prevalence of hr-HPV was 8.5% (185/2180), 45(2.1%) were HPV 16/18 positive. The clinical performance for HPV16/18 was 91.7% for sensitivity, 98.4% for specificity, respectively against CIN2+ detection at baseline. In four years of study, the corresponding rates of HPV 16/18 were 51.5% and 98.7%, respectively. The cumulative absolute risk for the development of CIN2+ was as high as 37.8% for HPV 16/18 positive women, followed by hr-HPV positive (14.6%), other hr-HPV positive (11.0%) and HPV negative (0.3%) in three years. The relative risk was 125.6 and 3.4 for HPV 16/18 positive group when compared with HPV negative and other hr-HPV positive group, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: DH3 HPV assay demonstrated excellent clinical performance against CIN2+ detection in cervical cancer screening and utility of risk stratification by genotyping to promote scientific management of women with NILM cytology.

Negative conversion of autoantibody profile in chronic hepatitis B: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Autoimmune antibodies are detected in many diseases. Viral infections are accompanied by several immunopathological manifestations. Some autoimmune antibodies have been associated with the immune response induced by virus or drugs. Thus, a comprehensive diagnosis of chronic hepatitis B combined with autoimmune hepatitis is required, and immunosuppressant or antiviral therapy should be carefully considered. CASE SUMMARY: We present a case of a patient who had negative transformation of autoimmune antibodies during chronic active hepatitis B. A 50-year-old female who had a history of asymptomatic hepatitis B virus carriers for more than 10 years presented to the hospital with the complaint of weakness for 1 wk. Blood tests revealed elevated liver enzymes; the detection of autoantibodies was positive. Hepatitis B viral load was 72100000 IU/mL. The patient started tenofovir alafenamide fumigate 25 mg daily. Liver biopsy was performed, which was consistent with chronic active hepatitis B. The final diagnosis of the case was chronic active hepatitis B. The autoimmune antibodies turned negative after 4 wk of antiviral therapy. The patient recovered and was discharged with normal liver function. There was no appearance of autoantibodies, and liver function was normal at regular follow-ups. CONCLUSION: Autoimmune antibodies may appear in patients with chronic active hepatitis. It is necessary to differentiate the diagnosis with autoimmune hepatitis.

Microtubule Stabilization Promotes Microcirculation Reconstruction After Spinal Cord Injury.

Spinal cord microcirculation plays an important role in maintaining the function of spinal cord neurons and other cells. Previous studies have largely focused on the ability of microtubule stabilization to inhibit the fibroblast migration and promote axon regeneration after spinal cord injury (SCI). However, the effect of microtubule stabilization treatment on microcirculation reconstruction after SCI remains unclear. By using immunofluorescence, we found that microtubule stabilization treatment improved microcirculation reconstruction via increasing the number of microvessels, pericytes, and the perfused microvessels after SCI. To clarify the underlying mechanisms, rat brain microvascular endothelial cells and pericytes were subjected to glucose oxygen deprivation. By using flow cytometry and western blotting, we found that microtubule stabilization treatment inhibited apoptosis and migration of endothelial cells and pericytes but promoted proliferation and survival of endothelial cells and pericytes through upregulated expression of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA), VEGF receptor 2, platelet-derived growth factor-B (PDGFB), PDGF receptor ß, and angiopoietin-1 after SCI. Taken together, this study provides evidence for the mechanisms underlying the promotion of microcirculation reconstruction after SCI by microtubule stabilization treatment. Importantly, this study suggests the potential of microtubule stabilization as a therapeutic target to reduce microcirculation dysfunction after SCI in the clinic.

The Potential Benefits of HPV E6/E7 mRNA Test in Cervical Cancer Screening in China.

This study aims to evaluate the clinical performance of the HPV E6/E7 mRNA test in cervical cancer screening in China. A hospital-based study was conducted with mRNA, DNA, and liquid-based cytology (LBC) as primary screening tests. Each woman with a positive result received colposcopy with lesion-targeted-biopsy. Histopathological diagnosis was used as the gold standard. The total agreement of HPV DNA and mRNA was 90.7% (95%CI: 87.9, 92.9) with a kappa value of 0.81. The positive rates of HPV DNA, mRNA, and LBC increased with the severity of histopathology diagnosis, from 25.5, 19.1, and 11.4% in normal to 100.0% in SCC, respectively. The sensitivities for mRNA to detect CIN2+ and CIN3+ were 93.8% (95%CI: 89.7-96.4) and 95.7% (95%CI: 91.3-97.9), respectively, which were not different from HPV DNA testing (95.7% [95%CI: 92.0-97.7], 96.3% [95%CI: 92.1-98.3]), but higher than LBC (80.4% [95%CI: 74.5-85.2] and 88.8% [95%CI: 83.0-92.8]). The specificities for mRNA to detect CIN2+ (79.0% [95%CI: 74.2-83.0]) and CIN3+ (70.5% [95%CI: 65.7-74.9]) were higher than HPV DNA testing (71.0% [95%CI: 65.9-75.7], 62.8% [95%CI: 57.8-67.5]), but lower than LBC (84.5% [95%CI: 80.1-88.0] 79.8% [95%CI: 75.4-83.6]). All tests were more effective in women older than 30 years. HPV mRNA test showed excellent agreement with the DNA test, with similar sensitivity and a higher specificity in detecting high-grade cervical lesions. It is promising that mRNA test could be used for the national cervical cancer screening to reduce false positive without losing sensitivity.

Probiotics and fructo-oligosaccharide intervention modulate the microbiota-gut brain axis to improve autism spectrum reducing also the hyper-serotonergic state and the dopamine metabolism disorder.

The prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is increasing, but its etiology remains elusive and hence an effective treatment is not available. Previous research conducted on animal models suggests that microbiota-gut-brain axis may contribute to ASD pathology and more human research is needed. This study was divided into two stages,.At the discovery stage, we compared the differences in gut microbiota profiles (using 16S rRNA sequencing), fecal SCFAs (using GC-MS) and plasma neurotransmitters (using UHPLC-MS/MS) of 26 children with ASD and 24 normal children. All 26 children with ASD participated in the intervention stage, and we measured the gut microbiota profiles, SCFAs and neurotransmitters before and after probiotics + FOS (n = 16) or placebo supplementation (n = 10). We found that gut microbiota was in a state of dysbiosis and significantly lower levels of Bifidobacteriales and Bifidobacterium longum were observed at the discovery stage in children with ASD. An increase in beneficial bacteria (Bifidobacteriales and B. longum) and suppression of suspected pathogenic bacteria (Clostridium) emerged after probiotics + FOS intervention, with significant reduction in the severity of autism and gastrointestinal symptoms. Compared to children in the control group, significantly lower levels of acetic acid, propionic acid and butyric acid were found, and a hyperserotonergic state (increased serotonin) and dopamine metabolism disorder (decreased homovanillic acid) were observed in children with ASD. Interestingly, the above SCFAs in children with autism significantly elevated after probiotics + FOS intervention and approached those in the control group. In addition, our data demonstrated that decreased serotonin and increased homovanillic acid emerged after probiotics + FOS intervention. However, the above-mentioned changes did not appear in the placebo group for ASD children. Probiotics + FOS intervention can modulate gut microbiota, SCFAs and serotonin in association with improved ASD symptoms, including a hyper-serotonergic state and dopamine metabolism disorder.

Analysis of Myoglobin Stability and Bacterial Community Diversity in Mutton Chop Rolls During Cold Preservation.

The nutritional value of mutton chop rolls is gradually recognized by people, but it is easy to cause microbial contamination during storage, leading to spoilage and shortening of storage time. The bacterial diversity of mutton chop rolls in different cold preservation time was analyzed to explore the main pathogens of spoilage of mutton chop rolls. At the same time, the oxidative state of myoglobin and the change of mitochondrial Metmyoglobin (MMb) Reduction Ability (MRA) in different cold preservation were studied. It lays a foundation for further study on the mechanism of meat color stabilization of mutton chop rolls during cold preservation. A total of 10,123,180 effective Tags were obtained from three samples with different cold preservation time by high throughput sequencing. The relative abundance of Pseudomonas was the highest in the samples refrigerated for 8 days, Acinetobacter, Brochothrix and Lactobacillales showed the highest relative abundance in the samples refrigerated for 4 days, which were closely related to the deterioration of mutton chop rolls and color deterioration. With the increase of cold preservation time, Oxymyoglobin (OMb) content decreased and Metmyoglobin (MMb) content increased. MRA was negatively correlated with MMb. The content of NADH was extremely significant difference with OMb and MMb. At the same time, the content of NADH was a significant difference with MRA. This study provides theoretical basis for prolonging the shelf life, maintaining meat color stability, improving the quality of mutton chop rolls. And it also plays a certain role in promoting the production and consumption of chilled meat.

MALAT1 is involved in the pathophysiological process of PCOS by modulating TGFß signaling in granulosa cells.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine disorder, the etiology of which is complex and unclear. Metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) is a conserved long non-coding RNA which has been found to play a role in the pathophysiological process of reproductive system diseases, such as endometriosis and pregnancy loss. However, the role of MALAT1 in PCOS is still unknown. In this study, reduced MALAT1 expression was found in granulosa cells (GCs) from 68 patients with PCOS and 30 healthy controls, which relates to upregulated cell proliferation and downregulated apoptosis. Using phosphorylation pathway profiling array, MALAT1 reduction was identified to contribute to the repression of transforming growth factor beta (TGFß) signaling in GCs. Subsequently, MALAT1 was confirmed to function as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA), interacting with miR-125b and miR-203a. Meanwhile, miR-125b and miR-203a was identified as two novel TGFß signaling negative regulators by targeting TGFBR1 and TGFBR2. Finally, MALAT1 knockdown was found to induce the upregulation of miR-125b and miR-203a, which further repressed TGFß signaling, changed some downstream gene expression, and resulted in a disordered cell cycle. In conclusion, MALAT1 reduction was identified in GCs, which may contribute to the pathophysiological processes of PCOS by regulating TGFß signaling through sponging miR-125b and miR-203a.

Performance of Different Combination Models of High-Risk HPV Genotyping in Triaging Chinese Women With Atypical Squamous Cells of Undetermined Significance.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of different combination models of high-risk human papilloma viruses (HPV) genotyping in triaging Chinese women with atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS). Methods: We established a screening cohort of 3,997 Chinese women who underwent cervical cytology and HPV genotyping test. Women with ASCUS cytology underwent punch biopsy under colposcopy/endocervical curettage. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of different combination models of HR-HPV genotyping calculated that cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 2 or higher (CIN2+) on histology were endpoints. Results: Of the full sample, 393 women had ASCUS. Among ASCUS women with a CIN2 lesion, the prevalence for HPV were 40.0% (type 16), 10.0% (type 18), 0.0% (type 33), 30.0% (type 52), 40.0% (type 58), and 30.0% (other nine types). For ASCUS women with a CIN3 lesion, the prevalence for HPV were 68.4% (type 16), 15.8% (type 18), 10.5% (type 33), 31.6% (type 52), 15.8% (type 58), and 36.8% (other nine types). Combination model including HPV16/18/33/52/58 for predicting CIN2+ lesion in women with ASCUS had relatively higher sensitivity [93.1% (78.0, 98.1)], specificity [75.8% (71.2, 79.9)], PPV [23.5% (16.7, 32.0)], and NPV [99.3% (97.4, 99.8)] than other combination models. Moreover, the referral rate of HPV16/18/33/52/58 (29.3%) was lower than HR-HPV (36.1%). Conclusions: The study demonstrates that specific HR-HPV types HPV16/18/33/52/58 may be an effective strategy in ASCUS triage. This improves the subsequent selection of ASCUS patients.

Targeting PAK1 with the Small Molecule Drug AK963/40708899 Suppresses Gastric Cancer Cell Proliferation and Invasion by Downregulation of PAK1 Activity and PAK1-Related Signaling Pathways.

PAK1 (p21-activated kinase 1) is a serine/threonine protein kinase which has been initially identified as downstream effector of the Rho GTPase family. In previous research, PAK1 has been involved in the regulation of diverse cellular processes, such as cell motility, cell proliferation, gene transcription, cytoskeletal rearrangement, and cell invasion. Hyper-activation of PAK1 was constantly observed in a variety of human cancer which make it a potential target of novel anti-tumor drugs. To date, a great number of attentions focus on identifying the PAK1 inhibitors in medical and pharmaceutical fields. In this article, we found that a novel and potent PAK1 inhibitor, AK963/40708899, suppressed the proliferation of human gastric cancer cells significantly by downregulation of PAK1-NF-κB-cyclinB1 pathway. In addition, AK963/40708899 inhibited the formation of filopodia and promoted cell adhesion which in turn inhibited invasive potential of gastric cells by negatively regulating PAK1-LIMKl-cofilin and PAK1-ERK-FAK pathways. Considering our result, AK963/40708899 would be a possible candidate for PAK1 targeted anti-tumor drug. Anat Rec, 302:1571-1579, 2019. © 2019 American Association for Anatomy.

Evaluation of p16/Ki-67 dual staining in the detection of cervical precancer and cancer in China.

Background This study aimed to evaluate the clinical performance of p16/Ki-67 dual staining in the detection of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or 3 or worse (CIN2+/CIN3+) in Chinese women. Methods Cervical exfoliated cells were collected from 537 eligible women and were used for liquid-based cytology (LBC), p16/Ki-67 dual staining, and human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing. All women received colposcopy with biopsies taken at abnormal sites. Histopathological diagnoses were used as the gold standard. Results p16/Ki-67 staining had a positivity rate of 43.58% overall; the rate increased significantly with histological severity (p <0.001). The sensitivities of p16/ki-67 for detecting CIN2+ and CIN3+ were 88.10% and 91.30%, respectively. Compared with high-risk HPV (HR-HPV), sensitivity of p16/Ki-67 was lower for detecting CIN2+ (88.10% versus 95.71%), but similar for detecting CIN3+ (91.30% versus 96.27%). Specificities of p16/Ki-67 were 85.02% for detecting CIN2+ and 76.86% for detecting CIN3+, values similar to those for LBC (84.71% for CIN2+, 80.05% for CIN3+) but higher than those for HR-HPV (62.77% for CIN2+, 71.25% for CIN3+). All the tests performed better in women>30 years. With respect to the performance of triage for women with ASC-US, sensitivities of p16/Ki-67 were 86.36% for detecting CIN2+ and 83.33% for detecting CIN3+, values similar to those of HR-HPV. However, specificities of p16/Ki-67 were both higher than those of HR-HPV (85.96% versus 67.54% for CIN2+, 79.84% versus 62.90% for CIN3+). Conclusion P16/Ki-67 dual staining could probably provide an optional method for China's national cervical cancer screening, and could also be considered as an efficient method of triage for managing women with ASC-US.

Contamination and risk implications of endocrine disrupting chemicals along the coastline of China: A systematic study using mussels and semipermeable membrane devices.

A systematic study has been carried out to assess the contamination of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in five highly urbanized coastal cities spanning from temperate to subtropical environments along the coastline of China. In each of these cities, species of native mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis, M. coruscus or Perna viridis) were deployed alongside with semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) for one month at a reference site and a polluted site. The level of 4-nonylphenol (4-NP), bisphenol A (BPA), 17ß-estradiol (E2) and 17α-ethynylestradiol (EE2) in SPMDs and transplanted mussels were determined and compared. The concentration of EDCs in mussels from polluted sites of Qingdao and Shenzhen ranged from 99.4±9.40 to 326.1±3.16ng/g dry wt. for 4-NP, Dalian and Shanghai from 170.3±4.00 to 437.2±36.8ng/g dry wt. for BPA, Dalian and Shenzhen from 82.9±3.03 to 315.6±6.50ng/g dry wt. for E2, and Shenzhen and Shanghai from 124.5±3.25 to 204.5±9.26ng/g dry wt. for EE2, respectively. These results demonstrate that concentrations of EDCs in mussels along the coastline of China are substantially higher than levels reported in mussels and seafood elsewhere. Despite high levels of EDCs and per capita seafood consumption in China, analysis indicated that 4-NP and BPA intake from mussels at polluted sites per se are still below the Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI). In contrast, the daily intake of E2 and EE2 (6.5 and 5.5µg/person/day, respectively) from mussel consumption exceeded the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) established by the WHO, USA and Australia by large margins, suggesting significant public health risks. A strong correlation was found between EDC concentrations in SPMDs and transplanted mussels, and the advantages of using mussels and SPMDs for monitoring EDCs in the aquatic environment are discussed.

Functionalized Asymmetric Bola-Type Amphiphiles for Efficient Gene and Drug Delivery.

The studies of bolaamphiphile-based nanoparticles as delivery vectors are still rudimentary and under development. In this study, several asymmetric bolaamphiphiles containing lysine and another moiety with special functions, such as pH-sensitive or cell-targeting property, were designed and synthesized. The potentials of these bolaamphiphile-based nanoparticles as versatile vectors for both nucleic acids and chemical drugs were studied. With the presence of 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (DOPE), these amphiphiles could be prepared into bolasomes, which showed good DNA binding ability and could condense plasmid DNA into nanoparticles with appropriate size and surface potential. Lys-His, which has a pH-sensitive histidine on one head, exhibited higher transfection efficiency than the symmetric counterpart and comparable efficiency to commercially available transfection reagent. Mechanism studies confirmed that the bolaplexes formed from Lys-His might induce the highest cellular uptake and the best endosomal escape ability. On the other hand, these bolaamphiphiles also exhibited good drug loading ability. The self-assembly vesicles could efficiently encapsulate the hydrophobic anti-cancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) in aqueous solution with high drug loading content and encapsulation efficiency. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) experiment and cell viability assay exhibited a controlled release of the drug with the assistance of bolasomes. It was shown that such bolaamphiphiles have great potential as nano-vectors for both drug and gene or their co-delivery.