Development of a microfluidic wearable electrochemical sensor for the non-invasive monitoring of oxidative stress biomarkers in human sweat.

Oxidative stress is widely recognized as a pivotal factor contributing to numerous Central Nervous System (CNS) ailments. The concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and phosphorylated proteins within the human body serve as crucial indicators of oxidative stress. As such, the real-time monitoring of H2O2 and phosphorylated proteins in sweat is vital for the early identification, diagnosis, and management of diseases linked to oxidative stress. In this context, we present a novel microfluidic wearable electrochemical sensor by modifying the electrode with Prussian blue (PB) and loading sulfur-rich vacancy-containing molybdenum disulfide (MoS2-X) onto Multi-walled carbon nanotube (CNTs) to form coaxially layered CNTs/MoS2-X, which was then synthesized with highly dispersed titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2) to synthesize CNTs/MoS2-X/TiO2 composites for the detection of human sweat H2O2 and phosphorylated proteins, respectively. This structure, with its sulfur vacancies and coaxial layering, significantly improved sensitivity of electrochemical sensors, allowing it to detect H2O2 in a range of 0.01-1 mM with a detection limit of 4.80 µM, and phosphoproteins in a range of 0.01-1 mg/mL with a threshold of 0.917 µg/mL. Furthermore, the miniature sensor demonstrates outstanding performance in detecting analytes in both simulated and real sweat. Comprehensive biosafety assessments have validated the compatibility of the electrode material, underscoring the potential of sensor as a reliable and non-invasive method for tracking biomarkers linked to CNS disorders. This microfluidic wearable electrochemical biosensor with high performance and biosafety features shows great promise for the development of cutting-edge wearable technology devices for tracking CNS disease indicators.

Albumin-bilirubin score as a predictor of all-cause mortality in patients with hepatitis B virus infection: An analysis of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2018.

Objectives: The Albumin-Bilirubin (ALBI) score has been widely used to assess the prognosis in patients with cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between ALBI score and all-cause mortality in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in general. Methods: Patients aged ≥ 18 years with previous or current HBV infection from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in the United States between 1999 and 2018 were enrolled in this retrospective cohort study. Weight univariate and multivariate Cox regression models were used to assess the relationship between ALBI score and all-cause mortality. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was utilized to assess the predictive effect of ALBI score for all-cause mortality. Results: A total of 3,666 patients were included, of whom 925 (23.53 %) patients died. Compared with ALBI score ≤ -2.6, HBV-infected patients with ALBI score > -2.6 [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.75; 95 % confidence interval (CI): 1.43-2.14] were corrected with a higher all-cause mortality risk after adjusting for confounders. Stratified analyses showed that higher ALBI score was related to a higher risk of all-cause mortality in different patients with HBV infection (All P < 0.05). Furthermore, the ALBI score had good predictive ability for 1-year (AUC = 0.816, 95 %CI: 0.754-0.878), 3-year (AUC = 0.808, 95 %CI: 0.775-0.841), 5-year (AUC = 0.809, 95 %CI: 0.783-0.835), and 10-year (AUC = 0.806, 95 %CI: 0.784-0.827) all-cause mortality. Conclusion: Higher ALBI score was related to a higher risk of all-cause mortality in patients with HBV infection, and the ALBI score showed a good predictive effect for short- and long-term all-cause mortality.

Potential circRNA-Disease Association Prediction Using DeepWalk and Nonnegative Matrix Factorization.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a category of noncoding RNAs that exist in great numbers in eukaryotes. They have recently been discovered to be crucial in the growth of tumors. Therefore, it is important to explore the association of circRNAs with disease. This paper proposes a new method based on DeepWalk and nonnegative matrix factorization (DWNMF) to predict circRNA-disease association. Based on the known circRNA-disease association, we calculate the topological similarity of circRNA and disease via the DeepWalk-based method to learn the node features on the association network. Next, the functional similarity of the circRNAs and the semantic similarity of the diseases are fused with their respective topological similarities at different scales. Then, we use the improved weighted K-nearest neighbor (IWKNN) method to preprocess the circRNA-disease association network and correct nonnegative associations by setting different parameters K1 and K2 in the circRNA and disease matrices. Finally, the L2,1-norm, dual-graph regularization term and Frobenius norm regularization term are introduced into the nonnegative matrix factorization model to predict the circRNA-disease correlation. We perform cross-validation on circR2Disease, circRNADisease, and MNDR. The numerical results show that DWNMF is an efficient tool for forecasting potential circRNA-disease relationships, outperforming other state-of-the-art approaches in terms of predictive performance.

Association between multiple gene promoter hypermethylation and the risk of gastric cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have demonstrated an association between multiple gene hypermethylation and gastric cancer. However, the intrinsic mechanisms remain elusive and highly debatable. To this end, our study aims to investigate the correlation between the methylation status of multiple gene promoters and gastric cancer. METHODS: PubMed, EMBASE, CNKI, WanFang, Cqvip, and Cochrane Library were queried from inception to May 2021, and the relationship between the methylation status of the CpG islands and gastric cancer risk was systematically assessed under the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The incidence of DNA methylation between tumor and non-tumor tissues was compared, and the clinicopathological significance of DNA methylation in gastric carcinoma was further evaluated. The odds ratio (OR) was estimated with a 95% confidence interval (CI), and forest plots were generated using the fixed-effects or random-effects model. RESULTS: In total, 201 studies were enrolled, and a higher frequency of CpG islands methylation was identified in gastric cancer tissues than in non-neoplastic tissues. This suggests that aberrant polygene methylation might be associated with the initial onset and progression of gastric cancer. CONCLUSION: This study sheds light on the significance of polygene methylation status in gastric cancer. The DNA methylation of these genes may serve as underlying epigenetic biomarkers, providing a promising molecular diagnostic approach for human gastric cancer clinical diagnosis. More large randomized trials are needed to confirm the findings.

Convolution Neural Networks Using Deep Matrix Factorization for Predicting Circrna-Disease Association.

CircRNAs have a stable structure, which gives them a higher tolerance to nucleases. Therefore, the properties of circular RNAs are beneficial in disease diagnosis. However, there are few known associations between circRNAs and disease. Biological experiments identify new associations is time-consuming and high-cost. As a result, there is a need of building efficient and achievable computation models to predict potential circRNA-disease associations. In this paper, we design a novel convolution neural networks framework(DMFCNNCD) to learn features from deep matrix factorization to predict circRNA-disease associations. Firstly, we decompose the circRNA-disease association matrix to obtain the original features of the disease and circRNA, and use the mapping module to extract potential nonlinear features. Then, we integrate it with the similarity information to form a training set. Finally, we apply convolution neural networks to predict the unknown association between circRNAs and diseases. The five-fold cross-validation on various experiments shows that our method can predict circRNA-disease association and outperforms state of the art methods.

In Situ Growth Intercalation Structure MXene@Anatase/Rutile TiO2 Ternary Heterojunction with Excellent Phosphoprotein Detection in Sweat.

Abnormal protein phosphorylation may relate to diseases such as Alzheimer's, schizophrenia, and Parkinson's. Therefore, the real-time detection of phosphoproteins in sweat was of great significance for the early knowledge, detection, and treatment of neurological diseases. In this work, anatase/rutile TiO2 was in situ grown on the MXene surface to constructing the intercalation structure MXene@anatase/rutile TiO2 ternary heterostructure as a sensing platform for detecting phosphoprotein in sweat. Here, the intercalation structure of MXene acted as electron and diffusion channels for phosphoproteins. The in situ grown anatase/rutile TiO2 with n-n-type heterostructure provided specific adsorption sites for the phosphoproteins. The determination of phosphoprotein covered concentrations in sweat, with linear range from 0.01 to 1 mg/mL, along with a low LOD of 1.52 µM. It is worth noting that, since the macromolecular phosphoprotein was adsorbed on the surface of the material, the electrochemical signal gradually decreased with the increase of phosphoprotein concentration. In addition, the active sites in the MXene@anatase/rutile TiO2 ternary heterojunction and synergistic effect of the heterojunction were verified by first-principle calculations to further realize the response to phosphoproteins. Additionally, the effective diffusion capacity and mobility of phosphoprotein molecules in the ternary heterojunction structure were studied by molecular dynamics simulation. Furthermore, the constructed sensing platform showed high selectivity, repeatability, reproducibility, and stability, and this newly developed sensor can detect for phosphoprotein in actual sweat samples. This satisfactory sensing strategy could be promoted to realize the noninvasive and continuous detection of sweat.

Comparison of prognosis among patients with colorectal cancer liver metastases treated by surgical resection, radiofrequency ablation and HIFU: A protocol for network meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer is a malignant tumor second only to lung and breast cancer in the West. The liver is the main target organ for colorectal cancer metastasis, affecting the prognosis and survival. Surgical treatment has made great progress in colorectal cancer liver metastasis , including radiofrequency ablation (RFA), high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) ablation. OBJECT: Clinical treatments for colorectal cancer liver metastases are not the same. In order to clarify the impact of surgical resection, RFA and HIFU, we provided a decision-making basis for the clinical treatment of colon cancer liver metastasis through systematic reviews and network meta-analysis (NMA). METHODS: We systematically searched the Chinese and English databases: PubMed, Embase, CENTRAL, CINAHL, Web of Science, CNKI, CBM, VIP, Wan Fang. Literature screening, data extraction, and quality evaluation were carried out by two researchers, and finally, use Stata to carry out meta-analysis. RESULTS: This study is ongoing and the results will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal for publication. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION NUMBER: INPLASY202150044.

Phosphoprotein Detection in Sweat Realized by Intercalation Structure 2D@3D g-C3N4@Fe3O4 Wearable Sensitive Motif.

Abnormal protein phosphorylation in sweat metabolites is closely related to cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other diseases. The real-time monitoring of phosphoproteins in sweat is significant for early monitoring of disease biomarkers. Here, a high-efficiency electrochemical sensor for phosphoprotein in sweat was realized by 2D@3D g-C3N4@Fe3O4 with intercalation structure. Common phosphoprotein ß-Casein was selected to demonstrate the platform's functionalities. The detection limit of g-C3N4@Fe3O4 could be as low as 9.7 µM, and the detection range was from 0.01 mg/mL to 1 mg/mL. In addition, the sensing platform showed good selectivity, reproducibility, and stability. We also investigated the effects of interface structure on adsorption properties and electronic properties of the g-C3N4 and Fe3O4 heterostructure using DFT. More electrons from Fe3O4 were transferred to g-C3N4, which increased the electrons in the energy band of N atoms and promoted the formation of stable N-H bonds with H atoms in phosphoproteins. We demonstrated phosphoprotein sensor functionality by measuring the phosphoprotein in human sweat during exercising. This work realizes a sensing platform for noninvasive and continuous detection of sweat phosphoproteins in wearable devices.

Study of osmoadaptation mechanisms of halophilic Halomonas alkaliphila XH26 under salt stress by transcriptome and ectoine analysis.

Halophilic bacteria such as the genus Halomonas are promising candidates in diverse industrial, agricultural and biomedical applications. Here, we successfully isolated a halophilic Halomonas alkaliphila strain XH26 from Xiaochaidan Salt Lake, and studied its osmoadaptation strategies using transcriptome and ectoine analysis. Divergent mechanisms were involved in osmoadaptation at different salinities in H. alkaliphila XH26. At moderate salinity (6% NaCl), increased transcriptions of ABC transporters related to iron (III), phosphate, phosphonate, monosaccharide and oligosaccharide import were observed. At high salinity (15% NaCl), transcriptions of flagellum assembly and cell motility were significantly inhibited. The transcriptional levels of ABC transporter genes related to iron (III) and iron3+-hydroxamate import, glycine betaine and putrescine uptake, and cytochrome biogenesis and assembly were significantly up-regulated. Ectoine synthesis and accumulation was significantly increased under salt stress, and the increased transcriptional expressions of ectoine synthesis genes ectB and ectC may play a key role in high salinity induced osmoadaptation. At extreme high salinity (18% NaCl), 5-hydroxyectoine and ectoine worked together to maintain cell survival. Together these results give valuable insights into the osmoadaptation mechanisms of H. alkaliphila XH26, and provide useful information for further engineering this specific strain for increased ectoine synthesis and related applications.

Different exercise therapies for treating heart failure: A protocol for overview of systematic reviews and network meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Exercise therapies has been shown to be safe and effective as a non-pharmacological management for treating heart failure, At the same time, many clinical trials, systematic review, and meta-analyses have demonstrated the advantages of exercise therapies in heart failure. However, the methodological quality of these systematic reviews and the differences in efficacy between different exercise modes are unclear. Therefore, this study intends to overview of systematic reviews and network meta-analysis of exercise therapies intervention in heart failure, and finally to rank the effects of exercise therapies in the intervention of heart failure, so as to provide certain reference for clinical decision-making. METHODS: From the seven databases: PubMed, EMBASE.com, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, Chinese biomedical literature database (CBM), Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wan fang Database, and Chongqing VIP (CQVIP) databases. To search for systematic or meta-analysis of different exercise therapies for heart failure from inception to August 2020. According to the inclusion criteria and exclusion criteria, the two researchers independently selected articles and extracted data. In case of differences, a third party shall be sought for settlement. The AMSTAR2 scale, PRISMA scale and GRADE were used to assess the quality and evidence grade of the literature. The eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were selected from the included systematic reviews and updated RCTs from the above systematic reviews to August 2020. GRADE was used for the risk of bias of the included RCTs. Pairwise meta-analyses were performed using the random-effects model, and network meta-analysis of the included RCTs were performed the frequentist framework. All data analyses were completed in Stata 15.0. RESULTS: Finally, a total of 33 articles related to systematic review and meta-analysis were included, there are 28 articles in Chinese and 5 articles in English. The results of this overview and network meta-analysis will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal for publication. CONCLUSION: This review will provide a comprehensive overview of existing systematic reviews of exercise therapies interventions for heart failure and provide recommendations for clinical practice or guidelines. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION: INPLASY202080118.

Perfluorohexane-Loaded Polymeric Nanovesicles with Oxygen Supply for Enhanced Sonodynamic Therapy.

Sonodynamic therapy (SDT), as a new method of non-invasive tumor treatment developed from photodynamic therapy (PDT), can overcome the disadvantage of poor laser penetration while retaining the function of PDT. However, the lack of efficient sonosensitizer accumulation and the hypoxic environment in tumor sites limited the therapeutic efficacy of SDT. Here, we constructed a highly efficient liquid fluorocarbon-encapsulated polymeric nanovesicle for enhanced sonodynamic efficacy as well as tumor hypoxia relief. This multifunctional nanovesicle was constructed by fluorinated cationic polymer C9F17-PAsp(DET) with PEG-conjugated protoporphyrin IX (PEG-PpIX) modification, which could yield the simultaneous loading of perfluorohexane (PFH) and oxygen. We found that the PAsp(DET)-PpIX-PEG@PFH nanovesicles could not only generate the reactive oxygen species (ROS) under ultrasound irradiation after intravenous (i.v.) injection but also could generate and prolong the ROS under nanovesicle preparation by ultrasonication in vitro, so-called the ″exogenous ROS", which might result in enhanced cytotoxicity in tumor tissue. Furthermore, oxygen-loaded PAsp(DET)-PpIX-PEG nanovesicles could not only reduce therapeutic resistance by relieving tumor hypoxia but also increase ROS production for enhanced sonodynamic therapy. An in vivo study revealed that the nanovesicles could accumulate in the tumor site after i.v. injection and achieved remarkable tumor growth inhibition in both with and without preloaded oxygen groups, which indicated that the nanovesicle system could efficiently achieve oxygen loading during in vivo circulation and provide a better solution for SDT application.

[Bioinformatical analysis of function and differentiation of Th1/17 cells].

Objective To investigate the function and differentiation of 1/17 type helper T (Th1/17) cells. Methods Bioinformatics analysis was performed using a gene chip dataset (GSE104021) in GEO which contains gene expression data from Th17 cells and Th1/17 cells of healthy human subjects. Taking Th17 cells as the control, R language software was used to analyze the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between Th17 cells and Th1/17 cells, so as to explore the main functional molecules of Th1/17 cells. After that, gene ontology (GO) analysis and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) analysis of DEGs were conducted by R language software. Finally, the genes enriched into the target biological process in the GO analysis were selected for protein-protein interaction network (PPI) analysis to explore the differentiation process of Th1/17 cells. Results Analysis of DEGs showed that, compared with Th17 cells, the underexpressed genes in Th1/17 cells were interleukin 17A (IL-17A) and C-C motif chemokine receptor 4 (CCR4). The over-expressed genes were coiled-coil domain-containing 3 (CCDC3), C-C motif chemokine ligand 4 (CCL4), colony stimulating factor 2 receptor beta common subunit (CSF2RB), C-C motif chemokine ligand 5 (CCL5), interferon gamma (IFNG) and epithelial stromal interaction 1 (EPSTI1). In GO analysis, cell component analysis showed that the expression products of these DEGs were mainly located at external side of plasma membrane and the granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) receptor complex; biological process analysis showed that the expression products of DEGs were involved in the upregulation of interleukin 23 (IL-23), the chemokine-mediated signaling pathway and the upregulated chemotaxis of natural killer (NK) cells; molecular function analysis showed that the expression products of these DEGs had C-C motif chemokine 5 receptor (CCR5) binding activity, cytokine activity and interferon gamma (IFN-γ) receptor binding activity. The results of KEGG analysis showed that the DEGs were enriched in the cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and chemokine signaling pathways. The GO analysis showed that DEGs IL-17A and IFNG were enriched to the biological process of upregulating IL-23 production. PPI showed that IL-17A and IFNG had biological functions of regulating cytokine production and myeloid white blood cell differentiation. Conclusion Bioinformatics analysis showed that the protein products encoded by overexpressed genes CCL4, CSF2RB, CCL5, IFNG and EPSTI1 in Th1/17 cells were potential functional effectors of Th1/17 cells. Th1/17 cells could produce IFN-γ and IL-17A, which act on macrophages and dendritic cells (DCs) derived from myeloid white blood cells, thus promoting the differentiation of macrophages and DCs and the production of IL-23. IL-23 promotes trans-differentiation of Th17 cells into Th1/17 cells.

Overexpression of p28GANK accelerates the metastasis of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of p28GANK expression on the metastasis of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) tissues and to investigate its roles in the metastasis of highly invasive and non­invasive ESCC cell lines. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and immunohistochemical analyses were performed to assess p28GANK mRNA and protein expression in ESCC tissues and to analyse its significance in ESCC metastasis. qPCR and western blot analyses were used to detect p28GANK mRNA and protein expression in highly invasive and non­invasive cell lines. Subsequently, lentivirus­mediated p28GANK short interfering RNA (siRNA) was transfected into highly invasive ESCC cells, and Transwell assays were performed to analyse the effects of p28GANK knockdown on their migration and invasion. The mean expression levels of p28GANK mRNA in the ESCC tissues of patients with metastasis were significantly higher than those in the ESCC specimens from patients without metastasis. p28GANK expression in ESCC tissues was correlated with T­stage, lymph node metastasis and lymphatic invasion. The mRNA and protein expression levels of p28GANK were significantly higher in highly invasive cell lines compared with those of matched, non­invasive cell lines. Lentivirus­mediated siRNA knockdown of p28GANK markedly decreased p28GANK expression in EC109­P and EC9706­P cells and supressed the metastasis of ESCC cells in vitro. In conclusion, p28GANK expression was increased in metastatic ESCC tissues and cells, and p28GANK knockdown decreased the metastatic ability of ESCC cells. These results suggested that p28GANK may be a potential therapeutic marker for ESCC metastasis.

Identification and examination of a novel 9-bp insert/deletion polymorphism on porcine SFTPA1 exon 2 associated with acute lung injury using an oleic acid-acute lung injury model.

The pulmonary surfactant-associated protein (SFTPA1, SP-A) gene has been studied as a candidate gene for lung disease resistance in humans and livestock. The objective of the present study was to identify polymorphisms of the porcine SFTPA1 gene coding region and its association with acute lung injury (ALI). Through DNA sequencing and the PCR-single-strand conformation polymorphism method, a novel 9-bp nucleotide insertion (+) or deletion (-) was detected on exon 2 of SFTPA1, which causes a change in three amino acids, namely, alanine (Ala), glycine (Gly) and proline (Pro). Individuals of three genotypes (-/-, +/- and +/+) were divided into equal groups from 60 Rongchang pigs that were genotyped. These pigs were selected for participation in the oleic acid (OA)-ALI model by 1-h and 3-h injections of OA, and there were equal numbers of pigs in the control and injection groups. The lung water content, a marker for acute lung injury, was measured in this study; there is a significant correlation between high lung water content and the presence of the 9-bp indel polymorphism (P < 0.01). The lung water content of the OA injection group was markedly higher than that of the control group and lung water content for the +/+ genotype was significantly higher than that of the others in the 1-h group (P < 0.01). No differences in the expression of the SFTPA1 gene were found among individuals with different SFTPA1 genotypes, indicating that the trait is not caused by a linked polymorphism causing altered expression of the gene. The individuals with the -/- genotype showed lower lung water content than the +/+ genotype pigs, which suggests that polymorphism could be a potential marker for lung disease-resistant pig breeding and that pig can be a potential animal model for human lung disease resistance in future studies.

[Significance of SAMD9 expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the significance of sterile alpha motif domain-containing 9 (SAMD9) expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). METHODS: Immunohistochemical staining was performed to detect the expression of SAMD9 in 72 primary ESCC and matched adjacent cancer-free tissues and analyze the significance of SAMD9 expression in ESCC tissues. In addition, Western blotting was used to detect the expression of SAMD9 in primary ESCC tissues which were taken from 3 metastatic and 3 non-metastatic patients during surgery. RESULTS: The expression of SAMD9 in the ESCC tissues had no statistical difference from that in the matched adjacent cancer-free tissues. SAMD9 expression was significantly correlated with lymphatic invasion and metastasis in these patients (P<0.05), but not with age, gender, tumor differentiation and T stage (P>0.05). Western blotting showed that SAMD9 expression in primary ESCC tissues was significantly higher in the patients with metastasis than in the ones without metastasis(P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Over-expression of SAMD9 is correlated with the metastasis of ESCC, indicating that it might play an important role in the metastasis of ESCC.

Factors associated with breastfeeding duration: a 30-month cohort study in northwest China.

BACKGROUND: Factors associated with breastfeeding need to be explored in the northwest of China. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to measure the full duration of breastfeeding and identify factors associated with breastfeeding in Shihezi City in Northwest China. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was undertaken to obtain details of child feeding practices using structured questionnaires in 2007-2010. Before discharge from hospitals, 681 mothers were randomly recruited and interviewed in maternity units for breastfeeding. After discharge, the mothers were contacted by telephone at monthly intervals within the first 6 months and then at 2-month intervals until discontinuation of breastfeeding. RESULTS: The breastfeeding initiation rate was 95.9%. The breastfeeding rates then declined to 69.6% at 6 months, 29.7% at 12 months, and 2.3% at 24 months. The median duration of "any breastfeeding" was 9 months. The exclusive breastfeeding rate was low because of the high rate of prelacteal and early complementary feeding. Cox regression analyses revealed that mothers who had preterm babies believed that breast milk could not meet infants' needs and intended to breastfeed for less than 6 months, and mothers with late onset of lactogenesis II and whose parents lived in Xinjiang were more likely to stop breastfeeding. Younger maternal age, employment, and suffering from illness were also associated with a shorter duration of breastfeeding. CONCLUSION: The duration of "exclusive" and "any breastfeeding" was below the Chinese and World Health Organization breastfeeding goals. Shorter duration of breastfeeding was associated with having grandparents residing within the same province, maternal age, illness and employment, gestational age, and delayed onset of lactogenesis.

[Expression of hSef and FGF-2 in epithelial ovarian tumor].

OBJECTIVE: To detect the expression of human similar expression to FGF gene(hSef) and fibroblast growth factor-2(FGF-2) and their correlation with epithelial ovarian tumor. METHODS: Immunohistochemical SP staining was used to detect the expression of hSef and FGF-2 proteins in 31 cases of epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC), 18 cases of benign epithelial tumor (BET), 10 cases of normal ovarian (NO) tissues collected from July 2007 to May 2008. The expression of hSef mRNA in 24 cases of EOC, BET and NO collected from July 2008 to May 2009 were analyzed by RT-PCR. RESULTS: The results of immunohistochemical study showed that the expression of hSef in the EOC tissues were significantly lower than that in the NO and BET (P < 0.001). However, the expression of FGF-2 was higher (P = 0.002). The expression of hSef had a negative correlation with FGF-2 (r(s) = -0.324, P = 0.012). The RT-PCR results showed that there was a gradually declined trend of expression of hSef in NO, BET to EOC (P < 0.001), but the expression of FGF-2 in NO, BET to EOC was gradually increased (P < 0.001), with a significant negative correlation (NO: r(s) = -0.910, P < 0.001; BET: r(s) = -0.859, P < 0.001; EOC: r(s) = -0.888, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The expression of hSef is decreased in epithelial ovarian carcinoma tissue, but the expression of FGF-2 is increased. It is likely that low hSef expression is related to the the carcinogenesis and development of epithelial ovarian carcinoma by suppressing the promoting effects of FGF-2 to cell proliferation.

New monoclonal antibody B7 selectively recognizes rat myocardium microvascular endothelial cells.

Myocardial microvascular endothelial cells (MMECs) play a vital role in modulating cardiomyocyte development, survival, and contraction during embryonic cardiogenesis and mature myocardium. However, specific molecular composition of MMECs is still not well known, with no special MMEC marker to distinguish microvascular endothelial cells (ECs) from macrovascular ECs. In the present study, we immunized BALB/c mice with membrane proteins of MMECs. Through screening by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay and immunohistochemistry, a new monoclonal antibody that specifically recognizes MMECs was yielded. Immunohistochemistry of tissue arrays showed that MAb B7 also selectively recognized microvascular ECs but not macrovascular ECs in other tissues. Immunofluorescence and immuno-electron microscope assay indicated that B7 antigen was a plasma membrane molecule. Interestingly, we also found that B7 antigen was dramatically decreased in diabetic rat compared with that in normal rat. In conclusion, MAb B7 not only provides a new biomarker to help us understand the molecular composition of microvascular ECs, but also indicates that B7 antigen might play an important role in the dysfunction of microvascular ECs.

The significance of CD14+ monocytes in peripheral blood stem cells for the treatment of rat liver cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND AIMS: Circulating monocytes have been exploited as an important progenitor cell resource for hepatocytes in vitro and are instrumental in the removal of fibrosis. We investigated the significance of monocytes in peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) for the treatment of liver cirrhosis. METHODS: Rat CD14+ monocytes in PBSC were mobilized with granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) and harvested by magnetic cell sorting (MACS). Female rats with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4-induced liver cirrhosis were injected CM-DiI-labeled monocytes, CD14⁻ cells (1 x 107 cells/rat) or saline via the portal vein. RESULTS: Rat CD14+ and CD11b+ monocytes in PBSC were partly positive for CD34, CD45, CD44, Oct3/4 and Sox2, suggesting monocytes with progenitor capacity. Compared with CD14⁻ cell-infused and saline-injected rats, rats undergoing monocyte transplantation showed a gradually increased serum albumin level and decreased portal vein pressure, resulting in a significantly improved survival rate. Meanwhile, monocyte transplantation apparently attenuated liver fibrosis by analysis for fibronectin, α2-(1)-procollagen, α-smooth muscle aorta (SMA) and transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß. Transplanted monocytes mainly clustered in periportal areas of liver, in which 1.8% cells expressed hepatocyte marker albumin and CK18. The expression level of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), TGF-α, extracellular matrix (EGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) increased, while monocyte transplantation enhanced hepatocyte proliferation. On the other hand, the activities and expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) increased while tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1 expression significantly reduced in monocyte-transplanted livers. Some transplanted monocytes expressed MMP-9 and -13. CONCLUSIONS: The data suggest that CD14+ monocytes in PBSC contribute to hepatocyte regeneration and extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling in rat liver cirrhosis much more than CD14⁻ cells, and might offer a therapeutic alternative for patients with liver cirrhosis.

[A new monoclonal antibody selectively distributes on hepatocellular membrane].

OBJECTIVE: Screening monoclonal antibodies selectively distribute on hepatocellular membrane by hybridoma technology and exploring their relationship with liver diseases. METHODS: Plasma membrane vesicles of rat hepatocytes were prepared using density gradient centrifugation and BALB/c mice were immunized with the membrane vesicles. Monoclonal antibodies were made with hybridoma technology. The immunizing valences and monoclonal antibodies were detected and screened by ELISA. Mh7 antigen was identified by immunoprecipitation method. Liver tissues of carbon tetrachloride injured rat models and diabetic rat models were used to detect the pathology value of mh7-antigen. RESULTS: Hepatocellular membrane vesicles were obtained successfully. Several monoclonal antibodies were yielded by hybridoma technology. Immunofluorescence and pre-embedding immunogold-silver cytochemistry confirmed that mh7-antigen was a membrane molecule and with a 200KD molecular weight. Immunohistochemistry results indicated mh7 selectively distributed on hepatocellular membrane. Results with rat models demonstrated that mh7-antigen was dramatically reduced in fatty degenerated hepatocyte of carbon tetrachloride injured rat models and distributed as straps in diabetic rat models. CONCLUSIONS: Mh7 is a new hepatocellular membrane monoclonal antibody and may closely related with liver diseases.