Latent Epstein-Barr virus infection status and prognosis in patients with newly diagnosed Hodgkin lymphoma in Southeast China: a single-center retrospective study.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the latent Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection status of patients with newly diagnosed Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and to discuss the relationship between tumor cell EBV status and the prognosis of HL patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 134 previously untreated HL patients were analyzed in the study. Epstein-Barr virus encoded RNAs (EBERs) in situ hybridization was performed to detect the EBV status of tumor cells. RESULTS: EBV positive status correlated with sex (p=0.046) and the proportion of extranodal lesions(p=0.037). There was no obvious correlation between EBV status and overall survival (OS) or failure-free survival (FFS) in all cases, but in cases over 50 years old, EBV positive group had an inferior 5-year FFS compared with EBV negative group (38.5%±13.5% vs 90.9%±8.7%, p=0.012). In FFS multivariate analysis of this age subgroup, EBV positive status was associated with significantly inferior survival (HR, 10.10; 95% CI, 1.26-81.08; p=0.030). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates positive tumor cell EBV status is an unfavorable prognostic factor in elder HL patients.

Effects of microRNA-29a on retinopathy of prematurity by targeting AGT in a mouse model.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to explore the effects of microRNA-29a (miR-29a) on retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) by targeting angiotensinogen (AGT) expression in a mouse model. METHODS: Ninety-six C57BL/6J mice were selected and divided into the normal control group (n = 12) and the oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) group (n = 84). All the mice in the OIR group were assigned to the following seven groups (12 mice in each group): the blank, miR-29a mimics, miR-29a inhibitors, empty plasmid, miR-29a mimics + si-AGT, miR-29a inhibitors + si-AGT and si-AGT groups. ADPase histochemical staining was conducted to detect the morphology of retinal neovascularization. H&E staining was performed to quantify retinal neovascularization. The qRT-PCR assay was applied to detect the expression levels of miR-29a and the AGT mRNA. Western blotting was used to detect the protein expressions of AGT, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), angiotensin (ANG) and angiotensin II (AngII). RESULTS: Compared with the normal control group, miR-29a expression decreased, while the AGT mRNA expression and the protein expression levels of AGT, VEGF, HGF, ANG and AngII increased, and retinal vascular density and neovascularization also increased in the OIR group. In the OIR group, compared with the blank, empty plasmid, miR-29a inhibitors and miR-29a inhibitors + si-AGT groups, miR-29a expression increased, while the AGT mRNA expression and protein expression levels of AGT, VEGF, HGF, ANG and AngII decreased, and retinal vascular density and neovascularization also decreased in the miR-29a mimics, miR-29a mimics + si-AGT and si-AGT groups. CONCLUSION: MiR-29a could inhibit retinal neovascularization to prevent the development and progression of ROP by down-regulating AGT.

[Inhibition of Denitrification by Total Phenol Load of Coal Gasification Wastewater].

High loaded phenolic pollutants, refractory and high toxic, which existed in coal gasification wastewater, could cause the inhibition of sludge activity. In biological denitrification process of activated sludge treatment system, people tend to focus on the phenol inhibition on the efficiency and activity of nitrifying bacteria while there are few researches on the denitrification process. In order to investigate the inhibition of phenolic compounds from coal gasification wastewater on the denitrification and sludge activity, we used anoxic denitrification system to indentify the influence of different phenol load on denitrification efficiency (removal efficiency of NO3⁻-N and NO2⁻-N) as well as the stress and degradation activity of sludge. The results showed that when the concentration of total phenol was changed from 50 mg · L⁻¹ to 200 mg · L⁻¹, the removal rates of NO3⁻-N and NO2⁻-N were changed from 55% and 25% to 83% and 83% respectively. In the process of sludge domestication, the characteristics of denitrifying sludge were influenced to a certain degree.

Refractive status and optical components of premature babies with or without retinopathy of prematurity at 3-4 years old.

PURPOSE: To investigate the refractive status and optical components of premature babies with or without retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) at 3-4 years old, and to explore the influence of prematurity and ROP on the refractive status and optical components. METHODS: Premature babies receiving fundus examination were recruited into ROP group and non-ROP group, with age-matched full-term babies as controls. RESULTS: The incidence of myopia was the highest in ROP (3/59, 5.08%). The incidence of astigmatism was significantly different between ROP (37.29%, 22/59) and controls (17.86%, 15/84). The corneal refractive power in ROP and non-ROP was more potent compared with controls (P<0.05); corneal curvature was steeper (P<0.05); lens thickness was thinner (P<0.05); ocular axial length was shorter P<0.05). The gestational age was negatively related to corneal astigmatism and astigmatism, positively associated with vitreous thickness and axial length. The birth-weight was negatively associated with corneal astigmatism, astigmatism and corneal refractive power, positively related to corneal radius of curvature, vitreous thickness and ocular axial length. CONCLUSION: Premature babies with or without ROP are susceptible to myopia and astigmatism. ROP, prematurity and low birth-weight synergistically influence the development of refractive status and optical components, of which the prematurity and low birth-weight are more important.

[Using Excess Activated Sludge Treated 4-Chlorophenol Contained Waste Water to Cultivate Chlorella vulgaris].

Using different rations of sludge extracts and supernate from 4-Chlorophenol (4-CP) simulated wastewater's excess sludge after centrifugation to cultivate the Chlorella vulgaris to achieve the goal of excess sludge utilization together with chlorella cultivating. The experiments were performed in 500 mL flasks with different rations of sludge extracts & BG-11 and supernate & BG-11 in a light growth chamber respectively. Number of algal cells, Chlorophyll, enzyme activity, oil and water total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), total organic carbon (TOC), toxicity index were investigated. Result showed that the nutrition supplies and toxicity in the excess sludge were removed efficiently via Chlorella vulgaris, the removal rates of TN and TP were at least 40% and 90% respectively; After 10 days cultivation, the density growth of 50% sludge extracts was 20 times higher of the beginning while its chlorophyll content was lower than that of the blank group. Sludge extracts could promote the proliferation of algae, but were not conducive to the synthesis of chlorophyll. The quantity of SOD in per cell showed Chlorella vulgaris gave a positive response via stimulation from toxicant in sludge extracts and supernate. The best time for collecting chlorella vulgaris was the fifth day of cultivation, taking neutral oil accumulation as the evaluating indicator for its utilization combined with the removal of supplies and toxicity.

Incidence of retinopathy of prematurity in southwestern China and analysis of risk factors.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to screen for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in southwestern China and understand the prevalence and risk factors of ROP, which may provide evidence useful in the prevention and treatment of ROP. MATERIAL/METHODS: 1864 preterm infants (gestational age of <37 weeks and birth weight of ≤2500 g) underwent ROP screening from January 2009 to November 2012 in Southwest China. The medical information of infants during perinatal period was reviewed, and risk factors of ROP were determined. A total of 1614 infants were recruited for final analysis. RESULTS: Incidence of ROP was 12.8%. The first, second, third, and fourth stage of ROP was found in 64.6%, 29.6%, 3.4%, and 0.5% of infants, respectively. No fifth stage of ROP was observed. In addition, 7.7% of infants required surgical intervention. In our Department of Neonatology, the incidence of ROP was 20.0%, which was significantly higher than in non-hospitalized patients (9.9%). The incidence of ROP remained unchanged over the years. Independent risk factors of ROP included low birth weight (p=0.049), low gestational age (p=0.008), days of oxygen supplementation (p=0.008), and myocardial injury after birth (p=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of ROP in preterm infants is relatively high in Southwest China, and low birth weight, low gestational age, days of oxygen supplementation, and myocardial injury after birth are independent risk factors for ROP.

[Effects of operating parameters on organic toxicity of sludge treating synthetic bisphenol A wastewater].

In order to investigate the influence of hydraulic retention time (HRT) and sludge retention time (SRT) on sludge organic toxicity in sequencing batch reactors (SBR(S)), the sludge toxicity was compared when HRT and SRT were controlled at various levels. The influents COD were controlled at around 300 mg x L(-1), HRT and SRT were changed from 12 h to 8 h and from 20 d to 10 d, respectively. The effluents COD, BPA contents both in liquid and sludge were measured, and sludge toxicity was also analyzed and compared between the blank group (no BPA content) and BPA control groups (40 mg x L(-1)). The results showed that the effluents COD of two SBRs were both below 50 mg x L(-1), and there were no BPA content in liquid and sludge. Furthermore, decrease HRT and SRT is helpful to remove BPA and reduce sludge toxicity. Additional investigation revealed a correlation between the properties of bacterial community and total sludge toxicity by the PCR-DGGE analysis, and different influent compositions and operation parameters were the main reasons for leading the difference of sludge toxicity.

[Research on characteristic of interrelationship between toxic organic compound BPA and Chlorella vulgaris].

The effects of different concentrations of bisphenol A (BPA) on Chlorella vulgaris and removal capacity of BPA by Chlorella vulgaris were investigated. Results showed that a low concentration (0-20 mg x L(-1)) of BPA promoted the growth of Chlorella vulgaris, whereas a relative high concentration (20-50 mg x L(-1)) of BPA inhibited the growth of Chlorella vulgaris, and the inhibition effect was positively correlated with the concentration of BPA. Likewise, a high dose of initial BPA (> 20 mg x L(-1)) led to a decline in the content of chlorephyll a. Chlorella vulgaris had BPA removal capacity when initial BPA concentration ranged from 2 mg x L(-1) to 50 mg x L(-1). There was positive correlation between the removal rate of BPA per cell and initial BPA concentration. The removal rate of BPA was the highest when initial BPA was 50 mg x L(-1), which appeared between lag phase and logarithmic phase.

[Research on sludge toxicity caused by DMF biodegradation and toxicity spatial distribution in sludge flocs].

The aerobic sequencing batch activated sludge system (SBR) was used to remove the toxic and refractory organic pollutant, N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF). The formation property and spatial distribution of the organic toxicity in sludge were studied. The operation parameters were controlled as follows: influent COD was about 300 mg x L(-1), every DMF concentration phase lasted 30 d(40 mg x L(-1), 80 mg x L(-1), 120 mg x L(-1)), the SBR cycle lasted 12 h, and DO was 2.0-3.0 mg x L(-1). The results showed that the sludge toxicity increased in the beginning and then decreased to a steady range at each DMF concentration phase; there was a positive correlation between the sludge toxicity and the initial DMF concentration; most of the sludge organic toxicity was caused by DMF biodegradation and existed in the inner extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and intracellular section of sludge flocs.

[Effective nitrogen removal in low C/N wastewater with combined aerobic-low DO biofilm treatment process].

The municipal wastewater in China is characterized by low ratio of carbon to nitrogen, which is the key restrictive factor for effective biological removal of nitrogen. In this study, the aerobic-low DO biofilm process was used for the nitrogen removal of municipal wastewater. By means of adjusting inflow ratios of aerobic section to low-DO section, hydraulic retention time (HRT) and inflow ratio of carbon to nitrogen (C/N), the performances of nitrification in aerobic biofilm section and denitrification in low-DO section could be improved, the good performance of nitrogen removal was achieved. In order to insure the good effluent quality, especially for ammonia nitrogen and total nitrogen indexes, the nitrification and denitrification could be made up in aerobic and low-DO biofilm section respectively due to the coexistence of aerobic and anoxic zone in biofilm. There were 3 stages for the research process. In the first stage, the original C/N, inflow ratios of aerobic section to low-DO section were chosen as 3:1 and 1:1 respectively, then the effects of various HRT (aerobic section + low DO section) values such as (10 + 5) h, (8 + 4) h, (6 + 3) h, (4 + 2) h to nitrogen removal were analyzed. According to the conclusion in the first stage, the original C/N was kept at 3:1, HRT (aerobic section + low DO section) was (10 + 5) h. Then, the effects of various inflow ratios to nitrogen removal were studied in the second stage. In the third stage, when HRT(aerobic section + low DO section) was (10 + 5) h and inflow ratio was 1:1, the original C/N were adjusted from 2:1, 3:1, 5:1 to 10:1. To conclude, the optimal parameters for nitrogen removal in the biofilm system were as follows: original C/N = 5:1, inflow ratio of aerobic to low-DO section = 1:1, HRT of aerobic and low-DO sections were 10 h and 5 h respectively. As a result, COD, ammonia nitrogen and total nitrogen could be removed from 254 mg/L to 48 mg/L, 37.2 mg/L to 9.3 mg/L and 48.2 mg/L to 14.8 mg/L respectively.

[Dynamic study on the anti-HBs level of immunized children born to HBsAg-positive and HBsAg-negative mothers in hyperendemic area of hepatitis B].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the dynamic changes of the anti-HBs level among immunized newborn infants born to HBsAg-positive and HBsAg-negative mothers in hyper-endemic area of Hepatitis B. METHODS: Infants who were regularly vaccinated with Hepatitis B vaccine and tested to be anti-HBs positive were divided into two groups according to HBsAg-positive or negative mothers in Long-an, Guangxi. Each subject was followed up 3 times during age 5 to 8. SPRIA was used to test HBsAg, anti-HBs and anti-HBc. Results During the follow-up period, positive rates of anti-HBs in children born to HBsAg-positive mothers ranged between 52.00% and 78.00%, and those with HBsAg-negative mothers was between 43.84% and 54.74%. GMT in two groups was between 55.36 mIU/ml and 95.66 mIU/ml as well as between 39.90 mIU/ml and 65.47 mIU/ml, respectively. There was no statistical significance in both positive rates and GMT between age groups. The anti-HBs level in the follow-up period of children born to HBsAg-positive mothers was higher than that of those born to HBsAg-negative mothers in the same age group. In the age group of 6-8 years with HBsAg-negative mothers, the positive rates in the follow-up period of children with high anti-HBs titers in the primary vaccination were 2.29-2.84 times of those with low titers. The anti-HBs titer of children in a follow-up period was lower than that in the primary vaccination, no matter whether they were born to HBsAg-positive mothers. However, the decline rate of children born to HBsAg-negative mothers was significantly higher than those born to HBsAg-positive mothers (84.91% vs. 61.54%; chi2 = 28.7982, P = 0.000). The incidence rate (25.64%) of a 4-fold increase in antibody titers of children born to HBsAg-positive mothers was significantly higher than that of children born to HBsAg-negative mothers (7.37%) from the primary vaccination to the follow-up period (chi2 = 6.7661, P = 0.009) with was 3.5 times of the latter. Subjects with HBsAg seroconvertion were those with low anti-HBs titers in primary vaccination. CONCLUSION: The anti-HBs level decreased slowly in successfully immunized children from age 5 to 8. The chance of natural booster yielded by natural infection increased in immunized children born to HBsAg-positive mothers. The anti-HBs level in the primary vaccination played an important role in prevention of seroconversion of HBsAg.

[Long-term efficacy of infant hepatitis B immunization program].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the long-term efficacy of infant hepatitis B (HB) immunization program on preventing hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, and to assess its impact on the incidence of HB in children. METHODS: Since 1986, the universal HB vaccination for newborn babies with standard, pediatric dose had been launched without serologic prescreening of pregnant women for HBsAg, in a high endemic county of Long-An. A hepatitis surveillance system was set up to evaluate the possible impact on the incidence of hepatitis B. To serologically evaluate the effectiveness of the program, a stratified random sampling of 1000 children in 1987 birth cohorts, who received plasma-derived HB vaccine, was recruited for long-term follow up at the age of 1 to 13 years. A cross-sectional seroepidemiological survey was conducted in the county in 1985, before the program, and in 2001, for 1551 children born in 1996-2000 who were administered yeast recombinant HB vaccine. RESULTS: During the 1 to 13 years after the program, the rates of HBsAg-positive were 0.7% to 2.9% with an average of 1.7% and the protective rates were 83.5% to 96.6%. HBV infection rates were 1.1% tp 5.1% with an average of 2.4% and the protective rates were 93.5% to 98.4%. For the population aged 1 to 4 years who were immunized with recombinant HB vaccine, HBsAg positive rates were 1.8% to 2.4% with an average of 2.0% and the protective rates were 78.4 to 85.2%. 14 years after the program, the cumulative incidence of acute hepatitis B in the children aged 1 to 14 years fell to 1.5 cases per 100,000 children, down 91.8% as compared with that in 1985 to 1987. However, the cumulative incidence of 14.4 cases per 100,000 population in unvaccinated children was not significantly different from that in the history controls. Acute hepatitis B children had not been reported, showing that the vaccination program was 100% protective in children. CONCLUSION: The universal infant HB vaccination program in a hyperendemic area has proved to be effective in controlling HBV infection and decreasing the incidence of acute hepatitis B in children. Booster dose is unnecessary in 13 years after the immunization. The protective efficacy of yeast recombinant HB vaccine is similar to that of plasma-derived HB vaccine.