Clinicopathological and Prognostic Roles of STAT3 and Its Phosphorylation in Glioma.

Glioma is defined as a common brain tumor which causes severe disability or death. As many genes are reported to relate with glioma's occurrence and development, their prognostic and therapeutic value still remains uncertain. This study aimed at investigating the association between STAT3/p-STAT3 and glioma prognosis. Nine studies (12 trials) scored ≥5 on the Newcastle-Ottawa scale were meta-analysed from the Medline, Embase, and Web of Science databases. We found that STAT3/p-STAT3 overexpression in glioma patients was associated with worse overall survival (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.40, 95%confidence interval (CI) = 1.05 ~ 1.86, P = 0.020), progression-free survival (HR = 2.05, 95%CI = 1.63 ~ 2.58, P < 0.001), and better recurrence-free survival (HR = 0.37, 95%CI = 0.15 ~ 0.95, P < 0.039). Subgroup analysis implied that STAT3/p-STAT3 overexpression was associated with worse OS in standard treatment (HR = 1.80, 95%CI = 1.06 ~ 3.04, P = 0.030), and in China (HR = 2.18, 95%CI = 1.77 ~ 2.70, P < 0.001), and metaregression analysis indicated countries (P = 0.001) may be the source of heterogeneity in our study. In conclusion, we suggested STAT3/p-STAT3 was associated with poor prognosis in patients with glioma, which indicated that STAT3/p-STAT3 might be a valuable prognostic biomarker and a promising therapeutic target for glioma.

Adiponectin administration prevents weight gain and glycemic profile changes in diet-induced obese immune deficient Rag1-/- mice lacking mature lymphocytes.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is associated with chronic low-grade inflammation leading to insulin resistance and diabetes. Adiponectin is an adipokine that regulates inflammatory responses. The aim of our study was to investigate whether any effects of adiponectin against obesity and insulin-resistance may depend on the adaptive immune system. METHODS: We treated high-fat-diet fed Rag1-/- mice lacking mature lymphocytes with adiponectin over 7weeks and investigated alterations in their metabolic outcome and inflammatory state. RESULTS: Adiponectin protects from weight gain despite a small compensatory stimulation of energy intake in mice lacking an adaptive immune system. Additionally, adiponectin protects from dysglycemia. Minor alterations in the macrophage phenotype, but not in the circulating cytokine levels, may contribute to the protective role of adiponectin against hyperglycemia and diabetes. CONCLUSION: Adiponectin or agents increasing adiponectin may be a promising therapeutic option against obesity and hyperglycemia in immune-deficient populations.

Circulating alanine transaminase (ALT) and γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT), but not fetuin-A, are associated with metabolic risk factors, at baseline and at two-year follow-up: the prospective Cyprus Metabolism Study.

OBJECTIVE: To comparatively evaluate traditional liver tests and fetuin A as predictors of cardiometabolic risk, we studied associations between serum alanine transaminase (ALT), γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and fetuin-A and anthropometric, metabolic, and cardiovascular parameters cross-sectionally at baseline, and prospectively, after 2-years of follow-up. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: 616 randomly enrolled young healthy participants in the Cyprus Metabolism Study, including all 93 subjects who participated in the follow-up study 2 years after baseline assessment, were included in this study. RESULTS: In the cross-sectional study, serum ALT and GGT were strongly correlated with anthropometric, cardiovascular, and metabolic variables, while serum AST was only correlated with waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio. Fetuin-A was correlated with anthropometric variables, systolic blood pressure (SBP), insulin, and homeostasis model of assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in the unadjusted model. In the fully adjusted model, both serum ALT and GGT levels remained positively correlated with total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. GGT levels also remained correlated with triglycerides. ALT levels remained strongly positively correlated with insulin (r=0.17, p<.0001) and HOMA-IR (r=0.16, p=0.0001). Serum fetuin-A levels were no longer significantly correlated with any variables. Prospectively, ALT and GGT were predictors of anthropometric variables and LDL cholesterol, while baseline levels of AST and fetuin-A were not predictors of any variables at 2-year follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: We confirmed associations of ALT and GGT levels but failed to demonstrate an independent association between fetuin-A and cardiometabolic risk factors in young healthy men. Traditional liver tests (LFTs) are thus better than fetuin-A predictors of metabolic risk factors cross-sectionally and prospectively in young healthy adults.

An epidemiological survey of skin damage on the dorsal hand in rural populations in northern and southern China.

To determine the extent of and the contributing factors in skin ageing in the Chinese population, we collected data on 691 participants in northern (high latitude region) and southern China (low latitude region). The skin damage of the participants was graded according to a Beagley-Gibson scoring system based on photographs of the dorsal hand skin. The results revealed that age was an important contributing factor for skin damage. In both regions, the mean skin damage grade increased with age. The mean skin damage grade for the subjects in the low latitude region was significantly higher than that for those in the high latitude region in all of the age groups (P<0.05). There was nearly a 10-year delay before the high latitude region subjects achieved the same degree of hand skin damage as the low latitude region subjects. Lifetime sun exposure was another independent factor that influenced the degree of skin damage. As age increased, the difference in the lifetime sun exposure between the two regions increased, but the difference in the extent of skin damage decreased. Skin damage on the hand may be more affected by sun exposure early in life. Furthermore, female sex and a higher body mass index (i.e., ⩾24.0) were associated with a lower skin damage grade (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 0.54, 95% CI 0.40-0.73 and AOR 0.40, 95% CI 0.25-0.65, respectively). Compared with the subjects who lived at high latitude, those who lived at low latitude had an increased risk of a higher score (5.22; 95% CI, 3.68-7.42).

Solar UV exposure at eye is different from environmental UV: diurnal monitoring at different rotation angles using a manikin.

Solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) promotes pterygium and cataract development in the human eye. When outdoors, people are subject to varying ocular UVR exposure intensity depending on time of day and orientation to the sun. To assess this variability, a manikin eye was exposed to solar UVR at 12 rotation angles relative to the sun with a solar elevation angle (SEA) ranging from 24.6° to 88.2°. At rotation angles of 0°, 30°, and 330°, the diurnal variation of ocular UVR exposure intensity showed a bimodal distribution that peaked at a SEA of about 40°, which was 3 to 4 hr both before and after noon. This timing differed from peak environmental UVR exposure intensity. At the other rotation angles, diurnal variations in ocular UV exposure exhibited unimodal curves, with maximum intensity around noon, the same as for environmental UVR. Thus, the idea that UVR exposure is most intense at midday is true for skin surfaces positioned somewhat horizontally but not for the eyes in a 60° arc with a centerline toward the sun (i.e., ranging 30° clockwise or counter-clockwise from the centerline). Maintaining certain orientations relative to the sun's position (for example, being clockwise or counter-clockwise by 30° from the sun) should effectively reduce ocular UVR exposure, especially at times when the SEA is 40°.

The relationship between the disability prevalence of cataracts and ambient erythemal ultraviolet radiation in China.

In Western countries, ultraviolet (UV)-induced skin cancer has been studied extensively regarding the high incidence of skin cancers in the white population; however, for people of color, cataracts are the main public health issue in relation to increased ambient ultraviolet radiation (UVR). To our knowledge, few studies have been conducted examining the relationship between cataracts and ambient UVR in China. In this study, we aimed to explore the relationship between and the factors influencing the disability prevalence of cataracts and annual ambient erythemal UVR exposure in 31 regions of China. The data used to determine the disability prevalence of cataracts was obtained from the Second China National Sample Survey on Disability. The regional annual erythemal UVR was calculated using Geographic Information System (GIS) methods based on data from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) database. The relationship between the disability prevalence of cataracts and the annual ambient erythemal UVR was examined by using logistic regression. Both the age-standardized disability prevalence of cataracts (OR = 3.97, 95%CI 1.30-12.13, per 100KJ/m(2) increase in annual ambient erythemal UVR) and the disability prevalence of cataracts among a population ≥65 years old (OR = 3.97, 95%CI 1.30-12.13, per 100KJ/m(2) increase in annual ambient erythemal UVR) were higher in association with higher ambient erythemal UVR. Regions with higher urbanization and educational levels had lower disability prevalence of cataracts. We found positive associations of the age-standardized disability prevalence of cataracts and the disability prevalence of cataracts among a population ≥65 years old with ambient erythemal UVR in 31 regions of China.

Ground-based observations of ultraviolet and total solar radiation in Shenyang, northeast China.

OBJECTIVE: This work explores the diurnal variation of Solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) and total solar radiation (TSR) in northeast China, using daily observations of UVR and TSR in Shenyang. METHODS: UVR and TSR measurements were carried out from March 1st, 2006 to December 31st, 2009 in Shenyang, Liaoning province, China (41°51' N, 123°27' E). RESULTS: Both TSR and UVR showed seasonal variation, reaching the highest levels in summer and the lowest in winter. They showed the greatest fluctuation in summer and autumn. The irradiance of TSR and UVR on clear days around the equinoxes and solstices increased substantially compared with the mean seasonal irradiance, especially in autumn. The whole day accumulated dose of UVR in winter was far less than that during the middle part of a summer day (i.e. between 10:00 and 14:00). It was also less than the accumulated summer dose of morning and afternoon (i.e. between 8:00 and 10:00 and 14:00 and 16:00). CONCLUSION: The instant irradiance and daily accumulated amount of UVR are low in Shenyang, especially in autumn and winter. Thus concern about the health effects arising because shortage of UVR in northeast China is warranted.

Circulating lipocalin 2 is associated with body fat distribution at baseline but is not an independent predictor of insulin resistance: the prospective Cyprus Metabolism Study.

OBJECTIVE: Lipocalin 2 (LCN2 or NGAL), a protein derived from neutrophils, macrophages, adipocytes, and other cells, has been proposed to be a link between obesity and insulin resistance (IR), but animal and cross-sectional human studies have revealed conflicting results. We studied the association of serum lipocalin 2 with anthropometric, metabolic, and cardiovascular risk markers in young healthy men cross-sectionally and, for the first time, prospectively after 2 years of follow-up, with and without adjustment for potential confounders including serum creatinine. DESIGN: Two hundred and seventy-two participants were randomly selected from the Cyprus Metabolism Study (1056 men, 18 years), of whom 93 subjects participated in the follow-up study 2 years after baseline assessment. Associations were also explored between total and free leptin levels (to serve as positive controls) and anthropometric metabolic variables. RESULTS: In the cross-sectional study, lipocalin 2 levels were marginally correlated in the unadjusted model with central fat distribution but not with body weight or total body fat mass. After adjusting for age, smoking, activity, body mass index, fat percentage, waist-to-hip ratio, and serum creatinine, no correlation was found with any cardiovascular risk factor. There was no correlation with the homeostasis model assessment of IR (HOMA-IR) at baseline. In the prospective analyses, baseline levels of lipocalin 2 were not predictive of any variables in unadjusted or adjusted models. As expected, total and free leptin were associated with anthropometric and metabolic variables both cross-sectionally and prospectively. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate that lipocalin 2 is not an independent predictor of metabolic and cardiovascular risk factors in young men cross-sectionally or prospectively.

Leptin is an effective treatment for hypothalamic amenorrhea.

Hypothalamic amenorrhea (HA) is associated with dysfunction of the hypothalamic-pituitary-peripheral endocrine axes, leading to infertility and bone loss, and usually is caused by chronic energy deficiency secondary to strenuous exercise and/or decreased food intake. Energy deficiency also leads to hypoleptinemia, which has been proposed, on the basis of observational studies as well as an open-label study, to mediate the neuroendocrine abnormalities associated with this condition. To prove definitively a causal role of leptin in the pathogenesis of HA, we performed a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial of human recombinant leptin (metreleptin) in replacement doses over 36 wk in women with HA. We assessed its effects on reproductive outcomes, neuroendocrine function, and bone metabolism. Leptin replacement resulted in recovery of menstruation and corrected the abnormalities in the gonadal, thyroid, growth hormone, and adrenal axes. We also demonstrated changes in markers of bone metabolism suggestive of bone formation, but no changes in bone mineral density were detected over the short duration of this study. If these data are confirmed, metreleptin administration in replacement doses to normalize circulating leptin levels may prove to be a safe and effective therapy for women with HA.

Soluble leptin receptor and leptin are associated with baseline adiposity and metabolic risk factors, and predict adiposity, metabolic syndrome, and glucose levels at 2-year follow-up: the Cyprus Metabolism Prospective Cohort Study.

We examined the relationship between serum levels of leptin-binding protein (soluble leptin receptor [sOB-R]) and leptin with metabolic parameters at baseline and prospectively at 2-year follow-up in young healthy men. A total of 916 eighteen-year-old men were examined at baseline, with a subgroup of 91 participants examined again 2 years later. Anthropometric and metabolic measurements were performed at baseline and at follow-up. In the cross-sectional study, levels of sOB-R were significantly inversely correlated with all baseline measures of obesity and metabolic risk factors (blood pressure, total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and fasting glucose), and significantly positively correlated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. After correcting for age, smoking status, and waist-to-hip ratio, the inverse correlation remained statistically significant for all measures of adiposity, fasting glucose, and the metabolic syndrome score. Correlations for leptin were similar in magnitude but opposite in direction to correlations for sOB-R. In prospective analyses, baseline levels of sOB-R were predictive at 2-year follow-up of fasting glucose, the metabolic syndrome score, and measures of adiposity in both unadjusted and adjusted models. Similarly, leptin was predictive of fasting glucose, the metabolic syndrome score, adiposity, and systolic blood pressure. We confirm correlations of leptin and sOB-R levels with measures of adiposity and metabolic risk factors at baseline, and demonstrate for the first time prospectively the role of sOB-R as an independent, although weak, predictor of metabolic syndrome and fasting glucose in young men.

Diurnal variations in solar ultraviolet radiation at typical anatomical sites.

OBJECTIVE: Solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation is an important environmental factor that affects human health. The understanding of diurnal variations of UV radiation at anatomical sites may be helpful in developing ways to protect humans from the harmful effects of UV radiation. METHODS: In order to characterize the diurnal variations, the UV exposure values were measured at 30 min intervals by using Solar-UV Sensors and a rotating manikin in Shenyang city of China (41 degrees 51'N, 123 degrees 27'E). Measurement data for four representative days (in each of the four seasons respectively) were analyzed. RESULTS: The diurnal variations in solar UV radiation at the shoulder, the forehead and the chest were similar to those associated with a horizontal control measurement. However, the diurnal variations at the eye and the cheek exhibited bimodal distributions with two peaks in spring, summer and autumn, and a unimodal distribution in winter. The UV exposure peaks at the eye and the cheek were measured at solar elevation angles (SEA) of about 30 degrees and 40 degrees , respectively. CONCLUSION: The protection of some anatomical sites such as the eye from high UV exposure should not be focused solely on the periods before and after noon, especially in the places and seasons with high SEA.

[Study on water processing conditions of Realgar].

OBJECTIVE: To optimize the water processing (shui-fei) condition of Realgar. METHODS: The processing conditions were optimized by L9 (3)4 orthogonal design with three factors as water dose, process times and dryness temperature. The content of dissolved arsenic As(III) in Realgar was tested by High Performance Liquid Chromatography-hydride generation on-line coupled with atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HPLC-HG-AFS). RESULTS: The optimized conditions were 15 times quantity of water, 8 times for processing and dryness temperature of 40 degrees C. CONCLUSION: The method is accurate and effective,which can be used to evaluate the quality of processed products of Realgar.

Occurrence of fumonisin B(1) in corn from the main corn-producing areas of China.

Fumonisin B(1) (FB(1)) is the most abundant of the fumonisin mycotoxins, mainly produced in maize by F. verticillioides and F. proliferatum. A total of 282 corn samples harvested in 2005 from six provinces, the main corn-producing areas of China, were analyzed for FB(1) using high-performance liquid chromatography. All samples except one were (99.6%) positive for FB(1) at levels varying from 3 to 71,121 ng/g with mean and median levels for all samples of 6,662 and 1,569 ng/g, respectively. During an analysis of the distribution pattern for FB(1), it became apparent that 43.6% of tested samples had FB(1) concentrations below 1,000 ng/g, while 25.2% contained in excess of 5,000 ng/g. The average exposure to FB(1) (1.1 microg/kg body weight/day) is within the provisional maximum tolerable daily intake of 2 microg/kg body weight/day set by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives.

[Development of monoclonal antibody against fumonisin B1 and ELISA-kit of quantitative analysis for fumonisin B1].

OBJECTIVE: To detect the contamination level of fumonisin B1 in grain, and to develop rapid detection kit that possess patent of China. METHODS: Hybridoma cell line excreting monoclonal antibody against fumonisin B, was produced using B cell hybridoma technique and develop a rapid, sensitive, quantitative ELISA-kit for detection fumonisin B1. RESULTS: The monoclonal antibody used in the ELISA-kit were tested for subtype as IgG1 and its affinity constant was 8.3 x 10(-8) mol/L. The monoclonal antibody obtained in the present study was highly specific to fumonisin B1 , because no cross reactions between the monoclonal antibodies against fumonisin B1 with the analogues of fumonisin B, were found. The limited concentration of the ELISA-kit was 5 ng/ml, linear range was 50-500 ng/ml, the linear equation was Y = -0.582 x +1.793( = 0.99, P < 0.05). The recovery rate of maize on the level of 50n g/ml, 200 ng/ml and 500 ng/ml was among 71.89%-112.95%. The kit can be stored at normal tempertature in ten months at least. The coefficient of variant winthin-laboratory and between-laboratory was less than 20%.

[Study on occupational respiratory diseases in fur-processing workers].

OBJECTIVE: To study the respiratory system injury in fur processing environment. METHODS: Environmental fungal survey was conducted in the fur processing procedures. Investigation of respiratory symptoms and chest X-ray examination were also carried out in 138 fur processing workers and 40 control workers. At the same time, the serum antibodies to fungi were analyzed by ELISA. RESULTS: Fungal number(629-3,681 cfu/m3) in fur processing procedures was much higher than those in the control environment. Cladosporium and Alternaria were the leading strains of fungi in fur processing procedures. The rates of respiratory symptoms(cough, sputum, chest tightness, dyspnea, and fever) in fur processing workers were higher than those in the control workers. The rates of the symptoms in female workers were 37.9%, 28.4%, 10.5%, 22.1%, 4.2%, respectively. Abnormalities of chest X ray were found in 7 workers. The serum antibodies to Cladosporium and Alternaria(A450 nm 0.631, 0.724, respectively) in fur workers were significantly higher than those in the control workers(P < 0.05). The positive rates of the antibodies to Cladosporium and Alternaria(44.2%, 42.8%) were significantly higher than those in the control workers(P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Cladosporium and Alternaria may be the pathogens of occupational respiratory diseases in fur processing workers.