[Epigenetic mechanism of obesity-induced male infertility].

Epigenetic changes induced by obesity can lead to male infertility phenotype. As for the relationship between obesity and male infertility, early studies mostly focused on the endocrine aspect. Recent studies have found that obesity can cause epigenetic changes, such as DNA methylation, residual histone modification, small RNA, etc, affecting sperm maturation and development. DNA methylation is a regulatory marker on cytosine residue of cytosine-phosphate-guanine dinucleotide. Obesity leads to abnormal DNA methylation, changes mRNA expression abundance, affects imprinted gene expression induses imprinted gene diseases. The modification methods of residual histones include methylation, acetylation, etc. They can interact or cooperate to ensure the normal growth and development of sperm. Obesity changes methylase and acetylase activities and directly affects methylation and acetylation of residual histones, and the expression of micro-RNAs in sperm as well, consequently causing sperm defects. This article reviews epigenetic changes caused by obesity and the mechanism of male infertility.

Mycosis fungoides patient accompanied actinic keratosis, actinic keratosis with squamous cell carcinoma transformation, and porokeratosis after NBUVB therapy - 1st case report and review of the literature.

INTRODUCTION: Mycosis fungoides (MF) is the most common form of primary cutaneous T cell lymphoma. Narrowband ultraviolet B light (NBUVB) is used increasingly in treating MF because of its good toleration and well-established management. CONCERNS: To discuss the risk factors and underlying pathogenic factors in the patients with secondary skin diseases after NBUVB therapy. METHODS: We report in details the first case of a patient with MF accompanied with actinic keratosis (AK), AK with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) transformation and porokeratosis after NBUVB therapy. Meanwhile, Sequence variants in tumor suppressor p53 gene in the patient's specimens were detected. A literature search of the key word "narrowband ultraviolet B light "and "side effects" was performed on PubMed, 14 cases of this entity were found. A total of 15 patients including our case were reviewed in this study and meaningful conclusion could be drawn. OUTCOMES: The mean age at diagnosis of secondary skin dermatoses after NBUVB therapy was 62.08 years with a male to female ratio of 2:1. The cases were reported more in Europeans than in Asians (2.75:1), and the Fitzpatrick skin type was mainly Ito III (12/15). The mean cumulative number and cumulative dose of UVB treatments were 43.71 and 42, 400 (mJ/cm), respectively. There was a positive relationship between Fitzpatrick skin type and cumulative dose of UVB treatments. Among the secondary skin diseases after NBUVB treatment, 12 were tumors, 2 were non-tumorous dermatoses. Only our patient presented with both. By polymerase chain reaction-single nucleotide polymorphism (PCR-SNP) analysis, C-G mutation of exon 4 of p53 was found in AK and MF specimens in our patient. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, our case is the first MF patient accompanied with AK, AK with SCC transformation and Porokeratosis after NBUVB treatment. Lower Fitzpatrick skin type may be the risk factor of secondary skin diseases after NBUVB treatment.

Relationship Between Clinical and Immunological Features with Magnetic Resonance Imaging Abnormalities in Female Patients with Neuropsychiatric Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

BACKGROUND: Conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the preferred neuroimaging method in the evaluation of neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus (NPSLE). The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between clinical and immunological features with MRI abnormalities in female patients with NPSLE, to screen for the value of conventional MRI in NPSLE. METHODS: A total of 59 female NPSLE patients with conventional MRI examinations were enrolled in this retrospective study. All patients were classified into different groups according to MRI abnormalities. Both clinical and immunological features were compared between MRI abnormal and normal groups. One-way analysis of variance was used to compare the systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index (SLEDAI) score for MRI abnormalities. Multivariate logistic regression analysis investigated the correlation between immunological features, neuropsychiatric manifestations, and MRI abnormalities. RESULTS: Thirty-six NPSLE patients (61%) showed a variety of MRI abnormalities. There were statistically significant differences in SLEDAI scores (P < 0.001), incidence of neurologic disorders (P = 0.001), levels of 24-h proteinuria (P = 0.001) and immunoglobulin M (P = 0.004), and incidence of acute confusional state (P = 0.002), cerebrovascular disease (P = 0.004), and seizure disorder (P = 0.028) between MRI abnormal and normal groups. In the MRI abnormal group, SLEDAI scores for cerebral atrophy (CA), cortex involvement, and restricted diffusion (RD) were much higher than in the MRI normal group (P < 0.001, P = 0.002, P = 0.038, respectively). Statistically significant positive correlations between seizure disorder and cortex involvement (odds ratio [OR] = 14.90; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.50-151.70; P = 0.023) and cerebrovascular disease and infratentorial involvement (OR = 10.00; 95% CI, 1.70-60.00; P = 0.012) were found. CONCLUSIONS: MRI abnormalities in NPSLE, especially CA, cortex involvement, and RD might be markers of high systemic lupus erythematosus activity. Some MRI abnormalities might correspond to neuropsychiatric manifestations and might be helpful in understanding the pathophysiology of NPSLE.

Different immunology mechanisms of Phellinus igniarius in inhibiting growth of liver cancer and melanoma cells.

To assess inhibition mechanisms of a Phellinus igniarius (PI) extract on cancer, C57BL/6 mice were orally treated with PI extractive after or before implanting H22 (hepatocellular carcinoma ) or B16 (melanoma) cells. Mice were orally gavaged with different doses of PI for 36 days 24h after introduction of H22 or B16 cells. Mice in another group were orally treated as above daily for 42 days and implanted with H22 cells on day 7. Then the T lymphocyte, antibody, cytokine, LAK, NK cell activity in spleen, tumor cell apoptosis status and tumor inhibition in related organs, as well as the expression of iNOS and PCNA in tumor tissue were examined. The PI extract could improve animal immunity as well as inhibit cancer cell growth and metastasis with a dose-response relationship. Notably, PI's regulation with the two kinds of tumor appeared to occur in different ways, since the antibody profile and tumor metastasis demonstrated variation between animals implanted with hepatocellular carcinoma and melanoma cells.

[Application of artificial neural network to diagnosis of prostate cancer].

Prostatic carcinoma is the fifth most common cancer in the world and the second most common in men. It is quite important to early detect and diagnose prostate cancer to reduce the mortality. With the increasing of the diagnosis and treatment tasks of prostate cancer and the development of medical techniques, more and more clinical and lab examinations, biopsy and medical imaging techniques are included in the diagnosis of prostate cancer. Although these examination results are supplement to each other, there are contradictions among them at the same time. Artificial neural networks (ANNs) which can perform multifactorial analysis based on computational methodologies have been widely used in the prognosis of prostate cancer. The current application of ANNs is reviewed.

[Cloning and expression of a new glucoamylase gene].

According to the reported gene sequence of Rhizopus oryzae glucoamylases, the glucoamylase gene containing four introns was cloned from the total DNA of the natural Rhizopus arrhizu. Specific primers were designed to delete introns by overlapping PCR and a new cDNA sequence of Rhizopus arrhizu glucoamylase was obtained. The accession number in gene bank is DQ903853. This gene is successfully expressed in the Picha pastoris, producing a new protein with a high activity of glucoamylase.