Comorbidity increases the risk of pulmonary tuberculosis: a nested case-control study using multi-source big data.

Background: Some medical conditions may increase the risk of developing pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB); however, no systematic study on PTB-associated comorbidities and comorbidity clusters has been undertaken.

Methods: A nested case-control study was conducted from 2013 to 2017 using multi-source big data. We defined cases as patients with incident PTB, and we matched each case with four event-free controls using propensity score matching (PSM).

Paired-related homeobox 1 induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition in oesophageal squamous cancer.

Background: It is unclear that paired-related homeobox 1 (PRRX1) induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in oesophageal cancer and the specific function of PRRX1 in oesophageal cancer metastasis.

Aim: To assess the significance of PRRX1 expression and investigate the mechanism of EMT in oesophageal cancer metastasis.

Methods: Detect the expression of PRRX1 by immunohistochemistry in oesophageal tumour tissues and adjacent normal oesophageal tissues; the PRRX1 short hairpin RNA (shRNA) or blank vector lentiviral gene delivery system was transfected into cells; cell proliferation assay, soft agar colony formation assays, cell invasion and migration assays and animal studies were used to observe cells biological characteristics and ; XAV939 and LiCl were used to alter the activity of Wnt/β-catenin pathway.

[Zexie Decoction regulates Akt/TFEB signaling pathway to promote lipophagy in hepatocytes].

Taking lipophagy as the breakthrough point, we explored the mechanism of Zexie Decoction(ZXD) in improving lipid metabolism in the hepatocyte model induced by palmitic acid(PA) and in the animal model induced by high-fat diet(HFD) on the basis of protein kinase B(Akt)/transcription factor EB(TFEB) signaling pathway. Co-localization was carried out for the microtubule-associated protein light chain 3(LC3) plasmid labeled with green fluorescent protein(GFP) and lipid droplets(LDs), and immunofluorescence co-localization for liver LC3 of HFD mice and perilipin 2(PLIN2). The results showed that ZXD up-regulated the expression of LC3, reduced lipid accumulation in hepatocytes, and increased the co-localization of LC3 and LDs, thereby activating lipo-phagy.

Profile and dynamics of infectious diseases: a population-based observational study using multi-source big data.

Background: The current surveillance system only focuses on notifiable infectious diseases in China. The arrival of the big-data era provides us a chance to elaborate on the full spectrum of infectious diseases.

Methods: In this population-based observational study, we used multiple health-related data extracted from the Shandong Multi-Center Healthcare Big Data Platform from January 2013 to June 2017 to estimate the incidence density and describe the epidemiological characteristics and dynamics of various infectious diseases in a population of 3,987,573 individuals in Shandong province, China.

Incidence trend and disease burden of seven vaccine-preventable diseases in Shandong province, China, 2013-2017: Findings from a population-based observational study.

Introduction: Although vaccines provide a cost-effective solution to vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs), the disease burden of VPDs is still very high in most parts of the world.

Methods: A population-based observational study was conducted in Shandong province, China, from 2013 to 2017, giving an insight into the epidemiological characteristics and disease burden of seven VPDs. The incidence trend was estimated using the regression model.

Infectious diseases among elderly persons: Results from a population-based observational study in Shandong province, China, 2013-2017.

Background: The health of the elderly is one of the major challenges in today's ageing society. However, research on infectious diseases among the elderly is limited. This study aimed to describe the epidemiological characteristics and dynamics of infectious diseases among the elderly population aged ≥60 years in Shandong province, China.

Associations of air pollutants with pneumonia hospital admissions in Qingdao, China: a prospective cohort study.

Studies about the pneumonia morbidity effects of various air pollution exposure are still limited in China. We aimed to explore the short-term effect of air pollutants exposure on pneumonia admission and identify the vulnerable groups in Qingdao, China. From January 2015 to October 2017, a prospective cohort involving 433,032 participants across 3 counties in Qingdao were enrolled in the study.

LncRNA-cCSC1 promotes cell proliferation of colorectal cancer through sponging miR-124-3p and upregulating CD44.

LncRNA-cCSC1 is highly expressed in colorectal cancer (CRC). The study was designed to evaluate the function and mechanism of lncRNA-cCSC1 in cell proliferation of CRC. RT-PCR was used to measure the expression levels of lncRNA-cCSC1 in CRC cell lines.

Epidemic and control of COVID-19 in Niger: quantitative analyses in a least developed country.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is challenging the public health response system worldwide, especially in poverty-stricken, war-torn, and least developed countries (LDCs).

Methods: We characterized the epidemiological features and spread dynamics of COVID-19 in Niger, quantified the effective reproduction number ( ), evaluated the impact of public health control measures, and estimated the disease burden.

Results: As of 4 July 2020, COVID-19 has affected 29 communes of Niger with 1093 confirmed cases, among whom 741 (67.

Impacts of transportation and meteorological factors on the transmission of COVID-19.

The ongoing pandemic of 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is challenging global public health response system. We aim to identify the risk factors for the transmission of COVID-19 using data on mainland China. We estimated attack rate (AR) at county level.

Metabolomics and Lipidomics Profiling in Asymptomatic Severe Intracranial Arterial Stenosis: Results from a Population-Based Study.

No data are available on the serum metabolomics and lipidomics profiles of people with asymptomatic intracranial arterial stenosis. We explored the characteristic metabolites of individuals with asymptomatic severe intracranial arterial stenosis (asICAS) using untargeted serum metabolomics and lipidomics analyses based on ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-HRMS). This case-control study included 25 participants with asICAS and 25 age- and sex-matched controls free of asICAS, who were all diagnosed by using magnetic resonance angiography and derived from the same population-based study.

Apolipoprotein E Facilitates Amyloid-β Oligomer-Induced Tau Phosphorylation.

Hyperphosphorylated tau is one of the key characteristics of Alzheimer's disease (AD), and tau pathology correlates with cognitive impairment in AD better than amyloid-β (Aβ) pathology. Thus, a complete understanding of the relevant factors involved in tau phosphorylation is important for AD treatment. APOEɛ4, the strongest genetic risk factor for AD, was found to be involved in tau pathology in frontotemporal dementia.

Sestrin 2 suppresses cells proliferation through AMPK/mTORC1 pathway activation in colorectal cancer.

Sestrin 2 is a conserved antioxidant protein that reduces reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inhibits mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1). We previously showed that sestrin 2 is abnormally decreased in colorectal cancer (CRC). To elucidate the molecular mechanism behind the potential contribution of sestrin 2 to CRC, we used a lentiviral expression vector system to determine the effects of sestrin 2 overexpression on human CRC cells.

Lifespan Risk Exposure Measurement Instrument: a Feasible and Effective Tool for Life Course Epidemiology Research.

Life course epidemiology should practically illustrate how risk exposures and their dynamic changes influence the occurrence, development and prognosis of chronic diseases from early life to the elderly. This paper develops the lifespan risk exposure measurement instrument (LREMI) in the framework of retrospective study to collect lifestyle, diet, physical activity information across subjects'life courses from 18-years-old to current age. Through a pilot study, the result of the test-retest analysis demonstrated the reliability of LREMI.

Peroxiredoxin 2 is associated with colorectal cancer progression and poor survival of patients.

The present study was to investigate the clinical significance of peroxiredoxin 2 (PRDX2), an oncoenzyme, in the development and progression of colorectal cancer(CRC).We found levels of PRDX2 mRNA and protein were higher in CRC cell lines than in normal human colonic epithelial cells. PRDX2 expression was significantly up-regulated in CRC lesions compared with that in the adjacent noncancerous tissues.

Association between serum γ-glutamyltransferase and chronic kidney disease in urban Han Chinese: a prospective cohort study.

Purpose: Limited numbers of literatures have focused on the association between γ-glutamyltransferase (GGT) and chronic kidney disease (CKD), and their results were controversial. Therefore, in this study, we set up a large-scale cohort of Chinese population to discover and verify the association between serum GGT and CKD.

Methods: Our cohort study was based on 21,818 patients who visited Health Management Center of Shandong Provincial Hospital, China, to receive routine health check-up during the period of 2005-2010, and we used multivariate Cox regression model to clarify whether elevated serum GGT increased the risk of CKD or not.

Decreased expression of sestrin 2 predicts unfavorable outcome in colorectal cancer.

Sestrin 2 is a conserved antioxidant protein that is involved in p53‑dependent antioxidant defenses and protects cells against oxidative stresses. The present study was conducted to examine the expression of sestrin 2 in colorectal cancer (CRC) and investigate a possible relationship between sestrin 2 expression and prognosis in CRC. The expression of sestrin 2 in human CRC tissues and cell lines was evaluated by immunohistochemical or immunofluorescent staining and western blot analysis.

PEG-liposomal oxaliplatin combined with nuclear factor-κB inhibitor (PDTC) induces apoptosis in human colorectal cancer cells.

To achieve sufficient antitumor activity for colorectal carcinoma, optimization of the therapeutic regimen is of great importance. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of polyethylene glycol (PEG)-liposomal oxaliplatin (L-OHP) on the induction of apoptosis in human colorectal cancer SW480 cells and how the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathway may contribute to mediating PEG-liposomal L-OHP-induced apoptosis. PEG-liposomal L-OHP was prepared and used to treat colorectal cancer SW480 cells.

High expression of CASK correlates with progression and poor prognosis of colorectal cancer.

Calcium/calmodulin-dependent serine protein kinase (CASK), which localizes at cell-cell adhesion sites and binds to the heparan sulfate proteoglycan syndecan-2, is involved in cell proliferation, cytoskeletal remodeling, and cell migration. To demonstrate the role of CASK in colorectal cancer (CRC) carcinogenesis, we examined the expression of CASK and its binding protein syndecan-2 in human CRC tissues. The expression of CASK was measured in CRC specimens and the controls from adenomas and normal mucosae by immunohistochemical staining and Western blot analysis.

[Analysis of infrared spectra of 60 kinds of plant extract of traditional Chinese medicine and study on the identification and evaluation of characteristics of the regional markers associated with cold and heat nature].

By using the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and linear discriminant analysis (LDA), logistic discriminant analysis (Logistic-DA), principal component analysis-linear discriminant analysis (PCA-LDA), partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM), infrared spectra of 60 kinds of plant extract of Chinese traditional medicine were analyzed and the identification and evaluation of characteristics of the regional markers associated with cold and heat nature were studied. Results indicated that LDA and SVM are suitable for the recognition model of water extract infrared spectral data, LDA is suitable for the identification model of anhydrous ethanol extract infrared spectral data, SVM is suitable for the identification model of chloroform extract infrared spectral data, while petroleum ether extract group recognition effect is not ideal. According to the suitable characteristic parameters identification model, data were analyzed by infrared spectroscopy, and parameters and resistance characteristics of the traditional Chinese drug composition can be obtained.

[Effects of chlorogenic acid on the viability and HIF-1alpha mRNA expression of PC12 cells exposed to hypoxia].

Objective: To investigate the effects of chlorogenic acid on the viability and HIF-1alpha mRNA expression of PC12 cells exposed to hypoxia.

Methods: PC12 cells were cultured in trigas incubator in order to establish the hypoxic condition. The effects of chlorogenic acid on the cells were evaluated by morphological observation, cell viability and LDH release assays as well as the examination of mRNA expression level of HIF-1alpha.

Liposomal delivery and polyethylene glycol-liposomal oxaliplatin for the treatment of colorectal cancer (Review).

Oxaliplatin is effective for the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer; however, its application is restricted due to its dose-limiting toxicity. Liposomes are sphere-shaped vesicles consisting of one or more phospholipid bilayers. Liposomes as drug carriers are characterized by delayed release, lesion targeting and may be used as a drug-delivery system to decrease the side effects of cytotoxic drugs.

[Pattern recognition for traditional Chinese medicine nature of 60 kinds of herbal medicine based on high performance capillary electrophoresis fingerprint].

Objective: To establish signature pattern recognition model of cold-hot nature of herbal medicine.

Methods: High performance capillary electrophoresis fingerprints of 60 kinds of herbal medicine (30 kinds of cold, 30 of hot) were established, features of wavelength were screened, 6 analysis methods such as linear discriminant analysis (LDA), logistic discriminant analysis (Logistic-DA), principal component and linear discriminant analysis (PCA-LDA), partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), random forest (RF) and support vector machine (SVM) were used to establish and evaluate recognition model of cold-hot nature after data processing.

Results: SVM was proved to be a suitable means of recognition model of herbal medicine cold-hot nature based on data of HPCE fingerprints.

Spatio-temporal evolution on geographic boundaries of HFRS endemic areas in Shandong Province, China.

Objective: To take effective strategies and measures for the prevention and control of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) endemic areas by investigating its dynamic geographical boundaries in Shandong Province, China.

Methods: The incidence of HFRS from 1982 to 2008 in Shandong Prvince, China, was detected with inverse distance weighting (IDW) interpolation based on geographical information system (GIS). Dynamic geographical boundaries of HFRS endemic areas in Shandong Province, China, were analyzed by geographical boundary analysis.

[Genetic polymorphisms of 15 X-STR loci in Shandong Han population].

Objective: To investigate the genetic polymorphisms of 15 X-STR loci in Shandong Han population in order to establish the forensic application database.

Methods: The multi-PCR primers of these loci were designed by Primer Premier 5.0 software and labeled by 4 fluoresceins (FAM, VIC, NED and TET).