Association Between Polymorphisms of IL-23/IL-17 Pathway and Clinical Phenotypes of Autoimmune Thyroid Diseases.

Background: Several autoimmune and inflammatory disorders, including autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD), have been linked to Th17 cells and the IL-23/IL-17 axis. Current data suggest that genetic variation contributes greatly to disease susceptibility to AITD.

Objectives: To study the role of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of IL-23/IL-17 pathway in AITD predisposition and test the gene-gene/gene-sex interactions in these loci.

A Controlled Study of Continuous Lumbar Drainage of Fluid and Lumbar Puncture Drainage for Aneurysmal SAH after Intracranial Aneurysm Clipping.

Objective: To analyze the different effects of Continuous Lumbar Drainage of fluid and lumbar puncture drainage for aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) after intracranial aneurysm clipping.

Method: Seventy-five patients with aneurysmal SAH who underwent aneurysm clipping were retrospectively analyzed and were divided into two groups according to the different postoperative drainage methods. The lumbar spine group received lumbar puncture drainage, and the lumbar cistern group received lumbar pool continuous drainage to compare the efficacy.

Identifying and Validating Differentially Methylated Regions in Newly Diagnosed Patients with Graves' Disease.

This research used combined bioinformatic methods to identify differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in newly diagnosed patients with Graves' disease (GD). Peripheral blood from six GD patients and controls was collected and methyl-DNA immunoprecipitation (MeDIP), and NimbleGen Human DNA Methylation 3 × 720 K promoter plus CpG island microarrays were further analyzed. DMRs were categorized into low-methylated genes and high-methylated genes, which were mapped into a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network constructed by a dataset.

Polymorphisms in MIR499A and MIR125A gene are associated with autoimmune thyroid diseases.

Background: Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the miR-146a, miR-499a and miR-125a have been shown to be associated with the susceptibility to several autoimmune diseases. This study was conducted to identify the association of SNPs rs2910164, rs57095329, rs3746444 and rs12976445 with autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITDs) in a Chinese Han population.

Methods: We enrolled 1061 patients with AITDs, including 701 patients with Graves' disease (GD) and 360 patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT), and 938 healthy individuals for a case-control genetic association study.

Soil-Transmitted Helminths in Southwestern China: A Cross-Sectional Study of Links to Cognitive Ability, Nutrition, and School Performance among Children.

Background: Empirical evidence suggests that the prevalence of soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections in remote and poor rural areas is still high among children, the most vulnerable to infection. There is concern that STH infections may detrimentally affect children's healthy development, including their cognitive ability, nutritional status, and school performance. Medical studies have not yet identified the exact nature of the impact STH infections have on children.

[Effect of Yoga on cancer related fatigue in breast cancer patients with chemotherapy].

Objective: To evaluate the condition of cancer-related fatigue (CRF) in breast cancer patients with chemotherapy and to explore the effect of Yoga on it.

Methods: After the completion of Yoga, 100 breast cancer patients with CRF (CFS>0) were selected and were randomly divided into the Yoga group and the control group (n=50). Patients in the control group only received routine cure and care while patients in the Yoga group received extra Yoga exercise, lasting for 4 months.

[Soil-transmitted nematode infection of children and its influencing factors in poverty-stricken areas in two provinces of southwest China].

Objective: To understand the infection status and the main risk factors of soil-transmitted nematodes in children in the poverty-stricken areas of Guizhou Province and Sichuan Province, so as to provide the evidences for making suitable control strategies in these areas.

Methods: A total of 95 villages and 6 primary schools in 6 poor counties in the two provinces were selected as investigation sites according to the stratified random sampling method. Eleven preschool children aged 3-5 years in each sample village and 11 school children aged 8-10 years in each sample school were chose as investigation objectives, their feces were collected and examined by Kato-Katz technique.

[Enterobius vermicularis infection status among children in 9 provinces/autonomous regions/municipalities of China].

Objective: To investigate the infection status of Enterobius vermicularis among children in 9 Provinces/Autonomous regions/Municipalities (P/A/M) of China, and analyze its risk factors.

Method: From April to December 2011, one provincial capital (prefecture-level city) and one county (city, district) were chosen as investigation spots from Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Chongqing, Sichuan, Zhejiang, Fujian, Anhui and Guizhou, respectively. Children aged 2 to 12 were examined by using adhesive cellophane anal swab with round-bottom tube.

[Correlation between soil-transmitted nematode infections and children's growth].

Objective: To understand the infection status of soil-transmitted nematodes in southwest China and the correlation between soil-transmitted nematode infections and children's growth.

Methods: The prevalence of soil-transmitted nematode infections was determined by Kato-Katz technique, and in part of the children, the examination of Enterobius vermicularis eggs was performed by using the cellophane swab method. The influencing factors were surveyed by using a standardized questionnaire.

Fuzzy nonlinear proximal support vector machine for land extraction based on remote sensing image.

Currently, remote sensing technologies were widely employed in the dynamic monitoring of the land. This paper presented an algorithm named fuzzy nonlinear proximal support vector machine (FNPSVM) by basing on ETM(+) remote sensing image. This algorithm is applied to extract various types of lands of the city Da'an in northern China.

Epidemiological profile of Clonorchis sinensis infection in one community, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.

Background: Clonorchiasis caused by ingesting improperly prepared fish ranks among the most important but still neglected food-borne parasitic diseases, especially in the People's Republic of China (P.R. China).

Relationship between cancer-related fatigue and personality in patients with breast cancer after chemotherapy.

Background: This study aimed to explore the relationship between cancer-related fatigue (CRF) and personality in patients with breast cancer after chemotherapy.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to study the relationship between CRF and personality in breast cancer patients after chemotherapy. CRF and personality were measured by the cancer fatigue score and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, respectively.

Soil-transmitted helminth infections and correlated risk factors in preschool and school-aged children in rural Southwest China.

We conducted a survey of 1707 children in 141 impoverished rural areas of Guizhou and Sichuan Provinces in Southwest China. Kato-Katz smear testing of stool samples elucidated the prevalence of ascariasis, trichuriasis and hookworm infections in pre-school and school aged children. Demographic, hygiene, household and anthropometric data were collected to better understand risks for infection in this population.

[Investigation on prevalence of soil-transmitted nematode infections and influencing factors for children in southwest areas of China].

Objective: To understand the infection status and main risk factors of soil-transmitted nematodes in southwest China so as to provide the evidence for making the control programs for soil-transmitted nematodiasis.

Methods: The prevalence of soil-transmitted nematode infections was determined by Kato-Katz technique and influencing factors were surveyed by using a standardized questionnaire, and in part of the children, the examination of Enterobius vermicularis eggs was performed by using the cellophane swab method. The relationship between soil-transmitted nematode infections and influencing factors was analyzed by the multiple probit estimated method.

[Effect of ancylostomiasis control in 6 demonstration plots of parasitic disease comprehensive control].

Objective: To analyze the effect of ancylostomiasis control in 6 demonstration plots of parasitic disease comprehensive control, so as to provide the evidence for formulating the prevention and control measures of ancylostomiasis in the future.

Methods: According to the drugs and deworming schemes, the 6 demonstration plots (counties) were divided into 4 groups, namely A1 (Tunchang in Hainan Province and Danling in Sichuan Province), A2 (Tongcheng in Anhui Province and Yueyang in Hunan Province), B (Guixi in Jiangxi Province), C (Rongxian in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region) groups. The infection rates of hookworm before and after the comprehensive control in the 6 counties were compared, and the costs of reducing one infected case and 1% of infection rate were calculated.

[Analysis of influencing factors of Trichuris trichiura infection in demonstration plots of comprehensive control of parasitic diseases].

Objective: To understand the main risk factors of Trichuris trichiura infection in plots carrying out the integrated control of parasitic diseases.

Methods: The simple and multiple unconditional logistic regression were applied to analyze related data from the database of baseline survey in demonstration plots carrying out the integrated control of parasitic diseases.

Results: The results of simple logistic regression analysis suggested that the effects of 7 factors to Trichuris trichiura infection were significant (all P values were less than 0.

Disability weight of Clonorchis sinensis infection: captured from community study and model simulation.

Background: Clonorchiasis is among the most neglected tropical diseases. It is caused by ingesting raw or undercooked fish or shrimp containing the larval of Clonorchis sinensis and mainly endemic in Southeast Asia including China, Korea and Vietnam. The global estimations for population at risk and infected are 601 million and 35 million, respectively.

Tanghinigenin from seeds of Cerbera manghas L. induces apoptosis in human promyelocytic leukemia HL-60 cells.

Tanghinigenin, a cardiac glycoside, is isolated from the seeds of Cerbera manghas L. In this study, we demonstrated that tanghinigenin reduced the viability of human promyelocytic leukemia HL-60 cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner, and efficiently induced apoptosis in HL-60 cells as evidenced by the Annexin V/PI binding assay, DNA fragmentation and AO/EB staining studies. In addition, stimulation of HL-60 cells with tanghinigenin induced a series of intracellular events including the activation of caspase-3, -8, and -9, as well as up-regulation of Fas and FasL protein level.

Renierol from marine sponge Haliclona.SP.: a natural inhibitor of xanthine oxidase with hypouricemic effects.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the inhibitory effect of renierol, extracted from marine sponge Halicdona.SP., on xanthine oxidase (XO) and its hypouricemic effect in vivo.