Prevalence of stroke and associated risk factors among middle-aged and older farmers in western China.

Objectives: China has the world's largest population and the stroke has become the leading cause of death in recent years. The purpose of this study was to explore the associations between hypertension, family history of stroke, diabetes mellitus, obesity and stroke among middle-aged and older farmers of western China. A population-based study was conducted from June 2014 to April 2015 in Shaanxi and Sichuan provinces.

Clinical significance of detecting circulating tumor cells in colorectal cancer using subtraction enrichment and immunostaining-fluorescence in situ hybridization (SE-iFISH).

Circulating tumor cells (CTC) are useful in early detection of colorectal cancer. This study described a newly developed platform, integrated subtraction enrichment and immunostaining-fluorescence in situ hybridization (SE-iFISH), to assess CTCs in colorectal cancer. CTCs were detected by SE-iFISH in 40 of 44 preoperative colorectal cancer patients, and yielded a sensitivity of 90.

Functional characterization of quinolone-resistant mechanisms in a lab-selected Salmonella enterica typhimurium mutant.

Correlation has been widely accepted between quinolone resistance and topoisomerase point mutations in quinolone resistance determination regions (QRDRs). Acquirement of point mutations in QRDRs usually increases the microbial resistance to both nalidixic acid and fluoroquinolones. The quinolone-resistant mechanisms accumulated in a lab-selected mutant were characterized through the construction of isogenic mutants using phage λ Red recombinase system and phage P22.