Nutrients Other than Selenium Are Important for Promoting Children's Health in Kashin-Beck Disease Areas.

Overall nutritional status has been proved associated with people's health. The overall nutritional status of children in Kashin-Beck disease (KBD) areas has been overlooked for decades. Therefore, it is worth investigating in the current generation to gather evidence and make suggestions for improvement.

Is It the Appropriate Time to Stop Applying Selenium Enriched Salt in Kashin-Beck Disease Areas in China?

We aimed to identify significant factors of selenium (Se) nutrition of children in Kashin-Beck disease (KBD) endemic areas and non-KBD area in Shaanxi Province for providing evidence of whether it is the time to stop applying Se-enriched salt in KBD areas. A cross-sectional study contained 368 stratified randomly selected children aged 4-14 years was conducted with 24-h retrospective questionnaire based on a pre-investigation. Food and hair samples were collected and had Se contents determined with hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry.

Gene expression signature in endemic osteoarthritis by microarray analysis.

Kashin-Beck Disease (KBD) is an endemic osteochondropathy with an unknown pathogenesis. Diagnosis of KBD is effective only in advanced cases, which eliminates the possibility of early treatment and leads to an inevitable exacerbation of symptoms. Therefore, we aim to identify an accurate blood-based gene signature for the detection of KBD.

Gene expression analysis suggests bone development-related genes GDF5 and DIO2 are involved in the development of Kashin-Beck disease in children rather than adults.

Objective: To investigate the differences in gene expression between children and adults with Kashin-Beck disease (KBD).

Methods: 12 children with KBD and 12 healthy children were selected and divided into 4 KBD vs. control pairs matched according to age and gender, with each pair having 3 KBD children and 3 healthy children.

Mitochondrial-related gene expression profiles suggest an important role of PGC-1alpha in the compensatory mechanism of endemic dilated cardiomyopathy.

Keshan disease (KD) is an endemic dilated cardiomyopathy with unclear etiology. In this study, we compared mitochondrial-related gene expression profiles of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) derived from 16 KD patients and 16 normal controls in KD areas. Total RNA was isolated, amplified, labeled and hybridized to Agilent human 4 × 44k whole genome microarrays.

Comparing gene expression profiles of Kashin-Beck and Keshan diseases occurring within the same endemic areas of China.

In this study, differentially expressed genes in peripheral blood from patients with Kashin-Beck disease and Keshan disease were compared to further investigate the etiology and pathogenesis of both diseases, which occur in a common endemic area of China. Twenty Kashin-Beck disease patients and 12 healthy controls, and 16 Keshan disease patients and 16 healthy controls, were grouped into four pairs. Patients and controls were selected from common endemic areas for the two diseases.

Synthesis and characterization of selenium-chondroitin sulfate nanoparticles.

A novel selenium-chondroitin sulfate (SeCS) was synthesized by ultrasonic and dialysis method. With characterization by FTIR, XRD and TEM, the SeCS was found to form nanoparticles in distilled water through a self-aggregation progress. The SeCS nanoparticles had sizes between 30 and 200 nm with selenium entrapment efficiency of about 10.

[The change of certain biochemical indexes and apotosis protein (Fas/FasL) expression in rat liver of selenium and iodine deficiency].

Objective: To investigate the effect of selenium (Se) and iodine (I) deficiency on certain biochemical indexes and apotosis protein (Fas/FasL) expression.

Method: Healthy SD rats were divided into 4 groups at random, including control group, Se deficient group, I deficient group and both Se and I deficient group.The rats in each group were given different man-made feeds containing different levels of Se and I to breed.

[Detection of serum PICP and PINP and COL1alpha1 DNA sequence analysis in patients with arsenic poisoning in Dazhuyuan Town, Ankang area in southern Shaanxi Province].

Objective: To investigate type I collagen metabolism in patients with arsenic poisoning in Dazhuyuan town, Ankang area in southern Shaanxi province known for high-level exposure to arsenic (As), fluoride (F) and selenium (Se).

Methods: This case-control study involved 29 patients with arsenic poisoning from Dazhuyuan, a town in Ankang area of Shaanxi province affected by coal-borne endemic arsenicosis. Thirty individuals without arsenic poisoning from Chang'an county of Xi'an city were included as the control group.

[Dynamic observation on the relationship between the Keshan disease incidence and some element in internal and external environment in Shanxi Province].

Objective: To observe the dynamic changes of condition in Keshan Disease (KSD) and trace element in internal and external environment.

Methods: Based on the standard of KSD surveillance and diagnosis, surveillances site of KSD was set up in Huangling country and all local residents were listed as surveillance subjects. Dynamic changes of condition in KSD were observe.

[Organic gallium improves tretinoin-induced osteoporosis in rats].

Objective: To investigate the effect of organic gallium and gallium chloride on bone metabolism and their therapeutic effect against tretinoin-induced osteoporosis in rats.

Methods: Rat models of osteoporosis was established with intragastric administration of tretinoin at the daily dose of 85 mg/kg for 15 days and randomized into control, organic gallium and gallium chloride groups. After administration of the corresponding treatments (none for the control group) for 4 weeks, the changes of the indices for osteoporosis were evaluated through biochemical and pathological approaches.

[Analysis of risk factors of skin lesions from burning high-arsenic-contaminating coal in southern Shanxi Province].

Objective: To explore risk factors of the patients with skin lesions from burning high-arsenic-contaminated coal in southern Shanxi Province.

Methods: An epidemiological cross-sectional study was conducted in two villages of Hanbin District, Ankang City, Shanxi Province, where 198 participants were randomly selected. The parts of factors which were not significantly different were rejected via the single variable analysis and the collinear relationships were removed between the other factors using principal components analysis, and then the major risk factors of the skin lesions from burning high-arsenic-contaminated coal were obtained from stepwise logistic regression.