[Analysis on individual dosage monitoring of some interventional radiology staffs in Tianjin City from 2016 to 2020]

Objective: To investigate the individual external dose level of some interventional radiology staffs from 2016 to 2020 in Tianjin City. Methods: All 2068 interventional radiology staffs who were included in the work of the Radiation Monitoring Project from 2016 to 2020 were selected as study subjects in March 2021. The individual dose monitoring results of interventional radiology staffs of different ages, working years, time and medical institutions were analyzed. Results: Among 2068 interventional radiology workers, 1406 (67.99%) were male and 662 (32.01%) were female. The age was 44.6 (39.2, 50.3) years, and the working years was 10.5 (4.3, 14.6) years. The annual effective doses per capita of 40-49 age group and ≥50 age group were higher than that of 30-39 age group (P<0.05) . The annual effective dose per capita of 5-9 working years was higher than that of <5 working years, and the annual effective dose per capita of 10-29 working years was higher than that of 5-9 working years (P<0.05) . The median per capita annual effective dose of the interventional radiology staffs was 0.164 mSv. There were 1976 interventional radiology staffs with an annual effective dose of <0.50 mSv/a (95.6%) . The collective dose distribution ration SR(0.5) was 41.1%. The difference of effective dose per capita in each year was statistically significant (H=19.23, P<0.05) . The per capita annual effective dose of interventional radiology staffs in tertiary medical institutions was higher than that in secondary medical institutions, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05) . Conclusion: The personal dose of interventional radiology staffs in Tianjin City is at a low level. It is necessary to emphasize the radiation hazard protection of interventional radiology staffs in tertiary medical institutions, 40-49 years old, ≥50 years old age groups and 5-9, 10-29 working years groups.

Local Brand Smoking Among Adult Smokers: Findings from the Wave 5 International Tobacco Control China Survey — China, 2015

What is already known about this topic?

Branding of cigarettes may play a role in shaping the smoking behaviors of Chinese smokers, and local brand (LB) cigarettes may reflect this influence because of greater tax and non-tax incentives compared to non-LB. Some of these brands are regional flagships that market to smokers using local landmarks or icons.

What is added by this report?

LB brands were significantly more likely to be the usual brand of smokers residing in provincial-level administrative divisions (PLADs) that produced their own LB cigarettes [adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 30.95; 95% confidence interval (CI): 26.36–36.49] compared to those residing in PLADs that had non-local ventures with non-LB cigarettes. Further, smokers residing in urban areas were found to be less likely to smoke LB cigarettes (AOR: 0.79; 95% CI: 0.67–0.93) compared to those in rural areas.

What are the implications for public health practice?

These findings suggest that LB smoking may be a result of industry-driven incentives to boost LB sales, fueled by such as supply-side strategies to boost LB sales or targeted cultural/social marketing that appeals to certain demographic groups. Although addressing these incentives to support LBs would be challenging given the nature of China’s tobacco industry, doing so would have potential to reduce cigarette smoking and ultimately the health burden of smoking in China.

Spatial variation of the soil bacterial community in major apple producing regions of China

AIMS

In China, apple production areas are largely from the coastal to inland areas and across varied climate zones. However, the relationship among soil micro-organisms, environmental factors and fruit quality has not been clearly confirmed in orchards. Here we attempted to identify the variation of soil bacteria in the main apple producing regions and reveal the relationship among climatic factor, soil properties, soil bacterial community and fruit quality.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Sixty soil samples were collected from six main apple producing areas in China. We examined the soil bacteria using bacterial 16S rRNA gene amplicon profiling. The results show that the soil bacterial diversity of apple orchards varied from the Bohai Bay Region to the Loess Plateau Region. Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria and Actinobacteria were the predominant taxa at the phylum level for all six areas. In the Bohai Bay and the Loess Plateau region, which are the two largest apple producing areas, Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria had the highest relative abundance, respectively. Furthermore, soil bacterial diversity showed positive correlation with the mean annual temperature (MAT), soil organic matter (SOM) and pH. Excluding a direct effect on the apple fruit quality, MAT exerted an indirect influence through soil SOM and pH to alter the relative abundance of dominant taxa and shift the bacterial diversity, which affects the apple fruit titratable acids and soluble solids.

CONCLUSIONS

Geographic variables underlie apple orchard soil bacterial communities vary according to spatial scale. Environmental factors exert an indirect effect on apple fruit quality via shaping soil bacterial community.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

This study provides a list of bacteria associated with environmental factors and the ecological attributes of their interactions in apple orchards, which will improve our ability to promote soil bacterial functional capabilities in order to reduce the fertilizer input and enhance the fruit quality.

[Investigation and analysis of work-related occupational musculoskeletal disorders and associated risk factors of manufacturing workers]

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of Work-related musculoskeletal disorders(WMSDs) and identify associated risk factors and provide evidence of taking measures for prevention. Methods: By Cluster sampling, 1 920 employees of 35 manufacturing enterprises were selected as study subjects from May to December 2017. The questionnnaire were including population characteristics、related factors of ergonomics、job burnout、insomnia and WMSDs. Results: The prevalence of waist was the highest among 9 body parts, with 52.0%, followed by the prevalence of neck 50.6%, more than 1 muscle diseases were by the prevalence of 74.7%. Single factor analysis showed that different levels of labor intensity, daily standing time (h) , daily sitting time(h) , daily bending time (h) , daily lifting of 5kg object time (h) group waist disease and prevalence of more than one musculoskeletal disease were different, The difference was statistically sig- nificant (P<0.05). More than 5 years of working year, labor intensity of Class III, daily bending time ≥2 h, depression, disorders (P<0.05). life satisfaction, job burnout, and insomnia are all risk factors for waist and musculoskeletal. The daily sitting time ≥2 h and the high life satisfaction were protective factors for waist and WMSDs (P<0.05). Conclusion: The prevalence rate of WMSDs among manufacturing workers is strong, and Manager should take the aspects of ergonomics and psychological factors meassure to reduce WMSDs, These meassure were including increasing sitting time, reducing bending time.

In Situ Measurement of Vacuum Window Birefringence using 25Mg+ Fluorescence

Accurate control of the polarization states of laser light is important in precision measurement experiments. In experiments involving the use of a vacuum environment, the stress-induced birefringence effect of the vacuum windows will affect the polarization states of laser light inside the vacuum system, and it is very difficult to measure and optimize the polarization states of the laser light in situ. The purpose of this protocol is to demonstrate how to optimize the polarization states of the laser light based on the fluorescence of ions in the vacuum system, and how to calculate the birefringence of vacuum windows based on azimuthal angles of external wave plates with Mueller matrix. The fluorescence of ²⁵Mg⁺ ions induced by laser light that is resonant with the transition of |3²P3/2,F = 4, mF = 4 → |3²S1/2,F = 3, mF = 3 is sensitive to the polarization state of the laser light, and maximum fluorescence will be observed with pure circularly polarized light. A combination of half-wave plate (HWP) and quarter-wave plate (QWP) can achieve arbitrary phase retardation and is used for compensating the birefringence of the vacuum window. In this experiment, the polarization state of the laser light is optimized based on the fluorescence of ²⁵Mg⁺ ion with a pair of HWP and QWP outside the vacuum chamber. By adjusting the azimuthal angles of the HWP and QWP to obtain maximum ion fluorescence, one can obtain a pure circularly polarized light inside the vacuum chamber. With the information on the azimuthal angles of the external HWP and QWP, the birefringence of the vacuum window can be determined.

A simple method for in situ measurement of vacuum window birefringence

We present a simple method to measure the degrees of circular polarization (DoCP) of laser light inside a vacuum chamber and the birefringence of a vacuum window by detecting the fluorescence emitted by Doppler cooled ions in an ion trap. Imperfect laser polarization will cause ions to be pumped to the dark state which will decrease the fluorescence rates of the ions. With a simulation based on the rate equations of the relevant energy levels of ²⁵Mg⁺ ions, we find that the fluorescence rate is sensitive to the DoCP of the laser. Based on the simulation result, we present a new method to optimize the DoCP of the laser inside the vacuum chamber by adjusting fast axis azimuthal angles of a half-wave plate and a quarter-wave plate outside the vacuum chamber. The laser light is optimized to be circularly polarized with an uncertainty of the DoCP of 7.8 × 10^-5. With the obtained polarization information on both sides of the vacuum window and treating the vacuum window as an unknown wave plate, the phase delay and the fast axis azimuthal angle of the vacuum window can be determined in the form of Mueller matrix. The phase delay is determined to be 197.60(39)°, and the fast axis azimuthal angle is determined to be 104.00(5)°.

Expression of profilin-1 in endothelial cells of rats with acute myocardial infarction

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the expression of profilin-1 in endothelial cells of rats with acute myocardial infarction.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Twenty adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into the myocardial infarction (model) group (n=10) and sham-operation (control) group (n=10). The expression of profilin-1 and phosphorylated extracellular signal kinase (pERK1/2) in aortic endothelial cells, indexes of endothelial injury [levels of endothelial microparticles (EMPs) and nitric oxide (NO)], indexes of myocardial injury [cardiac troponin T (cTnT) and creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB)], and mRNA levels of myocardial apoptotic factors (P53, Fas, Bax, and Bcl-2) in rats between the two groups were compared.

RESULTS

The expression of profilin-1 and pERK1/2 in aortic endothelial cells of rats in the model group was higher than in the control group (p<0.05), the levels of EMPs were increased, and NO levels were lower (p<0.05); cTnT and CK-MB in myocardial tissue, and mRNA of pro-apoptotic factors (P53, Fas, and Bax) were increased, whereas Bcl-2 mRNA was decreased (p<0.05). The protein expression of profilin-1 and pERK1 was positively correlated with the levels of cTnT, CK-MB, EMP, P53, Fas, and Bax, and negatively correlated with the levels of NO and Bcl-2 (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The high expression of profilin-1 is an important mechanism of acute myocardial infarction, and is expected to become a new target for the treatment of myocardial infarction.

Single-Molecule FRET to Measure Conformational Dynamics of DNA Mismatch Repair Proteins

Single-molecule FRET measurements have a unique sensitivity to protein conformational dynamics. The FRET signals can either be interpreted quantitatively to provide estimates of absolute distance in a molecule configuration or can be qualitatively interpreted as distinct states, from which quantitative kinetic schemes for conformational transitions can be deduced. Here we describe methods utilizing single-molecule FRET to reveal the conformational dynamics of the proteins responsible for DNA mismatch repair. Experimental details about the proteins, DNA substrates, fluorescent labeling, and data analysis are included. The complementarity of single molecule and ensemble kinetic methods is discussed as well.

A new cyclic RGD peptide dimer for integrin αvβ3 imaging

OBJECTIVE

To design a new Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) peptide that can specifically bind integrin αvβ3 and evaluate the possibility of using 131I-labeled peptide for imaging αvβ3-positive tumors.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The structure of the RGD monomer was selected using V-life software. Based on the RGD monomer, a dimer of cyclic RGD [c(RGD)2] linked by Tyr-(D)Ser-Lys-(D)Ser-Ser with a Gly-Gly-(D)Ala-Gly side chain on the lysine residue was synthesized. 131I-c(RGD)2 was synthesized using the chloramine-T (ChT) method, and the octanol-water partition coefficient was experimentally measured. To evaluate its binding affinity and selectivity, its equilibrium dissociation constant (Kd) with U87 MG glioma cells was measured in vitro, while whole body imaging and biodistribution were assessed in vivo in mice bearing U87 MG xenografts.

RESULTS

The optimal structure of the monomer was cyclic [-Cys-Arg-Gly-Asp-(D)Ser-Cys-]. The 131I-c(RGD)2 molecule exhibited good stability and was highly hydrophilic. The Kd value was (3.87 ± 0.05) × 10(-9) M, suggesting a high αvβ3-binding affinity and specificity. The tumors were clearly visualized at 3 and 6 h post-injection. Biodistribution data of the 131I-c(RGD)2 molecule showed rapid clearance from the blood and predominant accumulation in the tumor and kidney. The tumor-to-normal tissue (T/NT) ratio increased over time. At 24 h post-injection, the tumor-to-liver, tumor-to-muscle, and tumor-to-blood ratios were 4.92, 4.29, and 5.00, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that the 131I-c(RGD)2 molecule may serve as a promising tracer for the detection of αvβ3-positive tumors.

Prediction of virological response by pretreatment hepatitis B virus reverse transcriptase quasispecies heterogeneity: the advantage of using next-generation sequencing

Prediction of antiviral efficacy prior to treatment remains largely unavailable. We have previously demonstrated the clinical value of on-treatment hepatitis B virus (HBV) reverse transcriptase (RT) quasispecies (QS) evolution patterns. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the relevance for prediction of pretreatment HBV RT QS characteristics by comparing the performance of next-generation sequencing (NGS) and clone-based Sanger sequencing (CBS). Thirty-six lamivudine-treated patients were retrospectively studied, including 18 responders and 18 non-responders. CBS and NGS data of pretreatment serum HBV were used to generate RT QS genetic complexity and diversity scores, according to our previous studies. The ability of both methods to predict responsiveness was evaluated with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. A cut-off value was generated on the basis of prediction ability. Responders had significantly higher pretreatment RT QS genetic complexity and diversity (in the first two parts, which overlapped with the S gene, at both the nucleotide and amino acid levels) than non-responders by NGS-based testing. NGS-based algorithms predicted response better than CBS in the ROC curve analysis. The mean distance of the second contig had the highest area under the curve (AUC) value. When the cut-off value was set to 0.007186, the difference between survival curves was significant (p 0.0090). Pretreatment HBV RT QS heterogeneity in the overlapping region of the RT and S genes could be a predictor of antiviral efficacy. NGS improves the predictions of virological outcomes relative to CBS algorithms. This may have important implications for the clinical management of subjects chronically infected with HBV.

Radioactive iodine labeling of monoclonal antibody against Hsp90α and its use in diagnostic imaging in prostate cancer xenograft model

OBJECTIVE

Heat shock protein (Hsp90) resides exclusively in the cytosol in normal cells, but is activated and then removes to the cell surface in tumor cells. The detecting upregulation or activation of Hsp90 is an early indicator of malignant behavior of cancer cells. Hsp90 has emerged as an important target for diagnosis or therapy of prostate cancer. In this study, we labeled Hsp90α specific monoclonal antibody (Hsp90α-mAb) with radioiodine Na131I and investigated its potential usage in diagnostic imaging of prostate tumor in xenograft mice model.

METHODS

Hsp90α-mAb was radioiodinated by using chloramine-T. The radiolabeling efficiency and radiochemical purity were assessed in vitro. 131I-Hsp90α-mAb was then injected into the nude mice bearing human prostate carcinoma. The planar gamma Imaging was performed at 3, 6, 9 and 12 h after injection.

RESULTS

The radiochemical purity of 131I-Hsp90α-mAb exceeded 95% after purification. This radiolabeled mAb was stable in human blood serum. In planar gamma imaging study, the prostate tumors in mice model were imaged clearly at 3h after injection of 131I-Hsp90α-mAb.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest that 131I-HSP90α-mAb could be a new promising molecular probe for diagnostic imaging of prostate tumors.

Alcohol ingestion and colorectal neoplasia: a meta-analysis based on a Mendelian randomization approach

AIM

Observed associations of alcohol with colorectal cancer are prone to distortion by confounding and reverse causation. A Mendelian randomization approach provides an unbiased estimate of the association using the aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) variant as a surrogate of alcohol exposure.

METHOD

A meta-analysis was performed to assess the association between the ALDH2 genotype and colorectal neoplasia, using the ALDH2 genotype as a marker of alcohol intake.

RESULTS

The pooled odds ratio (OR) of colorectal neoplasia was 1.31 (95%CI, 1.01-1.70) for the Glu/Glu vs the Lys/Lys genotype. There was no evidence of interstudy heterogeneity (P = 0.12, I² = 42.7). The overall risk for Glu/Lys heterozygotes relative to Lys/Lys homozygotes (under a fixed-effects model) was 1.13 (95%CI, 0.86-1.48). There was no evidence of publication bias for Glu/Glu or Glu/Lys analysis.

CONCLUSION

The result supports the role of alcohol in colorectal carcinogenesis based on a Mendelian randomization approach.

Prevalence of donor-specific anti-HLA antibodies during episodes of renal allograft rejection

BACKGROUND

Recent studies suggest that the appearance of anti-HLA antibodies in the early posttransplant period is associated with an increased incidence of acute and chronic rejection months later. However, very little is known about the prevalence of anti-HLA antibodies at the time that the rejection episodes are diagnosed. The purpose of this study was to analyze retrospectively 420 sera from 263 renal allograft recipients who were readmitted to the hospital for any reason between 1989 and 1998 in order to determine if a correlation existed between the presence of donor-specific anti-HLA antibodies and graft rejection.

METHODS

Sera were assayed for IgG HLA class I and II antibodies by ELISA. The ELISA results were analyzed using contingency tables with Fisher's exact test and compared with mismatched antigens in the donor.

RESULTS

Antibodies to donor HLA class I molecules in the posttransplant sera were extremely rare, occurring in only 6 of the 420 sera (1.4%) analyzed. Antibodies to donor class II antigens were slightly more common, occurring in 25 of the 420 sera (6%). In 21 of these 25 cases (84%), the presence of donor-specific HLA class II antibodies was associated with episodes of either acute (n=14) or chronic rejection (n=7). Five patients had antibodies to both class I and class II donor antigens, and all five of them lost their grafts to rejection.

CONCLUSION

Although the presence of donor-specific HLA antibodies presented a significant risk for acute or chronic rejection, 77% of all acute and chronic rejections occurred in patients without detectable HLA antibodies.

Suppression of human IL-1beta, IL-2, IFN-gamma, and TNF-alpha production by cigarette smoke extracts

BACKGROUND

Although cigarette smoking is known to have detrimental effects on the immune system, the nature of the immunosuppressive agent or agents is poorly understood.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effects of cigarette smoke extracts from high-tar (unfiltered Camel), medium-tar (Marlboro), and low-tar (Carlton) cigarettes on the in vitro production of IL-1beta, IL-2, IFN-gamma, and TNF-alpha.

METHODS

The concentrations of hydroquinone and catechol in cigarette smoke extracts were determined by using HPLC. Human PBMCs were treated with cigarette smoke extracts, hydroquinone, or catechol, and stimulated with anti-CD3 and phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate. Cytokine levels in the supernatants were quantified by ELISA.

RESULTS

Pretreatment of PBMCs with cigarette smoke extracts derived from a single high- or low-tar cigarette suppressed the production of IL-1beta, IL-2, IFN-gamma, and TNF-alpha by greater than 90% without significant loss of cell viability. Nicotine, at a concentration comparable with that found in the highest-tar cigarettes (200 microg/mL), suppressed the production of IL-2, IFN-gamma, and TNF-alpha by only 21% to 38%. Catechol (50 micromol/L) inhibited production of IL-2 and IL-1beta by 62% to 73% but had little effect on TNF-alpha or IFN-gamma production. In contrast, hydroquinone inhibited the production of all 4 cytokines with IC(50) values ranging from 3 micromol/L(IL-1beta) to 29 micromol/L (IFN-gamma). However, HPLC determination of the hydroquinone concentrations in cigarette smoke extracts from single Camel (33+/-4 micromol/L), Marlboro (13+/-2 micromol/L), and Carlton (<1 micromol/L) cigarettes clearly demonstrated that the potent inhibitory effects of the low-tar cigarettes could not be accounted for by either hydroquinone or catechol.

CONCLUSION

These studies indicate that cigarette smoke contains potent inhibitors of cytokine production, at least one of which is present even in low-tar cigarettes.

Stimulation of CD8+ T cell responses to MAGE-3 and Melan A/MART-1 by immunization to a polyvalent melanoma vaccine

A critical requirement for cancer vaccines is that they stimulate CD8+ T cell responses. In this study, we tested the ability of a polyvalent melanoma vaccine to induce CD8+ T cell responses to the melanoma associated antigens MAGE-3 and Melan A/MART-1. Fifteen HLA-A2+ patients with resected malignant melanoma were immunized with the vaccine s.c. every 2-3 weeks. CD8+ T cells in peripheral blood reacting to HLA-A2 restricted epitopes on MAGE-3 (FLWGPRALV) and Melan A/MART-1/(AAGIGILTV) were quantitated using a filter spot assay at baseline and following 4 immunizations. Vaccine immunization induced CD8+ T cells reacting to one or both of these peptides in 9 of the 15 (60%) patients. These cells were CD8+ and HLA-A2 restricted, as reactivity was abrogated by monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to CD8 and class I HLA, but not by anti-CD4. All responding patients remained recurrence-free for at least 12 months (median 15 months, range 12 to >21 months), whereas melanoma recurred within 3-5 months in non-responders. The differences in outcome were unrelated to differences in disease severity or overall immunological competence between responders and non-responders. Our results demonstrate directly that MAGE-3 and Melan A/MART-1 can stimulate CD8+ T cell responses in humans, and suggest that these responses are protective and surrogate markers of vaccine efficacy.

[Improvement on bilateral cleft lip repair]

The deformity of the bilateral cleft lip is complicated. The routine procedure often results in secondary deformities, such as over-tight lip, and over-thin vermilion. The paper introduces a modified straight-line procedure that has been used in 16 patients with satisfactory results. This one-stage procedure employed a nasolabial flap and two small triangular flaps to lessen the tension of sutrue and lengthen the anterior lip as well as create a natural feature of the vermillion border. The method overcame imperfection of routine ones and achieved functional repair of the lip that would facilitate the development of the columella and anterior lip.

Immunochemical and molecular analysis of antigen binding to lipid anchored and soluble forms of an MHC independent human alpha/beta T cell receptor

We have constructed antigen-specific chimeric human T cell receptor (TCR) molecules deleted of the transmembrane domain and containing the signal sequence for the biosynthesis of the phosphatidyl inositol glycan (GPI) linkage. These membrane-anchored forms of the TCR alpha and beta chains have been expressed in non-T cells, and they are recognized by alpha or beta TCR specific monoclonal antibodies. We have utilized both immunochemical methods and flow cytometry to prove that the enzyme phosphatidylinositol phospholipase C (PI/PLC) is able to cleave the GPI anchored TCR as a heterodimer from the CHO cell surface. We have demonstrated that the alpha/beta TCR heterodimer on the surface of CHO cells will recognize and bind polymers containing fluorescein (FL-polymer), and the binding activity is completely eliminated by the enzyme, PI/PLC. Moreover, soluble forms of the alpha/beta heterodimer will bind tightly to FL substituted sepharose, which demonstrates the retention of biological activity by the TCR after solubilization. Molecular modelling of the putative antigen binding site of the alpha FL beta FL TCR was derived from the known atomic coordinates of eight different hapten or peptide specific antibodies. Mutagenesis of several residues predicted from the model to be important in FL binding gave results consistent with involvement of Ig equivalent CDR2 and CDR3 domains in the antigen binding pocket. Therefore, using a model hapten system in studying recognition of the TCR independent of MHC interactions, we conclude that amino acid residues located in similar positions within CDR domains as compared to the case of MHC restricted TCR recognition are used in the binding of either hapten or peptide antigens.

Major histocompatibility complex independent T cell receptor-antigen interaction: functional analysis using fluorescein derivatives

We have isolated T cell receptor (TCR) cDNAs from fluorescein (FL)-specific human T cell clones (alpha FL beta FL), and transferred them to TCR beta- Jurkat cells in order to study direct FL-binding to the TCR. Using either FL-conjugated polymers (FL-polymer) or FL-substituted Sepharose beads, we are able to demonstrate the direct binding of antigen to the T cell surface, and the functional activation of the T cell transfectants. We present evidence against the involvement of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules or antigen presentation in the interaction of FL with the alpha FL beta FL transfectants. Additionally, we have examined the effect of ring substitutions on the FL molecule as well as specific alterations of substituents attached to the 5' position, and we have found that all of them interfere with the functional recognition of the alpha FL beta FL TCR. These experiments demonstrate that TCRs like antibodies have intrinsic affinities for antigen, even without the involvement of MHC molecules.