Scientific approaches to AIDS prevention and control in China

The HIV epidemic in China started among intravenous drug users in the late 1980s. The second wave of the epidemic was caused by an outbreak in the paid plasma donors in central China in the mid-1990s. Sexually transmitted HIV cases have steadily increased and comprised more than half the reported HIV/AIDS infections since 2007. In the last 5 years, there has been a sharp increase of HIV infection in men who have sex with men. The HIV epidemic in China has expanded from high-risk groups to the general population and from rural regions to urban areas. This brief article discusses the history of HIV epidemics in China and the challenges facing the current AIDS control efforts in the country. It explains that only scientific approaches can sustain the national AIDS control programs and introduce the type of research needed to address those challenges. The selected research areas include molecular epidemiology, drug resistance surveillance, and the Chinese HIV vaccine research.     

Hyaluronan Up‐Regulates IL‐10 Expression in Fibroblast‐Like Synoviocytes from Patients with Tibia Plateau Fracture

Progression to osteoarthritis (OA) is a frequent sequela of severe articular fracture, particularly when weight‐bearing joints are involved. Prevention from post‐traumatic OA remains a challenge. Hyaluronan (HA) therapy is reported to represent a safe and effective treatment for patients with OA and rheumatoid arthritis. However, the capacity of HA to prevent the occurrence of osteoarthritic changes in fractured joints has not been demonstrated. The present study was undertaken to examine the effects of HA on expression of six OA‐related proteins in fibroblast‐like synoviocytes (FLS) from 10 patients with tibia plateau fracture. OA‐related factors were quantified using a sandwich enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Regardless of induction of the FLS with interleukin (IL)‐1β, HA was found to down‐regulate expression of catabolic factors (IL‐1β, matrix metalloproteinase‐3, and tumor necrosis factor‐α) and to up‐regulate production of anti‐catabolic factors (tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase‐1 and metalloproteinase‐2). HA also enhanced expression of IL‐10, an anti‐inflammatory cytokine, in FLS. Our results indicated that HA can promote the expression of both antiinflammatory and structure‐protective factors in FLS of patients with tibia plateau fracture. © 2010 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 29:495–500, 2011     

阴茎背根神经阻滞在男性儿童导尿困难中的应用探讨（附20例报告）

目的：探讨男性儿童在尿道外括约肌无法松弛而致导尿困难时应用阴茎背根神经阻滞（DPNB）的临床价值。方法：回顾性分析总结20例导尿困难的男性儿童应用1％利多卡因进行DPNB的经验。导尿过程中患儿的疼痛程度用Oucher量表评估。结果：20例患儿均为尿道外括约肌的无法松弛而致导尿管插入困难者,应用DPNB后,均导尿成功。背根神经阻滞后,患儿在导尿过程中较麻醉前疼痛减少（P〈0．05）。平均操作时间8（6～12）min。导尿过程以及导尿后无并发症。结论：虽然DPNB并非男性儿童导尿时的常规操作,但尿道外括约肌紧张所致导尿困难时应用DPNB安全有效。     

Intravitreous injection of bevacizumab for chronic central serous chorioretinopathy

Background/PurposeTo evaluate the effect of intravitreal bevacizumab on subretinal fluid absorption in patients with chronic central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR).Materials and methodsThis was a retrospective case series study. Patients with CSCR symptoms for > 3 months and who received intravitreal injection of bevacizumab were included. Ocular examinations were carried out at baseline and every follow-up visit, including visual acuity, fundus examination, and optic coherence tomography.ResultsTwelve eyes in 12 patients were included in this study. One month after injection, three of the 12 patients who had increased central macular thickness were considered nonresponders. Nine of the 12 patients who had decreased central macular thickness were considered to have responded to intravitreal bevacizumab injection. The response rate was 75%. In the response group, the mean central macular thickness significantly decreased, from 306.7 ± 77.8 μm to 204.3 ± 59.3 μm (p = 0.001) at 1 month. The mean Logarithm of the Minimum Angle of Resolution (logMAR) visual acuity was significantly improved from 0.72 ± 0.35 to 0.50 ± 0.28 (p = 0.008). Six of these nine patients had stable conditions lasting > 6 months. Three of them had recurrence.ConclusionIntravitreal bevacizumab injections improved subretinal fluid absorption in some patients with CSCR. It could be an alternative therapy for patients with CSCR, especially when they are not suitable for other treatments.     

Apoptosis induced by preoperative oral 5′-DFUR administration in gastric adenocarcinoma and its mechanism of action

AIM: To study the apoptosis induced by preoperative oral 5'-DFUR administration in gastric adenocarcinoma and its mechanism of action. METHODS: Sixty gastric cancer patients were divided randomly into three groups (20 each group) before operation: group one:5'-DFUR oral administration at the dose of 800-1200 mg/d for 3 - 5 d, group two: 500 mg 5-FU + 200 mg/d CF by venous drip for 3 - 5 d,group three (control group). One or two days after chemotherapy, the patients were operated. Fas/FasL,PD-ECGF and PCNA were examined by immunohistochemistry and apoptotic tumor cells were detected by in situ TUNEL method. Fifty-four patients received gastrectomy, including 12 palliative resections and 42 radical resections. Six patients were excluded. Finally 18 cases in 5'-DFUR group, 16 cases in CF+5-FU group, and 20 cases in control group were analyzed. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in patient mean age, gender, white blood cell count, haematoglobin (HB),thromboplastin, perioperative complication incidence, radical or palliation resection, invasion depth (T), lymphonode involvement (N),metastasis (M) and TNM staging among the three groups. However,the PCNA index (PI) in 5'-DFUR group (40.51+/-12.62) and 5-FU+CF group (41.12+/-15.26) was significantly lower than that in control group (58.33+/-15.69) (F=9.083, P=0.000). The apoptotic index (AI) in 5'-DFUR group (14.39+/-9.49) and 5-FU+CF group (14.11+/-9.68)was significantly higher than that in control group (6.88+/-7.37) (F=4.409, P=0.017).The expression rates of Fas and FasL in group one and group three were 66.7% (12/18) and 50% (9/18), 43.8% (7/16) and 81.3% (13/16), 45.0% (9/20) and 85% (17/20), respectively. The expression rate of FasL in 5'-DFUR group was significantly lower than that in the other two groups (chi2=6.708, P=0.035). Meanwhile, the expression rate of PD-ECGF was significantly lower in 5'-DFUR group (4/18,28.6%) than in CF+5-FU group(9/16,56.3%)and control group (13/20,65.0%) (chi2=7.542, P=0.023). The frequency of Fas expression was significantly correlated with palliative or radical resection (chi2=7.651, P=0.006), invasion depth (chi2=8.927, P=0.003), lymphatic spread (chi2=4.488, P=0.034) and UICC stages (chi2=8.063, P=0.045) respectively. By the end of March 2005,45 patients were followed up. The 0.5-, 1-, 2-, 3-year survival rates were 96%,73%,60%,48%, respectively, which were related with T, N, M and Fas expression, but not with PD-ECGF and FasL expression. CONCLUSION: Preoperative oral 5'-DFUR administration may induce apoptosis of gastric carcinoma cells and decrease tumor cell proliferation index,but cannot improve the prognosis of patients with gastric cancer.Down-regulation of FasL and PD-ECGF expression mediated by 5'-DFUR may be one of its anti-cancer mechanisms.Fas expression correlates with the progression of gastric carcinoma and may be an effective prognostic factor.     

碘与甲状腺疾病的研究进展

世界卫生大会1991年提出了在2000年底全球实现消除碘缺乏病的目标。世界卫生组织(WHO)和国际控制碘缺乏病理事会(ICCIDD)推荐以普遍食盐加碘(USI)为主要策略以实现消除碘缺乏病。1999年WHO宣布在患有碘缺乏病的130个国家中,包括中国等15个国家率先达到了消除碘缺乏病的目标。但     

The persistence of depressive symptoms in older workers who experience involuntary job loss: results from the health and retirement survey

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between involuntary job loss among workers nearing retirement and long-term changes in depressive symptoms. METHODS: Analyzing data from the first four waves (1992-1998) of the Health and Retirement Survey, we used longitudinal multiple regression in order to assess whether involuntary job loss between Wave 1 and Wave 2 was associated with depressive symptoms at Wave 3 and Wave 4. The study sample included 231 workers who had experienced job loss in the Wave 1-Wave 2 interval and a comparison group of 3,324 nondisplaced individuals. We analyzed the effect of job loss on depressive symptoms both in the full study sample and in subsamples determined by wealth. RESULTS: Among individuals with below median net worth, Wave 1-Wave 2 involuntary job loss was associated with increased depressive symptoms at Wave 3 and Wave 4. We found no effect of involuntary job loss for high net worth individuals at the later survey waves. DISCUSSION: Our findings identify older workers with limited wealth as an important group for which the potential effect of involuntary job separation in the years preceding retirement is ongoing (enduring) adverse mental health.