Single nucleotide polymorphisms in TNFSF15 confer susceptibility to Crohn's disease

The inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis, are chronic inflammatory disorders of the digestive tract. The pathogenesis of IBD is complicated, and it is widely accepted that immunologic, environmental and genetic components contribute to its etiology. To identify genetic susceptibility factors in CD, we performed a genome-wide association study in Japanese patients and controls using nearly 80,000 gene-based single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers and investigated the haplotype structure of the candidate locus in Japanese and European patients. We identified highly significant associations (P = 1.71 x 10(-14) with odds ratio of 2.17) of SNPs and haplotypes within the TNFSF15 (the gene encoding tumor necrosis factor superfamily, member 15) genes in Japanese CD patients. The association was confirmed in the study of two European IBD cohorts. Interestingly, a core TNFSF15 haplotype showing association with increased risk to the disease was common in the two ethnic groups. Our results suggest that the genetic variations in the TNFSF15 gene contribute to the susceptibility to IBD in the Japanese and European populations.     

Recombinant Helicobacter bilis Protein P167 for Mouse Serodiagnosis in a Multiplex Microbead Assay

Infection of mice with Helicobacter bilis is widespread in research and commercial mouse colonies. Therefore, sensitive, specific, and high-throughput assays are needed for rapid and accurate testing of mice in large numbers. This report describes a novel multiplex assay, based on fluorescent microbeads, for serodetection of H. bilis infection. The assay requires only a few microliters of serum to perform and is amenable to a high-throughput format. Individual microbead sets were conjugated to purified, H. bilis-specific, recombinant proteins P167C and P167D and bacterial membrane extracts from H. bilis and Helicobacter hepaticus. For detecting H. bilis infection in the microbead multiplex assay, P167C and P167D provided significantly higher sensitivities (94 and 100%, respectively) and specificities (100 and 95%, respectively) than membrane extract (78% sensitivity and 65% specificity). Microbead multiplex assay results were validated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Purified recombinant proteins showed low batch-to-batch variation; this feature allows for ease of quality control, assay robustness, and affordability. Thus, recombinant antigens are highly suitable in the multiplex microbead assay format for serodetection of H. bilis infection.     

A LISREL 8 model with constrained parameters for twin and adoptive families

Constrained optimization recently has been implemented in the LISREL software package, allowing formulation of parent-offspring transmission models in a simple and efficient manner. A reverse path model of parental transmission is described within the LISREL framework for application to twin and/or adoptive family data. The model incorporates genetic and environmental parameter constraints arising from assortative mating and cultural transmission. An illustration of the LISREL model is given using measures obtained from twins and parents involving fear of social criticism.     

维生素E对内皮细胞诱发血管平滑肌细胞凋亡的抑制作用

目的：研究维生素E对脂质过氧化损伤的内皮细胞（EC）诱发的血管平滑肌细胞（VSMC）凋亡是否具有抑制作用。方法：以氢过氧化枯烯为诱发剂引发培养的血管EC的脂质过氧化反应,将制备的内皮细胞条件培养液（EC－CM）作为实验因素作用于培养的VSMC。彩和透射电子显微镜,免疫组织化学等方法观察维生素E对内皮细胞条件培养液诱发的血管平滑肌细胞凋亡的影响。结果：电镜可见VSMC凋亡小体。免疫组织化学结果显示,VSMC的P53蛋白表达增加,bcl-2蛋白表达下调。加维生素E组电镜改变轻微,p53,bcl-2异常表达减轻,结果：维生素E对脂质过氧化损伤的内皮细胞诱发的血管平滑肌细胞凋亡具有抑制作用。,     

Management of submacular hemorrhage with intravitreous tissue plasminogen activator injection and pneumatic displacement

Objective

To investigate the efficacy and safety of treating thick submacular hemorrhages with intravitreous tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and pneumatic displacement.

职业紧张对化工工人工作能力的影响

目的　为了解化工工人的职业紧张水平及工作能力状况 ,探讨影响工作能力的相关性因素。方法　应用工作能力指数问卷 (WAI)和职业紧张问卷 (OSQ) ,对某市化工行业10 30名工人 (研究组 4 81名 ,对照组 5 49名 )进行调查和工作能力降低的危险度评价。结果　研究组的WAI和OSQ评分与对照组均有显著性差异 (P <0 0 1)。两组的工作能力与职业紧张均存在显著的负相关关系 (P <0 0 1) ,研究组的相关程度明显高于对照组 ,且工作能力随着紧张程度的增高而降低。研究组工人随年龄的增长工作能力逐渐降低。以工作能力降低为结局变量 ,经多元logistic回归分析显示 ,在研究组中引起工作能力降低的主要紧张危险因素是肌肉骨骼疼痛 (OR =2 884 )、健康状况估计 (OR =2 6 5 1)、疾病的影响 (OR =2 4 98)、情绪情况 (OR =2 4 0 7)、缺乏体育锻炼 (OR =1 95 6 )、体力负荷 (OR =1 2 5 4)等 ,这些紧张因子都与工作能力降低有密切关系。结论　化工工人的职业紧张水平及不同紧张因素对工作能力降低有一定的影响 ,为工人的健康监测和提高工作能力水平提供了有益的帮助。     

数字乳腺断层融合X线摄影与常规影像学检查诊断效能的对比研究

背景与目的:乳腺癌已成为女性最常见的恶性肿瘤,乳腺X线摄影新技术的出现对乳腺癌诊断起重要作用;该研究旨在对比数字乳腺断层融合X线摄影(digital breast tomosynthesis,DBT)与常规影像学检查诊断乳腺良、恶性病变的效能.方法:收集2015年3月—2015年12月在复旦大学附属肿瘤医院就诊且经临床或超声检查怀疑乳腺病变的227例患者.所有患者均行B超、全屏数字乳腺X线摄影(full-field digital mammog-raphy,FFDM)、DBT和MRI检查.高年资影像医师双盲阅片,参照2013版BI-RADS分类标准,以病理结果为金标准,采用受试者工作特征(operating characteristic,ROC)曲线分析各种检查方法的诊断效能,并利用Z检验比较DBT与其他检查方法的统计学差异.结果:30例患者因图像不符合诊断要求而排除,剩余197例患者共发现205个病灶,其中良性病灶73例,恶性病灶132例.B超、FFDM、DBT、DBT+FFDM和MRI基于BI-RADS分类诊断乳腺良、恶性病变的ROC曲线的曲线下面积(area under the curve,AUC)分别为0.8308、0.8592、0.9167、0.9198和0.9354;两两比较结果显示,DBT的AUC高于B超和FFDM,且差异均有统计学意义(比B超相比,Z=7.36,P=0.0067;与FFDM相比,Z=4.89,P=0.0271);DBT与MRI、DBT+FFDM的AUC差异无统计学意义(与MRI相比,Z=0.02,P=0.9002;与DBT+FFDM相比,Z=0.69,P=0.4048).结论:DBT较B超、FFDM能显著提高乳腺良、恶性病灶的诊断效能;并与MRI诊断效能相当.DBT作为乳腺X摄影新技术,具有良好的应用前景.     

A causal relationship between childhood obesity and risk of osteoarthritis: results from a two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis

PurposeIt has been found that childhood obesity (CO) may play an important role in the onset and progression of osteoarthritis (OA). Thus we conducted this mendelian randomisation analysis (MR) to evaluate the causal association between childhood obesity and osteoarthritis.MethodsInstrumental variables (IVs) were obtained from publicly available genome-wide association study datasets. The leave-one-out sensitivity test, MR Pleiotropy RESidual Sum and Outlier test (MR-PRESSO), and Cochran’s Q test were used to confirm the heterogeneity and pleiotropy of identified IVs, then five different models, including the inverse variance weighted model (IVW), weighted median estimator model (WME), weighted model-based method (WM), MR-Egger regression model (MER), and MR-Robust Adjusted Profile Score (MRAPS) were applied in this MR analysis.ResultsAfter excluding all outliers identified by the MR-PRESSO test, no evident directional pleiotropy was found. Significant heterogeneity was found in the secondary MR and as a result, the multiplicative random-effect model was used. Significant causal association between CO and OA (OR 1.0075, 95% CI [1.0054, 1.0010], p = 8.12 × 10⁻¹³). The secondary MR also revealed that CO was causally associated with knee OA (OR 1.1067, 95% CI [1.0769, 1.1373], p = 3.30 × 10⁻¹³) and hip OA (OR 1.1272, 95% CI [1.0610, 1.1976], p = 1.07 × 10⁻⁴). The accuracy and robustness of these findings were confirmed by sensitivity tests.ConclusionThere appears to be a causal relationship between childhood obesity and OA. Our results indicate that individuals with a history of childhood obesity require specific clinical attention to prevent the development of knee and hip OA.     

Kinetics of lactose fermentation in milk with kombucha starter

The aim of this research was to investigate the effect of new, non-conventional starter culture on the kinetics of the lactose transformation during milk fermentation by kombucha, at pH 5.8; 5.4; 5.1; 4.8; and 4.6, at two different temperatures 37 °C and 42 °C. Milk fermentation at 42 °C lasted significantly shorter (about 5 h, 30 min) compared to the fermentation at 37 °C. Changes of lactose concentration at the both temperatures are consisting of two retaining stages and very steep decline in–between. The analysis of the rate curves showed that the reaction rate passes through the maximum after 9 h, 30 min at 37 °C and after 4 h at 42 °C. The sigmoidal saturation curve indicates a complex kinetics of lactose fermentation by kombucha starter.