Biomedical subjects

Yue Chen

Publications and source records attributed to Yue Chen.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2026

The complete sequence of the silkworm W chromosome uncovers its rapid evolution by large-scale duplications/deletions and translocation of W-linked genes.

The complete sequence of the W chromosome, which carries feminization activity in the silkworm, is crucial for understanding the sex-determination system in Lepidoptera. However, extensive accumulation of transposons due to lack of recombination, the very rare protein-coding genes and almost no information about molecular markers has hindered full W sequencing. We report the first complete silkworm W sequence (T2T_W, 11683305 bp) obtained by combining sequencing-assembly technologies and newly developed error detection methods, evaluated with genetically mapped W-RAPD markers, W-mutants, and W-derived BAC clones. The T2T_W sequence showed that the W is composed of a massive 92% accumulation of transposons and repeat sequences, among which the main constituents are intact LTR/LINE retrotransposons indicating recent expansions. In addition to Fem clusters producing Fem piRNA (Feminizer-derived PIWI-interacting RNA), we found 26 protein-coding genes in the W sequence. These include four gene pairs encoding zinc-finger motifs designated z1:z20 and a gene encoding serine/arginine repetitive matrix protein 1-like (SRRM1-like). To identify candidate genes for female sex-determination and differentiation we also sequenced the shortest W (3.8 Mb) from a translocation mutant with feminizing activity, which harbored four conventional genes: a Fem cluster, a pair of z1:z20 isoforms, z20-S, and a SRRM1-like gene. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that z1:z20 originated from a copy of an autosomal zinc-finger gene pair, z2:z21, translocated onto the W around 2.43 Mya and subsequently amplified to yield 4 W-linked zinc-finger gene pairs. The complete W sequence revealed that large-scale deletions and amplifications played a significant role in W chromosome evolution.

Animals↗

PubMed2026

Immune Markers and Risk of Pancreatic Cancer in the European EPIC Cohort.

The immune system is a major driver in pancreatic cancer development. Several prospective cohort studies have found associations for single immune system-derived proteins such as IL6 or CRP, but results are inconclusive, and Omics-based research is scarce. Hence, we aimed to investigate associations of a comprehensive protein panel with the risk of pancreatic cancer. Within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort, 92 immune proteins were measured in baseline blood samples of 406 incident pancreatic cancer cases and 406 sex- and age-matched controls, using the Olink Immuno-Oncology panel. Multivariable adjusted conditional logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (OR, 95% CI) for protein levels in association with pancreatic cancer risk. Eight biomarkers were associated with pancreatic cancer risk (MMP12, LAMP3, CD28, IL-6, IL-12, FASLG, PD-L2, and PDCD1) but only MMP12 was significantly associated after multivariable adjustments for confounders and the seven proteins, with OR = 1.56 (95% CI: 1.20-2.03) for a doubling in protein concentration. After correction for multiple testing, none of the proteins were associated with risk. Restricting analyses to cases diagnosed within the first 4 years and 4-8 years after recruitment resulted in OR of 1.89 (95% CI: 1.28-2.80) and 1.37 (95% CI: 1.01-1.86) for MMP12, respectively. Higher levels of MMP12 were associated with pancreatic cancer risk specifically in those diagnosed shortly after recruitment, while other immune-related factors were not associated with risk. Further cohort studies are needed to confirm our initial findings.

Humans↗

PubMed2026

Functional analysis of down-regulated CYP6AE gene clusters involved in the insecticidal mechanism of lycorine against Spodoptera litura.

BACKGROUND: Plants have evolved abundant defensive secondary metabolites to resist insect herbivores. Lycorine is an alkaloid with insecticidal activity from Amaryllidaceae plants, which the destructive pest Spodoptera litura naturally avoids. Cytochrome P450 enzymes are central to xenobiotic detoxification in insects, but the mechanism by which lycorine acts against S. litura remains unknown. This study aimed to reveal the toxic mechanism of lycorine focusing on P450-mediated detoxification. RESULTS: Lycorine exhibited substantial toxicity to first-instar S. litura larvae (LD50 = 0.55 μg larva-1). Subsequently, when fifth-instar larvae were exposed to a sublethal dose (LD30) of lycorine, Lyc disrupted metabolic pathways, damaged Malpighian tubules, and induced oxidative stress. Furthermore, lycorine strongly repressed a CYP6AE gene cluster (CYP6AE47, CYP6AE50, CYP6AE70, CYP6AE138 and CYP6AE139) and decreased total P450 activity to 45% in the Malpighian tubules. RNAi co-silencing of these cluster genes increased larval mortality (+30%) under lycorine treatment. Finally, molecular docking and microscale thermophoresis analyses further confirmed direct binding between Lyc and this CYP6AE gene cluster, with the strongest affinity observed for CYP6AE47 (Kd = 518.5 nM). A key residue, ARG170, may be vital for the interaction between Lyc and CYP6AE47. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that the insecticidal mechanism of Lyc involves suppressing the expression and function of a CYP6AE gene cluster, thereby impairing detoxification capacity, which leads to Lyc accumulation and larval mortality. Elucidation of the detoxification system-targeted mechanism for this plant-derived compound provides a foundation for developing novel, sustainable pest management strategies against S. litura and potentially other noctuid pests. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.

Animals↗

PubMed2026

A Novel piRNA-Mediated Epigenetic Axis: piR-36241 Exacerbates Pulpitis by Silencing the Protective Receptor ADGRG2 in Human Dental Pulp Stem Cells.

BACKGROUND: Pulpitis, a prevalent inflammatory dental disease, primarily results from bacterial infection, yet its epigenetic regulatory mechanisms remain poorly understood. PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), a class of small non-coding RNAs known to maintain genomic stability, have not been investigated in the context of pulpitis. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to profile piRNA expression patterns in pulpitis and to elucidate the functional role and underlying mechanism of a specific piRNA, piR-36241 and its target gene ADGRG2 in disease progression. METHODS: piRNA and mRNA sequencing were performed on pulp tissues from patients with irreversible pulpitis and healthy controls. Potential piRNA targets were predicted bioinformatically. The interaction between piR-36241 and the 3'UTR of ADGRG2, an orphan adhesion G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), was validated using dual-luciferase reporter assay, quantitative Real-Time PCR (qRT-PCR), fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), Western blot (WB), hematoxylin-eosin staining (HE), immunohistochemistry (IHC) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Functional analyses were conducted in LPS-stimulated human dental pulp cells (HDPCs) through gain-of-function and rescue experiments. RESULTS: We identified a distinct piRNA expression profile in pulpitis, with 21 piRNAs differentially expressed. piR-36241 was notably upregulated. It directly targeted the 3'UTR of ADGRG2 and suppressed its expression. ADGRG2, hypothesised to exert protective and homeostatic functions, was downregulated in pulpitis tissues and LPS-induced HDPCs. Overexpression of piR-36241 inhibited ADGRG2 expression and promoted the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-8). Conversely, knockdown of ADGRG2 similarly enhanced inflammatory responses. Rescue experiments demonstrated that piR-36241 primarily regulates inflammation through ADGRG2 silencing. CONCLUSION: Our study reveals a novel pathogenic axis in pulpitis whereby upregulation of piR-36241 exacerbates inflammatory progression by repressing the protective receptor ADGRG2. These findings provide the first evidence of piRNA-mediated epigenetic regulation in pulpitis and highlight the piR-36241/ADGRG2 pathway as a potential therapeutic target for preserving pulp vitality.

Humans↗

PubMed2026

Integrative Multi-Omics Mendelian Randomization Analysis Identifies NIT2 as a Potential Metabolic Risk Gene in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Metabolic pathways are crucial in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) pathogenesis, but causal metabolic genes remain unclear. This study used Summary data-based Mendelian Randomization (SMR) and colocalization to identify metabolism-related genetic loci influencing HCC risk. METHODS: Differentially expressed genes in hepatic malignancy phenotype versus normal tissues from TCGA and GTEx were analyzed. Metabolism-related candidates were examined via SMR and colocalization using multi-omics data: methylation (mQTL), expression (eQTL), and protein (pQTL) quantitative trait loci. RESULTS: Multi-omics integration identified NIT2 as a key metabolic regulator for HCC. The cg13016775 locus of NIT2 was associated with elevated HCC risk at gene (OR = 1.618, 95% CI: 1.199-2.182) and protein (OR = 4.432, 95% CI: 1.783-11.018) levels. Colocalization supported a shared causal variant (PPH4 > 0.6), linking NIT2 to hepatocarcinogenesis via metabolic regulation. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides multi-omics evidence for NIT2 as a potential causal gene in HCC, enhancing understanding of metabolic contributions to HCC pathogenesis and highlighting integrative genomics for uncovering causal relationships.

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular↗

PubMed2026

OsCLSY4 modulates epigenomic patterns and grain size in rice.

De novo DNA methylation, orchestrated by the RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) pathway, is essential for gene regulation and transposon silencing. While CLASSY (CLSY) proteins facilitate RNA POLYMERASE IV (Pol IV) recruitment to initiate the RdDM pathway in plants, their roles in crops are incompletely explored. Here, we report OsCLSY4 as the dominant regulator within the OsCLSY family, driving Pol IV-mediated epigenomic patterns and influencing diverse agricultural traits. Epigenomics analyses reveal that OsCLSY4 controls over 95% of Pol IV-dependent 24-nucleotide small interfering RNA (24-nt siRNA) clusters and more than 70% of Pol IV-dependent hypomethylated CHH differentially methylated regions (DMRs), predominantly at miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements (MITEs). Loss of OsCLSY4 leads to dysregulation of MADS22 and GA20ox1 in a DNA methylation-dependent manner. SunTag-mediated targeted demethylation confirms that reduced DNA methylation in promoter regions leads to MADS22 activation and GA20ox1 repression to influence grain size, linking epigenetic changes to phenotypic outcomes of osclsy4. Moreover, OsCLSY4 governs tissue-specific methylation patterns in panicle and seedling. Mechanistically, OsCLSY4 is the predominantly expressed OsCLSY family member and interacts with Pol IV. Collectively, our findings position OsCLSY4 as a central hub for Pol IV-mediated epigenomic regulation in rice and suggest its potential utility in epigenetic breeding strategies.

Oryza↗

PubMed2025

Targeting the bile acid receptor TGR5 with Gentiopicroside to activate Nrf2 antioxidant signaling and mitigate Parkinson's disease in an MPTP mouse model.

INTRODUCTION: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder characterized by classical symptoms including bradykinesia, rest tremor and rigidity. Oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction are recognized as pivotal factors in PD progression. Gentiopicroside (GPS), a secoiridoid derived from Gentiana manshurica Kitagawa, exhibits antioxidant and mitophagy induction properties. Nonetheless, the effects and mechanisms by which GPS mitigates neurodegeneration in PD remain to be thoroughly elucidated. OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to investigate the neuroprotective effects and mechanisms of GPS in PD models. METHODS: We established the MPTP/MPP+-induced PD models to measure the neuroprotection of GPS. Transcriptomic analysis, oxidative biochemical kits, western blot and cell immunofluorescence were conducted to elucidate the fundamental mechanisms at play. Subsequently, the targeting and activation of the transmembrane G protein-coupled receptor-5 (TGR5) by GPS were measured by molecular docking, cellular thermal shift assay, microscale thermophoresis (MST) and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) quantitation. Finally, we verified whether the neuroprotective and antioxidant effects of GPS were dependent on TGR5 by using specific small interfering RNA (siRNA), pharmacological antagonist and knockout mice. RESULTS: GPS significantly attenuated dopaminergic (DAergic) neuron loss and restored motor function in the MPTP-induced PD mouse model. Whole-genome RNA sequencing and subsequent mechanistic investigations revealed that GPS enhanced the expression and facilitated nuclear entry of factor erythroid-related 2-factor 2 (Nrf2), and reduced oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction stimulated by neurotoxin. Additionally, GPS could target TGR5 and prevent its downregulation in PD model. TGR5's silencing or inhibition weakened the neuroprotective effect of GPS and blocked GPS-mediated activation of Nrf2 antioxidant signaling in PD model. Moreover, the therapeutic effect of GPS in mitigating motor deficits and neurodegeneration was also abolished in Tgr5 knockout mice. CONCLUSION: These findings collectively indicated that GPS targeted TGR5 to activate Nrf2 antioxidant signaling and ultimately ameliorated the pathological progression of PD.

Animals↗

PubMed2007

Mitochondrial phosphoproteome revealed by an improved IMAC method and MS/MS/MS.

IMAC in combination with mass spectrometry is a promising approach for global analysis of protein phosphorylation. Nevertheless this approach suffers from two shortcomings: inadequate efficiency of IMAC and poor fragmentation of phosphopeptides in the mass spectrometer. Here we report optimization of the IMAC procedure using (32)P-labeled tryptic peptides and development of MS/MS/MS (MS3) for identifying phosphopeptide sequences and phosphorylation sites. The improved IMAC method allowed recovery of phosphorylated tryptic peptides up to approximately 77% with only minor retention of unphosphorylated peptides. MS3 led to efficient fragmentation of the peptide backbone in phosphopeptides for sequence assignment. Proteomics of mitochondrial phosphoproteins using the resulting IMAC protocol and MS3 revealed 84 phosphorylation sites in 62 proteins, most of which have not been reported before. These results revealed diverse phosphorylation pathways involved in the regulation of mitochondrial functions. Integration of the optimized batchwise IMAC protocol with MS3 offers a relatively simple and more efficient approach for proteomics of protein phosphorylation.

Animals↗

PubMed2007

Waist circumference is associated with pulmonary function in normal-weight, overweight, and obese subjects.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is becoming a serious public health issue and is related to lung dysfunction. Because both weight and height are indicators of body size, body mass index (BMI) may not be an ideal index of obesity in prediction of pulmonary dysfunction. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to determine the predictability of waist circumference (WC) and BMI for pulmonary function in adults with and without excess body weight. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study of 1674 adults aged > or = 18 y was conducted in a rural community. Height, weight, WC, and pulmonary function were measured. Multivariate analysis was conducted. RESULTS: WC was negatively associated with forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in 1 s, and the associations were consistent across sex, age, and BMI categories. On average, a 1-cm increase in WC was associated with a 13-mL reduction in forced vital capacity and an 11-mL reduction in forced expiratory volume in 1 s. The association between WC and pulmonary function was consistent in subjects with normal weight, overweight, and obesity. In subjects with normal weight, BMI was positively associated with forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in 1 s. CONCLUSION: WC, but not BMI, is negatively and consistently associated with pulmonary function in normal-weight, overweight, and obese subjects.

Abdominal Fat↗

PubMed2007

Stroke associated with diabetes among Canadians: sex and age differences.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the age and sex variations in the relationship between diabetes and stroke. METHODS: This analysis was based on data from 61,327 Canadians > or =45 years of age who participated in the Canadian Community Health Survey in 2000-2001. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the association between diabetes and stroke, and effect modification by age and sex. RESULTS: The association between diabetes and stroke was stronger in the 45- to 64-year age group than the > or =65 year age group in men but not in women. The increased risk of stroke associated with diabetes was much stronger in men (adjusted OR = 3.86, 95% CI = 2.44-6.13) than in women (adjusted OR = 1.63, 95% CI = 0.88-2.99), and this difference was only observed in the younger age group. The results were similar after further adjustment for hypertension and heart disease. CONCLUSIONS: There is a stronger association between stroke and diabetes in men than in women 45-64 years of age, suggesting men are more susceptible to stroke than women when they have diabetes.

Age Distribution↗

PubMed2006

Aging and visual motion discrimination in normal adults and schizophrenia patients.

Motion perception is impaired in many neuropathological conditions, including schizophrenia. Motion perception also declines in the course of normal aging. In this study, we ask whether aging is an additive factor in the motion-discrimination deficits of schizophrenia patients. We examined motion perception in schizophrenia patients (n=44) and non-psychiatric controls (n=40) whose ages ranged from 18 to 55. The tasks included velocity discrimination and contrast detection. Thresholds for each of the two tasks were determined for each subject using psychophysical methods. Schizophrenia patients showed significantly increased thresholds (degraded performance) for velocity discrimination compared with the controls. Degraded performance in patients was not related to age. In controls, however, velocity discrimination thresholds were significantly increased beginning by age 45. Performance on a contrast-detection task, which does not require precise discrimination of motion signals, was not significantly affected by age in either group. Aging, even in its early stages, degrades motion discrimination in normal adults. Aging, however, does not adversely affect motion-discrimination deficits in schizophrenia patients through age 55. A similar motion-discrimination deficit in schizophrenia patients and aging normal adults suggests that the mechanisms underlying motion processing in schizophrenia and normal aging may be associated.

Acceleration↗

PubMed2006

HPV prevalence, E6 sequence variation and physical state of HPV16 isolates from patients with cervical cancer in Sichuan, China.

OBJECTIVES: Infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (hr-HPV) is an important factor associated with cervical cancer. The genetic mutation of HPV16 E6 and integration of HPV16 DNA in the cervical carcinoma tissues are considered important genetic changes in cervical lesion progression. But the studies of hr-HPV epidemiology are relatively less in the area of Sichuan, China. Therefore, we investigated the prevalence of 9 high-risk subtypes and analyzed the genetic mutation characteristic of HPV16 E6 and physical state of HPV16 DNA. METHODS: The fragments of L1 and E6 genes were amplified by PCR or nested PCR and then directly sequenced. Further, the multiplex PCR for HPV16 E2 and E6 genes was performed for detection of integration. RESULTS: HPV16, 58 and 18 were prominent, accounting for 78.6%, 20.0% and 9.7%, respectively in 145 isolates. E6 variants revealed that the European (EP) prototype and East Asia (EA) strain were 26 (23.0%) and 34 (30.1%), respectively. Furthermore, there were 14 base substitutions in E6 regions of the study group, of which 12 resulted in amino acid changes and the rest was silent mutation. Significantly, the 240G substitution exactly located the P53 degradation site. Overall, 8 of 114 (7.0%) isolates only contained integrated HPV16 DNA, 43 (37.7%) only contained episomal DNA and 63 (55.3%) contained both integrated and episomal DNA. The proportion of disruption of an intact E2 gene in the patients with cervical cancer is much lower than that in the previous studies. CONCLUSIONS: HPV16, 58 and 18 were mainly prevailing subtypes in patients with cervical cancer from Sichuan areas, China and EP/EA strains were predominant in these areas. Some mutations of E6 gene, which lead to the amino acid changes, may be more potentially carcinogenic and the proportion of disruption of an intact E2 gene is much lower.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMed2006

FDJS03 isolates causing an outbreak of aseptic meningitis in China that evolved from a distinct Echovirus 30 lineage imported from countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

We compared echovirus 30 strains (FDJS03) which caused an outbreak of aseptic meningitis in China in 2003 with other human enterovirus B strains. Sequencing of the complete genome of FDJS03_84, a representative strain from this outbreak, revealed a mosaic structure with a putative recombination spot within the 2B gene. It was most similar to a strain of the same serotype, E30-14125-00, in the 5' half of the genome but was almost equidistant to all strains analyzed in most of the 3' half of the genome. Phylogenetic relationships in the 5'-untranslated region and the VP1 gene indicated that the FDJS03 isolates were closely related to a distinct lineage of E30 which circulated in countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States during 1999 and 2000. It is most likely that the ancestor of FDJS03 isolates experienced multiple recombination events in the nonstructural protein coding region, which were partly observed in the phylogenetic analysis of the 3D region.

5' Untranslated Regions↗

PubMed2006

Elevation of serum l-lactate dehydrogenase B correlated with the clinical stage of lung cancer.

To identify potential biomarkers related with lung cancer metastasis, conditional media (CM) proteins collected from a primary non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell line NCI-H226 and its brain metastatic subline H226Br were analyzed by one-dimensional electrophoresis (1-D PAGE) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). Twelve biomarkers were identified, of which l-lactate dehydrogenase B (LDHB) chain was significantly up-regulated in the CM of H226Br cell and was further validated in 105 lung cancer, 93 non-lung cancer, 41 benign lung disease, as well as 65 healthy individuals sera using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). It was found that the levels of LDHB were specifically elevated in NSCLC sera compared with other groups and were progressively increased with the clinical stage. At the cutoff point 0.260 (OD value) on the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, LDHB could comparatively discriminate lung cancer from benign lung disease and healthy control groups with sensitivity 81%, specificity 70% and total accuracy 76%. These findings demonstrated that secretome could open up a possibility to find, identify, and characterize novel biomarkers related with invasion and metastasis.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Antimicrobial susceptibility and molecular determinants of quinolone resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates from Shanghai.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the antimicrobial susceptibility of Neisseria gonorrhoeae from Shanghai and to type the quinolone resistance-determining regions (QRDRs) of ciprofloxacin-resistant isolates. METHODS: N. gonorrhoeae isolates (n = 159) were consecutively collected from male patients in Shanghai and examined for their antimicrobial susceptibilities to penicillin, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, spectinomycin and ceftriaxone. The mutation profiles of the QRDRs of gyrA and parC were determined for 103 isolates including one susceptible isolate and one isolate with intermediate levels of susceptibility to ciprofloxacin. RESULTS: High percentages of the 159 isolates were resistant to ciprofloxacin (98.7%), penicillin (93.1%) and tetracycline (56.5%). Penicillinase-producing N. gonorrhoeae (PPNG, 37.8%) or penicillinase-producing/tetracycline-resistant N. gonorrhoeae (PP/TRNG, 13.8%) accounted for 51.6% of the isolates. Chromosomal resistance to penicillin was observed in 41.5% of the isolates. Tetracycline resistance was noted in 56.5% of the isolates with 20.1% carrying plasmid-mediated resistance and 36.4% being chromosomally resistant. All isolates were susceptible to ceftriaxone and spectinomycin, although a trend to decreased susceptibility was noted. QRDR mutations were observed in the 101 ciprofloxacin-resistant isolates and the one ciprofloxacin-intermediate isolate, in contrast to the ciprofloxacin-susceptible isolate tested. Mutations in the QRDRs comprised four predominant (65.0% of the 103 isolates) patterns of a total of 19 patterns. Mutations in parC were significantly associated with higher MICs of ciprofloxacin. CONCLUSIONS: Spectinomycin and ceftriaxone are currently recommended for the treatment of gonorrhoea in Shanghai. Although the present study indicates that these antimicrobials should remain effective, the identification of isolates with decreased susceptibility underscores the importance of ongoing antimicrobial susceptibility surveillance to monitor and respond to the emergence of resistant isolates.

Anti-Infective Agents↗

PubMed2006

Bipolar and schizophrenic patients differ in patterns of visual motion discrimination.

BACKGROUND: Since Kraepelin's early distinction between bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, it has been assumed that these disorders represent two different pathophysiological processes, although they share many clinical symptoms. Previous studies showed that velocity discrimination, a sensitive psychophysiological measure of the visual motion system, is deficient in schizophrenia. Here we examined whether the motion processing impairment found in schizophrenia also occurs in bipolar disorder. METHODS: We compared 16 bipolar patients, 25 schizophrenic patients, and 25 normal controls on a velocity discrimination task. We measured the psychophysical threshold for velocity discrimination and contrast detection (as a control task) in all subjects. RESULTS: Bipolar patients showed normal velocity discrimination thresholds at intermediate velocities, the range in which velocity cues dominate velocity discrimination, and at low velocities. Schizophrenic patients, however, showed elevated velocity discrimination thresholds at intermediate and low velocities. At higher velocities, both bipolar and schizophrenic patients showed elevated thresholds. All subjects showed normal contrast detection thresholds. CONCLUSIONS: Normal velocity discrimination in the intermediate range of velocity indicates unimpaired motion processing in bipolar disorder. The abnormal velocity discrimination of both schizophrenic and bipolar patients at higher velocities may reflect impaired temporal processing rather than impaired motion processing per se. These results suggest that the pathophysiological processes of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia diverge at the stage of visual motion processing, a sensory component mediated primarily in the extrastriate cortex.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Dynamic changes of HBV DNA in serum and peripheral blood mononuclear cells of chronic hepatitis patients after lamivudine treatment.

AIM: To study the dynamic changes of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA in serum and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients after lamivudine therapy. METHODS: A total of 72 patients with chronic HBV infection were included in this study. All patients were confirmed to have the following conditions: above 16 years of age, elevated serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), positive hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg), positive HBV DNA in serum and PBMCs, negative antibodies against HAV, HCV, HDV, HEV. Other possible causes of chronic liver damages, such as drugs, alcohol and autoimmune diseases were excluded. Seventy-two cases were randomly divided into lamivudine treatment group (n = 42) and control group (n = 30). HBV DNA was detected both in serum and in PBMCs by fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR), during and after lamivudine treatment. RESULTS: In the treatment group, HBV DNA became negative both in serum and in PBMC, of 38 and 25 out of 42 cases respectively during the 48 wk of lamivudine treatment, the negative rate was 90.5% and 59.5% respectively. In the control group, the negative rate was 23.3% and 16.7% respectively. It was statistically significant at 12, 24 and 48 wk as compared with the control group (P<0.005). The average conversion period of HBV DNA was 6 wk (2-8 wk) in serum and 16 wk (8-24 wk) in PBMC. CONCLUSION: Lamivudine has remarkable inhibitory effects on HBV replication both in serum and in PBMCs. The inhibitory effect on HBV DNA in PBMCs is weaker than that in serum.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

An overview of the association between allergy and cancer.

Numerous epidemiological studies have evaluated some aspect of the association between a history of allergy and cancer occurrence. In this article, an overview of the epidemiological evidence is presented with a discussion of a number of methodological issues important in this area of study. Literature searches were conducted using the MEDLINE database from 1966 through to August 2005 to identify articles that explored a personal history of allergic disorders as a risk factor for cancer. Although it is difficult to draw conclusions between allergy and cancer at many sites because of insufficient evidence or a lack of consistency both within and among studies completed to date, strong inverse associations have been reported for pancreatic cancer and glioma, whereas lung cancer was positively associated with asthma. Additional studies are needed to confirm these finding and to address the limitations of previous studies, including the validity and reliability of exposure measures and control for confounding. Further, large prospective studies using cancer incidence would be particularly useful, including studies using biological markers of allergic status to reduce potential misclassification and to confirm the results of previous studies based on self-report. There is also a need for further basic research to clarify a potential mechanism, should an association exist.

Brain Neoplasms↗