Background and aimThe biological functions of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have been widely identified in many human diseases. In the present study, the relationship between long non-coding RNA HOTAIR and microRNA-17-5p (miR-17-5p) and their roles in osteogenic differentiation and proliferation in non-traumatic osteonecrosis of femoral head (ONFH) were investigated.MethodsThe expression levels of HOTAIR and miR-17-5p in the mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from patients with non-traumatic ONFH and osteoarthritis (OA) were examined by real-time PCR. BMP-2 induced human MSCs from bone marrow (hMSC-BM) were used for osteogenic differentiation.ResultsIt was observed that the expression level of miR-17-5p was lower and the level of HOTAIR was higher in samples of non-traumatic ONFH compared with OA. HOTAIR downregulation induced by si-HOTAIR led to the increase of miR-17-5p expression and the decrease of miR-17-5p target gene SMAD7 expression. The values of osteogenic differentiation markers, including RUNX2 and COL1A1 mRNA expression and ALP activity, were also elevated by si-HOTAIR. However, the increase of these values was canceled by miR-17-5p inhibitor or SMAD7 upregulation.ConclusionHOTAIR played a role in regulating osteogenic differentiation and proliferation through modulating miR-17-5p and its target gene SMAD7 in non-traumatic ONFH.

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Objective To retrospectively analyze the chest computed tomography (CT) features in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia. Methods From January 9, 2020, to February 26, 2020, totally 56 laboratory-confirmed patients with COVID-19 underwent chest CT. For 40 patients, follow-up CT scans were obtained. The CT images were evaluated for the number, type and distribution of the opacity, and the affected lung lobes. Furthermore, the initial CT scan and the follow-up CT scans were compared. Results Forty patients (83.6%) had two or more opacities in the lung. Eighteen (32.7%) patients had only ground-glass opacities; twenty-nine patients (52.7%) had ground-glass and consolidative opacities; and eight patients (14.5%) had only consolidation. A total of 43 patients (78.2%) showed two or more lobes involved. The opacities tended to be both in peripheral and central (30/55, 54.5%) or purely peripheral distribution (25/55, 45.5%). Fifty patients (90.9%) had the lower lobe involved. The first follow-up CT scans showed that twelve patients (30%) had improvement, 26 (65%) patients had mild-moderate progression, and two patients (5%) had severe progression with "white lungs." The second follow-up CT showed that 22 patients (71%) showed improvement compared with the first follow-up CT, four patients (12.9%) had aggravated progression, and five patients (16.1%) showed unchanged radiographic appearance. Conclusions The common CT features of COVID-19 pneumonia are multiple lung opacities, multiple types of the opacity (ground-glass, ground-glass and consolidation, and consolidation alone), and multiple lobes especially the lower lobe involved. Follow-up CT could demonstrate the rapid progression of COVID-19 pneumonia (either in aggravation or absorption). Key Points • The predominant CT features of COVID-19 pneumonia are multiple ground-glass opacities with or without consolidation and, with both lungs, multiple lobes and especially the lower lobe affected. • CT plays a crucial role in early diagnosis and assessment of COVID-19 pneumonia progression. • CT findings of COVID-19 pneumonia may not be consistent with the clinical symptoms or the initial RT-PCR test results.

ObjectivesTo determine whether the associations with key risk factors in patients with diagnosed and undiagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are different using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 1999 to 2010.MethodsThe study analysed the prevalence and association with risk factors of undiagnosed and diagnosed T2DM using a regression model and a multinomial logistic regression model. Data from the NHANES 1999–2010 were used for the analyses.ResultsThe study analysed data from 10 570 individuals. The overall prevalence of diagnosed and undiagnosed T2DM increased significantly from 1999 to 2010. The prevalence of undiagnosed T2DM was significantly higher in non-Hispanic whites, in individuals <30 years old and in those with near optimal (130–159 mg/dl) or very high (≥220 mg/dl) non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels compared with diagnosed T2DM. Body mass index, low economic status or low educational level had no effect on T2DM diagnosis rates. Though diagnosed T2DM was associated with favourable diet/carbohydrate intake behavioural changes, it had no effect on physical activity levels.ConclusionThe overall T2DM prevalence increased between 1999 and 2010, particularly for undiagnosed T2DM in patients that were formerly classified as low risk.

BackgroundNatural killer (NK) cells have emerged as pivotal players in innate immunity, especially in the defense against viral infections and tumors. Killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) – an important recognition receptor expressed on the surface of NK cells – regulate the inhibition and/or activation of NK cells after interacting with human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I ligands. Various KIR genes might impact the prognosis of many different diseases. The implications of KIR-HLA interaction in HIV disease progression remains poorly understood.MethodsHere, we studied KIR genotypes, mRNA levels, HLA genotypes, CD4+ T cell counts and viral loads in our cohort of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-infected individuals, a group that includes HIV long-term nonprogressors (LTNPs) and typical progressors (TPs).ResultsWe found that the frequency of KIR3DS1/L1 heterozygotes with HLA-Bw4-80I gene was much higher in LTNPs than in TPs (P = 0.001) and that the KIR3DL1 homozygotes without HLA-Bw4-80I gene had higher viral loads and lower CD4+ T cell counts (P = 0.014 and P = 0.021, respectively). Our study also confirmed that homozygosity for the HLA-Bw6 allele was associated with rapid disease progression. In addition to the aforementioned results on the DNA level, we observed that higher level expression of KIR3DS1 mRNA was in LTNP group, and that higher level expression of KIR3DL1 mRNA was in TP group.ConclusionsOur data suggest that different KIR-HLA genotypes and different levels of transcripts associate with HIV disease progression.

Background: Presentation with a firm type of chronic hepatomegaly of multifactorial etiology is common among school-age children in sub-Saharan Africa.Objective: Aflatoxin is a liver toxin and carcinogen contaminating staple maize food. In this study we examined its role in chronic hepatomegaly.Methods: Plasma samples collected in 2002 and again in 2004 from 218 children attending two schools in neighboring villages were assayed for aflatoxin exposure using the aflatoxin-albumin adduct (AF-alb) biomarker. Data were previously examined for associations among hepatomegaly, malaria, and schistosomiasis.Results: AF-alb levels were high in children from both schools, but the geometric mean (95% confidence interval) in year 2002 was significantly higher in Matangini [206.5 (175.5, 243.0) pg/mg albumin] than in Yumbuni [73.2 (61.6, 87.0) pg/mg; p < 0.001]. AF-alb levels also were higher in children with firm hepatomegaly [176.6 (129.6, 240.7) pg/mg] than in normal children [79.9 (49.6, 128.7) pg/mg; p = 0.029]. After adjusting for Schistosoma mansoni and Plasmodium infection, we estimated a significant 43% increase in the prevalence of hepatomegaly/hepatosplenomegaly for every natural-log-unit increase in AF-alb. In 2004, AF-alb levels were markedly higher than in 2002 [539.7 (463.3, 628.7) vs. 114.5 (99.7, 131.4) pg/mg; p < 0.001] but with no significant difference between the villages or between hepatomegaly and normal groups [539.7 (436.7, 666.9) vs. 512.6 (297.3, 883.8) pg/mg], possibly because acute exposures during an aflatoxicosis outbreak in 2004 may have masked any potential underlying relationship.Conclusions: Exposure to aflatoxin was associated with childhood chronic hepatomegaly in 2002. These preliminary data suggest an additional health risk that may be related to aflatoxin exposure in children, a hypothesis that merits further testing.

BackgroundLow socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with adverse cardiovascular risk factor patterns and poor outcomes in patients with diabetes. The aim of this study was to determine whether SES is associated with the control of blood glucose, blood pressure, blood cholesterol (3Bs), and diabetic complications in Chinese adults with type 2 diabetes.MethodsData regarding patients’ demographics, social economics, diabetes complications, and cardiovascular risk profiles were analyzed for 25,454 patients. The outcomes of interest were the proportions of patients with HbA1c <7.0 %, blood pressure <140/80 mmHg, total serum cholesterol <4.5 mmol/L, and diabetes complications. Multivariable logistic regression was used for analysis.ResultsOf the 25,454 patients, the least educated patients (1695, 6.7 %) had the highest chances of developing cardiovascular diseases (p = 0.048), cerebrovascular diseases (p < 0.001), and retinopathy (p < 0.001). The patients with lowest household income (10,039, 40.8 %) had the highest prevalence of retinopathy (p < 0.001) and neuropathy (p < 0.001). The most educated patients were more likely than the least educated patients to achieve HbA1c <7.0 % [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.38; 95 % confidence interval (95 % CI) 1.22–1.56] and 3B goals (adjusted OR 1.30; 95 % CI 1.11–1.53). The patients with highest household income were more likely to achieve BP < 140/80 mmHg (adjusted OR 1.16; 95 % CI 1.07–1.27), but less likely to reach HbA1c < 7.0 % (adjusted OR 0.90; 95 % CI 0.83–0.98) than those lowest income patients.ConclusionsLow SES was associated with poor metabolic control and more diabetes complications in adult patients in China. Individual diabetes management based on the SES of patients is encouraged.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12933-016-0376-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

To elucidate the recent changes in prevalence of HIV-1 primary resistance mutations in men who have sex with men (MSM) in Liaoning province, 217 samples from antiretroviral therapy-naive MSM were collected. For 201 samples, the entire protease gene and 256 amino acids of the reverse transcriptase gene were successfully amplified by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and nested PCR of viral RNA and were sequenced. Among the amplified pol sequences, HIV-1 CRF01_AE accounted for 87.6% (176/201), subtype B accounted for 8.0% (16/201), and subtype CRF07_BC accounted for 4.5% (9/201). The overall prevalence of mutations conferring resistance to any drug was 4.5%, representing 4.5% for protease inhibitor (PI)-related mutations, 0.5% for nucleoside/nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI)-related mutations, and 0.5% for nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI)-related mutations. Included were V32I (0.5%), M46I (2.0%), L90M (2.0%), T215C (0.5%), and Y188L (0.5%). Only one case carried resistance mutations to all three drug classes (L90M, L10I, and A71T to PI; T215C to NRTI; and Y188L to NNRTI). L10I (4.5%), V118I/IV (17.4%), and K103R/KR (10.0%) were commonly observed mutations, but do not confer any drug resistance to PIs, NRTIs, and NNRTIs. CRF01_AE is becoming a major HIV-1 infection subtype among MSM of Liaoning province. Relatively high rates of HIV drug-resistant mutations to PIs in antiretroviral treatment-naive patients in the study represent a serious challenge for future HIV treatment programs in China.