The China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) is an on-going, nearly nationwide, comprehensive, longitudinal social survey that is intended to serve research needs on a large variety of social phenomena in contemporary China. In this paper, we describe the sampling design of the CFPS sample for its 2010 baseline survey and methods for constructing weights to adjust for sampling design and survey nonresponses. Specifically, the CFPS used a multi-stage probability strategy to reduce operation costs and implicit stratification to increase efficiency. Respondents were oversampled in five provinces or administrative equivalents for regional comparisons. We provide operation details for both sampling and weights construction.

The wave functions for calculating 13C nuclear magnetic chemical shifts of 22 groups of organic compounds (64 molecules) in chloroform solution have been optimally selected using factorial design as a multivariate technique. Our own N‐layered integrated molecular orbital and molecular mechanics approach was applied for molecules with different types of carbons. The results have obtained in very good agreement with the experimental values. An additional series (58 molecules) have been used as test sets and their results confirm the validity and reliability of the approaches. The total root mean square deviation and correlation coefficient of predictions (433 carbons) are 1.88 and .9994, respectively. Applicability of recommended levels of theory to calculate 13C chemical shifts in different solvents is guaranteed by calculating 13C chemical shifts for 25 carbons in benzene, chloroform, Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), and water. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Concepts Magn Reson Part A 42A: 1–13, 2013.

Notch signaling, a critical pathway for tissue development, also contributes to tumorigenesis in many cancers, but its pathological function in liver cancer is not well defined. In our study, Notch1 expression and its clinicopathological parameters were evaluated in 82 human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. Plasmid-based siNotch1 shRNA was transiently or stably transfected into metastatic HCC cells and subsequently evaluated for the effects on orthotopic liver tumor metastasis in a mouse model as well as the effects on downstream pathways. Aberrant high expression of Notch1 was significantly associated with metastatic disease parameters in HCC patients, such as tumor-node-metastasis Stages III-IV and tumor venous invasion. Knocking-down Notch1 reduced cell motility in vitro and orthotopic tumor metastasis from the liver to the lung in vivo in a mouse model. In metastatic HCC cells, abnormal expression of Notch1 was associated with increased expression of Snail1 and repressed expression of E-cadherin; the Notch1-Snail1-E-cadherin association can also be found in HCC patient tumors. Inhibition of Notch1 by shRNA abolished Snail1 expression, which further resulted in the reestablishment of repressed E-cadherin in metastatic HCC cells. Thus, abnormal Notch1 expression was strongly associated with HCC metastatic disease, which might be mediated through the Notch1-Snail1-E-cadherin pathway. Knock-down of Notch1 reversed HCC tumor metastasis in a mouse model. Therefore, these data suggest that effective targeting of Notch signaling might also inhibit tumor metastasis.Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer globally and is ranked second amongst all cancer deaths in Hong Kong. HCC is correlated with an increased likelihood of vascular invasion, metastasis and recurrence (even after surgical resection), leading to poor prognosis. 1 Metastasis, both intrahepatic and extrahepatic, is of particular concern and occurs in more than half of HCC cases. 2 The incidence of high grade HCC that metastasize to distant sites is high. 2 However, the detailed mechanisms of metastasis are yet to be revealed.The process that converts adherent epithelial cells into migratory cells to invade the extracellular matrix is called the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). This process plays fundamental roles in tissue and organ formation during embryonic development and in wound healing and tissue repair during adult life. 3,4 However, the abnormal activation of EMT programs can be disadvantageous to cancer patients. 3 EMT can allow carcinoma cells to acquire mesenchymal cell gene expression profiles and properties, 5 leading to the transformation of the cells from being coherent and displaying apicobasal polarity to become nonpolarized cells that can move through the extracellular media. This transformation enables the spread of tumor cells to distant sites. 6,7 Although EMT is considered to be the first step in the metastatic progression of migratory cancer cells, EMT has not been confirmed to exist in vivo. 3...

IntroductionData based on electronic health records (EHRs) are rich with individual-level longitudinal measurement information and are becoming an increasingly common data source for clinical risk prediction worldwide. However, few EHR-based cohort studies are available in China. Harnessing EHRs for research requires a full understanding of data linkages, management, and data quality in large data sets, which presents unique analytical opportunities and challenges. The purpose of this study is to provide a framework to establish a uniquely integrated EHR database in China for scientific research.Methods and analysisThe CHinese Electronic health Records Research in Yinzhou (CHERRY) Study will extract individual participant data within the regional health information system of an eastern coastal area of China to establish a longitudinal population-based ambispective cohort study for cardiovascular care and outcomes research. A total of 1 053 565 Chinese adults aged over 18 years were registered in the health information system in 2009, and there were 23 394 deaths from 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2015. The study will include information from multiple epidemiological surveys; EHRs for chronic disease management; and health administrative, clinical, laboratory, drug and electronic medical record (EMR) databases. Follow-up of fatal and non-fatal clinical events is achieved through records linkage to the regional system of disease surveillance, chronic disease management and EMRs (based on diagnostic codes from the International Classification of Diseases, tenth revision). The CHERRY Study will provide a unique platform and serve as a valuable big data resource for cardiovascular risk prediction and population management, for primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular events in China.Ethics and disseminationThe CHERRY Study was approved by the Peking University Institutional Review Board (IRB00001052-16011) in April 2016. Results of the study will be disseminated through published journal articles, conferences and seminar presentations, and on the study website (http://www.cherry-study.org).

Highlights d Recoding of two nucleotides in FOXO3 gene is sufficient to activate FOXO3 activity d Genetic activation of FOXO3 reinforces the homeostasis of human vascular cells d FOXO3-enhanced vascular cells promote revascularization after ischemic surgery d FOXO3-activated human stem cells are resistant to oncogenic transformation

ObjectivesThe evolution of multimorbidity describes the continuum from a healthy status to the development of a single disease and further progression to multimorbidity with additional diseases. We investigated the evolution of cardiometabolic multimorbidity and risk for mortality in a Chinese population.DesignLongitudinal cohort study using data from the CHinese Electronic health Records Research in Yinzhou (CHERRY) study, with 5.43 million person–years follow-up (median 5.16 years).ParticipantsData for 1 038 704 adults (total 22 750 deaths) were analysed.ExposureCardiometabolic multimorbidity was defined as ever being diagnosed with two or more of three diseases: hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD).Primary and secondary outcome measuresAge-adjusted and sex-adjusted HRs were calculated for all-cause mortality.ResultsThe cardiometabolic disease status of 105 209 (10.1%) individuals changed during the follow-up. The prevalence of cardiometabolic multimorbidity increased from 2.41% (95% CI: 2.38% to 2.44%) to 5.94% (95% CI: 5.90% to 5.99%). Baseline multimorbidity status showed the HR (95% CI) was 1.37 (1.33 to 1.42) in those with one disease, 1.71 (1.64 to 1.79) in those with two diseases and 2.22 (2.00 to 2.46) in those with three diseases. The highest HRs were observed for CVD only (3.31, 95% CI: 3.05 to 3.59) or diabetes and CVD (3.12, 95% CI: 2.37 to 4.11). Those with hypertension only had the lowest HR (1.26, 95% CI: 1.22 to 1.30). Longitudinal data showed the HRs (95% CI) in patients with one, two and three diseases were 1.36 (1.32 to 1.41), 2.03 (1.96 to 2.10) and 2.16 (2.05 to 2.29), respectively.ConclusionsThe prevalence of cardiometabolic multimorbidity in a general Chinese population increased more than doubled over 5 years, indicating rapid evolution of cardiometabolic multimorbidity. A history of CVD dominates the risk for mortality. A complementary strategy for primary and secondary prevention of cardiometabolic diseases is needed in China.

Baicalein, a flavone present in Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, has been demonstrated to possess antitumor activity in a variety of cancer cells in vitro. However, its effects on the growth inhibition and induction of apoptosis in human esophageal carcinoma cells remain unclear. The aims of this study were to determine whether cultured EC-109 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) cells undergo apoptosis when treated with baicalein and to investigate the underlying mechanisms in vitro. Cell growth was measured using MTT and plate colony formation assays. Induction of apoptosis was examined using Hoechst 33258 staining, flow cytometry analysis and a DNA fragmentation assay. The mechanisms underlying the observed growth suppression were examined using western blot analysis. The results demonstrated that treatment of EC-109 cells with baicalein for 48 h markedly decreased the rate of cell viability. Colony formation was almost fully suppressed at 40 μM baicalein. EC-109 cells underwent apoptosis in response to baicalein treatment, demonstrated by an increase in the percentage of cells stainable with Hoechst 33258 and Annexin V-FITC/PI, increased DNA fragmentation and activation of the intrinsic (mitochondrial) pathway for cell death. The latter was characterized by increased expression of the cleaved forms of caspase-9 and -3, and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). Additionally, baicalein was found to downregulate anti-apoptotic components and upregulate apoptotic components of the PI3K/Akt pathway. In conclusion, baicalein induces apoptosis in EC-109 cells through modulation of the PI3K/Akt pathway, thus providing further understanding of the molecular mechanisms of baicalein action in esophageal carcinoma. Therefore, the present study revealed that baicalein significantly inhibits growth and induces apoptosis in EC-109 human ESCC cells in vitro.

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