The prevalence of primary headaches is high in China and not dissimilar from the world average. These headaches cause disability, impair work, study and daily activities, decrease life quality, and bring about a heavy and hitherto unrecognized socioeconomic burden.

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The objective of this study was to test the validity, in the Chinese population, of the Lifting The Burden diagnostic questionnaire for the purpose of a population-based survey of the burden of headache in China. From all regions of China, a population-based sample of 417 respondents had completed the structured questionnaire in a door-to-door survey conducted by neurologists from local hospitals calling unannounced. They were contacted for re-interview by telephone by headache specialists who were unaware of the questionnaire diagnoses. A screening question ascertained whether headache had occurred in the last year. If they had, the specialists applied their expertise and ICHD-II diagnostic criteria to make independent diagnoses which, as the gold standard, were later compared with the questionnaire diagnoses. There were 18 refusals; 399 interviews were conducted in 202 women and 197 men aged 18–65 years (mean age 44.4 ± 12.6 years). In comparison to the specialists’ diagnoses, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and Cohen’s kappa (95% CI) of the questionnaire for the diagnosis of migraine were 0.83, 0.99, 0.83, 0.99 and 0.82 (0.71–0.93), respectively; for the diagnosis of tension-type headache (TTH), they were 0.51, 0.99, 0.86, 0.92 and 0.59 (0.46–0.72), respectively. In conclusion, the questionnaire was accurate and reliable in diagnosing migraine (agreement level excellent), less so, but adequate, for TTH (sensitivity relatively low, false negative rate relatively high and agreement level fair to good). The non-specific features of TTH do not lend themselves well to diagnosis by questionnaire.

Background: HypA and HypB are metallochaperones for the activities of [NiFe]-hydrogenase and urease in Helicobacter pylori. Results: Key residues are identified for the GTP-dependent dimerization of HypB. The HypA-HypB interfaces are also identified. Conclusion: Self-dimerization is critical for the regulation of GTPase activity. HypA-HypB interaction facilitates further downstream Ni 2ϩ delivery. Significance: The study is important to understanding [NiFe]-hydrogenase and urease maturation.

Incorporation of nickel ions to the active sites of urease and hydrogenase is prerequisite for the appropriate functions of the metalloenzymes. Such a process requires the participation of several accessory proteins. Interestingly, some of them are shared by the two enzymes in their maturation processes. In this work, we characterized the molecular details of the interaction of metallochaperones UreE and HypA in Helicobacter pylori. We show by chemical cross-linking and static light scattering that the UreE dimer binds to HypA to form a hetero-complex i.e. HypA-(UreE)2. The dissociation constant (Kd) of the protein complex was determined by ITC to be 1 μM in the absence of nickel ions; whereas binding of Ni(2+) but not Zn(2+) to UreE resulted in ca. one fold decrease in the affinity. The putative interfaces on HypA unveiled by NMR chemical shift perturbation were found mainly at the nickel binding domain and in the cleft between α1 and β1/β6. We also identified that the C-domain of UreE, in particular the C-terminal residues of 158-170 are indispensable for the interaction of UreE and HypA. Such an interaction was also observed intracellularly by GFP-fragment reassembly assay. Moreover, we demonstrated using a fluorescent probe that nickel is transferred from HypA to UreE via the specific protein-protein interaction. Deletion of the C-terminus (residues 158-170) of UreE abolished nickel transfer and led to a significant decrease in urease activity. This study provides direct in vitro and in vivo evidence as well as molecular details of nickel translocation mediated by protein-protein interaction.

An integrative metalloproteomic approach to unveil the role of antimicrobial metals in general using bismuth as an example.

Laryngeal cancer is one of the most common head and neck malignant tumors and is commonly resistant to X‐ray‐based radiotherapy. NF‐κB interacting lncRNA (NKILA) has been reported to serve as a tumor suppressor in several cancers through combining with NF‐κB: IκB complex thereby inhibiting NF‐κB activation. Herein, we demonstrated a low NKILA expression in laryngeal cancer and its correlation with shorter overall survival in patients with laryngeal cancer. NKILA serves as a tumor suppressor in laryngeal cancer by suppressing laryngeal cancer cell viability and migration, whereas promoting cell apoptosis; NKILA knockdown reverses the cytotoxicity of X‐ray radiation on laryngeal cancer cells through combining with NF‐κB: IκB complex to inhibit IκB phosphorylation, inhibit p65 nuclear translocation, and finally inhibit NF‐κB activation. NF‐κB binds to the promoter region of NKILA to activate its transcriptional activity, upregulated NKILA then inhibits IκB phosphorylation and NF‐κB activation, thus forming a negative feedback loop to sensitize laryngeal cancer cell to X‐ray radiation. In conclusion, NKILA can serve as a promising agent of enhancing the cytotoxicity of X‐ray radiation on laryngeal cancer and addressing the radioresistance of laryngeal cancer.

The objective of this study is to evaluate the association between body mass index (BMI) and migraine in general population Chinese cohort. This was a cross-sectional secondary analysis from a general population Chinese cohort of men and women of reproductive and post-reproductive age ranging between 18 and 65 years. Migraine was defined utilizing ICHD criteria. Body mass indices were calculated using measured height and weight and categorized based on the World Health Organizations criteria. The 1-year period prevalence of migraine was 9.3 %. No association was identified between migraine and those with a BMI < 30.0. Compared to those with normal BMI (18.5–23.0), those with BMI ≥ 30 (morbid obesity) had a greater prevalence of migraine (8.6 vs. 13.8 %, p = 0.000). Multivariate-adjusted odds ratio demonstrated that those with morbid obesity had a greater than twofold increased odds of migraine [OR 2.10 (1.39–3.12)] as compared to those with a BMI between 18.5 and 23.0. No association was found between obesity and migraine severity, frequency, or disability. Morbid obesity was associated with twofold increased odds of migraine in this Chinese men and women cohort of predominantly reproductive age.