Aims & BackgroundsAlthough inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are emerging and increasing in China, epidemiologic data are rarely available. This study was to investigate the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of IBD in Northern China.MethodsThis is a prospective, population-based study of incidence of IBD in Daqing,Heilongjiang province of Northern China from March 1, 2012 to February 28, 2013. All incident patients with IBD were clinically identified by IBD specialist group from five main General Hospitals covering the healthcare service for 1,343,364 residents in the urban areas of Daqing. IBD cases included in this study were followed-up for three months for diagnosis confirmation.ResultsA total of 27 new IBD cases including 25 cases of ulcerative colitis (UC) and 2 cases of Crohn's disease (CD) were identified. The population at risk was 1,343,364 person years. Age-adjusted incidence for total IBD, CD and UC were 1.77, 0.13, and 1.64 per 100,000population, respectively. A male predominance was found in CD patients (male to female ratio was 2∶0). In contrast, no obvious gender predominance was found in UC patients (male to female ratio was 1∶1.1). CD patients were diagnosed at an average age of 39.5 years. The main disease phenotypes of UC were distal colitis with a 24% of proctitis and 56% of left-sided colitis. The mean diagnostic age of UC patients was 48.9 years.ConclusionsThis is the first report on the incidence of IBD in the Northern Chinese population. A lower incidence of IBD, similar male predominance for CD, similar disease phenotype of UC, and lower disease activity was observed in Daqing compared to that in Southern China.

A total of 82 samples from patients with cervical cancer (Group 1) and 50 samples from patients with other genital diseases (Group 2) were collected in Gansu, China. All 132 samples were tested for HPV DNA with a typing kit that can detect 21 types of HPV, and also tested for neutralizing antibodies against HPV-16, -18, -58, -45, -6, and -11 using pseudovirus-based neutralization assays. The results revealed that 28% (23/82) of sera in Group 1 were positive for type-specific neutralizing antibodies with a titer range of 160-640, of which 23.2% (19/82), 2.4% (2/82), 2.4% (2/82), 1.2% (1/82), and 1.2% (1/82) were against HPV-16, -58, -6, -18, and -45, respectively. Only one serum (2%) in Group 2 was positive for neutralizing antibodies, which were against HPV-6 with a titer of 2,560. Overall, 85.4% (70/82) of samples in Group 1 were HPV DNA-positive, compared with 28% (14/50) of samples in Group 2. The seven most common types detected in Group 1 were HPV-16 (80%), HPV-52 (7.1%), HPV-66 and HPV-11 (5.7% each), and HPV-58, HPV-18, and HPV-33 (4.3% each), while the four most common types in Group 2 were HPV-16 (12%), HPV-52 and HPV-11 (6% each), and HPV-68 (4%). The concordance between HPV DNA and corresponding neutralizing antibodies was 32.9% (27/82) with a significant difference (P < 0.005). More specifically, the concordance was 42.7% (35/82) for HPV-16 in Group 1. The full-length sequences of six HPV types (HPV-16, -58, -33, -59, -11, and -68) were determined and showed 99% identities with their reported genomes.

PADI4 that catalyzes the conversion of peptidylarginine to citrulline is associated with rheumatoid arthritis in some populations. The current study investigated the expressions of PADI4 in synovial fluid of RA (n = 73), osteoarthritis (OA, n = 96) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS, n = 32) using ELISA and western blotting following immuno-precipitation (n = 6 for each diseases). The study also compared the mRNA level of PADI4 in the synovial membrane of RA with the levels in the samples of OA and AS (n = 6 for each diseases) using real time PCR. ELISA detected a higher level of PADI4 in SF of RA than in samples of OA and AS (P = 0.0001). The level of PADI4 was significantly correlated with the level of rheumatic factor (P = 0.015), but not with anti cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody (anti-CCP) in the RA fluids. Western blotting confirmed the expression of PADI4 in SF of RA. Quantitative PCR measured higher transcription of PADI4 in the synovial membrane of RA than in the samples of OA and AS. The results confirmed increased expression of PADI4 in synovium of RA.

Salidroside is a major phenylethanoid glycoside in Rhodiola rosea L., a traditional Chinese medicine, with multiple biological activities. It has been shown that salidroside possesses protective effects for alleviating diabetic renal dysfunction, contrast‐induced‐nephropathy and other kidney diseases. However, the involved molecular mechanism was still not understood well. Herein, we examined the protective effects of salidroside in mice with Adriamycin (ADR)‐induced nephropathy and the underlying molecular mechanism. The results showed that salidroside treatment ameliorates proteinuria; improves expressions of nephrin and podocin; and reduces kidney fibrosis and glomerulosclerosis induced by ADR. Mechanistically, ADR induces a robust accumulation of β‐catenin in the nucleus and stimulates its downstream target gene expression. The application of salidroside largely abolishes the nuclear translocation of β‐catenin and thus inhibits its activity. Furthermore, the activation of β‐catenin almost completely counteracts the protective roles of salidroside in ADR‐injured podocytes. Taken together, our data indicate that salidroside ameliorates proteinuria, renal fibrosis and podocyte injury in ADR nephropathy, which may rely on inhibition of β‐catenin signalling pathway.

Background: Increased bone resorption and new bone information are two characteristics of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Much evidence has shown that carbonic anhydrase inhibitors can restrain bone resorption. We had detected increased expression of carbonic anhydrase I (CA1) in synovium of patients with AS. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of methazolamide, an anti-carbonic anhydrase drug, for treating patients with AS.Methods: Two patients, called as S and L, were diagnosed with active AS based on BASDAI and BASFI assessments, radiographic data and other clinical indices. They took methazolamide tablets at a dose of 25 mg twice every day.Results: Patient S's BASDAI score fell from 5.4 to 4.4, while patient L's BASDAI fell from 2.4 to 2. Patient S's BASFI score change from 2.7 to 2.9, while patient L's BASFI score fell from 1.2 to 0.2. The ESR values of patient S were considerably reduced, while the ESR value of patient L remained unchanged and in the normal range. The calcium concentration of patient S decreased from 3.05 mmol/L to 2.39 mmol/L. The CT evidence indicates that the articular surfaces of the erosive sacroiliac joints became clearer and the area of the calcium deposits began decreased. No significant systemic side effects were observed in either patient.Conclusions: The above results indicate that methazolamide was effective for active AS. Methazolamide may improve AS symptoms by inhibiting carbonic anhydrase activity during the processes of bone reporption and new bone formation.

Lack of effective biomarkers is one of the challenges in current neoadjuvant chemotherapy to predict drug response and sensitivity of cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC). The present study was designed to investigate the correlation of the expression of survivin, an inhibitor of apoptosis with the prognosis of CSCC patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy. A total of 117 CSCC patients treated with paclitaxel and carboplatin between May 2015 and April 2017 in the Second Hospital of Lanzhou University were retrospectively analyzed. The pathologic diagnosis and classification of CSCC were based on the Guidelines of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO). The efficacy was defined as complete remission (CR), partial remission (PR), and stability disease (SD). The expressions of survivin, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and Ki67 were determined with immunohistochemistry. Data were analyzed with SPSS software. Univariate analysis showed that survivin expression had no correlation with ages, FIGO stage, macroscopic type, lymphovascular invasion, depth of lymphovascular invasion, lymph node metastasis, and tumor size among 117 CSCC patients. However, survivin expression was positively correlated with pathological grade ( R = 0.691, P < .001). Multivariate analysis revealed that survivin expression was independently correlated with grades ( P < .001). In addition, the analysis of correlation indicated that survivin expression is positively correlated with VEGF expression ( R = 0.820, P < .001) and Ki67 expression ( R = 0.673, P < .001). The numbers (percentages) of complete remission (CR), partial remission (PR), and stability disease (SD) were 11 (9.4%), 91 (77.8%), and 15 (12.8%) respectively after the treatment of paclitaxel and carboplatin. Univariate analysis showed that efficacy of treatment was negatively correlated with pathological grade ( R = 0.513, P < .001), Ki67 expression ( R = 0.586, P < .001), VEGF expression ( R = 0.476, P < .001) and survivin expression ( R = 0.519, P < .001). Multivariate analysis revealed that efficacy of treatment was independently correlated with grades ( P = .028), Ki67 ( P < .001), and survivin expression ( P = .015). The results suggested that survivin expression is negatively correlated with the prognosis of CSCC patients treated with paclitaxel and carboplatin. Therefore, survivin expression might be a marker for prognosis in CSCC following neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) as a metabolic stress hormone, is mainly secreted by the liver. In addition to its well-defined roles in energy homeostasis, FGF21 has been shown to promote remyelination after injury in the central nervous system. In the current study, we sought to examine the potential roles of FGF21 in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) myelination. In the PNS myelin development, Fgf21 expression was reversely correlated with myelin gene expression. In cultured primary Schwann cells (SCs), the application of recombinant FGF21 greatly attenuates myelination-associated gene expression, including Oct6, Krox20, Mbp, Mpz, and Pmp22. Accordingly, the injection of FGF21 into neonatal rats markedly mitigates the myelination in sciatic nerves. On the contrary, the infusion of the anti-FGF21 antibody accelerates the myelination. Mechanistically, both extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) were stimulated by FGF21 in SCs and sciatic nerves. Following experiments including pharmaceutical intervention and gene manipulation revealed that the p38 MAPK/c-Jun axis, rather than ERK, is targeted by FGF21 for mediating its repression on myelination in SCs. Taken together, our data provide a new aspect of FGF21 by acting as a negative regulator for the myelin development process in the PNS via activation of p38 MAPK/c-Jun.

Background The inner ear organ is a delicate tissue consisting of hair cells (HCs) and supporting cells (SCs).The mammalian inner ear HCs are terminally differentiated cells that cannot spontaneously regenerate in adults. Epithelial non‐hair cells (ENHCs) in the utricle include HC progenitors and SCs, and the progenitors share similar characteristics with SCs in the neonatal inner ear. Methods We applied single‐cell sequencing to whole mouse utricles from the neonatal period to adulthood, including samples from postnatal day (P)2, P7 and P30 mice. Furthermore, using transgenic mice and immunostaining, we traced the source of new HC generation. Results We identified several sensory epithelial cell clusters and further found that new HCs arose mainly through differentiation from Sox9+ progenitor cells and that only a few cells were produced by mitotic proliferation in both neonatal and adult mouse utricles. In addition, we identified the proliferative cells using the marker UbcH10 and demonstrated that in adulthood the mitotically generated HCs were primarily found in the extrastriola. Moreover, we observed that not only Type II, but also Type I HCs could be regenerated by either mitotic cell proliferation or progenitor cell differentiation. Conclusions Overall, our findings expand our understanding of ENHC cell fate and the characteristics of the vestibular organs in mammals over the course of development.