• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
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• 제14권1호
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• pp.51-58
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• 2023

The effective detection of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) is considerably important for the clinical diagnosis of both of early pregnancy and nonpregnancy-related diseases. In this work, a simple and sensitive electrochemical sandwich-type immunosensing platform was designed by synthesizing b-cyclodextrin (CD) functionalized graphene (CD/GN) hybrid as simultaneously sensing platform and signal transducer coupled with rhodamine b (RhB) as probe. In brief, GN offers large surface area and high conductivity, while CD exhibits superior host-guest recognition capability, thus the primary antibody (Ab1) of HCG can be bound into the cavities of CD/GN to form stable Ab1/CD/GN inclusion complex; meanwhile, the secondary antibody (Ab2) and RhB can also enter into the cavities, producing RhB/Ab2/CD/GN complex. Then, by using Ab1/CD/GN as sensing platform and RhB/Ab2/CD/GN as signal transducer (in which RhB was signal probe), a simple sandwich-type immunosensor was constructed. Under the optimum parameters, the designed immunosensor exhibited a considerable low analytical detection of 1.0 pg mL^-1 and a wide linearity of 0.002 to 10.0 ng mL^-1 for HCG, revealing the developed sandwich-type electrochemical immunosensing platform offered potential real applications for the determination of HCG.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제58권6호
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• pp.230-233
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• 2015

Lethargy in newborns usually indicates central nervous system dysfunction, and many conditions such as cerebrovascular events, infections, and metabolic diseases should be considered in the differential diagnosis. Nonketotic hyperglycinemia is an autosomal recessive error of glycine metabolism, characterized by myoclonic jerks, hypotonia, hiccups, apnea, and progressive lethargy that may progress to encephalopathy or even death. Cerebral sinovenous thrombosis is a rare condition with various clinical presentations such as seizures, cerebral edema, lethargy, and encephalopathy. Here, we report the case of a newborn infant who presented with progressive lethargy. An initial diagnosis of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis was followed by confirmation of the presence of nonketotic hyperglycinemia.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제61권10호
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• pp.322-326
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• 2018

Purpose: The EDIN scale (${\acute{E}}chelle$ Douleur Inconfort Nouveau-$N{\acute{e}}$, neonatal pain and discomfort scale) and heart rate variability has been used for the evaluation of prolonged pain. The aim of our study was to assess the value of the newborn infant parasympathetic evaluation (NIPE) index and EDIN scale for the evaluation of prolonged pain in preterm infants with chest tube placement due to pneumothorax. Methods: This prospective observational study assessed prolonged pain in preterm infants with a gestational age between 33 and 35 weeks undergoing installation of chest tubes. Prolonged pain was assessed using the EDIN scale and NIPE index. Results: There was a significant correlation between the EDIN scale and NIPE index (r=-0.590, P=0.003). Prolonged pain is significantly more severe in the first 6 hours following chest tube installation (NIPE index: 60 [50-86] vs. 68 [45-89], P<0.002; EDIN score: 8 [7-11] vs. 6 [4-8], P<0.001). Conclusion: Prolonged pain can be accurately assessed with the EDIN scale and NIPE index. However, evaluation with the EDIN scale is time-consuming. The NIPE index can provide instantaneous assessment of prolonged and continuous pain.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제60권8호
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• pp.248-253
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• 2017

Purpose: Vitamin D plays a key role in immune function. Vitamin D deficiency may play a role in the pathogenesis of infections, and low levels of circulating vitamin D are strongly associated with infectious diseases. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of low vitamin D levels in cord blood on neonatal sepsis in preterm infants. Methods: One hundred seventeen premature infants with gestational age of <37 weeks were enrolled. In the present study, severe vitamin D deficiency (group 1) was defined as a 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentration <5 ng/mL; vitamin D insufficiency (group 2), 25(OH)D concentration ${\geq}5ng/mL$ and <15 ng/mL; and vitamin D sufficiency (group 3), 25(OH)D concentration ${\geq}15ng/mL$. Results: Sixty-three percent of the infants had deficient levels of cord blood vitamin D (group 1), 24% had insufficient levels (group 2), and 13% were found to have sufficient levels (group 3). The rate of neonatal sepsis was higher in group 2 than in groups 1 and 3. Conclusion: There was no significant relationship between the cord blood vitamin D levels and the risk of neonatal sepsis in premature infants.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제32권6호
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• pp.792-799
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• 2022

As a vital problem in reproductive health, recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) affects about 1% of women. We performed this study with an aim to explore the molecular mechanism of interleukin-23 (IL-23) and find optimal or effective methods to improve RSA. First, ELISA was applied to evaluate the expressions of IL-23 and its receptor in HTR-8/SVneo cells after IL-23 treatment. CCK-8, TUNEL, wound healing and transwell assays were employed to assess the proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion of HTR-8/SVneo cells, respectively. Additionally, the expressions of apoptosis-, migration-, epithelial-mesenchymal transition- (EMT-) and p38 MAPK signaling pathway-related proteins were measured by western blotting. To further investigate the relationship between IL-23 and p38 MAPK signaling pathway, HTR-8/SVneo cells were treated for 1 h with p38 MAPK inhibitor SB239063, followed by a series of cellular experiments on proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion, as aforementioned. The results showed that IL-23 and its receptors were greatly elevated in IL-23-treated HTR-8/SVneo cells. Additionally, IL-23 demonstrated suppressive effects on the proliferation, apoptosis, migration, invasion and EMT of IL-23-treated HTR-8/SVneo cells. More importantly, the molecular mechanism of IL-23 was revealed in this study; that is to say, IL-23 inhibited the proliferation, apoptosis, migration, invasion and EMT of IL-23-treated HTR-8/SVneo cells via activating p38 MAPK signaling pathway. In conclusion, IL-23 inhibits trophoblast proliferation, migration, and EMT via activating p38 MAPK signaling pathway, suggesting that IL-23 might be a novel target for the improvement of RSA.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제14권4호
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• pp.2277-2282
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• 2013

Purpose: Mammography has been confirmed as the only effective mode to improve the prognosis of patients with breast cancer in Western developed countries, but might not be a good choice in other areas of the world. One of the major challenges in China is to determine an optimal imaging modality for breast cancer screening. This study was designed to clarify the sensitivity of ultrasonography compared with that of mammography in rural China. Methods: We retrospectively studied the sensitivity of mammography and ultrasonography based on 306 breast cancer patients detected by the program of "screening for cervical cancer and breast cancer" performed in Chinese rural areas between January 2009 and December 2011, and analyzed the effects of age, breast density and volume on the sensitivity. Results: Stratified analysis showed that the sensitivity of breast ultrasonography was significantly higher than that of mammography in premenopausal patients (81.4% vs. 61.1%, p=0.02), in women ${\leq}$ 55 years of age (82.2% vs. 63.4%, p<0.01), in the high breast density group (American College of Radiology [ACR] levels 3-4) (85.9% vs. 60.6%, p<0.01) and in the small breast volume group (${\leq}$ 400 ml) (87.1% vs. 66.7%, p<0.01). Age had a significant effect on sensitivity of mammography (breast density and volume-adjusted odds ratio, 6.39; 95% confidence interval, 2.8-14.4 in age group > 55 compared to age group ${\leq}$ 45), but not that of ultrasonography. Neither breast density nor volume had significant effect on sensitivity of mammography or ultrasonography. Conclusions: Ultrasonography is more sensitive than mammography in detecting breast cancer in women under 55 year-old Chinese, especially in those with high-density and relatively small breasts.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• 제51권6호
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• pp.359-362
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• 2012

Objective : To investigate the effect of surgery time on prognosis of newborns with meningomyelocele. Methods : The records of neonates with meningomyelocele were retrospectively analyzed. Demographic and clinical characteristics as well as information, timing of surgery, and durations of hospital stay and antibiotic therapy were recorded. Results : The records of 30 babies were included in the final analysis. Overall, the mean gestational age was $37.7{\pm}2.7$ weeks, with a mean birth weight of $2967{\pm}755$ g and head circumference of $35.8{\pm}3.8$ cm. In terms of localization, 46.6% of the meningomyeloceles were lumbosacral, 40% were lumbar, 10% were thoracolumbar and 3.3% were thoracal. The mean size of the meningomyelocele sacs was $4.33{\pm}1.2$ cm. Newborns underwent surgery on average of $8.2{\pm}5.9$ days after birth, with an overall mean duration of hospital stay of $30{\pm}25.1$ days. Patients were divided into two groups based on timing of surgery (group 1, ${\leq}5$ days; group 2, >5 days), and comparisons between groups revealed that earlier surgery was associated with significantly shorter durations of hospital stay (p<0.001) and antibiotic therapy (p<0.05). Conclusion : Early surgical intervention (${\leq}5$ days) was associated with a shorter duration of hospital stay and antibiotic therapy as well as a lower complication rate. We recommend that corrective surgery be undertaken as soon as reasonably possible.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권17호
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• pp.7357-7362
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• 2014

Interleukin-6 (IL-6), a central proinflammatory cytokine, maintains immune homeostasis and also plays important roles in cervical cancer. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate any associations of IL-6 gene polymorphisms at positions -174 and -572 with predisposition to cervical cancer in a Chinese population. The present hospital-based case-control study comprised 518 patients with cervical cancer and 518 healthy controls. Polymorphisms of the IL-6 gene were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Patients with cervical cancer had a significantly higher frequency of the IL-6 -174 CC genotype [odds ratio (OR) =1.52, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.06-2.19; p=0.02], IL-6 -572 CC genotype (OR =1.91, 95% CI = 1.16-3.13; p=0.01) and IL-6 -174 C allele (OR =1.21, 95% CI = 1.02-1.44; p=0.03) compared to healthy controls. When stratifying by the FIGO stage, patients with III-IV cervical cancer had a significantly higher frequency of IL-6 -174 CC genotype (OR =1.64, 95% CI =1.04-2.61; p=0.04). The CC genotypes of the IL-6 gene polymorphisms at positions -174 and -572 may confer a high risk of cervical cancer. Additional studies with detailed human papillomavirus (HPV) infection data are warranted to validate our findings.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제24권1호
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• pp.19-24
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• 2016

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The exploration of new biomarkers with high sensitivity and specificity for early diagnosis of AMI therefore becomes one of the primary task. In the current study, we aim to detect whether there is any heart specific long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) releasing into the circulation during AMI, and explore its function in the neonatal rat cardiac myocytes injury induced by $H_2O_2$. Our results revealed that the cardiac-specific lncRNA MHRT (Myosin Heavy Chain Associated RNA Transcripts) was significantly elevated in the blood from AMI patients compared with the healthy control ($^*p<0.05$). Using an in vitro neonatal rat cardiac myocytes injury model, we demonstrated that lncRNA MHRT was upregulated in the cardiac myocytes after treatment with hydrogen peroxide ($H_2O_2$) via real-time RT-PCR (qRT-PCR). Furthermore, we knockdowned the MHRT gene by siRNA to confirm its roles in the $H_2O_2$-induced cardiac cell apoptosis, and found that knockdown of MHRT led to significant more apoptotic cells than the non-target control ($^{**}p<0.01$), indicating that the lncRNA MHRT is a protective factor for cardiomyocyte and the plasma concentration of MHRT may serve as a biomarker for myocardial infarction diagnosis in humans AMI.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제63권6호
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• pp.226-231
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• 2020

Background: Probiotics and prebiotics have strain-specific effects on the host. Synbiotics, a mixture of probiotics and prebiotics, are proposed to have more beneficial effects on the host than either agent has alone. Purpose: We performed a randomized controlled trial to investigate the effect of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium together with oligosaccharides and lactoferrin on the development of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) or sepsis in very low birth weight neonates. Methods: Neonates with a gestational age ≤32 weeks and birth weight ≤1,500 g were enrolled. The study group received a combination of synbiotics and lactoferrin, whereas the control group received 1 mL of distilled water as placebo starting with the first feed until discharge. The outcome measures were the incidence of NEC stage ≥2 or late-onset cultureproven sepsis and NEC stage ≥2 or death. Results: Mean birth weight and gestational age of the study (n=104) and the control (n=104) groups were 1,197±235 g vs. 1,151±269 g and 29±1.9 vs. 28±2.2 weeks, respectively (P>0.05). Neither the incidence of NEC stage ≥2 or death, nor the incidence of NEC stage ≥2 or late-onset culture-proven sepsis differed between the study and control groups (5.8% vs. 5.9%, P=1; 26% vs. 21.2%, P=0.51). The only significant difference was the incidence of all stages of NEC (1.9% vs. 10.6%, P=0.019). Conclusion: The combination of synbiotics and lactoferrin did not reduce NEC severity, sepsis, or mortality.