The quality of childbirth care in China: women’s voices: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND: In the context of improved utilisation of health care and outcomes, rapid socio-economic development and health system reform in China, it is timely to consider the quality of services. Data on quality of maternal health care as experienced by women is limited. This study explores women's expectations and experiences of the quality of childbirth care in rural China. METHODS: Thirty five semi-structured interviews and five focus group discussions were conducted with 69 women who had delivered in the past 12 months in hospitals in a rural County in Anhui Province. Data were transcribed, translated and analysed using the framework approach. RESULTS: Hospital delivery was preferred because it was considered safe. Home delivery was uncommon and unsupported by the health system. Expectations such as having skilled providers and privacy during childbirth were met. However, most women reported lack of cleanliness, companionship during labour, pain relief, and opportunity to participate in decision making as poor aspects of care. Absence of pain relief is one reason why women may opt for a caesarean section. CONCLUSIONS: These findings illustrate that to improve quality of care it is crucial to build accountability and communication between providers, women and their families. Ensuring women's participation in decision making needs to be addressed

The interaction of HAb18G/CD147 with integrin α6β1 and its implications for the invasion potential of human hepatoma cells

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>HAb18G/CD147 plays pivotal roles in invasion by hepatoma cells, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Our previous study demonstrated that overexpression of HAb18G/CD147 promotes invasion by interacting with integrin α3β1. However, it has never been investigated whether α3β1 is solely responsible for this process or if other integrin family members also interact with HAb18G/CD147 in human hepatoma cells.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Human SMMC-7721 and FHCC98 cells were cultured and transfected with siRNA fragments against HAb18G/CD147. The expression levels of HAb18G/CD147 and integrin α6β1 were determined by immunofluorescent double-staining and confocal imaging analysis. Co-immunoprecipitation and Western blot analyses were performed to examine the native conformations of HAb18G/CD147 and integrin α6β1. Invasion potential was evaluated with an invasion assay and gelatin zymography.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found that integrin α6β1 co-localizes and interacts with HAb18G/CD147 in human hepatoma cells. The enhancing effects of HAb18G/CD147 on invasion capacity and secretion of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) were partially blocked by integrin α6β1 antibodies (<it>P </it>< 0.01). Wortmannin, a specific phosphatidylinositol kinase (PI3K) inhibitor that reverses the effect of HAb18G/CD147 on the regulation of intracellular Ca²⁺mobilization, significantly reduced cell invasion potential and secretion of MMPs in human hepatoma cells (<it>P </it>< 0.05). Importantly, no additive effect between Wortmannin and α6β1 antibodies was observed, indicating that α6β1 and PI3K transmit the signal in an upstream-downstream relationship.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These results suggest that α6β1 interacts with HAb18G/CD147 to mediate tumor invasion and metastatic processes through the PI3K pathway.</p

Targeting Huntington’s disease through histone deacetylases

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a debilitating neurodegenerative condition with significant burdens on both patient and healthcare costs. Despite extensive research, treatment options for patients with this condition remain limited. Aberrant post-translational modification (PTM) of proteins is emerging as an important element in the pathogenesis of HD. These PTMs include acetylation, phosphorylation, methylation, sumoylation and ubiquitination. Several families of proteins are involved with the regulation of these PTMs. In this review, I discuss the current evidence linking aberrant PTMs and/or aberrant regulation of the cellular machinery regulating these PTMs to HD pathogenesis. Finally, I discuss the evidence suggesting that pharmacologically targeting one of these protein families the histone deacetylases may be of potential therapeutic benefit in the treatment of HD

Expression profiles of pivotal microRNAs and targets in thyroid papillary carcinoma: an analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas

Dan Cong,1 Mengzi He,2 Silin Chen,2 Xiaoli Liu,1 Xiaodong Liu,2 Hui Sun11Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Surgical Translational Medicine, Department of Thyroid and Parathyroid Surgery, People&rsquo;s Republic of China&ndash;Japan Union Hospital, 2Key Laboratory of Radiobiology (Ministry of Health), School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, People&rsquo;s Republic of ChinaAbstract: In the present study, we analyzed microRNA (miRNA) and gene expression profiles using 499 papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) samples and 58 normal thyroid tissues obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. A pivotal regulatory network of 18 miRNA and 16 targets was identified. Upregulated miRNAs (miR-222, miR-221, miR-146b, miR-181a/b/d, miR-34a, and miR-424) and downregulated miRNAs (miR-9-1, miR-138, miR-363, miR-20b, miR-195, and miR-152) were identified. Among them, the upregulation of miR-424 and downregulation of miR-363, miR-195, and miR-152 were not previously identified. The genes CCNE2 (also known as cyclin E2), E2F1, RARA, CCND1 (cyclin D1), RUNX1, ITGA2, MET, CDKN1A (p21), and COL4A1 were overexpressed, and AXIN2, TRAF6, BCL2, RARB, HSP90B1, FGF7, and PDGFRA were downregulated. Among them, CCNE2, COL4A1, TRAF6, and HSP90B1 were newly identified. Based on receiver operating characteristic curves, several miRNAs (miR-222, miR-221, and miR-34a) and genes (CCND1 and MET) were ideal diagnostic indicators, with sensitivities and specificities greater than 90%. The combination of inversely expressed miRNAs and targets improved diagnostic accuracy. In a clinical feature analysis, several miRNAs (miR-34a, miR-424, miR-20b, and miR-152) and genes (CCNE2, COL4A1, TRAF6, and HSP90B1) were associated with aggressive clinical features, which have not previously been reported. Our study not only identified a pivotal miRNA regulatory network associated with PTC but also provided evidence that miRNAs and target genes can be used as biomarkers in PTC diagnosis and clinical risk evaluation.Keywords: thyroid carcinoma, miR-34a, miR-424, miR-20b, miR-15

Benzo(a)pyrene-induced metabolic responses in Manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum by proton nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H NMR) based metabolomics

Benzo(a)pyrene is an important polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) which causes carcinogenic, teratogenic and mutagenic effects in various species and the level of contamination of this toxic agent in the marine environment is of great concern. In this study, metabolic responses induced by two doses (0.02 and 0.2 mu M) of BaP were characterized in the gill tissues of Manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum after exposure for 24, 48 and 96h. The high dose (0.2 mu M) of BaP induced the disturbances in energy metabolism and osmotic regulation based on the metabolic biomarkers such as succinate, alanine, glucose, glycogen, branched chain amino acids, betaine, taurine, homarine, and dimethylamine in clam gills after 24 h of exposure. In addition, hormesis induced by BaP was found in clams exposed to both doses of BaP. Overall, our results demonstrated the applicability of metabolomics for the elucidation of toxicological effects of marine environmental contaminants in a selected bioindicator species such as the Manila clam. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved