TY - JOUR A1 - Chen, You-Peng A1 - Lu, Yong-Ping A1 - Li, Jian A1 - Liu, Zhi-Wei A1 - Chen, Wen-Jing A1 - Liang, Xu-Jing A1 - Chen, Xin A1 - Wen, Wang-Rong A1 - Xiao, Xiao-Min A1 - Reichetzeder, Christoph A1 - Hocher, Berthold T1 - Fetal and maternal angiotensin (1-7) are associated with preterm birth JF - Journal of hypertension N2 - Background: Recent studies show that preterm birth is associated with hypertension in later life. The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) during pregnancy influences fetal growth and development. In the current study, we investigated the impact of fetal as well as maternal angiotensin (1-7) [Ang (1-7)] and angiotensin II (Ang II) plasma concentrations on the risk of preterm birth. Methods: Three hundred and nine pregnant women were prospectively included into the study. The pregnant women were divided into two groups, for example, preterm birth of lower than 37 gestational weeks (n = 17) and full-term birth of 37 gestational weeks or more (n = 292). Maternal and neonatal plasma Ang (1-7) and Ang II concentrations were analyzed at birth from maternal venous blood and umbilical cord blood, respectively. Risk factors for premature birth were determined by multiple logistic regression analysis. Results: Fetal and maternal plasma Ang (1-7) concentrations in the preterm group were lower than those of the term group fetal Ang (1-7) preterm birth: 486.15 +/- 337.34 ng/l and fetal Ang (1-7) term birth: 833.84 +/- 698.12 ng/l and maternal Ang (1-7) preterm birth: 399.86 +/- 218.93 ng/l; maternal Ang (1-7) term birth: 710.34 +/- 598.22 ng/l. Multiple logistic regression analysis considering confounding factors revealed that preeclampsia (P < 0.001), premature rupture of membranes (P = 0.001), lower concentration of maternal Ang (1-7) (P = 0.013) and fetal plasma Ang (1-7) (P = 0.032) were independently associated with preterm birth. We could furthermore demonstrate that the maternal Ang (1-7)/Ang II ratio is independently associated with gestational hypertension or preeclampsia, factors causing preterm birth. Conclusions: Lower concentrations of maternal and fetal Ang (1-7) are independently associated with preterm birth - a risk factor of hypertension in later life. KW - angiotensin (1-7) KW - angiotensin II KW - cardiovascular disease KW - fetal programming KW - intrauterine fetal growth KW - pregnancy KW - preterm delivery Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1097/HJH.0000000000000251 SN - 0263-6352 SN - 1473-5598 VL - 32 IS - 9 SP - 1833 EP - 1841 PB - Lippincott Williams & Wilkins CY - Philadelphia ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Liang, Xu-Jing A1 - Huang, Si-Min A1 - Li, Jian-Ping A1 - Zhu, Xian-Nv A1 - Lu, Yong-Ping A1 - Hocher, Berthold A1 - Chen, You-Peng T1 - Hepatic impairment induced by scrub typhus is associated with new onset of renal dysfunction JF - Clinical laboratory : the peer reviewed journal for clinical laboratories and laboratories related to blood transfusion N2 - Background: Scrub typhus is a potentially fatal infectious disease caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi. There is little attention given to hepatic impairment in the adults with scrub typhus. This study investigated the incidence and the prognostic implications of hepatic impairment in patients with scrub typhus. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed a total of 143 adult patients with scrub typhus who were admitted between January 1999 and December 2010 in Guangdong province, China. The patients were divided into three groups, e.g., normal, mild, and moderate to severe groups based on the elevated serum ALT and/or total bilirubin levels. Furthermore, clinical characteristics and prognosis of the patient groups were compared. Results: 109 patients (76.2%) had abnormal liver function. Among the patients with hepatic impairment 45 cases (31.4%), 54 cases (37.8%), and 10 cases (7.0%) had mild, moderate, and severe hepatic damage, respectively. The moderate to severe hepatic impairment group had higher levels of serum creatinine compared with that of normal hepatic function. The incidence of new onset of renal dysfunction - defined as peak serum creatinine >= 176 mu mol/L during hospital stay with no evidence of renal disease prior hospitalization - was 0% in the mild hepatic impairment group, 8.9% in the moderate hepatic impairment group, and 21.9% in the severe hepatic impairment group, (p = 0.005 for trend). Additionally, the patients with hepatic impairment (n = 109) had higher incidences of episodes of thrombocytopenia (45.9% vs. 8.82%, p < 0.001), hypoalbuminemia (50.5% vs. 11.8%, p < 0.001), new onset of renal dysfunction (16.5% vs. 0.0%, p = 0.011), and electrocardiogram abnormality (28.4% vs. 8.82%, p = 0.019) than the patients without hepatic impairment. Conclusions: The degree of hepatic impairment induced by scrub typhus is associated with new onset of renal dysfunction. KW - hepatic impairment KW - renal dysfunction KW - complication KW - outcome KW - scrub typhus Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.7754/Clin.Lab.2013.121203 SN - 1433-6510 VL - 60 IS - 1 SP - 63 EP - 68 PB - Clin Lab Publ., Verl. Klinisches Labor CY - Heidelberg ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lu, Yong-Ping A1 - Lung, Xu-Jing A1 - Xiao, Xiao-Min A1 - Huang, Si-Min A1 - Liu, Zhi-Wei A1 - Li, Jian A1 - Hocher, Berthold A1 - Chen, You-Peng T1 - Telbivudine during the second and third trimester of pregnancy interrupts HBV intrauterine transmission: a systematic review and meta-analysis JF - Clinical laboratory : the peer reviewed journal for clinical laboratories and laboratories related to blood transfusion N2 - Beckground: Evaluate the efficacy and safety of telbivudine during the 2nd and 3rd trimester of pregnancy in intrauterine transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV). Based on the principle of Cochrane systematic reviews, a database was constructed from Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, the US National Science Digital Library (NSDL), the China Biological Medicine Database (CBM-disc), and contact with Chinese experts in the field from November 2006 to February 2013. Results: Either the Mantel-Haenszel or Inverse Variance fixed-effects model or Mantel-Haenszel or Inverse Variance random-effects model was applied for all analyses indicated by odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). The meta-analysis based on new onset of HBsAg seropositivity of infants at 6 - 12 months postpartum revealed that the control group had an intrauterine transmission rate of 8.25 - 42.31%. This rate was reduced to 0 - 14.29% in the telbivudine treatment group (OR 0.09, 95% CI 0.04 - 0.22, including seven trials, p < 0.001). The rates of intrauterine transmission based on new onset of HBV DNA seropositivity of infants at 6 - 12 months postpartum were 8.25 - 19.23% in the control group and 0 - 3.57% in the treatment group (OR 0.07, 95% CI 0.02 - 0.22, p < 0.001, including only five trials, since two trials had no data on HBV DNA in infants). With the exception of CK elevations, adverse effect frequencies were similar in both groups. Conclusions: Telbivudine is an effective and safe drug for preventing intrauterine transmission of HBV. KW - telbivudine KW - meta-analysis KW - intrauterine KW - transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV) KW - clinical studies KW - safety efficacy Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.7754/Clin.Lab.2013.130408 SN - 1433-6510 VL - 60 IS - 4 SP - 571 EP - 586 PB - Clin Lab Publ., Verl. Klinisches Labor CY - Heidelberg ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Xu, Jingsan A1 - Brenner, Thomas J. K. A1 - Chen, Zupeng A1 - Neher, Dieter A1 - Antonietti, Markus A1 - Shalom, Menny T1 - Upconversion-agent induced improvement of g-C3N4 photocatalyst under visible light JF - ACS applied materials & interfaces N2 - Herein, we report the use of upconversion agents to modify graphite carbon nitride (g-C3N4) by direct thermal condensation of a mixture of ErCl3 center dot 6H(2)O and the supramolecular precursor cyanuric acid-melamine. We show the enhancement of g-C3N4 photoactivity after Er3+ doping by monitoring the photodegradation of Rhodamine B dye under visible light. The contribution of the upconversion agent is demonstrated by measurements using only a red laser. The Er3+ doping alters both the electronic and the chemical properties of g-C3N4. The Er3+ doping reduces emission intensity and lifetime, indicating the formation of new, nonradiative deactivation pathways, probably involving charge-transfer processes. KW - metal-free photocatalysis KW - upconversion KW - carbon nitride KW - RhB photodegradation Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/am5051263 SN - 1944-8244 VL - 6 IS - 19 SP - 16481 EP - 16486 PB - American Chemical Society CY - Washington ER -