Abstract Background The relationship between the solid fuels and the occurrence of pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) is inconclusive. Methods A birth cohort study of 10,452 pregnant women without chronic hypertension was conducted from 2010 to 2012 at the Gansu Provincial Maternity and Child Care Hospital in Lanzhou, China. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to assess the relationship. Results Compared to pregnant women using gas as cooking fuel, pregnant women using coal (OR=2.55, 95% CI: 1.85-3.51)and biomass (OR=3.58, 95% CI: 2.29-5.60) were associated with an increased risk of PIH, gestational hypertension (biomass: OR=3.38, 95% CI: 1.68-6.80), and preeclampsia (coal: OR=2.89, 95% CI: 1.98-4.21; biomass: OR=3.38, 95% CI: 1.95-5.84).The relationship between cooking fuel and PIH is modified by maternal age(p<0.0001), pre-pregnancy BMI (p<0.0001), gestational weigh gain(p<0.0001), parity(p<0.0001), and multiple birth (p<0.0001). Conclusions During pregnancy, exposure to coal or biomass was associated with an increased risk of PIH and preeclampsia.

The detection of vitamin D in complex samples is challenging because of the instability of vitamin D in sample preparation. To resolve this problem, packed-fiber solid-phase extraction (PFSPE) has been successfully developed for the pre-treatment of samples containing vitamin D2 (D2) and vitamin D3 (D3) in dairy products. Based on PFSPE, vitamin D could avoid oxidation because of the shorter extraction time. The adsorbent materials, polystyrene/polypyrrole (PS/PPy) nanofibers, were prepared by electrospinning of PS and in situ polymerization of PPy on the surface of PS nanofibers. The linearity was within the range of 1-2000 ng mL−1 in dairy solution, and the recoveries were 91.9-109.1% with a relative standard deviation (RSD) < 13.6%. Therefore, the prepared method could be used for the detection of D2 and D3 in dairy products.

A solid-phase extraction (SPE) method based on conductive polypyrrole (PPy) nanofibers which were fabricated by electrospinning and in situ polymerization was developed. PPy nanofibers-mediated SPE followed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used for the determination of three synthetic estrogens, namely diethylstilbestrol (DES), dienestrol (DIS), or hexestrol (HS) in milk sample. Extraction conditions including extraction nanofibers, donor solution pH and salt concentration were optimized. The target compounds were extracted from a 0.5 mL aqueous sample at pH 5.0 through PPy fibers, and then were eluted with 0.1 mL methanol. After extraction, the eluant was directly injected into an HPLC system for detection. Under the optimized extraction conditions, a large enrichment factor was achieved for three estrogens. The limit of detection (LOD) at a signal to noise ratio (S/N) of 3 ranged from 0.02 to 0.05 µg mL-1 for the estrogens in milk sample.

Objectives:To analyze the immunogenicity of virus-like particles (VLP) of human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16) isolated in East China and the adjuvant potential of interleukin-12 (IL-12).Methods:The variant HPV16 L1VLP expressed in sf9 insect cells were purified with cesium chloride gradient centrifugation. BALB/c mice were vaccinated with VLP (L1N), VLP with Freund's adjuvant (L1A) or VLP with IL-12 recombinant plasmid (L1P). HPV16 VLP specific IgG and IFN-γ level in the serum were detected by ELISA, and the percentage of CD4+ and CD8+ in spleen cells was detected with flow cytometry.Results:The titers of serum IgG antibodies in vaccinated groups were higher than in negative control and the serum antibodies mainly recognized conformation-dependent HPV16 VLP epitopes. Splenic CD4+ and CD8+ T cell subsets increased after vaccination in every experimental group, and CD8+ increased obviously in L1P group. The ratio of CD4+/CD8+ decreased in L1P group and increased in the other two groups, compared to control group. Vaccination induced specific secretion of IFN-γ in the serum of vaccinated group (p < 0.05), especially in the L1P group.Conclusions:VLP of HPV16 variant strain isolated in East China could induce humoral immunity and cellular immunity in mice, and IL-12 recombinant plasmid can enhance cellular immunity.