A meta-analysis of serum p16 gene promoter methylation for diagnosis of nonsmall cell lung cancer

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the diagnostic value of serum p16 gene promoter methylation for diagnosis of nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

By searching the databases of PubMed and CNKI, we included all the published articles related serum p16 gene promoter methylation and nonsmall lung cancer. The true positive, false positive, false negative, and true negative data for each included publication were extracted by the reviewers. The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, and area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) were pooled by MetaDiSc1.4 software.

RESULTS

Finally, 13 manuscripts with 1440 subjects were involving in this diagnostic meta-analysis. The pooled sensitivity and specificity were 0.25 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.18-0.32) and 0.95 (95% CI: 0.93-0.97), respectively, with randomized effect model. The pooled positive likelihood ratio and negative likelihood ratio were 5.08 (95% CI: 3.00-8.62) and 0.69 (95% CI: 0.62-0.77) with fixed effect model and randomized effect model, respectively. The diagnostic ROC curve for the included 13 publications was pooled by statistical software MetaDiSc14.0 according to the Bayes theorem. The pooled area under the ROC was 0.72 with its standard error of 0.10.

CONCLUSION

According to the published articles, high specificity and low sensitivity were found in this meta-analysis for the p16 gene promoter methylation in the diagnosis of NSCLC.

The Therapeutic Effect of Pancreatic Kininogenase on Treatment of Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

Background: To determine the therapeutic efficacy and cost-effective of pancreatic kininogenase (PKase) on treatment of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) compared with Prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) in patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods: 104 patients with DPN receiving standard glucose control therapy were randomly assigned into 3 groups: Group-A received PKase treatment, Group-B received PGE1 treatment, and Group-C received only standard glucose control therapy. Michigan neuropathy screening instrument (MNSI) score, neurophysiology examination, and nerve conduction velocity were measured. Results: Standard glucose control therapy significantly reduced hyperglycemia to a similar level in all groups. Questionnaire grading and neurophysiology examination both indicated that no significant difference was found at the end of treatment between Groups -A and -B. Except for the ulnar nerve sensory conduction velocity that was significantly improved in Group-B, the remaining nerve conduction velocity (regardless of sensory or motor nerve conduction velocities) was improved to a similar level in Groups -A and -B. Group-A had significantly reduced questionnaire grading and better improvement in motor nerve conduction velocity of the common peroneal nerve, ulnar nerve, and sensory nerve conduction velocity of the sural nerve as compared with Group-C. However, the medical cost of PKase was only 18.9% of that of PGE1 during one course of treatment. Conclusions: PKase has the similar therapeutic efficacy as PGE1 on treatment of DPN in patients with type 2 diabetes. However, the medical cost of PKase is one fifth of that of PGE1. Thus, PKase is a cost-effective drug for treatment of DPN.

CTV to PTV in cervical cancer: From static margins to adaptive radiotherapy

Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) is increasingly used in order to minimize the gastrointestinal, genitourinary, and hematological toxicity in cervical and uterine cancers. However, the benefit of this high-precision approach is detracted by the margins applied to the clinical target volume (CTV) to generate the planning tumor volume (PTV), taking into account tumor and surrounding organs movements, deformations, and volume changes. Adequate PTV margins should be large enough to prevent geographical misses, but not excessive, which might end the benefit from IMRT. The objectives of this review were: (a) to present the evidence available for the determination of CTV-PTV margin for uterine cancers; (b) to highlight the impact of these margins in the context of adaptive radiotherapy; and (c) to discuss the role of the PTV concept in intracavitary brachytherapy.

[Association between obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome and type 2 diabetes in Chinese:a Meta analysis]

Objective:The aim of this study is to assess the association between obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome and type 2 diabetes (T2DM).Method:Databases such as Chinese Biomedical Literature Database,PubMed,Chinese Academic Journals full-text database,Wanfang Resource Database and Chongqing VIP have been searched to collect literatures about the relationship between OSAHS and type 2 diabetes.The papers and unpublished articles were also manually retrieved.Randomized controlled trial conformed to the condition were evaluated according to the standards of literature assessment,and the data has been extracted.The RevMan5.3 software was applied to carry out Meta-analysis.Result:Thirty studies are includedin the Meta-analysis.The fasting glucose content of OSAHS patients with T2DM is significantly higher than T2DM patients[WMD=1.01,95%CI(0.55,1.46), P<0.01];OSAHS with T2DM patients' apnea hypopnea index is significantly higher than OSAHS patients[WMD=3.78,95%CI(1.69,5.87),P<0.01];the fasting glucose content of OSAHS patients is also significantly higher than normal [WMD=1.16,95CI%(0.88,1.44),P<0.01];When stratified by rhe grades of OSAHS,we found fasting glucose content of all OSAHS patients is significantly higher than normal[WMD=1.09,95CI% (0.97,1.21),P<0.01];the funnel flot appeared to be symmetrical with little bias.Conclusion:The experimental results indicate that OSAHS is significantly related with T2DM ,and they may be the risk factorof each other.

Worry about Medical Care, Family Support, and Depression of the Elders in Urban China

This study examines the role of family support in reducing the elders’s depression in the face of the perceived inadequate public medical care in urban China. Using data from the Survey on Aging and Intergenerational Relations in Baoding City, this article investigates the overall depression level, somatic symptoms, and affective symptoms, respectively. The findings suggest that perceived inadequate public medical care, which results from dramatic changes in China’s socioeconomic transformation, has a stressful impact on all measures of depression. Family support, by its structure and function, shows both direct and moderating effects in counteracting such stress from the public domain. In light of China’s demographic transition, the state is called upon to adopt a comprehensive strategy in designing its socioeconomic development policy to meet the needs of an aging population

Old Age Support in Contemporary Urban China from Both Parents’ and Children’s Perspectives

This article explores the links between old age support and the characteristics of both parents and children drawing on survey data collected in Baoding, China, in 1994. Three specific forms of support are examined: monetary transfers, in-kind gifts, and help with daily activities. Hierarchical modeling is applied to the analysis from children’s perspective to control for the unobserved family heterogeneity. Results indicate that intergenerational support within families is currently the major source of old age security in Chinese society. Analyses from both parents’ and children’s perspectives support the corporate group/mutual aid model, which largely sees the provision of help as dependent on elderly parents’needs and children’s capacities. Although living away from children does not affect whether elderly parents receive economic help, it does constrain their receiving help on daily activities. Policy implications of the findings are discussed.

Overexpression of angiopoietin 2 promotes the formation of oral squamous cell carcinoma by increasing epithelial-mesenchymal transition-induced angiogenesis

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common cancer of the head and neck and is associated with a high rate of lymph node metastasis. The initial step in the metastasis and transition of tumors is epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-induced angiogenesis, which can be mediated by angiopoietin 2 (ANG2), a key regulatory factor in angiogenesis. In the present study, immunohistochemistry and real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase (qRT-PCR) were used to measure the expression of ANG2 in OSCC tissues. Plasmids encoding ANG2 mRNA were used for increased ANG2 expression in the OSCC cell line TCA8113. The short interfering RNA (siRNA)-targeting ANG2 mRNA sequences were used to inhibit ANG2 expression in TCA8113 cells. Subsequently, transwell assays were performed to examine the effects of ANG2 on TCA8113 cell migration and invasion. Furthermore, in vivo assays were performed to assess the effect of ANG2 on tumor growth. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assays and immunohistochemistry were used to examine cell apoptosis and angiogenesis in tumor tissues, respectively. Finally, western blot analysis was performed to evaluate tumor formation-related proteins in OSCC tissues. We found that protein expression of ANG2 was remarkably upregulated in OSCC tissues. Overexpression of ANG2 increased the migration and invasion of TCA8113 cells by regulating EMT. Further investigations showed that overexpression of ANG2 increased tumor growth in nude mice, and angiogenesis of OSCC tissues increased in the presence of ANG2 overexpression. Overexpression of ANG2 also reduced cell apoptosis in tumor tissue cells. Finally, we found that overexpression of ANG2 resulted in changes in the expression of tumor formation-related proteins including vimentin, E-cadherin, Bim, PUMA, Bcl-2, Bax, Cyclin D1, PCNA and CD31. Our findings show that ANG2 has an important role in the migration and invasion of OSCC. More importantly, further investigations suggested that overexpression of ANG2 might increase OSCC metastasis by promoting angiogenesis in nude mice. This stimulatory effect could be achieved by inducing abnormal EMT and by reducing apoptosis and increasing proliferation of cells.

A patient with a hyperechoic band-shaped structure in the right hepatic vein

Cement (polymethylmethacrylat) is frequently and increasingly used in vertebral surgery. Complications can occur by spillage of this material; however the vast majority of the patients remain free of symptoms and do not require any specific therapy.Internists, gastroenterologists and radiologists regularly performing abdominal ultrasound and computed tomography should be aware of this complication.A case of spillage of cement in the right hepatic vein is presented.

X-exome sequencing of 405 unresolved families identifies seven novel intellectual disability genes

X-linked intellectual disability (XLID) is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous disorder. During the past two decades in excess of 100 X-chromosome ID genes have been identified. Yet, a large number of families mapping to the X-chromosome remained unresolved suggesting that more XLID genes or loci are yet to be identified. Here, we have investigated 405 unresolved families with XLID. We employed massively parallel sequencing of all X-chromosome exons in the index males. The majority of these males were previously tested negative for copy number variations and for mutations in a subset of known XLID genes by Sanger sequencing. In total, 745 X-chromosomal genes were screened. After stringent filtering, a total of 1297 non-recurrent exonic variants remained for prioritization. Co-segregation analysis of potential clinically relevant changes revealed that 80 families (20%) carried pathogenic variants in established XLID genes. In 19 families, we detected likely causative protein truncating and missense variants in 7 novel and validated XLID genes (CLCN4, CNKSR2, FRMPD4, KLHL15, LAS1L, RLIM and USP27X) and potentially deleterious variants in 2 novel candidate XLID genes (CDK16 and TAF1). We show that the CLCN4 and CNKSR2 variants impair protein functions as indicated by electrophysiological studies and altered differentiation of cultured primary neurons from Clcn4(-/-) mice or after mRNA knock-down. The newly identified and candidate XLID proteins belong to pathways and networks with established roles in cognitive function and intellectual disability in particular. We suggest that systematic sequencing of all X-chromosomal genes in a cohort of patients with genetic evidence for X-chromosome locus involvement may resolve up to 58% of Fragile X-negative cases.

Investigation of cell aggregation on the substrate of a parallel-plate flow chamber

Adhesion of tumor cells (TCs) to polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) tethered on a monolayer of vascular endothelial cells (ECs) in shear flows is investigated theoretically. Both TC&mdash;PMN and PMN&mdash;EC aggregations are modeled using the population balance equations (PBEs). Parameters in the model obtained by curve fitting show that an increase of shear rate or viscosity will suppress the formation of aggregates and promote the breakage of them. Analysis on the collision frequency suggests that the averaged encounter duration is affected by viscosity. Based on the model, a nonlinear connection between the number of migrated TCs and the concentration of PMNs in the flow near the substrate is presented.

Graphitized porous carbon prepared from pyrolysis of Sterculia scaphigera and its application in lithium ion batteries

Sterculia scaphigera exhibits exceptional capability to inhale a large amount of water, which is accompanied by great volume expansion.

A bundled-stack discotic columnar liquid crystalline phase with inter-stack electronic coupling

Insulated multi-strand nanowires: a discotic liquid crystalline phase with multiple π-stacks bundled in a single supramolecular column.

An assessment of wetland nature reserves and the protection of China’s vertebrate diversity

We assessed all 148 wetland nature reserves in China and the distribution of the four taxa of endemic and threatened terrestrial vertebrates, reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals. Assessment of the wetland nature reserves was combined with the governmental list of the endemic and threatened vertebrates to identify the richness of the species. Species richness was scored as high, medium or low using a factor analysis method, and 31 wetland ecosystems were marked as high protection areas. The relationship between the threatened species and the endemic species in the reserves was also analyzed. We found that both richness patterns were similar. Based on the richness study, a nature reserve classification system with corresponding.

[Non-targeted effects (bystander, abscopal) of external beam radiation therapy: an overview for the clinician]

Radiotherapy is advocated in the treatment of cancer of over 50 % of patients. It has long been considered as a focal treatment only. However, the observation of effects, such as fatigue and lymphopenia, suggests that systemic effects may also occur. The description of bystander and abscopal effects suggests that irradiated cells may exert an action on nearby or distant unirradiated cells, respectively. A third type of effect that involves feedback interactions between irradiated cells was more recently described (cohort effect). This new field of radiation therapy is yet poorly understood and the definitions suffer from a lack of reproducibility in part due to the variety of experimental models. The bystander effect might induce genomic instability in non-irradiated cells and is thus extensively studied for a potential risk of radiation-induced cancer. From a therapeutic perspective, reproducing an abscopal effect by using a synergy between ionizing radiation and immunomodulatory agents to elicit or boost anticancer immune responses is an interesting area of research. Many applications are being developed in particular in the field of hypofractionated stereotactic irradiation of metastatic disease.

The therapeutic efficiency of extracorporeal magnetic innervation treatment in women with urinary tract dysfunction following radical hysterectomy

Data on 32 consecutive women with demonstrable urinary tract dysfunction for at least 6 months following radical hysterectomy (RH) for uterine cervical cancer, who received 24 sessions of extracorporeal magnetic innervation (ExMI) treatment twice-weekly were collected. The 1-h pad test weight decreased from 27.2 g pre-treatment to 12.1 g post-treatment (p < 0.05). Both the median UDI-6 and IIQ-7 scores showed statistically significant improvements (p < 0.001) at every stage of the ExMI treatment and in the 24.2 months mean follow-up duration after treatment. The symptoms of frequency, stress incontinence, urge incontinence and voiding difficulty showed statistically significant improvements (p < 0.001) after 8 and 24 sessions of ExMI treatment. The urodynamic parameters between pre-treatment and post-treatment after 24 sessions revealed no statistically significant changes. Based on the objective and subjective measures observed in this study, 24 sessions of twice-weekly ExMI treatment is an additional non-invasive therapy option for patients with the symptoms of lower urinary tract following RH.

Network-based identification of key proteins involved in apoptosis and cell cycle regulation

OBJECTIVES

Cancer cells differ from normal body cells in their ability to divide indefinitely and to evade programmed cell death. Crosstalk between apoptosis and cell cycle processes promotes balance between proliferation and death, and limits population growth and survival of cells. However, intricate relationships between them and how they are able to manipulate the fate of cancer cells still remain to be clarified. Identification of key factors involved in both apoptosis and cell cycle regulation may help to address this problem.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Identification of such key proteins was carried out, using a series of bioinformatics methods, such as network construction and key protein identification.

RESULTS

In this study, we computationally constructed human apoptotic/cell cycle-related protein-protein interactions (PPIs) networks from five experimentally supported protein interaction databases, and further integrated these high-throughput data sets into a Naïve Bayesian model to predict protein functional connections. On the basis of modified apoptotic/cell cycle related PPI networks, we calculated and ranked all protein members involved in apoptosis and cell cycle regulation. Our results not only identified some already known key proteins such as p53, Rb, Myc and Src but also found that the proteasome, Cullin family members, kinases and transcriptional repressors play important roles in regulating apoptosis and the cell cycle. Furthermore, we found that the top 100 proteins ranked by PeC were enriched in some pathways such as those of cancer, the proteasome, the cell cycle and Wnt signalling.

CONCLUSIONS

We constructed the global human apoptotic/cell cycle related PPI network based on five online databases, and a Naïve Bayesian model. In addition, we systematically identified apoptotic/cell cycle related key proteins in cancer cells. These findings may uncover intricate relationships between apoptosis and cell cycle processes and thus provide further new clues towards future anticancer drug discovery.

Bioinformatics analysis of gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from children with type 1 diabetes in 3 periods

To explore the expression changes of potential key genes and relevant biological processes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of children with newly diagnosis of type 1 diabetes (T1D).Microarray data GSE9006 were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, including peripheral blood mononuclear cells samples from 43 children with newly diagnosed T1D (NEW), 19 one-month (1-MO) follow-up samples, 19 4-month (4-MO) follow-up samples and 24 healthy controls. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified using Affy package in R, and cluster analysis of DEGs were performed following functional enrichment analysis with Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) and construction of protein-protein interaction (PPI) network with STRING database.We identified 73, 73, 96 DEGs in NEW group, 1-MO group and 4-MO group, respectively by comparing with healthy controls with |logFC|>0.58 and P-value<0.05. The cluster analysis of these DEGs showed that 4 genes, including human leukocyte antigen (HLA-DQA1), HLA-DRB4, integrin 3 (ITGB3) and killer cell lectin-like receptor subfamily F member 1 (KLRF1) were all significantly expressed in 3 groups, which were significantly enriched in asthma, T1D and intestinal immune network for IgA production pathway. And 57 genes enriched in cluster 5, which were only differentially expressed in NEW group, were involved in response to wounding, inflammatory response and blood coagulation as well as chemokine signaling pathway. Besides, the hub genes in PPI network of cluster 5 were identified, containing FOS, pro-platelet basic protein (PPBP), interleukin 8 (IL8), formyl peptide receptor-like 2 (FPR2) and platelet factor 4 (PF4).HLA-DQA1, HLA-DRB4, ITGB3 and KLRF1 might be targets for treatment of T1D, and 5 hub proteins, FOS, PPBP, IL8, FPR2 and PF4, were likely to be new markers for diagnosis of T1D.