FBLN3 inhibited the invasion and metastasis of colorectal cancer through the AKT/mTOR pathway

Fibulin-3(FBLN3) levels are different in different types of cancers. We found that fibulin-3 was downregulated in colorectal (CRC) cells, particularly in the SW480 cell line. By comparison, transfecting SW480 cells with a lentivirus overexpressing fibulin-3 RNA could inhibit proliferation, induce G1/S arrest, and promote cell apoptosis. Fibulin-3 overexpression further suppressed the invasion and metastasis of CRC. These effects were regulated through the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway.

Diffusion-limited PBPK model for predicting pulmonary pharmacokinetics of florfenicol in pig

For most bacterial lung infections, the concentration of unbound antimicrobial agent in lung interstitial fluid has been thought to be responsible for antimicrobial efficacy. In this study, a diffusion-limited physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model was developed to predict the pulmonary pharmacokinetics of florfenicol (FF) in pigs. The model included separate compartments corresponding to blood, diffusion-limited lung, flow-limited muscle, liver, and kidney and an extra compartment representing the remaining carcass. The absorption rate constant and renal and hepatic clearance of FF were determined in vivo. Other parameters were taken from the literature or optimized based on existing pharmacokinetic data. All mathematical operations during the development of the model were performed using acslXtreme version 3.0.2.1 (Aegis Technologies Group, Inc., Huntsville, AL, USA). The model accurately predicted the concentration-time courses of FF in lung interstitial fluid, serum, and plasma following different dosing schedules, except at the dose of 15 mg/kg. When compared with the tissue residue data, the model generally underestimated the FF concentration at the injection site, whereas it gave good predictions of FF concentrations in lung, liver, and kidney at early time points. The model predictions provide a scientific basis for the dosage regimen design of FF.

Correlation between hepatitis B virus DNA levels and diagnostic tests for HBsAg, HBeAg, and PreS1-Ag in chronic hepatitis B

The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic value of the serum markers HBsAg and HBeAg and PreS1 protein (PreS1-Ag) in quantifying the levels of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). One thousand CHB patients were recruited from Beijing You'an Hospital between June and December 2012. Serum HBsAg and HBeAg levels were detected by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and fluorescence quantitative PCR were used to determine the level of PreS1-Ag and HBV DNA, respectively. We observed a low correlation between HBsAg and HBV DNA (r = 0.172, P < 0.001) expression; however, the correlation coefficient increased gradually with the increase in HBV DNA levels, and was more significant when HBV DNA log10 > 7 (r = 0.597, P < 0.001). Additionally, HBsAg and HBV DNA showed a significant positive correlation in the HBeAg+ group (r = 0.321, P < 0.001), whereas no correlation was observed in the HBeAg- group (r = -0.016, P = 0.825). HBV DNA expression was correlated with HBeAg (χ2 = 83.07, P < 0.001) and PreS1-Ag (χ2 = 36.01, P < 0.001). HBV DNA-positive rate was higher in HBeAg/PreS1-Ag++ patients (72.26%) than that in the single-positive groups (P < 0.001). Therefore, serum HBsAg is not a good marker for the prediction of HBV replication, and co-detection of HBeAg and PreS1-Ag, which can better predict HBV DNA replication, can be used as a reliable method for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of CHB.

Evaluation of the rpoB macroarray assay to detect rifampin resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Beijing, China

The aim of this study was to evaluate the modified rifampin oligonucleotide (RIFO) macroarray method to detect mutations in the hot-spot region of the rpoB gene, associated with rifampin (RIF) resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The study sample included 123 strains of M. tuberculosis isolated in the Beijing, China, area in 2002-2005, including 73 RIF-resistant and 40 pansusceptible strains. The genotypic assay successfully identified 91.8% of the RIF-resistant strains, whereas no mutations were found in RIF-susceptible strains. The most frequently detected rpoB mutations were in the codons 516, 526, and 531, together accounting for 74% of RIF-resistant strains. Spoligotyping subdivided all strains into 11 unique profiles and 3 profiles shared by 3, 4, and 103 strains, respectively. The 113 strains belonged to the Beijing family genotypes, defined by the specific spoligotype signature (absence of signals 1-34) and deletion of the RD105 region. The rpoB S531L (TCG-->TTG) mutation was found in 57.4% of the RIF-resistant strains of the Beijing genotype. A mutation in the rpoB hot-spot region was found in 51 of the 55 (92.7%) multidrug-resistant strains (i.e., resistant to at least RIF and isoniazid), thus demonstrating the added utility of the modified RIFO method to predict multidrug resistance. The RIFO method is relatively simple to perform and allows straightforward interpretation of results; consequently, it can be used in clinical diagnostic laboratories as a fast complement to phenotypic methods.

Plasma glucose levels and diabetes are independent predictors for mortality and morbidity in patients with SARS

AIMS

To investigate the relationships between a known history of diabetes and ambient fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels with death and morbidity rates in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

METHODS

In this retrospective analysis, the clinical and biochemical characteristics of 135 patients who had died from SARS, 385 survivors of SARS and 19 patients with non-SARS pneumonia were compared.

RESULTS

All patients were treated according to a predefined protocol. Before steroid treatment, the mean FPG level was significantly higher in the SARS group (deceased vs. survivors vs. non-SARS pneumonia group: 9.7 +/- 5.2 vs. 6.5 +/- 3.0 vs. 5.1 +/- 1.0 mmol/l, P < 0.01). In the SARS group, the percentage of patients with a known history of diabetes was significantly higher in the deceased patients than in the survivors (21.5% vs. 3.9%, P < 0.01). Among patients with no known history of diabetes and before commencement of steroid therapy, those who had hypoxaemia (SaO(2) < 93%) had higher FPG levels than those who did not have hypoxia in both the survivor (8.7 +/- 4.9 vs. 6.3 +/- 2.1 mmol/l, P < 0.001) and deceased (9.8 +/- 4.8 vs. 7.2 +/- 1.5 mmol/l, P < 0.001) groups. A known history of diabetes [odds ratio (OR) 3.0, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.4, 6.3; P = 0.005] and FPG > or = 7.0 mmol/l before steroid treatment (OR 3.3, 95% CI 1.4, 7.7, P = 0.006) were independent predictors of death. During the course of the illness, FPG levels were negatively associated with SaO(2) (beta =-0.682 +/- 0.305, P = 0.025, general estimation equation model) in SARS patients. Survival analysis showed that FPG was independently associated with an increased hazard ratio (HR) of mortality (HR = 1.1, 95% CI 1.0, 1.1, P = 0.001) and hypoxia (HR = 1.1, 95% CI 1.0, 1.1, P = 0.002) after controlling for age and gender.

CONCLUSIONS

A known history of diabetes and ambient hyperglycaemia were independent predictors for death and morbidity in SARS patients. Metabolic control may improve the prognosis of SARS patients.

[Clinical and experimental study in treating gastric cancer with replenishing qi and invigorating spleen oral liquid combined with chemotherapy]

61 cases of the gastric cancers have been treated with Replenishing Qi and Invigorating Spleen (RQIS) combined with chemotherapy. The patients were divided into treated group and control group randomly, The results showed that: rate of the adverse effects, e.g. nausea, vomiting, anorexia, diarrhea etc. were higher in the chemotherapy used patients, combined treated groups were lower significantly (P < 0.01-0.001). Rate of chemotherapy completion was 95% in the treated group, 78% in control group, the difference was significant (P < 0.01). WBC and blood platelet were reduced in the treatment group and chemotherapy group, they were 30% and 45% respectively (P < 0.01). Superoxide dismutase was increased obviously (P < 0.01). It revealed that RQIS could scavenge the free radical potently. 60 cases of gastric cancers have been treated over 1 year, the survival rates of 1 year, 3 years, 5 years were 98.36%, 82.69%, 60.00% respectively after following up. Among them, survival rate of III stage patients was 57.14%. Animal experimental study showed that the inhibition rates of lung metastasis were 92.2% and 83.7% in mice B16 of RQIS groups. The difference was significant than that of control group. They could elevate the tolerance to chemotherapy in mice.

Learning and Extracting Finite State Automata with Second-Order Recurrent Neural Networks

We show that a recurrent, second-order neural network using a real-time, forward training algorithm readily learns to infer small regular grammars from positive and negative string training samples. We present simulations that show the effect of initial conditions, training set size and order, and neural network architecture. All simulations were performed with random initial weight strengths and usually converge after approximately a hundred epochs of training. We discuss a quantization algorithm for dynamically extracting finite state automata during and after training. For a well-trained neural net, the extracted automata constitute an equivalence class of state machines that are reducible to the minimal machine of the inferred grammar. We then show through simulations that many of the neural net state machines are dynamically stable, that is, they correctly classify many long unseen strings. In addition, some of these extracted automata actually outperform the trained neural network for classification of unseen strings.

[Phagosonogram (PSG) in cancer of the gastric cardia--a preliminary study of 100 patients and 100 normal subjects]

Phagosonography of 100 normal subjects and 100 patients with cardiac cancer (CC) is described. The apparatus was self-designed and self-manufactured. The pre-ejection period and other 8 quantitative indexes in PSG were compared and abnormal level existed in patients with CC (P less than 0.01). The phagosonograms drawn in 54 patients with esophageal, cardiac or gastric benign diseases served as control. The diagnostic accuracy of PSG was 97% positive, 3% suspicious in CC and 100% negative in the normal subjects. It was 3.7% suspicious in the esophageal, cardiac or gastric diseases. PSG is very important in the early diagnosis of CC and is also of value in the prediction of a successful operation. The authors believe that PSG can reflect the changes in cardiac and esophageal motor function. In CC, the PSG changes are mainly due to the malfunction in the dilation and contraction of the lower esophageal sphincter. This malfunction shows itself earlier than the pathomorphology and provides a basis for the early diagnosis of CC. Phagosonography is a new method in the research on the motor function of the sound producing viscera, the diagnosis of their diseases and the observation of the treatment result. Being able to be performed with the patients in physiological and non-invasive state, it is suitable for screening.