Study of pharyngeal airway morphology with CBCT: Benefits of four premolar extraction orthodontic treatments

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Four premolars extractions are routine procedures for correction of malocclusion, but will inevitably lead to a reduction of tongue space, whether this will weaken the pharyngeal airway remains a controversy.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) radiographs of 80 patients who completed four premolar extraction orthodontic treatments were collected and divided into three anteroposterior skeletal groups according to the ANB (angle subspinale to nasion to supramentale) value. Linear, angular, cross-sectional area, and volumetric dimensions of the pharyngeal airway were measured using Dolphin Imaging 11.9 software. One-way analysis of variance and Pearson's correlation coefficient test were performed to assess the intergroup comparisons. Treatment changes were evaluated with two-sample t-tests.

RESULTS

In intergroup comparisons, vertical linear and cross-sectional area differences were identified in S-Go/N-Me, VD1, VD1/N-Me, VD2/N-Me, AA, OAA and OMINI (p<0.05), while other measurements showed no significant differences. Angle2, the tilting degree of the pharyngeal airway, showed a positive correlation with ANB (p<0.05). As for the treatment changes, a significant increase was found in the pharyngeal airway in the Class I group (OUA p<0.05, VD1 p<0.001, VD2 p<0.05) and Class II group (VD1 p<0.001. VD2, p<0.05), and inversely, a significant decrease was found in the pharyngeal airway in the Class III group (OAA p<0.05, OMINI p<0.05, OUA p<0.05). No volumetric difference was identified. Interestingly, regarding the preoperative pharyngeal airway size, values trended to the mean value significantly.

CONCLUSION

Four premolar extraction orthodontic treatments did not affect the pharyngeal airway volume except for the vertical liner and cross-sectional area dimensions. The trend of the gold standard suggested a positive influence of four premolar extraction orthodontic treatments.

Inhibition of PRRX2 suppressed colon cancer liver metastasis via inactivation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway

The aim of this study was to investigate whether PRRX2 may regulate the liver metastasis of colon cancer via the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. PRRX2 and β-catenin in patients with the liver metastases of colon cancer was detected by immunochemistry. Colon cancer cells (CT-26 and CMT93) were divided into Normal, si-Ctrl, si-PRRX2 and si-PRRX2 +LiCl groups. Cell invasive and migrating abilities and the related proteins were detected. Liver-metastatic mice model was constructed consisting of Normal, NC shRNA and PRRX2 shRNA groups to examine the function of PRRX2 shRNA on liver metastasis. We found that PRRX2 and β-catenin positive rate was elevated in colon cancer tissues, especially in those tissues with liver metastasis, and there was a close relation between PRRX2 and the clinical staging, lymph node metastasis and numbers of liver metastases of colon cancer patients with liver metastasis. In vitro, the invasive and migrating abilities of CT-26 and CMT93 cells decreased apparently in the si-PRRX2 group, with down-regulation of PRRX2, p-GSK3β^Ser9/GSK3β, nucleus and cytoplasm β-catenin, TCF4 and Vimentin but up-regulation of E-cadherin. However, LiCl, the Wnt/β-catenin pathway activator, can reverse the inhibitory effect of si-PRRX2 on invasive and migrating ability of colon cancer cells. In vivo, the volume and weight of transplanted tumor and the number of liver metastases in the PRRX2 shRNA group were significantly reduced, with the similar protein expression patterns as in vitro. In a word, PRRX2 inhibition may reduce invasive and migrating abilities to hinder epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and suppress colon cancer liver metastasis through inactivation of Wnt/β-catenin pathway.

[Clinical study on the reduction of ocular surface bacteria in pre-operative cataract surgery patients by cleansing the eyelid margins]

Objective: To explore the clinical significance of ocular surface bacteria inhibition by cleaning eyelid margins before surgery in cataract patients. Methods: Case-control study. Thirty-five patients (45 eyes) with age-related cataracts who were proposed to receive treatment of Phacoemulsification combined with cataract extraction and intraocular lens implantation at Peking University 3(rd) hospital were included. The experimental group consisted of 9 males and 15 females with the average age of (69.8±11.5). The control group consisted of 6 males and 15 females with the average age of (61.8±16.2). In the experimental group, bacteria samples from the conjunctival sac and eyelid margins were collected at three times separately and were cultured for identification: first sampling was taken prior to application of any type of antimicrobial measures; second sampling was taken after application of lid scrub twice daily for 7 days to cleanse their eyelid margins by the patients;the last sampling was taken after patients' application of Levofloxacin antibiotic eye drops 3 times per day continuously for 3 days prior to surgery. In the control group, bacteria samples from the conjunctival sac and eyelid margins were collected at two times separately and were cultured for identification: first sampling was taken before application of any antimicrobial measures;second sampling was taken after patients' application of only Levofloxacin antibiotic eye drops successively for 3 days before surgery. Then the results of bacteria culture of the two groups above were compared. Results: In the experimental group, according to the eyelid margins bacteria cultures results of the first sampling (taken before application of any antibacterial measures), the total positive rate, positive rate of common bacteria and positive rate of rare bacteria found in the cultures were 83.3% (20/24), 70.8% (17/24), 45.8% (11/24), respectively; according to the bacteria cultures results of the second sampling (tanken after application of lid scrub for cleaning the eyelid margins for 7 days), the total positive rate, positive rate of common bacteria and positive rate of rare bacteria found in the cultures were 58.3% (14/24), 45.8% (11/24), 25% (6/24), respectively;According to the bacteria cultures results of the third sampling (taken after application of antibiotic eye drops for three days), the total positive rate, positive rate of common bacteria and positive rate of rare bacteria found in the cultures were 20.8% (5/24), 20.8% (5/24), 4.2% (1/24), respectively. In the experimental group, we compared the bacterial positive rate of the samples taken after patients' application of antibiotics for 3 days to the bacterial positive rate of the samples taken prior to application of any antibacterial measures to have found that the total positive rate, the positive rates of common bacteria and rare bacteria decreased significantly (P<0.05) and the difference in between are of statistical significance. In the control group, according to the eyelid margins bacteria cultures results of the first sampling (taken before application of any antibacterial measures, the total positive rate, positive rate of common bacteria and positive rate of rare bacteria found in the cultures were 81% (17/21), 66.7% (14/21), 19% (4/21), respectively;According to the bacteria cultures results of the second sampling (taken after the application of antibiotic eye drops for three days), the total positive rate, positive rate of common bacteria and positive rate of rare bacteria found in the cultures were 38.1% (8/21), 14.3% (3/21), 33.3% (7/21) respectively. When comparing the experimental group to the control group, the experimental group yielded significantly better results than the control group for the rate of reduction of rare bacteria in the eyelid margin after using antibiotics for 3 days. This is due to the lid scrub being used with the antibiotics. The difference are of statistical significance (χ(2)=6.518, P=0.017). There was no statistically significant difference between the experimental and control group in terms of the total positive rate as well as the positive rate of common bacteria and rare bacteria in the conjunctival sac. Conclusions: The cleaning of the eyelid and eyelid margin with lid scrub prior to cataract surgery combined with antibiotics eye drops will achieve excellent antibacterial effects for common and rare bacteria in the eyelid and conjunctival sac. The antibacterial effect of using lid scrub with antibiotic eye drops is more favorable than that of using antibiotic eye drops only. However, the lid scrub eyelid hygiene products cannot replace preoperative antibiotics independently. (Chin J Ophthalmology, 2018, 54: 445-451).

Upregulated long-non-coding RNA DLEU2 exon 9 expression was an independent indicator of unfavorable overall survival in patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma

In this study, we aimed to explore the expression profiles of some known functional lncRNAs in esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAD) and to screening the potential prognostic makers, using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)-esophageal carcinoma (ESCA). Results showed that DLEU2 is a high potential OS related marker among 73 functional lncRNAs. DLEU2 and its intronic miR-15a and miR-16-1 expression were significantly upregulated in EAD compared with adjacent normal tissues. However, miR-15a and miR-16-1 expression were only weakly correlated with DLEU2 expression. Univariate and multivariate analysis confirmed that DLEU2 expression, but not miR-15a or miR-16-1 expression is an independent prognostic marker in terms of OS (HR:1.688, 95%CI: 1.085-2.627, p = 0.020) in EAD patients. The exon 9 of DLEU2 is very strongly co-expressed with DLEU2 (Pearson's r = 0.96) and showed better predictive value than total DLEU2 expression in predicting the OS of EAD patients. Multivariate analysis confirmed its independent prognostic value (HR:1.970, 95%CI: 1.266-3.067, p = 0.003), after adjustment of histologic grade, pathological stages and the presence of residual tumor. By checking the methylation status of DLEU2 gene, we excluded the possibility of the influence of two CpG sites near the DLEU2 exon 9 locus on its expression. In addition, although copy number alterations (CNAs) were observed DLEU2 gene, heterozygous loss (-1), low-level copy gain (+1) and high-level amplification (+2) had no significant association with DLEU2 transcription. Based on these findings, we infer that DLEU2 exon 9 expression might serve as a valuable biomarker of unfavorable OS in EAD patients.

MFAP2 promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition in gastric cancer cells by activating TGF-β/SMAD2/3 signaling pathway

Introduction

Microfibril-associated protein 2 (MFAP2) is an extracellular matrix protein that interacts with fibrillin to modulate the function of microfibrils. MFAP2 has been reported to play a significant role in obesity, diabetes, and osteopenia, and has been shown to be upregulated in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. However, the molecular function and prognostic value of MFAP2 have never been reported in gastric cancer (GC) or any other tumors.

Methods

The current study investigated the expression patterns, prognostic significance, functional role, and possible mechanisms of MFAP2 in GC.

Results

We demonstrated that MFAP2 was overexpressed in GC tissues, and its overexpression was significantly correlated with poor overall and disease-free survival in patients with GC. Moreover, we found that MFAP2 promoted the proliferation, migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) phenotype in GC cells. MFAP2 might modulate EMT of GC cells by activating the TGF-β/SMAD2/3 signaling pathway.

Conclusion

These findings provide novel evidence that MFAP2 plays a crucial role in the progression of GC. Therefore, MFAP2 may be a promising prognostic marker and a potent anticancer agent.

[Relationships among illness perceptions, medication beliefs and medication adherence in primary angle closure glaucoma patients]

Objective: To investigate the relationships among illness perception, medication beliefs and medication adherence in primary angle closure glaucoma patients. Methods: It was a cross-sectional study. Morisky 8-item Medication Adherence Questionnaire Chinese Revised, the Brief Illness Perceptions Questionnaire, the Specific Section of the Beliefs about Medicine Questionnaire Chinese Revised were administered to 156 primary angle closure glaucoma patients from Tianjin Eye Hospital. Chi-square test was used to analyze the types of glaucoma, gender, prescription complexity, medicine schedule, other disease and course of disease between the group of adherence and non-adherence. Pearson correlation method was used to analyze the correlations among the illness perception, necessity belief, concerns belief and medication adherence. Structural equation model was used to analyze the mediational role of medication belief between illness perception and medication adherence. Results: In the 156 primary angle closure glaucoma patients being investigated, 37 male and 119 female, the average age was (61.3±8.3) years old. The medication adherence of patients was 83 (53.2%) , the medication non-adherence of patients was 73 (46.8%) . It was showed that prescription complexity and medicine schedule were significantly correlated with medicine adherence (χ(2)=13.64, 11.31; P<0.05); gender, other disease and course of disease were not correlated with medication adherence (χ(2)=1.02, 1.73, 6.08; P>0.05). The scores of illness perception were positively correlated with the necessity belief of medication scores, the scores of concerns belief (r=0.18、0.45, P<0.05), and were negatively associated with medication adherence (r=-0.22, P<0.01). The concerns belief of medication scores were negatively correlated with the medication adherence (r=-0.47, P<0.01). Concerns belief mediates the relationship between illness perception and medication adherence wholly (χ(2)/df=1.73, RMSEA=0.069, NNFI=0.98, CFI=0.98, IFI=0.98) . Conclusions: The types of medicines and the number of glaucoma medication used have a significant influence to the medication adherence in the patients with primary angle closure glaucoma. The patients with greater illness perception performed greater non-adherence can be explained by their higher concerns blief. (Chin J Ophthalmol, 2017, 53: 109-114).

Apparent metabolizable and net energy values of corn and soybean meal for broiler breeding cocks

The AME and net energy (NE) values of 4 corn varieties, including 2 normal corn varieties (Zheng Dan 958 and Xian Yu 335), and one each of waxy corn and sweet corn, and 2 soybean meal samples including regular (RSBM) and dehulled soybean meal (DSBM), were determined in 2 experiments for broiler breeding cocks using the indirect calorimetry method. The 4 test diets in Experiment 1 consisted of each test corn, which replaced 40% of the corn-soybean meal basal diet, and the test diets in Experiment 2 contained 25% RSBM or DSBM, which was used to replace the corn basal diet. Thirty (Experiment 1) or 18 (Experiment 2) 50-week-old Arbor Acre (AA) broiler breeding cocks were used in a completely randomized design. After a 7 d dietary adaptation period, 6 birds as replicates from each treatment were assigned to individual respiration chambers for energy measurement via gaseous exchange and total excreta collection for 10 d. In Experiment 1, the AME, ME intake (MEI), retained energy (RE), NE, and NE:AME ratio values were higher (P < 0.001) in the test diets as compared with the corn-soybean meal basal diet. The AME and NE values in the sweet corn diet were higher (P < 0.05) than those values in the other 3 test diets. The heat production (HP), fasting heat production (FHP), and respiration quotient (RQ) were not influenced by the various experimental diets. The respective AME and NE values were 3,785, 3,775, 3,738, and 3,997 kcal/kg (DM basis), and 2,982, 3,006, 2,959, and 3,146 kcal/kg (DM basis) for Zheng Dan 958, Xian Yu 335, waxy corn, and sweet corn. Birds fed a corn basal diet in Experiment 2 had higher AME, MEI, RE, NE, and NE:AME ratio values (P < 0.001). Soybean meal substitution had no effect on HP, FHP, or RQ. The average AME and NE content was 2,492 and 1,581 kcal/kg (DM basis) for RSBM, and 2,580 and 1,654 kcal/kg (DM basis) for DSBM, respectively.

Effects of flavones of sea buckthorn fruits on growth performance, carcass quality, fat deposition and lipometabolism for broilers

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different levels of flavones of sea buckthorn fruits (FSBF) on growth performance, carcass quality, fat deposition, and lipometabolism for broilers. 240 one-day-old Arbor Acres male broilers were randomly allotted to 4 dietary treatments (0, 0.05%, 0.10%, and 0.15% FSBF) with 6 replicates of 10 birds. Broilers were reared for 42 d. Results showed FSBF quadratically improved average daily feed intake (ADFI), average daily gain (ADG), and final body weight (BW) (P = 0.002, P = 0.019 and P = 0.018, respectively). The abdominal fat percentage in 0.05%, 0.10%, and 0.15% FSBF supplementation groups was decreased by 21.08%, 19.12%, and 19.61% with respect to the control group, respectively (P < 0.05). The intramuscular fat (IMF) content in the breast muscle of the broilers was increased by 7.21%, 23.42% and 6.30% in 0.05%, 0.10% and 0.15% FSBF groups, and that in the thigh meat was raised by 4.43%, 24.63% and 12.32%, compared with the control group, respectively (P < 0.05). FSBF had a quadratic effect on the abdominal fat percentage and IMF in the breast muscle (P < 0.05). Dietary FSBF also modified fatty acids of muscular tissues, resulting in a higher ratio of unsaturated to saturated fatty acids (P < 0.05). Supplementing FSBF in the diet greatly decreased the levels of triglyceride, cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P < 0.05). Moreover, the quadratic responses were also observed in the levels of insulin and adiponectin in serum (P = 0.020 and P = 0.037, respectively). Abdominal fat percentage was correlated negatively with insulin and positively with adiponectin (P < 0.05). IMF content in the breast and thigh muscles were correlated positively with insulin, and negatively with adiponectin (P < 0.05). A positive correlation existed between breast muscle, IMF, and leptin (P < 0.05). In conclusion, adding FSBF into the diets affected growth performance and fat deposition of broilers by regulating lipometabolism. Fat deposition and distribution of broilers were closely associated with concentrations of insulin and adiponectin. The optimal level of FSBF supplemented in diet was 0.05 to 0.10% in this study.

Oleuropein induces apoptosis via activation of caspases and suppression of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B pathway in HepG2 human hepatoma cell line

Oleuropein is a polyphenol, that is found in extra‑virgin olive oil. Previous studies have shown that oleuropein inhibits cell proliferation and induces apoptosis in breast cancer, colorectal cancer and thyroid cancer. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of oleuropein in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. The results of Cell Counting Kit 8 and flow cytometric analysis indicated that oleuropein effectively inhibited cell viability and induced apoptosis in HepG2 human hepatoma cells in a dose‑dependent manner, through activation of the caspase pathway. Proapoptotic Bcl‑2 family members, BAX and Bcl‑2, were involved in oleuropein‑induced apoptosis. The phosphatidylinositol 3‑kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) signaling pathway was also shown to be involved in this process. Oleuropein was demonstrated to suppress the expression of activated AKT. In addition, AKT overexpression promoted cell survival following treatment with oleuropein, while inhibition of AKT promoted cell death. Furthermore, the data demonstrated that oleuropein induces the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and that the function of oleuropein is, at least partially, ROS‑dependent. These results suggest that oleuropein may be a promising novel chemotherapeutic agent in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Attempts to increase inosinic acid in broiler meat by using feed additives

To explore regulation of inosinic acid content in chicken meat as a result of feed additives, 576 one-day-old male Arbor Acres broilers were randomly allotted into 8 dietary treatments including control, purine nucleotide (P), betaine (B), soybean isoflavone (S), purine nucleotide + betaine (PB), purine nucleotide + soybean isoflavone (PS), betaine +soybean isoflavone (BS), and purine nucleotide + betaine + soybean isoflavone (PBS) by a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. At d 42 of age, broilers were slaughtered, and growth performance, carcass characteristics, inosinic acid content, and activities of enzyme closely related to inosinic acid metabolism of broilers were measured. The results revealed that these feed additives did not affect ADG and ADFI of the broilers (P > 0.05). However, supplementing purine nucleotides lowered feed/gain of broilers in PS and PBS groups (P < 0.05). There was a significant interaction on feed/gain of broilers between purine nucleotides and soybean isoflavone (P < 0.05). The abdominal fat percentages in groups B, S, BS, and PBS were lower than the control group, respectively (P < 0.05). The thigh muscle percentages of groups P and B were higher than that of group PB (P < 0.05). There were certain interactions on the percentage of thigh muscle (P = 0.05) and abdominal fat (P < 0.05) between P, B, and S groups. Compared with the control group, inosinic acid content in broiler breast meat was improved by using feed additives (P < 0.05). Supplementing purine nucleotides, betaine, soybean isoflavone, and their combinations increased alkaline phosphatase activity in breast meat of broilers (P < 0.05). Purine nucleotides improved the activity of adenosine deaminase, but decreased the activity of 5'-nucleotidase. Soybean isoflavone lowered the activity of alkaline phosphatase. There were no significant interactions on activities of creatine kinase, adenosine deaminase, alkaline phosphatase, and 5'-nucleotidase between these additives (P > 0.05). The umami rating of broiler breast meat increased in conjunction with supplementing these additives. In conclusion, supplementing standard feed with the additives investigated in this study could improve inosinic acid content in chicken meat by increasing synthase activity or inhibiting degradation enzyme activity without inferior growth performance and carcass quality.

Enhanced expression and significance of glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor attachment protein 1 in colorectal cancer

The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor attachment protein 1 (GPAA1) and its significance in patients with colorectal cancer. Fifty-two patients with primary colorectal cancer were included in this study. GPAA1 expression was detected by immunohistochemistry, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, and Western blot analysis. A cell invasion assay was performed by the transwell method. The interacting proteins of GPAA1 were detected by co-immunoprecipitation and matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS). The expression of GPAA1 mRNA and protein in primary colorectal tumor tissues and liver metastasis tissues was significantly higher than that in normal mucosa tissues (P < 0.01). The number of highly expressing GPAA1 cells penetrating the Matrigel membrane was significantly higher than that of mildly expressing GPAA1 cells (P < 0.05). The results of co-immunoprecipitation and MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS confirmed the identity of the protein. GPAA1 is highly expressed in patients with colorectal cancer, which indicates that it might play an important role in the proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of colorectal cancer.

An electrochemical surface plasmon resonance imaging system targeting cell analysis

This paper presents an electrochemical-surface plasmon resonance imaging (EC-SPRI) system, enabling the characterization of optical and electrical properties of cells, simultaneously. The developed surface plasmon resonance (SPR) imaging system was capable of imaging micro cavities with a dimension of 10 μm × 10 μm and differentiated glycerol solutions with a group of refractive indices (RIs). Furthermore, the EC-SPRI system was used to image A549 cells, suggesting corresponding RI and morphology changes during the cell death process. In the end, electrochemical and SPR methods were used in combination, recording oxidation peaks of A549 cells in the cyclic voltage curves and SPR response unit increase, simultaneously.

Apparatus for measuring the Seebeck coefficients of highly resistive organic semiconducting materials

A Seebeck coefficient measurement apparatus for high resistance organic semiconductor materials has been designed and built. It can measure materials with resistance over 7 × 10(12) Ω. This is the highest material resistance value ever reported for Seebeck coefficient measurement. A cyclic temperature gradient generation technique and a corresponding algorithm are proposed to eliminate the negative effects of the long term drift of Seebeck voltage. Sources of errors in these measurements are discussed.

A poly(dimethylsiloxane) based prism for surface plasmon resonance imaging system and its application for gas detection

This paper presents a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) imaging system based on a low-cost, convenient poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) prism featured with a close contact with the gold film. Compared to conventional glass prism, both numerical simulations and experimental studies indicated a deeper but wider absorption peak with a higher coupling angle for the PDMS based prism. System repeatability was quantified by the cycled detection of helium and air, with the effect of the flow rate investigated. Furthermore, five types of gases (nitrogen, air, oxygen, hydrogen, and helium) were detected and differentiated by the SPR system, with a calculated sensitivity of 5 × 10(-6) RIU.

A micro gas chromatography column with a micro thermal conductivity detector for volatile organic compound analysis

In this paper, a micro gas chromatography (μGC) system contained a μGC column and a micro thermal conductivity detector (μTCD) was proposed. In order to reduce the volume of the system, some micro heaters were integrated on the surface and backside of the GC column, which could provide a robust temperature programming capability and rapidly increase the temperature of the μGC column. In addition, a silicon-glass μTCD with four-thermistor thermal conductivity cells that can offer significant advantages over previously reported designs including low dead volume, good thermal isolation, and elimination of the thermal noise was proposed in this paper. Experimental results have indicated that the μGC system with a detection limit of several ppm concentration levels separated and detected the benzene, toluene, and styrene in less than 3 min, and the μGC system also exhibited a good linear response in the test range.

Changes of serum p53 antibodies and clinical significance of radiotherapy for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

AIM: To explore the relationship between serum p53 antibodies (p53-Abs) and clinicopathological characteristics and therapeutic effect in patients with esophageal carcinoma (EC), and to investigate sequential changing regularity of serum p53-Abs after radiotherapy.

METHODS: The serum p53-Ab levels were detected in 46 EC patients and 30 healthy adults by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The blood samples were collected on the day before radiotherapy and on the administration of an irradiation dose of 20 Gy/10 f/12 d, 40 Gy/20 f/24 d and 60 Gy/30 f/36 d after radiotherapy.

RESULTS: The level and positive rate of serum p53-Abs in EC patients were significantly higher than those in normal individuals (P < 0.05). Serum anti-p53 antibodies were positive in 18 of 46 EC patients (39.1%). The positive rate of p53-Abs in EC was related to histological grade, disease stage and lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05), but it was not significantly related to sex, age and to the size and site of tumor. The level and positive rate of p53-Abs had significant differences between before radiotherapy and after administration of an irradiation dose of 40 Gy/20 f/24 d and 60 Gy/30 f/36 d (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). The positive rate of p53-Abs in EC patients with effect was significantly lower than that in those without effect after radiotherapy (P < 0.0001).

CONCLUSION: Detection of serum p53-Abs is helpful to the diagnosis of esophageal carcinoma. Monitoring for sequential change of serum p53-Abs before and after radiotherapy in patients with esophageal carcinoma is also useful to evaluate the response to the treatment and prognosis of the patients.

Development of a novel protein microarray method for serotyping Salmonella enterica strains

An antibody microarray assay was developed for Salmonella serotyping based on the Kauffmann-White scheme. A model (8 by 15) array was constructed using 35 antibodies for identification of 20 common Salmonella serovars and evaluated using 117 target and 73 nontarget Salmonella strains. The assay allowed complete serovar identification of 86 target strains and partial identification of 30 target strains and allowed exclusion of the 73 nontarget strains from the target serovars.

[Treatment effect of percutaneous vertebroplasty combined with interventional chemotherapy on vertebral metastases]

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE

Vertebral metastasis is a common manifestation of patients with advanced cancer without effective treatment. This study was to explore treatment value and efficacy of percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) combined with interventional chemotherapy on vertebral metastases.

METHODS

Seventy-five patients with vertebral metastases (42 men, 33 women; aged 31-76 years) were divided into 2 groups: 39 were treated by PVP combined with chemotherapy (VPCC group), and 36 were treated by PVP alone (VP group). All procedures were guided by CT scan. The results and complications were evaluated by pain questionnaire and routine follow-up.

RESULTS

Response rate was significantly higher in VPCC group than in VP group (93.0% vs. 74.4%, P < 0.05); complete response rates of VPCC group and VP group were 25.6% and 10.3%. Common complication of VPCC was transient aggravation of pain.

CONCLUSIONS

PVP may release the pain, and consolidate the vertebrae of patients with vertebral metastases. Its short-term effect may be enhanced by adding drugs into bone cement.

[Establishment and application of transplantable models of human esophageal carcinoma in nude mice]

We have successfully established two human esophageal carcinoma models in nude mice by transplantation of surgical specimen from patients with esophageal cancer. Histopathological study revealed that one was squamous cell carcinoma (HEC2) and the other adeno-squamous cell carcinoma (HEC6). Light and electron microscopy showed that their morphology was similar to that of the original tumors. The transplanted tumors have been maintained for more than four years through more than 50 passages. The tumors grew steadily and fast. The rate of successful inoculation was 100%. Bleomycin A5 and 5-Fluorouracil (5-Fu) were used for treatment of HEC6. Results showed that Bleomycin A5 exhibited a remarkable growth inhibition on the HEC6. The inhibition rates of two separate experiments were 56.5% and 87.8% respectively (compared with the control group, P < 0.01). The inhibition rates of 5-Fu were 6.5% and 36.6% respectively. Compared with the control group, there was no significant difference statistically HEC2 was treated by X-ray or X-ray combined with hematoporphyrin derivative (HPD), the tumor growth inhibition was 57.7% and 85.4% respectively.

[Transformation of rat esophageal precancerous epithelial cells and its biologic characteristics--establishment of RE25-3 esophageal carcinoma cell line]

A neoplastic transformation cell line (RE25-3) of the rat esophageal precancerous epithelium has been established by in vivo-in vitro method in our laboratory. Ten criteria were used to study the biological characteristics of the neoplastic transformation during various stages: 1. Dysplastic lesion of the esophageal epithelium was induced in wistar rat by oral administration of NSEE. The dysplastic epithelium was then removed and cultured. After several generations of subculture without carcinogen, the dysplastic epithelium showed neoplastic transformation in vitro. 2. The maximum mitotic index of the transformed cell reached 2.0% and two peaks were observed at hour 41 and 96, respectively, while the mitotic index of the normal esophageal cell was 0.6%. 3. DNA measurement was performed by MSP. The results showed disappearance of the diploid cell from the fifth subculture. Tetraploid, heteroploid and aneuploid cells were observed from the third subculture. The aneuploid cells amounted to 86.24%. 4. The number of chromosome increased as the time of culture as well as the number of subculture generation increased. Chromosome aberration was observed. 5. As the number of subculture generation increased, the damage and break of the chromosome increased. Micronuclei rate increased. 6. By incorporation of H3-TdR, DNA synthesis rate increased as the malignancy increased. 7. Growth of the RE25-3 cell was dependent on EGF in the early stage. But after 15 subculture, as neoplastic transformation developed, this dependency disappeared. 8. After 14 generations of subculture, the cell can be cultured in soft ager. 9. Keratin was proved positive within the cell by ABC immuno-histochemistry assay.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Luteal phase salivary progesterone concentrations in ovulation-induced cycles

Serial paired plasma and salivary progesterone (P) levels were determined in 21 ovulation-induced cycles of 13 women and in 162 luteal saliva samples of 21 normal cycling women. Mean +/- standard error of the mean (SEM) salivary P levels in all ovulation-induced cycles were similar to normal cycles and were 294 +/- 31.5 to 499 +/- 75 pg/ml, whereas the corresponding plasma P levels were 24.9 +/- 5.0 to 51.4 +/- 16.6 ng/ml. Paired plasma and salivary P levels correlated significantly in women induced with clomiphene citrate (r = 0.82), follicle-stimulating hormone (r = 0.80), human menopausal gonadotropins (r = 0.78), and in those who became pregnant (r = 0.95). Luteal phase salivary P levels were 1.0% to 1.3% of the corresponding plasma levels in ovulation-induced cycles. These findings indicate that salivary P may be a useful and convenient alternative to plasma P for assessing ovulation.

[Carcinogenic and promoting effects of fish juice, preserved rice and salted dry fish on the forestomach epithelium of mice and esophageal epithelium of rats]

The carcinogenic and promoting effects of fish juice, preserved rice and salted dry fish from Nanau county, Guangdong province, a high incidence area of esophageal cancer, were studied in mice and rats. The homemade fish juice as well as fish juice in market, whether or not added with NaNO2, did not cause tumor in the forestomach of mice and the esophagus of rats. When the mice were intubated with an initiator, nitrososarcosinethylester (NSEE) twice, no carcinoma was found at the end of the experiment (D 120). Only papilloma appeared in the forestomach epithelium. The incidence was only 37.5%. However, when the mice were intubated with NSEE for 2 times followed by gastric doses of homemade fish juice, the tumor incidence in the forestomach was increased to 89.7%, in which 20.5% was carcinoma. The tumor and carcinoma incidences of initiator (NSEE and NMBzA) group and initiator + market fish juice group in mice and rats were without significant difference. The experimental results show that the homemade fish juice proved distinct promoting effect on the process of cocarcinogenesis initiated by NSEE in the forestomach of mice, while the market fish juice has no significant promoting effect on the forestomach epithelium of mice and the esophageal epithelium of rats. NSEE induced 31.6% carcinoma in the forestomach epithelium of mice on standard diet. While in mice fed with preserved rice and salted dry fish, the carcinoma incidence was increased to 63.6%. It appears that preserved rice and salted dry fish have promoting effect on the process of cocarcinogenesis initiated by NSEE in the forestomach of mice.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)