Improvement of Efficiency in Kesterite Solar Cells by Intentionally Inserting a Thin MoS2 Layer into the Back Interface

A Mo(S,Se)2 interfacial layer is formed inevitably and uncontrollably between the Mo electrode and Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) absorber during the selenization process, which significantly influences the performance of CZTSSe solar cells. In this work, an ultrathin MoS2 layer is intentionally inserted into Mo/CZTSSe to reduce the recombination and thus optimize the interface quality. It is revealed that the absorber exhibits a continuous and compact morphology with bigger grains and remarkably without pinholes across the surface or cross-sectional regions after MoS2 modification. Benefitting from this, the shunt resistance (RSh) of the device increased evidently from ∼395 to ∼634 Ω·cm2, and simultaneously, the reverse saturation current density (J0) realized an effective depression. As a result, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the MoS2-modified device reaches 9.64% via the optimization of the thickness of the MoS2 layer, indicating performance improvements with respect to the MoS2-free case. Furthermore, the main contribution to the performance improvement is derived and analyzed in detail from the increased RSh, decreased J0, and diode ideality factor. Our results suggest that the Mo/CZTSSe interface quality and performance of CZTSSe solar cells can be modulated and improved by appropriately designing and optimizing the thickness of the inserted MoS2 layer.

Rare esophageal carcinoma-primary adenoid cystic carcinoma of the esophagus: A case report

BACKGROUND

Esophageal adenoid cystic carcinoma (EACC) is an exceedingly rare malignant tumor of the esophagus, posing significant challenges in the clinic.

CASE SUMMARY

This report detailed the case of a 72-year-old male whose diagnosis of EACC was confirmed through postoperative histopathological examination. The patient underwent thoracoscopy-assisted radical resection of the esophageal tumor, coupled with lymph node dissection. Pathological findings revealed an adenoid cystic carcinoma infiltrating the entire layer of the muscularis propria, locally extending into the outer membrane of the esophageal fiber, involving the cardia and exhibiting no lymph node metastasis. The patient's condition was classified as primary EACC, T3N0M0, per the American Joint Committee on Cancer (2017; 8th edition). One month after surgery, the patient received postoperative adjuvant radiation therapy.

CONCLUSION

In addressing the rarity and high potential for biopsy misdiagnosis of EACC, this study delved into its diagnostic methods and treatment.

Reducing Target Volumes of Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy After Induction Chemotherapy in Locoregionally Advanced Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: Long-Term Results of a Prospective, Multicenter, Randomized Trial

PURPOSE

The objective of this study was to estimate the long-term survival, late toxicity profile, and quality of life of patients with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treated with combined induction chemotherapy (IC) and concurrent chemoradiotherapy from a clinical trial focused on reducing the target volume of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT).

METHODS AND MATERIALS

This prospective, randomized clinical trial was conducted across 6 Chinese hospitals and included 212 patients with stage III-IVB NPC who were randomly allocated to a pre-IC or post-IC group. Eligible patients were treated with 2 cycles of IC + CCRT. All patients underwent radical IMRT. Gross tumor volumes of the nasopharynx were delineated according to pre-IC and post-IC tumor extent in the pre-IC and post-IC groups, respectively.

RESULTS

After a median follow-up of 98.4 months, 32 of 97 (32.9%) and 33 of 115 (28.7%) patients experienced treatment failure or died in the pre-IC and post-IC groups, respectively. None of the patients developed grade 4 late toxicity. Late radiation-induced toxicity predominantly manifested as grade 1 to 2 subcutaneous fibrosis, hearing loss, tinnitus, and xerostomia, whereas grade 3 late toxicity included xerostomia and hearing loss. The 5-year estimated overall, progression-free, locoregional recurrence-free, and distant metastasis-free survival rates in the pre-IC and post-IC groups were 78.2% versus 83.3%, 72.0% versus 78.1%, 90.2% versus 93.5%, and 78.1% versus 82.1%, respectively. The pre-IC group had a significantly higher incidence of xerostomia and hearing damage than the post-IC group. In terms of quality of life, compared with the pre-IC group, the post-IC group showed significant improvement in cognitive function (P = .045) and symptoms including dry mouth (P = .004), sticky saliva (P = .047), and feeling ill (P = .041).

CONCLUSIONS

After long-term follow-up, we confirmed that reducing the target volumes of IMRT after IC in locoregionally advanced NPC showed no inferiority in terms of the risk of locoregional relapse and potentially improved quality of life and alleviated late toxicity.

[Analysis on the imported Coronavirus Disease 2019 related cluster epidemic in rural areas of Chengdu]

An epidemiological investigation was carried out on a local cluster of outbreak caused by imported cases of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in rural areas of Chengdu in December 2020, to find out the source of infection and the chain of transmission. According to Prevention and Control Protocol for COVID-19 (Version 7), field epidemiological investigation was adopted, combined with big data technology, video image investigation, gene sequencing and other methods to carry out investigation into COVID-19 cases and infections source tracing, analyze the epidemiological association, and map the chain of transmission. From December 7 to 17, 2020, 13 local COVID-19 confirmed cases and 1 asymptomatic case were diagnosed in Chengdu, of which 12 cases (85.71%) had a history of residence and activity in the village courtyard of Taiping (TP), Pidu (P) District, Chengdu. From November 8, 2020 to November 28, 2020, a group of inbound people form Nepal were transferred to the designated entry personnel quarantine hotel of P District which was adjacent to the TP village. During quarantine, there were 5 cases who tested positive for COVID-19. Through gene sequencing alignment, genes of local cases and Nepalese imported cases from the same period are homologous, all belong to the lineage of L2.2.3 (B.1.36 according to Pangolin lineage typing method). According to the results of field epidemiological investigation and gene sequencing analysis, the index case was most likely infected by contact with household waste of quarantine site. Under the situation of normalization prevention and control of COVID-19, sentinel monitoring of fever clinics in primary medical institutions is the key to early detection of the epidemic. The multi-department joint epidemiological investigation and the application of gene technology are the core links of the investigation and traceability of modern infectious diseases. The allocation of public health resources in rural areas needs to be strengthened. We need to improve the capacity for early surveillance and early warning of the epidemic in rural areas.

[COVID-19 epidemic and its characteristics in Heilongjiang province]

Objective: To describe the COVID-19 epidemic and its characteristics in Heilongjiang province, and provide evidence for the further prevention and control of COVID-19 in the province. Methods: The information of COVID-19 cases and clusters were collected from national notifiable disease report system and management information system for reporting public health emergencies of China CDC. The Software's of Excel 2010 and SPSS 23.0 were applied for data cleaning and statistical analysis on the population, time and area distributions of COVID-19 cases. Results: On January 22, 2020, the first confirmed case of COVID-19 was reported in Heilongjiang. By March 11, 2020, a total of 482 cases domestic case of COVID-19, The incidence rate was 1.28/100 000, the mortality rate was 2.70% (13/482) in 13 municipalities in Heilongjiang. There were 81 clusters of COVID-19, The number of confirmed cases accounted for 79.25% (382/482) of the total confirmed cases and 12 cases of deaths. The family clusters accounted for 86.42% (70/81). Compared with the sporadic cases, the mortality rate, proportion of elderly cases aged 60 or above and severe or critical cases of clinical classification were all higher in the clusters especially the family clusters, but the differences were not significant (P>0.05). There were 34 clusters involving more than 5 confirmed cases accounted for 41.98% (34/81) of the total clusters, the involved cases accounted for 68.31% (261/382) of the total cases of clusters. There were significant differences in age distribution of the cases among the case clusters with different case numbers. In the clusters involving 6-9 cases, the proportion of cases aged 65 years or above was more (26.53%, 39/147). Conclusions: The incidence rate of COVID-19 was relatively high and the early epidemic was serious in Heilongjiang, The number of cases was large in clusters especially family clusters.

Sera total oxidant/antioxidant status in lung cancer patients

We investigated oxidative stress parameters in the sera of patients with lung cancer and healthy individuals to evaluate their correlations with lung cancer.Ninety-four lung cancer patients and 64 healthy controls were enrolled after obtaining informed consent. Their sera oxidative stress parameters were measured.Total antioxidant status (TAS), total oxidant status (TOS), and oxidative stress index (OSI) were significantly different between patients and healthy groups (all P < .001). TAS gradually decreased and TOS and OSI gradually increased from stage I to III, but it did not reach statistical significance (all P > .05). TAS and OSI were significantly different between the nonsmoking and smoking groups, radiotherapy and without radiotherapy groups, chemotherapy and without chemotherapy groups (P < .05), but not TOS (P > .05). In a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis comparing patients with lung cancer with healthy controls, the Youden indices of TOS, TAS, and OSI were 0.541, 0.532, and 1, respectively.The oxidative stress may be correlation with lung cancer staging. Smoking, surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy showed correlation with parts oxidative stress parameters.

[Prevalence and risk factors of respiratory viral infection in acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease]

Objective: To study the prevalence of respiratory viral infection in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD) exacerbations and to find the factors associated with susceptibility to viral infections. Methods: Eighty patients with exacerbations of COPD and 50 stable COPD patients were recruited. Nasopharyngeal swabs were tested for a range of 18 different respiratory viruses using PCR. Results: Among the COPD exacerbations, viral infection was detected in 18 episodes (22.5%) . The most common virus was rhinovirus (33.3%), followed by coronavirus(27.8%), parainfluenza(22.2%), metapneumovirus(11.1%) and influenza virus B(5.6%). The prevalence of viral infection was 8% in the stable COPD patients. In multivariate regression analysis fever was found to be significantly associated with viral infections in COPD exacerbations (Odds ratio 4.99, 95%CI 1.51-16.48, P=0.008). Conclusion: Viral respiratory pathogens were more often detected in respiratory specimens from hospitalized patients with AECOPD than those with stable COPD. Rhinovirus was the most common infecting agent identified. The symptom of fever was associated with viral detection.

Total Oxidant/Antioxidant Status in Sera of Patients with Esophageal Cancer

Background

Oxidative stress parameters such as total oxidant status (TOS), total antioxidant status (TAS), and oxidative stress index (OSI) have been studied in breast, thyroid, and simple esophageal cancers (EC). We evaluated these parameters in patients with EC and analyzed their correlations with treatment outcomes.

Material/Method

Serum TOS, TAS, and OSI in 92 patients with EC at different clinical stages and in 64 healthy people (controls) were measured.

Results

Serum TOS, TAS, and OSI were significantly different between patients with EC and healthy controls (all p<0.001); however, there were no significant differences across different clinical stages (all p>0.05). These factors are not correlated with smoking or drinking history (all p>0.05). Patients with EC with higher TOS and OSI and lower TAS had better responses to chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy, but there was no significant correlation with different responses (all p>0.05). In a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis comparing patients with EC with healthy controls, the Youden indices were 0.391, 0.886, and 1, respectively.

Conclusions

Serum TOS, TAS, and OSI were significantly different between patients with EC and healthy controls. In patients with EC, these factors were not correlated with smoking or drinking history or with clinical stage. Patients with EC with higher TOS and OSI and lower TAS had a trend towards better outcomes but it did not reach significance. Serum TOS and OSI are potential diagnostic biomarkers that can be used to identify cases of EC.

[Influence of subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation on cognition and acetylcholine in a rat model of Parkinson's disease]

Objective: To illustrate the effect of subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS)on cognitionand its underlying mechanisms in a rat model of Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods: Thirty healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: control group (healthy rats, n=10), model group (PD rats, n=10), and stimulation group (PD rats receiving high frequency stimulation, n=10). The cognitive functionof rats was tested through Morris water maze and acetylcholine levels in cortex, hippocampus and striatum have been examined through ELISA. Results: During Morris water mazetest, spatial learning and memory of PD ratsdeteriorated compared with healthy ones, withlonger escape latency[on day 4, (38±14) s vs (20±4) s, P=0.047; on day 5, (32±13) s vs (16±8) s, P=0.032]and shorter time in the platform region[(10±6) s vs (19±5) s, P=0.023], which could be restored by STN-DBS. Similar results demonstrated that the expression of Ach in hippocampus[(1 473±233) s vs (1 950±344) s, P=0.039]and striatum[(1 661±271) s vs (2 240±290) s, P=0.007]was significantly lower in PD rats than those in healthy rats, and STN-DBS treatment reversed this decline to insignificant. Conclusion: The rat model of PD suffer from a decline in cognition, and STN-DBS contributes to cognitive recovery, possibly due to regulating Ach levels in cognition-associated regions of the brain, includinghippocampus and striatum.

Significance of Serum Total Oxidant/Antioxidant Status in Patients with Colorectal Cancer

Oxidative stress is involved in a variety of diseases. Prospective studies investigating the relationship between oxidative stress biomarkers and the status and development of colorectal cancer (CRC) are scarce; previous studies have failed to establish a relationship between the serum total oxidant/antioxidant status and CRC. Therefore, we compared the total serum oxidant/antioxidant levels of CRC patients and healthy subjects, and analyzed their clinical significance in the CRC. Fasting blood samples from 132 CRC patients and 64 healthy subjects were collected. Oxidative stress parameters, including total oxidant status (TOS) and total antioxidant status (TAS), were measured, and the oxidative stress index (OSI) was calculated. The TOS and OSI levels increased significantly (P<0.001) and the TAS level significantly decreased (P<0.001) in the CRC group compared to those in the healthy control group. Oxidative stress parameters differed significantly depending on the patient’s smoking and drinking status (P<0.05). The preoperative and postoperative levels of TOS, TAS, and OSI did not differ significantly between primary sites (colon/rectum) and clinical stages (P>0.05).However, the levels of TOS, TAS, and OSI were significantly different between patients with no metastasis and those with metastases to two organs (P<0.05) Finally, the parameters are affected by smoking and drinking, and subsequent research should be conducted excluding the relevant influencing factors.

[The derivation and validation of a scoring system for identifying patients with bronchiectasis at risk of exacerbations]

OBJECTIVE

To create and verify a scoring system for identifying patients with bronchiectasis at risk of exacerbations.

METHODS

Derivation of the scoring system used data from a retrospective cohort study enrolling 228 patients with bronchiectasis. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify independent predictors associated with exacerbations. β-coefficients derived from the independent predictors in our logistic regression model were applied to create a scoring system (Total score was 8). The scoring system was then validated in a prospective cohort enrolling 334 patients with bronchiectasis.

RESULTS

The derivation study showed that age ≥ 60 years (OR=2.583, 95%CI: 1.188-5.613), BMI<18.5 kg/m(2) (OR=2.991, 95%CI: 1.112-8.042), high medical research council dyspnea score (OR=7.905, 95%CI: 4.288-8.309), Pseudomonas aeruginosa colonization (OR=3.227, 95%CI: 1.041-9.004), the lobes involved on high-resolution computed tomography≥3 (OR=3.179, 95%CI: 1.449~6.976), prior intensive care unit admissions (OR=2.499, 95%CI: 1.301-4.801), and FEV1<50% predicted(OR=2.497, 95%CI: 1.421-5.080) were the independent predictors associated with exacerbations. The scoring system predicted exacerbations with an area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.79 (95% confidence interval, 0.74-0.84). In the validation cohorts, the total score ranged 0 to 6. There was significant difference in exacerbation frequency and quality of life between patients classified as low(0-2), intermediate(3-4), and high(5-8) risks by the scoring system (P<0.05). A higher score was associated with higher risk of exacerbations and poorer quality of life.

CONCLUSION

Our scoring system was an efficient clinical predictive tool to identify patients with bronchiectasis at risk of exacerbations. It may be useful for early prevention of bronchiectasis exacerbations and for proper management.

The expression level and prognostic value of Y-box binding protein-1 in rectal cancer

The aims of this study were to simultaneously evaluate the expression of Y-box binding protein-1 (YB-1) in non-neoplastic rectal tissue and rectal cancer tissue, and to collect clinical follow-up data for individual patients. Additionally, we aimed to investigate the developmental functions and prognostic value of YB-1 in rectal cancer. We performed immunohistochemical studies to examine YB-1 expression in tissue samples from 80 patients with rectal cancer, 30 patients with rectal tubular adenoma, and 30 patients with rectitis. The mean YB-1 histological scores for rectal cancer, rectal tubular adenoma, and rectitis tissue specimens were 205.5, 164.3, and 137.7, respectively. Shorter disease-free and overall survival times were found in patients with rectal cancer who had higher YB-1 expression than in those with lower expression (38.2 months vs. 52.4 months, P = 0.013; and 44.4 months vs. 57.3 months, P = 0.008, respectively). Our results indicate that YB-1 expression is higher in rectal cancer tissue than in rectal tubular adenoma and rectitis tissue and that it may be an independent prognostic factor for rectal cancer.

Survey on Chinese breast cancer patients' husbands toward breast conserving surgery

PURPOSE

Husband, as an important member of the family, greatly impacts the treatment decision. In this study, we sought to evaluate the attitudes toward breast conserving surgery (BCS) in Chinese breast cancer patients' husbands and explore the influencing factors.

METHODS

A self-structured questionnaire was distributed to the husbands of 1600 wives with breast cancer, eliciting information on their general information, the level of understanding of BCS, attitudes toward BCS and affecting reasons.

RESULTS

In all, 1468 (91.8%) husbands completed the questionnaire. Collation of the responses showed that only 3.0% had a good understanding of BCS and 81.5% did not favor BCS. Patients' husbands perception were associated with their age, religion, occupation, educational background, method of payment of medical expenses, understanding the disease condition and doctor's recommendations (p<0.05). The top reason was "fear of incomplete resection, which could easily lead to recurrence and metastasis".

CONCLUSIONS

This study indicates that Chinese husbands have skepticism and lack comprehensive and correct understanding for BCS. Meanwhile, their desire of obtaining knowledge was not strong. The results suggest a need for fundamental changes in husbands' education to ensure that they are able to obtain enough information so that they can help their wives make educated decisions.

Exciton diffusion and charge transfer dynamics in nano phase-separated P3HT/PCBM blend films

Exciton quenching dynamics has been systematically studied in pristine P3HT and nano phase separated P3HT/PCBM blend films under various excitation intensities by femtosecond fluorescence up-conversion technique. The behaviors of excitons in the films can be well described by a three-dimensional diffusion model. The small diffusion length and large charge transfer radius indicate that excitons reach the interface most likely by the delocalization of the excitons in P3HT fibrillar at a range of 4.8-9 nm so that the excitons can quickly delocalize in the P3HT domain to reach the interface (instead of by diffusion).

Prognostic influence of metformin as first-line chemotherapy for advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer in patients with type 2 diabetes

BACKGROUND

It has been reported that antidiabetic drugs affect the risk of cancer and the prognosis of patients with diabetes, but few studies have demonstrated the influence of different antidiabetic agents on outcomes after anticancer therapy among patients with cancer. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of the antidiabetic drugs metformin and insulin on the prognosis of patients with advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) plus type 2 diabetes who received first-line chemotherapy.

METHODS

Data on patients with NSCLC who had diabetes from 5 hospitals in China during January 2004 to March 2009 were reviewed retrospectively. Ninety-nine patients were included in the final analysis. The influence of metformin and insulin on chemotherapy response rates and survival in these patients was evaluated.

RESULTS

Chemotherapy with metformin (Group A) produced superior results compared with insulin (Group B) and compared with drugs other than metformin and insulin (Group C) in terms of both progression-free survival (PFS) (8.4 months vs 4.7 months vs 6.4 months, respectively; P = .002) and overall survival (OS) (20.0 months vs 13.1 months vs 13.0 months, respectively; P = .007). Although no significant differences in the response rate (RR) were observed between these 3 groups, when groups B and C (ie, the nonmetformin group) were combined, there was a tendency for better disease control in Group A than that in nonmetformin group. No significant difference in survival was observed between chemotherapy with insulin (Group B) versus other drugs (Group C).

CONCLUSIONS

The current data suggested that metformin may improve chemotherapy outcomes and survival for patients who have NSCLC with diabetes.

Association of nuclear factor κB expression with a poor outcome in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between nuclear factor κB and the prognosis of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. We used immunohistochemical studies to examine nuclear factor κB expression in 42 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The results showed that tumors positive for nuclear factor κB were associated with an increased relapse potential, poor disease-free survival, and reduced overall survival in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Our study indicates that nuclear factor κB could be an independent molecular marker for predicting poor prognosis among patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Understanding the biology of nuclear factor κB-mediated pathways may lead to the development of novel therapeutic strategies for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

[Screening and identification of mesenchymal stem cell strains to secret mouse interleukin-12 mediated with lenti-viral vector]

OBJECTIVE

To screen the stable expression cell strains of mouse interleukin-12 (mIL-12) from mouse Mesenchymal Stem Cells (mMSCs) transfected with lenti-mIL-12 virus.

METHODS

The mIL-12 cDNA was amplified from plasmid pORF-mIL-12 (Invivogen) by PCR. The cDNA was subcloned into pENTR 11 to generate recombinant plasmid pENTR-mIL-12. Then, pENTR-mIL-12 was homologously recombinated with pLenti6/V5-Dest. The recombinant was named as pLenti6/V5-mIL-12 and confirmed by PCR and DNA sequencing. The Lenti6/V5-mIL-12 virus was packaged using 293FT cells. The Lenti-mIL-12-MSC monoclone was picked from the mMSCs infected by the Lenti6/V5-mIL-12 virus using Blasticidin and verified by RT-PCR and ELISA.

RESULTS

The recombinant pLenti6/V5-mIL-12 was constructed. The sequence of amplified mIL-12 gene was consistent with that reported in GenBank. By RT-PCR and ELISA, it was confirmed that the mIL-12 protein could be expressed and secreted into the supernatant of MSC strain culture.

CONCLUSION

The recombinant mMSC strains lentivirally engineered to secret mIL-12 were obtained.

Induction of apoptosis by phenylisocyanate derivative of quercetin: involvement of heat shock protein

Quercetin, a widely distributed bioflavonoid, inhibits the growth of various tumor cells. The present study was designed to investigate whether a novel quercetin derivative [phenylisocyanate of quercetin (PHICNQ)] exerts antitumor activity against K562 and CT26 tumor cell lines by inducing apoptosis, and to examine the possible mechanism in the phenomenon. The cell proliferation assay of K562 and CT26 tumor cells was determined by the trypan blue dye exclusion test. Apoptosis of PHICNQ-treated cells was determined by morphological analysis, agarose gel DNA electrophoresis and quantitated by flow cytometry after staining with propidium iodide. Cell cycle was evaluated by flow cytometry. The expression of heat shock protein 70 was checked by Western blot analysis. Our results showed that PHICNQ inhibited the proliferation of K562 and CT26 cells in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner. PHICNQ was 308- and 73-fold more active on CT26 and K562 cells than quercetin, respectively. In addition to this cytostatic effect, treatment of K562 and CT26 tumor cells with PHICNQ induced apoptosis. PHICNQ treatment downregulated the expression of heat shock protein 70 more dramatically than quercetin treatment. These results suggest that PHICNQ is a more powerful antiproliferative derivative than quercetin, with cytostatic and apoptotic effects on K562 and CT26 tumor cells. PHICNQ may trigger apoptosis in tumor cells through inhibition of heat shock protein 70 synthesis and expression.

Different attitudes of Chinese patients and their families toward truth telling of different stages of cancer

OBJECTIVE

Cancer patients and their families differed in their attitude toward truth telling. The objective is to investigate different attitudes of Chinese patients or families toward whether and how to disclose diagnosis to patients with different stages of cancer and to examine the difference between the two groups.

METHODS

A questionnaire was delivered to 1023 participants.

RESULTS

Three hundred and eighty-two patients and 482 families completed the questionnaire. Cancer patients were more likely than families to believe that patient should be informed of the diagnosis (early-stage, 90.8 vs 69.9%, P<0.001; terminal stage, 60.5 vs 34.4%, P<0.001), and that doctor-in-charge was the appropriate person to disclose the diagnosis. Most participants thought that patient should be disclosed immediately after the diagnosis. Nearly half of participants reported that patient should be disclosed in a quiet and undisturbed room. When the hypothetic diagnosis changed from early-stage cancer to terminal illness, the number of participants, who wanted patient to know the diagnosis, decreased significantly.

CONCLUSION

Our findings indicated that Chinese cancer patients and their families differed in their attitude toward truth telling and the attitudes toward such a disclosure were influenced by disease stage. Physicians should realize this phenomenon and pay more attention to the skills of how to disclose the cancer diagnosis.

[Effects of vesicular stomatitis virus matrix protein on proliferation and apoptosis of mouse LL/2c cells]

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE

Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), an oncolytic virus, is an attractive candidate for tumor therapy. Although previous studies showed obvious antitumor effects of VSV on human A549 and mouse LL/2c tumor models, the clinical application of a live virus is confronted with the problem of bio-safety. The matrix (M) protein of VSV is related to the antitumor effect of VSV. This study was to investigate the effects of VSV-M protein on the proliferation and apoptosis of mouse LL/2c tumor cells.

METHODS

A eukaryotic expression plasmid pcDNA3.1-M encoding VSV-M protein was constructed by molecular cloning technique, and analyzed by enzyme digestion, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and DNA sequencing, then transfected into LL/2c cells. The expression of VSV-M protein in LL/2c cells was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot. The effect of VSV-M protein on proliferation of LL/2c cells was assessed by MTT assay; its effect on cell apoptosis was assessed by DNA ladder and Hoechst 33528 staining.

RESULTS

A plasmid pcDNA3.1-M encoding VSV-M protein was constructed successfully and identified. After transfection, the expression of VSV-M protein was detected in LL/2c cells, morphologic changes of LL/2c cells was observed under microscope, inhibition rate of cell survival was 41.3% (P<0.05), DNA ladder was detected, apoptotic nuclei was observed.

CONCLUSION

VSV-M transfection could inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis of LL/2c cells.

[Inhibitory effect of mesenchymal stem cells carrying murine beta defensin 2 on malignant ascites in mice]

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE

Murine beta defensin 2 (MBD2) is a small antimicrobial peptide of the innate immune system. It provides a critical link between the innate immune system and the adaptive immune response. This study was to develop a set of MBD2-lentivirus system, and observe its inhibitory effect on malignant ascites in mice.

METHODS

MBD2 RNA was extracted from kidneys of BALB/c mice, and the fragment of MBD2 was amplified by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). MBD2 plasmid was constructed, and the lentivirus system expressing MBD2 was produced in 293FT cells. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were then infected with MBD2-Lentivirus, and stably infected cells (MBD2-MSCs) were selected. The expression of MBD2 was detected by RT-PCR. The biological function of MBD2 was evaluated by dendritic cell (DC) migration experiment. BALB/c mice bearing intraperitoneal MethA tumors were injected intraperitoneally with MBD2-MSCs at the 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 8th day after inoculation. Ascites status and survival status of the mice were observed. Long-term survivors were inoculated intraperitoneally with MethA tumor cells again to observe their survival status.

RESULTS

The expression of MBD2 in MBD2-MSCs was verified by RT-PCR. Numbers of migrated DCs were significantly increased in MBD2-MSC group than in normal saline (NS) group, MSC group, and null lentivirus (Null) group (43+/-8 vs. 8+/-1, 14+/-2, and 12+/-3, P<0.01). The volume of tumor ascites was significantly less in MBD2-MSC group than in NS group, MSC group, and Null group [(3.0+/-1.0) ml vs. (10.8+/-1.0) ml, (10.2+/-1.3) ml, and (9.8+/-1.6) ml, P<0.05]. Some mice in MBD2 group were still alive 40 days after tumor inoculation, while none in control groups survived up to 20 days after tumor inoculation (P<0.05). After inoculated with MethA tumor cells again, the mice in MBD2-MSC group still survived longer than those in control groups.

CONCLUSION

MBD2-lentivirus gene therapy system is constructed successfully, and can inhibit the formation of malignant ascites.

[Histological investigation of the ligamentum flavum]

The micro- and ultrastructures of the human ligamentum flavum were investigated. It was found that the ligamentum flavum is made of chiefly of elastic fibers. This kind of structure provides a basis for the important physiological functions of the ligamentum flavum. So the load is transmitted between the vertebrae and spinal stability is maintained by means of this ligament. Then clinical relevance was discussed.