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ABSTRACTNasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is the most prevailing malignancy of the head and neck with unique geographic distribution. Southern China has one of the highest incidence rates of NPC in the world. Although radiotherapy and chemotherapy are the most important treatment modalities for NPC, recurrence, and metastasis severely interfere with the survival quality of patients. It is much-needed to find an effective method of NPC treatment with a good prognosis such as gene therapy. PFK1, a key regulatory enzyme of glycolysis, is frequently shown to be amplified and overexpressed in a variety of human cancers. However, the function of PFK1 and molecular mechanism in NPC is elusive. Here, we knockdown PFK1 expression by utilizing DNA vector-based RNA Interference. Western blotting and real-time PCR show that the expression of PFK1 is efficiently down-regulated in both protein and mRNA levels by stable transfection with PFK1 siRNA expression vector. In addition, stable knockdown of PFK1 expression inhibits cell growth, induces apoptosis, decreases the invasive capability and metastasis in the CNE2 human NPC cell line. This present study finds the importance of PFK1 which can be worked as a novel target in NPC treatment and holds great potential to be extended to other malignant cancers.

Purpose Parathyroidectomy is beneficial in tertiary hyperparathyroidism (THPT) consequent to chronic renal failure. The craniofacial morphology of patients who undergo total parathyroidectomy and autologous transplantation (tPTX + AT) has not been widely studied. This study assessed the efficacy of tPTX + AT in THPT and evaluated possible improvements in craniofacial features.Methods This retrospective analysis included patients who were diagnosed with medically refractory THPT and had undergone tPTX + AT between September 2013 and May 2021. The VAS was used to evaluate improvements in various symptoms including bone pain and pruritus. Changes in serum calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase, and intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) levels were also assessed. The impact of the procedure was assessed by comparing two-photon X-ray bone mineral density measurements obtained 1 year before and after surgery.Results The VAS of pain and pruritus decreased significantly on the first postoperative day (P< 0.05). Calcium levels changed significantly (from 2.50 ± 0.22 mmol/L to 2.10 ± 0.26 mmol/L) on postoperative day 1 (P= 0.0000); iPTH levels also declined substantially on this day, reducing from 211.00 (122.10, 252.80) to 5.04 (2.96, 9.40) pmol/L. Bone mineral density increased significantly across various regions including the greater trochanter of the femur, intertrochanteric area, total hip, and third lumbar vertebra (P< 0.05). The angles between the upper incisor and mandibular plane and the lower lip and Ricketts E line (drawn from the tip of the nose to the soft tissue area) also improved (P= 0.043, P= 0.001).Conclusion Total parathyroidectomy and autologous transplantation can rapidly alleviate bone pain and skin itching in THPT. It may also improve bone density and facial soft tissue.

ABSTRACTNasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a kind of head-neck malignant tumor derived from the nasopharyngeal epithelium and is mainly prevalent in Southern China and Southeast Asia countries. Cisplatin (DDP) provides the first-line therapeutic administration in NPC patients. However, chemoresistance has been a main barrier and caused bad treatment outcome in NPC therapy. To understand the molecular mechanism of acquired resistance to DDP, multiple methods were performed to examine the morphocytology and molecular changes in DDP-resistant NPC cells. We found that drug resistance cells displayed epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) characteristics. DDP-resistant NPC cells exhibited enhanced migration and invasion potential. Moreover, overexpression of TAZ, one key gene in Hippo pathway, is closely associated with the DDP resistance of NPC cells and its EMT properties. Depletion of TAZ in DDP-resistant cells reversed EMT phenotypes to MET characteristics and restored chemosensitivity of DDP-resistant cells to DDP treatment. These results suggest that inactivation of TAZ could be a promising approach for the treatment of NPC patients.

Background The prevalence of bronchial asthma (BA) and the underlying risk factors in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) in China are largely unknown. Thus, this study is designed to assess the BA comorbidity in AR patients in two cities (Guangzhou and Zhuhai) of southern China and to determine the risk factors of BA in these AR patients.Methods We performed a cross-sectional, hospital-based survey in two modernized cities in southern China. The BA prevalence was evaluated in 1931 AR patients. Participants were asked to complete a questionnaire containing specific items for AR and BA. A logistic regression analysis was used to assess the risk factors of BA comorbidity in AR patients.Results The prevalence of concomitant BA in AR patients is 5.33% (103/1931). Most of the participants (98.4%) were sensitized to more than one allergen, and the most common sensitization was to house-dust mites. The strongest risk factor of BA determined by a multiple logistic regression analysis was a duration of AR of >5 years (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 8.67; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.74–20.06), followed by smoking (adjusted OR, 7.21; 95% CI, 1.86–8.23) and self-medication with antibiotics (adjusted OR, 6.35; 95% CI, 3.43–11.78).Conclusion Our findings suggested the risk factors of concomitant BA in AR patients may be helpful to establish preventive strategies.

Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the upper airway and is tightly linked with airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) and asthma. However, the surrogate biomarkers for indicating AHR and asthma in patients with CRSwNP remain elusive.