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Previous studies have lacked a clear anatomical and functional definition of glossectomy for tongue cancer adjacent to or crossing the midline (TCML). The aim of this study was to provide a novel surgical approach based on anatomical unit resection surgery to treat TCML. A total of 120 patients with TCML who had undergone radical surgery were recruited retrospectively into the study. The patients who were treated with compartment surgery formed the control group; those treated with anatomical unit resection surgery formed the experimental group. The TCML was classified into cancer adjacent to the midline, cancer invading but not breaching the contralateral musculus verticalis linguae–genioglossus complex (MGC), and cancer breaching the contralateral MGC. No significant difference in the overall survival rate was found between the experimental and control groups overall (P = 0.853) or by TCML classification. In patients with cancer adjacent to the midline, the swallowing score (P = 0.040) and cosmetic outcome (P = 0.015) were significantly better in the experimental group than in the control group. For patients with cancer invading but not breaching the contralateral MGC, the speech intelligibility score (P = 0.001), swallowing score (P = 0.002), and cosmetic outcome (P = 0.037) were significantly better in the experimental group than in the control group. Anatomical unit resection surgery was found to provide a precise surgical treatment to address tongue cancer adjacent to or crossing the midline and maximally maintain tongue tissue and function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: Although many observational studies have shown an association between rosiglitazone and cardiovascular disease (CVD) or risk factors, controversy remains. We conducted a Mendelian randomized (MR) study to explore whether rosiglitazone is causally related to CVDs and risk factors. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with rosiglitazone at genome-wide significance were identified from a genome-wide association study of 337,159 European-ancestry individuals. Four treatments with rosiglitazone-associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with a higher risk of CVDs were used as an instrumental variable (IV). Summary-level data for 7 CVDs and 7 risk factors were obtained from UK Biobank and consortia. RESULTS: We found no causal effects of rosiglitazone, either on CVDs or risk factors. The results were consistent in sensitivity analyses using Cochran’s Q test, MR-PRESSO method, leave-oneout analysis and Mendelian randomization-Egger method (MR-Egger), and no directional pleiotropy was observed. Sensitivity analyses confirmed that rosiglitazone was not significantly associated with CVDs and risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: The findings from this MR study indicate no causal relationship between rosiglitazone and CVDs or risk factors. Hence, previous observational studies may have been biased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kadsura coccinea, a traditional Chinese medicine, is widely used in folk medicine for the treatment of stomach disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, bruises and contusions, and gynecological disorders. We used 132 K. coccinea loci and 19 climatic variables, maximum entropy model (Maxent), and geographic information system (ArcGIS) technique to screen the dominant climatic factors and to delineate suitable growing areas for K. coccinea. The results show that the Maxent model predicts well (AUC > 0.9). This indicates that the study has very high accuracy and reliability. The most suitable habitat parameters for K. coccinea are the precipitation of the wettest quarter (723.2~968.4 mm), annual precipitation (1512.7~1991.4 mm; 3035.4~4680.4 mm), temperature annual range (8.3~23.2 1; 24.8~27.3 1), precipitation of the driest quarter (94.5~633.6 mm), precipitation of the warmest quarter (567.3~977.9 mm), mean diurnal range (3.5~7.7 1), precipitation of the driest month (38.2~199.1 mm), precipitation of the coldest quarter (182.9~633.6 mm). The most suitable distribution areas for K. coccinea are concentrated in tropical and subtropical regions, which are Guangxi, Hunan, Yunnan, Jiangxi, Guangdong, Hainan, southeastern Chongqing, southwestern Hubei, southern and southwestern Anhui, Guizhou, Zhejiang, Taiwan, Fujian, and Hong Kong. The results of the study can provide a theoretical basis for the exploitation, cultivation, and quality of wild K. coccinea resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Increasing nut consumption has been associated with reduced risk of obesity and type II diabetes, the risk factors for colorectal cancer. However, the association between nut consumption and colorectal cancer risk is unclear. We aimed to examine the association of long-term nut consumption with risk of colorectal cancer. SUBJECTS/METHODS: We prospectively followed 75 680 women who were free of cancer at baseline in the Nurses' Health Study, and examined the association between nut consumption and colorectal cancer risk. Nut consumption was assessed at baseline and updated every 2-4 years. Relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS: During 2 103 037 person-years of follow-up, we identified 1503 colorectal cancer cases. After adjustment for other known or suspected risk factors, women who consumed nuts 2 or more times per week (that is, ≥ 56 g per week) had a 13% lower risk of colorectal cancer compared with those who rarely consumed nuts, but the association was not statistically significant (RR: 0.87;95% CI: 0.72-1.05;P-trend: 0.06). No association was observed for peanut butter. CONCLUSIONS: In this large prospective cohort of women, frequent nut consumption was not significantly associated with colorectal cancer risk after adjusting for other risk factors. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2016) 70, 333-337; doi:10.1038/ejcn.2015.66; published online 6 May 2015, INTRODUCTION Colorectal cancer is the second most common cancer in women and the third most common cancer in men worldwide. (1) Beyond well-known risk factors such as older age, family [...]