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Radiotherapy and chemotherapy are used to improve survival in colorectal cancer but adverse effects can be a problem. Severe adverse effects may result in dose reduction or cessation of treatment, which have an impact on survival. Coriolus versicolor (Trametes versicolor or 'Turkey Tail') mushroom and its extracts have been used by cancer patients to help with adverse effects.To assess the effects of adjunctive Coriolus versicolor (Trametes versicolor) and its extracts on adverse effects and on survival during colorectal cancer treatment (chemotherapy and radiotherapy) compared with no adjunctive treatment.We searched databases including CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, AMED and CINAHL, Chinese and Japanese databases, and trials registers to 12th April 2022 without restriction of language or publication status. We screened reference lists and attempted to contact researchers in the field to identify additional studies.We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the efficacy and safety of Coriolus versicolor and its extracts in adult participants with a confirmed diagnosis of colorectal cancer, in addition to conventional treatment. Interventions included any preparation of Coriolus versicolor (raw, decoction, capsule, tablet, tincture, extract, injection), any part of the fungus (cap, stem, mycelium or whole), in any dose or regimen. Outcomes included adverse events rates, survival, disease progression and recurrence, response rates and quality of life.Two review authors independently screened and selected studies, extracted outcome data, and assessed risk of bias. We evaluated the overall certainty of evidence using the GRADE approach.We included seven parallel RCTs (1569 participants). Six studies (1516 participants) were conducted in Japan and one study (53 participants) in China. Studies included both male and female participants with colorectal cancer (five studies), colon cancer (one study) or rectal cancer (one study). Participants were diagnosed with cancer ranging from stage II to stage IV. Coriolus was used in the form of an extract in all seven studies and was generally used after curative resection, although in one study it was used preoperatively. Duration of treatment with the extract varied between four weeks and three years. Chemotherapeutic regimens in six studies consisted of an oral fluoropyrimidine which was preceded by weekly intravenous 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) in one study, by mitomycin C in two studies, and which was combined with folinic acid (Leucovorin) in two studies and with radiotherapy preoperatively in one study. XELOX (oxaliplatin intravenous infusion and capecitabine) was used in the remaining study. We found very low-certainty evidence of little to no effect of adjunctive treatment with Coriolus (in the form of an extract, polysaccharide-Krestin, PSK) on withdrawal from treatment due to adverse events (risk ratio (RR) 1.03, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.45 to 2.34; 703 participants; 3 studies;). We are uncertain whether adjunctive Coriolus versicolor and its extracts compared to usual care alone resulted in a difference in adverse events including neutropenia (RR 0.41, 95% CI 0.24 to 0.71; 133 participants; 3 studies; very low certainty), oral cavity disorders such as oral dryness and mucositis (RR 0.37, 95% CI 0.13 to 1.03; 1022 participants; 5 studies; very low certainty), nausea (RR 0.73, 95% CI 0.44 to 1.22; 969 participants; 4 studies; very low certainty), diarrhoea (RR 0.77, 95% CI 0.32 to 1.86; 1022 participants; 5 studies; very low certainty), and fatigue (RR 0.76; 95% CI 0.33 to 1.78; 133 participants; 3 studies; very low certainty). We found low-certainty evidence of a small effect of adjunctive Coriolus on improved survival at five years compared with no adjunctive care (RR 1.08, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.15; 1094 participants; 3 studies; number needed to benefit (NNTB) = 16 (95% Cl 9 to 70). The effect at earlier time points was unclear.Due to the very low certainty of evidence, we were uncertain about the effect of adjunctive Coriolus (in the form of an extract PSK) on adverse events resulting from conventional chemotherapy for colorectal cancer. This includes effects on withdrawal of treatment due to adverse events and on specific adverse outcomes such as neutropenia and nausea. The uncertainty in the evidence also means that it was unclear whether any adverse events were due to the chemotherapy or to the extract itself. While there was low-certainty evidence of a small effect on overall survival at five years, the influence of reduced adverse effects on this could not be determined. In addition, chemotherapy regimens used in assessing this outcome do not reflect current preferred practice.

This study mainly aimed to explore the influences of Calcium Voltage-Gated Channel Subunit Alpha1 B (CACNA1B) on the development of breast cancer and the related mechanism.The information of patients with breast cancer from TCGA database was used for analyses of CACNA1B expression and its prognostic value. Loss- and gain- of functions of CACNA1B were conducted in MCF7 and Bcap-37 cells, respectively. CCK-8, colony formation and transwell assays were applied for evaluating the cell viability and motility. Western blot was used for protein expression detection.We revealed that highly expressed CACNA1B in breast cancer tissues was related to poor prognosis according to the data gained from TCGA database. The outcomes of functional assays showed that depletion of CACNA1B restrained MCF7 cell growth, invasion and migration and high-expression of CACNA1B fortified the growth, invasion and migration in Bcap-37 cells. Finally, we manifested that silencing CACNA1B obviously raised the protein expression level of E-cadherin and reduced the protein levels of Cyclin D1, N-cadherin and Snail in MCF7 cells, whilst, over-expression of CACNA1B reduced the level of E-cadherin and increased the expression of Cyclin D1, N-cadherin and Snail in Bcap-37 cells.These results identified CACNA1B as a forwarder of the growth, invasion and migration in breast cancer cells.

Aim: To evaluate the clinical value of abnormal laboratory results of multiple organs in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-2019) and to help clinicians perform correct treatment. Results: Elevated neutrophil-to-LYM ratio (NLR), D-dimer(D-D), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, IL-2, interferon-Y, and age were significantly associated with the severity of illness. However, significant and sustained decreases were observed in the LYM subset (p

Several studies have shown that active smoking is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, the effects of passive smoking on T2DM remains unknown. In this study, we investigated the effects of passive smoking and its duration on the prevalence of prediabetes and T2DM. According to passive smoking status, participants were divided into Group A (passive smokers) and Group B (controls). Furthermore, Group A was divided into three subgroups according to the duration of passive smoking: Group A1 (≤10 years), Group A2 (10–20 years), and Group A3 (>20 years). We found that the prevalence of impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) in Group A (26.6%), Group A2 (28%), and Group A3 (37.8%) was significantly higher than that in Group B (19.6%), and the prevalence gradually increased with an increase in the duration of passive smoking. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that passive smoking for >10 years was a risk factor for impaired fasting glucose (IFG), IGT, and T2DM. Therefore, passive smoking not only increases the prevalence of IGT in a time-dependent manner, but also a risk factor for IFG, IGT, and T2DM when its duration is over 10 years.

Acupuncture is commonly used for cancer-related conditions worldwide, and evidence is increasing year on year. There is a need to summarize the evidence of acupuncture for cancer-related conditions comprehensively and critically.To evaluate and summarize the systematic reviews (SRs) that assess the effects and safety of acupuncture for cancer-related conditions, and to inform clinical practice and future studies.A comprehensive search was conducted on Pubmed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CNKI, VIP, Sinomed, and Wanfang from their inception to October 16, 2021. SRs of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on acupuncture for cancer-related conditions were to be included. Two reviewers screened the eligible articles, and four reviewers in pair extracted data and assessed the methodological quality/risk of bias of all included reviews by AMSTAR 2 and ROBIS tools. The overlap of primary studies was measured by calculating corrected covered areas. Data from the included reviews were synthesized with a summary of meta-analysis or narrative description.Fifty-one SRs of RCTs on acupuncture for cancer-related conditions were included and synthesized. The methodological quality of SRs included 1 "high", 5 "low" and 45 "very low" by AMSTAR 2. Sixteen SRs assessed as low risk of bias (31.37%), and 35 SRs had high risk of bias (68.63%) by ROBIS. Acupuncture showed effective on systemic conditions in relation to different cancers, including cancer-related pain (17 SRs, 80 RCTs), fatigue (7 SRs, 18 RCTs), insomnia (4 SRs, 10 RCTs), quality of life (2 SRs, 15 RCTs); conditions in relation to chemo-radiotherapy, including nausea and vomiting (3 SRs, 36 RCTs) and bone marrow suppression (2 SRs, 21 RCTs); and conditions in relation to specific cancers, including breast cancer-related menopause (3 SRs, 6 RCTs), hot flashes (12 SRs, 13 RCTs), arthralgia (5 SRs, 10 RCTs), and nasopharyngeal cancer-related dysphagia (1 SRs, 7 RCTs). Acupuncture appeared to have benefit for patients with lymphoedema (3 SRs, 3 RCTs), gastrointestinal function (5 SRs, 27 RCTs), and xerostomia (4 SRs, 7 RCTs). Limited evidence showed inconsistent results on acupuncture for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (3 SRs, 6 RCTs), depression and anxiety (3 SRs, 9 RCTs). Acupuncture was regarded as a safe therapy for cancer patients as no severe adverse events related were reported.Evidence from SRs showed that acupuncture is beneficial to cancer survivors with cancer-related pain, fatigue, insomnia, improved quality of life, nausea and vomiting, bone marrow suppression, menopausal symptoms, arthralgia, and dysphagia, and may also be potential for lymphoedema, gastrointestinal function, and xerostomia. For neuropathy, depression and anxiety, acupuncture should be used as an option based on individual conditions. Acupuncture is relatively safe without serious adverse events. More well-designed clinical trials of acupuncture are recommended on cancer-related depression and anxiety, arthralgia, xerostomia, gastrointestinal dysfunction and dysphagia.

Emerging evidence suggests that long non coding RNA (lncRNA) small nucleolar RNA host gene 4 (SNHG4) has become a new insight into lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced microglia inflammation, its role in neonatal pneumonia (NP) remains to be largely unrevealed.RT-qPCR was used to determine the expression of SNHG4 and METTL3 in the serum from NP patients and normal volunteers, as well as in LPS treated-WI-38 cells. The SNHG4 overexpression vector (pcDNA-SNHG4) was transfected into LPS-treated cells. CCK-8, Transwell, annexin V-FITC/PI, ELISA and Western blot assays were used to determine cell proliferation, migration, apoptosis, contents of IL-6, TNF-α, SOD and MDA, as well as the expression levels of NF-κB pathway proteins, respectively. The enrichment of SNHG4 in the METTL3 promoter region was assessed with RIP assay. mSNHG4 was downregulated, and METTL3 was upregulated in NP patients and LPS-treated cells. SNHG4 overexpression facilitated cell proliferation, migration and SOD concentration, as well as inhibited cell apoptosis and production of IL-6, TNF-α and MDA, and suppressed the expression of NF-κB pathway proteins. Mechanistically, SNHG4 bound with METTL3 and downregulated METTL3 expression. Besides, total mThis study reveals that SNHG4 promotes LPS induced inflammation in human lung fibroblasts and mouse lung tissues in vitro and in vivo by inhibiting METTL3-mediated m

Kangfu Xiaoyan Suppository is widely used in the treatment of gynecological inflammatory diseases. Long-term clinical application and a certain amount of research evidences show that Kangfu Xiaoyan Suppository can alleviate the clinical symptoms of pelvic inflammatory diseases,reduce the recurrence rate,and relieve sequelae,with a better safety and economic characteristics. As a type of nationally protected traditional Chinese medicine and type B medicine included in medical insurance,it has been selected as a Chinese patent medicine for rectal administration. It was included in the Guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of common gynecological diseases of traditional Chinese medicine published by the Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine in 2012,the Pelvic inflammatory diseases diagnosis and treatment guidelines issued by the Infectious Diseases Collaborative Group of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association in 2014,and the group standard of Single use of traditional Chinese medicine/combined antibiot guidelines for clinical practice-pelvic inflammatory diseases of the Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine in 2017. To further enhance clinicians' understanding of the drug and better guide its rational clinical use,experts from the field of gynecology of traditional Chinese and Western medicine were invited to develop and compile this expert consensus. This consensus takes full account of clinical evidences and expert clinical experience,and form recommendations for clinical problems based on evidences and consensus recommendations for clinical problems without evidence by nominal grouping method. The expert consensus is mainly formed in the consideration of six factors: quality of evidence,economy,efficacy,adverse reactions,patient acceptability and others. Based on clinical research evidences and expert experience,this consensus provides a preliminary reference for the clinical use of the drug in a concise and clear format. However,evidence-based support is still required in a large number of high-quality studies,and this consensus will be revised in the future according to new clinical problems and the update of evidence-based evidence in practical application.

// Xiao-Long Chen 1, 2, * , Xin-Zu Chen 1, 2, * , Yi-Gao Wang 1, 2, * , Du He 3 , Zheng-Hao Lu 1, 2 , Kai Liu 1, 2 , Wei-Han Zhang 1, 2 , Wei Wang 1, 2 , Chang-Chun Li 1, 2 , Lian Xue 1, 2 , Lin-Yong Zhao 1, 2 , Kun Yang 1, 2 , Jian-Ping Liu 3 , Zong-Guang Zhou 1, 4 , Jian-Kun Hu 1, 2 , Xian-Ming Mo 5 1 Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China 2 Laboratory of Gastric Cancer, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy/Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China 3 Department of Pathology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China 4 Institute of Digestive Surgery, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy/Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China 5 Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy/Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China * These authors have contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Jian-Kun Hu, email: hujkwch@126.com Keywords: gastric cancer, cancer stem cells, markers, prognosis, nomogram Received: December 22, 2015 Accepted: August 08, 2016 Published: August 19, 2016 ABSTRACT Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are thought as the source of tumor maintaining and many CSCs markers have been identified. Regarding the heterogeneity in gastric cancer (GC), TNM stage is not enough to accurately predict the prognosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical significance of CSCs markers (Lgr5, Oct4, CD133, EpCAM, CD54 and Sox2) and establish a new model based on these markers to accurately predict prognosis of GC. We retrospectively enrolled 377 GC tissues from January 2006 to October 2012 to perform immunohistochemistry (IHC), and 93 pairs of GC tissues and corresponding adjacent normal gastric tissues to perform quantitative PCR (qPCR) from December 2011 to October 2012. The clinicopathological and follow-up characteristics were collected. In IHC, Oct4, CD133 and EpCAM were independently related to tumor progression, while Sox2 were associated with well or moderate differentiation (all p

Increasing amounts of evidence has demonstrated that T2DM (Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus) patients have increased susceptibility to CRC (colorectal cancer). As HHEX is a recognized susceptibility gene in T2DM, this work was focused on two SNPs in HHEX, rs1111875 and rs7923837, to study their association with CRC. T2DM patients without CRC (T2DM-only, n=300), T2DM with CRC (T2DM/CRC, n=135), cancer-free controls (Control, n=570), and CRC without T2DM (CRC-only, n=642) cases were enrolled. DNA samples were extracted from the peripheral blood leukocytes of the patients and sequenced by direct sequencing. The χ2 test was used to compare categorical data. We found that in T2DM patients, rs1111875 but not the rs7923837 in HHEX gene was associated with the occurrence of CRC (p= 0.006). for rs1111875, TC/CC patients had an increased risk of CRC (p=0.019, OR=1.592, 95%CI=1.046-2.423). Moreover, our results also indicated that the two variants of HEEX gene could be risk factors for CRC in general population, independent on T2DM (p< 0.001 for rs1111875, p=0.001 for rs7923837). For rs1111875, increased risk of CRC was observed in TC or TC/CC than CC individuals (p

// Xin-Zu Chen 1, 2 , Wei-Han Zhang 1, 2, * , Hai-Ning Chen 1, * , Jian-Ping Liu 3 , Du He 3 , Yang Liu 4 , Kai Liu 1, 2 , Xiao-Long Chen 1, 2 , Xian-Ming Mo 5 , Zong-Guang Zhou 1 , Jian-Kun Hu 1, 2 1 Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China 2 Laboratory of Gastric Cancer, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy/Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China 3 Department of Pathology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China 4 West China School of Public Health, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China 5 Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China * These authors are contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Jian-Kun Hu, e-mail: hujkwch@126.com Xin-Zu Chen, e-mail: chen_xz_wch_scu@126.com Keywords: gastric cancer, CA724, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, immunohistochemistry, carbohydrate antigen Received: September 12, 2015 Accepted: February 28, 2016 Published: March 17, 2016 ABSTRACT Objectives: Associations between serum tumor biomarkers and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) overexpression among locally advanced gastric cancer patients were yet to be determined and therefore warranted investigation. Results: A total of 318 patients were analyzed. The odds ratios of CA724 were 4.79 (95% CI 1.55–14.79) and 6.29 (1.40–28.19) in comparing the HER2 (2+/3+) and HER2 (3+) with the negative group, respectively ( p < 0.05). A combination of the four biomarkers yielded slightly but not significantly greater areas under the curve (AUC = 0.83; 0.71–0.94) than that of serum CA724 alone (0.80; 0.68–0.91); however, an index generated from the combination had better diagnostic performance with 85.7% sensitivity, 80.4% specificity and 97.8% negative predictive value to predict the strong overexpression of HER2 (3+). CA199, CEA or CA125 alone was not associated with HER2 overexpression. Leave-one-out cross-validation found a consistent association between serum CA724 and HER2 (2+/3+) overexpression. Methods: Patients undergoing radical gastrectomy from 8/2012 to 12/2013 and with pathological stage II–III gastric cancer were retrospectively analyzed. HER2 expression of the surgical samples was estimated using immunohistochemistry; serum CA724, CA199, CEA and CA125 were preoperatively tested. Internal validation was performed using the leave-one-out approach. Conclusions: Serum CA724 is significantly associated with the overexpression of HER2 among locally advanced gastric cancer patients. The combination of CA724, CA199, CEA and CA125 is better than serum CA724 alone in predicting HER2 overexpression. External validation and further investigation of the biological mechanisms of these associations are required.

Background Due to limitations of conventional medicine for atopic eczema (AE), complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is widely used as an alternative, maintaining, or simultaneous treatment for AE. We aimed to evaluate the beneficial and harmful effects of CAM for children with AE under 14 years old. Methods We searched for randomized trials on CAM in 12 Chinese and English databases from their inception to May 2018. We included children (

Rationale: Cataracts can occur in children and adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus who have poorly controlled glycemia. Here, we report a case of a 16-year-old female, who was diagnosed with bilateral cataracts, and genetic screening identified a mutation in the PRRC2A gene which is rarely reported. After surgery, retinopathy was found in this patient, combined with the published literature, we encourage that postoperative monitoring for retinal lesions during the follow-up visits should be conducted. Patient concerns: In this article, we present an adolescent diagnosed with bilateral cataracts, and developed retinopathy during the follow-up visits. Genetic screening identified a mutation in the PRRC2A gene. Diagnoses: The diagnoses of Diabetic cataracts, Type 1 diabetes and Diabetic retinopathy was made. Interventions: The patient underwent surgery in both eyes, and hypoglycemic treatment was provided. Outcomes: The surgery achieved satisfactory results, during the follow-up visits, her visual acuity was reported as 0.8 in the right eye and 1.0 in the left eye. Besides, her blood glucose was well controlled, and her glycated hemoglobin was reduced to 6.9% after three months of continuous treatment. Lessons: This case highlights the importance of genetic screening for detecting mutations in diabetes-related genes, and postoperative monitoring for retinal lesions during the follow-up visits.

To assess the effect and safety of Huannao Yicong Formula (, HYF) in the treatment of patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD).Sixty patients with mild-tomoderate AD were evenly randomized into HYF group and donepezil group with the random number method. Patients in the HYF group took 5 g of HYF granules twice daily and 5 mg placebo of donepezil once daily. Patients in the donepezil group took 5 mg donepezil once daily and 5 g placebo of HYF granules twice daily. The intervention lasted for 6 months. Clinical researchers, participants and statisticians were blinded to the treatment assignment throughout the study. The primary outcomes were scores of Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-Cog) and Chinese Medicine Symptom Scale (CM-SS). The secondary outcomes were scores of Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test and Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE). The serum levels of acetylcholinesterase (AchE) and amyloid-β protein 42 (AβA total of 52 patients completed the trial, 28 in HYF group and 24 in donepezil group. Compared with the baseline, HYF and donepezil signifificantly decreased the total scores of ADAS-Cog and CM-SS, and signifificantly increased the scores of MoCA and MMSE after 6-month treatment (all P0.01). Both treatments remarkably reduced the serum levels of AchE and AβHYF is effective and safe for improving the cognitive function in mildto-moderate AD patients. [Trial registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (Reg No. ChiCTR-IOR-17011746)].

Signet-ring cell carcinoma (SRCC) has specific epidemiology and oncogenesis in gastric cancer, however, with no systematical investigation for prognostic genomic features. Here we report a systematic investigation conducted in 1868 Chinese gastric cancer patients indicating that signet-ring cells content was related to multiple clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes. We thus perform whole-genome sequencing on 32 pairs of SRC samples, and identify frequent CLDN18-ARHGAP26/6 fusion (25%). With 797 additional patients for validation, prevalence of CLDN18-ARHGAP26/6 fusion is noticed to be associated with signet-ring cell content, age at diagnosis, female/male ratio, and TNM stage. Importantly, patients with CLDN18-ARHGAP26/6 fusion have worse survival outcomes, and get no benefit from oxaliplatin/fluoropyrimidines-based chemotherapy, which is consistent with the fact of chemo-drug resistance acquired in CLDN18-ARHGAP26 introduced cell lines. Overall, this study provides insights into the clinical and genomic features of SRCC, and highlights the importance of frequent CLDN18-ARHGAP26/6 fusions in chemotherapy response for SRCC., Signet-ring cell carcinoma (SRCC) is a unique type of gastric cancer with no prognostic features. Here, the authors report a CLDN18-ARHGAP26/6 gene fusion in patients with a high signet-ring cell content, poor survival outcomes, and who experience no benefit from platinum/fluoropyrimidines-based chemotherapy.

Previous studies showed that selenoprotein S (SELS) was associated with a range of inflammatory markers, and its gene expression was influenced by a polymorphism in the promoter region. The genetic basis of the ischemic stroke has now been largely determined, so the aim of the study was to examine the role of SELS genetic variants in the ischemic stroke risk in a Chinese population. We conducted a case-control study with 239 ischemic stroke patients and 240 controls. Two single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in SELS genes were analyzed for association with the risk of ischemic stroke in the Chinese Han population. No evidence of ischemic stroke association was observed with the SNP rs34713741. Interestingly, the strongest evidence showed that SELS SNP rs4965814 was associated with ischemic stroke (P 0.05). We found a significant association with increased ischemic stroke risk in women carrying the CC genotype of rs4965814 [hazard ratio: 2.43(1.03-5.75)]; a similar trend was also found in men carrying the TC genotype of rs4965814 [hazard ratio: 1.81(1.06-3.08)]. SNP rs4965814 of SELS may affect the susceptibility to ischemic stroke. Understanding the inflammatory mechanisms of ischemic stroke may give new therapeutic targets to pharmacologists.

Purpose. To explore the potential of diffusion-weighted (DW) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) for predicting the response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).Methods and Materials. Ninety-two consecutive patients with NPC who underwent three cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy were retrospectively analyzed. DW and anatomical MRI were performed before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy prior to radiotherapy. Pretreatment ADCs and percentage increases in ADC after chemotherapy were calculated for the primary lesions and metastatic adenopathies. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to select optimal pretreatment ADCs.Results. Pretreatment mean ADCs were significantly lower for responders than for nonresponders (primary lesions,P=0.012; metastatic adenopathies,P=0.013). Mean percentage increases in ADC were higher for responders than for nonresponders (primary lesions,P=0.008; metastatic adenopathies,P<0.001). The optimal pretreatment primary lesion and metastatic adenopathy ADCs for differentiating responders from nonresponders were 0.897 × 10−3 mm2/sec and 1.031 × 10−3 mm2/sec, respectively.Conclusions. NPC patients with low pretreatment ADCs tend to respond better to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Pretreatment ADCs could be used as a new pretreatment imaging biomarker of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text, Osteoporosis (OP) is a disease characterized by decreased bone mineral density (BMD) and an increased risk of osteoporotic fractures. Nutritional factors (including glucose and fats lipids), have been implicated in OP. We hypothesized that the levels of blood glucose and lipids could be biomarkers for predicting the risk of OP. To test this hypothesis, we evaluated the potential relationship between BMD and levels of blood glucose and lipids via a community-based study in China. This was a community-based cross-section analysis, and a total of 8584 cases were investigated. The BMD of the left calcaneus was measured using an ultrasonic bone densitometer. The levels of blood glucose (fasting blood glucose [FBG], 2-h blood glucose [2hBG], and glycosylated hemoglobin [HbAlc]), and lipids (triglyceride [TG], total cholesterol [TC], low-density lipoprotein cholesterol [LDL-C], and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDL-C]) were measured and analyzed. In our study population, the levels of FBG, 2hBG, HbAlc, TC, LDL-C and HDL-C were higher in the OP group than in the low bone density and the normal bone density groups, while the levels of HbAlc, TC, and LDL-C in the low bone density group were higher than those in the normal bone density group. In males, the level of blood LDL-C in the low bone density group was higher than that in the normal bone density group. In postmenopausal subjects, the levels of FBG, 2hBG and HbA1C were higher than those in the normal bone density groups, and the level of HbA1C in the low bone density group was higher than that in the normal bone density group. Pearson linear trend analysis demonstrated that BMD was positively associated with TC and LDL-C in males and negatively associated with FBG, 2hBG and HbA1C in postmenopausal females. Moreover, logistic analysis showed that BMD was correlated with TC in premenopausal females and HbA1C in postmenopausal females. OP is generally associated with abnormal levels of blood glucose and/or lipids; nevertheless, the relationship between OP and abnormal levels of blood glucose and/or lipids is complicate and different subpopulations may have different susceptibilities. Therefore, further detailed studies are warranted.

To investigate the changes and significance of IL-37 in patients with sepsis. A total of 50 patients with sepsis between September 2016 and October 2017 at the intensive care unit (ICU) of the First Affiliated Hospital of Shihezi University School of Medicine were selected as the sepsis group, 30 age and sex-matched healthy controls were selected as the control group. The levels of IL-37 in serum were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) on day 1 and day 7 of the sepsis patients. The levels of serum IL-37 in the sepsis group on day 1 [(39.13 ± 34.35)pg/mL] were significantly higher than that in the control group [(23.75 ± 2.52)pg/mL] with significant difference (P .05). A correlation analysis showed that the levels of serum IL-37 and IL-1β were positively correlated. The level of IL-37 observed in sepsis was found to correlate with the severity of the inflammatory reaction. IL-37 could be an important cytokine in the control of sepsis by suppressing the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines.

Objective The objective of this study was to assess the relations between glycemic load (GL), glycemic index (GI) and the risk of fatal or nonfatal cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Methods Prospective studies were identified by a comprehensive search of Pubmed, ISI web of Science, the Cochrane Library and EMBASE database, supplemented with manual searches through the reference lists of original publications and review articles. Relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were extracted and pooled using a random-effect model, and dose–response meta-analysis was performed by the method of generalized least-squares. Results Fourteen studies were identified, involving 229,213 participants and more than 11,363 cases. The pooled RRs of CVDs risk for the highest vs lowest categories of GL and GI were 1.23 (95% CI: 1.11–1.36) and 1.13 (95% CI: 1.04–1.22) respectively. Both the risk estimates of GL and GI for women (GL: RR = 1.35, 95% CI: 1.18–1.55; GI: RR = 1.19, 95% CI: 1.06–1.34) were higher than men (GL: RR = 1.10, 95% CI: 0.95–1.28; GI: RR = 1.05, 95% CI: 0.94–1.17). No heterogeneity or publication bias was detected. Dose-response meta-analysis found an increased RR of 1.18 (95% CI: 1.01–1.38, P = 0.033) per 50 unit increment of GL with cardiac event risk in Caucasians. Conclusions High GL and GI were associated with significant increased risk of CVDs, specifically for women.

Electric fields (EFs) exert biological effects on promoting wound healing by facilitating cell division, cell proliferation, and cell directional migration toward the wound. In this study, we examined the inhibitory effect of direct-current (DC) EFs on the formation of neointimal hyperplasia and the possible mechanism in an abdominal aorta balloon injury rabbit model. Sixty rabbits were divided into normal, control, and experimental groups. After establishment of the abdominal aorta balloon injury model, electrodes were implanted into the bilateral psoas major muscle in control and experimental groups. Only the experimental group received electric stimulation (EFs applied at 3 or 4 V/cm for 30 min/day) for 1, 2, and 4 weeks, respectively. Neointimal hyperplasia of the abdominal aorta and proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) were measured. Expressions of collagen, p27(Kip1), and phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) were detected. Results showed that the ratio of the tunica intima area to the tunica media area, the expression of type-I collagen in the neointimal, and the proliferating cell nuclear antigen index in experimental groups were significantly less than those in control groups 2 weeks post-operation (P< 0.01). Expressions of p27(Kip1) and PTEN were increased in experimental groups compared with control groups (P< 0.01). In conclusion, our results suggested that the application of DC EFs could inhibit neointimal hyperplasia and reduce collagen expression after abdominal aorta balloon injury. This was probably induced by upregulation of PTEN/p27(Kip1) expression, thereby inhibiting VSMC proliferation.

This study evaluates safety and efficacy of low-voltage direct-current (DC) electrical stimulation of angiogenesis in rabbits with myocardial infarction (MI). Thirty Japanese rabbits were divided into treatment and control groups, and MI was induced by ligation of the left circumflex (LCX) artery. Two platinum electrodes were placed directly on the epicardium on either side of LCX artery. Low-voltage DC stimulation (4.0 V/cm, 30 min/day) was performed in the treatment group immediately after surgery until fourth week post-operatively. Cardio-electrophysiological, respiratory, hematological, blood biochemical, histopathological, immunohistochemical parameters, as well as capillary density at the marginal zone of myocardial infarct were compared between treatment and control groups. Capillary density in the treatment group (63.1 ± 2.2) was significantly higher (P < 0.01) than that in controls (45.4 ± 3.9). Overall mortality was 6.7%, and the prevalences of pneumothorax and intraoperative arrhythmia were 3.3 and 6.7%, respectively. Transient hypotension, anemia, leukocytosis, hypoxemia, and a slight increase in myocardial enzymes levels were observed in both groups. Regarding electrical stimulation, no adverse reactions except a minor infiltration of inflammatory cells and mild degeneration were observed in the myocardium. It was, therefore, concluded that low-voltage DC stimulation in the MI rabbits was not only safe but also effective in promoting angiogenesis in the myocardium.

The benefit and efficacy of interventional coronary therapies in elderly patients is still a controversial subject, especially in parts of the world where traditional and conservative medicine is still mainstream. In China, the benefit of intervention is still questionable, hence, this study investigated the prognostic significance of coronary angioplasty on outcomes of elderly patients presenting with ST-segment elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI). The study cohort comprised of 270 elderly (age >or= 75 years) patients who had confirmed STEMI. Some 116 patients underwent coronary angioplasty (called CA group) and their prognoses and survival over the short- and long-term periods (up to 80 months) were compared to 154 comparable patients who received a noninvasive, more conservative medical therapy (non-CA group). The subsequent Kaplan-Meier survival curves and statistical analyses were used to ascertain any difference between the groups. There was no significant differences between the two groups in terms of their clinical presentation, clinical risk, cardiac features, medications and medical procedures, except that the peak creatine kinase was significantly higher in the CA group. The success rate of interventional percutaneous coronary intervention observed in the CA group was 92.4% and during the hospitalization period, there were fewer deaths in the CA group (11 vs. 61 in the non-CA group). Furthermore, after 1-year and up to 7 years postsurgery, the CA group had a significant survival when compared to the non-CA cohort. Analysis of the longer-term data, using multivariate Cox regression analysis after 80 months indicated a hazard ratio of mortality for patients in CA group to be 0.283 (95% CI: 0.140-0.534, P < 0.001). Also, multivariate logistic regression analysis identified conservative treatment, chronic renal failure, cardiac arrhythmia, chronic lung disease and left ventricular ejection fraction, as predictors of higher long-term mortality in elderly patients with STEMI. In conclusion, this study clearly indicates that elderly Chinese patients with STEMI who undergo coronary angioplasty benefit and have a better survival rates in both the short- and long-term.

Polymorphisms of G-572C and G-174C in the interleukin-6 (IL-6) promoter can affect both the transcription and secretion of IL-6 and may be involved in inflammation related to and the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke (IS). However, whether IL-6 polymorphisms are indeed risk factors for IS remains controversial. We recruited 748 Chinese IS patients diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) within 24h of symptom onset and 748 normal healthy controls from two ethnic populations and performed two case-control studies in order to assess the nature of the polymorphisms of IL-6 and any links with IS. Common polymorphic loci in the IL-6 gene promoter were determined by TaqMan SNP genotyping assays. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between IL-6 genotypes and a diagnosis of IS. We found that the C allele frequency at the -174 promoter region of IL-6 was extremely low in both IS patients and controls in both ethnic groups. The G allele of the promoter single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) G-572C was more common in IS subjects than controls (P=0.004, corrected for multiple testing) in the Han population but not in the Uyghur population. GC carriage therefore increased the risk of IS in the Han ethnic group (OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.13-1.86). In addition, the differences in GG and GC frequency between the two ethnic populations were significant. The C allele frequency at the -174 promoter region of IL-6 was rare in Chinese IS patients and controls from either ethnic group. We conclude that IL-6-572GC may be an independent risk factor for IS in the Chinese Han population.

We searched systematically for randomized controlled trials, comparing moxibustion with a nonmoxibustion control group or other methods such as external cephalic version, postural methods, and acupuncture in databases, both Western and Chinese, up to June 2007. Six studies, with 1087 subjects and a high degree of heterogeneity, compared moxibustion vs observation or postural methods and reported a rate of cephalic version among the moxibustion group of 72.5% vs 53.2% in the control group (relative risk, 1.36; 95% confidence interval, 1.17-1.58); the number needed to treat was 5 (95% confidence interval, 4-7). In terms of safety, no significant differences were found in the comparison of moxibustion with other techniques. Moxibustion at acupuncture point BL67 has been shown to produce a positive effect, whether used alone or in combination with acupuncture or postural measures, in comparison with observation or postural methods alone, for the correction of nonvertex presentation, although these results should be viewed with caution, given the considerable heterogeneity found among studies.

Dural cavernous haemangiomas are rare, and they do not display a classical ring of haemosiderin on MRI as parenchymal cavernous haemangiomas. Sometimes, they are misinterpreted as meningiomas with a dural tail sign. In this short report, a 37-year-old woman was diagnosed with a convexity cavernous haemangioma, and the tumour was totally resected.

A peptide based on the sequence of the complementarity determining region (CDR) 1 of a human monoclonal anti-DNA autoantibody that bears the 16/6 idiotype (16/6Id) was synthesized as a potential candidate for the treatment of SLE patients. The peptide, designated hCDR1, did not induce experimental SLE upon active immunization of mice. The ability of the peptide to treat an already established lupus that was either induced in BALB/c mice or developed spontaneously in (NZB x NZW)F1 mice was tested. Ten weekly injections of hCDR1 (200, 50 microg/mouse) given subcutaneously mitigated disease manifestations (e.g., leukopenia, proteinuria and kidney damage) and resulted in a prominent reduction in the dsDNA specific antibody titers. Furthermore, treatment with hCDR1 resulted in reduced secretion and expression of the "pathogenic" cytokines [i.e., INFgamma, IL-1beta, TNFalpha (in the induced model) and IL-10], whereas the immunosuppressive cytokine TGFbeta was up-regulated. Thus, the significant ameliorating effects of hCDR1 are manifested at least partially via the immunomodulation of the cytokine profile. These results suggest that hCDR1 is a potential candidate for a novel treatment of SLE patients.

The aim of this study was to investigate the association of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) expression with clinicopathological characteristics of resectable gastric cancer patients.A total of 394 stage I-III surgical gastric cancer patients who were detected of immunohistochemical (IHC) HER2 expression postoperatively were included in this retrospective study. Association of IHC HER2 over-expression (3+) rate with clinicopathological characteristics was tested by univariate and multivariate analyses.IHC HER2 over-expression rate was 5.1% (95% CI 3.1%-7.7%). By univariate analyses, none of the clinicopathological characteristics was associated with the IHC HER2 over-expression compared to negative expression (0/1+) (p0.05), with the exception of a higher rate (12.2%) of IHC HER2 (3+) in moderate differentiation subset (p=0.02). However, the multivariate analyses didn’t selected any characteristic as an independent risk factor of IHC HER2 over-expression or the combination of IHC HER2 (2/3+).IHC HER2 over-expression rate is relatively low among stage I-III gastric cancer patients, and might be generally not associated with clinicopathological characteristics.

To investigate the Echinococcus infection of people and domestic animals in Liyang City, so as to provide the evidence for the establishment of control measures of echinococcosis.The formerly confirmed cases and clue cases were investigated. The Echinococcus antibody in serum of children aged from 7 to 12 years old and adults in key towns and control towns was detected with ELISA, and the antigen in fecal samples of dogs in key towns was also detected. B ultrasound was applied to examine the ELISA positive cases, family member and the neighbored people around them. The sheep in the market were dissected and examined for Echinococcus.The Echinococcus antibody positive rates were 0.93% and 0.52% in children and adults, respectively. The Echinococcus antigen positive rate was 0.95% in dogs. There were no significant difference between the positive rates of the children and adults (CHI2 = 2.124, P0.05). No cases were found by ultrasonic examination and no Echinococcus infection was found in the sheep.The people with Echinococcus antibody in serum and dogs with antigen in their feces are found in the surveillance of echinococcosis, therefore, there exists the complete chain of transmission in local. Thus, in the prevention and control work for the disease, the monitoring of dog feces, quarantine of sheep from other regions, as well as the population health education in key areas should be strengthened.

To understand the characterization and levels of antibody isotype responses to soluble egg antigen (SEA) and adult worm antigen (AWA) of Schistosoma japonicum in schistosomiasis patients in Poyang Lake region.Antibody isotype IgG, IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, IgG4, IgE, IgM and IgA responses to SEA and AWA in the sera of individuals from endemic and non-endemic areas were determined by indirect ELISA.The levels of antigen-specific antibody isotypes in the sera of patients with egg positive were significantly higher than those of people with egg negative and normal control population from non-endemic area (P0.001), and except for anti-SEA IgG2 and anti-AWA IgG4 and IgE antibodies, the levels of antibody isotypes in the sera of people with egg negative in endemic area were significantly higher than those of normal control population from non-endemic area (P0.05). In the population with egg positive, children had higher levels of anti-SEA IgM and IgG1 and anti-AWA IgM antibody, and lower AWA specific IgG than adults. There was no significant difference between the male and female except for the male had higher levels of IgG (F = 4.677, P = 0.032) and IgG1 (F = 5.55, P = 0.020)against AWA. Three months post-treatment, the levels of IgG1, IgG3, IgG4 antibody responses to SEA deceased significantly (P0.001, P = 0.029, P = 0.044), and almost all the antibody levels decreased significantly (P0.05) twelve months post-treatment, except for SEA specific IgE and IgM and AWA specific IgG4 and IgM antibodies.The levels of antigen-specific antibody isotypes in the sera of patients with egg positive are significantly higher than those of people with egg negative and normal control population from non-endemic area. Almost all of antibody levels decrease significantly twelve months post-treatment. The levels of antibody isotypes in the sera of people with egg negative in endemic area are significantly higher than those of population from non-endemic area, giving a clue that the selection of negative control of schistosomiasis diagnostic kit should be noticed.

To discover novel lung adenocarcinoma (AdC) biomarkers, isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ)-tagging combined with 2D-LC-MS/MS analysis was used to identify differentially expressed plasma membrane proteins in lung AdC and paired paraneoplastic normal lung tissues (PNLTs) adjacent to tumors. In this study, significant caveolin-1 downregulation and integrin β1 upregulation was observed in primary lung AdC vs. PNLT. As there has been no report on the association of integrin β1 with lung AdC, immunohistochemical staining was performed to detect the expression of integrin β1 in an independent set of archival tissue specimens including 42 cases of PLNT, 46 cases of without lymph node metastasis primary AdC (non-LNM AdC) and 62 cases of LNM AdC; the correlation of their expression levels with clinicopathological characteristics and clinical outcomes were evaluated. Based on the data, upregulation of integrin β1 was significantly correlated with advanced clinical stage and lymph node metastasis. Integrin β1 overexpression was significantly associated with advanced clinical stage (P

To establish a simple, rapid, inexpensive and sensitive method for detecting hot region for mutations in exon 7 of PAH gene.High-resolution melting (HRM) technology was used to detect a c.728GA mutation in exon 7 in 88 patients with classical type phenylketonuria. Suspected mutations were validated by direct DNA sequencing.The results detected by HRM are in good agreement with the results obtained by direct sequencing.HRM analysis is a simple, rapid, inexpensive and sensitive method for detecting hot mutational region in exon 7 of PAH gene.

To evaluate the overall diet quality and diet model of labor workers in Shenzhen using Chinese Diet Balance Index (DBI).In May 2009, 14 canteens from Baoan, Longgang and Nanshan districts were selected by stratified random sampling and 60 workers were randomly selected from each canteen by using random number method. Diet measurements were carried out among the 840 labor workers. Diet quality was evaluated by using DBI scoring and evaluating system.The median values of labor workers' food intakes of cereal and meatpoultry were 483.8 and 121.7 g/d, which were more than the recommended amounts of their intakes of Chinese residents (cereal: 250 - 400 g/d, meatpoultry: 50 -70 g/d). The median values of the labor workers' intakes of fruit, dairy and eggs were 37.3, 20.6 and 23.5 g/d,which were less than recommended amounts in fruits (200 - 400 g/d), dairy (300 g/d) and eggs (25 - 50 g/d). The DBI-HBS scores of males and females in Shenzhen migrant workers were 24.4 +/- 6.1 and 22.6 +/- 6.3, respectively with a statistically significant difference (t = 4.21, P0.01). DBI-HBS scores of20 age group, 20 - 29 age group, 30 - 39 age group andor = 40 age group in labor workers were 12.7 +/- 5.9, 11.3 +/- 6.3, 12.8 +/- 6.4 and 11.2 +/- 5.6 respectively (F = 3.67, P = 0.01). There were 7 dietary patterns among labor workers in this survey. Nearly 8.2% (68/830) of them belonged to Pattern A. Pattern B and E were the main dietary patterns, which accounted for 37.3% (310/830) and 31.0% (257/830) of the total population.DBI can describe and evaluate the overall dietary quality and the major problem of the dietary patterns in labor workers. It is necessary to strength nutritional education to increase the intake of fruits, milk and eggs to improve nutritional status in labor workers in Shenzhen.

To assess the effect of implementing education about clinical research in changing the awareness and attitudes of diabetic patients.A randomized control trial was implemented in 258 patients with diabetes from 6 hospitals. The participants were assigned to the intervention group (129 cases, who received education about the clinical research) and the control group (129 cases, who received no intervention). The outcome indicators were the variables on knowledge, attitude for the clinical research between before and after intervention in the same group and between the two groups.There was no withdrawal or lost in the two groups. Comparing the contents between inter-groups and intra-group for 19 assignment questions, it showed statistical significance (P0.05). After the patients received education, their knowledge about and attitude towards clinical research, informed consent, placebo, follow-up, random allocation, and ethics, etc. were markedly improved. Their attitudes for the participants to join in scientific research, opinion, confidence were obviously changed, and it also showed that the method was feasible. The patients' education level was positively correlated with the clinical research educated outputs.This study proved the necessity for patients participating in future clinical trials to receive education, as well as its feasibility and effectiveness.

Patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) show deficits in cognitive functions. However, the neural mechanisms underlying the pre-attentive information processing in MDD patients are poorly understood. The present study investigated whether MDD patients have impairments in pre-attentive information processing indexed by auditory mismatch negativity (MMN). The deviant-standard reverse oddball paradigm was used to obtain the memory-comparison-based duration auditory MMN in 24 MDD patients and 24 healthy control subjects. Over the frontal–central area, MDD patients exhibited decreased MMN amplitudes only for the increment condition (150-ms MMN), whereas the temporal MMN did not differ between MDD patients and healthy subjects, regardless of the increment or decrement (50-ms MMN) condition. The MMN amplitudes were not correlated with depression symptoms. In addition, the peak latency of MMN amplitudes was longer in the MDD patients than the control subjects. These data indicate that pre-attentive information processing is impaired in MDD patients. This dysfunction may represent a trait of MDD patients rather than a state-dependent phenomenon.

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is characterised by the clinical signs of oligo-amenorrhoea (infrequent or very light menstruation), infertility (failure to conceive), and hirsutism (excessive hair growth). Whilst Aleem 1987 revealed the presence of beta-endorphin in the follicular fluid of both normal and polycystic ovaries, Petraglia 1987 demonstrated that the beta-endorphin levels in ovarian follicular fluid of otherwise healthy women who were undergoing ovulation were much higher than the levels measured in plasma. Given that acupuncture has an impact on beta-endorphin production, which may affect gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) secretion, it is postulated that acupuncture may have a role in ovulation induction and fertility.To assess the efficacy and safety of acupuncture treatment for women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).Relevant studies were identified from the Menstrual Disorders and Subfertility Group Specialised Register, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library), Ovid MEDLINE® In-Process and other non-indexed citations, Ovid MEDLINE® Daily and Ovid MEDLINE(R), EMBASE, PsycINFO, AMED, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) (including the Chinese journal full-text database (CJFD)), Chinese BioMedical Literature Database (CBM), VIP database for Chinese Technical Periodicals, China's important Conference Papers Database, and the China dissertation database.Truly randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that studied the efficacy of acupuncture treatment for infertility in women with PCOS. We excluded quasi- or pseudo-RCTs.We aimed to extract data independently by three authors using a piloted data extraction form. Data on study characteristics including methods, participants, interventions, and outcomes would be extracted. Crossover trials were not included unless there were first-phase data provided. Non-randomised controlled studies have been excluded.No truly randomised controlled trials of acupuncture for PCOS were found .The current conventional medical treatments for women with PCOS are prescription medications, surgery, and lifestyle changes. Associated problems with current western therapies are the cost, risk of multiple pregnancies, undesirable side effects, and inconsistent effectiveness. Non-randomised acupuncture studies in PCOS have suggested a low associated adverse events rate, no increased risk of multiple pregnancies, and that it is inexpensive. However, there no RCTs have been performed in this area thus far. Therefore, properly designed RCTs are required before a conclusive statement can be drawn to support the use of acupuncture in the management of PCOS.

To study the mutations in exons 3, 6, 7, 11 and 12 of the phenylalanine hydroxylase gene (PAH) in Shanxi population.The mutations in exons 3, 6, 7, 11 and 12 and flanking sequences of PAH gene were detected by PCR-DNA sequencing, in 59 patients with phynelketonuria(PKU) and 100 healthy children from Shanxi province.By sequence analysis, three single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) Q232Q (CAACAG), V245V (GTGGTA) and L385L (CTGCTC) were detected in both the patients and healthy children, with the frequencies of nt 696, 735 and 1155 of the PAH cDNA up to 96.2%, 76.1% and 7.6% in patients respectively, and 97.0%, 77.3% and 8.3% respectively in the healthy controls. In addition, 72 different mutations accounting for 61.0% of mutant alleles were identified in the patients only. In exon 3, R111X, H64TfsX9 and S70 del were found accounting for 5.1%, 0.8% and 0.8%; EX6-96AG in exon 6 was found accounting for 10.2%. In exon 7, R243Q was the highest incidence accounting for 12.7%, followed by Ivs7+2 TA(5.1%) and T278I(2.5%); the lowest incidences were G247V, R252Q, L255S, R261Q and E280K accounting for 0.8 %, respectively. In exon 11, Y356X (5.9%) and V399V (5.1%) were found; in exon 12, R413P and A434D were found accounting for 5.9% and 2.5%. In total, 9 missense mutations, 3 splice site mutations, 2 nonsense mutations and 2 deletions were included in 16 kinds of different mutations.The mutation characteristics and distribution in exons 3, 6, 7, 11 and 12 of the PAH gene have been identified, and it suggested that the EX6-96AG and R243Q were the hot spots of PAH gene mutations in Shanxi PKU population.

To explore the association between polymorphisms of adiponectin gene and the risk of ischemic stroke in Han population from the Northern parts of China.TaqMan probe of RT-PCR was applied to detect the genotype frequency of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) (rs266729 and rs2241766) of adiponectin gene in 357 ischemic stroke cases who developed the episode at first time and with 345 healthy controls. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the relationship of each genotype of SNPs and ischemic stroke.Mutation of rs2241766 (TG) increased the risk of ischemic stroke among all the samples (OR = 1.55, P = 0.01) and it was still the risk factor of ischemic stroke when analyzed by multi-factors logistic regression after each factor was adjusted (OR = 1.55, P = 0.00). The polymorphism of rs266729 was not related to the risk of ischemic stroke among all the samples (OR = 1.13, P = 0.57). However, the genotype GG of rs266729 increased the risk of ischemic stroke among female population (OR = 3.25, P = 0.04).The variance of rs2241766 in adiponectin gene was related to the risk of ischemic stroke in Han population from the Northern parts of China and the genotype GG of rs266729 could possibly increase the risk of ischemic stroke in women of Han population from the Northern parts of the country.

To understand the status of suicidal ideation and attitudes towards suicide among university students in Harbin as well as the influencing factors.A multi-stage stratified random clustered sampling procedure was used to select university students (n = 5240) who were aged 16 - 43 years, in Harbin. Factors associated with suicidal ideation were analyzed with logistic regression by demography characteristics and scores on the suicide acceptability scale and the social support rating scale (SSRS).According to our data, 9.1% of the respondents had suicidal ideation and 1% had made a suicide attempt. The influencing factors for suicidal ideation were gender, major, relationship between their parents, acceptance on the idea of suicide attempt, the state of social support and the history of suicide attempt.The suicidal ideation of university students in Harbin should not be neglected. Measures should be taken to improve the quality of mental health and to reduce the ratio of suicide behavior among college students.

OBJECTIVE To explore and identify the therapeutic components of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) as a complex intervention through grounded theory, and the correlation and interaction within this model and the possible effects that they may have on the therapeutic effects of TCM. METHODS Data were collected through 41 half-day participant observations and 7 in-depth interviews, and the study design and data analysis were based on the grounded theory. RESULTS The components of TCM practice that emerged were: prescribed Chinese medicinal herbs, doctor's medical advice, psychological intervention, doctor-patient relationship, and patient adherence. There were some overlaps in the TCM diagnosis and treatment process, and there were underlying therapeutic effects associated with diagnosis. TCM herbal intervention was considered as a main therapeutic component which might dominate patients' outcome. We summarized this process as a process of problem finding and solving from macroscopic and microcosmic perspectives, which embodies the concept of a holistic approach and highly individualized pattern through syndrome differentiation and treatment. CONCLUSION TCM is a complex whole system, and all therapeutic components of TCM may contribute to global treatment effect. In the future, we need more participants to test and improve the model of grounded theory through qualitative and quantitative methods such as randomized controlled trials so as to identify and explore the relevance of each therapeutic component of TCM with the treatment effect.

Hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma is a highly aggressive tumor with a poor outcome. About 210 cases were identified through PubMed, of which fewer than 20 originated in Asia. We reviewed 17 Chinese cases of hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma, including an unusual one with cutaneous pink papules, for clinicopathologic, immunophenotypic, and genotypic features; Epstein-Barr virus status; treatment; and outcome. The median age of the patients was 23 years. All patients had splenomegaly, and 88.2% of them had hepatomegaly as well. Bone marrow involvement was present in 53.3%. Eleven patients underwent splenectomy for diagnosis and treatment. Twelve specimens were collected by image-guided liver core biopsy or wedge resection. Histologically, the homogeneous small- to medium-size neoplastic lymphoid cells infiltrated the sinuses or sinusoids of the spleen, bone marrow, and liver. Diagnosis was based on image-guided core-needle biopsy of the liver alone in 41.2% of the cases. Immunohistochemically, 15 of the lesions were hepatosplenic γδ T-cell lymphoma, and the remaining 2 were hepatosplenic αβ T-cell lymphoma. Epstein-Barr virus was detected in both cases of hepatosplenic αβ T-cell lymphoma and one case of hepatosplenic γδ T-cell lymphoma. Most of the patients received cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone therapy or regimens similar to it. Follow-up data were available in 70.6% of the patients; half of them died of the tumor, and the median survival time was 6 months. The frequency of bone marrow involvement was lower than that reported in the literature. Image-guided core-needle biopsy of the liver is recommended for diagnosis.

To observe the promoting consciousness effect of electroacupuncture therapy on the patients with long-term coma caused by severe craniocerebral trauma.Twenty-nine cases with coma more than 3 weeks and Glasgow Coma Scales (GCS) of 8 or less were divided into an observation group (n=15) and a control group (n=14). They were treated with the same western medicine. In addition to ordinary treatment, the observation group was treated with electroacupuncture at Baihui (GV 20), Shuigou (GV 26), Yongquan (KI 1) etc. for 30 min and the needles were retained for 30 min, once each day.The average awake time and awake rate were 40.1 days and 73.3% (11/15) respectively in the observation group, which were higher than 51.8 days and 28.6% (4/14) in the control group.Electroacupuncture therapy combine with western medicine is more effective in improving consciousness of patients in coma caused by severe craniocerebral trauma.

To timely summarize past experience and to provide more pertinent reference for control and prevention in A/H1N1 cases in influenza season.During May 25 to 31, 2009, 2 secondary community cases caused by a influenza A/H1N1 imported case. In the close contacts of 3 A/H1N1 cases, 14 had some aspirator symptoms onset, such as fever (or = 37.5 degrees C), cough, sore throat and etc. Laboratory tests excluded the infection of A/H1N1 influenza. For throat swab test for the 14 cases, 7 were tested for seasonal influenza virus. A face-to-face or telephone interview was conducted by CDC staff to collect information of 62 close contacts.Of 14 fever cases, there was no significant by differences by age[15-age group: 19.2% (5/26), over 25-age group: 25.0% (9/36); chi(2) = 0.287, P = 0.592]; by sex group [24.0% (6/25) for male and 21.6% (8/37) for female; chi(2) = 0.048, P = 0.826], by working units [dressing and design, photograph, saleroom and others, consumer group: 42.1% (8/19), 27.3% (3/11), 12.5% (2/16) and 6.3% (1/16); chi(2) = 7.653, P = 0.054], by dormitory style [dormitory style = 33.3% (4/12), non-dormitory style = 29.4% (10/34); chi(2) = 0.699, P = 0.403]. All the cases had fever (37.5 - 37.9 degrees C), no case had diarrhea. One in 3 A/H1N1 cases had diarrhea. All the 14 cases were negative result for A/H1N1 RNA. Six from 7 cases were positive for seasonal influenza test.This was a seasonal influenza outbreak happened in the close contacts of first confirmed A/H1N1 cases in community in mainland China. It showed that we should exclude the seasonal influenza in the investigation of A/H1N1 cases in the seasonal influenza period in some time. It is necessary to take effective measure to strengthen the control and prevention of seasonal influenza.

To investigate the prevalence of anxiety among tent inhabitants one month after the 5.12 Sichuan earthquake as to formulating intervention strategies.A stratified random sampling method was adopted. Inclusion criteria were: inhabitants, aged above 18 years old, living in tent in 13 relief centers of 4 townships in Jiangyou city; and only one person from each tent/family could be enrolled in this study. A total of 402 subjects were interviewed with Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS). SAS scores were compared between different groups and symptomatic differences between anxiety and non-anxiety victims were analyzed by stepwise multiple regression analysis.The prevalence of anxiety among tent inhabitants was 22.1% (89/402). A higher rate of anxiety was observed in senior age group than in younger age group (F = 7.03, P0.01). Age withor = 50 years (42.85 +/- 11.15), 40-49 years (41.57 +/- 10.30), 30-39 years (37.99 +/- 9.66), 18-29 years (36.62 +/- 9.92). Female (43.13 +/- 10.45) had a high rate of anxiety than male (36.80 +/- 9.88) (t = -6.09, P0.01). The most common symptoms were anxiety (79.4%, 319/402), fatigue (68.2%, 274/402), phobia (65.7%, 264/402), sleep disorders (65.4%, 263/402), unfortunate feelings (65.2% , 262/402), akathisia (59.7%, 240/402), and fear (58.2%, 234/402). Stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that insane feelings(t = 5.37, P0.01), trembling(t = 5.33, P0.01), dyspnea (t = 4.28, P0.01), unfortunate feelings (t = 3.87, P0.01), headache(t = 3.85, P0.01), facial flushing (t = 3.48, P0.01), fatigue (t = 3.27, P0.01), dizziness (t = 2.79, P0.01), frequent micturition (t = 2.41, P0.05), and akathisia (t = 2.31, P0.05) were more frequently experienced in the anxiety victims than non-anxiety victims.Tent inhabitants in the post-earthquake relief centers exhibit a higher prevalence of anxiety as compared with the general population. Much attention should be paid to elderly, female, and those who have developed specific symptoms such as insane feelings, trembling, dyspnea, etc. Meanwhile, some intervention measures should be timely taken.

To investigate the prevalence and risk factors for anxiety among inhabitants in the relief centers one month after the 5 * 12 Sichuan earthquake and to formulate intervention strategies.A total of 402 tent inhabitants agedor = 18 years were randomly selected from 13 relief centers of 4 townships in Jiangyou city. Data were collected by Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and risk factor questionnaires.The prevalence of anxiety among inhabitants in the relief centers was 22.1% (95% CI: 18.2%-26.6% ) (89/402). In single factor analysis, female, agedor = 40 years, family per-capita monthly income of600 Yuan, education level of less than junior high school, inconvenient living conditions, history of chronic diseases, limited living space in tents, shortage of goods, and sex life being interrupted etc might increase anxiety. In multi-factor analysis, female (OR = 2.921), inconvenient living conditions (OR = 2.475), history of chronic diseases (OR = 3.997), and limited living space in tents (OR = 2.982) were the risk factors for anxiety.Inhabitants in the relief centers exhibited higher prevalence of anxiety as compared with the general population. Measures to improve the living conditions of the relief centers, including guarantee of water, electricity and material supply, sewage treatment, living space and privacy, and early psychological interventions were recommended for prevention and relief of anxiety.

To evaluate the distribution of neuropeptide Y and its receptors in the cardinal ligament and uterosacral ligaments in women with and without pelvic organ prolapse (POP).Sixteen patients with pelvic organ prolapse entered the study. All patients were evaluated by pelvic organ prolapse quantitation (POP-Q). Group A consisted of six patients with grade I , II POP, and group B comprised ten patients with grade III, IV POP. Eight nonfunctional ovarian tumor patients without POP were recruited as control subjects. Biopsies of cardinal ligament and uterosacral ligament were obtained from each woman during surgery. Immunohistochemical study with polyclonal antibody against a general nerve marker S-100 and neuropeptide Y was performed on paraffin-embedded sections of all the samples. In addition, mRNA levels of the human NPY-Y1 and NPY-Y2 receptors were assessed in both patients and controls.(1) NPY immunoreactivities were identified in both cardinal ligament and uterosacral ligament NPY immunoreactive nerve fibers were insignificantly lower in POP patients (P0.05). The distribution pattern of NPY was similar in cardinal ligament and uterosacral ligament (P0.05). (2) mRNAs encoding the NPY-Y1 and NPY-Y2 receptors were detected in the pelvic supporting tissues. Besides the expected NPY-Y1 PCR products, an additional 97 bp long amplicon originating from an alternative splicing event was found in most tissues studied. (3) In cardinal ligaments, mRNA encoding NPY-Y1 receptor had a significant difference between group A (3.9 +/- 1.0) and B (6.0 +/- 1.5), and between control (3.4 +/- 0.9) and group B (P = 0.019, P = 0.004), while there was no significant difference between group A and controls (P = 0.082). In uterosacral ligaments, mRNA encoding NPY-Y1 receptor had no significant difference between Group A (6.0 +/- 1.1) and B (6.3 +/- 0.7), or between group A and controls (4.8 +/- 0.7; P = 0.151, P = 0.690); while there was a significant difference between group B and controls (P = 0.016). (4) mRNA encoding NPY-Y2 receptor had no significant difference between controls (0.49 +/- 0.34, 0.61 +/- 0.15), group A (0.56 +/- 0.21, 0.67 +/- 0.13) and group B (0.85 +/- 0.43, 0.69 +/- 0.21) patients in cardinal ligament and uterosacral ligaments (P0.05). (5) mRNA encoding NPY-Y1 (P = 0.084) and NPY-Y2 (P = 0.470) receptors had no significant difference between cardinal ligament and uterosacral ligament.There are NPY and NPY receptors in cardinal and uterosacral ligaments. The increased expression of NPY Y1 receptor may be related to local blood flow reduction and structural changes of pelvic supporting tissue.

Acupuncture-related therapies might be an effective intervention for primary dysmenorrhea.To evaluate the effects of acupuncture-related therapies for treating primary dysmenorrhea.A specified literature search was performed of the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CNKI, and CBM databases.All clinical controlled trials pertaining to acupuncture-related therapies for primary dysmenorrhea were included, and the quality of the trials was assessed.Two independent reviewers were responsible for data extraction and assessment. The original data of each trial were analyzed with software (Revman 4.2), but a meta-analysis could not be carried out because of the heterogeneity of the trials.Thirty randomized controlled trails (RCTs) and two controlled clinical trials (CCTs) were identified. Most of the trials were of low methodologic quality (six trials were Grade B and 26 trials were Grade C). Data analysis indicated that there were conflicting results regarding whether acupuncture-related therapies were more effective than control treatments. However, there was a small, methodologic sound trial of acupuncture which suggested that acupuncture was more effective than control groups (placebo acupuncture: WMD=-0.57 and 95% CI=-0.76-0.38; standard control: WMD=-.19 and 95% CI=-0.37-0.01; visitation control: WMD=-1.04 and 95% CI=-1.28-0.80).Because of low methodologic quality and small sample size, there is no convincing evidence for acupuncture in the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea. There is an urgent need for randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled trials to assess the effects of acupuncture.

Interventional treatment for childhood combined congenital heart disease (CHD) has developed very quickly and more new types of occluders have emerged in recent years. The aim of this study is to investigate the efficiency and safety of interventional treatment for combined CHD in children.Eight children with combined CHD (4 boys and 4 girls), aged 6.1+/-2.9 years, underwent simultaneous transcatheter therapy. Of the 8 children with CHD, 1 case had atrial septal defect (ASD), ventricular septal defect (VSD) and patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), 1 case had ASD, PDA and pulmonary stenosis (PS), 1 case had ASD and PDA, 1 case had patent foramen ovale (PFO) and PS, and 4 cases had ASD and PS. The methods of transcatheter intervention for these patients were as follows: in patients with ASD,VSD and PDA, the occlusion of VSD was performed first, followed by PDA and ASD occlusions; in patients with ASD, PDA and PS, the occlusion of percutaneous balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty (PBPV) was performed first, followed by PDA and ASD occlusions; in patients with PFO and PS, the occlusion of PBPV was performed first, and PFO occlusion followed; in patients with ASD and PS, the occlusion of PBPV was performed first, and ASD occlusion followed.The intervention operation was successfully performed in all of the 8 patients. No serious adverse events occurred during the operation. No residual shunt was found and all the occlusion devices were in the suitable sites shown by transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and X-ray right after the operation. In the 6 patients with PS, the systolic pressure across the pulmonary valve decreased from 75.3+/-15.6 mmHg (before operation) to 14.0+/-5.6 mmHg after operation (P0.05).A 3.4+/-1.2 years follow-up demonstrated that no residual shunt occurred and gradients across valve or coarctation sites were within the limit of satisfactory results. No complications were observed during the follow-up.Transcatheter interventional therapy for childhood combined CHD can obtain satisfactory results by proper procedures.