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Background: Previous data are controversial about the association of renal artery stenosis (RAS) with clinical outcome in patients with heart failure. Definition of RAS in previous studies might not be appropriate. By definition of RAS with renal duplex sonography, we investigated the association of RAS with clinical outcome in patients with heart failure. Methods: In this retrospective study, we identified 164 patients with heart failure (New York Heart Association classification ≥II; left ventricular ejection fraction

Currently, advanced glycation end product (RAGE) is receiving much attention in carcinogenesis research due to its involvement in cancer progression and metastasis. We therefore sought to examine the association of circulating soluble RAGE (sRAGE) with all types of cancer by a meta-analysis. The PubMed and EMBASE databases were searched before March 1, 2014. Data and study quality were assessed in duplicate. Effect estimates were expressed as weighted mean difference (WMD) and its 95 % confidence interval (CI). Altogether, nine eligible articles including 1,337 cancer patients and 1,839 controls were analyzed. The overall analysis indicated that circulating sRAGE was remarkably reduced by 222.07 pg/ml in cancer patients compared with controls (95 % CI: −373.77 to −70.37; P = 0.004), with heterogeneity and without publication bias. In subgroup analyses, this reduction was weakened yet still significant in prospective studies (WMD = −87.62; 95 % CI: −138.60 to −36.63; P = 0.001) with improved heterogeneity (I 2 = 56.5 %; P = 0.056). Restricting analyses to the large studies (total number of subjects ≥200) identified significant reduction of circulating sRAGE in cancer patients relative to controls (WMD = −231.34; 95 % CI: −450.10 to −12.58; P = 0.038). Further meta-regression analysis showed that smoking status explained some part of heterogeneity for the association of circulating sRAGE with cancer risk (regression coefficient: −67.02; P = 0.046). Our findings demonstrate a protective role of circulating sRAGE in the development of cancer, especially in patients without diabetes mellitus or with normal renal function.

We meta-analytically summarized the associations of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) gene insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism with ACE activity and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) to see whether ACE activity is causally associated with OSAS. Literature search and data abstraction were done in duplicate. Sixteen articles including 2060 OSAS patients and 1878 controls were summarized. Overall, no significance was observed for the association of I/D polymorphism with OSAS, whereas carriers of II genotype (weighted mean difference or WMD, 95% confidence interval or CI, P: −11.976, −17.168 to −6.783

To observe the effect of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) on nausea and vomiting (NV) induced by patient controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA) with Tramadol.Sixty patients who were ready to receive scheduled operation for tumor in the head-neck region and post-operation PCIA, aged 39-65 years, with the physique grades I-II of ASA, were randomized into two groups, A and B, 30 in each group. The pre-operation medication, induction of analgesia and continuous anesthesia used in the two groups were the same. TEAS on bilateral Hegu (LI4) and Neiguan (PC6) points was intermittently applied to the patients in group A starting from 30 min before analgesia induction to 24 h after operation, and the incidence and score of nausea and vomiting, antiemetic used, visual analogue scores (VAS), and PCIA pressing times in 4 time segments (0-4, 4-8, 8-12 and 12-24 h after the operation was finished) were determined. The same management was applied to patients in Group B, with sham TEAS for control.The incidence and degree of NV, as well as the number of patients who needed remedial antiemetic in Group A were less than those in Group B. The VAS score and PCIA pressing time were lower in Group A than those in Group B in the corresponding time segments respectively.TEAS could prevent NV induced by PCIA with Tramadol.

AIM: To investigate potential antitumor effects of rAd-p53 by determining if it enhanced sensitivity of gastric cancer cells to chemotherapy. METHODS: Three gastric cancer cell lines with distinct levels of differentiation were treated with various doses of rAd-p53 alone, oxaliplatin (OXA) alone, or a combination of both. Cell growth was assessed with an 3-(4,5)-dimethylthiahiazo (-z-y1)-3,5-diphenytetrazoliumromide assay and the expression levels of p53, Bax and Bcl-2 were determined by immunohistochemistry. The presence of apoptosis and the expression of caspase-3 were determined using flow cytometry. RESULTS: Treatment with rAd-p53 or OXA alone inhibited gastric cancer cell growth in a time- and dose-dependent manner; moreover, significant synergistic effects were observed when these treatments were combined. Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated that treatment with rAd-p53 alone, OXA alone or combined treatment led to decreased Bcl-2 expression and increased Bax expression in gastric cancer cells. Furthermore, flow cytometry showed that rAd-p53 alone, OXA alone or combination treatment induced apoptosis of gastric cancer cells, which was accompanied by increased expression of caspase-3. CONCLUSION: rAd-p53 enhances the sensitivity of gastric cancer cells to chemotherapy by promoting apoptosis. Thus, our results suggest that p53 gene therapy combined with chemotherapy represents a novel avenue for gastric cancer treatment.