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This study aimed to determine the associations of childhood exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) and parabens (PBs) with oxidative stress and the activity of outer hair cells (OHCs) in the cochlea of children with hearing loss (HL). A total of 641 children were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Urinary concentrations of BPA and four PBs including methyl paraben (MP), ethyl paraben (EP), propyl paraben (PP), and butyl paraben (BP) were quantified by using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MSMS). Four urinary biomarkers of oxidative stress, 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), 8-nitroguanine (8-NO2Gua), 4-hydroxynonenal mercapturic acid (HNE-MA), and 8-isoprostaglandin F2α (8-iso-PGF2α), were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Hearing tests were conducted by an audiologist in the audiometric test room, and the results were confirmed by an otolaryngologist. The activity of OHCs in the cochlea was measured by distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs). The associations of BPA/PB exposure and oxidative stress with the activity of OHCs at different frequencies were evaluated in the multivariable linear regression models. There were 91 children with HL, for an incidence of approximately 14.2 %. There was a significant negative association between the presence of EP (1.5 K Hz, 3 K Hz) or PP (2 K Hz) or 8-OHdG (1 K Hz, 1.5 K Hz, 2 K Hz) and the activity of OHCs in the left ear. Significant results were also observed for BPA (2 K Hz), MP (1 K Hz, 1.5 K Hz, 2 K Hz), EP (3 K Hz), and 8-OHdG (2 K Hz) in the right ear. This study revealed that exposure to BPA/PBs reduces the activity of OHCs, especially at middle frequencies, in children.

Abstract Background Although diabetes mellitus (DM) can be treated with islet transplantation, a scarcity of donors limits the utility of this technique. This study investigated whether human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from umbilical cord could be induced efficiently to differentiate into insulin-producing cells. Secondly, we evaluated the effect of portal vein transplantation of these differentiated cells in the treatment of streptozotocin-induced diabetes in rats. Methods MSCs from human umbilical cord were induced in three stages to differentiate into insulin-producing cells and evaluated by immunocytochemistry, reverse transcriptase, and real-time PCR, and ELISA. Differentiated cells were transplanted into the liver of diabetic rats using a Port-A catheter via the portal vein. Blood glucose levels were monitored weekly. Results Human nuclei and C-peptide were detected in the rat liver by immunohistochemistry. Pancreatic β-cell development-related genes were expressed in the differentiated cells. C-peptide release was increased after glucose challenge in vitro. Furthermore, after transplantation of differentiated cells into the diabetic rats, blood sugar level decreased. Insulin-producing cells containing human C-peptide and human nuclei were located in the liver. Conclusion Thus, a Port-A catheter can be used to transplant differentiated insulin-producing cells from human MSCs into the portal vein to alleviate hyperglycemia among diabetic rats.

Objectives: The classification of pathological tumor-node-metastasis (pTNM) staging of gastric cancer was revised in the 8th American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) edition. The major revision was the separation of pN3a and pN3b in the pTNM staging. The current study evaluated the prognostic impact of this change. Methods: A total of 1,517 patients who underwent curative surgery for gastric cancer with a retrieved lymph node number ≥15 at our institution from January 1995 to December 2011 were enrolled. Survival was compared for the disease classified according to both the 7th and 8th editions. Results: After separation of pN3a and pN3b in the pTNM stage definition, the 8th edition still provides significant survival differences between each stage. The multivariate analysis demonstrated that the pTNM stage in both the 7th and 8th editions was an independent prognostic factors of overall survival and disease-free survival. The 8th edition has a better homogeneity than the 7th edition with a significantly higher likelihood ratio chi-square test. Regarding the OS and DFS, the time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of the two staging systems are almost overlapping, indicating that the prognostic performance is comparable between the two staging systems. Conclusions: Both the 7th and 8th edition-based stages are independent prognostic factors for gastric cancer. The 8th edition has a better homogeneity than the 7th edition; the 8th edition provides discriminant survival differences among each pTNM stage that are comparable to those in the 7th edition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/aims: Signet ring cell carcinoma and mucinous carcinoma are mucin-producing gastric cancers. Their clinicopathological difference was obscure., Methodology: From December 1987 to July 2005, a total of 1612 gastric cancer patients received curative surgery, 128 patients with signet ring cell carcinoma and 48 with mucinous carcinoma were enrolled in this study. Clinicopathological data were compared between the two groups., Results: Early stage (stage I and II) patients with mucinous carcinoma were associated with more male predominant (p = 0.002), larger tumor size (p = 0.020), deeper cancer invasion (p < 0.001), and a worse 5-year overall survival (63.6% vs 88.2%, p = 0.012) than those with signet ring cell carcinoma. There was no significant difference between the two groups with advanced stage in 5-year overall survival. There is no significant difference in the initial recurrence pattern between the two groups., Conclusions: Patients with mucinous carcinoma had different biological behaviors with those with signet ring cell carcinoma, in particular early stage, hence had a worse survival.