Correlation between human leukocyte antigen-G expression and clinical parameters in oral squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND: Human leukocyte antigen-G (HLA-G) is a tumor-associated molecule, whose expression may help the cancer cells to escape the immune response. AIMS: The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of HLA-G level in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 52 patients who had definite pathological diagnosis and 20 cases of healthy controls were enrolled in this clinical trial. Immunohistochemisty (IHC) and quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis were considered for HLA-G identification and multilevel validations. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS and statistical significance was determined at P < 0.05. RESULTS: IHC results demonstrated that the expression of HLA-G in OSCC was strongly positive and the rate of positive expression was 55.77% (29/52), but the expression of HLA-G in healthy controls was negative (0/20). Furthermore, RT-PCR results showed that the positive expression rate of HLA-G messenger RNA was weak in healthy controls, but strong in OSCC. Besides, HLA-G expression in the tumors was significantly correlated with histological grade. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggested that HLA-G is associated with the prognosis of OSCC and may serve as a novel therapeutic target.

Risk Factors for Anxiety in Major Depressive Disorder Patients

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the sociodemographic and clinical factors related to anxiety in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). METHODS: This study involved a secondary analysis of data obtained from the Diagnostic Assessment Service for People with Bipolar Disorders in China (DASP), which was initiated by the Chinese Society of Psychiatry (CSP) and conducted from September 1, 2010 to February 28, 2011. Based on the presence or absence of anxiety-related characteristics, 1,178 MDD patients were classified as suffering from anxious depression (n=915) or non-anxious depression (n=263), respectively. RESULTS: Compared with the non-anxious group, the anxious-depression group had an older age at onset (t=-4.39, p<0.001), were older (t=-4.69, p<0.001), reported more lifetime depressive episodes (z=-3.24, p=0.001), were more likely to experience seasonal depressive episodes (chi2=6.896, p=0.009) and depressive episodes following stressful life events (chi2=59.350, p<0.001), and were more likely to have a family history of psychiatric disorders (chi2=6.091, p=0.014). Their positive and total scores on the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) and the 32-item Hypomania Checklist (HCL-32) (p<0.05) were also lower. The logistic regression analysis indicated that age (odds ratio [OR]=1.03, p<0.001), a lower total MDQ score (OR=0.94, p=0.011), depressive episodes following stressful life events (OR=3.04, p<0.001), and seasonal depressive episodes (OR=1.75, p=0.039) were significantly associated with anxious depression. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that older age, fewer subclinical bipolar features, an increased number of depressive episodes following stressful life events, and seasonal depressive episodes may be risk factors for anxiety-related characteristics in patients with MDD.

Penile appearance, sexual function and sexual satisfaction of hypospadias patients after surgery: a long-term follow-up study / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the long-term outcomes of hypospadias surgery relating to penile appearance, sexual function and sexual satisfaction, and analyze the influencing factors by comparing them with those of healthy male adults.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We conducted follow-up visits to 128 hypospadias patients surgically treated in our hospital between January 1990 and June 1994. We retrospectively analyzed their clinical data in comparison with 136 healthy male adults.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The rate of satisfaction with penile appearance was significantly lower in the hypospadia patients than in the healthy men, and the main reason for the patients'dissatisfaction was inadequate penile size. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in sexual function and sexual satisfaction. The rate of sexual satisfaction was lower in the patients treated for proximal and middle shaft hypospadias but higher in those treated for distal shaft hypospadias than in the healthy adults, particularly high in those successfully treated by one-stage surgery at the age of < or = 3 years. The factors influencing postoperative sexual satisfaction included penile appearance, severity of hypospadias, surgical complications, surgical stage, age of surgery, and premature ejaculation. However, sexual satisfaction was not affected by surgical complications and surgical staging in those successfully treated by one-stage surgery at the age of < or = 3 years.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Importance should be attached to the long-term follow-up of hypospadias patients after surgery. Sexual satisfaction could be achieved by successful one-stage urethroplasty at the age of < or = 3 years. Appropriate surgical procedures based on the characteristics of different cases may help the patients to establish confidence in their future sexual activities.</p>

MORHPOLOGICAL AND HISTOCHEMICAL OBSERVATION OF MYOCARDIUM OF KESHAN DISEASE / 营养学报

Keshan disease was an endemic cardiomyopathy in China. The very low selenium intake of local people was considered to be an important causal factor. The main pathological characteristics of this disease was multifo-cal necrosis and fibrous replacement of myocardium that was scattered throughout the wall of all chambers.Two patterns of myocardial necrosis, myofibrillar pattern and mitochondrial pattern were distinguished in electron microscopy. The myofibrillar pattern was characterized by myofibril segmentation. It agreed well with the contraction band necrosis described in light microscopy. It was mainly seen in acute Keshan heart and might be related to circulatory disorders. Mitochondrial pattern was identical with myocytolysis of conventional pathology. It represented the typical lesion of Keshan disease.Mitochondria showed early and conspicuous changes in involved myo-cytes. Myofibrillar damage seemed to be secondary to the mitochondrial injury in the development of myocytolysis.Histochemical studies revealed that the acid phosphatase activity was obviously increased in muscle fibers surrounding the necrotic foci, and the succinic dehydrogenase activity was greatly reduced in damaged myocardio-cytes.