Clinical effect and cost analysis of panretinal photocoagulation combined with Ranibizumab or triamcinolone acetonide for diabetic macular edema / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

·AIM: To compare clinical effects and cost of panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) combined with Ranibizumab or triamcinolone acetonide (TA) for diabetic macular edema (DME). ·METHODS: Forty-eight patients (48 eyes) with DME and diabetic retinopathy ( DR) receiving PRP were randomly assigned to two groups, which were respectively intravitreally injected ranibizumab (0. 5mg) and TA (4mg). Ranibizumab (0.5mg) was intravitreal injected every 4wk for 3 times. The effects of injection for DME were evaluated using best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA ), central macular thickness ( CMT ) and intraocular pressure (IOP). During the follow-up, other injections were performed to eyes which had CMT greater than 400μ m. The medical costs were calculated at 12wk and 24wk.·RESULTS: BCVA and CMT between 2 groups were not significantly different (P>0.05); BCVA and CMT among different time points were significantly different(P<0.05);the treatments and the time points had significant interaction on BCVA (P<0.05). BCVA was improved in two groups at all the time after injection(P<0.05),except 1wk after injection of TA (P=0.33). There was significant difference between the two groups at 12wk and 16wk on BCVA and that injected with ranibizumab was better (P=0.03,0.045). CMT decreased in two groups at all the time after injection (P<0.05). There was significant difference only between the two groups at 1wk (P< 0. 01). All intraocular pressures were in the normal range, except one needed ocular hypotensive agents. The medical costs (yuan) of the ranibizumab group in 12wk and 24wk were 38 736 and 42 564,which of the TA group were 5 790 and 7 053,respectively. ·CONCLUSION:Both PRP combined with ranibizumab or TA for DME can effectively control disease progression in short time. Therapeutic effect is not significant between two methods, but PRP combined with TA is more economic.

Effects of insulin, insulin-like growth factor-I and -II on proliferation and intracellular signaling in endometrial carcinoma cells with different expression levels of insulin receptor isoform A / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Hyperinsulinemia, insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I and -II (IGF-II) are associated with increased risk of endometrial carcinoma. Insulin receptor isoform A (IR-A) is more frequently expressed in endometrial carcinoma than in normal endometrial tissues. To better understand their roles in endometrial carcinoma, we investigated the effects of insulin, IGF-I, and IGF-II in endometrial carcinomas cells with different IR-A expression levels.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>To explore the role of IR-A in mediating the activity of IGF-I, IGF-II, and insulin, we investigate the cellular proliferation of endometrial carcinoma cell lines RL95-2 and RL95-2-IR-A by MTS assays. Then we examined the protein kinase Akt phosphorylation and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 phosphorylation in both cell lines by Western blotting. The effect of IGF-II and AG1024 on cell cycle progression and apoptosis was assessed by flowcytometry. To examine whether the effects of IGFs were mediated by IR-A, we blocked IGF-I receptor (IGF-IR) in both cell lines using AG1024, an IGF-IR-specific inhibitor.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>IGF-I and IGF-II significantly enhanced proliferation of both cell lines (P < 0.05). By contrast, insulin significantly increased proliferation of RL95-2-IR-A cells only (P < 0.05). IGF-I and IGF-II significantly increased pAkt levels in RL95-2 cells and pERK1/2 levels in RL95-2-IR-A cells (all, P < 0.05). Insulin increased pERK1/2 levels in RL95-2-IR-A cells only (P < 0.05). LY294002 and PD98059 inhibited the specific signaling activities and cellular proliferation. After AG1024 pretreatment, neither IGF-I nor IGF-II affected pAkt levels in RL95-2 cells. IGF-II, but not IGF-I, increased pERK1/2 levels in RL95-2-IR-A cells. After AG1024 pretreatment, the proliferation rate and DNA content corresponding to the S phase increased and apoptosis decreased significantly in IGF-II-treated RL95-2-IR-A cells only (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The proliferation effect of insulin is mediated by IR-A. When IR-A dominates in a cell line, IGF-II activated cell proliferation mainly through the ERK1/2 pathway. On the other hand, IGF-II activated cell proliferation mainly through the Akt pathway. IR-A can at least partly mediate the proliferative and anti-apoptotic effects of IGF-II through the ERK1/2 pathway.</p>

Value of T cell receptor gamma alternate reading frame protein and keratin 5 in endometrial carcinoma / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Tumors with different gene expression develop and progress in different ways. To deepen our understanding of the progression in endometrial cancer, and provide a useful tool for accurate diagnosis and prognosis assessment, we identified the new molecular prognostic markers in endometrial carcinoma and analyzed the relationship of them with clinical and pathological features of endometrial carcinoma.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Ninety-four cases of endometrial endometrioid adenocarcinoma with complete data from the Peking University People's Hospital from 2000 to 2008 and 40 cases of normal endometrium were enrolled. Among these, 30 endometrial endometrioid adenocarcinoma samples of different International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage were selected for further Agilent genome-wide microarray analysis. Significance analysis of microarrays (SAM) was used to identify genes that are significantly associated with tumor progress. Immunohistochemistry was utilized to identify the genes of interest in endometrial carcinoma and normal endometrium. The relationship between the genes and the age, clinical stage, histological grade, myometrium invaded depth, lymph node metastasis status, and the expression of ER, PR, P53, and PTEN were analyzed by χ(2) test.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Analysis between FIGO 1988 stage I and stage III identified a 362-gene "progress signature"; 171 down-regulated and 191 up-regulated genes. Among the alterative genes, TARP (T cell receptor gamma alternate reading frame protein) and KRT5 (keratin 5) decreased 3.57 fold and 5.8 fold in FIGO stage III patients. The expression of TARP in endometrial carcinoma increased compared to normal endometrium, while that of KRT5 decreased (P < 0.05). The expression of TARP and KRT5 decreased when stage, histological grading, myometrium invaded depth increased (P < 0.05). In the cases with lymph node metastasis, the expression of TARP decreased, while the expression of KRT5 did not differ (both P < 0.05) both. The expression of P53 had a negative relationship with the expression of KRT5 (P < 0.05), but not with the expression of TARP (P > 0.05). There was no correlation between the expression of TARP and KRT5 and the expression of ER, PR, PTEN (all P > 0.05). There was no significant difference in TARP and KRT5 expression in patients aged 50 or younger and patients older than 50 (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The expression of TARP and KRT5 was correlated with the progress of endometrial cancer and their role needs further study.</p>

Association of HAb18G with clinicopathologic features and prognosis in non-small cell carcinoma of lung / 中华病理学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the association between HAb18G expression, tumor parameters, metastatic potential and prognosis in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Immunohistochemical study for HAb18G protein using SP methods was carried out in 144 cases of NSCLC. Nineteen cases of benign lung lesions and 41 cases of normal lung tissue were used as controls. The intensity (positive unit/PU) of HAb18G expression was assessed quantitatively by image analysis software. The results were correlated with tumor parameters, metastatic potential and follow-up data.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The intensity of HAb18G protein expression was significantly higher in NSCLC than that in controls (P = 0.000). In squamous cell carcinomas and adenocarcinomas, the expression of HAb18G protein in well-differentiated tumors was lower than that in moderately to poorly differentiated tumors (P = 0.001). Tumors of TNM stage IV had stronger expression than tumors of lower stages (P = 0.000). HAb18G PU was greater in tumors with lymph node metastasis than those without nodal metastasis (P = 0.045). The PU value of tumors with maximal diameter greater than 5 cm was higher than that of the smaller tumors (P = 0.000). It was also higher in male than in female patients (P = 0.046). There was no association between HAb18G protein expression and age of patients, history of smoking, tumor types and gross morphology (P > 0.05). The five-year survival rate in cases with low HAb18G protein expression was higher than that in cases with high expression (P = 0.006). Univariate analysis indicated that patients with high HAb18G protein expression carried a poor prognosis (P = 0.007). Multivariate analysis showed that expression of HAb18G protein was an independent prognostic factor in patients with NSCLC (P = 0.032, relative risk 3.962).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>HAb18G protein expression is associated with tumor progression and prognosis. It may represent a useful biomarker for prognostic evaluation.</p>

Quantitative analysis of Tiam1 expression in lung cancer and its clinical significance / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the relationship between the expression of T lymphoma invasion and metastasis inducing factor 1 (Tiam1) and the progression, metastasis, TNM stage, and histological types of lung carcinoma.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Immunohistochemistry was performed to detect the expression of Tiam1 in 116 lung carcinoma specimens. The expression intensity (measured in positive unit, PU) of Tiam1 in these tissues was assessed quantitatively using Imagepro Plus image analysis software.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The PU of Tiam1 was significantly greater in primary lung carcinomas with lymph node metastases than in those without metastases (t=-2.089, P=0.039). Lung cancers of TNM stage II-IV had stronger expression than those of stage I (t=-2.272, P=0.025). The PU of Tiam1 differed significantly between different histological types of lung cancer, and squamouscell cell carcinoma had a lower PU than adenocarcinoma, large cell carcinoma and small cell carcinoma (P<0.05). The intensity of Tiam1 expression was not associated with the patients' gender, age, general types, smoking history, pneumoconiosis or differentiation of lung carcinoma.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>These results strongly suggest that Tiam1 is an invasion and metastasis inducing factor of lung carcinoma. The overexpression of Tiam1 is closely associated with lymph node metastases, TNM stage and histological types of lung carcinoma.</p>

Cloning and efficient prokaryotic expression of soluble stage-specific antigen cC1 from Cysticercus cellulosae / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To clone the coding gene of the stage-specific antigen cC1 from Cysticercus cellulosae and express high levels of soluble cC1 in E.coli.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The cC1 gene was amplified from Cysticercus cellulosae by RT-PCR and cloned into pMD18-T vector, followed by subcloning into the prokaryotic expression plasmid pET28a. The recombinant plasmid was transformed into E.coli BL21(DE3) and the expression conditions were optimized. The expressed product was purified by Ni(+)-affinity chromatography, analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and identified with SDS-PAGE and Western blotting.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The fragment length of the amplification product by RT-PCR was 1056 bp. Comparison of the amplified gene sequence with the cC1 gene in Genbank identified a samesense point mutation at 423 position in the gene cloned into the expression plasmids. After a 6-h induction with 0.05 mmol/L IPTG at 37 degrees celsius;, the expression of the 40 kd soluble fusion protein exceeded 60% of the total bacterial protein, and the fusion protein was recognized by Cysticercus-infected human sera. The purity of the fusion protein was about 94% after purification by affinity chromatography.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The stage-specific antigen cC1 from Cysticercus cellulosae has been successfully cloned and the soluble protein efficiently expressed in E.coli, which provides the basis for its further study and application.</p>