Lung cancer with concomitant double gene mutation

A patient presenting with concomitant epidermal growth factor receptor [EGFR] mutation and anaplastic lymphoma kinase [ALK] translocation is very rare. We report a non-small cell lung cancer [NSCLC] patient with concomitant EGFR [exon 19-del] mutation and ALK rearrangement. The positron emission tomography-computed tomography [PET-CT] scan revealed a highly metabolic mass lesion in the left lower lobe, measured 5.0 cm in the largest dimension in the S6 segment. Transbronchial lung biopsy [TBLB] showed the pathological diagnosis of invasive adenocarcinoma. Thus, the patient underwent left lower lobectomy and hilar-mediastina lymph node dissection [pT2N0M0]. The tumor harbor an ALK [D5F3 +] rearrangement and EGFR [exon 19-del] mutation. The patient initially received four cycles of chemotherapy [pemetrexed and carboplatin], and achieved partial response [PR]

Clinicopathologic features and prognostic factors of gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumor with synchronous gastric cancer / 中华胃肠外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluated the clinicopathologic features and prognostic factors of gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumor(GIST) with synchronous gastric cancer.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The clinicopathologic records of 122 patients with gastric GIST who underwent surgical treatment from April 2000 to June 2010 were analyzed retrospectively. Twenty-six patients presented synchronous gastric cancer(group A), while 96 patients did not(group B). The clinicopathologic features of gastric GIST were compared between the two groups. Potential prognostic factors were evaluated by univariate and multivariate analyses.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Gastric GIST in group A were associated with smaller tumor diameter (P<0.01), lower mitotic count(P<0.05), lower Fletcher classification(P<0.01), and lower rate of pre-operative diagnosis(23.1% vs. 97.9%, P<0.01). On univariate analysis, maximum tumor diameter (P<0.01), mitotic count (P<0.01), Fletcher classification (P<0.01) and synchronous gastric cancer(P<0.05) were the predictive factors of survival. Multivariate analysis showed that Fletcher classification(P<0.05) and synchronous gastric cancer (P<0.01) were independent prognostic factors.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>In patients with synchronous gastric GIST and gastric cancer, Fletcher classification of GIST is usually very low or low invasion risk and has minimal impact on the prognosis. Survival depends primarily on the gastric cancer.</p>

Test-retest reliability of Mandarin monosyllable lists: a multi-center study in Chinese dialectal regions / 中华耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To develop 22 Chinese Mandarin monosyllable lists with good psychometrical equivalence. This study was to evaluate the test-retest reliability of these lists when it was used in speech recognition test in normal hearing dialectal speakers.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Seven cities including Dalian, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Fuzhou and Xiamen were selected as testing centers which contain 6 typical Chinese dialectal regions including north of China, East of China, north of Fujian, south of Fujian, Guangdong and mid-south of China. At each center, 22 local normal hearing people were selected to join this study. Every participant was tested by each recognition test of all 22 lists twice in two sessions and same test order respectively. The second run of testing was carried out within 10 days-1 month since first run of testing.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There was a significant correlations between scores obtained at the two sessions (r = 0.682, P < 0.01). Paired student-t test had shown that a gross score of all dialectal participants was significantly higher than that of initial test to retest (P < 0.01). The mean increment of score was (2.7 +/- 10.1)%. A significant difference of test-retest score in 7 sites was 19.8% and it was equal to 5 test items. A one way ANOVA analysis had indicated that there were statistically significant difference between the score improvement of 7 test sites (P < 0.01). Another analysis had shown that there was no significant correlation between test-retest score improvement and intra-session intervals (P = 0.947).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Mandarin monosyllabic recognition test seems to be more stable, and the present study has indicated a systematic differences in Chinese Mandarin monosyllable recognition scores between test and retest. Monosyllable recognition test is not susceptible to memory effect. Pearson's correction analysis is not suitable to evaluation for test-retest reliability.</p>

Adenovirus vector encoding human KDR elicits immunity against hepatocellular carcinomas in mice / 中华肝脏病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect of adenovirus vector encoding human vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (hVEGFR-2 or hKDR) on breaking the immune tolerance and inducing immunity against murine hepatocellular carcinomas.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Human and mouse KDR cDNA were cloned from human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) and C57BL/6 mouse embryo cells respectively using RT-PCR, and then Ad hKDR and Ad mKDR were constructed. Seven days after immunization of the mice with Ad hKDR or Ad mKDR, an analysis of cytotoxic activity of antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) was made by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release assay, in which splenocytes of the immunized mice acted as effectors and Hepa 1-6/mKDR cells as the targets. In addition, the survival of the mice immunized with Hepa 1-6 hepatoma cells was checked.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Seven days after immunization, the 6 h killing activities of CTL elicited by the Ad hKDR were 84.3%+/-6.7%, 71.5%+/-5.2%, and 44.6%+/-4.7% at the ratio of the effectors:targets (E:T) of 100:1, 50:1, and 25:1, respectively. Correspondingly, the CTL activities by Ad mKDR were 65.2%+/-6.1%, 46.7%+/-5.0%, and 22.6%+/-3.7%. Sixty percent of the Ad hKDR-immunized mice with 5*10(6) Hepa 1-6 hepatoma cells were still alive two months after the inoculation, whereas just 40% of the Ad mKDR-immunized mice with 2*10(6) Hepa 1-6 cells survived two months. When CD8+ or CD4+ T lymphocytes were deleted in the mice the above mentioned CTL activities and protection of the mice from tumors disappeared.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Adenovirus vector-mediated xenogeneic KDR can effectively break the immune tolerance to hepatocellular carcinomas in an animal model and induce a strong antigen-specific T cell response, which is dependent on CD8+ and CD4+ T cells.</p>

Immunization with dendritic cells infected with human AFP adenovirus vector effectively elicits immunity against mouse hepatocellular carcinomas / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effects of dendritic cells (DCs) infected with adenovirus vector encoding xenogeneic alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) on breaking the immune tolerance and induction of immunity against hepatocellular carcinomas.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Human and mouse alpha-fetoprotein full-length cDNA were cloned from human HepG2 and mouse Hepa 1 - 6 hepatoma cell lines, respectively, using RT-PCR, and then inserted into adenoviral shuttle vectors to construct Ad hAFP and Ad mAFP. Mice were immunized with Ad hAFP-infected DC and in vitro CTL activity against Hepa 1 - 6 cells was examined by standard (51)Cr release assay. Survival was studied of the immunized mice, with or without depletion of CD8+ or CD4+ T cells, inoculated with Hepa 1 - 6 mouse hepatoma cells.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The lytic activity of CTL elicited by the Ad hAFP-infected DCs were much stronger than that by Ad mAFP-infected DCs. 80% of the Ad hAFP/DCs-immunized mice of the inoculated with 5 x 10(6) Hepa 1 - 6 hepatoma cells were still alive two months after inoculation. However, the Ad mAFP/DCs-immunized mice inoculated with 1 x 10(6) Hepa 1 - 6 cells were just 20% surviving two months later. Depletion of CD8+ or CD4+ T cells abolished such an antigen-specific immunity elicited by the DCs infected with Ad hAFP.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Adenovirus vector-mediated xenogeneic AFP-infected DCs can effectively break the immune tolerance to hepatocellular carcinomas in an animal model and induce strong antigen-specific T cell response, which are dependent on CD8+ and CD4+ T cells.</p>

Effects of power frequency magnetic field on Ca2+ transport of skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles / 中华预防医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effects of power frequency magnetic field on the Ca2+ transport dynamics of isolated sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The assays of Ca2+ uptake time course and the Ca2+-ATPase activity of sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles were investigated by using dynamic mode of spectrometry with a Ca2+ dye; Ca2+ release channel activation was examined by 3H-ryanodine binding and Ca2+ release assays; membrane fluidity of sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles was examined by fluorescence polarization, without or with exposure to the vesicles at a 0.4 mT, 50 Hz sinusoidal magnetic field.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>0.4 mT, 50 Hz sinusoidal magnetic field exposure caused about a 16% decline of the initial Ca2+ uptake rate from a (29.18 +/- 3.90) pmol.mg(-1).s(-1) to a (24.60 +/- 3.81) pmol.mg(-1).s(-1) and a 26% decline of the Ca2+-ATPase activity from (0.93 +/- 0.05) micromol.mg(-1).min(-1) to (0.69 +/- 0.07) micromol.mg(-1).min(-1) of sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles, whereas caused a 15% increase of the initial Ca2+ release rate from (4.83 +/- 0.82) pmol.mg(-1).s(-1) to (5.65 +/- 0.43) pmol.mg(-1).s(-1) and a 5% increase in 3H-ryanodine binding to the receptor from (1.10 +/- 0.12) pmol/mg to (1.16 +/- 0.13) pmol/mg, respectively.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The decline of Ca2+-ATPase activity and the increase of Ca2+ release channel activity should result in a down-regulation of Ca2+ dynamic uptake and an up-regulation of Ca2+ release induced by exposing the sarcoplasmic reticulum to a 0.4 mT, 50 Hz power frequency magnetic field.</p>

Expression of human mu-opioid receptor cDNA in CHO cell / 生物工程学报

Opioid receptor, is classified into three subtypes, mu, kappa and delta, with the mu-type receptor plays important roles in opioid analgesia and opioid addiction. The cDNA encoding mu-type receptor was obtained by RT-PCR from human brain RNA and was cloned into pcDNA3.1(+). The resultant recombinant plasmid pcDNAMORs were transfected into CHO cells by liposome. After PCR identification, the positive clone were treated with agonist and antiagonist were tested for their competence of signal transduction. CHO cells that contained mu-opioid receptor in the expression vector pcDNA3.1(+) acquired naloxone-blockable high-affinity specific binding of morphine and DAMGO. The concentration of cAMP in CHO cells transfected with pcDNAMOR was reduced after binding to morphine and DAMGO, and increased after binding naloxone. These results indicate that the mu-type receptor expreesd on the CHO cell has similar biological property as the nature receptor. The availability of these specific cell lines will facilitate the drug development and promote our understanding the mechanism underlying opiate addiction.