Clinical significance and prognostic value of C-reactive protein/albumin ratio in gastric cancer

Purpose@#This study was aimed to evaluate the clinical significance and prognostic value of CRP/albumin ratio (CAR) in patients with gastric cancer. @*Methods@#The data of 205 gastric cancer patients who underwent surgery was analyzed retrospectively. The association of CAR with the clinical features and prognostic value in gastric cancer was analyzed. The data of this study was combined with previous studies to further determine the prognostic value of CAR in patients with gastric cancer using a metaanalysis method. @*Results@#Cox analysis revealed that preoperative CAR was an independent prognosis indicator in patients with gastric cancer. High expression of CAR indicated a shorter survival time than in those with lower expression. CAR has a higher prognostic value in the 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival in patients with gastric cancer. CAR showed significant difference regarding the gastric cancer patients’ age, M stage, and clinical stage. The discriminate value of CAR in M stage of gastric cancer was high (area under the curve, 0.809). A meta-analysis combining previous data and our data showed that preoperative CAR demonstrated a significant association with the overall survival of patients with gastric cancer. @*Conclusion@#This study demonstrated that preoperative CAR could serve as an important prognostic indicator in patients with gastric cancer.

Clinical significance and prognostic value of C-reactive protein/albumin ratio in gastric cancer

Purpose@#This study was aimed to evaluate the clinical significance and prognostic value of CRP/albumin ratio (CAR) in patients with gastric cancer. @*Methods@#The data of 205 gastric cancer patients who underwent surgery was analyzed retrospectively. The association of CAR with the clinical features and prognostic value in gastric cancer was analyzed. The data of this study was combined with previous studies to further determine the prognostic value of CAR in patients with gastric cancer using a metaanalysis method. @*Results@#Cox analysis revealed that preoperative CAR was an independent prognosis indicator in patients with gastric cancer. High expression of CAR indicated a shorter survival time than in those with lower expression. CAR has a higher prognostic value in the 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival in patients with gastric cancer. CAR showed significant difference regarding the gastric cancer patients’ age, M stage, and clinical stage. The discriminate value of CAR in M stage of gastric cancer was high (area under the curve, 0.809). A meta-analysis combining previous data and our data showed that preoperative CAR demonstrated a significant association with the overall survival of patients with gastric cancer. @*Conclusion@#This study demonstrated that preoperative CAR could serve as an important prognostic indicator in patients with gastric cancer.

Application of natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery in gynecological malignant tumors / 中国实用妇科与产科杂志

Minimally invasive treatment is of great significance to gynecological tumors. Laparoendoscopic single-site surgery(LESS)and natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery(NOTES)are recent advances in the field of minimally invasive treatment. At present,a variety of gynecological benign surgery can be managed by LESS or NOTES surgery,and achieved good clinical results. Operation for gynecologic malignancies are complicated,and LESS and NOTES surgery are still controversial for the treatment of gynecologic malignancies. At present,domestic and foreign scholars have made some useful attempts to apply NOTES surgery to malignant tumors.Preliminary data have confirmed the feasibility of these procedure,but due to the small operating space,the operation is difficult,and the operation skills still need to be developed.Based on the experience of our hospital's initial exploration,this article briefly explains the current situation,advantages,difficulties and technical experience in the application of NOTES surgery for gynecological malignancies.

Effects of quercetin on serum levels of resistin and IL-18 and on insulin resistance in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease rats / 中华肝脏病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effects of quercetin on serum levels of resistin and interleukin (IL)-18 and incidence of insulin resistance (IR) in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) using a rat model.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>NAFLD was induced in Sprague-Dawley rats by administering a high-fat diet for four weeks. The model rats were then treated with quercetin (oral gavage administration; low dose group: 75 mg/kg/day, high dose group: 300 mg/kg/day) for eight weeks. Untreated model rats served as controls. Serum levels of resistin, triglyceride (TG), IL-18, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), fasting insulin (FINS), and malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured by standard biochemical assays before and after the quercetin administration. In addition, the insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) was calculated and pathological changes in liver were observed by histological analysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared to the untreated model rats, the quercetin treated model rats showed significantly lower serum resistin (5.98 vs. 2.70), serum IL-18 (10.93 vs. 8.21), FPG (7.45 vs. 4.99), FINS (12.69 vs. 8.59), and HOMA-IR (4.22 vs. 1.87) (all P less than 0.01). Compared to the untreated model group, the high dose group showed significantly lower TG (t = 4.70) and MDA (t = 5.14) (both P less than 0.01). Serum levels of resistin and IL-18, and levels of TG, FPG and FINS were found to be positively correlated with HOMA-IR and the degree of liver disease (r more than 0, all P less than 0.05). The degree of degeneration was decreased in accordance with the dosages of quercetin, as compared to the untreated model group (U = 4.41 and 2.19, both P less than 0.05), and the pathological degree was less extensive in the high dose group than in the low dose group (U = 2.44, P less than 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Quercetin treatment reduces levels of inflammatory cytokines and improves lipid peroxidation and IR in NAFLD rats, and its beneficial effects appear to increase with higher dosage.</p>

Therapeutic efficacy and mechanisms of quercetin in a rat model of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease / 中华肝脏病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To determine the efficacy of the plant-derived bioflavonoid, quercetin, for treating nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) by using a rat model, and to investigate the molecular mechanism underlying its therapeutic effects.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>One-hundred Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned into the normal control group (normal group), untreated NAFLD model control group (model group), 75 mg/kg/day quercetin treatment group (low-dose group), and 300 mg/kg/day quercetin treatment group (high-dose group). The NAFLD rat model was established by providing four weeks of a high-fat diet; the normal group received normal rat chow diet. The quercetin treatments were administered for eight weeks after model establishment and control groups received simultaneous gavages of isotonic saline, with continuation of the respective diets. At the end of the eight weeks (experimental week 12), the rats were sacrificed for liver and serum collection. Intergroup differences in liver index, fasting blood glucose (FBG), triglycerides (TG), interleukin (IL)-18, IL-10, malondialdehyde (MDA), and histopathological features were assessed by independent samples t-test (normal vs. model), one-way ANOVA (model vs. treatments), and least significant difference t-test (pairwise comparisons); correlations were assessed by Pearson's correlation coefficient.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the normal group, the model group showed significantly higher liver index (t=-2.327), FBG (t=-3.482), TG (t=-0.302), and serum IL-18 (t=-2.704) (all P less than 0.05), but significantly lower IL-10 (t=2.622, P less than 0.05); the MDA level was also higher in the model group, but the difference was not significant (t=-1.083, P less than 0.05). Livers from the model group showed obvious histological features of inflammation (lymphocyte and neutrophil infiltration) and steatosis (cytoplasmic lipid droplets). Inflammation was positively correlated with IL-18 (P less than 0.05), but negatively correlated with IL-10 (P less than 0.05), while steatosis was negatively correlated with IL-10 (P less than 0.05). Compared to the model group, quercetin treatment (both low- and high-dose) led to significant decreases in the liver index, FBG and IL-18 (all, P less than 0.01), and significant increase in IL-10 (P less than 0.05); however, the changes in liver index, FBG and IL-10 were not significantly different between the low- and high-dose treatment groups, but the high-dose of quercetin did induce a significantly greater decrease in IL-18 than the low-dose (P less than 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>NAFLD rats have higher serum levels of IL-18 but lower levels of IL-10 than their healthy counterparts, and these differential cytokine expressions may be related to liver inflammation and steatosis. Quercetin treatment may help to delay the progression of NAFLD, possibly by adjusting the balance of inflammatory cytokines.</p>

Effects of Smad4 on liver fibrosis and hepatocarcinogenesis in mice treated with CCl4/ethanol / 中华肝脏病杂志

To study the effects of Smad4 on liver fibrosis and hepatocarcinogenesis in mice treated with CCl(4)/ethanol. The wild-type mice (Smad4 +/+) and the Smad4 knockout mice (Smad4 +/-) were injected subcutaneously with carbon tetrachloride(CCl(4))/ethanol twice a week for twenty weeks. The expression of Smad4, TGFbeta1, Smad2, Smad3, Smad6, TIMP1, MMP2 and MMP9 was detected by RT-PCR. In the cirrhotic liver, the expression of Smad4 mRNA was significantly higher than that in the normal liver. Comparing with wild-type mice (Smad4 +/+), the TGFbeta1-Smad4 signaling was markedly attenuated in the Smad4 knockout mice (Smad4 +/-). After induction by CCl(4)/ethanol, the hepatic fibrosis in the Smad4 knockout mice (Smad4 +/-) was obviously alleviated compared with the wild-type mice (Smad4 +/+), and the incidence rate of hepatocarcinogenesis of the former was also lower than that of the latter(32.0% vs 41.9%). These results indicate that knocking out Smad4 can delay the progression of liver fibrosis and liver cancer.

The building of chip-based capillary electrophoresis platform and application / 中华医学遗传学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To detect the point mutations by chip-based capillary electrophoresis and to provide a rapid and sensitive technique detection for beta-thalassemia.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Multiplex primer-extension reaction was used to amplify the common loci of the samples for beta-thalassemia. The reaction products were detected by the chip-based capillary electrophoresis and the genotypes of the samples were discrened.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A system was constructed to detect the point mutations of beta-thalassemia by chip-based capillary electrophoresis, and the technology was ralidated by the patients' samples and the results coincided with those of detection kit.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Beta-thalassemia can be detected by chip-based capillary electrophoresis rapidly with a small amount of samples. It would be a new detection method of the genetic disorders.</p>

Inhibitory effect of retroviral vector containing anti-sense Smad4 gene on Ito cell line, LI90 / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) exerts strong fibrogenic potential in culture-activated HSCs. Smad4 is a key intracellular mediator for the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) superfamily of growth factors. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of the antisense Smad4 gene on Ito cell line, LI90.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The recombinant retroviral vector pLXSN-Smad4 was constructed by cloning the rat antisense Smad4 cDNA into the retroviral vector pLXSN. Retroviruses with or without the antisense gene were obtained by transfecting pLXSN-Smad4 and pLXSN vectors into PA317 cells. Human hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) LI90 were infected with these retroviruses followed by selection with G418. The expression of Smad4 was detected by Northern and Western blots. Cell biological characteristics, including cell growth curve, 3H-TdR and 3H-proline uptake by HSCs and the production of extracellular matrix were assessed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>mRNA and protein expressions of Smad4 in LI90 cells transfected with retrovirus containing the antisense Smad4 gene were much lower than those in LI90 cells transfected with empty vector or parental LI90 cells. Cells hypoexpressing the Smad4 gene exhibited a slower rate of growth, a lower uptake of 3H-TdR and 3H-proline (P < 0.01), and smaller production of th extracellular matrix, compared with parental LI90 cells and cells transfected with empty retrovirus.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The antisense Smad4 gene can suppress the expression of the Smad4 gene, reduce endogenous production of Smad4 mRNA and protein, block TGF-beta1 signaling pathway, inhibit activation of Ito cells, obstruct the growth of Ito cells, decrease the production of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Our results may provide a basis for the development of antifibrotic gene therapy.</p>

Obstruction of TGF-beta1 signal transduction by anti-Smad4 gene can therapy experimental liver fibrosis in the rat / 中华肝脏病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the therapeutic effects to block the TGF-beta1 (transforming growth factor beta1) signal transduction by antisense Smad4 gene on experimental fibrotic liver.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Using the rat model of liver fibrosis induced by Carbon Tetrachloride (CCl4)/ethanol, we transfected antisense Smad4 gene mediated by adenovirus via portal vein infusion into the liver, and observed the expression of Smad4 by Retro-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) and Western Blot. We also investigated the pathologic features and collagen expression.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In the non-therapeutic cirrhotic liver, the expression of Smad4 mRNA was significantly increased than normal liver, and so was the collagen I. After antisense Smad4 gene being transfected, the expression of Smad4 mRNA and that of collagen I in the therapeutic liver was significantly decreased, compared with the non-therapeutic cirrhotic liver. The fibrous degree of therapeutic liver was also reduced compared with the non-therapeutic fibrous liver.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>These results indicate that because antisense Smad4 gene could block TGF-beta1 signal transduction by reducing the expression of Smad4, so it could inhibit the production of extracellular matrix (ECM) and improve hepatic fibrosis.</p>