Bronchial embolisation for infected pulmonary artery pseudoaneurysms causing haemoptysis.

AIM: To report the authors' experience of bronchial artery embolisation (BAE) in a series of patients to control haemoptysis associated with infected pulmonary artery pseudoaneurysms (PAPs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: All patients who underwent BAE based on computed tomography angiography (CTA) findings indicative of haemoptysis between February 2019 and September 2022 at Xiangyang Central Hospital were identified. Charts of patients with haemoptysis and infectious PAPs were reviewed retrospectively. Data were collected data on age, sex, underlying pathology, source pulmonary artery of the PAP, association with cavitary lesions or consolidation, systemic angiography findings, technical and clinical success, and follow-up. RESULTS: Seventeen PAPs were treated in 16 patients, with a mean age of 60.3 years (range: 37-82 years). The most common underlying cause was tuberculosis (15/16, 93.8%). Imaging by CTA did not identify the source pulmonary artery for 15 (88.2%) PAPs; all were associated with cavitary lesions or consolidation. All PAPs were visualised on systemic angiography. The technical and clinical success rates were both 87.5%. Two patients who experienced a recurrence of haemoptysis during follow-up underwent repeat CTA, which confirmed the elimination of the previous PAP. CONCLUSION: BAE may be a valuable technique to control haemoptysis associated with infectious PAPs that are visualised on systemic angiography. A possible contributing factor is PAPs arising from very small pulmonary arteries.

Development and validation of a prediction model for unsuccessful treatment outcomes in patients with multi-drug resistance tuberculosis.

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization has reported that the treatment success rate of multi-drug resistance tuberculosis is approximately 57% globally. Although new drugs such as bedaquiline and linezolid is likely improve the treatment outcome, there are other factors associated with unsuccessful treatment outcome. The factors associated with unsuccessful treatment outcomes have been widely examined, but only a few studies have developed prediction models. We aimed to develop and validate a simple clinical prediction model for unsuccessful treatment outcomes in patients with multi-drug resistance pulmonary tuberculosis (MDR-PTB). METHODS: This retrospective cohort study was performed between January 2017 and December 2019 at a special hospital in Xi'an, China. A total of 446 patients with MDR-PTB were included. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression and multivariate logistic regression were used to select prognostic factors for unsuccessful treatment outcomes. A nomogram was built based on four prognostic factors. Internal validation and leave-one-out cross-validation was used to assess the model. RESULTS: Of the 446 patients with MDR-PTB, 32.9% (147/446) cases had unsuccessful treatment outcomes, and 67.1% had successful outcomes. After LASSO regression and multivariate logistic analyses, no health education, advanced age, being male, and larger extent lung involvement were identified as prognostic factors. These four prognostic factors were used to build the prediction nomograms. The area under the curve of the model was 0.757 (95%CI 0.711 to 0.804), and the concordance index (C-index) was 0.75. For the bootstrap sampling validation, the corrected C-index was 0.747. In the leave-one-out cross-validation, the C-index was 0.765. The slope of the calibration curve was 0.968, which was approximately 1.0. This indicated that the model was accurate in predicting unsuccessful treatment outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: We built a predictive model and established a nomogram for unsuccessful treatment outcomes of multi-drug resistance pulmonary tuberculosis based on baseline characteristics. This predictive model showed good performance and could be used as a tool by clinicians to predict who among their patients will have an unsuccessful treatment outcome.

LncRNA SNHG8 promotes cell migration and invasion in breast cancer cell through miR-634/ZBTB20 axis.

OBJECTIVE: Small nucleolus RNA Host Gene 8 (SNHG8) belongs to a subgroup of long non-coding RNAs. SNHG8 is upregulated in many cancers, such as gastric cancer, liver cancer, and esophageal squamous cell cancer. However, whether SNHG8 is abnormally expressed in breast cancer and its biological functions remain unclear. Therefore, our research intended to determine the expression status of SNHG8 in breast cancer, explore the effects of SNHG8 on the development of breast cancer, and investigate the potential molecular mechanisms in cancer progression. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The expression levels of SNHG8 were detected in tissue samples and cell lines via qRT-PCR. The effects of SNHG8 on viability of breast cancer cells were detected via CCK-8, EdU, transwell, and flow cytometry analyses. RESULTS: qRT-PCR results showed that the expression level of SNHG8 was significantly upregulated in tumor tissues and cell lines. Gene functional studies showed that the downregulation of the expression level of SNHG8 significantly inhibited the breast cancer cells migration and invasion, and induced apoptosis. Meanwhile, we found that SNHG8 served as an inhibitor of miR-634 in tumor tissues. SNHG8 may participate in the malignancy of breast cancer by sponging the miR-634 to increase the expression level of ZBTB20. CONCLUSIONS: The SNHG8-miR-634-ZBTB20 pathway may be a potential target for the treatment of breast cancers.

Long non-coding RNA LINC00173 serves as sponge for miR-338-3p to promote prostate cancer progression via regulating Rab25.

OBJECTIVE: Long non-coding RNA LINC00173 (LINC00173) has been shown to facilitate the progression of a number of malignancies. In this study, we aimed to investigate the function of LINC00173 on prostate cancer (PCa) and discover the potential regulatory mechanism. PATIENTS AND METHODS: RT-PCR was used to determine the levels of LINC00173, miR-338-3p and Rab25 in PCa patients and cell lines. The clinical significance of LINC00173 was statistically analyzed in 124 PCa patients. CCK-8, colony formation, transwell, scratch wound, Ethynyldeoxyuridine (EdU) assays and flow cytometry assays were used to detect the proliferation, apoptosis, invasion and migration of PCa cells. The mechanism of LINC00173 action was explored through bioinformatics, RNA pull-down assays and Luciferase reporter assays. RESULTS: We observed that the expression of LINC00173 and Rab25 was distinctly upregulated in both PCa specimens and cell lines, while miR-338-3p expression was significantly down-regulated. High LINC00173 expression was associated with Gleason score, preoperative PSA level and reduced patient survivals. Functional assays revealed that knockdown of LINC00173 suppressed the proliferation, migration and invasion of PCa cells, and promoted apoptosis. Mechanistically, LINC00173 acted as a competitive endogenous RNA in PCa and increased Rab25 expressions via sponging miR-338-3p. Moreover, LINC00173 promoted PCa progression by interacting with miR-338-3p and Rab25. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings, for the first time, identified a novel PCa-related lncRNA, LINC00173 which might serve as an oncogene in PCa. The discovery of the LINC00173/miR-338-3p/Rab25 pathways provided new thinking for the treatments of PCa.

PTEN expression in U251 glioma cells enhances their sensitivity to ionizing radiation by suppressing DNA repair capacity.

OBJECTIVE: Mutations in phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN), a tumor suppressor gene, lead to altered sensitivity to drugs and radiation in various types of cancer. Restoring PTEN expression in tumor cells can increase radiosensitivity by inhibiting the repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). Thus, determining the mechanism of action of this protein may lead to novel therapeutic strategies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, we transduced U251 cells with a lentiviral vector expressing PTEN to examine the mechanism of radiosensitization. Specifically, we examined the formation of radiation-induced DNA DSBs and apoptosis, as well as the expression of several proteins involved in repairing DSBs (p53, ataxia-telangiectasia mutated, DNA-dependent protein kinase C, Ku70-80). RESULTS: Our results showed that PTEN transduction sensitized U251 cells to X-rays, increasing the number of DSBs per cell and fraction of cells undergoing apoptosis. Additionally, the average size of γH2AX nuclear foci was increased following irradiation. These findings were accompanied by a PTEN-dependent irradiation-independent increase in p53 levels and decrease in phosphorylated Ku70/80 levels. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that PTEN affects radiosensitivity by reducing DSB repair and by enhancing the p53 pathway, leading to increased apoptosis.

Identification and validation of novel microenvironment-based immune molecular subgroups of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: implications for immunotherapy.

Background: Targeting the immune checkpoint pathway has demonstrated antitumor cytotoxicity in treatment-refractory head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC). To understand the molecular mechanisms underpinning its antitumor response, we characterized the immune landscape of HNSC by their tumor and stromal compartments to identify novel immune molecular subgroups. Patients and methods: A training cohort of 522 HNSC samples from the Cancer Genome Atlas profiled by RNA sequencing was analyzed. We separated gene expression patterns from tumor, stromal, and immune cell gene using a non-negative matrix factorization algorithm. We correlated the expression patterns with a set of immune-related gene signatures, potential immune biomarkers, and clinicopathological features. Six independent datasets containing 838 HNSC samples were used for validation. Results: Approximately 40% of HNSCs in the cohort (211/522) were identified to show enriched inflammatory response, enhanced cytolytic activity, and active interferon-γ signaling (all, P < 0.001). We named this new molecular class of tumors the Immune Class. Then we found it contained two distinct microenvironment-based subtypes, characterized by markers of active or exhausted immune response. The Exhausted Immune Class was characterized by enrichment of activated stroma and anti-inflammatory M2 macrophage signatures, WNT/transforming growth factor-ß signaling pathway activation and poor survival (all, P < 0.05). An enriched proinflammatory M1 macrophage signature, enhanced cytolytic activity, abundant tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, high human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, and favorable prognosis were associated with Active Immune Class (all, P < 0.05). The robustness of these immune molecular subgroups was verified in the validation cohorts, and Active Immune Class showed potential response to programmed cell death-1 blockade (P = 0.01). Conclusions: This study revealed a novel Immune Class in HNSC; two subclasses characterized by active or exhausted immune responses were also identified. These findings provide new insights into tailoring immunotherapeutic strategies for different HNSC subgroups.

ANGPTL4 participates in gestational diabetes mellitus via regulating Akt pathway.

OBJECTIVE: To explore ANGPTL4 expressions in patients with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and its underlying mechanism. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We first detected serum expressions of ANGPTL4 in GDM patients and healthy pregnancies. Subsequently, effects of ANGPTL4 knockdown on apoptosis, proliferation, and cell cycle in 3T3-L1 cells were determined, respectively. Effects of ANGPTL4 on glucose uptake and adipocyte differentiation were also evaluated, respectively. The cytokine secretion in adipocytes transfected with sh-ANGPTL4 was detected by quantitative Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Furthermore, effects of ANGPTL4 knockdown on NF-kB and Akt pathway were detected by Western blot. RESULTS: ANGPTL4 was down-regulated in serum of GDM patients. In vitro experiments suggested that down-regulated ANGPTL4 inhibited apoptosis and promoted proliferation of 3T3-L1 cells. Meanwhile, down-regulated ANGPTL4 significantly inhibited glucose uptake and Akt pathway. However, ANGPTL4 expression did not affect cell cycle and adipocyte differentiation. Detection of inflammatory cytokines suggested that down-regulated ANGPTL4 resulted in increased expressions of inflammatory cytokines and activation of NF-kB pathway. CONCLUSIONS: ANGPTL4 is down-regulated in GDM and may participate in the GDM development by promoting insulin resistance and secretion of inflammatory cytokines.

Metformin relieves acute respiratory distress syndrome by reducing miR-138 expression.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether metformin can relieve acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Its potential mechanism was also explored. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The ARDS model was established by injecting LPS into mice that received metformin in advance and the mice in the control group. Pulmonary edema was detected by W/D ratios (wet-to-dry weight ratios), and the vascular exudation was reflected by the protein content and cell number of alveolar lavage fluid. Meanwhile, MPO (myeloperoxidase) activity assay was performed to analyze the neutrophil aggregation. The expression of inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6, and IL-17, were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). This series of experiments reflected the alleviation effect of metformin on ARDS. To further study the mechanism, we cultured alveolar macrophages (NR8383) in vitro and treated them with LPS and metformin. Western blot was used to detect the phosphorylation levels of p38, ERK, NF-kB, and SIRT1 expression level. Bioinformatics method was then used to predict the binding of miR-138 to SIRT1. The mRNA and protein expression of SIRT1 was detected in NR8383 cells transfected with miR-138 inhibitor. The dual luciferase gene reporter assay was used to detect the relative luciferase activities of miR-138 and SIRT1. RESULTS: Pulmonary edema, vascular exudation, and neutrophil accumulation were observed in the ARDS model mice, and the levels of inflammatory cytokines including TNF-α, IL-1b, IL-6, and IL-17 were significantly increased. After metformin treatment, these pulmonic damage indicators were found to be partially reversed. At the same time, metformin could significantly reduce LPS-induced death. After NR8383 was treated with metformin and LPS, the expression of SIRT1 was higher than that of LPS treatment alone, but the expression of p-p38, p-ERK, and p-NF-κB was significantly decreased. After the addition of metformin in NR8383 after LPS treatment, the expression level of miR-138-5p was significantly decreased, and miR-138-5p was confirmed to target SIRT1 and regulate its expression. CONCLUSIONS: Metformin could reduce LPS-induced pulmonic injury and increase expression of inflammatory factors. A possible mechanism might be that metformin-induced low expression of mir-138-5p could target SIRT1 to increase its expression and suppress the MAPK pathway, thus alleviating ARDS.

Efficacy and safety of sublingual immunotherapy with Dermatophagoides farinae drops in pre-school and school-age children with allergic rhinitis

Background: The safety and efficacy of sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) have been confirmed by many studies. However, in China, the research on efficacy and safety in young and older children with allergic rhinitis (AR) is still rare. Objective: The aim of this retrospective study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of SLIT with Dermatophagoides farinae drops in pre-school and school-age children with AR. Methods: A total of 282 subjects aged 2-13 years with AR received a two-year course of sublingual immunotherapy along with pharmacotherapy. According to the age, patients were defined as the pre-school group (2-6 years old, n = 116) and school-age group (7-13 years old, n = 166). Total nasal rhinitis symptom scores (TNSS), visual analogue score (VAS) and total medication scores (TMS) were evaluated at four time points: baseline, after SLIT for half a year, one year and two years. The adverse events (AEs) were evaluated at each visit. Results: After two-year SLIT, the four rhinitis symptom scores, TNSS, VAS and TMS scores were significantly lower than baseline (all P < 0.05). The comparison of efficacy between one and two-year duration showed no significant difference in global clinical outcomes (all P > 0.05). In addition, there were no significant differences between the pre-school and school-age group in TNSS (all P > 0.05), VAS (all P > 0.05) and TMS scores (P > 0.05) after SLIT for half a year, one year and two years. No severe systemic AEs were reported. Conclusion: SLIT with D. farinae drops is clinically effective and safe in pre-school and school-age patients with house dust mites (HDMs)-induced AR (AU)

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Efficacy and safety of sublingual immunotherapy with Dermatophagoides farinae drops in pre-school and school-age children with allergic rhinitis.

BACKGROUND: The safety and efficacy of sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) have been confirmed by many studies. However, in China, the research on efficacy and safety in young and older children with allergic rhinitis (AR) is still rare. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this retrospective study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of SLIT with Dermatophagoides farinae drops in pre-school and school-age children with AR. METHODS: A total of 282 subjects aged 2-13 years with AR received a two-year course of sublingual immunotherapy along with pharmacotherapy. According to the age, patients were defined as the pre-school group (2-6 years old, n=116) and school-age group (7-13 years old, n=166). Total nasal rhinitis symptom scores (TNSS), visual analogue score (VAS) and total medication scores (TMS) were evaluated at four time points: baseline, after SLIT for half a year, one year and two years. The adverse events (AEs) were evaluated at each visit. RESULTS: After two-year SLIT, the four rhinitis symptom scores, TNSS, VAS and TMS scores were significantly lower than baseline (all P<0.05). The comparison of efficacy between one and two-year duration showed no significant difference in global clinical outcomes (all P>0.05). In addition, there were no significant differences between the pre-school and school-age group in TNSS (all P>0.05), VAS (all P>0.05) and TMS scores (P>0.05) after SLIT for half a year, one year and two years. No severe systemic AEs were reported. CONCLUSION: SLIT with D. farinae drops is clinically effective and safe in pre-school and school-age patients with house dust mites (HDMs)-induced AR.

The interplay of transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of migration of mesenchymal stem cells during early stages of bone fracture healing.

Bone fractures are a medical condition where the continuity of the bone is broken due to a fall or accident. The fracture may also be the result of medical conditions such as osteoporosis, cancers of bone or osteogenesis imperfect. During the bone fracture healing process, the mesenchymal stem cells (undifferentiated connective tissue cells) are recruited from local and systemic sources. The modulation of mesenchymal cell migration to the fractured site is the desired goal. Still, there are many processes that are still required to be studied and analyzed. We aimed to consolidate and review the available information on this topic.

ALOX5AP rs10507391 polymorphism and the risk of ischemic stroke in Caucasians: an update meta-analysis.

Some reports evaluated the association between ALOX5AP rs10507391 polymorphism and the risk of ischemic stroke in Caucasians. The results remained unknown. Thus, we did a meta-analysis to evaluate this association. Nine case-control studies with 4198 patients and 3699 controls were included in this meta-analysis. A significant association was found between ALOX5AP rs10507391 polymorphism and ischemic stroke risk in Caucasians (OR=1.18; 95%CI, 1.08-1.28; P=0.0002). ALOX5AP rs10507391 polymorphism was associated with ischemic stroke risk in Caucasians from Europe (OR=1.20; 95%CI, 1.09-1.32; P=0.0002) but not from other countries (OR=1.13; 95%CI, 0.95-1.36; P=0.17). No significant association was found between ALOX5AP rs10507391 polymorphism and ischemic stroke risk in males (OR=1.12; 95%CI, 0.91-1.39; P=0.28). Moreover, ALOX5AP rs10507391 polymorphism was not associated with cardioembolic ischemic stroke risk (OR=1.04; 95%CI, 0.73-1.48; P=0.84). In conclusion, this study found that ALOX5AP rs10507391 polymorphism was associated with ischemic stroke risk in Caucasians.

The effect of dexmedetomidine on expressions of inflammatory factors in patients with radical resection of gastric cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of dexmedetomidine on the expressions of inflammatory factors, T-lymphocyte subgroups and nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) in peripheral blood monocytes in the perioperative period of radical resection of gastric cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We selected 74 patients who were admitted to our hospital for radical resection of gastric cancer between January 2012 and October 2015. All patients were randomly divided into the dexmedetomidine group and the control group. Within 15 min before anesthesia induction, patients in the dexmedetomidine group received the intravenous injection of dexmedetomidine, while the same volume saline in the control group. During the operation, the initial dosage in the dexmedetomidine group was set as 1 µg/kg followed by 0.2 µg/kg•h intravenous injection to the end of operation. Three time points were selected: 15 min before anesthesia induction (T0), 1 h before the end of operation (T1) and 24 h after operation (T2). At these time points, we detected the levels of serum inflammatory factors using enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay (ELISA), immunoturbidimetry, and flow cytometer, respectively. RESULTS: The levels of IL-1ß, IL-6, TNF-α, NF-κB and CRP at T1 and T2 were significantly elevated compared with the levels at T0, and the amplitude of elevation in the control group was significantly larger than that in the dexmedetomidine group. The expression levels of T-lymphocyte subgroup in patients in both groups were decreased at T1 (compared with the levels at T0), and the decreasing extent of the ratio of CD4+ to CD8+ in the control group was significantly larger than that in the dexmedetomidine group. Meanwhile, we found that the percentages of CD3+ and CD4+ at T1 and T2 in the control group were significantly lower than those in the dexmedetomidine group. CONCLUSIONS: Dexmedetomidine can effectively reduce the release of inflammatory factors in patients that received the radical resection of gastric cancer, and the anti-inflammation effect may be exerted through downregulating the expression of NF-κB. Besides, dexmedetomidine can also alleviate the reduction in subgroups of CD3+ and CD4+, thereby ameliorating the impaired immune functions.

Two unilateral puncturation comparative analyses of multiple-level fresh osteoporotic vertebral body compression fractures treated with percutaneous vertebroplasty guided by C-arm fluoroscopy or in senile patients.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the curative effects of two unilateral puncturation percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) for the pain caused by multiple-level osteoporotic vertebral body compression fractures (OVCF) in senile patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From June 2008 to November 2014, eighty-nine cases suffering from fresh multiple-level OVCF were randomly divided into experimental group (n=51) and control group (n=38). Patients underwent PVP guided by C-arm fluoroscopy in the prone position. We monitored and recorded the visual analgesic scale (VAS) at pre-operation and 2 days post-operation, operation time, exposure duration, bone cement injection amount and extraosseous cement leakages. RESULTS: PVP procedures were successful in both groups without serious complications. The VAS scores in both two groups at 2 days post-operation were significantly lower than VAS scores at pre-operation (p<0.05). The operation time and exposure duration in the observational group were significantly lower than those in the control group (p<0.05). However, bone cement injection amount and extraosseous cement leakages in the observing group were similar to those in control (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The curative effects of two unilateral puncturation PVPs were satisfactory. However, puncturation method had lower operation time and lower X-ray exposure dose. We concluded that puncturation method was a suitable method to be considered for clinical application.

Establishment of heterotopic ossification via sharp instrument injury in rats.

OBJECTIVE: To establish an animal model for heterotopic ossification (HO) induced by sharp instrument injury in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rat and to investigate its possible mechanism. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 48 male SD rats were divided into 3 groups (n=16). In sham group, incision and suture were performed only in the left leg. Partial tenotomy was performed in the left Achilles tendons in the PAT group. In Achilles' tenotomy (AT) group, tenotomy was performed in the left Achilles tendons to establish animal model of EO. X-ray and histological examinations were made at 6 and 10 weeks after operation. RESULTS: No HO occurred in the sham and PAT groups. In AT group, X-ray results on 4 rats showed cartilage and bone formation while the remaining 4 rats showed chondrification in histological examination at 6 weeks after operation. At 10 weeks all rats showed bone formation with trabecular bone. This kind of HO usually develops through a process of endochondral ossification. CONCLUSION: Tenotomy is a simple, effective and feasible method to induce HO.

Study on the levels of uric acid and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein in ACS patients and their relationships with the extent of the coronary artery lesion.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated uric acid (UA) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels in different clinical types of acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and in relationship with the severity of coronary artery lesions. Furthermore, we explored its clinical significance. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From June 2013 to January 2015, we studied patients in their first onset of symptoms and hospitalization for coronary angiography. According to coronary angiography results, we divided patients into two groups: 93 patients with ACS and 30 patients with normal coronary arteries as the control group. ACS patients were divided further into three subgroups: patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) (n=34); patients with non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) (n=29); and patients with unstable angina (n=30). According to their Gensini scores, patients were divided into mild, moderate and severe groups. We compared UA and hs-CRP levels and the relationship with Gensini scores between different groups. RESULTS: UA and hs-CRP levels in the ACS group were higher than those in the control group (p < 0.05). UA and hs-CRP levels in the STEMI group were higher than those in the NSTEMI, unstable angina and control groups (p < 0.05). UA and hs-CRP levels in the NSTEMI patients were higher than those in the unstable angina and control groups (p < 0.05). UA and hs-CRP levels in the unstable angina patients were higher than those in the control group (p < 0.05). hs-CRP levels in the STEMI patients were higher than the other groups (p < 0.05). hs-CRP levels in the NSTEMI patients were higher than the unstable angina and the control groups (p < 0.05) while hs-CRP levels in the unstable angina patients were higher than the control group (p < 0.05). Additionally, according to the Gensini score group, we discovered that ACS patients in the severe group had higher hs-CRP levels than the other three groups (p < 0.05) while the moderate group had higher levels than the other two groups (p < 0.05). The mild group had higher levels than the control group (p < 0.05). Correlation analysis suggested that UA levels and Gensini scores had a positive correlation (p < 0.05). hs-CRP levels and Gensini scores also showed a positive correlation (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: UA and hs-CRP levels should be considered as factors to use in the risk stratification in ACS patients.

Long noncoding RNA PVT1 as a novel serum biomarker for detection of cervical cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate long noncoding RNA PVT1 expression in the serum of cervical cancer patients, and to evaluate serum PVT1 level as a diagnostic biomarker for cervical cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eighty-eight cervical cancer patients, 64 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia patients, 25 breast cancer patients, 25 ovarian cancer patients, and 111 healthy control subjects were enrolled into this study. PVT1 serum level in these participants and PVT1 expression in 20 pairs of cervical cancer tissues and adjacent paired normal tissues was measured by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The diagnostic values of serum PVT1 were evaluated by receiver operating characteristic curves analysis. RESULTS: Serum PVT1 level is significantly increased in cervical cancer patients and correlated with tumor size, clinical stage, and lymph node metastasis of cervical cancer. Serum PVT1 could accurately discriminate cervical cancer patients from cervical intraepithelial neoplasia patients and healthy control subjects, and also discriminate early stage cervical cancer patients from healthy control subjects. But serum PVT1 level is not changed in breast cancer and ovarian cancer patients. Furthermore, serum PVT1 level is positively correlated with tissue PVT1 expression, and could indicate cervical cancer dynamics. CONCLUSIONS: Long noncoding RNA PVT1 may be a novel noninvasive biomarker for early diagnosis of cervical cancer.

Leptin improves osteoblast differentiation of human bone marrow stroma stem cells.

OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of leptin (LEP) on the osteogenic differentiation of human bone marrow stromal cells (hBMSCs) and to explore the mechanism controlling the process. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Respectively cultivated the third-generation hBMSCs with 100 ng/ml bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) culture media containing 320, 160, 80 and 40 ng/mL LEP, and regular medium. We administered alkaline phosphatase (ALP) dye (on the 7th day) and mineralized nodules alizarin red (on the 21st day) and tested the ALP activity as well as osteocalcin (OCN) level on 7th, 14th, 21st day in each group to establish the best inducing concentration of LEP. 7 days later, we tested bone differentiation related genes expression in the control, 160 ng/mL LEP and 100 ng/mL BMP groups using RT-PCR. RESULTS: The activity of ALP and OCN in the 160 ng/mL LEP group after 7, 14 and 21 days was lower than that of the BMP group but higher than that of other groups. However, LEP significantly promoted the expression of bone differentiation related genes, namely, Cbfal, ALP, COL-I and OCN. CONCLUSIONS: LEP promoted the bone differentiation in hBMSCs by promoting the expression of genes related to bone differentiation.

Cytoreductive surgery plus hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy with lobaplatin and docetaxel to treat synchronous peritoneal carcinomatosis from gastric cancer: Results from a Chinese center.

BACKGROUND: This work was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of cytoreductive surgery (CRS) plus hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) with lobaplatin and docetaxel to treat peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) from gastric cancer (GC). METHODS: A total of 50 consecutive GC PC patients treated by 52 CRS+HIPEC procedures with lobaplatin 50 mg/m(2) and docetaxel 60 mg/m(2) in 6000 mL of normal saline at (43 ± 0.5) °C for 60 min. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS), and the secondary endpoints were perioperative safety profiles. RESULTS: At the median follow-up of 22.5 (range, 5.1-50.7) months, the median OS was 14.3 (95% CI 7.6-21.0) months, and the 1-, 2-, and 3-year survival rates were 58%, 40%, and 32%, respectively. Mortality and serious adverse event (grade 3-5) morbidity rates in postoperative 30 days were 0.0% and 23.1%, respectively. Univariate analysis identified 4 parameters with significant effects on OS: completeness of cytoreduction (CC) 0-1, normal (N) the preoperative tumor markers level (TM), adjuvant chemotherapy ≥6 cycles, and peritoneal cancer index ≤20. However, multivariate analysis identified CC0-1, perioperative TM (N), adjuvant chemotherapy ≥6 cycles as the independent predictor for better survival. CONCLUSIONS: CRS+HIPEC with lobaplatin and docetaxel to treat selected GC PC could improve OS, with acceptable perioperative safety.

Clinical effects of treatment with Tirofiban on patients with high-risk NSTE-ACS after PCI.

OBJECTIVE: To explore clinical effects of Tirofiban treatment on patients with high-risk non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). PATIENTS AND METHODS: 107 patients with high-risk NSTE-ACS after PCI were selected and were divided into two groups. One group of 56 patients was treated with Tirofiban and a second group of 51 patients was taken as control. The occurrence conditions of creatine kinase-myoglobin (CK-MB), cardiac troponin1 (cTnI) level, hemorrhage incidents and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) incidents after treatments were compared. RESULTS: After 24 h operation, CK-MB and cTnI level in Tirofiban group were both significantly lower than those in control group (p < 0.05), while the difference of hemorrhage incidents between two groups is of no statistical significance (p < 0.05); and the differences in overall occurrence rate of MACE incidents and the occurrence rate of angina pectoris after infarct between two groups were statistically significant (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Tirofiban could improve the blood supply condition of hearts of patients with high-risk NSTE-ACS after emergent PCI, lower the occurrence rate of MACE incidents, and decrease the risk of hemorrhage.