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1.
Animals (Basel) ; 13(8)2023 Apr 10.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37106855

ABSTRACT

Wildlife residing in cities has made encounters between humans and wild animals a common phenomenon. The perspective of the conflict-laden animal-human relationship has been over-emphasized by traditional media, which neglects the peaceful and harmonious daily encounters between residents and urban wildlife. This paper addresses the lacuna in extant literature by examining the virtual encounters between urban residents and wildlife on TikTok by sharing the living habits of Falco tinnunculus. Participatory observation, semi-structured interviews, and text analysis were adopted to explore the knowledge production process of urban wildlife as well as the emotional response of audiences. We found that displaying urban wildlife in short videos is a dynamic process involving the mutual participation of wildlife and humans. Meanwhile, audiences' anthropocentric gaze of wildlife via TikTok attends to their desires for intimacy with nature and demonstrates the unequal and unbalanced power between wild animals and humans. These findings suggest that more efforts should be made to guide the public to pay attention to native urban wildlife species and to reflect upon the ethics and rationality of such unequal power relations between wild animals and humans.

2.
PLoS One ; 18(3): e0282474, 2023.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36857382

ABSTRACT

One of the basic assumptions of spatial theory is formulated in Waldo Tobler's first law of geography: "everything is related to everything else, but near things are more related than distant things." However, as internet space is a complex virtual space independent of the real world, whether this law is applicable to things in the internet space remains to be explored in depth. Therefore, this study takes the event of Asian elephant northern migration as an example, attempts to investigate the issue of the applicability of Tobler's first law of geography to internet attention by integrating geographic methods such as spatial visualization, spatial correlation analysis, and Geo-detector. The results show that Tobler's first law of geography does not fully apply to internet attention, which does not decay with increasing distance. Geographical distance, within certain boundaries, is influenced by "identity" and "relevance", and still plays a large role in internet attention. However, once the boundaries are exceeded, the impact of geographic distance on internet attention is weakened by the intervention of influencing factors such as the degree of information technology, population, and the strength of news media publicity. Overall, the strength of news media publicity has the greatest impact on internet attention. And when it interacts with geographic proximity, it has the most significant effect on internet attention.


Subject(s)
Elephants , Animals , Geography , Information Science , Information Technology , Internet
4.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33291458

ABSTRACT

Watching videos/livestreams concerning pets is becoming an increasingly popular phenomenon among youth in China, thus the social dynamics and psychological impacts of this pet-centred online activities worth in-depth exploration. This study investigates the sensual experiences of the audiences who have watched pet videos/livestreams and examines how these online experiences influence their subjective well-being. We develop a conceptual model that bases on the relationships between telepresence, social presence, flow experience, and subjective well-being to comprehend this mechanism. The result of 439 samples indicates that both telepresence and social presence have significant positive effects on flow experience, and social presence also has a positive impact on subjective well-being. We also examine the role of loneliness and perceived stress in moderating the effects of online pet watching on subjective well-being, showing that loneliness has a significant positive moderating effect on the relationship between social presence and flow experience, while perceived pressure has a negative moderating effect on the relationship between telepresence and flow experience. This study not only demonstrates the positive effect of an online pet on subjective well-being and but also uses interview data to comprehend the social processes underlying this effect. We also discuss the theoretical and practical values of this study in improving public health in the digital age.


Subject(s)
Loneliness/psychology , Pets , Stress, Psychological , Adult , Animals , China , Female , Humans , Male , Personal Satisfaction , Young Adult
5.
Front Oncol ; 10: 581729, 2020.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33163410

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to comprehensively analyze the characteristics, treatment patterns, and survival outcomes of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients initially diagnosed with brain metastases (BMs) in real-world practice. METHODS: We enrolled NSCLC patients initially diagnosed with BMs between Jan 2004 and Jan 2018 in our institution. Patient demographics, treatment modalities, and survival outcomes were then analyzed. Brain localized treatment (BLT) included early brain radiotherapy (EBR), deferred brain radiotherapy (DBR), and surgery. RESULTS: A total of 954 patients were identified. Concerning initial treatment, 525 patients (55.0%) received systemic medication (SM)+BLT, 400 patients (41.9%) received SM only, and 29 patients received BLT only (3.0%). SM+BLT cohort was associated with longer median overall survival (mOS) than the SM only and the BLT only cohorts both in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)/anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-negative/unknown patients (15.3 months, 95% confidence interval [CI], 14.2-16.4; 11.1 months, 9.0-13.2; 7.0 months, 5.4-8.6; p<0.001) and in EGFR/ALK-positive patients (33.7 months, 28.5-38.9; 22.1 months, 17.8-26.4; 4.0 months, 3.6-4.4; p < 0.001). As for timing of radiotherapy, SM+EBR (14.1 months, 12.7-15.5) was associated with inferior mOS than SM+DBR (19.4 months, 14.2-24.6) in EGFR/ALK-negative/unknown patients. No significant difference was found in EGFR/ALK-positive patients (28.3 months, 19.1-37.5; 33.3 months, 28.1-38.5). Patients in the EGFR/ALK-negative/unknown cohort treated with first-line pemetrexed with platinum (PP) (15.8 months, 14.0-17.6, p<0.001) had longer mOS than those received non-PP regimens (13.1 months, 11.6-14.6). However, no difference was observed among EGFR/ALK-positive patients who were treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) (29.5 months, 21.1-37.9; p = 0.140), PP (27.2 months, 21.6-32.8) and non-PP regimens (25.0 months, 16.0-34.0). CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirmed that the use of SM+BLT is associated with superior mOS than those treated with SM only and BLT only. SM+DBR might be a better radiotherapeutic strategy for this patient population. EGFR/ALK-negative/unknown patients showed a survival benefit with PP treatment.

6.
Health Place ; 65: 102399, 2020 09.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32736203

ABSTRACT

This paper responds to the increasing concern regarding the role of non-human life in shaping urban space by exploring the public perception of urban companion animals during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in China. We argue that the public's perception of urban companion animals during emerging infectious disease outbreaks is related to medical and life science issues and reflects the political, economic, and emotional struggles involved in human-animal multispecies cohabitation. We find that the public has mainly followed and reconstructed medical discourses about the risk of companion animal-to-human transmission and discussed sustainable ethical animal practices in urban public health emergency management during the COVID-19 outbreak. Concerns regarding the risk of companion animal-related infection reflect the increasing prominence of more-than-human families, the pet industry, and multispecies leisure conflicts in public space in Chinese cities. The public's attention to animal ethics has prompted Chinese policy makers to adopt a more morally acceptable model for urban public health emergency management that can be sustained and supported by responsible non-governmental organizations and ethical urban residents.


Subject(s)
Coronavirus Infections/epidemiology , Disease Outbreaks , Perception , Pets , Pneumonia, Viral/epidemiology , Animals , Betacoronavirus/isolation & purification , COVID-19 , China/epidemiology , Emotions , Humans , Pandemics , SARS-CoV-2 , Zoonoses/prevention & control
7.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32521753

ABSTRACT

In this paper, we argue that research on the everyday life of older people needs to move beyond anthropocentrism because non-human support contributes to the diversity of their social networks. We elaborate this argument by examining how companion dogs are involved in the urban empty-nest family in Guangzhou (an aging and highly urbanized city in China), the building of multispecies kinships by urban empty nesters in later life and improving the health of urban empty nesters. Participatory observations and 20 in-depth interviews were combined to assess the association between dog ownership and the reconstruction of later life. Specifically, we focus on the co-disciplined pursuit of outdoor activities by urban empty nesters and their companion dogs; this pursuit represents a shared leisure practice that maintains multispecies kinship and is a creative way for older individuals to improve their happiness and physical functioning. This paper provides a relational and reflective understanding of the interaction between the urban empty nesters and companion dogs and the implications of this interaction in the urban leisure space.


Subject(s)
Activities of Daily Living , Life Style , Pets , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Animals , China , Cross-Sectional Studies , Dogs , Female , Humans , Male , Surveys and Questionnaires
8.
Rev Sci Instrum ; 89(1): 014301, 2018 Jan.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29390685

ABSTRACT

To measure the shape and deformation of an insect wing, a scanning setup adopting laser triangulation and image matching was developed. Only one industry camera with two light sources was employed to scan the transparent insect wings. 3D shape and point to point full field deformation of the wings could be obtained even when the wingspan is less than 3 mm. The venation and corrugation could be significantly identified from the results. The deformation of the wing under pin loading could be seen clearly from the results as well. Calibration shows that the shape and deformation measurement accuracies are no lower than 0.01 mm. Laser triangulation and image matching were combined dexterously to adapt wings' complex shape, size, and transparency. It is suitable for insect flight research or flapping wing micro-air vehicle development.


Subject(s)
Lasers , Wings, Animal/anatomy & histology , Animals , Computer Simulation , Flight, Animal , Insecta
9.
Anticancer Res ; 37(8): 4575-4586, 2017 08.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-28739755

ABSTRACT

AIM: The aim of this study was to assess the prognostic value of lymph node ratio (LNR) in premenopausal patients with luminal breast carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 885 female patients who presented with axillary lymph node-positive luminal breast cancer between 2000 and 2009 were investigated. Using X-tile, we classified patients into low-, intermediate- and high-risk groups based on LNR. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to determine cumulative survival curves. Cox proportional hazards analyses were used to identify the factors that contributed to disease-free (DFS) and overall (OS) survival. RESULTS: The median age of patients was 42 years (range=21-58 years). A training set of 295 patients and a validation set of 590 patients were used to determine the optimal LNR cut-off points (0.20 and 0.63). DFS was 87.7%, 77.4% and 53.9% (p<0.001) and OS was 91.5%, 76.7% and 50.9% (p<0.0001) for the low- (≤0.20), intermediate- (0.21-0.63) and high-risk (>0.63) groups, respectively. The 10-year DFS and OS rates were significantly longer in the low-risk group than in the high-risk group. Nomogram analysis demonstrated that LNR contributed more compared to nodal stage in predicting both DFS and OS. CONCLUSION: We conclude that LNR strongly predicts prognosis in premenopausal patients with lymph node-positive luminal breast cancer.


Subject(s)
Breast Neoplasms/mortality , Breast Neoplasms/pathology , Lymph Nodes/pathology , Premenopause , Adult , Biomarkers, Tumor , Breast Neoplasms/therapy , Combined Modality Therapy , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Kaplan-Meier Estimate , Lymphatic Metastasis , Middle Aged , Nomograms , Prognosis , Retrospective Studies , Young Adult
10.
Clin Lung Cancer ; 18(3): e179-e186, 2017 05.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-28185793

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The current published prognosis models for brain metastases (BMs) from cancer have not addressed the issue of either newly diagnosed non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with BMs or the lung cancer genotype. We sought to build an adjusted prognosis analysis (APA) model, a new prognosis model specifically for NSCLC patients with BMs at the initial diagnosis using adjusted prognosis analysis (APA). PATIENTS AND METHODS: The model was derived using data from 1158 consecutive patients, with 837 in the derivation cohort and 321 in the validation cohort. The patients had initially received a diagnosis of BMs from NSCLC at Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center from 1994 to 2015. The prognostic factors analyzed included patient characteristics, disease characteristics, and treatments. The APA model was built according to the numerical score derived from the hazard ratio of each independent prognostic variable. The predictive accuracy of the APA model was determined using a concordance index and was compared with current prognosis models. The results were validated using bootstrap resampling and a validation cohort. RESULTS: We established 2 prognostic models (APA 1 and 2) for the whole group of patients and for those with known epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) genotype, respectively. Six factors were independently associated with survival time: Karnofsky performance status, age, smoking history (replaced by EGFR mutation in APA 2), local treatment of intracranial metastases, EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor treatment, and chemotherapy. Patients in the derivation cohort were stratified into low- (score, 0-2), moderate- (score, 3-5), and high-risk (score 6-7) groups according to the median survival time (16.6, 10.3, and 5.2 months, respectively; P < .001). The results were further confirmed in the validation cohort. CONCLUSION: Compared with recursive partition analysis and graded prognostic assessment, APA seems to be more suitable for initially diagnosed NSCLC with BMs.


Subject(s)
Brain Neoplasms/diagnosis , Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/diagnosis , Lung Neoplasms/diagnosis , Academic Medical Centers , Brain Neoplasms/mortality , Brain Neoplasms/secondary , Cancer Care Facilities , Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/mortality , Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/secondary , China , Cohort Studies , ErbB Receptors/genetics , Female , Genotype , Humans , Lung Neoplasms/mortality , Lung Neoplasms/pathology , Male , Middle Aged , Models, Statistical , Prognosis , Protein Kinase Inhibitors/therapeutic use , Risk , Survival Analysis
11.
Int J Gynecol Cancer ; 26(6): 1143-7, 2016 07.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-27177284

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to examine whether miR-887-5p could be used as a diagnostic marker for endometrial cancer. METHODS: In the first stage, differentially expressed serum micro-RNAs (miRNAs) in the sera of 50 healthy subjects and 50 patients with endometrial cancer were screened by performing Solexa sequencing. In addition, differential expression of these serum miRNAs in endometrial cancer tissues and adjacent normal tissues from 3 patients with endometrial cancer was examined. Comparison of the differentially expressed miRNAs showed that miR-887-5p was significantly expressed in the sera of patients with endometrial cancer as well as in endometrial cancer tissues. In the second stage, quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was performed to verify the levels of miR-887-5p in the sera of 20 patients with endometrial cancer and of 20 healthy subjects. RESULTS: Expression of miR-887-5p was significantly increased in the sera of patients with endometrial cancer (P < 0.05) compared with that in the sera of healthy subjects. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the area of miR-887-5 under the ROC curve for endometrial cancer diagnosis was 0.728, specificity was 0.60, sensitivity was 0.95, and 95% confidence interval was 0.563-0.892. Besides, with strict screen, we eliminate the other risk factors of endometrial cancer in our healthy donors and cancer patients. Statistical analysis of data obtained for patients in the 2 stages by using SPSS version 17.0 indicated that menarche age (P = 0.47, P = 0.49), body mass index (P = 0.313, P = 0.749), history of hypertension (P = 0.517, P = 0.058), and diabetes (P = 0.205, P = 0.507) had no correlation with endometrial cancer. CONCLUSION: Serum miR-887-5p levels were significantly increased in patients with endometrial cancer. Therefore, serum miR-887-5p could be used as a potential biomarker for endometrial cancer.


Subject(s)
Endometrial Neoplasms/blood , Endometrial Neoplasms/genetics , MicroRNAs/biosynthesis , MicroRNAs/blood , Biomarkers, Tumor/biosynthesis , Biomarkers, Tumor/blood , Biomarkers, Tumor/genetics , Case-Control Studies , Female , Humans , MicroRNAs/genetics , Middle Aged , Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
12.
Onco Targets Ther ; 9: 1095-103, 2016.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-27042102

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: High lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) is associated with a large tumor burden in extensive-disease small-cell lung cancer (ED-SCLC). This study evaluated the benefit of additional thoracic radiotherapy (TRT) in patients with ED-SCLC with elevated LDH. METHODS: We analyzed 94 patients with ED-SCLC and evaluated LDH at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center during the period between January 2000 and March 2010. Patients were divided into two groups according to whether TRT was received. Survival was evaluated by the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox's regression analysis. RESULTS: The median age of the 94 patients with ED-SCLC was 58.5 years. The main metastatic sites included the liver, bone, brain, and adrenal glands. The response rate in the TRT group was 46.9%. There were 32 patients (34.04%) receiving TRT and 5.3% receiving prophylactic cranial irradiation. The median survival time reached 10 months (95% confidence interval: 8.22, 11.78 months), and the 1-, 2-, and 5-year survival rates were 43.6%, 11.7%, and 2.1%, respectively. There was a significant difference in the median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) between the TRT group and the no TRT group (PFS: 9.0 months vs 6.0 months, P=0.018; OS: 13.0 months vs 9.0 months, P=0.006). CONCLUSION: The use of TRT improves the survival of patients with ED-SCLC. Future studies should use the LDH level for categorizing patients for treatment.

13.
Tumour Biol ; 37(4): 4711-20, 2016 Apr.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-26511972

ABSTRACT

Cervical cancer is one of the most frequent gynecological malignancies in women worldwide. MicroRNA-195 (miR-195) was recently found highly expressed in cervical cancer. However, the role of miR-195 in the pathology of cervical cancer remains poorly understood. In this study, we first confirmed the downregulation of miR-195 in primary cervical cancer tissues. For the functional study, we introduced the sequences of miR-195 or miR-195 inhibitor into Hela and SiHa cervical cancer cell lines. Overexpression of miR-195 inhibited the proliferation of both Hela and SiHa cells. In contrast, reducing the endogenous miR-195 level by miR-195 inhibitor promoted the proliferation of cervical cancer cells. Flow cytometric assay showed that overexpression of miR-195 induced G1 phase arrest, whereas miR-195 inhibitor shortened G1 phase of cervical cancer cells. In addition, the suppressive role of miR-195 in cell cycle was also demonstrated by the western blot results of various cell cycle indicators, such as phosphorylated retinoblastoma (p-Rb) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), in the gain and loss of function experiments. Furthermore, Dual-Luciferase Reporter Assay revealed that miR-195 targeted the 3'-untranslated region of cyclin D1a transcript, such as to regulate cyclin D1 expression. In summary, our results suggest that miR-195 acts as a suppressor in the proliferation and cell cycle of cervical cancer cells by directly targeting cyclin D1a mRNA.


Subject(s)
Cyclin D1/genetics , MicroRNAs/physiology , Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/metabolism , 3' Untranslated Regions , Base Sequence , Binding Sites , Cell Proliferation , Cyclin D1/metabolism , Female , Gene Expression , Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic , HeLa Cells , Humans , RNA Interference , Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/genetics , Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/pathology
14.
Oncotarget ; 6(32): 33972-81, 2015 Oct 20.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-26378017

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: To investigate the role of PD-L1 expression in tumor recurrence and metastasis in Chinese patients with breast cancer. METHODS: Suitable tissue samples were available from 870 patients with breast cancer. Paraffin-embedded tumor sections were stained with PD-L1 antibody. The correlations between PD-L1 expression and clinical characteristics, ER/PR/HER2 status and survival parameters were analyzed. Kaplan-Meier and univariate Cox proportional hazards model analyses were used to compare the survival of patients with high PD-L1 expression and patients with no PD-L1 expression. RESULTS: The median follow-up time was 98 months(range, 17-265 months).The positive rate of PD-L1 expression in breast cancer was 21.7% (189/870). PD-L1 high expression was inversely associated with larger tumor size, higher tumor grade, more positive lymph node number, as well as negative ER and PR status. PD-L1 expression was particularly higher in TNBC compared with non-TNBC, although no statistical significance was observed. Nomogram logistic regression results based on clinical and pathological features showed that the following factors were more likely associated with high PD-L1 expression: patient age younger than 35 years, larger tumor size, lymphovascular invasion and advanced stage. Our data indicated that patients with high PD-L1 expression had poor DFS, DMFS and overall survival compared with those with no PD-L1 expression. Univariate Cox proportional hazards model analysis showed that PD-L1 was an independent prognostic factor for tumor prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: PD-L1 expression is an important indicator of unfavorable prognosis in breast cancer patients.


Subject(s)
B7-H1 Antigen/metabolism , Breast Neoplasms/diagnosis , Breast Neoplasms/metabolism , Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Breast Neoplasms/mortality , China , Disease-Free Survival , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Immunohistochemistry , Kaplan-Meier Estimate , Lymphatic Metastasis , Middle Aged , Multivariate Analysis , Neoplasm Metastasis , Neoplasm Recurrence, Local , Nomograms , Prognosis , Proportional Hazards Models , Regression Analysis , Treatment Outcome , Young Adult
15.
Arch Med Sci ; 11(3): 544-50, 2015 Jun 19.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-26170847

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: The aim of the study was to analyze clinicopathologic characteristics and survival and to identify prognostic factors for Chinese patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 243 patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, treated during the period 2002 to 2009, were followed up from initial disease diagnosis to death or date of last follow-up (December 2011). Cumulative survival curves were created using Kaplan-Meier analysis with the log-rank test. Prognostic factors were analyzed by univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. RESULTS: During follow-up, 205 patients died, with a median OS of 27 months (95% CI: 23.5, 30.5 months), and the 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates were 84.4%, 38.6%, and 18.1%, respectively. The median OS of HR+ patients was significantly higher than that of HR- patients (p < 0.001). Surgery (hazard ratio = 0.60, p = 0.002), endocrine therapy (hazard ratio = 0.53, p < 0.01), and anti-HER2 therapy (hazard ratio = 0.63, p = 0.003) were favorable independent prognostic factors for patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicated that surgical intervention, endocrine therapy, and anti-HER2 therapy were good for these HER2 positive patients with metastatic breast cancer, but ECOG performance status < 1 and metastasis to brain were unfavorable independent prognostic factors. HR status was not an independent prognostic factor.

16.
Onco Targets Ther ; 8: 1219-27, 2015.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-26060407

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: To understand the clinicopathological features of patients with primary pulmonary large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC), including the frequency of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation, and to explore prognostic factors. METHODS: We investigated a cohort of 50 individuals from our center database who were diagnosed with operable pulmonary LCNEC and treated in Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center. Serum albumin (ALB) and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) were also collected. Survival curves were obtained with the Kaplan-Meier method, and the differences between groups in survival were tested by the log-rank test. RESULTS: The median age was 59 years (range, 40-80 years). Fourteen patients underwent mutational analysis of EGFR; of these, 12 had wild-type EGFR and the remaining two had EGFR mutations in exons. The median disease-free survival (DFS) of pulmonary LCNEC was 49.3 months and that of overall survival (OS) was not reached. DFS and OS were shorter for patients with decreased serum ALB than for patients with normal serum ALB (P=0.003 and P=0.004, respectively). Meanwhile, a high level of NSE was also significantly associated with short DFS and OS (P=0.005 and P=0.000, respectively). Multivariate analysis showed that decrease in serum ALB was an independent prognostic factor for OS (P=0.046). CONCLUSION: The frequency of EGFR mutation in LCNEC patients is low. Serum ALB and NSE levels are valuable prognostic factors for LCNEC patients.

17.
Oncotarget ; 6(10): 8366-76, 2015 Apr 10.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-25788260

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: To explore the ability of gefitinib to penetrate blood brain barrier (BBB) during whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Enrolled in this study were eligible patients who were diagnosed with BM from NSCLC. Gefitinib was given at 250 mg/day for 30 days, then concurrently with WBRT (40 Gy/20 F/4 w), followed by maintenance. Serial CSF and blood samples were collected on 30 day after gefitinib administration, and at the time of 10, 20, 30 and 40 Gy following WBRT. CSF and plasma samples of 13 patients without BM who were treated with gefitinib were collected as control. CSF and plasma gefitinib levels were measured by LC-MS/MS. RESULTS: Fifteen BM patients completed gefitinib plus WBRT. The CSF-to-plasma ratio of gefitinib in patients with BM was higher than that in patients without BM (1.34% vs. 0.36%, P < 0.001). The CSF-to-plasma ratio of gefitinib increased with the increased dose of WBRT and reached the peak (1.87 ± 0.72%) at 30 Gy, which was significantly higher than that 1.34 ± 0.49% at 0 Gy (P = 0.01). The median time to progression of brain lesions and the median overall survival were 7.07 and 15.4 months, respectively. CONCLUSION: The BBB permeability of gefitinib increased in accordance with escalated dose of WBRT.


Subject(s)
Blood-Brain Barrier/metabolism , Brain Neoplasms/radiotherapy , Brain Neoplasms/secondary , Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/drug therapy , Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/metabolism , Lung Neoplasms/drug therapy , Lung Neoplasms/metabolism , Quinazolines/pharmacokinetics , Adult , Aged , Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacokinetics , Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use , Blood-Brain Barrier/pathology , Brain Neoplasms/drug therapy , Brain Neoplasms/metabolism , Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/pathology , Female , Gefitinib , Humans , Lung Neoplasms/pathology , Male , Middle Aged , Neoplasm Metastasis , Prognosis , Quinazolines/therapeutic use , Young Adult
18.
Chin J Cancer ; 34(2): 94-8, 2015 Feb.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-25418188

ABSTRACT

Toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) is a rare acute life-threatening mucocutaneous disorder that is mostly drug-related (80%-95%). It is clinically characterized as a widespread sloughing of the skin and mucosa. AP regimen (pemetrexed plus cisplatin) has been the preferred first-line chemotherapy for metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Gefitinib, a small-molecule epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), has already been recommended as a first-line treatment in EGFR-mutant metastatic NSCLC. We report rare presentation of TEN involving adverse effects of AP and gefitinib combination treatment in a 42-year-old woman diagnosed with metastatic NSCLC harboring an EGFR mutation. On the 21st day after administration of the first cycle of AP regimen and the 8th day after the initiation of gefitinib treatment, she developed an acne-like rash, oral ulcer, and conjunctivitis, which later became blisters and ultimately denuded. The characteristic clinical courses were decisive for the diagnosis of TEN. Treatment with systemic steroids and immunoglobulin as well as supportive treatment led to an improvement of her general condition and a remarkable recovery.


Subject(s)
Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/adverse effects , Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/drug therapy , Lung Neoplasms/drug therapy , Stevens-Johnson Syndrome/etiology , Adult , Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/pathology , Cisplatin/administration & dosage , Female , Gefitinib , Glutamates/administration & dosage , Guanine/administration & dosage , Guanine/analogs & derivatives , Humans , Lung Neoplasms/pathology , Neoplasm Metastasis , Pemetrexed , Quinazolines/administration & dosage
19.
Cell Biochem Biophys ; 71(1): 161-5, 2015 Jan.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-25151142

ABSTRACT

The aim of the study was to investigate the inhibitory effects of RNA interference on XIAP gene expression of human endometrial carcinoma RL95-2 cell and the cell apoptosis. Specific small interference RNA (siRNA) of XIAP was designed and composed. Transfection of siRNA was conducted in endometrial carcinoma cell line RL95-2. The XIAP gene mRNA was assessed by real-time PCR and the change of XIAP protein was assessed with Western Blotting. The cell proliferation and apoptosis was assessed by MTT and flow cytometry methods. After transfection of siRNA specifically targeting XIAP, the relative fold of mRNA transfection in the specific transfection group was (0.04 ± 0.06) and the relative protein expression was (0.590 ± 0.178), which was significantly decreased when compared with the control group (P < 0.05); the cell growth inhibition rate in the transfection group was (47.86 ± 4.46)%, which was significantly increased when compared to the control group (P < 0.05). In vitro experiment showed that synthetic siRNA could effectively inhibit the transfection and expression of XIAP gene of human endometrial carcinoma RL95-2 cell at the mRNA level and protein level, thus significantly promote the apoptosis of endometrial carcinoma cell. The mechanisms involved in the apoptosis still require further investigation.


Subject(s)
Apoptosis/genetics , Endometrial Neoplasms/pathology , Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic/genetics , RNA, Small Interfering/genetics , X-Linked Inhibitor of Apoptosis Protein/genetics , Cell Line, Tumor , Cell Proliferation/genetics , Down-Regulation/genetics , Female , Humans , RNA Interference , RNA, Messenger/genetics , RNA, Messenger/metabolism , Transcription, Genetic/genetics , X-Linked Inhibitor of Apoptosis Protein/metabolism
20.
Cell Biochem Biophys ; 71(1): 167-71, 2015 Jan.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-25151143

ABSTRACT

Objective of the study is to find the association between p21 rs1059234 polymorphisms and endometrial cancer in Han women from Northeast China. Genotyping of rs1059234 in the p21 gene was performed by sequencing and PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) of peripheral blood samples in 263 endometrial cancer patients (case group) and 315 healthy subjects (control group). C allele frequency of rs1059234 was significantly increased in patients of the case group when compared with that in the control group (P = 0.039). The CC genotype frequency of rs1059234 was also significantly increased in patients of case group (0.335, vs. 0.219, P = 0.045). CC genotype increased the risk of endometrial cancer (OR = 1.589, 95%CI: 1.010-2.502). However, after corrected with regression analysis, the CC genotype did not increase the risk of endometrial cancer (OR = 1.623, 95% CI: 0.720-3.659, P = 0.243). Our study demonstrates that in Han women from Northeast China, there is no association between rs1059234 polymorphism of p21 gene and risk of endometrial cancer.


Subject(s)
Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21/genetics , Endometrial Neoplasms/genetics , Ethnicity/genetics , Genetic Predisposition to Disease/genetics , Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide , Adolescent , Adult , Case-Control Studies , China/ethnology , Female , Gene Frequency , Humans , Middle Aged , Pregnancy , Young Adult
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