Risk factors of peripheral venous catheter-related complication and infection in children with bronchopneumonia.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the risk factors associated with the peripheral venous catheter-related complication and infection in children with bronchopneumonia. METHODS: A total of 185 patients were divided into case group (n = 114) and control group (n = 71) according to the presence of catheter-related infection and complications related to indwelling needle. We performed a multivariate logistic regression analysis to explore the risk factors associated with the infection. RESULTS: Age was divided into 4 categories (0 < age ≤ 1, 1 < age ≤ 3, 3 < age ≤ 6, age > 6). The case group had a higher percentage of patients with 0 < age ≤ 1 than the control group (21% vs. 9.7%) and the age distribution was significant different between the two groups (P = 0.045). The case group had a longer retention time than the control group (≥ 3 days: 56% vs. 35%, P < 0.001). The results of binary logistics regression analysis revealed that the indwelling time and indwelling site were the factors that influenced the complications or bacterial infection. Among the three indwelling sites, the hand is more prone to infection and indwelling needle-related complications than the head (OR: 2.541, 95% CI 1.032 to 6.254, P = 0.042). The longer the indwelling time, the more likely the infection and indwelling needle related complications (OR: 2.646, 95% CI 1.759 to 3.979, P< 0.001). CONCLUSION: Indwelling time and indwelling site are the influencing factors of complications or bacterial infection, which should be paid more attention to prevent the catheter-related infection in children with bronchophenumonia.

Theoretical and Experimental Investigation of the Antioxidation Mechanism of Loureirin C by Radical Scavenging for Treatment of Stroke.

Recent pharmacological studies have shown that dragon's blood has an anti-cerebral ischemia effect. Loureirin C (LC), a kind of dihydrochalcone compound in dragon's blood, is believed to be play an important role in the treatment of ischemia stroke, but fewer studies for LC have been done. In this paper, we report the first experimental and theoretical studies on the antioxidation mechanism of LC by radical scavenging. The experimental studies show that LC has almost no effect on cell viability under 15 µM for the SH-SY5Y cells without any treatments. For the SH-SY5Y cells with oxygen and glucose deprivation-reperfusion (OGD/R) treatment, LC increased the viability of SH-SY5Y cells. The results of 2',7'-Dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) and MitoSox Red experiments indicate that LC is very efficient in inhibiting the generation of the intracellular/mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) or removing these two kinds of generated ROS. The density functional theory (DFT) calculations allowed us to elucidate the antioxidation mechanisms of LC. Fukui function analysis reveals the radical scavenging of LC by hydrogen abstraction mechanism, the complex formation by e-transfer, and radical adduct formation (RAF) mechanism. Among the H-abstraction, the complex formation by e-transfer, and radical adduct formation (RAF) reactions on LC, the H-abstraction at O-H35 position by OH• is favorable with the smallest energy difference between the product and two reactants of the attack of OH• to LC of -0.0748 Ha. The bond dissociation enthalpies (BDE), proton affinities (PA), ionization potential (IP), proton dissociation enthalpy (PDE), and electron transfer enthalpy (ETE) were calculated to determine thermodynamically preferred reaction pathway for hydrogen abstraction mechanism. In water, IP and the lowest PDE value at O3-H35 position are lower than the lowest BDE value at O3-H35 position; 41.8986 and 34.221 kcal/mol, respectively, indicating that SEPT mechanism is a preferred one in water in comparison with the HAT mechanism. The PA value of O3-H35 of LC in water is -17.8594 kcal/mol, thus the first step of SPLET would occur spontaneously. The minimum value of ETE is higher than the minimum value of PDE at O3-H35 position and IP value, 14.7332 and 22.4108 kcal/mol, respectively, which suggests that the SEPT mechanism is a preferred one in water in comparison with the SPLET mechanism. Thus, we can draw a conclusion that the SEPT mechanism of is the most favorite hydrogen abstraction mechanism in water, and O-H35 hydroxyl group has the greatest ability to donate H-atoms.

The Use of Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis Measures for Predicting Clinical Outcomes in Critically Ill Children.

Background: The study aimed to investigate the association of bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) for predicting clinical outcomes in critically ill children. Methods: This single-center prospective observational study included patients admitted to a mixed Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). All patients underwent anthropometric measurement and BIA measurements in the first 24 h of admission. The patients were classified into different groups based on body mass index (BMI) for age. Electronic hospital medical records were reviewed to collect clinical data for each patient. All the obtained data were analyzed by the statistical methods. Results: There were 231 patients enrolled in our study, of which 31.6% were diagnosed with malnutrition. The phase angle (PhA) of 90-day survivors was significantly higher than that of the non-survivors (4.3° ± 1.1°vs. 3.1° ± 0.9°, P = 0.02). The age-adjusted Spearman partial correlation analysis showed a weak negative correlation between PhA and duration of medical ventilation (rs = -0.42, P < 0.05). Furthermore, length of stay in PICU has a very weak correlation with ECW/TBW (rs = 0.29, P < 0.05), and a negative correlation with protein (rs = -0.27, P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis found that PhA was a significant predictor associated with the 90-day mortality when it was adjusted for PRISM III score (adjusted OR = 1.51, CI: 1.10-2.07, p = 0.01). The area under the ROC (AUROC) of PhA for predicting 90-day mortality was 0.69 (95% CI: 0.53-0.85, p < 0.05), and the cutoff value of PhA was 3.0°, with a sensitivity and specificity of 83 and 53%, respectively. Conclusion: BIA-derived PhA was found to be an independent predictor of 90-day mortality among critically ill children. A low PhA was associated with a prolonged duration of medical ventilation.

Delayed diagnosis and comprehensive treatment of cutaneous tuberculosis: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) is a widespread infectious disease, with an incidence that is increasing worldwide. Cutaneous TB (CTB) occurs rarely, accounting for less than 1% of all TB cases. Due to the clinical presentation and diagnostic difficulties, CTB is often clinically neglected and misdiagnosed. CASE SUMMARY: A 32-year-old man underwent several debridement surgeries and skin flap transplantation after trauma. The wound remained unhealed, accompanied by sinus formation. According to empirical judgment, T-cell spot of TB test, and bacterial culture of pyogenic fluids, he was diagnosed with CTB due to infection with exogenous Mycobacterium tuberculosis. A comprehensive anti-TB regimen that included isoniazid, rifampicin, ethambutol, and pyrazinamide was applied. The sinus was filled with a hydrophilic fiber-containing silver dressing, and wound-protecting sponges were applied to part of the wound. The wound healed after 40 d. No ulceration was found within 2 mo after discharge; further follow-up will be conducted. CONCLUSION: A non-healing wound may be caused by TB infection. Comprehensive treatment of CTB is effective.

Theoretical study of the reduction in sensitivity of copper azide following encapsulation in carbon nanotubes.

Research aimed at reducing the sensitivity of primary explosives with excellent ignition performance is of great significance for their practical application. In this work, we theoretically studied the effect of inserting the primary explosive copper azide (Cu(N3)2) into single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) on the sensitivity of the explosive to changes in hydrostatic pressure. The electronic structure of Cu(N3)2 was found to be more sensitive to external pressure than lead azide, which is consistent with their experimental impact sensitivities. A composite of Cu(N3)2 molecules and SWCNTs (Cu(N3)2/CNTs) was prepared in which the components mainly interacted electrostatically and the Cu(N3)2 molecules formed semi-arc structures along the nanotube walls, rather than exhibiting their usual planar structure. The electrostatic potential and electronic structure of the composite indicate that it is more stable than crystalline Cu(N3)2. Notably, combining the Cu(N3)2 with the SWCNTs reduces the sensitivity of the Cu(N3)2 to external pressure, implying that carbon nanotubes can reduce the sensitivity of Cu(N3)2. This work should aid the development of highly efficient green primary explosives.

Aerobic Oxidation of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural to 2,5-Furandicarboxylic Acid over Holey 2 D Mn2 O3 Nanoflakes from a Mn-based MOF.

The aerobic oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), a promising renewable monomer to produce bio-based polymers such as polyethylene furanoate (PEF), has recently emerged as the subject of increasing interest. Here, holey 2 D Mn2 O3 nanoflakes were obtained by a facile thermal treatment of a Mn-based metal-organic framework (MOF) precursor. The structural and morphological properties of the nanoflakes were characterized by powder XRD, FTIR, SEM and TEM to explore the formation process. It was inferred that the linker loss in the MOF precursor and the oxidation of the Mn cation induced by the heat-treatment in air were responsible for the formation of holey 2 D Mn2 O3 nanoflakes. The specific morphology and redox cycle of the Mn cation on the surface endowed the synthesized nanoflakes with promising performance on the selective oxidation. The obtained nanoflakes calcined at 400 °C (M400) afforded over 99.5 % yield of FDCA at complete conversion of HMF, which is superior to the catalytic activity of commercial Mn2 O3 and activated MnO2 . To our knowledge, Mn2 O3 exhibiting such a high performance on the aerobic oxidation of HMF to FDCA has not yet been reported. Based on the investigation of the experimental parameters, a plausible reaction mechanism was proposed.

Increased expression of miR-153 predicts poor prognosis for patients with prostate cancer.

Deregulation of miR-153 has recently been observed in several common human cancer, while miR-153 serves an oncogene or tumor suppressive role in different cancer types. Previously, miR-153 has been identified to be overexpressed in prostate cancer. miR-153 played an important role in promoting proliferation of human prostate cancer cells and presented a novel mechanism of microRNA-mediated direct suppression of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) expression in prostate cancer cells. Until now, little is known about the clinical significance of miR-153 expression in prostate cancer.The miR-153 expression in 143 pairs of prostate cancer and adjacent non-cancerous prostate tissues was measured by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis. Student t test was conducted for intergroup comparison. Pearson correlation test was used for correlation analysis. Survival curves were carried out by the Kaplan-Meier method and evaluated using the log-rank test. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard risk regression model was performed to screen the independent factor affected the prognosis of prostate cancer patients.qRT-PCR analysis showed that the expression of miR-153 was significantly increased in the prostate cancer tissues in comparison with the adjacent noncancerous prostate tissues (P < .001). The high expression of miR-153 in prostate cancer tissues is closely correlated with aggressive clinical pathological parameters such as lymph node metastasis (P = .001); bone metastasis (P < .001); Gleason score (P < .001); and tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage (P < .001). Prostate cancer patients with a high expression of miR-153 had an evidently lower 5-year overall survival as compared with those with a low expression of miR-153 (P = .019). Notably, the multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that miR-153 expression was an independent factor for predicting the 5-year overall survival of prostate cancer patients (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.481, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.582-10.727; P = .018).Our study demonstrated that high miR-153 expression was significantly associated with a poor overall survival independently of other factors in prostate cancer. Therefore, miR-153 may be an available biomarker for prostate cancer prognosis.

Aqueous Extracts of Cordyceps kyushuensis Kob Induce Apoptosis to Exert Anticancer Activity.

Cancer has become the leading cause of mortality since 2010 in China. Despite the remarkable advances in cancer therapy, a low survival rate is still a burden to the society. The antineoplastic activity of aqueous extracts of Cordyceps kyushuensis Kob (AECK) was measured in this study. Results showed that AECK can significantly inhibit the proliferation and viability of U937 and K562 when treated with different concentrations of AECK, and the IC50 values of U937 and K562 were 31.23 µg/ml and 62.5 µg/ml, respectively. Hoechst 33258 staining showed that AECK could cause cell shrinkage, chromatin, condensation, and cytoplasmic blebbing, and DNA ladder experiment revealed the evident feature of DNA fragmentation which showed that AECK could induce cell apoptosis. Moreover, AECK gave rise to intrinsic apoptosis through increasing the amount of Ca2+ and downregulating the expression of Bcl-2. Meanwhile, the level of Fas death receptor was elevated which indicated that AECK could lead to exogenous apoptosis in U937. The expressions of oncogene c-Myc and c-Fos were suppressed which manifested that AECK could negatively regulate the growth, proliferation, and tumorigenesis of U937 cells. This research presented the primary antitumor activity of AECK which would contribute to the widely use of Cordyceps kyushuensis Kob as a functional food and medicine.

Overexpression of lncRNA ANRIL promoted the proliferation and migration of prostate cancer cells via regulating let-7a/TGF-ß1/ Smad signaling pathway.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) were playing critical roles in tumorigenesis. However, in prostate cancer, the roles and mechanisms of lncRNAs especially ANRIL were largely unknown. We investigated the effects of ANRIL on the proliferation and migration of prostate cancer cells using CCK-8 assay and Transwell migration assay. Real-time PCR and western blotting assays were used to analyze the levels of ANRIL, let-7a, TGF-ß1, p-Smad2 and p-Smad7. Our results showed that ANRIL was significantly overexpressed in prostate cancer tissues compared with corresponding normal tissues. Knockdown of ANRIL significantly inhibited the proliferation and migration of prostate cancer LNCap, PC3 and DU145 cells. Knockdown of ANRIL significantly decreased the levels of TGF-ß1 and p-Smad2, and increased the level of p-Smad7 in prostate cancer LNCap cells. We further found that knockdown of ANRIL significantly enhanced the expression of let-7a, and rescue experiment found that let-7a inhibitor recovered the suppressive effects of ANRIL silencing on the proliferation and migration of prostate cancer LNCap, PC3 and DU145 cells. And let-7a inhibitor recovered the suppressive effects of ANRIL silencing on the activity of TGF-ß1/Smad signaling pathway in prostate cancer LNCap cells. Taken together, our findings indicated that overexpression of lncRNA ANRIL promoted the proliferation and migration of prostate cancer cells via regulating let-7a/TGF-ß1/Smad signaling pathway.

HPIP Silencing Prevents Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition Induced by TGF-ß1 in Human Ovarian Cancer Cells.

Hematopoietic pre-B-cell leukemia transcription factor (PBX)-interacting protein (HPIP/PBXIP1) is a nucleo-cytoplasmic shuttling protein, and its expression is associated with cancer aggressiveness. However, the role of HPIP in ovarian cancer is still unclear. Here, we aimed to clarify the role of HPIP in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process of ovarian cancer cells, stimulated by transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß1. In this study, we found that HPIP was highly expressed in ovarian cancer cells, and TGF-ß1 treatment induced HPIP expression in ovarian cancer cells. In addition, knockdown of HPIP suppressed TGF-ß1-induced EMT and migration/invasion in ovarian cancer cells. Moreover, knockdown of HPIP significantly blocked the phosphorylated pattern of both PI3K and Akt induced by TGF-ß1 in SKOV3 cells. In conclusion, the present study showed that HPIP silencing might prevent TGF-ß1-induced EMT in ovarian cancer cells. Thus, HPIP may be a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of ovarian cancer.

Three-dimensional computed tomography for assessing lung morphology in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis following posterior spinal fusion surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the changes in lung morphology in subjects with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) following posterior spinal fusion surgery. METHODS: From April 2009 to August 2013, 30 AIS patients (nine males and 21 females) were enrolled in this study. All scans were obtained with the patient in the supine position and the breath held in deep inspiration and performed both before and after surgery. Syngo software was used to manage the computed tomography scan imaging and to calculate the lung volume, lung height and pulmonary cross-sectional area in the apical vertebral plane. RESULTS: Left lung, right lung and total lung volumes and convex to concave lung volume ratio did not change significantly after corrective surgery. There was a statistically significant improvement in left lung and right lung heights after posterior spinal fusion surgery. However, the pulmonary cross-sectional area in the apical vertebrae plane was smaller postoperatively than preoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that lung height in AIS patients increased significantly immediately postoperatively whereas lung volume did not change significantly. Thoracic symmetry was improved postoperatively in these patients.

Coracoclavicular ligaments anatomical reconstruction: a feasibility study.

BACKGROUND: This study assessed the feasibility of anatomical coracoclavicular (CC) ligaments reconstruction, using three-dimensional (3D) measurement and virtual drilling. METHODS: One-hundred-and-five 3D shoulder models were constructed using SuperImage software, based on computed tomography (CT) scan data. For each model the attachment sites and footprint dimensions of the CC ligaments were defined and adjusted according to constant anatomical ratios and individual measurement results. Different drilling techniques and 3D measurements were carried out separately on each model. RESULTS: The collinear drilling technique with one bundle was used to breach the clavicle and/or coracoid process bone cortex in 38 of 105 models (36.2%); the percentage with two bundles was 90.5% (95/105). No cortical breach was observed using the non-collinear drilling technique. CONCLUSIONS: The non-collinear drilling technique provides the capability to prepare bony tunnels without any risk of cortical breach.

[Effects of erythropoietin on serum NSE and S-100B levels in neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of erythropoietin (EPO) on serum levels of neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and S-100B in neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and the underlying mechanism. METHODS: Forty neonates with HIE were randomly divided into conventional treatment (n=20) and EPO treatment groups (n=20). Twenty healthy full-term neonates born during the same period were randomly selected as the normal control group. The conventional treatment group received conventional treatment, while the EPO treatment group received conventional treatment as well as EPO [200 IU/(kg.d)] which was given by intravenous infusion from the second day after birth. The course of treatment was 7 days. Blood samples of the three groups were collected on the first day after birth (before treatment) and the ninth day after birth (after treatment). Serum levels of NSE and S-100B were measured by double-antibody sandwich ABC-ELISA. RESULTS: Before treatment, the two treatment groups had significantly higher serum NSE and S-100B levels than the normal control group (P<0.01), whereas no significant differences in the levels of NSE and S-100B were observed between the conventional treatment and EPO treatment groups (P>0.05). The serum NSE and S-100B levels on the ninth day after birth were significantly lower than those on the first day after birth in the three groups (P<0.01). After treatment, the serum NSE and S-100B levels were significantly lower in the EPO treatment group than in the conventional treatment group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Dynamic monitoring of serum NSE and S-100B levels may be helpful for the early diagnosis of HIE and the assessment of brain injury repair in newborns with HIE. EPO may be helpful for the repair of neurons and glial cells.

[Epithelial-mesenchymal transition induces cancer stem cell generation in human thyroid cancer cells in vitro].

OBJECTIVE: Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) has been implicated in the initiation and conversion of early stage tumors into invasive malignancies and is associated with the "stemness" of cancer cells. The present study was designed to identify whether EMT induces cancer stem cell generation and tumor progression in human thyroid cancer cells in vitro. METHODS: FTC133 cells, as EMT-negative cells, were used for EMT induction by hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) transfection. And EMT features were then examined by Western blot, immunofluorescent staining, invasion and proliferation assays. Moreover, stem-like side population (SP) cells were sorted with flow cytometry from FTC133 cells before and after EMT. The proportion of SP was compared and stemness, self-renewal and tumorigenicity in vitro were identified in SP cells. RESULTS: Overexpression of HIF-1α induced FTC133 cells to undergo EMT. And it down-regulated epithelial marker E-cadherin, up-regulated mesenchymal marker vimentin and caused nucleus translocation of ß-catenin and highly invasive and metastatic properties. Most importantly, the induction of EMT promoted proportion of stem-like side population cells (0.70% vs 0.03%, P < 0.05) with higher sphere formation and clone forming capability in contrast to non-side population cells. CONCLUSIONS: EMT can induce cancer stem cell generation and tumor progression in thyroid cancers. Further understanding the role of EMT and cancer stem cells in cancer progression may reveal new preventive and therapeutic targets for thyroid cancers.

Clavicle and coracoid process drilling technique for truly anatomic coracoclavicular ligament reconstruction.

BACKGROUND: High-grade acromioclavicular (AC) joint separations require surgical treatment, as conservative treatment may result in functional decline or persistent pain. Although many surgical techniques have been described in the literature, there is still no non-controversial gold standard procedure for AC joint dislocation. The different orientation of the two components of the coracoclavicular (CC) ligaments has been proven to account for different functions. However, the majority of the techniques reconstruct the CC ligaments with a single structure. The purposes of this study were to assess the feasibility of truly anatomic coracoclavicular ligament reconstruction (TACCR) and to determine the corresponding drilling parameter. METHODS: We constructed virtual three-dimensional (3D) models of 105 shoulders from computed tomography (CT) scan data by using SuperImage software. For each model, the attachment sites and footprint dimensions of the conoid and trapezoid ligaments were defined and adjusted according to previously defined anatomic parameters and individual measurement results. Virtual drilling and 3D measurement were carried out in each model separately. Guided by the drilling parameter, we performed TACCR on 24 shoulders from 12 whole cadavers after transecting the AC and CC ligaments. RESULTS: The collinear drilling technique was noted to breach the bone cortex of the clavicle and/or the coracoid process in 95 of 105 virtual models (90.5%). No cortical breach was observed using a non-collinear drilling technique. The anteversion angulation of the conoid-coracoid tunnel ranged from 10° to 15° (mean value 12.4°). The extraversion angulation of the conoid-coracoid tunnel varied from 5° to 10° (mean value 6.8°). The anteversion angulation of the trapezoid-coracoid tunnel ranged from 20° to 30° (mean value 25.2°). There were no failures when performing the non-collinear drilling technique on cadaver models. CONCLUSIONS: The collinear drilling technique is not technically feasible for TACCR. For this reason, we recommend the non-collinear drilling technique, which provides the ability to prepare bony tunnels without any risk of cortical breach. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Based on this computer and cadaver model study, we have devised a novel drilling technique to restore the CC ligaments anatomically.

[Effects of wide posterior release on the correction of severe and rigid thoracic scoliosis in sagittal plane].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of wide posterior release on the correction of severe and rigid thoracic scoliosis in sagittal plane. METHODS: A total of 37 idiopathic scoliosis patients (26 females and 11 males) with severe and rigid thoracic curves corrected with posterior pedicle screw system between 2006 and 2009 were recruited. Their average age was 17.3 years (range: 14 - 22) at operation and the thoracic Cobb angle was between 70 - 100°. They were separated into 2 groups: group A (n = 15) with wide posterior release and group B (n = 22) with posterior soft tissue release alone. The preoperative, postoperative and latest standing posteroanterior and lateral radiographs during follow-ups were reviewed. RESULTS: All patients were operated successfully. No statistic difference existed in the average operative duration between two groups (P > 0.05). The average volume of blood loss was 874 ml in Group A versus 712 ml in Group B (P < 0.05). The average coronal Cobb angle on postoperative standing photograph was 27.4° (68.1% correction) in Group A and 35.6° (56.9% correction) in Group B. For comparing sagittal correction results in patients with similar thoracic sagittal deformities, we distinguished subgroup A1 (preoperative TKA < 40°) from subgroup A2 (preoperative TKA > 40°) in group A and subgroup B1 (preoperative TKA < 40°) from subgroup B2 (preoperative TKA > 40°) in group B. The postoperative TKA was 26.8° (> 9.2° than preoperation) in subgroup A1 and 12.5° (3.1° < preoperation) in subgroup B1 (P < 0.05). The postoperative TKA was 28.4° (24.9° < preoperation) in subgroup A2 and 39.1° (10.3° < preoperation) in subgroup B2 (P < 0.05). There was one case of dural leakage in group A. A leakage of cerebrospinal fluid was cured with a prone position and wound compression. One case of infection in superficial part of wound in group B was cured after debridement. No nerve system injury, deep infection or instrumentation failure was found. During a follow-up period of 2 years, there was no obvious correction loss or trunk decompensation. CONCLUSION: In idiopathic scoliosis patients with severe and rigid thoracic curves, wide posterior release via a posterior approach may help to correct the deformity in sagittal plan and achieve more coronal correction in these curves.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition triggers cancer stem cell generation in human thyroid cancer cells.

Increasing evidence has shown that cancer stem cells or tumor initiating cells are the 'root cause' of malignant cancers. However, the exact origin of cancer stem cells still remains obscure in thyroid research. EMT has been implicated in the initiation and conversion of early-stage tumors into invasive malignancies and is associated with the stemness of cancer cells. Based on these facts, a new hypothesis was suggested that EMT induces cancer stem cell generation and tumor progression in human thyroid cancer cells in vitro. In the present study, FTC133 cells identified as EMT-negative cells were used for EMT induction by HIF­1α transfection. Overexpression of HIF-1α induced FTC133 cells to undergo EMT, downregulated the epithelial markers E-cadherin, upregulated the mesenchymal marker vimentin, and associated with highly invasive and metastatic properties. Most importantly, the induction of EMT promoted the stem-like side population cell proportion in the FTC133 cells. These results indicate that EMT induction promotes CSC traits and cell proportions in the thyroid cancer cells, which implies that EMT could induce cancer stem cell generation and tumor progression in thyroid cancers. Further understanding of the role of EMT and cancer stem cells in cancer progression may reveal new targets for the prevention or therapy of thyroid cancers.

Impact of diabetes on the prognosis of hip fracture: a cohort study in the Chinese population.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes has been associated with increased risk of fracture and impaired fracture healing. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of diabetes on perioperative complications, length of stay and ambulatory ability recovery in individuals with hip fracture, and to determine whether changes could be made to improve treatment outcome. METHODS: The study included 707 hip fracture patients treated at Beijing Jishuitan Hospital between July 2009 and December 2010. The medical history and perioperative complications were compared between non-diabetic and diabetic groups. Length of stay, days awaiting surgery, and days of hospitalization after surgery were also analyzed. Ambulatory ability was compared at 1-year follow-up using the Chi-square test and Fisher's exact test. An independent Student's t-test was used to compare normally distributed continuous data. RESULTS: Patients with diabetes were more likely than non-diabetic patients to develop cardiac perioperative complications (8.9% vs. 3.0%, P = 0.021), urinary tract infections (12.0% vs. 2.8%, P < 0.001), and gastrointestinal symptoms (15.0% vs. 6.8%, P = 0.003). No difference in perioperative complications was observed between the groups. Days awaiting surgery and length of hospital stay were both longer in the diabetic group ((8.0 ± 5.1) vs. (6.2 ± 3.7) days and (16.5 ± 3.8) vs. (13.3 ± 3.8) days, P < 0.001, respectively). Before the occurrence of fracture, patients with diabetes were less likely to be ambulatory outdoors (71.9% vs. 85.9%, P < 0.001) and had more restricted walking ability. After at least 1-year follow-up, similar proportions of patients in the non-diabetic and diabetic groups (16.1% and 15.9%, respectively), who were able to ambulate outdoors before the fracture, became housebound till the final follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Diabetics are at increased risk of specific complications and have a longer time to surgery and longer in-hospital stay, but generally have similar recovery to non-diabetics thereafter.

Palladium-catalyzed cyanation of aryl halides with CuSCN.

A palladium-catalyzed cyanation of aryl halides and borons has been developed by employing cuprous thiocyanate as a safe cyanide source. This protocol avoids the use of a highly toxic cyanide source, providing aromatic nitriles in moderate to good yields with good functional tolerance.

[Study on hepatitis C virus genotypes in Yantai district, Shandong province].

OBJECTIVE: To understand the hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype distribution in Yantai district of Shandong province, and to explore whether the HCV genotypes was relevant to the injure of liver through the index of liver function. METHODS: Using specific PCR primers to amplify the HCV RNA 5' UTR/NS5B,then PCR products were sequenced by genetic analyzer. The genotypes were identified by alignment to the GenBank reference sequences and construction the phylogenetic tree of 5' UTR. RESULTS: Among 9 unpaid blood donors we detected two kinds of genotypes of 1b and 3a, respectively, 8 cases (88.9%) and 1 case (11.1%). Among 33 cases of hepatitis C patients we detected the 1b, 2a and 6a the three kinds of genotypes, respectively, 22 (66.7%), 10 (30.3%) and 1 (3.03%) cases. Subtype 1b is the advantage of popular genotype in HCV carriers from Yantai district, and the distribution of 1b was no significant difference in the different population (chi2 = 0.796, P = 0.373); The difference of indicator of liver damage in the different genotypes of subjects were significant (P < 0.05), the mean of ALT, AST of 2a-subtype carriers was significantly higher than the 1b-subtype population. CONCLUSIONS: The genetic diversity of HCV in Shandong Yantai district was presented. The main genotypes were 1b-subtype, and 3a and 6a-subtype was detected firstly. The genotype of HCV were relevant to the liver damage indicators, 2a-subtype hepatitis C virus infection in the liver cells may play an important role in the disease process.