[Clinical research on immune checkpoint and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma].

T cell immune checkpoint pathways contribute to tumor immune escape. Many studies have shown that immune checkpoint is demonstrably correlated with tumor grade or prognosis in several types of malignancies and immune checkpoint has become a new biological index for tumor detection and prognosis. Immune checkpoint inhibitors have shown promising tumor outcomes in clinical trials for some advanced solid tumors and it will become a new target for cancer immunotherapy. In this review we will explore the correlation between expressions of immune checkpoint-associated genes and proteins in immune microenviroment and prognosis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, and specifically will discuss how this pathway can be manipulated with immune therapeutic drugs.

The significance of S100ß protein on postoperative cognitive dysfunction in patients who underwent single valve replacement surgery under general anesthesia.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the effect of S100ß protein on postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) in patients who underwent single valve replacement surgery. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) were applied to evaluate 178 patients who underwent single valve replacement surgery under general anesthesia from June 2014 to December 2015. Patients were assessed 1 day before surgery and on postoperative days 2 and 9. Thirty-two patients were identified as having postoperative cognitive dysfunction (the POCD group), while 146 cases did not experience POCD (the control group). A total of 155 healthy adult volunteers from the Medical Center were simultaneously chosen (healthy comparison group). Serum S100ß levels from the three groups of patients were measured by ELISA. RESULTS: In the POCD group, serum S100ß levels were significantly higher than those of the control group and healthy comparison group (p < 0.05). The postoperative length of stay in the hospital for patients in the POCD group was significantly increased (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The expression of serum S100ß in patients with POCD was significantly increased. S100ß may represent a potential target for the diagnosis and treatment of cognitive dysfunction after cardiac surgery under general anesthesia.

Clinical significance of serum MCP-1 and VE-cadherin levels in patients with acute cerebral infarction.

OBJECTIVE: Vascular injuries have been proposed to play a role in cerebral infarction (CI)-induced brain damage. In this study, the expressions of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and vascular endothelial-cadherin (VE-Cadherin) in patients with acute stroke was examined, and the clinical significance was analyzed. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 102 patients with acute CI between February 2012 and 2015 were recruited in this study. Among these patients, 43 patients presented with progressive cerebral infarction (PCI) while 59 patients presented with non-progressive cerebral infarction (NPCI). The carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) of all patients was measured by ultrasound as a marker of end-organ damage. Our results showed that 26 patients had normal IMT, 19 patients had a thickening carotid wall and 57 patients presented with a carotid plaque. In our study, 52 healthy volunteers screened by medical checkups in our hospital during the same period were taken as control group. The MCP-1 and VE-cadherin expressions in each group were detected and analyzed. RESULTS: Compared to the control group, the patients in the experimental group had significantly elevated serum MCP-1 and VE-cadherin levels (p < 0.05). Compared to the NPCI patients, the serum MCP-1 and VE-cadherin levels of the patients with PCI were significantly increased, and the rate of carotid plaque was increased as well, especially in the mixed echo and low echo plaques. Then compared with the patients with normal IMT and thickening carotid wall, the patients with carotid plaques had notably increased MCP-1 and VE-cadherin levels. CONCLUSIONS: For patients with PCI, the serum MCP-1 and VE-cadherin levels were significantly increased. Moreover, serum MCP-1 and VE-cadherin levels were correlated with atherosclerosis and the stability of atherosclerotic plaques in patients with cerebral infarction.

[The therapeutic effect of probiotics on allergic rhinitis：a Meta analysis].

Objective:To systemically review the therapeutic effect of probitics on allergic rhinitis（AR).Method:Literatures about the effect of probitics on AR were searched in PubMed. The Cochrane Library, Web of Science and CNKI, WanFang Data and VIP inception to April 2016,and 2 reviewers independently screened literatures according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias of included studies. Then meta-analysis was performed using RevMan5.2 software. Result:A total of 16RCTs involving1374 patients were included in the meta-analysis, including 809 cases in the probitic group and 568 cases in the placebo group. The results of meta-analysis showed that the efficacy of probitic group was superior to the placebo group in total RQLQ,nasal RQLQ,eye RQLQ and the serum eosinophil count,the difference was statistically significant ［MD=-4.43,95%CI（-8.65~-0.20）;MD=-1.08，95%CI（-1.89~0.27）;MD=-0.95,95%CI（-1.46~-1.44）;MD=-28.40,95%CI（-43.53~-13.26）］.There was no significant difference in Serum IgE between the probitic group and the placebo group(P>0.05).There was no significant difference in the NTSS value between the lactobacillus group and the bifidobacterium group(P>0.05). Conclusion:Compared to the placebo, probitics can effectively reduce symptom scores of patients with AR;and different strains of probitics indicated no significant differences in improving nasal symptoms.

[Analysis of related factors between portable monitoring and polysomnography].

Objective:To analyze the related factors of portable monitoring and polysomnography in simultaneous monitoring of suspected OSAHS cases. To evaluate the application of portable monitoring in the diagnosis of OSAHS.Method:All patients underwent a simultaneous monitoring of both portable monitoring and polysomnography. Both the parameters of apnea hypopnea index (AHI), lowest oxygen saturation (LSaO2), mean oxygen saturation (MSaO2), percentage of time with an oxygen saturation below 90%(CT90%), oxygen desaturation index (ODI), the number of apnea and hypopnea were collected and analyzed.Result:Both the portable monitoring and polysomnography showed 39 cases met the diagnostic criteria for OSAHS. Polysomnography showed 26 severe cases, 8 moderate cases and 5 mild case. Portable monitoring showed 30 severe cases, 5 moderate cases and 4 mild cases. Comparing portable monitoring with polysomnography, the parameter of AHI had a significant difference. MSaO2, LSaO2, CT90%, ODI, the number of apnea and hypopnea had no significant difference.Conclusion:Compared portable monitoring's indicators with polysomnography's indicators, both correlated well. Portable monitoring has a high diagnostic value. But the diagnostic accuracy in the severity of the disease should be improved.

[The effect and mechanism of microRNA-21 on cis-dichlorodiamineplatinum resistance in lung cancer cell strain].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of miR-21 on multidrug resistance (MDR) in non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC)and to provide experimental and theoretical basis for MDR reversal. METHODS: Quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to determine the mRNA level of miR-21 both in the chemo-sensitivity cell strain A549 and the chemo-resistance cell strain A549/DDP (primary A549/DDP cells). The miR-21 interference sequence was synthesized and transfected into A549/DDP cells by liposome as the carrier. The miR-21 expression level was knocked down and the change of chemo-sensitivity of cells was detected. Effects of miR-21 on the cell apoptosis and cell cycle in miR-21-depleted A549/DDP cells were analyzed by flow cytometry to elucidate the involvement of miR-21 in MDR reversal in NSCLC. The expression of multidrug-resistant proteins Survivin, Cyclin D1, Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), Multidrug resistance-associated protein1 (MRP1) and Lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP) were detected by Western blot. RESULTS: MiR-21 level in multidrug-resistant NSCLC cell line A549/DDP was (5.223±0.316) folds higher than that in A549 cell line (t=48.318, P<0.01). Knockdown of miR-21 in A549/DDP cells significantly reversed their sensitivity to cis-DDP, meanwhile, the value of half maximal inhibitory concentration was significantly decreased compared with control group transfected with empty vector ((22.2±1.2) and (48.6±3.2) µmol/L, t=5.608, P<0.01). Cell apoptosis rate in A549/DDP cell with knockdown of miR-21 was significantly increased compared with primary A549/DDP cell line ((27.7±1.1) % and (16.8±1.1) %, t=10.183, P<0.01). Cell cycle G0/G1 phase in A549/DDP cell with knockdown of miR-21 was significantly decreased compared with primary A549/DDP cell line ((37.5±1.2) % and (43.4±2.3) %, t=8.202, P<0.01). Compared with primary A549/DDP cell line, the expression of Survivin, Cyclin D1, EGFR, MRP1 and LRP in A549/DDP cell with knockdown of miR-21 were significantly decreased ((71.7±4.3)%, t=8.325, P<0.01; (69.4±4.5)%, t=5.162, P<0.01; (52.3±3.2)%, t=8.042, P<0.01; (60.6±4.2)%, t=6.641, P<0.01; (72.9±3.8)%, t=4.566, P<0.01, respectively). CONCLUSION: miR-21 silencing reverses the multidrug resistance in lung cancer cell via accelerating cell apoptosis and modulating multidrug resistance-related gene expression. miR-21 may be a potential therapeutic candidate in multidrug resistance patients with lung cancer.

Neutrino oscillation studies with reactors.

Nuclear reactors are one of the most intense, pure, controllable, cost-effective and well-understood sources of neutrinos. Reactors have played a major role in the study of neutrino oscillations, a phenomenon that indicates that neutrinos have mass and that neutrino flavours are quantum mechanical mixtures. Over the past several decades, reactors were used in the discovery of neutrinos, were crucial in solving the solar neutrino puzzle, and allowed the determination of the smallest mixing angle θ13. In the near future, reactors will help to determine the neutrino mass hierarchy and to solve the puzzling issue of sterile neutrinos.

TCR beta chain influences but does not solely control autoreactivity of V alpha 14J281T cells.

CD1d-dependent accumulation of alphabeta T cells bearing a canonical Valpha14Jalpha281 alpha-chain (Valpha14+ T cells) is thought to model positive selection of lipid-specific T cells, based on their ability to recognize CD1d-presented self glycolipid(s). However, it has been difficult to demonstrate self ligand specificity in this system, as most Valpha14+ T cells do not exhibit significant autoreactivity despite high reactivity to alpha-galactosylceramide presented by CD1d (alpha-GalCer/CD1d). To assess the role of TCRbeta chain in determining the alpha-GalCer/CD1d vs autoreactive specificity of Valpha14+ T cells, we conducted TCRalpha or TCRbeta chain transduction experiments. In this study we demonstrate, by combining different TCRbeta chains with the Valpha14 alpha-chain in retrovirally transduced T cell lines, that the Valpha14 alpha-chain plays a primary role, necessary but not sufficient for imparting alpha-GalCer/CD1d recognition. beta-Chain usage alone is not the sole factor that controls the extent of autoreactivity in Valpha14+ T cells, since transduction of TCRalphabeta chains from a high CD1d autoreactive Valpha14+ T cell line conferred the alpha-GalCer/CD1d specificity without induction of autoreactivity. Thus, heterogeneity of Valpha14+ T cell reactivity is due to both beta-chain diversity and control mechanism(s) beyond primary TCR structure.