[Expression of microRNA-155 in papillary thyroid carcinoma and its clinical significance].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation of microRNA-155 (miR-155) expression with clinicopathological features of patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and explore the value of miR-155 in prognostic assessment of PTC. METHODS: We collected 86 pairs of fresh PTC and adjacent tissues to examine the expression of miR-155 using fluorescent quantitative PCR. miR-155 expressions in the tissues were analyzed in relation to the clinicopathological features of the patients. RESULTS: Compared with the paired adjacent tissues, 69.8% (60/86) of the PTC tissues showed up-regulated miR-155 expression by 2.63∓2.73 folds. Up-regulated miR-155 expressions were associated with a larger tumor size (1.66∓0.96 vs 1.19∓0.52 cm, P=0.021), a higher likeliness of extrathyroid invasion (56.7% vs 23.1%, P=0.004), a higher rate of lymph node metastasis (70% vs 46.2%, P=0.036), a more advanced TNM stage, and a higher rate of III-IV stage of the tumor (20% vs 0%, P=0.014). The expression level of miR-155 in PTC tissues was positively correlated with lymph node metastasis (r=0.531, P=0.001). CONCLUSION: PTC patients with miR-155 over-expression tend to have a greater tumor size, a greater likeliness of extrathyroid involvement, a higher rate of cervical lymph node metastasis and a more advanced TNM stage. The high expression of miR-155 in the tumor may indicate a poor prognosis of PTC patients.

Clinical Evaluation of Coronary In-Stent Restenosis Using Dual-Source Computed Tomography.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the feasibility of dual-source computed tomography (DSCT) in the evaluation of coronary in-stent restenosis (ISR) by comparing the results of DSCT and selective coronary angiography (CAG). METHODS: In-stent restenosis examination results from DSCT were compared with those obtained using CAG. RESULTS: Among 173 stents studied, 156 yielded good quality images when evaluated with DSCT. CAG identified 38 ISR cases, while DSCT found 40. Among the 112 stents in the study with an inner diameter ≥3.0 mm, CAG identified 29 as having ISR, while DSCT reported the same finding in 30; among the 44 stents with inner diameter <3.0 mm, CAG identified ISR in 9, while DSCT found ISR in 10. CONCLUSIONS: Stent inner diameter is a key factor influencing the imaging of the stent lumen. DSCT demonstrated a higher negative predictive value in ISR assessment, suggesting that it could replace CAG for assessing the patency of stents with a larger inner diameter (≥3 mm).

Hyperactivation of working memory-related brain circuits in newly diagnosed middle-aged type 2 diabetics.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is well known for its adverse impacts on brain and cognition, which leads to multidimensional cognitive deficits and wildly spread cerebral structure abnormalities. However, existing literatures are mainly focused on patients with advanced age or extended T2DM duration. Therefore, it remains unclear whether and how brain function would be affected at the initial onset stage of T2DM in relatively younger population. In current study, twelve newly diagnosed middle-aged T2DM patients with no previous diabetic treatment history and twelve matched controls were recruited. Brain activations during a working memory task, the digit n-back paradigm (0-, 1- and 2-back), were obtained with functional magnetic resonance imaging and tested by repeated measures ANOVA. Whereas patients performed the n-back task comparably well as controls, significant load-by-group interactions of brain activation were found in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), left middle/inferior frontal gyrus, and left parietal cortex, where patients exhibited hyperactivation in the 2-back, but not the 0-back or 1-back condition compared to controls. Furthermore, the severity of chronic hyperglycemia, estimated by glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level, was entered into partial correlational analyses with task-related brain activations, while controlling for the real-time influence of glucose, estimated by instant plasma glucose level measured before scanning. Significant positive correlations were found between HbA1c and brain activations in the anterior cingulate cortex and bilateral DLPFC only in patients. Taken together, these findings suggest there might be a compensatory mechanism due to brain inefficiency related to chronic hyperglycemia at the initial onset stage of T2DM.