Objective To detect Snail and Raf kinase inhibitor protein (RKIP) expressions in NSCLC (Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer) and their relationship with the pathological characteristics of tumor. Methods Immunohistochemistry was used to detect Snail and RKIP expression in 124 NSCLC samples and 67 paraneoplastic normal lung tissue samples. Snail and RKIP positive expression rates were compared upon clinicopathologic characteristics. Correlation of Snail expres-sion with RKIP expression was also analyzed. Results Positive expression rate of Snail was 79.03%in lung cancer, which is higher than that in normal lung tissue 19.40%(χ2=63.538, P＜0.01);positive expression rate of RKIP was 36.29%in lung cancer which is lower than that in normal lung tissue 77.61%(χ2=29.716,P＜0.01), Snail and RKIP expressions are corre-lated with tumor differentiation, TNM stage, lymph node metastasis and postoperative survival time ( P＜0.05, respectively) . Snail protein expression is negatively correlated with RKIP expression in NSCLC (P＜0.05). Conclusion High Snail ex-pression and the low RKIP expression might be important biological markers for invasion and metastasis of NSCLC, which might be used as important prognostic indicators in NSCLC.

OBJECTIVETo discuss the relationship between the onset of peptic ulcers (PU) and meteorological factors (MF).

METHODSIn reviewing records from 17 hospitals in the city of Nanning from 1992 to 1997, we found 24, 252 cases of PU in 104, 121 samples of gastroscopic examinations. We then calculated the detectable rate of PU (DRPU) during each season every five days (FD) and made a correlated analysis with the seasonal MF during the same period in Nanning. Finally, we made a multiple regressive correlated analysis of DRPU and the 5MF for the same period of the year. A forecast model based on the MF of the previous FD was established. The real value and the forecast value was being tested and verified.

RESULTSFrom 1992 to 1997, the DRPU is: winter and spring > summer and autumn (P < 0.005). There is a close relationship between the DRPU and the average temperature (AT), the average highest temperature (AHT), the average lowest temperature (ALT), average air pressure (AAP) and the average dew point temperature (ADT) of the five days of the same period of the year (the correlated coefficients are -0.5348, -05167, -0.5384, 0.4579 and -0.4936, respectively), with P < 0.01. The AT, AHT, ALT, AAP and ADT of the previous FD are of great value in forecasting the onset of PU, with its real value and forecast value corresponding to 66.6%.

CONCLUSIONSThere exists a close relationship between DRPU and the AT, AHT, ALT, AAP and ADT of the FD for the same period. A mid-term medical meteorological forecast of the onset of PU can be made more accurately and reliably according to the close relation between the DRPU and some MF of the previous FD.

Forecasting ; Humans ; Meteorological Concepts ; Peptic Ulcer ; epidemiology ; Pressure ; Seasons ; Temperature

Objective:To investigate the neural dendritic spines variation and myocyte enhancer factor 2A (MEF2A) changes in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and their function in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) mouse models established by single prolonged stress&electric foot shock (SPS&S).Methods:A total of 60 8-week-old male C57BL/6N mice were selected and randomly divided into control and treatment groups ( n=30). PTSD mouse models in the treatment group were established by SPS&S; mice in the control group were deprived of food and water during the modeling process without other stress treatment. Ten mice were taken from each group 14 d after modeling, and anxiety and fear behaviors in mice were evaluated by open field test and elevated plus-maze test; the morphology of mPFC neurons, total length of dendrites and density of dendrite spines were determined by Golgi staining. Five mice were selected from each group one, 4, 7 and 14 d after modeling; real-time quantitative PCR was used to detect the mRNA expressions of Arc and SynGAP in mouse mPFC, and Western blotting was used to detect the proteins levels of MEF2A, P38, phosphorylated- (p-) MEF2A, and p-P38 in mouse mPFC. Results:(1) As compared with those in the control group, the number of times entering the central region was significantly smaller and the total distance of movement was statistically decreased in mice of the treatment group ( P<0.05); as compared with those in the control group, the number of times entering the open arm region was significantly smaller and the proportion of time spending in the open arm region was statistically decreased in the treatment group ( P<0.05). The total length of neurons in mPFC was significantly shorter and the density of dendrites was significantly lower in the treatment group than those in the control group ( P<0.05). (2) The Arc and SynGAP mRNA expressions, and p-MEF2A and p-P38 protein expressions in mPFC of mice in treatment group one, 4, 7 and 14 d after modeling were significantly increased as compared with those in control group ( P<0.05); in treatment group, the Arc and SynGAP mRNA expressions 4 and 7 d after modeling were significantly higher than those one and 14 d after modeling, and p-MEF2A expressions in mPFC 4 and 14 d after modeling were significantly higher than those one and 7 d after modeling ( P<0.05); and p-P38 protein expressions in mPFC 7 and 14 d after modeling were significantly higher than those one and 4 d after modeling ( P<0.05). Conclusion:In PTSD mouse models established by SPS&S, transcriptional activation of MEF2A involves in dendritic spines number reduction in the pyramidal neurons of mPFC.