Purpose:To analyze the dependence of a cu te esophagitis (AE) on the dose and volume of irradiated esophagus during concur rent chemoradiation therapy of NSCLC.Methods:39 NSCLC patients previously treated with concurrent ch emoradiation therapy were studied , a subset of 62 patients who were recruited e arlier in a randomized phase Ⅲ study designed to evaluate the effect of amifost ine. The radiotherapy regimen was 1.2 Gy/fraction, Bid to a total dose of 69.6 G y. In this study 19 and 20 patients were in the control arm and amifostine arm, respectively. The AE score, evaluated by the RTOG acute morbidity criteria, was collected for each treatment week and one month following radiotherapy. DVH of t he esophagus was computed. A multivariate random-effect logistic model was used to investigate the correlation between the incidence of AE and various dose-vo lume factors among these 39 patients. The variables analyzed included total tumo r dose (TD), the mean and maximum dose to esophagus, the volume of esophagus tre ated above certain dose, and the dose of the esophagus treated to certain volume .Results:Among the 39 patients studied, two patients of the amif ostine arm (11%) and six patients of the non-amifostine arm (30%) experienced g rade Ⅲ AE. Grade Ⅲ AE was first seen at week 4th after a cumulative tumor dose to 36 Gy. However after week 4, it did not increase significantly with dose. Th e cumulative TD and patient sensitivity were found to have the strongest and sta tistically significant influence on the risk of AE in all dose and volume factor s.Conclusions:The risk of severe (grade Ⅲ) AE was associated wit h the cumulative dose to tumor and intrinsic patient sensitivity. Due to the tim e course of the development of AE, the daily dose rate or the cumulative dose by the 4th week of the treatment may be more predicative for the risk of AE rather than the total dose from the entire treatment course. Current clinical practice in using the total dose to assess the normal-tissue toxicity may need to be ad justed to account for the onset time of the acute end-point.

Weight loss is frequently observed after acute exposure to high altitude. However, the magnitude and rate of weight loss during acute exposure to high altitude has not been clarified in a controlled prospective study. The present study was performed to evaluate weight loss at high altitude. A group of 120 male subjects [aged (32±6) years] who worked on the construction of the Golmud-Lhasa Railway at Kunlun Mountain (altitude of 4 678 m) served as volunteer subjects for this study. Eighty-five workers normally resided at sea level (sea level group) and 35 normally resided at an altitude of 2 200 m (moderate altitude group). Body weight, body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference were measured in all subjects after a 7-day stay at Golmud (altitude of 2 800 m, baseline measurements). Measurements were repeated after 33-day working on Kunlun Mountain. In order to examine the daily rate of weight loss at high altitude, body weight was measured in 20 subjects from the sea level group (sea level subset group) each morning before breakfast for 33 d at Kunlun Mountain. According to guidelines established by the Lake Louise acute mountain sickness (AMS) consensus report, each subject completed an AMS self-report questionnaire two days after arriving at Kunlun Mountain. After 33-day stay at an altitude of 4 678 m, the average weight loss for the sea level group was 10.4% (range 6.5% to 29%), while the average for the moderate altitude group was 2.2% (-2% to 9.1%). The degree of weight loss (Δ weight loss) after a 33-day stay at an altitude of 4 678 m was significantly correlated with baseline body weight in the sea level group (r=0.677, P<0.01), while the correlation was absent in the moderate altitude group (r=0.296, P>0.05). In the sea level subset group, a significant weight loss was observed within 20 d, but the weight remained stable thereafter. AMS-score at high altitude was significantly higher in the sea level group (4.69±2.48) than that in the moderate altitude group (2.97±1.38), and was significantly correlated with baseline body weight. These results indicate that (1) the person with higher body weight during stay at high altitude loses more weight, and this is more pronounced in sea level natives when compared with that in moderate altitude natives; (2) heavier individuals are more likely to develop AMS than leaner individuals during exposure to high-altitude hypoxia.
Adult ; Altitude ; Altitude Sickness ; physiopathology ; Body Mass Index ; Body Weight ; China ; Humans ; Hypoxia ; physiopathology ; Male ; Weight Loss ; physiology

Objective To investigate the mastery of nursing knowledge for diabetic patients with disease deterioration between Chinese and Australian nursing students and possible influencing factors,and to provide a reference for improving nursing teaching method in China.Methods From May to June,2016,a self-designed online knowledge questionnaire was used to investigate the mastery of clinical emergency knowledge among the third-grade nursing students in Chongqing Medical University in China and Hinders University in South Australia.A total of 303 questionnaires were collected,among which 243 valid questionnaires (164 from Chinese students and 79 from Australian students) were included in statistical analysis,with an effective collection rate of 80.20％.SPSS 19.0 software was used for statistical analysis,and the paired t-test or the chi-square test was used for data comparison.Results Australian nursing students had a significantly higher score of clinical emergency knowledge than their Chinese counterparts (t=4.115,P=0.000).Compared with the low-score group (score ＜12),the high-score group (score ≥ 12) had a significantly higher proportion of students with a family/medical history of diabetes,clinical experience in diabetes care,or self-learning as the main method (P＜0.05).As for learning method,Australian nursing students tended to use online self-learning (60 students,75.95％) and do assignments (56 students,70.89％) and participate in class discussion (51 students,64.56％),while Chinese students tended to receive theoretical teaching (138 students,84.15％),consult clinical teachers (138 students,84.15％),and receive simulation/experimental teaching (123 students,75.00％).Conclusion Chinese nursing students have lower degrees of willingness for self-learning and mastery of knowledge for disease deterioration than Australian nursing students.Focus on specialized practice,development of online teaching,and cultivation of the awareness and ability for self-learning may help to improve the mastery of clinical emergency knowledge among nursing students.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are important cellular component of the bone marrow microenvironment in supporting hemopoiesis. Li J et al reported previously that MSCs are resistant to chemotherapy commonly used in hematologic malignancies but are relatively sensitive to anti-microtubule agents. However, the response of MSCs to other chemotherapeutic agents commonly used in solid tumour settings remains unknown. This study was purposed to evaluate the acute direct effects of 4 individual chemotherapeutic agents on human MSCs (hMSC), including cisplatin, topotecan, daunorubicin and hydroxyurea. Using an in vitro culture system, the chemosensitivity of hMSC was determined by XTT assay and compared with NB-4 cells and normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNC). The recovery of cell numbers following exposure to chemotherapeutic agents and apoptosis induced by chemotherapy in hMSC were evaluated. The results showed that although hMSCs were more resistant to the 4 agents above mentioned than NB-4 cells, they were sensitive to topotecan, cisplatin and daunorubicin than PBMNCs. The IC₅₀ values of hMSCs for topotecan, cisplatin, hydroxyurea and daunorubicin were 636, 24.8, > 20 and 2.4 times of those of NB-4 cells respectively. The IC₅₀ values of human PBMNCs for topotecan, cisplatin and daunorubicin were > 27, 1.9 and 1.4 times of those of hMSCs respectively. Reduction of cell number was observed in hMSCs treated with the 4 drugs in clinically relative concentrations. Sustained suppression in hMSCs was observed following 3 days exposure to the 4 agents. It is concluded that the cisplatin, topotecan, daunorubicin and hydroxyurea alone can induce apoptosis of hMSCs and exert persistent suppressive effect on the proliferation of hMSCs even with short term exposure.
Antineoplastic Agents ; pharmacology ; Bone Marrow Cells ; cytology ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Cisplatin ; pharmacology ; Daunorubicin ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Hydroxyurea ; pharmacology ; Inhibitory Concentration 50 ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; cytology ; drug effects ; Topotecan ; pharmacology

The metabolic syndrome, by definition, is not a disease but is a clustering of individual metabolic risk factors including abdominal obesity, hyperglycemia, hypertriglyceridemia, hypertension, and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. These risk factors could dramatically increase the prevalence of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The reported prevalence of the metabolic syndrome varies, greatly depending on the definition used, gender, age, socioeconomic status, and the ethnic background of study cohorts. Clinical and epidemiological studies have clearly demonstrated that the metabolic syndrome starts with central obesity. Because the prevalence of obesity has doubly increased worldwide over the past 30 years, the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome has markedly boosted in parallel. Therefore, obesity has been recognized as the leading cause for the metabolic syndrome since it is strongly associated with all metabolic risk factors. High prevalence of the metabolic syndrome is not unique to the USA and Europe and it is also increasing in most Asian countries. Insulin resistance has elucidated most, if not all, of the pathophysiology of the metabolic syndrome because it contributes to hyperglycemia. Furthermore, a major contributor to the development of insulin resistance is an overabundance of circulating fatty acids. Plasma fatty acids are derived mainly from the triglycerides stored in adipose tissues, which are released through the action of the cyclic AMP-dependent enzyme, hormone sensitive lipase. This review summarizes the latest concepts in the definition, pathogenesis, pathophysiology, and diagnosis of the metabolic syndrome, as well as its preventive measures and therapeutic strategies in children and adolescents.

The US Chinese Anti-Cancer Association (USCACA) teamed up with Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology (CSCO) to host a joint session at the17th CSCO Annual Meeting on September 20th, 2014 in Xiamen, China. With a focus on breakthrough cancer medicines, the session featured innovative approaches to evaluate breakthrough agents and established a platform to interactively share successful experiences from case studies of 6 novel agents from both the United States and China. The goal of the session is to inspire scientific and practical considerations for clinical trial design and strategy to expedite cancer drug development in China. A panel discussion further provided in-depth advice on advancing both early and full development of novel cancer medicines in China.
Antineoplastic Agents ; China ; Drug Discovery ; Humans ; Medical Oncology ; Neoplasms ; Societies, Medical ; United States

Progranulin (PGRN) is a growth factor implicated in various pathophysiological processes, including wound healing, inflammation, tumorigenesis, and neurodegeneration. It was previously reported that PGRN binds to tumor necrosis factor receptors (TNFR) and has therapeutic effects in inflammatory arthritis (Tang et. al, in Science 332:478-484, 2011); however, Chen et al. reported their inability to demonstrate the PGRN-TNFR interactions under their own conditions (Chen et. al, in J Neurosci 33:9202-9213, 2013). A letter-to-editor was then published by the original group in response to the Chen et al. paper that discussed the reasons for the latter's inability to recapitulate the interactions. In addition, the group published follow-up studies that further reinforced and dissected the interactions of PGRN-TNFR. Recently, the dispute about the legitimacy of PGRN-TNFR interactions appears to be finally settled with independent confirmations of these interactions in various conditions by numerous laboratories. This review presents a chronological update on the story of PGRN-TNFR interactions, highlighting the independent confirmations of these interactions in various diseases and conditions.
Animals ; Humans ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; metabolism ; Progranulins ; Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor ; metabolism ; Signal Transduction ; physiology ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; metabolism

Cardiac ion channelopathies encompass a set of inherited or acquired conditions that are due to dysfunction in ion channels or their associated proteins, typically in the presence of structurally normal hearts. They are associated with the development of ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. The aim of this review is to provide a historical perspective and recent advances in the research of the cardiac ion channelopathies, Brugada syndrome, long QT syn‑ drome and catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia, in Hong Kong, China. In particular, recent works on the development of novel predictive models incorporating machine learning techniques to improve risk strati‑ fication are outlined. The availability of linked records of affected patients with good longitudinal data in the public sector, together with multidisciplinary collaborations, implies that ion channelopathy research efforts have advanced significantly.