Objective To discuss the efficiency and safety of thalidomide combined with mFOLFOX in trea-ting advanced colon cancer.In addition,to observe the influence of mFOLFOX combined with thalidomide on serum vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)leveles.Methods One hundred patients with advanced colon cancer were divided randomly into two groups by digital table method.In the combined group,fifty patients were treated by mFOL-FOX combined with thalidomide.In the control group,fifty patients were treated by mFOLFOX alone.All the patients were tested serum VEGF before and after four cycle of chemotherapy.Results The response rate was 42% in the combined group vs.38% in the control group.Higher clinical benefit rate was found in the combined group (78% vs. 68%).The median time to progression(TTP)was 110 days vs.107 days.The differents between the two groups were not statistically significant(all P >0.05).After treatment of 4 cycles,the serum VEGF concentration of combined group and control group were respectively(317.40 ±55.54)ng/L and (330.84 ±64.48)ng/L,which were signifi-cantly decreased compared with pretreafment.The combination group decreased more obviously,the difference between the two groups were statistical significance(t =11.634,P =0.000).Conclusion Combined thalidomide with mFOL-FOX can′t improved clinical curative effect on the advanced colon cancer significantly.However,thalidomide can re-duce the levels of serum VEGF,and improve the quality of life.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) poses serious health problems in Southern China and yet the molecular mechanism of the carcinogenesis remains unclear. We used modern proteomic technologies to compare the protein expression profiles between the NPC cell lines (HNE1 and CNE1 ) and an immortalized nasopharyngeal epithelial cell line NP69 to identify cancer related proteins. Cell lysates were separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2 DE ) and analyzed by PDQuest software. The differentially expressed proteins were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization tandem time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS). We discovered 15 up-regulated proteins and 18 down-regulated proteins in both HNE1 and CNE1 cell lines compared with NP69. These proteins are correlative with various functions, such as cell proliferation, apoptosis, cancer metastasis, metabolism, cytoskeleton and signal transduction. Western blotting analyses were further carried out to verify the differential expression of individual proteins. Several identified proteins in our research might be used as potential molecular markers to understand the molecular mechanism of NPC development and metastasis, and might be used as candidate targets for NPC treatments.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the expressions of stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) and CX chemokine receptor-4 (CXCR-4) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HC) and liver cirrhosis.

METHODSPeripheral blood and/or ascites fluid were collected from 39 hepatocellular carcinoma patients, 16 patients with liver cirrhosis, 12 with hepatitis and 12 healthy donors. The SDF-1 expression was assayed by ELISA and CXCR-4 was measured by immunohistochemical methods.

RESULTSThe level of SDF-1 expression in the carcinoma patients was higher than that of the liver cirrhosis, hepatitis patients and healthy donors, but there was no significant difference between those of the healthy donors and hepatitis patients or liver cirrhosis patients. The levels of CXCR-4 expression were closely related to the tumor differentiation.

CONCLUSIONThe expression of SDF-1 in the peripheral blood and the CXCR4 expression in the HCC tissues of the HC patients may be regarded as markers of HC and they may have a positive relationship with the differentiation and metastasis of HC.

Adult ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; metabolism ; pathology ; Case-Control Studies ; Chemokine CXCL12 ; metabolism ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; metabolism ; pathology ; Neoplasm Staging ; Receptors, CXCR4 ; metabolism

ObjectiveTo study the role of L-arginine/nitric oxide (NO) pathway in the antidepressant effects of ketamine.MethodsForty two male Wistar rats (200-250 g) were equally randomized into 7 groups ( n =6 ):control group ( C group ),L-Arginine ( a precursor of NO ) group ( LA group),L-NAME ( an non-selectivity inhibitor of NO synthase) group ( LN group),ketamine 3 mg/kg group ( K3 group),ketamine 10 mg/kg group (K10 group),L-Arginine + ketamine 10 mg/kg group(LAK10 group),L-NAME + ketamine 3 mg/kg group (LNK3 group).The forced swimming test (FST) of 15 min (pre-test session) was used to establish a rat depression model,then twenty-four hours later FST (test session) was carried out of 6 min and the immobility time in last 5 min was recorded. All the groups were pretreated with saline 1.0 ml,L-arginine 750 mg/kg or L-NAME 30 mg/kg 90 min before FST.Saline 1.0 ml,ketamine 3.0 mg/kg or ketamine 10.0 mg/kg were injected 60 min before FST.The content of hippocampal NO was detected immediately after ethology measurement.ResultsCompared with C group (immobility time:( 139.0 ± 27.6)s),the immobility time decreased significantly (( 85.5 ± 34.2),(91.3 ±31.6)s) in K10 group and LNK3 group (P＜0.05),K3 group,LA group,LAK10 group and LN group had no significant difference (P＞0.05) ;compared with C group ( (0.61 ±0.21 ) μmol/gProt),the content of NO increased in LA group ( ( 1.09 ±0.39) μmol/gProt) and decreased in K10 group and LNK3 group significantly( (0.28 ± 0.12),(0.31 ± 0.14 ) μmol/gProt) (P ＜ 0.05 ),K3 group,LAK10 group and LN group had no significant difference (P ＞ 0.05).ConclusionThe antidepressant effects of ketamine are related to the suppression of L-arginine/nitric oxide pathway.

Objective To observe the clinical effect of sling exercise therapy(S-E-T)combined with drug treatment for cervical vertigo in elderly patients.Methods Forty-nine elderly patients with cervical vertigo admitted to our hospital between January 2011 and July 2014 were randomly divided into an observation group(n=27)and a control group(n=22).The observation group was given 80 mg Ginaton(Extract of Ginkgo Biloba Leaves Tablets)produced by German Dr.Willmar Schwabe GmbH & Co.KG three times a day,combined with S-E-T,including cervical stability and stretching training for 40min,focusing on the neck global muscle and local stabilize muscle rehabilitation,once every other day.The control group was provided with the same drug treatment.During the 6-month intervention,both groups were given health education by the same therapist.Both groups were assessed using the neck disability index(NDI),visual analogue scale(VAS)and evaluation scale for cervical vertigo(ESCV) before and after the intervention,as well as at the last follow-up visit.Before the treatment and at the last follow-up visit,the cervical X-ray examination and trigger point check were also conducted for both groups.Results All the forty-nine patients were followed up for 4.83 to 6.70 months,with an average of(6.01 ± 0.49)months.Significant improvement was observed in the average ESCV score for both groups after the treatment.Compared with before the treatment,there was significant improvement in the average NDI and VAS right after the treatment and at the last follow-up visit in the observation group,but only at the last follow-up visit in the control group.From the cervical X-ray,no significant differences were found in the vertebral osteophyte formation,facet joints and uncovertebral joint degeneration between the 2 groups(P＞0.05),while significant differences were observed in the number of the neck trigger points(P＜0.05).Conclusion The sling exercise therapy combined with drug treatment can significantly improve cervical function,relieve pain and vertigo symptoms in elderly patients with cervical vertigo.The effect is better than drug treatment alone.

Objective To investigate the mechanism of carbapenem-resistant in Enterobacteriaceae strains isolated from Fuyang First People′s Hospital and to analyze their epidemiological features. Methods The Enterobacteriaceae strains with reduced ertapenem susceptibility were isolated from the Fuy-ang First People′s Hospital during January 2013 to August 2014.K-B disk diffusion and E-test were per-formed to detect the antimicrobial susceptibilities of those strains.The modified Hodge test, ethylenediami-netetraacetic acid ( EDTA) disk synergy test and extended-spectrumβ-lactamases ( ESBLs) confirmation test were used to screen out the carbapenem-resistant phenotypes.PCR analysis and gene sequencing were used to analyze drug resistance genes, genetic structures surrounding the blaKPC-2 gene and seven house-keeping genes of Klebsiella pneumonia ( K.pneumoniae) strains.The sequences of the seven house-keeping genes were analyzed with multilocus sequence typing ( MLST) .Pulsed field gel electrophoresis ( PFGE) was per-formed for homology analysis within the same species.S1-PFGE in combination with Southern blot analysis was used to determine the location of carbapenem resistance genes.Results A total of 19 Enterobacteriace-ae isolates with reduced susceptibility to ertapenem were screened out.Each of them was resistant to multiple antibiotics and harbored several resistance genes.Seven genes including the blaKPC-2 , blaIMP-4 , blaSHV-1 , blaCTX-M-65 , blaCTX-M-15 , blaTEM-1 and rmtB genes were the prevalent drug resistance genes.Fourteen out of the nineteen strains were identified as K.pneumoniae strains, mainly belonged to the ST11 type according to the results of MLST.Among the nineteen strains, eleven K.pneumoniae isolates and one Escherichia coli isolate carried the blaKPC-2 gene, located on plasmids varying in size (95 kb, 140 kb, 200 kb and 240 kb) .The ge-netic structures of all isolates were ISKpn8, blaKPC-2 and ISKpn6-like from upstream to downstream.The blaIMP-4 gene was detected in one Klebsiella oxytoca isolate and one K.pneumoniae isolate, located on a plas-mid about 300 kb in size.Conclusion Carbapenemases KPC-2 and IMP-4 were closely related to the car-bapenem resistance in carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae strains isolated form the Fuyang First People′s Hospital.No predominant clone was found in those carbapenem-resistant K.pneumoniae isolates.

Hypoxia conditioning could increase the survival of transplanted neuronal progenitor cells (NPCs) in rats with cerebral ischemia but could also hinder neuronal differentiation partly by suppressing mitochondrial metabolism. In this work, the mitochondrial metabolism of hypoxia-conditioned NPCs (hcNPCs) was upregulated via the additional administration of resveratrol, an herbal compound, to resolve the limitation of hypoxia conditioning on neuronal differentiation. Resveratrol was first applied during the in vitro neuronal differentiation of hcNPCs and concurrently promoted the differentiation, synaptogenesis, and functional development of neurons derived from hcNPCs and restored the mitochondrial metabolism. Furthermore, this herbal compound was used as an adjuvant during hcNPC transplantation in a photothrombotic stroke rat model. Resveratrol promoted neuronal differentiation and increased the long-term survival of transplanted hcNPCs. 18-fluorine fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography and rotarod test showed that resveratrol and hcNPC transplantation synergistically improved the neurological and metabolic recovery of stroke rats. In conclusion, resveratrol promoted the neuronal differentiation and therapeutic efficiency of hcNPCs in stroke rats via restoring mitochondrial metabolism. This work suggested a novel approach to promote the clinical translation of NPC transplantation therapy.
Animals ; Brain Ischemia/drug therapy* ; Cell Differentiation ; Hypoxia ; Neurons ; Rats ; Resveratrol/pharmacology*