Recent clinical trials suggested that epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) targeted agents could benefit many patients with colorectal cancer. This article reviews the clinical efficacy of cetuximab, which is an antibody directed at the EGFR, in the treatment of metastatic colorectal carcinoma. Several articles about EGFR-targeted therapies in metastatic colorectal carcinoma and other solid tumors were reviewed. Cetuximab showed the increase in progression-free survival (3.98 months vs 2.56 months, P

Objective To investigate the situation ,influencing factors and demands of hospital health professional personnel′s participation in continuing medical education (CME) in Nanning city and provide a scientific basis for further development of CME . Methods A total of 936 health professional personnel from 18 hospitals were selected .Self designed questionnaires were adopted to investigate the situation ,influencing factors and demands of hospital health professional personnel′s participation in CME .Results Among all the health professional personnel ,14 .85% had not taken part in CME in 2011 .The content of CME activities was still carried out with the basic theory and basic skills mainly .The form of CME activities was still face‐to‐face teaching mainly ,and the utilization rate of resources in distance medical education was lower .Furthermore ,the fees of CME activities were still mostly self‐supported .Time (30 .04% ) and fees (21 .33% ) were the leading factors influencing the participation of CME activities .Clinical set‐ting and education level were significantly related to the participation rate of CME (P<0 .05) .The percent of choosing face to face teachingas CME form was 35 .22% .The percent of choosing acquire new knowledge and skillsas CME content was 36 .60% . Health professional personnel considered the ratio of the fees of CME activities paid by individual should be without payments (52 .78% ) ,or below 20 .00% (40 .06% ) .Conclusion Governments and CM E administrators at all levels should take individual characters of health professional personnel into consideration and various measures should been adopted to assure the sustained and healthy development of CM E .

Purpose To investigate the expression of gelsolin-like actin-capping protein (CapG) in gastric cancer and adjacent normal gastric tissues and its relationship with clinicopathological features and prognosis.Methods The immunohistochemical (IHC) assay was performed to detect the expression of CapG protein in 125 specimens of gastric cancer (study group) and 30 specimens of matched adjacent normal gastric tissues (control group).No patients had received chemotherapy or radiotherapy before surgery.Immunostaining was scored semiquantitatively by two independent observers who were blinded to the patients' outcome and other clinicopathological parameters.The correlation of the expression of CapG with clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis was analyzed.Results Cytoplasmic and nuclear CapG protein staining was detected in all gastric cancer tissues.CapG protein expression was absent or low in matched adjacent normal gastric tissues but significantly higher in gastric cancer tissues.Expression of CapG in the tumor was not significantly associated with gender,age,tumor size,tumor location (P ＞ 0.05).However,elevated CapG expression was strongly correlated with the depth of invasion (P =0.044),lymph node metastasis (P =0.026),distant metastasis (P =0.001),and AJCC stage (P =0.012).Significant poorer overall survival was observed in the high CapG expression group compared with that of the low CapG expression group (P ＜0.001).Multivariate analysis showed overall survival correlated with the patients' tumor location,lymph node metastasis,distant metastasis,AJCC stage and the expression of CapG protein.Conclusion CapG is highly expressed in gastric cancer.Tumors with CapG up-regulation tend to have poorer prognosis,suggesting overexpression of CapG may contribute to the prediction of poorer prognosis and may be a potential therapeutic target for gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND:Bone morphogenetic proteins are associated with the formation and development of scars. Fibroblasts are closely related to the proliferation and maturation of scars. However, the expression of bone morphogenetic proteins in fibroblasts in different stage of hypertrophic scars remains poorly understood.
OBJECTIVE:To observe the expression of bone morphogenetic protein 2/4, bone morphogenetic protein 7, bone morphogenetic protein receptor IA in fibroblasts in different stage of hypertrophic scars.
METHODS:The immunohistochemical SP method was employed to detect the expression of bone morphogenetic protein 2/4, bone morphogenetic protein 7, bone morphogenetic protein receptor IA in fibroblasts in 20 cases of proliferative stage hypertrophic scar and 20 cases of maturation stage hypertrophic scar. Al samples were obtained from the Department of Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery, the People’s Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The expression of bone morphogenetic protein 2/4 in fibroblasts in proliferative hypertrophic scars significantly elevated compared with mature hypertrophic scars (P<0.05). In various stages of hypertrophic scars, the expression of bone morphogenetic protein 7 and bone morphogenetic protein receptor IA in fibroblasts was not obviously different (P>0.05). Results demonstrated that bone morphogenetic protein 2/4 expression down-regulated during the development from proliferative stage to maturation stages in fibroblasts in hypertrophic scars. However, there was no change in the expression of bone morphogenetic protein 7 and bone morphogenetic protein receptor IA.

OBJECTIVEThe biological safety of a new developed silicone rubber for inflatable silastic prosthesis (SRISP) was evaluated.

METHODSFollowing the GB/T 16886.10-2005 standard, YY/T 0127.13-2009 standard, and GB/T 16886.11- 2011 standard, samples were prepared and tested by animal experiments, such as guinea pig maximization test, oral mucous membrane irritation test, and short-term systemic toxicity test (oral route).

RESULTSNo obvious erythema and edema in the guinea pig abdominal skin were observed after 24, 48, and 72 h of stimulating touch, thus indicating that SRISP does not cause potential skin sensitivity. No local response to SRISP was found, and the visual observation and pathological findings of oral mucosa were normal and similar to that of the control group. Therefore, SRISP had no irritation response to oral mucosa. No clinical signs of toxicity were observed in rats, and no significant differences in weight and weight relative growth rate between extract group and blank control group (P > 0.05) were found. Thus, SRISP had no short-term systemic toxicity.

CONCLUSIONThese results indicated that SRISP met the requirement of biomedical materials and had good bio- security.

Animals ; Biocompatible Materials ; Cosmetics ; Dimethylpolysiloxanes ; Guinea Pigs ; Prostheses and Implants ; Rats ; Silicone Elastomers ; Toxicity Tests

This study evaluated the cytotoxicity of a new type silicone rubber for maxillofacial prosthesis, which was developed by the present authors. According to the GB/T16886. 5- 2003, the samples were prepared and tested with cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, the relative growth rate (RGR) was calculated, and morphology of L929 cells were observed by scanning electron microscope and phase contrast microscope. The results showed that RGR of L929 cells were 91.65% (24 h), 87.03% (48 h), 87.30% (72 h), respectively, and the level of cytotoxicity was grade 1. The L929 cells showed typical fusiform shape and their morphology did not changed significantly after 24 h, 48 h and 72 h. These data indicated that the newly-developed silicone rubber material, as a maxillofacial prosthesis material, should be a safe biomaterial.
Animals ; Biocompatible Materials ; Cell Line ; Humans ; Maxillofacial Prosthesis ; Mice ; Silicone Elastomers ; toxicity

Radiation-induced brain injury (RBI) is the most serious complication of head and neck tumor after radiotherapy. The pathogenesis of RBI is complicated, and the clinical course is irreversible, while no effective treatment available. The activation of glial cells is one of the main theories of RBI, and the prevention and treatment of RBI by targeting glial cells is the focus of current research. As a post-transcriptional regulatory factor, microRNA (miRNA) has been confirmed to be involved in regulatingglial cell radiosensitivity, inflammation type transformation, autophagy, exosomatic, long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), circular RNA (circRNA) and other related pathways, thereby mediating the occurrence and development of cascade reaction of inflammatory injury and neurological function repair of central nervous system (CNS) disease. Therefore, the establishment of miRNA - glial regulatory network may provide a new strategy for the prevention and treatment of RBI.

In order to explore the role of p15(INK4B) gene with highly methylated CpG island in the pathogenesis of leukemia, the expression levels of p15(INK4B) gene was detected in patients with AML and CML. Methylation-specific PCR (MSP) assay was employed in the experiments. The methylation incidence was 83.9% (26/31) in AML and 0% (0/28) in CML. The results showed that methylation of p15(INK4B) gene was the one of the major ways for inactivation of the gene, and the methylation could be appeared in clinical development of the disease and patients condition worsened. Methylation of p15(INK4B) did not occur and its function probably is normal in CML.