Objective:To analyze the expression pattern, mechanism and clinical significance of melanoma-associated antigen-C2 (MAGE-C2) in tumor-free breast specimens, breast benign disease specimens and breast cancer specimens.Methods:Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry were used to investigate the expressions of MAGE-C2 in 60 tumor-free breast specimens, 60 breast benign disease specimens and 60 breast cancer specimens. The correlation of MAGE-C2 expression with clinicopathological parameters and prognosis of breast cancer patients were analyzed. The expression of MAGE-C2 was also detected by RT-PCR in breast cancer cell MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 treated with DNA methylase inhibitor 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine (5-aza-CdR) and histone deacetylase inhibitor trichostatin A (TSA).Results:The positive expression rates of MAGE-C2 mRNA and protein were 61.7% (37/60) and 58.3% (35/60) in breast cancer specimens, respectively, while negative expressed in breast and begin disease specimens. MAGE-C2 protein expression was associated with tumor grade, histological type and blood vessel invasion of breast cancer patients ( P<0.05). The incidence of recurrence-free survival of patients with positive MAGE-C2 expression were lower than that of patients with negative MAGE-C2 expression ( P<0.05). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the clinical stage ( P<0.01), lymph node metastasis ( P<0.05) and MAGE-C2 expression ( P<0.05) were the independent prognostic factors of breast cancer patients. The MAGE-C2 mRNA was not observed in the control and TSA treated breast cancer cells while upregulated in the 5-aza-CdR treated cells. Besides, 5-aza-CdR combined with TSA further enhanced MAGE-C2 mRNA level in breast cancer cells ( P<0.05). Conclusions:MAGE-C2 is one of the tumor-specific antigen and its expression is related with the poor prognosis of breast cancer patients. DNA methylation and histone acetylation may be an important regulation mechanism of MAGE-C2 gene expression.

Objective:To analyze the expression pattern, mechanism and clinical significance of melanoma-associated antigen-C2 (MAGE-C2) in tumor-free breast specimens, breast benign disease specimens and breast cancer specimens.Methods:Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry were used to investigate the expressions of MAGE-C2 in 60 tumor-free breast specimens, 60 breast benign disease specimens and 60 breast cancer specimens. The correlation of MAGE-C2 expression with clinicopathological parameters and prognosis of breast cancer patients were analyzed. The expression of MAGE-C2 was also detected by RT-PCR in breast cancer cell MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 treated with DNA methylase inhibitor 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine (5-aza-CdR) and histone deacetylase inhibitor trichostatin A (TSA).Results:The positive expression rates of MAGE-C2 mRNA and protein were 61.7% (37/60) and 58.3% (35/60) in breast cancer specimens, respectively, while negative expressed in breast and begin disease specimens. MAGE-C2 protein expression was associated with tumor grade, histological type and blood vessel invasion of breast cancer patients ( P<0.05). The incidence of recurrence-free survival of patients with positive MAGE-C2 expression were lower than that of patients with negative MAGE-C2 expression ( P<0.05). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the clinical stage ( P<0.01), lymph node metastasis ( P<0.05) and MAGE-C2 expression ( P<0.05) were the independent prognostic factors of breast cancer patients. The MAGE-C2 mRNA was not observed in the control and TSA treated breast cancer cells while upregulated in the 5-aza-CdR treated cells. Besides, 5-aza-CdR combined with TSA further enhanced MAGE-C2 mRNA level in breast cancer cells ( P<0.05). Conclusions:MAGE-C2 is one of the tumor-specific antigen and its expression is related with the poor prognosis of breast cancer patients. DNA methylation and histone acetylation may be an important regulation mechanism of MAGE-C2 gene expression.

OBJECTIVESTo review the preliminary clinical experience with high-field-strength intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging (iMRI) suite with neuronavigation system in the pituitary adenoma operation with transsphenoidal approach.

METHODSFrom March 2009 to December 2010, 31 patients [range, 29 - 76 years, mean age (47 ± 11) years]of pituitary adenoma were operated with transsphenoidal approach and intraoperatively with a movable 1.5 T high-field-strength iMRI suite in combination with neuronavigation system. Tumor size was 1.8 - 7.3 cm, mean (3.5 ± 1.2) cm. Twenty-five cases were non-functional pituitary adenoma, 4 cases were prolactin-secreting pituitary adenoma, 2 cases were growth hormone-secreting pituitary adenoma. Thirty patients' resection with transnasal transsphenoidal approach were performed, one patient with transoral transsphenoidal approach was performed.

RESULTSIn 12 cases of 30 patients who planed to totally remove tumor, iMRI had revealed residual lesions and resulted in the change of the surgical strategy, 2 invasive cavernous sinus cases no further resection of the tumor because of internal carotid artery encasement, the other 10 cases resected further, eventually. Finally, 8 cases were totally removed. The ratio of total removal tumor was enhanced to 86.7% (26/30) from 60.0% (18/30). There was no perioperative mortality.

CONCLUSIONSHigh-field-strength iMRI suite with neuronavigation system provides valuable information of tumor resection that allows intraoperative modification of the surgical strategy. It could be very helpful to maximize the resection of the pituitary adenoma and minimize the injury to neurological function.

Adenoma ; surgery ; Adult ; Aged ; Cavernous Sinus ; surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Monitoring, Intraoperative ; methods ; Neuronavigation ; methods ; Pituitary Neoplasms ; surgery

OBJECTIVETo review the preliminary clinical experience with high-field-strength intra-operative magnetic resonance imaging (iMRI) in the endoscopic chordoma operation with transsphenoidal or transoral approach.

METHODSFrom January 2009 to December 2010, 23 patients [range, 29 - 64 years, mean age (42 ± 3) years] of chordoma were operated with endoscopic transsphenoidal or transoral approach and examined intraoperatively with a movable 1.5 T iMRI magnet. Tumor size range was 2.0 - 5.7 cm, mean (3.5 ± 0.8) cm. A navigation system based on iMRI was used in 20 cases.

RESULTSiMRI scan were performed in each operation from 1 time to 5 times. Neuronavigation system were used in 20 operations and the data renewed in 12 cases by the information from iMRI. In 15 of 23 patients, iMRI had revealed residual lesions and resulted in 12 cases further treatment, eventually, 9 tumors were totally removed and 3 tumors were further removed. The ratio of total removal tumor was enhanced to 73.9% (17/23) from 34.8% (8/23). Among 15 cases of partial chordoma removal detected by scanning in operation, 9 were huge chordoma. The residual of huge chordoma detected by scanning in operation was 9/11, and other chordoma contributed to 6/12. There were no iMRI related safety issue or accident recorded in this study.

CONCLUSIONSHigh-field-strength iMRI provide high-quality images of tumor resection that allows intraoperative modification of the surgical strategy. Combined with the navigation system, iMRI is helpful to maximize the resection of the chordoma and benefit for the safety of endoscopic operation.

Adult ; Chordoma ; surgery ; Endoscopy ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neuronavigation ; methods ; Pituitary Neoplasms ; surgery ; Sphenoid Sinus ; surgery

BACKGROUNDA limitation of bronchoscopic balloon dilatation (BBD) is that airflow must be completely blocked for as long as possible during the operation. However, the patient often cannot hold his or her breath for a long period affecting the efficacy of the procedure. In this study, we used an extra-small-diameter tube to provide assisted ventilation to patients undergoing BBD and assessed the efficacy and safety of this technique.

METHODSBronchoscopic balloon dilatation was performed in 26 patients with benign tracheal stenosis using an extra-small-diameter tube. The tracheal diameter, dyspnea index, blood gas analysis results, and complications were evaluated before and after BBD. Statistical analyses were performed by SPSS version 16.0 for Windows (SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL, USA).

RESULTSSixty-three BBD procedures were performed in 26 patients. Dyspnea immediately improved in all patients after BBD. The tracheal diameter significantly increased from 5.5 ± 1.5 mm to 13.0 ± 1.3 mm (P < 0.001), and the dyspnea index significantly decreased from 3.4 ± 0.8 to 0.5 ± 0.6 (P < 0.001). There was no significant change in the partial pressure of oxygen during the operation (before, 102.5 ± 27.5 mmHg; during, 96.9 ± 30.4 mmHg; and after, 97.2 ± 21.5 mmHg; P = 0.364), but there was slight temporary retention of carbon dioxide during the operation (before, 43.5 ± 4.2 mmHg; during, 49.4 ± 6.8 mmHg; and after, 40.1 ± 3.9 mmHg; P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONSmall-diameter tube-assisted BBD is an effective and safe method for the management of benign tracheal stenosis.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Bronchoscopy ; methods ; Dilatation ; methods ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Tracheal Stenosis ; surgery ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of saikosaponins, the active ingredients of Bupleurum chinense DC, on epileptic seizure and EEG of pentetrazole (PTZ)-induced chronic kindling rats.

METHODSForty-eight healthy Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 6 equal groups, namely the blank control group, normal saline (NS) group, sodium valproate (VPA) group, and 3 saikosaponins groups of high, medium and small doses. Except those in the blank control group, the rats in the other groups were all given different treatments as specified prior to intraperitoneal PTZ injection to induce kindling on a daily basis for 4 consecutive weeks. Epileptic seizures of the rats were recorded during the treatment and EEG recorded at the end of the treatments.

RESULTSSeizure frequency in the 3 saikosaponins groups decreased 2 weeks later, which was especially obvious in the high-dose group (P<0.05). The kindling rate was significantly lower in high-dose saikosaponins group than in the other treatment groups after 4 weeks of the treatment (P<0.05), with also less intense seizure onset (P<0.01) and differences in the wave form of EEG.

CONCLUSIONSaikosaponins can inhibit PTZ-induced epileptic seizure in kindling rats and antagonize the kindling effect of PTZ.

Animals ; Anticonvulsants ; pharmacology ; Electroencephalography ; drug effects ; Epilepsy ; chemically induced ; physiopathology ; Female ; Kindling, Neurologic ; drug effects ; Male ; Oleanolic Acid ; analogs & derivatives ; pharmacology ; Pentylenetetrazole ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Saponins ; pharmacology

Although herbal medicines(HMs)are widely used in the prevention and treatment of obesity and obesity-associated disorders,the key constituents exhibiting anti-obesity activity and their molecular mechanisms are poorly understood.Recently,we assessed the inhibitory potentials of several HMs against human pancreatic lipase(hPL,a key therapeutic target for human obesity),among which the root-extract of Rhodiola crenulata(ERC)showed the most potent anti-hPL activity.In this study,we adopted an integrated strategy,involving bioactivity-guided fractionation techniques,chemical profiling,and biochemical assays,to identify the key anti-hPL constituents in ERC.Nine ERC fractions(retention time=12.5-35 min),obtained using reverse-phase liquid chromatography,showed strong anti-hPL activity,while the major constituents in these bioactive fractions were subsequently identified using liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(LC-Q-TOF-MS/MS).Among the identified ERC constituents,1,2,3,4,6-penta-O-galloyl-β-D-glucopyranose(PGG)and catechin gallate(CG)showed the most potent anti-hPL activity,with pIC50 values of 7.59±0.03 and 7.68±0.23,respectively.Further investigations revealed that PGG and CG potently inhibited hPL in a non-competitive manner,with inhibition constant(Ki)values of 0.012 and 0.082 μM,respectively.Collectively,our integrative analyses enabled us to efficiently identify and characterize the key anti-obesity constituents in ERC,as well as to elucidate their anti-hPL mechanisms.These findings provide convincing evidence in support of the anti-obesity and lipid-lowering properties of ERC.

Objective·To investigate the association between mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) or insulin resistance in middle-aged and elderly Chinese community population. Methods·A cross-sectional study was conducted in 6570 residents aged 40 years or older in Jiading District of Shanghai in 2014. All participants received standard questionnaire, anthropometric measurements, biochemical evaluation and ultrasonic examination. NAFLD was defined by hepatic ultrasonography, after excluding subjects with excess alcohol consumption and medical history of liver diseases. Participants were divided into 4 groups according to the quartiles of MUAC, then association between MUAC and NAFLD or insulin resistance was analyzed. Results·With the increase of MUAC level, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, triacylglycerol, fasting insulin, HOMA-IR levels, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, alanine aminotransferase,γ-glutamyl transpeptidase, and aspartic transaminase levels were increased significantly (all P<0.01), as well as the prevalence of NAFLD, hypertension,dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance (all P<0.01). A fully adjusted multivariate Logistic regression analysis revealed that with the increase of MUAC level, the risk of having NAFLD and insulin resistance were increased among women. However, among men, there was no correlation between MUAC and NAFLD or insulin resistance. Conclusion·MUAC is significantly associated with NAFLD and insulin resistance in middle-aged and elderly female Chinese community population.

OBJECTIVETo determine the prevalence of urolithiasis in young children fed infant formula (IF) contaminated with melamine, and the association between IF consumption and urolithiasis.

DESIGNA total of 2 733 children < or = 3 years of age on September 1, 2008 in two townships of Gansu Province, China were studied. Cases of urolithiasis were diagnosed by ultrasonography. Milk product consumption was determined by their caregivers. Remaining IF samples were tested for melamine and cyanuric acid.

RESULTSOf 2 733 eligible children in the two townships, 2 186 (80%) were enrolled in our study. Overall, 16.6% (362) of 2 186 children had urolithiasis. The prevalence was 24.6% in children exclusively fed Sanlu brand IF, 9.7% in those fed other IF, and 8.5% in those fed exclusively on other milk products. For children exclusively breast-fed, no urolithiasis was found (P < 0.05). The prevalence of urolithiasis was 11.4% in children fed 400 g of Sanlu IF, rising to 37.5% in children fed over 25 600 g. Of 48 Sanlu IF samples, 91.7% contained melamine (median = 1 800 ppm; range = 45-4 700) and 66.7% contained cyanuric acid (median = 1.2 ppm; range = 0.4-6.3). Melamine was also detected in 22.2% of 36 other brand IF (median = 27.5 ppm, range = 4-50).

CONCLUSIONSUrolithiasis was associated with melamine-contaminated IF. Although one product caused most morbidity, other milk products may have also contributed to the outbreak.

Child, Preschool ; Data Collection ; Food Contamination ; Humans ; Infant Food ; analysis ; Triazines ; toxicity ; Urolithiasis ; chemically induced

[Abstract] Objective: To investigate the expression of MAGE-C1 (melanoma-associated antigen-C1) in breast cancer tissues and its correlation with clinicopathological features and prognosis of breast cancer patients. Methods: Breast cancer tissues, normal breast tissues and benign breast lesion tissues (60 samples for each) were collected from the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University during January 2008 and December 2008.The mRNA and protein expressions of MAGE-C1 in three types of breast tissues were detected by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry, and their correlation with clinicopathological parameters and prognosis of breast cancer patients were also analyzed. DNA methylase inhibitor 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-Aza-CdR) and histone deacetylase inhibitor trichostatin A (TSA) were used to treat breast cancer MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cells, and RT-PCR was used to determine the changes in mRNA expression of MAGE-C1 after drug treatment. Results: The positive expression rate of MAGE-C1 mRNA and protein in breast cancer tissues were 43.3% (26/60) and 38.3% (23/60), respectively; and the mRNA and protein expressions of MAGE-C1 were all negative in normal breast tissues and benign breast lesion tissues. MAGE-C1 expression was positively associated with high tumor grade (χ2 =6.233, P<0.05). Recurrence-free survival (RFS) of patients with negative MAGE-C1 expression was significantly longer than those patients with positive MAGE-C1 expression (χ 2 =4.213, P<0.05). MAGE-C1 expression (HR=3.980, P<0.05) and clinical stage (HR=3.637, P<0.05) could be used as independent prognostic factors for breast cancer patients. 5-Aza-CdR and/or TSA treatment had no significant influence on MAGE-C1 gene expression (P>0.05). Conclusion: MAGE-C1 is a tumor-specific antigen and its expression is associated with poor prognosis of breast cancer patients.