Objective To investigate the expression and significance of transforming growth factor beta receptors (TGF?RⅠ, TGF?RⅡ) in basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Methods The expression of TGF?RⅠand TGF?RⅡwere assessed by quantitative real-time PCR and streptavidin -peroxidase (SP) immunohistochemical techniques in specimens of basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and normal control skin. Results Eighteen patients with basal cell carcinoma and twenty-four with squamous cell carcinoma were enrolled in the study. The expression levels of TGF?RⅠand RⅡmRNA were significantly down-regulated in basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma in comparison with those in control skin specimens (P

OBJECTIVETo study the possible relationship between serum ferritin levels and susceptibility to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children.

METHODSThe papers relating to the relationship between serum ferritin levels and susceptibility to childhood ADHD were searched in the Database CBM, CNKI, VIP and PubMed. The Meta-analysis software RevMan 5.0 was used for the heterogeneity test and for the pooled OR calculation. Sensitivity and publication bias analysis were performed.

RESULTSFive control studies were included for the Meta analysis, including 258 cases of ADHD and 138 control cases. There was heterogeneity in the studies on the relationship between serum ferritin levels and susceptibility to childhood ADHD (P=0.003). So the studies were analyzed using the random-effect model. The pooled OR of serum ferritin levels and susceptibility to childhood ADHD was -23.09 (95%CI:-33.06-13.13; P<0.00001). The funnel plots did not indicate the existence of publication bias.

CONCLUSIONSThe results from present Meta analysis can prove that serum ferritin levels are associated with susceptibility to childhood ADHD.

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity ; blood ; etiology ; Child ; Ferritins ; blood ; Humans

Integration of "5+3" training mode is to accelerate the construction of standardization of clinical medical personnel training system,and the establishment of the new training mode.The training goal is to make the students become the high-level clinicians with the ability of clinical thinking and clinical practice,and scientific research and teaching,who can independently and pro-fessionally prevent and treat the related common disease.Therefore,guided by the general training goal of our students,we designed and practiced a teaching mode centered on "immune disease mechanism analysis" in the teaching of medical immunology,aiming at improving students'ability of clinical thinking,self learning and team coorperation.

OBJECTIVETo assess suppression effects of vector-based small interfering RNA (siRNA) on vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression of human tongue squamous carcinoma cell line (Tca8113) in vitro.

METHODSTwo siRNA targeting VEGF constructed in eukaryotic expression vector (Pu-VEGF-siRNA1, Pu-VEGF-siRNA2), eukaryotic expression vector as the experiment control, all of which were transfected into Tca8113 cells with Lipofectamine 2000. Non-transfection cell was used as negative control. VEGF mRNA and protein were detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), immunohistochemistry and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively.

RESULTSCompared to the experimental and negative controls, the expression of VEGF mRNA and protein were significantly decreased in the Pu-VEGF-siRNA1 group and Pu-VEGF-siRNA2 group. But there were no significant differences between two controls (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONVector-based siRNAs targeting VEGF are efficient in down-regulating VEGF expression in Tca8113 cells.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cell Line ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; Genetic Vectors ; Humans ; RNA, Messenger ; RNA, Small Interfering ; Tongue Neoplasms ; Transfection ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A

BACKGROUNDPrevious studies suggested that zinc level was related to a certain diabetic microvascular complication. However, the relationship between zinc level and all the microvascular complications in type 2 diabetic patients remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between zinc level and each diabetic microvascular complication and identify the features related to low serum zinc level.

METHODSWe included the hospitalized patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) at our department from May 30, 2013 to March 31, 2014. We initially compared the serum zinc levels between patients with specific microvascular complications and those without. We then analyzed the association between zinc level and each microvascular complication. Furthermore, we identified the unique features of patients with high and low serum zinc levels and analyzed the risk factors related to low zinc level.

RESULTSThe 412 patients included 271 with microvascular complications and 141 without any microvascular complications. Serum zinc level was significantly lower in patients with diabetic retinopathy (P < 0.001), diabetic nephropathy (DN, P < 0.001), or diabetic peripheral neuropathy (P = 0.002) compared with patients without that specific complication. Lower zinc level was an independent risk factor for DN (odds ratio = 0.869, 95% confidence interval = 0.765-0.987, P < 0.05). The subjects with lower serum zinc level had manifested a longer duration of diabetes, higher level of hemoglobin A1c, higher prevalence of hypertension and microvascular complications, and lower fasting and 2-h C-peptide levels.

CONCLUSIONSLower serum zinc level in T2D patients was related to higher prevalence of diabetic microvascular complications, and represented as an independent risk factor for DN. Patients with lower zinc level were more likely to have a longer duration of diabetes, poorer glucose control, and worse β-cell function.

Adult ; Aged ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; blood ; complications ; Diabetic Nephropathies ; blood ; etiology ; Diabetic Neuropathies ; blood ; etiology ; Diabetic Retinopathy ; blood ; etiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Risk Factors ; Zinc ; blood

BACKGROUNDMixed cryoglobulinemia (MC) is one of the most common and severe symptoms in chronic hepatitis C patients. The aim of this study was to investigate whether mixed cryoglobulinemia is a factor associated with sustained virological response in chronic hepatitis C patients treated with combination therapy of pegylated interferon alpha-2a and ribavirin.

METHODSThis is a single-center study including 57 chronic hepatitis C patients who received combination treatments of pegylated interferon alfa-2a and ribavirin. Serum cryoglobulin was detected by cryoprecipitation prior to treatment. Serum hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA levels were checked before treatment, during the fourth and 12th week of treatment, and during the 24th week after cessation of treatment. The genotype of HCV was determined at baseline. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the factors associated with sustained virological response.

RESULTSTwenty-five patients were with MC (43.9%). Twenty-four weeks after cessation of antiviral treatment, sustained virological response achievement in MC(+) patients was significantly lower than that in MC(-) patients (32.0% vs. 75.0%, P = 0.001). Univariate Logistic regression analysis and multivariate Logistic regression analysis found that only MC (odds ratio: 6.375; 95% CI: 1.998- 20.343, P = 0.002) was negatively associated with sustained virological response achievement.

CONCLUSIONMC is an independent factor negatively associated with sustained virological response in chronic hepatitis C patients treated with pegylated interferon alpha-2a and ribavirin.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Cryoglobulinemia ; etiology ; metabolism ; Cryoglobulins ; metabolism ; Female ; Hepatitis C, Chronic ; blood ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Interferon-alpha ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polyethylene Glycols ; therapeutic use ; Recombinant Proteins ; therapeutic use ; Ribavirin ; therapeutic use ; Young Adult

Taking berberine (BBR) as an example, to study whether the supramolecular hydrogel formed by berberine and lotus root starch (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn; LRS), a natural polysaccharide, affects the inhibition to Staphylococcus aureus and the ability of biofilm clearance. The chemical structure and rheological properties of BBR@LRS gel were characterized by infrared spectroscopy and rheometer. The in vitro release of supramolecular hydrogel was observed at pH = 1.2 and pH = 7.4. Broth dilution method and biofilm clearence experiment were used to observe the bacteriostasis and biofilm clearance respectively. Cytotoxicity test and in vitro hemolysis test were used to evaluate the biosafety preliminarily. The results showed that the LRS polysaccharide hydrogel could encapsulate BBR, and there was an interaction between them. The BBR@LRS gel had good rheological properties and biosafety, and played a role in solubility enhancement and slow release of BBR, which was stronger than BBR in inhibiting the growth of Staphylococcus aureus and clearing biofilm. This study provides reference for the effect of natural polysaccharide supramolecular hydrogels on biological functions of active components of traditional Chinese medicine.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical characteristics of patients with elderly-onset rheumatoid arthritis (EORA), and the risk factors of EORA complicated with cardiovascular disease (CVD). METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Peking University People's Hospital from July 2009 to December 2014 and 1 116 patients were recruited. The patients' characteristics and CVD, including ischemic heart disease, cerebral and peripheral vascular disease, were recorded. The patients were divided into EORA group (n=212) and younger-onset rheumatoid arthritis (YORA) group (n=904) according to the age of onset ≥60 years and < 60 years. Then, the differences between the groups were analyzed by Student's t test, Mann-Whitney U test or χ²test, and risk influencing CVD were analyzed using Logistic regression. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the disease activity between the EORA and YORA groups. The proportion of male, pulmonary interstitial disease (ILD), and numbers of deformity joint count (DJC) were significantly higher in the EORA group compared with the YORA group [32.1% vs. 18.5%, χ²=19.11, P < 0.001; 23.6% vs. 13.6%, χ²=16.50, P < 0.001; 6 (2, 12) vs. 3 (2, 7), Z=-3.60, P < 0.001], while the prevalence of Sjögren's syndrome was lower than that of the YORA group (13.5% vs. 5.2%, χ²=11.29, P=0.001). Moreover, there were lower prevalences in the patients treated with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) in EORA group (35.4%) than in YORA group (26.7%) (χ²=6.43, P=0.011), especially in methotrexate (MTX), hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and sulfasalazine (SSZ). In addition, the patients with EORA had a higher prevalence of CVD (27.8%) than the YORA group (11.6%, χ²=40.46, P < 0.001), accompanied with higher prevalence of smoking, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that elder age (OR=1.10, 95%CI: 1.00-1.20), DJC (OR=3.17, 95%CI: 1.04-9.68), rheumatoid nodules (OR=3.56, 95%CI: 1.03-12.23), hypertension (OR=2.37, 95%CI: 1.09-5.13) and hyperlipidemia (OR=8.85, 95%CI: 2.50-31.27) were independent risk factors, while HCQ (OR=0.22, 95%CI: 0.07-0.70) and MTX (OR=0.32, 95%CI: 0.14-0.73) were protective factors of EORA complicated with CVD. CONCLUSION Compared with YORA, patients with EORA have higher ratio of male, ILD and DJC, which may be attributed to inappropriate therapies. EORA is more likely to be complicated with CVD than YORA. Elder age, DJC, rheumatoid nodules, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia are independent risk factors, while HCQ and MTX are protective factors of EORA complicated with CVD.
Age of Onset ; Aged ; Antirheumatic Agents/therapeutic use* ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/epidemiology* ; Cardiovascular Diseases/etiology* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Risk Factors