Humanities education in military medical university must have military feature in mind.According to special military demand, this education should combine teaching with military historical tradition, historical task, construction of curricula set-up system, and the reality of military campus culture construction to make this education have pertinence.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the prognostic effects of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in patients with local advanced gastric cancer.

METHODSWe retrospectively analyzed prognosis in 191 patients with advanced gastric cancer, of whom 71 were treated with NAC and 120 received surgery only between February 2007 and July 2013. Postoperative complication rate was recorded. Survival by clinicopathological features, pathological T and N stages, and histopathological tumor regression was retrospectively compared between the two groups.

RESULTSAccording to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors, none of the 71 patients in the NAC followed by surgery group showed complete response, 36 showed partial response, 25 had stable disease, and 10 had progressive disease. The chemotherapy response rate was 50.7%; the disease control rate was 85.9%. Grade 3/4 adverse events were seen in less than 20% patients, with acceptable toxicities. No difference was found in the overall postoperative complication rates between the two groups (7 versus 22 cases, P=0.18). Median survival time was significantly different, at 54 months in the NAC combined with surgery group and 25 months in the surgery-only group (P=0.025).

CONCLUSIONIn patients with operable gastric adenocarcinomas, NAC can significantly improve overall survival without increasing surgical complications.

Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoadjuvant Therapy ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; mortality ; pathology

OBJECTIVE: To explore the feasibility of detecting of Y-STR of fetal DNA in maternal plasma using Ion Torrent PGM™ System. METHODS: A total of 16 fetal DNA samples from maternal plasmas (8 cases from 38 weeks gestational age and 8 ones from 12 weeks) were prepared and a multiplex assay with 7 STR loci (DYS390, DYS391, DYS393, DYS438, DYS437, DYS456, DYS635) was designed for multiplex-PCR amplification. Using Ion Torrent PGM™ System, the results of Y-STR sequences and capillary electrophoresis were obtained and compared. RESULTS: Y-STR specific alleles were detected in the maternal plasma of all the pregnant women having male babies of second and third trimester, which were higher than that detected by capillary electrophoresis. Consistent Y-STR genotypes were observed between fetal DNA from maternal plasma and genomic DNA from the newborn babies. CONCLUSION Based on Ion Torrent PGM™ System, the prenatal Y-STR detection method may provide a high-sensitive and high-throughput choice for prenatal STR detection in forensic testing.
Alleles ; Chromosomes, Human, Y/genetics* ; DNA/blood* ; Family ; Female ; Fetal Blood/chemistry* ; Genotype ; Haplotypes ; Humans ; Male ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Pregnancy ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Sex Determination Analysis ; Tandem Repeat Sequences/genetics*

AIMTo identify "Shegan" [Belamcanda chinensis (L.) DC.] and relative medicinal plants of Iris including Iris tectorum Maxim., I. dichotoma Pall., I. germanica L. and I. japonica Thunb. by ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase Large Gene (rbcL) sequence analysis.

METHODSGeneral DNA was isolated from the fresh leaves of Belamcanda chinensis and 4 Iris spp. by CTAB. A pair of primers was designed to amplify the rbcL gene and PCR Preps DNA kit was used to purify the PCR products. The rbcL sequences were determined by ABI (Applied Biosystems Inco.) Prism 310 Genetic Analyzer.

RESULTSA fragment of about 750 bp of rbcL gene from Belamcanda chinensis and 4 Iris spp. were amplified and sequenced. The rbcL sequences of Iris tectorum, I. dichotoma Pall. and I. japonica were reported for the first time. The rbcL sequences of 5 species of Iridaceae were aligned and analyzed using Clustal (Version 8.0) and MEGA (Version 2.0.) programs. The nucleotide number of difference is from 1.000 to 20.000. The tranversions is from 0.000 to 9.000 and the transitions is from 0.000 to 14.000. Phylogenetic tree based on rbcL partial sequence data indicated that the eleven samples of 5 species clustered separately.

CONCLUSIONThe sequence variation of rbcL can be used to identify Belamcanda chinensis and 4 species of relative medicinal plants of Iris. The molecular phylogenetic tree accords with the classical taxonomy.

Base Sequence ; Chloroplasts ; genetics ; DNA, Plant ; analysis ; Genes, Plant ; Iridaceae ; classification ; genetics ; Iris Plant ; classification ; genetics ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Phylogeny ; Plants, Medicinal ; classification ; genetics ; Ribulose-Bisphosphate Carboxylase ; classification ; genetics ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Species Specificity

Aggregation and accumulation of beta-amyloid peptide (Abeta) in brain tissues contribute to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, the promotion of Abeta clearance is one of the key targets for preventing and treatment Alzheimer's disease. Studies proved that some traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) compounds and extracts could impact the activity of degrading enzyme in amyloid peptide, the transport of hemato encephalic barrier and the phagocytosis of microglial cells, promote Abeta clearance, and improve learning and memory of animal models with Alzheimer's disease. In this review, we made an summary for the relations between Abeta and Alzheimer's disease, the Abeta clearance mechanism and the clearance effect of traditional Chinese medicines.
Alzheimer Disease ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; pathology ; Amyloid beta-Peptides ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Animals ; Blood-Brain Barrier ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; Microglia ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Protein Multimerization ; drug effects

Objective To evaluate the prognostic effects of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in patients with local advanced gastric cancer.
Methods We retrospectively analyzed prognosis in 191 patients with advanced gastric cancer, of whom 71 were treated with NAC and 120 received surgery only between February 2007 and July 2013. Postoperative complication rate was recorded. Survival by clinicopathological features, pathological T and N stages, and histopathological tumor regression was retrospectively compared between the two groups.
Results According to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors, none of the 71 patients in the NAC followed by surgery group showed complete response, 36 showed partial response, 25 had stable disease, and 10 had progressive disease. The chemotherapy response rate was 50.7%;the disease control rate was 85.9%. Grade 3/4 adverse events were seen in less than 20% patients, with acceptable toxicities. No difference was found in the overall postoperative complication rates between the two groups (7 versus 22 cases, P=0.18). Median survival time was significantly different, at 54 months in the NAC combined with surgery group and 25 months in the surgery-only group (P=0.025).
Conclusion In patients with operable gastric adenocarcinomas, NAC can significantly improve overall survival without increasing surgical complications.

BACKGROUNDTransurethral resection of prostate (TURP) has been widely used as a golden standard therapy of benign prostatic hyperplasia for over 40 years. However, not all patients achieved favorable outcome postoperatively. Since the level of bladder outlet obstruction and the dysfunction of detrusor (overactive and underactive) were both found to affect surgical efficacy, urodynamics was recommended as routine preoperative examination in selecting proper surgical candidates by International Continence Society in spite of its invasiveness and high cost. The aim of this research was to compare the predictive value between ultrasonography and urodynamics for TURP efficacy and determine if preoperative urodynamic test could be replaced by ultrasonography.

METHODSTwo hundred and seventy-one patients took part in the retrospective analysis. All the subjects had preoperative evaluation of symptoms, life quality, and combined examination of ultrasonography and urodynamics. Surgical efficacy was measured according to the recovery of international prostate symptom score, quality of life score, and maximal flow rate 6 months after TURP. Fisher's linear discriminant analysis was applied to establish the predictive models of surgical efficacy by choosing parameters from ultrasonography or urodynamics as independent factors. Receiver's operating characteristic curve was then plotted to compare the values between the models.

RESULTSSensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value of models consisting of parameters from both ultrasonography and urodynamics were favorable. Corresponding models of ultrasonography and urodynamics were found to have non-significant difference in area under curve (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSPreoperative ultrasonography has as strong value as urodynamics does in predicting surgical outcome of patients undergone TURP and might take the place of urodynamics in selecting surgical candidates. Further prospective analysis with larger popularity and longer period of follow up should be launched to verify the result of this research.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Humans ; Male ; Prostate ; diagnostic imaging ; surgery ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; diagnostic imaging ; surgery ; Transurethral Resection of Prostate ; Treatment Outcome ; Ultrasonography ; Urodynamics ; physiology

This study was aimed to analyze the mRNA expression of cytokines (TGF-beta, IL-2, IL-6, IL-10, IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha, FAS-L) in five rhesus treated with haploidentical peripheral blood stem cell transplantation after nonmyeloablative preparative regimens and to explore the role of these cytokines in the development and pathology of acute graft-versus-host-disease (aGVHD). Five rhesus monkeys received nonmyeloablative haploidentical peripheral blood stem cells transplantation. Semi-quantitative reversed transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to analyze the kinetics of cytokine mRNA expression in the transplantation and aGVHD. The results showed that five rhesus monkeys acquired hematopoietic reconstitution successfully. The graft was rejected in one monkey which survived without disease, the other four achieved mixed chimerism and full donor chimerism. Chimerism of low centigrade in one monkey achieved high centigrade at 35 days after donor stem cell infusion. Intestinal aGVHD grade III developed in one monkey. Cytokines of Th1 and Th2 changed after transplantation. In period of aGVHD, expression of TGF-beta decreased but all others increased in various levels. When donor chimerism decreased, the cytokines decreased accordingly. It is concluded that the decrease of TGF-beta mRNA may be an indicator to predict aGVHD, and can be used as a differential diagnostic indicator for intestinal GVHD.
Animals ; Cytokines ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Graft vs Host Disease ; diagnosis ; metabolism ; Haploidy ; Macaca mulatta ; Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation ; adverse effects ; RNA, Messenger ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Transforming Growth Factor beta ; biosynthesis ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the value of real time quantitative RT-PCR (Q-PCR) for monitoring AML1-ETO mRNA levels in AML1-ETO(+) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT).

METHODSQuantification of AML1-ETO(+) mRNA was performed serially on bone marrow samples from 17 patients with AML1-ETO(+) AML after HSCT. Q-PCR used the TagMan probe system. The AML1-ETO mRNA level was normalized by control gene abl. Cytogenetic response was evaluated by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH).

RESULTSThe reproducible sensitivity of Q-PCR was 5 copies. Out of 16 patients who achieved sustained complete cytogenetic response (CCyR), one each died of graft-versus-host disease and infection. The median AML1-ETO mRNA levels in the rest of 14 CCyR patients were 0 (0 - 0.740), 0.026 (0 - 2.900), 0.039 (0 - 3.300) at +1, +2, +3 month post allo-HSCT, respectively and in 5 CCyR patients beyond 1 year following allo-HSCT (median follow-up 685 days) was 0.078 (0.003 - 0.120). The AML1-ETO mRNA levels in one relapsed patient were 0, 9.8 and 5.6 at +1, +2 and +3 month post allo-HSCT, respectively and hematological relapse occurred at +110 day, when the AML1-ETO mRNA levels increased dramatically from 5.600 to 390.000.

CONCLUSIONSQ-PCR is a sensitive technique in monitoring AML1-ETO(+) AML patients post allo-HSCT. Persistence of a low level within one year after allo-HSCT does not mean at risk of relapse. It is necessary to dynamic monitoring AML1-ETO mRNA after remission in t(8;21) AML patients.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Core Binding Factor Alpha 2 Subunit ; genetics ; metabolism ; Female ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Humans ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute ; metabolism ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Oncogene Proteins, Fusion ; genetics ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; RUNX1 Translocation Partner 1 Protein ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; methods ; Young Adult