AIMTo detect the expression of nerve growth factor (NGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma (SACC) tissues, as well as to determine the correlation between growth factor expression and prognosis in SACC.

METHODOLOGYMedical records of 63 patients surgically treated for SACC between January 1988 and October 2005 were reviewed. Immunohistochemistry was performed to examine the expression of NGF and VEGF in tumor tissues. Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox's proportional hazard regression model were applied to assess predictors of survival.

RESULTSNGF and VEGF were overexpressed in SACC tissues, compared with those in normal salivary tissues (P < 0.05), and the staining intensity of these two factors was stronger in groups of solid subtype, advanced TNM stage, perineural invasion and recurrence. Patients with high-expression of NGF and VEGF, solid subtype, advanced stage, perineural invasion, recurrence and extended resection alone had worse survival rates (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONNGF and VEGF are expressed increasingly in the tissues of SACC cases with invasion and metastasis. NGF expression and VEGF expression are independent

Adult ; Aged ; Carcinoma, Adenoid Cystic ; pathology ; surgery ; Cranial Nerves ; pathology ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoadjuvant Therapy ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; pathology ; Neoplasm Staging ; Nerve Growth Factor ; analysis ; Prognosis ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Retrospective Studies ; Salivary Gland Neoplasms ; pathology ; surgery ; Salivary Glands ; pathology ; Salivary Glands, Minor ; pathology ; Survival Rate ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; analysis ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo study the role of O(6)-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (hMGMT) in the development of human lung cancer.

METHODSReverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method was applied to measure hMGMT mRNA expression in 150 lung cancer specimens, 40 normal lung tissues, and in the peripheral mononuclear blood cells from 50 lung cancer cases and 50 normal controls. The protein expressions of p53, C-MYC and K-RAS were assessed by immuno-histochemistry. The effects of some exposure factors on the expression of hMGMT gene were analyzed. The relationships between hMGMT gene and cancer related genes p53, C-MYC and K-RAS were investigated.

RESULTSThe mRNA of hMGMT was low or absent in 49 of 150 (32.7%) lung cancer specimens, whereas 2 of 40 (5%) normal lung tissues had reduced the levels of hMGMT mRNA. The low expression of hMGMT seemed to be a risk factor of lung cancer, with a OR of 9.22 (2.05-57.65). Reduced expression levels of hMGMT mRNA were observed in 10 of 50 (20%) lung cancer patients' peripheral mononuclear blood cells, and 2 of 50 (4%) blood cells among normal controls. When investigating the exposure factors which affecting the expression of hMGMT gene, we noticed that smoking was suppressing the expression of hMGMT gene. Interestingly, over-expression of K-RAS oncogene was significantly correlated with low expression of hMGMT (P < 0.05). However, the expressions of p53 and C-myc were not correlated with the status of hMGMT gene.

CONCLUSIONhMGMT might play an important role in the development of human lung cancer. Low expression of hMGMT gene seemed to be a risk factor for lung cancer which could be used as a valuable biomarker on susceptibility of human lung cancers.

Adult ; Aged ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; enzymology ; genetics ; China ; epidemiology ; DNA Repair ; genetics ; Female ; Genes, ras ; genetics ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; enzymology ; genetics ; Male ; Middle Aged ; O(6)-Methylguanine-DNA Methyltransferase ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; metabolism ; Point Mutation ; RNA, Messenger ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Smoking ; adverse effects ; ras Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo determine the effect of tyrosine kinase A (TrkA) and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) in the invasion and metastasis of salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma (SACC).

METHODSThe expression of TrkA and VEGFR2 were detected by immunohistochemical staining in 47 cases of SACC of salivary glands. Clinical data were reviewed by multivariate prognostic analysis.

RESULTSThe positive rate of TrkA and VEGFR2 in SACC was 87.23% (41/47) and 85.11% (40/47) respectively. Express of TrkA and VEGFR2 in perineural invasion and recurrence group were higher than non-perineural invasion and non-recurrence group. Significant difference was found in microvessel density (MVD) and VEGFR2 expression within different groups (P < 0.05). MVD in perineural invasion group (25.14 +/- 2.83) was significantly higher than that in none perineural invasion group (18.81 +/- 1.33) (P < 0.05). MVD in recurrence or metastasis group (26.58 +/- 2.38) was significantly higher than that (19.06 +/- 1.39) in none recurrence nor metastasis group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONPositive correlation between expression of TrkA, VEGFR2 and nerve invasion and vessel metastasis of SACC indicate that TrkA and VEGFR2 play important roles in the invasion and metastasis of SACC. It is possible that TrkA and VEGFR2 could be an aid for evaluating the prognosis of SACC patients.

Carcinoma, Adenoid Cystic ; metabolism ; pathology ; Humans ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Receptor, trkA ; metabolism ; Salivary Gland Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2

OBJECTIVETo understand the adverse and curative effects of film coated praziquantel for treatment of schistosomiasis japonica.

METHODSA questionnaire survey was conducted among 6 to 65 years old inhabitants from epidemic areas of schistosomiasis japonica in Jiangxi, Anhui and Hubei provinces, while indirect haemagglutination assay (IHA) was also administrated. The Serological positives were tested by Kato-Katz technique. A total of 509 habitats of serological positives and healthy persons were given praziquantel. 460 targets with no relative symptoms were followed up for adverse effect of drugs in one month and efficacy evaluation of praziquantel was carried out in 104 parasitological positives 3 months post-treatment.

RESULTSThe 84.7% (144/170) individuals thought film coated tablets were no smell or only with little smell while 92.9%(315/339) targets in control group fell that tablets smelled bad. The total side effect rates of film coated praziquantel group and control group in 1-2 hours post-treatment were 20.30% (27/133) and 83.18% (272/327) respectively. There was significantly different between two groups (chi(2) = 164.316, P < 0.05). The adverse effect rates of film coated praziquantel group in neuromuscular system, digestive system and cardiovascular system were 15.79% (21/133), 9.77% (13/133), 2.26% (3/133) individually which were significantly lower than those of control groups with 81.65% (267/327), 49.24% (161/327), 12.84% (42/327) in corresponding systems (chi(2)(neuromuscular system) = 175.188, chi(2)(digestive system) = 62.601, chi(2)(cardiovascular system) = 12.010, P < 0.05). And the adverse effect rate of allergic reaction of film coated group was no significant difference with control group (2.26%(3/133) versus 0.92% (3/327), chi(2) = 1.315, P = 0.235). One day after treatment, the adverse effect rate of film coated tablets of praziquantel decreased to 3.01% (4/133), significantly lower than that of control group (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference after 2 weeks treatment while the adverse effect rates decreased to 0.75%(1/133), 0.61% (2/327) in film coated praziquantel group and control group respectively (chi(2) = 0.029, P = 0.642). The curative rates 3 months post treatment were 84.91% (45/51) in film coated tablets of praziquantel group and 82.35% (42/53) in control group without significant difference (chi(2) = 1.536, P = 0.215).

CONCLUSIONThe smell and adverse effects of film coated tablets of praziquantel were decreased significantly and its efficacy for treatment of schistosomiasis japonica was equal to the control tablets. The film coated tablets of praziquantel might be applied in field widely after a further verification.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Child ; China ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Praziquantel ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Schistosomiasis japonica ; drug therapy ; Tablets ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo study the in vivo interference effects of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) short hairpin RNA (shRNA) on xenografts of drug-resistant tongue cancer cells.

METHODSDrug-resistant tongue caner cells Tca/Cisplatin (DDP) were injected subcutaneously into nude mice to establish xenograft models, which were randomly divided into non-transfected group, mock control group, control group transfected with scrambled sequence plasmid, interference group transfected with VEGF-shRNA expression plasmid. Liposome-mediated plasmid transfection was done in the latter three groups every three days. Xenografts were observed and tumor growth curve was measured. After the 10th transfection, tumors were anatomized and weigh. Microvessel density was detected by immunohistochemical staining. In situ hybridization assay was used to test VEGF mRNA, and immunohistochemistry to test VEGF, P-glycoprotein (P-gp), B cell lymphoma/leukemia-2 (bcl-2) and extracellular signal-regultaed kinase 2 (ERK-2) protein.

RESULTSTumor growth in VEGF-shRNA interference group was significantly slow. Tumor weight was (0.4781 ± 0.0860) g, microvessel density (7.35 ± 1.31)/view, VEGF mRNA (0.0767 ± 0.0234), VEGF protein (0.1301 ± 0.0433), P-gp (0.1517 ± 0.0184), bcl-2 (0.1218 ± 0.0251) and ERK-2 protein (0.1178 ± 0.0291) in VEGF-shRNA interference group; all of them were less than those in the other three groups (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSInhibition targeting VEGF may become a potential therapy for drug-resistant tongue cancer.

ATP-Binding Cassette, Sub-Family B, Member 1 ; metabolism ; Animals ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; Cisplatin ; pharmacology ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm ; Female ; Humans ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mice, Nude ; Microvessels ; pathology ; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1 ; metabolism ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; metabolism ; RNA Interference ; RNA, Messenger ; metabolism ; RNA, Small Interfering ; genetics ; Random Allocation ; Tongue Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Transfection ; Tumor Burden ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; genetics ; metabolism ; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

BACKGROUNDAt present, China has listed the compound tablet containing a fixed dose of rosiglitazone and metformin, Avandamet, which may improve patient compliance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Avandamet or uptitrated metformin treatment in patients with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled with metformin alone.

METHODSThis study was a 48-week, multicenter, randomized, open-labeled, active-controlled trial. Patients with inadequate glycaemic control (glycated hemoglobin [HbA1c] 7.5-9.5%) receiving a stable dose of metformin (≥1500 mg) were recruited from 21 centers in China (from 19 November, 2009 to 15 March, 2011). The primary objective was to compare the proportion of patients who reached the target of HbA1c ≤7% between Avandamet and metformin treatment.

RESULTSAt week 48, 83.33% of patients reached the target of HbA1c ≤7% in Avandamet treatment and 70.00% in uptitrated metformin treatment, with significantly difference between groups. The target of HbA1c ≤6.5% was reached in 66.03% of patients in Avandamet treatment and 46.88% in uptitrated metformin treatment. The target of fasting plasma glucose (FPG) ≤6.1 mmol/L was reached in 26.97% of patients in Avandamet treatment and 19.33% in uptitrated metformin treatment. The target of FPG ≤7.0 mmol/L was reached in 63.16% of patients in Avandamet treatment and 43.33% in uptitrated metformin treatment. Fasting insulin decreased 3.24 ± 0.98 μU/ml from baseline in Avandamet treatment and 0.72 ± 1.10 μU/ml in uptitrated metformin treatment. Overall adverse event (AE) rates and serious AE rates were similar between groups. Hypoglycaemia occurred rarely in both groups.

CONCLUSIONSCompared with uptitrated metformin, Avandamet treatment provided significant improvements in key parameters of glycemic control and was generally well tolerated.

REGISTRATION NUMBERChiCTR-TRC-13003776.

Adult ; Blood Glucose ; drug effects ; C-Reactive Protein ; metabolism ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; blood ; drug therapy ; Drug Combinations ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Female ; Humans ; Hypoglycemic Agents ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Metformin ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Middle Aged ; Thiazoles ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use

OBJECTIVETo investigate the levels of blood pressure and serum lipids, and examine the relationship between hypertension and hyperlipidemia in Hei Yi Zhuang Chinese living in Guangxi.

METHODSA total of 1056 people of Hei Yi Zhuang ethnicity were studied. Blood pressure, body height, body weight, and serum levels of lipids and apolipoprotein were measured. The data were compared with those in 925 people of Han ethnicity, who live in the same region.

RESULTSSystolic blood pressure and pulse pressure were significantly higher in Hei Yi Zhuang than Han Chinese (P < 0.001). The prevalence of isolated systolic hypertension and hypertension was also significantly higher in Hei Yi Zhuang than Han Chinese (P < 0.001). Serum concentrations of total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and apolipoprotein (Apo) B, and the prevalence of hypercholesterolemia and hyperlipidemia were significantly lower in Hei Yi Zhuang than Han Chinese (P < 0.05). Serum concentrations of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and the Apo A1 to Apo B ratio were significantly higher in Hei Yi Zhuang than Han Chinese (P < 0.001). The prevalence of hypertension in Hei Yi Zhuang Chinese was positively associated with triglycerides (r = 0.425, P < 0.05), whereas the prevalence of hypertension in Han Chinese was positively correlated with total cholesterol (r = 0.623, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONThe present study revealed a significant difference in blood pressure and serum lipids between Hei Yi Zhuang and Han ethnic groups, and an association between hypertension and hyperlipidemia.

Adult ; Aged ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; ethnology ; Blood Pressure ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias ; epidemiology ; ethnology ; Hypertension ; epidemiology ; ethnology ; Lipids ; blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Sampling Studies ; Young Adult

This study was aimed to explore whether multiple common gene mutations of leukemia synergistically involved in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) pathogenesis, and to investigate their relevance to clinical features, cytogenetics and molecular risk stratification. 84 specimens of admitted de novo APL patients from February 2005 to October 2010 were collected, the gene mutations of bone marrow mononuclear cells and clinical features of mutation-positive patients were analyzed by genomic DNA-PCR. The results indicated that the prevalence of mutations was 60.7% (51/84), in which the mutations with the highest incidence were found as FLT3-ITD, reaching 27.4% (23/84). Next, there were 12 cases WT1 mutation, 9 for FLT3-TKD, 7 for TET2, 5 for N-RAS, 4 for ASXL1, 2 for EZH2 mutation and 1 positive case in MLL-PTD, IDH1 and CBL mutation respectively. No mutation was found in other JAK1, DNMT3, c-Kit, NPM1, IDH2, RUNX1 and JAK2 (V617F) common leukemia-related genes. Combined analysis with clinical data demonstrated that the patients with FLT3-ITD mutation displayed higher white blood cell counts, while the patients with N-RAS mutation showed lower platelet counts. Overall survival of these patients was obviously shorten as compared with patients with wild-type. This difference between mutant and wild-type of all above mentioned cases was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The difference between APL with simple t (15;17) and additional abnormal karyotype was not statistically significant. It is concluded that the FLT3-ITD mutation is recurrent genetic change in APL, and together with N-RAS mutation indicates poor prognosis. Additional abnormal karyotype does not associate with prognosis of APL.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Child ; DNA Mutational Analysis ; DNA-Binding Proteins ; genetics ; Enhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 Protein ; Female ; Genes, ras ; Humans ; Leukemia, Promyelocytic, Acute ; genetics ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mutation ; Nuclear Proteins ; genetics ; Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 ; genetics ; Prognosis ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins ; genetics ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit ; genetics ; Repressor Proteins ; genetics ; Tandem Repeat Sequences ; Young Adult ; fms-Like Tyrosine Kinase 3 ; genetics

Objective To predict the monthly reported echinococcosis cases in China with the autoregressive integrated mov-ing average(ARIMA)model,so as to provide a reference for prevention and control of echinococcosis. Methods SPSS 24.0 software was used to construct the ARIMA models based on the monthly reported echinococcosis cases of time series from 2007 to 2015 and 2007 to 2014,respectively,and the accuracies of the two ARIMA models were compared. Results The model based on the data of the monthly reported cases of echinococcosis in China from 2007 to 2015 was ARIMA(1,0,0)(1,1, 0)12,the relative error among reported cases and predicted cases was-13.97%,AR(1)=0.367(t=3.816,P<0.001),SAR (1)=-0.328(t=-3.361,P=0.001),and Ljung-Box Q=14.119(df=16,P=0.590).The model based on the data of the monthly reported cases of echinococcosis in China from 2007 to 2014 was ARIMA(1,0,0)(1,0,1)12,the relative error among reported cases and predicted cases was 0.56%,AR(1)=0.413(t=4.244,P<0.001),SAR(1)=0.809(t=9.584, P<0.001),SMA(1)=0.356(t=2.278,P=0.025),and Ljung-Box Q=18.924(df=15,P=0.217).Conclusions The different time series may have different ARIMA models as for the same infectious diseases.It is needed to be further verified that the more data are accumulated,the shorter time of predication is,and the smaller the average of the relative error is.The estab-lishment and prediction of an ARIMA model is a dynamic process that needs to be adjusted and optimized continuously accord-ing to the accumulated data,meantime,we should give full consideration to the intensity of the work related to infectious diseas-es reported(such as disease census and special investigation).

BackgroundPlacebo was defined as any therapy that is used for its nonspecific psychological and physiologic effect but has no specific pharmacologic impact on the condition being treated. Besides medication therapies, studies have found that the optimal dietary approach as well as physical activity and education are useful to control hyperglycemia in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). The aim of this study was to evaluate the placebo effects of antidiabetic therapies in Asian and Caucasian T2DM patients and make a comparison between the two ethnicities.

MethodsA search using the MEDLINE database, EMBASE, and Cochrane Database was performed, from when recording began until December 2016. The main concepts searched in English were sulfonylurea (SU); alpha glucosidase inhibitors (AGI); metformin (MET); thiazolidinediones (TZD); dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4i); sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i); glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA); type 2 diabetes (T2DM); placebo controlled; and randomized controlled trials. Using the Cochrane instrument, we evaluated the adequacy of randomization, allocation concealment procedures, and blinding.

ResultsThis study included 63 studies with a total of 7096 Asian patients involved and 262 studies with a total of 27,477 Caucasian patients involved. In Caucasian population, the use of placebo led to significant reductions of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), -0.683% (P = 0.008) in SU monotherapy treatment, -0.193% (P = 0.001) in DPP-4i treatment, and -0.230% (P < 0.001) in SGLT2i treatment, respectively. In Asian population, the use of placebo resulted in significant decreases of HbA1c, -0.162% (P = 0.012) in DPP-4i treatment and -0.269% (P = 0.028) in GLP-1RA add-on therapy, respectively. The placebo also significantly reduced body weight. In Caucasian population, placebo use resulted in 0.833 kg (P = 0.006) weight loss by SU treatment and 0.953 kg (P = 0.006) weight loss by GLP-1RA treatment. In Asian population, the placebo led to a weight change of 0.612 kg (P < 0.001) by GLP-1RA analog treatment. The changes of HbA1c and weight due to the placebo effect in other treatments were not significant in both Asian and Caucasian population. Comparisons of the placebo effect on HbA1c change and weight change in each treatment group indicated that no significant difference was found between Asian and Caucasian population.

ConclusionsThe overall differences of the placebo effect on HbA1c changes as well as on body weight changes were not significant between Asian and Caucasian T2DM patients. The placebo effect on HbA1c changes and weight changes was not associated with baseline age, gender, baseline body mass index, baseline HbA1c, duration of diabetes, or study duration.