OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) on ACAT-1 expression and cholesterol content in THP-1-derived macrophages and foam cells.

METHODSTHP-1 cells were induced to differentiate into macrophages and further into foam cells. The macrophages and foam cells were exposed to different concentrations (0, 3.75, 7.5, 15, and 30 µmol/L) of ADMA for varying time lengths (6, 12, and 24 h), and the changes in ACAT-1 mRNA and protein levels in the cells were measured with RT-PCR and Western blotting. The cellular cholesterol content was measured with enzyme-linked colorimetry assay.

RESULTSIn THP-1-derived macrophages and foam cells, the expression levels of ACAT-1 mRNA and protein and cellular cholesterol content increased significantly in response to ADMA treatment in a time- and concentration-dependent manner.

CONCLUSIONADMA may play an important role in inducing foam cell formation from macrophages. ACAT-1 inhibition targeting the macrophages and foam cells may serve as a potential therapeutic target in the treatment of atherosclerosis.

Acetyl-CoA C-Acetyltransferase ; metabolism ; Arginine ; analogs & derivatives ; pharmacology ; Cell Line ; Cholesterol ; analysis ; Foam Cells ; cytology ; metabolism ; Humans ; Macrophages ; cytology ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Monocytes ; cytology ; drug effects ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; Up-Regulation

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of ADMA on macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) expression and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and IL-8 secretion in THP-1 monocyte-derived macrophages. METHIDS: THP-1 monocytes were induced to differentiate into macrophages by a 24-h incubation with 160 nmol/L PMA. The THP-1 monocyte-derived macrophages were exposed to different concentrations of ADMA for 24 h, and the changes in MIF mRNA and protein expressions were analyzed with RT-PCR and Western blotting, respectively. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect the levels of TNF-α and IL-8 in the supernatant of THP-1-derived macrophages following ADMA treatments.

RESULTSADMA obviously up-regulated MIF mRNA and protein expressions in THP-1-derived macrophages in a concentration- dependent manner. Exposure of the cells to 15 µmol/L ADMA for 24 h showed the most potent effect in up-regulating MIF mRNA and protein expressions. ADMA treatment also resulted in a dose-dependent increase of the levels of TNF-α and IL-8 in the culture supernatant of the macrophages, and the peak levels occurred following the treatment with 15 µmol/L ADMA.

CONCLUSIONADMA can up-regulate MIF expression and induce TNF-α and IL-8 secretion in THP-1 monocyte-derived macrophages.

Arginine ; analogs & derivatives ; pharmacology ; Cell Differentiation ; Cell Line ; Humans ; Interleukin-8 ; secretion ; Intramolecular Oxidoreductases ; genetics ; metabolism ; Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors ; genetics ; metabolism ; Macrophages ; cytology ; metabolism ; Monocytes ; cytology ; Phenanthrenes ; pharmacology ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; secretion

AIMTo investigate the rates of prostate cancer (PCa) in radical cystoprostatectomy (RCP) specimens for bladder cancer in mainland China. To determine the follow-up outcome of patients with two concurrent cancers and identify whether prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a useful tool for the detection of PCa prior to surgery.

METHODSFrom January 2002 to January 2007, 264 male patients with bladder cancer underwent RCP at our center. All patients underwent digital rectal examination (DRE) and B ultrasound. Serum PSA levels were tested in 168 patients. None of the patients had any evidence of PCa before RCP. Entire prostates were embedded and sectioned at 5 mm intervals.

RESULTSIncidental PCa was observed in 37 of 264 (14.0%) RCP specimens. Of these, 12 (32.4%) were clinically significant according to an accepted definition. The PSA levels were not significantly different between patients with PCa and those without PCa, nor between patients with significant PCa and those with insignificant PCa. Thirty-four patients with incidental PCa were followed up. During a mean follow-up period of 26 months, two patients with PSA > 4 ng/mL underwent castration. None of the patients died of PCa.

CONCLUSIONThe incidence of PCa in RCP specimens in mainland China is lower than that in most developed countries. PSA cannot identify asymptomatic PCa prior to RCP. In line with published reports, incidental PCa does not impact the prognosis of bladder cancer patients undergoing RCP.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; blood ; China ; epidemiology ; Cystectomy ; Humans ; Incidence ; Incidental Findings ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasms, Second Primary ; epidemiology ; pathology ; surgery ; Prognosis ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; blood ; Prostatectomy ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; blood ; epidemiology ; pathology ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms ; epidemiology ; pathology ; surgery

ObjectiveTo measure the iodine content of normal thyroid and the sternocleidomastoid muscle with gemstone spectral imaging (GSI),in order to offer diagnostic reference for iodine excess or iodine deficiency disorders.MethodsA total of 226 cases of patients with suspected neck or cervical disease underwent GSI of the neck,the thyroid and the sternocleidomastoid muscle.One hundred and nineteen cases were male and 107 female,aged 18 to 77 years,average age(46 ± 17) years.Data were transmitted to AW 4.4 workstation and processed using GSI Viewer software to obtain the best contrast-to-noise ratio(CNR) of thyroid to sternocleidomastoid muscle and corresponding singe-energy images.Iodine content of left and right thyroid lobes and both sides of sternocleidomastoid muscle as well as iodine content ratio of thyroid to sternocleidomastoid muscle were calculated in the iodine-based images.ResultsTotal iodine content of the left and the right lobes of the thyroid was (1.5233 ±0.4318)mg/cm3,of the left lobe was (1.5230 ± 0.4271 )mg/cm3,of the right lobe was (1.5236 ± 0.4365 )mg/cm3,there was no significant difference statistically between the two(t =0.0084,P ＞ 0.05).The iodine content of the male was (1.6395 ± 0.4105)mg/cm3,and of the female was (1.4238 ± 0.3832)mg/cm3,there was statistically a significant difference between the two(t =3.4743,P ＜ 0.01 ).Iodine content ratio of thyroid to sternocleidomastoid muscle was 96.6271 ± 33.2442,the ratio in male was 94.6250 ± 37.3621 and in female was 98.0000 ± 29.0737,there was no statistical difference between the two(t =0.3817,P ＞ 0.05).The iodine content of thyroid decreased gradually with age,the difference between groups was statistically significant(F =9.66,P ＜ 0.01 ).The iodine content in ＜ 40 age group[(1.7256 ± 0.4631)mg/cm3] was higher than that in 40 - 60 age group[(1.4517 ±0.3643)mg/cm3] and ＞ 60 age group [(1.4368 ± 0.3465)mg/cm3; q =5.6195,5.4158,all P ＜ 0.01).Conclusions It is easy to calculate thyroid iodine content with gemstone spectral imaging,which can reflect the iodine level of our body,and is helpful for the diagnosis of iodine excess or iodine deficiency disorders.

OBJECTIVEThe purpose of this study was to investigate the association between single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of CCND1 A870G and acute adverse events (AEs) in postoperative rectal cancer patients who received capecitabine-based postoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT).

METHODSFour hundred patients with stage II and III rectal cancer received postoperative CRT of capecitabine with or without oxaliplatin were accumulated and prostectively studied in this study. The patients were randomly divided into two groups. Two hundred and twenty-eight patients were treated with concurrent capecitabine and radiotherapy (Cap-CRT), and 172 patients were treated with capecitabine and oxaliplatin plus radiotherapy (Cap-Oxa-CRT). Adverse events were graded according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, v. 3.0 (CTCAE v3.0). The genotype of CCND1 A870G in the patients was detected by polymerase chain reaction-based restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis. The associations between the SNP and acute AEs were indicated by odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), which were computed with logistic regression model.

RESULTSA total of 136 patients presented severe AEs. Among them the frequencies of the three genotypes GG, GA and AA were 16.9%, 50.7% and 32.4%, compared with 24.6%, 48.1% and 27.3%, respectively, among the patients without severe AEs. Diarrhea was the most common AE, and severe diarrhea occurred in 109 patients. The frequencies of the three genotypes GG, GA and AA were 15.6%, 47.7% and 36.7% among these patients, compared with 24.4%, 49.5% and 26.1%, respectively, among patients without severe diarrhea. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed a 1.66-fold increased risk for severe diarrhea in patients with AA genotype (95%CI 1.03 - 2.67, P = 0.038) compared with the cases with GG or GA genotypes. Stratified analysis showed that in the Cap-Oxa-CRT group, patients with AA genotype showed a 2.34-fold increased risk for severe diarrhea (95%CI 1.16 - 4.76, P = 0.018) compared with those with GG or GA genotypes, but in the Cap-CRT group, the SNP was not associated with the risk of severe diarrhea.

CONCLUSIONSThe genetic polymorphism of CCND1 A870G might be a potential biomarker for predicting acute AEs in postoperative stage II and III rectal cancer patients treated with adjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy of capecitabine and oxaliplatin.

Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Capecitabine ; Chemoradiotherapy, Adjuvant ; adverse effects ; Cyclin D1 ; genetics ; Deoxycytidine ; administration & dosage ; analogs & derivatives ; Diarrhea ; chemically induced ; etiology ; Female ; Fluorouracil ; administration & dosage ; analogs & derivatives ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Organoplatinum Compounds ; administration & dosage ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Postoperative Period ; Prospective Studies ; Rectal Neoplasms ; genetics ; pathology ; surgery ; therapy ; Risk Factors

Objective Data mining technology was used to mine the medication rules of the prescriptions used in the treatment of pediatric atopic dermatitis by Chinese medical master XUAN Guo-Wei.Methods The medical records of effective cases of pediatric atopic dermatitis treated by Professor XUAN Guo-Wei at outpatient clinic were collected,and then the medical data were statistically analyzed using frequency statistics,association rule analysis and cluster analysis.Results A total of 242 prescriptions were included,involving 101 Chinese medicinals.There were 23 commonly-used herbs,and the 16 high-frequency herbs(frequency＞100 times)were Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma,Saposhnikoviae Radix,Glehniae Radix,Perillae Folium,Ophiopogonis Radix,Cynanchi Paniculati Radix et Rhizoma,Microctis Folium,Dictamni Cortex,Scrophulariae Radix,Coicis Semen,Cicadae Periostracum,Lilii Bulbus,Rehmanniae Radix,Kochiae Fructus,Sclerotium Poriae Pararadicis,and Euryales Semen.The analysis of the medicinal properties showed that most of the herbs were sweet and cold,and mainly had the meridian tropism of the spleen,stomach and liver meridians.The association rule analysis yielded 24 commonly-used drug combinations and 20 association rules.Cluster analysis yielded 2 core drug combinations.Conclusion For the treatment of pediatric atopic dermatitis,Professor XUAN Guo-Wei focuses on the clearing,supplementing and harmonizing therapies,and the medication principle of"supporting the healthy-qi to eliminate the pathogen,and balancing the yin and yang"is applied throughout the treatment.

Objective: Compare and analyze the results of the domestic Lanyi AH600 glycated hemoglobin analyzer and other different detection systems to understand the comparability of the detection results of different detectors, and establish the best cut point of Lanyi AH600 determination of haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) in the diagnosis of diabetes. Methods: Multi center cohort study was adopted. The clinical laboratory departments of 18 medical institutions independently collected test samples from their respective hospitals from March to April 2022, and independently completed comparative analysis of the evaluated instrument (Lanyi AH600) and the reference instrument HbA1c. The reference instruments include four different brands of glycosylated hemoglobin meters, including Arkray, Bio-Rad, DOSOH, and Huizhong. Scatter plot was used to calculate the correlation between the results of different detection systems, and the regression equation was calculated. The consistency analysis between the results of different detection systems was evaluated by Bland Altman method. Consistency judgment principles: (1) When the 95% limits of agreement (95% LoA) of the measurement difference was within 0.4% HbA1c and the measurement score was≥80 points, the comparison consistency was good; (2) When the measurement difference of 95% LoA exceeded 0.4% HbA1c, and the measurement score was≥80 points, the comparison consistency was relatively good; (3) The measurement score was less than 80 points, the comparison consistency was poor. The difference between the results of different detection systems was tested by paired sample T test or Wilcoxon paired sign rank sum test; The best cut-off point of diabetes was analyzed by receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). Results: The correlation coefficient R² of results between Lanyi AH600 and the reference instrument in 16 hospitals is≥0.99; The Bland Altman consistency analysis showed that the difference of 95% LoA in Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital in Jiangsu Province (reference instrument: Arkray HA8180) was -0.486%-0.325%, and the measurement score was 94.6 points (473/500); The difference of 95% LoA in the Tibetan Traditional Medical Hospital of TAR (reference instrument: Bio-Rad Variant II) was -0.727%-0.612%, and the measurement score was 89.8 points; The difference of 95% LoA in the People's Hospital of Chongqing Liang Jiang New Area (reference instrument: Huizhong MQ-2000PT) was -0.231%-0.461%, and the measurement score was 96.6 points; The difference of 95% LoA in the Taihe Hospital of traditional Chinese Medicine in Anhui Province (reference instrument: Huizhong MQ-2000PT) was -0.469%-0.479%, and the measurement score was 91.9 points. The other 14 hospitals, Lanyi AH600, were compared with 4 reference instrument brands, the difference of 95% LoA was less than 0.4% HbA1c, and the scores were all greater than 95 points. The results of paired sample T test or Wilcoxon paired sign rank sum test showed that there was no statistically significant difference between Lanyi AH600 and the reference instrument Arkray HA8180 (Z=1.665,P=0.096), with no statistical difference. The mean difference between the measured values of the two instruments was 0.004%. The comparison data of Lanyi AH600 and the reference instrument of all other institutions had significant differences (all P<0.001), however, it was necessary to consider whether it was within the clinical acceptable range in combination with the results of the Bland-Altman consistency analysis. The ROC curve of HbA1c detected by Lanyi AH600 in 985 patients with diabetes and 3 423 patients with non-diabetes was analyzed, the area under curve (AUC) was 0.877, the standard error was 0.007, and the 95% confidence interval 95%CI was (0.864, 0.891), which was statistically significant (P<0.001). The maximum value of Youden index was 0.634, and the corresponding HbA1c cut point was 6.235%. The sensitivity and specificity of diabetes diagnosis were 76.2% and 87.2%, respectively. Conclusion: Among the hospitals and instruments currently included in this study, among these four hospitals included Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital in Jiangsu Province (reference instrument: Arkray HA8180), Tibetan Traditional Medical Hospital of TAR (reference instrument: Bio-Rad Variant Ⅱ), the People's Hospital of Chongqing Liang Jiang New Area (reference instrument: Huizhong MQ-2000PT), and the Taihe Hospital of traditional Chinese Medicine in Anhui Province (reference instrument: Huizhong MQ-2000PT), the comparison between Lanyi AH600 and the reference instruments showed relatively good consistency, while the other 14 hospitals involved four different brands of reference instruments: Arkray, Bio-Rad, DOSOH, and Huizhong, Lanyi AH600 had good consistency with its comparison. The best cut point of the domestic Lanyi AH600 for detecting HbA1c in the diagnosis of diabetes is 6.235%.
Pregnancy ; Child ; Humans ; Female ; Glycated Hemoglobin ; Cohort Studies ; Diabetes Mellitus/diagnosis* ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; ROC Curve

Objective: To investigate the incidence and treatment of perioperative anemia in patients with gastrointestinal neoplasms in Hubei Province. Methods: The clinicopathological data of 7 474 patients with gastrointestinal neoplasms in 62 hospitals in 15 cities (state) of Hubei Province in 2019 were collected in the form of network database. There were 4 749 males and 2 725 females. The median age of the patients was 62 years (range: 17 to 96 years). The hemoglobin value of the first time in hospital and the first day after operation was used as the criterion of preoperative anemia and postoperative anemia. Anemia was defined as male hemoglobin <120 g/L and female hemoglobin <110.0 g/L, mild anemia as 90 to normal, moderate anemia as 60 to <90 g/L, severe anemia as <60 g/L. The t test and χ² test were used for inter-group comparison. Results: The overall incidence of preoperative anemia was 38.60%(2 885/7 474), and the incidences of mild anemia, moderate anemia and severe anemia were 25.09%(1 875/7 474), 11.37%(850/7 474) and 2.14%(160/7 474), respectively. The overall incidence of postoperative anemia was 61.40%(4 589/7 474). The incidence of mild anemia, moderate anemia and severe anemia were 48.73%(3 642/7 474), 12.20%(912/7 474) and 0.47%(35/7 474), respectively. The proportion of preoperative anemia patients receiving treatment was 26.86% (775/2 885), and the proportion of postoperative anemia patients receiving treatment was 14.93% (685/4 589). The proportions of preoperative anemia patients in grade ⅢA, grade ⅢB, and grade ⅡA hospitals receiving treatment were 26.12% (649/2 485), 32.32% (85/263), and 29.93% (41/137), and the proportions of postoperative anemia patients receiving treatment were 14.61% (592/4 052), 22.05% (73/331), and 9.71% (20/206). The proportion of intraoperative blood transfusion (16.74% (483/2 885) vs. 3.05% (140/4 589), χ²=434.555, P<0.01) and the incidence of postoperative complications (17.78% (513/2 885) vs. 14.08% (646/4 589), χ²=18.553, P<0.01) in the preoperative anemia group were higher than those in the non-anemia group, and the postoperative hospital stay in the preoperative anemia group was longer than that in the non-anemia group ((14.1±7.3) days vs. (13.3±6.2) days, t=5.202, P<0.01). Conclusions: The incidence of perioperative anemia in patients with gastrointestinal neoplasms is high. Preoperative anemia can increase the demand for intraoperative blood transfusion and affect the short-term prognosis of patients. At present, the concept of standardized treatment of perioperative anemia among gastrointestinal surgeons in Hubei Province needs to be improved.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Anemia/epidemiology* ; Blood Transfusion ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Neoplasms/surgery* ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult