Objective:To explore the expression of R-spondin family in colorectal cancer tissues and adjacent tissues,and to evaluate its relationship with clinic-pathological stage.Methods:A total of 64 samples of colorectal cancer tissues and adjacent tissues were collected from the patients,who received radical surgery in Xiangya Hospital,Central South University between January 2014 and August 2014.The mRNA and protein expression levels of R-spondin 1-4 and β-catenin in the colorectal cancer tissues and adjacent tissues were detected by qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry.The relationship between the expression level of R-spondin 1-4 and the clinic-pathological factors were analyzed to explore the correlation between the expression level of R-spondin 1-4 and β-catenin in colorectal cancer.Results:Compared with the adjacent tissues,the mRNA and protein expression levels of R-spondin 1 were elevated in the colorectal cancer tissues (P＜0.05).The mRNA and protein expression levels of R-spondin 2-4 were increased in the colorectal cancer tissues than those in the normal tissues (P＜0.05),but there was no significant difference between the colorectal cancer tissues and adjacent tissues (P＞0.05).The expression level of R-spondin i was positively correlated with the nuclear expression of β-catenin in the colorectal cancer tissues (r=0.6307,P＜0.05).Conclusion:Compared with the adjacent tissues,the mRNA and protein expression levels of R-spondin 1 are significantly elevated in the colorectal cancer tissues.R-spondin 1 may play a role in promoting carcinogenesis by regulating the activity of β-catenin in the downstream of Wnt signaling pathway.

Aging ; Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Glutathione Peroxidase ; metabolism ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism ; Testis ; drug effects ; metabolism

Objective To elucidate potential activities of phthalides and terpenoids from Angelica sinensis by theoreticaldocking calculation.Methods Eleven components of phthalides and terpenoids were selected as ligand.Thecrystalline structures of targets related to common diseases were used as the receptors for calculation.Thecalculations were conducted with Schr(o)dinger software package.The grading standard of selectivity was developedaccording to G-score between ligands and receptors.Results Selective targets of phthalides and terpenoids wererelated to nevous system diseases,cancer,pain,diabetes,cardiovascular disease,liver cirrhosis,nephrotic syndrome,inflammatory diseases,rheumatoid arthritis,dermatosis,leukemia,microbial inflections,immune diseases,andhypercholesterolemia.In addition to the medical treatments reported in the literature,our research also indicated thatthese two classes of compounds may be used for tumor,diabetes,rheumatoid arthritis,dermatosis,leukemia,livercirrhosis,and nephrotic syndrome.According to our research,the effects of phthalides and terpenoids may be not sostrong.Conclusion The effects of phthalides and terpenoids on diseases founded through virtual evaluation accord greatly with those reported in experiment and clinic.The combination of computer-aided drug evaluation technique and experiment is definitely an important and fast way to investigate the effects and mechanisms of traditional Chinese medicine.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinical effect of atlantoaxial pedicle screw internal fixation for treatment of atlantoaxial dislocation.

METHODSSixteen patients with atlantoaxial dislocation were treated from Dec. 2005 to June 2007, included 10 males and 6 females, aged from 38 to 45 years old (means 40.5 years). Among them 12 patients combined with nerve injury, according to ASIA grade: there were 3 cases in grade B, 5 cases in grade C, 4 cases in grade D. All patients received preoperative CT, radiograph and skull traction. Intraoperative posterior approach general spine pedicle screw-rod orthopaedics fixation system used and iliac bone block were implanted in space of posterior atlantal arch and axial vertebral plate. The outcome and complications were observed in the near future.

RESULTSThere was no vascular or neural injury found. The patients were followed up for 12 to 24 months (means 18 months). All head pain, acid storm symptoms were improved after operation. According to the Odom's clinical efficacy evaluation standard, 12 cases were excellent, 4 were good. Eleven cases of 12 with nerve injury recovered significantly. By ASIA classification: 1 cases was in grade B, 2 cases were in grade C, 5 cases were in grade D, 4 cases were in grade E. No looseness or breakage of screw occurred. Bony fusion was achieved in all cases.

CONCLUSIONPosterior approach atlantoaxial pedicle screw internal fixation have the advantages of direct screw placement, short-segment fusion, intraoperative reduction, fixation reliable, high fusion rate, and it can restablish the upper cervical vertebrae stability and help to recover the spinal cord and nerve function.

Adult ; Atlanto-Axial Joint ; diagnostic imaging ; injuries ; physiopathology ; surgery ; Bone Screws ; Female ; Fracture Fixation, Internal ; instrumentation ; Humans ; Joint Dislocations ; diagnostic imaging ; physiopathology ; surgery ; therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVEUsing PCR-RDB to establish a new method for HBV genotyping, and to survey the distribution of HBV genotypes in the Foshan area.

METHODSBiotin-labeled primers for amplification of HBV region X (nt1550-1789) were used to amplify extracted HBV DNA. HBV was genotyped by hybridization of the PCR products with immobilized specific probes (genotype A to F) on C membrane. Color development was achieved by adding POD and TMB. A judgment was made according to color reactions. The reliability of this new method was verified by gene sequencing. 300 samples of HBV DNA-positive sera from the Foshan area were genotyped using this assay.

RESULTSOf the 300 sera genotyped by PCR-RBD, 147 (49.0%) cases were genotype B, 136 (45.3%) were genotype C, 1 (0.3%) genotype D, and 12 (4.0%) were mixtures of genotype B and C, and 4 (1.3%) were mixtures of genotype C and D. No genotype A, E or F were found. The results of PCR-RDB genotyping were consistent with the results obtained with sequence analysis.

CONCLUSIONThis newly established HBV genotyping system proved to be sensitive, specific, precise and economic, and should be suitable for clinical practice and epidemic study. The results of HBV genotyping show that genotype B and C are the predominant genotypes in the Foshan area.

DNA, Viral ; genetics ; Female ; Genotype ; Hepatitis B ; virology ; Hepatitis B virus ; classification ; genetics ; Humans ; Male ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; methods

INTRODUCTION: Non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis (NCFB) is a highly heterogenous disease. We describe the clinical characteristics of NCFB patients and evaluate the performance of Bronchiectasis Severity Index (BSI) in predicting mortality. METHODS: Patients attending the bronchiectasis clinic between August 2015 and April 2020 with radiologically proven bronchiectasis on computed tomography were recruited. Clinical characteristics, spirometry, radiology, microbiology and clinical course over a median period of 2.4 years is presented. RESULTS: A total of 168 patients were enrolled in this prospective cohort study. They were predominantly women (67.8%), Chinese (87.5%) and never-smokers (76.9%). Median age of diagnosis was 64 years (interquartile range 56-71) and the most common aetiology was "idiopathic" bronchiectasis (44.6%). Thirty-nine percent had normal spirometries. Compared to female patients, there were more smokers among the male patients (53.8% versus 8.5%, CONCLUSION The NCFB cohort in Singapore has unique characteristics with sex differences. Over half the patients had a history of haemoptysis. The BSI score is a useful predictor of mortality in our population.
Aged ; Bronchiectasis/epidemiology* ; Cohort Studies ; Female ; Fibrosis ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Pulmonary Medicine ; Severity of Illness Index ; Singapore/epidemiology*

To explore the association of nucleotide binding oligomerization domain-like receptor family caspase recruitment domain containing 3 (NLRC3) with prognosis and tumor immunity in patients with stage III colorectal cancer.
 Methods: Data of 122 patients with stage III colorectal cancer, who underwent radical resection from 2012 to 2013 in Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, were retrospectively collected. The expressions of NLRC3 and CD8+ were examined by immumohistochemical (IHC) staining. The preoperative clinical data were used to obtain neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and the stability of microsatellite was determined. The relationship between NLRC3 and clinicopathological factors was analyzed by χ2 test, and the independent prognostic factors for patients with stage III colorectal cancer were determined by COX regression model.
 Results: The expression of NLRC3 was significantly associated with CD8+ T cells infiltration (χ2=27.79, P<0.01), NLR (χ2=6.35, P<0.05), lymph node metastasis (LN) (χ2=10.12, P<0.01) and microsatellite stability (χ2=6.05, P<0.05). NLRC3 (OR=0.066, 95% CI 0.020 to 0.218), vascular emboli (OR=3.119, 95% CI 1.547 to 6.286) and NLR (OR=5.103, 95% CI 2.465 to 10.563) had an effect on overall survival (OS) for patients with stage III colorectal cancer (all P<0.05). In addition, NLRC3 (OR=0.144, 95% CI 0.055 to 0.377), vascular emboli (OR=3.589, 95% CI 1.859 to 6.932) and NLR (OR=2.939, 95% CI 1.509 to 5.723) also had an effect on disease-free survival (DFS) for patients with stage III colorectal cancer (all P<0.05).
 Conclusion: NLRC3, intravascular emboli and NLR are independent prognostic factors for patients with stage III colorectal cancer. NLRC3 might be a good prognostic factor for patients with stage III colorectal cancer due to its capacity of inhibiting systemic inflammation and promoting local anti-tumor immunity.
Colorectal Neoplasms ; Humans ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; metabolism ; Lymphocytes ; Neoplasm Staging ; Neutrophils ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies

INTRODUCTION: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, multiple guidelines have recommended videolaryngoscope (VL) for tracheal intubation. However, there is no evidence that VL reduces time to tracheal intubation, and this is important for COVID-19 patients with respiratory failure. METHODS: To simulate intubation of COVID-19 patients, we randomly assigned 28 elective surgical patients to be intubated with either McGrath™ MAC VL or direct laryngoscope (DL) by specialist anaesthetists who donned 3M™ Jupiter™ powered air-purifying respirators (PAPR) and N95 masks. The primary outcome was time to intubation. RESULTS: The median time to intubation was 61 s (interquartile range [IQR] 37-63 s) and 41.5 s (IQR 37-56 s) in the VL and DL groups, respectively ( P = 0.35). The closest mean distance between the anaesthetist and patient during intubation was 21.6 ± 4.8 cm and 17.6 ± 5.3 cm in the VL and DL groups, respectively ( P = 0.045). There were no significant differences in the median intubation difficulty scale scores, proportion of successful intubations at the first laryngoscopic attempt and proportion of intubations requiring adjuncts. All the patients underwent successful intubation with no adverse event. CONCLUSION There was no significant difference in the time to intubation of elective surgical patients with either McGrath™ VL or DL by specialist anaesthetists who donned PAPR and N95 masks. The distance between the anaesthetist and patient was significantly greater with VL. When resources are limited or disrupted during a pandemic, DL could be a viable alternative to VL for specialist anaesthetists.
Humans ; COVID-19 ; Intubation, Intratracheal ; Laryngoscopes ; Laryngoscopy ; Respiratory Protective Devices ; Video Recording

OBJECTIVETo study the relationship between metastasis or recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA load or the presence of double mutation at 1762/1764 in the basic core promoter (BCP).

METHODSOne-hundred-and-fifty-seven patients with HCC were included in the study. Events of tumor metastasis or recurrence were recorded during 120 weeks of clinical follow-up after treatment by surgery or transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). The 1-year follow-up included monthly alpha fetoprotein (AFP) measurement and abdominal ultrasonography (US), as well as helical computed tomographic (CT) scan performed every 3 months. Follow-up beyond 1-year (surveillance) included AFP measurement and abdominal US every 2 months and helical CT scan every 6 months. Suspected metastasis or recurrence was investigated by hepatic angiography and confirmed according to the combined imaging findings. Serum HBV DNA level was measured by real-time PCR. HBV genotypes were determined by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis.

RESULTSOf the 157 HCC cases 110 experienced tumor metastasis or recurrence; the cumulative probability of post-treatment HCC metastasis or recurrence was 4 (2.55%) at week 12, 14 (8.92%) at week 24, 28 (17.83%) at week 48, 64 (40.76%) at week 72, 92 (58.60%) at week 96, and 110 (70.06%) at week 120. Multivariate analysis indicated that both the BCP 1762/1764 double mutations and HBV DNA levels were risk factors for HCC recurrence or metastasis. In particular, the incidence of HCC recurrence or metastasis increased with baseline serum HBV DNA levels in a dose-response manner, ranging from 8/19 (42.1%) for less than 3 log10 copies/ml HBV DNA to 35/61 (57.3%) for 3-5 log10 copies/ml and 67/77 (87.0%) for more than 5 log10 copies/ml. After adjusting for potential confounders, serum HBV DNA level remained independently associated with HCC metastasis or recurrence. HCC recurrence or metastasis occurred in 22/43 (51.2%) of patients without BCP 1762/1764 mutations and 88/114 (77.2%) of patients with BCP 1762/1764 mutations. The adjusted odds ratio for patients infected with BCP 1762/1764 double mutation HBV, compared with those infected with non-BCP 1762/1764 mutation HBV, was 5.264 (95% CI: 1.436-12.574, P less than 0.05).

CONCLUSIONInfection with HBV carrying the BCP 1762/1764 double mutation and presence of high HBV DNA load are independent risk factors for developing HCC metastasis or recurrence after surgery or TACE.

Adult ; Aged ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; pathology ; virology ; DNA, Viral ; blood ; Female ; Genotype ; Hepatitis B Core Antigens ; genetics ; Hepatitis B virus ; genetics ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; pathology ; virology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mutation ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Promoter Regions, Genetic ; Viral Load

Objective: To investigate the effect of 1q21 amplification (1q) on the therapeutic response and prognosis of bortezomib(Btz) in the treatment of newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM) patients. Methods: A total of 180 newly diagnosed MM were included for analyses of clinical characteristics, cytogenetics, objective response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS), retrospectively. Gene expression profiling (GEP) was analyzed using publicly available R2 platform. Results: ① In 180 patients, 1q was found in 51.1% cases. Of them, 174 patients had complete follow-up data, including 88 cases with 1q and 86 without 1q (non-1q). ②Incidence of 1q was positively associated with percentage of IGH rearrangement (72.2%, P=0.017) and 1p deletion (1p) (27.8%, P=0.040). ③ The median PFS was 15.0 and 20.3 months for the 1q group and non-1q group, and the median OS was 29.4 and 44.0 months, respectively. Both PFS and OS of 1q group was significantly shorter than those of the non-1q group (P=0.029 and 0.038, respectively). Multivariate analysis further revealed that 1q was an independent prognostic factor for both PFS (HR=1.910, 95% CI 1.105-3.303, P=0.020) and OS (HR=2.353, 95% CI 1.090-5.078, P=0.029). ④ In 91 evaluable cases with 1q, very good partial remission (VGPR) rate was higher after treatment with Btz than those without Btz (62.1% vs 40.0%, P=0.032). Of note, the patients with 1q who received auto-HSCT after induction with Btz had significantly longer PFS than those without auto-HSCT (19 months vs 13 months, P=0.048). ⑤GEP analysis revealed that 1q21 amplification predominantly up-regulated expression of >50% genes within 1q21 region, and also altered expression of 28% genes in chromosome 1 and 10% genes in whole genome, particularly related to DNA repair and cell cycle. Conclusions: 1q is an independent adverse prognostic factor in patients with newly diagnosed MM. It is often associated with 1p deletion and IGH rearrangement. Patients with 1q respond well to Btz-based regimen, but they fail to gain long-term benefit from this treatment itself. However, auto-HSCT following Btz induction might improve survival of patients with 1q, suggesting a potential strategy to treat this high-risk subset of MM. GEP analysis warrants further attention in understanding the mechanisms underlying the high-risk of 1q.
Bortezomib/therapeutic use* ; Chromosome Aberrations ; Humans ; Multiple Myeloma/drug therapy* ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies