A commonly used Chinese crude drug Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus has been shown to possess good anticancer activities and related properties such as antioxidation, nitrite scavenging, nitrosamine synthesis blocking and immune enhancement, and has been widely used as an effective auxiliary drug in the treatment of some malignant tumors. This paper systematically reviews the advances in the study of anticancer-related activities of Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus's various components such as raw juice, extracts, saponins, volatile oil, polysaccharides, nitrogen compounds, etc.
Allium ; chemistry ; Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; pharmacology ; Antioxidants ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Oils, Volatile ; pharmacology ; Plant Extracts ; pharmacology

This paper discusses the relationship between stimulating pulse width and the threshold of electrically evoked compound action potential (ECAP). Firstly, the rheobase and chronaxy from strength-duration curve of nerve fiber was computed using the shepherd's experiment results. Secondly, based on the relationship between ECAP and the action potential of nerve fiber, a mathematical expression to describe the relationship between stimulating pulse width and ECAP threshold was proposed. Thirdly, the parameters were obtained and the feasibility was proved to the expression with the results of experiment using guinea pigs. Research result showed that with ECAP compared to the action potential of nerve fiber, their threshold function relationship with stimulating pulse width was similar, and rheobase from the former was an order smaller in the magnitude than the latter, but the chronaxy was close to each other. These findings may provide meaningful guidance to clinical ECAP measurement and studying speech processing strategies of cochlear implant.
Action Potentials ; Animals ; Auditory Threshold ; Cochlear Implantation ; Cochlear Implants ; Electricity ; Evoked Potentials ; Guinea Pigs ; Neural Conduction

OBJECTIVESTo investigate if there is altered microRNAs (miRNAs) expression in aortic dissection (Debakey Type A) and normal aorta tissue.

METHODSTotal RNA was exacted from aorta of 5 patients with aortic dissection (AD) and four patients without aortic diseases (NA). miRNAs of the aortic tissues were analyzed by miRNA microarray. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed to verify the expression of miRNAs in larger sample size (AD = 11 and NA = 9).

RESULTShsa-miR-146b-5p_st, hsa-miR-19a_st and hsa-miR-505_st were significantly upregulated while hsa-miR-1268_st and hsa-miR-939_st were significantly downregulated [fold change > 2, q-value (%) ≤ 5] in AD group compared with NA group. RT-PCR verified hsa-miR-146b-5p_st miRNAs change in AD group.

CONCLUSIONSAltered miRNAs expression might play an essential role in the pathogenesis of aortic dissection formation and hsa-miR-146b-5p_st might serve as a new diagnosis biomarker of aortic dissection.

Aneurysm, Dissecting ; genetics ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Humans ; MicroRNAs ; genetics ; metabolism ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction

OBJECTIVE: To detect the expression of Ki-67, Bcl-2, Bax and caspase-3 in simple benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and BPH combined with prostatitis,and to evaluate the effect of inflammation on the development and progression of BPH. METHODS: All specimens were obtained from patients undergoing surgical resection of the prostate. The paraffin section of the specimens was stained with hemotoxyline and eosin, and observed under light microscope to examine the inflammation hispathological changes. Sixteen patients with simple BPH (Group A) and 42 patients with BPH combined with prostatitis (Group B) were included. Immunohistochemical analysis and Western blot were used to examine the expression of Ki-67, Bcl-2, Bax and caspase-3. RESULTS: The expression of Ki-67 and Bcl-2 was significantly higher in Group B than that in Group A (P<0.05), and caspase-3 expression was significantly lower (P<0.05). There was no difference in Bax expression between the 2 groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSION Prostatitis can up-regulate Ki-67, Bcl-2 expression, and down-regulate the expression of caspase-3 in BPH. Prostatitis appeared to play an important role in the development of BPH by affecting the proliferation and apoptosis of the prostatic cells.
Aged ; Caspase 3 ; metabolism ; Humans ; Ki-67 Antigen ; biosynthesis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; complications ; metabolism ; Prostatitis ; complications ; metabolism ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; biosynthesis ; Up-Regulation ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein ; biosynthesis

Primary central nervous system germ cell tumors (CNS-GCTs) in children and adolescents have unique clinical features and methods of treatment compared with those in adults. There is little information about Chinese children and adolescents with CNS-GCTs. Therefore, in this study we retrospectively analyzed the clinical features and treatment outcome of Chinese children and adolescents with primary CNS-GCTs. Between January 2002 and December 2012, 57 untreated patients from a single institution were enrolled. They were diagnosed with CNS-GCTs after pathologic or clinical assessment. Of the 57 patients, 41 were males and 16 were females, with a median age of 12.8 years (range, 2.7 to 18.0 years) at diagnosis; 43 (75.4%) had non-germinomatous germ cell tumors (NGGCTs) and 14 (24.6%) had germinomas; 44 (77.2%) had localized disease and 13 (22.8%) had extensive lesions. Fifty-three patients completed the prescribed treatment, of which 18 underwent monotherapy of surgery, radiotherapy, or chemotherapy, and 35 underwent multimodality therapies that included radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy or surgery combined with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. PEB (cisplatin, etoposide, and bleomycin) protocol was the major chemotherapy regimen. The median follow-up time was 32.3 months (range, 1.2 to 139 months). Fourteen patients died of relapse or disease progression. The 3-year event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival rates for all patients were 72.2% and 73.8%, respectively. The 3-year EFS was 92.9% for germinomas and 64.8% for NGGCTs (P = 0.064). The 3-year EFS rates for patients with NGGCTs who underwent monotherapy and multimodality therapies were 50.6% and 73.5%, respectively (P = 0.042). Our results indicate that multimodality therapies including chemotherapy plus radiotherapy were better treatment option for children and adolescents with CNS-GCTs.
Adolescent ; Antineoplastic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; Bleomycin ; administration & dosage ; Central Nervous System Neoplasms ; therapy ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Cisplatin ; administration & dosage ; Combined Modality Therapy ; statistics & numerical data ; Disease-Free Survival ; Etoposide ; administration & dosage ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal ; therapy ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the efficacy of a modified NHL-BFM-90 protocol in childhood and adolescence with Burkitt lymphoma (BL) and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

METHODSA total of 138 de novo patients with BL and DLBCL were enrolled. All patients were stratified into low (R1), intermediate (R2) and high risk (R3) groups based on the stage, chemotherapy response and LDH level, and treated with a modified NHL-BFM 90 protocol.

RESULTSOf the 138 patients, 105 were boys and 33 girls, with a median age at diagnosis of 7.5 yr (range 1.5 to 20.0 yr). Eighty-two cases were BL, 56 cases DLBCL. The patients with stage III/IV accounted for 76.1%. Thirty-one patients were assigned to group R1, 38 patients group R2, and 69 patients group R3. Complete remission (CR) after chemotherapy was 90.6%. At a median follow-up of 50 months(1-158 months), a total of 19 patients died of disease. The 5-year event free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) for the entire group were 85.8%, 85.8% respectively. 5-year EFS was 97.1% for stage I/II, 82.1% for stage III/IV respectively (P=0.039); and 96.7%, 86.8% and 80.2% for groups R1, R2 and R3 respectively (P=0.135); and 85.2% and 86.9% for BL and DLBCL respectively (P=0.635). Major toxicity was myelosuppression, which was tolerant and manageable.

CONCLUSIONThat the modified NHL-BFM-90 protocol was highly effective for children and adolescents with BL and DLBCL, and especially improved the survival of the advanced patients.

Adolescent ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Burkitt Lymphoma ; drug therapy ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse ; drug therapy ; Male ; Survival Rate ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

Pediatric diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a highly aggressive disease with unique clinical characteristics. This study analyzed the germinal-center type B-cell (GCB) classification and clinical characteristics of Chinese pediatric DLBCL. A total of 76 patients with DLBCL newly diagnosed in Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center between February 2000 and May 2011, with an age younger than 18 years, were included in the analysis. The male/female ratio was 3.47:1. The median age was 12 years (range, 2 to 18 years), and 47 (61.8%) patients were at least 10 years old. Of the 76 patients, 48 (63.2%) had stage III/IV disease, 9 (11.8%) had bone marrow involvement, 1 (1.3%) had central nervous system (CNS) involvement, and 5 (6.6%) had bone involvement. The GCB classification was assessed in 45 patients: 26 (57.8%) were classified as GCB subtype, and 19 (42.2%) were classified as non-GCB subtype. The modified B-NHL-BFM-90/95 regimen was administered to 50 patients, and the 4-year event-free survival (EFS) rate was 85.8%. Among these 50 patients, 31 were assessed for the GCB classification: 17 (54.8%) were classified as GCB subtype, with a 4-year EFS rate of 88.2%; 14 (45.2%) were classified as non-GCB subtype, with a 4-year EFS rate of 92.9%. Our data indicate that bone marrow involvement and stage III/IV disease are common in Chinese pediatric DLBCL patients, whereas the percentage of patients with the GCB subtype is similar to that of patients with the non-GCB subtype. The modified B-NHL-BFM-90/95 protocol is an active and effective treatment protocol for Chinese pediatric patients with DLBCL.
Adolescent ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; Asparaginase ; therapeutic use ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Daunorubicin ; therapeutic use ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Germinal Center ; pathology ; Humans ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Male ; Prednisone ; therapeutic use ; Survival Rate ; Vincristine ; therapeutic use

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of the epidermal growth factor on the mRNA expression of endothelin-1 and its receptors (ET(A)R, ET(B)R) in hormone refractory prostate cancer (HRPC) PC-3 cell lines.

METHODSPC-3 cells were cultured in vitro. After the treatment with EGF, the mRNA expressions of endothelin-1, ET(A)R and ET(B)R were detected by RT-PCR in PC-3 cell lines. The levels of the mRNA expression of endothelin-1 and its receptors were examined at different time points by RT-PCR.

RESULTSThe expressions of endothelin-1 and ET(A)R mRNA but not the mRNA expression of ET(B)R was observed in PC-3 cell lines. After 24 hours of treatment with EGF, the expressions of endothelin-1 and ET(A)R in PC-3 cell lines were both up-regulated and there was significant difference (P < 0.05) between the experimental and control groups. Different expression levels of endothelin-1 and ET(A)R mRNA were noted at different time points of EGF intervention, up-regulated with the increase of treatment time, and with significant difference (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONEGF can up-regulate the mRNA expressions of endothelin-1 and ET(A)R in PC-3 cell lines and play a great role in prostate cancer progression, which may offer a substructure of molecular biology for the treatment of HRPC.

Cell Line, Tumor ; Endothelin-1 ; genetics ; Epidermal Growth Factor ; pharmacology ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; drug effects ; Humans ; Male ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; genetics ; pathology ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism ; Receptor, Endothelin A ; genetics ; Receptor, Endothelin B ; genetics ; Receptors, Endothelin ; genetics ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction

Adenoviridae ; genetics ; Animals ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; therapy ; Cell Line ; Endostatins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Genetic Therapy ; methods ; Genetic Vectors ; Green Fluorescent Proteins ; metabolism ; Humans ; Liver ; cytology ; metabolism ; Liver Neoplasms ; therapy ; Plasmids ; genetics ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism ; Rats ; Recombination, Genetic ; Stem Cells ; cytology ; metabolism ; Transfection

Lymphoma is seen in up to 30% of patients with X-linked lymphoproliferative disease (XLP), but cerebral vasculitis related with XLP after cure of Burkitt lymphoma is rarely reported. We describe a case of a 5-year-old boy with XLP who developed cerebral vasculitis two years after cure of Burkitt lymphoma. He had Burkitt lymphoma at the age of 3 years and received chemotherapy (non-Hodgkin's lymphoma-Berlin-Frankfurt-Milan-90 protocol plus rituximab), which induced complete remission over the following two years. At the age of 5 years, the patient first developed headache, vomiting, and then intellectual and motorial retrogression. His condition was not improved after anti-infection, dehydration, or dexamethasone therapy. No tumor cells were found in his cerebrospinal fluid. Magnetic resonance imaging showed multiple non-homogeneous, hypodense masses along the bilateral cortex. Pathology after biopsy revealed hyperplasia of neurogliocytes and vessels, accompanied by lymphocyte infiltration but no tumor cell infiltration. Despite aggressive treatment, his cognition and motor functions deteriorated in response to progressive cerebral changes. The patient is presently in a vegetative state. We present this case to inform clinicians of association between lymphoma and immunodeficiency and explore an optimal treatment for lymphoma patients with compromised immune system.
Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived ; therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; Burkitt Lymphoma ; complications ; drug therapy ; Child, Preschool ; Humans ; Lymphoproliferative Disorders ; etiology ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Rituximab ; Treatment Outcome ; Vasculitis, Central Nervous System ; etiology