Objective To survey and compare the awareness and attitude of hospice care among medical staff from hospitals ranked 1, 2, and 3. And to examine the association of hospital grading with awareness and attitude of hospice care. So that this study would promote orientation for hospice care theoretically. Methods A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was performed among medical staff in Suzhou to investigate the awareness and attitude of hospice care from hospitals ranked 1, 2, and 3. Generalized linear regression model was applied to examine the association of hospital levels with awareness and attitude of hospice care. Results A total of 990 individuals were surveyed. Among them, 580 were from hospitals ranked 3, 252 were from hospitals ranked 2, and 158 were from hospitals ranked 1. The attitude to someone self′s death scored 7.2 ±2.1, 7.6 ±2.4, 7.2 ±2.1, the attitude to patients′death scored 11.0 ±2.6, 11.6 ±2.3, 11.5±2.3, there was a significant difference among the 3 levels (F=3.34, 3.69, all P<0.05). After controlling for age, education level, years of work, religion status, family type, and disease condition in family, as compared with hospitals ranked 3, the average score of the awareness of hospice care decreased 0.431 (P=0.049) and the average score of attitude to hospice care decreased 2.944 (P=0.022) in medical staff from hospitals ranked 1. As for the 7 aspects of hospice care attitude, the average score of attitude to patients′death decreased 0.634 (P=0.003), the average score of attitude to implementation of hospice care for patients and their families decreased 0.926 (P=0.046), and the average score of supporting hospice care decreased 0.664 (P=0.011) in medical staff form hospitals ranked 1 as compared with hospitals ranked 3. We failed to find a significant difference in awareness and attitude of hospice care between hospitals ranked 2 and 3 (all P>0.05). Conclusions The awareness and attitude of hospice care is poorer in medical staff from hospitals ranked 1 as compared with those from hospitals ranked 2 or 3. Our finding suggests that medical staff from hospitals ranked 1 is a target population on whom hospice care training would be performed.

Objective:To evaluate the effect of Nutlin-3,a MDM2 antagonist,on the pyroptosis in SMMC-7721 cells.Methods: The expression of actived caspase-1(p20) and IL-1β was detected using Western blot analysis.Pyroptosis was investigated by a standard lactate dehydrogenase release assay(LDH).IL-1β content in the cell culture supernatant was quantified by ELISA.Results: Nutlin-3 up-regulated the expression level of actived caspase-1 and IL-1β in SMMC-7721 cells.Meanwhile,Nutlin-3 increased significantly the content of LDH and IL-1β in the cell culture supernatant(P<0.05).Conclusion: Nutlin-3 activated pro-caspase-1,promoted pyroptosis and IL-1β release in SMMC-7721 cells.

Objective To explore the association between the infection rate of Helicobacter pylori (Hp) and intake frequency of capsicum in dietary pattern. Methods A total of 914 health check-up participants were recruited from Tianjin Medical University General Hospital (male: 510,female:404). All participants were asked about the intake frequency of capsicum. Diagnostic criteria of the Hp infection included positive C13 breath test. Results The intake frequency of capsicum was ≥2 times/week, 1 time/week and <1 time/week. The infection rate of Hp was 56.08%, 49.04% and 48.29%. After adjusting for covariates, compared with the≥2 times/week, the odds ratios(95%confidence interval)of intake frequency of capsicum 1 time/week and <1 time/week: the frequency of capsicum intake ≥2 times/week was 1.00 (reference), the frequency of capsicum intake 1 time/week was 0.57(0.33-0.97) and the frequency of capsicum intake<1 time/week was 0.69(0.42-1.14) in men;the frequency of capsicum intake≥2 times/week was 1.00 (reference), the frequency of capsicum intake 1 time/week was 1.01(0.54-1.88), and the frequency of capsicum intake<1 time/week was 0.71(0.41-1.23) in women. Conclusions This study found that food intake frequency of capsicum≥2 times/week was associated with the infection rate of Hp in men. But similar relationship was not observed in women.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Esophageal Neoplasms ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Gene Frequency ; Humans ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Neoplasm Staging ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Prognosis ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Risk Factors ; Survival Rate ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; genetics ; metabolism

Objective To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of partial cystectomy combined with chemotherapy in treating localized muscle invasive bladder cancer.Methods The patients admitted to localized muscle invasive bladder cancer from October 2011 to December 2015 were screened according to the strict inclusion criteria,and the final 53 patients were enrolled in the study,37 males and 16 females,aged 36 to 85 (63.72 ± 13.31)years.Tumor diameter 1.5-4.0 (2.52 ±0.56)cm,the number of≤ 3 and the edge of the tumor from the ureteral opening ＞ 2 cm.All pathological types are urothelial carcinoma.All patients were examined by MRI clinical stage T2a-T2b period.A total of 53 patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer who refuse or older,merge the heavier medical disease,difficult to tolerate radical cystectomy.Using partial cystectomy,intraoperative electrosurgical excision to deep muscle,parallel to the tumor bed frozen to confirm negative margins,postoperatively systemic chemotherapy of gemcitabine combined cisplatin and bladder perfusion chemotherapy of hydroxycamptothecin.Results Patients were successfully opcrated,and no margin positive or incision planting cases.The operating time is 55-110 min and average (79.11 ± 17.25)min.There was no serious complication in operation and postoperative,pathological diagnosis was invasive epithelial cell carcinoma of the urinary tract,pathology classification:low level 41 cases,and high level 12 cases.Follow up of 12 to 62 months,an average of (27.11 ± 12.22)months,21 cases of recurrence,12 patients had superficial recurrence in the bladder who was treated successfully by transurethral resection of bladder tumor,5 cases of multiple myometrial invasion who was treated by radical cystectomy (3 cases died of bladder cancer after the surgery in 8,12,and 18 months later),4 cases of myometrial invasion with recurrence of pelvic lymph node metastasis or even distant metastasis to give up treatment (all died within six months of bladder cancer).The first tumor recurrence time 3-18 months,11 months and the median time.Conclusions Our data indicate that partial cystectomy combined with chemotherapy is a safe and effective in treating localized muscle invasive bladder cancer,with less trauma,shorter operative time and higher safety,so as to provide an alternative treatment for patients with advanced age,high risk or who can not be implemented transurethral resection of bladder tumor or who refused to undergo radical cystectomy.

Recent collaborative, large-scale genomic profiling of the most common and aggressive brain tumor glioblastoma multiforme(GBM) has significantly advanced our understanding of this disease. The gene encoding platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha(PDGFRα) was identified as the third of the top 11 amplified genes in clinical GBM specimens. The important roles of PDGFRα signaling during normal brain development also implicate the possible pathologic consequences of PDGFRα over-activation in glioma. Although the initial clinical trials using PDGFR kinase inhibitors have been predominantly disappointing, diagnostic and treatment modalities involving genomic profiling and personalized medicine are expected to improve the therapy targeting PDGFRα signaling. In this review, we discuss the roles of PDGFRαsignaling during development of the normal central nervous system(CNS) and in pathologic conditions such as malignant glioma. We further compare various animal models of PDGF-induced gliomagenesis and their potential as a novel platform of pre-clinical drug testing. We then summarize our recent publication and how these findings will likely impact treatments for gliomas driven by PDGFRα overexpression. A better understanding of PDGFRα signaling in glioma and their microenvironment, through the use of human or mouse models, is necessary to design a more effective therapeutic strategy against gliomas harboring the aberrant PDGFRα signaling.
Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Autocrine Communication ; Brain Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; genetics ; metabolism ; Central Nervous System ; cytology ; embryology ; metabolism ; Disease Models, Animal ; Glioblastoma ; drug therapy ; genetics ; metabolism ; Glioma ; drug therapy ; genetics ; metabolism ; Humans ; Neurons ; cytology ; metabolism ; Protein Kinase Inhibitors ; therapeutic use ; Receptor, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor alpha ; genetics ; metabolism

Platelet-derived growth factors (PDGFs) and their receptors were identified and purified decades ago. PDGFs are important during normal development and in human cancers. In particular, autocrine PDGF signaling has been implicated in various types of malignancies such as gliomas and leukemia. In contrast, paracrine signaling was found in cancers that originate from epithelial cells, where it may be involved in stromal cell recruitment, metastasis, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition. This editorial briefly discusses autocrine and paracrine PDGF signaling and their roles in human cancers, and introduces a series of review articles in this issue that address the possible roles of PDGFs in various processes involved in different types of cancers.
Animals ; Autocrine Communication ; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition ; Humans ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neoplasms ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Paracrine Communication ; Platelet-Derived Growth Factor ; genetics ; metabolism ; physiology ; Receptors, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor ; genetics ; metabolism ; physiology

Objective Neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is an easy-to-analyze inflammation biomarker but few studies have assessed the relationship between NLR and type 2 diabetes. In order to evaluate how NLR is related to type 2 diabetes, we designed a large scale cross?sectional study in an adult population. Method A cross?sectional study (including 49 861 men and 40 376 women) was conducted on participants recruited from the Health Management Center of Tianjin Medical University General Hospital in Tianjin, China. Measurements of neutrophil and lymphocyte counts, fasting blood glucose and other potential confounding factors were performed. Type 2 diabetes was defined according to the criteria of American Diabetes Association. Adjusted logistic regression models were used to assess relationships between NLR quintiles and type 2 diabetes. Result In the final multivariate models, the odds ratios (95% confidence interval) for T2D across NLR quintiles were 1.00 (Reference), 1.19 (1.05, 1.35), 1.33 (1.17, 1.50), 1.28 (1.13, 1.44) and 1.34 (1.19, 1.51) (P for trend<0.000 1), in men. Similar relationships were also observed in women. Conclusion This study demonstrated that NLR was related to the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in men and women, and suggesting that NLR may be an efficient and accurate prognostic biomarker for type 2 diabetes.

Objective To evaluate whether the serum uric acid (SUA) levels are related to development of prediabetes. Methods This was a 6-year cohort study, subjects were recruited from Tianjin Medical University General Hospital Health Management Center. A prospective assessment (n=30 910) was performed. Subjects without a history of prediabetes were followed up for 6 years (with a median follow-up of 2.7 person-years). All relevant variables including SUA concentrations, and fasting plasma glucose were assessed at baseline and yearly during the follow-up. Prediabetes was defined in accordance with the American Diabetes Association criteria of 2014. Multivariate-adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression models were fitted to assess relationships between the quintiles of baseline SUA and the incidence of prediabetes. Results The incidence of prediabetes was 55 per 1 000 person-years. In comparison with subjects in the lowest quintile, the odds ratios and hazard ratio (95%confidence interval) of higher quintile of SUA were 1.04 (0.93, 1.15), 1.07 (0.95, 1.19), 1.13 (1.01, 1.28) and 1.15 (1.02, 1.30) (P for trend=0.01), respectively, after adjusting for potential confounders. Conclusion SUA levels predicted an increased risk of prediabetes in adults.

Objective To investigate the changes of QT dispersion and heart rate variability in children with ventricular contraction. Methods 50 healthy children who came for medical examinations at Chengdu Women′s and Children′s Central Hospital from January 2012 to January 2014 were selected as control group. 147 children with ventricular contraction admitted in Pediatric Intracardiac Department of Chengdu Women′s and Children′s Central Hospital from January 2012 to January 2014 were divided them into Benign Group (LownⅠ&LownⅡ) and Malignant Group(LownⅢ, LownⅣA, LownⅣB&LownⅤ) according to the results of Lown classification. Benign Group contained 90 cases while Malignant Group contained 57 cases. Difference in QT dispersion and indices of heart rate variability of the three groups were compared. Results There were no statistically differences between control group and benign group in QT dispersion (P > 0.05). QT dispersion of malignant group was much longer than that of control group and the differences had statistically meaning(P<0.001). SDNN(standard deviation of NN intervals) , SDANN (standard deviation of the averages of RR intervals ), SDNN index (index of standard deviation of the averages of NN intervals), rMSSD(root mean square of successive differences) and PNN50(percentage of successive normal sinus RR intervals>50 ms) of malignant group was much shorter than that of control group and benign group and the differences had statistically meaning (P< 0.01). SDNN, SDANN and SDNN index of benign group was shorter than that of control group and the differences had statistically meaning (P<0.05). Conclusions Heart rate variability of children with malignant ventricular contraction becomes significantly shorter and QT dispersion becomes significantly longer. Detection of QT dispersion and heart rate variability can effectively predict the risky degree of ventricular contraction in children.