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.

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.

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.

Objective To explore the potential role of endogenous vascular elastase (EVE) in pathogenesis of coronary ar-tery lesions (CAL) in Kawasaki diseases (KD). Methods A total of 60 children with KD admitted from Jan. 2012 to Apr. 2013 were enrolled, and at the same time 60 febrile children with respiratory infection were enrolled as controls. The left and right coro-nary artery diameter value was measured by ultrasonic cardiogram. The levels of EVE, matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-9 and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and their correlations with coro-nary artery diameter were analyzed. Results The levels of EVE, MMP-9 and TGF-β1 in KD children in the acute phase were significantly higher than those in control group (P<0.01). Meanwhile, the level of EVE in KD children with coronary artery le-sion (CAL) is significantly higher than that in KD children without CAL. The results of correlation analysis indicated that the levels of EVE, MMP-9 and TGF-β1 were positively correlated with coronary artery diameters (r=0.64~0.79, P<0.01). Conclu-sions EVE plays an important role in the CAL of KD may through inducing the produce of MMP-9, TGF-β1 and finally caus-ing the formation of CAL.

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

BACKGROUND: The occurrence and severity of acute high-altitude disease(AHAD) are determined by the speed entering the highland, the altitude of highland and seasons. The association between obesity and AHAD has not been fully investigated.OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between obesity and acute high-altitude in people exposed rapidly to the highland.DESIGN: Comparative observation.SETTING: Department of Cardiology, General Hospital of Chinese PLA and Department of Cardiology, Tibetan General Hospital of Chinese PLA.PARTICIPANTS: The experiment was conducted at the Department of Cardiology, General Hospital of Tibetan Military Area Command of Chinese PLA in August 2006. Totally 82 Henan subjects aged 28-45 years were selected from the male workers constructing the Qinghai-Tibet Railway and their managers with acute high-altitude exposure. They had never been to the highland before, and all agreed to the detection.METHODS: ①Every subject completed the AHAD self-report questionnaire at sea level and 12 hours and 24 hours after ascending high-altitude. The items in the questionnaire included symptoms of headache, gastrointestinal symptoms,fatigue or weakness, dizziness, and insomnia. Each symptom was graded from 0-3 with 0 as no symptoms, 1 as mild symptoms, 2 as moderate symptoms, and 3 as severe symptoms and a total score of 15. A score of 4 or more could by identified as AHAD. ②The height and body mass were measured to calculate the body mass (BMI). Those with BMI≥28 kg/m2 served as the obesity group [n =39, mean age (35±8) years], and those with BMI of 18.5-23.9 kg/m2 as the normal body mass group [n =43, mean age (35±8) years]. ③Arterial blood was taken to evaluate arterial oxygen saturation (SO2), arterial oxygen pressure (PaO2) and arterial carbon dioxide pressure (PaCO2) at baseline and 24 hours after ascending high-altitude. ④The measurement data was compared by t test.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: BMI, vital capacity of lungs, SO2, PaO2 and PaCO2 levels of obese and normal people.RESULTS: Totally 39 obese people and 43 normal people were involved in the result analysis. ①AHAD score: No symptom was reported at sea level in all participants (scored 0), but the AHAD scores in the obesity group were significantly higher than those in normal group 12-hour and 24-hour after ascending high-altitude. ②Blood gas analysis:At sea level, there were no statistical differences in the levels of SO2, PaO2, and PaCO2 between two groups (P ＞ 0.05).But 24 hours after ascending high-altitude, SO2 and PaO2 of the obesity group were much lower than in the normal group (P＜ 0.01), and PaCO2 was significantly higher than in the normal group (P＜ 0.01).CONCLUSION: Obese men are more vulnerable to high-altitude hypoxia than people with normal body mass. Obesity is an important risk factor for the development of acute high-altitude disease.

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.