Background and purpose:Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is an excellent model for evaluation of predictive parameters.The goal of predictive parameters is to select patients who would most likely benefit from neoadjuvant chemotherapy.The objective of this study was to investigate the predictive value of biological markers for the patients' response to neoadjuvant anthracycline combined with taxanes chemotherapy.Methods:We investigated 160 patients with breast cancer who underwent 4 cycles of neoadjuvant anthracycline combined with taxanes chemotherapy,retrospectively.The expression of estrogen receptors(ER),progesterone receptors(PgR),Her2,Topo-Ⅱ and Ki-67 proteins were detected by immunohistochemical assay in core-needle biopsy specimens.The associations between biological markers as well as clinical and pathologic responses were analyzed.Results:The overall clinical response was 85%,including 28.8%(46/160) with clinical complete response(cCR) and 56.3%(90/160) with clinical partial response.The pathological complete response(pCR) was 14.4%.In the univariate analysis,absence of ER,PgR expression and over-expression of Her-2 were predictive of the cCR and pCR(P

Objective To evaluate the value of fine needle aspiration (FNA) and core needle biopsy (CNB) in highly suspicious breast malignant lesions in terms of diagnostic accuracy,complication rate and cost-effectiveness.Methods We retrospectively reviewed records of patients with imaging diagnosis of BI-RADS 4c or 5 categories who have undergone either FNA or CNB under ultrasound guidance in Peking University People's Hospital from 2012 to 2014.Sensitivity,specificity,diagnostic accuracy,positive predictive,negative predictive,false positive rate,false negative rate,accuracy rate and unsatisfactory rate (non-diagnostic rate) were calculated and compared between FNAC and CNB.The complication of the procedures,operation time and cost were assessed.Results Among 638 consecutive cases,273 of them underwent FNA,and 365 underwent CNB.The accuracy rate of FNA and CNB were 99％ and 97.2％.The sensitivity,specificity,diagnostic accuracy,positive predictive,false positive rate and false negative rate were similar between the two groups.The unsatisfactory rate of FNA was significantly higher than that of CNB (25.3％ vs.10.9％,x2 =22.59,P =0.000).There was not severe complication in either groups,while subcutaneous ecchymosis and hematoma were more common in FNA group than in CNB group.The operation time of FNA was shorter than that of CNB (4.8 ± 1.3 min vs.15.5-± 1.7 min,P =0.000).The waiting time for final pathological report was shorter in patients undergoing FNA (1 vs.3 days).An estimated cost for FNA was RMB 447.5 Yuan/case,whereas that was 995 Yuan/case for CNB.Conclusions FNA and CNB are both accurate and safe preoperative diagnostic procedures.FNA is a simple and cost-effective method.

Ectopia Cordis ; surgery ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Male

To investigate the effects of Caulis Sargentodoxae Granule (CSG), a compound traditional Chinese herbal medicine for treating endometriosis, on expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptor-2 fetal liver kinase-1 (Flk-1) in rats with endometriosis.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate therapeutic effect of acupuncture at "Kaiyin point No. 1" on submucosal hemorrage of vocal cords.

METHODSOne hundred and sixty cases were randomly divided into a test group and a control group. The test group were treated by acupuncture at "Kaiyin point No. 1" with reducing method in reinforcing or reducing method by manipulating the needle in cooperation with the patient's respiration, combined with deep respiratory movement of the glottis laryngeal cavity, once daily; and the control group by spray inhalation of western medicine, once daily, 7 days constituting one therapeutic course.

RESULTSThe cured and markedly effective rate and the total effective rate were 85.0% and 97.5% in the test group and 60.0% and 85.0% in the control group respectively, with a significant difference between the two groups. After treatment of the test group,the acoustical parameters maximum phonation time (MPT), frequency perturbation quotient (FPQ), amplitude perturbation quotient (APQ), ratio of harmonic to noise (H/N) objectively reflected improvement of voice quality.

CONCLUSIONAcupuncture at "Kaiyin point No. 1" as main method is an ideal therapy for submucosa hemorrhage of vocal cords.

Acoustics ; Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Adult ; Female ; Hemorrhage ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Humans ; Laryngeal Diseases ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Vocal Cords ; physiopathology

Objective To detect the expression of survivin mRNA in cervical cancer cell lines using molecular beacon imaging technology. Methods Human cervical cancer cells (HeLa and SiHa) and human fetal lung fibroblast HFL-I were cultured in vitro. After adding 100 nmol/L survivin mRNA molecular beacon, the fluorescent signals were observed under fluorescent microscope. The expressions of survivin in cervical cancer cells and HFL-I cell were examined by immunocytochemical streptravidin-biothin peroxidase (SP) assay at the same time. Results Two kinds of survivin mRNA molecular beacon, with different color fluorescence, had strong fluorescent signal in cervical cancer cell lines, and the signal in SiHa cell line was stronger, but these signals were not found in HFL-I ; Immunocytochemical staining of positive survivin was located in the cytoplasm of cervical cancer cell lines HeLa and SiHa, whereas, no expression of survivin was detected in HFL-I cell line. Conclusion The technology of molecular beacon imaging can be used to detect the expression of survivin mRNA in viable cells successfully, and may provide a new approach to the diagnosis of early stage cervical cancer and the following-up in the clinic.

To explore the potential of the anti-sense nucleic acid of CyclinD1 in lung cancer therapy, the expression vector containing the anti-sense nucleic acid of CyclinD1 was constructed and named pcDNA3.1-CyclinD1. The A549 cells were transfected with pcDNA3.1-CyclinD1 vectors. After being screened by G418, the stable expression positive clones were obtained. MTT method and flow cytometry technique were used to detect cell proliferation and apoptosis, respectively. The results showed the transfected cells exhibited significantly increased apoptosis and inhibited cell growth, compared with negative control and empty vector groups. To investigate the mechanism for anti-sense nucleic acid of CyclinD1 inducing A549 cells apoptosis, the expression levels of retinoblastoma protein (pRb), adenovirus E2 factor-1 (E2F-1), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 were detected by Western blot, and the results showed the expressions of these proteins were all decreased significantly in anti-sense nucleic acid of CyclinD transfected group, compared with those in negative control and empty vector groups. In a word, anti-sense nucleic acid of CyclinD1 induces the apoptosis of lung adenocarcinoma cancer cells, and the depressions of pRb, E2F-1, VEGF, MMP-2 and MMP-9 expressions may be the possible mechanism.
Adenocarcinoma ; pathology ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cyclin D1 ; genetics ; DNA, Antisense ; pharmacology ; Genetic Vectors ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; pathology ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 ; metabolism ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 ; metabolism ; Recombination, Genetic ; Retinoblastoma Protein ; metabolism ; Transfection ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the role of RNA interference (RNAi) in silencing the enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) expression in 293T and Mel cells.

METHODSNested-PCR was used to amplify H1 promoter from human 293T cells for driving RNAi synthesis. RNAi vectors (TR1) for silencing the eGFP expression was constructed. The eGFP vector and RNAi vector (TR1) were then co-transfected into the 293T and Mel cells, in which the silencing effect on eGFP expression was investigated by fluorescence microscopy, reverse transcription-PCR(RT-PCR), fluorescence-assited cell sorting(FACS) analysis and real-time RT-PCR.

RESULTSRNAi could effectively reduce more than 50 percent of eGFP expression in 293T cells as well as in Mel cells.

CONCLUSIONThe RNAi vector constructed in this way paper can effectively inhibit eGFP expression in cells.

Cell Line ; Flow Cytometry ; Genetic Vectors ; genetics ; Green Fluorescent Proteins ; genetics ; Humans ; RNA Interference ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction

Objective To evaluate the value of ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) in assessment of atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E (ApoE) knockout mice feeding with western diet.Methods Sixteen ApoE knockout mice in 8 weeks age were selected,then divided into two groups.One group was fed with west diet as high-fat group,and another group was fed with normal diet as control group.Intima-media thickness (IMT) and plaque area in the aortic root were assessed by UBM in two groups after 8 weeks and 16 weeks.And the measurements of UBM were compared with results of histopathology and blood-fat.ResultsThicken wall and plaque could be find in aortic root in control group and high-fat diet group byUBM.IMT and plaque area in high-fat diet group was significantly higher than those of control group ( P ＜ 0.05).The IMT and plaque area in UBM were good correlation with histopathology ( rwas 0.81 and 0.70 respectively).The triglyceride(TC) and total cholesterol in high-fat diet group was significantly higher than those of control group ( P ＜0.05),and IMT in UBM were increased with the elevated level of TC,there was a positive correlation between IMT and TC( r =0.528).ConclusionsWestern diet can accelerate the process in formation of atherosclerotic plaque in ApoE knockout mice.UBM can be used to observe this prograss noninvasively in vivo mice.

To study enhancing effect of IL-3 gene transfected bone marrow stromal cell which can be induced by doxycycline (Dox) to express IL-3 cytokine on the proliferation and differentiation of hematopoietic stem cell, retrovirus vector system contained mIL-3 cDNA was established and bone marrow stromal cell line was transfected, and obtained QXMSC1Tet-on-IL-3, in which expression level of IL-3 can be modulated by Dox. The activities of IL-3 were measured under different Dox concentrations. The numbers of hematopoietic progenitors (CFU-GM, CFU-E, CFU-GEMM and LTC-IC) were measured and the capacity of QXMSC1Tet-on-IL-3 sustaining hematopoietic progenitor cell growth was evaluated. The results showed that IL-3 gene transfected stromal cell line QXMSC1-Tet-on + IL-3 expressed high concentration of IL-3 in vitro under control of Dox. The supernatant of QXMSC1-Tet-on + IL-3 was able to increase the number of CFU-GM, CFU-E and CFU-GEMM. The total numbers of nucleated cells and long-term cultured colonies increased in LTC-IC assay. It is concluded that in the culture of QXMSC1-Tet-on + IL-3 cells, Dox actually enhanced IL-3 expression, and thus augmented the proliferation and differentiation of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells in vitro.
Animals ; Bone Marrow Cells ; physiology ; Cell Differentiation ; drug effects ; Doxycycline ; pharmacology ; Hematopoiesis ; drug effects ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells ; cytology ; Interleukin-3 ; genetics ; physiology ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Stromal Cells ; Transfection