OBJECTIVETo assess the experimental and clinical data regarding the effects of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) on fracture non-union.

DATA SOURCESThe English language literature regarding EMFs on fracture non-union were searched using MEDLINE, Web of Science and Embase, for the period January 2006 to June 2011. The search terms were electromagnetic fields and non-union/bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs)/bone.

STUDY SELECTIONArticles were included in the review if they were related to the use of EMFs on BMSCs or bone tissue. Papers without full manuscripts available were excluded.

RESULTSThe basic and clinical research in this field, while somewhat limited, supports the insightful application of EMFs to ameliorate disability due to fracture non-union.

CONCLUSIONSFurther basic and clinical research to validate the use of EMFs in facilitating function and bone reparative processes in fracture non-union is required.

Animals ; Bone Regeneration ; physiology ; Electromagnetic Fields ; Humans

Aged ; Humans ; Male ; Urinary Diversion ; adverse effects ; Urinary Fistula ; diagnosis ; etiology

To study the chemical constituents of Cymbopogon citratus, isolation and purification of constituents were carried out on silica gel, Sephadex LH-20 and prepatative HPLC. The structures of the compounds were identified by physicchemical properties and spectral data analysis. Eight compounds were isolated and identified as 3beta-methoxy lanosta-9(11)-en-27-ol (1), 3beta-hydroxylanosta-9 (11)-en (2), (24S) -3beta-methoxylanosta-9(11), 25-dien-24-ol (3), 8-hydroxyl-neo-menthol (4), (2E)-3,7-dimethyl-2,7-octadiene-1, 6-diol (5), (+)-citronellol (6), 7-hydroxymenthol (7) and ethyl nonadecanoate(8). Compounds 1 is a new one. Compounds 2-3 are obtained from C. citratus for the first time.
Cymbopogon ; chemistry ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Molecular Structure ; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization ; Triterpenes ; chemistry

PURPOSE: It is widely accepted that aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity is a signature of breast cancer stem cells, and high activity has been reported to be associated with poor clinical outcome. The aim of this study was to assess the expression of members of the ALDH family of isozymes in breast cancer tissues and to evaluate the implications of the results. METHODS: We analyzed paraffin-embedded tumor tissue from 160 patients with breast cancer. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining was performed on the slides using antibodies against different ALDH family members. We collated the IHC results with patient clinical characteristics and determined their prognostic value. In addition, we analyzed normal, hyperplastic, and carcinomatous tissues in situ to check their ALDH distributions. RESULTS: All the tested ALDH members were detected in the various tissue types, but at different levels. Only ALDH 1A3 was found to be significantly associated with distant metastasis (p=0.001), disease-free survival (p<0.001), and overall survival (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The level of ALDH 1A3 in breast cancer tissue is a predictive marker of a poor clinical outcome.
Aldehyde Dehydrogenase* ; Antibodies ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Disease-Free Survival ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Isoenzymes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neoplastic Stem Cells ; Prognosis ; Stem Cells

The application of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in the screening and diagnosis of prostate cancer (PCa) has improved the clinical management of PCa patients.However,the PSA assay has been faced with criticism due to its potential association with over-diagnosis and subsequent overtreatment of indolent patients.Matrix metalloproteinase-26 (MMP26) is a member of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and has been reported to be highly expressed in many cancers.This investigation evaluated the potential of serum MMP26 as a biomarker for PCa.The level of serum MMP26 was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 160 subjects including PCa group (n=80),benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) group (n=40) and control group (n=40).Furthermore,we evaluated the expression of MMP26 in tissues by immunohistochemistry.The results showed the serum MMP26 levels were significantly higher in PCa group than in BPH group and control group.Similarly,the MMP26 protein was positive in PCa tissues and negative in BPH tissues and control tissues.In conclusion,these results suggested MMP26 could be used as a potential serum biomarker in the diagnosis of PCa.

OBJECTIVETo study the reconstruction of partial defects at the end of the thumbs and other fingers with microsurgical free toe flaps.

METHODS21 partial defects (19 cases) at the end of thumbs and other fingers were reconstructed with microsurgical free toe flaps taking from the corresponding toe part.

RESULTSAll the free flaps survived. The patients were followed up for 3 - 6 months. The aesthetic and functional results were both satisfactory. The two-point-discrimination distance was 4 - 6 mm.

CONCLUSIONSThe microsurgical free toe flaps have good therapeutic effect for the reconstruction of partial defects at the end of the fingers.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Female ; Finger Injuries ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Reconstructive Surgical Procedures ; methods ; Skin Transplantation ; Surgical Flaps ; Thumb ; injuries ; surgery ; Toes ; surgery ; Young Adult

Objective To investigate the effect of miR-218-1-3p on the proliferation,cycle,and apoptosis of A549 cells in non-small-cell lung cancer.Methods miR-218-1-3p was transfected into non-small cell lung cancer A549 cells by LipofectamineTM 2000 Reagent,and the expression of miR-218-3p was detected by real-time PC R.Invasion and migration were assayed using the Transwell method.The effect of miR-218-1-3p on the proliferation of A549 cells was assayed by the MTS method.Changes in the cell cycle and apoptosis of A549 cells transfected with miR-218-1-3p was detected by flow cytometry.Changes in indicators related to cell proliferation,cycle,and apoptosis were detected by fluorescence quantitative PCR.Results Compared to the control group,the cell proliferation of A549 cells was significantly inhibited (P ＜ 0.05) and the proportion of cells in the S and G2-M phases was significantly decreased when miR-218-1-3p was up-regulated.In addition,compared with the control group,the early apoptotic rate was significantly increased by up-regulating miR-218-1-3p.We further detected indicators related to cell proliferation,cycle,and apoptosis and found that CYCLIN-D1 and BCL-2 were significantly downregulated.Conclusion miR-218-1-3p may inhibit proliferation,induce cell cycle arrest,and promote cell apoptosis of non-small cell lung cancer A549 cells by regulating CYCLIN-D 1 and BCL-2.

Anti-Bacterial Agents ; therapeutic use ; Drug Resistance, Microbial ; drug effects ; Education, Medical, Continuing ; standards ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Humans ; Practice Guidelines as Topic ; Singapore

This corrects the article “Analysis of Tau Protein Expression in Predicting Pathological Complete Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Different Molecular Subtypes of Breast Cancer” in volume 23 on page 47.This article was initially published on the Journal of Breast Cancer with a misspelled the abbreviation in figure 3. The abbreviation ‘HP’ should be corrected as ‘HR’.

PURPOSE: Tau is a microtubule-associated protein that can be found in both normal and abnormal breast cells. Whether the expression of Tau protein can predict the response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) is still unclear. In this study, we assessed the role of Tau protein expression in predicting a pathological complete response (pCR) to NACT for different subtypes of breast cancer. METHODS: Four hundred and sixty-eight eligible patients were retrospectively recruited in our study. The relationship between clinicopathologic factors, including Tau protein expression, and pCR in different subtypes was evaluated using logistic regression analysis. Correlation between Tau and disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) was performed using Kaplan–Meier analysis. RESULTS: The expression of Tau protein was negatively correlated with pCR, especially in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). No significant difference was observed in the luminal human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2)-negative subtype and HER2-positive subtype. Patients with pCR were associated with better DFS and OS (p < 0.05). However, Tau protein expression had no association with either DFS or OS (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION Tau protein expression can predict pCR before NACT in TNBC, but there was no correlation between Tau expression and DFS or OS.