Objective To investigate the effect of erythropoietin(EPO)as a brain-protective factor and inflammatory cytokines in the pathogenesis of cerebral palsy(CP).Methods Serum samples from 31 CP patients,37 neonates with CP risk factors such as hypoxic-ischemic injury and/or perinatal infection,and 20 controls of neonates or children were obtained respectively.EPO,tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-α and interleukin(IL)-6 levels were measured with the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay double sandwich method(ABC-ELISA).Results The serum EPO level of neonatal patients was higher than that of controls or CP group(P<0.01),but there was no significant difference between CP group and controls.The serum TNF-α and IL-6 levels of CP and neonatal patients were higher than that in controls(P<0.01).The serum TNF-α level of CP group was higher than that of neonatal patients(P<0.05).There was no significant difference between CP group and neonatal patients in serum IL-6 level.Conclusion The inflammatory responses mediated by proinflammatory cytokines may play a role in the pathogenesis of cerebral palsy.

Objective To evaluate the safety and clinical efficacy of CT-guided 125I seeds interstitial implantation in treating the refractory liver cancers that show poor response to commonly used therapies. Methods A total of 40 patients with refractory clinically or pathologically-proved liver cancer were enrolled in this study, the diseases included primary liver cancer (n = 27, with coexisting portal vein cancerous thrombus in 2) and metastatic liver cancer (n = 13). CT-guided 125I seeds interstitial implantation was performed in all patients. Preoperative plan of seeds implantation protocol was formulated by using the treatment plan system (TPS); the 125I seed activity was 0.6 -0.8 mCi and the peripheral matching dose (MPD) was 100 -140 Gy. The procedure of 125I seeds interstitial implantation was performed under local anesthesia in all patients. By using percutaneous trans-hepatic puncturing and single-or multiple-needle technique, the 125I seeds were implanted along a line parallel to the long axis of the tumor and/or tumorous thrombus with an interval of 0.5 -1.0 cm. The short-term efficacy was evaluated by modified response evaluation criteria in solid tumors (mRECIST), and the median time to tumor progression (mTTP) and the median overall survival time (mOS) were calculated by Kaplan and Meier method. Results The technical success rate was 100%. The diameter of the tumor was 1.5 -12.0 cm (mean 4.0 cm), and a total of 1 748 125I seeds were implanted in 40 patients (mean 44 seeds per patient). The short-term effective rate was 37.5%(n = 15), including complete remission in 8 cases and partial remission in 7 cases, the stable disease was seen in 15 cases (37.5%), and the disease control rate was 75%. The mTTP was 7.0 months (95%CI:4.524-9.476 months), while mOS was 10 months (95%CI: 6.901 -13.099 months). The procedure-related adverse reactions included small amount of subcapsular hemorrhage (n =2, 5%), intrahepatic migration of 125I seeds (n=2, 5%), pain at liver area (n=1, 2.5%); and no special treatment was needed in these patients. One patient developed high fever with chills 3 hours after the procedure, which was relieved after symptomatic and antipyretic treatment. Conclusion For the treatment of refractory liver cancers, CT-guided 125I seeds permanent interstitial implantation, used as a remedial therapy, is safe and effective. This technique is worth popularizing in clinical practice.

Objective To investigate the efficacy and safety of CT-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in treating lung tumors. Methods A total of 33 patients with lung cancer (35 lesions in total), who were admitted to authors’ hospital during the period from May 2007 to August 2013 to receive treatment, were enrolled in this study. RFA was carried out in all patients. After RFA the patients were followed up regularly (once every 3 months) to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy and the adverse reaction. The deadline for the following-up was November 2013, or to the time when tumor progression occurred. Results Of the total 34 lesions in 32 patients who had received RFA and had complete follow-up data, the one-year local control rate was 85.3%. The average one-year progression-free survival rate was 75.0%, among them 15 cases with primary lung cancer had a mean one-year progression-free survival rate of 80.0% and 17 cases with metastatic lung cancer had a mean one-year progression-free survival rate of 70.6%. The overall median progression-free survival (PFS) was(18.0±1.3) months. No obvious correlation existed between PFS and age, sex, tumor size, pathological type, clinical stage (P<0.05). The main adverse reactions of RFA were pain, hydrothorax and pneumothorax; no serious life-threatening complications occurred. Conclusion RFA is a safe, effective and minimally-invasive treatment for lung cancer, regardless of early stage or late stage of the tumor.

Objective To investigate the regularity of abdominal pain and its influence factors in patients with primary hepatic carcinoma (PHC) after receiving transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE).Methods A total of 121 patients with PHC were enrolled in this study.All patients were admitted to the Department of Interventional Radiology of Zhejiang Provincial Cancer Hospital from December 2012 to June 2013,and all patients were suffered from PHC.The occurrence,duration and severity of the abdominal pain as well as the used dosage of morphine within 48 hours after TACE were documented.The results were statistically analyzed.Results A total of 96 patients (96/121,78.5％) complained of different degrees of abdominal pain after interventional therapy,and 72 patients (72/121,59.5％) showed moderate to severe pain,with the VAS score being more than 4 points.The average dosage of morphine used each time for one patient was 19.7 mg.Statistical analysis indicated that these patients were more prone to develop abdominal pain after TACE if they carried more than one of the following risk factors:age ≥60 years (when compared with patients ＜60 years,OR:0.307,P=0.008),preoperative ECOG score ＞2 (when compared with a ECOG score of 0-1,OR:0.195,P=0.006),the distance between tumor and liver capsule ＞1 cm (when compared with the distance ≤ 1 cm,OR:0.296,P=0.007),the use of THP in performing chemoembolization (when compared with other chemotherapeutic drugs,OR:0.232,P＜0.003 4).Conclusion After TACE abdominal pain is a high-frequency event.The independent factors affecting the occurrence of abdominal pain are age＜60 years,preoperative ECOG score ＞2,tumor located close to liver capsule,and the use of THP-lipiodol mixture as embolic agent.Therefore,for patients carrying moderate-high risk of abdominal pain,routine use of analgesics before TACE as well as within 12 hours after TACE to prevent the occurrence of abdominal pain is quite necessary.

Objective:To construct a system for evaluating the professional capability of provincial radiological health institutions.Methods:Based on the Donabedian model and the main professional responsibilities of provincial radiological health institutions, the logical framework and indicator database of the capability evaluation system were initially constructed, the Delphi expert consultation method and analytic hierarchy process were further used to determine each indicator and its weight. The self-assessment test was carried out throughout the provincial radiological health institutions by using the system established in this study.Results:The evaluation system included 3 primary-class indicators, 11 second-class indicators, 30 third-class indicators and 76 fourth-class indicators. Taking 100 points as the full score, the self-assessment scores of the 29 provincial institutions ranged from 28.7 to 97.7 with an average of 78.7, and the scores conform to the normal distribution.Conclusions:The system established in this study are scientific, comprehensive and operable, which can be used as an effective tool to evaluate the professional capability of provincial radiological health institutions.

Objective To investigate antimicrobial resistance among Streptococcus pneumoniae clinically isolated from 14 teaching hospitals located at different areas in China in 2005-2008 and to give logical guidance for clinical empirical therapy.Methods A total of 1 317 non-repetitive S.pneumoniae isolates in 14 teaching hospitals from 2005-2008 were collected and sent to the central lab for reidentification and susceptibility testing, including 271 isolates collected in 2005, 391 isolates collected in 2006, 363 isolates collected in 2007 and 292 isolates collected in 2008. Most of the isolates were from community-acquired respiratory tract infections, which were isolated from outpatient or emergency department patients with respiratory tract infections or those patients with respiratory tract infections within ≤48 hours hospitalization.The districts where the organisms were isolated include North China, Northeast China, South China, Central and Northwest China and East China.The patients included adults, teenagers and children.The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) or inhibitory zone diameter of 17 antimicrobial agents were determined by Etest method, agar dilution method or disk diffusion method.WHONET5.5 software was used to analyze susceptibility rate, intermediate rate, resistance rate, MIC50 and MIC90.Results Linezolid (100%) and fluoroquinolones (95.2%-99.7%) showed excellent activities against S.pneumoniae.Among β-lactams, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid remained high activities (73.8%-92.1%),followed by penicillin, ceftriaxone and cefepime with year-over-year decrease in activities.The activities of three second-generation cephalosporins were low (36.3%-38.4% in 2008).The activities of erythromycin, azithromycin, clindamycin, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and tetracycline against S.pneumoniae were poor and decreased year over year.The incidence of penicillin non-susceptible S.pneumoniae (PNSP) was increasing especially for PISP (from 4.4% in 2005 to 20.2% in 2008).The incidence of PNSP in North China was low (6.0%), while this value were high in central China and East China (30.1% and 38.7%, separately).The incidence of PNSP in adults (15.7%) was obviously lower than that in children(≤5 years:33.0%) and teenagers (6-17 years:38.2%).Conclusions linezolid and fluoroquinolones showed excellent in vitro activity against S.pneumoniae, followed by penicillin and cephalosporins with year-over-year decrease of activity. Clinicians should pay more attention when using those antimicrobial agents with poor activity against S.pneumoniae, which include macrolides, clindamycin, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and tetracycline.

Objective: To detect the expression level of YES-associated protein 1 (YAP) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines and investigate its effects on the proliferation activity and the sensitivity to sorafenib in HCC cells. Methods: Western blot was used to detect the protein expression levels of YAP in SMMC-7721, SK-Hep-1, HepG-2, Huh7 and the normal liver cell line L-O2. YAP specific small interfering RNA (si-YAP) or YAP expression plasmid were transfected in SK-Hep-1 or Huh7 cells, respectively. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) test was used to detect the cell proliferation activity and the cell cycle test was conducted by flow cytometry. SK-Hep-1 and SK-Hep-1 si-YAP cells were subcutaneously injected into the nude mice which were sequentially treated by intragastric administration of sorafenib, and the tumor growth in vivo were observed and compared. Results: The expression of YAP was upregulated in HCC cell lines. Deletion of YAP expression significantly decreased the survival rate of SK-Hep-1 cells [(78.5±0.3)% vs (92.3±0.2)%, P=0.025]. Knockdown of YAP significantly increased the percentage of G₀/G₁-phase cells [ (65.4±3.3) % vs (55.7±3.4) %, P=0.039]. On the contrary, upregulation of the YAP expression in Huh7 cells significantly increased the cell survival rate [(81.2±1.3)% vs (62.5±1.1)%, P=0.013] and reduced the percentage of G₀/G₁-phase cells [(38.2±3.8)% vs (48.8±2.9)%, P=0.019]. The survival rate of SK-Hep-1 cells treated by si-YAP combined with sorafenib was (31.13±1.79)%, significantly lower than (48.87±0.58) % of SK-Hep-1 cells treated by sorafenib alone (P=0.001), while overexpression of YAP attenuated the inhibitory effect of sorafenib on the survival of Huh7 cells [(69.98±2.94) % vs (53.53±1.93)%, P=0.001]. The tumor weights of SK-Hep-1 group, sorafenib alone group, SK-Hep-1 si-YAP group and SK-Hep-1 si-YAP combined with sorafenib group were (0.96±0.08) g, (0.62±0.08) g, (0.70±0.06) g and (0.27±0.02) g, respectively. The tumor weights of sorafenib alone group and SK-Hep-1 si-YAP group were significantly lower than that of SK-Hep-1 group (P=0.012 and P=0.031, respectively). The tumor weight of SK-Hep-1 si-YAP combined with sorafenib group was significantly lower than that of SK-Hep-1 si-YAP group (P=0.001). Conclusions The expression of YAP is upregulated in HCC cell lines, which regulates the proliferation, cell cycle, and sensitivity to sorafenib of HCC cells. YAP is a potential molecular target for HCC treatment.

BACKGROUND: Low-dose spiral computed tomography (LDCT) has been recommended for lung cancer screening in high-risk populations. However, evidence from Chinese populations was limited due to the different criteria for high-risk populations and the short-term follow-up period. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness in Chinese adults based on the Lung Cancer Screening Program in Minhang District of Shanghai initiated in 2013. METHODS: A total of 26,124 subjects aged 40 years or above were enrolled in the Lung Cancer Screening Program during the period of 2013 and 2017. Results of LDCT examination, and screen-detected cancer cases in all participants were obtained from the Reporting System of the Lung Cancer Screening Program. The newly-diagnosed cases and their vital status up to December 31, 2020 were identified through a record linkage with the Shanghai Cancer Registry and the Shanghai Vital Statistics. Standardized incidence ratio (SIR) and 95%CI were calculated using the local population at ages of 40 or above as the reference. Proportions of early-stage cancer (stage 0-I), pathological types, and 5-year observed survival rates of lung cancer cases were estimated and compared between the cases derived from the screened and non-screened populations. Cox regression models were applied to evaluate the hazard ratio (HR) and 95%CI of LDCT screening with all-cause death of the lung cancer cases. RESULTS: The crude and age-standardized incidence of lung cancer in screened population were 373.3 (95%CI: 343.1-406.1) and 70.3 per 100,000 person-years, respectively, with an SIR of 1.8 (95%CI: 1.6-1.9), which was observed to decrease with following-up time. The early-stage cancer accounted for 49.4% of all lung cancer cases derived from the screened population, significantly higher than 38.4% in cases from the non-screened population during the same period (P<0.05). The proportion of lung adenocarcinoma (40.7% vs 35.9%) and 5-year survival rate (53.7% vs 41.5%) were also significantly higher in the cases from the screened population (all P<0.05). LDCT screening was associated with 30% (HR=0.7, 95%CI: 0.6-0.8) reduced all-cause deaths of the cases. CONCLUSIONS The participants of the screening program are at high-risk of lung cancer. LDCT favors the early-detection of lung cancer and improves 5-year survival of the screened cases, indicating a great potential of LDCT in reducing the disease burden of lung cancer in Chinese populations.
Adult ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms/epidemiology* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Early Detection of Cancer/methods* ; China/epidemiology* ; Tomography, Spiral Computed/methods* ; Mass Screening

The progressive destruction of condylar cartilage is a hallmark of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) osteoarthritis (OA); however, its mechanism is incompletely understood. Here, we show that Kindlin-2, a key focal adhesion protein, is strongly detected in cells of mandibular condylar cartilage in mice. We find that genetic ablation of Kindlin-2 in aggrecan-expressing condylar chondrocytes induces multiple spontaneous osteoarthritic lesions, including progressive cartilage loss and deformation, surface fissures, and ectopic cartilage and bone formation in TMJ. Kindlin-2 loss significantly downregulates the expression of aggrecan, Col2a1 and Proteoglycan 4 (Prg4), all anabolic extracellular matrix proteins, and promotes catabolic metabolism in TMJ cartilage by inducing expression of Runx2 and Mmp13 in condylar chondrocytes. Kindlin-2 loss decreases TMJ chondrocyte proliferation in condylar cartilages. Furthermore, Kindlin-2 loss promotes the release of cytochrome c as well as caspase 3 activation, and accelerates chondrocyte apoptosis in vitro and TMJ. Collectively, these findings reveal a crucial role of Kindlin-2 in condylar chondrocytes to maintain TMJ homeostasis.
Aggrecans/metabolism* ; Animals ; Cartilage, Articular/metabolism* ; Chondrocytes/pathology* ; Cytoskeletal Proteins/metabolism* ; Mice ; Muscle Proteins/metabolism* ; Osteoarthritis/pathology* ; Temporomandibular Joint/pathology*