OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression and significance of miRNA-324-3p and its target gene WNT2B in tissue specimens of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) specimens. METHOD: qRT-PCR was used to detect the expression of miRNA-324-3p and WNT2B mRNA, and Western blot was applied to assay the expression of WNT2B protein in 39 cases of NPC specimens and 21 cases of non-carcinoma epithelium. The relationship between their expression levels and clinicopathological characteristics and their correlation with clinical pathological parameters was analyzed. RESULT: The expression of miRNA-324-3p was significantly down-regulated decreased but WNT2B mRNA/protein increased obviously in NPC specimens (P < 0.01). A negative correlation between miRNA-324-3p and WNT2B was spotted (P < 0.05). The expression levels of these markers were closely correlated with T stage, clinic stage and cervical lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION The loss of miRNA-324-3p and ectopic WNT2B might co-induce the initiation and progression of NPC.
Carcinoma ; Glycoproteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Humans ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; MicroRNAs ; metabolism ; Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; metabolism ; Neoplasm Proteins ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; metabolism ; Wnt Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism

Purpose: Through meta-analysis, we aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of drug-coated balloons (DCB), compared with drugeluting stents (DES) or uncoated devices, in the treatment of de novo coronary lesions. Materials and Methods: Only randomized controlled trials were included. The primary outcomes were late lumen loss (LLL), target lesion revascularization (TLR), and major adverse cardiac events (MACEs). Subgroup analyses were conducted based on clinical indications, whether DCBs were used with a systematic or bailout stent, and types of DESs. Results: The present meta-analysis demonstrated that DCBs elicit significantly lower incidences of TLR, MACE, and LLL, compared with uncoated devices, and similar incidences, compared with DESs, in the treatment of de novo coronary lesions. Subgroup analysis indicated that DCBs used with a bailout stent achieved lower incidences of binary restenosis and myocardial infarction, compared with uncoated devices, and provided less LLL than DESs. DCBs showed similar rates of TLR and MACE, with significantly less LLL, than DESs in treating de novo small-vessel diseases. The clinical efficacy of DCBs was similar to that of secondgeneration DES. Conclusion Overall, DCB is favored over bare metal stent alone in treating de novo coronary lesions. DCBs appear to be a promising alternative to DESs in the treatment of de novo coronary lesions.

Objective:To explore the correlation between the ratio of C-reactive protein (CRP) to albumin (CAR) and the syndrome type of Wei-Qi-Ying-Xue in patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).Methods:A case-control study was conducted to select 63 severe patients with COVID-19 admitted to the Dongzhimen Hospital of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine from December 2022 to December 2023, including 50 severe cases and 13 critical cases. The clinical data of the patients were collected. According to the syndrome differentiation of Wei-Qi-Ying-Xue, there were 21 cases of Qi syndrome, 20 cases of Ying syndrome and 22 cases of Xue syndrome. The differences of CRP, ALB and CAR levels in patients with different Wei-Qi-Ying-Xue syndromes were compared. Spearman correlation test was used to test the correlation between CRP, ALB, CAR and the Wei-Qi-Ying-Xue syndrome type, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to detect the diagnostic efficacy of CRP, ALB and CAR on the Wei-Qi-Ying-Xue syndrome type.Results:There was a statistically significant difference in the clinical classification of Western medicine among the three groups ( P<0.05). The CAR of the Ying group and the Xue group was higher than that of the Qi group ( P<0.05), while there was no statistically significant difference in age and comorbidities (all P>0.05). The CRP of the Xue group was higher than that of the Qi group ( P<0.05), and the ALB of the Ying group and the Xue group was lower than that of the Qi group (all P<0.05). Correlation analysis showed that there was a correlation between the Wei-Qi-Ying-Xue syndrome type and CRP, ALB and CAR ( P<0.05), among which CAR changed most significantly with the change of Wei-Qi-Ying-Xue syndrome type. ROC curve analysis showed that CRP, ALB and CAR had good diagnostic value for Qi syndrome and Xue syndrome ( P<0.05). The critical values of the diagnosis of Qi syndrome were 48.57 mg/L, 34.20 g/L and 2.97. The critical values of the diagnosis of Xue syndrome were 28.30 mg/L, 26.6 g/L and 5.96. Conclusions:CAR ratio is correlated with the Wei-Qi-Ying-Xue syndrome type of severe COVID-19 patients, and its level changes are in line with the evolution law of Wei-Qi-Ying-Xue syndrome. CAR≤2.97 is contributed to the diagnosis of Qi syndrome, and CAR>5.96 is contributed to the diagnosis of Xue syndrome. CAR may be an objective index related to the Wei-Qi-Ying-Xue syndrome type of severe COVID-19 patients.