OBJECTIVETo analyze the relationship between Chinese medical constitutions and chemotherapy-induced leucopenia (CIL) of primary breast cancer patients.

METHODSTotally 306 breast cancer patients undergoing adjunctive chemotherapy for the 1st time, and effective 291 breast cancer patients were recruited in this study.Nine Basic Constitutional Scale was used before first chemotherapy. Chinese medical constitutions were classified and quantitatively scored. The highest grading for any item of adverse reactions in each case during the whole chemotherapy course was recorded after chemotherapy. Data were statistically analyzed using SPSS16.0.

RESULTSThere was no significant difference in CIL between different chemotherapy regimens and various Chinese medical constitutions of breast cancer patients (P > 0.05). Yang deficiency constitution is one risk factor for CIL. The higher the score of yang deficiency constitution, the more severe the CIL.

CONCLUSIONSYang deficiency constitution was correlated with the degree of CIL. The higher the score of yang deficiency constitution, the greater the risk of III-IV grade CIL in breast cancer patients.

Breast Neoplasms ; complications ; drug therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Leukopenia ; chemically induced ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Yang Deficiency

Coronary Sinus ; abnormalities ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Subclavian Vein ; Vena Cava, Superior

Objective:To investigate the correlation between the location and volume of cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) and lacunar infarction (LI) in patients with cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD).Methods:Participants from the CSVD cohort in the Department of Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, the Affiliated Hospital of Medical School of Nanjing University from February 2017 to March 2019 were enrolled retrospectively. All participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging scans, standardized clinical assessment and diagnosis. AccuBrain, an automatic brain segmentation and quantification software developed by the Chinese University of Hong Kong, was used to quantitatively analyze the volume of CMBs and white matter hyperintensities (WMHs). Ordered multi-class logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent influencing factors of LI, and then multiple linear regression analysis was used to investigate the correlation between the volume of deep or infratentorial CMBs (DI-CMBs) and the number of LI. Results:A total of 317 patients with CSVD were included in the analysis, including 214 (67.5%) in the non-LI group, 43 (13.6%) in the single LI group, and 60 (18.9%) in the multiple LI group. The comparison of the three groups showed that older age, male, smoking, drinking, history of previous stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA), lower levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, larger CMBs and WMHs volume, higher enlarged perivascular spaces (EPVS) grade might be the risk factors for LI. Ordinal multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that male (odds ratio [ OR] 2.058, 95% confidence interval [ CI] 1.084-3.909; P=0.027), previous stroke or TIA history ( OR 1.962, 95% CI 1.089-3.535; P=0.025), larger WMH volume ( OR 8.716, 95% CI 4.034-18.832; P<0.001), higher EPVS grade ( OR 1.915, 95% CI 1.292-2.839; P=0.001), larger DI-CMB volume ( OR 1.022, 95% CI 1.006-1.038; P=0.008) or more DI-CMB number ( OR 1.187, 95% CI 1.005-1.403; P=0.044) were the independent related factors of LI. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that there was a significant correlation between the volume of DI-CMB and the number of LI ( r=0.330, P<0.001). Conclusion:In patients with CSVD, there is a significant correlation between DI-CMBs and LI.

The opening of laboratories in universities is one of important parts in teaching reform and it is necessary for bringing up high-qualified students.Combined with the practical teaching,we have a primary discussion with the problems of the laborato- ry opening and put forward some suggestions and measures.

Early childhood caries(ECC)is a considerable pediatric and public health problem worldwide.Preceding studies have focused primarily on bacterial diversity at the taxonomic level.Although these studies have provided significant information regarding the connection between dental caries and oral microbiomes,further comprehension of this microbial community's ecological relevance is limited.This study identified the carbon source metabolic differences in dental plaque between children with and without ECC. We compared the microbial community functional diversity in 18 caries-free subjects with 18 severe ECC patients based on sole carbon source usage using a Biolog assay.The anaerobic microbial community in the ECC patients displayed greater metabolic activity than that of the control group.Specific carbon source metabolism differed significantly between the two groups.Subjects from the two groups were well distinguished by cluster and principal component analyses based on discriminative carbon sources. Our results implied that the microbial functional diversity between the ECC patients and healthy subjects differed significantly.In addition,the Biolog assay furthered our understanding of oral microbiomes as a composite of functional abilities,thus enabling us to identify the ecologically relevant functional differences among oral microbial communities.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the association between oral neoplasm genetic susceptibility and genetic polymorphism of p53 intron 7.

METHODSThe intron 7 ApaI polymorphism of p53 was analyzed in 95 oral neoplasm patients and 105 healthy individuals by utilizing polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) genotyping assay technique, and direct sequencing was performed in 30 cases which were selected from the patients and controls by random sampling.

RESULTSIn oral neoplasms cases, haplotype combinations were T-G 43.2%, C-T 56.8%, and frequencies of genotype were T-G/T-G 15.8%, C-T/T-G 54.7%, C-T/C-T 29.5%, while in controls they were T-G 30.9%, C-T 69.1% and T-G/T-G 10.5%, C-T/T-G 41.0%, C-T/C-T 48.5%. There was a significant difference in the allelic frequency and the genotypical distributions between the oral neoplasm patients and the controls. The individuals with the T-G allele had a slight increasing neoplasm risk than individuals with C-T allele; the OR for T-G versus C-T was 1.69 (95% CI, 1.12 - 2.51). The risk of suffering from oral neoplasms was higher in the individuals of T-G/T-G genotype and of T-G/C-T genotype than in individuals of C-T/CT genotype with odds ratio of 2.48 versus 2.20.

CONCLUSIONSThere are two polymorphic points in the 7th intron of human p53 gene, which could be associated with genetic susceptibility of oral neoplasms. T-G allele may be the risk factor of oral neoplasms.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Gene Frequency ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Genotype ; Humans ; Introns ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mouth Neoplasms ; genetics ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 ; genetics

Objective To construct a specific small interfering double-stranded RNA(siRNA) expression vector of Caspase-12 and to evaluate inhibitory effect of this siRNA on caspase-12 mRNA activity.Methods Three groups of siRNA targeting different gene sites of caspase-12 were designed and synthesized chemically.Mouse hepatoma cell line,Hepa1-6,was transfected with the siRNA by 24 h.Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR)was performed to analyze the inhibi- tion of caspase-12.Then the most effective siRNA was selected and the two template sequences for the siRNA were inserted into pRNAT-H1.1Neo expression vector.The recombinant plasmid, referred to as pRNAT-casp12,was verified by PCR analysis and sequencing.The expression of caspase-12 at mRNA and protein level,after transfection with pRNAT-casp12 by 48 h and 72 h respectively,were analyzed by using real-time PCR and Western blotting.Results The chemically synthesized siRNA*1 and siRNA*3 could inhibit mouse hepatoma cell caspase-12 mRNA by 59.9% and 39.6%(P

OBJECTIVETo investigate the changes in cell cycle induced by cisplatin (DDP) and the effect of antisense oligonucleotide (AsODN) targeting Chk1/2 on DDP-induced apoptosis in lung cancer cell line A549 cells.

METHODSThe characteristics of cell cycle and apoptosis induced by DDP were detected by flow cytometry using SubG1 method. Chk1/2 mRNA and protein expression were assayed by RT-PCR and Western blot under best condition of transfection of AsODN targeting Chk1/2 by lipofection. Apoptosis of A549 cells induced by DDP was determined by flow cytometry using AnnexinV-FITC staining after transfection of Chk1/2 AsODN.

RESULTSAsynchronized A549 cells were treated with 10 micromol/L DDP, and significant S-phase arrest was observed at 12 h later. Transfection with antisense oligonucleotide targeting Chk1/2 inhibited the Chk1/2 expression at both mRNA and protein levels. Either Chk1 or Chk2-specific AsODN consistently enhanced DNA damage-induced apoptosis by 100% - 200%, compared with that in the sODN control (P < 0.05), but combined use of Chk1- and Chk2-specific AsODN did not show synergistic effects as compared with that induced by treatment with Chk1- or Chk2-specific AsODN alone (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONChk1 and Chk2 may be regarded as effective targets of chemotherapy for lung cancer. Silencing the key effector Chk1 and Chk2 genes may significantly increase the chemosensitivity of lung cancer cells.

Antineoplastic Agents ; pharmacology ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Cell Cycle ; drug effects ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Checkpoint Kinase 1 ; Checkpoint Kinase 2 ; Cisplatin ; pharmacology ; Gene Silencing ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Oligonucleotides, Antisense ; genetics ; Protein Kinases ; genetics ; metabolism ; Protein-Serine-Threonine Kinases ; genetics ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; metabolism ; Transfection

BACKGROUNDAlthough flunarizine has been widely used for migraine prophylaxis with clear success, the mechanisms of its actions in migraine prophylaxis are not completely understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of flunarizine on tetrodotoxin-resistant Na(+) channels and high-voltage activated Ca(2+) channels of acutely isolated mouse trigeminal ganglion neurons.

METHODSSodium currents and calcium currents in trigeminal ganglion neurons were monitored using whole-cell patch-clamp recordings. Paired Student's t test was used as appropriate to evaluate the statistical significance of differences between two group means.

RESULTSBoth tetrodotoxin-resistant sodium currents and high-voltage activated calcium currents were blocked by flunarizine in a concentration-dependent manner with the concentration producing half-maximal current block values of 2.89 µmol/L and 2.73 µmol/L, respectively. The steady-state inactivation curves of tetrodotoxin-resistant sodium currents and high-voltage activated calcium currents were shifted towards more hyperpolarizing potentials after exposure to flunarizine. Furthermore, the actions of flunarizine in blocking tetrodotoxin-resistant sodium currents and high-voltage activated calcium currents were use-dependent, with effects enhanced at higher rates of channel activation.

CONCLUSIONBlockades of these currents might help explain the peripheral mechanism underlying the preventive effect of flunarizine on migraine attacks.

Animals ; Calcium ; metabolism ; Cells, Cultured ; Female ; Flunarizine ; pharmacology ; Male ; Mice ; Patch-Clamp Techniques ; Sensory Receptor Cells ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Sodium ; metabolism ; Trigeminal Ganglion ; cytology ; drug effects ; metabolism