Objective To evaluate the value of postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) in patients with stage ⅢA-N2 non-small cell lung cancer who received complete resection and chemotherapy. Methods Patients with stage ⅢA-N2 non-small cell lung cancer who received complete resection and chemotherapy were chosen from the SEER Research Plus Database [17 Registries, November 2012 Submission (2000-2019)]. The patients were divided into a PORT group and a non-PORT group according to whether the PORT was used. To balance baseline characteristics between non-PORT and PORT groups, R software was used to conduct a propensity score matching (PSM) with a ratio of 1 : 1 and a matching tolerance of 0.01. Both the Cox regression analysis and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis were conducted to evaluate the value of PORT in terms of overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS). Results In total, 2468 patients with stage ⅢA-N2 non-small cell lung cancer were enrolled, including 1078 males and 1390 females with a median age of 65 (58-71) years. There were 1336 patients in the PORT group, and 1132 patients in the non-PORT group. Cox regression analysis showed that PORT was not significantly associated with OS (multivariate analysis: HR=1.051, 95%CI 0.949-1.164, P=0.338) and DSS (multivariate analysis: HR=1.094, 95%CI 0.976-1.225, P=0.123). No statistical difference was found in the OS or DSS between non-PORT group and PORT group after PSM analysis (P＞0.05). Conclusion PORT does not have a survival benefit for patients with stage ⅢA-N2 non-small cell lung cancer who received complete resection and chemotherapy.

AIM: To investigate the effect of silencing SIAH1 gene on H2O2-induced apoptosis of human lens epithelial cells.

METHODS: The human lens epithelial cell line HLE-B3 was cultured and divided into normal group, H2O2 group(cultured with medium containing 400μmol/L H2O2)and H2O2+siR-SIAH1 group(transfected with SIAH1 interference sequence, followed by cultured with medium containing 400μmol/L H2O2)and siR-NC group(transfected with negative control sequence, followed by cultured with medium containing 400μmol/L H2O2). The expression of SIAH1 gene in cells was detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR. The apoptosis rate was detected by flow cytometry. The expressions of p38 MAPK, p-p38 MAPK, Bcl-2 and Bax proteins were detected by Western blot.

RESULTS: The relative expression levels of SIAH1 mRNA in the H2O2 group, siR-NC group and H2O2+siR-SIAH1 group were higher than that in the normal group(P<0.05). The relative expression level of SIAH1 mRNA in H2O2+siR-SIAH1 group was lower than those in the H2O2 group and siR-NC group(P<0.05). The apoptosis rates in the H2O2 group, siR-NC group and H2O2+siR-SIAH1 group were higher than that in the normal group(P<0.05). The apoptosis rate in the H2O2+siR-SIAH1 group was lower than those in the H2O2 group and siR-NC group(P<0.05). The expression levels of p38 MAPK and Bcl-2 proteins in the H2O2 group, siR-NC group and H2O2+siR-SIAH1 group were lower than those in the normal group, while the expression levels of p-p38 MAPK and Bax proteins were higher than those in the normal group(P<0.05). The expression levels of p38 MAPK and Bcl-2 proteins in the H2O2+siR-SIAH1 group were higher than those in the H2O2 group and siR-NC group, while the expression levels of p-p38 MAPK and Bax proteins were lower than those in the H2O2 group and siR-NC group(P<0.05).

CONCLUSION: Down-regulation the expression of SIAH1 gene could inhibit H2O2-induced apoptosis of human lens epithelial cell line HLE-B3, which might be related to inhibition of p38 MAPK signaling pathway activation.

Objective To explore the effects of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) on upper limbs function in chronic stroke patients. Methods From March, 2016 to May, 2018, 53 patients were randomly divided into control group (n = 27) and research group (n = 26). All the patients received conventional rehabilitation, and the research group received additional intervention of TEAS, for six weeks. They were assessed with Manual Muscle Test (MMT) on upper limbs, modified Ashworth Scale (MAS), Fugl-Meyer Assessment-upper extremities (FMA-UE), Hand Motor Status Scale and modified Barthel Index (MBI) before, at the end of 6-week treatment and twelve weeks after treatment. Results There was no significant difference in all the scores between two groups at the end of 6-week treatment (t < 1.511, P > 0.05). The scores of MMT of wrist dorsal extension, FMA-UE and MBI were better in the research group than in the control group twelve weeks after end of treatment (t > 2.312, P < 0.05). Conclusion TEAS may promote the recovery of hands and upper limbs function in chronic stroke patients.