Adjuvant chemotherapy with bevacizumab (i.p.) can prolong survival time of patients with advanced ovarian cancer after cytoreduction

Objective To assess whether adjuvant chemotherapy with bevacizumab intraperitoneal (i.p.) is better than adjuvant chemotherapy with bevacizumab intravenous (i.v.) or adjuvant chemotherapy only for patients with advanced ovarian cancer after cytoreduction. Selected patients with advanced ovarian cancer after cytoreduction were divided into three groups depend on their will: adjuvant chemotherapy only; adjuvant chemotherapy combined with bevacizumab intravenous (i.v.); adjuvant chemotherapy combined with bevacizumab intraperitoneal (i.p.). Patients in three groups were given 4-6 cycles of treatment and followed up for 3 years. posttreatment outcome, longterm survival and side effects were prospectively recorded and analyzed. Disease control rate (DCR) of three groups are 73.3%, 90.0%, 93.3% respectively (P<0.05). Remission rate (RR) and DCR of patients with bevacizumab intraperitoneal (i.p.) are better than that of patients with bevacizumab intravenous (i.v.) (P<0.05). The mean progression free survival (PFS) of patients with bevacizumab intraperitoneal (i.p.) (15.34 months) was longer than patients with bevacizumab intravenous (i.v.) (13.19 months), and both of two were longer than that of patients with adjuvant chemotherapy only (9.60 months) (χ2=52.11, P<0.001). The mean overall survival (OS) of patients with bevacizumab intraperitoneal (i.p.) (17.32 months) is longer than that of patients with adjuvant chemotherapy only (13.55 months) and patients with bevacizumab intravenous (i.v.) (15.17 months) (χ2=75.01, P<0.001). Incidence of hypertension and arrhythmia of groups with bevacizumab are higher than that of patients with adjuvant chemotherapy only (P<0.05). Standard chemotherapy combined with bevacizumab is reliable, safe and feasible for advanced ovarian cancer after cytoreduction without severe adverse effects. Bevacizumab intraperitoneal perfusion is better than that intravenous drip.

Gene Expression Profile Regulated by CREB in K562 Cell Line

BACKGROUND

Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) response element-binding protein (CREB) is a member of the CREB/activation transcription factor 1 family that binds to an octanucleotide cAMP response element consensus sequence in promoters of target genes.

METHODS

CREB has been shown to regulate a variety of cellular functions, including cell proliferation, survival, apoptosis, differentiation, metabolism, hematopoiesis, immune response, and neuronal activity. CREB was also identified as a proto-oncogene involving in transformation by promoting abnormal proliferation and survival of myeloid cells. To understand the mechanism of CREB functions in leukemogenesis, the transcriptional profiles from a K562 cell line in which CREB was knocked down were analyzed with the use of bioinformatics methods.

RESULTS

DAVID Bioinformatics Resources and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) were performed to identify the targets that are regulated by CREB. A total of 692 genes were up-regulated and 364 genes down-regulated. The up-regulated genes were significantly enriched in pathways of cancer and chronic myeloid leukemia. GSEA analysis showed expression of Notch1 pathway to be decreased and hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) pathway to be activated.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results identified candidate gene sets that could be used to guide research on discovering the mechanism of CREB during leukemogenesis.

Genome-wide identification of suitable zebrafish Danio rerio reference genes for normalization of gene expression data by RT-qPCR

In this study, to systematically identify the most stably expressed genes for internal reference in zebrafish Danio rerio investigations, 37 D. rerio transcriptomic datasets (both RNA sequencing and microarray data) were collected from gene expression omnibus (GEO) database and unpublished data, and gene expression variations were analysed under three experimental conditions: tissue types, developmental stages and chemical treatments. Forty-four putative candidate genes were identified with the c.v. <0·2 from all datasets. Following clustering into different functional groups, 21 genes, in addition to four conventional housekeeping genes (eef1a1l1, b2m, hrpt1l and actb1), were selected from different functional groups for further quantitative real-time (qrt-)PCR validation using 25 RNA samples from different adult tissues, developmental stages and chemical treatments. The qrt-PCR data were then analysed using the statistical algorithm refFinder for gene expression stability. Several new candidate genes showed better expression stability than the conventional housekeeping genes in all three categories. It was found that sep15 and metap1 were the top two stable genes for tissue types, ube2a and tmem50a the top two for different developmental stages, and rpl13a and rp1p0 the top two for chemical treatments. Thus, based on the extensive transcriptomic analyses and qrt-PCR validation, these new reference genes are recommended for normalization of D. rerio qrt-PCR data respectively for the three different experimental conditions.

bFGF in the CSF and serum of sALS patients

OBJECTIVES

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by selective motor neuron loss in the brain and spinal cord. The cause of this selective death of motor neurons is still unclear, but among several pathomechanisms that have been discussed, the loss of neurotrophic factors is one hypothesis. Basic fibroblast growth factor 2 (bFGF) may be a potential neurotrophic factor for slowing various neurodegenerative diseases, but its potential role in the prognosis of ALS is not known.

METHODS

To explore the role of bFGF in ALS, we investigated changes in bFGF in the CSF and serum from patients with sALS and from the control group. Furthermore, we analyzed the correlations between bFGF, disease duration, disease progression rate, ALSFRS-r score and survival.

RESULTS

The level of bFGF increased in both the CSF and serum in sALS patients. It was higher in patients with longer durations. It was negatively correlated with disease progression rates, especially in the later stages of sALS, but showed no linear correlation with ALSFRS-r. In an analysis of the relationship between bFGF and survival, we found that sALS patients with high levels of bFGF had significantly higher cumulative survival rates than patients with low levels of bFGF.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

In conclusion, endogenous bFGF increased both in the CSF and serum of sALS patients and it may be a useful biomarker that could predict disease progression and survival.

Probable aerosol transmission of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus in southeastern China

Some clusters of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) infection were reported in China as of 2010. However, to date, there has been no epidemiologic evidence of aerosol transmission of SFTSV. Epidemiologic investigations were conducted after a cluster of 13 cases of SFTSV in May 2014. A total of 13 cases, including 11 confirmed cases and one clinically diagnosed case, were identified besides the case of the index patient. The index patient experienced onset of SFTSV on 23 April and died on 1 May. The patients with secondary cases had onset from 10 to 16 May, peaking on 13 May. Moreover, eight secondary cases occurred in family members of the index patient, and the other five cases occurred in neighbors of the index patient. According to epidemiologic investigations, patients 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 and 12 contracted the disease through contact with blood of the index patient. Notably, patients 8 and 10 did not have a history of contact with the blood of the index patient, but they stayed in the mourning hall for hours. SFTSV could be transmitted from person to person by direct contact and/or aerosol transmission, and it is important to consider aerosol transmission as a possible transmission route.

Increased expression of macrophage migration inhibitory factor in aorta of patients with coronary atherosclerosis

AIM

The aim of the present study was to investigate the changes of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) in the aorta of patients with coronary atherosclerosis and to evaluate the relationship between aortic expression levels of MIF and atherosclerotic risk factors.

METHODS

We collected discarded aortic specimens from patients (N.=36) undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG), and studied the presence and distribution of MIF by immunohistochemistry. The arterial tissues from 10 subjects without known atherosclerosis through the kidney donation program were taken as control group. The preoperative serum triglycerides, total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, lipoprotein(a), apolipoprotein A, apolipoprotein B, total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, and indirect bilirubin levels of patients were examined and the coronary angiography was performed in order to assess the severity of atherosclerotic lesions.

RESULTS

MIF was detectable in aorta from CABG patients. The aortic MIF expression was elevated in smokers, and patients with hypertension or diabetes. In addition, the aortic MIF expression was associated with the levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, lipoprotein (a), apolipoprotein B, total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, indirect bilirubin and coronary severity scores in simple regression analysis. However, the expression of MIF was only correlated to coronary severity scores in multiple regression analysis.

CONCLUSION

MIF is overexpressed in aorta from patients with coronary atherosclerosis and the aortic MIF expression is correlated with the severity of coronary artery disease.

Capability of GaN based micro-light emitting diodes operated at an injection level of kA/cm²

Different size InGaN/GaN based micro-LEDs (μLEDs) are fabricated. An extremely high injection level above 16 kA/cm2 is achieved for 10 μm-diameter LED. The lateral current density and carrier distributions of the μLEDs are simulated by APSYS software. Streak camera time resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) results show clear evidence that the band-gap renormalization (BGR) effect is weakened by strain relaxation in smaller size μLEDs. BGR affects the relaxation of free carriers on the conduction band bottom in multiple quantum wells (MQWs), and then indirectly affects the recombination rate of carriers. An energy band model based on BGR effect is made to explain the high-injection-level phenomenon for μLEDs.

Hypothesis on the source, transmission and characteristics of infection of avian influenza A (H7N9) virus--based on analysis of field epidemiological investigation and gene sequence analysis

On 31 March 2013, the National Health and Family Planning Commission announced that human infections with influenza A (H7N9) virus had occurred in Shanghai and Anhui provinces, China. H7N9 cases were later detected in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. It was estimated that the virus first spread northward along the route taken by migratory birds and then spread to neighbouring provinces with the sale of poultry. Epidemiological studies were carried out on samples from the external environment of infected cases, transmission routes, farmers markets and live poultry markets. Phylogenetic study of viral sequences from human and avian infections in Zhejiang showed that those from Shanghai and Jiangsu provinces along Taihu Lake were highly homologous with those from the external environment. This suggests that avian viruses carried by waterfowl combined with the virus carried by migratory birds, giving rise to avian influenza virus H7N9, which is highly pathogenic to humans. It is possible that the virus was transmitted by local wildfowl to domestic poultry and then to humans, or spread further by means of trading in wholesale poultry markets. As the weather has turned warm, and with measures adopted to terminate poultry trade and facilitate health communication, the epidemic in the first half of the year has been kept under control. However, the infection source in the triangular area around Taihu Lake still remains. The H7N9 epidemic will probably hit the area later in the year and next spring when the migratory birds return and may even spread to other areas. Great importance should therefore be attached to the wildfowl in Taihu Lake as the repository and disseminator of the virus: investigation and study of this population is essential.

Human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus re-emerges in China in winter 2013

Through a national surveillance system for unexplained pneumonia, a severe case of influenza A(H7N9) in a man in his mid-30s was identified in Zhejiang Province, China on 14 October 2013. Epidemiological and clinical findings were consistent with the patterns reported during the outbreak in spring 2013, and laboratory findings showed that the virus had 99.6% identity with earlier H7N9 viruses identified in humans in the spring except for five mutations in the NA gene.

Crosstalk of Ras and Rho: activation of RhoA abates Kras-induced liver tumorigenesis in transgenic zebrafish models

RAS and Rho small GTPases are key molecular switches that control cell dynamics, cell growth and tissue development through their distinct signaling pathways. Although much has been learnt about their individual functions in both cell and animal models, the physiological and pathophysiological consequences of their signaling crosstalk in multi-cellular context in vivo remain largely unknown, especially in liver development and liver tumorigenesis. Furthermore, the roles of RhoA in RAS-mediated transformation and their crosstalk in vitro remain highly controversial. When challenged with carcinogens, zebrafish developed liver cancer that resembles the human liver cancer both molecularly and histopathologically. Capitalizing on the growing importance and relevance of zebrafish (Danio rerio) as an alternate cancer model, we have generated liver-specific, Tet-on-inducible transgenic lines expressing oncogenic Kras(G12V), RhoA, constitutively active RhoA(G14V) or dominant-negative RhoA(T19N). Double-transgenic lines expressing Kras(G12V) with one of the three RhoA genes were also generated. Based on quantitative bioimaging and molecular markers for genetic and signaling aberrations, we showed that the induced expression of oncogenic Kras during early development led to liver enlargement and hepatocyte proliferation, associated with elevated Erk phosphorylation, activation of Akt2 and modulation of its two downstream targets, p21Cip and S6 kinase. Such an increase in liver size and Akt2 expression was augmented by dominant-negative RhoA(T19N), but was abrogated by the constitutive-active RhoA(G14V). Consequently, induced expression of the oncogenic Kras in adult transgenic fish led to the development of hepatocellular carcinomas. Survival studies further revealed that the co-expression of dominant-negative RhoA(T19N) with oncogenic Kras increased the mortality rate compared with the other single or double-transgenic lines. This study provides evidence of the previously unappreciated signaling crosstalk between Kras and RhoA in regulating liver overgrowth and liver tumorigenesis. Our results also implicate that activating Rho could be beneficial to suppress the Kras-induced liver malignancies.

Identification of the novel HLA-B allele, HLA-B*39:42, in a Chinese individual

The HLA-B*39:42 allele differs from the closest matching allele B*39:01:01:01 by two nucleotide substitutions in exon 3.

HLA-B*27:44, a novel allele identified by sequence-based typing, is a well-documented allele in China

The sequence of HLA-B*27:44 differs in exon 2 from the sequence of B*27:08 by one amino acid change at codon 74.

A novel HLA-B allele, B*40:01:06, identified by sequence-based typing in a Chinese individual

The sequence of HLA-B*40:01:06 differs in exon 3 from the sequence of B*40:01:01 by one nucleotide 435 (codon121) G to A.

Alcohol consumption and body weight change in postmenopausal women: results from the Women's Health Initiative

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether alcohol consumption is associated with incident overweight or obesity in normal-weight, postmenopausal women.

DESIGN

Prospective cohort study considering baseline alcohol consumption and subsequent weight change over 7 years.

SUBJECTS

15,920 normal-weight (body mass index (BMI): 18.5 to <25 kg m(-2)), postmenopausal women enrolled in the Women's Health Initiative Clinical Trial.

MEASUREMENTS

Body weight change, and incident overweight and obesity (BMI, 25.0 to <30 and ≥ 30 kg m(-2)) over 7 years.

RESULTS

One-third of the 13,822 women included in the analytical cohort reported no alcohol consumption. BMI differed little between abstainers (22.8±1.58 kg m(-2)) and alcohol consumers in the upper quintile (22.7±1.53 kg m(-2)). Among normal-weight women, the risk of becoming overweight or obese over a 7-year follow-up period was 35% or 88% lower, respectively, for women in the upper quintile of alcohol intake relative to abstainers (hazard ratio (HR), 0.65; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.58-0.73; or HR, 0.12; 95% CI, 0.05-0.25, respectively). Risk for overweight and obesity was not significantly modified by age. Wine consumption showed the greatest protective association for risk of overweight (HR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.68-0.84), followed by liquor (HR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.78-0.93) and beer (HR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.82-1.00).

CONCLUSION

Postmenopausal women of normal weight who report moderate alcohol intake have a reduced risk of becoming overweight or obese over time. Perhaps, weight control measures in this population should target behaviors other than reduction in alcohol for those of normal BMI consuming moderate amounts.