[Study on clinical and laboratory features of preleukemia patients]

OBJECTIVE

To explore prospective diagnostic criteria for preleukemia.

METHODS

A case control study of the discrepancies of clinical and laboratory features between patients with preleukemia and those with chronic aplastic anemia (CAA) or atypical paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglubinuria (a-PNH).

RESULTS

There were eight variables of significance: (1) lymphocytoid micromegakaryocytes in marrow; (2) immature granulocytes in peripheral blood; (3) >or= 2% myeloblasts in marrow; (4) positive periodic acid schiff (PAS) staining of nucleated erythrocytes; (5) myeloid differentiation index >or= 1.8; (6) clonal karyotypic abnormalities; (7) negative sister chromatid differentiation; (8) > 4.0 cluster/colony ratio of granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming units (CFU-GM). The following criteria was assigned: A: To meet (1) and at least two of the other seven variables; B: To meet at least four of the eight variables. All of the patients with preleukemia met A or B and none of the patients with CAA or a-PNH did.

CONCLUSION

Preleukemia is different from CAA or a-PNH. It has its own clinical and laboratory features, which may be useful for prospective diagnosis.

[No evidence for association between the alpha 2-macroglobulin polymorphism and Alzheimer's disease in the Han Chinese]

OBJECTIVE

To determine the effect of the pentanucleotide deletion polymorphism adjacent to a consensus splice site in intron 17 of alpha 2-macroglobulin(A2M) gene on the development of late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) in the Han Chinese in Guangzhou area.

METHODS

A2M and apolipoprotein E genotypes were examined by polymerase chain reaction(PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) techniques in the patients(32 men and 65 women) with LOAD and age-matched healthy elderly Chinese subjects (57 men and 54 women).

RESULTS

The A2M gene deletion allele frequency was 2.6% in the cases with LOAD and 2.7% in the controls. In the LOAD cases, the frequency of apoE-epsilon4 increased significantly (Z=3.32, P<0.01). ApoE-epsilon4 was associated with LOAD (RR=2.67, chi(2)=10.71, P<0.01) while the A2M deletion polymorphism was not associated with LOAD even the samples were stratified according to the presence of the apoE-epsilon4 allele.

CONCLUSION

The above data demonstrate that there is no evidence for the association of A2M polymorphism with the development of LOAD in the Han Chinese population in Gaungzhou.

[Effect of calcium hydroxide on human pulp cell intracellular calcium ion in vitro]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the influence of calcium hydroxide to intracellular calcium ion of human pulp cells in vitro.

METHODS

The sixth generation of human pulp cells were maintained in RPMI 1640 medium supplemented with Fluo-3 probe and Ca (OH)2 for restimulation. The intracellular calcium ion concentration was detected by laser confocal microscope.

RESULTS

The intracellular calcium ion level in Ca (OH)2 pretreatment group increased after Ca (OH)2 stimulation, while it didn't response to Ca (OH)2 stimulus in group without Ca (OH)2, CaCl2 or NaHCO4 pretreatment.

CONCLUSION

It is important to pretreat the pulp cells with Ca(OH)2 in order to increase the intracellular calcium.

Factors Associated with Aromatase Inhibitor Use in a Large Cohort of Women Cared for in an Integrated Health Plan

Background: Third generation aromatase inhibitors (AI) have been well tolerated in clinical trials and may have fewer side effects than tamoxifen. While national treatment guidelines recommend AI for postmenopausal women with ER+ tumors, the extent to which women are prescribed AIs in community settings in the U.S., and as front-line or extended therapy, remains unknown. Using data from a large non-profit health plan that serves over 3 million residents in Southern California, we report results examining the characteristics of breast cancer (BCa) survivors who were ever prescribed AIs.Methods: This cross-sectional analysis examined a cohort of 25,577 BCa (in situ and invasive cases) diagnosed from 1996-2006. We collected demographic, tumor, and cancer treatment information from automated health plan databases and SEER-affiliated cancer registry files. We identified patient and clinical factors associated with AI use. P-values (2-sided) were based on the chi-square distribution. Adjusted odds ratios (for age and year at diagnosis) and 95% confidence intervals were estimated using logistic regression.Results: In this cohort, nearly 37% ever used AIs (P&lt;0.0001). Use of AIs increased by year (P&lt;0.0001). Compared to non-Hispanic whites, minority women were less likely prescribed AIs (AOR=0.75 for blacks, 95% CI: 0.69-0.81). Although most women who used AI were first diagnosed with early stage disease (2 cm vs. &lt;1cm). Women with positive lymph nodes had twice the odds of AI use (OR=2.27, 95% CI: 2.13-2.42) than those with negative nodes. Women with ER+ or PR+ lesions were more likely to have ever used AI (P&lt;0.0001) as were those with HER- tumors (AOR=1.67, 95% CI: 1.48-1.89). Women who underwent breast conserving surgery without radiation were 36% less likely to use AI (AOR=0.64 95% CI: 0.59-0.69) than those with radiation. Of the total cohort, nearly 64% received adjuvant treatment. Among the 6716 women who received tamoxifen, about 43% (2918/6716) also used AI. Of note, during the 2005-2006 diagnosis years, the percentage treated with tamoxifen dropped among women ever prescribed AI. Of the 6627 women treated with chemotherapy only, 36% also received AI (2354/6627).Conclusions: Odds of AI use were greater among older women (age 60+), white race, higher stage at diagnosis, worse histology, positive lymph nodes, and those with ER+, PR+, or HER- tumors. However, grade and tumor size did not influence AI use. More work is needed to determine how patterns of AI use alone or following tamoxifen, medication changes, and tumor characteristics at initial diagnosis impact long-term breast cancer recurrence in this diverse group of patients in southern California.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(24 Suppl):Abstract nr 2079.

Breast Cancer Initiating Cells Promote Chemoresistance by Pre-Activation of the DNA Damage Repair

Background: Breast tumor initiating cells (BT-ICs) display a variety of drug-resisting mechanisms including overxpression of ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporters and anti-apoptotic molecules. Unfortunately, application of P-glycoprotein inhibitors has not been successful in several clinical trials .Based on the tumor initiating cell concept, an alternative model posits that the T-ICs are naturally resistant to chemotherapy through their quiescence and their capacity for DNA repair. Gaining a better insight into the mechanisms of BT-IC resistance to chemotherapy might therefore lead to new therapeutic targets and better anticancer strategies.Material and Methods: We generated large numbers of BT-IC-enriched cells (SK-3rd) by in vivo passage of breast cancer cells SKBR3 in NOD/SCID mice treated with epirubicin, then enriched BT-ICs again by isolating spherical clusters of self-replicating cells (“mammospheres”) from suspension cultures. Under chemotherapy pressure, compared the apoptosis between BT-IC and non BT-IC by MTT, Annexin V, DNA ladder and hochest 33342 staining, and analyzed the cell cycles by Flow cytometry. We tested the DNA repair capacity after chemo-induced DNA damage between BT-IC and non BT-IC by single cell gel electrophoresis and tested the expression of DNA damage checkpoint protein by immunoblot.Results:SK-3rd formed 40-fold more mammospheres than SKBR3 (16.7%±2.6% vs 0.5%±0.2%; P&lt;0.001). Compared with non BT-IC, BT-IC treated with epirubicin showed more viability as assessed by MTT assay. After treated with 0.3ug/ml Epirubicin for 24 hours, withdrew the drug, and then repaired for 12, 24 hours respectively, analyzed the Annexin V positive cells in BT-IC were less than n non BT-IC(17.27%±2.3% vs 56%±6.7%; P=0.026), hochest staining also showed the similar results.SK-3rd mammospheric cells treated with or without Epirubicin arrested in G0/1 stage. Breast T-IC can repair chemo-induced DNA damage more efficiently than non BT-IC. Treated with or without Epirubicin, Sk-3rd mammospheric cells can pre-activated phosphorylated DNA chk2checkpoint (Thr68),but not in non BT-IC.Dicussion: The discovery of cancer initiating cells in solid tumors has changed our view of carcinogenesis and chemotherapy. In our study, we found that, BT-IC was more resistant than non BT-IC under the same chemotherapy pressure Although initiating cells can self-renew, they are generally quiescent, spending most of their time in G0. BT-IC treated with or without Epirubicin activated DNA checkpoint phosphorylated chk2 and arrested in G0/1 stage, which implied that BT-IC can target itself to arrest in G0/1 stage and pre-active chk2. When treated with DNA damage, BT-IC has enough time and quickly responses to repair damaged DNA, and at last contributes to the failure of chemotherapy. The new insight into the mechanisms of initiating -cell chemoresistance might allow the development of new strategies to improve targeted therapies in breast cancer.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(24 Suppl):Abstract nr 1121.

Abstract P3-01-18: In vivo isolation of circulating tumour cells using CellCollector and detection of gene mutations in different metastasis organ sites in breast cancer

Introduction: Metastasis is thought to result from tumour cell entry into the circulation and migration to distant organs, where the mutation landscape of metastatic breast cancer (MBC) may shift and vary. The genotypic features of circulating tumour cells (CTCs) typically differ from those of primary breast cancer (BC) cells. Gene mutation analysis of CTCs in MBC may benefit patients by identifying those amenable to specific therapies. Currently, CTCs are primarily isolated in vitro from small volumes of blood. The aim of this study was to isolate CTCs in vivo using CellCollector and screen for specific gene mutations in cells from different metastasis organ sites and molecular subtypes in MBC patients.

Methods: In this study, we used a novel technology, CellCollector, to collect peripheral CTCs. Thirty MBC patients were enrolled, and 17 were analysed with next-generation sequencing (NGS) methods. Clinical characteristics were analysed along with CTC enumeration and detection rates. Whole-genome amplification (WGA) was used to amplify the CTC genomic DNA of 127 genes.

Results: We isolated CTCs in vivo from 20 of 30 MBC patients (66.7%), with a median and mean (range) of 2 (0-15) CTCs. In non-cancer patients, no CTCs were detected. We analysed CTC enumeration and the detection rate in different clinical characteristic subgroups. We found that in their corresponding subgroups, patients younger than 45 years old, with brain metastasis, with three or more metastasis organ sites, or with HER2-positive subtypes had the highest CTC medians and means.As far as clinical characteristics were concerned, the number of CTCs seemed correlated with more advanced clinical characteristics. In the one metastasis organ, two metastasis organs and three or more metastasis organs subgroups, the CTC detection rates were 38.5% (5/13), 77.8% (7/9), and 100.0% (8/8), respectively. The CTC detection rate correlated with the number of metastasis organs; patients with more metastasis organ sites had higher CTC detection rates. We also found that different metastasis organs and molecular subtypes contain high-frequency mutation genes, and also contain unique gene mutations.

Conclusions: In MBC, CellCollector can be used to collect intact CTCs, from which we can obtain gene mutation information. Different metastasis organs and molecular subtypes may have corresponding unique mutations, which may provide a basis for future gene therapy.

CTCs enumeration data and correlations to clinicopathologic characteristicsPatients' characteristics CTCs enumeration  RangemedianmeanTotal0-1522Age (years)   &lt;450-422≥45 and &lt;600-1512≥600-212Metastatic location   Brain0-1556Lung+liver0-712Bone+local recurrence0-411Number of metastatic locations   10-40120-15133-41-723Molecular subtypes   Luminal A000Luminal B0-511HER2 positive0-1523Triple negative0-712HER2, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2

Citation Format: Geng C, Li S, Yang S, Shi J, Ding Y, Gao W, Cheng M, Sun Y, Xie Y, Sang M. In vivo isolation of circulating tumour cells using CellCollector and detection of gene mutations in different metastasis organ sites in breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-01-18.

Gender differences in the occupational status of undocumented immigrants in the United States: experience before and after legalization

"This article examines the incorporation of a national sample of undocumented immigrants both before and after they applied to legalize their status under the provisions of the [U.S.] Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA). Data from the 1989 and 1992 Legalized Population Surveys (LPS-1 and LPS-2) are used. These surveys provide labor force and occupational data for three critical reference periods: as newly arrived undocumented immigrants, as experienced undocumented immigrants, and as documented immigrants.... The overall upward mobility of both men and women between first job and the occupation held at time of application for legalization continued after legalization. On average, men also continued to report higher status jobs than women, although women did somewhat better after their status was legalized." This is a revised version of a paper originally presented at the 1997 Annual Meeting of the Population Association of America.

[Effect of oxymatrine on Cryptosporidium parvum infection in mice based on the HMGB1-TLR2/TLR4-NF-κB pathway]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the involvement of the high mobility group box protein B1 (HMGB1)-Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2)/TLR4-nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) pathway in the intestinal mucosal injury induced by Cryptosporidium parvum infection, and to examine the effect of oxymatrine (OMT) on C. parvum infection in mice.

METHODS

Forty SPF 4-week-old BALB/c mice were randomly divided into four groups, including the control group, infection group, glycyrrhizin (GA) group and OMT group. Each mouse was orally administered with 1 × 105 C. parvum oocysts one week in the infection, GA and OMT groups following dexamethasone-induced immunosuppression to model C. parvum intestinal infections in mice. Upon successful modeling, mice in the GA group were intraperitoneally injected with GA at a daily dose of 25.9 mL/kg for successive two weeks, and animals in the OMT group were orally administered OMT at a daily dose of 50 mg/kg for successive two weeks, while mice in the control group were given normal food and water. All mice were sacrificed two weeks post-treatment, and proximal jejunal tissues were sampled. The pathological changes of mouse intestinal mucosal specimens were observed using hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, and the mouse intestinal villous height, intestinal crypt depth and the ratio of intestinal villous height to intestinal crypt depth were measured. The occludin and zonula occludens protein 1 (ZO1) expression was determined in mouse intestinal epithelial cells using immunohistochemistry, and the relative expression of HMGB1, TLR2, TLR4, myeloid differentiation primary response gene 88 (MyD88) and NF-κB p65 mRNA was quantified in mouse jejunal tissues using quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assay.

RESULTS

HE staining showed that the mouse intestinal villi were obviously atrophic, shortened, and detached, and the submucosal layer of the mouse intestine was edematous in the infection group as compared with the control group, while the mouse intestinal villi tended to be structurally intact and neatly arranged in the GA and OMT groups. There were significant differences among the four groups in terms of the mouse intestinal villous height (F = 6.207, P = 0.000 5), intestinal crypt depth (F = 6.903, P = 0.000 3) and the ratio of intestinal villous height to intestinal crypt depth (F = 37.190, P < 0.000 1). The mouse intestinal villous height was lower in the infection group than in the control group [(321.9 ± 41.1) μm vs. (399.5 ± 30.9) μm; t = 4.178, P < 0.01] and the GA group [(321.9 ± 41.1) μm vs. (383.7 ± 42.7) μm; t = 3.130, P < 0.01], and the mouse intestinal crypt depth was greater in the infection group [(185.0 ± 35.9) μm] than in the control group [(128.4 ± 23.6) μm] (t = 3.877, P < 0.01) and GA group [(143.3 ± 24.7) μm] (t = 2.710, P < 0.05). The mouse intestinal villous height was greater in the OMT group [(375.3 ± 22.9) μm] than in the infection group (t = 3.888, P < 0.01), and there was no significant difference in mouse intestinal villous height between the OMT group and the control group (t = 1.989, P > 0.05). The mouse intestinal crypt depth was significantly lower in the OMT group [(121.5 ± 27.3) μm] than in the infection group (t = 4.133, P < 0.01), and there was no significant difference in mouse intestinal crypt depth between the OMT group and the control group (t = 0.575, P > 0.05). The ratio of the mouse intestinal villous height to intestinal crypt depth was significantly lower in the infection group (1.8 ± 0.2) than in the control group (3.1 ± 0.3) (t = 10.540, P < 0.01) and the GA group (2.7 ± 0.3) (t = 7.370, P < 0.01), and the ratio of the mouse intestinal villous height to intestinal crypt depth was significantly higher in the OMT group (3.1 ± 0.2) than in the infection group (t = 15.020, P < 0.01); however, there was no significant difference in the ratio of the mouse intestinal villous height to intestinal crypt depth between the OMT group and the control group (t = 0.404, P > 0.05). Immunohistochemical staining showed significant differences among the four groups in terms of occludin (F = 28.031, P < 0.000 1) and ZO1 expression (F = 14.122, P < 0.000 1) in mouse intestinal epithelial cells. The proportion of positive occluding expression was significantly lower in mouse intestinal epithelial cells in the infection group than in the control group [(14.3 ± 4.5)% vs. (28.3 ± 0.5)%; t = 3.810, P < 0.01], and the proportions of positive occluding expression were significantly higher in mouse intestinal epithelial cells in the GA group [(30.3 ± 1.3)%] and OMT group [(25.8 ± 1.5)%] than in the infection group (t = 7.620 and 5.391, both P values < 0.01); however, there was no significant differences in the proportion of positive occluding expression in mouse intestinal epithelial cells between the GA or OMT groups and the control group (t = 1.791 and 2.033, both P values > 0.05). The proportion of positive ZO1 expression was significantly lower in mouse intestinal epithelial cells in the infection group than in the control group [(14.4 ± 1.8)% vs. (24.2 ± 2.8)%; t = 4.485, P < 0.01], and the proportions of positive ZO1 expression were significantly higher in mouse intestinal epithelial cells in the GA group [(24.1 ± 2.3)%] (t = 5.159, P < 0.01) and OMT group than in the infection group [(22.5 ± 1.9)%] (t = 4.441, P < 0.05); however, there were no significant differences in the proportion of positive ZO1 expression in mouse intestinal epithelial cells between the GA or OMT groups and the control group (t = 0.037 and 0.742, both P values > 0.05). qPCR assay showed significant differences among the four groups in terms of HMGB1 (F = 21.980, P < 0.000 1), TLR2 (F = 20.630, P < 0.000 1), TLR4 (F = 17.000, P = 0.000 6), MyD88 (F = 8.907, P = 0.000 5) and NF-κB p65 mRNA expression in mouse jejunal tissues (F = 8.889, P = 0.000 7). The relative expression of HMGB1 [(5.97 ± 1.07) vs. (1.05 ± 0.07); t = 6.482, P < 0.05] 、TLR2 [(5.92 ± 1.29) vs. (1.10 ± 0.14); t = 5.272, P < 0.05] 、TLR4 [(5.96 ± 1.50) vs. (1.02 ± 0.03); t = 4.644, P < 0.05] 、MyD88 [(3.00 ± 1.26) vs. (1.02 ± 0.05); t = 2.734, P < 0.05] and NF-κB p65 mRNA [(2.33 ± 0.72) vs. (1.04 ± 0.06); t = 2.665, P < 0.05] was all significantly higher in mouse jejunal tissues in the infection group than in the control group. A significant reduction was detected in the relative expression of HMGB1 (0.63 ± 0.01), TLR2 (0.42 ± 0.10), TLR4 (0.35 ± 0.07), MyD88 (0.70 ± 0.11) and NF-κB p65 mRNA (0.75 ± 0.01) in mouse jejunal tissues in the GA group relative to the control group (t = 8.629, 5.830, 11.500, 4.729 and 6.898, all P values < 0.05), and the relative expression of HMGB1, TLR2, TLR4, MyD88 and NF-κB p65 mRNA significantly reduced in mouse jejunal tissues in the GA group as compared to the infection group (t = 7.052, 6.035, 4.084, 3.165 and 3.274, all P values < 0.05). In addition, the relative expression of HMGB1 (1.14 ± 0.60), TLR2 (1.00 ± 0.24), TLR4 (1.14 ± 0.07), MyD88 (0.96 ± 0.25) and NF-κ B p65 mRNA (1.12 ± 0.17) was significantly lower in mouse jejunal tissues in the OMT group than in the infection group (t = 7.059, 5.320, 3.510, 3.466 and 3.273, all P values < 0.05); however, there were no significant differences between the OMT and control groups in terms of relative expression of HMGB1, TLR2, TLR4, MyD88 or NF-κB p65 mRNA in mouse jejunal tissues (t = 0.239, 0.518, 1.887, 0.427 and 0.641, all P values > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

C. parvum infection causes intestinal inflammatory responses and destruction of intestinal mucosal barrier through up-regulating of the HMGB1-TLR2/TLR4-NF-κB pathway. OMT may suppress the intestinal inflammation and repair the intestinal mucosal barrier through inhibiting the activity of the HMGB1-TLR2/TLR4-NF-κB pathway.

Developmental depression of glutamate neurotransmission by chronic low-level activation of NMDA receptors

Slabs of slow-release plastic (Elvax) containing NMDA or solvent were implanted over the rat colliculus beginning on postnatal day 8 (P8). Whole-cell patch clamping in the superficial superior collicular layers (sSCs) from P10 to P21 demonstrated a severe decrease in spontaneous EPSC frequency after chronic NMDA treatment. The decrease was not attributable to an increase in GABA(A) receptor-mediated inhibition and was present only when NMDA receptor (NMDAR) current was blocked by Mg(2+). Analysis of miniature EPSCs indicated that many active sites on NMDA-treated neurons lacked functional AMPA and kainate receptor (AMPA/KAR) currents, and AMPA/KAR:NMDAR current ratios of evoked EPSCs were also significantly reduced. In addition, the normal downregulation of NMDAR decay time in sSC neurons at P11 was absent after NMDA treatment. Nevertheless, neither AMPA nor NMDA receptor subunit expression was altered by NMDA treatment, and experiments with the NMDAR antagonist ifenprodil suggested that incorporation of NR2A-containing NMDARs at the sSC synapses was unperturbed. Thus, disrupting but not blocking NMDARs suppresses the development of AMPA/KAR currents. The absence of the P11 NMDAR current downregulation is likely a secondary effect resulting from the reduction of AMPA/KAR function. Chronic agonist application reduces but does not eliminate NMDAR conductances. Therefore these data support an active role for NMDAR currents in synaptic development. Prolonged NMDA treatment in vivo, which couples reduced postsynaptic Ca(2+) responses with normally developing afferent activity, produces a long-lasting synaptic depression and stalls glutamatergic synaptogenesis, suggesting that the correlation between robust NMDAR activation and afferent activity is an essential component during normal development.

[The diagnostic framework for screening Alzheimer's disease in the Chinese population]

Criteria for diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is not available in China. The international criteria is not a proper choice due to issues such as translation and lead to low diagnostic rate and high rate of missed diagnosis. The research group of Alzheimer's Disease Chinese (ADC) reviewed knowledge and techniques in neuropsychology, neuroimaging, molecular biology, and clinical neurology, and systematically studied the detection techniques such as memory, language, visuospatial, executive function, and medial temporal lobe visual scores on MRI, and their optimal threshold and diagnostic value for the diagnosis of AD. Through a systematic review and consensus meeting, a diagnostic framework for screening AD in the Chinese population was established. Among these methods, an operational standard for clinical pathology models increased the diagnostic sensitivity by 15%. The sensitivity and specificity of screening memory impairment increased by 18.1% and 11.6%, respectively. The sensitivity of screening medial temporal lobe atrophy increased by 24.5% and missed diagnosis was decreased by 34.5%. An operational standard for clinical biology models, incorporating the latest molecular imaging and molecular biology techniques, has enabled the early diagnosis of AD in China. The framework combines a principled diagnostic guideline with an operational screening protocol, which is applicable to all clinical settings and of great significance for the early detection, early diagnosis and early treatment of AD.

[Impaired hypoxic ventilatory response and related factors in Han and Uygur patients with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome]

Objective: To investigate the respiratory central hypoxia response and its related factors in Han and Uygur patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). Methods: One hundred and sixty six OSAHS patients were selected from Jan. 2016 to Dec. 2016 in Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Kelamayi Central Hospital, including 69 cases of Han nationality and 97 cases of Uygur nationality. Seventy-three healthy subjects of Uygur nationality were enrolled as the control group. All of them under went sleep monitoring, nocturnal oxygen saturation (SaO(2)), pulmonary function and respiratory central hypoxia response. Results: The 3 groups were matched for age, gender, body mass index(BMI) and apnea-hypopnea index(AHI). The Uygur patients had a higher oxygen desaturation index (ODI4) [(30±22) per hour vs (18±17) per hour ] than Han patients of the same age and BMI. Compared to Han patients, Uygur patients had weaker hypoxic responsiveness [(-0.41±0.23) L·min(-1)·%(-1) vs (-0.36±0.22) L·min(-1)·%(-1,) P<0.05], and the difference still existed after adjusting for AHI [(-0.31±0.21) L·min(-1)·%(-1) vs (-0.41±0.22) L·min(-1)·%(-1,) P<0.05] in mild OSAHS, but this difference was not significant in severe OSAHS. Conclusions: The central hypoxic response in Uygur OSAHS patients was lower than that in Han OSAHS patients and normal controls.

[Relevant molecular characteristics analysis on malignant transformation of interstitial cells induced by tumor stem cells in glioma microenvironment]

Objective: A variety of interstitial cells in tumor microenvironment (TME) based on glioma stem cells(GSC) have the function to promote malignant progression of tumors, but whether these interstitial cells have already undergone malignant transformation and their related molecular characteristics are still poorly understood. Methods: Human SU3-RFP glioma stem cells (GSC) stably transfected with red fluorescent protein (RFP) and interstitial cells from enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) transgenic nude mice were co-cultured in vitro. SU3-RFP cells were also inoculated in different tissues of EGFP-Balb/c nude mice. Immortal EGFP(+) cells were monocloned either from co-culture cells in vitro, or from their xenografts in vivo. These immortal EGFP(+) cells were confirmed to bear characteristics of tumor cell via chromosomal analysis and tumorigenicity assay. Related molecular phenotypes of these cells were further detected through RT-PCR, flow cytometry and immunochemistry(IHC) techniques. Results: (1) Two EGFP(+) cell lines were obtained in vitro, and 5 EGFP(+) cell lines were obtained in vivo tumorigenic experiments. Seven EGFP(+) cell lines all have characteristics of self-renewal, heteroploid of chromosomes and 100% tumorigenicity. (2) Cell surface marker analysis showed cell origin of these cell lines were macrophages (tMΦ1 and tMΦ2 ), dendritic cells (tDC1 and tDC2), fibroblasts (tFB), oligodendrocytes (tOG) and BMSC cells (tBMSC), respectively. (3)All of these seven cell lines co-expressed Sca-1 and c-myc, and have Sox-2 or Nanog expression also, which suggest that they may bear molecular characteristics of mesenchymal stem cells or pluripotent stem cells. Conclusions: (1) Tumor stromal cells in TME have undergone malignant transformation, which is related to the tissue remodeling of TME by GSCs, and not limit to the specific type of their parasitic tissues. (2) Tumor cells originated from GSC and tumor interstitial cells, respectively, are two major types of tumor cells with different origins in glioma parenchyma, can not be simply regarded as tumor heterogeneity, transformed interstitial cells of TME may have the potential to serve as new targets for target diagnosis and therapy.

[Experimental studies on correlation between nucleolus spindle-related protein 1 and the malignant progression and prognosis of human glioblastoma multiforme]

Objective: To investigate the correlation between nucleolus spindle-related protein 1 (NUSAP1) and malignant progression and prognosis of human glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Methods: RT-PCR and immunohistochemical technique were applied to analyze NUSAP1 expression level in GBM surgical specimens. Correlations between NUSAP1 expression and molecular classification and survival of patients with GBM were also investigated in TCGA database. The gene silencing technique was used to silence NUSAP1 expression in U87 cells, CCK-8 assay was used to detect cell proliferation, flow cytometry was used to detect cell cycle changes, and in vivo tumorigenicity was evaluated after NUSAP1 silencing in tumor-bearing mice. Results: NUSAP1 expression level in GBM was higher than that in non-tumor brain tissue. Survival curve analysis showed that the survival time of GBM patients with high NUSAP1 expression decreased significantly (P<0.01). NUSAP1 expression was relatively lower in mesenchymal and neural molecular subtypes of GBM, when compared with the other two molecular subtypes. And it was closely related with specific genetic aberrations (such as PTEN loss and IDH1 mutation). Silencing NUSAP1 inhibited G2/M cell cycle progression of GBM cells, and inhibited cell proliferation both in vitro and in vivo. Conclusion: Expression of NUSAP1 is closely related to progress and prognosis of GBM, and can be a biomarker reflecting GBM prognosis and act as a therapeutic target with potential clinical application value.

[Dementia screening and diagnostic framework in Chinese population]

There are no standard diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer's disease (AD) in China. The copied international criteria has led to a high rate of missed diagnosis due to issues such as translation and cultural discrepancy. Under the principles of semantic equivalence, content equivalence and performance equivalence, the research group of Alzheimer's Disease Chinese (ADC) adopted several effective methods, such as two-way translation, content conversion, performance evaluation, etc. to systematically study the cognitive, behavioral, functional, and general assessment techniques in dementia screening and diagnosis, as well as their screening thresholds and diagnostic values. We also established a dementia screening and assessment framework in clinical practice through systematic reviews and group consensus. It has improved the early diagnosis rate of dementia in China, been accepted by home and abroad academic institutions, which is of great significance for early diagnosis and treatment of dementia.