Role and timing of second-line therapies for patients with recurrent platinum-resistant ovarian epithelial cancer

OBJECTIVE

To explore the regimens and prognoses of second-line therapies for recurrent platinum-resistant ovarian epithelial cancer (OEC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The clinical profiles and second-line regimens were retrospectively analyzed for 65 recurrent platinum-resistant OEC patients treated at Zhejiang Provincial Tumor Hospital during January 2003 to January 2013. In conjunction with literature reviews, the second-line therapies for platinum-resistant recurrent OEC were discussed.

RESULTS

Their average age was 55.2 years. The stages were I (n=4), II (n=3), III (n=45), and IV (n=13). The predominant type was serous adenocarcinoma (n=47, 72.3%). Chemotherapy was refused (n=14) and resistant (n=5 1). One case was lost to follow-up and another three withdrew early. An average of four chemotherapeutic courses were offered in 61 cases. Among them, five cases selected chemotherapy after a second operation. The average therapy-free interval (TFI) was 3.5 months. The efficacies were evaluated for 61 cases. CR (n=5) and partial remission (PR, n=22). The overall survival (OS) rate was 43.6% and average progression-free survival (PFS) was 15.44 months.

CONCLUSION

The efficacy of second-line therapy for recurrent platinum-resistant OEC is rather poor and the feasibility and efficacy of second operation are to be further explored.

[Hypoxia induced the remodeling of pulmonary arterial smooth muscles and increased the pulmonary artery smooth muscle Krüppel-like zinc-finger transcription factor 5 expression]

Objective: To study the effect of chronic hypoxia on pulmonary arterial remodeling and Krüppel-like zinc-finger transcription factor 5 (KLF5) protein expression in pulmonary artery smooth muscles in a hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension model. Methods: Totally 20 adult SD rats (200-250 g) were divided into a normoxia group and a chronic hypoxia group by the random number table. Rats in the chronic hypoxia group were put in an automatic hypoxia box for 21 days. After that, right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP), mean right ventricular pressure (mRVP) and RV/(LV+ S) were measured. Lung tissue sections were made. The lumen area, ratio of wall thickness to radius of pulmonary artery were gauged by using the Image Pro Plus software. Primary PASMCs were cultured in oxygen-deficient environment (4% O₂)or normal oxygen environment (21% O₂)for 60 hours respectively, and then total protein or RNA were extracted for Western blotting and Q-PCR analysis.KLF5 protein expression in rat pulmonary arterial smooth muscle and pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells was detected by Western blot. Results: Compared with the normoxia group(28.3±0.4), (11.3±1.0)mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa), the RVSP and mRVP in the chronic hypoxia group [(43.9±1.3), (26.5±2.3)mmHg] were significantly increased(P<0.05). The Rv/(LV+ S)of the chronic hypoxia group was(0.48±0.03), markedly higher than that of the normoxia group(0.27±0.01, P<0.05). The luminal area/total area of artery in the chronic hypoxia group decreased to (46.1±6.6)% compared with that in the normoxia group [(68.73±3.06)%, P<0.05]. The wall thickness/arterial radius(WT%)of the chronic hypoxia group increased up to (5.64±0.32)% as compared with (3.7±0.4)% of the normoxia group (P<0.05). The level of KLF5 protein in pulmonary arterial smooth muscles of the chronic hypoxia group was (21.6±7.2) times that of the normoxia group (P<0.05). Conclusion: Hypoxia induced the increase of RVSP, mRVP, RV/(LV+ S), accompanied with pulmonary arterial remodeling. The underlying mechanism of the artery change may be related to up-regulated expression of KLF5.

[Diagnostic utility of immunohistochemistry in differential diagnosis of renal tumors with oncocytic features]

Objective: To investigate the morphological features and immunophenotypes of eosinophilic renal tumors in order to provide references for the differential diagnosis of this tumor. Methods: A cohort of 75 cases of eosinophilic renal tumors were collected. The morphological features of the tumors were observed under microscope, and the immunophenotypes of the tumors were detected using tissue microarray and immunoshistochemistry. Results: There were some overlaps between the different types of eosinophilic renal tumors in morphology, but each had its distinct characteristics. Immunohistochemically, renal oncocytoma (RO) and eosinophilic chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (ChRCC) shared some common immumophenotypes, except for the expression of CK7, with the expression rates of 2/19 in RO and 17/20 in eosinophilic ChRCC, respectively. Eosinophilic clear cell renal cell carcinoma mainly showed positive immunostaining for Vimentin and CAⅨ, whereas negative for CK7 and CD117 in most cases (10/15). AMACR was diffusely expressed in the majority of eosinophilic papillary renal cell carcinoma (PRCC, 10/13). Furthermore, vimentin, CK7 and CD10 were positively expressed in eosinophilic PRCC with the expression rates of 8/13, 9/13 and 6/13, respectively; while CAⅨ, CD117 and TFE3 were all negatively expressed in eosinophilic PRCC.Epithelioid angiomyolipoma generally showed positive expression of vimentin, SMA and HMB45, but negative expression of CAⅨ and CK7. Vimentin, CD10, AMACR and TFE3 were strongly expressed in XP11.2 translocation renal cell carcinoma; on the contrary, CK7, CD117 and HMB45 were not expressed in the majority of the tumor. Conclusion: With full understanding of the morphology of different types of eosinophilic renal tumors, the immunostaining of vimentin, CAⅨ, CK7, CD10, AMACR, CD117, TFE3 and HMB45 could play a crucial role in the differential diagnosis of these tumors.

Genome-wide analysis of TCP family in tobacco

The TCP family is a transcription factor family, members of which are extensively involved in plant growth and development as well as in signal transduction in the response against many physiological and biochemical stimuli. In the present study, 61 TCP genes were identified in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) genome. Bioinformatic methods were employed for predicting and analyzing the gene structure, gene expression, phylogenetic analysis, and conserved domains of TCP proteins in tobacco. The 61 NtTCP genes were divided into three diverse groups, based on the division of TCP genes in tomato and Arabidopsis, and the results of the conserved domain and sequence analyses further confirmed the classification of the NtTCP genes. The expression pattern of NtTCP also demonstrated that majority of these genes play important roles in all the tissues, while some special genes exercise their functions only in specific tissues. In brief, the comprehensive and thorough study of the TCP family in other plants provides sufficient resources for studying the structure and functions of TCPs in tobacco.

Identification of altered pathways in Down syndrome-associated congenital heart defects using an individualized pathway aberrance score

The aim of this study was to identify disrupted pathways related to Down syndrome (DS), and DS-associated congenital heart defects (DS-CHD). The gene expression profile and pathway data of 10 human DS patients and 5 control samples in E-GEOD-1789 were recruited and analyzed by the individualized pathway aberrance score (iPAS) method, consisting of the data processing, gene-level statistics, pathway-level statistics, and significant measurement steps. The pre-processing step identified 12,493 genes and 1022 pathways (4269 genes). The pathway significant analysis identified eight pathways (adjusted P value <0.1) that differed between the disease and control samples. The cross-presentation of particulate exogenous antigen (phagosomes) and methionine salvage pathways showed the most significant differences among these. The gene expression levels of key pathway genes, such as CYBB and ADI1, were higher in disease samples than in normal controls. Based on our results, we predicted that the cross-presentation of particulate exogenous antigens (phagosomes) and the methionine salvage pathway could be good indicators of DS-CHD.

[Effects of hemoglobin J-Bangkok traits on measurements of glycated hemoglobin by five methods]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the interference of hemoglobin variants J-Bangkok on glycated hemoglobin (HbA(1)c) detected by five measurement systems.

METHODS

Seventy cases of blood samples were collected at Zhongshan Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from July 2012 to January 2014, the blood samples were divided into the normal control group (40 cases) and Hb J-Bangkok variant group (30 cases), and the normal control group was divided into healthy control group (20 cases) and diabetic group (20 cases). HbA(1)c measurement systems were Primus Ultra2, Variant Ⅱ, Variant Ⅱ Turbo, Modular P and Leadman. Based on the standard of the American National Glycosylated Hemoglobin Standardization Program (NGSP), Primus Ultra2 was used as comparative system, and the other 4 systems were test systems. Comparative analysis and bias evaluation were conducted on the results from five detection systems in different groups, statistical analysis were used for evaluating the differences. The estimated average glucose (eAG) was calculated by HbA(1)c values and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) of Hb J-Bangkok variant group with the different detection systems. Deming regression analysis was used to determinate whether Hb J-Bangkok produced significant clinical effect on HbA(1)c results. HbA(1)c ± 10% and relative bias at 6% and 9% HbA1c were evaluation limits.

RESULTS

The differences of the 95% confidence interval (95%CI) between the test systems and the comparative system in control group were within ±0.7% HbA(1)c, bias were less than 6%, there were no statistically significant difference (P>0.05). In Hb J-Bangkok group, the eAG calculated from HbA(1)c measured by using Primus Ultra2, Modular P and Leadman were (8.14±2.99), (8.10±3.06) and (8.23±3.00)mmol/L, which had no statistically significant difference compared with FPG ((8.21±3.12)mmol/L, t=0.996, 1.091, 1.479, all P>0.05), and the differences of 95%CI between the results measured by Modular P and the comparative system were all within ±0.7% HbA(1)c, bias were -4.3%-0.4% and -5.2%-4.9%, there were no statistically significant difference (P>0.05). At 6% and 9% HbA(1)c concentrations, the mean differences of the results from the three detection systems were less than the clinically acceptable range. These results showed that the systems of Primus Ultra2, Modular P and Leadman were not affected by Hb J-Bangkok. However, the eAG values calculated from HbA(1)c of Variant Ⅱ and Variant Ⅱ Turbo were (5.58±2.12) and(5.00±2.13)mmol/L, which showed statistically significant lower results compared with FPG level (t=12.29, 13.23 , all P<0.001). Compared with Primus Ultra2, the differences of 95%CI were outside of ± 0.7% HbA1c, bias were -31.9%--12.0% and -42.0%- -17.6% , greater than 6%, showed a negative bias.At 6% and 9% HbA(1)c concentrations, the mean differences of the results were all greater than the clinical acceptable range. These results indicated that Hb J-Bangkok had significantly clinical interference on Variant Ⅱ and Variant Ⅱ Turbo systems.

CONCLUSION

Hb J-Bangkok has different interference on different HbA(1)c measurement systems, when performs the HbA(1)c test, clinical laboratory should pay attention to identify Hb variants, and select the appropriate methods to measure the HbA(1)c values in order to prevent the occurrence of interference by Hb variants.

Maximum-biomass concentration prediction for Bifidobacteria in the pH-controlled fed-batch culture

Our objective was to systematically study the relationship between maximum biomass concentration of different Bifidobacteria and total-acid anions accumulation, and develop a prediction equation for the maximum biomass concentration in the fed-batch culture at pH-controlled 7·0. The accumulation of acid anions and the consumption of nutrients of various strains were evaluated. In addition, minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of acid anions on a range of strains were examined at pH 7·0. The inhibition of acid anions, which had the same MIC as sodium chloride, was due to the osmotic pressure under pH 7·0 conditions. Moreover, the concentration of total-acid anions completely inhibiting each strain in the fed-batch culture at pH-controlled 7·0 had no significant differences with the MIC of acid anions for the corresponding strains. The osmotic pressures under two conditions were not significantly different. Finally, the maximum biomass concentration of Bifidobacteria was found to be closely related to biomass yield per unit of acid anion produced (YX/P ) and MIC (C) which were needed for the prediction, and different strains exhibited marked correlation (P ˂ 0·01, R = 0·985). An equation for the prediction of the maximum biomass concentration was developed as follows: Xmax -X0  = (0·71 ± 0·03)·YX/P ·C.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

This study provides further insights into the inhibition of Bifidobacteria by dissociated acid anions (the dissociated form) at pH 7·0. The high correlation between different strains suggested that the equation established in this paper is appropriate for different strains of Bifidobacteria. The prediction equation could be used to guide practical production in the preparation of materials, the control of the end of fermentation and production plans for further products such as freeze-dried powder of Bifidobacteria or food fermentation.

Homology-based analysis of the GRAS gene family in tobacco

Members of the GRAS gene family are important transcriptional regulators. In this study, 21 GRAS genes were identified from tobacco, and were classified into eight subgroups according to the classification of Arabidopsis thaliana. Here, we provide a preliminary overview of this gene family in tobacco, describing the gene structure, gene expression, protein motif organization, phylogenetic analysis, and comparative analysis in tobacco, Arabidopsis, and rice. Using the sequences of 21 GRAS genes in Arabidopsis to search against the American tobacco genome database, 21 homologous GRAS genes in tobacco were identified. Sequence analysis indicates that these GRAS proteins have five conserved domains, which is consistent with their counterparts in other plants. Phylogenetic analyses divided the GRAS gene family into eight subgroups, each of which has distinct conserved domains and biological functions. Furthermore, the expression pattern of these 21 GRAS genes reveals that most are expressed in all six tissues studied; however, some have tissue specificity. Taken together, this comprehensive analysis will provide a rich resource to assist in the study of GRAS protein functions in tobacco.

Noninvasive monitoring of intra-abdominal pressure by measuring abdominal wall tension

BACKGROUND

Noninvasive monitoring of intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) by measuring abdominal wall tension (AWT) was effective and feasible in previous postmortem and animal studies. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of the AWT method for noninvasively monitoring IAP in the intensive care unit (ICU).

METHODS

In this prospective study, we observed patients with detained urethral catheters in the ICU of Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital between April 2011 and March 2013. The correlation between AWT and urinary bladder pressure (UBP) was analyzed by linear regression analysis. The effects of respiratory and body position on AWT were evaluated using the paired samples t test, whereas the effects of gender and body mass index (BMI) on baseline AWT (IAP<12 mmHg) were assessed using one-way analysis of variance.

RESULTS

A total of 51 patients were studied. A significant linear correlation was observed between AWT and UBP (R=0.986, P<0.01); the regression equation was Y=-1.369+9.57X (P<0.01). There were significant differences among the different respiratory phases and body positions (P<0.01). However, gender and BMI had no significant effects on baseline AWT (P=0.457 and 0.313, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

There was a significant linear correlation between AWT and UBP and respiratory phase, whereas body position had significant effects on AWT but gender and BMI did not. Therefore, AWT could serve as a simple, rapid, accurate, and important method to monitor IAP in critically ill patients.

GATA5 loss-of-function mutation in familial dilated cardiomyopathy

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), the most common form of primary myocardial disease, is an important cause of sudden cardiac death and heart failure and is the leading indication for heart transplantation in children and adults worldwide. Recent studies have revealed a strong genetic basis for idiopathic DCM, with many distinct genes causally implicated. Nevertheless, DCM is a genetically heterogeneous disorder and the genetic determinants underlying DCM in a substantial proportion of patients remain unclear. In this study, the whole coding exons and flanking introns of the GATA binding protein 5 (GATA5) gene, which codes for a zinc-finger transcription factor essential for cardiovascular development and structural remodeling, were sequenced in 130 unrelated patients with idiopathic DCM. The available relatives of the index patient carrying an identified mutation and 200 unrelated ethnically matched healthy individuals used as the controls were genotyped for GATA5. The functional characteristics of the mutant GATA5 were analyzed in contrast to its wild-type counterpart by using a dual-luciferase reporter assay system. As a result, a novel heterozygous GATA5 mutation, p.G240D, was identified in a family with DCM inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern, which co-segregated with DCM in the family with complete penetrance. The missense mutation was absent in 400 reference chromosomes and the altered amino acid was completely conserved evolutionarily across species. Functional analyses revealed that the GATA5 mutant was associated with significantly diminished transcriptional activity. This study firstly links GATA5 mutation to DCM, which provides novel insight into the molecular mechanisms of DCM, suggesting a potential molecular target for the prenatal prophylaxis and allele-specific treatment of DCM.

Efficacy of tension-free vaginal tape obturator and single-incision tension-free vaginal tape-Secur, hammock approach, in the treatment of stress urinary incontinence

AIM

Aim of the present study was to compare the efficacy of tension-free vaginal tape obturator and single-incision tension-free transvaginal tape Secur, hammock approach, in the treatment of stress urinary incontinence.

METHODS

Clinical data of patients who received anti-incontinence surgery between June 2008 and July 2012 were retrospectively analyzed. Efficacy and early failure rate of the tension-free vaginal tape obturator and tension-free vaginal tape-Secur hammock approach were assessed by cough test and criteria of International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form. Intraoperative and postoperative complications were also computed.

RESULTS

There were 28 patients in the tension-free vaginal tape obturator group while 32 patients in the tension-free vaginal tape-Secur group. The mean operation time, intraoperative blood loss and inpatient days after surgery between the two groups showed no significant difference. The catheter retention time of the tension-free vaginal tape obturator group was longer than in the tension-free vaginal tape-Secur group. The cure rate of the tension-free vaginal tape obturator and tension-free vaginal tape-Secur groups were respectively 84% and 80%, and the recurrence rates were 14.3% and 16.7%, without significant difference. The scores of International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form in two groups both decreased after surgery, but there was no difference between the two groups. There were no serious complications in the two groups.

CONCLUSION

Our study demonstrated that both tension-free vaginal tape obturator and tension-free vaginal tape-Secur can achieve a cure rate over 80% while with little complications, showing both methods are reliable to treat stress urinary incontinence.

Associations between CD36 gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to coronary artery heart disease

Associations between polymorphisms of the CD36 gene and susceptibility to coronary artery heart disease (CHD) are not clear. We assessed allele frequencies and genotype distributions of CD36 gene polymorphisms in 112 CHD patients and 129 control patients using semi-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. Additionally, we detected CD36 mRNA expression by real-time quantitative PCR, and we quantified plasma levels of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). There were no significant differences between the two groups (P>0.05) in allele frequencies of rs1761667 or in genotype distribution and allele frequencies of rs3173798. The genotype distribution of rs1761667 significantly differed between CHD patients and controls (P=0.034), with a significantly higher frequency of the AG genotype in the CHD group compared to the control group (P=0.011). The plasma levels of ox-LDL in patients with the AG genotype were remarkably higher than those with the GG and AA genotypes (P=0.010). In a randomized sample taken from patients in the two groups, the CD36 mRNA expression of the CHD patients was higher than that of the controls. In CHD patients, the CD36 mRNA expression in AG genotype patients was remarkably higher than in those with an AA genotype (P=0.005). After adjusted logistic regression analysis, the AG genotype of rs1761667 was associated with an increased risk of CHD (OR=2.337, 95% CI=1.336-4.087, P=0.003). In conclusion, the rs1761667 polymorphism may be closely associated with developing CHD in the Chongqing Han population of China, and an AG genotype may be a genetic susceptibility factor for CHD.

Effects of Supplementation of β-Mannanase in Corn-soybean Meal Diets on Performance and Nutrient Digestibility in Growing Pigs

A total of 288 crossbred (Duroc×Landrace×Yorkshire) growing pigs were used in two experiments to investigate the effects of adding β-mannanase to corn-soybean meal-based diets on pig performance and apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD). Both experiments lasted 28 d and were split into two phases namely 1 to 14 days (phase 1) and 15 to 28 days (phase 2). In Exp. 1,144 pigs weighing 23.60±1.59 kg BW were assigned to one of four corn-soybean meal-based diets containing 0, 200, 400 or 600 U/kg β-mannanase. Increasing the level of β-mannanase increased weight gain (quadratic effect; p<0.01) and feed efficiency (linear and quadratic effect; p<0.01) during the second phase and the overall experiment. However, performance was unaffected (p>0.05) by treatment during phase 1. Increasing the amount of β-mannanase in the diet improved (linear and quadratic effect; p<0.05) the ATTD of CP, NDF, ADF, calcium, and phosphorus during both phases. Based on the results of Exp. 1, the optimal supplementation level was determined to be 400 U/kg and this was the level that was applied in Exp. 2. In Exp. 2, 144 pigs weighing 23.50±1.86 kg BW were fed diets containing 0 or 400 U/kg of β-mannanase and 3,250 or 3,400 kcal/kg digestible energy (DE) in a 2×2 factorial design. β-Mannanase supplementation increased (p<0.01) weight gain and feed efficiency while the higher energy content increased (p<0.01) feed intake and feed efficiency during both phases and overall. Increased energy content and β-mannanase supplementation both increased (p<0.05) the ATTD of DM, CP, NDF, ADF, phosphorus, and GE during both phases. There were no significant interactions between energy level and β-mannanase for any performance or digestibility parameter. In conclusion, the β-mannanase used in the present experiment improved the performance of growing pigs fed diets based on corn and soybean. The mechanism through which the improvements were obtained appears to be related to improvements in ATTD.

Synthesis of conjugated linoleic acid by the linoleate isomerase complex in food-derived lactobacilli

AIMS

To assess strains of lactobacilli for their capacity to produce functional fatty acid-conjugated linoleic acid. To assess the linoleate isomerase for CLA production in the most efficient CLA producer.

METHODS AND RESULTS

In this study, strains of food-derived lactobacilli were cultured in media with linoleic acid and CLA production was assessed. Most of the selected strains produced CLA at different levels, with Lactobacillus plantarum ZS2058 being the most efficient CLA producer converting over 50% of linoleic acid to c9, t11-CLA and t9, t11-CLA. Some intermediates 10-hydroxy-cis-12-octadecenoic acid, 10-oxo-cis-12-octadecenoic acid and 10-oxo-trans-11-octadecenoic acid were determined via GC-MS. The genes coding the multicomponent linoleate isomerase containing myosin-cross-reactive antigen, short-chain dehydrogenase/oxidoreductase and acetoacetate decarboxylase for CLA production in Lact. plantarum ZS2058 were cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. With the mixture of recombinant E. coli, c9, t11-CLA and three kinds of intermediates were produced from linoleic acid, which were in line with those in the lactobacilli.

CONCLUSIONS

The ability for CLA production by lactobacilli exhibited variation. Lactobacillus plantarum and Lact. bulgaricus were the most efficient producers in the selected strains. Lact. plantarum ZS2058 converted linoleic acid to CLAs with 10-hydroxy-cis-12-octadecenoic acid, 10-oxo-cis-12-octadecenoic acid and 10-oxo-trans-11-octadecenoic acid as intermediates. The multiple-step reactions for CLA production catalysed by multicomponent linoleate isomerase in Lact. plantarum ZS2058 were confirmed successfully.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

Multicomponent linoleate isomerase provides important results for the illustration of the mechanism for CLA production in lactic acid bacteria. Food-derived lactobacilli with CLA production ability offers novel opportunities for functional foods development.

Homology-based cloning and expression analysis of Rf genes encoding PPR-containing proteins in tobacco

As a model plant, mechanisms of the cytoplasmic male sterility/restoration of fertility (CMS/Rf) system in tobacco are seldom studied. Using Rf gene sequences from other Solanaceae plants and the draft genome of Nicotiana benthamiana, degenerate primers were designed to amplify the cDNA pool of N. tomentosiformis. In total, six possible Rf sequences were identified, two of which contained base-deletion mutations. The other four were intact open reading frames, of which NtomPPR5 harbored a 3-pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) motif deletion. Structure analysis revealed that they all encoded a PPR-containing protein with putative mitochondrial targeting signals at their N-terminus, and they all belong to the P subfamily. Phylogenetic analysis showed that all of the Rf-coding PPRs clustered together, and recent duplication events might have occurred in tobacco after the divergence of the species. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis demonstrated that the NtomRfs were expressed in all tissues of N. tomentosiformis and (CMS) K326, although the expression levels varied with gene, organ, and developmental stage. Furthermore, the expression levels of Rf sequences in K326 were lower than those in CMS K326. The molecular basis of the CMS/Rf system in tobacco requires further investigation.

Detection of rib metastases in patients with lung cancer: a comparative study of MRI, CT and bone scintigraphy

We retrospectively investigated the imaging findings of bone scintigraphy, chest CT and chest MRI in 55 cases of lung cancer. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the detection of rib metastases were compared between imaging modalities on both a per-lesion and a per-patient basis. On a per-lesion basis, MRI sensitivity and accuracy were significantly higher than that of bone scintigraphy and CT (P<0.05). The sensitivities, specificities, and accuracy levels between CT and bone scintigraphy did not differ on either a per-lesion or per-patient basis (P>0.05). MRI appears to be superior for the detection of ribs metastases in lung cancer.

Transforming growth factor-β genetic polymorphisms on development of liver cirrhosis in a meta-analysis

Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) protein has been supposed to be a risk factor for liver cirrhosis; however, the associations between its genes (TGF-β -509C>T and +869T>C) and liver cirrhosis remained unclear. This study was to quantitatively analyze the correlations by using a meta-analysis. Pubmed, Embase, Wanfang databases were retrieved up to November 1st, 2011. Odds ratio (OR) and 95 % confidence interval (95 %CI) were used to demonstrate the strength of association, and P < 0.05 of Z test indicated statistical significance. Combined analyses were performed by using fixed or random-effect model, depending on between-study heterogeneity. Seven studies were for TGF-β -509C>T polymorphism, and eight studies were for +869T>C polymorphism. Combined results indicated that neither TGF-β -509C>T nor +869T>C polymorphisms were associated with risk of liver cirrhosis [OR (95 % CI): 0.79 (0.60-1.04) for CT vs. TT of -509C>T and 0.87 (0.68-1.12) for CT vs. CC of +869T>C], with no between-study heterogeneity. In addition, subgroups analyses still inferred that two polymorphisms were not associated with risk of liver cirrhosis for HBV-infected patients, Asians and for Population-based studies. This meta-analysis indicated that neither TGF-β -509C>T nor +869T>C polymorphisms were associated with risk of liver cirrhosis, regardless of HBV infection or not.

Identification of the forensically important beetles Nicrophorus japonicus, Ptomascopus plagiatus and Silpha carinata (Coleoptera: Silphidae) based on 16S rRNA gene in China

Sarcophagous beetles play an important role in estimating postmortem interval time (PMI) in the later stages decomposition of carcasses. However, the morphological similarity of beetles usually poses a challenge for forensic scientists within their routine work. As a supplementary to traditional morphological method, molecular genetics identification is simple and time-saving. A molecular identification method involving a 288-bp segment of the 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) gene from 15 beetles of Silphidae (Coleoptera), collected from 5 locations in 4 Chinese provinces, was evaluated. Phenogram analysis of the sequenced segments by the unweighted pairgroup method analysis (UPGMA) method showed that all specimens were properly assigned into four species with strong similarity, which indicated the possibility of separation congeneric species with the short 16S rRNA fragment. These results will be instrumental for implementation of the Chinese database of forensically relevant beetles.

Flagellin-PAc fusion protein is a high-efficacy anti-caries mucosal vaccine

We previously demonstrated that an anti-caries DNA vaccine intranasally administered with recombinant flagellin protein as a mucosal adjuvant enhanced salivary IgA response and conferred better protection against caries. However, the relatively weak immunogenicity of DNA vaccines and the necessity for a large quantity of antigens remain significant challenges. Here, we fused the flagellin derived from E. coli (KF) and target antigen PAc containing the A-P fragment of PAc from S. mutans (rPAc) to produce a single recombinant protein (KF-rPAc). The abilities of KF-rPAc to induce rPAc-specific mucosal and systemic responses and protective efficiency against caries following intranasal immunization were compared with those of rPAc alone or a mixture of rPAc and KF (KF + rPAc) in rats. Results showed that KF-rPAc promoted significantly higher rPAc-specific antibodies in serum as well as in saliva than did an equivalent dose of rPAc alone or a mixture of KF + rPAc. Intranasal immunization of 8.5 µg KF-rPAc could achieve 64.2% reduction of dental caries in rats. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that flagellin and PAc fusion strategy is promising for anti-caries vaccine development, and KF-rPAc could be used as an anti-caries mucosal vaccine.