Comparison of clinicopathological features and prognosis of gastric cancer located in the lesser and greater curve

PURPOSE

Little is known about the features of gastric cancer located in the lesser and greater curve. This study aims to investigate the clinicopathological features and prognosis of gastric cancer located in the lesser and greater curve.

PATIENTS

From September 2008 to March 2015, 780 gastric cancer patients were enrolled in the present study. The associations between locations and features of patients were analyzed.

RESULTS

There were 571 male (73.2 %) and 209 female (26.8 %) patients. The median age was 56 years (ranged 21-86). There were 684 tumors located in the lesser curve (87.7 %) and 96 located in the greater curve (12.3 %). The incidence of melena was significantly lower in patients with tumors located in the lesser curve than that in the greater curve (8.5 vs 15.6 %, P = 0.024). The median size of tumors in the lesser curve was significantly larger than that in the greater curve (5.0 (0.3-15) vs 4.0 cm (0.5-15), P = 0.001). The remaining clinicopathological features were comparable between the two groups (all P > 0.05). Tumor location was not a risk factor for the prognosis of gastric cancer by univariate and multivariate analysis (both P > 0.05). The postoperative complications (all P > 0.05) and prognoses (P = 0.279) were comparable between tumors located in the lesser and greater curve.

CONCLUSIONS

The ratio of gastric cancer located in the lesser to greater curve was 7.1:1. Compared with tumors located in the greater curve, the incidence of melena was significantly lower and the tumor size was significantly larger in tumors located in the lesser curve. The prognoses were comparable between tumors located in the lesser and greater curve.

The efficacy of radioiodine remnant ablation for differentiated thyroid carcinoma patients with an incomplete thyroidectomy

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of radioiodine remnant ablation (RRA) for differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) patients with an incomplete thyroidectomy.

METHODS

The medical histories of postsurgical DTC patients who accepted RRA between 2010 and 2012 were retrospectively reviewed. Among them, 113 patients who had undergone a total or near-total thyroidectomy comprised the complete thyroidectomy group (CT group) and the remaining 40 patients who had undergone a lobectomy or sub-total thyroidectomy comprised the incomplete thyroidectomy group (ICT group). The difference in the patients' age, gender, histology, serum TSH level and 24hr radioactive iodine uptake (RIU) between the two groups was analyzed by χ2 Test or ANOVA. The efficacy of RRA in ICT group was evaluated by comparing its rate of complete ablation after the first RRA and its cumulative rate of complete ablation after the second RRA to the rate of complete ablation after the first RRA in CT group respectively by χ2 Test.

RESULTS

Of all the clinical characteristics, only serum TSH level and 24hr RIU have significant difference between two groups (P<0.01 for both). The rate of complete ablation after the first RRA was 67.26% in CT group. The rate of complete ablation after the first RRA and the cumulative rate of complete ablation after the second RRA was 27.50% and 67.50% respectively in ICT group. The ablative rate of the first RRA between the two groups was compared by χ2 Test and the difference was significant (P<0.01). The ablative rate of the first RRA in CT group was compared with the cumulative rate of the second RRA in ICT group and the difference was not significant (P=0.978).

CONCLUSIONS

Although the efficacy of RRA in DTC patients with an incomplete thyroidectomy is not as good as that of patients with a complete thyroidectomy after the first RRA, a higher ablative rate can still be achieved after the second or third RRA.

Application of near infrared reflectance (NIR) spectroscopy to identify potential PSE meat

BACKGROUND

Pale, soft and exudative (PSE) meat is a quality problem that causes a large economic loss to the pork industry. In the present work, near infrared (NIR) quantification and identification methods were used to investigate the feasibility of differentiating potential PSE meat from normal meat.

RESULTS

NIR quantification models were developed to estimate meat pH and colour attributes (L*, a*, b*). Promising results were reported for prediction of muscle pH (R(2) CV  = 70.10%, RPDCV = 1.83) and L* (R(2) CV  = 77.18%, RPDCV = 1.91), but it is still hard to promote to practical application at this level. The Factorisation Method applied to NIR spectra could differentiate potential PSE meat from normal meat at 3 h post-mortem. Correlation analysis showed significant relationship between NIR data and LF-NMR T2 components that were indicative of water distribution and mobility in muscle. PSE meat had unconventionally faster energy metabolism than normal meat, which caused greater water mobility.

CONCLUSION

NIR spectra coupled with the Factorisation Method could be a promising technology to identify potential PSE meat. The difference in the intensity of H2 O absorbance peaks between PSE and normal meat might be the basis of this identification method. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

HPLC-TOF-MS and HPLC-MS/MS combined with multivariate analysis for the characterization and discrimination of phenolic profiles in nonfumigated and sulfur-fumigated rhubarb

Sulfur fumigation has recently been used during the postharvest handling of rhubarb to reduce the drying duration and control pests. However, a few reports question the effect of sulfur fumigation on the bioactive components of rhubarb, which is crucial for the quality evaluation of the herbal medicine. The bottleneck limiting the study comes from the complex compounds that exist in herb samples with diverse structural features, wide concentration range and the difficulty to obtain all the reference standards. In this study, an integrated strategy based on the highly effective separation and analysis by liquid chromatography coupled with diode-array detection and time-of-flight/triple-quadruple tandem mass spectrometry combined with multivariate analysis was established. 68 phenolic compounds that exist in nonfumigated and sulfur-fumigated herb samples of rhubarb were tentatively assigned based on their retention behavior, UV spectra, accurate molecular weight, and mass spectral fragments. Qualitative and semiquantitative comparison revealed a serious reduction of the majority of phenolic compounds in sulfur-fumigated rhubarb. Furthermore, multivariate analysis was applied to holistically discriminate nonfumigated from sulfur-fumigated rhubarb and explore the characteristic chemical markers. The established approach was specific and rapid for characterizing and screening sulfur-fumigated rhubarb among commercial samples and could be applied for the quality assessment of other sulfur-fumigated herbs.

Synaptic competition in the lateral amygdala and the stimulus specificity of conditioned fear: a biophysical modeling study

Competitive synaptic interactions between principal neurons (PNs) with differing intrinsic excitability were recently shown to determine which dorsal lateral amygdala (LAd) neurons are recruited into a fear memory trace. Here, we explored the contribution of these competitive interactions in determining the stimulus specificity of conditioned fear associations. To this end, we used a realistic biophysical computational model of LAd that included multi-compartment conductance-based models of 800 PNs and 200 interneurons. To reproduce the continuum of spike frequency adaptation displayed by PNs, the model included three subtypes of PNs with high, intermediate, and low spike frequency adaptation. In addition, the model network integrated spatially differentiated patterns of excitatory and inhibitory connections within LA, dopaminergic and noradrenergic inputs, extrinsic thalamic and cortical tone afferents to simulate conditioned stimuli as well as shock inputs for the unconditioned stimulus. Last, glutamatergic synapses in the model could undergo activity-dependent plasticity. Our results suggest that plasticity at both excitatory (PN-PN) and di-synaptic inhibitory (PN-ITN and, particularly, ITN-PN) connections are major determinants of the synaptic competition governing the assignment of PNs to the memory trace. The model also revealed that training-induced potentiation of PN-PN synapses promotes, whereas that of ITN-PN synapses opposes, stimulus generalization. Indeed, suppressing plasticity of PN-PN synapses increased, whereas preventing plasticity of interneuronal synapses decreased the CS specificity of PN recruitment. Overall, our results indicate that the plasticity configuration imprinted in the network by synaptic competition ensures memory specificity. Given that anxiety disorders are characterized by tendency to generalize learned fear to safe stimuli or situations, understanding how plasticity of intrinsic LAd synapses regulates the specificity of learned fear is an important challenge for future experimental studies.

Chemical profiling approach to evaluate the influence of traditional and simplified decoction methods on the holistic quality of Da-Huang-Xiao-Shi decoction using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode-array detection and time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Da-Huang-Xiao-Shi decoction, consisting of Rheum officinale Baill, Mirabilitum, Phellodendron amurense Rupr. and Gardenia jasminoides Ellis, is a traditional Chinese medicine used for the treatment of jaundice. As described in "Jin Kui Yao Lue", a traditional multistep decoction of Da-Huang-Xiao-Shi decoction was required while simplified one-step decoction was used in recent repsorts. To investigate the chemical difference between the decoctions obtained by the traditional and simplified preparations, a sensitive and reliable approach of high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode-array detection and electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry was established. As a result, a total of 105 compounds were detected and identified. Analysis of the chromatogram profiles of the two decoctions showed that many compounds in the decoction of simplified preparation had changed obviously compared with those in traditional preparation. The changes of constituents would be bound to cause the differences in the therapeutic effects of the two decoctions. The present study demonstrated that certain preparation methods significantly affect the holistic quality of traditional Chinese medicines and the use of a suitable preparation method is crucial for these medicines to produce special clinical curative effect. This research results elucidated the scientific basis of traditional preparation methods in Chinese medicines.

Expression of Notch 1 receptor associated with tumor aggressiveness in papillary thyroid carcinoma

AIM

The aim of this study was to assess if the expression of Notch 1 receptor is associated with tumor aggressiveness in papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

By searching the electronic medical record system of Xin Hua Hospital, all cases of PTC patients who underwent thyroidectomy in the hospital between 2013 and 2014 were retrieved. Then, the cases of patients who had a history of any other malignancy or whose thyroid tumor specimen was not available for assay were rejected. Finally, 68 cases of PTC patients were obtained. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue blocks of these patients were studied by immunohistochemistry to learn the expression of Notch 1 receptor. Meanwhile, the clinical data of these patients including sex, age, size of the tumor, presence of node metastasis or distant metastasis, and presence of capsule invasion and tumor multicentricity were collected. Pearson's chi-square test or Fisher's exact test was used for measuring statistical differences in categorical variables. All the statistical tests were two-sided. A P-value <0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.

RESULTS

A total of 19 male and 49 female PTC patients with a mean age of 44.8±13.6 years (range 18-78 years) were studied. Notch 1 receptor expression was found in 15/68 (22%) samples of PTC. The expression of Notch 1 receptor was significantly associated with tumor size (P=0.021), distant metastasis (P=0.008), capsule invasion (P=0.001), tumor multicentricity (P=0.018), and age (P=0.033). However, the expression of Notch 1 receptor was not significantly correlated with node metastasis (P=0.096) and sex (P=0.901).

CONCLUSION

The expression of Notch 1 receptor is associated with tumor aggressiveness in PTC, and may be used as a molecular marker of tumor invasiveness in PTC. PTC patients who show positive expression of Notch 1 receptor may benefit from radioiodine remnant ablation.

The effect of antagonizing RGD-binding integrin activity in papillary thyroid cancer cell lines

Patients with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) generally have good prognosis, but inoperable and radioactive iodine–refractory PTC still poses significant clinical challenges due to lack of effective treatment and higher mortality rates. Given the important role of integrins in multiple steps of tumor development, integrin-targeting therapy could be an effective strategy for PTC therapy. In this study, we investigated the antitumor effect of antagonizing Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD)-binding integrin activity in several PTC cell lines. Two RGD-binding integrin heterodimers αvβ3 and αvβ5 were first determined with fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) and immunofluorescence assay. Cell proliferation and apoptosis were examined by Cell Counting Kit-8 assay and FACS, respectively. Cell migration and invasion were determined by transwell assays. All three PTC cell lines examined (BCPAP, K1, and TPC1) showed a moderate-to-high expression of αvβ3 and αvβ5 (P<0.05). Antagonizing the two heterodimers with the RGD-containing antagonist showed moderate inhibitory effect on cell viability of K1 and BCPAP cells, while the inhibitory effect was more significant in TPC1 cells. Similarly, the apoptotic effect induced by antagonizing αvβ3 and αvβ5 was much stronger in TPC1 cells than in BCPAP and K1 cells. Cell migration and invasion were significantly inhibited by αvβ3 and αvβ5 antagonism in all three PTC cell lines. Our results suggested that the demonstrated expression of RGD-binding integrin on PTC cells provides the possibility of integrin-targeting treatment in PTC. The strong apoptotic effect observed in TPC1 cells indicated that a subgroup of PTC patients may benefit from the cytotoxic effect of RGD-binding integrin antagonism, while the strong inhibitory effect on migration and invasion in all three PTC cells by antagonizing αvβ3 and αvβ5 showed there is an exciting possibility that targeting RGD-binding integrin may serve a potential therapeutic approach for metastatic PTC patients.

The china patient-centered evaluative assessment of cardiac events (PEACE) prospective study of percutaneous coronary intervention: Study design

BACKGROUND

The number of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) in China has increased more than 20-fold over the last decade. Consequently, there is a need for national-level information to characterize PCI indications and long-term patient outcomes, including health status, to understand and improve evolving practice patterns.

OBJECTIVES

This nationwide prospective study of patients receiving PCI is to: (1) measure long-term clinical outcomes (including death, acute myocardial infarction [AMI], and/or revascularization), patient-reported outcomes (PROs), cardiovascular risk factor control and adherence to medications for secondary prevention; (2) determine patient- and hospital-level factors associated with care process and outcomes; and (3) assess the appropriateness of PCI procedures.

METHODS

The China Patient-centered Evaluative Assessment of Cardiac Events (PEACE) Prospective Study of PCI has enrolled 5,000 consecutive patients during 2012-2014 from 34 diverse hospitals across China undergoing PCI for any indication. We abstracted details of patient's medical history, treatments, and in-hospital outcomes from medical charts, and conducted baseline, 1-, 6-, and 12-month interviews to characterize patient demographics, risk factors, clinical presentation, healthcare utilization, and health status using validated PRO measures. The primary outcome, a composite measure of death, AMI and/or revascularization, as well as PROs, medication adherence and cardiovascular risk factor control, was assessed throughout the 12-month follow-up. Blood and urine samples were collected at baseline and 12 months and stored for future analyses. To validate reports of coronary anatomy, 2,000 angiograms are randomly selected and read by two independent core laboratories. Hospital characteristics regarding their facilities, processes and organizational characteristics are assessed by site surveys.

CONCLUSION

China PEACE Prospective Study of PCI will be the first study to generate novel, high-quality, comprehensive national data on patients' socio-demographic, clinical, treatment, and metabolic/genetic factors, and importantly, their long-term outcomes following PCI, including health status. This will build the foundation for PCI performance improvement efforts in China. © 2016 The Authors. Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Mechanisms underlying the formation of the amygdalar fear memory trace: A computational perspective

Recent experimental and modeling studies on the lateral amygdala (LA) have implicated intrinsic excitability and competitive synaptic interactions among principal neurons (PNs) in the formation of auditory fear memories. The present modeling studies, conducted over an expanded range of intrinsic excitability in the network, revealed that only excitable PNs that received tone inputs participate in the competition. Strikingly, the number of model PNs integrated into the fear memory trace remained constant despite the much larger range considered, and model runs highlighted several conditioning-induced tone responsive characteristics of the various PN populations. Furthermore, these studies showed that although excitation was important, disynaptic inhibition among PNs is the dominant mechanism that keeps the number of plastic PNs stable despite large variations in the network's excitability. Finally, we found that the overall level of inhibition in the model network determines the number of projection cells integrated into the fear memory trace.

Additive antiangiogenesis effect of ginsenoside Rg3 with low-dose metronomic temozolomide on rat glioma cells both in vivo and in vitro

Background

Glioblastoma is the most common and deadly primary brain tumor in adults. Low-dose,metronomic (LDM) temozolomide (TMZ) displays improved efficacy in the treatment of glioblastoma by targeting angiogenesis, but has a limited effect on recurrence. The antiangiogenesis drug ginsenoside Rg3 (RG3) is the main active ingredient of ginseng, a popular herbal medicine.

Methods

Using an in vitro and a rat model of an orthotopic glioma allograft, this study was to determine whether RG3 enhanced the antiangiogenesis activity of LDM TMZ in the treatment of glioblastoma.

Results

Our results showed that combined use of TMZ with RG3 displayed additive inhibition on proliferation of both human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) and rat C6 glioma cells in vitro. They additively arrested cell cycle, increased apoptosis, and decreased VEGF-A and BCL-2 expression in HUVEC. Antiangiogenesis effect was also evaluated in the rat model of orthotopic glioma allograft, based upon markers including relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV) by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), VEGF levels and microvessel density (MVD)/CD34 staining. LDM TMZ alone was potent in suppressing angiogenesis and tumor growth, whereas RG3 alone only had modest antiangiogenesis effects. Combined treatment significantly and additively suppressed angiogenesis, without additive inhibitory effects on allografted tumor growth.

Conclusions

These data provide evidence showing the efficacy of LDM TMZ on glioma treatment. The combined additive antiangiogenesis effect suggests that RG3 has the potential to further increase the efficacy of LDM TMZ in the treatment of glioblastoma.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13046-015-0274-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Mutations of glucocerebrosidase gene and susceptibility to Parkinson's disease: An updated meta-analysis in a European population

This meta-analysis aims to investigate the association between mutations of glucocerebrosidase (GBA) gene and susceptibility to Parkinson's disease (PD) in a European population. Several electronic databases were extensively searched. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to assess the association. In total, fourteen published papers screening L444P, N370S and other GBA variants were identified. The GBA mutations were significantly associated with PD in the European population. Subgroup analysis stratified by the age of onset (AAO) revealed that the association between GBA mutations and PD existed in the patients with age at onset ⩽50 years but did not exist in the patients with age at onset >50 years. Furthermore, the associations between N370S, and L444P with PD were also analyzed to explore the roles of the two most frequent GBA mutations in the development of PD. The results showed that significant associations between N370S, and L444P with PD were observed, respectively. Overall, the study supported that GBA mutations were a risk factor for PD in the European population. Patients with early-onset were more likely to carry GBA mutations than those with late-onset. Moreover, both L444P and N370S were associated with increased PD risk.

Untargeted metabolomic analysis using LC-TOF/MS and LC-MS/MS for revealing metabolic alterations linked to alcohol-induced hepatic steatosis in rat serum and plasma

Untargeted LC-MS metabolomics to screen differential metabolites in rat serum and plasma, and reveal metabolic alterations linked to AHS.