Cell-free DNA methylation profiles enable early detection of colorectal and gastric cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) and gastric cancer (GC) rank the top five common and lethal cancers worldwide. Early detection can significantly reduce the mortality of CRC and GC. However, current clinical screening methods including invasive endoscopic techniques and noninvasive fecal occult blood test screening tests/fecal immunochemical test have shown low sensitivity or unsatisfactory patient's compliance. Aberrant DNA methylation occurs frequently in tumorigenesis and cell-free DNA (cfDNA) methylation has shown the potential in multi-cancer detection. Herein, we aimed to explore the value of cfDNA methylation in the gastrointestinal cancer detection and develop a noninvasive method for CRC and GC detection. We applied targeted methylation sequencing on a total of 407 plasma samples from patients diagnosed with CRC, GC, and noncancerous gastrointestinal benign diseases (Non-Ca). By analyzing the methylation profiles of 34 CRC, 62 GC and 107 Non-Ca plasma samples in the training set (n=203), we identified 40,110 gastrointestinal cancer-specific markers and 63 tissue of origin (TOO) prediction markers. A new integrated model composed of gastrointestinal cancer detection and TOO prediction for three types of classification of CRC, GC and Non-Ca patients was further developed through logistic regression algorithm and validated in an independent validation set (n=103). The model achieved overall sensitivities of 83% and 81.3% at specificities of 81.5% and 80% for identifying gastrointestinal cancers in the test set and validation set, respectively. The detection sensitivities for GC and CRC were respectively 81.4% and 83.3% in the cohort of the test and validation sets. Among these true positive cancer samples, further TOO prediction showed accuracies of 95.8% and 95.8% for GC patients and accuracies of 86.7% and 93.3% for CRC patients, in test set and validation set, respectively. Collectively, we have identified novel cfDNA methylation biomarkers for CRC and GC detection and shown the promising potential of cfDNA as a noninvasive gastrointestinal cancer detection tool.

Peritumoural MRI radiomics signature of brain metastases can predict epidermal growth factor receptor mutation status in lung adenocarcinoma

AIM

To investigate whether magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) radiomics features of brain metastases (BMs) can predict epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation status in lung adenocarcinoma.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Between June 2014 and December 2022, 58 histopathologically confirmed lung adenocarcinoma patients (27 with EGFR wild-type, 31 with EGFR mutation) who underwent gadobenate dimeglumine-enhanced brain MRI were recruited retrospectively. A total of 123 metastatic brain lesions were allocated randomly into the training cohort (n=86) and test cohort (n=37) at a ratio of 7:3. Radiomics models based on multi-sequence MRI images in different regions such as volume of interest (VOI)enhancing tumour, VOIwholetumour, VOIperitumour 1mm, VOIperitumour 3mm, and VOIperitumour 5mm were built. The optimal radiomics model was integrated into the clinical or radiological indicators to construct a fusion model through multivariable logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

The optimal radiomics model based on the VOIperitumour 1mm, a combination of nine features selected from the fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) sequence, yielded areas under the curves (AUCs) of >0.75 in the training and test cohorts. The prediction of the fusion model with integration of clinical factors (age) and radiomics score (the optimal radiomics model) was not better than that of the optimal radiomics model alone in the test cohort (AUC: 0.808 and 0.785, respectively, p=0.525).

CONCLUSION

The FLAIR radiomics model based on VOIperitumour 1mm as an effective biomarker helps predict EGFR mutation status in lung adenocarcinoma patients with BMs and then assists clinicians in selecting optimal treatment strategies.

[Anti-inflammatory mechanism of Balanophora involucrata: a network pharmacology and molecular docking-based analysis and verification in lipopolysaccharide-induced RAW264.7 cells]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the main chemical constituents of Balanophora involucrata and the mechanism of its antiinflammatory effect based on network pharmacology and molecular docking technology.

METHODS

Literature reports, Materia Medica, GeneCards and other databases were searched for anti-inflammatory compounds and their targets. String database and Cytoscape 3.7.2 software were used to obtain the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and the drug-active ingredienttargets network and for GO and KEGG enrichment analyses. Molecular docking was performed using Auto Dock Tools 1.5.6. In an inflammatory RAW264.7 cell model induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), the effect of 25, 50, 100, 200 μg/mL Balanophora involucrata extract was tested on the production of inflammatory cytokines and phosphorylation level of PI3K and Akt using ELISA and Western blotting.

RESULTS

A total of 318 common targets of drugs and diseases were identified, and the core targets were Src, HSP90AA1 and PIK3CA, involving cancer, PI3K/Akt, MAPK and other signaling pathways as shown by KEGG analysis. Molecular docking showed that both the main active constituents of Balanophora involucrata could spontaneously bind to the core targets. In the inflammatory cell model, treatment with Balanophora involucrata extract significantly inhibited the production of IL-1β at the concentrations of 100 and 200 μg/mL, reduced IL-6 and TNF-α expressions at the concentrations of 50, 100, and 200 μg/mL, and lowered phosphorylation levels of PI3K and Akt proteins at the concentrations of 25, 50, 100, and 200 μg/mL (all P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The anti-inflammatory mechanism of Balanophora involucrata involves multiple targets and multiple pathways, and its effect is mediated possibly by reducing IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α production and inhibiting phosphorylation levels of PI3K and Akt proteins to suppress the activation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

The compliance of digital exercise with smart tools in subjects with cardiac arrythmias

Background

The exercise has well-documented health benefits on cardiovascular disease, and the use of mobile health (mHealth) may promote physical activity to reduce the risk.

Objective

The present study aimed to investigate the compliance of exercise dose and pattern through wearables and mHealth in subjects with cardiac arrhythmia in a real-world setting.

Method

The photoplethysmography (PPG)-algorithms with wearables to detect the ectopic and AF have been developed in the HUAWE HEART STUDY. Using the PPG-based smart devices, the adult subjects with identified arrhythmia received the personalized App-based lifestyle and exercise package was proposed. The V̇O2 peak (mL kg–1 min–1)was estimated from a non-exercise prediction model. The metabolic equivalent (MET)/week and Borg scale were utilized for the assessment of intensity of exercise. All subjects followed up for 3 months for the compliance to the exercise package.

Results

There were 7419 subjects (mean age ± standard deviation, SD, 35±12 years old, 92.1% male) who identified with the arrhythmia between April 1, 2021 and Dec 31, 2021. Among them, there were 165 subjects with identified AF, and 5277 subjects with the ectopic. The obstructive sleep apnea was the most reported risk profile (2643, 35.6%), while 1326 (17.9%) subjects were overweight.

Upon the baseline assessment, the personalized exercise package for cardiovascular disease prevention were proposed for 2864 subjects, exercise package to control the weight for 2510 subjects, and exercise package to reduce the weight for 1886 subjects.

Among 6366 subjects who took the exercise packages, 1867 (29.3%) subjects achieved target exercise, 395 (6.2%) subjects over target exercise, and 4104 (64.5%) under target exercise. The V̇O2 peak (mL kg–1 min–1, SD)in subjects who achieved the target exercise package, under target exercise, and over target exercise were (47.36±5.12, 32.14±22.47, and 65.99±10.38, p&lt;0.001).

For subjects who achieved target exercise, the intensity of exercise was as follows: 0.4% with low-intensity exercise, 95.8% with moderate-intensity exercise, and 3.7% with high-intensity exercise. Nonetheless, there were 37.7% of low-intensity, 60.6% of moderate-intensity exercise, and 1.7% with high-intensity exercise in subjects who didn't achieve exercise target.

77.9% subjects under target exercise had less than 1/week of physical activity, while there was only 12.9% in subjects with target exercise (p&lt;0.001).

Compared to randomly selected 8000 subjects (mean age ± SD, 39±13 years, 80.8% male) without exercise package, the proportion of steps/day over 10000 of 20% was significantly increased in subjects (37±13 years, 91.3% male) receiving the personalized App-based exercise package (31.2%, vs. 12.2%, p&lt;0.001).

Conclusion

The wearables facilitated the improvement of physical activity habit in subjects with cardiac arrhythmia, but subjects-centered self-management would be enhanced to the target exercise.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): National Natural Science Foundation of China

Age and Sex Differences in the Association of Sleep Duration and Overweight/Obesity among Chinese Participants Age above 45 Years: A Cohort Study

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to evaluate the association between sleep duration and obesity and estimate the attributable risk of sleep in the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study surveys (CHARLS).

METHODS

A total of 9061 adults aged 45 years above from CHARLS (2011-2015) were included. The main outcome of this study was incident overweight/obesity specific to general and abdominal obesity. Overweight/obesity was defined as BMI ≥ 23.0 (kg/m2) and BMI≥27.5 (kg/m2), respectively. Abdominal obesity was defined as waist circumference ≥90 cm for men and ≥80 cm for women. Self-reported sleep durations were obtained using a structured questionnaire. We assessed hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) as well as the population attributable fraction (PAF) for associations between sleep duration and obesity.

RESULTS

986 and 606 participants were identified as overweight and general obesity respectively, 1253 experienced abdominal obesity events. In multivariable-adjusted models, participants with daytime sleep of 0-30 minutes and more than 30 minutes associated with 30% (HR: 0.70, 95% CI: 0.56-0.87) and 35% (HR: 0.65, 95% CI: 0.55-0.78) decreased incident overweight risk respectively compared to those having no daytime sleep, this association also found among females and middle-aged, not males or elderly. Similarly, 0-30 minutes (HR: 0.68, 95% CI: 0.48-0.96) and more than 30 minutes of daytime sleep (HR: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.59-0.91) were associated with a reduced risk of abdominal obesity, similar results also found among females and middle-aged. Compared with 7-9 hours of nocturnal sleep, people who slept 5-7 hours had a reduced risk of overweight (HR: 0.59, 95% CI=0.47-0.74),but not found in subgroups. The hazard role of long nocturnal sleep for abdominal obesity was only found among elderly (HR: 2.33, 95% CI=1.35-4.04) and males (HR: 2.24, 95% CI=1.17-4.29). Compared with moderate total sleepers (7-9hours/day), participants with short total sleep duration exhibited an elevated risk of overweight (HR: 1.13, 95% CI=1.00-1.28), this also found among middle-aged. The PAF for inadequate total sleep duration (<7 hours/day) was 10.77% for overweight individuals.

CONCLUSIONS

Insufficient sleep duration was associated with an elevated risk of overweight only detected among middle-aged not elderly and other subgroups specific by age. The risks for abdominal obesity were increased for males and middle-aged with long nocturnal sleep. Daytime sleep may significantly reduce the risk of overweight and abdominal obesity in female and middle-aged individuals. The link between sleep duration and obesity requires further study.

Accurate diagnosis of pulmonary nodules using a noninvasive DNA methylation test

BACKGROUNDCurrent clinical management of patients with pulmonary nodules involves either repeated low-dose CT (LDCT)/CT scans or invasive procedures, yet causes significant patient misclassification. An accurate noninvasive test is needed to identify malignant nodules and reduce unnecessary invasive tests.METHODWe developed a diagnostic model based on targeted DNA methylation sequencing of 389 pulmonary nodule patients' plasma samples and then validation in 140 plasma samples independently. We tested the model in different stages and subtypes of pulmonary nodules.RESULTSA 100-feature model was developed and validated for pulmonary nodule diagnosis; the model achieved a receiver operating characteristic curve-AUC (ROC-AUC) of 0.843 on 140 independent validation samples, with an accuracy of 0.800. The performance was well maintained in (a) a 6 to 20 mm size subgroup (n = 100), with a sensitivity of 1.000 and adjusted negative predictive value (NPV) of 1.000 at 10% prevalence; (b) stage I malignancy (n = 90), with a sensitivity of 0.971; (c) different nodule types: solid nodules (n = 78) with a sensitivity of 1.000 and adjusted NPV of 1.000, part-solid nodules (n = 75) with a sensitivity of 0.947 and adjusted NPV of 0.983, and ground-glass nodules (n = 67) with a sensitivity of 0.964 and adjusted NPV of 0.989 at 10% prevalence. This methylation test, called PulmoSeek, outperformed PET-CT and 2 clinical prediction models (Mayo Clinic and Veterans Affairs) in discriminating malignant pulmonary nodules from benign ones.CONCLUSIONThis study suggests that the blood-based DNA methylation model may provide a better test for classifying pulmonary nodules, which could help facilitate the accurate diagnosis of early stage lung cancer from pulmonary nodule patients and guide clinical decisions.FUNDINGThe National Key Research and Development Program of China; Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangdong Province; The National Natural Science Foundation of China National.

Mutations in WT1 in boys with sporadic isolated steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome

Mutations in the Wilms' tumor gene, WT1, can lead to syndromic steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome and isolated steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome. WT1 mutations have been identified in the majority of children with Denys-Drash or Frasier syndrome. WT1 mutations have not previously been identified in boys with sporadic isolated steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome, but, recently, four boys with isolated nephrotic syndrome were identified to have WT1 mutations. However, whether boys with sporadic isolated steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome should be routinely subjected to mutation analysis of WT1 has not been established. We examined 35 boys with sporadic isolated steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome for mutations in WT1. Mutation analysis of all 10 exons of WT1 was performed by polymerase chain reaction and direct sequencing. Karyotype analysis or Y chromosome identification was performed for all patients. A Y chromosome or a 46, XY karyotype was demonstrated for all 35 patients. No causative WT1 mutation was identified in any of the patients. The WT1 mutation, IVS4+14T>C, which is not predicted to affect splicing, was identified in one patient who achieved complete remission after 8 weeks of oral prednisone treatment, indicating that IVS4+14T>C is not a causative mutation. Five WT1 polymorphisms were also identified in some patients and controls. Our results suggest that mutation analysis of WT1 should not be routinely performed for genetically defined boys with sporadic isolated steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome.

Slot waveguide ring resonators coated by an atomic layer deposited organic/inorganic nanolaminate

In this study, slot waveguide ring resonators patterned on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer and coated with an atomic layer deposited nanolaminate consisting of alternating layers of tantalum pentoxide and polyimide were fabricated and characterized. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of atomic layer deposition (ALD) of organic materials in waveguiding applications. In our nanolaminate ring resonators, the optical power is not only confined in the narrow central air slot but also in several parallel sub-10 nm wide vertical polyimide slots. This indicates that the mode profiles in the silicon slot waveguide can be accurately tuned by the ALD method. Our results show that ALD of organic and inorganic materials can be combined with conventional silicon waveguide fabrication techniques to create slot waveguide ring resonators with varying mode profiles. This can potentially open new possibilities for various photonic applications, such as optical sensing and all-optical signal processing.

Plasma-based dry reforming: improving the conversion and energy efficiency in a dielectric barrier discharge

Improving the conversion and energy efficiency in a dielectric barrier discharge for the production of chemicals and fuels from carbon dioxide and methane.

Breastfeeding in women with diabetes: lower rates despite greater rewards. A population-based study

AIMS

To explore intention to breastfeed and breastfeeding rates in hospital and on discharge across women with pre-gestational or gestational diabetes mellitus, or no diabetes.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted using data from four Ontario hospitals. Women who delivered a viable infant between 1 April 2008 and 31 March 2010 were included in the study. Unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios were calculated for each outcome measure and were used to compare the breastfeeding rates among women with and without diabetes.

RESULTS

After controlling for potential confounders, women with insulin-treated diabetes were less likely to intend to breastfeed, when compared with women without diabetes (adjusted odds ratio 0.49, 95% CI 0.27-0.89). In hospital, women with insulin-treated diabetes were least likely to breastfeed (odds ratio 0.42, 95% CI 0.26-0.67), followed by women with non-insulin-treated diabetes (odds ratio 0.50, 95% CI 0.26-0.96) and women with gestational diabetes (odds ratio 0.77, 95% CI 0.68-0.87) when compared with women without diabetes. On discharge, women with insulin-treated diabetes were least likely to breastfeed (odds ratio 0.38, 95% CI 0.24-0.60), followed by women with gestational diabetes (odds ratio 0.75, 95% CI 0.66-0.85); rates of breastfeeding among women with non-insulin-treated diabetes were comparable on discharge with those of women without diabetes. Women seeking care from an antenatal provider other than a physician were 2-3 times more likely to breastfeed in hospital and on discharge.

CONCLUSIONS

Women with insulin-treated diabetes had the poorest outcomes with respect to breastfeeding rates. Gestational and non-insulin-treated diabetes were associated with lower rates of breastfeeding in hospital, while gestational diabetes was additionally associated with lower breastfeeding rates on discharge.

Gas purification by nonthermal plasma: a case study of ethylene

The destruction of ethylene in a dielectric barrier discharge plasma is investigated by the combination of kinetic modeling and experiments, as a case study for plasma-based gas purification. The influence of the specific energy deposition on the removal efficiency and the selectivity toward CO and CO2 is studied for different concentrations of ethylene. The model allows the identification of the destruction pathway in dry and humid air. The latter is found to be mainly initiated by metastable N2 molecules, but the further destruction steps are dominated by O atoms and OH radicals. Upon increasing air humidity, the removal efficiency drops by ± 15% (from 85% to 70%), but the selectivity toward CO and CO2 stays more or less constant at 60% and 22%, respectively. Beside CO and CO2, we also identified acetylene, formaldehyde, and water as byproducts of the destruction process, with concentrations of 1606 ppm, 15033 ppm, and 185 ppm in humid air (with 20% RH), respectively. Finally, we investigated the byproducts generated by the humid air discharge itself, which are the greenhouse gases O3, N2O, and the toxic gas NO2.

Towards broad-bandwidth polarization-independent nanostrip waveguide ring resonators

We demonstrate a new method for accessing the broad-bandwidth polarization-independent operation of a microring resonator based on the standard photonic nanostrip waveguides. The method employs the selective application of atomic layer deposition to form highly uniform TiO(2) overlayers with the specific dispersion properties. The wide operation window is achieved by matching the wavelength dependencies of the free spectral ranges of the two orthogonal polarizations.

Validation and psychometric properties of Chinese version of SF-36 in patients with hypertension, coronary heart diseases, chronic gastritis and peptic ulcer

BACKGROUND

The SF-36 is widely used as a significant health outcome or quality of life indicator and validated in many languages versions including Chinese. But the Chinese version of the SF-36 (CSF-36) is rarely used for those patients with hypertension, coronary heart diseases, chronic gastritis and peptic ulcer in China. Therefore, the CSF-36 needs to be validated in patients with chronic diseases.

OBJECTIVES

This paper is aimed to validate the CSF-36 using an in-patient sample of four chronic diseases from mainland China, with focusing on psychometric properties.

METHODS

The CSF-36 was used in a longitudinal study consisting of 534 patients in these four chronic disease groups. The psychometric properties of the scale were evaluated by indicators such as validity and reliability coefficients Cronbach α, Pearson r, standardized response mean employing correlational analyses, multi-trait scaling analysis, t-tests, factor analyses and structural equation models.

RESULTS

Test-retest reliability coefficients for all domains were higher than 0.80 with a range of 0.83 to 0.96; the internal consistency (α) for most domains was higher than 0.70. Five of the eight domains as well as the Physical and Mental Health subscale summaries all had statistically significant changes after treatment with the SRM ranging from 0.18 to 0.28.

CONCLUSION

The CSF-36 showed good validity and reliability but small responsiveness when used in patients. It is a good and useful instrument for patients with chronic disease at some situations.

Effectors of alcohol-induced cell killing in Drosophila

Heavy alcohol consumption provokes an array of degenerative pathologies but the signals that couple alcohol exposure to regulated forms of cell death are poorly understood. Using Drosophila as a model, we genetically establish that the severity of ethanol challenge dictates the type of death that occurs. In contrast to responses seen under acute exposure, cytotoxic responses to milder challenges required gene encoding components of the apoptosome, Dronc and Dark. We conducted a genome-wide RNAi screen to capture targets that specifically mediate ethanol-induced cell death. One effector, Drat, encodes a novel protein that contains an ADH domain but lacks essential residues in the catalytic site. In cultured cells and neurons in vivo, depletion of Drat conferred protection from alcohol-induced apoptosis. Adults mutated for Drat showed both improved survival and enhanced propensities toward sedation after alcohol challenge. Together, these findings highlight novel effectors that support regulated cell death incited by alcohol stress in vitro and in vivo.

Low-loss silicon slot waveguides and couplers fabricated with optical lithography and atomic layer deposition

We demonstrate low-loss silicon slot waveguides patterned with 248 nm deep-UV lithography and filled with atomic layer deposited aluminum oxide. Propagation losses less than 5 dB/cm are achieved with the waveguides. The devices are fabricated using low-temperature CMOS compatible processes. We also demonstrate simple, compact and efficient strip-to-slot waveguide couplers. With a coupler as short as 10 µm, coupling loss is less than 0.15 dB. The low-index and low-nonlinearity filling material allows nonlinearities nearly two orders of magnitude smaller than in silicon waveguides. Therefore, these waveguides are a good candidate for linear photonic devices on the silicon platform, and for distortion-free signal transmission channels between different parts of a silicon all-optical chip. The low-nonlinearity slot waveguides and robust couplers also facilitate a 50-fold local change of the waveguide nonlinearity within the chip by a simple mask design.

Recurrence patterns and prognosis of endometrial stromal sarcoma and the potential of tyrosine kinase-inhibiting therapy

OBJECTIVE

Endometrial stromal sarcoma (ESS) is a rare uterine malignancy. The current treatment approaches yield unsatisfactory results, and potential therapeutic targets need exploration.

METHODS

We reviewed the electronic medical records of 74 patients with low-grade ESS who had been evaluated at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center between 1995 and 2006. Using immunohistochemistry, we tested the expression of targets in paraffin-embedded tissue samples taken from 13 of the patients.

RESULTS

Forty-seven patients (64%) had a recurrence, and 16 (22%) had died of their disease at last follow-up. The 10-year progression-free survival (PFS) rate was 43% (median PFS duration, 108months), and the overall survival (OS) rate was 85% (median OS, 288months). Patients who received hormonal therapy had an overall response rate of 27%; another 53% had stable disease, with a median time to progression of 24months. No complete response or partial response was observed among patients who received radiotherapy or chemotherapy. In the paraffin-embedded specimens we tested, c-abl was expressed universally. Expression of PDGF-α, PDGF-β, VEGF, and c-Kit was detected in 33%, 36%, 54%, and 8%, of specimens, respectively. EGFR and HER-2 were not detectable in any specimens.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study suggests that ESS is a hormone-dependent malignancy, with hormonal therapy having activity in recurrent disease. Targeted therapy, specifically targeting c-abl may be a potential treatment for this disease.

Molecular detection of novel adenoviruses in fecal specimens of captive monkeys with diarrhea in China

Adenovirus (AdV) has been recently detected among monkeys with diarrhea in a major research primate colony in China. To better assess disease burden and epidemiology of adenoviruses in the colony, we examined the prevalence of this virus in fecal specimens by PCR using broadly reactive hexon gene-specific primers. Of the 29 strains that were characterized by sequence and phylogenetic analysis, we identified a broad spectrum of simian AdV (SAdV) types, including species SAdV-A (n=14) and HAdV-G (n=9). Six additional strains represented two genetic clusters distantly related to other known SAdVs. A better understanding of the epidemiology of SAdVs and their potential role in gastroenteritis is critical to the implementation of advanced prevention strategies against AdV infection in captive primates.

Validation of the simplified Chinese version of EORTC QLQ-C30 from the measurements of five types of inpatients with cancer

BACKGROUND

European Organization for Research and Treatment quality of life (QOL) questionnaire (QLQ-C30) has been used frequently and many language versions have been developed, including the simplified Chinese version. It is important to study psychometric properties of the simplified Chinese version from the clinical standpoint.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The simplified Chinese version of the QLQ-C30 was used in a longitudinal study of 600 patients with five types of cancer: lung, breast, head and neck, colorectal, and stomach. The psychometric properties of the scale were evaluated by indicators of validity and reliability coefficients such as Cronbach's alpha and Pearson's correlation coefficient r, standardized response mean (SRM), correlational analysis, t-tests, and structural equation models.

RESULTS

Correlation and structural equation model analyses confirmed good construct validity with root mean square error of approximation 0.054, standardized root mean square residual 0.037, non-normed fit index 0.972, and comparative fit index 0.980. The alpha coefficients for all domains are >0.7 except for cognitive functioning (0.49). The test-retest reliability coefficients for most domains are >0.80 except for appetite loss (0.77) and diarrhea (0.75). The QOL score changes after treatments were of statistical significance with higher or moderate SRM in most domains.

CONCLUSION

The simplified Chinese version of QLQ-C30 has good validity, reliability, and responsiveness and can be used to measure QOL for Chinese cancer patients.

Change in joint space width: hyaline articular cartilage loss or alteration in meniscus?

OBJECTIVE

To explore the relative contribution of hyaline cartilage morphologic features and the meniscus to the radiographic joint space.

METHODS

The Boston Osteoarthritis of the Knee Study is a natural history study of symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (OA). Baseline and 30-month followup assessments included knee magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and fluoroscopically positioned weight-bearing knee radiographs. Cartilage and meniscal degeneration were scored on MRI in the medial and lateral tibiofemoral joints using a semiquantitative grading system. Meniscal position was measured to the nearest millimeter. The dependent variable was joint space narrowing (JSN) on the plain radiograph (possible range 0-3). The predictor variables were MRI cartilage score, meniscal degeneration, and meniscal position measures. We first conducted a cross-sectional analysis using multivariate regression to determine the relative contribution of meniscal factors and cartilage morphologic features to JSN, adjusting for body mass index (BMI), age, and sex. The same approach was used for change in JSN and change in predictor variables.

RESULTS

We evaluated 264 study participants with knee OA (mean age 66.7 years, 59% men, mean BMI 31.4 kg/m(2)). The results from the models demonstrated that meniscal position and meniscal degeneration each contributed to prediction of JSN, in addition to the contribution by cartilage morphologic features. For change in medial joint space, both change in meniscal position and change in articular cartilage score contributed substantially to narrowing of the joint space.

CONCLUSION

The meniscus (both its position and degeneration) accounts for a substantial proportion of the variance explained in JSN, and the change in meniscal position accounts for a substantial proportion of change in JSN.

The association of meniscal pathologic changes with cartilage loss in symptomatic knee osteoarthritis

OBJECTIVE

To explore the role of meniscal tears and meniscal malposition as risk factors for subsequent cartilage loss in subjects with symptomatic osteoarthritis (OA).

METHODS

Study subjects were patients with symptomatic knee OA from the Boston Osteoarthritis of the Knee Study. Baseline assessments included knee magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with followup MRI at 15 and 30 months. Cartilage and meniscal damage were scored on MRI in the medial and lateral tibiofemoral joints using the semiquantitative whole-organ magnetic resonance imaging score. Tibiofemoral cartilage was scored on MR images of all 5 plates of each tibiofemoral joint, and the meniscal position was measured using eFilm Workstation software. A proportional odds logistic regression model with generalized estimating equations was used to assess the effect of each predictor (meniscal position factor and meniscal damage as dichotomous predictors in each model) on cartilage loss in each of the 5 plates within a compartment. Models were adjusted for age, body mass index (BMI), tibial width, and sex.

RESULTS

We assessed 257 subjects whose mean +/- SD age was 66.6 +/- 9.2 years and BMI was 31.5 +/- 5.7 kg/m2; 42% of subjects were female, and 77% of knees had a Kellgren/Lawrence radiographic severity grade > or = 2. In the medial tibiofemoral joint, each measure of meniscal malposition was associated with an increased risk of cartilage loss. There was also a strong association between meniscal damage and cartilage loss. Since meniscal coverage and meniscal height diminished with subluxation, less coverage and reduced height also increased the risk of cartilage loss.

CONCLUSION

This study highlights the importance of an intact and functioning meniscus in patients with symptomatic knee OA, since the findings demonstrate that loss of this function has important consequences for cartilage loss.

A comparison of placebo and no-treatment during a hypnotic clinical trial

OBJECTIVE

Sleep parameters commonly improve during placebo treatment in insomnia clinical trials. We examined whether the improvement seen with placebo was related to taking pills or other non-specific factors.

METHOD

95 insomniacs took either a placebo pill (pill+) or no pill (pill-) on nights of their choosing over 12 weeks.

RESULTS

Pills were consumed on about half of the nights. Consistent improvement was seen with reduced reported sleep latency, wakefulness after sleep onset, number of awakenings, and total sleep time over the 12 weeks for both the pill+ and pill condition. A difference between pill+ and pill- was detected only for total sleep time, and this difference favored pill+.

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests that improvement seen during placebo treatment is more related to non-specific factors of participating in clinical trial than to pill taking behavior.

Subcellular localization of IRS-1 in cell proliferation and differentiation

The type 1 insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF-IR) and its docking protein, insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1), play important roles in cell transformation, cell differentiation and aging. IRS-1 and other IRS proteins can, under certain conditions, localize to the nuclei of cells, where they undergo interactions with nuclear and nucleolar proteins. In this study, we confirm and extend these observations, demonstrating that IRS-1 is preferentially nuclear in growing cells. Differentiation and inhibition of ribosomal RNA synthesis cause subcellular redistribution of IRS-1 and other nuclear proteins to the cytoplasm.

Construction of mini-Tn5cyaA' and its utilization for the identification of genes encoding surface-exposed and secreted proteins in Bordetella bronchiseptica

A mini-Tn5 transposon derivative, mini-Tn5cyaA', has been constructed. It contains a promoter-less and ribosome binding site-deficient reporter gene, encoding the catalytic domain of Bordetella pertussis adenylate cyclase toxin (CyaA'). We used this system to mutagenize B. bronchiseptica and we developed a screen for identification of mutants containing cyaA' translational fusions. This system was used to identify B. bronchiseptica genes that encode surface-exposed and secreted proteins.

GTI-2501. Lorus Therapeutics

Lorus Therapeutics (formerly GeneSense Technologies) is developing GTI-2501, directed against the R1 component of ribonucleotide reductase, for the potential treatment of cancer [348928]. In November 2000, the company filed an IND with the FDA in preparation to begin a phase I trial in the US in the first quarter of 2001 [389975], [396537], [397960]. In March 2001, the FDA approved the IND application [402350], and in June 2001, a phase I, dose-escalating trial in patients with lymphomas or solid tumors which have not responded to standard therapy commenced in the US [412225]. The company expected the phase I trial of GTI-2501 to be completed within 12 to 15 months [420582]. In November 1999, the company reported that in preclinical trials, GTI-2501 was an effective anticancer agent when tested in standard mouse models bearing a variety of different human cancer lines including tumor cells derived from lung, breast, colon, kidney, ovary pancreas and skin cancers [348928]. Lorus received a patent from the US PTO in January 2000, covering the design and use of unique anitisense anticancer drugs, including GTI-2501 and GTI-2040 [353538]. In June 2000, the USPTO allowed a patent to specifically protect GTI-2501 [370810].

Intracellular association of a mutant insulin-like growth factor receptor with endogenous receptors

The type 1 insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF-IR) is emerging as a powerful survival factor against a variety of apoptotic agents in many cell types. A mutant IGF-IR designated 486/STOP is known to induce apoptosis and inhibit the growth of human tumor cells in mice. We have investigated the mechanism of action of 486/STOP. To study it, we have developed a new retroviral vector in which we have combined a self-inactivating 5'-long terminal repeat with an inducible heat-shock promoter (heat shock protein 70) from Drosophila. Using this technique, we find that the polypeptide encoded by 486/STOP is partially retained within the cell and partially secreted. However, the secreted polypeptide is subsequently taken up by the cells. In both cases, a specific intracellular interaction of 486/STOP with the endogenous IGF-IRs can be demonstrated by coimmunoprecipitation.

Efficient in vitro and in vivo gene regulation of a retrovirally delivered pro-apoptotic factor under the control of the Drosophila HSP70 promoter

We have developed a self-inactivating retroviral vector system with an internal, inducible Drosophila HSP70 promoter. This vector system delivers the desired transgene into cells rapidly and efficiently. It generates mixed populations of transduced cells where the transgene is inducible, and does not require the isolation of specific clones. Since the transgene is not expressed (or poorly expressed) at the restrictive condition (34 degrees C), mixed populations can be selected in which tumor suppressors or other inhibitory genes can be strongly induced upon changing the conditions (39 degrees C or the plant amino acid L-canavanine). This retroviral vector should be very useful for the expression of sequences that are poorly tolerated by cells, and is also active in animals.

Expression and purification of the DNA-binding domain of the human transcription factor E2F1

The DNA-binding domain of the human transcription factor E2F1 was expressed in Escherichia coli. Through a single purification step using a Ni2+ column, 40-50 mg of the highly purified recombinant protein was obtained from 1 liter of bacterial culture. In addition, it was shown that the recombinant protein had higher stability and solubility under acidic conditions than at a neutral or alkaline pH. The gel shift assay showed that the recombinant E2F1 DNA-binding domain was active in binding a fragment containing E2F sites. Circular dichroism measurements revealed that the recombinant protein approximately contains 33% alpha-helix, 11% beta-sheet, 5% turn, and 51% random coil at pH 7.0, and there was no obvious change for the secondary structure of the recombinant protein between pH 4.0 and pH 9.0. A 3D model was obtained by comparative protein modeling with a homologous protein whose structure was known by program Modeller 4. With the program DSSP, the predicted secondary structure content of the model was consistent with the result of circular dichroism spectrum.

Mechanisms of regulation of cell adhesion and motility by insulin receptor substrate-1 in prostate cancer cells

LNCaP cells are human prostatic cancer cells that have a frame-shift mutation of the tumor suppressor gene PTEN and do not express the insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1), a major substrate of the type 1 insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF-IR). Ectopic expression of IRS-1 in LNCaP cells increases cell adhesion and decreases cell motility by an IGF-I-independent mechanism. We show now that these effects of IRS-1 are accompanied by serine phosphorylation of IRS-1 and are inhibited by inhibitors of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K). We have confirmed the requirement for PI3K activity and serine phosphorylation by the use of IRS-1 mutants, expressed in LNCaP cells. Serine phosphorylation inhibits IGF-I-induced tyrosyl phosphorylation of IRS-1, which is restored by the expression of wild-type PTEN or by inhibition of PI3K activity. Finally, IRS-1 in LNCaP cells co-immunoprecipitates with integrin alpha 5 beta 1, and the association is again IGF-I-independent. We conclude that in LNCaP cells, IRS-1 is serine phosphorylated by PI3K, generating effects that are different, and even opposite, from those generated by IGF-I.

Early improvement during manual-guided cognitive and dynamic psychotherapies predicts 16-week remission status

This study examined the extent to which improvement from baseline to weeks 2, 3, and 4 on the Beck Depression Inventory and Beck Anxiety Inventory predict week 16 clinical remission for patients with major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and/or obsessive-compulsive or avoidant personality disorders who were receiving manual-based psychotherapies. Logistic regression and receiver-operator characteristic analyses revealed relatively accurate identification of remitters and nonremitters based on improvement from baseline to sessions 2 to 4 in both original and cross-validation samples. Predictive success did not vary as a function of diagnosis, treatment type (cognitive or dynamic), or treatment status (short-term or long-term). The clinical implications of the results are discussed.

[Determination of cineole in banxiaxiexintang decoction different combinations of by GC]

OBJECTIVE

To the amount of 1,8-cineole in Banxiaxiexintang Decoction different combinations were determined by GC.

METHOD

An OV-101 column (30 m x 0.32 mm) was used at 90 degrees C.

RESULT AND CONCLUSION

The amount of cineole was 2-3 times in each combination than that in the separate Rhizoma Zingiberis.

Clinicopathologic analysis of angiomyofibroblastoma of the female genital tract

OBJECTIVE

To study the clinicopathologic features and immunoprofile of angiomyofibroblastoma (AMF) with emphasis on differential diagnosis.

METHODS

Seven vulvar, two vaginal and one perineal angiomyofibroblastomas were evaluated by light microscopy and immunohistochemistry. The immunohistochemical studies were performed on paraffin-embedded sections using the standard ABC method with a panel of antibodies.

RESULTS

Angiomyofibroblastoma predominantly occurred in middle-aged women in the genital region, especially in the superficial area of the vulva. Clinically, most of the tumors presented as slowly growing painless masses and were often diagnosed as Bartholin's gland cysts. Histologically, the tumors were all well-circumscribed and characterized by alternating hypocellular and hypercellular areas with abundant thin-walled blood vessels. The tumor cells were bland and spindle-shaped or epithelioid and tended to concentrate around the vessels or cluster in small nests. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells expressed vimentin and estrogen receptor protein in all 10 cases and desmin in 9 cases. Three cases showed weak or focal immunoreactivity to alpha-smooth muscle actin and muscle specific actin. All ten patients were treated by local excision. Follow-up showed a benign course with no signs of recurrence.

CONCLUSIONS

Angiomyofibroblastoma is a distinctive neoplasm that has a propensity to occur in the female genital tract. Recognition of this entity is important to avoid misdiagnosis with other vulvar angiomyxoid neoplasms.