[Analysis of clinical characteristics of middle ear osteoma at different locations].

Objective: To explore the clinical characteristics, intervention and treatment of tympanic osteoma at different locations. Methods: The medical history, audiological and imaging examination, operation and follow-up results of two patients with tympanic osteoma at different sites were reviewed and summarized. Furthermore, the clinical characteristics and interventions of 36 patients reported in literatures with tympanic osteomas were also summarized and analyzed. Results: Osteoma of the two patients collected in this study located at promontory and incus respectively;both of them presented with intact tympanum and conductive deafness, without obvious etiology or predisposing factor. Both of them underwent surgeries and the hearing improved significantly. For patient one, the ossicular chain was intact and restored to activity after removed the osteoma. For patient two, an artificial ossicle was implanted after removed the osteoma and incus. In the 36 patients reported in literatures, the average age was 26.5 years, and 39.47% of them located at promontory; in addition, the main symptoms of them were progressive hearing loss, tinnitus and ear stuffy. Conclusions: Patients with tympanic osteoma are characterized by conduction deafness with intact tympanic membrane, and the most common lesion is promontory. Hearing can be restored by excision of the osteoma and maintenance or reconstruction of the ossicle chain.

The CODATwins Project: The Current Status and Recent Findings of COllaborative Project of Development of Anthropometrical Measures in Twins.

The COllaborative project of Development of Anthropometrical measures in Twins (CODATwins) project is a large international collaborative effort to analyze individual-level phenotype data from twins in multiple cohorts from different environments. The main objective is to study factors that modify genetic and environmental variation of height, body mass index (BMI, kg/m2) and size at birth, and additionally to address other research questions such as long-term consequences of birth size. The project started in 2013 and is open to all twin projects in the world having height and weight measures on twins with information on zygosity. Thus far, 54 twin projects from 24 countries have provided individual-level data. The CODATwins database includes 489,981 twin individuals (228,635 complete twin pairs). Since many twin cohorts have collected longitudinal data, there is a total of 1,049,785 height and weight observations. For many cohorts, we also have information on birth weight and length, own smoking behavior and own or parental education. We found that the heritability estimates of height and BMI systematically changed from infancy to old age. Remarkably, only minor differences in the heritability estimates were found across cultural-geographic regions, measurement time and birth cohort for height and BMI. In addition to genetic epidemiological studies, we looked at associations of height and BMI with education, birth weight and smoking status. Within-family analyses examined differences within same-sex and opposite-sex dizygotic twins in birth size and later development. The CODATwins project demonstrates the feasibility and value of international collaboration to address gene-by-exposure interactions that require large sample sizes and address the effects of different exposures across time, geographical regions and socioeconomic status.

The Effect of Proton Pump Inhibitors on Bone Formation in a Rat Spinal Arthrodesis Model.

STUDY DESIGN: Rat posterolateral arthrodesis model. OBJECTIVE: Quantify the impact of administration of a proton pump inhibitor on spine fusion. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are widely used for gastrointestinal disorders and for ulcer prophylaxis in patients taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. PPIs cause chronic acid suppression which has been found to result in decreased bone mineral density, increased fracture risk, and impaired fracture healing. Despite advances in surgical techniques, pseudarthrosis still occurs in up to 24% of patients requiring revision surgery following spinal fusion procedures. Thus, there are likely many unidentified risk factors. While PPIs have been hypothesized to impact fracture healing, no study has evaluated their effect on spine arthrodesis rates. METHODS: Thirty-eight female rats underwent posterolateral lumbar spinal fusion. Rats were divided into two groups: normal saline control and pantroprazole, which was administered by daily intraperitoneal injections. At 8 weeks postoperative spines were evaluated with manual palpation, microCT, histologic analysis, and biomechanical testing. RESULTS: Fusion rates of the control group and PPI group were not significantly different (100% vs. 94%). Average fusion scores were significantly lower in the pantoprazole group. New bone formation identified on microCT imaging of bilaterally fused specimens demonstrated a lower average volume of newly generated bone in the PPI group, but this difference was not significant. Biomechanical testing demonstrated no significant difference in strength or stiffness of the fusion mass between the groups. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that administration of PPIs does not inhibit fusion rates, bone formation, or affect biomechanical integrity of fusion. However, lower fusion scores in the PPI group suggest that a negative impact may still exist. Future studies will explore growth factor and protein expression in the fusion masses as well as utilize higher doses of PPI to fully discern their effect on spine fusion. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: N/A.

A Multicenter Phase II Study of AMG 337 in Patients with MET-Amplified Gastric/Gastroesophageal Junction/Esophageal Adenocarcinoma and Other MET-Amplified Solid Tumors.

PURPOSE: MET gene amplification is associated with poor prognosis in gastric/gastroesophageal junction/esophageal (G/GEJ/E) cancers. We determined antitumor activity, safety, and pharmacokinetics of the small-molecule MET inhibitor AMG 337 in MET-amplified G/GEJ/E adenocarcinoma or other solid tumors.Patients and Methods: In this phase II, single-arm study, adults with MET-amplified G/GEJ/E adenocarcinoma (cohort 1) or other MET-amplified solid tumors (cohort 2) received AMG 337 300 mg/day orally in 28-day cycles. The primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR; cohort 1). Secondary endpoints included ORR (cohort 2), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and safety. RESULTS: Of 2101 patients screened for MET amplification, 132 were MET-amplified and 60 were enrolled: 45 in cohort 1, and 15 in cohort 2. Fifty-six patients (97%) had metastatic disease; 57 had prior lines of therapy (1 prior line, 29%; ≥2 prior lines, 69%). A protocol-permitted review showed efficacy that was lower-than-expected based on preliminary data from a first-in-human study, and enrollment was stopped. Fifty-eight patients received ≥1 AMG 337 dose. ORR in cohort 1 was 18% (8 partial responses). No responses were observed in cohort 2. Of 54 evaluable patients, median (95% CI) PFS and OS were 3.4 (2.2-5.0) and 7.9 (4.8-10.9) months, respectively. The most frequent adverse events (AEs) were headache (60%), nausea (38%), vomiting (38%), and abdominal pain, decreased appetite, and peripheral edema (33% each); 71% had grade ≥3 AEs and 59% had serious AEs. CONCLUSIONS: AMG 337 showed antitumor activity in MET-amplified G/GEJ/E adenocarcinoma but not in MET-amplified non-small-cell lung cancer.See related commentary by Ma, p. 2375.

miR-200b promotes cell proliferation and invasion in t-cell acute Lymphoblastic leukemia through NOTCH1.

MicroRNA-200b (miR-200b) functions as an oncogenic regulator in human lung cancer. However, the effect of miRNA-200b on the development and progression of T-Cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) remains largely unknown. In this study, we evaluated the impact of miR-200b in T-ALL cell proliferation, survival and invasion using gain and loss of function approaches. Human Jurkat cells, a widely used in-vitro T-ALL cell model, were transfected with miR-200b mimic or miR-200b inhibitor. miR-200b mimics substantially inhibited Jurkat cell proliferation and invasion while significantly stimulating cell apoptosis compared to the control miRNA-treated cells. In contrast, Jurkat cells treated with anti-miR200 demonstrated induction of cell growth and invasion but repression of cell apoptosis. Such effect was accompanied by the corresponding alteration in NOTCH1 expression, suggesting that NOTCH1 might be the target gene for miR-200b function in Jurkat cells. In summary, our findings demonstrate that miR-200b may serve as a potential therapeutic target for T-ALL by negatively regulating the NOTCH1 signaling pathway.

OneNote Meal: A Photo-Based Diary Study for Reflective Meal Tracking.

When a self-monitoring tool is used to enhance behavior awareness, the tool should afford reflection by design. This work examines the "valence of meal" (i.e., healthy versus unhealthy meal) as a means to support reflection on a person's diet in photo-based meal tracking. To study the effect of imposing valence on meal tracking, we designed two conditions-one focusing on capturing healthy meals, the other capturing unhealthy meals-and conducted a between-subjects diary study with 22 college students over four weeks. According to their group assignment, participants tracked only healthy or unhealthy meals by taking photos and rationalizing in texts why their meals were particularly healthy or unhealthy. We found that participants in both groups became more aware of their diet, but the valence of meal influenced them differently regarding their meal assessment, self-reflection, and food choice intention. We discuss ways to leverage valence in designing reflective meal tracking systems.

Erythropoietin reduces hippocampus injury in neonatal rats with hypoxic ischemic brain damage via targeting matrix metalloprotein-2.

OBJECTIVE: Erythropoietin (EPO), as a type of the tissue-protective cytokines, is a 30.4 kDa hematopoietic glycoprotein. The purpose of this study was to explore the neuroprotective effects of EPO on the neonatal hypoxic-ischemic-induced hippocampus injury and the MMP-2 expression. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Neonatal Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into an untreated group (control) and two hypoxia-ischemia (HI) groups treated with saline control or EPO. Hippocampi were harvested at various times after return to normoxia (6 h, 24 h, 3 days and 7 days post-HI) for analyses of infarct areas and expression using histology, Western blot and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS: EPO injections reduced the infarction and loss of brain tissue. HI group exhibited an enhanced MMP-2 positive staining compared to controls at 24 h, 3 and 7 days post-HI by immunohistochemistry. These results were confirmed by Western blot analysis of MMP-2 expression at 7 days post-HI. Levels of MMP-2 mRNA in the injured hippocampi increased significantly at 24 h and 7 days post-HI. In particular, the EPO treatment further significantly enhanced this increase. CONCLUSIONS: EPO protected hypoxic-ischemic-induced neonatal brain damage by up-regulating the MMP-2 expression. Hence, systemic EPO may have potential utility for the treatment of HI injury in human newborns.

Calcium-dependent Nedd4-2 upregulation mediates degradation of the cardiac sodium channel Nav1.5: implications for heart failure.

AIM: Reductions in voltage-gated sodium channel (Nav1.5) function/expression provide a slowed-conduction substrate for cardiac arrhythmias. Nedd4-2, which is activated by calcium, post-translationally modulates Nav1.5. We aim to investigate whether elevated intracellular calcium ([Ca2+ ]i ) reduces Nav1.5 through Nedd4-2 and its role in heart failure (HF). METHODS: Using a combination of biochemical, electrophysiological, cellular and in vivo methods, we tested the effect and mechanism of calcium on Nedd4-2 and in turn Nav1.5. RESULTS: Increased [Ca2+ ]i , following 24-h ionomycin treatment, decreased sodium current (INa ) density and Nav1.5 protein without altering its mRNA in both neonatal rat cardiomyocytes (NRCMs) and HEK 293 cells stably expressing Nav1.5. The calcium chelator BAPTA-AM restored the reduced Nav1.5 and INa in NRCMs pre-treated by ionomycin. Nav1.5 was decreased by Nedd4-2 transfection and further decreased by 6-h ionomycin treatment. These effects were not observed in cells transfected with the catalytically inactive mutant, Nedd4-2 C801S, or with Y1977A-Nav1.5 mutant containing the impaired Nedd4-2 binding motif. Furthermore, elevated [Ca2+ ]i increased Nedd4-2, the interaction between Nedd4-2 and Nav1.5, and Nav1.5 ubiquitination. Nav1.5 protein is decreased, whereas Nedd4-2 is increased in volume-overload HF rat hearts, with increased co-localization of Nav1.5 with ubiquitin or Nedd4-2 as indicated by immunofluorescence staining. BAPTA-AM rescued the reduced Nav1.5 protein, INa and increased Nedd4-2 in hypertrophied NRCMs induced by isoproterenol or angiotensin II. CONCLUSION: Calcium-mediated increases in Nedd4-2 downregulate Nav1.5 by ubiquitination. Nav1.5 is downregulated and co-localizes with Nedd4-2 and ubiquitin in failing rat heart. These data suggest a role of Nedd4-2 in Nav1.5 downregulation in HF.

Mitochondrial DNA insertions in the nuclear Capra hircus genome.

Nuclear mitochondrial pseudogenes (numts), originating from mtDNA insertions into the nuclear genome, have been detected in many species. However, the distribution of numts in the newly published nuclear genome of domestic goat (Capra hircus) has not yet been explored. We used the entire goat mtDNA sequence and nuclear genome, to identify 118 numts using BLAST. Of these, 79 were able to map sequences to the genome. Further analysis showed that the size of the numts ranged from 318 to 9608 bp, and the homologous identity between numts and their respective corresponding mtDNA fragments varied between 65 and 99%. The identified Yunnan black goat numts covered nearly all the mitochondrial genes including mtDNA control region, and were distributed over all chromosomes with the exception of chromosomes 18, 21, and 25. The Y chromosome was excluded from our analysis, as sequence data are currently not available. Among the discovered 79 numts that we were able to map to the genome, 26 relatively complete mitochondrial genes were detected. Our results constitute valuable information for subsequent studies related to mitochondrial genes and goat evolution.

Exposure to famine in early life and the risk of obesity in adulthood in Qingdao: Evidence from the 1959-1961 Chinese famine.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: We aimed to evaluate the association between famine exposure during early life and obesity and obesitymax (obese at the highest weight) in adulthood. METHODS AND RESULTS: Data were from two population-based cross-sectional surveys conducted in 2006 and 2009 in Qingdao, China. A total of 8185 subjects born between 1/1/1941 and 12/31/1971 were categorized into unexposed (born between 01/01/1962 and 12/31/1971), fetal/infant exposed (born between 01/01/1959 and 12/31/1961), childhood exposed (born between 01/01/1949 and 12/31/1958) and adolescence exposed (born between 01/01/1941 and 12/31/1948) according to their age when exposed to the Chinese famine from 1959 to 1961. Obesity was defined as BMI (body mass index) ≥28.0 and obesitymax was defined as BMImax (BMI at the highest weight) ≥28.0. We compared fetal/infant exposed, childhood exposed and adolescence exposed to the unexposed using logistic regression models to assess the effect of famine exposure on later obesity and obesitymax. Fetal/infant exposed (OR = 1.59, P < 0.001), childhood exposed (OR = 1.42, P < 0.01) and adolescence exposed (OR = 1.86, P < 0.01) all had higher risks of obesity than the unexposed. Exposure groups were more likely to be obese at their highest weight than the unexposed, and ORs (95%CIs) for obesitymax in the fetal/infant exposed, childhood exposed and adolescence exposed were 1.49(1.20-1.86), 1.24(1.02-1.49) and 1.64 (1.40-1.93), respectively. Similar results were found in both men and women. CONCLUSION: Exposure to famine in early life was associated with increased risks of obesity and obesitymax in adulthood. Preventing undernutrition in early life appears beneficial to reduce the prevalence of later obesity.

µSR investigation of a new diluted magnetic semiconductor Li(Zn,Mn,Cu)As with Mn and Cu codoping at the same Zn sites.

We report the successful synthesis and characterization of a new type I-II-V bulk form diluted magnetic semiconductor (DMS) Li(Zn,Mn,Cu)As, in which charge and spin doping are decoupled via (Cu,Zn) and (Mn,Zn) substitution at the same Zn sites. Ferromagnetic transition temperature up to ∼33 K has been observed with a coercive field ∼40 Oe for the 12.5% doping level. µSR measurements confirmed that the magnetic volume fraction reaches nearly 100% at 2 K, and the mechanism responsible for the ferromagnetic interaction in this system is the same as other bulk form DMSs.

Changes of expression of estrogen and progestrone receptors, human epithelial growth factor receptor 2 and Ki-67 after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the treatment of breast cancer.

Recent studies suggest that the development and prognosis of breast cancer is in close correlation to molecular subtype of breast cancer. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy has been extensively applied in the treatment of local breast cancer in advanced stage. In order to verify the correlation between expression changes of estrogen receptor, progestrone receptor, human epithelial growth factor receptor 2 and Ki-67 after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and neoadjuvant chemotherapy, we studied 120 patients with stage IIAIIIC breast cancer who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy in Binzhou Medical University Hospital, Shandong, China from February 2011 to February 2015. Clinical characteristics were retrospectively analyzed. The expression of estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, human epithelial growth factor receptor 2 and Ki-67 of patients were detected using the immunohistochemical method before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The results suggest that the overall remission rate of neoadjuvant chemotherapy was 76.7% (92/120) of which 16.7% (20/120) of cases had complete remission, 60% (72/120) had partial remission and 23.3% (28/120) were stable. There were no cases of progressive disease. The property of estrogen receptor and the expression of Ki-67 of primary tumor were correlated to the remission rate of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (P less than 0.05). The expression of Ki-67 had a significant decline after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and the difference had statistical significance (P less than 0.05). The difference in expression of estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and human epithelial growth factor receptor 2 before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy had statistical significance (P > 0.05). Hence, it can be concluded that breast cancer patients with negative estrogen receptor expression and high Ki-67 expression before neoadjuvant chemotherapy can achieve better curative effects. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy cannot change the expression states of estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and human epithelial growth factor receptor 2, but it can lower the expression level of Ki-67. Ki-67 can also be used for predicting the curative effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Rotary ultrasonic machining of CFRP: A comparison with grinding.

Carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) composites have been intensively used in various industries due to their superior properties. In aircraft and aerospace industry, a large number of holes are required to be drilled into CFRP components at final stage for aircraft assembling. There are two major types of methods for hole making of CFRP composites in industry, twist drilling and its derived multi-points machining methods, and grinding and its related methods. The first type of methods are commonly used in hole making of CFRP composites. However, in recent years, rotary ultrasonic machining (RUM), a hybrid machining process combining ultrasonic machining and grinding, has also been successfully used in drilling of CFRP composites. It has been shown that RUM is superior to twist drilling in many aspects. However, there are no reported investigations on comparisons between RUM and grinding in drilling of CFRP. In this paper, these two drilling methods are compared in five aspects, including cutting force, torque, surface roughness, hole diameter, and material removal rate.

The synthesis and characterization of 1 1 1 1 type diluted ferromagnetic semiconductor (La(1-x)Ca(x))(Zn(1-x) Mn(x))AsO.

We report the synthesis and characterization of a bulk form diluted magnetic semiconductor, (La(1-x)Ca(x))(Zn(1-y) Mn(y))AsO, with a layered crystal structure isostructural to that of the 1 1 1 1 type Fe-based high-temperature superconductor LaFeAsO and the antiferromagnetic LaMnAsO. With Ca and Mn codoping into LaZnAsO, the ferromagnetic ordering occurs below the Curie temperature T(c) ∼30 K. Taking advantage of the decoupled charge and spin doping, we investigate the influence of carrier concentration on the ferromagnetic ordering state. For a fixed Mn concentration of 10%, T(c) increases from 24 K to 30 K when the Ca concentration increases from 5% to 10%. Further increase of Ca concentration reduces both the coercive field and saturation moment. Muon spin relaxation measurements confirm the ferromagnetically ordered state, and clearly demonstrate that La(1-x)Ca(x))(Zn(1-y) Mn(y))AsO shares a common mechanism for the ferromagnetic exchange interaction with (Ga,Mn)As. Neutron scattering measurements show no structural transition in (La(0.90)Ca(0.10))(Zn(0.90)Mn(0.10)) AsO below 300 K.

Ba(Zn(1-2x)MnxCux)2As2: A Bulk Form Diluted Ferromagnetic Semiconductor with Mn and Cu Codoping at Zn Sites.

We report the synthesis and characterization of a bulk form diluted magnetic semiconductor Ba(Zn(1-2x)MnxCux)2As2 (0.025 ≤ x ≤ 0.2) with the crystal structure identical to that of "122" family iron based superconductors and the antiferromagnet BaMn2As2. No ferromagnetic order occurs with (Zn, Mn) or (Zn, Cu) substitution in the parent compound BaZn2As2. Only when Zn is substituted by both Mn and Cu simultaneously, can the system undergo a ferromagnetic transition below TC ~ 70 K, followed by a magnetic glassy transition at Tf ~ 35 K. AC susceptibility measurements for Ba(Zn0.75Mn0.125Cu0.125)2As2 reveal that Tf strongly depends on the applied frequency with [formula in text] and a DC magnetic field dependence of [formula in text], demonstrating that a spin glass transition takes place at Tf. As large as -53% negative magnetoresistance has been observed in Ba(Zn(1-2x)MnxCux)2As2, enabling its possible application in memory devices.

NMR investigation of the quasi-one-dimensional superconductor K(2)Cr(3)As(3).

We report ^{75}As NMR measurements on the new quasi-one-dimensional superconductor K_{2}Cr_{3}As_{3} (T_{c}∼6.1 K) [J. K. Bao et al., Phys. Rev. X 5, 011013 (2015)]. We found evidence for strong enhancement of Cr spin fluctuations above T_{c} in the [Cr_{3}As_{3}]_{∞} double-walled subnanotubes based on the nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate 1/T_{1}. The power-law temperature dependence, 1/T_{1}T∼T^{-γ} (γ∼0.25), is consistent with the Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid. Moreover, absence of the Hebel-Slichter coherence peak of 1/T_{1} just below T_{c} suggests an unconventional nature of superconductivity.

Compressibility, thermal expansion coefficient and heat capacity of CH4 and CO2 hydrate mixtures using molecular dynamics simulations.

Understanding the thermal and mechanical properties of CH4 and CO2 hydrates is essential for the replacement of CH4 with CO2 in natural hydrate deposits as well as for CO2 sequestration and storage. In this work, we present isothermal compressibility, isobaric thermal expansion coefficient and specific heat capacity of fully occupied single-crystal sI-CH4 hydrates, CO2 hydrates and hydrates of their mixture using molecular dynamics simulations. Eight rigid/nonpolarisable water interaction models and three CH4 and CO2 interaction potentials were selected to examine the atomic interactions in the sI hydrate structure. The TIP4P/2005 water model combined with the DACNIS united-atom CH4 potential and TraPPE CO2 rigid potential were found to be suitable molecular interaction models. Using these molecular models, the results indicate that both the lattice parameters and the compressibility of the sI hydrates agree with those from experimental measurements. The calculated bulk modulus for any mixture ratio of CH4 and CO2 hydrates varies between 8.5 GPa and 10.4 GPa at 271.15 K between 10 and 100 MPa. The calculated thermal expansion and specific heat capacities of CH4 hydrates are also comparable with experimental values above approximately 260 K. The compressibility and expansion coefficient of guest gas mixture hydrates increase with an increasing ratio of CO2-to-CH4, while the bulk modulus and specific heat capacity exhibit the opposite trend. The presented results for the specific heat capacities of 2220-2699.0 J kg(-1) K(-1) for any mixture ratio of CH4 and CO2 hydrates are the first reported so far. These computational results provide a useful database for practical natural gas recovery from CH4 hydrates in deep oceans where CO2 is considered to replace CH4, as well as for phase equilibrium and mechanical stability of gas hydrate-bearing sediments. The computational schemes also provide an appropriate balance between computational accuracy and cost for predicting mechanical and thermal properties of gas hydrates in the high temperature range (≥260 K), and the schemes may be useful for the study of other complex hydrate systems.

Association between p53 codon 72 polymorphisms and clinical outcome of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

We conducted a cohort study to investigate whether polymorphisms in p53 at codon 72 are associated with tumor response and survival time of advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients treated with radiotherapy. The study population included 127 subjects with NPC who were enrolled at Binzhou Medical University between September 2008 and December 2009. Cox proportional hazard regression was used to assess the association between polymorphisms in the p53 gene and progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of NPC patients. During the follow-up period, 42 patients died and 72 patients showed progression at the end of the study. Of the 127 patients, median PFS was 22.5 ± 1.2 months (1-36 months), and the median OS time was 28.2 ± 1.1 months (2-36 months). The p53 codon 72 Pro/Pro genotype was associated with a longer median PFS time of 30.3 months compared with 18.2 months for patients with Arg/Arg variants. Moreover, the p53 codon 72 Pro/ Pro genotype was associated with a longer median OS time of 31.6 months compared with 25.8 months for those with Arg/Arg variants; the P value was marginally significant. We showed that variants in p53 codon 72 may be an independent predictor for PFS and OS of NPC patients.

Cardiovascular risk profiles in relation to newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes diagnosed by either glucose or HbA1c criteria in Chinese adults in Qingdao, China.

AIMS: To study the cardiovascular disease risk profiles in newly diagnosed diabetes diagnosed by either glucose or/and HbA(1c) criteria in Chinese adults. METHODS: Two population-based cross-sectional studies were conducted in 2006 and 2009, respectively. Data from 1987 men and 2815 women aged 35-74 years were analysed. Newly diagnosed diabetes was defined according to either glucose (fasting and/or 2-h glucose), HbA(1c) or both criteria. RESULTS: Ageing, positive family history of diabetes, elevated levels of waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglycerides and γ-glutamyl transferase were independently associated with newly diagnosed diabetes defined by glucose criterion alone, but not for diabetes defined by HbA(1c) criterion alone. Only waist circumference, total cholesterol and smoking were significantly associated with the presence of diabetes defined by HbA(1c) criterion alone. CONCLUSIONS: Cardiovascular disease risk profiles were different in patients with newly diagnosed diabetes defined by the two diagnostic criteria for diabetes. This may have certain clinical implications on diabetes management and research.