Perspective view of allogeneic IgG tumor immunotherapy.

Allogeneic tumors are eradicated by host immunity; however, it is unknown how it is initiated until the report in Nature by Yaron Carmi et al. in 2015. Currently, we know that allogeneic tumors are eradicated by allogeneic IgG via dendritic cells. AlloIgG combined with the dendritic cell stimuli tumor necrosis factor alpha and CD40L induced tumor eradication via the reported and our proposed potential signaling pathways. AlloIgG triggers systematic immune responses targeting multiple antigens, which is proposed to overcome current immunotherapy limitations. The promising perspectives of alloIgG immunotherapy would have advanced from mouse models to clinical trials; however, there are only 6 published articles thus far. Therefore, we hope this perspective view will provide an initiative to promote future discussion.

Clinical Features and Risk Factors of Mortality in Patients with Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome.

Objective: Although the prognosis of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is usually favourable and most patients wholly recover, the disorder can result in death in some patients. To date, the data on clinical features and risk factors for death are still lacking; therefore, we aim to investigate the clinical features and long-term prognostic risk factors of PRES in the present study. Methods: The patients with PRES were identified from the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from June 2011 to June 2020. Clinical characteristics, laboratory tests, magnetic resonance imaging examinations, and treatment of all patients were analyzed retrospectively. All patients were followed up by telephone. Finally, the patients were divided into the survival group and death group for prognosis analysis. Results: A total of 92 patients with PRES were included; 84.8% of whom were female, with an average age of 25.4 (5-66) years at the onset of PRES. Epilepsy was the main clinical manifestation (72.8%). The in-hospital mortality rate was 2.17%. The 3-year all-cause survival rate for PRES patients was 86%. In univariate analysis, patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (P = 0.027) and blood transfusion history within 1 month before onset (P = 0.027), need for dialysis (P ≤ 0.001), nephritis (P = 0.010), stroke (P = 0.016), and heart failure (P = 0.016) were associated with death. In multivariate analysis, we found that heart failure (OR = 0.095, 95% CI 0.020 to 0.441) and stroke (OR = 0.033, 95% CI 0.002 to 0.467) were independent risk factors for death in PRES patients, while pregnancy was a protective factor for death in PRES patients (OR = 7.978, 95% CI 1.446 to 44.006). Conclusions: Our results indicate that PRES could be considered as a sign of a very high-risk patient. We also demonstrated that heart failure and stroke were independent risk factors for death in patients with PRES; moreover, pregnancy was a protective factor.

Association of rs1137101 with hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus of Mongolian and Han Chinese.

BACKGROUND: Hypertension (HTN) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are often coincident, and each condition is considered a risk factor for the other. Both occur frequently in the Inner Mongolia region of China. The reasons for differences in risk between Han and Mongolian ethnic groups are not known. The LEPR gene and its polymorphism, rs1137101 (Gln223Arg), are both considered risk factors for HTN and T2DM, but any role of rs1137101 in the occurrence of HTN + T2DM remains unclear for Mongolian and Han populations in the Inner Mongolia region. AIM: To investigate the relationship between rs1137101 and the occurrence of HTN with T2DM in Mongolian and Han populations in Inner Mongolia. METHODS: A total of 2652 subjects of Han and Mongolian ethnic origins were enrolled in the current study, including 908 healthy controls, 1061 HTN patients and 683 HTN patients with T2DM. RESULTS: The association between the rs1137101 polymorphism and HTN with T2DM was analyzed, and differences between Han and Mongolian individuals assessed. There was a significant correlation between rs1137101 and HTN (co-dominant, dominant, over-dominant and log-additive models) and HTN + T2DM (co-dominant, dominant, over-dominant and log-additive models) after adjustment for sex and age in individuals of Mongolian origin. rs1137101 was significantly associated with HTN (co-dominant, recessive and log-additive models) and HTN + T2DM (co-dominant, dominant, over-dominant and log-additive models) in the Han Chinese population. CONCLUSION: Mongolian and Han subjects from Inner Mongolia with HTN who had rs1137101 were protected against the development of T2DM. Allele A has the opposite impact on the occurrence of HTN in Mongolian and Han Chinese populations.

miR-1915-3p inhibits Bcl-2 expression in the development of gastric cancer.

Many gene expressions changed during the development of gastric cancer, and non-coding RNAs including microRNAs (miRNAs) have been found to regulate cancer progression by participating in the process of tumor cell growth, migration, invasion and apoptosis. Our previous study has identified 29 miRNAs that are highly expressed in gastric cancer stem cells. One of these miRNAs, miR-1915-3p, has shown great potential as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for the cancers in liver, colon and thyroid, as well as in immune and kidney diseases. Herein, we found that miR-1915-3p exhibited low expression level in differentiated gastric cancer cell lines and gastric cancer tissues. It was found that the miR-1915-3p inhibited the growth of gastric cancer cells and thus promoted cell apoptosis. We discovered that the expressions of miR-1915-3p were significantly correlated to the lymph node metastasis and overall survival of patients with gastric cancer. Further study showed that there was a negative correlation between miR-1915-3p and Bcl-2 (B cell lymphoma/leukemia-2) expression, suggesting that Bcl-2 was a target gene of miR-1915-3p. Hence, miR-1915-3p possibly contributes to the development and progression of gastric cancer by inhibiting the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2. The finding provides a potential therapeutic strategy for gastric cancer.

Significance of interstitial tumor-associated macrophages in the progression of lung adenocarcinoma.

Stepwise progression from adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS) and minimally invasive adenocarcinoma (MIA) to lepidic predominant adenocarcinoma (LPA) was proposed by various scholars. Interstitial tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and various potential chemokines involved in the progression from AIS/MIA to LPA were hypothesized. In the present study, immunohistochemistry or immunofluorescent double staining was used to detect the expression of the TAMs marker cluster of differentiation (CD) 68, tumor-derived colony-stimulating factor (CSF)-1, interleukin (IL)-6, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, E-cadherin and Snail in lung adenocarcinoma specimens, including AIS/MIA, LPA and other types. It was observed that infiltrating TAMs were negatively associated with the prognosis of patients, and that the infiltration degree of interstitial TAMs was higher in LPA than that in AIS/MIA. In addition, E-cadherin, Snail and MMP-2 expression were significantly correlated with the infiltration degree of TAMs. Survival analysis revealed that co-expression of CD68, CSF-1 and IL-6 was an independent prognostic factor. Stratified analysis demonstrated that, in AIS/MIA patients, there was a statistically significant difference between the number of TAMs (TAMs ≤25 and TAMs >25) in the CD68+CSF-1+IL-6+ group compared with other groups (including CD68+CSF-1-IL-6-, CD68+CSF-1+IL-6-, CD68+CSF-1-IL-6+ and CD68- groups). By contrast, in patients with TAMs >25 and in patients with positive CD68, CSF-1 and IL-6 expression, the survival rates were not significantly different between AIS/MIA and LPA. These results suggested that co-expression of TAMs marker CD68, CSF-1 and IL-6 may be a valuable independent prognostic predictor in lung adenocarcinoma. TAMs may facilitate AIS/MIA progression to LPA, which may be closely associated with the induction of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

Wernicke's encephalopathy in a patient with acute pancreatitis: unusual cortical involvement and marvelous prognosis.

Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE) is a severe neurological disorder caused by thiamine deficiency. Clinically, it is most frequently observed in people with alcohol abuse. WE, however, can occur in any clinical condition associated with malnutrition or thiamine deficiency. We present the case of a 47-year-old woman with prolonged therapeutic fasting who presented with ophthalmoplegia, ataxia and deep coma. MRI showed unusual symmetric cortical abnormalities in the frontal and parietal lobes, as well as typical lesions surrounding the third ventricle and aqueduct. Although the patient entered a vegetative state, she finally regained consciousness after thiamine supplementation unexpectedly. To the best of our knowledge, it has never been reported to date that the patient with WE in a vegetative state with cortical damage shows a marvelous prognosis, which prompts us to report this case. In the present report, we highlight the role of MRI in the diagnosis of acute WE.

Applying the social cognitive perspective to volunteer intention in China: the mediating roles of self-efficacy and motivation.

When predicting volunteer intention, much attention is paid to the volunteer organization environment (VOE). Given that self-efficacy and motivation have emerged as important predictors of volunteer intention, we adopted a combination of ideas of Bandura's social cognitive theory and Ajzen's theory of planned behavior integrating VOE, self-efficacy and motivation to examine their effects on volunteer intention and to determine whether self-efficacy and motivation mediate the relationship between VOE and volunteer intention. The subjects of this study consisted of 198 community health volunteers in Shanghai city, China. Exploratory factor analysis was performed to identify the factor structure using standard principal component analysis. Six new factors were revealed, including two VOE factors, relation with organization and support from government; two motivation factors, personal attitude and social recognition; self-efficacy and volunteer intention. The results of a hierarchical regression analysis indicated that relation with organization accounted for 14.8% of the variance in volunteer intention, and support from government failed to add significantly to variance in volunteer intention; self-efficacy and personal attitude motivation partially mediated the effects of relation with organization on volunteer intention; social recognition motivation did not mediate the relationship between relation with organization and volunteer intention; and relation with organization, self-efficacy and personal attitude motivation accounted for 33.7% of the variance in volunteer intention. These results provide support for self-efficacy and personal attitude motivation as mediators and provide preliminary insight into the potential mechanisms for predicting volunteer intention and improving volunteering by integrating VOE, self-efficacy and motivation factors.

Cytochrome P450 2E1 RsaI/PstI and DraI Polymorphisms Are Risk Factors for Lung Cancer in Mongolian and Han Population in Inner Mongolia.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) RsaI/PstI and DraI polymorphism and lung cancer susceptibility in Mongolian and Han population in Inner Mongolia of China. METHODS: CYP2E1 RsaI/PstI and DraI polymorphisms were detected by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism in 64 lung cancer patients, 150 healthy Mongolian and 150 healthy Han individuals. The distribution of genotype and allele frequencies of CYP2E1 RsaI/PstI and DraI polymorphisms were studied. RESULTS: The risk of lung cancer was increased in individuals with CYP2E1 (cl/cl) and CYP2E1 (DD) with OR values of 2.431 (95%CI=1.082-5.460) and 2.778 (95%CI=1.358-5.683) respectively (P<0.05). When CYP2E1 RsaI/PstI and DraI polymorphisms were combined, the risk of lung cancer was reduced in individuals with CYP2E1 (cl/c2+c2/c2 and DD+CC) with OR values of 0.233 (95%CI=0.088-0.615, P<0.05). In smokers, the susceptibility to lung cancer was higher in the individuals with CYP2E1 (c1/c1) and CYP2E1 (DD) than in the individuals with c2 and C allele (P<0.05, OR=2.643 and 4.308 respectively). There was no significant difference in distribution of CYP2E1 genotype frequency between healthy Mongolian, Han population and lung cancer patients, healthy controls in Inner Mongolia. CONCLUSION: CYP2E1 (c1/c1) and CYP2E1 (DD) are predisposing factors of lung cancer in population in Inner Mongolia. CYP2E1 (c2ï¹¢C) co-mutation may decrease the risk of lung cancer. Smoking exerts synergetic effect with CYP2E1 (c1/c1) and CYP2E1 (DD) on the occurrence of lung cancer.

Quality of life associated with perceived stigma and discrimination among the floating population in Shanghai, China: a qualitative study.

The floating population refers to the large and increasing number of migrants without local household registration status and has become a new demographic phenomenon in China. Most of these migrants move from the rural areas of the central and western parts of China to the eastern and coastal metropolitan areas in pursuit of a better life. The floating population of China was composed of 121 million people in 2000, and this number was expected to increase to 300 million by 2010. Quality of life (QOL) studies of the floating population could provide a critical starting point for recognizing the potential of regions, cities and local communities to improve QOL. This study explored the construct of QOL of the floating population in Shanghai, China. We conducted eight focus groups with 58 members of the floating population (24 males and 34 females) and then performed a qualitative thematic analysis of the interviews. The following five QOL domains were identified from the analysis: personal development, jobs and career, family life, social relationships and social security. The results indicated that stigma and discrimination permeate these life domains and influence the framing of life expectations. Proposals were made for reducing stigma and discrimination against the floating population to improve the QOL of this population.

[Circadian rhythm of melatonin and blood pressure changes in patients with essential hypertension].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the association between melatonin (MLT) secretion and blood pressure changes during 24 hours in hypertensive patients (HPT) with (dipping) or without (non-dipping) night time blood pressure reduction. METHODS: The 24-hour blood pressure and urine 6-SMT (6-sulfatoxymelatonin, metabolism product of MLT in urine) in the daytime and nighttime were measured in normal control subjects (n = 20), non-dipping HPT group (n = 32) and dipping HPT group (n = 36). RESULTS: As expected, blood pressure reduction during the night was significantly lower in non-dipping HPT group compared to control and dipping HPT groups. Nighttime 6-SMT was significantly higher than daytime 6-SMT in all groups and nighttime urine 6-SMT levels and ratio of nighttime/daytime urine 6-SMT levels were significantly lower in non-dipping HPT group compared to control and dipping HPT groups (all P < 0.01). Moreover, ratio of nighttime/daytime urine 6-SMT levels are positively correlated blood pressure reduction during nighttime (P < 0.05) in all groups. CONCLUSIONS: Circadian rhythm of MLT secretion is maintained but nighttime MLT secretion was significantly reduced and related to disorders of circadian rhythm of blood pressure in non-dipping HPT group.

[Smoking prevention and control among students of middle schools in Shanghai].

OBJECTIVE: To appraise the effectiveness of a school-based smoking control program and explore the effective smoking prevention and control intervention model in middle schools. METHODS: Through two phase cluster sampling, students in grade 1 and grade 2 of two schools were assigned to intervention group and control group. Comprehensive smoking intervention was implemented in the intervention group for one year. The assessment was carried out through three phases: baseline, after intervention, and 6-month after intervention. RESULTS: After intervention, the proportion of attempt smoking rate in the recent one year decreased from 9.7% to 4.2% and the heavy passive smoking rate declined from 15.5% to 12.2%. In addition, some knowledge, attitudes and skills related to tobacco prevention among the students in the intervention group were significantly improved and most effects can be sustained at 6-month follow up survey. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that tobacco control in middle school was effective and feasible and it should be closely integrated with tobacco control in the community.

[Smoking prevention and control among elementary school students in Xuhui district, Shanghai].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of a school-based smoking prevention and control intervention program among elementary school students. METHODS: Through two phase cluster sampling, 566 pupils in grade 4 and grade 5 of two schools were assigned to intervention group and control group. One year comprehensive smoking intervention was conducted in the intervention group. The assessment was carried out through three questionnaires: pre- and post-intervention, 6-month after intervention. RESULTS: After one year intervention, pupils in the intervention group significantly improved their knowledge and attitudes related to tobacco use. The rate of attempting smoking decreased form 7.8% to 2.6% and the rate of passive smoking from 53.6% to 41.8%. The difference between the intervention and control groups was statistically significant. However, several index started to decline at 6-month follow up survey. CONCLUSION: The result demonstrated the effectiveness and feasibility of tobacco control in elementary school and the positive effect must be developed.