The efficacy and safety of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle biopsy in gallbladder masses.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle biopsy (EUS-FNB) is a widely used modality for acquiring various target samples, but its efficacy in gallbladder masses is unknown. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of EUS-FNB in patients with gallbladder masses. METHODS: The study samples were composed of patients from March 2015 to July 2019 who needed to identify the nature of gallbladder masses through EUS-FNB. The outcomes of this study were the adequacy of specimens, diagnostic yields, technical feasibility, and adverse events of the EUS-FNB in gallbladder masses. RESULTS: A total of 27 consecutive patients with a median age of 58 years were included in this study. The 22-gauge FNB needle was feasible in all lesions. The median follow-up period of the patients was 294 days. The specimens sufficient for diagnosis account for 89% (24/27) and 93% (25/27) in cytology and histology, respectively. The overall diagnostic yields for malignancy showed the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy were 95.45% [95% confidence interval (CI): 75.12%-99.76%], 100% (95% CI: 46.29%-100%), 100% (95% CI: 80.76%-100%), 83.33% (95% CI: 36.48%-99.12%), and 96.30% (95% CI: 80.20%-99.99%), respectively. The subgroup analysis revealed that FNB could obtain sufficient specimens and high diagnostic yields in both gallbladder mass < 20.5 mm group and ≥ 20.5 mm group. One patient experienced mild abdominal pain after the procedure and recovered within one day. CONCLUSIONS: EUS-FNB is a reasonable diagnostic tool for the pretreatment diagnosis of patients with gallbladder masses, especially for patients who may miss the opportunity of surgery and need sufficient specimens to identify the pathological type so as to determine chemotherapy regimens. Further large-scale studies are needed to confirm our conclusion.

Curcumin inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis of human colorectal cancer cells by activating the mitochondria apoptotic pathway.

Curcumin, a natural plant extract from Curcuma longa, is known for its anti-carcinogenic and chemopreventive effects on a variety of experimental cancer models. In this study, we evaluated the effects of curcumin and elucidated its mechanism in human colorectal carcinoma cells. Cell viability assay showed that curcumin significantly inhibited the growth of LoVo cells. Curcumin treatment induced the apoptosis accompanied by ultra-structural changes and release of lactate dehydrogenase in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, treatment with 0-30 µg/mL curcumin decreased the mitochondrial membrane potential and activated the caspase-3 and caspase-9 in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Nuclear and annexin V/PI staining showed that curcumin induced the apoptosis of LoVo cells. FACS analysis revealed that curcumin could induce the cell cycle arrest of LoVo cells at the S phase. Furthermore, western blotting analysis indicated that curcumin induced the release of cytochrome c, a significant increase of Bax and p53 and a marked reduction of Bcl-2 and survivin in LoVo cells. Taken together, our results suggested that curcumin inhibited the growth of LoVo cells by inducing apoptosis through a mitochondria-mediated pathway.

Generating a reference interval for fasting serum insulin in healthy nondiabetic adult Chinese men.

INTRODUCTION: Circulating insulin concentrations provide important information for the evaluation of insulin secretion and insulin resistance. Reference intervals are the most widely applied tool for the interpretation of clinical laboratory results. We carried out an analysis of the data available from the Fangchenggang Area Male Health and Examination Survey in order to derive a reference interval for fasting insulin specific to the Chinese population. METHODS: A total of 1,434 fasting serum insulin results were obtained from healthy nondiabetic adult men aged 20-69 years, after taking into consideration the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Serum insulin was measured using electrochemiluminescence immunoassays. Nonparametric statistical methods were used to calculate and analyse the data. RESULTS: The reference interval for fasting serum insulin for Chinese adults was in the range 1.57-16.32 µU/mL (median 5.79 µU/mL). Significant correlations were found between fasting serum insulin and glucose and diastolic blood pressure (p < 0.001). Statistically significant differences were observed in insulin concentration with respect to age and body mass index (BMI; p < 0.001). Younger people had a higher fasting serum insulin concentration. Increased fasting serum insulin was also found to be associated with BMI. CONCLUSION: We established a reference interval for fasting serum insulin in healthy nondiabetic adult Chinese men that is lower than what was previously suggested. BMI and age (but not smoking, alcohol consumption or physical activity) were found to be important factors associated with fasting serum insulin. Our results will help improve the diagnostic interpretation of investigations for metabolic and cardiovascular disorders in a Chinese population.