A Retrospective Study to Compare Five Induction Chemotherapy Regimens Prior to Radiotherapy in the Reduction of Regional Lymph Node Size in Patients with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND Combined chemotherapy and radiation therapy are used to treat nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Previous studies have shown that induction chemotherapy, given before radiotherapy, is beneficial in patients with local lymph node metastases. The aim of this study was to evaluate regional lymph node size in patients with NPC and the efficacy of five induction chemotherapy regimens given before radiotherapy. MATERIAL AND METHODS Between December 2007 and June 2011, 190 patients were included in this study, who had regionally advanced NPC (Stages II-IV). Five induction chemotherapy regimens were given prior to radiation: 98 patients (51.6%) received the TPF regimen (docetaxel, cisplatin, and fluorouracil); 56 patients (29.5%) received PF regimen (cisplatin and fluorouracil); 26 patients (13.7%) received the TP regimen (cisplatin and docetaxel); seven patients (3.7%) received combined nimotuzumab with TPF; three patients (1.6%) received a combination of the novel modified recombinant human endostatin (Endostar) with PF. The length and width of the regional lymph nodes were measured using neck B-mode (high-resolution grey scale) ultrasonography before chemotherapy and on the second day following completion of chemotherapy. Gastrointestinal tract and bone marrow suppression were also monitored during and after chemotherapy. RESULTS The TPF chemotherapy induction regimen resulted in an improved early response of lymph node size reduction, compared with the PF and TP chemotherapy induction regimens. The combined use of nimotuzumab with the TPF regimen improved efficacy by 15%. The combined use of Endostar improved the efficacy of the PF regimen by 56% (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS In a retrospective study in patients with NPC, different induction chemotherapy regimens had different effects on lymph node size before radiation therapy.

MiR-124 suppresses tumor growth and metastasis by targeting Foxq1 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The molecular mechanisms underlying dysregulation of microRNAs have been documented in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Our previous study demonstrated that plasma miR-124 was down-regulated in NPC using microarray analysis and quantitative PCR validation. Though growing studies showed that down-regulated miR-124 was closely related to tumourigenesis in various types of cancers, the role of miR-124 in NPC remains largely unknown. METHODS: The expression level of miR-124 was evaluated in NPC cell lines and patient specimens using quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (Real-time qPCR). The clinicopathological significance of the resultant data was later analyzed. Then, we explored the role of miR-124 in NPC tumorigenesis by in vitro and in vivo experiments. Homo sapiens forkhead box Q1 (Foxq1) was confirmed as a novel direct target gene of miR-124 by the dual-luciferase assay and western bolt. RESULTS: We found that miR-124 was commonly down-regulated in NPC specimens and NPC cell lines. The expression of miR-124 was inversely correlation with clinical stages and marked on T stages. Then, the ectopic expression of miR-124 dramatically inhibited cell proliferation, colony formation, migration and invasion in vitro, as well as tumor growth and metastasis in vivo. Furthermore, we identified Foxq1 as a novel direct target of miR-124. Functional studies showed that knockdown of Foxq1 inhibited cell growth, migration and invasion, whereas Foxq1 overexpression partially rescued the suppressive effect of miR-124 in NPC. In clinical specimens, Foxq1 was commonly up-regulated in NPC, and the level increased with clinical stages and T stages. Additionally, the level of Foxq1 was inversely correlated with miR-124. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that miR-124 functions as a tumor-suppressive microRNA in NPC, and that its suppressive effects are mediated chiefly by repressing Foxq1 expression. MiR-124 could serve as an independent biomarker to identify patients with different clinical characteristics. Therefore, our findings provide valuable clues toward the understanding the of mechanisms of NPC pathogenesis and provide an opportunity to develop new effective clinical therapies in the future.

Research on a Machine Learning-Based Method for Assessing the Safety State of Historic Buildings.

Historic and protected buildings are increasingly valued due to their valuable historical and cultural value. The assessment of the safety state of historic buildings has received more attention. Emerging machine learning algorithms, with their excellent computational performance, provide new ideas and new means to solve practical problems in various fields. Therefore, this paper proposes a method for assessing the safety state of historic buildings based on machine learning techniques. Firstly, based on the analysis of the characteristics of historical buildings and common security problems, the application of wireless sensor networks to the security monitoring of historical buildings is proposed in order to improve the automation of monitoring. Then, in order to improve the accuracy of the assessment, a combination of kernel canonical correlation analysis (KCCA) and support vector machine (SVM) is used to establish the security monitoring model. The experimental results show that by choosing a suitable KCCA function, the redundant features of the data can be reduced while the comprehensiveness of the building structure identification features can be retained, thus effectively improving the prediction accuracy of the SVM. The KCCA-SVM model can accurately predict the physical quantities such as relative structural displacement of historical buildings with good reliability.

PD-L1 Expression is Highly Associated with Tumor-Associated Macrophage Infiltration in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

PURPOSE: Tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs) are the most abundant immune cells in the tumor microenvironment and provide a barrier against the cytotoxic effector functions of T cells and natural killer (NK) cells. Recently, TAMs have become increasingly recognised as an attractive target in combination therapy with PD-1/PD-L1 immuno-checkpoint blockades (ICBs). However, the relationship between PD-L1 expression and TAMs remains unknown in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 212 NPC patients from Nanfang hospital were collected in this study. We evaluated the expression of PD-L1 in tumor cells, CD68 (pan-macrophages), and CD163 (M2-like macrophage) in NPC tissues using immunohistochemical (IHC) staining. RESULTS: The positivity of PD-L1 on tumor cells was 61.3% (130/212). The infiltration densities of CD68+ cells and CD163+ cells in PD-L1-positive NPC tissues were significantly higher than those in PD-L1-negative NPC tissues (P=0.0012 for CD68; P<0.0001 for CD163). Logistic regression analysis showed that high densities of CD68+ macrophages and CD163+ TAMs were significantly associated with increased PD-L1 expression. Subgroup analyses demonstrated that a positive PD-L1 expression on tumor cells in combination with lower CD163+ TAMs density was significantly associated with favorable prognosis, whereas negative PD-L1 expression on tumor cells with higher CD163+ TAMs density was associated with worse prognosis. CONCLUSION: The PD-L1 expression in tumor cells was positively correlated with TAMs density in tumor microenvironment of NPC, suggesting TAMs as a new target for combination therapy to improve the response rate of ICBs in NPC treatment.

Comparison and optimization of extraction protocol for intracellular phosphorus and its polyphosphate in enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) sludge.

Intracellular polyphosphate (poly-P) plays important roles in Enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) process, but an effective and reliable protocol for extracting intracellular P and its poly-P in EBPR sludge without hydrolysis of poly-P has not been setup yet. In the study, it was revealed that the severe hydrolysis of intracellular poly-P occurred during the different extraction processes, such as acid (i.e., HClO4, H2SO4 and HCl), basic (i.e., NaOH and KOH) and freezing-grind (under different solid-liquid ratios), but it did not occur during ultrasonic extraction process. The optimal extraction process of the ultrasonic protocol was 10 w/mL of ultrasonic power density and 15 min of ultrasonic time, when the extraction efficiency of intracellular P was 88.24 ±â€¯1.56%. In addition, the extraction efficiency of intracellular P could be furtherly improved by that the 0.75 mol/L LiCl solution was used to resuspend the bacterial cell before ultrasonic extraction (i.e., LiCl-ultrasonic protocol). The ultrasonic protocol was more suitable to extract the intracellular P and its poly-P of EBPR sludge than the other 4 protocols (i.e., PCA-NaOH, EDTA-NaOH, freezing-grind and LiCl-ultrasonic), which had the technical characteristics of (i) with relatively high extraction efficiency of intracellular P, (ii) without hydrolysis of intracellular poly-P, (iii) with weak noise signal in 31P NMR spectrum and (iv) with simple extraction process and short extraction time. It was founded by the ultrasonic protocol that there was the high content (82.88%-89.79% of intracellular P content) of intracellular poly-P with long average chain length (376.4-383.2) in the EBPR sludges. Importantly, it was confirmed that the EBPR process was related to the combined action of extracellular and intracellular poly-P using a new fractionation method of P in EBPR sludge, which included the ultrasonic protocol at high power density for extracting the intracellular P and its poly-P.

[Inhibition of Plasmodium yoelii circumsporozoite protein on the activation of nuclear transcription factor in hepatoma cells stimulated by TNF-alpha].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate on the effect of Plasmodium yoelii (BY265 strain) circumsporozoite protein (CSP) on the activation of nuclear transcription factor KB (NF-KB) in hepatoma cells (HepG2) stimulated by TNF-alpha. METHODS: Entire coding sequence of CSP was reverse transcribed and amplified by RT-PCR with sporozoite total RNA as template, then cloned into pFLAG-CMV8 for construction of the recombinant plasmid pFLAG-CMV8-CSP. Indirect immunofluorescence staining with rabbit anti-CSP was applied to verify the expression and distribution of FLAG-CSP fusion protein in HepG2. Three groups were established for the experiment: group A with HepG2 transfected by pFLAG-CMV8 as negative control, group B with HepG2 transfected by pFLAG-CMV8 and stimulated by 100 ng/ml TNF-alpha, and group C with HepG2 transfected by pFLAG-CMV8-CSP and stimulated by 100 ng/ml TNF-alpha. Dual-luciferase assay and EMSA were performed to detect the nuclear translocation and activation of NF-kappaB, to observe if pFLAG-CMV8-CSP suppressed the activation of NF-KB in HepG2 stimulated by TNF-alpha. RESULT: The expression of pFLAG-CMV8-CSP was localized on cytoplasm of HepG2. The activity ratio of firefly luciferase to Renilla luciferase in group C (0.228 +/- 0.029) was significantly lower than both groups A (0.438 +/- 0.085) and B (0.571 +/- 0.030) (P < 0.05). EMSA showed that the band in group C was significantly weaker than group B. CONCLUSION: Plasmodium yoelii CSP localizes in the cytoplasm of HepG2 and inhibits the activation and nuclear translocation of NF-kappaB in HepG2 stimulated by TNF-alpha.

[Recombinant Plasmodium yoelii expressing green fluorescent protein in erythrocytic and mosquito stages].

OBJECTIVE: To generate recombinant Plasmodium yoelii BY265 strain which can express green fluorescent protein (GFP) in erythrocytic and mosquito stages. METHODS: Recombinant plasmid containing P. berghei ssu-rrna and GFP genes were linearized by Sac II. The linearized plasmid was introduced into the erythrocytic stage of P. yoelii by electroporation. Kunming mice were infected with the recombinant parasites. After 24-30 hours post-infection, mice were treated with 70 microg/ml of pyrimethamine intraperitoneally for 5-6 d, and tail vein blood was then collected to make smear for parasite count. The parasites were examined by PCR. Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes were used to bite mice infected with the recombinant parasite. At the 7th and 16th day after the bite, oocyst development in mosquitoes was observed by fluorescence microscopy. RESULTS: The recombinant parasites expressed GFP in erythrocytic stage, and the GFP and ssu-rrna genes were amplified by PCR in the recombinant parasites. The mosquito infection experiment showed a normal development of the recombinant parasites. CONCLUSION: Transgenic P. yoelii BY265 strain has been established with stable expression of GFP in both erythrocytic and mosquito stages.

Evaluation of Ultrasound-guided Genitofemoral Nerve Block Combined with Ilioinguinal/iliohypogastric Nerve Block during Inguinal Hernia Repair in the Elderly.

To evaluate the anesthetic effect of ultrasound-guided (USG) ilioinguinal/iliohypogastric nerve (II/IHN) block combined with genital branch of genitofemoral nerve (GFN) block in the elderly undergoing inguinal hernia repair, 54 old patients (aged 60-96years, ASA I-III) with indirect hernia were enrolled and scheduled for unilateral tension-free herniorrhaphy. Patients were grouped randomly to receive either USG II/IHN plus GFN block (Group G) or USG II/IHN block alone (Group I). The intraoperative visual analogue scale (VAS) scores were recorded at skin incision, at spermatic cord/round ligament traction and at sac ligation. The resting and dynamic VAS scores were recorded postoperatively. The requirements of extra sedatives and analgesics for intra- and postoperative analgesia were assessed. Occurrence of complications of the block, postoperative nausea and vomiting and femoral nerve palsy was also reported. Both groups showed similar sensory block. When stretching spermatic cord/round ligament, the patients in group G had significantly lower VAS scores than in group I. And group G used much fewer adjuvant sedatives and analgesics to achieve adequate anaesthesia. In addition, group G was presented with better intraoperative anaesthesia and lower postoperative dynamic VAS scores at all time points tested. No significant difference was found in the postoperative requirement of rescue medication. Both groups showed no complications related to the block and group G reported no femoral nerve palsy. The addition of GFN block to II/IHN block improves the quality of perioperative anesthesia and analgesia in the elderly and reduces the consumption of extra sedatives and analgesics during the surgery.

Neuroprotective role of dexmedetomidine pretreatment in cerebral ischemia injury via ADRA2A-mediated phosphorylation of ERK1/2 in adult rats.

Neuroprotective effects of dexmedetomidine (Dex) have been reported in various models of brain injury. However, to our knowledge, the neuroprotective mechanism of Dex pretreatment in rats remains unknown. The aim of the present study was to detect the expression of the α2A adrenergic receptor (ADRA2A) in focal ischemic brain tissues and to investigate the protective role and corresponding mechanism of Dex pretreatment in cerebral ischemia in rats. A hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) cell model in primary cultured astrocytes and a focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) model in adult rats were used. The expression of ADRA2A and extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) in the primary cultured astrocytes and rat brain ischemic tissues was detected in the different conditions prior to and following Dex pretreatment using western blotting. The H/R model of primary cultured astrocytes and the focal cerebral I/R model in adult rats were successfully constructed. Under the normal oxygen conditions, 500 ng/ml Dex pretreatment increased the expression of ADRA2A and phosphorylated (p)-ERK1/2 in the astrocytes compared with in the control group. Hypoxic culture for 6 h and then reoxygenation for 24 h decreased the levels of p-ERK1/2 in the astrocytes compared with those in control group. This decrease was prevented by Dex pretreatment for 3 h. The hypoxic culture and then reoxygenation increased the expression of ADRA2A. Similarly, compared with those prior to Dex treatment, the levels of ADRA2A and p-ERK1/2 in the brain ischemic tissues following Dex treatment were increased. The levels of ADRA2A and p-ERK1/2 were 0.72±0.23 and 0.66±0.25 following Dex treatment, compared with 0.76±0.22 and 0.31±0.18, respectively, prior to Dex treatment. The effect of Dex pretreatment increasing p-ERK1/2 expression was attenuated by AG1478 pretreatment. In summary, Dex appeared to promote phosphorylation of ERK1/2 in astrocytes under H/R. As a specific agonist of ADRA2A, Dex may activate phosphorylation of ERK1/2 via ADRA2A in astrocytes. Thus, the neuroprotective role of Dex pretreatment against cerebral ischemic injury may function via ADRA2A-mediated phosphorylation of ERK1/2.

Exosomal miR-9 inhibits angiogenesis by targeting MDK and regulating PDK/AKT pathway in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Exosomes are small vesicles containing a wide range of functional proteins, mRNA and miRNA. Exosomal miRNAs from cancer cells play crucial roles in mediating cell-cell communication and tumor-microenvironment cross talk, specifically in enabling metastasis and promoting angiogenesis. We focused on miR-9 that was identified as a tumor suppressor previously in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) tumorigenesis. METHODS: Differential centrifugation, transmission electron microscopy and nanoparticle tracking analysis were used to isolate and identify exosomes. Quantitative PCR and western blotting analysis were used to detect miR-9, pri-miR-9, CD63, TSG101, MDK, P70S6K P-Ser424 and PDK1 P-Ser241 expression. Laser confocal microscopy was used to trace exosomal miR-9 secreted by NPC cells into HUVECs. The effect of exosomal miR-9 on cell migration and tube formation of HUVECs in vivo and vitro was assessed by using migration assay, tube formation assay and matrigel plug assay, respectively. Bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter assay were utilized to confirm the binding of exosomal miR-9 to the 3'untranslated region (3'-UTR) of MDK, while Phosphorylation Array was performed to identify AKT Pathway in HUVECs treated with exosomal miR-9. Furthermore, Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and in situ hybridization (ISH) was used to detected miR-9, CD31 and MDK expression in human NPC tumor samples. RESULTS: NPC cells transfected with miR-9-overexpressing lentivirus, released miR-9 in exosomes. Exosomal miR-9 directly suppressed its target gene - MDK in endothelial cells. Mechanistic analyses revealed that exosomal miR-9 from NPC cells inhibited endothelial tube formation and migration by targeting MDK and regulating PDK/AKT signaling pathway. Additionally, the level of MDK was upregulated in NPC tumor samples and was positively correlated with microvessel density. Notably, the level of exosomal miR-9 was positively correlated with overall survival, and MDK overexpression was positively associated with poor prognosis in NPC patients, suggesting the clinical relevance and prognostic value of exosomal miR-9 and MDK. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our data identify an extracellular anti-angiogenic role for tumor-derived, exosome-associated miR-9 in NPC tumorigenesis and prompt further investigation into exosome-based therapies for cancer treatment.

Expression of various protection of telomeres 1 variants is associated with telomere length and radiosensitivity in colon and gastric adenocarcinoma cells in vitro.

Protection of telomeres 1 (POT1) is a telomere-binding protein, which binds to the single-stranded DNA extensions of telomeres and regulates telomere length. Different POT1 mRNA variants were examined and compared with telomere length and radiosensitivity in colon and gastric adenocarcinoma cells. POT1 production and telomere lengths were assessed using 10 human cancer cell lines by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). POT1 mRNA levels, which were relatively stable, were significantly correlated with telomere length in gastric cancer cells and colon cancer cells, except for HT29 (P<0.01). POT1 v5 indexes were closely associated with radiosensitivity in colon cancer cells and gastric cancer cells (P<0.05). In conclusion, POT1 may be a good marker for the examination of cell-specific telomere length and radiosensitivity.

MicroRNA-378 functions as an onco-miR in nasopharyngeal carcinoma by repressing TOB2 expression.

Increasing evidence indicates that microRNAs (miRNAs) has been implicated in the progression and metastasis of numerous cancers. In particular, abnormal expression of miR-378 has been observed in various cancers and is associated with cell survival, migration, invasion, angio-genesis and tumor growth. Our previous studies have shown that miR-378 was decreased in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) plasma and was negatively correlated with NPC progression. However, the tissue expression of miR-378 and its biological function remained unknown in NPC. In this study, we report for the first time that expression level of miR-378 was commonly upregulated in both NPC tissues and NPC cell lines compared to normal healthy nasopharyngeal epithelial samples and human nasopharyngeal epithelial cell lines (NP69), respectively, and was opposite to the reported results in plasma. Functional studies showed that upregulation of miR-378 dramatically promoted cell proliferation, colony formation, migration and invasion in vitro, as well as tumor growth in vivo. Bioinformatics analyses were performed to predict the target genes of miR-378, and the following mechanistic investigations revealed that miR-378 overexpression was able to downregulate the expression of transducer of ERBB2 (TOB2), a potential tumor suppressor, and miR-378 silencing enhanced TOB2 expression. In clinical specimens, TOB2 was widely repressed in tumor tissues accompanied by miR-378 overexpression. Taken together, this study indicates that miR-378 regulates TOB2 and may function as an onco-miR in NPC progression, providing a potential target for gene therapy of NPC.

Positivity of both plasma Epstein-Barr virus DNA and serum Epstein-Barr virus capsid specific immunoglobulin A is a better prognostic biomarker for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Positivity of plasma Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-DNA or serum virus capsid antigen-specific IgA (VCA-IgA) is a biomarker for the prognosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). The objective of this study was to determine the value of positivity for plasma EBV-DNA and/or VCA-IgA in predicting the survival of patients with NPC. METHODS: Plasma EBV-DNA and serum VCA-IgA in 506 NPC patients in this retrospective study were detected by quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay, respectively. The value of positivity for EBV-DNA and/or VCA-IgA in predicting the survival of patients with NPC was analyzed. RESULTS: Patients with positivity for both EBV-DNA and VCA-IgA had significantly shorter periods of relapse free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) than those with positive single measure or negative for both measures, and patients with positive single measure had significantly shorter periods of RFS and OS than those with negative for both. Multivariate analysis indicated that the positivity for EBV-DNA and/or VCA-IgA were significant risk factors for shorter periods of RFS and OS. CONCLUSION: These data indicated that positivity for both EBV-DNA and VCA-IgA was a better biomarker for the prognosis of patients with NPC. Our findings may provide new references for clinical practice.

miR-26a inhibits invasion and metastasis of nasopharyngeal cancer by targeting EZH2.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a highly invasive and metastatic type of cancer that is widely prevalent in Southern China. Studies have shown that several microRNAs (miRNAs) are implicated in NPC metastasis. Our previous studies have demonstrated that miRNA miR-26a inhibits cell growth and tumorigenesis of NPC through the repression of enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2). However, the role of miR-26a in NPC metastasis remains unknown. In this study, we showed that ectopic expression of miR-26a inhibited the migratory and invasive capacities of NPC cells in vitro. Additionally, we used a murine model to investigate the role of miR-26a in NPC metastasis and results showed that miR-26a overexpression suppresses the metastatic behavior of NPC cells in vivo. Furthermore, the data demonstrated that miR-26a decreased the expression levels of EZH2 in vitro and in vivo, suggesting that the antimetastatic effect of miR-26a in NPC was mediated by regulating EZH2. Therefore, these findings indicate that miR-26a functions as an antimetastatic miRNA in NPC and that its antimetastatic effects are mediated mainly by repressing EZH2 expression.

Diagnostic and prognostic value of plasma microRNA deregulation in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is uncommon worldwide but often highly invasive in late stages. Due to its special location and lack of specific symptoms, NPC is hardly detected in regular medical examination at the beginning. Development of sensitive and specific biomarkers should help to save lives against this type of disease. In the present report, we investigated the value of plasma miRNAs for diagnosis and prognosis of NPC. Using candidate approach, we selected 21 miRNAs from literature to compare their expression levels in the plasma of NPC patients and controls. As a result, 5 miRNAs showed diagnostic potentials (P<0.01). Among them, miR-16, -21, -24, and -155 had increased levels in NPC patients, whereas the level of miR-378 was decreased. There was a negative correlation between plasma miRNA expression and cancer progression, where miR-21 was statistically significant in T and N staging and miR-16 and 24 were significant in N staging only. Combination of miR-16, -21, -24, -155, and -378 gives 87.7% of sensitivity and 82.0% of specificity for NPC diagnosis. Without miR-16, combination of the rest 4 miRNAs gives the same sensitivity but a slightly reduced specificity. After treatment, all 5 miRNAs were somewhat back to normal levels in patients without cancer recurrence but the prognostic value was not statistically significant. In conclusion, plasma miRNA expression is a useful biomarker for NPC diagnosis but not for its prognosis. More importantly, it is simple, effective, and non-invasive. Combination of several plasma miRNAs can increase both NPC diagnostic sensitivity and specificity.

Prognostic value of mitochondrial DNA content and G10398A polymorphism in non-small cell lung cancer.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Mitochondrial dysfunction has been postulated to render cancer cells resistant to apoptosis based on the Warburg hypothesis. However, few studies have investigated the prognostic value of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content and G10398A polymorphism in NSCLC patients. mtDNA copy number and G10398A polymorphism in 128 NSCLC tissue samples were assessed by real-time PCR (RT-PCR) and PCR-RFLP respectively, and their relationship to prognosis were analyzed by survival analysis and Cox proportional hazards model. In vitro, an mtDNA deletion A549 ρ(0) cell model was utilized to assess the function of mtDNA on radiosensitivity. Cell cycle distribution and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were analyzed to elucidate the potential mechanisms. For the whole group, the median follow-up time and overall survival time were 22.5 and 23.4 months, respectively. Patients with high mtDNA content had a marginally longer survival time than patients with low mtDNA content (P=0.053). Moreover, patients with high mtDNA content plus 10398G had a significantly longer overall survival time compared with those having low mtDNA content plus 10398A (47 vs. 27 months, P<0.05). In addition, multivariate analysis showed that stage and low mtDNA content plus 10398A were the two most independent prognostic factors. In vitro, the A549 ρ(0) cells showed more resistance to radiation than ρ(+) cells. Following radiation, ρ(0) cells showed delayed G2 arrest and lower ROS level as compared to ρ(+) cells. In conclusion, the present study suggests that in patients with NSCLC, low mtDNA content plus 10398A could be a marker of poor prognosis which is associated with resistance to anticancer treatment caused by low mtDNA content plus 10398A polymorphism resulting in mitochondrial dysfunction.

Design of a semirigid molecule as a selective fluorescent chemosensor for recognition of Cd(II).

A new 8-hydroxyquinoline-based chemosensor possessing a semirigid structure was designed, and its fluorescent sensing behavior toward metalions was investigated. A prominent fluorescence enhancement only for Cd(2+) was found in aqueous methanol solution. The results clearly suggest that the specific semirigid structure could selectively accommodate Cd(2+) according to ionic radius, which would effectively suppress the intramolecular radiationless transitions from the n pi* state to enhance the fluorescence response.

[Multicentral randomized controlled study on acupuncture at Sifeng (EX-UE 10) for treatment of infantile malnutrition].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate therapeutic effect of acupuncture at Sifeng (EX-UE 10) on infantile malnutrition. METHODS: Multicentral, randomized, controlled and single blind test was adopted. 222 infants of malnutrition were divided into an acupuncture group (n=110) and a medicine group (n=112). The acupuncture group were treated with acupuncture at bilateral Sifeng (EX-UE 10), once each week, for 4 times; and the medicine group were treated with oral administration of Yiqi Jianpi Oral Liquid, twice each day, one ample each time, for 4 weeks. The therapeutic effect was evaluated by improvement of symptoms and signs in the syndrome cumulative score scale, and changes of serum insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), pre-albumin (PA), hemoglobin and red-cell count. RESULTS: Two hundred and twenty-two cases were enrolled in the 4 centers and 212 cases completed the test. The acupuncture group in improvement of appetite, body weight, subcutaneous fat thickness of the abdomen, etc. were superior to the medicine group (P < 0.01), but there was no significant difference between the two groups in improvement of the body height. There was no significant increase of serum IGF-I level in the two groups, and the acupuncture group in increase of PA was superior to the medicine group (P < 0.05). After treatment, hemoglobin and red-cell count increased significantly in the treatment group (P < 0.01), and hemoglobin increased significantly in the medicine group. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture at Sifeng (EX-UE 10) has obvious therapeutic effect on infantile malnutrition.