Predictive factors associated with gefitinib response in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

PURPOSE: A number of different clinical characteristics have been reported to singly correlate with therapeutic activity of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This study aimed to identify predictive factors associated with prognostic benefits of gefitinib. PATIENTS AND METHODS: EGFR gene typing in 33 advanced NSCLC patients received gefitinib (250 mg/day) were analyzed with mutant-enriched PCR assay. Gefitinib response was evaluated with potential predictive factors retrospectively. RESULTS: The overall objective response rate (ORR) and median progression-free survival (PFS) in the 33 patients treated by gefitinib were 45.5% and 3.0 (2.0-4.0) months. The ORR and median PFS in EGFR gene mutation patients were significantly higher/longer than those in EGFR gene wild-type patients (P<0.01). Similarly, the ORR and median PFS in non-smoker patients were significantly higher/longer than those in smoker patients (P<0.05, P<0.01, respectively). However, no difference for ORR and median PFS occurred between male and female patients. Logistic multivariate analysis showed that only EGFR mutated gene was significantly associated with the ORR (P<0.01). Both EGFR mutated gene and non-smoker were the major factors that contributed to PFS (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: EGFR mutated gene and non-smoker status are potential predictors for gefitinib response in NSCLC patients.

Porphyromonas gingivalis promotes the motility of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma by activating NF-κB signaling pathway.

Esophageal carcinoma, with a increasing incidence, is one of the most aggressive carcinomas in gastrointestinal tract. Epidemiologic studies demonstrate an association of oral pathogens with multiple diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and gastrointestinal malignancies. Nevertheless, a causal relationship between oral pathogens and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) has not been elucidated. Here, we found that Porphyromonas was significantly enriched in the saliva of patients with ESCC, compared with that in normal human. In vitro studies showed that Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) promoted the proliferation and motility of ESCC cells, as evidenced by up regulated expression of key molecules implicated in NF-κB signaling pathway. These findings, for the first time, demonstrated a role of oral pathogens in inducing ESCC tumorigenesis and metastasis, which might involve regulation of NF-κB signaling pathway.

Influencing factors of the neurodevelopment of high-risk infants.

BACKGROUND: High-risk infants refer to newborns exposed to high-risk factors in the prenatal, natal or postnatal period. High-risk infants are at high risk of developmental retardation, and early identification of developmental abnormalities plays a vital role in improving high-risk infants' quality of life. AIMS: To describe the neurodevelopment of high-risk infants aged less than 1 year old, and to analyse the incidences and influencing factors of neurodevelopmental abnormalities in order to provide a basis for neurodevelopment monitoring and management of high-risk infants. METHODS: High-risk infants born between January 2016 and December 2016 in the maternity and infant health hospitals of three districts in Shanghai were followed up. The Gesell Developmental Scale was used to assess the neurodevelopmental level at the time of recruitment (0-2 months) and at 9 months. Univariate and multivariate analyses of the influencing factors were conducted. RESULTS: 484 high-risk infants (male 51%, female 49%) with an average gestation age of 36.5±2.2 weeks were recruited. At the time of recruitment, the average age was 2.1 (0.8) months, and the developmental quotient (DQ) scores of full-term high-risk infants in motor (t=3.542, p=0.001), cognitive (t=3.125, p=0.002), language (t=3.189, p=0.002) and social (t=3.316, p=0.001) areas were higher than those of preterm infants. The incidences of developmental abnormalities of full-term high-risk infants in motor (χ2 =9.452, p=0.002), cognitive (χ 2 =6.258, p=0.012), language (χ 2 =12.319, p =0.001) and social (χ 2 =6.811, p=0.009) areas were lower than the preterm infants. At 9 months, there was no difference in the DQ scores and incidences of developmental abnormalities in four areas between full-term and preterm high-risk infants, and the incidence of developmental abnormalities was around 10%. CONCLUSION: The incidence of neurodevelopmental abnormalities in high-risk infants aged less than 1 year old is high. Preterm birth and parental bad habits are significant factors affecting the neurodevelopment. Monitoring and early interventions help to improve high-risk infants' neurodevelopment.

Fabrication of Magnetic NiFe2O4 Nanorods and Their Removal Performances of Congo Red.

Magnetic NiFe2O4 nanorods were prepared successfully via a facile solution combustion process, the morphology, chemical composition, microstructure and magnetic properties of as-prepared NiFe2O4 nanorods were investigated by XRD, VSM, SEM, TEM, EDX, SAED and BET techniques. The magnetic NiFe2O4 nanorods were characterized with average length of about 130 nm, the diameter of around 25 nm, the specific magnetization of 105.2 Am2/kg, and the specific surface area of 88.8 m2/g. The nanorods were employed to remove congo red (CR) from aqueous solutions, the adsorption kinetic and adsorption isotherm of CR onto NiFe2O4 nanorods at room temperature were investigated. The regression equation was found in good agreement with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model in a range of initial CR concentrations of 80-400 mg/L. Compared with Freundlich and Temkin models, Langmuir model fitted the adsorption isotherm of CR onto NiFe2O4 nanorods better, which suggested that the adsorption of CR onto NiFe2O4 nanorods was a monolayer absorbing mechanism. Meanwhile, the adsorption capacity of CR onto NiFe2O4 nanorods is large when pH is less than 9.