Bioinformatic identification of potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets in carotid atherosclerosis and vascular dementia.

Background: Vascular disease is the second most common cause of dementia. The prevalence of vascular dementia (VaD) has increased over the past decade. However, there are no licensed treatments for this disease. Carotid atherosclerosis (CAS) is highly prevalent and is the main cause of ischemic stroke and VaD. We studied co-expressed genes to understand the relationships between CAS and VaD and further reveal the potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets of CAS and VaD. Methods: CAS and VaD differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified through bioinformatic analysis Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets GSE43292 and GSE122063, respectively. Furthermore, a variety of target prediction methods and network analysis approaches were used to assess the protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks, the Gene Ontology (GO) terms, and the pathway enrichment for DEGs, and the top 7 hub genes, coupled with corresponding predicted miRNAs involved in CAS and VaD, were assessed as well. Result: A total of 60 upregulated DEGs and 159 downregulated DEGs were identified, of which the top 7 hub genes with a high degree of connectivity were selected. Overexpression of these hub genes was associated with CAS and VaD. Finally, the top 7 hub genes were coupled with corresponding predicted miRNAs. hsa-miR-567 and hsa-miR-4652-5p may be significantly associated with CAS and VaD.

A Nomogram to Predict Lifestyle Factors for Recurrence of Large-Vessel Ischemic Stroke.

BACKGROUND: Stroke is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in China. Recurrent stroke (RS) could occur in a significant portion of patients with ischemic stroke with devastating consequence. METHODS: To investigate the association between lifestyle and the risk of RS in Chinese patients with acute large-vessel ischemic stroke (ALVIS). A total of 258 patients with ALVIS were recruited in the study (median age 63 years, 30.6% female), and followed for a median of 366 days. The primary outcomes were first RS. Cox Regression and Akaike information criterion were used to establish the best-fit nomograms. RESULTS: During follow-up, 38 of 258 (14.7%) participants had the primary endpoint event. After adjusting for confounding factors in multivariate Cox regression analysis, healthy lifestyles, including bland diet (hazard ratio [HR], 0.365; 95% CI, 0.138-0.965), daily fruit consumption (HR, 0.474; 95% CI, 0.238-0.945), good sleep (HR, 0.364; 95% CI, 0.180-0.739), housework: HR (0.461; 95% CI, 0.200-1.065), and HDL (HR, 0.329; 95% CI, 0.130-0.831) were associated with significantly decreased risk for RS after ALVIS, while smoking was associated with a substantial increase in RS risk (HR, 2.590; 95% CI, 1.340-5.005) and included into the nomogram. A weighted point (from 0 to 100) was given to each risk factor, and the total points could be used to predict the probability of RS for the patient. CONCLUSION: The nomogram shows that healthy lifestyles (bland diet, daily fruit consumption, good sleep, cigarette cessation, and housework) were important for reducing RS in patients with ALVIS.

Long-term quality of life outcomes in patients with locally advanced prostate cancer after intensity-modulated radiotherapy combined with androgen deprivation.

With great improvements in survival in patients with locally advanced prostate cancer, quality of life (QOL) is becoming an important factor in the selection of treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in health-related QOL in patients with locally advanced prostate cancer after intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) combined with androgen deprivation therapy. Patients were treated with IMRT combined with androgen deprivation. Total dose to the prostate was 68.2 Gy (2.2 Gy per fraction), and patients received 50 mg of oral Casodex once daily and 3.6 mg of subcutaneous Zoladex once every 28 days for 2.5 years. QOL was measured using the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite. The time points were baseline, end of radiotherapy, and 3, 12, 36, 48, and 60 months after radiotherapy. From 2002 to 2007, a total of 87 patients were enrolled. Median follow-up time was 76.8 months. Compared with baseline, all four domain summary scores were decreased to varying degrees. Statistically significant changes in the urinary, bowel, and hormonal domain scores were observed (P < 0.05). The changes in scores for urinary incontinence and dysuria were -13.0 ± 8.3 and -6.12 ± 3.9, respectively (P < 0.05). QOL was decreased in patients with locally advanced prostate cancer after IMRT combined with androgen deprivation therapy in all four primary domains, especially in urinary, bowel, and hormonal domains. Nevertheless, the treatment was well tolerated in most patients during the 5 years of follow-up.

Intensity-modulated radiotherapy combined with endocrine therapy for intermediate and advanced prostate cancer: long-term outcome of Chinese patients.

AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate acute adverse events and efficacy of three-dimensional intensity- modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) combined with endocrine therapy for intermediate and advanced prostate cancer. METHODS: Sixty-seven patients were treated with three-dimensional IMRT combined with maximum androgen blockade. The correlation between radiation-induced rectal injury and clinical factors was further analyzed. RESULTS: After treatment, 21 patients had complete remission (CR), 37 had partial remission (PR), and nine had stable disease (SD), with an overall response rate of 86.5%. The follow-up period ranged from 12.5 to 99.6 months. Thirty-nine patients had a follow-up time of ≥ five years. In this group, three-year and five-year overall survival rates were 89% and 89.5%, respectively; three-year and five-year progression-free survival rates were 72% and 63%. In univariate analyses, gross tumor volume was found to be prognostic for survival (χ2 = 5.70, P = 0.037). Rates of leucopenia and anemia were 91.1% and 89.5%, respectively. Two patients developed acute liver injury, and a majority of patients developed acute radiation proctitis and cystitis, mainly grade 1/2. Tumor volume before treatment was the only prognostic factor influencing the severity of acute radiation proctitis (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: IMRT combined with endocrine therapy demonstrated promising efficacy and was well tolerated in patients with intermediate and advanced prostate cancer.