Myosteatosis is associated with coronary artery calcification in patients with type 2 diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Myosteatosis, rather than low muscle mass, is the primary etiologic factor of sarcopenia in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Myosteatosis may lead to a series of metabolic dysfunctions, such as insulin resistance, systematic inflammation, and oxidative stress, and all these dysfunctions are closely associated with the acceleration of T2DM and atherosclerosis. AIM: To investigate the association between myosteatosis and coronary artery calcification (CAC) in patients with T2DM. METHODS: Patients with T2DM, who had not experienced major cardiovascular events and had undergone both abdominal and thoracic computed tomography (CT) scans, were included. The mean skeletal muscle attenuation was assessed using abdominal CT images at the L3 level. The CAC score was determined from thoracic CT images using the Agatston scoring method. Myosteatosis was diagnosed according to Martin's criteria. Severe CAC (SCAC) was defined when the CAC score exceeded 300. Logistic regression and decision tree analyses were performed. RESULTS: A total of 652 patients with T2DM were enrolled. Among them, 167 (25.6%) patients had SCAC. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that myosteatosis, age, duration of diabetes, cigarette smoking, and alcohol consumption were independent risk factors of SCAC. Myosteatosis was significantly associated with an increased risk of SCAC (OR = 2.381, P = 0.003). The association between myosteatosis and SCAC was significant in the younger patients (OR = 2.672, 95%CI: 1.477-4.834, P = 0.002), but not the older patients (OR = 1.456, 95%CI: 0.863-2.455, P = 0.188), and was more prominent in the population with lower risks of atherosclerosis. The decision tree analyses prioritized older age as the primary variable for SCAC. In older patients, cigarette smoking was the main contributing factor for SCAC, while in younger patients, it was myosteatosis. CONCLUSION: Myosteatosis is a novel risk factor for atherosclerosis in patients with T2DM, especially in the population with younger ages and fewer traditional risk factors.

Analysis of Factors Related to the Efficacy of Consciousness-Regaining Therapy for Prolonged Disorder of Consciousness: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the factors related to the efficacy of consciousness-regaining therapy (CRT) for prolonged disorder of consciousness. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the case data of 114 patients with prolonged disorder of consciousness (pDOC) admitted to the Department of Functional Neurosurgery of Tianjin Huanhu Hospital from January 2019 to January 2022 to explore the relevant factors that affect the efficacy of CRT for pDOC. Next, basic information on the cases, data on pDOC disease assessment, CRT methods, and efficacy evaluation were collected. RESULTS: These 114 patients were grouped, and a comparative analysis was done based on the efficacy at the end of treatment. Of these, 61 cases were allotted to the ineffective group and 53 cases to the effective group. There was a lack of statistical difference (P > 0.05) between the 2 groups based on gender, age, etiology, acute cerebral herniation, emergency craniotomy surgery, emergency decompressive craniectomy, time from onset to start of CRT, and CRT duration (P > 0.05). However, secondary hydrocephalus, CRT methods, JFK Coma Recovery Scale-Revised grading before treatment, and extended Glasgow Outcome Scale score at six months after treatment were found to be statistically different. The results of binary logistic regression analysis showed that the type of therapy (OR = 0.169, 95% CI: 0.057-0.508) affected the efficacy of CRT (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Personalized awakening therapy using various invasive CRT methods could improve the efficacy of therapy for pDOC compared with noninvasive therapy.

Mechanisms of Chinese Medicine in Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Treatment: Data Mining and Systematic Pharmacology Study.

OBJECTIVE: To identify specific Chinese medicines (CMs) that may benefit patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and explore the action mechanism. METHODS: Domestic and foreign literature on the treatment of GERD with CMs was searched and selected from China National Knowledge Infrastructure, China Science and Technology Journal Database, Wanfang Database, and PubMed from October 1, 2011 to October 1, 2021. Data from all eligible articles were extracted to establish the database of CMs for GERD. Apriori algorithm of data mining techniques was used to analyze the rules of herbs selection and core Chinese medicine formulas were identified. A system pharmacology approach was used to explore the action mechanism of these medicines. RESULTS: A total of 278 prescriptions for GERD were analyzed, including 192 CMs. Results of Apriori algorithm indicated that Evodiae Fructus and Coptidis Rhizoma were the highest confidence combination. A total of 32 active ingredients and 66 targets were screened for the treatment of GERD. Enrichment analysis showed that the mechanisms of action mainly involved pathways in cancer, fluid shear stress and atherosclerosis, advanced glycation end product (AGE), the receptor for AGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications, bladder cancer, and rheumatoid arthritis. CONCLUSION: Evodiae Fructus and Coptidis Rhizoma are the core drugs in the treatment of GERD and the potential mechanism of action of these medicines includes potential target and pathways.

Clinical Study of Intraoperative Microelectrode Recordings during Awake and Asleep Subthalamic Nucleus Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson's Disease: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Our objective is to analyze the difference of microelectrode recording (MER) during awake and asleep subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) for Parkinson's disease (PD) and the necessity of MER during "Asleep DBS" under general anesthesia (GA). The differences in MER, target accuracy, and prognosis under different anesthesia methods were analyzed. Additionally, the MER length was compared with the postoperative electrode length by electrode reconstruction and measurement. The MER length of two groups was 5.48 ± 1.39 mm in the local anesthesia (LA) group and 4.38 ± 1.43 mm in the GA group, with a statistical significance between the two groups (p < 0.01). The MER length of the LA group was longer than its postoperative electrode length (p < 0.01), however, there was no significant difference between the MER length and postoperative electrode length in the GA group (p = 0.61). There were also no significant differences in the postoperative electrode length, target accuracy, and postoperative primary and secondary outcome scores between the two groups (p > 0.05). These results demonstrate that "Asleep DBS" under GA is comparable to "Awake DBS" under LA. GA has influences on MER during surgery, but typical STN discharges can still be recorded. MER is not an unnecessary surgical procedure.

LncRNA GAS5 represses stemness and malignancy of gliomas via elevating the SPACA6-miR-125a/let-7e Axis.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a highly invasive neurological malignancy with poor prognosis. LncRNA-GAS5 (growth arrest-specific transcript 5) is a tumor suppressor involved in multiple cancers. In this study, we explored the clinical significance, biological function, and underlying mechanisms of GAS5 in GBM. We showed that lncRNA-GAS5 expression decreased in high-grade glioma tissues and cells, which might be associated with poor prognosis. GAS5 overexpression lowered cell viability, suppressed GBM cell migration and invasion, and impaired the stemness and proliferation of glioma stem cells (GSCs). We further discovered that GAS5 inhibited the viability of glioma cells through miR-let-7e and miR-125a by protecting SPACA6 from degradation. Moreover, GAS5 played an anti-oncogenic role in GBM through the combined involvement of let-7e and miR-125a in vivo and in vitro. Notably, these two miRNAs block the IL-6/STAT3 pathway in tumor tissues extracted from a xenograft model. Taken together, our study provides evidence for an important role of GAS5 in GBM by affecting the proliferation and migration of GSCs, thus providing a new potential prognostic biomarker and treatment strategy for GBM.

Comparison of outcomes between intracapsular resection and pseudocapsule-based extracapsular resection for pituitary adenoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Transsphenoidal surgery is the preferred first-line therapy for most pituitary adenoma(PA), and the conventional strategy of treatment is intracapsular resection(IR). The protocol of extracapsular resection(ER), which considers the pseudocapsule as the PA boundary for surgical removal, has also been introduced gradually. In this study, the clinical efficacies and complications were explored and compared between these two procedures. METHODS: A systematic literature review was performed in the PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and Cochrane databases. Articles comparing between IR and ER were included. RESULTS: There were 7 studies containing 1768 cases in accordance with the inclusion criteria. Although the meta-analysis showed no significant difference in complete resection, a sensitivity analysis revealed that ER was more conducive to total PA resection than IR. Moreover, we found a significant difference in favor of ER regarding biochemical remission. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in the incidence rate of certain complications, such as hormone deficiency, diabetes insipidus, intraoperative cerebrospinal fluid(CSF) and postoperative CSF leakage. However, a sensitivity analysis suggested that IR decreased the risk of intraoperative CSF leakage. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis unveiled that ER contributed to biochemical remission. To some extent, our results also showed that ER played a positive role in complete resection, but that IR reduced the incidence of intraoperative CSF leakage. However, the available evidence needs to be further authenticated using well-designed prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled clinical trials.

Cerebral Venous Sinus Incision for Surgical Thrombectomy Combined with Thrombolysis During Decompressive Craniectomy for Malignant Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis Complicated with Cerebral Hernia.

For malignant cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) complicated with cerebral hernia, decompressive craniectomy may be life-saving, and thrombectomy combined with thrombolysis may obtain better outcomes. This report describes an approach performed on 2 patients diagnosed with CVST combined both thrombectomy and thrombolysis with decompressive craniectomy through incising the superior sagittal sinus. The general procedure of the operation is as follows. The anterior part of the superior sagittal sinus was exposed firstly. After cutting the dura matter for decompression, a superior sagittal sinus incision was taken to detect sinus thrombus. In order to facilitate hemostasis during detecting the sagittal sinus, 2 silk sutures were sutured along the incision. The incision was 5 millimeters long approximately along the middle line of the front third of the superior sagittal sinus. A silicone intubation was inserted in the sinus through the incision. Thrombus was seen in the suction tube. At a depth of about 10 cm, while it is difficult to penetrate the tube, we used the gelatin sponge to cover the sinus incision and fixed the suture lines after cross-knotting. The silicone intubation was drawn out through the forehead and connected to external micro pump for injecting anticoagulant drugs, then cut the dura mater into star-shaped and discard bone flap for decompression. Absorbable artificial dura mater was used to repair bilateral dura mater, respectively. At last, connect the catheter to the micro pump for pumping anticoagulant. After operation, the 2 patients received thrombolysis through the catheter placed in the sinus. Both of them recovered well. There was no incision-related bleeding occurred after surgery. Both the patients achieved incredibly good outcomes. For patients with malignant cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, acute cerebral hernia or cerebral hernia tendency, it may be an effective approach combined both thrombectomy and thrombolysis with decompressive craniectomy through incising the superior sagittal sinus.

[Effect of Huazhuo Jiedu formula on HIF-1α, VEGF, and PTEN in chronic erosive gastritis patients with syndrome of accumulation of turbidity and toxicity].

To observe the clinical efficacy of Huazhuo Jiedu formula in treating chronic erosive gastritis (CEG) patients with syndrome of accumulation of turbidity and toxicity, explore its mechanism by observing the changes in expression levels of hypoxia inducible factor (HIF-1α), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in serum and gastric mucosa tissues after treatment, and provide theoretical basis for the clinical application of Huazhuo Jiedu formula in treating chronic erosive gastritis. All 70 patient of CEG were randomly divided into control group and treatment group, 35 cases in each group. The patients in control group received Alatan Wuwei Wan, bid, 1 bag/time; while the patients in treatment group were given with Huazhuo Jiedu formula, 1 dose/day. The course of the treatment was 6 months in both groups. The changes in clinical symptoms, gastroscopic signs, pathology and the expression levels of HIF-1α, VEGF, and phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN) in serum and gastric mucosa tissues were observed in both groups. The results showed that treatment group was better than control group in clinical efficacy, gastroscopic efficacy and pathological effect after treatment (P<0.05); the levels of HIF-1α and VEGF in serum of treatment group were lower than those in the control group after treatment (P<0.05), while the level of PTEN in serum of treatment group was higher than that in the control group after treatment (P<0.05); the levels of HIF-1α and VEGF in gastric mucosa tissues in the treatment group were lower than those in the control group after treatment, while the level of PTEN in gastric mucosa tissues in treatment group was higher than that in the control group after treatment (P<0.05), with statistically significant differences between these two groups (P<0.05). Huazhuo Jiedu formula can improve the clinical symptoms, gastroscopic signs and pathological conditions in CEG patients with syndrome of accumulation of turbidity and toxicity, and the mechanism may be associated with decreasing the expression level of HIF-1α, VEGF and increasing the expression level of PTEN.

Independent Risk Factors Predicting Central Lymph Node Metastasis in Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma.

The incidence of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) has risen rapidly in recent years, and PTMC patients with central lymph node metastasis (CLNM) usually have poor prognosis. Independent risk factors predicting CLNM in PTMC have not been well understood. The aim of our study was to identify useful clinicopathological risk factors predicting CLNM in PTMC patients. This was a retrospective study of 917 patients with PTMC treated with surgery from January 2014 to December 2015 in our hospital. The relationship between clinicopathological factors and CLNM was analyzed to identify those factors predicting CLNM in PTMC. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were further performed. Of 917 PTMC patients, 344 (37.5%) were found to have CLNM confirmed by intraoperative frozen-section examination. Multivariate logistic regression analyses further found several independent factors predicting CLNM in PTMC patients, including male gender (OR=1.75, 95% CI 1.17-2.61; p=0.006), younger age (<45 years) (OR=1.69, 95%CI 1.20-2.38; p=0.002), positive CLNM on ultrasonography (OR=10.20, 95% CI 5.51-18.88; p<0.001), multifocality (OR=1.69, 95% CI 1.00-2.85; p=0.04), and larger tumor size (>5 mm) (OR=2.80, 95% CI 2.01-3.91; p<0.001). The findings of our study identified several useful and independent risk factors predicting CLNM in PTMC patients, such as male gender, younger age, multifocality, positive CLNM on ultrasonography, and larger tumor size. The CLNM is very common in PTMC patients, and routine prophylactic central neck dissection may be recommended in PTMC patients with those independent risk factors of CLNM.

Association Between Tumor Necrosis Factor-α and Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: a Meta-Analysis.

Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) is a cell signaling protein involved in systemic inflammation, and is also an important cytokine in the acute phase reaction. Several studies suggested a possible association between TNF-α and diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) in type 2 diabetic patients, but no accurate conclusion was available. A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies was performed to comprehensively assess the association between serum TNF-α levels and DPN in type 2 diabetic patients. We searched Pubmed, Web of Science, Embase, and China Biology Medicine (CMB) databases for eligible studies. Study-specific data were combined using meta-analysis. Fourteen studies were finally included into the meta-analysis, which involved a total of 2650 participants. Meta-analysis showed that there were obviously increased serum TNF-α levels in DPN patients compared with type 2 diabetic patients without DPN (standard mean difference [SMD] = 1.203, 95 % CI 0.795-1.611, P < 0.001). There were also obviously increased levels of serum TNF-α in diabetic patients with DPN when compared with healthy controls (SMD = 2.364, 95 % CI 1.333-3.394, P < 0.001). In addition, there were increased serum TNF-α levels in painful DPN patients compared with painless DPN patients (SMD = 0.964, 95 % CI 0.237-1.690, P = 0.009). High level of serum TNF-α was significantly associated with increased risk of DPN in patients with type 2 diabetes (odds ratio [OR] = 2.594, 95 % CI 1.182-5.500, P = 0.017). Increased serum levels of TNF-α was not associated with increased risk of painful DPN in patients with type 2 diabetes (OR = 2.486, 95 % CI 0.672-9.193, P = 0.172). Sensitivity analysis showed that there was no obvious change in the pooled estimates when omitting single study by turns. Type 2 diabetic patients with peripheral neuropathy have obviously increased serum TNF-α levels than type 2 diabetic patients without peripheral neuropathy and healthy controls, and high level of serum TNF-α may be associated with increased risk of peripheral neuropathy independently. Further prospective cohort studies are needed to assess the association between TNF-α and DPN.

[Correlation Research on HGF and c-Met of Chronic Erosive Gastritis Patients].

Objective To observe the correlation of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and Hepato- cyte growth factor receptor (c-Met ) in serum and gastric mucosa tissues of chronic erosive gastritis pa- tients. Methods Totally 70 patients with chronic erosive gastritis were selected and assigned to turbidity toxin intrinsic syndrome group and Gan-wei disharmony syndrome group, HGF expression level of ser- um,and HGF,c-Met expression level of gastric mucosa tissues were measured;the correlation of HGF and c-Met in gastric mucosa tissues, and the correlation of HGF in serum and gastric mucosa tissues were analyzed. Results The expression level of HGF and c-Met in turbidity toxin intrinsic syndrome group was higher than that in Gan-wei disharmony syndrome group (P <0. 05) ; the expression level of HGF in gastric mucosa tissues was positively correlated with c-Met(r =0. 831 , P <0. 05) ; the expression level of HGF in serum was positively correlated with that of gastric mucosa tissues(r =0. 656, P <0. 05). Conclusions There was correlation between turbidity toxin intrinsic syndrome of Chronic Erosive Gastri- tis patients and the expression level of HGF and c-Met.

Prognostic Role of microRNA-21 Expression in Brain Tumors: a Meta-analysis.

Many studies have shown that microRNAs have important roles in the development and progression of various cancers. Recent studies also showed that microRNA-21 expression may be associated with the prognosis of patients with several common cancers. However, there was still lack of evidence for the prognostic role of microRNA-21 expression in brain tumors. We performed a systemic review and meta-analysis of published and unpublished studies to assess the prognostic role of microRNA-21 expression in patients with brain tumors. PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar databases were searched for eligible studies with data assessing the prognostic role of microRNA-21 expression in brain tumors. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) of microRNA-21 expression for overall survival and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. Six studies from five publications were finally included into the meta-analysis. Those six studies included a total of 747 patients with brain tumors and 654 patients with gliomas. For overall survival, the pooled HR of higher microRNA-21 expression in patients with brain tumors was 1.82 (95% CI 1.29-2.58, P = 0.001). In patients with gliomas, the HR for overall survival of higher microRNA-21 expression was 1.83 (95% CI 1.09-3.09, P = 0.023). Sensitivity analysis by omitting one study by turns also showed there was no obvious influence of individual study on the pooled HRs. There was no obvious risk of publication bias in the meta-analysis. The present meta-analysis suggests that microRNA-21 is associated with the prognosis of patients with brain tumors, and high expression of microRNA-21 can predict poor prognosis in patients with brain tumors.

High leptin level is an independent risk factor of endometrial cancer: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Previous studies suggested that high leptin level might increase risk of endometrial cancer, but available data were conflicting and whether high leptin level was an independent risk factor of endometrial cancer was still unclear. Therefore, a meta-analysis was performed to assess whether high leptin level was an independent risk factor of endometrial cancer. METHODS: PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase databases were searched for epidemiological studies published up to June 26, 2014. The pooled risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was used to assess the association between leptin level and risk of endometrial cancer. RESULTS: Six studies with a total of 3136 individuals were finally included into the meta-analysis. Meta-analysis of total 6 studies showed that high leptin level was associated with increased risk of endometrial cancer (RR = 2.55, 95%CI 1.91-3.41, P < 0.001). After adjusting for confounding factors, high leptin level was also associated with increased risk of endometrial cancer (RR =1.59, 95%CI 1.27-1.98, P < 0.001). Sensitivity analysis proved the stability of the pooled estimates. The RR of endometrial cancer was 1.10 (95%CI, 1.03-1.18, P = 0.005) per 5 ng/mL increment in leptin levels. There was no obvious risk of publication bias (P Egger = 0.54). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that high leptin level is an independent risk factor of endometrial cancer. More prospective studies are needed to further confirm the association in the future.

Significant association between MTHFR C677T polymorphism and thyroid cancer risk: evidence from a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Many studies were published to assess the associations of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T polymorphism with thyroid diseases, including thyroid cancer, but the results were controversial. METHODS: A comprehensive search was performed in the Pubmed, Embase, and Chinese Biomedical Database (CBM) databases or published studies investigating the associations of MTHFR C677T polymorphism with thyroid diseases. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were used to assess the possible associations. RESULTS: Nine studies with a total of 2421 individuals were finally included into the meta-analysis. Meta-analysis of nine studies showed that there was no association between MTHFR C677T polymorphism and thyroid diseases (OR (T vs. C) =1.09, 95% CI 0.94-1.26, p=0.25; OR (TT vs. CC) =1.04, 95% CI 0.75-1.42, p=0.83; OR (TT vs. CC/CT) =1.13, 95% CI 0.86-1.50, p=0.37; OR (TT/CT vs. CC) =1.22, 95% CI 0.88-1.68, p=0.24). Meta-analysis of studies on thyroid cancer showed that there was an obvious association between MTHFR C677T polymorphism and increased risk of thyroid cancer in Caucasians (OR (T vs. C) =1.30, 95% CI 1.03-1.65, p=0.03; OR (TT vs. CC) =2.06, 95% CI 1.04-4.10, p=0.04; OR (TT vs. CC/CT) =2.02, 95% CI 1.02-3.92, p=0.04). There was no obvious risk of publication bias in the meta-analysis. CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis suggests that there is a significant association between MTHFR C677T polymorphism and thyroid cancer risk in Caucasians.

Diabetes mellitus and poorer prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies suggested that diabetes mellitus was associated with cancer risk and prognosis, but studies investigating the relationship between diabetes mellitus and survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) reported inconsistent findings. To derive a more precise estimate of the prognostic role of diabetes mellitus in HCC, we systematically reviewed published studies and carried out a meta-analysis. METHODS: Eligible articles were identified in electronic databases from their inception through September 16, 2013. To evaluate the correlation between diabetes mellitus and prognosis in HCC, the pooled hazard ratios (HR) and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for poorer overall and disease-free survivals were calculated by standard meta-analysis techniques with fixed-effects or random-effects models. RESULTS: 21 studies with a total of 9,767 HCC patients stratifying overall survival and/or disease-free survival in HCC patients by diabetes mellitus status were eligible for meta-analysis. 20 studies with a total of 9,727 HCC cases investigated the overall survival, and 10 studies with a total of 2,412 HCC patients investigated the disease-free survival. The pooled HRs for overall survival and disease-free survival were 1.46 (95% CI, 1.29 to 1.66; P<0.001) and 1.57 (95% CI, 1.21 to 2.05; P = 0.001), respectively. The adjusted HRs for overall survival and disease-free survival were 1.55 (95% CI, 1.27 to 1.91; P<0.001) and 2.15 (95% CI, 1.75 to 2.63; P<0.001), respectively. In addition, for patients receiving hepatic resection, diabetes mellitus was associated with both poorer overall survival and poorer disease-free survival, and for patients receiving non-surgical treatment or patients receiving radiofrequency ablation, diabetes mellitus was associated with poorer overall survival. There was no evidence for publication bias. CONCLUSION: Diabetes mellitus is independently associated with both poorer overall survival and poorer disease-free survival in HCC patients.

Significant associations between X-ray repair cross-complementing group 3 genetic polymorphisms and thyroid cancer risk.

Polymorphisms in X-ray cross-complementing group 3 (XRCC3) are proposed to be associated with cancer susceptibility, but previous studies on the associations between XRCC3 polymorphisms and thyroid cancer are controversial. We performed a systemic review and meta-analysis to investigate the associations of XRCC3 polymorphisms with thyroid cancer risk. We used odds ratio (OR) with 95 % confidence interval (95%CI) to assess the associations. For XRCC3 C241T polymorphism, meta-analysis of total eligible studies showed that there was no association between XRCC3 C241T polymorphism and thyroid cancer risk, but subgroup analysis in Caucasians showed that there was a significant association between XRCC3 C241T polymorphism and thyroid cancer risk (T versus C: OR = 1.30, 95%CI 1.05-1.62, P = 0.01; TT versus CC: OR = 1.74, 95%CI 1.13-2.70, P = 0.01; TT versus CC/CT: OR = 1.74, 95%CI 1.16-2.60, P = 0.007). For XRCC3 A17893G polymorphism, meta-analysis of total eligible studies showed that there was an obvious association between XRCC3 A17893G polymorphism and thyroid cancer risk (GG versus AA/AG: OR = 0.57, 95%CI 0.35-0.93, P = 0.02), but subgroup analysis by ethnicity only identify the significant association in Asians. In summary, the meta-analysis suggests that there are significant associations of XRCC3 polymorphisms with thyroid cancer risk. Besides, more studies with large sample sizes are needed to further assess the associations above.

Association between TP53 Arg72Pro polymorphism and thyroid carcinoma risk.

TP53 Arg72Pro polymorphism has been proposed to have some effects on host's susceptibility to cancer. Several studies were published to assess the association between TP53 Arg72Pro polymorphism and thyroid carcinoma, but they reported controversial results. We performed a systemic review and meta-analysis to assess the association between TP53 Arg72Pro polymorphism and thyroid carcinoma. Odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was used to assess the association. Fourteen individual studies with 3,483 subjects were finally included into the meta-analysis. Overall, there was an obvious association between TP53 Arg72Pro polymorphism and thyroid carcinoma under the recessive model (ProPro vs. ArgArg/ArgPro, OR = 2.02, 95% CI 1.13 to 3.62, P = 0.02). Subgroup analysis by race showed that TP53 Arg72Pro polymorphism was associated with thyroid carcinoma in Caucasians (ProPro vs. ArgArg/ArgPro, OR = 2.31, 95% CI 1.08 to 4.93, P = 0.03). Subgroup analysis by histological type showed that TP53 Arg72Pro polymorphism was not associated with a risk of different types of thyroid carcinoma. In summary, the meta-analysis suggests that TP53 Arg72Pro polymorphism is associated with thyroid carcinoma risk in Caucasians. Besides, more studies with large sample size are needed to further assess the associations above.

[Effect of huazhuo jiedu hewei recipe on the mechanism of angiogenesis in precancerous lesions of gastric cancer rats].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the possible angiogenesis mechanism of Huazhuo Jiedu Hewei Recipe (HJHR) in preventing and treating precancerous lesions of gastric cancer (PLGC). METHODS: Totally 66 Wistar rats were randomly divided into 6 groups, i.e., the normal control group, the model group, the retinoic acid (RA) group, the high dose HJHR group, the middle dose HJHR group, the low dose HJHR group, 11 in each group. PLGC model was duplicated by inserting a spring with Helicobacter. Corresponding medicines were administered to rats in each medicated group once daily by gastrogavage, 2 mL each time for 12 successive weeks. The effect of HJHR on hypoxia induced factor (HIF-1alpha) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) of PLGC in chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) rats' gastric mucosa was observed by immunohistochemical assay and Western blot method. RESULTS: Compared with the normal control group, the expression of VEGF and HIF-1alpha increased in the model group (P < 0.05). Compared with the model group, the expression of VEGF and HIF-1alpha decreased in each medicated group (P < 0.05). Besides, they were lower in the high and middle dose HJHR groups than in the RA group and the low dose HJHR group (P < 0. 05). There was no statistical difference between the low dose HJHR group and the RA group (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: HJHR could prevent and treat PLGC of CAG rats possibly through decreasing the expression of HIF-1alpha and VEGF in a dose-dependent manner.

Acute neuroprotective effects of extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields after traumatic brain injury in rats.

Traumatic brain injury commonly has a result of a short window of opportunity between the period of initial brain injury and secondary brain injury, which provides protective strategies and can reduce damages of brain due to secondary brain injury. Previous studies have reported neuroprotective effects of extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields. However, the effects of extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields on neural damage after traumatic brain injury have not been reported yet. The present study aims to investigate effects of extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields on neuroprotection after traumatic brain injury. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were used for the model of lateral fluid percussion injury, which were placed in non-electromagnetic fields and 15 Hz (Hertz) electromagnetic fields with intensities of 1 G (Gauss), 3 G and 5 G. At various time points (ranging from 0.5 to 30 h) after lateral fluid percussion injury, rats were treated with kainic acid (administered by intraperitoneal injection) to induce apoptosis in hippocampal cells. The results were as follows: (1) the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α was dramatically decreased during the neuroprotective time window. (2) The kainic acid-induced apoptosis in the hippocampus was significantly decreased in rats exposed to electromagnetic fields. (3) Electromagnetic fields exposure shortened the escape time in water maze test. (4) Electromagnetic fields exposure accelerated the recovery of the blood-brain barrier after brain injury. These findings revealed that extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields significantly prolong the window of opportunity for brain protection and enhance the intensity of neuroprotection after traumatic brain injury.

[The correlation between BRAF mutations, RET/PTC rearrangements and platelet-derived growth factor B expression in papillary thyroid carcinomas].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of BRAF T1799A mutation and RET/PTC rearrangement in Qingdao and detect the expression of platelet-derived growth factor B (PDGF-B) in order to investigate the correlation between gene mutation and PDGF-B. METHODS: Fresh tissue from 48 papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTC) patients was examined for BRAF mutation RET rearrangements (RET/PTC1 and RET/PTC3) by PCR, followed by direct-sequence analysis. The expression of PDGF was analyzed by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Among the 48 patients, 14 (29.2%) were micro PTC; 18 (37.5%) had BRAF T1799A mutations and 23(47.9%) had RET/PTC rearrangement. There were 17 (35.4%) cases of RET/PTC1 and 6 (12.5%) of RET/PTC3, with no multiple rearrangements. Both BRAF T1799A mutation and RET/PTC rearrangement were present in 6 (12.5%) cases of non-micro PTC. The level of PDGF-B expression in BRAF T1799A positive was higher than that in the negative, and the level of PDGF-B expression in RET/PTC3 was higher than that in RET/PTC1 (P < 0.05). The more advanced neoplasm stage was, the stranger PDGF-B expression was. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of BRAF T1799A mutation and RET/PTC rearrangement is higher in Qingdao. BRAF T1799A mutation and RET/PTC3 rearrangement in patients suggests a poorer prognosis than the negative one. The BRAF T1799A mutation and RET/PTC3 rearrangement may strengthen the expression of PDGF-B. Both variations suggest a poor prognosis.