Exploring the lack of continuity of care in older cancer patients under China's 'integrated health system' reform.

BACKGROUND: Continuity of care is essential to older patients' health outcomes, especially for those with complex needs. It is a key function of primary healthcare. Despite China's policy efforts to promote continuity of care and an integrated healthcare system, primary healthcare centres (PHCs) are generally very underused. OBJECTIVES: To explore the experience and perception of continuity of care in older cancer patients, and to examine how PHCs play a role in the continuity of care within the healthcare system in China. METHODS: A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews was conducted in two tertiary hospitals in Nantong city, Jiangsu province, China. A combination of deductive and inductive analysis was conducted thematically. RESULTS: Interviews with 29 patients highlighted three key themes: no guidance for patients in connecting with different levels of doctors, unmet patients' needs under specialist-led follow-up care, and poor coordination and communication across healthcare levels. This study clearly illustrated patients' lack of personal awareness and experience of care continuity, a key issue despite China's drive for an integrated healthcare system. CONCLUSION: The need for continuity of care at each stage of cancer care is largely unmeasured in the current healthcare system for older patients. PHCs offer benefits which include convenience, less burdened doctors with more time, and lower out-of-pocket payment compared to tertiary hospitals, especially for patients with long-term healthcare needs. However, addressing barriers such as the absence of integrated medical records and unclear roles of PHCs are needed to improve the crucial role of PHCs in continuity of care.

Nonreciprocal coupling modulated difference-sideband generation in a double-cavity optomechanical system.

We theoretically study the difference-sideband generation in a double-cavity optomechanical system with nonreciprocal coupling. Beyond the conventional linearized description of optomechanical interactions, we derive analytical expressions for the efficiency of difference-sideband generation by using a perturbation method. Here we investigate bistable behaviors of the system and show the difference-sideband generation modulated by the nonreciprocal coupling strength between the two cavities. We find that the nonreciprocal coupling strength can not only affect the bistability of the system but also lead to different efficiencies of difference-sideband generation at low power. To achieve high efficiency of difference-sideband generation, we give the optimal matching conditions under different parameter mechanisms. Especially as the power increases, we find new matching conditions with remarkable difference-sideband generation emerging, which is attribute to the strong coherence between the cavity field and the mechanical oscillator. Furthermore, a feasible scheme to obtain difference-sideband generation by employing multiple adjustable variables is proposed. Our results may find applications in nonreciprocal optical frequency combs and communications, and provide a potential method for precision measurements and on-chip manipulation of light transmission.

Optomechanical squeezing with pulse modulation.

Quantum control technology provides an increasingly useful toolbox for quantum information tasks. In this Letter, by introducing a pulsed coupling to a standard optomechanical system, we show that stronger squeezing can be obtained with pulse modulation due to the reduction of the heating coefficient. Also, the general squeezed states, such as the squeezed vacuum, squeezed coherent, and squeezed cat states, can be obtained with their squeezing level exceeding 3 dB. Moreover, our scheme is robust to cavity decay, thermal temperature, and classical noise, which is friendly to experiments. The present work can extend the application of quantum engineering technology in optomechanical systems.

Magnon-mediated nonreciprocal microwave transmission based on quantum interference.

Nonreciprocity has always been a subject of interest and plays a key role in a variety of applications like signal processing and noise isolation. In this work, we propose a simple and feasible scheme to implement nonreciprocal microwave transmission in a high-quality-factor superconducting cavity with ferrimagnetic materials. We derive necessary requirements to create nonreciprocity in our system where a magnon mode and two microwave modes are coupled to each other, highlighting the adjustability of a static magnetic field controlled nonreciprocal transmission based on quantum interference between different transmission paths, which breaks time-reversal symmetry of the three-mode cavity magnonics system. The high light isolation adjusted within a range of different magnetic fields can be obtained by modulating the photon-magnon coupling strength. Due to the simplicity of the device and the system tunability, our results may facilitate potential applications for light magnetic sensing and coherent information processing.

Improving few-photon optomechanical effects with coherent feedback.

Few-photon effects such as photon blockade and tunneling have potential applications in modern quantum technology. To enhance the few-photon effects in an optomechanical system, we introduce a coherent feedback loop to cavity mode theoretically. By studying the second-order correlation function, we show that the photon blockade effect can be improved with feedback. Under appropriate parameters, the photon blockade effect exists even when cavity decay rate is larger than the single-photon optomechanical coupling coefficient, which may reduce the difficulty of realizing single-photon source in experiments. Through further study of the third-order correlation function, we show that the tunneling effect can also be enhanced by feedback. In addition, we discuss the application of feedback on Schrödinger-cat state generation in an optomechanical system. The result shows that the fidelity of cat state generation can be improved in the presence of feedback loop.

N6-methyladenosine reader YTHDC2 and eraser FTO may determine hepatocellular carcinoma prognoses after transarterial chemoembolization.

Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) has significantly improved overall survival (OS) of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. Unfortunately, a portion of patients show no therapeutic responses to TACE. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) as well as its epigenetic writers, erasers, and readers play a crucial role in HCC development. However, it is still largely unclear how functional small nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in m6A-regulating genes contribute to prognosis of TACE-treated HCC patients. In this study, potential functional SNPs were systematically evaluated to identify their roles in the prognosis of HCC patients after TACE in a Chinese Han population. Employing multiple databases, we successfully annotated 55 candidate SNPs. After genotyping these SNPs in our TACE cohort, we identified three genetic variants in YTHDC2 (rs6594732, rs10071816, and rs2303718) and one SNP in FTO (rs7202116) having statistically significant associations with the OS of HCC patients treated with TACE. For example, multivariate Cox proportional hazards model indicated that the rs7202116 GG genotype carriers had markedly shorter OS and an 87% increased death risk compared with the AA carriers after TACE therapy (P = 0.002). When investigating functional relevance of these SNPs, we observed an allelic regulation of rs7202116 on FTO expression in HCC tissue samples, with higher tumor suppressor FTO expression among the A allele carriers. Our findings reported the first evidence supporting the prognostic value of m6A reader YTHDC2 and m6A eraser FTO SNPs in TACE-treated HCC patients. Importantly, our data implicated that m6A-regulating genes may be targets to improve therapeutic strategy for unresectable HCC patients.

Type of Necrosis Influences Prognosis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma After the First Transarterial Chemoembolization.

BACKGROUND Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common tumors. Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is the first choice of treatment for intermediate HCC and an important treatment option for advanced HCC. This retrospective study compared the prognosis between patients showing coagulative necrosis and patients showing liquefactive necrosis after the first TACE procedure. MATERIAL AND METHODS We divided 171 patients with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) Stage B or C HCC into 2 groups; a coagulative necrosis group (79 patients) and a liquefactive necrosis group (92 patients). The coagulative and liquefactive necroses were identified by computed tomography after the first TACE procedure. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to identify the differences in the overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) between the 2 groups, and the associated risk factors and safety of TACE were analyzed. RESULTS The median OS durations were 23.27±1.40 months and 8.83±2.15 months (P=0.004) and the median PFS durations were 9.33±0.96 months and 3.70±0.44 months (P=0.002) in the coagulative necrosis and liquefactive necrosis groups, respectively. Intrahepatic in situ progression, new intrahepatic metastasis, and extrahepatic progression occurred significantly earlier in the liquefactive necrosis group (P<0.05). Univariate analysis and multivariate analyses showed liquefactive necrosis was the main risk factor for OS. There was no significant difference in the hepatic function impairment or post-embolism syndrome after TACE. CONCLUSIONS After the first TACE procedure, the patients with liquefactive necrosis experienced recurrence and metastasis earlier and had a worse prognosis. Therefore, these patients should be considered for earlier administration of targeted therapies or immunotherapies after TACE.

Silencing of lncRNA PVT1 by miR-214 inhibits the oncogenic GDF15 signaling and suppresses hepatocarcinogenesis.

The prognosis for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is dismal. Long noncoding RNA PVT1 has been linked to malignancies and might be a deleterious therapy target. However, the key events controlling its expression in HCC remain undetermined. Here, we address how PVT1 is fine-regulated and its downstream signaling in hepatoma cells. Interestingly, we found that c-Myc and P53 could divergently regulate PVT1 transcription. Oncoprotein c-Myc enhances PVT1 expression, whereas P53 suppresses its expression. We also identified miR-214 as a crucial, negative regulator of PVT1. Consistently, high miR-214 levels were significantly correlated with diminished PVT1 expression in HCC specimens. Silencing of PVT1 by ectopic miR-214 or siRNAs markedly inhibited viability and invasion of HCC cells. In opposition, inhibition of endogenous miR-214 promoted PVT1 expression and enhanced cell proliferation. Notably, oncogenic GDF15 is a potential downstream target of the miR-214-PVT1 signaling. Collectively, our results show that the c-Myc/P53/miR-214-PVT1-GDF15 axis is implicated in HCC development, shedding light on the mechanistic actions of PVT1 and representing potential targets for HCC clinical intervention.

The long noncoding RNA GAS8-AS1 suppresses hepatocarcinogenesis by epigenetically activating the tumor suppressor GAS8.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are vital players in cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We previously identified an lncRNA, GAS8-AS1, that is located in intron 2 of GAS8 However, its involvement in HCC is still largely unknown. In this study, we report that both GAS8-AS1 and its host gene GAS8 act as HCC tumor suppressors. We found that expression of GAS8-AS1 or GAS8 is significantly decreased in HCC tissues and is associated with a poor prognosis among HCC patients. Interestingly, lncRNA GAS8-AS1 could promote GAS8 transcription. We detected a CpG island in the GAS8 promoter, but lncRNA GAS8-AS1 did not affect DNA methylation at this GAS8 promoter site. Moreover, we identified two GAS8-AS1-interacting proteins, mixed-lineage leukemia 1 (MLL1), a histone 3 Lys-4 (H3K4) methyltransferase, and its partner WD-40 repeat protein 5 (WDR5). RNA pulldown, ChIP, and RNA immunoprecipitation assays revealed that GAS8-AS1 is required for maintaining the GAS8 promoter in an open chromatin state by recruiting the MLL1/WDR5 complex and for enhancing RNA polymerase II activity and GAS8 transcription. Of note, GAS8-AS1-dependent GAS8 hyperactivation inhibited malignant transformation of hepatocytes. Our results provide important insights into how lncRNA GAS8-AS1 suppresses HCC development and suggest potential strategies for treating patients with liver cancer.

The emerging role of microRNAs and long noncoding RNAs in drug resistance of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common malignancy worldwide and the second most lethal human cancer. A portion of patients with advanced HCC can significantly benefit from treatments with sorafenib, adriamycin, 5-fluorouracil and platinum drugs. However, most HCC patients eventually develop drug resistance, resulting in a poor prognosis. The mechanisms involved in HCC drug resistance are complex and inconclusive. Human transcripts without protein-coding potential are known as noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), including microRNAs (miRNAs), small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs), long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and circular RNA (circRNA). Accumulated evidences demonstrate that several deregulated miRNAs and lncRNAs are important regulators in the development of HCC drug resistance which elucidates their potential clinical implications. In this review, we summarized the detailed mechanisms by which miRNAs and lncRNAs affect HCC drug resistance. Multiple tumor-specific miRNAs and lncRNAs may serve as novel therapeutic targets and prognostic biomarkers for HCC.

A functional BRCA1 coding sequence genetic variant contributes to prognosis of triple-negative breast cancer, especially after radiotherapy.

PURPOSE: As a subtype of breast cancer, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) shows poor prognosis and high heterogeneity. Precise identification of TNBC subgroups relevant to clinical prognosis is crucial in the design and administration of individualized treatments. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of the functional BRCA1 rs799917 genetic variant in TNBC. METHODS: Associations between the rs799917 polymorphism and progression risk were investigated after genotyping 370 TNBC patients. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated by Cox regression.  RESULTS: We found that the rs799917T allele was associated with a significantly increased risk of disease progression and shortened progression-free survival time (PFS) (P = 0.001 for log-rank test). Notably, TNBC patients with the rs799917 CC genotype showed about 22 months prolonged PFS compared to the TT genotype after radiotherapy (HR 4.44, 95% CI 1.98-9.93; P = 2.9 × 10-4). Additionally, in overweight patients, the mean PFS of the rs799917TT genotype was 10 months shorter than that of the CC genotype (HR 3.57, 95% CI 1.46-8.73, P = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate that the functional BRCA1 genetic variant contributes to prognosis of TNBC. Our study also highlights the clinical potential of this polymorphism in the screening of high-risk TNBC patients for recurrence and the possibility of patient-tailored decisions especially during radiotherapy.

miR-1285-3p acts as a potential tumor suppressor miRNA via downregulating JUN expression in hepatocellular carcinoma.

In the world, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common and most lethal cancers. Currently, standard therapy for unresectable HCC is a local-regional therapy with transarterial chemoembolisation (TACE). In this study, we sought to assess whether plasma circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) can be used to predict the prognosis of HCC patients receiving the TACE treatment. Firstly, we systematically examined TACE therapeutic effectiveness-related circulating miRNAs through miRNA Profiling Chips. As a result, we identified 19 circulating miRNAs to be significantly differentially expressed between the TACE-response group and the TACE-nonresponse group. In the second stage, we performed quantitative analyses of these candidate miRNAs in additional HCC patients treated with TACE and validated two of the aforementioned 19 miRNAs (miR-1285-3p and miR-4741) as candidate biomarkers for predicting prognosis of TACE. Interestingly, we found that miR-1285-3p could directly repress JUN oncogene expression in HCC cells, indicating miR-1285-3p could act as a potential tumor suppressor. In conclusion, our data indicate that circulating miR-1285-3p and miR-4741 was predictive of response to TACE therapy in HCC.

Prevalence and risk factors of abnormal left ventricular geometrical patterns in untreated hypertensive patients.

BACKGROUND: The various prevalence of LVH and abnormal LV geometry have been reported in different populations. So far, only a few reports are available on the prevalence of LV geometric patterns in a large Chinese untreated hypertensive population. METHODS: A total of 9,286 subjects (5167 men and 4119 women) completed the survey and 1641 untreated hypertensive patients (1044 males and 597 females) enrolled in the present study. The LV geometry was classified into four patterns: normal; abnormal,defined as concentric remodeling;concentric or eccentric hypertrophy based on the values of left ventricular mass index (LVMI) and relative wall thickness (RWT). Logistic regression model was applied to determine the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of the risk factors of left ventricular hypertrophy. RESULTS: The prevalence of LVH was 20.2% in untreated hypertensive patients, much higher in women (30.8%) than in men (14.2%) (P < 0.01). The prevalence of LV geometrical patterns was 34.9%, 11.1%, 9.1% for concentric remodeling, concentric and eccentric hypertrophy,respectively. After adjustment by using Logistic regression model, the risk factors for LVH and abnormal LV geometry were age, female, systolic blood pressure, and body mass index. And low high density lipoprotein maybe a positive factor. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of LVH and abnormal LV geometric patterns was higher in women than in men and increased with age. It is crucial to improve the awareness rate of hypertension and control the risk factors of CV complications in untreated hypertensive population.

Expression and clinical significance of NLRC5 in hepatocellular carcinoma.

NLRC5, the largest member of the nucleotide-binding and oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptor (NLR) family, has been reported to participate in the regulation of immune function and is associated with chronic inflammatory diseases. However, the biological function of NLRC5 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has not been fully demonstrated. The aim of this study is to evaluate NLRC5 expression in the tumor tissues of HCC patients undergoing surgical treatment, assess its prognostic value, and explore its relationship with critical immune-related molecules within the tumor microenvironment. A total of 100 patients with hepatitis B virus-associated HCC receiving surgical treatment were enrolled in the study. Immunohistochemical results were obtained by scoring the intensity of cellular staining and the percentage of positive cells in the tissue sections. The association between NLRC5 expression levels and the main clinicopathological factors was analyzed by Chi-square test method. The prognostic values were analyzed by COX regression model and the Kaplan-Meier survival curve. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to assess the predictive performance of NLRC5 in postoperative patients with HCC. IHC showed that high expression of NLRC5 was observed in 67% of HCC tissue samples. Chi-square test showed that NLRC5 was a risk factor associated with tumor number, satellite nodule, and envelope invasion. Kaplan-Meier survival curves and COX survival analysis showed that high expression of NLRC5 was significantly associated with decreased overall survival (OS) in HCC patients (HR = 1.79, 95% CI 1.03-3.12, p = .041). However, univariate logistic regression analysis revealed that NLRC5 showed positive relationship with GZMB and CD8α suggesting its role in immune escape of HCC. ROC curve analysis showed that the combination of tumor number, envelope invasion, and NLRC5 expression (area under the curve = 0.824, sensitivity = 77.30%, specificity = 82.4%) can more accurately evaluate the prognosis of HCC patients compared to the combination of only tumor number and envelope invasion (area under the curve = 0.690, sensitivity = 43.9%, specificity = 94.1%).NLRC5 plays a crucial role in progression of HCC and can be considered as a potential prognostic and predictive biomarker. Targeting NLRC5 may provide an attractive therapeutic approach for HCC.

Molecular Detection and Characterization of Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia duodenalis in Dairy Calves from Ningxia, China.

PURPOSE: Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia duodenalis are two important foodborne human and animal parasites that can be disseminated through both food and water, leading to diarrheal disease. Nevertheless, available information on the circumstances of Cryptosporidium and Giardia duodenalis from Ningxia is limited. METHODS: A total of 208 stool samples of dairy calves derived from large-scale farms (> 1000 heads) of five cities randomly in Ningxia were gathered randomly, were amplified and analyzed by nested PCR based on the three target genes (18S rRNA, gp60 and tpi)and phylogenetic systematics. RESULTS: The prevalence of cryptosporidiosis and giardiasis in dairy calves in Ningxia were 13.0% (27/208 samples, 95% CI 9.1-18.2%) and 1.9% (4/208, 95% CI 0.8-4.9%) respectively. Three Cryptosporidium species appeared in this study which are Cryptosporidium parvum (C. parvum), Cryptosporidium andersoni (C. andersoni) and Cryptosporidium ryanae (C. ryanae) based on the 18S rRNA gene sequence. IIdA15G1 and IIdA13G1 belonging to the subtypes of Cryptosporidium were detected by the gp60 PCR. The genotypes of Giardia duodenalis were only assemblage E through the amplification of the triosephosphate-isomerase gene (tpi gene). CONCLUSION: There is a risk of transmission to humans in Ningxia because of zoonotic genotypes (C. parvum, C. andersoni, assemblage E) and subtypes (IId) of Cryptosporidium spp. and G. duodenalis in dairy calves, and it is necessary to pay attention to the disease to prevent a widespread epidemic of the disease with the purpose to protect human and livestock health.

The Superconductivity in Bi-Doped BaFe2As2 Single Crystals.

We have successfully synthesized a series of Bi-doped BaFe2As2 high-quality single crystals for the first time. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns show an expansion of lattice parameter c with Bi doping, indicating a negative pressure effect. By investigating the resistivity, a Fermi liquid (FL) to non-Fermi liquid (NFL) crossover is observed from normal state to antiferromagnetic order state, accompanied by three superconducting transitions labeled as SC I, SC II and SC III, which are supposed to be induced by three superconducting realms with various Bi concentrations. Thus, we propose that the NFL behavior is closely related to the presence of superconductivity. The magnetic susceptibility measurements further speculate that the SC I and SC III phases should exhibit filamentary superconductivity while the SC II exhibits a possible bulk superconductivity of TC~7 K.

Functional MDM4 rs4245739 genetic variant, alone and in combination with P53 Arg72Pro polymorphism, contributes to breast cancer susceptibility.

The oncoprotein MDM4 plays an essential role in P53 tumor suppressor pathway through negative regulation of P53 function. It has been reported that the rs4245739 A > C polymorphism located in the MDM4 3'-untranslated region creates a miR-191 target site and results in decreased MDM4 expression. Therefore, we investigated the association of the MDM4 rs4245739 polymorphism as well as the P53 Arg72Pro genetic variant with the breast cancer risk. Genotypes were determined in two independent case-control sets consisting of 1100 breast cancer cases and 1400 controls from two regions of China. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated by logistic regression. Our results demonstrated that the MDM4 rs4245739 AC and CC genotypes were significantly associated with decreased breast cancer risk compared to the AA genotype in both the case-control sets (Jinan set: OR = 0.55, 95 % CI 0.40-0.76, P = 2.3 × 10(-4); Huaian set: OR = 0.41, 95 % CI 0.25-0.67, P = 3.1 × 10(-4)). The P53 Arg/Pro genotype or Pro/Pro genotype was significantly associated with an increased risk of developing breast cancer, compared to the P53 Arg/Arg genotype in both the case-control sets (all P < 0.05). Interestingly, we observed a combinational effect between MDM4 rs4245739 and P53 Arg72Pro variants in attenuating breast cancer risk, highlighting the importance of the P53 tumor suppressor pathway genes during malignant transformation. Our results also support the hypothesis that genetic variants interrupting miRNA-mediated gene regulation might be important genetic modifiers of breast cancer risk.

Efficacy of TACE Combined with Lenvatinib Plus Sintilimab for Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Tumor Thrombus in the Inferior Vena Cava and/or Right Atrium.

Purpose: To validate the safety and effectiveness of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) combination with lenvatinib and sintilimab in treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with inferior vena cava (IVC) and/or right atrium (RA) tumor thrombosis (TT). Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed HCC patients with IVC and/or RA TT treated with TACE combined with lenvatinib plus sintilimab. Overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), and disease control rate (DCR) were calculated to evaluate the anti-tumor efficacy. Treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) were analyzed to assess the safety profiles. Results: A total of 58 patients were screened for eligibility between March 2019 and May 2022. At the time of data collection, 48.2% of patients were still receiving treatment. The median follow-up was 23.5 months. The ORR was 48.3%, the DCR was 91.4%, the median OS was 17.3 months, and the median PFS was 13.0 months. The ORR for IVC/RA TT was 62.1%, DCR was 94.9%, and the median PFS was 14.3 months. 56.9% of patients experienced ≥ grade 3 TRAEs, such as hypertension (10.3%) and elevated liver enzymes (13.8%). No new safety signals were identified. Participants with low levels of serum PCT value had satisfactory prognoses. Conclusion: TACE combination with lenvatinib plus sintilimab is effective in treating HCC with IVC and/or RA TT. The toxicities were manageable, with no unexpected safety signals. The baseline levels of serum PCT might be the predictive biomarkers for the triple combination therapy.

[Inhibitory effect of compound cantharides capsule on the proliferation of xenografts of human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG(2)215 in mice].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the inhibitory effect of compound cantharides capsules on the proliferation of xenografts of human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG(2215) in mice and their mechanism of action. METHODS: One hundred healthy Balb/c mice (5-week old, male:female 1:1) were used in this study. Mouse models of human HepG(2215) hepatocarcinoma were established. The tumor-bearing mice were divided into five groups randomly. The control group A received daily intragastric administration of physiologic saline. The intervention groups B1, B2 and B3 were treated with compound cantharides capsule in a dose of 12.5 mg×kg(-1)×d(-1), 25 mg×kg(-1)×d(-1) and 37.5 mg×kg(-1)×d(-1), respectively, for 10 consecutive days. The group C had intraperitoneal injection of cyclophosphamide (25 mg×kg(-1)×d(-1)) for 10 consecutive days. The mice were sacrificed after the completion of administration. The tumors were taken out, the tumor volume was measured, the inhibitory rate of body weight was calculated, and the serum AFP concentration and the level of HBV DNA were determined. The survival of each group mice was analyzed. The levels of mRNA expression of apoptosis-related genes were assayed by quantitative RT-PCR. Apoptosis in the tumor cells was assayed with TUNEL staining. Flow cytometry was used to detect the levels of CD3(+), CD19(+), CD4(+) and CD8(+), and microvessel density (MVD) of the tumors was assessed by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: After completion of the treatment, the inhibition rate of tumor growth of the groups B1, B2 and B3 was 29.8%, 38.7% and 48.1%, respectively, and that of the group C was 52.4%, with a significant difference among the groups (P < 0.05). The median survival time of the groups A, B1, B2, B3 and C was (30.0 ± 3.2) days, (49.0 ± 5.1) days, (50.0 ± 5.2) days, (57.5 ± 6.5) days and (49.0 ± 4.7) days, respectively. The median survival time of the group B3 was significantly longer than that of other groups (P < 0.05). The serum AFP level in the groups A, B1, B2, B3 and C was (492.7 ± 48.5) ng/ml, (281.2 ± 25.6) ng/ml, (194.3 ± 18.7) ng/ml, (170.1 ± 15.8) ng/ml and (138.7 ± 12.5) ng/ml, respectively, indicating that it was significantly inhibited in the group C. The inhibition rate of HBV DNA replication of the groups B1, B2, B3 and C was (46.0 ± 5.1)%, (65.5 ± 6.9)%, (81.3 ± 7.8)% and (19.5 ± 2.1)%, respectively, showing that compound cantharides capsules inhibited HBV DNA replication in a dose-dependent manner. The apoptosis rate of the groups A, B1, B2, B3 and C was (0.27 ± 0.03)%, (7.18 ± 2.12)%, (9.17 ± 2.42)%, (11.27 ± 3.03)% and (5.44 ± 2.45)%, respectively, and that of the group B3 was significantly higher than that of the groups A, B1, B2 and C (P < 0.05). The expression level of bax mRNA was significantly higher than that of the group C (P < 0.05). The drug could significantly decrease the bcl-2 mRNA expression level, more remarkably along with the increasing dose of cantharides, and it was significantly lower than that in the group C (P < 0.05). The levels of CD4(+), CD8(+), CD3(+) and CD19(+) were significantly higher than that in the groups A and C (P < 0.05). The value of MVD of the group B3 was significantly lower that that of groups A and C (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Compound cantharides capsules may inhibit the replication of HBV DNA in HepG(2215) cells, inducing apoptosis in the tumor cells, enhancing the immune function to inhibit the growth of liver cancer cells in mice, and significantly prolong the median survival time of tumor-bearing mice.

[Investigation on Taenia sp. infection in Midu County of Yunnan Province].

The current status and species of Taenia sp. were investigated in Midu County by sedimentation method to examine eggs of Taenia sp. in stool, questionnairing as well as deworming by areca-pumpkin seeds in October-December, 2010. The infection rate of Taenia sp. was 15.7% (65/414). Among the positives, it was fairly high in the age groups of 40- and 50-, being 24% (21/85) and 26% (15/57), respectively. 26 cases with positive stool examination and 47 cases with a history of discharging proglottids were treated. Adult worms were collected from all 26 egg positive cases and 23 persons discharging proglottids. The highest number of adult worms expelled was 11 in a woman, 2 worms from another villager, but only one worm each from all other cases. 15 tapeworms with scolex and mature proglottids were examined and morphologically identified as T. asiatia. The high prevalence was related to the residents' dietetic habits (eg. eating raw pork and liver) , behaviour (eg. defecating in field) , and the egg-contaminated environment (eg. by untreated feces).