ABSTRACT
Vanda falcata (Thunb.) Beer (Orchidaceae), a famous native orchid of China, Japan, and Korea, is known as one of the most beautiful and charming orchid species in the world (Ohwi, 1965; Lawler, 1984; Arditti, 2008). V. falcata is widely cultivated and delights the world with its compact plant shape, elegant white blooms, and sweet coconut-like scent. However, vegetative propagation by division has limited the development of V. falcata because of its inefficiency (Mitsukuri et al., 2009a, 2009b).
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<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect of all transretinoicacid(ATRA) combined with decitabine (5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine;DAC) on DNA methylation and gene expression of p16INK4a (p16) and retinoic acid receptor β (RARβ), and to explore their combined anti neoplastic effect on U937 cells and newly diagnose delder acute myeloid leukemia(AML) patients.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The expression levels of p16 and RARβ were determined by qRT-PCR and Western blot. Methylation-specific PCR was used to analyze their methylation status. WST-1 and flow cytometry were performed to detect growth inhibition, differentiation, apoptosis and cell cycle of U937 cells respectively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The expression p16 and RARβ was down-regulated by promoter hypermethylation in newly diagnose delder AML patients and U937 cells. Combination treatment of ATRA and DAC induced DNA hypomethylation as well as gene expression of p16 and RARβ, which contributed to the growth inhibition, differentiation, apoptosis and cell cycle arrest of U937 cells. In addition for elder AML patients intolerable to standard chemotherapy, the combination regimen of ATRA and DAC showed antineoplastic activity accompamied by up-regulation of p16 and RARβ expression and decrease of bone marrow blast, moreover the parients showed good tolerence to the reginen.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The regimen of ATRA combined with DAC as the combination therapeutic strategy for inducing differentiation and demethylation possesses the anti-AML potency, and contributes to optimizing the therapeutic strategy for elder AML patients and promoting the clinical prognosis.</p>
Subject(s)
Humans , Azacitidine , Decitabine , Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute , Tretinoin , U937 CellsABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the percentage of blasts with the CD34/CD38/CD123phenotype in de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients and analyse its correlation with prognosis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The percentage of CD34/CD38/CD123cells in the blast population of 148 newly diagnosed patients with AML was determined by using flow cytometry and its correlation with complete response, disease-free survival and overall survival were evaluated.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The median percentage of CD34/CD38/CD123cells in newly diagnosed patients was 2.8% (ranged from 0.01 to 67%). The high expression of CD34/CD38/CD123in AML patients positively correlated with the NPM1 wild-type (χ=5.194,P<0.05), but did not relate with the positive FLT3-ITD mutations (χ=0.418,P>0.05). Further multivariable analysis showed that the higher expression of the CD34/CD38/CD123was associated with lower complete remission (P<0.05), worse disease-free survival(P<0.01) and shorter overall survival(P<0.01) in AML patients.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The percentage of CD34/CD38/CD123cells at diagnosis significantly correlates with the response to treatment and survival. This prognostic marker may be used to rapidly identify the risk of treatment failure in clinical practice.</p>
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The use of antibiotics is considered a major determinant of the development of resistance in organisms. This study assessed current patterns of antibiotic prescription and provides background for quality improvement in general hospitals in Hubei, China. A point-prevalence study was performed in November 2008. All inpatients on the day of the survey were included in the analysis. On the day of the study, 6904 patients [56%] were receiving antibiotic therapy; the highest rate occurred in the ICU [90%], and the lowest occurred in the medical wards [39%]. The most commonly used antibiotics were beta-lactam antibiotics, including cephalosporins [40%] and piperacillin [19%], followed by fluoroquinolones [14%]. Our data indicated a high rate of antibiotic use in Chinese hospitals. These findings suggest important areas for intervention and the implementation of antibiotic stewardship policies in Chinese hospitals. A multi-faceted strategy should be implemented at the national level in China and should include education, regulation, and greater financial support from the government
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<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To estimate tone-pip auditory brainstem response (tone-pip ABR) and auditory steady-state response (ASSR) thresholds to follow the development of hearing in four groups of normal babies through the first 6 month of life and to make a comparison between the tone-pip ABR and ASSR for 0.25 - 8 kHz frequency range at different groups.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The tone-pip ABR and ASSR were recorded in four groups of normal hearing infants (160 ears) at the age of 2 - 4 day, 6 weeks, 3-month and 6-month. Tone-pip ABR and ASSR thresholds were established in 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 4 and 8 kHz stimuli.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>For click ABR, the wave latency of I, III, V and inter-wave latency of I-III, III-V and I-V decreased as the age increase. The developmental changes were obvious in wave I and III before 6 weeks and 3 months respectively. Tone-pip ABR had the similar waveform as the click ABR. With the frequency increasing, their waveforms and wave latencies of I, III and V were getting better and shorter respectively. There was significant difference between the thresholds of tone-pip ABR and ASSR (all P < 0.05). The tone-pip ABR thresholds were significantly lower than those of ASSR from 0.5 to 8 kHz. Both ASSR and tone-pip ABR had similar audiograms for different age of infants with normal hearing.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The longitudinal findings presented in this study suggest that with the maturational development, the wave latency of I, III, V and inter-wave latency of I-III, III-V and I-V of tone-pip ABR decrease as the age increase, while the hearing sensitivity have no changes. Both tone-pip ABR and ASSR have stable frequency specificity. Compared to the ASSR, tone-pip ABR have lower response threshold and maybe nearer to the hearing level of the infant.</p>