Construction of a nomogram prediction model for pathological complete response (pCR) of ipsilateral supraclavicular lymph node after neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer with first diagnosis of ipsilateral supraclavicular lymph node metastasis / 中华肿瘤杂志

Objective: To develop a predictive model for pathologic complete response (pCR) of ipsilateral supraclavicular lymph nodes (ISLN) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer and guide the local treatment. Methods: Two hundred and eleven consecutive breast cancer patients with first diagnosis of ipsilateral supraclavicular lymph node metastasis who underwent ipsilateral supraclavicular lymph node dissection and treated in the Breast Department of Henan Cancer Hospital from September 2012 to May 2019 were included. One hundred and forty two cases were divided into the training set while other 69 cases into the validation set. The factors affecting ipsilateral supraclavicular lymph node pCR (ispCR)of breast cancer after neoadjuvant chemotherapy were analyzed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses, and a nomogram prediction model of ispCR was established. Internal and external validation evaluation of the nomogram prediction model were conducted by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and plotting calibration curves. Results: Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that Ki-67 index, number of axillary lymph node metastases, breast pCR, axillary pCR, and ISLN size after neoadjuvant chemotherapy were associated with ispCR of breast cancerafter neoadjuvant chemotherapy (P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the number of axillary lymph node metastases (OR=5.035, 95%CI: 1.722-14.721, P=0.003), breast pCR (OR=4.662, 95%CI: 1.456-14.922, P=0.010) and ISLN size after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (OR=4.231, 95%CI: 1.194-14.985, P=0.025) were independent predictors of ispCR of breast cancer after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. A nomogram prediction model of ispCR of breast cancer after neoadjuvant chemotherapy was constructed using five factors: number of axillary lymph node metastases, Ki-67 index, breast pCR, axillary pCR and size of ISLN after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The areas under the ROC curve for the nomogram prediction model in the training and validation sets were 0.855 and 0.838, respectively, and the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.755). The 3-year disease-free survival rates of patients in the ispCR and non-ispCR groups after neoadjuvant chemotherapy were 64.3% and 54.8%, respectively, with statistically significant differences (P=0.024), the 3-year overall survival rates were 83.8% and 70.2%, respectively, without statistically significant difference (P=0.087). Conclusions: Disease free survival is significantly improved in breast cancer patients with ispCR after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The constructed nomogram prediction model of ispCR of breast cancer patients after neoadjuvant chemotherapy is well fitted. Application of this prediction model can assist the development of local management strategies for the ipsilateral supraclavicular region after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and predict the long-term prognosis of breast cancer patients.

Acupuncture combined with / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To observe the efficacy of acupuncture combined with @*METHODS@#A total of 180 children with cerebral palsy were randomly divided into a combined group (60 cases, 2 cases dropped off), an acupuncture group (60 cases, 4 cases dropped off) and a Chinese medication group (60 cases, 5 cases dropped off). On the basis of conventional treatment, the children in the combined group were treated with acupuncture [Baihui (GV 20), Sishencong (EX-HN 1), Shenting (GV 24), Benshen (GB 13), 30 min each time, twice a day] and @*RESULTS@#The total effective rate was 91.4% (53/58) in the combined group, which was higher than 80.4% (45/56) in the acupuncture group and 78.2% (43/55) in the Chinese medication group (@*CONCLUSION@#Acupuncture combined with

Value of Transperineal Ultrasound in Short-term Evaluation of Pelvic Organ Prolapse after Transvaginal Mesh Implantation / 中国医学科学院学报

Objective To observe the patients after transvaginal mesh(TVM)implantation surgery by using transperineal ultrasound(TPUS),compare the diagnosis of pelvic organ prolapse(POP)by TPUS and clinical examination[according to the Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification(POP-Q)system published by the International Continence Society],and to explore the role of ultrasound in postoperative evaluation as well as the high-risk factors of post-surgery POP recurrence. Methods This is a retrospective study based on the POP-Q records and TPUS data sets of patients within 6 months after TVM surgery during September 2013 and November 2019.The diagnostic results of TPUS and POP-Q were compared.The incidences of hiatal ballooning and levator avulsion were separately compared between the TPUS group and the control group. Results A total of 147 patients were enrolled.The Kappa values between TPUS and POP-Q in the diagnosis of anterior and posterior compartment POP were 0.268(

Development and validation of a nomogram for predicting survival of breast cancer patients with ipsilateral supraclavicular lymph node metastasis / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

BACKGROUND@#Breast cancer patients with ipsilateral supraclavicular lymph node metastasis (ISLNM) but without distant metastasis are considered to have a poor prognosis. This study aimed to develop a nomogram to predict the overall survival (OS) of breast cancer patients with ISLNM but without distant metastasis.@*METHODS@#Medical records of breast cancer patients who received surgical treatment at the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Jiyuan People's Hospital and Huaxian People's Hospital between December 21, 2012 and June 30, 2020 were reviewed retrospectively. Overall, 345 patients with pathologically confirmed ISLNM and without evidence of distant metastasis were identified. They were further randomized 2:1 and divided into training (n = 231) and validation (n = 114) cohorts. A nomogram to predict the probability of OS was constructed based on clinicopathologic variables identified by the univariable and multivariable analyses. The predictive accuracy and discriminative ability were measured by calibration plots, concordance index (C-index), and risk group stratification.@*RESULTS@#Univariable analysis showed that estrogen receptor-positive (ER+), progesterone receptor-positive (PR+), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive (HER2+) with Herceptin treatment, and a low axillary lymph node ratio (ALNR) were prognostic factors for better OS. PR+, HER2+ with Herceptin treatment, and a low ALNR remained independent prognostic factors for better OS on multivariable analysis. These variables were incorporated into a nomogram to predict the 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS of breast cancer patients with ISLNM. The C-indexes of the nomogram were 0.737 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.660-0.813) and 0.759 (95% CI: 0.636-0.881) for the training and the validation cohorts, respectively. The calibration plots presented excellent agreement between the nomogram prediction and actual observation for 3 and 5 years, but not 1 year, OS in both the cohorts. The nomogram was also able to stratify patients into different risk groups.@*CONCLUSIONS@#In this study, we established and validated a novel nomogram for predicting survival of patients with ISLNM. This nomogram may, to some extent, allow clinicians to more accurately estimate prognosis and to make personalized therapeutic decisions for individual patients with ISLNM.

Effects of sunlight on the eye / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

@#Sunlight consists of lights of continuous spectra. Ultraviolet light and blue light in the sunlight have higher energy. High dose exposure to sunlight can cause direct cellular damage. In the eye, sunlight is known to cause pathological changes in various eye structures. We reviewed the studies on the role of sunlight in corneal diseases, cataracts, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration in recent years. Possible sunlight-triggered signaling pathways and mechanisms in the eye are summarized. Excessive exposure to sunlight may lead to increased DNA damage, aberrant protein modification and aggregation, and oxidative stress of ocular tissues, and thus results in the development of ocular diseases. Accordingly, physical protection, topical and/or oral antioxidants and small molecules blocking sunlight-activated signal pathways could be used independently or combinedly to prevent and reduce sunlight-induced ocular damages.

Analysis on the characteristics and contributing factors of ophthalmic online consultation during the COVID-19 epidemic / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

@#AIM: To analyze the demands, consultation patterns and contributing factors of the patients involved in the ophthalmic on-line consultation during the COVID-19 epidemic to provide reference for the optimization of the ophthalmic online health care system.<p>METHODS: Prospective observational study. The patients using “expert online consultation” provided by the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center from February 1 to March 15, 2020 were enrolled. The baseline characteristics were analyzed. For the patients with repeated consultation, we randomly selected the same amount of patients with single consultation as comparison. The baseline characteristics, consultation purposes, disease types, and number of combined eye diseases between the patients with single and repeated consultation were compared, and the contributing factors of patients'consultation pattern were analyzed with statistical test and regression model.<p>RESULTS: The “expert online consultation” provided 9 831 consultations during the study, 3 919 of which were single consultation while 5 912 of which came from the repeated consultations of 1 967 patients. 1 967 patients with single consultation were randomly selected and compared with the repeated inquirers. The main consultation purposes in the both groups were “return visit”(59.7%, 64.9%). There was no significant difference in age and gender distribution between the patients with single online visit and repeated online visits(<i>P</i>=0.897, 0.482). Compared with the patients with single visit, the patients with repeated visit were less with the purpose of “new-onset discomfort”, more with the purpose of “return visit” and “follow-up after surgery”, more with ocular surface, fundus and uveal diseases, and more with two or more combined eye diseases. Regression analysis showed that the patients with ocular refractive issues tended to have a single consultation, while the patients inquired on previous eye disease and surgery, with fundus or uveal disease tended to have repeated consultations. The number of repeated visits for the patients with diagnosed ophthalmopathy and ophthalmic surgery was higher than that for the patients with new-onset discomfort; the number of repeated visits was lower for the patients with lens and anterior segment diseases, and was higher for the patients with ocular surface diseases.<p>CONCLUSION: During the COVID-19 epidemic, the main purpose of on-line ophthalmic consultation was return visit for the diagnosed eye diseases. Type of eye disease, consultation purpose and number of combined ophthalmopathies all affected whether the patients repeated the consultation and the repeated times. The arrangement of ophthalmologists in different sub-specialties should be adjusted according to the patients' needs and their consultation patterns.

Analysis of microbial community characteristics of Panax notoginseng based on high-throughput sequencing technology / 中草药

Objective: The purpose of this study was to obtain the bacterial communities structures of fresh and dry Panax notoginseng. Methods: The bacterial were sequenced by Illumina MiSeq high-throughput sequencing technology, and the biological information was analyzed. Results: A total of 637 OTUs were obtained, of which 15 were in common, 484 were from fresh P. notoginseng and 123 were from dry P. notoginseng respectively. The larger phylum of fresh sample was Proteobacteria (59.7%) and Firmicutes (40.1%) while the dry sample were Firmicutes (99.8%). The main genus of fresh sample was Enterobacter (37.4%) and Alkaliphilus (11.5%), while dry sample were Bacillus (54.6%) and Paenibaciiius (44.9%). The functional prediction of KEGG showed that the population of bacteria metabolizing terpenoids and polyketones of dry sample was higher than that of fresh sample. Conclusion: The diversity of microbiota in fresh P. notoginseng was higher than that of dry sample; The species with the metabolic function of interpenoids and polyketones of dry P. notoginseng was higher than that of fresh sample, which provides an important reference for screening the microorganism for biotransformation of saponins in P. notoginseng.

Bupleurum polysaccharides ameliorated renal injury in diabetic mice associated with suppression of HMGB1-TLR4 signaling / 中国天然药物

Bupleurum polysaccharides (BPs) is isolated from Bupleurum smithii var. parvifolium, a key traditional Chinese medicine. The study was to investigate the effects of BPs on diabetic kidney injury. After two intraperitoneal injections of streptozotozin (STZ) 100 mg·kg, renal injury in diabetic mice was induced and BPs was orally administrated at dosages of 30 and 60 mg·kg·d. The STZ injected mice developed renal function damage, renal inflammation and fibrosis known as diabetic kidney disease (DKD). BPs significantly reduced serum creatinine level and urinary albumin excretion rate, with the attenuated swelling of kidneys. BPs treatment obviously alleviated the pathological damage of renal tissue. The progression of renal injury in BPs treated mice was inhibited with less expression of type IV collagen (Col IV), fibronectin (FN) and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA). The inhibition of inflammation in kidney was associated with the reduced level of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). BPs administration suppressed the over-expression of toll like receptor 4 (TLR4) and high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) with lowered activity of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) in renal tissue of diabetic mice. Oral administration of BPs effectively prevented the development ofrenal injury in diabetic mice. This study suggested that the protection provided by BPs might affect through the interruption of HMGB1-TLR4 pathway, leading to the inhibition of renal inflammation and fibrotic process.

PIM Kinase as an Executional Target in Cancer

PIM (proviral integration site for moloney murine leukemia virus) kinase plays a key role as an oncogene in various cancers including myeloma, leukemia, prostate and breast cancers. The aberrant expression and/or activation of PIM kinases in various cancers follow an isoform-specific pattern. While PIM1 is predominantly expressed in hematological and solid tumors, PIM2 and PIM3 are largely expressed in leukemia and solid tumors, respectively. All of PIM kinases cause transcriptional activation of genes involved in cell survival and cell cycle progression in cancer. A variety of pro-tumorigenic signaling molecules, such as MYC, p21(Cip1/Waf1)/p27(kip1), CDC25, Notch1 and BAD have been identified as the downstream targets of PIM kinases. So far, three kinds of adenosine triphosphate-competitive PIM inhibitors, SGI-1776, AZD1208, and LGH447 have been in clinical trials for the treatment of acute myelogenous leukemia, prostate cancer, lymphoma, or multiple myeloma. This review sheds light on the signaling pathways involved in the PIM kinase regulation and current status of developing PIM kinase inhibitors as clinical success in combating human cancer.

Effect of ilexonin A on proliferation and migration of bone mesenchymal stem cells in rats / 中国药理学通报

Aim To observe the effect of ilexonin A (IA) on the proliferation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells(BMSCs),and to investigate whether IA can promote the migration of BMSCs by up-regulating the expression of CXCR4 in rats. Methods MTT method was used to assay and analyse the proliferation of BM-SCs which were pretreated with different concentrations of IA (3.125,6.25,12.5,25,50,100,200,400, 800 mg·L-1) for 24,48 and 72h,then the best con-centration and the best optimum time were screened. The third generation of BMSCs was exposed to the opti-mal concentration of IA for 48h. The Transwell system was used to carry out the experiment of BMSCs migra-tion. Western blot was used to analyse the expression of CXCR4. Results MTT assay showed that com-pared with control group, the proliferation of BMSCs was significantly reduced in IA 100 ~800 mg·L-1 groups at 24h(P < 0.05); compared with control group, the proliferation of BMSCs significantly de-creased in IA 100~800 mg·L-1groups at 48h(P<0.05),but markedly increased in IA 6.25 and 3.125 mg·L-1groups (P <0.05); compared with control group,the proliferation of BMSCs was significantly re-duced in IA 12.5~800 mg·L-1groups at 72h(P<0.05). The above results indicated that the BMSCs in-cubated with IA 6.25 and 3.125 mg·L-1for 48h were the optimal choice to promote proliferation. The Transwell migration assay showed that incubation with IA 6.25 and 3.125 mg·L-1for 48h could significant-ly increase the migration of BMSCs(P <0.05), and the migration rate was not related with the concentra-tion of IA. This effect was completely blocked by AMD3100(the antagonist of CXCR4). Western blot showed that incubation with IA 6.25 and 3.125 mg· L-1for 48h could increase the expression of CXCR4 in BMSCs(P<0.05). Conclusion IA can promote the proliferation of BMSCs and increase the migration of BMSCs by up-regulating the expression of CXCR4.

Method establishment and preliminary application of sandwich ELISA for detecting Cryptosporidium parvum antigen / 中国人兽共患病学报

We established the method of Sandwich ELISA to detect Cryptosporidium parvum antigen.Purified anti-Cryp-tosporidium IgG and IgY were used as a capture antibody and detection antibody respectively to develop sandwich ELISA.A checkerboard titration study was carried out to determine the optimal conditions of ELISA.The PCR based on 18SrRNA was used to evaluate the pre-treatment effect of three methods (saturated sucrose solution floating,saturated salt water floating and PBST detergent washing).The optimum concentration of coated antibody,antigen,detection antibody and enzyme-labelled an-tibody were 1:800,2.5 μg/mL,1:100 and 1:5 000 respectively.The coating condition,antigen antibody reaction,opti-mum reaction time of enzyme-labelled antibody were 4 ℃ through the night after 37 ℃,incubated at 37 ℃ for 30 min and 45 min respectively;the optimal termination condition was 2 mol/L H2SO4,50 μL/well;TMB developed 10 minutes at room temperature.The developed sandwich ELISA has no cross reaction with the eggs/oocyts of Nematode,Coccidium and Asca-rid;coefficient of variation of intra-assay and inter-assay were all less than 10%.The results showed that the total coincidence rate of the three pre-treatment methods with nested PCR were 95.83%,91.67% and 83.33%,respectively,and the Saturated Sucrose Floatation method was the best one among the three methods,the sensitivity of the method was lower than the Cry p-tosporidium detection kit of IDEXX(6×103/mL),and whole test process was longer than the kit.While,its specificity and reproducibility were consistent with that of IDEXX kit,and the developed method was more economical.The method is simple,rapid,sensitive,and can be used for clinical epidemio-logical investigation of Cryptosporidiosis or pathogen detection.

Antenatal Sonographic Diagnosis and Clinical Significance of Placenta Previa Accreta after Cesarean Section / 中国医学科学院学报

Objective To investigate the clinical and antenatal sonographic characteristics of placenta previa accreta after cesarean section. Methods The data of 21 inpatients diagnosed as placenta previa accreta after cesarean section in PUMC Hospital from 2006 to 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. The clinical and ultrasound features were recorded and compared among three placental accreta groups,including placenta accrete group(n=5),increta group(n=12),and percreta group(n=4). The relationship between the placental thickness at the uterine anterior lower segment level and the blood loss of the following cesarean section was tested. Results Of 21 patients,placenta previa was diagnosed by ultrasound in 20 cases(95.2%) and placenta previa accreta was diagnosed in 9 cases(42.9%). Antenatal ultrasound findings included following signs:loss of "clear zone"(15/18,83.3%),myometrial thinning(12/18,66.7%),abnormal placental lacunae(12/19,63.2%),bladder wall interruption(2/18,11.1%),and uterovesical hypervascularity(4/9,44.4%). Myometrial thinning(J-T=64.000,P=0.036),abnormal placental lacunae(J-T=74.500,P=0.032) and the placental thickness at the uterine anterior lower segment level(U=83.000,P=0.010) showed significant difference among different placenta accreta groups. Placental thickness at the uterine anterior lower segment level showed linear correlation with the blood loss of the following cesarean section(r=0.669,P=0.002). The blood loss of the following cesarean section showed significant difference among different placenta accreta groups(U=118.500,P=0.000). Conclusions The clinical and sonographic manifestations of placenta previa accreta after cesarean section show a spectrum of demographic characteristics. The measurement of thickness of placenta at the anterior lower segment may help the evaluation of the clinical prognosis of this special pathology.

Human U Three Protein 14a Expression is Increased in Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Associated with Poor Prognosis / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Human U three protein 14a (hUTP14a) promotes p53 degradation. Moreover, hUTP14a expression is upregulated in several types of tumors. However, the expression pattern of hUTP14a in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate hUTP14a expression and its prognostic value in HCC.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The hUTP14a expression was evaluated using immunohistochemistry (IHC) in HCC tissue specimens. The correlations between hUTP14a expression and clinicopathological variables were analyzed. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze the association between hUTP14a expression and survival. Independent prognostic factors associated with overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were analyzed using the Cox proportional-hazards regression model.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The IHC data revealed that the hUTP14a positivity rate in HCC tissue specimens was significantly higher than that in nontumorous tissue specimens (89.9% vs. 72.7%, P < 0.05). The hUTP14a expression was detected in both the nucleolus and the cytoplasm. The positivity rate of nucleolar hUTP14a expression in HCC tissue specimens was higher than that in the nontumorous tissue specimens (29.3% vs. 10.1%, P < 0.05). No significant difference was found between HCC and nontumorous tissue specimens of cytoplasmic hUTP14a expression (60.6% vs. 62.6%, P > 0.05). In addition, no significant correlation was found between nucleolar hUTP14a expression and other clinicopathological variables. The 5-year OS and DFS rates in patients with positive nucleolar hUTP14a expression were significantly lower than those in patients with negative hUTP14a expression (P = 0.004 for OS, P = 0.003 for DFS). Multivariate analysis showed that nucleolar hUTP14a expression was an independent prognostic factor for OS (P = 0.004) and DFS (P < 0.001).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The positivity rate of hUTP14a expression was significantly higher in HCC specimens. Positive expression of nucleolar hUTP14a might act as a novel prognostic predictor for patients with HCC.</p>

Sonographic and Pathologic Features of Struma Ovarii / 中国医学科学院学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the sonographic features of struma ovarii and its corresponding histopathologic findings.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The sonographic and histopathological features of 72 patients with histopathologically comfirmed struma ovarii who were treated in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2005 to December 2014 were retrospectively reviewed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Of these 72 patients,71 had benign struma ovarii(73 lesions)and one patient had malignant struma ovarii(1 lesion). On ultrasonography,all the 73 benign lesions had distinct margin,45(61.6%)had multilocular cystic or cystic-solid mass,49(67.1%)had irregular shape,and 28(38.4%)had nodular solid protrusions in the cystic areas. On the color Doppler flow imaging,36(49.3%)lesions had blood flow signals. The ultrasonographic features of the malignant struma ovarii lesion were multilocular cystic-solid mass with several nodular solid protrusions in the cysic areas;on the color Doppler flow imaging,blood flow signals were visible within septa and solid areas.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The sonographic features of struma ovarii are diverse. If ultrasonography reveals multilocular cystic or cystic-solid mass with distinct margin and isoechoic or hyperechoic nodular solid protrusions in the cystic areas with visible blood flow signals,the diagnosis of struma ovarii should be considered.</p>

Clinical Value of Ultrasonography in Predicting Massive Hemorrhage during Cesarean Scar Pregnancy / 中国医学科学院学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the clinical value of ultrasonography in predicting massive haemorrhage during Cesarean scar pregnancy.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The clinical and ultrasonograhic data of 119 Cesarean scar pregnancy patients were retrospective analyzed. According to the amount of bleeding, these patients were divided into two groups:massive hemorrhage group and non-massive hemorrhage group. The potential risk factors of massive hemorrhage were analyzed with Logistic regression analysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The size and type of lesions, flow grade, and residual muscular thickness were screened as the risk factors of massive haemorrhage by Logistic regression model. When P=0.3 was applied as the cutoff value,the diagnostic accuracy was 90.75%;meanwhile,the sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 88.23%, 91.76%, 81.08%, and 95.12%,respectively.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Ultrasonography can accurately predict the risk of massive hemorrhage during the Cesarean scar pregnancy.</p>

High risk factors of brain metastases in 295 patients with advanced breast cancer / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>The incidence of brain metastases in patients with breast cancer is approximately 10% - 16%, and survival after diagnosis of brain metastases is usually short. This study was designed to evaluate the risk factors associated with brain metastases in advanced breast cancer patients, with a view to help predict patient groups with high risk of brain metastases.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>In total, 295 patients with advanced breast cancer were evaluated. All patients were pathologically confirmed and metastatic lesions were confirmed pathologically or by imaging. All patients were examined at least once every 6 months with head CT or MRI. Patients showing symptoms underwent immediate inspection, and brain metastatic lesions were confirmed by head CT and/or MRI.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>At a median follow-up of 12 months from the occurrence of metastases, brain metastases had occurred in 49 patients (16.6%). In our univariate analysis, variables significantly related to increased risk of brain metastases were hormone receptor-negative tumors, epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive tumors, and multiple distant metastases. Patients with dominant tumor sites in soft tissue, or defined as Luminal A subtype, tended to have a lower risk of brain metastases than patients with visceral metastases, Luminal B subtype, triple-negative subtype or HER2-enriched subtype tumors.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Our results strongly suggest that factors such as Luminal B, triple-negative, and HER2-enriched subtypes are high risk factors for brain metastases. These data, therefore, provide pivotal clinical evidence towards a comprehensive understanding of the risk factors of brain metastases in advanced breast cancer patients.</p>

Effect of aspirin on function of human umbilical cord blood-derived late endothelial progenitor cells / 中国实验血液学杂志

This study was aimed to investigate whether aspirin has effect on function of late endothelial progenitor cells (EPC). Cord blood CD34(+) cells were purified using the ficoll density gradient centrifugation and human CD34 positive selection kit, then the cells were inoculated on fibronectin-coated culture plate. After culture for 2 weeks, adherent cells were identified as EPC by flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, RT-PCR, uptake of Dil-Ac-LDL and matrigel tube formation assay. EPC were treated with different concentrations of aspirin (0.1, 1, 10, 100, 1 000, 10 000 µmol/L) for 24 h, then the proliferation, adhesion and migration ability of these cells were analyzed by CCK-8 assay and transwell methods. The results indicated that the low concentrations of aspirin (0.1 and 1 000 µmol/L) promoted late EPC adhesive and migratory capacity, but no obvious effect on proliferation of late EPC were observed. On the other hand, the high concentrations of aspirin (10 000 µmol/L) inhibited proliferation and migratory capacity of EPC, but had no obvious effect on adhesive ability of EPC. It is concluded that low concentration of aspirin promotes migration and adhesion of late EPC, while the high concentration of aspirin decreases EPC proliferation and migratory capacity of EPC.

Humanized monoclonal antibody TNT-3-mediated truncated tissue factor for the treatment of H22 hepatoma-bearing mice / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the inhibitory effects of humanized monoclonal antibody-3 (huTNT-3) mediated truncated tissue factor (tTF) on the H(22) hepatoma-bearing mice, and to explore its mechanisms.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The coagulation activity of the huTNT-3/tTF fusion protein was detected by clotting assay and clotting factor X (FX) activation test in vitro. Mouse hepatoma cell line H(22) cells were inoculated subcutaneously into mice to establish the mouse models of hepatoma. The mice were randomly divided into two groups to be injected once with huTNT-3/tTF fusion protein or tTF protein labeled with rhodamine B isothiocyanate (RBITC), respectively. The localization of huTNT-3/tTF fusion protein in the mouse hepatoma tissue was analyzed by confocal laser scanning microscopy 24 hour after the injection. Fifteen mice were randomly divided into three groups to be injected with the huTNT-3/tTF fusion protein, tTF protein or phosphate buffered saline (PBS) once, respectively. The tumor size was measured every two days to calculate the tumor volume. Ten days after the injection the mice were sacrificed. Samples of the tumor, heart, livers, spleen, lung, kidney and brains of the mice were taken for histopathological examination.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Both the huTNT-3/tTF fusion protein and tTF protein effectively promoted blood coagulation. Under the conditions of Ca(2+), the coagulation time in the 1.5, 3, 6 µmol/L huTNT-3/tTF groups was (12.90 ± 0.60) min, (10.39 ± 0.40) min and(8.15 ± 0.24) min, respectively, and the coagulation time of the 1.5, 3, 6 µmol/L tTF groups was (14.23 ± 0.46) min, (12.10 ± 0.49) min and (9.83 ± 0.52) min, respectively, the difference between the two groups was not significant (F = 0.145, P = 0.705). The huTNT-3/tTF fusion protein was similar to the tTF protein in the ability of activating FX (t = 0.101, P > 0.05). The confocal laser scanning microscopic analysis showed that RBITC-fluorescence labeled huTNT-3/tTF fusion protein was enriched in the hepatoma tissue. The tumor volume of the huTNT-3/tTF fusion protein group was significantly lower than that of the tTF and PBS groups (both P < 0.001), however, there was not significant difference between the tTF and PBS groups (t = -0.616, P > 0.05). The survival time of the huTNT-3/tTF group was (25.5 ± 2.5) d, significantly longer than that of the PBS group (17.3 ± 1.9) d and the tTF group (18.6 ± 1.9) d, (both P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The huTNT-3/tTF fusion protein retains the coagulation ability and has the capability of targeting to tumor vasculature, and induces thrombosis in the tumor vessels, thus to suppress the growth of hepatoma in the mice.</p>

Predictive value of (99)Tc(m)-MIBI scintimammography in evaluation of the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with operable breast cancer / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the value of technetium-99m methoxyisobutylisonitrile ((99)Tc(m)-MIBI) imaging in predicting the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT) and prognosis in patients with operable breast cancer.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Sixty five patients with breast cancer underwent (99)Tc(m)-MIBI scintimammography before NCT, and static planar images were taken at 10 min and 180 min after scintimammography. The clearance rate was calculated in each patient, correlation between the clearance rate and efficacy of NCT, and the disease free survival rate were analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The mean clearance rate of 65 patients was (17.4 ± 6.8)%. The efficacy of NCT was 86.2% (CR 4 cases, PR 52 cases, SD 8 cases, and PD 1 case), and the mean clearance rate of patients with good response or poor response of chemotherapy were (15.5 ± 5.0)% and (29.2 ± 3.2)%, respectively. There was a significant difference between the two groups. The average disease free survival rate in the group with low clearance rate was (75.8%, P = 0.046), significantly higher than that in the group with high clearance rate (53.1%).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Scintimammography of (99)Tc(m)-MIBI may be used to evaluate the efficacy and prognosis of NCT for patients with operable breast cancer.</p>

Enrichment of breast cancer stem cells using a keratinocyte serum-free medium / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Keratinocyte serum-free medium (K-SFM) is a defined medium used to support the growth of primary keratinocytes and embryonic stem cell. The aim of this research was to optimize enrichment of breast cancer stem cells (CSCs) using K-SFM.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A K-SFM was used to enrich CSCs from two breast cancer cell lines and a primary culture of breast cancer. RPMI-1640 supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum (FCS) was used as a control. CSCs were identified with flow cytometry using CD44(+)/CD24(-) as molecular markers. The expression of a variety of CSC markers (Oct-4, ABCG2, Nanog, N-cadherin, and E-cadherin) was analyzed with real-time PCR.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Much higher percentage of CSCs was achieved with K-SFM: 17.3% for MCF-7 cells, 17.4% for SKBR-3, and 20.0% for primary breast cancer culture. Less than 1% CSC was achieved using RPMI-1640 supplemented with 10% FCS. In comparison to the CSCs obtained with RPMI-1640, CSCs in the K-SFM expressed higher levels of Oct-4, ABCG2, Nanog and N-cadherin, and lower level of E-cadherin.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>K-SFM is an optimal culture medium to maintain and to enrich breast CSCs.</p>