Melanoma is a highly aggressive cancer, attracting increasing attention worldwide. The 5-year survival rate of patients with metastatic melanoma is low. Therefore, it is critical to identify potential effective biomarkers for diagnosis of melanoma metastasis. In the present study, the melanoma cohort and immune genes were obtained from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and the ImmPort database, respectively. Then, we constructed the immune risk score (IRS) using univariate and multivariate logistic analysis. The area under the curve (AUC) of IRS in sequencing samples and the initial diagnosis patients was 0.90 and 0.80, respectively. Besides, IRS could add benefits for metastasis diagnosis. For sequencing samples, IRS (OR = 16.35, 95% CI = 8.74-30.59) increased the odds for melanoma metastasis. Similar results were obtained in the initial diagnosis patients (OR = 8.93, 95% CI = 3.53-22.61). A composite nomogram was built based on IRS and clinical information with well-fitted calibration curves. We further used other independent melanoma cohorts from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases to confirm the reliability and validity of the IRS (AUC > 0.75, OR > 1.04, and P value < 0.01 in all cohorts). In conclusion, IRS is significantly associated with melanoma metastasis and can be a novel effective signature for predicting the metastasis risk.
Objective To investigate the effect of electroacupuncture on hypothalamic and hippocampal expressions of ghrelin and ghrelin receptor (GHS-R) mRNA in functional dyspepsia (FD) rats. Methods Eighty SD rats were randomly allocated to normal control, model control, medication and electroacupuncture groups, 20 rats each. A rat model of FD was made by tail clamp modeling method. The medication group received an oral gavage of cisapride solution and the electroacupuncture group, electroacupuncture treatment. The expressions of ghrelin protein and GHS-R mRNA in the hypothalamus and hippocampus were examined by Western blot and real-time PCR, respectively, in all the four groups. Results Compared with the model control group of rats, the expression of ghrelin protein in the hypothalamus and the expression of GHS-R mRNA in the hypothalamus and hippocampus increased in the medication group (P<0.05) and the expressions of ghrelin protein and GHS-R mRNA in the hypothalamus and hippocampus were up-regulated in the electroacupuncture group (P<0.05). Compared with the medication group of rats, the expressions of ghrelin protein and GHS-R mRNA in the hippocampus were up-regulated in the electroacupuncture group (P<0.05). Conclusions Electroacupuncture and medication can improve gastrointestinal functions and correct an imbalance in the brain-gut axis through the hippocampus-hypothalamic pathway by regulating hypothalamic and hippocampal ghrelin protein and GHS-R mRNA contents and activating hypothalamic neurons and hippocampal excitatory synapses.
Objective To study the therapeutic effects of Bioenterics Intragastric Balloon (BIB) on obesity under gastroscopy.Methods Data of 47 patients treated with Bioenterics Intragastric Balloon under gastrscopy were reviewed from July,2010 to May,2011.Results Weight loss ( mean 15.4 kg ) was successfully achieved in all the patients during 6 months.BMI decreased by 3.2-6.4 kg/m2 ( mean 4.7 kg/m2 ).There was no serious side effect with a better result for obesity according to the follow-up.Conclusion BIB is effective for obesity for noninvasiveness,stable speed of weight loss and less pain.
In the paper,we will deeply research sorts of ethical problems in medical genetics and their origins through a view of the human dual evolutions,and bring forward the viewpoint that any ethical problem can be originated from the conflict between human biological evolution and cultural evolution.Based on fully reasoning the relation between ethical problems in medical genetics and human evolution,the authors put forward a series of corresponding strategies to solve the ethical problems in medical genetics.
