[Whole view of the immune microenvironment of biliary tract cancer].

Biliary tract cancer is a group of malignancies which originate from biliary epithelium, and adenocarcinoma is the main pathological type. Although surgical resection is the only radical treatment strategy, most biliary tract cancer patients are diagnosed at locally advanced stage or with distant metastasis. Biliary tract cancer is highly resistant to the conventional chemoradiotherapy and the emerging immunotherapy including immune checkpoint inhibitors, owing to the suppressive immune microenvironment. In a whole view, this paper discussed the anti-tumor and tumor-promoting immune responses of the various immune cells and stromal cells in the immune microenvironment of biliary tract cancer, as well as their correlation with prognosis. The understanding of the whole view of immune microenvironment in biliary tract cancer patients could further inform the design of clinical trials of immunotherapy or combination therapy.

Age, sex, and disease status as determinants of skin hydration and transepidermal water loss among children with and without eczema.

PURPOSE: Skin hydration (SH) and transepidermal water loss (TEWL) are important skin biophysical parameters for assessment of childhood eczema. This study investigated whether age, sex, and disease status influence these parameters. METHODS: Skin hydration and TEWL were measured by Delfin MoistureMeterSC and Delfin Vapometer SWL5, respectively, among children aged ≤18 years with and without eczema. Disease status was evaluated using Scoring Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) and Nottingham Eczema Severity Score (NESS) clinical tools. RESULTS: Clinical scores and objective measurements were reviewed for 132 patients with eczema and 120 patients without eczema. In both sexes, SH was significantly higher among children aged ≤2 years with and without eczema than among children aged >2 years with and without eczema. Among children aged >2 years, SH was higher among girls with and without eczema than among boys with and without eczema. Regardless of age or sex, SH was lower among children with eczema than among children without eczema. Age-, sex-, and disease-related differences were not observed for TEWL. Skin hydration was negatively correlated with objective SCORAD (r=-0.418, P<0.001), overall SCORAD (r=-0.385, P<0.001), oedema/papulation (r=-0.243, P=0.041), lichenification (r=-0.363, P=0.002), dryness (r=-0.415, P<0.001), and intensity (r=-0.266, P=0.025). Transepidermal water loss was positively correlated with objective SCORAD (r=0.209, P=0.018), overall SCORAD (r=0.215, P=0.015), and lichenification (r=0.240, P=0.043). Skin hydration was negatively correlated with TEWL among children without eczema (r=-0.401, P<0.001), but not among children with eczema. CONCLUSION: Skin hydration can be used to distinguish clinical differences in eczema based on age, sex, and disease status.

Utility of the Pediatric Allergic Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire for childhood eczema.

BACKGROUND: Childhood atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory disease associated with pruritus and sleep loss. It is important to evaluate quality-of-life (QoL) impairment objectively in atopic diseases in children. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the utility of the Pediatric Allergic Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire (PADQLQ) in children with eczema. METHODS: PADQLQ, Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure (POEM, a short-term subjective symptom score), Nottingham Eczema Severity Score (NESS, a long-term subjective symptom score) and Children's Dermatology Life Quality Index (CDLQI, a short-term subjective symptom score) were compared and correlations evaluated. RESULTS: PADQLQ, POEM, NESS and CDLQI correlated well with each other (n = 132 sets; Spearman correlations: rho = 0·48-0·70, P < 0·001). A Bland-Altman plot showed a reasonably good agreement between CDLQI and PADQLQ. PADQLQ showed that symptoms of asthma, allergic conjunctivitis and allergic rhinitis were present in 20-30%, 45-71% and 58-67% of children with AD, respectively. Nevertheless, there was no association of eczema symptomatology by POEM or NESS with the severity of other allergic diseases. CONCLUSIONS: PADQLQ correlates well with AD-specific severity and QoL scores and reflects all allergic symptoms that holistically influence QoL in children with AD. PADQLQ is hence a composite severity score in terms of clinical symptomatology and QoL impairment for AD.

Assessment of adherence to eczema treatment in Hong Kong children.

Introduction: Eczema is the most common childhood skin problem in Hong Kong. Treatment adherence is crucial in symptom management and the effectiveness of eczema management. The Problematic Experiences of Therapy Scale (PETS) is used to assess adherence to treatment among children with eczema. Objective: This study examined the psychometric properties of the translated Chinese version of PETS (C-PETS) among parents and caregivers of children with eczema. Methods: PETS was translated into Chinese and data obtained from a convenience sample of 147 Chinese participants from a regional hospital in Hong Kong. Results: The internal consistency of C-PETS with a Cronbach's α of 0.93 and good test-retest reliability with weighted Kappa ranging from 0.74 to 0.89 were obtained. Significant positive correlations were found among the C-PETS, Children's Dermatology Life Quality Index (r = 0.25, p = .002), and Severity Grading of Atopic Dermatitis scores (r = 0.38, p = .001). A significant negative correlation was found between C-PETS and Chinese adaptation of Generic Self-Efficacy scale (r = -0.40, p = .001). Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the data supported the structural validity of C-PETS. Conclusion: This study indicates that C-PETS is a reliable and valid measure to evaluate treatment adherence for Chinese parents and caregivers of children with eczema.

Compression Stockings for Prevention of Postthrombotic Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The present meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of compression stockings for postthrombotic syndrome (PTS) prevention in patients with deep venous thrombosis (DVT). METHODS: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) regarding the use of compression stockings for prevention of PTS were identified from the Medline, PubMed, and Embase databases as well as the Cochrane library. The resulting manuscripts were analyzed according to the criteria in the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. RESULTS: Six RCTs involving 1465 patients with DVT were included. The meta-analysis indicated no statistical differences between the compression stocking and the control groups in PTS incidence, using either the Villalta scale (odds ratio [OR], 0.63; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.23-1.74) or the Ginsberg scale (OR, 1.13; 95% CI, 0.72-1.77). Based on the Villalta scale categorization, there were no differences in the incidence of mild-moderate PTS (OR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.36-1.41) or incidence of severe PTS (OR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.15-3.11). The difference in the recurrence of venous thromboembolism (OR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.61-1.30) was also not significant. In the 3 RCTs that reported side effects of compression stockings, they were primarily related to discomfort, including itching, erythema, and rash. CONCLUSION: The present meta-analysis has indicated that compression stockings may not prevent PTS, as determined by either the Villalta or the Ginsberg scale, in patients with DVT. However, owing to the limited number of trials, the evidence is not strong enough to draw a reliable conclusion. Further larger, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter trials are needed.

Expression of COX-2 and VEGF-C in cholangiocarcinomas at different clinical and pathological stages.

The aim of this study was to investigate the expression and clinical significance of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) and vascular en-dothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C) in cholangiocarcinomas at differ-ent clinical and pathological stages. Eighty cholangiocarcinoma sam-ples of patients treated with surgery between January 2012 and January 2014 were collected. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect COX-2 and VEGF-C expression at different clinical and pathological stages. ELISA, real-time PCR, invasive chambers, and MTT assay were ap-plied in cultured cholangiocarcinoma cells treated with a COX-2 inhib-itor. Expression of COX-2 and VEGF-C correlated positively with the clinical TNM stage but did not correlate with the differentiation status. Inhibition of COX-2 activity reduced VEGF-C mRNA expression and secretion in cholangiocarcinoma cells and decreased their migration but not proliferation. Because of its ability to inhibit invasion, COX-2 could be a new target for treatment of cholangiocarcinoma.

Transverse demagnetization dynamics of a unitary Fermi gas.

Understanding the quantum dynamics of strongly interacting fermions is a problem relevant to diverse forms of matter, including high-temperature superconductors, neutron stars, and quark-gluon plasma. An appealing benchmark is offered by cold atomic gases in the unitary limit of strong interactions. Here, we study the dynamics of a transversely magnetized unitary Fermi gas in an inhomogeneous magnetic field. We observe the demagnetization of the gas, caused by diffusive spin transport. At low temperatures, the diffusion constant saturates to the conjectured quantum-mechanical lower bound ≃ h/m, where m is the particle mass. The development of pair correlations, indicating the transformation of the initially noninteracting gas toward a unitary spin mixture, is observed by measuring Tan's contact parameter.

Fusion rate of anterior cervical plating after corpectomy.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the neurological recovery and fusion rate of patients with myelopathy who were treated with anterior corpectomy and anterior cervical plating. METHODS: The results of 17 cervical myelopathy patients who underwent decompression and anterior cervical plating were retrospectively reviewed at a mean follow-up of 2 years. RESULTS: By Kurokawa score, 82.4% of patients showed excellent-to-good results. The fusion rates of 2-level and 3-level anterior cervical corpectomy, and of anterior plate fixation were 100%. There were no implant- or graft-related complications. Transient dysphagia in 9 (52.9%) patients resolved after a mean of 3 months (range, 1-9 months). CONCLUSION: The use of anterior cervical plating after anterior corpectomy and fusion with autologous bone graft greatly enhances arthrodesis. The improved fusion rate and low complication rate associated with anterior cervical plating may justify its use in the treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy.

Orthotopic liver transplantation for incurable alveolar echinococcosis: report of five cases from west China.

Alveolar echinococcosis of the liver, caused by the larval stage of Echinococcus multilocularis, has the characteristics of a slow-growing liver cancer. The aim of the present work was to report a series of patients who received orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) for life-threatening disease. Our article summarizes the medical history, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of five patients who received OLT between 2001 and 2002. Most patients had a long history of symptomatic disease (iterative cholangitis, obstructive jaundice) and repeated abdominal surgery. One patient died during the hospitalization mostly related to bacterial infection and multiple organ failure. Another accidental death happened 3 months later from heart failure. Three patients are alive in good condition verifying that OLT is a feasible option for these end-stage cases. In general, combination therapy-chemotherapy, interventional therapy, radical surgery or/and OLT at an early stage-is proposed in advanced cases of which OLT has clearly played a vital role. Despite major technical difficulties, OLT for incurable disease is feasible. Specific management is needed to improve the results: earlier decision for OLT in symptomatic disease, routine pre- and post-transplant therapy, reduced immunosuppression, and regular follow-up.

The polyhomeotic gene of Drosophila encodes a chromatin protein that shares polytene chromosome-binding sites with Polycomb.

The Polycomb group (PcG) genes in Drosophila melanogaster are required for maintenance of correct spatial expression of homeotic genes, and their products are thought to form either a regulatory network or act as a multimeric complex. Recently, it has been suggested that because of homology between Polycomb (Pc) and Su(var)205, PcG genes encode chromatin proteins required for the maintenance of a determined state in chromatin. The polyhomeotic (ph) gene is a member of the PcG of genes. We present DNA sequence of a ph cDNA, which encodes a 169-kD protein with a single putative zinc finger, a serine/threonine-rich region, and has glutamine repeats, suggesting that ph is a DNA-binding protein. Polyclonal antisera directed against ph protein bind to approximately 80 sites on polytene chromosomes. Most of these sites appear to be the same as those recognized by antibodies to Pc protein. ph protein binds to insertion sites of constructs containing DNA from the bithoraxoid (bxd) region of the Bithorax complex, showing that ph binding to chromatin is DNA dependent. The same bxd constructs are recognized by Pc protein, strongly supporting the hypothesis that ph and Pc interact directly.

Identification of genes required for cytoplasmic localization in early C. elegans embryos.

We have isolated and analyzed eight strict maternal effect mutations identifying four genes, par-1, par-2, par-3, and par-4, required for cytoplasmic localization in early embryos of the nematode C. elegans. Mutations in these genes lead to defects in cleavage patterns, timing of cleavages, and localization of germ line-specific P granules. Four mutations in par-1 and par-4 are fully expressed maternal effect lethal mutations; all embryos from mothers homozygous for these mutations arrest as amorphous masses of differentiated cells but are specifically lacking intestinal cells. Four mutations in par-2, par-3, and par-4 are incompletely expressed maternal effect lethal mutations and are also grandchildless; some embryos from homozygous mothers survive and grow to become infertile adults due to absence of functional germ cells. We propose that all of these defects result from the failure of a maternally encoded system for intracellular localization in early embryos.