Comparison of overall survival and quality of life between patients undergoing anal reconstruction and patients undergoing traditional lower abdominal stoma after radical resection.

BACKGROUND: Miles procedure is often necessary for patients with low rectal carcinoma. However, this operation often affects the quality of life of patients, to evaluate the advantages of improved operation (anal reconstruction), the quality of life and survival between patients undergoing anal reconstruction and patients undergoing traditional lower abdominal stoma after radical resection were analyzed. METHODS: The clinical data of 43 patients with low situated rectal carcinoma were retrospectively analyzed. 23 patients with left lower abdominal stoma after radical resection (Miles procedure) were divided into group A, and 20 patients with reconstruction of the anus in situ after radical resection were in group B. All patients were investigated by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-C30 and QLQ-CR38 questionnaire, the clinical data are recorded. Independent sample T test was used to analyze the difference in quality of life between group A and group B at 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery, and Kaplan-Meier was used to compare the difference in overall survival between group A and group B. RESULTS: The results of T test showed that there were statistical significance in global health status and physical functioning between group A and group B at 3 and 6 months, but no statistical significance at 12 months (P = 0.024, P = 0.019, P = 0.115 for global health status; P = 0.004, P = 0.006, P = 0.065 for physical functioning, respectively). Emotional functioning and social functioning were also statistically significant between group A and group B at 3, 6, and 12 months (P = 0.041, P = 0.040, P = 0.034 for Emotional functioning; P = 0.020, P = 0.009, P = 0.032 for social functioning, respectively). This study also found that there was no statistical significance in body image and sexual functioning between group A and group B at 3 months, but there was statistical significance at 6 and 12 months(P = 0.098, P = 0.035, P = 0.045 for body image; P = 0.110, P = 0.048, P = 0.047 for sexual functioning, respectively). There were statistically significant about sexual enjoyment and defecation problems at 3, 6, and 12 months (P = 0.023, P = 0.028, P = 0.050 for sexual enjoyment; P = 0.013, P = 0.011, P = 0.050 for defecation problems, respectively).The results of Kaplan-Meier showed that the overall survival (OS) between group A and group B was not statistically significant (χ2 = 0.600, P = 0.439). CONCLUSIONS: There was no difference in survival time between group A and group B, but compared with the patients with left lower abdominal stoma(group A), the quality of life was better in patients with reconstruction of the anus in situ (group B). It is significant to improve the traditional lower abdominal stoma operation.

Significance of MNK1 in prognostic prediction and chemotherapy development of epithelial ovarian cancer.

BACKGROUND: Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecologic malignancy worldwide with surgery as the only curative treatment. Long-term overall survival (OS) of ovarian cancer is far from satisfactory, even though significant improvement has been made in post-operative chemotherapy. One of the most important death cause is the chemoresistance due to consecutive chemotherapy. Therefore, understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in ovarian cancer development and identification of novel therapeutic targets are urgently required. METHODS: Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining was used to explore the expression pattern of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)-interacting kinase 1 (MNK1) in tumor tissues from 138 epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) patients. Clinicopathological data were subjected to Kaplan-Meier survival and Cox multivariate analyses to evaluate the prognostic value of MNK1 in EOC. Overexpression and silencing procedures were performed on OVCAR-5 cells to investigate the mechanisms of MNK1 in regulating EOC development. The anti-tumor effects of CGP57380, a specific MNK inhibitor, were examined by cell viability assay. RESULTS: Higher MNK1 expression showed significant relationship with advanced FIGO stage and positive lymph node metastasis of EOC. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that MNK1 was an independent prognostic factor for OS of EOC patients. In vitro study demonstrated that MNK1 can promote cell proliferation through regulating the phosphorylation level of eukaryotic initiation factor 4E. In addition, inhibition of MNK1 by CGP57380 significantly down-regulated the OVCAR-5 cell viability. CONCLUSION: High MNK1 expression in EOC tissues indicates poor clinical outcomes, and MNK1 can act as a potential target for novel chemotherapy development towards EOC.

Effects and mechanism of cerebroprotein hydrolysate on learning and memory ability in mice.

Cerebroprotein hydrolysate is an extract from porcine brain tissue that acts on the central nervous system in various ways to protect neurons and improve memory, attention, and vigilance. This study examined the effect and mechanism of cerebroprotein hydrolysate on learning and memory in mice with scopolamine-induced impairment. Mice were given an intraperitoneal injection of scopolamine hydrobromide to establish a murine model of learning and memory impairment. After 35 successive days of cerebroprotein hydrolysate treatment, their behaviors were observed in the Morris water maze and step-down test. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase, and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, and malondialdehyde (MDA), γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and glutamic acid (Glu) levels in the brain tissue of the mice were determined, and pathological changes in the hippocampus were examined. The results of the water-maze test showed that cerebroprotein hydrolysate shortened the escape latency and increased the number of platform crossings. In the step-down test, cerebroprotein hydrolysate treatment prolonged the step-down latency and reduced the number of errors; cerebroprotein hydrolysate increased the activity of SOD, Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase, and AChE, reduced the levels of MDA, decreased the Glu/GABA ratio in brain tissue, and reduced pathological changes in the hippocampus. The results indicate that cerebroprotein hydrolysate can improve learning and memory in mice with scopolamine-induced impairment. This effect may be associated with its ability to reduce injury caused by free radicals, improve acetylcholine function, and modulate the Glu/GABA learning and memory regulation system, reducing excitotoxicity caused by Glu.