Clinical study of a 125I particle-integrated esophageal covered stent and hyperbaric oxygen in the treatment of advanced esophageal cancer.

OBJECTIVE: this study aimed to investigate the clinical efficacy and feasibility of the treatment of advanced esophageal cancer with a combination of a 125I particle-integrated esophageal covered stent and hyperbaric oxygen. METHODS: forty-five patients with advanced esophageal cancer were enrolled and were randomly divided into two groups: a treatment group and a control group. Patients in the treatment group were treated with a 125I particle-integrated esophageal covered stent and hyperbaric oxygen, while patients in the control group were treated with a 125I particle-integrated esophageal covered stent. The clinical effects and long-term survival time of the two groups were observed. RESULTS: in the treatment group, the complete remission (CR) rate and partial remission (PR) rate of local lesions were 19.2 % and 61.5 %, respectively, and the total effective rate was 80.7 %. In the control group, the CR rate and PR rate of local lesions were 10.5 % and 52.6 %, respectively, and the total effective rate was 63.1 %. The total effective rate was higher in the treatment group than in the control group, which was statistically significant (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: the combination of a 125I particle-integrated esophageal covered stent and hyperbaric oxygen shows a good short- and long-term efficacy in the treatment of advanced esophageal cancer.

Xanthan gum protects temporomandibular chondrocytes from IL­1ß through Pin1/NF­κB signaling pathway.

Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) is a complicated and multi­factorial disease related to inflammation and cartilage destruction. Intra­articular injection of xanthan gum (XG) has been demonstrated to protect the joint cartilage and reduce osteoarthritis progression. However, the role and mechanism of XG in TMD is still unclear. In the present study, chondrocytes were isolated from rats and identified by immunofluorescence. Cells were stimulated by XG or interleukin (IL)­1ß. Cell viability was analyzed by MTT assay. Tumor necrosis factor α (TNF­α) and IL­6 levels were determined by ELISA. The expression of monocyte chemoattractive protein­1 (MCP­1), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), collagens, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), peptidyl­prolyl isomerase 1 (Pin1) and phosphorylated nuclear factor κB (NF­κB) p65 (p­p65) was analyzed by quantitative PCR or western blotting. MMP activity was assessed by gelatin zymography. Compared with the control, XG treatment partially reversed the IL­1ß­reduced cell viability. In addition, IL­1ß stimulation increased inflammatory cytokine expression, including TNF­α, IL­6 secretion, MCP­1 and iNOS expression, whereas XG treatment reduced the expression of these inflammatory cytokines compared with that of the IL­1ß­stimulated cells. Additionally, XG increased the expression of collagen, but reduced MMP expression and activity as compared with that in the IL­1ß group. In addition, XG treatment prevented the IL­1ß­increased Pin1 and p­p65 expression. These data suggested that XG reduced the expression of inflammatory cytokines and may maintain the balance between collagens and MMPs partially through the Pin1/NF­κB signaling pathway in IL­1ß­stimulated temporomandibular chondrocytes. Therefore, XG may be useful in the treatment of TMD.

Magnesium promotes the viability and induces differentiation of neural stem cells both in vitro and in vivo.

OBJECTIVE: Neural stem cells (NSCs) are multipotent stem cells that generating various neural cells, including neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. This showed that NSCs is an ideal candidate in the application of neural disease treatment. In the current study, we established a simple and efficient method to promote the viability and induce the differentiation of NSCs by stimulating with magnesium. METHODS: The proliferation and differentiation of NSCs was determined by MTT assay and immunostaining. The behavior alteration was measured by rotorod test and Morris water maze. RESULTS: Magnesium enhanced proliferation in NSCs. The ratio of Nestin+, Ki67+ and GFAP+ progenitor cells was increased in the presence of magnesium. Besides, magnesium induced the glial differentiation instead of neuronal differentiation in NSCs. By contrast, transplantation of Mg2+-treated NSCs in vivo generated more neurons. In established PD models, transplantation of Mg2+-treated NSCs could improve the symptoms and recover the memory. CONCLUSION: We established a simple and efficient way to promote the proliferation and induce the differentiation of NSCs. More importantly, this may also facilitate to develop a new method to neural disorder treatment.

Protective effect and related mechanisms of curcumin in rat experimental periodontitis.

BACKGROUND: Curcumin exhibits anti-inflammatory effects and has been suggested as a treatment for inflammatory diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of curcumin on the lipopolysaccharide induced inflammatory response in rat gingival fibroblasts in vitro and ligation-induced experimental periodontitis in vivo, and to speculate the possible anti-inflammatory mechanism of curcumin. METHODS: The gingival fibroblasts were incubated with different concentrations of curcumin in the absence or presence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Concentrations of interleukin-1ß(IL-1ß), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), osteoprotegerin (OPG) and soluble receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL) culture supernatants of rat gingival fibroblasts were determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. The nuclear fraction of rat gingival fibroblasts was extracted and nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) activation was assessed by western blotting to elucidate related mechanisms. Curcumin was given every two days by oral gavage. The gingival inflammation and alveolar bone loss between the first and second molars were observed by hematoxylin and eosin staining. Collagen fibers were observed by picro-sirius red staining. Alveolar bone loss was assessed by micro-CT analysis. RESULTS: Curcumin attenuated the production of IL-1ß and TNF-α in rat gingival fibroblasts stimulated by LPS, and inhibited the LPS-induced decrease in OPG/sRANKL ratio and NF-κB activation. Curcumin significantly reduced gingival inflammation and modulated collagen fiber and alveolar bone loss in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: curcumin modulates inflammatory activity in rat periodontitis by inhibiting NF-κB activation and decreasing the OPG/sRANKL ratio induced by LPS.

Dietary intake and risk of rheumatoid arthritis-a cross section multicenter study.

Environmental factors play an important role in the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Among these factors, smoking is generally considered to be an established risk factor for RA. Data regarding the impact of diet on risk of RA development is limited. This study assessed the impact of dietary patterns on RA susceptibility in Chinese populations. This was a large scale, case-control study composed of 968 patients with RA and 1037 matched healthy controls. Subjects were recruited from 18 teaching hospitals. Socio-demographic characteristics and dietary intakes 5 years prior to the onset of RA were reported by a self-administered questionnaire. Differences in quantity of consumption between cases and controls were analyzed by Student's t test. Multiple logistic regression analysis was applied to identify independent dietary risk factor(s) responsible for RA susceptibility. Compared to healthy individuals, RA patients had decreased consumption of mushrooms (P = 0.000), beans (P = 0.006), citrus (P = 0.000), poultry (P = 0.000), fish (P = 0.000), edible viscera (P = 0.018), and dairy products (P = 0.005). Multivariate analyses revealed that several dietary items may have protective effects on RA development, such as mushrooms (aOR = 0.669; 95%CI = 0.518-0.864, P = 0.002), citrus fruits (aOR = 0.990; 95%CI = 0.981-0.999, P = 0.04), and dairy products (aOR = 0.921; 95%CI 0.867-0.977, P = 0.006). Several dietary factors had independent effects on RA susceptibility. Dietary interventions may reduce the risk of RA.

Impact of MDM2 single nucleotide polymorphism on oral squamous cell carcinoma risk.

Mouse Double Minute 2 (MDM2) has emerged as a pivotal cellular antagonist of p53 by destructing the suppressive function of p53 against tumorigenesis. The MDM2 309 T > G polymorphism has been studied for its association with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) susceptibility, but the evidence was confusing and inconclusive. Here, we performed a meta-analysis to estimate the effects of the 309 T > G polymorphism on the development of OSCC. The relevant studies were searched on both PubMed and Embase. We estimated the risk of OSCC using odds ratio (OR) and 95 % confidence interval (CI). In addition, between-study heterogeneity was measured by the χ (2)-based statistic test; sensitivity analysis, and the funnel plots and Egger's test were also performed in this meta-analysis. Based on five case-control studies with a total of 1,369 OSCC cases and 2,167 control subjects, the meta-analysis result showed neither increased nor decreased risk of OSCC associated with any genetic model of the 309 T > G polymorphism. Similar results were observed in the subgroup of Asians. No significant heterogeneity and publication bias were detected in the meta-analysis. The evidence provided in our study indicated that the 309 T > G polymorphism might have no significant contribution to susceptibility toward OSCC.

Remission of rheumatoid arthritis and potential determinants: a national multi-center cross-sectional survey.

The aim of this study is to investigate the remission rate of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in China and identify its potential determinants. A multi-center cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2009 to January 2012. Data were collected by face-to-face interviews of the rheumatology outpatients in 28 tertiary hospitals in China. The remission rates were calculated in 486 RA patients according to different definitions of remission: the Disease Activity Score in 28 joints (DAS28), the Simplified Disease Activity Index (SDAI), the Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI), and the American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism (ACR/EULAR) Boolean definition. Potential determinants of RA remission were assessed by univariate and multivariate analyses. The remission rates of RA from this multi-center cohort were 8.6% (DAS28), 8.4% (SDAI), 8.2% (CDAI), and 6.8% (Boolean), respectively. Favorable factors associated with remission were: low Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) score, absence of rheumatoid factor (RF) and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP), and treatment of methotrexate (MTX) and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). Younger age was also predictive for the DAS28 and the Boolean remission. Multivariate analyses revealed a low HAQ score, the absence of anti-CCP, and the treatment with HCQ as independent determinants of remission. The clinical remission rate of RA patients was low in China. A low HAQ score, the absence of anti-CCP, and HCQ were significant independent determinants for RA remission.

Evolutionary conservation of Dazl genomic organization and its continuous and dynamic distribution throughout germline development in gynogenetic gibel carp.

To investigate germline development and germ cell specification, we identified a Dazl homolog (CagDazl) from gynogenetic gibel carp (Carassius auratus gibelio). Its cDNA sequence and BAC clone sequence analyses revealed the genomic organization conservation and conserved synteny of the Dazl family members and their neighborhood genes among vertebrates, especially in fish. Moreover, a polyclonal antibody specific to CagDazl was produced and used to examine its expression and distribution throughout germline development at protein level. Firstly, ovary-specific expression pattern of CagDazl was confirmed in adult tissues by RT-PCR and Western blot. In addition, in situ hybridization and immunofluorescence localization demonstrated its specific expression in germ cells, and both its transcript and protein were localized to germ plasm. Then, co-localization of CagDazl and mitochondrial cloud was found, confirming that CagDazl transcript and its protein are germ plasm component and move via METRO pathway during oogenesis. Furthermore, the CagDazl is abundant and continuous throughout germline development and germ cell specification including primordial germ cell (PGC) formation, oogonium differentiation, oocyte development, and embryogenesis, and the dynamic distribution occurs at different development stages. The data suggest that maternal CagDazl might play an important role in gibel carp PGC formation. Therefore, CagDazl is a useful and specific marker for tracing germ plasm and germ cell development in the gynogenetic gibel carp. In addition, in comparison with previous studies in sexual reproduction species, the continuous and dynamic distribution of CagDazl protein in the germ plasm throughout the life cycle seems to have significant implication in sex evolution of vertebrates.