Validation of a Highly Sensitive qPCR Assay for the Detection of Plasma Cell-Free Epstein-Barr Virus DNA in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Diagnosis.

Quantification of plasma cell-free Epstein Barr virus DNA (cf EBV DNA) has been suggested as a promising liquid biopsy assay for screening and early detection of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). However, the diagnostic value of this assay is currently not known in the population of Vietnam, one of the countries which contributed the most to the NPC cases. Herein, we have reported a highly sensitive quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)-based assay targeting cf EBV DNA for the detection of NPC. A standard curve with linear regression, R 2 = 0.9961 (range: 25-150 000 copies/mL) and a detection limit of 25 copies/mL were obtained using an EBV standard panel provided by the Chinese University of Hong Kong. The clinical performance of this assay was assessed using plasma samples obtained from 261 Vietnamese individuals. The optimized qPCR assay detected cf EBV DNA in plasma with a sensitivity of 97.4% and a specificity of 98.2%. The absolute quantitative results of pretreatment cf EBV DNA and patient overall clinical stages were statistically correlated (P < .05). In summary, the remarkably high sensitivity and specificity of our optimized qPCR assay strongly supports the wide use of cf EBV DNA quantification as a routine noninvasive method in early diagnosis and management of patients with NPC.

Combination of Vaccine Strain Measles Virus and Nimotuzumab in the Treatment of Laryngeal Cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIM: This study aims to investigate whether the combination of oncolytic viruses with chemoradiotherapy or other therapies is a promising strategy for cancer treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The anticancer effects of measles virus (MeV) in combination with nimotuzumab in the treatment of laryngeal cancer were evaluated in vitro and in nude mice inoculated with Hep2 tumors. MTT assay and flow cytometry were used to examine cell death. RESULTS: Laryngeal cancer cells treated with MeV+nimotuzumab combination had a significantly lower survival rate compared to those treated with MeV or nimotuzumab alone (p<0.0001). In an animal model bearing human laryngeal tumor, the treated group had a higher survival rate (60%) compared to a untreated group (20%) (p<0.05), and the survival rate of the group treated with MeV+nimotuzumab combination was higher compared to the groups received single treatment. CONCLUSION: The MeV+nimotuzumab combination has greater anticancer activities in both laryngeal cancer cells and an animal model.

Adiponectin and pro-inflammatory cytokines are modulated in Vietnamese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

AIMS/INTRODUCTION: Adipose tissue-derived hormones are associated with metabolic disorders including type 2 diabetes mellitus. The present study investigated the levels of adiponectin and pro-inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1ß) and IL-10 in Vietnamese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, and their correlations with clinical parameters of overweight and type 2 diabetes mellitus. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Based on body mass index, 73 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were categorized either as overweight or non-overweight. As healthy controls, 57 overweight and non-overweight individuals without type 2 diabetes mellitus were included. The adiponectin, TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-10 levels were measured in the sera samples in all study participants by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and were correlated with clinical parameters. RESULTS: The adiponectin levels were lower in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (2.5 ± 1.5 µg/mL) compared with controls (16 ± 18.6 µg/mL; P < 0.0001), and were decreased in overweight individuals compared with those who were not overweight. The TNF-α and IL-1ß levels were increased, whereas the IL-10 levels were decreased in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and in overweight controls compared with non-overweight controls (P < 0.0001). The adiponectin levels were correlated with the TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-10 levels, and the clinical parameters of overweight and type 2 diabetes mellitus. The quantitative insulin sensitivity check index and homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance indexes were correlated with the relative ratios of adiponectin/TNF-α, adiponectin/IL-1ß, adiponectin/IL-10, TNF-α/IL-10 and IL-1ß/IL-10. CONCLUSIONS: Adiponectin and pro-inflammatory cytokines are associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus, and might serve as a prognostic marker and a therapeutic intervention for overweight-related type 2 diabetes mellitus.