三阴型乳腺癌中CD151的表达及意义

目的观察CD151在三阴型乳腺癌及非特殊型浸润性乳腺癌中的表达及与乳腺癌临床病理特征的关系。方法采用免疫组化EnVision两步法检测CD151在三阴型乳腺癌及非特殊型浸润性乳腺癌中的表达,运用统计学方法分析CD151表达与乳腺癌临床病理特征、无瘤生存期和预后的关系。结果在三阴型乳腺癌中,CD151表达与淋巴结转移和组织学分级相关(P0.05),CD151表达随着组织学分级的增加而升高,与患者年龄(P=0.081)和肿瘤大小(P=0.170)无明显相关性(P均0.05);三阴型乳腺癌患者肿瘤直径与腋窝淋巴结转移具有相关性(P0.05),CD151高表达患者的腋窝淋巴结转移率较高,无瘤生存期较短。结论 CD151在三阴型乳腺癌患者中高表达,并与淋巴结转移及组织学分级具有相关性,检测CD151有望成为评估三阴型乳腺癌患者预后的重要指标,为临床治疗和研究提供靶标。     

乳腺癌细胞核形态定量分析与临床病理特征的关系

目的：观察乳腺癌细胞核形态参数,探讨其与ER、PR、HER-2表达和临床病理特征的关系。方法收集388例乳腺癌标本,根据ER、PR和HER-2三种抗体的免疫组化标记结果,将乳腺癌分为管腔A( Luminal A)型、管腔B( Luminal B)型、HER-2过表达型和基底细胞样( Basal-like)型,各组行HE染色后通过图像分析软件测量细胞核参数,应用统计学分析各组间的差异,并通过电话或住院病例随访。结果各组乳腺癌细胞核等圆直径、面积及边缘周长差异有统计学意义( P均<0.05);ER+/PR+病例细胞核形态定量与ER-/PR-病例比较,差异有统计学意义( P<0.05);ER-/PR-病例组织学分级多为Ⅲ级,生存率低于ER+/PR+病例(P<0.05)。 Luminal A型乳腺癌的无病生存期高于Basal-like型(P<0.05),总生存期高于HER-2过表达型(P<0.05)和Basal-like型(P<0.05)。结论乳腺癌细胞核形态定量差异有显著性,对其分子分型有一定的参考价值。 ER、PR和HER-2免疫组化标记结合细胞核形态学测量结果对乳腺癌的治疗和预后的评估有重要意义。     

718例浸润性乳腺癌分子分型中CK5/6和EGFR的表达及临床病理分析

目的探讨CK5/6和EGFR在浸润性乳腺癌(invasive breast carcinoma,IBC)分子分型中的表达及相关性。方法采用免疫组化法检测718例IBC中CK5/6、EGFR、ER、PR、HER-2及Ki-67蛋白的表达,分析CK5/6、EGFR与IBC组织学类型、分子分型及其他相关标志物之间的关系。结果CK5/6在Luminal A型、Luminal B型HER-2阴性型、Luminal B型HER-2阳性型、HER-2过表达型及三阴型中的阳性率分别为4.2%(8/191)、3.1%(6/191)、9.6%(7/73)、11.4%(13/114)、45.6%(68/149);EGFR在Luminal A型、Luminal B型HER-2阴性型、Luminal B型HER-2阳性型、HER-2过表达型及三阴型中的阳性率分别为4.7%(9/191)、7.9%(15/191)、26.0%(19/73)、58.8%(67/114)、65.8%(98/149)。CK5/6、EGFR在五组分子分型间的表达差异均有统计学意义(P<0.01),且CK5/6与EGFR表达呈正相关(P<0.01)。CK5/6、EGFR在三阴型乳腺癌中的阳性率均高于非三阴型乳腺癌(P<0.01)。结论在IBC中CK5/6与EGFR的表达有关,分子分型可为IBC的个体化治疗提供重要信息。     

乳腺癌中肽转运蛋白1的表达及临床病理意义

目的探讨肽转运蛋白1(peptide transporter 1, PEPT1)在乳腺癌中的表达及临床病理意义。方法利用TIMER 2.0数据库分析PEPT1在乳腺癌不同分子亚型和癌旁正常组织中的表达;通过Kaplan-Meier Plotter数据库分析其与乳腺癌预后的相关性。收集80例乳腺癌及40例癌旁正常组织蜡块及患者临床信息,采用免疫组化MaxVision法检测PEPT1的表达,分析其与临床病理特征及患者无进展生存期(progression free survival, PFS)的相关性。结果 TIMER 2.0数据库分析显示,PEPT1在癌旁正常组织和乳腺癌不同亚型的表达,差异有显著性(P0.001)。Kaplan-Meier Plotter数据库分析显示,Luminal A、Luminal B型及三阴型乳腺癌(triple negative breast cancer, TNBC)中PEPT1高表达,其20年无复发生存期(relapse-free survival, RFS)明显比低表达者长(P0.005)。免疫组化结果显示,PEPT1高表达与乳腺癌的淋巴结转移、远处转移呈负相关(P均0.05);TNBC中PEPT1高表达者(65.7%)明显高于非三阴型乳腺癌者(22.2%),且PEPT1高表达与TNBC患者术后化疗3年PFS呈正相关(P0.05)。结论 PEPT1在乳腺癌不同分子亚型中表达具有明显差异,在TNBC中的表达明显高于非三阴型乳腺癌,且与TNBC患者化疗预后关系密切,有望成为预测TNBC患者疗效的生物学指标。     

乳腺 MRI 预测浸润性导管癌分子亚型的临床价值

目的:探讨乳腺浸润性导管癌磁共振成像(Magnetic resonance imaging,MRI)表现与乳腺癌分子分型的相关性.方法:将327例单发浸润性导管癌分为管腔上皮A型(Luminal A)、管腔上皮B型(Luminal B)、人类表皮生长因子受体2(Human epidermal growth factor receptor-2,HER-2)过表达(激素受体(Hormone receptor,HR)阳性)、HER-2过表达HR阴性、三阴型,比较各型间的影像学特征.结果:Luminal A型57例、Luminal B型124例、HER-2过表达(HR阳性)55例、HER-2过表达(HR阴性)49例、三阴型42例.病灶早期强化率及达峰时间与分子分型间无明显差异(P>0.05).Luminal B型病灶比Luminal A型、HER-2过表达(HR阴性)、三阴型病灶的表观弥散系数(Apparent diffusion coefficient,ADC)值低(P<0.0.5).Luminal A型比Luminal B型、HER-2过表达(HR阳性)病灶的ADC值高(P<0.0.5).结论:MRI影像学特征可以用于初步预测乳腺浸润性导管癌的病理分子分型.     

Luminal A型和Luminal B型乳腺癌腋窝淋巴结转移的发生风险影响因素比较及分析

目的本研究就Luminal A型和Luminal B型乳腺癌腋窝淋巴结转移的临床特征进行了比较,并对相关影响因素进行初步分析。方法本研究选取我院确诊Luminal A型和Luminal B型乳腺癌患者145例进行研究,包括Luminal A型62例和Luminal B型83例。收集研究独享腋窝淋巴结转移的信息以及临床特征,并收集潜在相关影响因素信息进行分析讨论。计学处理使用SPSS 17.0统计软件。结果本研究中,Luminal A型组62例患者,Luminal B型组83例患者,两组年龄分布未见差别。Luminal A型组有16.13%患者出现腋窝淋巴结转移,Luminal B型组有39.76%患者出现腋窝淋巴结转移,Luminal B型组腋窝淋巴结转移的发生比例更高(P0.01)。检测Luminal B型组患者HER-2表达状态结果提示总表达阳性率为21.69%;其中表达阳性的比例在腋窝淋巴结转移患者中的水平显著高于未转移的患者,HER-2阳性表达的比例分别为30.30%和16.00%(P0.01)。年龄分布上Luminal A型和Luminal B型患者无论是否出现腋窝淋巴结转移,均未见两型患者间的年龄差异;但是在Luminal B型组患者内部,未见腋窝淋巴结转移患者年龄大于等于50岁的比例高于转移组患者;反之年龄小于50岁的比例低于转移组患者。组织学分级中Ⅰ级患者的比例在Luminal A型组为20.00%,高于Luminal B型组的9.09%(P0.01);Ⅲ级患者比例在Luminal B型组为30.30%,高于Luminal A型组的20.00%(P0.05);在Luminal A型组内部,腋窝淋巴结转移患者组织学分级Ⅱ和Ⅲ级的分布比例高于未转移者,而Ⅰ级的分布比例低于未转移者(P0.01);在Luminal B型组内部分布趋势也是如此。Luminal A型和Luminal B型患者肿瘤大小分布未见差别,且均表现出2~5 cm大小的肿瘤在未见腋窝淋巴结转移的患者中比例较高(P0.01)。对可能影响患者发生腋窝淋巴结转移的潜在相关因素进行多因素分析提示与Luminal A型患者发生腋窝淋巴结转移存在正相关的因素为病情重,OR值为1.331(1.305-1.357)(P0.01);存在负相关的因素为年龄大,OR值为0.925(0.916-0.935)(P0.01)。与Luminal B型患者发生腋窝淋巴结转移存在正相关的因素为病情重和肿瘤体积大,OR值分别为1.307(1.186-1.442)和1.094(1.078-1.110)(P0.01);存在负相关的因素也为年龄大,OR值为0.746(0.635-0.876)(P0.01)。结论 Luminal A和Luminal B型患者临床病理表现不同,两型患者均可见腋窝淋巴结转移患者组织学分级Ⅱ和Ⅲ级的分布比例更高;Luminal A总体表现病情更轻,Luminal B型患者未见腋窝淋巴结转移患者年龄倾向于偏大;此外,两型患者发生腋窝淋巴结转移的影响因素相似,年龄大在两型患者中均表现与腋窝淋巴结转移呈负相关,病情和肿瘤大小也对转移存在潜在影响。     

乳腺浸润性小叶癌的临床病理特征

目的：探讨乳腺浸润性小叶癌( invasive lobular carcinoma, ILC)的临床病理特征及其预后因素。方法回顾性分析98例ILC和530例乳腺非特殊型浸润性癌患者的临床病理资料,观察ILC的临床病理特征及其预后因素。结果 ILC和非特殊型浸润性癌的中位随访时间分别为68．5、67个月。与非特殊型浸润性癌相比,ILC患者就诊时年龄较大,肿瘤较大,组织学分级多为2级,ER、PR阳性率高,HER-2多为阴性,Ki-67增殖指数较低,分子分型多为管腔A型(P<0．001)。 ILC中,经典型ILC肿瘤较小,组织学分级较低,Ki-67增殖指数较低,分子分型中管腔A型较多;非经典型ILC中管腔B型、三阴型和HER-2过表达型较多(P=0．035)。单因素分析显示经典型与非经典型ILC的无病生存率和总生存率差异均有统计学意义(P=0．043,P=0．048);ILC与非特殊型浸润性癌的无病生存率和总生存率差异无统计学意义(P=0．537,P=0．397);多因素分析显示,ILC中管腔A型患者的总生存率明显高于三阴型和HER-2过表达型(P=0．016,P=0．015)。结论 ILC的预后和组织学分型与分子分型有关,应为预后较差的患者探寻新的治疗策略。     

PAK5与乳腺癌分子分型及临床病理特征的相关性分析

目的探讨PAK5表达与乳腺癌分子分型及临床病理特征的相关性。方法采用免疫组化法检测乳腺癌组织中PAK5、ER、PR、HER2、Ki-67表达并评分,应用荧光原位杂交(fluorescence in situ hybridization, FISH)进一步检测免疫组化HER2 2+的乳腺癌组织中HER2基因扩增情况,分析PAK5表达与乳腺癌分子分型、TNM分期、肿块大小、淋巴结转移等的关系。结果根据HER2基因有无扩增分别纳入HER2阳性组和阴性组。与癌旁组织相比,PAK5在乳腺癌组织中的表达增加;PAK5高表达与患者肿块较大、淋巴结转移、TNM高分期等呈正相关(P0.05);PAK5高表达与患者生存率低相关(P0.05);PAK5表达与ER、PR表达呈负相关,与Ki-67表达呈正相关(P0.05);与非三阴型乳腺癌相比,PAK5在三阴型乳腺癌中的表达增加,差异有统计学意义(P0.05)。结论 PAK5在乳腺癌组织中的表达增加,且与乳腺癌分子分型、TNM分期及不良预后密切相关,PAK5有望成为临床治疗乳腺癌的新靶点。     

Luminal A型和Luminal B型乳腺癌转移的发生风险影响因素比较及分析

目的本研究就Luminal A型和Luminal B型乳腺癌腋窝淋巴结转移的临床特征进行了比较,并对相关影响因素进行初步分析。方法本研究选取我院确诊Luminal A型和Luminal B型乳腺癌患者145例进行研究,包括Luminal A型62例和Luminal B型83例。收集研究独享腋窝淋巴结转移的信息以及临床特征,并收集潜在相关影响因素信息进行分析讨论。计学处理使用SPSS 17.0统计软件。结果本研究中,Luminal A型组62例患者,Luminal B型组83例患者,两组年龄分布未见差别。Luminal A型组有16.13%患者出现腋窝淋巴结转移,Luminal B型组有39.76%患者出现腋窝淋巴结转移,Luminal B型组腋窝淋巴结转移的发生比例更高(P<0.01)。检测Luminal B型组患者HER-2表达状态结果提示总表达阳性率为21.69%;其中表达阳性的比例在腋窝淋巴结转移患者中的水平显著高于未转移的患者,HER-2阳性表达的比例分别为30.30%和16.00%(P<0.01)。年龄分布上Luminal A型和Luminal B型患者无论是否出现腋窝淋巴结转移,均未见两型患者间的年龄差异;但是在Luminal B型组患者内部,未见腋窝淋巴结转移患者年龄大于等于50岁的比例高于转移组患者;反之年龄小于50岁的比例低于转移组患者。组织学分级中Ⅰ级患者的比例在Luminal A型组为20.00%,高于Luminal B型组的9.09%(P<0.01);Ⅲ级患者比例在Luminal B型组为30.30%,高于Luminal A型组的20.00%(P<0.05);在Luminal A型组内部,腋窝淋巴结转移患者组织学分级Ⅱ和Ⅲ级的分布比例高于未转移者,而Ⅰ级的分布比例低于未转移者(P<0.01);在Luminal B型组内部分布趋势也是如此。Luminal A型和Luminal B型患者肿瘤大小分布未见差别,且均表现出2~5 cm大小的肿瘤在未见腋窝淋巴结转移的患者中比例较高(P<0.01)。对可能影响患者发生腋窝淋巴结转移的潜在相关因素进行多因素分析提示与Luminal A型患者发生腋窝淋巴结转移存在正相关的因素为病情重,OR值为1.331(1.305-1.357)(P<0.01);存在负相关的因素为年龄大,OR值为0.925(0.916-0.935)(P<0.01)。与Luminal B型患者发生腋窝淋巴结转移存在正相关的因素为病情重和肿瘤体积大,OR值分别为1.307(1.186-1.442)和1.094(1.078-1.110)(P<0.01);存在负相关的因素也为年龄大,OR值为0.746(0.635-0.876)(P<0.01)。结论 Luminal A和Luminal B型患者临床病理表现不同,两型患者均可见腋窝淋巴结转移患者组织学分级Ⅱ和Ⅲ级的分布比例更高;Luminal A总体表现病情更轻,Luminal B型患者未见腋窝淋巴结转移患者年龄倾向于偏大;此外,两型患者发生腋窝淋巴结转移的影响因素相似,年龄大在两型患者中均表现与腋窝淋巴结转移呈负相关,病情和肿瘤大小也对转移存在潜在影响。     

乳腺浸润性导管癌不同分子分型中CD90的表达及其意义

目的 探讨CD90在乳腺浸润性导管癌中的表达及其与临床病理特征、分子分型的相关性。方法 构建80例乳腺浸润性导管癌和20例乳腺良性病变的组织芯片,采用免疫组化Max Vision法检测乳腺不同病变组织中CD90、ER、PR、Ki-67和HER-2的表达水平,并进一步分析其相关性。结果 CD90在乳腺浸润性导管癌和乳腺良性病变中的阳性率分别为62.5%和20.0%,两者差异有统计学意义(P0.001);CD90表达与乳腺浸润性导管癌淋巴结转移相关(P0.05),与患者年龄、肿瘤大小、TNM分期及组织学分级无关(P0.05);在乳腺浸润性导管癌不同分子亚型中,CD90阳性率以Luminal A型最低(40.0%)、三阴型最高(82.4%),各亚型之间差异有统计学意义(P0.05);CD90与ER(r=-0.342,P0.05)、PR(r=-0.374,P0.05)表达呈负相关,与Ki-67表达之间无相关性(r=0.084,P0.05)。结论 CD90表达与乳腺癌分子分型有关,其高表达提示患者预后不良。     

Fascin在骨肉瘤中的表达及意义

目的探讨fascin蛋白在骨肉瘤中的表达变化与临床病理指标及生存时间的关系。方法应用免疫组织化学方法和Western blot方法检测45例手术切除骨肉瘤标本fascin蛋白的表达,将所得fascin蛋白表达的光密度值数据与临床病理指标及生存时间进行统计学分析。结果肿瘤边缘的非瘤骨组织中无fascin蛋白表达,45例骨肉瘤标本中有24例fascin蛋白为中高表达,这种阳性表达与外科分期、化疗反应性呈正相关(P<0.05)。在单因素及多因素分析中,蛋白fascin的高表达的骨肉瘤患者总生存期及无病生存期明显降低(P<0.05)。结论fascin基因可能是骨肉瘤的一个潜在治疗靶点。     

Risk Factors Associated with Amputation-Free Survival in Patient with Diabetic Foot Ulcers

Purpose

To determine the 1-year survival rate, 1-year amputation-free survival rate and the risk factors of amputation for patients with diabetic foot ulcers.

Materials and Methods

One hundred seventy-three patients with diabetic foot ulcers were included in our study. Mean patient age was 67.5 (range, 29 to 87, SD ±11.4) years. 74% of the patients were male. Time from study entry to amputation and time to death were evaluated separately as censored event times by Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank tests. A multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was carried out for determining the risk factors of amputation.

Results

The survival rate and amputation-free survival rate were 96.5% (n=167), 65.9% (n=114), respectively, over one year study period. Severity of ulcer was the strongest significant risk factor of amputation [hazard ratio (HR): 7.99; confidence interval (CI): 3.12 to 20.47]. Peripheral artery disease was also independent risk factor of amputation (HR: 2.64; CI: 1.52 to 4.59).

Conclusion

In assessing the prognosis of diabetic foot ulcers, clinicians should consider the severity of ulcer and presence of peripheral artery disease. Our study provides important insights into clinical practice and supplementary information for both physicians and patients.     

Long-term survival of endometrioid endometrial cancer patients

Introduction

To establish risk factors for onset and progression of endometrioid endometrial cancer still remains the aim of scientists. The aim of the study was to determine disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in women with endometrioid endometrial cancer.

Material and methods

A retrospective review of 142 patients with endometrioid endometrial cancer after surgery treated with adjuvant radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy in the Regional Cancer Centre in Lodz between 2002 and 2004 was performed. Clinical and pathological data were correlated with clinical outcome and survival.

Results

In 3 patients (2.1%) clinical progression was diagnosed during the treatment. In 23 patients (16.7%) after primary remission, relapse was diagnosed 2-56 months after treatment. DFS and OS were 81.7% and 83.1% respectively. Better DFS significantly correlated with larger number of pregnancies (> 1), stage I of the disease and optimal surgery. Lower stage of disease, pelvic lymph node dissection, optimal surgery and depth of myometrial infiltration ≤ 50% were independent prognostic factors for better OS.

Conclusions

The results of our study provided significant evidence that early detection of endometrioid endometrial cancer enables optimal surgery. It reduces the indications for adjuvant therapy in stage I of the disease, and makes the prognosis significantly better. Other clinical and pathological factors such as numerous pregnancies, pelvic lymphadenectomy, and depth of myometrial infiltration, although important, are of less significance. Further prospective, randomized studies are necessary to prove the role of these factors.     

Survival and aging of a small laboratory population of a marine mollusc, Aplysia californica

In a investigation of the postmetamorphic survival of a population of 112 Aplysia californica, five animals died before 100 days of age and five after 200 days. The number of survivors among the 102 animals which died between 100 and 220 days declined approximately linearly with age. The median age at death was 155 days. The animals studied were those that died of natural causes within a laboratory population that was established to provide Aplysia for sacrifice in an experimental program. Actuarial separation of the former group from the latter was justified by theoretical consideration.Age-specific mortality rates were calculated from the survival data. Statistical fluctuation arising from the small size of the population was reduced by grouping the data in bins of unequal age duration. The durations were specified such that each bin contained approximately the same number of data points. An algorithm for choosing the number of data bins was based on the requirement that the precision with which the age of a group is determined should equal the precision with which the number of deaths in the groups is known.The Gompertz and power laws of mortality were fitted to the age-specific mortality-rate data with equally good results. The positive values of slope associated with the mortality-rate functions as well as the linear shape of the curve of survival provide actuarial evidence that Aplysia age. Since Aplysia grow linearly without approaching a limiting size, the existence of senescence indicates especially clearly the falsity of Bidder's hypothesis that aging is a by-product of the cessation of growth.     

Increased expression of microRNA-196a predicts poor prognosis in human ovarian carcinoma

Objective: Overexpression of MicroRNA-196a (miR-196a) has recently been reported in different types of human cancers. However, the prognostic value of miR-196a in ovarian carcinoma remains unknown. In this study, we investigated the expression of miR-196a in ovarian carcinoma and its relationship with tumor progression and clinical prognosis. Methods: The expression level of miR-196a was examined by quantitative Real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) in surgically removed ovarian cancer tissues and ovarian cancer cell lines. The correlation between miR-196a expression and clinical features and prognosis were statistically analyzed. Results: The results showed that the miR-196a expression was significantly upregulated in tumor tissues and ovarian cancer cell lines compared with that in normal ovarian surface tissues and normal ovarian epithelial cells. Moreover, miR-196a expression was positively correlated with FIGO stage (P <0.001), tumor size (P =0.020), and lymph nodes metastasis (P =0.019). Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated that high levels of miR-196a expression was associated with poorer overall survival (P <0.001) and recurrent-free survival (P =0.003), especially in patients with advanced disease (P =0.002). Multivariate analysis suggested that miR-196a expression was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival of patients with ovarian carcinoma. Conclusions: In conclusion, miR-196a may play an important role in the progression of ovarian carcinoma, and could be used as an independent prognostic biomarker for patients with ovarian carcinoma.     

Analysis of prognostic factors and treatment modality changes in breast cancer: a single institution study in Korea

PURPOSE: To determine the effects of new breast cancer treatments and to provide a baseline for monitoring the development of breast cancer in Korean women, we conducted an analysis at our institution to determine long-term clinicopathological features, survival rates, and prognostic factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study retrospectively analyzed 2,403 patients between Sep 1994 and Dec 2002, who underwent breast cancer surgery at Samsung Medical Center in Korea. Demographic data, pathologic records and surgical records were collected. RESULTS: After a median follow-up duration of 121.9 (range: 2-158.1) months, the 5-year disease free survival (DFS) was 82.8% and the 10-year DFS was 74.7%. The 5-year and 10-year overall survival (OS) rates were 89.4% and 82.9%, respectively. Using multivariate analyses, we determined that the nodal status (p < 0.001), angioinvasion (p < 0.001), positive PR (p < 0.001), and C-erb-B2 (p < 0.001) were independent prognostic factors for OS. The frequency of breast conserving surgery was 33.9% before Dec 1999, and increased up to 44.1% by year Dec 2002. CONCLUSION: Most of the prognostic variables and clinical characteristics of the Korean breast cancer patients were similar to those reported for Western populations. However, the age distribution in Korean patients seemed to be different from that in patients from Western countries.     

Down-regulation of microRNA-124 is correlated with tumor metastasis and poor prognosis in patients with lung cancer

Introduction: MicroRNA-124 (miR-124) has been proven dysregulated in several human malignancies and correlated with tumor progression. However, its expression and clinical significance in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is still unclear. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the clinical significance of miR-124 expression in NSCLC. Methods: Expression levels of miR-124 in 92 pairs of NSCLC and adjacent non-tumor tissues were detected by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). In order to determine its prognostic value, overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and multivariate analysis was performed using the Cox proportional hazard analysis. Results: miR-124 expression level was significantly lower in NSCLC tissues compared with adjacent non-tumor tissues (P < 0.05). The 5-year OS of low miR-124 expression group was significantly shorter than that of high miR-124 expression group (P < 0.05). Moreover, the 5-year DFS of low miR-124 expression group was also significantly shorter than that of high miR-124 expression group (P < 0.05). In a multivariate Cox model, we found that miR-124 expression was an independent prognostic factor for both 5-year OS and 5-year DFS in NSCLC (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Our results offer the convincing evidence that miR-124 may play key roles in the progression of lung cancer and that the down-regulated expression of miR-124 may be independently associated with shorter OS and DFS of patients, suggesting that miR-124 might be a potential marker for further risk stratification in the treatment of lung cancer.     

Modelling maintenance of wakefulness in rats: comparing potential non‐invasive sleep‐restriction methods and their effects on sleep and attentional performance

While several methods have been used to restrict the sleep of experimental animals, it is often unclear whether these different forms of sleep restriction have comparable effects on sleep–wake architecture or functional capacity. The present study compared four models of sleep restriction, using enforced wakefulness by rotation of cylindrical home cages over 11 h in male Wistar rats. These included an electroencephalographic‐driven ‘Biofeedback’ method and three non‐invasive methods where rotation was triggered according to a ‘Constant’, ‘Decreasing’ or random protocol based upon the ‘Weibull’ distribution fit to an archival Biofeedback dataset. Sleep–wake architecture was determined using polysomnography, and functional capacity was assessed immediately post‐restriction with a simple response latency task, as a potential homologue of the human psychomotor vigilance task. All sleep restriction protocols resulted in sleep loss, behavioural task disengagement and rebound sleep, although no model was as effective as real‐time electroencephalographic‐Biofeedback. Decreasing and Weibull protocols produced greater recovery sleep than the Constant protocol, mirrored by comparably poorer simple response latency task performance. Increases in urinary corticosterone levels following Constant and Decreasing protocols suggested that stress levels may differ between protocols. Overall, these results provide insight into the value of choosing a specific sleep restriction protocol, not only from the perspective of animal welfare and the use of less invasive procedures, but also translational validity. A more considered choice of the physiological and functional effects of sleep‐restriction protocols in rodents may improve correspondence with specific types of excessive daytime sleepiness in humans.