Circumstances of substance use by street youth in Egypt support the case for intervening to prevent adverse childhood experiences

Background: Egyptian street youth use substances including tobacco, illicit drugs, and pharmaceutical drugs. To understand the circumstances, including adverse childhood experiences, that place adolescents at risk for engaging in substance use, we conducted in-depth interviews among a sample of Egyptian street children. Methods: From youth residing at or attending Caritas, a non-profit organization, which provides shelter and education to street youth, seven girls and twelve boys, aged 12–18 years, participated in open-ended, in-depth interviews. Results: Eight out of the 19 participants reported family history (early exposure) to substance use; and seven of them were initiated by either a family member (sibling), friend or coworker. Most of the participants reported a history of conflict with or abuse (verbal or physical) by their parents or siblings, or stressful situations at home; they used substance(s) to alleviate their stress. Few attended school, and some were forced to work and help their family. Conclusions: Among Egyptian youth, adverse childhood experiences, such as poverty, child abuse, and family substance use, challenge somewhat susceptible youths and lead them to the path of substance use and addiction. Prevention intervention should be multifaceted, culturally adaptable, and primarily targeting the social environment during childhood.     

Patterns of relapse after successful completion of initial therapy in primary central nervous system lymphoma: a case series

Journal of Neuro-Oncology - Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is a subtype of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma that involves the brain, spinal cord, or leptomeninges, without evidence of...     

miR-29a靶向调控CLDN1抑制肝癌细胞增殖的实验研究

目的:探讨miR-29a在肝癌组织中的表达水平，及其对人肝癌细胞增殖能力的影响。方法:通过RT-PCR测定肝癌组织及非肝癌组织中miR-29a的表达水平；将携带miR-29a的脂质体miR-29a mimic、空载体miR-NC以及miR-29a抑制剂anti-miR-29a转染入肝癌细胞系HepG2和HLE，通过RT-PCR方法检测miR-29a对肝癌细胞系HepG2、HLE增殖能力影响；通过Targetscan软件预测miR-29a靶基因，采用Western blot及荧光素酶实验验证。结果:与非肝癌组织比较，miR-29a在肝癌组织中表达下调，MTT实验提示:miR-29a高表达组肝癌细胞增殖能力较弱，miR-29a低表达组肝癌细胞增殖能力提高。Targetscan软件提示:CLDN1可能为miR-29a靶基因，Western blot及荧光素酶实验提示:与阴性对照组相比，miR-29a高表达组内CLDN1表达下降，相反miR-29a低表达组内CLDN1表达增加。结论:miR-29a在肝癌细胞及组织中表达下调，并且可能通过调控CLDN1影响肝癌细胞增殖能力。     

Cerebrovascular inflammation promotes the formation of brain metastases

Brain metastases are the most prevalent intracranial malignancy. Patient outcome is poor and treatment options are limited. Hence, new avenues must be explored to identify potential therapeutic targets. Inflammation is a known critical component of cancer progression. Intratumoral inflammation drives progression and leads to the release of circulating tumor cells (CTCs). Inflammation at distant sites promotes adhesion of CTCs to the activated endothelium and then initiates the formation of metastases. These interactions mostly involve cell adhesion molecules expressed by activated endothelial cells. For example, the vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) is known to promote transendothelial migration of cancer cells in different organs. However, it is unclear whether a similar mechanism occurs within the specialized environment of the brain. Our objective was therefore to use molecular imaging to assess the potential role of VCAM-1 in promoting the entry of CTCs into the brain. First, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and histological analyses revealed that cerebrovascular inflammation induced by intracranial injection of lipopolysaccharide significantly increased the expression of VCAM-1 in the Balb/c mouse brain. Next, intracardiac injection of 4T1 mammary carcinoma cancer cells in animals with cerebrovascular inflammation yielded a higher brain metastasis burden than in the control animals. Finally, blocking VCAM-1 prior to 4T1 cells injection prevented this increased metastatic burden. Here, we demonstrated that by contributing to CTCs adhesion to the activated cerebrovascular endothelium, VCAM-1 improves the capacity of CTCs to form metastatic foci in the brain.     

产后阴道炎应用妇肤康喷雾剂治疗效果观察

目的：探讨妇肤康喷雾剂在产后阴道炎治疗中的应用效果。方法选择2012年7月至2013年6月该院80例产后阴道炎患者作为研究对象。对照组患者采用甲硝唑栓治疗，试验组患者采用妇肤康喷雾剂治疗。比较两组患者在治疗效果和不良反应方面的差异性。结果与对照组比较，试验组总有效率明显较高，不良反应发生率明显较低，组间比较差异有统计学意义（P＜0．05）。结论妇肤康喷雾剂在产后阴道炎治疗中具有良好的应用效果，疗效确切、不良反应小，值得临床推广应用。