Increased expression of receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand in osteoblasts from adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients with low bone mineral density

Persistent generalized low bone mineral density (BMD) has been reported in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS).However,the exact mechanisms and causes of the low BMD in AIS patients are largely unknown.The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL)/osteoprotegerin (OPG) levels in osteoblasts (OBs) from AIS patients with low BMD and with comparison made between the patients and controls.Twenty AIS patients and eight age-matched controls were included in the present study.The BMD of lumbar spine and proximal femur was measured in all subjects.OBs from the cancellous bone of each subject was harvested and primarily cultured.The mRNA and protein expression of RANKL and OPG in OBs was detected by RT-PCR and Western blotting.The results showed BMD was lower in AIS patients than in controls.A significantly higher mRNA and protein expression of RANKL was observed in OBs from AIS patients,while no significant difference was found in the expression of OPG between AIS patients and controls.As a result,RANKL/OPG ratio in patients with AIS was remarkably higher than controls.Our study preliminarily demonstrated expression of RANKL was higher in OBs from AIS patients with low BMD as compared with controls,suggesting the unbalanced RANKL/OPG ratio caused by an over-expression of RANKL in OBs may be responsible for the low BMD in AIS patients.     

Effect of Kang’ ai Injection (康艾注射液) on serum level of soluble interleukin-2 receptor and vascular endothelial growth factor in patients with esophageal carcinoma during radiotherapy

Objective： To observe the effect of Kang＇ai Injection （康艾注射液, KAI） on serum level of soluble interleukin-2 receptor （sIL-2R） and vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF） in patients with esophageal carcinoma （EC） during radiotherapy （RT）, and to investigate its synergistic effect with RT and its influence on immunological function of the body. Methods： One hundred and seventy patients with EC, who had missed the chance of surgical operational therapy, were assigned to the treated group （90 cases） and the RT group （80 cases）, and at the same time a control group consisting of 80 inpatients without tumors was set up. Patients in the RT group were treated with RT alone but KAI was given additionally to those in the treated group, with 50 ml given once per day via intravenous dripping, 15 days as one course, and 2 courses administered in total. The immediate therapeutic efficacy and changes of serum slL-2R and VEGF levels were observed, and the effect of KAI on patients＇ quality of life （QOF） was evaluated by Karnofsky scoring. Results： In 16 patients of the treated group it was completely remission （OR）, in 54 partially remission （PR）, in 18 it was stabilized disease （SD） and in 2 progressive disease （PD）, with the total effective rate （CR ＋ PR） as 77.8%, while in those of the control group it was 12, 46, 18, 4 and 72.5%, respectively, the immediate therapeutic efficacy in the treated group was somewhat better than that in the RT group, but showed no statistical significance （P〉0.05）. Serum levels of slL-2R and VEGF in all the patients before treatment were higher than those in the control group, which were decreased after treatment in both groups （P〈0.05）, but the improvement in the treated group was better than that in the RT group, showing significant difference （P〈0.05）, and patients＇ QOF improved more significantly in the former as well （62.2 % vs 40.0%, P〈 0.05）. Conclusion： KAI in combination with RT in treating patients with EC could enhance the immunological function of patients, improve their QOF and enhance their sensitivity to RT.     

NHS Trust Boards and Health and Well-being Boards: Do they play any role in the management of disparate levels of care for South Asian patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease?

Aims:There is evidence of disparate levels of care for members of ethnic minority communities with inflammatory bowel disease in various NHS Trusts and Health Boards in England and Scotland. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there was any association between the existence of disparate levels of care and the ethnic composition of the management boards of NHS Trusts and Health Boards. It also examined the ethnic composition of Health and Wellbeing Boards associated with these Trusts in EnglandMethod:NHS Trusts in England and Health Boards in Scotland, which had been involved in previous studies of disparate levels of care, were identified through a review of the relevant published papers. Health and Wellbeing Boards associated with these Trusts were then identified. Executive and non-executive membership of the NHS Trust, Health Boards and Health and Wellbeing Boards was determined through scrutiny of their web pages.Results:The proportion of Asians, who were executive officers, was significantly lower than the proportion who were non-executive board members both for trusts who offered disparate care (z = 2.22; p < 0.03) and those which did not (z = 2.24; p < 0.03). There was no significant difference in the proportion of Asians who were non-executive board members between the two types of trust. The proportion of ethnic minority members of English Health and Well-Being Boards, where there was evidence of disparate levels of care received by South Asian patients was significantly greater than on Boards where this was not the case. (z = 2.8. p < 0.005).Conclusions:The relation of these findings to disparate levels of care is unclear. However, it may point to a culture of tokenism, where either the members are not truly representative of underserved communities or they are unable to have any influence on local policy decisions. In either case there is an urgent need to develop better links with minority communities who are underserved so that issues can be effectively identified and remedied.     

Tumor biomarkers: help or mislead in the diagnosis of xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis?—analysis of serum CA 19-9, carcinoembryonic antigen, and CA 12-5

Background Xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis (XGC) is a rare type of gallbladder inflammation.Unlike other cholecystitis,it can be easily misdiagnosed as gallbladder cancer based on radiological images...     

Influence of TCM therapy for supplementing Pi (脾) and nourishing Shen (肾) on dendritic cell function in patients with chronic hepatitis B treated by lamivudine

Objective:To observe the influence of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) therapy for supplementing Pi(脾) and nourishing Shen(肾,SPNS) on dendritic cell function in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) treated by lamivudine.Methods:Sixty CHB patients with positive HBeAg were equally randomized by digital table into two groups:the observation group and the control group.Patients in the control group were treated with lamivudine only,while patients in the observation group were treated with lamivudine comb...     

The Effect of Utilization of In-home Services and the Changes in Levels of Care Needs of Frail Persons (2002–2004): Results of a Two-year Follow-up Study

Objectives: Despite the increasing utilization of in-home services, the assessment of in-home services used by those that have certified levels of care needs has been limited to the actual changes in individual outcomes. The purpose of the present study was to determine factors affecting how the utilization of in-home services could have sustained and/or improved or deteriorated the care needs levels of frail persons. We also examined the effect of in-home services used in the lower level of care needs subgroup and the higher level of care needs subgroup during a two-year period.Subjects and Methods: We used longitudinal data from Izumo City of those individuals with certified levels of care needs to analyze the changes in care need levels in Izumo City between 2002 to 2004. In 2002, 2,651 persons had certified levels of care needs. All permanent residents of care facilities, at care needs level 5 in 2002, those who died since 2002 and people who could not be traced during the two-year follow-up period were excluded. The remaining data from 1,788 frail persons were ultimately analyzed. We arbitrarily divided the changes in care needs levels into two categories: sustained/improved and deteriorated. The care needs levels were also stratified into a lower level of care needs subgroup and a higher level of care needs subgroup at the baseline. Simple statistical analysis and binary logistic regression analysis were used to analyze factors that were thought to be related to in-home service utilization data to predict changes in care needs levels.Results: Approximately 63.3% of the respondents had a sustained or improved care needs level, and 36.7% of the respondents showed deteriorated of care needs levels. In the lower level of care needs subgroup, utilization of home help/bathing (OR=2.59) was associated with significant sustained/improved care needs levels. In the higher level of care needs subgroup, day care service (OR=0.90) and short stay services (OR=0.87) were significantly related to deteriorated care needs levels, respectively.Conclusions: This study shows that home help/bathing care in the lower level of care needs subgroup was a significant predictor of sustained/improved levels of care needs for frail persons but that short stay services and day care services in the higher level of care needs subgroup have a negative impact on sustained/improved levels of care needs. Our results suggest that utilization of home help services can prevent deterioration of these levels of care needs in frail persons.     

Changes in the detection of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 gene ( Her-2) status for Her-2 fluorescent in situ hybridization testing

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Effects of endothelin B receptor antagonists, BQ788 and ET-1_(11-21) fragment on the bronchoconstriction elicited by isocapnic hyperpnea in guinea pigs

Ｅｎｄｏｔｈｅｌｉｎ (ＥＴ)ｗａｓｏｒｉｇｉｎａｌｌｙｉｄｅｎｔｉｆｉｅｄｉｎ 1988ａｓａｖａｓｏｃｏｎｓｔｒｉｃｔｏｒｃｏｍｐｏｕｎｄｉｎｔｈｅｃｕｌｔｕｒｅｓｕｐｅｒｎａｔａｎｔｏｆｐｏｒｃｉｎｅａｏｒｔｉｃｅｎｄｏｔｈｅｌｉａｌｃｅｌｌｓ 1　ＥＴｓ (ＥＴ 1,ＥＴ 2ａｎｄＥＴ 3)ａｒｅ 2 1ａｍｉｎｏａｃｉｄｐｅｐｔｉｄｅｓ 2 　ＮｕｍｅｒｏｕｓｃｅｌｌｓｓｙｎｔｈｅｓｉｚｅａｎｄｒｅｌｅａｓｅＥＴｓ ,ｉｎｃｌｕｄｉｎｇｍａｉｎｌｙＥＴｃｅｌｌｓ ,ｂｕｔａｌｓｏｈｕｍａｎｉｓｏｌａｔｅｄｂｒｏｎｃ…     

What Are the Factors Determining Authorship and the Order of the Authors' Names?: A Study Among Authors of the Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde (Dutch Journal of Medicine)

Context.— Although criteria justifying authorship of scientific medical articles have been formulated, it is not well known how authorship is established in practice. Objectives.— To assess the criteria for authorship used by authors of original articles in Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde (NTVG, the Dutch Journal of Medicine), and to determine whether the criteria for authorship of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) are known and applied. Design.— Survey questionnaire. Setting.— Editorial office of the NTVG. Participants.— All 450 authors of 115 original articles published in 1995. Main Outcome Measures.— Author's contribution to study design, material, collection of data, statistics, and writing. Results.— Of 362 forms returned, 352 could be analyzed (78.2% response rate). The 5 questions most frequently answered affirmatively were ICMJE criteria: critical reading (86.1% of the authors), approval of the final version (84.7%), study design (74.7%), study conception (64.2%), and revision (63.4%). Authors rated their contribution 2 points higher than did their coauthors. Interestingly, 64% of the respondents met the ICMJE criteria, although 60% of the respondents did not know them. Conclusion.— Authorship was mostly in accordance with ICMJE criteria although many authors were not familiar with them.      

Neoadjuvant therapy for early human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 positive breast cancer in China: A multicenter real-world study (CSBrS-015)

Background: Pertuzumab has been approved for application in China by the National Medical Products Administration, and both national and international guidelines make recommendations for the use of neoadjuvant treatment with trastuzumab or trastuzumab + pertuzumab plus chemotherapy regimens for patients with indications. The goal of this study was to investigate the short-term clinical efficacy of the neoadjuvant therapies trastuzumab and trastuzumab+pertuzumab for patients with early human epid...     

Substance P receptor ( N K1)-im m unoreactive neurons projecting to the periaqueductal gray:distribution in the spinal trigem inal nucleus and the spinal cord of the rat

Substance P receptor ( N K1)-im m unoreactive neurons projecting to the periaqueductal gray:distribution in the spinal trigem inal nucleus and the spinal cord of the rat@许昌泰     

Emerging evidence for Gleason grade migration and distance impact in prostate cancer? An analysis of the rapid access prostate clinic in a tertiary referral center: St. Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin (2009–2011)

Background

Recent evidence has suggested that the introduction of rapid access prostate cancer programs has led to a more streamlined pathway for patients, and was designed to ultimately reduce referral delays

Aims

To identify the initial impact of the introduction of the rapid access prostate clinic on Gleason grading within the prostate cancer cohort, as well as the impact of distance from a tertiary referral center on subsequent Gleason grading

Methods

A prospective database was maintained from those men attended the rapid access prostate clinic in St. Vincent’s University Hospital. Data relating to demographics, biopsy results, retrospective PSA readings, and subsequent treatment pathways were all recorded and analyzed. Statistical significance was taken at p < 0.05

Results

Prospective data from the rapid access prostate clinic illustrated similar results in patient demographics, Gleason grade and choice of treatment outcomes to other published institutions, however, for the first time demonstrate emerging evidence of the effect of the rapid access prostate clinic leading to a downward shift in Gleason grade over a 2-year period, as well as data showing an inverse correlation between leading Gleason grade and distance from our tertiary referral center

Conclusion

These results suggest that the introduction of the rapid access prostate clinic has initially begun to demonstrate an initial downgrading in Gleason scoring patterns. Our data also reflects a poorer Gleason score in those patients living further away from the rapid access prostate clinic. This may be in part attributed to a surge in referrals of those patients previously managed outside a tertiary institution, and suggests that patients should undergo prompt referral following suspicion for prostate cancer