Effect of statins use on the prevention of venous thromboembolism： a meta-analysis

ObjectiveTo estimate the effect of statins use on the prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE).MethodsWe systematically searched MEDLINE (1980-June 2012), EMBASE (1980-June 2012), Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, and ISI Web of Science, manually reviewed references, and contacted experts. Case-control studies and cohort studies that compared any dose of statin with no statin or placebo are included. Data extraction and study quality evaluation were independently conducted in duplicate.Results12 studies including four cohort studies and eight case-control studies were identified and eligible for meta-analysis. Upon meta-analysis, statin use was associated with a statistically significant reduction in the odds of developing VTE (OR 0.91, 95% CI 0.86–0.96).ConclusionThis meta-analysis of current and available literature suggests that statins can reduce patient's risk of developing VTE. Due to the limitations of observational study, this conclusion should be considered with caution, and additionally, specifical well-designed trials are needed.     

中国胰腺癌发病趋势分析和预测

目的利用中国肿瘤登记地区1998-2007年胰腺癌发病登记数据分析胰腺癌发病趋势,并预测2008--2015年中国胰腺癌的发病情况。方法计算各年份胰腺癌的粗发病率,直接法计算中国人口标准化率,采用JoinPoint软件对中国肿瘤登记地区1998-2007年胰腺癌发病数据进行趋势分析,计算年度平均变化率。应用贝叶斯年龄一时期一队列模型对数据进行拟合,估计年龄、时期、队列参数效应并预测2008-2015年全国胰腺癌发病情况。结果1998-2007年城市男性粗发病率每年以1．86%的比例上升,中国人口标准化率上升趋势不明显;女性粗发病率每年上升2．1%,中国人口标准化率上升趋势不明显。农村男性粗发病率每年上升7．54%,中国人口标准化率每年上升4．82%;女性分别上升7．83%和5．48%。预测模型显示年龄效应、时期效应和队列效应均在胰腺癌发病中起重要作用。估计2015年新发胰腺癌103 428例,其中男性60 500例,女性42 928例,较2008年增加15 277例。结论中国胰腺癌发病率呈上升趋势,其中农村地区上升明显,城市地区上升速度略缓,到2015年总体上升趋势有所减缓,但短期内胰腺癌仍然是主要癌症。     

Monoclonal antibodies for prophylactic and therapeutic use against viral infections

Neutralizing antibodies play an essential part in antiviral immunity and are instrumental in preventing or modulating viral diseases. Polyclonal antibody preparations are increasingly being replaced by highly potent monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Cocktails of mAbs and bispecific constructs can be used to simultaneously target multiple viral epitopes and to overcome issues of neutralization escape. Advances in antibody engineering have led to a large array of novel mAb formats, while deeper insight into the biology of several viruses and increasing knowledge of their neutralizing epitopes has extended the list of potential targets. In addition, progress in developing inexpensive production platforms will make antiviral mAbs more widely available and affordable.     

Food consumption and buying patterns of students from a Philippine university fastfood mall

A consumer survey was conducted in a university fastfood mall to determine the food consumption and buying patterns of Philippine university students. The survey established that a typical fastfood consumer in the test university foodmall is female between 16 and 22 years old, with a purchasing capability of ≤ US$1.79 for a complete meal, and who generally frequents the mall only once a day during weekdays. Wholesomeness, affordability and variety of the foods were the general basis for satisfaction of the typical student consumer.     

Dissipation of Clodinafop-Propargyl and Its Metabolite in Wheat Field Ecosystem

The dissipation and residues of clodinafop-propargyl and clodinafop in wheat and soil were investigated by high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Clodinafop-propargyl rapidly degraded to the acid derivative-clodinafop as major metabolite in plant and soil. The half-lives of clodinafop-propargyl were 2.35–11.20 days in soil and 6.00 days in wheat plant. The half-lives of clodinafop were 7.04–11.22 days in soil and 0.67–1.24 days in wheat plant. The residues of clodinafop-propargyl and clodinafop in wheat grain, wheat straw and soil were below the detection limit.     

Integrative analysis of multiple cancer genomic datasets under the heterogeneity model

In the analysis of cancer studies with high‐dimensional genomic measurements, integrative analysis provides an effective way of pooling information across multiple heterogeneous datasets. The genomic basis of multiple independent datasets, which can be characterized by the sets of genomic markers, can be described using the homogeneity model or heterogeneity model. Under the homogeneity model, all datasets share the same set of markers associated with responses. In contrast, under the heterogeneity model, different studies have overlapping but possibly different sets of markers. The heterogeneity model contains the homogeneity model as a special case and can be much more flexible. Marker selection under the heterogeneity model calls for bi‐level selection to determine whether a covariate is associated with response in any study at all as well as in which studies it is associated with responses. In this study, we consider two minimax concave penalty‐based penalization approaches for marker selection under the heterogeneity model. For each approach, we describe its rationale and an effective computational algorithm. We conduct simulations to investigate their performance and compare with the existing alternatives. We also apply the proposed approaches to the analysis of gene expression data on multiple cancers. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Convenient Method for Measuring Blood Ascorbate Concentrations in Patients Receiving High-Dose Intravenous Ascorbate

Objective: A simple method of using fingerstick blood glucose (FSBG) monitors to estimate blood ascorbate values after high-dose intravenous (IV) ascorbate infusion is evaluated as a substitution for high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) measurement.

Methods: In 33 participants, readings from FSBG monitors were taken before and after IV ascorbate infusions at various time points, with the postinfusion FSBG readings subtracted from the baseline glucose readings. The results of the subtractions (AA_FSBG) were correlated with ascorbate concentrations detected by HPLC (AA_HPLC).

Results: A linear regression was found between ascorbate concentrations detected by the fingerstick method (AA_FSBG) and by HPLC (AA_HPLC). The linear correlations were identical in healthy subjects, diabetic subjects, and cancer patients. Analysis of variance obtained an AA_FSBG/AA_HPLC ratio of 0.90, with a 90% confidence interval of (0.69, 1.20). The corrections of AA_FSBG improved similarity to AA_HPLC but did not significantly differ from the uncorrected values.

Conclusion: The FSBG method can be used as an approximate estimation of high blood ascorbate concentration after IV ascorbate (>50 mg/dL, or 2.8 mM) without correction. However, this measurement is not accurate in detecting lower or baseline blood ascorbate. It is also important to highlight that in regard to glucose monitoring, FSBG readings will be erroneously elevated following IV ascorbate use and insulin should not be administered to patients based on these readings.