hsa-mi R-29c and hsa-miR-135b differential expression as potential biomarker of gastric carcinogenesis

AIM: To investigate the expression profiles of hsa-mi R-29 c and hsa-mi R-135 b in gastric mucosal samples and their values as gastric carcinogenesis biomarkers. METHODS: The expression levels of hsa-mi R-29 c and hsa-mi R-135 b in normal gastric mucosa, non-atrophic chronic gastritis, intestinal metaplasia and intestinaltype gastric adenocarcinoma were analysed using quantitative real-time PCR. The difference between hsa-mi R-29 c and hsa-mi R-135 b expression profiles in the grouped samples was evaluated by ANOVA and Student's t-test tests. The results were adjusted for multiple testing by using Bonferroni's correction. P values ≤ 0.05 were considered statistically significant. To evaluate hsa-mi R-29 c and hsa-mi R-135 b expressions as potential biomarkers of gastric carcinogenesis, we performed a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis and the derived area under the curve, and a Categorical Principal Components Analysis. In silico identification of the genetic targets of hsa-mi R-29 c and hsa-mi R-135 b was performed using different prediction tools, in order to identify possible genes involved in gastric carcinogenesis.RESULTS: The expression levels of hsa-mi R-29 c were higher in normal gastric mucosal samples, and decreased progressively in non-atrophic chronic gastritis samples, intestinal metaplasia samples and intestinal-type gastric adenocarcinoma samples. The expression of hsa-mi R-29 c in the gastric lesions showed that non-atrophic gastritis have an intermediate profile to gastric normal mucosa and intestinal-type gastric adenocarcinoma, and that intestinal metaplasia samples presented an expression pattern similar to that in intestinal-type gastric adenocarcinoma. This micro RNA(mi RNA) has a good discriminatory accuracy between normal gastric samples and(1) intestinal-type gastric adenocarcinoma; and(2) intestinal metaplasia, and regulates the DMNT3 A oncogene. hsa-mi R-135 b is up-regulated in non-atrophic chronic gastritis and intestinal metaplasia samples and down-regulated in normal gastric mucosa and intestinal-type gastric adenocarcinoma samples. Non-atrophic chronic gastritis and intestinal metaplasia are significantly different from normal gastric mucosa samples. hsa-mi R-135 b expression presented a greater discriminatory accuracy between normal samples and gastric lesions. This mi RNA was associated with Helicobacter pylori presence in non-atrophic chronic gastritis samples and regulates the APC and KLF4 tumour suppressor genes.CONCLUSION: Our results provide evidence of epigenetic alterations in non-atrophic chronic gastritis and intestinal metaplasia and suggest that hsa-mi R-29 c and hsa-mi R-135 b are promising biomarkers of gastric carcinogenesis.     

Impact of diastolic dysfunction severity on global left ventricular volumetric filling - assessment by automated segmentation of routine cine cardiovascular magnetic resonance

Objectives

To examine relationships between severity of echocardiography (echo) -evidenced diastolic dysfunction (DD) and volumetric filling by automated processing of routine cine cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR).

Background

Cine-CMR provides high-resolution assessment of left ventricular (LV) chamber volumes. Automated segmentation (LV-METRIC) yields LV filling curves by segmenting all short-axis images across all temporal phases. This study used cine-CMR to assess filling changes that occur with progressive DD.

Methods

115 post-MI patients underwent CMR and echo within 1 day. LV-METRIC yielded multiple diastolic indices - E:A ratio, peak filling rate (PFR), time to peak filling rate (TPFR), and diastolic volume recovery (DVR₈₀ - proportion of diastole required to recover 80% stroke volume). Echo was the reference for DD.

Results

LV-METRIC successfully generated LV filling curves in all patients. CMR indices were reproducible (≤ 1% inter-reader differences) and required minimal processing time (175 ± 34 images/exam, 2:09 ± 0:51 minutes). CMR E:A ratio decreased with grade 1 and increased with grades 2-3 DD. Diastolic filling intervals, measured by DVR₈₀ or TPFR, prolonged with grade 1 and shortened with grade 3 DD, paralleling echo deceleration time (p < 0.001). PFR by CMR increased with DD grade, similar to E/e'' (p < 0.001). Prolonged DVR₈₀ identified 71% of patients with echo-evidenced grade 1 but no patients with grade 3 DD, and stroke-volume adjusted PFR identified 67% with grade 3 but none with grade 1 DD (matched specificity = 83%). The combination of DVR₈₀ and PFR identified 53% of patients with grade 2 DD. Prolonged DVR₈₀ was associated with grade 1 (OR 2.79, CI 1.65-4.05, p = 0.001) with a similar trend for grade 2 (OR 1.35, CI 0.98-1.74, p = 0.06), whereas high PFR was associated with grade 3 (OR 1.14, CI 1.02-1.25, p = 0.02) DD.

Conclusions

Automated cine-CMR segmentation can discern LV filling changes that occur with increasing severity of echo-evidenced DD. Impaired relaxation is associated with prolonged filling intervals whereas restrictive filling is characterized by increased filling rates.     

Effects of interval between diagnosis and time of survey upon preferred information format for prostate cancer patients

Previous data indicate that receiving adequate information about their cancer can assist patients to cope with treatment and comply with treatment regimes. The aim of the present study was to determine whether time since diagnosis affected patients’ evaluations of the information they had received at the time of their diagnosis. Two hundred and thirty‐seven patients who had received a diagnosis and treatment for prostate cancer 4 months earlier completed a questionnaire about their ratings of, and preferences for, various types of information, their anxiety and depression levels and some background data. The most common and preferred form of information that the patients in the current study received was verbal information during an interview with their oncologist. Demographic factors and levels of anxiety and depression did not influence patient information preferences. Time since diagnosis was associated with elevated anxiety and depression, and consequent lower recall of having received information, but also with positive inflation of the value of the material that they did recall having received. Patients may not recall information given to them early after diagnosis and may make unreliable evaluations of its value to them due to psychological state.     

中药龙胆质量的化学模式识别

对7个种的38个龙胆样品进行了化学模式识别:按中国药典的规定将诸样品分为正品和非正品两大类,随机选取一部分正品和非正品样品作训练集,另一部分样品作试验集;对诸样品的甲醇提取液进行了HPLC分析;用SIMCA法对色谱峰进行特征选择,将代表诸样品特征的点即“星”显示在半圆形极坐标上构成星区图;根据“星”所属的星区和所走的路径,即可评价诸龙胆样品的质量。化学模式识别的结果与植物形态学鉴定的结果一致,而且弥补了后者的不足。     

缩宫素联合米索前列醇预防产后出血

1 临床资料 2003-02/2004-08单胎足月妊娠阴道分娩者1210例,分为研究组720例,对照组490例.研究组于第2产程末,建立静脉通路,缓慢静滴50 g/L葡萄糖液＋缩宫素2.5 U维持;在胎头娩出前,舌下含化米索前列醇400～600 μg,使其自然溶解;胎头娩出后续加缩宫素2.5 U静滴.     

Effect of heparin on the inactivation rate of human factor XIa by antithrombin-III

Factor XIa catalyzes an important reaction in the early phase of blood coagulation by converting factor IX to an active enzyme (factor IXa). Although antithrombin-III, an inhibitor of factor XIa, normally accounts for only one-sixth of the plasma inhibitory activity against factor XIa, its effectiveness has been reported to be enhanced by heparin. We have reinvestigated the ability of heparin to potentiate factor XIa inhibition by both purified antithrombin-III and plasma using synthetic tripeptide amide substrates as well as a coagulant assay. No increase in the inactivation rate of factor XIa amidolytic activity by purified antithrombin-III was observed in the presence of therapeutic heparin concentrations (1 U/ml), although inhibition of the amidolytic activity of thrombin by purified antithrombin-III was enhanced at least 20-fold by the same concentration of heparin. Furthermore, despite the ability of heparin (1 U/ml) to increase the inactivation rate of thrombin by plasma, no acceleration of the rate of inhibition of factor XIa by plasma was observed. Similar results were found when the inhibition of factor XIa was monitored with a coagulant assay after first removing the heparin. Only at heparin concentrations of 5 and 10 U/ml, was a 2- and 4-fold increase in the inactivation rate of factor XIa by purified antithrombin III observed. Therefore, in both purified systems as well as plasma, heparin, at concentrations observed in clinical practice, does not accelerate the inactivation rate of human factor XIa by antithrombin-III.     

Ureteral jets in healthy subjects and in patients with unilateral ureteral calculi: comparison with color Doppler US

Color Doppler ultrasound was used to image the ureteral jets in 17 healthy subjects and 26 patients with ureteral calculi proved with intravenous urography. In patients with ureteral calculi, three patterns of ureteral jets were seen: no detectable urine flow from the symptomatic side (12 patients), low-level continuous flow from the symptomatic side (four patients), and periodic ureteral jets on the symptomatic side that were not significantly different from ureteral jets of healthy subjects (10 patients). Of the 12 patients with high-grade obstruction on urograms, 11 had ureteral jets significantly different from those of healthy subjects (either no detectable ureteral jets or continuous low-level jets on the symptomatic side). Only three of the 11 patients with low-grade obstruction or nonobstructing stones had ureteral jets that were different from those of healthy subjects. It is concluded that analysis of ureteral jets with color Doppler can enable detection and qualitative determination of the degree of ureteral obstruction in many patients with unilateral ureteral calculi.