Brassiere wearing and breast cancer risk: A systematic review and meta-analysis

AIM: To evaluate existing evidence for the association between different type of brassiere exposures and the risk of breast cancer. METHODS: Ovid Medline, CINAHL, Cochrane Data Base of Systematic Reviews, Pubmed, Scopus, Proquest, Sciencedirect, Wiley Online Library, WanFang Data, Hong Kong Index to Chinese Periodicals, China Journal Net, Chinese Medical Current Contents, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, China Academic Journals Full-Text database, Taiwan Electronic Periodical Services and HyRead; reference lists of published studies; original research studies published in English or Chinese examining the association between type and duration of brassiere-wearing and breast cancer risk. Data were abstracted by a first reviewer and verified by a second. Study quality was rated according to predefined criteria. “Fair” or “good” quality studies were included. Results were summarised by meta-analysis whenever adequate material was available. RESULTS: Twelve case-control studies were included in the review. Meta-analysis showed brassiere wearing during sleep was associated with a two times of increased odds. CONCLUSION: The present review demonstrates insufficient evidence to establish a positive association between the duration and type of brassiere wearing and breast cancer. Further research is essential; specifically, a large-scale epidemiological study of a better design is needed to examine the association between various forms of brassiere exposure in detail and breast cancer risk, with adequate control of confounding variables.     

The interdental gingiva,a visible guide for placement of mini‐implants

Authors – Chun YS, Lee SK, Wikesjö UME, Lim WH Objectives – To determine whether the tip of the interdental gingiva can serve as a visible guide for placement of mini‐implants. Setting and Sample population – Computer tomography (CT) images from 15 males and 15 females (mean age 27 years, range: 23–35 years) were used to evaluate the distance from the tip of the interdental gingiva to the alveolar crest from the central incisor to the 1st molar. The distance from a reference point to the tip of interdental gingiva was recorded from study models using a caliper. The distance between the reference point and the alveolar crest was recorded using CT and added to the model recordings thus providing the distance from the tip of interdental gingiva to the alveolar crest for the various interdental sites. Two‐way anova and Student–Newman–Keuls test for multiple comparisons were used for the statistical analysis. Results – There was no significant difference in the distance from the tip of interdental gingiva to the alveolar crest between maxilla and mandible. The distance between the tip of interdental gingiva and the alveolar crest at the central/lateral incisors was the shortest compared with that of other sites. There was also a statistically significant difference between the male and female groups except for the maxillary 2nd premolar/1st molar interradicular site. Conclusion – The tip of interdental gingiva appears a reasonable visual guide for the placement of mini‐implants for orthodontic anchorage.     

Limited Margins Using Modern Radiotherapy Techniques Does Not Increase Marginal Failure Rate of Glioblastoma

PURPOSE: We investigate the patterns of failure in the treatment of glioblastoma(GBM) based on clinical target volume(CTV) margin size,dose delivered to the site of initial failure,and the use of temozolomide and intensity-modulated radiotherapy(IMRT).METHODS: Between August 2000 and May 2010,161 patients with GBM were treated with radiotherapy with or without concurrent temozolomide.Patients were treated with CTV expansions that ranged from 5 to 20 mm using a shrinking field technique.Patterns of failure and time to progression and overall survival were compared based on CTV margin,use of temozolomide,and use of IMRT.Kaplan Meier analysis was used to estimate survival times,and χ test was used for comparison of cohorts.RESULTS: For patients treated with 5-,10-,and 15-to 20-mm CTV,79%,77%,and 86% experienced failures in the 60 Gy volume,respectively.Forty-eight percent,55%,and 66% of patients with 5-,10-,and 15-to 20-mm CTV experienced failures in the 46 Gy volume,respectively.There was no statistical difference between patients treated with 5-,10-,15-to 20-mm margins with regard to 60 Gy failure(P=0.76),46 Gy failure(P=0.51),or marginal failure(P=0.73).Eighty percent of patients receiving temozolomide experienced failures in the 60 Gy volume.There was no increased likelihood of marginal failures in patients receiving IMRT(P =0.97).CONCLUSIONS: Modern treatment techniques including use of concurrent temozolmide,limited CTV margin size,and IMRT have not greatly changed the patterns of failure of GBM.     

International validation of the Chinese University Prognostic Index for staging of hepatocellular carcinoma:a joint United Kingdom and Hong Kong study

The outcome of hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC） patients significantly differs between western and eastern population centers. Our group previously developed and validated the Chinese University Prognostic Index （CUPI） for the prognostication of HCC among the Asian HCC patient population. In the current study, we aimed to validate the CUPI using an international cohort of patients with HCC and to compare the CUPI to two widely used staging systems, the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer （BCLC） classification and the Cancer of the Liver Italian Program （CLIP）. To accomplish this goal, two cohorts of patients were enrolled in the United Kingdom （UK; n = 567; 2006-2011） and Hong Kong （HK; n = 517; 2007-2012）. The baseline clinical data were recorded. The performances of the CUPI, BCLC, and CLIP were compared in terms of a concordance index （C-index） and were evaluated in subgroups of patients according to treatment intent. The results revealed that the median follow-up durations of the UK and HK cohorts were 27.9 and 29.8 months, respectively. The median overall survival of the UK and HK cohorts were 22.9 and 8.6 months, respectively. The CUPI stratified the patients in both cohorts into three risk subgroups corresponding to distinct outcomes. The median overall survival of the CUPI low-, intermediate-, and high-risk subgroups were 3.15, 1.24, and 0.29 years, respectively, in the UK cohort and were 2.07, 0.32, and 0.10 years, respectively, in the HK cohort. For the patients who underwent curative treatment, the prognostic performance did not differ between the three staging systems, and all were suboptimal. For those who underwent palliative treatment, the CUPI displayed the highest C-index, indicating that this staging system was the most informative for both cohorts. In conclusion, the CUPI is applicable to both western and eastern HCC patient populations. The performances of the three staging systems differed according to treatment intent, and the CUPI was demonstrated to be optimal for those     

Neurophysiological predictors of non-response to rTMS in depression

BackgroundThe application of rTMS in Depression has been very well investigated over the last few years. However, little is known about predictors of non-response associated with rTMS treatment.ObjectiveThis study examined neurophysiological parameters (EEG and ERP) in 90 depressed patients treated with rTMS and psychotherapy and sought to identify predictors of non-response.MethodsThis study is a multi-site open-label study assessing pre-treatment EEG and ERP measures associated with non-response to rTMS treatment.ResultsNon-responders were characterized by 1) Increased fronto-central theta EEG power, 2) a slower anterior individual alpha peak frequency, 3) a larger P300 amplitude, and 4) decreased pre-frontal delta and beta cordance. A discriminant analysis yielded a significant model, and subsequent ROC curve demonstrated an area under the curve of 0.814.ConclusionsSeveral EEG variables demonstrated clear differences between R and NR such as the anterior iAPF, fronto-central Theta and pre-frontal cordance in the Delta and Beta band (representative of increased relative pre-frontal perfusion). The increased P300 amplitude as a predictor for non-response requires further study, since this was the opposite as hypothesized and there were no correlations of this measure with clinical improvement for the whole sample. Combining these biomarkers in a discriminant analysis resulted in a reliable identification of non-responders with low false positive rates. Future studies should prospectively replicate these findings and also further investigate appropriate treatments for the sub-groups of non-responders identified in this study, given that most of these biomarkers have also been found in antidepressant medication studies.     

Mouse models in liver cancer research： A review of current literature

Primary liver cancer remains one of the most lethal malignancies worldwide. Due to differences in prevalence of etiological factors the incidence of primary liver cancer varies among the world, with a peak in East-Asia. As this disease is still lethal in most of the cases, research has to be done to improve our understanding of the disease, offering insights for possible treatment options. For this purpose, animal models are widely used, especially mouse models. In this review, we describe the different types of mouse models used in liver cancer research, with emphasis on genetically engineered mice used in this field. We focus on hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC）, as this is by far the most common type of primary liver cancer, accounting for 70%-85% of cases.     

不同载荷作用下C（4～5）椎间孔孔径的变化

目的:分析不同载荷对C4～5椎间孔孔径变化的影响。方法:实验于2006-01/2006-05在湘南学院附属医院进行。成人新鲜尸体颈椎标本10具(自愿捐献或家属同意),节段包括C3～T1,剔除肌肉组织,保留椎间盘、韧带和关节囊结构的完整。分别测量椎间盘完整、椎间盘髓核摘除、颈人工椎间盘置换和前路钢板植骨内固定4种状态下,加压速度为5mm/min时,25,50,75,100,125和150N的分级轴向载荷加载于标本时C4～5上下径、上前后径、下前后径以及椎间孔面积的变化。结果:①轴向加载25N时,C4～5椎间孔面积椎间盘髓核摘除标本小于完整椎间盘、颈人工椎间盘置换和前路钢板植骨内固定标本[(57.26±17.65),(65.81±16.83),(75.37±17.75),(66.21±16.50)mm2,P<0.05];颈人工椎间盘置换标本大于颈椎植骨融合钢板内固定标本(P<0.05)。②轴向加载50N时,C4～5椎间孔面积椎间盘髓核摘除标本小于其他3组[(57.13±17.64),(65.72±16.85),(75.35±17.75),(66.11±16.46)mm2,P<0.05];颈人工椎间盘置换标本大于颈椎植骨融合钢板内固定标本(P<0.05)。③轴向加载75N时,上下径:C4～5椎间孔面积椎间盘髓核摘除标本小于其他3组[(55.26±17.66),(64.80±16.85),(73.32±17.74),(65.21±16.48)mm2,P<0.05];颈人工椎间盘置换标本大于颈椎植骨融合钢板内固定标本(P<0.05)。④轴向加载100N时,上下径:C4～5椎间孔面积椎间盘髓核摘除标本小于其他3组[(53.22±17.66),(63.81±16.83),(71.35±17.76),(65.27±16.46)mm2,P<0.05]。⑤轴向加载125N时,C4～5椎间孔面积椎间盘髓核摘除标本小于其他3组[(51.25±17.64),(62.82±16.83),(69.25±17.74),(65.25±16.43)mm2,P<0.05]。⑥椎间孔面积:轴向加载150N时,C4～5椎间孔面积椎间盘髓核摘除标本小于其他3组[(49.16±17.65),(61.84±16.86),(67.15±17.73),(65.24±16.42)mm2,P<0.05]结论:颈椎间盘髓核摘除后C4～5椎间孔有效空间明显减少。     

苦楝化学成份的研究

从苦楝(Melia azedarach L.)果中分得苦楝新醇(Ⅰ),苦楝醇(Ⅱ)、苦楝酮(Ⅲ)、苦楝二醇(Ⅳ)、香草醛(Ⅴ)和香草酸(Ⅵ)。根据波谱(IR,MS,~1HNMR,~(13)CNMR)分析和理化常数测定,确定了它们的结构。其中苦楝新醇(Ⅰ)为新化合物,对菜青小虫有一定的拒食活性。     

Tumors of the central nervous system studied by computed tomography and ultrasound

Intraoperative ultrasound (US) was compared to computed tomography (CT) in 41 intracranial and 6 spinal cord tumors. The studies correlated closely except for primary gliomas. Eight of the 22 primary intracranial gliomas (37%), including 1 low-grade and 7 anaplastic tumors, were larger and more extensive on US than on CT. Margins of non-enhanced primary astrocytomas were shown by US but not CT. Four anaplastic tumors (19%) exhibited echogenicity extending beyond the enhanced area. In 4 patients an enhanced lesion contained a lucent center which proved to be echogenic. Low-grade astrocytomas were relatively homogeneous on US, while anaplastic astrocytomas were more inhomogeneous. Cysts could be found in both types of astrocytomas and were often small and multiple. The echo pattern was not helpful in differentiating metastases from primary tumors, although all of them had sharp margins. Sonography of the central nervous system can provide valuable information about tumor morphology and margins.