Quantile regression and empirical likelihood for the analysis of longitudinal data with monotone missing responses due to dropout,with applications to quality of life measurements from clinical trials

The analysis of quality of life (QoL) data can be challenging due to the skewness of responses and the presence of missing data. In this paper, we propose a new weighted quantile regression method for estimating the conditional quantiles of QoL data with responses missing at random. The proposed method makes use of the correlation information within the same subject from an auxiliary mean regression model to enhance the estimation efficiency and takes into account of missing data mechanism. The asymptotic properties of the proposed estimator have been studied and simulations are also conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed estimator. The proposed method has also been applied to the analysis of the QoL data from a clinical trial on early breast cancer, which motivated this study.     

Association of PD-L1 gene rs4143815 C>G polymorphism and human cancer susceptibility: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Programmed death ligand 1(PD-L1) mediated immune escape play important roles in the development of cancer. The gene polymorphism of PD-L1, in particular rs4143815 C?>?G, has been associated with the cancer risks, but with conflicting results. Therefore, this meta-analysis was aimed to assess the association between rs4143815 C?>?G and cancer susceptibility. A systematic literature search was performed to select the studies and the pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to evaluate the strength of association. Eleven eligible studies containing 3711 cases and 3704 controls were enrolled in the meta-analysis. The results suggested that there is a strong association between rs4143815 C?>?G and the cancer risks (G vs. C: OR?=?1.386, 95% CI: 1.132–1.696, p?=?0.002; GG vs. CG?+?CC: OR?=?1.843 95% CI: 1.300–2.613, p?=?0.002; GG?+?CG vs. CC: OR?=?1.280, 95% CI: 1.040–1.576, p?=?0.020). Subgroup analysis based on cancer type suggested that PD-L1 rs4143815 C?>?G might increase the susceptibility to gastric cancer (G vs. C: OR?=?1.842, 95% CI: 1.403–2.418, p?<?0.001) and bladder cancer (G vs. C: OR?=?2.015, 95% CI: 1.556–2.608, p?<?0.001), and genotype GG carriers of PD-L1 rs4143815 C?>?G might have higher risks of HCC (GG vs. CG?+?CC: OR?=?2.226 95% CI: 1.562–3.172, p?<?0.001). PD-L1 rs4143815 C?>?G might confer an increased cancer risk, indicating this SNP may contribute to the pathogenesis of cancer and might be used as a potential biomarker to predict the susceptibility to cancer.     

基于网络药理学与分子对接技术的石菖蒲治疗癫痫作用机制研究＊

目的 利用网络药理学和分子对接技术研究石菖蒲抗癫痫的有效成分及作用机制。方法 运用中药系统药理数据库及分析平台检索石菖蒲有效成分及主要靶点，通过GeneCards数据库收集癫痫疾病的相关潜在作用靶点，运用Cytoscape.3.7.1和 String绘制石菖蒲-癫痫靶点互作关系图，运用Metascape数据库进行GO和KEGG信号通路富集分析。运用AutoDock Vina 1.1.2软件对石菖蒲主要有效成分与癫痫相关靶标进行分子对接验证；通过构建戊四唑诱导的癫痫模型初步评价石菖蒲提取物及潜在有效成分的抗癫痫作用。结果 由 TCMSP 筛选得到4个有效成分及76个主要靶点。癫痫疾病以“Score”大于1.5分进行筛选得到3685个靶标。GO富集分析得到BP条目10个，细胞CC条目9个，MF条目10个（P<0.01），主要涉及核受体活性、离子通道活性、激素结合、神经递质受体活性、蛋白激酶活性、钙调蛋白结合等。KEGG 富集得到14条通路，主要涉及c型凝集素受体信号通路、雌激素信号通路、Ca²⁺信号通路、逆行内源性大麻素信号通路等。分子对接结果显示，桉脂素、山奈酚和8-异戊烯基山奈酚与癫痫关键靶标GABRA2、PPARG等具有良好的结合活性。动物实验结果表明，石菖蒲水提取物及主要潜在有效成分桉脂素和山奈酚在PTZ致小鼠癫痫模型上显示出较好的抗癫痫活性。结论 本研究通过动物实验验证了石菖蒲提取物和潜在有效成分的抗癫痫活性，并且运用网络药理学和分子对接技术探讨了其抗癫痫作用机制，发现石菖蒲可通过多个成分如桉脂素、山奈酚、8-异戊烯基山奈酚，多靶点如GABA_A、PPARG等，多条通路如雌激素信号通路、钙信号通路对机体产生协调效应从而抑制癫痫的发作。该研究提示石菖蒲治疗癫痫具有多成分、多靶点、多通路特点，为石菖蒲的进一步研究提供数据支撑。     

Cost-effectiveness of breast cancer screening programme for women in rural China

In low and middle-income countries mammographic breast cancer screening is prohibitively expensive and a cheaper alternative option is to use ultrasound as the primary screening test. In 2009, China launched a breast cancer screening programme for rural women aged 35–64 years with clinical breast examination coupled with ultrasound as the primary tool. Our study aimed to analyse the cost-effectiveness of breast screening compared to no screening among Chinese rural women. We developed a Markov model to estimate the lifetime costs and effects for rural women aged 35 years from a societal perspective. Asymptomatic women in the intervention arm were screened every 3 years before age 64 years. Breast cancer in the non-screening arm can only be diagnosed on presentation of symptoms. Parameter uncertainty was explored using one-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses. Compared to no screening, breast cancer screening cost $186.7 more and led to a loss of 0.20 quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Breast screening was more expensive and did harm to health among rural women with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of $-916/QALY. The sensitivity analysis identified utility loss from false positives as the factor that most influenced the results, but this did not affect the conclusions. In a rural setting with such low breast cancer incidence, screening for asymptomatic disease is not cost-effective with current screening tools. Priority should be given to ensure that symptomatic women have proper access to diagnosis and treatment at an early stage as this will lead to mortality reductions without the usual screening harms.     

TRIM Proteins in Inflammation: from Expression to Emerging Regulatory Mechanisms

Inflammation - Inflammation is an immune response to exogenous or endogenous insults that helps to maintain the tissue homeostasis under stressful conditions. Depending on the differential types of...     

Day-level associations of physical activity and sedentary time in mother–child dyads across three years: a multi-wave longitudinal study using accelerometers

Journal of Behavioral Medicine - Understanding associations between mothers’ and children’s physical activity and sedentary behavior on more fine-grained timescales can provide insights...