T-cell immunoglobulin- and mucin-domain-containing molecule 3 gene polymorphisms and prognosis of non-small-cell lung cancer

Lung cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide. Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for most of these cases. T-cell immunoglobulin- and mucin-domain-containing molecule 3 (TIM-3) has been established as a negative regulatory molecule and plays a critical role in immune tolerance. Studies have shown that polymorphisms in TIM-3 gene can be associated with various diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate whether polymorphisms in the TIM-3 gene were associated with susceptibility to NSCLC. Three polymorphisms in TIM-3 gene (?1516G/T, ?574G/T, and +4259T/G) were identified by polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism in 432 NSCLC patients and 466 healthy controls. Results showed that frequencies of TIM-3 +4259TG genotype for cases and controls were 10.9 and 4.1 %, respectively; subjects carrying the +4259TG genotype had a 2.81-fold increased risk of NSCLC compared to the wild-type genotype (P?<?0.0001). The TIM-3 ?1516G/T and ?574G/T polymorphisms did not show any correlation with NSCLC. In addition, when analyzing the survival time of NSCLC patients with TIM-3 +4259T/G polymorphism, cases with +4259TG genotype had significantly shorter survival time compared to the wild-type patients (15.2 months vs. 26.7 months, P?=?0.007). These results suggested polymorphism in TIM-3 gene is associated with increased susceptibility to NSCLC and could be used as prognostic factor for this malignancy.     

The role of gut microbiota in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer

The human gastrointestinal tract harbors a complex and abundant microbial community that can reach levels as high as 10¹³–10¹⁴ microorganisms in the colon. These microorganisms are essential to a host’s well-being in terms of nutrition and mucosa immunity. However, numerous studies have also implicated members of the colonic microbiota in the development of colorectal cancer (CRC). While CRC involves a genetic component where damaged DNA and genetic instability initiates a malignant transformation, environmental factors can also contribute to the onset of CRC. Furthermore, considering the constant exposure of the colonic mucosa to the microbiome and/or its metabolites, the mucosa has long been proposed to contribute to colon tumorigenesis. However, the mechanistic details of these associations remain unknown. Fortunately, due to technical and conceptual advances, progress in characterizing the taxonomic composition, metabolic capacity, and immunomodulatory activity of human gut microbiota have been made, thereby elucidating its role in human health and disease. Furthermore, the use of experimental animal models and clinical/epidemiological studies of environmental etiological factors has identified a correlation between gut microbiota composition and gastrointestinal cancers. Bacteria continuously stimulate activated immunity in the gut mucosa and also contribute to the metabolism of bile and food components. However, the highest levels of carcinogen production are also associated with gut anaerobic bacteria and can be lowered with live lactobacilli supplements. In this review, evidence regarding the relationship between microbiota and the development of CRC will be discussed, as well as the role for microbial manipulation in affecting disease development.     

探寻肥胖切点的方法在糖尿病筛查/诊断中的应用

合适的肥胖切点(如BMI、腰围)有助于发现糖尿病及其高危人群,是实施肥胖干预的依据。由于种族差异,针对不同种族人群应制定不同的肥胖切点。目前肥胖切点的制定多使用受试者工作特征曲线,其他方法还有限制性立方样条和分式多项式模型。本文对应用以上3种方法寻找人群糖尿病筛查/诊断肥胖切点的研究现状进行综述,以期了解不同人群糖尿病筛查/诊断的肥胖切点、明确不同方法判定切点的意义。     

Acupuncture combined with herb decoction for intractable hiccup

Objective

To observe the efficacy of scalp acupuncture combined with oral administration of Ènì Tāng (

, Hiccup Decoction) for treatment of intractable hiccup.

Development and validation of an HPLC–MS/MS method to determine clopidogrel in human plasma

A quantitative method for clopidogrel using online-SPE tandem LC–MS/MS was developed and fully validated according to the well-established FDA guidelines. The method achieves adequate sensitivity for pharmacokinetic studies, with lower limit of quantifications (LLOQs) as low as 10 pg/mL. Chromatographic separations were performed on reversed phase columns Kromasil Eternity-2.5-C18-UHPLC for both methods. Positive electrospray ionization in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode was employed for signal detection and a deuterated analogue (clopidogrel-d₄) was used as internal standard (IS). Adjustments in sample preparation, including introduction of an online-SPE system proved to be the most effective method to solve the analyte back-conversion in clinical samples. Pooled clinical samples (two levels) were prepared and successfully used as real-sample quality control (QC) in the validation of back-conversion testing under different conditions. The result showed that the real samples were stable in room temperature for 24 h. Linearity, precision, extraction recovery, matrix effect on spiked QC samples and stability tests on both spiked QCs and real sample QCs stored in different conditions met the acceptance criteria. This online-SPE method was successfully applied to a bioequivalence study of 75 mg single dose clopidogrel tablets in 48 healthy male subjects.Abbreviations: ESI, electrospray ionization; IS, internal standard; LC–MS/MS, liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry; LLOQ, lower limit of quantification; MRM, multiple reaction monitoring; SPE, solid phase extraction; QC, quality controlKEY WORDS: Clopidogrel, Online-SPE, LC–MS/MS, Back-conversion, Bioequivalence, Deuterated analogue, Real samples stability, FDA guidelines     

变应性鼻炎患者4637例变应原特点分析

目的 了解上海地区近5年来变应性鼻炎(allergic rhinitis,AR)患者的变应原分布状况,为AR的防治提供临床参考.方法 2005年6月至2010年5月间,针对有AR症状的患者行变应原皮肤点刺试验(skin prick test,SPT),分析各种变应原的致敏阳性率,以及致敏患者在年龄、性别、检测时间等方面的差异.结果 全部4637例患者中SPT阳性率为62.84％,屋尘螨、粉尘螨为主要变应原;不同季节变应原阳性率差异有统计学意义(x2 =93.581,P＜0.01),其中秋季最高,春季最低;各月份变应原检出阳性率差异有统计学意义(x2 =112.001,P＜0.01),其中10月份阳性率最高;变应原阳性率与年龄呈负相关(r=-0.792,P＜0.01),屋尘螨和粉尘螨的反应强度均随着年龄增大而减弱(x2 =122.513,P＜0.01;x2=138.475,P＜0.01).结论 尘螨为近5年来上海地区AR患者的主要变应原,年龄较小者变应原阳性率及阳性反应强度均较高.尘螨阳性率在季节分布方面存在差异.     

微动敏感床垫式睡眠监测系统和多道睡眠监测同步检查的比较

目的 评价微动敏感床垫式睡眠监测系统(micro-movement sensitive mattress sleep monitoring system,MSMSMS)对阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停低通气综合征(OSAHS)的诊断价值.方法 用MSMSMS和多道睡眠监测(PSG)随机对50例打鼾患者行整夜同步监测,比较两种方法诊...     

产后阴道压力与阴道表面肌电信号的相关性研究

目的 研究产后女性阴道压力与阴道表面肌电信号的相关性,探讨阴道压力检测替代阴道表面肌电信号评估产后盆底功能的可行性。方法 选择1865例产后6～8周的女性,根据有无尿失禁症状,分为SUI组（n=365）和非SUI组（n=1500）。另选择200例盆底功能正常的未生育女性,作为正常未育对照组,分别测量阴道压力值和阴道表面肌电值并比较分析。结果 产后女性的阴道压力值和阴道表面肌电值均低于正常未育女性（P＜0.01）。产后压力性尿失禁（stress urinary incontinence, SUI）的女性阴道压力值和阴道表面值均低于非SUI女性（P＜0.01）。快收缩期和慢收缩期的阴道压力值与阴道表面肌电值均呈强相关性（r1=0.94,r2=0.87,P＜0.01）。根据ROC曲线,阴道压力值与阴道表面肌电值对产后SUI女性均有较好的预测效果,且差异无统计学意义（P＞0.05）。结论 产后女性的阴道压力和盆底肌力均较正常未育女性低,其中SUI女性更为严重。阴道压力值和阴道表面肌电值具有强相关性,阴道压力检测也可作为产后盆底功能初步筛查的方法。     

基于非靶向代谢组学检测探讨肾精亏虚型颈动脉粥样硬化患者的代谢特征

目的:筛选肾精亏虚型颈动脉粥样硬化患者与健康人群之间的差异代谢物,为其诊断及发病机制研究提供科学依据。方法:纳入肾精亏虚型颈动脉粥样硬化患者及健康志愿者各8例,采集所有受试者的血浆样本。应用超高压液相色谱-电喷雾-四级杆飞行时间串联质谱分析法(UHPLC-Q-TOF MS)对血浆样本进行全谱分析,采用XCMS软件对数据进行峰提取和代谢物鉴定;运用主成分分析、判别分析等统计方法筛选差异代谢物,再将差异代谢物提交到KEGG网站,进行相关通路分析。结果:正、负离子模式下,肾精亏虚型颈动脉粥样硬化患者与健康志愿者间具有显著性差异的代谢物共17种:精胺、焦谷氨酸、肉碱、精氨酸、肌酐、肌酸、三甲基甘氨酸、牛磺鹅胆酸盐、泛酸酯、硫酸犬尿素、左旋瓜氨酸、甘氨胆酸、γ-谷酰基-L-苯基丙氨酸、雌素酮-3-硫酸盐、D-阿洛糖、柠檬酸盐、乙酰-DL-亮氨酸;所有差异性代谢物共参与78条代谢通路,其中3种及以上差异性代谢物同时参与的代谢通路共19条。结论:肾精亏虚型颈动脉粥样硬化患者较健康志愿者的代谢物谱发生了显著性改变,这些差异代谢物及其所涉及的代谢通路可能成为未来证型和药物靶点研究的方向。     

儿童先天性心脏病超声心动图报告与个体风险的相关性分析

 目的 分析儿童先天性心脏病超声心动图检查报告中文字描述信息与临床风险评估结果的相关性,并验证文本挖掘方法在此类分析中的可行性和应用价值。方法 回顾性分析1 042例先天性心脏病患儿的彩色超声心动图报告,通过自然语言处理(natural language processing, NLP)技术进行特征提取与筛选,以患儿的风险等级为预测目标,借助机器学习算法构建决策树,推测出临床医师解读心脏超声报告时可能的决策路径。通过50次基于分层抽样的10折交叉验证评价模型的风险等级预测能力,进而评估报告在临床决策中的作用和价值。结果 使用自动生成的全部三元语法(3-gram)或基于领域知识筛选后的特征,所训练的风险等级预测模型分别达到32.82%和48.57%的分类准确率,平均绝对误差(normalized mean absolute error,NMAE)分别为0.33和0.25。结论 超声心动图报告中的文字部分,尤其是描述疾病征象的常用术语,能够在约75%的水平上反映先天性心脏病患儿的严重程度,为临床医师诊疗决策提供重要依据。