Cancer Core Europe: A consortium to address the cancer care – Cancer research continuum challenge

European cancer research for a transformative initiative by creating a consortium of six leading excellent comprehensive cancer centres that will work together to address the cancer care-cancer research continuum.Prerequisites for joint translational and clinical research programs are very demanding. These require the creation of a virtual single ‘e-hospital’ and a powerful translational platform, inter-compatible clinical molecular profiling laboratories with a robust underlying computational biology pipeline, standardised functional and molecular imaging, commonly agreed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for liquid and tissue biopsy procurement, storage and processing, for molecular diagnostics, ‘omics’, functional genetics, immune-monitoring and other assessments. Importantly also it requires a culture of data collection and data storage that provides complete longitudinal data sets to allow for: effective data sharing and common database building, and to achieve a level of completeness of data that is required for conducting outcome research, taking into account our current understanding of cancers as communities of evolving clones. Cutting edge basic research and technology development serve as an important driving force for innovative translational and clinical studies. Given the excellent track records of the six participants in these areas, Cancer Core Europe will be able to support the full spectrum of research required to address the cancer research- cancer care continuum. Cancer Core Europe also constitutes a unique environment to train the next generation of talents in innovative translational and clinical oncology.     

Implementing change in the neonatal unit: Part 2 – The change process

Pain management in premature and sick babies has long been recognised as a vital component of neonatal care; however practices pertaining to pain assessment and administration of analgesia remain variable in Neonatal Units (NNU). Sucrose has been identified as an effective agent in reducing pain during minor painful procedures in premature babies but the uptake has been modest.This article (part 2) follows on from an earlier article on evidence to support the implementation of sucrose administration as a measure for pain relief for minor procedures (part 1) and will centre on practice-based change in the NNU and reflect on the strategies used as well as the effectiveness of the proposed change. A theoretical change model will be used as a framework to help unpack the influences inherent within the change process.     

Protopanaxtriol protects against 3-nitropropionic acid-induced oxidative stress in a rat model of Huntington's disease

Aim:

Protopanaxtriol (Ppt) is extracted from Panax ginseng Mayer. In the present study, we investigated whether Ppt could protect against 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NP)-induced oxidative stress in a rat model of Huntington''s disease (HD) and explored the mechanisms of action.

Methods:

Male SD rats were treated with 3-NP (20 mg/kg on d 1, and 15 mg/kg on d 2–5, ip). The rats received Ppt (5, 10, and 20 mg/kg, po) daily prior to 3-NP administration. Nimodipine (12 mg/kg, po) or N-acetyl cysteine (NAC, 100 mg/kg, po) was used as positive control drugs. The body weight and behavior were monitored within 5 d. Then the animals were sacrificed, neuronal damage in striatum was estimated using Nissl staining. Hsp70 expression was detected with immunohistochemistry. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation was measured using dihydroethidium (DHE) staining. The levels of components in the Nrf2 pathway were measured with immunohistochemistry and Western blotting.

Results:

3-NP resulted in a marked reduction in the body weight and locomotion activity accompanied by progressive striatal dysfunction. In striatum, 3-NP caused ROS generation mainly in neurons rather than in astrocytes and induced Hsp70 expression. Administration of Ppt significantly alleviated 3-NP-induced changes of body weight and behavior, decreased ROS production and restored antioxidant enzymes activities in striatum. Moreover, Ppt directly scavenged free radicals, increased Nrf2 entering nucleus, and the expression of its downstream products heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and NAD(P)H quinone oxidase 1 (NQO1) in striatum. Similar effects were obtained with the positive control drugs nimodipine or NAC.

Conclusion:

Ppt exerts a protective action against 3-NP-induced oxidative stress in the rat model of HD, which is associated with its anti-oxidant activity.     

Evaluation of adalimumab biosimilar candidate (HS016) in Chinese patients with active ankylosing spondylitis based on a health survey: sub-analysis of a phase 3 study

Clinical Rheumatology - The equivalence of the biosimilar HS016 to adalimumab (Humira) for the treatment of active ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients has been previously validated. The aim was to...     

Prevalence and risk factors for left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in systemic sclerosis: a multi-center study of CRDC cohort in China

Clinical Rheumatology - Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) is a common manifestation of cardiac involvement in systemic sclerosis (SSc), which is associated with increased mortality, but...     

下肢动脉硬化闭塞症患者支架植入术后血清miR- 140- 5p与1年内支架内再狭窄相关性研究

【摘要】 目的 探讨下肢动脉硬化闭塞症（LEAOD）患者支架植入术后血清微小核糖核酸（miR）-140-5p表达水平与1年内支架内再狭窄（ISR）的关系。方法 选取2019年2月至2020年3月在山西白求恩医院接受支架植入术治疗的136例LEAOD患者作为研究对象。根据术后是否发生ISR分为ISR组（n=52）和非ISR组（n=84）。采用实时荧光定量聚合酶链反应（PCR）检测患者血清miR-140-5p表达,受试者工作特征曲线（ROC）评价miR-140-5p预判支架植入术后1年内ISR的价值,logistic回归分析miR-140-5p与支架植入术后1年内ISR的关系。结果 ISR组泛大西洋学会联盟（TASC）Ⅱ分型B+C型、低密度脂蛋白胆固醇（LDL-C）、C反应蛋白（CRP）比例均高于非ISR组（均P＜0.05）。ISR组手术前后miR-140-5p相对表达水平均低于非ISR组（均P＜0.05）。两组术后miR-140-5p相对表达水平均高于术前（均P＜0.05）,ISR组miR-140-5p相对表达升高程度低于非ISR组（P＜0.05）。术后miR-140-5p预判支架植入术后1年内ISR的ROC曲线下面积（AUC）高于术前miR-140-5p、miR-140-5p差值（均P＜0.05）。logistic回归分析结果显示,TASCⅡ分型、LDL-C、CRP均为LEAOD患者支架植入术后1年内ISR的独立危险因素（均P＜0.05）,术后miR-140-5p是术后1年内ISR的独立保护因素（P＜0.05）。 结论 LEAOD患者支架植入术后miR-140-5p与术后1年内ISR相关,检测其表达可辅助临床做出更好决策。     

心血管MR T1mapping/iECV定量分析在主动脉瓣关闭不全评价中的价值

目的探讨心脏MR(CMR)定量技术纵向弛豫时间定量成像/心肌细胞外容积分数指数(T₁ mapping/iECV)对主动脉瓣关闭不全(AI)患者的临床价值,并探索其与传统心功能参数的相关性。方法回顾性收集2012年5月至2016年2月在中国医学科学院阜外医院经影像及临床资料确诊为慢性AI患者36例。所有患者均接受CMR常规扫描序列、初始及增强后T₁ mapping检查,CMR图像经后处理分析,计算主动脉瓣反流分数、钆对比剂延迟强化(LGE)质量分数、心肌细胞外容积分数(ECV)和iECV。基于CMR反流分数结果,将AI患者分为轻度组(9例)、中度组(14例)和重度组(13例)。3组AI患者初始及增强后T₁值、ECV及iECV等计量资料比较采用单因素方差分析,进一步两两比较采用LSD检验;心血管相关病史、纽约心脏协会(NYHA)心功能分级及LGE阳性率等计数资料比较采用χ2检验或Fisher确切概率法;左心室常规功能参数LVEF与iECV的相关关系采用Spearman相关分析。结果3组AI患者年龄、性别、心血管相关病史差异无统计学意义(P均>0.05)。3组不同反流程度AI患者比较:(1)3组患者LGE阳性率总体差异有统计学意义(P=0.023),随着主动脉瓣反流分级程度增高,替代性纤维化发生率增加。(2)3组患者初始T₁值、增强后T₁值及ECV总体差异均无统计学意义(H值分别为1.815、0.929、2.496,P均>0.05)。3组iECV总体差异有统计学意义(H=16.725,P<0.001),重度组iECV值明显高于其他2组(P<0.05)。iECV与LVEF呈负相关(r=-0.649,P<0.001)。结论无创性CMR定量参数技术T₁ mapping/iECV能识别不同反流程度AI患者发生弥漫性心肌纤维化的程度,并与传统心功能参数LVEF有较高的相关性,具有反映左心室功能失代偿前可逆阶段的潜力。