Therapeutic targeting of CBP/β-catenin signaling reduces cancer stem-like population and synergistically suppresses growth of EBV-positive nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells with cisplatin

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is an EBV-associated epithelial malignancy prevalent in southern China. Presence of treatment-resistant cancer stem cells (CSC) may associate with tumor relapse and metastasis in NPC. ICG-001 is a specific CBP/β-catenin antagonist that can block CBP/β-catenin-mediated transcription of stem cell associated genes and enhance p300/β-catenin-mediated transcription, thereby reducing the CSC-like population via forced differentiation. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of ICG-001 on the CSC-like population, and the combination effect of ICG-001 with cisplatin in the C666-1 EBV-positive NPC cells. Results showed that ICG-001 inhibited C666-1 cell growth and reduced expression of CSC-associated proteins with altered expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers. ICG-001 also inhibited C666-1 tumor sphere formation, accompanied with reduced SOX2 hi /CD44 hi CSC-like population. ICG-001 was also found to restore the expression of a tumor suppressive microRNA-145 (miR-145). Ectopic expression of miR-145 effectively repressed SOX2 protein expression and inhibited tumor sphere formation. Combination of ICG-001 with cisplatin synergistically suppressed in vitro growth of C666-1 cells and significantly suppressed growth of NPC xenografts. These results suggested that therapeutically targeting of the CBP/β-catenin signaling pathway with ICG-001 can effectively reduce the CSC-like population and combination with cisplatin can effectively suppress the growth of NPC.link_to_OA_fulltex

Neuropsychological functioning of Hong Kong Chinese with obstructive sleep apnea

Clinical Sleep Science: Session 1. Sleep Disorders - Breathin

Neuropsychological functioning of nonapneic snoring Hong Kong Chinese

Clinical Sleep Science: Session I. Sleep Disorders - BreathingIntroduction: The STOP-bang questionnaire has been well validated as a screening tool for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in general surgery patients, but not in bariatric surgery (BS) patients. In our previous study, the STOP-bang score of ≥ 3 showed a high sensitivity (96%), but low specificity (20%) in BS patients. We hypothesize that a higher score is needed to diagnose OSA in BS patients. Methods: This is a retrospective study of consecutive subjects who had a sleep study prior to BS. All subjects answered the STOP-bang questionnaire prior to their sleep study. Subjects currently treated with positive airway pressure therapy were excluded. The sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratio for STOP-bang scores of 4 to 7 were calculated. Results: A total of 59 patients were included in the study. The prevalence of OSA in the BS population was 84%. The sensitivity/specificity for STOP-bang scores of ≥4 along with AHI>5, AHI>15 and AHI>30 was 82/60%, 85/40%, and 90/34%, respectively. The sensitivity/specificity of STOP-bang score of ≥5 for AHI>5, AHI>15 and AHI>30 was 59/90%, 68/72%, and 76/63%, respectively. The sensitivity/specificity of STOP-bang score of ≥6 for AHI>5, AHI>15 and AHI>30 was 33/100%, 41/92%, and 52/87%, respectively. The sensitivity of STOP-bang score of ≥7 for AHI>5, AHI>15 and AHI>30 was 14/100%, 21/100%, and 33/100%, respectively. The OSA likelihood ratio (LR) for STOP-bang scores of 4 or 5 with an AHI>5 were 2.05 and 5.9, respectively, whereas for scores ≥6 the LRs were infinite. All patients with a STOP-bang score ≥6 had OSA, and all patients with STOP-bang scores ≥7 had severe OSA. Conclusion: Higher STOP-Bang score cut-off values progressively improved their predictive power of detecting OSA in BS patients. A STOPbang score ≥5 in BS patients is associated with OSA with a post-test probability of 97%

Characteristics of Family Violence Victims Presenting to Emergency Departments in Hong Kong

Background: The Emergency Department (ED) has been shown to be a valuable location to screen for family violence. Study Objective: To investigate the characteristics of family violence victims presenting to EDs in a Chinese population in Hong Kong. Methods: This study examined a retrospective cohort of patients presenting to the Accident and Emergency Departments of three regional hospitals in the Kwai Tsing district of Hong Kong for evaluation and management of physical injuries related to family violence during the period of January 1, 1997 to December 31, 2008. Results: A total of 15,797 patients were assessed. The sample comprised cases of intimate partner violence (IPV; n = 10,839), child abuse and neglect (CAN; n = 3491), and elder abuse (EA; n = 1467). Gender differences were found in patterns of ED utilization among the patients. The rates of readmission were 12.9% for IPV, 12.8% for CAN, and 8.9% for EA. Logistic regression showed that being male, being discharged against medical advice, and arriving at the hospital via ambulance were the common factors associated with readmission to the EDs for patients victimized by IPV and CAN. Conclusion: This study investigates the victim profile of a large cohort of a Chinese population, providing a unique data set not previously released in this cultural or medical system. The findings give insights to early identification of victims of family violence in the EDs and suggest that screening techniques focused on multiple forms of family violence would improve identification of violence cases. Multidisciplinary collaboration between health, legal, and social service professionals is also warranted to meet the various needs of victims and to reduce hospital readmissions. © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.link_to_OA_fulltex