Use Of Chinese Medicine Among Colorectal Cancer Patients: A Nationwide Population-Based Study.

Background: Traditional Chinese medicine (CM) appears to be used worldwide, especially by cancer patients. The aim of the present study was to explore CM uses and CM non-users by patients with colorectal cancer (CRC).Materials and methods: A retrospective study was conducted using registration and claims data sets for 2007 from the National Health Insurance Research Database. Patients with colorectal cancer were identified from the Registry for Catastrophic illness Patients. Binary logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios as the measure of association with the use of CM.Results: A total of 61,211 CRC patients diagnosed in 2007 were analysis. Most CM users preferred to visit private clinics (46.9%) with 306,599 visits. In contrast, the majority of CM non-users preferred to visit private hospitals (42.2%) with 538,769 visits. Among all 176,707 cancer-specific CM visit, there were 66.6% visits to CM outpatient department (OPD) of private hospitals, while in 477,612 non-cancer-specific CM visits, 62.0% was for private clinics. The proportion of expenses for diagnostic fees for CM user in CM visits was much less than that for WM visits and CM non-users (US$4.6 vs. 29.3 vs. 33.5). The average cost for CM user in CM was less than that for WM visits and CM non-users (US$6.3 vs. 25.9 vs. 30.3). Female patients, younger age, and patients not living in the northern region, with higher EC or more comorbidities were more likely to receive CM treatment.Conclusion: The prevalence and costs of insurance-covered CM among CRC patients were low. Further longer longitudinal study is needed to follow up this trend.Key words: Chinese Medicine, Digestive System Neoplasms, Health Insuranc

Platelet Microparticles Mediate Glomerular Endothelial Injury in Early Diabetic Nephropathy

Background Glomerular endothelium dysfunction, which plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of early diabetic nephropathy, might be caused by circulating metabolic abnormalities. Platelet microparticles, extracellular vesicles released from activated platelets, have recently emerged as a novel regulator of vascular dysfunction. Methods We studied the effects of platelet microparticles on glomerular endothelial injury in early diabetic nephropathy in rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes and primary rat glomerular endothelial cells. Isolated platelet microparticles were measured by flow cytometry. Results Plasma platelet microparticles were significantly increased in diabetic rats, an effect inhibited in aspirin-treated animals. In cultured glomerular endothelial cells, platelet microparticles induced production of reactive oxygen species, decreased nitric oxide levels, inhibited activities of endothelial nitric oxide synthase and SOD, increased permeability of the glomerular endothelium barrier, and reduced thickness of the endothelial surface layer. Conversely, inhibition of platelet microparticles in vivo by aspirin improved glomerular endothelial injury. Further analysis showed that platelet microparticles activated the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) pathway in glomerular endothelial cells; inhibition of the mTORC1 pathway by rapamycin or raptor siRNA significantly protected against microparticle-induced glomerular endothelial injury in vivo and in vitro. Moreover, platelet microparticle–derived chemokine ligand 7 (CXCL7) contributed to glomerular endothelial injury, and antagonizing CXCL7 using CXCL7-neutralizing antibody or blocking CXCL7 receptors with a competitive inhibitor of CXCR1 and CXCR2 dramatically attenuated such injury. Conclusions These findings demonstrate a pathogenic role of platelet microparticles in glomerular endothelium dysfunction, and suggest a potential therapeutic target, CXCL7, for treatment of early diabetic nephropathy

Observation of a ppb mass threshoud enhancement in \psi^\prime\to\pi^+\pi^-J/\psi(J/\psi\to\gamma p\bar{p}) decay

The decay channel $\psi^\prime\to\pi^+\pi^-J/\psi(J/\psi\to\gamma p\bar{p})$ is studied using a sample of $1.06\times 10^8$ $\psi^\prime$ events collected by the BESIII experiment at BEPCII. A strong enhancement at threshold is observed in the $p\bar{p}$ invariant mass spectrum. The enhancement can be fit with an $S$-wave Breit-Wigner resonance function with a resulting peak mass of $M=1861^{+6}_{-13} {\rm (stat)}^{+7}_{-26} {\rm (syst)} {\rm MeV/}c^2$ and a narrow width that is $\Gamma<38 {\rm MeV/}c^2$ at the 90% confidence level. These results are consistent with published BESII results. These mass and width values do not match with those of any known meson resonance.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Chinese Physics

Identification of the Schistosoma mansoni TNF-Alpha Receptor Gene and the Effect of Human TNF-Alpha on the Parasite Gene Expression Profile

Schistosoma mansoni is the major causative agent of schistosomiasis in the Americas. This parasite takes advantage of host signaling molecules such as cytokines and hormones to complete its development inside the host. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) is one of the most important host cytokines involved in the inflammatory response. When cercariae, the infective stage, penetrates the human skin the release of TNF-α is started. In this work the authors describe the complete sequence of a possible TNF-α receptor in S. mansoni and detect that the receptor is most highly expressed in cercariae among all life cycle stages. Aiming to mimic the situation at the site of skin penetration, cercariae were mechanically transformed in vitro into schistosomula and exposed to human TNF-α. Exposure of early-developing schistosomula to the human hormone caused a large-scale change in the expression of parasite genes. Exposure of adult worms to human TNF-α caused gene expression changes as well, and the set of parasite altered genes in the adult parasite was different from that of schistosomula. This work increases the number of known signaling pathways of the parasite, and opens new perspectives into understanding the molecular components of TNF-α response as well as into possibly interfering with parasite–host interaction

Search for ψ(3770)→ charmless final states involving η or π0 mesons

We search for ψ(3770) → π+π-η, K+K-η, pp̄η, ρ0π+π-η, K+K-π+π-η, pp̄π+π-η, pp̄K+K-η and pp̄K+K- π0 using data samples of 17.3 and 6.5 pb-1 integrated luminosities recorded at the center-of-mass energies of 3.773 and 3.65 GeV, respectively, by the BES-II detector operating at the BEPC collider. We obtain cross section measurements at both energies and upper limits on ψ(3770) decay branching fractions to the final states studied. © © Springer-Verlag / Società Italiana di Fisica 2010.published_or_final_versionSpringer Open Choice, 21 Feb 201

Experimental studies of e + e -→ some charmless processes containing K S0 at √s = 3.773 and 3.65 GeV

We measure the observed cross sections for the charmless processes e + e -→K S0 K - K - K + π ++ c.c., K S0 K - π + η+c.c., K S0 K - π + π + π - η+c.c., K S0 K - K - K + π + η+c.c., K S0 K - K - K + π + π 0+c.c., K S0 K - ρ ++c.c. and K S0 K - π + ρ 0+c.c. We also extract upper limits on the branching fractions for ψ(3770) decays into these final states at 90% C.L. Analyzed data samples correspond to 17.3 pb-1 and 6.5 pb-1 integrated luminosities registered, respectively, at √s = 3.773 and 3.65 GeV, with the BES-II detector at the BEPC collider. © 2009 Springer-Verlag / Società Italiana di Fisica.published_or_final_versionSpringer Open Choice, 21 Feb 201

Evolution of the Reactor Antineutrino Flux and Spectrum at Daya Bay

published_or_final_versio

Measurement of electron antineutrino oscillation based on 1230 days of operation of the Daya Bay experiment

published_or_final_versio

Improved Search for a Light Sterile Neutrino with the Full Configuration of the Daya Bay Experiment

published_or_final_versio