Comparison of the therapeutic effects of continuous hyperthermic peritoneal perfusion with systemic intravenous chemotherapy

Purpose: To compare the effectiveness and safety of intravenous cisplatin (DDP) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) alone or in combination with continuous hyperthermic peritoneal perfusion (CHPP) for the treatment of malignant ascites.Methods: In the study, 124 patients with tumour-induced malignant ascites were assign to test and control groups according to the sequence of their hospital visits. Patients in the test group were treated with intravenous DDP and 5-FU combined with CHPP, whereas patients in the control group were only treated with DDP and 5-FU. The treatments in both groups lasted for 4 weeks. Thereafter, treatment efficacy, remission of abdominal distension, ascites, Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) score, and incidence of adverse reactions were compared between the two groups.Results: The overall response rates of the test and control groups were 85.50 (53/62) and 35.50 % (22/62), respectively, and the difference was significant (p < 0.05). Patients in the test group showed significant reduction in abdominal distension and markedly reduced ascites compared to the controls. The improvement in KPS score was superior in the test group (p < 0.05). No treatment-associated complications, such as intestinal adhesions or obstruction and grade III or IV toxic and side reactions, were found in either group. The incidence of adverse reactions was lower in the test group than in the controls.Conclusion: Chemotherapy in combination with CHPP is safe and effective for patients with advanced malignant tumours and ascites should be promoted clinically.Keywords: Malignant ascites, Continuous hyperthermic peritoneal perfusion, Systemic intravenous chemotherap

Combined use of AFP, CEA, CA125 and CAl9-9 improves the sensitivity for the diagnosis of gastric cancer

BACKGROUND: The detection of serum tumor marker becomes a common method for screening tumors. However, this method has not been widely used for routine gastric cancer screening. In this study we aimed to determine whether the combined use of tumor markers may increase the sensitivity for the diagnosis of gastric cancer. METHODS: Serum AFP, CEA, CA125 and CA19-9 levels were measured in 149 patients with gastric cancer, 111 patients with benign gastric diseases and 124 healthy people, who visited the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University from May 2011 to May 2012. Statistical analysis including receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, the area under the curve (AUC), and logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the diagnostic value of these markers on gastric cancer. RESULTS: Serum levels of CEA, CA125, and CA19-9 in gastric cancer group were higher than that in the benign gastric disease group and the healthy control group (P <0.005). The sensitivity of AFP, CEA, CA125 and CA19-9 in the diagnosis of gastric cancer was 4.7-20.8% individually, and increased to 40.3% in combination. By using optimal cut-off value, the sensitivity of CEA, CA125, and CA19-9 for the diagnosis of gastric cancer was improved. Especially, the sensitivity of CEA increased to 58.4% and the sensitivity of combined use of four markers increased to 69.1%. The age and gender had no effects on the diagnostic value of these markers. CONCLUSIONS: The determination and application of optimal cut-off values based on ROC curve and logistic regression analysis could improve the diagnosis of gastric cancer based on common tumor markers

Movable Fiber-Integrated Hybrid Plasmonic Waveguide on Metal Film

A waveguide structure consisting of a tapered nanofiber on a metal film is proposed and analyzed to support highly localized hybrid plasmonic modes. The hybrid plasmonic mode can be efficiently excited through the in-line tapered fiber based on adiabatic conversion and collected by the same fiber, which is very convenient in the experiment. Due to the ultrasmall mode area of plasmonic mode, the local electromagnetic field is greatly enhanced in this movable waveguide, which is potential for enhanced coherence light emitter interactions, such as waveguide quantum electrodynamics, single emitter spectrum and nonlinear optics

Antifungal effects of sisal leaf juice on Lasiodiplodia theobromae, the causal agent of mulberry root rot

This study was carried out to evaluate the antifungal activities of leaf juices (fresh juice, fermented juice, boiled juice and sterile juice) of nine sisal varieties on Lasiodiplodia theobromae, the causal agent of mulberry root rot. Results show that all the leaf juices could inhibit the mycelial growth in different degrees (the inhibitory rates ranged from 63.3 to 100%), due to different varieties and treatments. Among the nine varieties, the inhibition effects of hybrid 76416 and Agave americana were the best with absolute inhibition of all the leaf juice treatments against the mycelial growth, followed by Agave Amaniensis, Agave virdis, Agave angustifolia and Hybrid 11648. The inhibitory effect of some fresh juices would be cut down after being fermented, boiled and sterilized. The treated mycelia of L.theobromae were malformed, enlarged, broken and plasma leaked when observed under the microscope. Most of the leaf juices could inhibit the conidial germination absolutely, except A.amaniensis, H.11648 and A. angustifolia. The average germination rate of A. amaniensis, H.11648 and A. angustifolia was 72.4, 16.6 and 13%, respectively. The control efficiency of the fresh juice of H. 11648 against mulberry root rot in the field reached 73.1%.Key words: Sisal, leaf juice, anti-fungi, anti-fungal activities, mulberry root rot, Lasiodiplodia theobromae

GSK3 Inhibitor-BIO Regulates Proliferation of Immortalized Pancreatic Mesenchymal Stem Cells (iPMSCs)

<div><h3>Background</h3><p>The small molecule 6-bromoindirubin-30-oxime (BIO), a glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) inhibitor, is a pharmacological agent known to maintain self-renewal in human and mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs). However, the precise role of GSK3 in immortalized pancreatic mesenchymal stem cells (iPMSCs) growth and survival is not completely understood at present.</p> <h3>Results</h3><p>To determine whether this molecule is involved in controlling the proliferation of iPMSCs, we examined the effect of BIO on iPMSCs. We found that the inactivation of GSK3 by BIO can robustly stimulate iPMSCs proliferation and mass formation as shown by QRT-PCR, western blotting, 5-Bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU) immunostaining assay and tunel assay. However, we did not find the related roles of BIO on β cell differentiation by immunostaining, QRT-PCR assay, glucose-stimulated insulin release and C-peptide content analysis.</p> <h3>Conclusions</h3><p>These results suggest that BIO plays a key role in the regulation of cell mass proliferation and maintenance of the undifferentiated state of iPMSCs.</p> </div

New advances of DNA methylation in liver fibrosis, with special emphasis on the crosstalk between microRNAs and DNA methylation machinery

AbstractEpigenetics refers to the study of heritable changes in the pattern of gene expression that is controlled by a mechanism specifically not due to changes the primary DNA sequence. Well-known epigenetic mechanisms include DNA methylation, post-translational histone modifications and RNA-based mechanisms including those controlled by small non-coding RNAs (miRNAs). Recent studies have shown that epigenetic modifications orchestrate the hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation and liver fibrosis. In this review we focus on the aberrant methylation of CpG island promoters of select genes is the prominent epigenetic mechanism to effectively silence gene transcription facilitating HSC activation and liver fibrosis. Furthermore, we also discuss epigenetic dysregulation of tumor-suppressor miRNA genes by promoter DNA methylation and the interaction of DNA methylation with miRNAs involved in the regulation of HSC activation and liver fibrosis. Recent advances in epigenetics alterations in the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis and their possible use as new therapeutic targets and biomarkers

Revisiting the Association of Blood Pressure with Mortality in Oldest Old People in China: Community Based, Longitudinal Prospective Study

Objective To examine the associations of blood pressure with all cause mortality and cause specific mortality at three years among oldest old people in China. Design Community based, longitudinal prospective study. Setting 2011 and 2014 waves of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey, conducted in 22 Chinese provinces. Participants 4658 oldest old individuals (mean age 92.1 years). Main outcome measures All cause mortality and cause specific mortality assessed at three year follow-up. Results 1997 deaths were recorded at three year follow-up. U shaped associations of mortality with systolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure, and pulse pressure were identified; values of 143.5 mm Hg, 101 mm Hg, and 66 mm Hg conferred the minimum mortality risk, respectively. After adjustment for covariates, the U shaped association remained only for systolic blood pressure (minimum mortality risk at 129 mm Hg). Compared with a systolic blood pressure value of 129 mm Hg, risk of all cause mortality decreased for values lower than 107 mm Hg (from 1.47 (95% confidence interval 1.01 to 2.17) to 1.08 (1.01 to 1.17)), and increased for values greater than 154 mm Hg (from 1.08 (1.01 to 1.17) to 1.27 (1.02 to 1.58)). In the cause specific analysis, compared with a middle range of systolic blood pressure (107-154 mm Hg), higher values (\u3e154 mm Hg) were associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular mortality (adjusted hazard ratio 1.51 (95% confidence interval 1.12 to 2.02)); lower values (Hg) were associated with a higher risk of non-cardiovascular mortality (1.58 (1.26 to 1.98)). The U shaped associations remained in sensitivity and subgroup analyses. Conclusions This study indicates a U shaped association between systolic blood pressure and all cause mortality at three years among oldest old people in China. This association could be explained by the finding that higher systolic blood pressure predicted a higher risk of death from cardiovascular disease, and that lower systolic blood pressure predicted a higher risk of death from non-cardiovascular causes. These results emphasise the importance of revisiting blood pressure management or establishing specific guidelines for management among oldest old individuals