Central nervous system (CNS) tumors represent the most deadly cancer in pediatric age group. In China, thousands of children are diagnosed with CNS tumors every year. Despite the improving socioeconomic status and availability of medical expertise within the country, unique challenges remain for the delivery of pediatric neuro-oncology service.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe gold standard of cancer diagnosis has long been based on histological characteristics. With the rapid advancement of genetic medicine, such standard algorithm of diagnostic approach is facing a challenge. The genetic findings have been changed from being a "supporting character" into the role of a "main character".
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCisplatin (CDDP) has been a highly successful anticancer drug in cancer therapy; however, its further application suffers severe nephrotoxicity. Herein, we identify bismuth tetraphenylporphyrinate [Bi(TPP)] as a potent protective agent against CDDP-induced nephrotoxicity. Bi(TPP) attenuates CDDP-induced acute kidney injury and prevents the death of mice exposed to a lethal dose of CDDP.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTo explore the effects of immunotherapy in the International Society of Paediatric Oncology Europe Neuroblastoma Group SIOPEN high-risk neuroblastoma 1 trial (HR-NBL1 trial), two cohorts were studied: one prior to and one after the introduction of dinutuximab beta. All patients received standard induction and high-dose therapy (HDT) with autologous stem cell rescue (ASCR); the local control comprised surgery and radiotherapy to the primary tumour site, followed by isotretinoin. A landmark timepoint of 109 days, resulting from the median time between ASCR and initiation of immunotherapy, was used to define patients' eligibility in the pre-immunotherapy analysis cohort.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Compelling evidence has shown that pediatric brain tumor survivors are more susceptible to physical, neurocognitive, and psychological sequelae. This study assessed the impact of cancer and its treatment on the physical and psychological well-being, and quality of life of Hong Kong Chinese pediatric brain tumor survivors.
Methods: A total of 157 pediatric cancer survivors aged 8-16 were recruited.
Purpose: Fatigue is the most common concern reported by childhood cancer survivors. Assessing its occurrence and severity is a prerequisite for planning and evaluating appropriate interventions. Nevertheless, there is a lack of large-scale surveys which examine the occurrence and severity of fatigue and its associated factors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The effects of hematologic cancer and its treatment on Chinese children's physical activity level and quality of life (QoL) remain unclear despite numerous studies conducted in Western countries and Hong Kong.
Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the effects of hematologic cancer and its treatment on the physical activity level and QoL among Chinese children.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted.
Background: The availability of a valid and reliable instrument that accurately assesses the level of fatigue among adolescent cancer survivors is crucial before any appropriate interventions to reduce their fatigue can be appropriately planned and evaluated. The study aimed to test the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Fatigue Scale for Adolescents. In particular, confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to examine its factorial structure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The availability of a valid and reliable instrument that accurately assesses the level of fatigue among childhood cancer survivors is a prerequisite for developing and evaluating interventions designed to reduce fatigue. There is a lack of such an instrument for use in the Hong Kong Chinese context.
Objective: The aim of the study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Fatigue Scale for Children.
Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a multisystem genetic disorder, with heterogeneous manifestations that pose major diagnostic and management challenges and incur considerable chronic disease burden on patients, their caregivers and healthcare systems. This survey of clinical practice in the Asia-Pacific region highlights priorities for improving TSC management in the region. The prevalence of TSC in non-Caucasians is uncertain and more data are needed to assess its impact and health-economic burden.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Relapsed T-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) has been an incurable disease. Recent reports showed that an L-arginine depleting enzyme, pegylated arginase (BCT-100) may be effective against T-ALL cells. On the other hand, studies including ours had shown the symbiosis of ALL blasts and human mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSCs) in bone marrow microenvironment during L-asparaginase treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn vitro studies have demonstrated that bovine angiogenin (ANG) significantly stimulates both the migration of endothelial cells and the formation of tubelike structures. The aim of this study was to explore whether ANG gene transfer could enhance vascularization, modify left ventricular remodeling, and attenuate cardiac dysfunction in rats with myocardial infarction (MI). We constructed a recombinant adeno-associated virus vector encoding the ANG gene (rAAV-ANG) and evaluated its angiogenic potential after regional transfection by intramyocardial injection immediately after left anterior descending artery ligation in rats.
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