Eugenol protects the transplanted heart against ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats by inhibiting the inflammatory response and apoptosis.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the protective effect of eugenol on the transplanted heart and explore its mechanisms of action. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a sham group (n=10), a eugenol group (n=10 pairs, donors and recipients) and a control group (n=10 pairs, donors and recipients). The recipients in the eugenol group received an intraperitoneal injection of eugenol (20 mg/kg/day).

Maternal factors and preoperative nutrition in children with mild cases of congenital heart disease.

Aim: The preoperative poor nutrition of children with congenital heart disease (CHD) impacts the postoperative rehabilitation process of pediatric CHD cases. The factors of these children's preoperative poor nutrition, excluding the disease, have been underreported. The aim was to investigate the preoperative nutritional status of children with CHD who required a simple surgical repair and to analyze the maternal characteristics that are associated with poor nutrition in these sick children.

[Preoperational nutritional status for the children with congenital heart disease and the influential factors].

To investigate the preoperational nutritional condition for the children with congenital heart disease, and to analyze the relevant factors.
 Methods: According to the standards of WHO, the Z-scores was used to assess the nutritional condition for the children, and the generational information questionnaire, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Self-Rating Depression Scale and Parent Understanding Questionnaire were used to analyze the maternal factors.
 Results: Stunting, underweighting and wasting represented the poor nutritional conditions, which accounted for 28.

Survival and prognostic factors in Chinese patients with osteosarcoma: 13-year experience in 365 patients treated at a single institution.

This study was designed to retrospectively analyze the survival and prognostic factors in Chinese osteosarcoma patients received neoadjuvant chemotherapy or/and surgery in a single institution. A total of 365 patients with pathological proved osteosarcoma undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy or/and surgery in a single institution between December 1999 and December 2012 were retrospectively analyzed for the demographic, tumor-related, and treatment-related variables, prognostic factors for survival rate and chemotherapy response. There were 231 males and 134 females (ratio, 1.

Predictive Immunohistochemical Markers Related to Drug Selection for Patients Treated with Sunitinib or Sorafenib for Metastatic Renal Cell Cancer.

Targeted drug decisions in metastatic renal cell carcinoma are exclusively made on the basis of clinical criteria. We investigated whether these biomarkers (HIF-1α, HIF-2α, CAIX, VEGF, VEGFR1, VEGFR2, VEGFR3, PDGFB, PDGFRA, PDGFRB, CD31, CD44, bcl-xL, KIT, p21, CXCR4, PTEN, (CSF)-1R, RET, and FLT-3) can predictive the different effects between sunitinib and sorafenib treatments and are available to guide targeted drug selection. We enrolled all patients who underwent nephrectomy with postoperative sunitinib- or sorafenib-treatment at our institution from 2007 to 2012.

[Schistosomiasis control effect of agricultural integrated development in Tieban Marshland of Yangtze River].

Objective: To evaluate the schistosomiasis control effect of the comprehensive measures that focused on beachland smoothing and tillage cultivation in Tieban Marshland, Wuhan Section of the Yangtze River.

Methods: From 2011 to 2015, before and after the comprehensive control, the snail situations in Tieban Marshland were investigated in spring annually, and the residents aged 6-65 years in Huayuan Community which was next to the marshland were examined to understand their schistosome infection status. In late July, 2014, the sentinel mouse surveillance was carried out.

Two-stage resection of a disseminated mixed endometrial stromal sarcoma and smooth muscle tumor with intravascular and intracardiac extension.

Objective: Mixed endometrial stromal and smooth muscle tumor (MESSMT)-a rare mesenchymal uterine tumor of the uterus with atypical clinical symptoms-is susceptible to misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis. We report a case of a disseminated MESSMT with intravenous and intracardiac extensions treated with staging surgery and review previously documented cases of such tumors with intracardiac extension.

Case Report: The case involves a 45-year-old woman with disseminated MESSMT that originated in the uterus and progressed through the iliac vein, inferior vena cava, right atrium, and into the right ventricle, which closely resembled intravenous leiomyomatosis (IVL) grossly and microscopically.

Rare and curable renin-mediated hypertension: a series of six cases and a literature review.

Background: Reninoma is an extremely rare renal tumor characterized by excessive renin secretion causing secondary hypertension and hypokalemia. Reninoma is a benign and highly manageable lesion if it is discovered early and removed surgically.

Methods: We report six cases of reninoma and provide a literature review on this rare disease, highlighting the diagnostic evaluation and follow-up of each patient.

CT characteristics and pathological implications of early stage (T1N0M0) lung adenocarcinoma with pure ground-glass opacity.

Objectives: To analyze the CT characteristics and pathological classification of early lung adenocarcinoma (T1N0M0) with pure ground-glass opacity (pGGO).

Methods: Ninety-four lesions with pGGO on CT in 88 patients with T1N0M0 lung adenocarcinoma were selected from January 2010 to December 2012. All lesions were confirmed by pathology.

[Effect of verapamil and nitroglycerin on transplanted lung function in canines].

Objective: To investigate the protective effect of combined administration of verapamil and nitroglycerin on the function of canine transplanted lungs.

Methods: Twenty orthotopic left lung transplantations were performed in 40 canines, which were randomly divided into 4 groups. In group I (control), the donor lungs were perfused and preserved with LPD solution, while group II with LPD solution plus verapamil 0.

Screening preoperative peptide biomarkers for predicting postoperative myocardial infarction after coronary artery bypass grafting.

Postoperative myocardial infarction (PMI) is one of the most serious complications of cardiac surgeries. No preoperative biomarker is currently available for predicting PMI after cardiac surgeries. In the present study, we used a phage display peptide library to screen potential preoperative peptide biomarkers for predicting PMI after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery.

GdX/UBL4A specifically stabilizes the TC45/STAT3 association and promotes dephosphorylation of STAT3 to repress tumorigenesis.

Impaired phosphatase activity contributes to the persistent activation of STAT3 in tumors. Given that STAT family members with various or even opposite functions are often phosphorylated or dephosphorylated by the same enzymes, the mechanism for STAT3-specific dephosphorylation in cells remains largely unknown. Here, we report that GdX (UBL4A) promotes STAT3 dephosphorylation via mediating the interaction between TC45 (the nuclear isoform of TC-PTP) and STAT3 specifically.

CHIP/Stub1 functions as a tumor suppressor and represses NF-κB-mediated signaling in colorectal cancer.

The carboxyl terminus of Hsc70-interacting protein (CHIP, also named Stub1), a U-box containing E3 ubiquitin ligase, is involved in degradation of certain oncogenic proteins. Recent studies indicated that CHIP suppresses tumor progression in human cancers by targeting Src-3, hypoxia inducible factor 1α, NF-κB, ErbB2 and c-Myc. Here, we report that CHIP was downregulated, predominantly, in the late stages of human colorectal cancer (CRC), and that the CHIP promoter was hypermethylated in CRC specimens.

Epigallocatechin gallate promotes p53 accumulation and activity via the inhibition of MDM2-mediated p53 ubiquitination in human lung cancer cells.

Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which is derived from green tea, is well known for its chemopreventive activity. Several studies have shown that p53 plays an important role in the activity of EGCG; however, the mechanism by which EGCG regulates p53 requires further investigation. In the present study, we showed that EGCG inhibits anchorage-independent growth of human lung cancer cells by upregulating p53 expression.

Rosai-Dorfman disease: a retrospective analysis of 13 cases.

Background: Rosai-Dorfman disease (RDD) is a rare, idiopathic, histiocytic proliferative disorder, the infrequent occurrence of which limits in-depth studies. Consequently, many characteristics of this disease remain unknown, restricting early diagnosis and proper treatment.

Methods: In this study, the literature was reviewed and a retrospective analysis of the medical records of 13 patients with RDD conducted to investigate the demographic data, clinical data, laboratory and imaging results, treatment, and prognosis of this disease.

CREPT accelerates tumorigenesis by regulating the transcription of cell-cycle-related genes.

Tumorigenesis is caused by an uncontrolled cell cycle and the altered expression of many genes. Here, we report a gene CREPT that is preferentially expressed in diverse human tumors. Overexpression of CREPT accelerates tumor growth, whereas depletion of CREPT demonstrates a reversed effect.

Generation of mice with conditional null allele for GdX/Ubl4A.

GdX (also named Ubl4A) is a house-keeping gene located on the X chromosome and encodes a protein harboring an ubiquitin-like domain in human and mouse. Although identified in 1988, the function of GdX remains unknown. To elucidate the role of GdX in vivo, we generated a conditional GdX knockout mouse in which Exon 2 was flanked by two loxP sites.

The bone morphogenetic protein antagonist Gremlin is overexpressed in human malignant mesothelioma.

Gremlin is a member of the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) antagonist family and its antagonistic effect is likely through direct binding to BMP proteins. As an antagonist of BMP, Gremlin plays a role in regulating organogenesis, body patterning and tissue differentiation. Recent studies have shown a deregulation of Gremlin in several types of human cancers.

Caspase 3 is activated through caspase 8 instead of caspase 9 during H2O2-induced apoptosis in HeLa cells.

Oxidative stress is known to be involved in a variety of pathological processes including atherosclerosis, diabetes, and neurodegenerative diseases. Understanding how intracellular signaling pathways respond to oxidative stress will have a significant implication in the therapy of these diseases. In this study, we applied hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) to trigger apoptosis and investigated the dynamic activation of various caspases using a FRET technique.

GABARAPL1 negatively regulates Wnt/β-catenin signaling by mediating Dvl2 degradation through the autophagy pathway.

Wnt signaling is critical for many biological processes and is tightly regulated. In this study, we found that GABARAPL1 (GABA(A) receptor-associated protein like 1, GABARAPL1) interacts with Dvl2 by both yeast two-hybrid screening and immunoprecipitation experiments. Furthermore, we observed that p62 is required for the interaction of Dvl2 and GABARAPL1.

Magnetic resonance imaging is appropriate for determining the osteotomy plane for appendicular osteosarcoma after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

There are no standard criteria for determining a sufficient resection margin in the treatment of osteosarcoma. The purposes of this study are to evaluate clinical outcomes using T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for determining the margin of resection and to compare that with the results of different imaging modalities. Seventeen patients diagnosed with osteosarcoma who underwent en bloc resection with a margin of 2-3 cm based on T1-weighted MRI following chemotherapy were studied.

Myoepithelial carcinoma of the parotid gland with bilateral thyroid involvement: A case report and review of the literature.

A patient was admitted to hospital with enlarged lobes of the thyroid gland with bilateral cervical lymph node involvement, and surgical excision followed. Histological examination of this specimen revealed a lesion that showed myoepithelial cell differentiation. Primary thyroid and skin appendage tumors were excluded based on clinical examination, conventional histology and immunohistochemistry.

Bladder paraganglioma in adults: MR appearance in four patients.

Purpose: To document the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) characteristics of paraganglioma of the urinary bladder in adults.

Materials And Methods: The MRI findings and clinical features of pathologically-proven bladder paraganglioma in four patients (three men, one woman; age range, 39-62 years; mean age, 46.8 years) were reviewed retrospectively.

Renal cell carcinoma: diffusion-weighted MR imaging for subtype differentiation at 3.0 T.

Purpose: To assess the usefulness of apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) for characterizing renal cell carcinoma (RCC) subtypes at 3.0 T.

Materials And Methods: The Institutional Review Board approved this retrospective study, and informed consent was waived.