Chemotherapy and radiotherapy in nasopharyngeal carcinoma: an update of the MAC-NPC meta-analysis.

Background: A previous individual patient data meta-analysis by the Meta-Analysis of Chemotherapy in Nasopharynx Carcinoma (MAC-NPC) collaborative group to assess the addition of chemotherapy to radiotherapy showed that it improves overall survival in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. This benefit was restricted to patients receiving concomitant chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The aim of this study was to update the meta-analysis, include recent trials, and to analyse separately the benefit of concomitant plus adjuvant chemotherapy.

Clinical utility of plasma Epstein-Barr virus DNA and ERCC1 single nucleotide polymorphism in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Background: Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of the excision repair cross-complementing group 1 (ERCC1) gene has been linked with sensitivity to platinum and radiation. The authors hypothesized that the ERCC1 genotype for the SNPs cytosine-to-thymine substitution at codon 118 (C118T) and cytosine-to-adenine substitution at codon 8092 (C8092A) is prognostic in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) who receive either radiotherapy (RT) or cisplatin plus RT.

Methods: The authors tested their hypothesis using biomarker screening samples from the Hong Kong NPC Study Group 0502 trial, which was a prospective, multicenter clinical trial that used post-RT plasma Epstein-Bar virus (EBV) DNA (pEBV) levels to screen patients with high-risk NPC for adjuvant chemotherapy.

Use of a Therapeutic, Socially Assistive Pet Robot (PARO) in Improving Mood and Stimulating Social Interaction and Communication for People With Dementia: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Socially assistive robotics is a growing area for geriatric research.

Objective: This single-blind, randomized controlled trial (RCT) aims to investigate the use of PARO, a therapeutic, socially assistive pet robot, in improving mood, and stimulating social interaction and communication for people with dementia in the community.

Methods: For the study, 40 community-dwelling older Chinese adults (≥60 years) with mild to moderate dementia will be recruited and randomly assigned to the PARO therapy group or the psychosocial activities control group.

Development of a Rapid Immunochromatographic Lateral Flow Device Capable of Differentiating Phytase Expressed from Recombinant Aspergillus niger phyA2 and Genetically Modified Corn.

Phytase is a phosphohydrolase considered highly specific for the degradation of phytate to release bound phosphorus for animal consumption and aid in the reduction of environmental nutrient loading. New sources of phytase have been sought that are economically and efficiently productive including the construction of genetically modified (GM) phytase products designed to bypass the costs associated with feed processing. Four monoclonal antibodies (EH10a, FA7, AF9a, and CC1) raised against recombinant Aspergillus niger phyA2 were used to develop a highly specific and sensitive immunochromatographic lateral flow device for rapid detection of transgenic phytase, such as in GM corn.

A structural role for the synaptobrevin 2 transmembrane domain in dense-core vesicle fusion pores.

Ca(2+)-triggered release of neurotransmitters and hormones depends on soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptors (SNAREs) to drive the fusion of the vesicle and plasma membranes. The formation of the SNARE complex by the vesicle SNARE synaptobrevin 2 (syb2) and the two plasma membrane SNAREs syntaxin (syx) and SNAP-25 draws the two membranes together, but the events that follow membrane juxtaposition, and the ways that SNAREs remodel lipid membranes remain poorly understood. The SNAREs syx and syb2 have transmembrane domains (TMDs) that can exert force directly on the lipid bilayers.

Visualizing cell proximity with genetically encoded bioluminescent reporters.

Cell-cell interactions underlie diverse physiological processes ranging from immune function to cell migration. Dysregulated cellular crosstalk also potentiates numerous pathologies, including infections and metastases. Despite their ubiquity in organismal biology, cell-cell interactions are difficult to examine in tissues and whole animals without invasive procedures.

Circulating fibroblast growth factor 21 levels predict progressive kidney disease in subjects with type 2 diabetes and normoalbuminuria.

Background: Elevated fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) levels have been suggested, from cross-sectional studies, as an indicator of subclinical diabetic nephropathy. We investigated whether serum FGF21 was predictive of the development of diabetic nephropathy.

Method: Baseline serum FGF21 levels were measured in 1136 Chinese type 2 diabetic subjects recruited from the Hong Kong West Diabetes Registry.

Cardiometabolic risk profile of participants with prediabetes diagnosed by HbA1c criteria in an urban Hong Kong Chinese population over 40 years of age.

Aims: To investigate the usefulness of the additional measurement of HbA1c , compared with performing only the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), in identifying participants at increased cardiometabolic risk, in an urban Chinese population.

Methods: All participants from the fourth visit of the population-based Hong Kong Cardiovascular Risk Factors Prevalence Study, without known diabetes, were included. All had their glycaemic status assessed by OGTT and HbA1c , according to American Diabetic Association 2010 criteria.

Scaling of pneumatic digital logic circuits.

The scaling of integrated circuits to smaller dimensions is critical for achieving increased system complexity and speed. Digital logic circuits composed of pneumatic microfluidic components have to this point been limited to a circuit density of 2-4 gates cm(-2), constraining the complexity of the digital systems that can be achieved. We explored the use of precision machining techniques to reduce the size of pneumatic valves and resistors, and to achieve more accurate and efficient placement of ports and vias.

Diffusional kurtosis and diffusion tensor imaging reveal different time-sensitive stroke-induced microstructural changes.

Background And Purpose: Diffusion MRI is a promising, clinically feasible imaging technique commonly used to describe white matter changes after stroke. We investigated the sensitivity of diffusion MRI to detect microstructural alterations in gray matter after sensorimotor cortex stroke in adult male rats.

Methods: The mean diffusivity (MD) and mean kurtosis of perilesional motor cortex were compared with measures in the contralesional forelimb area of sensorimotor cortex at 2 hours, 24 hours, 72 hours, or 25 days after surgery.

Evidence of altered age-related brain cytoarchitecture in mouse models of down syndrome: a diffusional kurtosis imaging study.

Mouse models of Down syndrome (DS) exhibit abnormal brain developmental and neurodegenerative changes similar to those seen in individuals with DS. Although DS mice have been well characterized cognitively and morphologically there are no prior reports utilizing diffusion MRI. In this study we investigated the ability of diffusional kurtosis imaging (DKI) to detect the progressive developmental and neurodegenerative changes in the Ts65Dn (TS) DS mouse model.

Silencing of hypoxia-inducible tumor suppressor lysyl oxidase gene by promoter methylation activates carbonic anhydrase IX in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Lysyl oxidase (LOX) is an oxidative enzyme known to initiate the cross-linking of collagens and elastin, and suggested recently as a tumor suppressor for several tumor types including lung, pancreatic and gastric cancers. Previously we showed that LOX is strongly induced upon hypoxia in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cell lines CNE2 and HONE1 but only slightly in HK1 and not in C666-1. Here, we further studied the regulatory mechanism and functions of LOX in NPC.

Pain reduction and financial incentives to improve glucose monitoring adherence in a community health center.

Self-monitoring of blood glucose is a critical component of diabetes management. However, patients often do not maintain the testing schedule recommended by their healthcare provider. Many barriers to testing have been cited, including cost and pain.

Kurtosis analysis of neural diffusion organization.

A computational framework is presented for relating the kurtosis tensor for water diffusion in brain to tissue models of brain microstructure. The tissue models are assumed to be comprised of non-exchanging compartments that may be associated with various microstructural spaces separated by cell membranes. Within each compartment the water diffusion is regarded as Gaussian, although the diffusion for the full system would typically be non-Gaussian.

Relationship between intravoxel incoherent motion diffusion-weighted MRI and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI in tissue perfusion of cervical cancers.

Purpose: To investigate the relationship between intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) in cervical cancer perfusion.

Materials And Methods: Prospective newly diagnosed cervical cancer patients underwent diffusion-weighted MRI (13 b-values: 1-1000 s/mm(2) ) and DCE-MRI. The IVIM perfusion parameters, perfusion fraction (f), pseudodiffusion coefficient (D*), and flow-related parameter (fD*), were derived from a biexponential decay model.

Effect of perineal self-acupressure on constipation: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: The efficacy of perineal self-acupressure in treating constipation is uncertain.

Objective: We aimed to evaluate whether perineal self-acupressure would improve patient reports of quality of life and bowel function at 4 weeks after training.

Design: A randomized, parallel group trial was conducted.

Association between the 8-item Morisky medication adherence scale (MMAS-8) score and glycaemic control among Chinese diabetes patients.

Adherence with oral hypoglycaemic agent is crucial to achieve optimal glycaemic control. The 8-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8) has been frequently used, yet the association between MMAS-8 score and glycaemic control among Chinese diabetes patients is largely unknown. Two general out-patient clinics were randomly selected in a district with socio-demographic characteristics representative of the entire Hong Kong population.

Hypoadiponectinemia as an independent predictor for the progression of carotid atherosclerosis: a 5-year prospective study.

Background: Hypoadiponectinemia predicts the development of diabetes and hypertension, both being potent atherosclerotic risk factors. Whether adiponectin predicts the progression of early atherosclerosis remains unclear. In this 5-year prospective study, we examined the relationship between serum adiponectin and carotid intima media thickness (CIMT), a marker of subclinical atherosclerosis.

Elevated circulating pigment epithelium-derived factor predicts the progression of diabetic nephropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Context: Pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF), a circulating glycoprotein with antiangiogenic, antioxidative, and anti-inflammatory properties, protects against diabetic nephropathy (DN) in animal models.

Objective: We investigated whether circulating PEDF predicted the progression of DN in a 4-year prospective study.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Baseline plasma PEDF levels were measured in type 2 diabetic subjects recruited from the Hong Kong West Diabetes Registry.

A recombinant modified vaccinia ankara vaccine encoding Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) target antigens: a phase I trial in UK patients with EBV-positive cancer.

Purpose: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is associated with several cancers in which the tumor cells express EBV antigens EBNA1 and LMP2. A therapeutic vaccine comprising a recombinant vaccinia virus, MVA-EL, was designed to boost immunity to these tumor antigens. A phase I trial was conducted to demonstrate the safety and immunogenicity of MVA-EL across a range of doses.

Insulin receptor antibody-sulfamidase fusion protein penetrates the primate blood-brain barrier and reduces glycosoaminoglycans in Sanfilippo type A cells.

Mutations in the lysosomal enzyme, N-sulfoglucosamine sulfohydrolase (SGSH), also called sulfamidase, cause accumulation of lysosomal inclusion bodies in the brain of children born with mucopolysaccharidosis type IIIA, also called Sanfilippo type A syndrome. Enzyme replacement therapy with recombinant SGSH does not treat the brain because the enzyme is a large molecule drug that does not cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB). A BBB-penetrating form of SGSH was produced by re-engineering the enzyme as an IgG fusion protein, where the IgG domain is a monoclonal antibody (mAb) against the human insulin receptor (HIR).

Imaging neurovascular function and functional recovery after stroke in the rat striatum using forepaw stimulation.

Negative functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) response in the striatum has been observed in several studies during peripheral sensory stimulation, but its relationship between local field potential (LFP) remains to be elucidated. We performed cerebral blood volume (CBV) fMRI and LFP recordings in normal rats during graded noxious forepaw stimulation at nine stimulus pulse widths. Albeit high LFP-CBV correlation was found in the ipsilateral and contralateral sensory cortices (r=0.

Histological correlation of diffusional kurtosis and white matter modeling metrics in cuprizone-induced corpus callosum demyelination.

The cuprizone mouse model is well established for studying the processes of both demyelination and remyelination in the corpus callosum, and it has been utilized together with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to investigate myelin and axonal pathology. Although some underlying morphological mechanisms contributing to the changes in diffusion tensor (DT) metrics have been identified, the understanding of specific associations between histology and diffusion measures remains limited. Diffusional kurtosis imaging (DKI) is an extension of DTI that provides metrics of diffusional non-Gaussianity, for which an associated white matter modeling (WMM) method has been developed.