CT morphometric analysis to determine the anatomical basis for the use of transpedicular screws during reconstruction and fixations of anterior cervical vertebrae.

Background: Accurate placement of pedicle screw during Anterior Transpedicular Screw fixation (ATPS) in cervical spine depends on accurate anatomical knowledge of the vertebrae. However, little is known of the morphometric characteristics of cervical vertebrae in Chinese population.

Methods: Three-dimensional reconstructions of CT images were performed for 80 cases.

Prolongation of rat renal allograft survival by CD4⁺CD25⁻ T cells induced by recipient dendritic cells transfected with IKK2dn.

Previous studies have demonstrated that recipient-derived immature dendritic cells transfected by recombinant adenovirus-mediated IKK2dn (Adv‑IKK2dn) and loaded with donor splenocyte lysate generate CD4+CD25- T cells (Adv-IKK2dn-CD4+CD25- T cells). These cells may inhibit T cell responses in vitro. In the present study, Lewis (LW) rats were administered with an intravenous injection of naive CD4+ T cells, empty adenovirus (Adv-0)-dendritic cell-generated CD4+CD25- T cells (Adv-0-CD4+CD25- T cells), Adv-IKK2dn-CD4+CD25- T cells or an equal volume of normal saline, seven days prior to transplantation.

Evaluation of reported prostate cancer risk-associated SNPs from genome-wide association studies of various racial populations in Chinese men.

Background: Several genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of prostate cancer (PCa) have identified many single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are significantly associated with PCa risk in various racial groups. The objective of this study is to evaluate which of these SNPs are associated with PCa risk in Chinese men and estimate their strength of association.

Methods: All SNPs that were reported to be associated with PCa risk in GWAS from populations of European, African American, Japanese, and Chinese descent were evaluated in 1,922 PCa cases and 2,175 controls selected from the Chinese Consortium for Prostate Cancer Genetics (ChinaPCa).

Drug-to-antibody ratio (DAR) and drug load distribution by hydrophobic interaction chromatography and reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography.

Hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) is the method of choice for determination of the drug-to-antibody ratio (DAR) and drug load distribution for cysteine (Cys)-linked antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). The drug-loaded species are resolved based on the increasing hydrophobicity with the least hydrophobic, unconjugated form eluting first and the most hydrophobic, 8-drug form eluting last. The area percentage of a peak represents the relative distribution of the particular drug-loaded ADC species.

Photo-cross-linked and pH-sensitive biodegradable micelles for doxorubicin delivery.

Cross-linked polymeric micelles have gained increasing research interest in the past decade due to the instability of existing polymeric micelles when used in vivo. In this study, we reported a series of covalently cross-linked pH-sensitive biodegradable micelles based on the poly(ethylene glycol)-hyperbranched poly(β-aminoester)s with acrylate group terminals (PEG-HBPAE-A) copolymers for intracellular delivery of doxorubicin (DOX). PEG-HBPAE-A can be self-assembled to form micellar nanoparticles in aqueous solution with diameters of approximately 160 nm.

Construction and accuracy assessment of patient-specific biocompatible drill template for cervical anterior transpedicular screw (ATPS) insertion: an in vitro study.

Background: With the properties of three-column fixation and anterior-approach-only procedure, anterior transpedicular screw (ATPS) is ideal for severe multilevel traumatic cervical instabilities. However, the accurate insertion of ATPS remains challenging. Here we constructed a patient-specific biocompatible drill template and evaluated its accuracy in assisting ATPS insertion.

Development of a native nanoelectrospray mass spectrometry method for determination of the drug-to-antibody ratio of antibody-drug conjugates.

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), an increasingly important therapeutic modality for targeted cancer treatment, have been studied using many analytical methods. A class of ADCs that utilize the reduced interchain disulfide cysteine residues for drug attachment has attracted particular interest in drug development. One challenge in analytical characterization of this class of ADCs is that the intact mass information of the ADC molecule is not attainable using conventional reversed-phase liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry methods.

Reversible plasmonic probe sensitive for pH in micro/nanospaces based on i-motif-modulated morpholino-gold nanoparticle assembly.

Exploring local pH in micro/nanoscale is fundamentally important for understanding microprocesses including the corrosion of metal and the metabolism of cell. Regular fluorescence pH probes and potentiometric electrodes show either low signal intensity or lack of spatial resolution when being applied in a micro/nanoenvironment. Here, we developed a nanoscale reversible pH probe based on the plasmonic coupling effect of i-motif modulated gold nanoparticle (AuNP) assembly.

Biomechanical analysis of the impact of fibular osteotomies at tibiotalar joint: A cadaveric study.

Background: Osteotomy of the fibula is a common orthopedic procedure performed for various indications, including harvesting fibula for grafting purposes. The effect of fibular osteotomy and need for tibiofibular syndesmotic fixation fusion at different levels on tibiotalar joint is matter of debate. We performed a biomechanical analysis of the impact of fibular osteotomies at different levels and whether the fixation of distal tibiofibular joint mitigates instability caused by the osteotomy.

Genome-wide association study in Chinese men identifies two new prostate cancer risk loci at 9q31.2 and 19q13.4.

Prostate cancer risk-associated variants have been reported in populations of European descent, African-Americans and Japanese using genome-wide association studies (GWAS). To systematically investigate prostate cancer risk-associated variants in Chinese men, we performed the first GWAS in Han Chinese. In addition to confirming several associations reported in other ancestry groups, this study identified two new risk-associated loci for prostate cancer on chromosomes 9q31.

Nix protein positively regulates NF-κB activation in gliomas.

Previous reports indicate that the NIX/BNIP3L gene acts as a pro-apoptotic factor by interacting with BCL2 and BCL-XL, playing an important role in hypoxia-dependent cell death and acting as a tumor suppressor. However, many studies also showed that NIX is linked to a protective role and cell survival in cancer cells. Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) can attenuate apoptosis in human cancers in response to chemotherapeutic agents and ionizing radiation.

[Risk factors of contrast-induced nephropathy in patients after coronary artery intervention].

Objective: To explore the risk factors of contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) in patients after coronary artery intervention.

Methods: A total of 637 patients undergoing diagnostic coronary angiography or percutaneous coronary intervention were enrolled. They were divided into the CIN and non-CIN groups according to the changes in serum creatinine levels within 48 hours after coronary artery intervention.

Profiling antibody drug conjugate positional isomers: a system-of-equations approach.

Antibody drug conjugates enable the targeted delivery of potent chemotherapeutic agents directly to cancerous cells. They are made by the chemical conjugation of cytotoxins to monoclonal antibodies, which can be achieved by first reducing interchain disulfide bonds followed by conjugation of the resulting free thiols with drugs. This process yields a controlled, but heterogeneous, population of conjugated products that contains species with various numbers of drugs linked to different former interchain disulfide cysteine residues on the antibodies.

Load-bearing evaluation of spinal posterior column by measuring surface strain from lumbar pedicles. An in vitro study.

An understanding of the load transfer within spinal posterior column of lumbar spine is necessary to determine the influence of mechanical factors on potential mechanisms of the motion-sparing implant such as artificial intervertebral disc and the dynamic spine stabilization systems. In this study, a new method has been developed for evaluating the load bearing of spinal posterior column by the surface strain of spinal pedicle response to the loading of spinal segment. Six cadaveric lumbar spine segments were biomechanically evaluated between levels L1 and L5 in intact condition and the strain gauges were pasted to an inferior surface of L2 pedicles.

Design and preparation of stress-free epitaxial BaTiO polydomain films by RF magnetron sputtering.

Domain structures of BaTiO thick films grown on (100) SrTiO single-crystal substrates were engineered using an RF magnetron sputtering deposition process. By tuning the sputtering power and cooling rate and using an off-axis sputtering technique to prepare conducting perovskite oxide bottom electrode with heteroepitaxial quality, we have deposited epitaxial tetragonal single-domain and polydomain BaTiO films with a self-assembled three-domain architecture. The electrical properties and microstructure of the BaTiO films were characterized, and a cellular polydomain structure was clearly observed in as-grown films by optical microscopy.

A novel germline mutation in HOXB13 is associated with prostate cancer risk in Chinese men.

Background: A rare mutation G84E in HOXB13 was recently identified to be associated with prostate cancer (PCa) in Caucasians. The goal of this study is to test association between HOXB13 genetic variants and PCa risk in Chinese men.

Methods: All study subjects were part of the Chinese Consortium for Prostate Cancer Genetics (ChinaPCa).

Maximizing modern distribution of complex anatomical spatial information: 3D reconstruction and rapid prototype production of anatomical corrosion casts of human specimens.

Anatomical corrosion casts of human specimens are useful teaching aids. However, their use is limited due to ethical dilemmas associated with their production, their lack of perfect reproducibility, and their consumption of original specimens in the process of casting. In this study, new approaches with modern distribution of complex anatomical spatial information were explored to overcome these limitations through the digitalization of anatomical casts of human specimens through three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction, rapid prototype production, and Web-based 3D atlas construction.

Rapid protein concentration, efficient fluorescence labeling and purification on a micro/nanofluidics chip.

Fluorescence analysis has proved to be a powerful detection technique for achieving single molecule analysis. However, it usually requires the labeling of targets with bright fluorescent tags since most chemicals and biomolecules lack fluorescence. Conventional fluorescence labeling methods require a considerable quantity of biomolecule samples, long reaction times and extensive chromatographic purification procedures.

Infusion of calcium and magnesium for oxaliplatin-induced sensory neurotoxicity in colorectal cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: It is hypothesised that infusion of calcium and magnesium (Ca/Mg) can reduce the occurrence of oxaliplatin-related sensory neurotoxicity. However, more recent data have drawn a controversial picture concerning this topic.

Methods: A comprehensive literature search was performed using Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar database up to 1st August 2011.

[Prospect and current research on hip protector].

Objective: To summarize the application and research status of the hip protector (HP) and to discuss the current problems and further research direction.

Methods: HP related literature in recent years was reviewed and analyzed.

Results: Biomechanics experiment studies have shown that HP could protect hip joint from fractures caused by falling, however, the protective effect of HP has not shown clinically.

Lymph node harvested in laparoscopic versus open colorectal cancer approaches: a meta-analysis.

Increasing researches have reported the safety and efficacy of laparoscopic versus open approach for colorectal cancer resection; however, the number of lymph nodes harvested in the 2 approaches is still unclear. This meta-analysis is to compare the number of lymph node harvested in these 2 methods. We searched the PUBMED, the EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library up to July 1, 2011 for relevant studies.

Nanoconfinement effects: glucose oxidase reaction kinetics in nanofluidics.

Size-tunable nanofluidic devices coupled to an electrochemical detector have been designed and then used to study glucose oxidase (GOx) reaction kinetics confined in nanospaces. The devices are fabricated via a photochemical decomposition reaction, which forms nanochannels covered with carboxyl groups. The generated carboxyl groups enable us to chemically pattern biological molecules on the polymer surfaces via covalent bonding.

Replication and cumulative effects of GWAS-identified genetic variations for prostate cancer in Asians: a case-control study in the ChinaPCa consortium.

A recent genome-wide association study has identified five new genetic variants for prostate cancer susceptibility in a Japanese population, but it is unknown whether these newly identified variants are associated with prostate cancer risk in other populations, including Chinese men. We genotyped these five variants in a case-control study of 1524 patients diagnosed with prostate cancer and 2169 control subjects from the Chinese Consortium for Prostate Cancer Genetics (ChinaPCa). We found that three of the five genetic variants were associated with prostate cancer risk (P = 4.

Prostate cancer in the senior men from rural areas in east district of China: contemporary management and 5-year outcomes at multi-institutional collaboration.

Objective: Prostate cancer is an underreported and emerging problem in China. Here we summarize the data for Chinese patients with prostate cancer (PCa), describe available treatment options, and report 5-year outcomes at multiple tertiary care institutions.

Patients And Methods: A series of 1611 patients (mean age 76.

PLLA-PEG-TCH-labeled bioactive molecule nanofibers for tissue engineering.

By mimicking the native extracellular matrix, electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds (ENSs) can provide both chemical and physical cues to modulate cell adherence and differentiation and to promote tissue regeneration while retaining bioresorbable and biocompatible properties. In this study, ENSs were developed to deliver multiple biomolecules by loading them into the core-sheath structure and/or by conjugating them to the nanofiber surfaces. In this work, poly(L-lactide)-poly(ethylene glycol)-NH(2) and poly(L-lactide) were emulsion electrospun into nanofibers with a core-sheath structure.