Beta-blockers versus corticosteroids in the treatment of infantile hemangioma: an evidence-based systematic review.

Background: The efficacy and safety of beta-blockers versus corticosteroids in the treatment of infantile hemangiomas (IHs) is controversial. This study aimed to summarize evidence described in the literature and to assess the quality of studies involving beta-blockers and corticosteroids for the treatment of cutaneous IHs.

Methods: Comparative studies were collected from 15 online electronic databases, including OVID Medline, PubMed, ISI Web of Science, CENTRAL, CNKI, ChiCTR, JPCTR, CTRIndia, IranCTR, SLCTR, ISRCTRN, NLCTR, GCTR, ANCTR, ClinicalTrial.

Improvement in visual function and quality of life following a blindness prevention surgery program in a rural area of Eastern China.

The aim of this study was to assess the changes in visual function (VF) and quality of life (QOL) among patients following blindness prevention surgery in a rural area of Eastern China. The prospective study selected cataract patients via mobile eye screening camps. VF and QOL questionnaires originally developed by Fletcher were completed prior to and 6 months after surgery.

Functional study on a novel missense mutation of the transcription factor FOXL2 causes blepharophimosis-ptosis-epicanthus inversus syndrome (BPES).

Blepharophimosis-ptosis-epicanthus inversus syndrome (BPES) is a rare autosomal dominant disease caused by FOXL2 gene mutations. However, only one missense mutation has been found in family with BPES type I. Here, we report a novel missense mutation in the forkhead domain of the FOXL2 gene (c.

Circulating levels of periostin may help identify patients with more aggressive colorectal cancer.

Elevated levels of periostin have been implicated as playing important roles in tumor invasion and metastasis in various tissues. Thus, we determined whether serum periostin levels were associated with progression and poor prognosis in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. We measured serum periostin levels by ELISA in 67 CRC patients and 120 controls.

[Suppression of insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor by RNA interference inhibits cell growth in vitro and induces chemosensitization of HO8910PM cell to cisplatin].

Objective: To assess the effect of suppression of insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF1R) in HO8910PM cell line by small interference RNA (siRNA).

Methods: Transfection of siRNA using lipofectamine 2000 was conducted to silence IGF1R gene expression, the expression levels of IGF1R mRNA and protein were evaluated, and the effects on the cell cycles at 48 hours of transfection were assessed by real-time PCR, western blot and flow cytometry (FCM) assay respectively. The cell growth was detected by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) at 24, 48, 72, 96 hours of transfection.

[Reduction of tumorigenicity of SMMC7721 hepatoma cell line by VEGF siRNA].

In this study the small interfering RNA(siRNA) targeting human VEGF effectively inhibited the expression of VEGF in human hepatoma cell line, SMMC7721, and could dramatically decrease the tumorigenicity of SMMC7721 s.c. xenograft tumor.

Sp1 and Sp3 regulate basal transcription of the survivin gene.

Survivin, a unique member of the inhibitor of apoptosis protein family, is overexpressed in many cancers and considered to play an important role in oncogenesis. In this study, we cloned and identified the proximal 269 bp promoter of survivin gene, which exhibited strong promoter activity in HeLa cells. The TATA-less, GC-rich promoter contains 7 putative binding sites for Sp1, two of which (one at position -148 to -153, the other at position -127 to -140) are essential in regulating basal survivin promoter activity.

[Effect of CRE-dependent RNA interference targeting Notch1 on proliferation of cervical cancer cell line HeLa].

Background & Objective: Notch signal transduction pathway mediates cell differentiation and proliferation. Its dysfunction is supposed to be involved in tumorigenesis and development. This study was to construct a course recombination enzyme(CRE)-dependent short hairpin RNA (shRNA) expression plasmid targeting Notch1, and investigate its effect on proliferation of cervical cancer cell line HeLa.