Crosstalk between thyroid CSCs and immune cells: basic principles and clinical implications.

Thyroid cancer has become the most common endocrine malignancy. Although the majority of differentiated thyroid cancers have a favorable prognosis, advanced thyroid cancers, iodine-refractory thyroid cancers, and highly malignant undifferentiated carcinomas still face a serious challenge of poor prognosis and even death. Cancer stem cells are recognized as one of the central drivers of tumor evolution, recurrence and treatment resistance.

Emerging role of metabolic reprogramming in the immune microenvironment and immunotherapy of thyroid cancer.

The metabolic reprogramming of cancer cells is a hallmark of many malignancies. To meet the energy acquisition needs of tumor cells for rapid proliferation, tumor cells reprogram their nutrient metabolism, which is caused by the abnormal expression of transcription factors and signaling molecules related to energy metabolic pathways as well as the upregulation and downregulation of abnormal metabolic enzymes, receptors, and mediators. Thyroid cancer (TC) is the most common endocrine tumor, and immunotherapy has become the mainstream choice for clinical benefit after the failure of surgical, endocrine, and radioiodine therapies.

Characterization of Retained Austenite in Advanced High-Strength Steel.

The retained austenite (RA) in advanced high-strength steels directly affects their plasticity. It is very important for the accurate characterization of their content and types. This paper prepared three specimens with three different Mn contents (1.

Linear-rank testing of a non-binary, responder-analysis, efficacy score to evaluate pharmacotherapies for substance use disorders.

The design of pharmacological trials for management of substance use disorders is shifting toward outcomes of successful individual-level behavior (abstinence or no heavy use). While binary success/failure analyses are common, McCann and Li (CNS Neurosci Ther 2012; 18: 414-418) introduced "number of beyond-threshold weeks of success" (NOBWOS) scores to avoid dichotomized outcomes. NOBWOS scoring employs an efficacy "hurdle" with values reflecting duration of success.

Dopamine D3 Receptor Antagonist (GSK598809) Potentiates the Hypertensive Effects of Cocaine in Conscious, Freely-Moving Dogs.

The chronic and relapsing nature of addiction presents unique challenges for ensuring the safety of a potential medication. A patient may use cocaine, for example, while taking the medication or take more medication than prescribed. Thus, a potential medication must be safe and not exacerbate the effects of cocaine.

Bupropion for the treatment of methamphetamine dependence in non-daily users: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Aim: Bupropion was tested for efficacy to achieve methamphetamine (MA) abstinence in dependent, non-daily users.

Methods: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, with 12-week treatment and 4-week follow-up, was conducted with 204 treatment-seeking participants having MA dependence per DSM-IV, who used MA on a less-than-daily basis. 104 were randomized to matched placebo and 100 to bupropion, sustained-release 150mg, twice daily.

Safety of atomoxetine in combination with intravenous cocaine in cocaine-experienced participants.

Objectives: Atomoxetine has been considered as an agonist replacement therapy for cocaine. We investigated the safety of the interaction of atomoxetine with cocaine and also whether cognitive function was affected by atomoxetine during short-term administration.

Methods: In a double-blind placebo-controlled inpatient study of 20 cocaine-dependent volunteers, participants received atomoxetine 80 mg daily followed by 100 mg daily for 5 days each.

Topiramate for the treatment of methamphetamine addiction: a multi-center placebo-controlled trial.

Aims:   Topiramate has shown efficacy at facilitating abstinence from alcohol and cocaine abuse. This double-blind, placebo-controlled out-patient trial tested topiramate for treating methamphetamine addiction.

Design:   Participants (n = 140) were randomized to receive topiramate or placebo (13 weeks) in escalating doses from 25 mg/day [DOSAGE ERROR CORRECTED] to the target maintenance of 200 mg/day in weeks 6-12 (tapered in week 13).

A novel, nonbinary evaluation of success and failure reveals bupropion efficacy versus methamphetamine dependence: reanalysis of a multisite trial.

A multisite, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of bupropion for methamphetamine dependence was reanalyzed using a novel, nonbinary method of evaluating success and failure. The original analysis focused on a group response endpoint (the change in percentage of participants with methamphetamine-free urines each week over the course of the trial) and no significant bupropion effect was observed in the total population of study participants. In this reanalysis, individual participants were regarded as treatment success if they achieved multiple weeks of abstinence lasting through the end of the study, and their degree of success was quantified by calculating the number of beyond-threshold weeks of success (NOBWOS).

Modafinil for the treatment of methamphetamine dependence.

Aim: Modafinil was tested for efficacy in decreasing use in methamphetamine-dependent participants, compared to placebo.

Methods: This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, with 12 weeks of treatment and a 4-week follow-up. Eight outpatient substance abuse treatment clinics participated in the study.

Advantages of Joint Modeling of Component HIV Risk Behaviors and Non-Response: Application to Randomized Trials in Cocaine-Dependent and Methamphetamine-Dependent Populations.

The HIV risk-taking behavior scale (HRBS) is an 11-item instrument designed to assess the risks of HIV infection due to self-reported injection-drug use and sexual behavior. A retrospective analysis was performed on HRBS data collected from approximately 1,000 participants pooled across seven clinical trials of pharmacotherapies for either the treatment of cocaine dependence or methamphetamine dependence. Analysis faced three important challenges.

Association between Genotype of the Serotonin Transporter-Linked Polymorphic Region of the Serotonin Transporter Gene and Age of Onset of Methamphetamine Use: a Preliminary Analysis.

Early-onset methamphetamine use increases the lifetime prevalence of methamphetamine dependence. An earlier onset of methamphetamine use leads to greater damage to the terminal ends of serotonin neurons, more reduction in serotonin transporter (5-HTT) density, and an increased propensity toward further methamphetamine use. Because the 5-HTT-linked polymorphic region (5'-HTTLPR) within the promoter region of the 5-HTT gene leads to differential expression of the 5-HTT, we examined, for the first time, whether there is a differential association between the long (L) and short (S) alleles of the 5'-HTTLPR and the age of first methamphetamine use (AMU).

Modafinil for the treatment of cocaine dependence.

Aim: Modafinil was tested for efficacy in facilitating abstinence in cocaine-dependent patients, compared to placebo.

Methods: This was a double-blind placebo-controlled study, with 12 weeks of treatment and a 4-week follow-up. Six outpatient substance abuse treatment clinics participated in the study.

Multi-center trial of baclofen for abstinence initiation in severe cocaine-dependent individuals.

Cocaine dependence is a major public health problem for which there is no FDA-approved pharmacological treatment. Baclofen is a GABA(B) receptor agonist that in preclinical and early pilot clinical trials has shown promise for the treatment of cocaine dependence. The purpose of this multi-site, double-blind study, was to compare the safety and efficacy of baclofen (60 mg/day) vs placebo in an 8-week treatment of individuals with severe cocaine dependence.

Urinary elimination of 11-nor-9-carboxy-delta9-tetrahydrocannnabinol in cannabis users during continuously monitored abstinence.

The time course of 11-nor-9-carboxy-Delta9-tetrahydrocannnabinol (THCCOOH) elimination in urine was characterized in 60 cannabis users during 24 h monitored abstinence on a closed research unit for up to 30 days. Six thousand, one hundred fifty-eight individual urine specimens were screened by immunoassay with values > or = 50 ng/mL classified as positive. Urine specimens were confirmed for THCCOOH by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry following base hydrolysis and liquid-liquid or solid-phase extraction.

Evaluation of subjective effects of aripiprazole and methamphetamine in methamphetamine-dependent volunteers.

A variety of neuropharmacological strategies are being pursued in the search for an effective treatment for methamphetamine (Meth) addiction. In this study, we investigated the safety and potential efficacy of aripiprazole, an antipsychotic agent acting on both dopamine and serotonin systems. We conducted a double-blind in-patient clinical pharmacology study to assess potential interactions between intravenous (i.

[High temperature stress on rice anthesis: research progress and prospects].

High temperature-induced rice sterility at anthesis is characterized by its organ-specific, high severity, and low predictability of occurrence. This paper summarized the research advances in rice sterility at anthesis under high temperature, including occurrence period, injury temperature regime, differences in responses among varieties, damage mechanisms, evaluation methods, genetics of tolerance traits, and molecular biology of anther dehiscence and pollen abortion, etc. Based on the relevant researches in Japan as well as the studies in Jianghan Plain, China on the climate conditions under which high temperature-induced damage on middle-season rice hybrids occurred, some key points and main options for the further research were suggested.

The SRPHK1 outcome measure for cocaine-dependence trials combines self-report, urine benzoylecgonine levels, and the concordance between the two to determine a cocaine-use status for each study day.

Background: There is currently no FDA-approved medication for cocaine dependence and no standard primary outcome measure for reduction of cocaine use in cocaine-dependence trials. The ability to detect a significant medication effect will depend, in part, on the primary outcome measure utilized. The goal of the present paper is to compare self-report or either of two urine toxicology measures used alone to a relatively new measure -- the SRPHK1 -- which combines self-report, quantitative urine benzoylecgonine levels, and an estimate of the concordance between the two to determine the cocaine-use status of each study day.

[Association of Hind RFLP in lipoprotein lipase gene with type 2 diabetes].

We examined the association of a Hind RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism) in the lipoprotein lipase (LPL) gene with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) in Chinese Han population in Hubei Province. Genotypes were determined by PCR-RFLP in 102 controls and 264 T2DM patients using sib-pair and unrelated case-control designs. The frequencies of the H+ allele and H+H+ genotype for patients were significantly higher than those for controls (H+: 76.

A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of tiagabine for the treatment of cocaine dependence.

Background: The potential efficacy of tiagabine for treating cocaine dependence is suggested by both pre-clinical research and two small clinical trials.

Method: One hundred and forty one participants who met DSM-IV criteria for cocaine dependence were enrolled into this 12-week, double blind, placebo controlled outpatient trial. Participants received either tiagabine (20 mg/day) or matching placebo.

A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of reserpine for the treatment of cocaine dependence.

Background: Cocaine's increase of dopamine is strongly associated with its reinforcing properties and, thus, agents that reduce dopamine have received much attention as candidate cocaine-dependence treatments. The potential efficacy of reserpine, a dopamine depletor, for treating cocaine dependence is suggested by both pre-clinical research and a small clinical trial.

Method: One hundred and nineteen participants who met DSM-IV criteria for cocaine dependence were enrolled into this 12-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled outpatient trial.

Bupropion for the treatment of methamphetamine dependence.

Bupropion was tested for efficacy in increasing weeks of abstinence in methamphetamine-dependent patients, compared to placebo. This was a double-blind placebo-controlled study, with 12 weeks of treatment and a 30-day follow-up. Five outpatient substance abuse treatment clinics located west of the Mississippi participated in the study.

A preliminary randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the safety and efficacy of ondansetron in the treatment of methamphetamine dependence.

Methamphetamine dependence is an increasing public health problem in the United States. No efficacious medication for methamphetamine dependence has been developed. As ondansetron, a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist and modulator of cortico-mesolimbic dopamine function, has been shown to reduce some of the rewarding effects of d-amphetamine in animal and human laboratory studies, we decided to test whether it would be superior to placebo at reducing methamphetamine use.

Double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of selegiline transdermal system (STS) for the treatment of cocaine dependence.

Cocaine dependence is a major public health problem for which there is no FDA-approved pharmacological treatment. Selegiline is an irreversible selective inhibitor of monoamine oxidase type B (MAO-B) which may affect cocaine addiction through several potential mechanisms. In this study, selegiline transdermal system (STS) was compared to placebo as a treatment for cocaine dependence.

A preliminary randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the safety and efficacy of ondansetron in the treatment of cocaine dependence.

Prior studies have demonstrated inefficacy among dopamine receptor antagonists for treating cocaine dependence. An alternative approach would be to investigate the ability of indirect inhibitors of cortico-mesolimbic dopamine release, such as the 5-HT(3) receptor antagonist ondansetron, to reduce cocaine's reinforcing effects. We hypothesized that ondansetron might be more efficacious than placebo at reducing cocaine intake and promoting abstinence in cocaine-dependent individuals.