[Clinical features of microscopic polyangiitis associated with peripheral neuropathy].

Objective: To analyze clinical features of patients with microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) associated with peripheral neuropathy (PN).

Methods: The clinical data of 37 (44.6%) hospitalized MPA patients associated with PN in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2008 to January 2014 was retrospectively analyzed, using the rest 46 hospitalized MPA patients without PN as control.

X-ray-responsive selenium nanoparticles for enhanced cancer chemo-radiotherapy.

Resistance of cancer to radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy is one of the important reasons of clinical treatment failure and recurrence. Chemoradiation is an optional method to over-coming of radioresistance and chemoresistance. Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) with special chemical and physical properties, has been identified as a novel nanocarrier and therapy agent with broad-spectrum anticancer activities due to generate ROS in cells.

Chemosensitization of HepG2 cells by suppression of NF-κB/p65 gene transcription with specific-siRNA.

Aim: To investigate small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated inhibition of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) activation and multidrug-resistant (MDR) phenotype formation in human HepG2 cells.

Methods: Total RNA was extracted from human HepG2 or LO2 cells. NF-κB/p65 mRNA was amplified by nested reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and confirmed by sequencing.

4‑Phenylbutyrate protects rat skin flaps against ischemia‑reperfusion injury and apoptosis by inhibiting endoplasmic reticulum stress.

4‑phenylbutyrate (4‑PBA) is a low molecular weight fatty acid, which has been demonstrated to regulate endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. ER stress‑induced cell apoptosis has an important role in skin flap ischemia; however, a pharmacological approach for treating ischemia‑induced ER dysfunction has yet to be reported. In the present study, the effects of 4‑PBA‑induced ER stress inhibition on ischemia‑reperfusion injury were investigated in the skin flap of rats, and transcriptional regulation was examined.

Positive association of genetic variations in the phospholipase C-like 1 gene with dermatomyositis in Chinese Han.

Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) are autoimmune diseases with an underlying yet undefined genetic component. Recently, phospholipase C-like 1 (PLCL1) has been identified as a potential genetic susceptibility locus for dermatomyositis (DM) in patients of European ancestry. Here, association between PLCL1 polymorphisms and IIMs was investigated in Chinese Han.

Abnormality of Wnt3a expression as novel specific biomarker for diagnosis and differentiation of hepatocellular carcinoma.

The member 3a of Wingless-type MMTV integration site family (Wnt3a) as an oncogene is overexpressed in many kinds of tumors with a worse outcome. However, the mechanism and alteration of Wnt3a expression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have not been clarified. In this study, the levels of Wnt3a expression were investigated in 80 HCC tissues or sera of 186 patients with chronic liver diseases.

Curculigoside regulates proliferation, differentiation, and pro-inflammatory cytokines levels in dexamethasone-induced rat calvarial osteoblasts.

Background: Curculigoside (CCG), one of the main bioactive phenolic compounds isolated from the rhizome of Curculigo orchioides Gaertn., is reported to prevent bone loss in ovariectomized rats. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms are largely unknown.

Prognosis of nonspecific interstitial pneumonia correlates with perivascular CD4+ T lymphocyte infiltration of the lung.

Background: Nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) is characterized by interstitial infiltration of T lymphocytes, and subpopulations of these cells may be associated with the progression of fibrosis. However, few studies evaluate the correlation of prognosis with this characteristic. Therefore, we performed morphological and quantitative analyses of T lymphocytes in patients with NSIP and evaluated the relationship between T lymphocytes and prognosis.

Anterior pedicle screw and plate fixation for cervical facet dislocation: case series and technical note.

Background Context: The anterior-only surgical procedure is used as a recommended approach in the treatment of cervical facet dislocations, but an anterior cervical spine implant that offers higher three-column instabilities for stronger fixation is lacking.

Purpose: This study aimed to report a new surgical technique of anterior pedicle screw (APS) fixation for cervical facet dislocations and the results of 12 patients with successful application and described safety.

Study Design: The study design includes case series and technical report.

A psittacosaurid-like basal neoceratopsian from the Upper Cretaceous of central China and its implications for basal ceratopsian evolution.

Psittacosauridae (parrot-beaked dinosaurs) represents the first major radiation of ceratopsians (horned dinosaurs). However, psittacosaurids are divergent from the general morphology found in other ceratopsians, and this has resulted in their uncertain systematic position among ceratopsians. Here we describe a new basal neoceratopsian dinosaur, Mosaiceratops azumai gen.

Cellular localization of iron(II) polypyridyl complexes determines their anticancer action mechanisms.

Elucidation of relationship among cellular uptake, localization and biological activities of metal complexes could make great breakthrough in the understanding of their action mechanisms and provide useful information for rational design of metal-based anticancer drugs. Iron(II) complexes have emerged as potential anticancer drug candidates with application potential in cancer imaging and therapy. Herein, a series of iron(II) polypyridyl complexes with different lipophilicity were rationally designed, synthesized and identified as potent anticancer agents.

Diagnostic and prognostic significance of secretory clusterin expression in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

The upregulation of secretory clusterin (sCLU) is associated with tumor progression by contributing to angiogenesis, chemo-resistance, cell survival, and metastasis. However, its diagnostic or prognostic values for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) still remain to be clarified. The average serum sCLU level analyzed by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was significantly higher (P < 0.

The oral and gut microbiomes are perturbed in rheumatoid arthritis and partly normalized after treatment.

We carried out metagenomic shotgun sequencing and a metagenome-wide association study (MGWAS) of fecal, dental and salivary samples from a cohort of individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and healthy controls. Concordance was observed between the gut and oral microbiomes, suggesting overlap in the abundance and function of species at different body sites. Dysbiosis was detected in the gut and oral microbiomes of RA patients, but it was partially resolved after RA treatment.

Association between MEFV Mutations M694V and M680I and Behçet's Disease: A Meta-Analysis.

Objective: Several studies have identified an association between Behçet's disease (BD) and mutations in the Mediterranean fever (MEFV) gene, which was originally linked to the autosomal recessive disease, Familial Mediterranean fever. However, no consensus has been reached. Here, a meta-analysis was conducted on published data to comprehensively evaluate this relationship.

Up-regulation of annexin A2 expression predicates advanced clinicopathological features and poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatic annexin A2 (ANXA2) orchestrates multiple biologic processes and clinical symptoms and plays a key role in development, metastasis, and drug resistance of lethal hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the prognostic significance of ANXA2 for HCC has not been elucidated up to now. In this study, ANXA2 was frequently found to be up-regulated in HCC tissues compared with benign liver disease (BLD) tissues, which was consistent with the results in serum samples and tissue specimens of patients with HCC.

Clinical characteristics of immunoglobulin G4-related disease: a prospective study of 118 Chinese patients.

Objective: To characterize the clinical features of IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) in China.

Methods: A prospective cohort study of IgG4-RD was carried out in Peking Union Medical College Hospital between 2011 and 2013. Patients with newly diagnosed IgG4-RD were enrolled.

Clinical Characteristics of Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Single-Centre Experience in China.

Clinical characteristics of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients complicated with cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) between 2000 and 2013 were analyzed through this retrospective, single-centre study. Of 4747 hospitalized SLE patients, 17 (0.36%, 12 females, average age 30) had CVST.

[Clinical characteristics of 15 cases of microscopic polyangiitis associated with alveolar hemorrhage].

Objective: To investigate the clinical features of patients with microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) and alveolar hemorrhage (AH), so as to raise the physicians' understanding of this condition.

Methods: The clinical data of 15 MPA patients combined with AH, who were hospitalized in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2008 to January 2014, were retrospectively analyzed.

Results: These 15 subjects accounted for 18.

Construction of a cancer-targeted nanosystem as a payload of iron complexes to reverse cancer multidrug resistance.

Multidrug resistance has been identified as a major cause of failure of cancer treatment. Due to their relative non-toxicity, selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) have been reported as excellent cancer therapeutic nanodrugs. In this study, we designed and prepared a novel nanosystem with borneol surface-functionalized and liver targeting to overcome the multidrug resistance.

HLA-DPB1 variant rs3117242 is associated with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitides in a Han Chinese population.

Aim: The vasculitis diseases granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) and microscopic polyangitis (MPA) are the two major forms of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitides (AAV). A recent genome-wide association study has shown that the genes HLA-DPB1 and HLA-DQ conferred susceptibility to GPA and MPA, respectively. We investigated the linkage between putative AAV-related genes (HLA-DPB1, ARHGAP18, CD226, CTLA-4, MOSPD2 and PRTN3) and AAV in a Han Chinese population.

The synaptic recruitment of lipid rafts is dependent on CD19-PI3K module and cytoskeleton remodeling molecules.

Sphingolipid- and cholesterol-rich lipid raft microdomains are important in the initiation of BCR signaling. Although it is known that lipid rafts promote the coclustering of BCR and Lyn kinase microclusters within the B cell IS, the molecular mechanism of the recruitment of lipid rafts into the B cell IS is not understood completely. Here, we report that the synaptic recruitment of lipid rafts is dependent on the cytoskeleton-remodeling proteins, RhoA and Vav.

Rational Design of Ruthenium Complexes Containing 2,6-Bis(benzimidazolyl)pyridine Derivatives with Radiosensitization Activity by Enhancing p53 Activation.

The rational design of metal-based complexes is an effective strategy for the discovery of potent sensitizers for use in cancer radiotherapy. In this study, we synthesized three ruthenium complexes containing bis-benzimidazole derivatives: Ru(bbp)Cl3 (1), [Ru(bbp)2 ]Cl2 (2 a) (in which bbp=2,6-bis(benzimidazol-1-yl)pyridine), and [Ru(bbp)2]Cl2 (2 b) (where bbp=2,6-bis-(6-nitrobenzimidazol-2-yl)pyridine). We evaluated their radiosensitization capacities in vitro and mechanisms of action.

Synthesis of selenazolopyridine derivatives with capability to induce apoptosis in human breast carcinoma MCF-7 cells through scavenge of intracellular ROS.

A series of selenazolopyridine derivatives have been synthesized and characterized by X-ray diffraction, high resolution NMR and Mass spectrum. The in vitro anticancer activities of the synthetic compounds were screened against a panel of human cancer cell lines, human breast carcinoma MCF-7 cells, human liver carcinoma HepG2 cells and L02 normal cell line by MTT assay. By analyzing the structure-activity relationship among the synthetic compounds, it was found that 2-(phenylamino) selenazolo [5,4-b] pyridine, (PSeD, 7) had higher growth inhibitory effect on MCF-7 cells.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the FAM167A-BLK gene are associated with polymyositis/dermatomyositis in the Han Chinese population.

Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) are autoimmune diseases influenced by genetic background and environmental factors. Recently, FAM167A-BLK gene has been identified as a potential genetic susceptibility locus for dermatomyositis (DM) in patients of European and Japanese populations. Our aim here was to investigate the association between FAM167A-BLK polymorphisms and IIMs risk in Chinese Han.