Oxcarbazepine oral suspension in young pediatric patients with partial seizures and/or generalized tonic-clonic seizures in routine clinical practice in China: a prospective observational study.

Background: This study aimed to assess efficacy and safety of oxcarbazepine (OXC) oral suspension in pediatric patients aged 2-5 years with partial seizures (PS) and/or generalized tonic-clonic seizures (GTCS) in real-world clinical practice in China.

Methods: This 26-week, prospective, single-arm, multicenter, observational study recruited pediatric patients aged 2-5 years with PS or GTCS suitable for OXC oral suspension treatment based on physicians' judgments from 11 medical centers in China. Enrolled subjects started OXC oral suspension treatment as monotherapy or in combination with other antiepileptic drugs.

MiR-21/miR-375 ratio is an independent prognostic factor in patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

We sought to identify microRNAs that exhibit altered expression in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and to determine whether microRNA expression is predictive of disease. This study was divided into three steps: (1) The expression of six miRNAs, such as up-regulated miR-223, miR-142-3p, miR-21, miR-16, miR-23a and down-regulated miR-375, was evaluated using total RNA isolated from freshly-frozen primary tumors and non-cancerous laryngeal squamous epithelial tissues and analyzed using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). (2) We also investigated the mRNA expression levels of processing elements (RNASEN, DGCR8, and DICER1) that participate in miRNA-biogenesis pathway.

Curcumin suppresses invasiveness and vasculogenic mimicry of squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx through the inhibition of JAK-2/STAT-3 signaling pathway.

To determine the role of JAK-2/STAT-3 signaling pathway in invasion and vasculogenic mimicry of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma. HEp-2 cells were treated with 1 or 10 μmol/L curcumin and AG490 (the inhibitor of JAK-2) for 48 h, the invasion and vasculogenic mimicry of tumor cells were tested with Transwell chamber test and tube formation experiment. RT-PCR was used to measure the expression of MMP-2 and VEGF.

miR-21 and miR-375 microRNAs as candidate diagnostic biomarkers in squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx: association with patient survival.

The dismal outcome of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) patients highlights the need for novel prognostic biomarkers. The involvement of microRNAs in cancer and their potential as biomarkers of diagnosis and prognosis are becoming increasingly appreciated. We sought to identify microRNAs that exhibit altered expression in laryngeal SCC and to determine whether microRNA (miRNA) expression is predictive of disease progression and/or patient survival.

Aberrant activation of the WNT/β-catenin signaling pathway in lupus nephritis.

Objective: The canonical WNT pathway has been implicated as playing important roles in the pathogenesis of a variety of kidney diseases. Recently, WNT pathway activity was reported to be elevated in the renal tissue of a lupus mouse model. This study aimed to evaluate the potential role of the WNT pathway in the pathogenesis of human lupus nephritis.

Deoxycytidine kinase promotes the migration and invasion of fibroblast-like synoviocytes from rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a complex, multi-system disease whose primary site of inflammatory tissue damage is the joint. The increasing evidences indicate that activated RA fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) play a critical role in the development of pannus by migrating into cartilage and bone. Furthermore FLS and T cells can activate each other in vitro and in vivo, which is crucial for the progress of RA.

A genetic role for macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) in adult-onset Still's disease.

Introduction: Adult-onset still's disease (AOSD) is a rare systemic inflammatory disorder in which abnormalities in inflammatory cytokines production appear to play a pathophysiological role. Our previous work has reported increased expression of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and revealed its correlation with disease severity and activity in AOSD. A -173 G/C single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) (rs755622) and a -794 CATT₅₋₈ repeat (rs5844572) in the MIF promoter have been reported.

T-614, a novel immunomodulator, attenuates joint inflammation and articular damage in collagen-induced arthritis.

Introduction: T-614 is a novel oral antirheumatic agent for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Whether it has immunomodulatory or disease-modifying properties and its mechanism of action are largely undetermined.

Methods: Rats with collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) were treated with T-614 (5 and 20 mg/kg) daily.

[Variations within OLF1/EBF-associated zinc finger protein gene confer susceptibility to lupus nephritis in Chinese population].

Objective: To observe whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the OLF1/EBF-associated zinc finger protein (OAZ) gene are associated with lupus nephritis (LN) susceptibility in Chinese population.

Methods: Eight SNPs located around the positive microsatellite marker D16S517 within OAZ gene with relatively high heterozygosity were chosen for genotyping on 184 systemic lupus erythromatosus (SLE) patients, including 101 non-LN patients and 83 LN patients, and 286 normal controls using TaqMan MGB allelic discrimination method. Data were collected by SDS 2.

[Peripheral blood mRNA and interferon gene expression in systemic lupus erythematosus].

Objective: To investigate the expression levels of interferon (IFN)-alpha, -beta, -omega and -gamma genes and proteins in the peripheral blood of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and to evaluate any possible connections between these expression levels with clinical features.

Methods: 144 SLE patients, 27 non-SLE patients with rheumatisms and 59 normal controls were recruited for the research, and all subjects were drawn blood to isolate plasma and elute total RNA. SYBR Green Dye based real-time quantitative PCR method was used to compare the expression levels of 4 IFNs in patients with SLE and those in the controls.