The disease stage-associated imbalance of Th1/Th2 and Th17/Treg in uterine cervical cancer patients and their recovery with the reduction of tumor burden.

Background: Nearly all uterine cervical cancer (UCC) cases result from human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. After high-risk HPV infection, most HPV infections are naturally cleared by humoral and cell-mediated immune responses. Thus, cervical lesions of only few patients progress into cervical cancer via cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and lead to persistent oncogenic HPV infection.

Growth differentiation factor-15 is a prognostic marker in patients with intermediate coronary artery disease.

Background: Growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) is involved in multiple processes that are associated with coronary artery disease (CAD). However, little is known about the association between GDF-15 and the future ischemic events in patients with intermediate CAD. This study was conducted to investigate whether plasma GDF-15 constituted risk biomarkers for future cardiovascular events in patients with intermediate CAD.

Echocardiographic strain in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and hypertensive left ventricular hypertrophy.

Background: The myocardial structure differs between secondary left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). We investigated left ventricular function of these two types of hypertrophy using multilayer strain analysis with two-dimensional echocardiography.

Methods: Transthoracic echocardiography (Vivid-E9) was performed in 240 patients with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF ≥50%) and with either HCM (n = 80, 63 men, age 49.

Diagnostic accuracy of frozen section analysis of borderline ovarian tumors: a meta-analysis with emphasis on misdiagnosis factors.

First, to evaluate the sensitivity and positive predictive value (PPV) of intra-operative frozen section (FS) diagnosis in borderline ovarian tumors (BOTs), and to explore the factors affecting the diagnostic accuracy. Second, to assess the clinical outcomes of misdiagnosed BOT patients. We performed a retrospective study of all patients diagnosed as BOT through FS or paraffin section (PS) at Qilu Hospital between January 2005 and December 2015.

Junior medical student performed focused cardiac ultrasound after brief training to detect significant valvular heart disease.

Background: Focused cardiac ultrasound (FOCUS) examination using a portable device is increasingly used for bedside diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases. This is a 4-week pilot project aiming to teach medical students to perform FOCUS to detect valvular heart lesions.

Methods: Patients undergoing routine transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) were recruited by third year medical students who performed physical examination (PE) and FOCUS after 6-hour training to detect significant (moderate-to-severe) valvular lesions.

Incidence of venous thromboembolism following the neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimen for epithelial type of ovarian cancer.

This study aims to analyze the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) for epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC).A retrospective audit was conducted examining 147 patients treated for EOC. Surgical treatment with curative intent, with or without NACT and adjuvant chemotherapy, is the treatment approach, which was modified according to the patient's condition.

Prediction of risk of cardiovascular events in patients with mild to moderate coronary artery lesions using naïve Bayesian networks.

Background: This prospective study integrated multiple clinical indexes and inflammatory markers associated with coronary atherosclerotic vulnerable plaque to establish a risk prediction model that can evaluate a patient with certain risk factors for the likelihood of the occurrence of a coronary heart disease event within one year.

Methods: This study enrolled in 2686 patients with mild to moderate coronary artery lesions. Eighty-five indexes were recorded, included baseline clinical data, laboratory studies, and procedural characteristics.

Prevalence of atrial septal pouch and risk of ischemic stroke.

Background: It has been postulated that atrial septal pouch (ASP) may favor the stasis of blood and predispose to thromboembolic complications. We sought to evaluate the prevalence of ASP, and its association with ischemic stroke.

Methods: We retrospectively studied 500 patients, who underwent transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) due to clinical indications.

Evaluation of left ventricular function by three-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography in patients with myocardial bridging of the left anterior descending coronary artery.

Background: To understand the influence of myocardial bridging (MB) on left ventricular (LV) function, myocardial function was studied in patients with MB of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) using three-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE).

Methods: Left anterior descending coronary artery MB was diagnosed by coronary angiography in 82 subjects. Patients were divided into three groups according to the percentage of systolic narrowing of the compressed segment: 30% to 49% was defined as group I (24 patients), 50% to 74% as group II (28 patients), and ≥75% as group III (30 patients).

Evaluation of several screening approaches for detection of cervical lesions in rural Shandong, China.

Purpose: The study was designed to: (1) investigate the prevalence of high-risk human papillomavirus (HR- HPV) infection and cervical neoplasia; and (2) evaluate clinical performance of visual inspection with acetic acid/ Lugol's iodine (VIA /VILI), Pap smear, high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) DNA test for detecting cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or worse (CIN2+) and (3) explore appropriate screening approach in rural areas of Shandong Province.

Materials And Methods: A total of 3,763 eligible women from Yiyuan County in Yimeng mountainous areas of rural Shandong, China, were enrolled and underwent Pap smear, HR-HPV DNA testing by Hybrid Capture 2 (HC2), and VIA /VILI tests. Women positive in any test were referred to colposcopy and biopsy as indicated.

Metabolic behavior prediction of pazopanib by cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4 by molecular docking.

Metabolism-mediated drug adverse effects (e.g., drug-drug interaction, bioactivation, etc.

Early diastolic dyssynchrony in relation to left ventricular remodeling and function in hypertension.

Background: Cardiac synchronization is important in maintaining myocardial performance, but the mechanism of diastolic dyssynchrony leading to failing myocardium is unclear. We aim to study the relation of left ventricular (LV) diastolic dyssynchrony with diastolic dysfunction in patients with hypertension.

Methods: Two-D, three-D and Doppler echocardiography were performed using the GE Vivid E9 system on 230 subjects.

Association of CYP17A1 gene -34T/C polymorphism with polycystic ovary syndrome in Han Chinese population.

Purpose: To investigate the influence of the cytochrome P450 17α (CYP17A1) gene -34T/C polymorphism in the pathogenesis of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in Han Chinese population.

Methods: Three-hundred eighteen patients with PCOS and 306 controls were recruited and the CYP17A1 -34T/C polymorphism was genotyped using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Furthermore, the relationship of CYP17A1 -34T/C polymorphism and clinical feature parameters of PCOS patients was also analyzed.

Three-dimensional speckle strain echocardiography is more accurate and efficient than 2D strain in the evaluation of left ventricular function.

Background: Two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2DSTE) has been used widely in research, but rarely in clinical practice because data acquisition and analysis are time-consuming. By reducing the acquisition and analysis time, 3-dimensional STE may improve clinical impact. We investigated the feasibility of 3DSTE myocardial deformation, with comparison to 2DSTE.

Feasibility of single-beat full-volume capture real-time three-dimensional echocardiography for quantification of right ventricular volume: validation by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging.

Background: The lack of an accurate noninvasive method for assessing right ventricular (RV) volume and function has been a major deficiency of two-dimensional (2D) echocardiography. The aim of our study was to test the feasibility of single-beat full-volume capture with real-time three-dimensional echo (3DE) imaging system for the evaluation of RV volumes and function validated by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI).

Methods: Sixty-one subjects (16 normal subjects, 20 patients with hypertension, 16 patients with pulmonary heart disease and 9 patients with coronary heart disease) were studied.