Huangqi-Fangfeng protects against allergic airway remodeling through inhibiting epithelial-mesenchymal transition process in mice via regulating epithelial derived TGF-β1.

Background: Long-term exposure to aeroallergens such as house dust mite (HDM) could result in airway inflammation and airway remodeling, characteristic features of allergic asthma. Huangqi-Fangfeng (HF), an important "couplet medicines" of Yu-Ping-Feng-San (YPFS), mediates allergen-induced airway inflammation in mice, but its role in the airway remodeling is not known.

Purpose: To evaluate the effects of HF on airway remodeling of allergic asthma in a murine model and to investigate the underlying mechanisms in vivo and in vitro.

Long non-coding RNA DILC promotes the progression of gallbladder carcinoma.

Increasing evidence has demonstrated that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) contribute to tumorigenesis, progression and recurrence of various malignancies including Gallbladder carcinoma (GBC). Lnc-DILC is reported to be the tumor suppressor gene to play an important role in liver cancer stem cells (CSCs). However, the role of lnc-DILC in GBC remains to be elucidated.

MiR-30a-5p frequently downregulated in prostate cancer inhibits cell proliferation via targeting PCLAF.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have vastly expanded our view of RNA world in intracellular signal regulating networks. Here, we functionally characterized a normally highly expressed miRNA, miR-30a-5p (MIMAT0000087), which exhibits downregulated expression profiles in prostate cancer samples. MiR-30a-5p knockdown and overexpression in PC-3 cell line alters cell proliferation supporting a tumour suppressor role.

A wide-margin liver resection improves long-term outcomes for patients with HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma with microvascular invasion.

Background: The impact of the resection margin on survival outcomes in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma remains to be determined. This study aimed to examine the association between the width of resection margin and the presence of microvascular invasion in hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma.

Methods: We reviewed data on 2,508 consecutive patients who underwent liver resection for a solitary, hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma for operative morbidity, tumor recurrence, and overall survival.

Analysis of influencing factors of severity in acute pancreatitis using big data mining.

Objectives: To evaluate the epidemiological characteristics of acute pancreatitis (AP) and explore potential relationships between these factors and severity.

Methodology: Data-sets of 5,659 patients with AP from health statistics and the Information Center of Jiangsu province, between 2014 and 2016, were analyzed. A self-organizing map (SOM) neural network was used for data clustering.

Treatment with olaparib monotherapy for BRCA2-mutated refractory intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: a case report.

Olaparib is an oral poly ADP-ribose polymerase inhibitor with activity in germline BRCA1 and BRCA2 (BRCA1/2)-associated breast and ovarian cancers. There is no report about treatment with olaparib in BRCA1/2-mutated intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas. This study is to observe the efficacy and safety of olaparib monotherapy in the refractory BRCA1/2-mutant intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) patient.

The functional potency of natural killer cells in response to IL-2/IL-15/IL-21 stimulation is limited by a concurrent upregulation of Tim-3 in bladder cancer.

For reasons not completely clear, natural killer (NK) cells from tumor patients displayed multiple exhaustion features and could not be completely restored even when the inhibitory signals from the intratumoral environment had ceased to exist. Here, we found that the circulating NK cells from bladder cancer patients presented significantly reduced cytotoxicity than the circulating NK cells from healthy volunteers. This impairment in cytotoxicity resulted in part from an overrepresentation of Tim-3 NK cells in bladder cancer patients.

Multiline treatment combining apatinib with toptecan for platinum-resistant recurrent ovarian cancer patients: a report of three cases.

The aim of this study was to observe the efficacy and safety of apatinib combined with toptecan therapy in the multiline treatment of platinum-resistant recurrent ovarian cancer patients. The clinical records of three patients with platinum-resistant recurrent ovarian cancer treated with apatinib combined with toptecan therapy were analyzed and followed up for 3 months, and the related literatures were reviewed. The three patients achieved partial response and the tumor marker CA125 levels decreased significantly as an outcome of the treatment.

Long non-coding RNA DILC suppresses cell proliferation and metastasis in colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignant tumors and one of the leading causes of cancer-related death in both men and women. The prognosis of CRC remains poor due to the advanced stage and cancer metastasis at the time of diagnosis. However, the exact mechanism of tumorigenesis in CRC remains unclear.

Clinical research on one-third dose verteporfin photodynamic therapy in the treatment of chronic central serous chorioretinopathy.

Objective: To observe the curative effect and safety of one-third dose Verteporfin photodynamic therapy (PDT) in the treatment of chronic central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC).

Patients And Methods: A total of 60 patients (68 eyes) treated in our hospital from January 2016 to December 2016 were selected in this study, and they were diagnosed with chronic CSC via fluorescein fundus angiography (FFA), indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) and optical coherence tomography (OCT). Besides, patients were treated with one-third conventional dose Verteporfin PDT.

Genome-Wide Association Study Identifies a New Locus at 7q21.13 Associated with Hepatitis B Virus-Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide. In China, chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains the major risk factor for HCC. In this study, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) among Chinese populations to identify novel genetic loci contributing to susceptibility to HBV-related HCC.

Risk Prediction for Portal Vein Thrombosis in Acute Pancreatitis Using Radial Basis Function.

Background: Acute pancreatitis (AP) can induce portosplenomesenteric vein thrombosis (PVT), which may generate higher morbidity and mortality. However current diagnostic modalities for PVT are still controversial. In recent decades, artificial neural networks have been increasingly applied in medical research.

Association between the functional polymorphism Ile31Phe in the gene and susceptibility of hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic hepatitis B virus carriers.

Aurora kinase A (AURKA) is a serine threonine kinase which affects chromosomal separation and mitotic spindle stability through interaction with the centrosome during mitosis. Two functional nonsynonymous polymorphisms of the gene (Ile31Phe and Val57Ile) have been reported recently. We analyzed the association between the two polymorphisms and risk of the occurrence of hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the Guangxi population consisting of 348 patients with HCC and 359 control subjects, and then validated the significant association in the Guangdong population consisting of 440 cases and 456 controls.

Predicting and evaluation the severity in acute pancreatitis using a new modeling built on body mass index and intra-abdominal pressure.

Object: Acute pancreatitis (AP) keeps as severe medical diagnosis and treatment problem. Early evaluation for severity and risk stratification in patients with AP is very important. Some scoring system such as acute physiology and chronic health evaluation-II (APACHE-II), the computed tomography severity index (CTSI), Ranson's score and the bedside index of severity of AP (BISAP) have been used, nevertheless, there're a few shortcomings in these methods.

Mir-21 Promotes Cardiac Fibrosis After Myocardial Infarction Via Targeting Smad7.

Background/aims: Cardiac fibrosis after myocardial infarction (MI) has been identified as an important factor in the deterioration of heart function. Previous studies have demonstrated that miR-21 plays an important role in various pathophysiological processes in the heart. However, the role of miR-21 in fibrosis regulation after MI remains unclear.

MiR-29a and miR-652 Attenuate Liver Fibrosis by Inhibiting the Differentiation of CD4+ T Cells.

Background: Liver fibrosis is the response of liver diseases that puzzles patients. MiRNAs were involved in the regulating processes of liver fibrosis. This study aims to investigate the effects of ARRB1 mediated by miR-29a and miR-652 on liver fibrosis and its possible mechanism.

Elevated Galectin-9 Suppresses Th1 Effector Function and Induces Apoptosis of Activated CD4 T Cells in Osteoarthritis.

T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain 3 (Tim-3) is a critical regulatory molecule found on activated Th1 cells, exhausted CD8 T cells, and resting monocytes/macrophages. Galectin-9 (Gal-9) is an identified ligand for Tim-3. Interaction between Tim-3 and Gal-9 is thought to inhibit Th1 responses.

Antiviral efficacy of entecavir for hepatitis B virus rtA181V/T mutants.

Background: The amino acid substitution at position 181 of the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) polymerase is a multi-drug resistance affecting both the L-nucleoside and acyclic phosphonate nucleotide groups. Data is limited on the efficacy of entecavir (ETV) rescuing chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with rtA181T/V mutation.

Methods: Thirty-one patients with rtA181T/V mutation and 25 patients with rtA181T/V and rtN236T mutation were enrolled.

Apoptotic pathways of macrophages within osteolytic interface membrane in periprosthestic osteolysis after total hip replacement.

Macrophage apoptosis in interface membrane, which occurs through either death receptor, mitochondrion, or endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress pathways, has been suggested to play an important role in promoting osteolysis. However, how and why macrophage apoptosis originates and the correlation among these apoptotic pathways is not yet clear. The objective of this study was to identify the apoptotic mechanism of macrophages, and to explore the relationship between the apoptotic pathways and progression of osteolysis.

Predicting the incidence of portosplenomesenteric vein thrombosis in patients with acute pancreatitis using classification and regression tree algorithm.

Background And Objective: The accurate prediction of portosplenomesenteric vein thrombosis (PVT) in patients with acute pancreatitis(AP) is very important but may also be difficult because of our insufficient understanding of the characteristics of AP-induced PVT. The purpose of this study is to design a decision tree model that provides critical factors associated with PVT using an approach that makes use of classification and regression tree (CART) algorithm.

Methods: The analysis included 353 patients with AP who were admitted between January 2011 and December 2015.

Predicting risk for portal vein thrombosis in acute pancreatitis patients: A comparison of radical basis function artificial neural network and logistic regression models.

Objective: To construct a radical basis function (RBF) artificial neural networks (ANNs) model to predict the incidence of acute pancreatitis (AP)-induced portal vein thrombosis.

Methods: The analysis included 353 patients with AP who had admitted between January 2011 and December 2015. RBF ANNs model and logistic regression model were constructed based on eleven factors relevant to AP respectively.

Anti-TGFβ-1 receptor inhibitor mediates the efficacy of the human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells against liver fibrosis through TGFβ-1/Smad pathway.

The aim of the current investigation was to evaluate the anti-fibrosis potential of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) and further to explore some of its underlying mechanisms. Hepatic fibrosis mice model was induced by CCl. Liver function parameters in serum and fibrosis-associated markers in tissues were detected.

Artificial neural networks predict the incidence of portosplenomesenteric venous thrombosis in patients with acute pancreatitis.

Unlabelled: Essentials Predicting the occurrence of portosplenomesenteric vein thrombosis (PSMVT) is difficult. We studied 72 patients with acute pancreatitis. Artificial neural networks modeling was more accurate than logistic regression in predicting PSMVT.