Haploinsufficiency of drives glucocorticoid resistance in adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells by down-regulating the mitochondrial apoptosis axis, and is sensitive to Bcl-2 blockage.

Background: Relapse represents the leading cause of death in both child and adult patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Development of chemo-resistance is ultimately responsible for treatment failure and relapse, therefore understanding the molecular basis underlying resistance is imperative for developing innovative treatment strategies. Glucocorticoids (GCs) such dexamethasone and prednisolone are the backbone of combination chemotherapy regimens for treating all lymphoid tumors.

Incidence and mortality of nasopharyngeal carcinoma: interim analysis of a cluster randomized controlled screening trial (PRO-NPC-001) in southern China.

Background: Previous mass screening studies have shown that IgA antibodies against Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) can facilitate early detection of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), but the impact of EBV-antibody screening for NPC-specific mortality remains unknown.

Patients And Methods: A prospective, cluster randomized, controlled trial for NPC screening (PRO-NPC-001) was conducted in 3 selected towns of Zhongshan City and 13 selected towns of Sihui City in southern China beginning in 2008. Serum samples of the screening group were tested for two previously selected anti-EBV antibodies.

Neurotropin reduces memory impairment and neuroinflammation via BDNF/NF-κB in a transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease with limited treatments and no cure. Neurotropin (NTP) is an analgesic drug widely prescribed for neuropathic pain. Increasing evidence suggests that NTP may also protect against neurodegeneration, but NTP's treatment potential against memory impairments of AD remains to be explored.

Core Competencies Required for Gastroenterology Nursing Specialists in China.

Healthcare professionals responsible for patients with gastrointestinal diseases need a particular level of nursing knowledge and abilities to ensure excellent care. This study aims to propose a set of core competencies for the gastroenterology nursing specialists (GNS) in China. This research integrates quantitative and qualitative research methods.

Application of standardized platelet-rich plasma in elderly patients with complex wounds.

In recent years, autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) derivatives have been used widely in the regeneration and repair of tissue, but a standard definition and preparation method for PRP are lacking. We developed a standardized method using platelet indices as quality-control indicators for PRP preparation. Twenty-one elderly patients (9 males, 12 females) with complex wounds were treated with standardized platelet-rich plasma (S-PRP).

The effects of aging, diabetes mellitus, and antiplatelet drugs on growth factors and anti-aging proteins in platelet-rich plasma.

As the aged population continues to markedly increase worldwide, the incidences of diabetes mellitus (DM) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) are increasing. In this study, we investigated the effects of aging, DM, and antiplatelet drugs on growth factors and anti-aging proteins in platelet-rich plasma (PRP). The study participants were classified into the following four groups: Group A, healthy individuals aged ≤45 years; Group B, healthy individuals aged >45 years; Group C, DM patients aged >45 years; and Group D, CVD patients aged >45 years taking antiplatelet drugs.

Occurrence of composite cardiac endpoints with change in resting heart rate among Chinese patients with coronary artery disease: Chinese cohort from the real-world BISO-CAD study.

Objective: We evaluated change in resting heart rate (RHR) and its impact on prognosis in Chinese coronary artery disease (CAD) patients treated with bisoprolol, and also assessed drug safety and tolerability.

Methods: This phase IV, single arm observational study was a sub-study of the BISO-CAD study conducted across 20 hospitals in China between October 2011 and July 2015 with follow-up at 6, 12 and 18 months after baseline. The primary endpoint was occurrence of composite cardiac events.

Exercise improves recognition memory and synaptic plasticity in the prefrontal cortex for rats modelling vascular dementia.

Objectives: Functional electrical stimulation (FES) may induce involuntary exercise and make beneficial effects on vascular dementia (VD) by strengthening the BDNF-pCREB-mediated pathway and hippocampal plasticity. Whether FES improves recognition memory and synaptic plasticity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) was investigated by establishing a VD model.

Methods: The VD rats were administered with two weeks of voluntary exercise, forced exercise, or involuntary exercise induced with FES.

Superior GVHD-free, relapse-free survival for G-BM to G-PBSC grafts is associated with higher MDSCs content in allografting for patients with acute leukemia.

Background: Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF)-mobilized peripheral blood stem cells (G-PBSC) has largely replaced unstimulated bone marrow (un-BM) for allografting because of accelerated engraftment, but with a higher morbidity and mortality of graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD). Recent studies suggested that G-CSF-primed BM (G-BM) had similar engraftment but lower morbidity and mortality of GVHD comparing to G-PBSC. A prospective, randomized, multicenter study was conducted to compare G-BM with G-PBSC as the grafts in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) for acute leukemia in first complete remission (CR1).

A case report of PVOD patient combined with pulmonary embolism: Anticoagulation or not?

Rationale: Pulmonary veno-occlusive disease (PVOD) is a rare form of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Oral anticoagulation is confined to patients with idiopathic PAH (IPAH), but no oral anticoagulation has been recommended for PVOD, because occult pulmonary hemorrhage was a common finding in PVOD.

Patient Concerns: We report a case of PVOD, who was misdiagnosed as IPAH for 5 years with worsening dyspnea and two episodes of pulmonary embolism (PE).

Multi-institutional prospective study of nedaplatin plus S-1 chemotherapy in recurrent and metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients after failure of platinum-containing regimens.

Background: In this multi-institutional prospective study, we aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of nedaplatin plus S-1 (NS) chemotherapy for patients with recurrent and metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) when platinum-containing regimens failed.

Methods: A total of 52 recurrent and metastatic NPC patients who previously received, but failed with platinum-containing chemotherapy, had oral S-1 chemotherapy (twice daily from the first day to the fourteenth day) and nedaplatin (80 mg/ m, day 1) every 3 weeks. The body surface area (BSA) decided the dose of S-1: 40 mg twice a day when BSA < 1.

Clinical Outcomes in Pediatric Patients Hospitalized with Fulminant Myocarditis Requiring Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: A Meta-analysis.

We conducted a meta-analysis to provide the survival rates for pediatric patients hospitalized with fulminant myocarditis requiring ECMO. The literature search was conducted using Embase, PubMed, MEDLINE and Elsevier for studies published before April 1, 2016. We focus on survival rates for pediatric patients hospitalized with fulminant myocarditis requiring ECMO, and studies that reported only on adult patients were excluded.

Comparison of the Chinese ischemic stroke subclassification and Trial of Org 10172 in acute stroke treatment systems in minor stroke.

Background: The underlying causes of minor stroke are difficult to assess. Here, we evaluate the reliability of the Chinese Ischemic Stroke Subclassification (CISS) system in patients with minor stroke, and compare it to the Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment (TOAST) system.

Methods: A total of 320 patients with minor stroke were retrospectively registered and categorized into different subgroups of the CISS and TOAST by two neurologists.

Clinical efficacy of combined sodium dimercaptopropanesulfonate and zinc treatment in neurological Wilson's disease with D-penicillamine treatment failure.

Objectives: There are limited pharmacological treatments for patients with neurological Wilson's disease (WD) and a history of copper-chelating treatment failure.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the clinical records of 38 patients with WD who were treated with sodium dimercaptopropanesulfonate (DMPS) and zinc (group 1) or zinc alone (group 2). All patients had a history of neurological deterioration during their previous treatment with D-penicillamine (DPA).

Phase II study of gemcitabine plus S-1 chemotherapy in recurrent and metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients after failure of platinum-based chemotherapy.

Purpose: No standard salvage regimen has been established for patients with recurrent and metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and disease progression after prior platinum-based chemotherapy. This phase II study was designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of gemcitabine plus S-1 (GS) chemotherapy as a remedial regimen in this setting.

Methods: In this multicenter phase II study, 49 patients with recurrent and metastatic NPC who failed previous platinum-based chemotherapy received gemcitabine (1.

[The number of peripheral blood CD11c+ antigen presenting cells increases and their function strengthens in the patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis].

Objective: To detect the percentage of CD11c positive antigen presenting cells (CD11c(+) APCs) in peripheral blood from patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis (APT) and the levels of HLA-DR and CD86. Methods Fifty-two APT patients were enrolled in the study and 15 healthy volunteers served as controls. The frequencies of CD11c(+) APCs and the expressions of HLA-DR and CD86 in CD11c(+) APCs in the peripheral blood were determined by flow cytometry.

Restoration of the spinal canal volume in stenosis dependent on pedicle-lengthening distance in pedicle-lengthening osteotomy: A three dimensional simulation.

Aims: This study aimed to determine the relationship between pedicle-lengthening distance and bulge-canal volume ratio in cases of lumbar spinal stenosis, to provide a theoretical basis for the extent of lengthening in pedicle-lengthening osteotomies.

Methods: Three-dimensional reconstructions of CT images were performed for 69 patients (33 men and 36 women) (mean age 49.96 years; 24 to 81).

Phase II trial of docetaxel combined with nedaplatin for patients with recurrent and metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Purpose: This Phase II trial was designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of docetaxel combined with nedaplatin as first-line treatment for patients with recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Methods: In this multicenter Phase II trial, the patients were treated with intravenous docetaxel (75 mg/m(2), day 1) and nedaplatin (80 mg/m(2), day 1), each cycle repeated every 3 weeks for two cycles at least.

Results: From January 2010 to November 2013, a total of 78 patients were recruited in this trial.

Safety and efficacy of S-1 chemotherapy in recurrent and metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients after failure of platinum-based chemotherapy: multi-institutional retrospective analysis.

Purpose: This retrospective study evaluates the efficacy and safety of S-1 chemotherapy for recurrent and metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients after failure of platinum-based chemotherapy.

Patients And Methods: Thirty-nine patients with recurrent and metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma who failed previous platinum-based chemotherapy received oral S-1 chemotherapy (twice daily from day 1 to 14) every 3 weeks. The dose of S-1 was determined according to the body surface area (BSA): 40 mg twice a day for BSA <1.

Cardiometabolic risk profiles associated with chronic complications in overweight and obese type 2 diabetes patients in South China.

Background: Type 2 diabetes is often accompanied by altered cardiometabolic risk profiles, including abdominal obesity, hypertension, and dyslipidaemia. The association of altered cardiometabolic risk profiles with chronic complications of diabetes is not well investigated.

Methods: We recruited 2954 type 2 diabetes patients with a body mass index ≥25 kg/m2 who visited the diabetes clinics of 62 hospitals in 21 cities in Guangdong province of China from August 2011 to March 2012.

Keloid microRNA expression analysis and the influence of miR-199a-5p on the proliferation of keloid fibroblasts.

The purpose of this study was to identify microRNAs (miRNAs) involved in keloid formation and determine their influence on the proliferation of keloid fibroblasts (KFs). Eight specimens each of resected keloid tissue and normal skin tissue were collected. miRNAs that are differentially expressed in keloid tissue and normal skin were detected using an miRNA microarray and verified by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

Design and in vitro evaluation of a novel poly(methacrylic acid)/metronidazole antibacterial nanogel as an oral dosage form.

To overcome the undesirable side-effects of metronidazole (MTZ), ethylene glycol dimethacrylate is used as the cross-linker, and a series of poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) nanogels were prepared to load the MTZ. We investigated the morphology, size, in vitro release property in the simulated gastrointestinal medium, long-term antibacterial performance against Bacteroides fragilis, cytotoxicity, stability and activity of this novel MTZ/PMAA nanogel. The results indicate that the MTZ/PMAA nanogel sustained the release of MTZ in long-term antibacterial activity in the simulated gastrointestinal medium.

Role of RASSF1A promoter methylation in the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer: a meta-analysis.

Objective: The aim of the current meta-analysis was to comprehensively assess the role of RASSF1A promoter methylation in the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer.

Method: A range of electronic databases were searched: Web of Science (1945-2013), the Cochrane Library Database (Issue 12, 2013), PubMed (1966-2013), EMBASE (1980-2013), CINAHL (1982-2013), and the Chinese Biomedical Database (1982-2013) without language restrictions. Meta-analysis was conducted using the STATA 12.