Protein Kinase A Is a Master Regulator of Physiological and Pathological Cardiac Hypertrophy.

Background: The sympathoadrenergic system and its major effector PKA (protein kinase A) are activated to maintain cardiac output coping with physiological or pathological stressors. If and how PKA plays a role in physiological cardiac hypertrophy (PhCH) and pathological CH (PaCH) are not clear.

Methods: Transgenic mouse models expressing the PKA inhibition domain (PKAi) of PKA inhibition peptide alpha (PKIalpha)-green fluorescence protein (GFP) fusion protein (PKAi-GFP) in a cardiac-specific and inducible manner (cPKAi) were used to determine the roles of PKA in physiological CH during postnatal growth or induced by swimming, and in PaCH induced by transaortic constriction (TAC) or augmented Ca influx.

Comparative efficacy and safety of two insulin aspart formulations (Rapilin and NovoRapid) when combined with metformin, for patients with diabetes mellitus: a multicenter, randomized, open-label, controlled clinical trial.

Objective: This phase 3 confirmatory diabetes mellitus treatment study compared the safety and efficacy of Rapilin and NovoRapid insulin asparts in combination with metformin.

Methods: This 24-week, open-label, randomized, active-controlled, noninferiority phase 3 confirmatory study conducted across centers in China aimed to enroll patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and blood sugar glucose inadequately controlled by oral antidiabetic drugs. Randomized patients received subcutaneous mealtime Rapilin or NovoRapid (3:1) injections, with metformin.

Epidemiological Analysis and Prognosis of Conjunctival Cancer in the Past Twenty Years: A Population-Based Retrospective Study Using SEER Data.

Epidemiological studies of malignant primary conjunctival tumors are rare. We extracted data pertaining to primary site-labeled conjunctival cancer patients present within the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database from 1992 to 2001 and from 2002 to 2011. The Kaplan-Meier approach was used for comparisons of overall survival (OS) between patients, while OS-related risk factors were identified via a Cox proportional hazards regression approach.

Donor Selection in HLA-Mismatched Hematopoietic Stem Cell Microtransplantation for Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

To remedy the lack of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched donors and address the problems bedeviling traditional allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation which induces the resultant graft-versus-host disease, we designed a scheme called HLA-mismatched hematopoietic stem cell microtransplantation (MST) for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), where encouraging results were achieved. In providing answers to such questions as how to select the donors of MST and which factors were involved in the outcome of MST. One hundred thirty-one AML patients from four centers with lower or standard risk of prognosis after complete remission were given three courses of MST: high dose of cytarabine plus infusion of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor mobilized peripheral blood stem cells from HLA-mismatched donors.

Search for clinical predictors of good glycemic control in patients starting or intensifying oral hypoglycemic pharmacological therapy: A multicenter prospective cohort study.

Aims: Our aim was to search for clinical predictors of good glycemic control in patients starting or intensifying oral hypoglycemic pharmacological therapy.

Methods: A multicenter, prospective cohort of 499 diabetic subjects was enrolled in this study: patients with newly diagnosed diabetes (NDM group) or poor glycemic control with oral antidiabetic drugs (OADs) (PDM group). All subjects then started or intensified OADs therapy and followed up for 91 days.

Safety and efficacy of oral nemonoxacin versus levofloxacin in treatment of community-acquired pneumonia: A phase 3, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, active-controlled, non-inferiority trial.

Background/purpose: Nemonoxacin is a novel nonfluorinated quinolone with excellent in vitro activity against most pathogens in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), especially Gram-positive isolates. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of nemonoxacin compared with levofloxacin in patients with CAP.

Methods: A phase 3, multicenter, randomized (2:1) controlled trial was conducted in adult CAP patients receiving nemonoxacin 500 mg or levofloxacin 500 mg orally once daily for 7-10 days.

Metabolomics of Hydrazine-Induced Hepatotoxicity in Rats for Discovering Potential Biomarkers.

Metabolic pathway disturbances associated with drug-induced liver injury remain unsatisfactorily characterized. Diagnostic biomarkers for hepatotoxicity have been used to minimize drug-induced liver injury and to increase the clinical safety. A metabolomics strategy using rapid-resolution liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (RRLC-MS/MS) analyses and multivariate statistics was implemented to identify potential biomarkers for hydrazine-induced hepatotoxicity.

Effect of TLR4 on the growth of SiHa human cervical cancer cells via the MyD88-TRAF6-TAK1 and NF-κB-cyclin D1-STAT3 signaling pathways.

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) on SiHa human cervical cancer cells and its potential molecular biological mechanisms. The expression of TLR4 following treatment with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in in SiHa cervical cancer cells was detected by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). LPS-induced cell proliferation and apoptosis were detected by MTT assay as well as staining with propidium iodide (PI) and Annexin V/PI double staining.

HLA-Mismatched Microtransplant in Older Patients Newly Diagnosed With Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Results From the Microtransplantation Interest Group.

Importance: The outcome of older patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) remains unsatisfactory. Recent studies have shown that HLA-mismatched microtransplant could improve outcomes in such patients.

Objective: To evaluate outcomes in different age groups among older patients with newly diagnosed AML who receive HLA-mismatched microtransplant.

Efficacy and safety of pregabalin for painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy in a population of Chinese patients: A randomized placebo-controlled trial.

Background: Limited information exists regarding the efficacy of pregabalin in Chinese patients with painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (pDPN).

Methods: An 11-week double-blind placebo-controlled trial was performed in Chinese pDPN patients randomized (1 : 1) to 300 mg/day pregabalin or placebo. The primary outcome was change from baseline to endpoint in mean pain score (MPS; 0, no pain; 10, worst possible pain; using the mean of the last seven daily pain scores).

GDF-15 gene expression alterations in human lymphoblastoid cells and peripheral blood lymphocytes following exposure to ionizing radiation.

The identification of rapid, sensitive and high‑throughput biomarkers is imperative in order to identify individuals harmed by radiation accidents, and accurately evaluate the absorbed doses of radiation. DNA microarrays have previously been used to evaluate the alterations in growth/differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) gene expression in AHH‑1 human lymphoblastoid cells, following exposure to γ‑rays. The present study aimed to characterize the relationship between the dose of ionizing radiation and the produced effects in GDF‑15 gene expression in AHH‑1 cells and human peripheral blood lymphocytes (HPBLs).

Combination of mesenchymal stem cell injection with icariin for the treatment of diabetes-associated erectile dysfunction.

The present study was aimed to examine whether icariin, a traditional Chinese medicine, could improve therapeutic effects of adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) for diabetes-associated erectile dysfunction (DMED). DMED were induced in rats by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin and confirmed by erectile function measurement. Then, rats of diabetic ED were randomly divided to receive the treatment of saline, ADSCs, icariin or ADSCs combined with icariin respectively.

Plasma Amino Acid Profile in Patients with Aortic Dissection.

Aortic dissection (AD), a severe cardiovascular disease with the characteristics of high mortality, is lack of specific clinical biomarkers. In order to facilitate the diagnosis of AD, we investigated plasma amino acid profile through metabolomics approach. Total 33 human subjects were enrolled in the study: 11 coronary heart disease (CHD) patients without aortic lesion and 11 acute AD and 11 chronic AD.

Efficacy of icotinib versus traditional chemotherapy as first-line treatment for preventing brain metastasis from advanced lung adenocarcinoma in patients with epidermal growth factor receptor-sensitive mutation.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the potential use of icotinib as first-line treatment to prevent brain metastasis from advanced lung adenocarcinoma.

Materials And Methods: This investigation was designed as a retrospective nonrandomized controlled study. Enrolled patients received either icotinib or traditional chemotherapy as their first-line treatment.

Radiation induces the generation of cancer stem cells: A novel mechanism for cancer radioresistance.

Radioresistance remains a major obstacle for the radiotherapy treatment of cancer. Previous studies have demonstrated that the radioresistance of cancer is due to the existence of intrinsic cancer stem cells (CSCs), which represent a small, but radioresistant cell subpopulation that exist in heterogeneous tumors. By contrast, non-stem cancer cells are considered to be radiosensitive and thus, easy to kill.

The long-term outcome of reduced-intensity allogeneic stem cell transplantation from a matched related or unrelated donor, or haploidentical family donor in patients with leukemia: a retrospective analysis of data from the China RIC Cooperative Group.

This study compared 6-year follow-up data from patients undergoing reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) transplantation with an HLA-matched related donor (MRD), an HLA-matched unrelated donor (MUD), or an HLA-haploidentical donor (HID) for leukemia. Four hundred and twenty-seven patients from the China RIC Cooperative Group were enrolled, including 301 in the MRD, 79 in the HID, and 47 in the MUD groups. The conditioning regimen involved fludarabine combined with anti-lymphocyte globulin and cyclophosphamide.

A randomized, open, multicenter clinical study on the short course of intravenous infusion of 750 mg of levofloxacin and the sequential standard course of intravenous infusion/oral administration of 500 mg of levofloxacin for treatment of community-acquired pneumonia.

Background: To compare 5-day regimen of levofloxacin 750 mg IV daily with 7-14-day conventional regimen of levofloxacin 500 mg intravenous to oral (IV/PO) daily for treatment of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in Chinese population.

Methods: This was a non-inferiority study to assess the difference of clinical efficacy at the end of treatment (EOT) between two regimens. Adult CAP patients with CURB-65 score 0-2 were enrolled from 17 hospitals in China from November 2012 to July 2014.

A Comparison of Multiscale Permutation Entropy Measures in On-Line Depth of Anesthesia Monitoring.

Objective: Multiscale permutation entropy (MSPE) is becoming an interesting tool to explore neurophysiological mechanisms in recent years. In this study, six MSPE measures were proposed for on-line depth of anesthesia (DoA) monitoring to quantify the anesthetic effect on the real-time EEG recordings. The performance of these measures in describing the transient characters of simulated neural populations and clinical anesthesia EEG were evaluated and compared.

Hybrid Treatment for Budd-Chiari Syndrome: A Case Report by 11-Year Follow-up.

Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS) is a rare hepatic disease caused by occlusion of the hepatic venous outflow at any level from the small hepatic veins to the atriocava junction. BCS could have serious consequences if not treated promptly. The appropriate therapeutic strategy can be offered to change the natural course of the disease.

Profile and procedures for fractures among 1323 fracture patients from the 2010 Yushu earthquake, China.

Objectives: The injuries caused by earthquakes are often complex and of various patterns. Our study included all fracture inpatients from the Yushu earthquake (1323 in total), to learn more about the incidence and distribution of fractures during earthquakes.

Methods: A retrospective study of the clinical characteristics of hospitalized fracture patients after the 2010 Yushu earthquake was conducted from December 20 to 25, 2010.

Diagnosis and Anti-Reflux Therapy for GERD with Respiratory Symptoms: A Study Using Multichannel Intraluminal Impedance-pH Monitoring.

Background/aims: Respiratory symptoms are often associated with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Although the role of multichannel intraluminal impedance-pH (MII-pH) monitoring in GERD is clear, little is known regarding the characteristics of patients with respiratory symptoms based on MII-pH monitoring and anti-reflux therapy. We evaluated a cohort of GERD patients to identify the MII-pH parameters of GERD-related respiratory symptoms and to assess the anti-reflux therapy outcomes.

Lycopene Consumption and Risk of Colorectal Cancer: A Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies.

A number of epidemiological studies have explored the association between lycopene or lycopene-rich food intake and the risk of colorectal cancer, but the results of these studies have not been consistent. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies published in the PubMed and EMBASE databases to quantitatively assess the association between lycopene consumption and the risk of colorectal cancer. A total of 15 studies were included in the meta-analysis, and the summary relative risk (RR) for highest versus lowest category indicated no significant association between lycopene consumption and the risk of colorectal cancer [RR = 0.