Dosimetric risk factors for radiation esophagitis in patients with breast cancer following regional nodal radiation.

Background: Radiation esophagitis (RE) is one of the most common clinical symptoms of regi-onal lymph node radiotherapy for breast cancer. However, there are fewer studies focusing on RE caused by hypofractionated radiotherapy (HFRT).

Aim: To analyze the clinical and dosimetric factors that contribute to the development of RE in patients with breast cancer treated with HFRT of regional lymph nodes.

Mechanism of PTPN18 for regulating the migration and invasion of endometrial cancer cells via the MYC/PI3K/AKT pathway.

Objective: Endometrial cancer (EC) is a prevalent gynecologic malignancy. The critical role of PTPN18 in EC has been reported, while its role in the aerobic glycolysis of EC cells remains unclear. Our current study focused on the mechanism of PTPN18 in the regulation of aerobic glycolysis in EC.

TWEAK Knockdown Alleviates Post-Cardiac Arrest Brain Injury via the p38 MAPK/NF-κB Pathway.

Background: Cardiac arrest (CA) and subsequent cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can cause brain injury, which is one of the factors affecting the recovery of brain function in CA patients. There is increasing evidence that tumor necrosis factor-like weak apoptosis-inducing factor (TWEAK) is associated with the brain injury diseases. This study was aimed to investigate the modulation mechanism of TWEAK involved in brain injury after cardiac arrest/subsequent cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CA/CPR).

Delayed pathological finding of a small fish bone causing a purulent cyst in the pharynx: a case report.

We describe the case of a patient who swallowed a small fish bone and felt it lodge in her pharynx, but failed to seek medical attention in a timely manner. One week later, no foreign body was found in the hypopharynx or larynx, but a small purulent cyst was present in the epiglottic vallecula. A computed tomography scan showed a high-density area on the lingual surface of the epiglottis, which was considered to represent an embedded fish bone.

[Retracted] Downregulation of microRNA‑195 promotes angiogenesis induced by cerebral infarction via targeting VEGFA.

Following the publication of this paper, it was drawn to the Editors' attention by a concerned reader that the western blotting data shown in Fig. 3C were strikingly similar to data appearing in different form in another article by different authors at a diferent research institute. Owing to the fact that the contentious data in the above article were already under consideration for publication prior to its submission to , the Editor has decided that this paper should be retracted from the Journal.

Analysis of a delayed diagnosis of carotid artery aneurysm presenting as a parapharyngeal space infection.

It is very rare for extracranial carotid artery dissection to present as a carotid pseudoaneurysm. A delayed diagnosis and delayed treatment will lead to rupture of carotid pseudoaneurysm and massive hemorrhage and death. In this paper, we reviewed the progress of the disease in one patient and reviewed the relevant literature reports to understand the characteristics of the disease.

Resveratrol Alleviates Ischemic Brain Injury by Inhibiting the Activation of Pro-Inflammatory Microglia Via the CD147/MMP-9 Pathway.

Objective: Ischemic stroke is one of the most common diseases with high mortality and disability. This study was intended to investigate the mechanism of resveratrol (RES) regulating microglia activation through the CD147/matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) pathway on ischemic stroke.

Methods: The middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) mouse model and oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD) cell model were established.

Silencing lncRNA AK136714 reduces endothelial cell damage and inhibits atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis correlates with ischemic cardio-cerebrovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) can promote atherosclerosis. We investigated the role of the lncRNA AK136714 in atherosclerosis.

Effects of etanercept and infliximab on bone metabolism indexes in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.

Effect of etanercept and infliximab on bone metabolism indexes in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) were evaluated. The clinical data of 80 patients with ankylosing spondylitis admitted to Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University of Engineering from June 2015 to March 2016 were selected. There were 39 patients treated with Enbrel as Enbrel group and 41 patients treated with Infliximab as Infliximab group.

Parathyroid hormone 1‑34 inhibits senescence in rat nucleus pulposus cells by activating autophagy via the m‑TOR pathway.

Osteoporosis is closely associated with intervertebral disc degeneration. While parathyroid hormone (PTH) 1‑34, which is an established drug used to treatosteoporosis, is thought to inhibit the disc degeneration associated with osteoporosis, the precise mechanism involved remains unclear. In the present study, primary Sprague‑Dawley rat nucleus pulposus cells (NPCs) were cultured, phenotyped and then treated with dexamethasone (DXM) for 48 h.

Effects of PHA-665752 and vemurafenib combination treatment on and murine xenograft growth of human colorectal cancer cells with BRAF mutations.

It remains unknown whether blockade of B-Raf proto-oncogene, serine/threonine kinase (BRAF) signaling and MET proto-oncogene, receptor tyrosine kinase (c-Met) signaling is effective in suppressing the growth of human colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. The present study investigated the effects of the vemurafenib alone and in combination with c-Met inhibitor PHA-665752 on the growth of human CRC cells and in mouse xenografts. HT-29 and RKO CRC cell lines with BRAF mutations and mice bearing HT-29 xenografts were treated with vemurafenib in the absence or presence of PHA-665752.

Pterostilbene inhibits reactive oxygen species production and apoptosis in primary spinal cord neurons by activating autophagy via the mechanistic target of rapamycin signaling pathway.

Autophagy is an important self-adaptive mechanism that is involved in inhibiting reactive oxygen species (ROS) in spinal cord neurons. Pterostilbene, a natural plant extract, has been demonstrated to possess antioxidant effects; however, it has not yet been investigated whether pterostilbene could activate autophagy and protect spinal cord neurons from oxidative stress. In the present study, primary spinal cord neurons of Sprague Dawley rats were cultured.

THE POTENTIAL OF DIETHYLHEXYL-PHTHALATE AND GENISTEIN TO INDUCE TESTICULAR CHANGES IN RAT'S OFFSPRING.

Objective: To study the effect of diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) alone or in combination with genistein (GEN) on the reproductive system of offspring rats, focus on the induction of reproductive outcomes.

Method: 180 Wistar rats were divided in 6 groups (30 animals per group): DEHP 250 mg/kg/day group, DEHP 1000 mg/kg/day group, DEHP 2500 mg/kg/day group treated with DEHP 2500 mg/kg/day, DEHP (2500 mg/kg) + GEN (50 mg/kg) group, DEHP (2500 mg/kg) + GEN (500 mg/kg) group and control group treated with the same quantity of corn oil. The differences in sperm quality and reproductive organs were observed.

Overexpression of Heparin-Binding Epidermal Growth Factor-Like Growth Factor Mediates Liver Fibrosis in Transgenic Mice.

Background: The role of heparin-binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor (HB-EGF) in liver fibrosis is not clear and is sometimes even contradictory. To clarify this role, a HB-EGF transgenic (Tg) mouse model was, for the first time, used to evaluate the functions of HB-EGF in liver fibrosis.

Materials And Methods: For the in vivo study, carbon tetrachloride injection and bile duct ligation treatment were used to induce liver fibrosis in HB-EGF Tg mice and wild-type (WT) mice, respectively.

Downregulation of microRNA-195 promotes angiogenesis induced by cerebral infarction via targeting VEGFA.

Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels from preexisting endothelium, is a process that involves a series of interassociated and mutually interactive pathophysiological processes. It is accepted that microRNAs (miRNAs) regulate endothelial cell behavior, including their involvement in angiogenesis. However, it remains unclear whether miRNAs are involved in the regulation of angiogenesis following cerebral ischemia.

Promoter methylation and expression of Raf kinase inhibitory protein in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Raf kinase inhibitory protein (RKIP) regulates multiple cellular processes, and its downregulation is associated with distinct human cancers. In the present study, the status of RKIP promoter methylation, as well as its expression and clinical significance in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), were examined. The promoter methylation status in the 5'-CpG island of the RKIP gene and the expression level of the RKIP protein were examined using a modified methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MSP) method and immunohistochemical staining, respectively, in 77 ESCC samples and matched paratumor normal tissues.

The HIF-2α-MALAT1-miR-216b axis regulates multi-drug resistance of hepatocellular carcinoma cells via modulating autophagy.

In this study, we firstly investigated the association among lncRNA MALAT1, HIF-1α and HIF-2α in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. Then, we investigated the regulative effect of MALAT1 on multi-drug resistance (MDR) in HCC cells and the underlying mechanism. The results showed that MALAT1 was over two times higher in BEL-7402/5-FU cells than in BEL-7402 cells.

Expression of RKIP, E-cadherin and NF-kB p65 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and their correlations.

To detect the expression of RKIP, E-cadherin and NF-kB p65 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and study their correlations. Steptavidin-peroxidase (S-P) method was employed to detect the expressions of RKIP, E-cadherin and NF-kB p65 in ESCC tissues from 77 cases and paracancerous tissues from 77 cases. The correlations between their expressions and clinicopathological indices and between the expressions of these proteins themselves were analyzed.

Restrictive blood transfusion strategies and associated infection in orthopedic patients: a meta-analysis of 8 randomized controlled trials.

This study sought to evaluate whether restrictive blood transfusion strategies are associated with a risk of infection in orthopedic patients by conducting a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). RCTs with restrictive versus liberal red blood cell (RBC) transfusion strategies were identified by searching Medline, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews from their inception to December 2014. Eight RCTs with infections as outcomes were included in the final analysis.

Purification optimization for a recombinant single-chain variable fragment against type 1 insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF-1R) by using design of experiment (DoE).

Design of experiment (DoE) is a statistics-based technique for experimental design that could overcome the shortcomings of traditional one-factor-at-a-time (OFAT) approach for protein purification optimization. In this study, a DoE approach was applied for optimizing purification of a recombinant single-chain variable fragment (scFv) against type 1 insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF-1R) expressed in Escherichia coli. In first capture step using Capto L, a 2-level fractional factorial analysis and successively a central composite circumscribed (CCC) design were used to identify the optimal elution conditions.

TRAF4 promotes the growth and invasion of colon cancer through the Wnt/β-catenin pathway.

The tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 4 (TRAF4) has been linked to carcinogenesis. However, the role of TRAF4 in colon cancer is still unclear. Therefore, we investigated the role of TRAF4 in colon cancer and the underlying mechanism.

DRP-1, ezrin and E-cadherin expression and the association with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

It has been shown that death-associated protein kinase (DAPK) family and E-cadherin play significant roles in the promotion of apoptosis and the suppression of cell adhesion and migration, and are involved in tumor metastasis. Ezrin, a cytoplasmic peripheral membrane protein, has been shown to interact with E-cadherin to participate in the metastasis of tumor cells. The present study aimed to investigate the expression of DRP-1 (a member of the DAPK family), ezrin and E-cadherin in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), and to analyze their association with clinicopathological factors in order to explore their potential in ESCC diagnosis.