Background

Induction chemotherapy has been investigated as a possible strategy to shrink or downstage locally advanced head and neck cancers, providing opportunity to remove the lesions completely after induction chemotherapy, especially in the patients with resectable advanced disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the definitive effect of induction chemotherapy in patients with resectable head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Methods

A meta-analysis of randomized trials (1965–2011) was performed on the impact of induction chemotherapy on survival, disease control, and toxicity in this population of patients. Kaplan-Meier curves were read by Engauge-Digitizer. Data combining was performed using RevMan.

Results

Fourteen trials (2099 patients) were involved in this analysis. There was no significant difference on overall survival, disease free survival, or locoregional recurrence between the patients treated with and without induction chemotherapy (P >0.05). However, the patients treated with induction chemotherapy had a lower rate of distant metastasis by 8% (95% confidence interval 1%–16%, P = 0.02) than those treated without induction chemotherapy. In patients with laryngeal cancer, comparing to radical surgery, the larynx could be preserved in responders to induction chemotherapy without survival decease (P >0.05). Induction chemotherapy-associated death was 0%–5%.

Conclusions

Based on the results above, there is a significant benefit of induction chemotherapy on decreasing distant metastasis in patients with resectable head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. In patients with laryngeal cancer, induction chemotherapy provides larynx preservation in responders to induction chemotherapy.

The membrane proximal external region (MPER) of the HIV-1 glycoprotein gp41 is targeted by the broadly neutralizing antibodies 2F5 and 4E10. To date, no immunization regimen in animals or humans has produced HIV-1 neutralizing MPER-specific antibodies. We immunized llamas with gp41-MPER proteoliposomes and selected a MPER-specific single chain antibody (VHH), 2H10, whose epitope overlaps with that of mAb 2F5. Bi-2H10, a bivalent form of 2H10, which displayed an approximately 20-fold increased affinity compared to the monovalent 2H10, neutralized various sensitive and resistant HIV-1 strains, as well as SHIV strains in TZM-bl cells. X-ray and NMR analyses combined with mutagenesis and modeling revealed that 2H10 recognizes its gp41 epitope in a helical conformation. Notably, tryptophan 100 at the tip of the long CDR3 is not required for gp41 interaction but essential for neutralization. Thus bi-2H10 is an anti-MPER antibody generated by immunization that requires hydrophobic CDR3 determinants in addition to epitope recognition for neutralization similar to the mode of neutralization employed by mAbs 2F5 and 4E10.

Author Summary

Due to the absence of an effective vaccine or cure for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), HIV-1 infections still result in high mortality. Two antibodies, 2F5 and 4E10, previously isolated from HIV-1 infected patients, prevent infections by binding to the MPER of gp41, a part of the virus that is difficult to access and only transiently exposed. Here, we immunized llamas with a gp41-based immunogen and subsequently isolated a small antibody fragment (VHH) that can easily access and recognize the MPER. We showed that a unit of two VHH, named bi-2H10, was indeed capable of preventing HIV-1 from infecting cells. We determined the three dimensional structure of the VHH and mapped its interaction site to an MPER region that overlaps with the 2F5 epitope. The 2H10 VHH displays a membrane binding component important for neutralization that resembles that of 2F5. In conclusion, we have developed an immunogen and a small antibody that may have great potential for development of novel anti-HIV/AIDS vaccines and treatments.

Two cases of asymptomatic double aortic arch with tetralogy of Fallot are reported. One presented with a non-dominant left arch and left-sided descending thoracic aorta and the other with a non-dominant left arch, a right-sided descending thoracic aorta and a patent ductus arteriosus. One-stage operation was performed and both patients were discharged free of symptoms and signs related to the double aortic arch and tetralogy of Fallot after the operation. A preoperative recognition of DAA is important, especially in echocardiographic investigation.

Purpose

To test the hypothesis that expression of Na+-K+-2Cl− co-transporter-1 (NKCC1), cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), and chloride channel 2 γ subunit (ClC2γ) in the lacrimal glands (LG) of rabbits with induced autoimmune dacryoadenitis (IAD) are changed.

Methods

LGs were obtained from adult female rabbits with IAD, and age-matched female control rabbits. LGs were processed for laser capture microdissection, real time RT-PCR, western blot, and immunofluorescence.

Results

In rabbits with IAD, mRNA abundances and protein expressions for NKCC1 and CFTR from whole LGs were significantly lower than in controls. mRNA abundances of NKCC1, CFTR, and ClC2γ from rabbits with IAD were significantly different from acini and ductal cells from controls. NKCC1 was localized to the basolateral membranes of all acinar and ductal cells, with weaker staining intensity in ductal cells, and the staining pattern from rabbits with IAD appeared similar to that from controls. CFTR was found as punctate aggregates in the apical cytoplasm of all acinar and ductal cells, with the intensity in ductal cells much stronger, and no significant difference between controls and rabbits with IAD. ClC2γ was also localized to the apical cytoplasm as punctate aggregates of all acinar cells, but not in ductal cells, and similar staining pattern was observed in rabbits with IAD to control rabbits.

Conclusions

Our data demonstrated significant changes of mRNA and protein expressions of NKCC1, CFTR, and ClC2γ in rabbits with IAD, suggesting that these changes may contribute to the altered lacrimal secretion, particularly Cl− transport, in rabbits with IAD.

Notch1 activation by Delta-like (DL) Notch ligands is essential to induce T cell commitment and to suppress B cell development from thymus-seeding progenitors. Thymus-seeding progenitor competition for DL4 is critically regulated by Lunatic Fringe (Lfng), which glycosylates epidermal growth factor repeats in the Notch1 extracellular domain to enhance binding avidity for DL ligands. Notch1 activation is also essential for the process of β-selection, which drives TCRβ+ CD4/CD8 double-negative 3 (DN3) precursors to proliferate and generate a large pool of CD4/CD8 double-positive thymocytes. We have used several genetic approaches to determine the importance of Lfng–Notch1 interactions in regulating competition of preselection and postselection DN3 thymocytes for DL ligands in vivo. Surprisingly, although Lfng overexpression enhanced DL4 binding by preselection DN3a thymocytes, it did not confer them with a competitive advantage in mixed chimeras. In contrast, Lfng overexpression enhanced competition of post–β-selection DN3b precursors for DL ligands. Lfng modification of O-fucose in the Notch1 ligand-binding domain contributed to but was not solely responsible for the developmental effects of Lfng overexpression. Although previous studies have suggested that pre–TCR-deficient DN3 thymocytes compete poorly for DL ligands, Lfng overexpression did not fully restore double-positive thymocyte pools from DN3b cells with pre-TCR signaling defects. Thus, pre-TCR and Notch signaling have largely nonoverlapping functions in β-selection. Collectively, our data reveal that Lfng enhances DN3b precursor competition for intrathymic DL ligands to maximize Notch-induced clonal expansion during the earliest stage of β-selection.

Tumor-to-tumor metastasis is a fairly rare phenomenon. The lung cancers are the most common donors, but are exceedingly rare as recipients. Here we report a case of a lung adenocarcinoma acting as the recipient of papillary thyroid carcinoma, with multiple spreading foci of the two cancers in the lung simultaneously. The morphology and immunohistochemisty (Napsin-A, Thyroglobulin) are very important in differential diagnosis of lung primary adenocarcinoma and metastatic papillary thyroid carcinoma.

Virtual Slides

The virtual slide(s) for this article can be found here: http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/2069496615891134

Background

Human activity has a profound effect on the global environment and caused frequent occurrence of climatic fluctuations. To survive, plants need to adapt to the changing environmental conditions through altering their morphological and physiological traits. One known mechanism for phenotypic innovation to be achieved is environment-induced rapid yet inheritable epigenetic changes. Therefore, the use of molecular techniques to address the epigenetic mechanisms underpinning stress adaptation in plants is an important and challenging topic in biological research. In this study, we investigated the impact of warming, nitrogen (N) addition, and warming+nitrogen (N) addition stresses on the cytosine methylation status of Leymus chinensis Tzvel. at the population level by using the amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP), methylation-sensitive amplified polymorphism (MSAP) and retrotransposon based sequence-specific amplification polymorphism (SSAP) techniques.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Our results showed that, although the percentages of cytosine methylation changes in SSAP are significantly higher than those in MSAP, all the treatment groups showed similar alteration patterns of hypermethylation and hypomethylation. It meant that the abiotic stresses have induced the alterations in cytosine methylation patterns, and the levels of cytosine methylation changes around the transposable element are higher than the other genomic regions. In addition, the identification and analysis of differentially methylated loci (DML) indicated that the abiotic stresses have also caused targeted methylation changes at specific loci and these DML might have contributed to the capability of plants in adaptation to the abiotic stresses.

Conclusions/Significance

Our results demonstrated that abiotic stresses related to global warming and nitrogen deposition readily evoke alterations of cytosine methylation, and which may provide a molecular basis for rapid adaptation by the affected plant populations to the changed environments.

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory immune-mediated disorder affecting the skin and other organs including joints. Over 1,300 transcripts are altered in psoriatic involved skin compared to normal skin. However to our knowledge global epigenetic profiling of psoriatic skin is previously unreported. Here we describe a genome-wide study of altered CpG methylation in psoriatic skin. We determined the methylation levels at 27,578 CpG sites in skin samples from individuals with psoriasis (12 involved, 8 uninvolved) and 10 unaffected individuals. CpG methylation of involved skin differed from normal skin at 1,108 sites. Twelve mapped to the epidermal differentiation complex, upstream or within genes that are highly up-regulated in psoriasis. Hierarchical clustering of 50 of the top differentially methylated (DM) sites separated psoriatic from normal skin samples. CpG sites where methylation was correlated with gene expression are reported. Sites with inverse correlations between methylation and nearby gene expression include those of KYNU, OAS2, S100A12, and SERPINB3, whose strong transcriptional up-regulation are important discriminators of psoriasis. We observed intrinsic epigenetic differences in uninvolved skin. Pyrosequencing of bisulfite-treated DNA from skin biopsies at three DM loci confirmed earlier findings and revealed reversion of methylation levels towards the non-psoriatic state after one month of anti-TNF-α therapy.

Schwann cells (SCs) play an important role in the pathogenesis of peripheral nerve diseases and represent a potential target for development of therapies. However, use of primary human SCs (hSCs) for in vitro models is limited because these cells are difficult to prepare and maintain in high yield and purity under common cell culture conditions. To circumvent this obstacle, we immortalized primary human fetal SCs using the SV40 large T-antigen and human telomerase reverse transcriptase expression vectors. After cloning, selection, and purification, we evaluated several immortalized SC lines for their ability to express extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules and myelinate embryonic rat sensory axons. In addition, we established a gene expression profile and explored their sensitivity to oxidative stress in a simple in vitro assay. Immortalized hSC clones expressed common glial markers and a broad variety of growth factors, receptors, and ECM molecules as determined by immunocytochemistry, microarray, and quantitative reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction. In neuron-SC co-cultures, these cells were able to myelinate rat dorsal root ganglia neurons, although their effectiveness was lower in comparison to primary rat SCs. In toxicity assays, immortalized hSCs remain susceptible to oxidative stress induced by H2O2. This study shows that, using specific immortalization techniques, it is possible to establish hSC lines that retain characteristics of typical primary hSCs. These cells are particularly useful for drug screening and studies aimed at disease mechanisms involving SCs.

Previous studies have shown that the electroneutral Na+/HCO3− cotransporter NBCn2 (SLC4A10) is predominantly expressed in the central nervous system (CNS). The physiological and pathological significances of NBCn2 have been well recognized. However, little is known about the tissue specificity of expression of different NBCn2 variants. Moreover, little is known about the expression of NBCn2 proteins in systems other than CNS. Here, we identified a set of novel Slc4a10 variants differing from the originally described ones by containing a distinct 5′ untranslated region encoding a new extreme amino-terminus (Nt). Electrophysiology measurements showed that both NBCn2 variants with alternative Nt contain typical electroneutral Na+-coupled HCO3− transport activity in Xenopus oocytes. Luciferase reporter assay showed that Slc4a10 contains two alternative promoters responsible for expression of the two types of NBCn2 with distinct extreme Nt. Western blotting showed that NBCn2 proteins with the original Nt are primarily expressed in CNS, whereas those with the novel Nt are predominantly expressed in the kidney and to a lesser extent in the small intestine. Due to alternative splicing, the known NBCn2 variants contain two types of carboxyl-termini (CT) differing in the optional inclusion of a PDZ-binding motif. cDNA cloning showed that virtually all NBCn2 variants expressed in epithelial tissues contain, but the vast majority of those from the neural tissues lack the PDZ-binding motif. We conclude that alternative transcription and splicing of Slc4a10 products are regulated in a tissue-specific manner. Our findings provide critical insights that will greatly influence the study of the physiology of NBCn2.

Objective

To investigate the potential role of hydrogen sulphide (H2S) and ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels in chronic stress-induced colonic hypermotility.

Methods

Male Wistar rats were submitted daily to 1 h of water avoidance stress (WAS) or sham WAS (SWAS) for 10 consecutive days. Organ bath recordings, H2S production, immunohistochemistry and western blotting were performed on rat colonic samples to investigate the role of endogenous H2S in repeated WAS-induced hypermotility. Organ bath recordings and western blotting were used to detect the role of KATP channels in repeated WAS.

Results

Repeated WAS increased the number of fecal pellets per hour and the area under the curve of the spontaneous contractions of colonic strips, and decreased the endogenous production of H2S and the expression of H2S-producing enzymes in the colon devoid of mucosa and submucosa. Inhibitors of H2S-producing enzymes increased the contractile activity of colonic strips in the SWAS rats. NaHS concentration-dependently inhibited the spontaneous contractions of the strips and the NaHS IC50 for the WAS rats was significantly lower than that for the SWAS rats. The inhibitory effect of NaHS was significantly reduced by glybenclamide. Repeated WAS treatment resulted in up-regulation of Kir6.1 and SUR2B of KATP channels in the colon devoid of mucosa and submucosa.

Conclusion

The colonic hypermotility induced by repeated WAS may be associated with the decreased production of endogenous H2S. The increased expression of the subunits of KATP channels in colonic smooth muscle cells may be a defensive response to repeated WAS. H2S donor may have potential clinical utility in treating chronic stress- induced colonic hypermotility.

The crystal structure of SMU.595, a putative dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHOD) from S. mutans, is reported at 2.4 Å resolution.

Streptococcus mutans is one of the pathogenic species involved in dental caries, especially in the initiation and development stages. Here, the crystal structure of SMU.595, a putative dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHOD) from S. mutans, is reported at 2.4 Å resolution. DHOD is a flavin mononucleotide-containing enzyme which catalyzes the oxidation of l-dihydroorotate to orotate, which is the fourth step and the only redox reaction in the de novo biosynthesis of pyrimidine nucleotides. The reductive lysine-methylation procedure was applied in order to improve the diffraction qualities of the crystals. Analysis of the S. mutans DHOD crystal structure shows that this enzyme is a class 1A DHOD and also suggests potential sites that could be exploited for the design of highly specific inhibitors using the structure-based chemotherapeutic design technique.

The current automated real-time HIV-1 viral load assays, the Roche Cobas AmpliPrep/Cobas TaqMan test and the Abbott RealTime test, are FDA cleared for use with EDTA plasma. We show that both real-time reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) tests reliably quantify HIV-1 RNA in heparin plasma specimens spiked with HIV-1 isolate MN.

Background: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the most common chronic complications of diabetes and the leading cause of end-stage renal disease. Recent research has found that oxidative stress participates in the development of diabetic nephropathy. α-lipoic acid (α-LA), a powerful antioxidant, plays an important role in renal protection against DN, but the underlying mechanism remains unknown. This study modeled the renal protective effects of α-lipoic acid in streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic rats and explore the underlying mechanism, which provides new theoretical bases for clinical treatment of diabetic nephropathy. Methods: The diabetic model was induced by intraperitoneal injection of STZ on Male SD and then the diabetic rats were randomly divided into two groups: untreated-diabetic group (DM group), α-LA treated-diabetic group (α-LA group), and the normal rats served as control group (NC group). After 8 weeks of STZ induction, Blood glucose (BG), Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN), Serum Creatinine (SCr) and urinary albumin excretion rate (UAER) were examined, and morphological changes were assessed by histology. The levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) were also evaluated in serum and renal cortex. Additionally, kidney mitochondrial membrane potential and mitochondrial swelling were measured for different groups. The expression of voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) on mitochondria were evaluated by both Western blotting and Immunohistochemistry. Results: After 8 weeks induction of STZ, significant reductions in BUN, SCr, UAER (P<0.01 or P<0.05) and histological improvement were observed in the α-LA group compared to the DM group. In the serum and renal cortex of α-LA group, the content of MDA and the activities of SOC were both significantly decreased (P<0.05). Compared to the DM group, the mitochondrial membrane potential in the α-LA group was significantly increased (P<0.05) and mitochondrial swelling was reduced. Meanwhile, the expression of VDAC on mitochondrial was significantly increased (P<0.05) in the α-LA group. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that antioxidant α-LA exerts a protective role against the development of DN, and the underlying mechanism may involve effective suppression of the generation of oxidants, protection of mitochondrial function, and up-regulating of VDAC expression.

Organisms have been exposed to the geomagnetic field (GMF) throughout evolutionary history. Exposure to the hypomagnetic field (HMF) by deep magnetic shielding has recently been suggested to have a negative effect on the structure and function of the central nervous system, particularly during early development. Although changes in cell growth and differentiation have been observed in the HMF, the effects of the HMF on cell cycle progression still remain unclear. Here we show that continuous HMF exposure significantly increases the proliferation of human neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cells. The acceleration of proliferation results from a forward shift of the cell cycle in G1-phase. The G2/M-phase progression is not affected in the HMF. Our data is the first to demonstrate that the HMF can stimulate the proliferation of SH-SY5Y cells by promoting cell cycle progression in the G1-phase. This provides a novel way to study the mechanism of cells in response to changes of environmental magnetic field including the GMF.

Lineage reporters of human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines are useful for differentiation studies and drug screening. Previously, we created reporter lines driven by an elongation factor 1 alpha (EF1α) promoter at a chromosome 13q32.3 locus in the hESC line WA09 and an abnormal hESC line BG01V in a site-specific manner. Expression of reporters in these lines was maintained in long-term culture at undifferentiated state. However, when these cells were differentiated into specific lineages, reduction in reporter expression was observed, indicating transgene silencing. To develop an efficient and reliable genetic engineering strategy in hESCs, we used chromatin insulator elements to flank single-copy transgenes and integrated the combined expression constructs via PhiC31/R4 integrase-mediated recombination technology to the chromosome 13 locus precisely. Two copies of cHS4 double-insulator sequences were placed adjacent to both 5′ and 3′ of the promoter reporter constructs. The green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene was driven by EF1α or CMV early enhancer/chicken β actin (CAG) promoter. In the engineered hESC lines, for both insulated CAG-GFP and EF1α-GFP, constitutive expression at the chromosome 13 locus was maintained during prolonged culture and in directed differentiation assays toward diverse types of neurons, pancreatic endoderm, and mesodermal progeny. In particular, described here is the first normal hESC fluorescent reporter line that robustly expresses GFP in both the undifferentiated state and throughout dopaminergic lineage differentiation. The dual strategy of utilizing insulator sequences and integration at the constitutive chromosome 13 locus ensures appropriate transgene expression. This is a valuable tool for lineage development study, gain- and loss-of-function experiments, and human disease modeling using hESCs.

Background

To evaluate the expression levels of Cyclin D1 in breast papillomas and papillary carcinomas, and to analyze the types of cells that co-express Cyclin D1 with Cytokeratin 5/6 (CK 5/6) or with Cytokeratin 8/18(CK 8/18).

Methods

Fifty-nine cases of papillary lesions including 36 papillomas and 23 intracystic papillary carcinomas were examined. Cyclin D1, CK 5/6 and CK 8/18 expression levels were evaluated by double immunostaining.

Results

Cyclin D1 is highly expressed in papillary carcinomas (27.54% ± 15.43%) compared with papillomas (8.81% ± 8.41%, p < 0.01). Cyclin D1 is predominantly expressed in Cytokeratin 8/18- expressing cells, rather than in Cytokeratin 5/6-expressing cells, regardless of the type of lesion. In Papillomas, Cyclin D1 exhibited a mean 11.42% (11.42% ± 10.17%) co-expression rate with Cytokeratin 8/18 compared with a mean 2.50% (2.50% ± 3.24%) co-expression rate with Cytokeratin 5/6 (p < 0.01). In papillary carcinomas, Cyclin D1 exhibited a mean 34.74% (34.74% ± 16.32%) co-expression rate with Cytokeratin 8/18 compared with a co-expression rate of 0.70% (0.70% ± 0.93%) with Cytokeratin 5/6 (p < 0.01).

Conclusions

The increase in Cyclin D1 suggests an association of Cyclin D1 staining with papillary carcinomas. Although Cyclin D1 is an effective marker for the differential diagnosis of other papillary lesions, it cannot be used to distinguish between papilloma and papillary carcinoma lesions because its expression occurs in both lesions. Our results show that Cyclin D1 and CK 5/6 staining could be used in concert to distinguish between the diagnosis of papilloma (Cyclin D1 < 4.20%, CK 5/6 positive) or papillary carcinoma (Cyclin D1 > 37.00%, CK 5/6 negative). In addition, our data suggest that Cyclin D1 is expressed only in the cancer stem or progenitor cells that co-immunostained with CK 8/18 in papillary carcinomas, and predominantly with CK 8/18 in the papillomas.

Virtual slides

The virtual slide(s) for this article can be found here: http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/7299340558756848

In the present study, we investigated the feasibility of the vaginal administration of drospirenone silicone IVR. The in vitro release characteristics of matrix-type and reservoir-type IVR were compared under sink conditions in 21 days. At the same time, API excipients compatibility and preformulation study was performed by HPLC, IR, and DSC methods. Biocompatibility of reservoir system was evaluated by tolerability on tissue level in rats. It was found that, under strong light exposure, high temperature, and high humidity conditions, drospirenone and excipients had no significant interactions. The daily release of reservoir-type IVR was about 0.5 mg/d sustaining 21 days, which significantly decreased the burst effect compared with the matrix system. When drospirenone was modified by the PVPk30 in the reservoir system formulation, the daily release rate increased to 1.0 mg/d sustaining 21 days. The cumulative release of reservoir-type IVR was fitted to zero release equation. In addition, biocompatibility of drospirenone IVR system in this dosage is safe. It is feasibility feasibile to further developed for safe, convenient, and effective contraceptive drug delivery with reduced dosing interval.

Background

The aim of this study was to evaluate the management of acute adult diarrhea in China and assess adherence of clinical practice to national guidelines and 2012 World Gastroenterology Organization guidelines.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was carried out among physicians in 20 hospitals in two different areas of China (Beijing, 10; Shaanxi province, 10). Summary statistics were calculated for the overall study group and for each region. Between-region differences were assessed with χ2 or t-tests.

Results

Data were collected for 800 patients (≥18 years; mean ± SD age 37.0 ± 16.3 years; 56.4% female). The mean ± SD time between diarrhea onset and visiting a diarrhea clinic was 2.4 ± 1.6 days; this interval was significantly shorter in Beijing than Shaanxi (2.0 ± 1.4 vs 2.8 ± 1.8 days, respectively; p < 0.001). Overall, 31.4% of patients self-medicated before visiting the clinic, most commonly with antibiotics. Routine stool examinations were ordered for 70.6% of patients, vibrio cholera stool culture for 57.5%, but non-vibrio bacteria stool culture for only 11.4%. Only 61.6% of patients received fluid and electrolyte therapy: 28.3% oral rehydration solution (ORS) and 33.4% intravenous fluids (even though only 13.8% needed). Antibiotics were the most common drugs (60.8%) and the most common antibiotics were fluoroquinolones, followed by aminoglycosides. Totally 51.3% of patients received irrational antibiotic treatment (unnecessary for 47.9%; indicated but not prescribed for 3.4%). After antibiotics, the most commonly prescribed drugs were dioctahedral smectite (59.3%); For Shaanxi compared with Beijing, less individuals received ORS (7.8% vs 48.5%,respectively; p < 0.001) and more received intravenous fluids (46.3% vs 20.5%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more of the patients in Shaanxi province were administered antibiotics (64.5% vs 57%, respectively; p = 0.03), and more received intravenous antibiotics than Beijing (49.0% vs 27.0%, respectively; p < 0.001).

Conclusions

Adherence to both national guidelines and 2012 World Gastroenterology Organization guidelines for the management of acute diarrhea in adult was limited among tertiary hospital physicians. The findings suggest nationwide education and effective health policies are needed to improve medical practice and reduce the unnecessary burden on the healthcare system.

Exome sequencing has identified the causes of several Mendelian diseases, although it has rarely been used in a clinical setting to diagnose the genetic cause of an idiopathic disorder in a single patient. We performed exome sequencing on a pedigree with several members affected with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), in an effort to identify candidate variants predisposing to this complex disease. While we did identify some rare variants that might predispose to ADHD, we have not yet proven the causality for any of them. However, over the course of the study, one subject was discovered to have idiopathic hemolytic anemia (IHA), which was suspected to be genetic in origin. Analysis of this subject’s exome readily identified two rare non-synonymous mutations in PKLR gene as the most likely cause of the IHA, although these two mutations had not been documented before in a single individual. We further confirmed the deficiency by functional biochemical testing, consistent with a diagnosis of red blood cell pyruvate kinase deficiency. Our study implies that exome and genome sequencing will certainly reveal additional rare variation causative for even well-studied classical Mendelian diseases, while also revealing variants that might play a role in complex diseases. Furthermore, our study has clinical and ethical implications for exome and genome sequencing in a research setting; how to handle unrelated findings of clinical significance, in the context of originally planned complex disease research, remains a largely uncharted area for clinicians and researchers.

Our previous work had found that telomerase rejuvenated in the cytoplasm of corneal epithelial cells cultured in embryonic stem cell-conditioned medium, the functional properties of stem-like corneal epithelial cells can be enhanced by co-culturing with embryonic stem cells (ESCs) via activation of the integrinβ1-FAK-PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. The goal of this study was to explore the potential molecular mechanisms of the ES micro-environment that enhance the stem cell-like phenotype and inhibit apoptosis in human limbal stem cells (LSC). The LSC were cultured in different media, either CnT-20 medium or CnT-20 +20% ES culture supernatant (ESC-CM). We observed that LSC cultured in ESC-CM had an increased proliferative capacity, greater serial passage capacity, higher colony-forming efficiency (CFE) and higher levels of stem cell-associated marker than those cultured in CnT-20. Compared with CnT-20, ESC-CM enhanced the undifferentiated status and inhibited apoptosis in the LSC by promoting the maintenance of telomerase activity, which could reduce the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), maintain the membrane potential (Δψm) at higher levels and reduce the expression of the p21 protein. Our findings indicated that ESC-CM system induced LSC to maintain a stem cell phenotype and inhibit the process of apoptosis. These effects might partially be achieved via the telomerase-p21-mitochondrial axis and the activation of the FAK/Wnt signaling pathways. This study may have high impact and clinic implication on the expansion of LSC in regenerative medicine, especially for ocular surface reconstruction.

Xenon is one of noble gases and has been recognized as an anesthetic for more than 50 years. Xenon possesses many of the characteristics of an ideal anesthetic, but it is not widely applied in clinical practice mainly because of its high cost. In recent years, numerous studies have demonstrated that xenon as an anesthetic can exert neuroprotective and cardioprotective effects in different models. Moreover, xenon has been applied in the preconditioning, and the neuroprotective and cardioprotective effects of xenon preconditioning have been investigated in a lot of studies in which some mechanisms related to these protections are proposed. In this review, we summarized these mechanisms and the biological effects of xenon preconditioning.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognosis of patients following cardiopulmonary resuscitation in an intensive care unit (ICU) using bispectral index (BIS) monitoring. The study was a prospective comparative study performed at the academic department of an ICU. A total of 33 adults who received cardiopulmonary resuscitation were enrolled and divided into the surviving and non-surviving groups according to their 7-day survival status. During their stay in the ICU, the BIS and arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) levels of all the patients were continuously monitored. The neurological condition of the patients was measured according to the Glasgow coma scale (GCS). Acute physiological and chronic diseases were measured according to the acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II). SaO2 was monitored in all patients. The jugular bulb venous oxygen saturation (SjO2) levels were continuously monitored in 23 patients and the difference between the SaO2 and SjO2 values was used to indicate oxygen metabolism in the brain. The variables in the present study were compared between the 2 groups. The correlations between BIS values and GCS or APACHE II scores were analyzed. The BIS values were significantly higher in the surviving group than in the non-surviving group (P<0.01). The difference between the SaO2 and SjO2 was significant (P<0.01). There was a positive correlation between BIS values and GCS scores (r=0.821, P<0.01) and between BIS values and APACHE II scores (r=0.434, P<0.05). BIS values may be used to predict the post-resuscitative outcome of patients following cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Background

Increased risks of acute pancreatitis in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus have been reported recently in several countries. We aimed to estimate the risks of acute pancreatitis in Japanese patients with diabetes mellitus.

Methods/Findings

We examined a large-scale hospital administrative database consisting of one million patients in 16 secondary medical care hospitals, from 2003 to 2010. The incidence rates of acute pancreatitis were estimated with cohort design; the odds ratios associated with diabetes mellitus and other comorbid risk factors were estimated with separate case-control analyses.

In cohort analysis, the incidence of acute pancreatitis was higher in 14,707 diabetic patients than in 186,032 non-diabetic patients (4.75 vs. 1.65 per 1,000 patient-years) and increased in male patients and as age advanced. The adjusted odds ratio of acute pancreatitis in patients with diabetes mellitus was 1.86 (P<0.001) compared with non-diabetic patients in case-control analysis from 1,372 cases and 5,469 matched controls, which is consistent with the ones reported in previous studies. Alcoholism and gallstones were associated with a large increase in the risk of acute pancreatitis (adjusted odds ratio 13.40 and 14.29, respectively, P<0.001), although dyslipidemia was associated with significant risk reduction (adjusted odds ratio 0.62, P<0.001).

Conclusions

This observational study ascertained the elevated incidence rates and risk of acute pancreatitis in Japanese patients with diabetes. The risk estimates in Japanese patients with diabetes were in agreement with the ones reported in previous studies, and the elevated risk of acute pancreatitis in patients with diabetes would be generalized in different locations/populations.

To assess the effects of TCHM on patients with HIV infection and AIDS, we reviewed eleven randomized placebo-controlled trials involving 998 patients. Due to the limited number of RCTs for included trials and the small sample size of each study, we are not able to draw firm conclusions concerning TCHM therapy in treating patients with HIV infection and AIDS. However, some high-quality clinical studies do exist. Studies of diarrhea and oral candidiasis, which are challenging symptoms of AIDS, were demonstrated to have positive effects. Study of peripheral leukocytes, which are a side effect of antiretroviral drugs, suggested that an integrated treatment approach may be of benefit. The overall methodological quality of the trials was adequate; however, randomization methods should be clearly described and fully reported in these trials according to the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT).