Abstract Background Perioperative administration of dexamethasone may augment recurrence and mortality after tumor resection possibly by immunosuppression, which, unfortunately, has never been noted. ...We therefore carried out a retrospective study in rectal cancer to validate the hypothesis. Methods Five hundreds and fifteen patients with stage I to III rectal cancers who underwent a curative resection from June 2007 and June 2011 were enrolled in the current study. Patients who had been given intravenous (IV) dexamethasone (4–10 mg) postoperatively and/or intraoperatively were assigned to dexamethasone group. The outcome of dexamethasone group and non-dexamethasone group were compared. The primary outcome was disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). Results dexamethasone group had significant lower three-year DFS (62.3% vs 71.8%, P = 0.026) and OS (74.1% vs 82.9%, P = 0.031) rate in comparison to non-dexamethasone group, the hazard ratios (HRs) of which were 1.59 (95% CI 1.05–2.39, P = 0.028) and 1.77 (95% CI 1.05–3.01, P = 0.034), respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that administration of systemic dexamethasone were independently associated with DFS adjusted HR 1.60 (95% CI 1.03–2.49, p = 0.039), but for OS, dexamethasone didn't remain significant in this model. In the analyses of a subgroup of 428 patients (55/428 in dexamethasone group) without perioperative blood transfusion, dexamethasone had independently impact on both DFS and OS. Conclusion Patients not given dexamethasone had better three-year survival outcomes compared with patients given dexamethasone perioperatively. Our results indicate that rectal cancer patients treated with curative surgery may get survival benefit from avoiding low-dose perioperative dexamethasone.
TT virus (TTV) DNA in serum samples obtained from 24 TTV-infected infants was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with inverse primers derived from the untranslated region. The amplified PCR ...products were molecularly cloned; six clones each were analyzed. Seventy-six (53%) of the 144 TTV clones were classified into group 4 (YONBAN isolates), and 22 (15%) into a novel genetic group (group 5). The TTV clones in group 4 were classified into 9 types, and those in group 5 into 4 types. The entire nucleotide sequence of one representative clone each from the 13 types were determined; they comprised 3570-3770 nucleotides, and had poor homology to TTVs of groups 1-3 (TA278, PMV and SANBAN isolates). A phylogenetic tree based on the entire nucleotide sequence of open reading frame 1 confirmed the presence of five distinct clusters separated by a bootstrap value of 100%. Analysis of 13 TTV variants demonstrated preservation of the genomic organization and transcription profile in all TTV groups. TTV group 4 was detected in 54% or 72% of 7-to-12-month-old infants in Japan and China, respectively, which is comparable with that among adults in the respective country, indicating early and frequent acquisition of this TTV group in infancy.
Summary Objective Generate DNA aptamers to inhibit IL-17RA-mediated synovial inflammation in an experimental mouse model of osteoarthritis (OA). Methods A novel cell-SELEX method was applied to ...obtain DNA aptamers specific for IL-17RA. A single-stranded (ss) DNA library with four probes was synthesised. By incubating this library with NIH3T3 cells, we collected DNA ligands that could bind the cell surface. The collected ligands were incubated with IL-17RA-deficient NIH3T3 cells, and unbound ssDNA was harvested from the supernatant for the next round of selection. After 12 cycles, specific aptamers against IL-17RA were generated. For animal experiments, a meniscectomy was performed on Balb/C mice to generate an animal model of OA. Mice received weekly intra-articular (i.a.) injections of aptamers or control treatments for 6 weeks. Synovial membranes were evaluated by histomorphology and the mRNAs of critical inflammatory cytokines were measured by quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results An aptamer termed RA10-6 was obtained that could efficiently block IL-17 binding to IL-17RA in a dose-dependent manner in vitro . Histological examination and quantitative RT-PCR results showed that OA mice that injected with RA10-6, especially in combination with celecoxib demonstrated inhibition of synovial thickening and reduction in IL-6 levels in the synovial tissue. Conclusion Our results suggest that RA10-6 can inhibit synovial inflammation by blocking IL-17/IL-17RA-mediated IL-6 expression. RA10-6 acted synergistically with celecoxib to inhibit IL-6 expression in synovial tissues. Thus, aptamers targeting IL-17RA might serve as potent adjunctive agents for the early treatment of OA.
Pancreatic β-cell dysfunction is a central component of the pathogenesis of pediatric diabetes. MicroRNA (miRNA) have become one of the most encouraging and fruitful fields in biological research, ...and have been implicated as new players in the pathogenesis of diabetes and diabetes-associated complications. The role of miRNA in diabetes begins with the development of pancreatic islets. Fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-21 enhances glucose uptake in adipocytes, protecting transgenic animals from diet-induced obesity when overexpressed, and lowers blood glucose and triglyceride levels in diabetic animals (when administered); therefore, it is a good way to treat diabetes. However, the mechanism of miRNA in regulation of FGF21 is not known. In this study, FGF-21 was predicted to be the target of miR-577. Therefore, we investigated the effects of miR-577 on β-cell function and survival by targeting FGF-21. We demonstrated that, although FGF-21 does not acutely stimulate insulin secretion in isolated islets from normal rats, it increases insulin secretion and insulin content in diabetic islets and protects β-cells from apoptosis via the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 and Akt signaling pathways.
To explore the association between
mutations (DNM) and non-syndromic cleft lip with or without palate (NSCL/P) using case-parent trio design.
Whole-exome sequencing was conducted for twenty-two ...NSCL/P trios and Genome Analysis ToolKit (GATK) was used to identify DNM by comparing the alleles of the cases and their parents. Information of predictable functions was annotated to the locus with SnpEff. Enrichment analysis for DNM was conducted to test the difference between the actual number and the expected number of DNM, and to explore whether there were genes with more DNM than expected. NSCL/P-related genes indicated by previous studies with solid evidence were selected by literature reviewing. Protein-protein interactions analysis was conducted among the genes with protein-altering DNM and NSCL/P-related genes. R package "denovolyzeR" was used for the enrichment analysis (Bonferroni correction:
=0.05/
,
is the number of genes in the whole genome range). Protein-protein interactions among genes with DNM and ge
Thermal treatment of soil polluted by lube oil and heavy metals (cadmium, chromium, copper, and lead) was carried out by using a laboratory-scale incinerator. The effect of co-contaminated soil ...mixtures as fixed/fluidized bed media was studied with different ratios of sand bed amount to soil feeding. Additionally, the effect of soil moisture content on incineration system was further investigated. The reduction in air input altered the mode of fluidized bed to fixed bed which resulted in an increase in organic pollutants such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The combustion efficiency of fixed bed mode was observed to be relatively high at a lower ratio of sand bed amount to soil feeding, whereas high combustion efficiency was found in fluidized bed mode at a higher ratio of sand bed amount to soil feeding. Much higher concentration of organic pollutants in both gas phase and bottom ash is found under a higher soil moisture content. In addition, the increase in moisture content has resulted in an increase in lead, cadmium, and chromium in fly ash while copper was decreased. An important consideration is that the partitioning of heavy metals was randomly distributed in particle sizes of bottom ash. The highest concentration of heavy metals was deposited on fine-sized particle. The distribution of heavy metals in medium-sized and coarse-sized particles to form eutectic species might be produced by the soil–sand aggregation.
A novel method is demonstrated to fabricate three-dimensional inter-connective porous ceramics with engineered structures. The method is based on machining and bonding of ceramic green sheets. The ...ceramic green sheets were processed via a viscous polymer processing (VPP) route using thermoplastic (polyvinyl butyral) as a binder, which showed good machinability and surface finishing quality. The experimental results also revealed that an appropriate solvent and adequate applied pressure were critical to ensure good interfacial bonding between green ceramic sheets and subsequent integrity of the sintered three-dimensional inter-connective ceramic bodies. The architectures and microstructures of fabricated ceramic bodies can be readily controlled by the characteristics of the green body and the computer numerically controlled machining conditions.
Nanoscale forms of silicon, a very important electronic material, have interesting properties, but the investigation of Si nanowires, for example, has been hampered by difficulties in producing ...oriented samples. The authors report here the successful synthesis of large areas of highly oriented, very long (1.5–2 mm) Si nanowires—as shown in the Figure—by thermal evaporation of silicon monoxide.
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