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Chronic constipation is a common gastrointestinal dysfunction, but its aetiology and pathogenesis are still unclear. Interestingly, the compositions of the gut microbiota in constipation patients and healthy controls are different. Various studies reported the different gut microbiota alterations in constipation patients, but most studies indicated that constipation patients showed the decreased beneficial bacteria and the reduced species richness of gut bacteria. Besides, the alterations in the gut microbiota may lead to constipation and constipation-related symptoms and the regulation of gut microbiota has a positive effect on gut functional diseases such as constipation. Microbial treatment methods, such as probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, and fecal microbiota transplantation, can be used to regulate gut microbiota. Increasing evidences have suggested that Chinese medicine (CM) has a good therapeutic effect on chronic constipation. Chinese medicine is well known for its multitarget and multimode effects on diseases as well as less side effects. In previous studies, after the treatment of constipation with CM, the gut microbiota was restored, indicating that the gut microbiota might be the target or important way for CM to exert its efficacy. In this review, we summarized the effects of microbial treatment and CM on the gut microbiota of constipation patients and discussed the relationship between CM and gut microbiota.

BACKGROUND More and more recent studies have clearly shown that long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) should be considered as a fundamental part of the ceRNA network, mainly because lncRNA can act as miRNA sponges to regulate the protein-coding gene expression. Nevertheless, it is still not clear how lncRNA-mediated ceRNAs function in cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CESC). Moreover, information about the ceRNA regulatory mechanism is also remarkably limited; thus, prediction of CESC prognosis using ceRNA-related information remains challenging. MATERIAL AND METHODS We collected 306 RNA (lncRNA, miRNA, and mRNA) expression profile datasets obtained from cervical squamous cancer tissues plus 3 more from adjacent cervical tissues via the TCGA database. Subsequently, we constructed a lncRNAs-miRNAs-mRNAs CESC ceRNA network, and Gene Ontology (GO) analysis was carried out. RESULTS We identified a total of 30 DElncRNAs, 70 DEmiRNAs, and 1089 DEmRNAs in CESC. Subsequently, to reveal the expression patterns of dysregulated genes, weighted gene co-expression network analysis was carried out, resulting in 3 co-expression modules with significantly related clinical properties. The constructed aberrant lncRNAs-miRNAs-mRNAs CESC ceRNA network was composed of 17 DEmiRNAs, 5 DElncRNAs, and 7 DEmRNAs. Moreover, the survival analysis was performed for DElncRNAs, DEmiRNAs, and DEmRNAs. CONCLUSIONS The present study shows the involvement of the lncRNA-related ceRNA network in the pathogenesis of CESC. We believe the newly generated ceRNA network will provide more insights into the lncRNA-mediated ceRNA regulatory mechanisms.

TaohongSiwu decoction (THSWD), a traditional Chinese recipe, has been widely used to treat hypertension since ancient times. However, the mechanisms of its action are still unclear. Herein, we aimed to explore the gut microbial activity of THSWD in high-salt diet-induced hypertensive mice. Eight percent high-salt (NaCl) diet was used to induce hypertension for 4 weeks in a mouse model. Meanwhile, THSWD was used to intervene in the high-salt diet-induced mice, and the efficacy was evaluated by different parameters. Here, we found that THSWD significantly restored blood pressure compared with the model group. Moreover, THSWD effectively protected endothelial function by significantly upregulating the level of nitric oxide (NO) and downregulating the level of endothelin-1 (ET-1), angiotensin I (AngI), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in serum compared with the model group. Notably, THSWD significantly upregulated the relative abundance of Dubosiella and downregulated that of Cyanobium_PCC-6307 and DNF00809 at the genus level compared with the model group. The results of PCA and microbial distance calculation further exhibited that THSWD treatment resulted in significant regulation of the microbial community. Furthermore, compared with the model group, THSWD increased the level of vitamin k2 (VK2) in serum. These findings indicate that THSWD could protect blood pressure and endothelial function by regulating gut microbiota and promoting microbial metabolite VK2. These results show the important role of THSWD in regulating the gut microbiota in response to high-salt diet-induced mice.

BACKGROUND Hypertension-related microRNA(miR)-1283 and its target gene, activating transcription factor-4 (ATF4), can regulate vascular endothelial dysfunction. This study aimed to explore whether miR-1283 prevents hypertension through targeting ATF4. MATERIAL AND METHODS Transcriptome sequencing was performed after overexpression or inhibition of miR-1283 in human amniotic epithelial cells (HAECs). After miR-1283 was overexpressed or inhibited in HAECs, ATF4+/- and wild-type mice were induced with a high-salt diet. We detected the expression of ATF4, C/EBP-homologous protein (CHOP), BH3-interacting domain death agonist (BID), Bcl-2, Bcl-2-like protein 11 (BIM), Bcl-2-like protein 1 (BCL-X), and caspase-3 by PCR and western blotting. We detected the changes of vasoactive substances including nitric oxide (NO), endothelin 1 (ET-1), endothelial protein C receptor (EPCR), thrombin (TM), and von Willebrand factor (vWF) by ELISA. RESULTS Compared with that of the miR-1283- inhibited group, NO was higher in the miR-1283 overexpression group, while the expression of ET-1, EPCR, TM, and vWF were lower. Similarly, compared with that of the miR-1283 inhibited group, the expression of ATF4, CHOP, BID, BIM, and caspase-3 in the miR-1283 overexpression group was downregulated, while the expression of BCL-2 and BCL-X was upregulated (P

This paper discusses the determinants of credit spreads in China and the United states. Based on the sampled data of corporate bonds in the two countries from 2011 to 2017, we fit the yield curve of the treasury bonds with the Nelson-Siegel Model and calculate the credit spreads of each corporate bond. Then we use multiple linear regression and vector auto regression model (VAR) to analyze the determinants. The results indicate that the model can explain a large part of the credit spreads and the goodness of fit reaches over 60%. The specific results are as follows: (1) GDP and stock market volatility are negatively correlated with the credit spreads of Chinese corporate bonds but positively correlated with that of American corporate bonds with high significant level; (2) M2, stock market indexes and risk-free yield rate are negatively correlated with the credit spreads of both countries despite the fact that of all these three determinants M2 is not significant in the U.S. market and the risk-free rate of return is not significant in the Chinese market; (3) the slope of treasury bond yield curve is positively correlated with the credit spreads of corporate bonds in both countries; and (4) the impulse response shows that the impact of the determinants on credit spreads is obviously weaker than the impact of credit spreads on the determinants, which indicates that credit spreads might have a certain degree of predictive function.

The association between lung and intestine has already been reported, but the differences in community structures or functions between lung and intestine bacteria yet need to explore. To explore the differences in community structures or functions, the lung tissues and fecal contents in rats were collected and analyzed through 16S rRNA sequencing. It was found that intestine bacteria was more abundant and diverse than lung bacteria. In intestine bacteria, Firmicutes and Bacteroides were identified as major phyla while Lactobacillus was among the most abundant genus. However, in lung the major identified phylum was Proteobacteria and genus Pseudomonas was most prominent genus. On the other hand, in contrast the lung bacteria was more concentrated in cytoskeleton and function in energy production and conversion. While, intestine bacteria were enriched in RNA processing, modification chromatin structure, dynamics and amino acid metabolism. The study provides the basis for understanding the relationships between lung and intestine bacteria.

Flora and mucosal immunity are considered to be the barrier, which is associated with multiple respiratory diseases, including recurrent respiratory tract infection (RRTI). Fei-Xi-Tiao-Zhi-Fang (FTF) is a traditional Chinese herbal formula used in the treatment of RRTI. However, the mechanism is little known. This study aims to identify the function of FTF in flora and mucosal immune secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) in the model of RRTI rats. The samples of intestine and lung were collected to detect sIgA, short chain fatty acids (SCFAS), and flora with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), gas chromatography, and 16S rDNA sequencing. The body weight and viscera index were increased dynamically in RRTI rats after the administration of FTF. Furthermore, the types and proportions of aboriginal flora were significantly changed in the model group, whereas the altered flora was rescued in the FTF administration group. Desulfovibrio increased in the intestinal microflora and Ralstonia and Blautia decreased in the pulmonary microflora at the genus level, similar to that in the normal group. In addition, the expressions of sIgA in pulmonary and intestinal tissues were significantly upregulated and the level of SCFAS was increased in FTF group compared to the RRTI model group. Our study suggests that FTF can alleviate the symptoms of RRTI by increasing sIgA and SCFAS, recovering flora, and improving the immunity.

The root of Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis, a famous and endangered traditional Chinese herb, has a significant medicinal value. The aim of this study was to analyze the composition and functional characteristics of bacterial endophytes in roots, stems, and leaves of P. polyphylla var. yunnanensis. The 16S rRNA gene sequencing and functional prediction of bacterial endophytes in roots, stems, and leaves of P. polyphylla var. yunnanensis were conducted. The Chao and Shannon indices of the bacteria in roots were significantly higher than those in stems and leaves. The dominant endophyte phyla were Cyanobacteria, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria. The main genera detected in roots were unclassified Cyanobacteria, Rhizobium, Flavobacterium, and Sphingobium; the main genera in stems were norank_c__Cyanobacteria, Bacillus, and Pseudomonas; the main genera in leaves were norank_c__Cyanobacteria and Rhizobium. The microbiota in roots was particularly enriched in functional categories "extracellular structures" and "cytoskeleton" compared with stems and leaves (p < 0.05). Our study reveals the structural and functional characteristics of the endophytic bacteria in roots, stems, and leaves of P. polyphylla var. yunnanensis, which aids in the scientific understanding of this plant. The root of Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis, a famous and endangered traditional Chinese herb, has a significant medicinal value. The aim of this study was to analyze the composition and functional characteristics of bacterial endophytes in roots, stems, and leaves of P. polyphylla var. yunnanensis. The 16S rRNA gene sequencing and functional prediction of bacterial endophytes in roots, stems, and leaves of P. polyphylla var. yunnanensis were conducted. The Chao and Shannon indices of the bacteria in roots were significantly higher than those in stems and leaves. The dominant endophyte phyla were Cyanobacteria, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria. The main genera detected in roots were unclassified Cyanobacteria, Rhizobium, Flavobacterium, and Sphingobium; the main genera in stems were norank_c__Cyanobacteria, Bacillus, and Pseudomonas; the main genera in leaves were norank_c__Cyanobacteria and Rhizobium. The microbiota in roots was particularly enriched in functional categories “extracellular structures” and “cytoskeleton” compared with stems and leaves (p < 0.05). Our study reveals the structural and functional characteristics of the endophytic bacteria in roots, stems, and leaves of P. polyphylla var. yunnanensis, which aids in the scientific understanding of this plant.

BACKGROUND TaohongSiwu decoction (THSWT), a traditional herbal formula, has been used to treat cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases such as essential hypertension (EH) in China. However, the pharmacological mechanism is not clear. To investigate the mechanisms of THSWT in the treatment of EH, we performed compounds, targets prediction and network analysis using a network pharmacology method. MATERIAL AND METHODS We selected chemical constituents and targets of THSWT according to TCMSP and UniProtKB databases and collected therapeutic targets on EH from Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM), Drugbank and DisGeNET databases. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) was analyzed by using String database. Then network was constructed by using Cytoscape_v3.7.1, and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment was performed by using Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) software. RESULTS The results of our network pharmacology research showed that the THSWT, composed of 6 Chinese herbs, contained 15 compounds, and 23 genes regulated the main signaling pathways related to EH. Moreover, the PPI network based on targets of THSWT on EH revealed the interaction relationship between targets. These core compounds were 6 of the 15 disease-related compounds in the network, kaempferol, quercetin, luteolin, Myricanone, beta-sitosterol, baicalein, and the core genes contained ADRB2, CALM1, HMOX1, JUN, PPARG, and VEGFA, which were regulated by more than 3 compounds and significantly associated with Calcium signaling pathway, cGMP-PKG signaling pathway, cAMP signaling pathway, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, Rap1 signaling pathway, and Ras signaling pathway. CONCLUSIONS This network pharmacological study can reveal potential mechanisms of multi-target and multi-component THSWT in the treatment of EH, provide a scientific basis for studying the mechanism.

Background Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a pathological condition, affecting an increasing number of pregnant women worldwide. Safe and effective treatment for GDM is very important for the public health. In this study, we utilized a high-fat diet induced GDM model to evaluate the effects of LBP on GDM and examined the changes of exosomal microRNA expression profiling to decipher the potential underlying mechanism of LBP.Methods Female C57BL/6J mice were fed a control diet, HFD, or 150 mg/kg LBP- supplemented HFD for 6 weeks before conception and throughout gestation. Oral glucose tolerance test and plasma lipid levels were determined and liver histopathology was assessed. Sequencing was used to define the microRNA expression profiling of plasma exosomes in the three groups of mice and proteins expression levels of the candidate target genes were analyzed.Results LBP significantly relieved glucose intolerance, abnormal plasma lipid levels and pathomorphological changes of liver histopathology in HFD induced GDM mice. Moreover, we found that this effect of LBP was mediated by down-regulation of the increase of 6 miRNAs (miR-93-3p, miR-188-5p, miR-466k, miR-1188-5p, miR-7001-3p and miR-7115-5p) and reversing the increase protein expression of CPT1A, which is the target gene of miR-188-5p.Conclusions Our findings provide novel insights into the biological activities of LBP in the treatment of GDM.

Endophytic microorganisms absorb nutrients and prevent pathogen damage, supporting healthy plant growth. However, the relationship between endophytic bacteria and berberine synthesis in the medicinal plant Coptis teeta Wall. remains unclear. Herein, we explored the community composition of endophytic bacteria related to berberine in roots, stems, and leaves of wild-type and cultivated C. teeta. Endophytic bacterial communities were analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing, and berberine content in roots was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes were the major phyla, and Mycobacterium, Salmonella, Nocardioides, Burkholderia-Paraburkholderia, and Rhizobium were the dominant genera in root, stem, and leaf tissues. Root berberine content was positively correlated with total N, total P, total K, and available K in rhizosphere soil. In addition, root berberine content was positively correlated with Microbacterium and norank_f_7B-8, whereas soil total K was positively correlated with Microbacterium and Burkholderia-Paraburkholderia in roots. Our results demonstrated a clear correlation between dominant endophytic bacteria and berberine synthesis in C. teeta. The findings are useful for the promotion of berberine production in C. teeta via manipulation of endophytic bacteria. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s13205-020-2084-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Needle knife therapy, a form of acupuncture and moxibustion, has been widely used in the clinical treatment of knee osteoarthritis (KOA). However, the mechanism is not clear. Therefore, we studied the mechanisms of action of needle knife intervention on KOA in rabbits, with the PERK-eIF2α-CHOP pathway as a starting point, in order to determine the mechanism underlying knee joint chondrocyte apoptosis. Apoptosis and ultrastructural changes in the articular cartilage were examined by pathological study and transmission electron microscopy, and PERK, eIF2α, and CHOP mRNA and protein levels were detected by qRT-PCR and western blot, respectively. PERK, eIF2α, and CHOP protein levels were significantly higher in the model group than in the normal group (P < 0.01) and were considerably downregulated in the needle knife and the medicine groups compared to the model group (P < 0.01). The eIF2α, p-eIF2α, and CHOP protein levels were not significantly different between the needle knife and medicine groups. The PERK, eIF2α, and CHOP mRNA levels in the drug group were higher than those in the needle knife group (P < 0.01). Needle knife therapy can regulate PERK-eIF2α-CHOP signaling pathway, which could be one of the mechanisms by which it affects chondrocyte apoptosis in KOA rabbits.

E-Zhu (Curcuma zedoaria) is known as a classical traditional Chinese medicine and widely used in the treatment of cancers, cardiovascular disease, inflammation, and other diseases. Its main components include curcumol and curcumin, which have anti-inflammatory and antifibrosis effects. Here we established an in vitro inflammatory injury model by stimulating RAW246.7 cells with cigarette smoke extract (CSE) and detected the intervention effects of curcumin and curcumol on CSE-treated Raw246.7 macrophage cells to explore whether the two compounds inhibited the expression of inflammatory cytokines by inhibiting the NF-κB signaling pathway. We detected the antifibrosis effects of curcumin and curcumol via TGF-β1/Smads signaling pathways. The model of macrophage damage group was established by CSE stimulation. Curcumol and curcumin were administered to Raw246.7 macrophage cells. The efficacy of curcumol and curcumin was evaluated by comparing the activation of proinflammatory factors, profibrotic factors, and NF-κB and TGF-β1/Smads signaling pathway. In addition, CSE-treated group was employed to detect whether the efficacy of curcumol and curcumin was dependent on the NF-κB signaling via the pretreatment with the inhibitor of NF-κB. Our findings demonstrated that curcumol and curcumin could reduce the release of intracellular ROS from macrophages, inhibit the NF-κB signaling pathway, and downregulate the release of proinflammatory factor. Curcumol and curcumin inhibited the TGF-β1/Smads signaling pathway and downregulated the release of fibrotic factors. Curcumin showed no anti-inflammatory effect in CSE-treated cells after the inhibition of NF-κB. Curcumol and curcumin showed an anti-inflammatory effect by inhibiting the NF-κB signaling pathway.

E-Zhu (Curcuma zedoaria) is known as a classical traditional Chinese medicine and widely used in the treatment of cancers, cardiovascular disease, inflammation, and other diseases. Its main components include curcumol and curcumin, which have anti-inflammatory and antifibrosis effects. Here we established an in vitro inflammatory injury model by stimulating RAW246.7 cells with cigarette smoke extract (CSE) and detected the intervention effects of curcumin and curcumol on CSE-treated Raw246.7 macrophage cells to explore whether the two compounds inhibited the expression of inflammatory cytokines by inhibiting the NF-κB signaling pathway. We detected the antifibrosis effects of curcumin and curcumol via TGF-β1/Smads signaling pathways. The model of macrophage damage group was established by CSE stimulation. Curcumol and curcumin were administered to Raw246.7 macrophage cells. The efficacy of curcumol and curcumin was evaluated by comparing the activation of proinflammatory factors, profibrotic factors, and NF-κB and TGF-β1/Smads signaling pathway. In addition, CSE-treated group was employed to detect whether the efficacy of curcumol and curcumin was dependent on the NF-κB signaling via the pretreatment with the inhibitor of NF-κB. Our findings demonstrated that curcumol and curcumin could reduce the release of intracellular ROS from macrophages, inhibit the NF-κB signaling pathway, and downregulate the release of proinflammatory factor. Curcumol and curcumin inhibited the TGF-β1/Smads signaling pathway and downregulated the release of fibrotic factors. Curcumin showed no anti-inflammatory effect in CSE-treated cells after the inhibition of NF-κB. Curcumol and curcumin showed an anti-inflammatory effect by inhibiting the NF-κB signaling pathway.

Aircraft fire training simulators are key facilities in airport used for firefighters to do firefighting trainings. In order to protect the safety of firefighters, the monitoring system should be applied to monitor the internal environment of the simulator. In accordance with the requirements of the training environment, a kind of monitoring system based on MCU and GPRS communication components are built. The parameterized PID controller, the sensor detection module, the fan and spray drive module are consisted of closed-loop to achieve real-time control and regulation on the smoke and temperature of the internal simulator. Using GPRS module, the internal scenes of the simulator are sent to the command center through the information transmission system. Based on the information transported from training site, command center can take the appropriate training programs to guide firefighters. Use this system, the training safety is ensured and the training efficiency is improved at the same time.

// Tian-Hao Liu 1, 2, * , Fang Zheng 1, 3, * , Mu-Yan Cai 1, 5, * , Lin Guo 1, 4 , Huan-Xin Lin 1 , Jie-Wei Chen 1, 5 , Yi-Ji Liao 1 , Hsiang-Fu Kung 1 , Yi-Xin Zeng 1 , Dan Xie 1, 5 1 Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, The State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China 2 Department of Oncology, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China 3 Medical Research Center, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China 4 Department of Nasopharyngeal Cancer, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China 5 Department of Pathology, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China * These authors have contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Dan Xie, e-mail: xiedan@sysucc.org.cn Keywords: nasopharyngeal carcinoma, ARHGEF3, BIRC8, apoptosis, pathogenesis Received: September 06, 2015 Accepted: March 06, 2016 Published: March 23, 2016 ABSTRACT Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is one of the most prevalent forms of highly invasive malignancy in Southern China and Southeast Asia. The pathogenesis of NPC is a multistep process driven by the acquisition of numerous genetic abnormalities. We investigated the potential oncogenic role of the Rho-guanine nucleotide exchange factor 3 gene, ARHGEF3 , in NPC pathogenesis. Expression levels of ARHGEF3 were frequently up-regulated in NPC cell lines and tissues. In a large cohort of clinical NPC tissues high expression of ARHGEF3 was positively associated with an increased T status, distant metastasis, and a more advanced clinical stage ( P < 0.05). Survival analysis revealed that ARHGEF3 expression was a significant and independent prognosis factor for NPC patients. In NPC cell lines, knockdown of ARHGEF3 was sufficient to inhibit cell growth, motility, and invasion in vitro , whereas ectopic overexpression of ARHGEF3 substantially enhanced NPC cells tumorigenesis and metastasis in vivo . Depletion of ARHGEF3 in NPC cells dramatically promoted caspase-3 induced apoptosis and an anti-apoptosis factor, BIRC8 , was identified as a critical downstream target of the ARHGEF3 . Our findings suggest that increased expression of ARHGEF3 plays a critical oncogenic role in NPC pathogenesis by preventing cell apoptosis through the up-regulation of BIRC8 , and ARHGEF3 might be employed as a novel prognostic marker and effective therapeutic target for human NPC.

Targeted therapy based on adjustment of microRNA (miRNA)s activity takes great promise due to the ability of these small RNAs to modulate cellular behavior. However, the efficacy of miR-101 replacement therapy to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unclear. In the current study, we first observed that plasma levels of miR-101 were significantly lower in distant metastatic HCC patients than in HCCs without distant metastasis, and down-regulation of plasma miR-101 predicted a worse disease-free survival (DFS, P, published_or_final_version

The enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) is upregulated and has an oncogenic role in several types of human cancer. However, the abnormalities of EZH2 and its underlying mechanisms in the pathogenesis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) remain unknown. In this study, we found that high expression of EZH2 in NPC was associated closely with an aggressive and/or poor prognostic phenotype (P

To screen the molecular markers for refractory anemia with excess blasts in transformation (RAEB) in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) by serum proteome profiling.The serum protein were isolated from patients with RAEB, acute myeloid leukemia or normal subjects by 2-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE), and the electrophoresis gels were obtained to identify the differentially reacting protein spots. The replica gels of the differentially reacting proteins were analyzed to locate the matching protein spots, which were identified by peptide mass fingerprint based on matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) and database searching.Seven differentially expressed proteins in RAEB were found by 2-DE. Of the 7 proteins, 4 were identified by MALDI-TOF-MS to have significantly differential expression in RAEB, including dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP/CD26), polymerase (DNA directed) kappa, PRO2044 and an albumin-like protein.2-DE-based serum proteome profiling helps identify serum proteomic biomarkers related to MDS. DDP/CD26 has increased expression in the serum in RAEB subtype MDS, suggesting its possible role in advanced MDS.

To investigate the factors that affect the prognosis of primary gastrointestinal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (PGI-NHL).The clinical data of 116 patients with pathologically confirmed PGI-NHL we treated from January 1993 to December 2003 were analyzed retrospectively. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used for analyzing the survival of the patients, and Log-rank test was performed to compare the survival rates in relation to different prognostic factors.The 3-year and 5-year survival rates of the patients were 63.8% (74/116) and 48.2% (40/83), respectively. Univariate analysis revealed that the factors affecting the prognosis of the patients included the presence of B symptom, tumor size, clinical stage, pathological type, depth of invasion, and treatment methods. The patients with B symptom, tumor size no less than 10 cm, advanced clinical stage (stages III(E) and IV(E)), T-cell type, and invasion beyond the serosa who received only surgical management had poorer prognosis than those free of B symptom with tumor size10 cm, early clinical stage (stages I(E) and II(E)), B-cell type, and submucosal or serosal invasion managed with chemotherapy alone or in combination with surgery. Multivariate analysis showed that B symptom, tumor size no less than 10 cm, advanced clinical stage (stages III(E) and IV(E)), T-cell type, invasion beyond the serosa, and surgery alone were independently associated with poor prognosis.The tumor size, clinical stage, pathological type, treatment methods are the independent factors affecting the prognosis of patients with PGI-NHL.

To assess the therapeutic efficacy and adverse effects of endogenetic field hyperthermia (EFH) in combination with L-OHP /LV / 5-FU in the treatment of advanced gastric cancer.This study included 147 surgical patients with stage II-IV gastric cancer, who received postoperative chemotherapy with FOLFOX (L-OHP 85 mg /m square, 3 h intravenous infusion, followed by infusion of LV at 200 mg /m square in 2 h, intravenous injection of 5-Fu at 400 mg /m square, and intravenous infusion of 5-FU at 3000 mg /m square in 48 h). Eight treatment cycles (each lasting for 14 days) were administered. In 68 cases randomly selected from the cohort, EFH was performed on the first and third days (treatment group), but not in the other 79 cases (control group).The response rate was 68.4% in the treatment group and 36.4% in the control group, showing significant difference between them (P0.05). The 1-year survival rate was 88.2% in the treatment group, similar to the rate of 81.0% in the control group (P0.05), but the 3, 5-year survival rates in treatment group (67.6% and 30.9%) was significantly higher than those in the control group (47.6% and 15.4%, P0.05). The adverse effects were similar between the two groups.EFH combined with the chemotherapeutic regimen FOLFOX might improve the therapeutic effect of stage II-IV gastric cancer without obviously increasing the adverse effects.

CAF regimen [Cytoxan+ Adriamycin+5-fluorouracil (5-FU)] and TP regimen (paclitaxel+cisplatin) were effective to advanced breast cancer (ABC). But TP regimen was expensive and the administration was complicated. So the authors evaluated the clinical results of CAF and TP regimens.A total of 117 ABC patients proved pathologically were divided into CAF and TP groups. Patients in both groups were well matched with baseline disease characteristics (P0.05). CAF group (66 cases):received Cytoxan 600 mg/m(2), i.v. drip d(1), Adriamycin 60 mg/m(2) i.v. drip d(1) and 5-FU 600 mg/m(2), i.v. drip d(1,8); TP group (51 cases): received paclitaxel 135 mg/m(2) by i.v. drip for 3 hours and cisplatin 60 mg/m(2), i.v. drip d(2-3) The treatments were repeated every 3 weeks. All patients received two cycles of the treatment at least.In CAF group, the response rates (RR) of the initial treatment cases, the retreatment cases, and the whole cases were 54.8% (17/31), 31.4% (11/35), and 42.4% (28/66), respectively. The median time to progression (TTP) was 7.8 months (95%CI:5.3-10.8 months) and the median survival was 17.8 months (95%CI:13.3-22.5%). Whereas in TP group, the RR of the initial treatment cases, the retreatment cases, and the whole cases were 62.5%(15/24), 59.3%(16/27), and 60.8%(31/51), respectively. The median TTP and the median survival were 8.6 months (95%CI:6.5-12 months) and 19 months (95%CI:15-25.5 months), respectively. There were significant differences between two groups in the RR of retreatment cases and the whole cases (P0.05, Chi-square test). However, there was no significant difference in the RR of the initial treatment cases, the median TTP and median survival (for RR, P0.05, Chi-square test; for median TTP and median survival, P0.05, Log-rank test). Diarrhea was more serious in CAF group than in TP group; however, myodynia, peripheral neuropathy,and skin exanthem were more serious in TP group than in CAF group(P0.05,Wilcoxon rank sum test). There was no significant difference in the other side effects between the two groups. All side effects were tolerable.CAF regimen was still a firstly selected regimen for the patients with ABC.