Testing small study effects in multivariate meta-analysis

Small study effects occur when smaller studies show different, often larger, treatment effects than large ones, which may threaten the validity of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. The most well-known reasons for small study effects include publication bias, outcome reporting bias, and clinical heterogeneity. Methods to account for small study effects in univariate meta-analysis have been extensively studied. However, detecting small study effects in a multivariate meta-analysis setting remains an untouched research area. One of the complications is that different types of selection processes can be involved in the reporting of multivariate outcomes. For example, some studies may be completely unpublished while others may selectively report multiple outcomes. In this paper, we propose a score test as an overall test of small study effects in multivariate meta-analysis. Two detailed case studies are given to demonstrate the advantage of the proposed test over various naive applications of univariate tests in practice. Through simulation studies, the proposed test is found to retain nominal Type I error rates with considerable power in moderate sample size settings. Finally, we also evaluate the concordance between the proposed tests with the naive application of univariate tests by evaluating 44 systematic reviews with multiple outcomes from the Cochrane Database.     

Cytogenetics of Batrachyla species (Anura: Neobatrachia: Ceratophryidae) of southern South America,with phylogenetics comments

Abstract

A comparative cytogenetic analysis showed that B. antartandica, B. leptopus, B. nibaldoi and B. taeniata share the same diploid number 2n = 26, but not the same fundamental number (FN), which was 52 in B. leptopus and 50 in the other three species. The karyotype of B. nibaldoi, including C‐band patterns and locations of the NORs, are described for the first time. The C‐band patterns were species‐specific and were helpful in distinguishing taxa. Batrachyla leptopus can be distinguished from its congeners by the absence of telocentric chromosomes and by secondary constrictions in the long arms of pair 6 and short arms of pairs 7 and 11. The chromosomal data suggest that Batrachyla might be a paraphyletic genus.     

Inverse Problem in Materials Science

Abstract

The importance of the inverse problem in materials science, that is, the determination of unknown parameters in the physico-chemical models from the experimental values is emphasized. The main attention is given to the problem of how to take into account experimental systematic errors during the inverse problem.     

microRNAs在肝细胞癌中的调控机制及临床应用

microRNA（miRNA）在人类恶性肿瘤的发生发展过程中起着重要作用。近期研究表明,miRNA通过结合特定靶标参与调控肝细胞癌（hepatocellularcarcinoma,HCC）的发生,可作为辅助生物标志物用于指导肝细胞癌的诊断和治疗,并为有效地监控和预防肝病提供了新途径。寻找miRNA靶标,阐明miRNA参与肝癌发生的调控机理,有利于肝癌的临床靶向基因治疗。通过总结miRNA在肝细胞癌中的调控机制及临床应用的研究进展,为寻找肝细胞癌早期诊断的生物标志物及介入治疗的靶点提供了参考。     

慢性牙周炎患者龈沟液中IL-8 和TNF-alpha水平变化及临床意义

目的：探讨慢性牙周炎患者龈沟液中白细胞介素-8（IL-8）和肿瘤坏死因子-α（TNF-α）水平变化及临床意义,为临床诊疗提 供参考。方法：选择2013 年12 月到2015 年12 月我院收治的60 例慢性牙周炎患者为实验组,选择同期60 例牙周健康者为对照 组。对照组对象于体检时、实验组患者于牙周常规治疗前后收集龈沟液并记录牙龈指数（GI）、牙龈沟出血指数（SBI）、菌斑指数 （PLI）、牙周袋探诊深度（PD）、临床附着丧失（CAL）等牙周临床指标。测量并比较两组对象龈沟液中IL-8 和TNF-α水平。结果：实 验组患者治疗前GI、SBI、PLI、PD 及CAL 等牙周临床指标均明显高于对照组,差异具有统计学意义（P<0.05）;治疗后,实验组患 者各牙周临床指标明显低于治疗前,差异有统计学意义（P<0.05）,但与对照组比较差异无统计学意义（P>0.05）。实验组患者治疗 前龈沟液中IL-8 和TNF-α水平均明显高于对照组,差异有统计学意义（P<0.05）;治疗后,实验组患者龈沟液中IL-8 和TNF-alpha水 平均明显低于治疗前,差异有统计学意义（P<0.05）。实验组患者治疗前龈沟液中IL-8 水平与牙周临床指标PD 呈正相关性（r=0. 495,P=0.027）,TNF-α水平与牙周临床指标SBI、PD 呈正相关性（r=0.512,0.673;P=0.019,0.012）。结论：慢性牙周炎患者龈沟液中 IL-8 和TNF-α具有较高水平,两者可能与慢性牙周炎的发生发展有关,对于临床诊断慢性牙周炎具有积极的临床意义。     

肾静态显像诊断上尿路感染的临床研究

目的:探究肾静态显像(99m Tc-DMSA)在上尿路感染诊断工作中的应用意义。方法:选取2012年7月至2015年2月我院收治的60例上尿路感染患儿为研究对象,均行肾静态显像检查,并与B超检查结果进行对比分析。结果:肾静态显像提示:60例上尿路感染患儿中,肾脏损害占90.00%,其中8例肾疤痕形成,46例急性肾盂肾炎改变,6例正常;在肾脏病变范围上,≤2岁年龄组患儿较2岁年龄组患儿更为广泛,且前者程度更为严重。B超提示肾脏损害占26.67%,其中18例尿路感染反复发作;16例(26.67%)伴有急性肾盂肾炎改变,未检出肾疤痕。B超诊断上尿路感染的阳性率达26.67%,肾静态显像检查诊断上尿路感染的阳性率为90.00%,两者比较差异有显著性(P0.05)。结论:99mTc-DMSA在上尿路感染诊断工作中具有重要的应用意义,可明确病变性质、程度及范围,并可随访病变转归,指导临床治疗,属于上尿路感染的实验室补充性指标,值得临床积极推广。     

脑胶质瘤患者手术前后睾酮水平变化及临床意义

目的:研究脑胶质瘤患者手术前后睾酮水平变化,并分析其临床意义。方法:选取2010年2月到2015年6月我院脑胶质瘤患者80例为研究组,并选择同期颅脑良性肿瘤患者80例为对照组,两组均给予手术治疗,检测术前和术后3天、术后1周患者睾酮水平。结果:研究组术后各病理类型睾酮水平较治疗前显著降低(P0.05),但不同病理类型之间睾酮水平比较无统计学意义(P0.05);研究组术前睾酮水平显著高于对照组,比较差异具有统计学意义(P0.05);术后3天、术后一周研究组睾酮水平与术前比较显著降低,差异具有统计学意义(P0.05);术后1周研究组睾酮水平与术后3天比较无统计学意义(P0.05);对照组术前和术后各时间睾酮水平比较无统计学意义(P0.05)。结论:脑胶质瘤患者会出现睾酮水平紊乱,当睾酮水平明显增高时应警惕脑胶质瘤的可能性。     

三阴性乳腺癌中Ki-67 的表达及其临床病理意义

目的:探讨三阴性乳腺癌中Ki-67的表达及其临床病理意义。方法:回顾性分析2010年11月1日至2015年12月31日辽宁省肿瘤医院收治的110例行乳腺癌根治术的三阴性乳腺癌患者的临床病理资料,检测其乳腺癌组织中Ki-67的表达,并分析其与患者年龄、绝经情况、组织学分型、临床分期、淋巴结转移、肿瘤大小等临床病理资料的关系。进一步采用Kaplan-Meier生存分析法绘制生存曲线,比较高表达Ki-67和低表达Ki-67患者的3年、5年生存率。结果:Ki-67在三阴性乳腺癌患者50岁以下和50岁以上相比较,差异具有统计学意义(P0.05);Ki-67在三阴性乳腺癌患者绝经情况、组织学分型、临床分期、淋巴结转移、肿瘤大小的表达相比较,差异不具有统计学意义(P0.05);高表达Ki-67组3年生存率为79.49%,5年生存率为30.77%;低Ki-67组的3年生存率为85.92%,5年生存率为46.48%;两组3年生存率相比较差异不具有统计学意义(P0.05);两组5年生存率相比较差异具有统计学意义(P0.05);两组总生存时间相比较,差异具有统计学意义(P0.05)。结论:三阴性乳腺癌中Ki-67呈高表达,可作为乳腺癌预后不良的危险因素。     

Approaches to diagnose DNA mismatch repair gene defects in cancer

The DNA repair pathway mismatch repair (MMR) is responsible for the recognition and correction of DNA biosynthetic errors caused by inaccurate nucleotide incorporation during replication. Faulty MMR leads to failure to address the mispairs or insertion deletion loops (IDLs) left behind by the replicative polymerases and results in increased mutation load at the genome. The realization that defective MMR leads to a hypermutation phenotype and increased risk of tumorigenesis highlights the relevance of this pathway for human disease. The association of MMR defects with increased risk of cancer development was first observed in colorectal cancer patients that carried inactivating germline mutations in MMR genes and the disease was named as hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC). Currently, a growing list of cancers is found to be MMR defective and HNPCC has been renamed Lynch syndrome (LS) partly to include the associated risk of developing extra-colonic cancers. In addition, a number of non-hereditary, mostly epigenetic, alterations of MMR genes have been described in sporadic tumors. Besides conferring a strong cancer predisposition, genetic or epigenetic inactivation of MMR genes also renders cells resistant to some chemotherapeutic agents. Therefore, diagnosis of MMR deficiency has important implications for the management of the patients, the surveillance of their relatives in the case of LS and for the choice of treatment. Some of the alterations found in MMR genes have already been well defined and their pathogenicity assessed. Despite this substantial wealth of knowledge, the effects of a large number of alterations remain uncharacterized (variants of uncertain significance, VUSs). The advent of personalized genomics is likely to increase the list of VUSs found in MMR genes and anticipates the need of diagnostic tools for rapid assessment of their pathogenicity. This review describes current tools and future strategies for addressing the relevance of MMR gene alterations in human disease.     

植菌昆虫与其共生真菌协同进化分子机制

昆虫菌业（fungiculture）是一种类似于人类种植业的昆虫种植体系,包括种植、耕作、收获和营养依赖4个过程,可分为高级的社会性昆虫如切叶蚂蚁、白蚁等和低级的非社会性昆虫如食菌小蠹虫、卷叶象甲、蜥蜴甲虫、树蜂等,它们均能种植并取食真菌。近年来随着组学及微生物组技术的发展,植菌昆虫与其共生真菌协同进化的分子机制研究方面取得了重要进展。系统发育分析阐明了植菌昆虫的起源与进化历程,并显示出与共生真菌系统发育的一致性;共生真菌细胞核数量也从双核增加到最多17个核,而染色体倍型也从单倍体增加为二倍体甚至多倍体;组学分析则揭示了植菌昆虫与其共生真菌在精氨酸、碳水化合物、木质素及几丁质合成或降解等方面显示出了高度的协同进化。本文系统综述了植菌昆虫及其共生真菌的系统进化、核进化及基因组进化进展,并探讨这种协同进化机制的生物学意义。