Prognostic Value of Cancer Stem Cell Marker Aldehyde Dehydrogenase in Ovarian Cancer: A Meta-Analysis

Objective

Aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) has recently been reported as a marker of cancer stem-like cells in ovarian cancer. However, the prognostic role of ALDH in ovarian cancer still remains controversial. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the association between the expression of ALDH and the outcome of ovarian cancer patients by performing a meta-analysis.

Methods

We systematically searched for studies investigating the relationships between ALDH expression and outcome of ovarian cancer patients. Only articles in which ALDH expression was detected by immunohistochemical staining were included. A meta-analysis was performed to generate combined hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS).

Results

A total of 1,258 patients from 7 studies (6 articles) were included in the analysis. Our results showed that high ALDH expression in patients with ovarian cancer was associated with poor prognosis in terms of Os (HR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.07-1.47; P = 0.005) and DFS (HR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.00-2.49; P = 0.052), though the difference for DFS was not statistically significant. In addition, there was no evidence of publication bias as suggested by Begg’s and Egger’s tests (Begg’s test, P = 0.707; Egger’s test, P = 0.355).

Conclusion

The present meta-analysis indicated that elevated ALDH expression was associated with poor prognosis in patients with ovarian cancer.     

Expression of Panton-Valentine Leukocidin mRNA among Staphylococcus aureus Isolates Associates with Specific Clinical Presentations

Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL; gene designation lukF/S-PV) is likely an important virulence factor for Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), as qualitative expression of the protein correlates with severity for specific clinical presentations, including skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs). Development of genetic approaches for risk-assessment of patients with S. aureus infections may prove clinically useful, and whether lukF/S-PV gene expression correlates with specific clinical presentations for S. aureus has been largely unexplored. In the present study, we quantified lukS-PV mRNA among 96 S. aureus isolates to determine whether expression levels correlated with specific clinical presentations in adults and children. Expression level of lukS-PV mRNA among isolates from skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) was significantly greater than among isolates from blood stream infection (BSIs), and expression level of lukS-PV mRNA among BSI isolates from children was significantly greater than for BSI isolates among adults. Moreover, expression level of lukS-PV mRNA among community-acquired (CA) isolates was significantly greater than for hospital-acquired (HA) isolates. These data justify additional studies to determine the potential clinical utility for lukS-PV mRNA quantification as a predictive tool for severity of S. aureus infection.     

New Conformational State of NHERF1-CXCR2 Signaling Complex Captured by Crystal Lattice Trapping

NHERF1 is a PDZ adaptor protein that scaffolds the assembly of diverse signaling complexes and has been implicated in many cancers. However, little is known about the mechanism responsible for its scaffolding promiscuity or its ability to bind to multiple targets. Computational studies have indicated that PDZ promiscuity may be attributed to its conformational dynamics, but experimental evidence for this relationship remains very limited. Here we examine the conformational flexibility of the NHERF1 PDZ1 domain using crystal lattice trapping via solving PDZ1 structure of a new crystal form. The structure, together with prior PDZ1 structures of a different space group, reveals that 4 of 11 ligand-interacting residues undergo significant crystal packing-induced structural changes. Most of these residues correspond to the residues involved in allosteric transition when a peptide ligand binds. In addition, a subtle difference in ligand conformations causes the same peptide to bind in slightly different modes in different crystal forms. These findings indicate that substantial structural flexibility is present in the PDZ1 peptide-binding pocket, and the structural substate trapped in the present crystal form can be utilized to represent the conformational space accessible to the protein. Such knowledge will be critical for drug design against the NHERF1 PDZ1 domain, highlighting the continued need for experimentally determined PDZ1-ligand complexes.     

巴中地区上消化道出血反复发作相关性因素分析

目的：了解巴中地区上消化道出血反复发作的原因,为治疗提供临床循证医学证据。方法：通过对2011年4月~2012年11月巴中地区1134例上消化道出血中132例反复发作的患者进行调查统计,分析这上消化道出血反复发作的132例患者的年龄、生理特征、生活饮食习惯、精神状态、生活压力等多种相关因素。结果：发现饮食不当、精神紧张、腹腔感染、腹腔内压增高、输液输血过速、过量等是造成病情反复发作的主要诱因。结论：通过消除疾病的诱发因素,认真做好健康教育指导,积极治疗原发病是预防反复发作的有效措施。     

类风湿性关节炎伴间质性肺病中肿瘤标志物对肺功能的影响分析

目的：探究类风湿性关节炎伴间质性肺病中肿瘤标志物对肺功能的影响。方法：选取2011年3月至2013年3月我院收治的类风湿性关节炎患者88例,根据其是否伴有ILD,分为RA组53例和RA-ILD组35例。检测两组肺功能指标用力肺活量（FVC）、1s用力呼气容积（FEV1）、最大通气量百分比（MVV）、一氧化碳弥散量（DLCO）,肿瘤标志物癌胚抗原CEA、癌抗原125（CA125）、癌抗原199（CA199）及抗环胍氨酸肽抗体（抗CCP抗体）的值,并利用统计学方法分析肿瘤标记物与肺功能指标、抗CCP抗体的相关性。结果：RA．ILD组FVC、FEV1、MVV、DLCO均比RA组低,CEA、CA125、CA199均比RA组高,结果比较差异显著具有统计学意义（P〈0．05）。但两组抗CCP抗体含量相比却无明显差异,不具有统计学意义（P〉0．05）。相关性分析显示,CEA与FVC、FEV1、MVV、DLCO呈负相关（P〈0．05）,而CA125、CA199却与肺功能指标无相关性,CEA、CA125、CA199与抗CCP抗体均无相关性（P〉0．05）。结论：RA-ILD的肺功能指标均有明显下降,而肿瘤标志物表达水平却明显增高,CEA对肺功能损害影响较大,却与关节损害的关系不大,这为临床对类风湿性关节炎伴间质性肺病早诊断、早治疗提供了依据。     

南黄海沉积物中的丝孢菌初报

从南黄海采集沉积物样品19份,共分离到74个丝孢菌分离物。除22个青霉属菌株未鉴定至种外,其余经鉴定属于18属20种。其中包括1个中国新记录属Devriesia;2个中国新记录种Devriesia pseudoamericana、Scedosporium dehoogii;其余18种为中国已知种。对中国新记录属种进行形态学描述和基于ITS序列的分子生物学分析,对18个国内已报道种则只作分布和生境的引证。所有菌种均保存在中国海洋大学海洋生物标本室(OUCMB)。     

Interspecific Interactions between Phragmites australis and Spartina alterniflora along a Tidal Gradient in the Dongtan Wetland,Eastern China

The invasive species Spartina alterniora Loisel was introduced to the eastern coast of China in the 1970s and 1980s for the purposes of land reclamation and the prevention of soil erosion. The resulting interspecific competition had an important influence on the distribution of native vegetation, which makes studying the patterns and mechanisms of the interactions between Spartina alterniora Loisel and the native species Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin ex Steud in this region very important. There have been some researches on the interspecific interactions between P. australis and S. alterniora in the Dongtan wetland of Chongming, east China, most of which has focused on the comparison of their physiological characteristics. In this paper, we conducted a neighbor removal experiment along a tidal gradient to evaluate the relative competitive abilities of the two species by calculating their relative neighbor effect (RNE) index. We also looked at the influence of environmental stress and disturbance on the competitive abilities of the two species by comparing interaction strength (I) among different tidal zones both for P. australis and S. alterniora. Finally, we measured physiological characteristics of the two species to assess the physiological mechanisms behind their different competitive abilities. Both negative and positive interactions were found between P. australis and S. alterniora along the environmental gradient. When the direction of the competitive intensity index for P. australis and S. alterniora was consistent, the competitive or facilitative effect of S. alterniora on P. australis was stronger than that of P. australis on S. alterniora. The interspecific interactions of P. australis and S. alterniora varied with environmental conditions, as well as with the method used, to measure interspecific interactions.     

Identification and Effect Decomposition of Risk Factors for Brucella Contamination of Raw Whole Milk in China

Background

Lack of clear risk factor identification is the main reason for the persistence of brucellosis infection in the Chinese population, and there has been little assessment of the factors contributing to Brucella contamination of raw whole milk. The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors affecting Brucella contamination of raw milk, and to evaluate effective measures for disease reduction in order to determine preventive strategies.

Methods and Findings

A nationwide survey was conducted and samples were obtained from 5211 cows corresponding to 25 sampling locations throughout 15 provinces in China. The prevalence of Brucella in the raw milk samples averaged 1.07% over the 15 Chinese provinces, while the prevalence of positive areas within these regions ranged from 0.23–3.84% among the nine provinces with positive samples. The survey examined factors that supposedly influence Brucella contamination of raw whole milk, such as management style, herd size, abortion rate, hygiene and disease control practices. A binary logistic regression analysis was carried out to determine the association between risk factors for Brucella and contamination of milk samples. Furthermore, a relative effect decomposition study was conducted to determine effective strategies for reducing the risk of Brucella contamination of raw whole milk. Our data indicate that disease prevention and control measures, abortion rate, and animal polyculture are the most important risk factors. Meanwhile, culling after quarantine was identified as an effective protective measure in the current Chinese dairy situation.

Conclusions

These results indicate that, although there is a low risk of contamination of milk with Brucella nationwide in China, there are individual regions where contamination is a significant problem. Controlling three factors–culling after quarantine, maintaining a low abortion rate, and avoiding mixing groups of cattle and small ruminants–could effectively reduce the risk of Brucella contamination of raw whole milk.     

Increased Global and Local Efficiency of Human Brain Anatomical Networks Detected with FLAIR-DTI Compared to Non-FLAIR-DTI

Diffusion-weighted MRI (DW-MRI), the only non-invasive technique for probing human brain white matter structures in vivo, has been widely used in both fundamental studies and clinical applications. Many studies have utilized diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and tractography approaches to explore the topological properties of human brain anatomical networks by using the single tensor model, the basic model to quantify DTI indices and tractography. However, the conventional DTI technique does not take into account contamination by the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which has been known to affect the estimated DTI measures and tractography in the single tensor model. Previous studies have shown that the Fluid-Attenuated Inversion Recovery (FLAIR) technique can suppress the contribution of the CSF to the DW-MRI signal. We acquired DTI datasets from twenty-two subjects using both FLAIR-DTI and conventional DTI (non-FLAIR-DTI) techniques, constructed brain anatomical networks using deterministic tractography, and compared the topological properties of the anatomical networks derived from the two types of DTI techniques. Although the brain anatomical networks derived from both types of DTI datasets showed small-world properties, we found that the brain anatomical networks derived from the FLAIR-DTI showed significantly increased global and local network efficiency compared with those derived from the conventional DTI. The increases in the network regional topological properties derived from the FLAIR-DTI technique were observed in CSF-filled regions, including the postcentral gyrus, periventricular regions, inferior frontal and temporal gyri, and regions in the visual cortex. Because brain anatomical networks derived from conventional DTI datasets with tractography have been widely used in many studies, our findings may have important implications for studying human brain anatomical networks derived from DW-MRI data and tractography.