MicroRNs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that modulate the expression of protein-coding genes at the post-transcription level and their dysregulated expression has been implicated in cardiovascular diseases. Circulating miRNAs have been widely recommended as potential biomarkers for many diseases including coronary artery disease. In this study, the miRNA expression profiles of 6 normal coronary artery (NCA), 12 patients with coronary artery disease including 6 unstable angina (UA) patients and 6 ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients were determined by small RNA sequencing. The differential expression of miRNAs was verified via using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). We further performed bioinformatics analysis for the differentially expressed miRNAs. The results showed that 60 miRNAs were up-regulated and 26 miRNAs were down-regulated in the UA group and 49 miRNAs were up-regulated and 62 miRNAs were down-regulated in the UA group when compared with the NCA group. Among them, both of UA group and STEMI group shared 38 dysregulated miRNAs (28 up-regulated and 10 down-regulated) versus NCA group. ROC curves analysis showed that miR-142-3p and miR-17-5p might server as potential biomarkers for the detection and diagnosis of UA and STEMI. Bioinformatics functional predictions showed that the differential expressed miRNAs were closely related with the pathological process of coronary artery disease. We comprehensively analyzed profile expression of circulating miRNAs of patients with coronary artery disease. Our study suggested that miR-142-3p and miR-17-5p might be potential targets for follow-up research in evaluating biomarkers of coronary artery disease.

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is the most common vasculitis in elderly, with ischemic and constitutional symptoms caused by vascular involvement and systemic inflammation. Early initiation of therapy results in prompt remission, while patients may still experience flares or severe complications during glucocorticoid tapering. This study was to identify the characteristics of Chinese GCA patients with different prognosis.Ninety-one patients diagnosed with GCA in Peking Union Medical College Hospital in the last 20 years were followed up. Those who were lost to follow up or were followed up for less than 1 year were excluded. According to the prognosis, patients were divided into the group of favourable prognosis (patients who sustained disease remission for over 1 year) and unfavorable prognosis (patients who had relapses or severe complications). Clinical data at disease onset and after treatment were collected and analysed between the 2 groups.Thirty-seven patients with favourable prognosis and 40 patients with unfavourable prognosis were admitted into the study. Fever as an onset symptom was less common in favourable group (P=.016). As for presentations of GCA, fever, tenderness and abnormal pulsation of temporal artery and jaw claudication were less frequently observed in patients with favourable prognosis (P=.029, .049, .043, respectively). At onset, medium-size arteries were affected more in unfavorable prognosis group (P = .048), and involvement of branches below the aortic arch were more common in favorable prognosis group (P = .034). Erythrocyte sedimentation rate in group of favourable prognosis were significantly lower after treatment (P = .041). Compared with healthy subjects, GCA patients had increased monocytes and decreased lymphocytes at disease onset (P < .01). Monocyte counts were higher in patients with favourable prognosis at disease onset (P = .043), while no significant differences were seen between the 2 groups after treatment. Lymphocyte counts were lower in patients with unfavourable prognosis (P = .014) after treatment.Complete blood count may reflect the disease status of GCA. Little change in monocyte during treatment and lower lymphocytes after treatment may serve as potential predictors of unfavourable clinical prognosis.

The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between cluster of differentiation 86 (CD86) gene rs1129055 and rs2715267 single nucleotide polymorphisms and sepsis susceptibility.One hundred twenty-five sepsis patients and 120 healthy controls were enrolled in this case-control study. CD86 polymorphisms rs1129055 and rs2715267 were genotyped through polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism approach. Chi-square test was used to analyze differences in genotype and allele frequencies of the 2 polymorphisms between case and control groups. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to present the association strength of the polymorphisms with sepsis susceptibility.AA genotype and A allele frequencies of CD86 rs1129055 were significantly lower in sepsis patients than in healthy controls (P < .05), revealing their significant associations with decreased disease susceptibility (OR = 0.351, 95% CI = 0.169-0.728; OR = 0.593, 95% CI = 0.415-0.847). Nevertheless, rs2715267 had no significant association with sepsis susceptibility (P > .05).AA genotype and A allele of CD86 polymorphism rs1129055 might be correlated with decreased sepsis susceptibility in Chinese Han population, but not rs2715267. Further study should be performed to verify our findings.

Renal anemia (RA) is one of the most common complications in patients with end-stage renal disease, and it is also one of the reasons for the decline of quality of life and functional status in patients with end-stage renal disease. Traditional treatment methods often fail to achieve satisfactory therapeutic effects, so it is very necessary to find effective adjuvant treatment methods. Bailing capsule (BLC), a traditional Chinese medicine, which has been widely used in the treatment of RA in maintenance hemodialysis patients, but a systematic review of the efficacy and safety of this drug is currently lacking. Therefore, this study used meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of BLC in the treatment of RA, in order to provide guidance for finding effective auxiliary methods for the treatment of RA in maintenance hemodialysis patients (MHP).

High levels of serum uric acid (SUAC) are frequently detected in patients with psoriasis. However, the relationship between psoriasis and hyperuricemia remains unknown. Here we conducted a meta-analysis to identify the SUAC levels in subjects with psoriasis and to determine whether there is an associated risk between psoriasis and hyperuricemia.A comprehensive search of the literature from January 1980 to November 2014 across 7 databases (MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Central Register, and 4 Chinese databases) was conducted to determine whether there is an associated risk between psoriasis and hyperuricemia.Among the 170 identified reports, 14 observational studies were included in this meta-analysis. We found a significant higher SUAC level (MD 0.68, 95% CI 0.26-1.09; P = 0.002) in patients with psoriasis in Western Europe, but no significant differences were found between the East Asia and India subgroup (MD 1.22, 95% CI -0.13-2.56; P = 0.08) or the Middle East subgroup (MD 0.48, 95% CI -0.49-1.44; P = 0.33). Similar results were obtained from the meta-analysis of SUAC levels in subjects with severe psoriasis.Our meta-analysis showed that the correlation between psoriasis and hyperuricemia was either ethnicity- or region-dependent and that patients with psoriasis in Western Europe were more likely to have hyperuricemia.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a major public health problem worldwide. There is no curative treatment for IPF except lung transplantation. Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) are widely used in the treatment of IPF in China. However, their effectiveness and safety are still obscure and deserve further investigation. The aim of the study was to assess the efficacy and safety of CHMs in treating IPF compared with N-acetylcysteine (NAC).

Different antivascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) monotherapy regimens and photodynamic therapy (PDT) combined with anti-VEGF therapy are available for patients with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV). However, the comparative efficacy and safety of different anti-VEGF monotherapy regimens and combined therapy with PDT and anti-VEGF remains unknown. The aim of our study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of anti-VEGF monotherapies and combined therapy in patients with PCV.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is the most common non-cancerous disease of the prostate and leads to lower urinary tract symptoms in middle-aged and elderly males. Fire needle therapy could improve the lower urinary tract symptoms associated with mild-moderate BPH in clinical practice. The aim of the present pilot study is to assess the preliminary effects of fire needle therapy on mild-moderate BPH.

Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer in women worldwide. Treatment for breast cancer can be expensive, painful and can significantly affect the quality of life, leading to various side effects such as depression and anxiety, fatigue, sleep disorders, and cognitive impairment. Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) is the most prominent manifestation of tai chi in Chinese martial arts. TCC has been reported to be potentially effective for health and well-being of both the sick and the healthy. However, it is still controversial whether TCC benefits breast cancer patients. It is therefore of great value to evaluate the effectiveness of TCC on the psychological well-being and quality of life in people with breast cancer.

The operative treatment combined with preoperative biliary drainage (PBD) has been established as a safe Klatskin tumor (KT) treatment strategy. However, there has always been a dispute for the preferred technique for PBD technique. This meta-analysis was conducted to compare the biliary drainage-related cholangitis, pancreatitis, hemorrhage, and the success rates of palliative relief of cholestasis between percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) and endoscopic biliary drainage (EBD), to identify the best technique in the management of KT.PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science were searched systematically for prospective or retrospective studies reporting the biliary drainage-related cholangitis, pancreatitis, hemorrhage, and the success rates of palliative relief of cholestasis in patients with KT. A meta-analysis was performed, using the fixed or random-effect model, with Review Manager 5.3.PTBD was associated with lower risk of cholangitis (risk ratio [RR] = 0.49, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.36-0.67; P < .00001), particularly in patients with Bismuth-Corlette type II, III, IV KT (RR = 0.50, 95% CI: 0.33-0.77; P = .05). Compared with EBD, PTBD was also associated with a lower risk of pancreatitis (RR = 0.35, 95% CI: 0.17-0.69; P = 0.003) and with higher successful rates of palliative relief of cholestasis (RR = 1.20, 95% CI: 1.10-1.31; P < .0001). The incidence of hemorrhage was similar in these 2 groups (RR 1.29, 95% CI: 0.51-3.27; P = .59). The risk of biliary drainage-related cholangitis (RR = 1.96, 95% CI: 0.96-4.01; P = .06) and pancreatitis (RR = 1.62, 95% CI: 0.76-3.47; P = .21) was similar between endoscopic nasobiliary drainage groups and biliary stenting.In patients with type II or type III or IV KT who need to have PBD, PTBD should be performed as an initial method of biliary drainage in terms of reducing the incidence of procedure related cholangitis, pancreatitis, and improving the rates of palliative relief of cholestasis. Well-conducted randomized controlled trials with a universial criterion for PBD are required to confirm these findings.

Approximately 40% to 50% of gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) patients will have recurrence or metastases after resection of the primary lesion, and the most common affected sites will be liver and peritoneum. Imatinib has been considered as the first-line therapy of metastatic GIST. Surgery for metastases is proposed when possible. Furthermore, there are controversies concerning hepatic resection and systemic tyrosin kinase inhibitors (TKIs). The therapeutic conditions and long-term outcome of GIST patients with liver metastases in northern China remain unknown.The clinical, pathological, and follow-up data of 144 GIST patients, who had liver metastases between June 1996 and June 2014 from 3 tertiary cancer centers in northern China, were reviewed.Thirty-two cases (22.2%) had hepatectomy with 23 (23/32, 71.9%) R0 resections and 9 (9/32, 28.1%) R1/R2 resections, respectively. Twenty-three patients were given imatinib postoperatively. Furthermore, 98 (68.1%) patients were given TKIs only to control disease progression, and sunitinib was considered after imatinib failure in 12 patients. The 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rate was 82%, 51%, and 24%, with a median overall survival of 48 months for all patients. Patients who had hepatic resection combined with TKIs had a tendency of improved outcome, and the median survival time was 89 months. This was in contrast to patients who received TKIs only, in which median survival time was 53 months. Patients who received imatinib plus sunitinib had a tendency of longer survival time, compared with patients who received imatinib only (not reached vs 50 months).TKIs combined with hepatic resection had a role in improving the outcome of GIST patients with liver metastases.

Multiple intravitreal pharmacotherapies including different anti-vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGF), intravitreal steroids, and combined therapy with anti-VEGF and steroids are available for patients with macular edema secondary to retinal vein occlusion (RVO). However, the recommendation of multiple therapies remains unknown. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of multiple intravitreal pharmacotherapies in patients with macular edema secondary to RVO.

The molecular mechanism of Glioma is still unclear, and there are few early diagnostic markers. Therefore, it is urgent to figure out effective preventive measures, active diagnostic methods and rapid treatment measures. In recent years, relevant studies have revealed that long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) is associated with the prognosis of Glioma. However, these results have not been supported by any evidence. Therefore, this study carried out a meta-analysis method to analyze the relationship between lncRNA and the prognosis of Glioma. In addition, bioinformatics analysis was conducted to investigate the mechanism and related pathways of lncRNAs in Glioma.

Psoriasis is a common chronic relapsing immune-mediated inflammatory disease, whose prevalence has increased in recent years. Some physicians believe that physical activity is associated with numerous health-related benefits in adults with dermatoses. While numerous studies have suggested an association between psoriasis and physical activity, others have yielded contradictory results. The aim of our study was to evaluate the association between the level of physical activity and prevalence of psoriasis.A comprehensive search of the literature was performed from January 1970 to February 2017 using EMBASE, MEDLINE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials electronic databases. Studies published in English were reviewed to identify the contribution of intensity of physical activity on the prevalence of psoriasis.The search strategy yielded 1100 relevant studies, among which 13 observational studies were included. We found that patients with psoriasis exercise significantly less vigorously than controls (relative risk [RR]: 0.76; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.67-0.85; P < .00001). Predominantly, these patients exercised at moderate intensity (RR: 0.40; 95% CI: 0.18-0.90; P = .03). Some patients had lesser degree of movement, and some exercised strenuously. There were no significant differences observed in the intensity of exercise performed by controls (RR: 0.90; 95% CI: 0.46-1.77; P = .76). The 3 studies found the frequency of regular exercise differed significantly between patients with psoriasis and controls (RR: 0.88; 95% CI: 0.82-0.95; P = .0007).Different severities of psoriasis have different influences on patients' physical activity levels. Patients with a higher proportion of psoriatic lesions and self-awareness were associated with lower-intensity exercises. Our meta-analysis highlights the fact that intense physical activity may lower the prevalence of psoriasis.

Pharmacogenomics, the study of the role of genetics in drug response, has recently become a focal point of research. Previous studies showed that genes associated with drug detoxification vary among different populations. However, pharmacogenomic information of the Zhuang ethnic group is scarce. The aim of the present study was to screen members of the Zhuang ethnicity in southwestern China for genotype frequencies of very important pharmacogenomic (VIP) variants and to determine the differences between the Zhuang ethnicity and other human populations.We genotyped 80 variants of VIP genes in 100 unrelated healthy Zhuang adults from the Yunnan province of China. Next, we analyzed the genotyping data with Structure and F-statistics (Fst).We compared our data with those of other populations using the HapMap data set, and observed that the frequency distribution of Zhuang population in Yunnan closely resembles that of JPT. Furthermore, population structure and Fst analysis showed that the Zhuang population is closely related to the Shaanxi Han population with respect to genetic background.Our study supplements existing information on Zhuang population pharmacogenomics and provides an extensive overview for developing personalized medicine.

Early hematoma expansion of hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage is affected by various factors. This study aimed to clarify the risk factors and develop a nomogram to predict early hematoma expansion.A retrospective analysis was carried out in patients with hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage admitted to our institution between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2018; the patients were divided into 2 groups according to the presence of early hematoma expansion. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to analyze the risk factors of hematoma expansion. The nomogram was developed based on a multivariate logistic regression model, and the discriminative ability of the model was analyzed.A total of 477 patients with hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage and with a baseline hematoma volume <30 ml were included in our retrospective analysis. The hematoma expansion rate was 34.2% (163/477). After multivariate logistic regression, 9 variables (alcohol history, Glasgow coma scale score, total serum calcium, blood glucose, international normalized ratio, hematoma shape, hematoma density, volume of hematoma on initial computed tomography scan, and presence of intraventricular hemorrhage) identified as independent predictors of hematoma expansion were used to generate the nomogram. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the nomogram was 0.883 (95% confidence interval 0.851-0.914), and the cutoff score was -0.19 with sensitivity of 75.5% and specificity of 87.3%.The nomogram can accurately predict the risk of early hematoma expansion.

Preterm birth (PTB) is the most important cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality next to congenital anomalies in the developed world. NF-κB and AP-1 were reported to play an important role in parturition initiation. However, the interaction relationship between the 2 molecules in labor initiation has not yet been reported.This study aimed to investigate the interaction between NF-κB and AP-1 and their intracellular translocation during labor in human late pregnant myometrial cells (HLPMCs).Co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP), Western blot analysis, immunohistochemistry (IHC), and immunocytofluorescence (ICF) techniques were applied to explore the interaction between NF-κB and AP-1 and the alteration in their intracellular localization before and after labor onset.The protein expression levels of NF-κBp65 and AP-1(c-jun) in the natural labor group were observed significantly higher than that in the non-labor group. Pearson's correlation analysis showed a positive correlation between the protein expression of NF-κBp65 and AP-1(c-jun). Interactions were found between the 2 molecules in HLPMCs both in natural labor and non-labor group and were also found in primary culture HLPMCs before and after neuromedin B (NMB) stimulation. NF-κBp65 and AP-1(c-jun) were localized mainly in the cytoplasm before labor onset or NMB stimulation and were translocated into the nucleus upon labor initiation and NMB stimulation.These results demonstrated that upregulated protein expression of NF-κBp65 and AP-1(c-jun), the enhanced interaction between the 2 molecules, and their translocation to nucleus might be correlated to labor initiation.

The impact of high body mass index (BMI, >23/25 kg/m) on surgical outcomes and prognosis in patients with esophageal carcinoma (EC) after undergoing esophagectomy remains controversial. We herein conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the relationship between high BMI and surgical outcomes and prognosis in patients undergoing esophagectomy for EC.

Studies on stroke and lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) have produced conflicting results.

The prognostic significance of tumor length in esophageal cancer (EC) remains controversial. Hence, we conducted a meta-analysis to quantitatively assess the prognostic significance of tumor length in EC patients.