One of the most important points in the meta-analyses is certainly represented by the assessment of the quality of the studies included in such research. The meta-analyses are considered the highest level of evidence ...One of the most important points in the meta-analyses is certainly represented by the assessment of the quality of the studies included in such research. The meta-analyses are considered the highest level of evidence in science. Also for this reason, the quality of the studies included should be accurately evaluated by standardized tools. The overall results of the metaanalysis depend indeed also on a rigorous evaluation of the studies quality. Among all the possible tools for this complex evaluation, the Newcastle Ottawa Scale(NOS) is one of the most used worldwide, above all for observational studies. In this review, we will discuss the strengths and limitation of the NOS, also on the basis of the branch of science in which it has been applied.展开更多
To consider the bending collapse of the pipes in the latticed frames, based on the multi-scale simulation, the collapsed parts of the pipe are meshed by the shell elements as micro-scaled models, and the other parts a...To consider the bending collapse of the pipes in the latticed frames, based on the multi-scale simulation, the collapsed parts of the pipe are meshed by the shell elements as micro-scaled models, and the other parts are meshed by beam elements macro-models. The incremental displacement constraint equations for the nodes on the section between the two models are established based on the plane section premise of classical beam theory. The method to introduce the constraint equations is derived based on the Updated Largrangian method. The location of the micro-model is predicted by the stress field of the beam element, and the length of the collapsed part is adjusted by the plastic energy in the micro model. Several examples are included to illustrate the efficiency and accuracy of this method.展开更多
Photodynamic therapy(PDT) is a clinically approved procedure for treatment of cancer and infections. PDT involves systemic or topical administration of a photosensitizer(PS), followed by irradiation of the diseased ar...Photodynamic therapy(PDT) is a clinically approved procedure for treatment of cancer and infections. PDT involves systemic or topical administration of a photosensitizer(PS), followed by irradiation of the diseased area with light of a wavelength corresponding to an absorbance band of the PS. In the presence of oxygen, a photochemical reaction is initiated, leading to the generation of reactive oxygen species and cell death. Besides causing direct cytotoxic effects on illuminated tumor cells, PDT is known to cause damage to the tumor vasculature and induce the release of pro-inflammatory molecules. Pre-clinical and clinical studies have demonstrated that PDT is capable of affecting both the innate and adaptive arms of the immune system. Immune stimulatory properties of PDT may increase its beneficial effects giving the therapy wider potential to become more extensively used in clinical practice. Be-sides stimulating tumor-specific cytotoxic T-cells capable to destroy distant untreated tumor cells, PDT leads to development of anti-tumor memory immunity that can potentially prevent the recurrence of cancer. The immunological effects of PDT make the therapy more effective also when used for treatment of bacterial infections, due to an augmented infiltration of neutrophils into the infected regions that seems to potentiate the outcome of the treatment.展开更多
Myeloid-derived suppressor cells(MDSCs) represent an important class of immunoregulatory cells that can be activated to suppress T cell functions. These MDSCs can inhibit T cell functions through cell surface interact...Myeloid-derived suppressor cells(MDSCs) represent an important class of immunoregulatory cells that can be activated to suppress T cell functions. These MDSCs can inhibit T cell functions through cell surface interactions and the release of soluble mediators. MDSCs accumulate in the inflamed tissues and lymphoid organs of patients with autoimmune diseases. Much of our knowledge of MDSC function has come from studies involving cancer models, however many recent studies have helped to characterize MDSC involvement in autoimmune diseases. MDSCs are a heterogeneous group of immature myeloid cells with a number of different functions for the suppression of T cell responses. However, we have yet to fully understand their contributions to the development and regulation of autoimmune diseases. A number of studies have described beneficial functions of MDSCs during autoimmune diseases, and thus there appears to be a potential role for MDSCs in the treatment of these diseases. Nevertheless, many questions remain as to the activation, differentiation, and inhibitory functions of MDSCs. This review aims to summarize our current knowledge of MDSC subsets and suppressive functions in tissue-specific autoimmune disorders. We also describe the potential of MDSC-basedcell therapy for the treatment of autoimmune diseases and note some of hurdles facing the implementation of this therapy.展开更多
Two-oriented agriculture was a complex organism coupling production,economics,society and ecology.Its development process was affected by various factors such as producers,nature,society,etc.In order to overcome measu...Two-oriented agriculture was a complex organism coupling production,economics,society and ecology.Its development process was affected by various factors such as producers,nature,society,etc.In order to overcome measurement error of traditional data envelopment analysis caused by ignoring random,three-stage DEA model was studied to remove environmental factors and random effects.On the foundation of this model was two-oriented agriculture comprehensive production efficiency of 14 cities were estimated in Hunan Province in 2008,and brown forth corresponding policy proposals to promote agricultural development.展开更多
AIM： To obtain the diagnostic performance of percu-taneous transthoracic needle biopsy （PTNB） under Computed tomography （CT） fuoroscopy guidance for lung ground-glass opacity （GGO）.METHODS： We searched for Eng...AIM： To obtain the diagnostic performance of percu-taneous transthoracic needle biopsy （PTNB） under Computed tomography （CT） fuoroscopy guidance for lung ground-glass opacity （GGO）.METHODS： We searched for English- and Chinese-language studies in PubMed, EMBASE, EBSCO, OVID, and CNKI （China National Knowledge Infrastructure） database. Data were calculated with Meta-Disc version 1.4 and Rev Man version 5.2 software. From the pooled data, we calculated sensitivity （Sen）, specificity （Spe）, positive likelihood ratio （＋LR）, negative likelihood ratio （-LR）, and diagnostic odds ratio （DOR）. Summary receiver operating characteristic （SROC） curves were constructed and incidence of complications was recorded.RESULTS： Four documents included in this present meta-analysis met the criteria for analysis. The pooled Sen, Spe, ＋LR, -LR and DOR with 95%CI were 0.91 （0.86-0.95）, 1.0 （0.91-1.0）, 18.64 （4.83-71.93）, 0.11 （0.05-0.26） and 153.17 （30.78-762.33）, respectively. The area under the SROC curve was 0.98. The incidence of pneumothorax and hemoptysis was 17.86%-51.80% and 10.50%-19.40%, respectively.CONCLUSION： CT fuoroscopy-guided PTNB, which has an acceptable incidence of complications, can be used as a primary examination method for lung GGO, with moderate sensitivity and specifcity.展开更多
Reactive oxygen species(ROS) take part in diverse biological processes like cell growth,programmed cell death,cell senescence,and maintenance of the transformed state through regulation of signal transduction. Cancer ...Reactive oxygen species(ROS) take part in diverse biological processes like cell growth,programmed cell death,cell senescence,and maintenance of the transformed state through regulation of signal transduction. Cancer cells adapt to new higher ROS circumstance. Sometimes,ROS induce cancer cell proliferation. Meanwhile,elevated ROS render cancer cells vulnerable to oxidative stress-induced cell death. However,this prominent character of cancer cells allows acquiring a resistance to oxidative stress conditions relative to normal cells. Activated signaling pathways that increase the level of intracellular ROS in cancer cells not only render up-regulation of several genes involved in cellular proliferation and evasion of apoptosis but also cause cancer cells and cancer stem cells to develop a high metabolic rate. In over the past several decades,many studies have indicated that ROS play a critical role as the secondary messenger of tumorigenesis and metastasis in cancer from both in vitro and in vivo. Here we summarize the role of ROS and anti-oxidants in contributing to or preventing cancer. In addition,we review the activated signaling pathways that make cancer cells susceptible to death.展开更多
Millions of people worldwide are exposed to harmful levels of noise daily in their work and leisure environment. This makes noise-induced hearing loss(NIHL) a major occupational health risk globally. NIHL is the secon...Millions of people worldwide are exposed to harmful levels of noise daily in their work and leisure environment. This makes noise-induced hearing loss(NIHL) a major occupational health risk globally. NIHL is the second most common form of acquired hearing loss after agerelated hearing loss and is itself a major contributing factor to presbycusis. Temporary threshold shifts, once thought to be relatively harmless and recoverable, are now known to cause permanent cochlear injury leading to permanent loss of hearing sensitivity. This article reviews the current understanding of the cellular and molecular pathophysiology of NIHL with latest findings from animal models. Therapeutic approaches to protect against or to mitigate NIHL are discussed based on their proposed action against these known mechanisms of cochlear injury. Successes in identifying genes that predispose individuals to NIHL by candidate gene association studies are discussed with matched gene knockout animal models. This links to exciting developments in experimental gene therapy to replace and regenerate lost hair cells and post-noise otoprotective therapies currently being investigated in clinical trials. The aim is to provide new insights into current and projected future strategies to manage NIHL; bench to bedside treatment is foreseeable in the next 5 to 10 years.展开更多
AIM： To evaluate existing evidence for the association between different type of brassiere exposures and the risk of breast cancer.METHODS： Ovid Medline, CINAHL, Cochrane Data Base of Systematic Reviews, Pubmed, Sco...AIM： To evaluate existing evidence for the association between different type of brassiere exposures and the risk of breast cancer.METHODS： Ovid Medline, CINAHL, Cochrane Data Base of Systematic Reviews, Pubmed, Scopus, Proquest, Sciencedirect, Wiley Online Library, WanFang Data, Hong Kong Index to Chinese Periodicals, China Journal Net, Chinese Medical Current Contents, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, China Academic Journals Full-Text database, Taiwan Electronic Periodical Services and HyRead; reference lists of published studies; origi-nal research studies published in English or Chinese examining the association between type and duration of brassiere-wearing and breast cancer risk. Data were abstracted by a frst reviewer and verifed by a second. Study quality was rated according to predefned criteria. “Fair” or “good” quality studies were included. Results were summarised by meta-analysis whenever adequate material was available.RESULTS： Twelve case-control studies were included in the review. Meta-analysis showed brassiere wearing during sleep was associated with a two times ofincreased odds. CONCLUSION： The present review demonstrates insuffcient evidence to establish a positive association between the duration and type of brassiere wearing and breast cancer. Further research is essential; specifcally, a large-scale epidemiological study of a better design is needed to examine the association between various forms of brassiere exposure in detail and breast cancer risk, with adequate control of confounding variables.展开更多
This study presents statistical results of a comparison between English abstracts in a leading intemational medical journal and those in a Chinese one. With a genre analysis and discussion of linguistic features of th...This study presents statistical results of a comparison between English abstracts in a leading intemational medical journal and those in a Chinese one. With a genre analysis and discussion of linguistic features of these abstracts, the paper points out the weak points in the abstracts by Chinese writers and provides some suggestions for writing abstracts of medical research articles展开更多
文摘One of the most important points in the meta-analyses is certainly represented by the assessment of the quality of the studies included in such research. The meta-analyses are considered the highest level of evidence in science. Also for this reason, the quality of the studies included should be accurately evaluated by standardized tools. The overall results of the metaanalysis depend indeed also on a rigorous evaluation of the studies quality. Among all the possible tools for this complex evaluation, the Newcastle Ottawa Scale(NOS) is one of the most used worldwide, above all for observational studies. In this review, we will discuss the strengths and limitation of the NOS, also on the basis of the branch of science in which it has been applied.
基金Funded by the Key Science and Technology Project of State Grid Corporation of China under Grant No.GC-10-1006
文摘To consider the bending collapse of the pipes in the latticed frames, based on the multi-scale simulation, the collapsed parts of the pipe are meshed by the shell elements as micro-scaled models, and the other parts are meshed by beam elements macro-models. The incremental displacement constraint equations for the nodes on the section between the two models are established based on the plane section premise of classical beam theory. The method to introduce the constraint equations is derived based on the Updated Largrangian method. The location of the micro-model is predicted by the stress field of the beam element, and the length of the collapsed part is adjusted by the plastic energy in the micro model. Several examples are included to illustrate the efficiency and accuracy of this method.
基金Supported by United States National Institute of Health grant AI050875the Ph D program of the Medical University of Graz,Austria
文摘Photodynamic therapy(PDT) is a clinically approved procedure for treatment of cancer and infections. PDT involves systemic or topical administration of a photosensitizer(PS), followed by irradiation of the diseased area with light of a wavelength corresponding to an absorbance band of the PS. In the presence of oxygen, a photochemical reaction is initiated, leading to the generation of reactive oxygen species and cell death. Besides causing direct cytotoxic effects on illuminated tumor cells, PDT is known to cause damage to the tumor vasculature and induce the release of pro-inflammatory molecules. Pre-clinical and clinical studies have demonstrated that PDT is capable of affecting both the innate and adaptive arms of the immune system. Immune stimulatory properties of PDT may increase its beneficial effects giving the therapy wider potential to become more extensively used in clinical practice. Be-sides stimulating tumor-specific cytotoxic T-cells capable to destroy distant untreated tumor cells, PDT leads to development of anti-tumor memory immunity that can potentially prevent the recurrence of cancer. The immunological effects of PDT make the therapy more effective also when used for treatment of bacterial infections, due to an augmented infiltration of neutrophils into the infected regions that seems to potentiate the outcome of the treatment.
文摘Myeloid-derived suppressor cells(MDSCs) represent an important class of immunoregulatory cells that can be activated to suppress T cell functions. These MDSCs can inhibit T cell functions through cell surface interactions and the release of soluble mediators. MDSCs accumulate in the inflamed tissues and lymphoid organs of patients with autoimmune diseases. Much of our knowledge of MDSC function has come from studies involving cancer models, however many recent studies have helped to characterize MDSC involvement in autoimmune diseases. MDSCs are a heterogeneous group of immature myeloid cells with a number of different functions for the suppression of T cell responses. However, we have yet to fully understand their contributions to the development and regulation of autoimmune diseases. A number of studies have described beneficial functions of MDSCs during autoimmune diseases, and thus there appears to be a potential role for MDSCs in the treatment of these diseases. Nevertheless, many questions remain as to the activation, differentiation, and inhibitory functions of MDSCs. This review aims to summarize our current knowledge of MDSC subsets and suppressive functions in tissue-specific autoimmune disorders. We also describe the potential of MDSC-basedcell therapy for the treatment of autoimmune diseases and note some of hurdles facing the implementation of this therapy.
文摘Two-oriented agriculture was a complex organism coupling production,economics,society and ecology.Its development process was affected by various factors such as producers,nature,society,etc.In order to overcome measurement error of traditional data envelopment analysis caused by ignoring random,three-stage DEA model was studied to remove environmental factors and random effects.On the foundation of this model was two-oriented agriculture comprehensive production efficiency of 14 cities were estimated in Hunan Province in 2008,and brown forth corresponding policy proposals to promote agricultural development.
文摘AIM： To obtain the diagnostic performance of percu-taneous transthoracic needle biopsy （PTNB） under Computed tomography （CT） fuoroscopy guidance for lung ground-glass opacity （GGO）.METHODS： We searched for English- and Chinese-language studies in PubMed, EMBASE, EBSCO, OVID, and CNKI （China National Knowledge Infrastructure） database. Data were calculated with Meta-Disc version 1.4 and Rev Man version 5.2 software. From the pooled data, we calculated sensitivity （Sen）, specificity （Spe）, positive likelihood ratio （＋LR）, negative likelihood ratio （-LR）, and diagnostic odds ratio （DOR）. Summary receiver operating characteristic （SROC） curves were constructed and incidence of complications was recorded.RESULTS： Four documents included in this present meta-analysis met the criteria for analysis. The pooled Sen, Spe, ＋LR, -LR and DOR with 95%CI were 0.91 （0.86-0.95）, 1.0 （0.91-1.0）, 18.64 （4.83-71.93）, 0.11 （0.05-0.26） and 153.17 （30.78-762.33）, respectively. The area under the SROC curve was 0.98. The incidence of pneumothorax and hemoptysis was 17.86%-51.80% and 10.50%-19.40%, respectively.CONCLUSION： CT fuoroscopy-guided PTNB, which has an acceptable incidence of complications, can be used as a primary examination method for lung GGO, with moderate sensitivity and specifcity.
文摘Reactive oxygen species(ROS) take part in diverse biological processes like cell growth,programmed cell death,cell senescence,and maintenance of the transformed state through regulation of signal transduction. Cancer cells adapt to new higher ROS circumstance. Sometimes,ROS induce cancer cell proliferation. Meanwhile,elevated ROS render cancer cells vulnerable to oxidative stress-induced cell death. However,this prominent character of cancer cells allows acquiring a resistance to oxidative stress conditions relative to normal cells. Activated signaling pathways that increase the level of intracellular ROS in cancer cells not only render up-regulation of several genes involved in cellular proliferation and evasion of apoptosis but also cause cancer cells and cancer stem cells to develop a high metabolic rate. In over the past several decades,many studies have indicated that ROS play a critical role as the secondary messenger of tumorigenesis and metastasis in cancer from both in vitro and in vivo. Here we summarize the role of ROS and anti-oxidants in contributing to or preventing cancer. In addition,we review the activated signaling pathways that make cancer cells susceptible to death.
文摘Millions of people worldwide are exposed to harmful levels of noise daily in their work and leisure environment. This makes noise-induced hearing loss(NIHL) a major occupational health risk globally. NIHL is the second most common form of acquired hearing loss after agerelated hearing loss and is itself a major contributing factor to presbycusis. Temporary threshold shifts, once thought to be relatively harmless and recoverable, are now known to cause permanent cochlear injury leading to permanent loss of hearing sensitivity. This article reviews the current understanding of the cellular and molecular pathophysiology of NIHL with latest findings from animal models. Therapeutic approaches to protect against or to mitigate NIHL are discussed based on their proposed action against these known mechanisms of cochlear injury. Successes in identifying genes that predispose individuals to NIHL by candidate gene association studies are discussed with matched gene knockout animal models. This links to exciting developments in experimental gene therapy to replace and regenerate lost hair cells and post-noise otoprotective therapies currently being investigated in clinical trials. The aim is to provide new insights into current and projected future strategies to manage NIHL; bench to bedside treatment is foreseeable in the next 5 to 10 years.
文摘AIM： To evaluate existing evidence for the association between different type of brassiere exposures and the risk of breast cancer.METHODS： Ovid Medline, CINAHL, Cochrane Data Base of Systematic Reviews, Pubmed, Scopus, Proquest, Sciencedirect, Wiley Online Library, WanFang Data, Hong Kong Index to Chinese Periodicals, China Journal Net, Chinese Medical Current Contents, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, China Academic Journals Full-Text database, Taiwan Electronic Periodical Services and HyRead; reference lists of published studies; origi-nal research studies published in English or Chinese examining the association between type and duration of brassiere-wearing and breast cancer risk. Data were abstracted by a frst reviewer and verifed by a second. Study quality was rated according to predefned criteria. “Fair” or “good” quality studies were included. Results were summarised by meta-analysis whenever adequate material was available.RESULTS： Twelve case-control studies were included in the review. Meta-analysis showed brassiere wearing during sleep was associated with a two times ofincreased odds. CONCLUSION： The present review demonstrates insuffcient evidence to establish a positive association between the duration and type of brassiere wearing and breast cancer. Further research is essential; specifcally, a large-scale epidemiological study of a better design is needed to examine the association between various forms of brassiere exposure in detail and breast cancer risk, with adequate control of confounding variables.
基金Supported by the Scientific Research Project(Humanities and Social Sciences)in 2012 Granted by the Education Department of Shaanxi Provincial Government(12JK0268)
文摘This study presents statistical results of a comparison between English abstracts in a leading intemational medical journal and those in a Chinese one. With a genre analysis and discussion of linguistic features of these abstracts, the paper points out the weak points in the abstracts by Chinese writers and provides some suggestions for writing abstracts of medical research articles
