α-fetoprotein (AFP)-producing gastric carcinoma is a rare type of gastric cancer, and the characteristics have not yet been fully elucidated. The present study reports the case of a patient with this type of gastric cancer. A 66-year-old male was referred to the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Qianfoshan Hospital, Shandong University (Jinan, China) with a 20-day history of retrosternal pain. A computed tomography (CT) scan revealed a thickening of the wall of the cardia and massive lymph node swelling in the region of the lesser curvature of the stomach. A laboratory investigation revealed that the serum AFP levels of the patient were elevated to 46.49 ng/ml (normal level, <12.00 ng/ml), and the serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels were 382.22 ng/ml (normal range, <5.00 ng/ml). An endoscopy revealed an elevated tumor and AFP‑producing gastric cancer was diagnosed. As the tumor was surgically unresectable, the patient received systemic adjuvant chemotherapy [consisting of 1 cycle of oxaliplatin (150 mg; day 1)‑fluorouracil(1.0 g; days 2‑6)‑calcium folinate (0.3 g; days 2‑6), 4 cycles of paclitaxel (80 mg; day 1 and 8, repeated day 21) and capecitabine (1,000 g/m2, twice daily; days 1‑14, repeated day 21), and 2 cycles of oxaliplatin (130 mg/m2; day 1, repeated day 21) and S‑1 (100 mg/d; day 1‑ day 14; repeated day 21)]. During the chemotherapy intermission, the patient experienced partial remission; the serum AFP levels remained between 44.5 and 32.7 ng/ml, and serum CEA levels decreased to a normal level. The CT scan revealed that the enlarged lymph nodes of the patient had decreased in size. During the preoperative examinations, an abdominal CT scan revealed no metastasis to the liver. A radical gastrectomy was performed on October 20, 2014. Additionally, the tumor did not demonstrate the diffusion of AFP. The histopathological examination revealed a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, with local and neuroendocrine differentiation and no hepatoid features. According to these histopathological findings, the tumor was diagnosed as AFP-producing non-hepatoid adenocarcinoma of the stomach. The patient was treated with systemic immunity‑enhancing therapy and has been free of recurrence for 2 months. The present study describes a rare case of AFP-producing non-hepatoid adenocarcinoma of the stomach, with a review of the literature and an investigation of the clinical features.
In recent years, elderly people are suffering an increasingly severe problem in their home due to the falls. Falling down is the most common cause of death among the elderly. This paper proposed a falling detection algorithm based on a humanoid robot to monitor and detect the motion of the elderly who live alone. A stream of the videos obtained from the robot cameras are transmitted to the personal computer via Wi-Fi, and then the image data will be analyzed by the MATLAB procedure algorithm, including extracting foreground, eliminating noise from foreground, evaluating Motion History and determining ellipse statistical properties to determine whether a falling has happened. If a fall occurs, the robot will raise an alarm to call for help through microphone. This algorithm will help the elderly receive timely medical treatment in order to minimize the falling risk and the company of NAO will enhance the elderly's sense of security.
Abstract Chronic periodontitis (CP) is a common oral disease characterized by the slow progression of alveolar attachment loss and bone destruction. Genetic components have been reported to play an important role in the onset and development of CP. In the present study, we aimed to replicate the association signals of NIN and SIGLEC5 identified in previous genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of samples from Chinese Han individuals. Association signals between clinical severity indicators of CP and relevant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were also examined. A total of 3,160 study subjects, including 1,076 CP patients and 2,084 healthy controls, were recruited. A total of 32 SNPs, including 22 from NIN and 10 from SIGLEC5 , were selected for genotyping. SNPs rs12883458 (OR = 1.45, P = 1.22 × 10 −5 , NIN ) and rs4284742 (OR = 0.75, P = 1.69 × 10 −5 , SIGLEC5 ) were significantly associated with CP disease status. rs4284742 was significantly associated with all 3 clinical severity indicators, including bleeding on probing (BOP), probing depth (PD) and clinical attachment loss (CAL). According to evidence from bioinformatics analyses, both significant SNPs, rs12883458 and rs4284742, are likely surrogates of underlying variants with true effects. In summary, our findings provide direct evidence for the association of NIN and SIGLEC5 with CP susceptibility.
Abstract Background Allergic asthma is a common inflammatory lung disease and a major health problem worldwide. Mast cells (MCs) play a key role in the early‐stage pathophysiology of allergic asthma. Substance P (SP) functions in neurogenic inflammation by activating MCs, and therefore, it may to participate in the occurrence and development of asthma. Objective We examined the relationship between SP and lung inflammation, and also whether SP can directly trigger asthma. Methods We measured the number of peripheral blood eosinophils, neutrophils and basophils and evaluated the levels of IgE and SP in blood samples of 86 individuals with allergic asthma. Serum IgE and SP levels were also determined in 29 healthy individuals. C57BL/6 mice were subjected to different doses of SP, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was collected to count the inflammatory cells. Lung tissues were analysed using histopathological methods to evaluate lung peribronchial inflammation, fibrosis and glycogen deposition. Levels of IgE, interleukin (IL)‐1, IL‐2, IL‐4, IL‐5, IL‐13, IL‐17 and IFN‐γ were determined in mouse serum. Results Substance P levels were increased in the serum samples of patients with asthma. SP induced mouse lung peribronchial inflammation, fibrosis and glycogen deposition, with high levels of Th2‐related cytokines such as IL‐4, IL‐5 and IL‐13 observed in the BALF. Furthermore, low level of total IgE was noted in the serum, and SP had little effect on MC‐deficient kit W‐sh/W‐sh mice. Conclusions & clinical relevance Substance P levels increased significantly in serum of asthmatic patients and independently associated with the risk of asthma. Furthermore, SP induced Th2 lung inflammation in mice, which was dependent on MCs.
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