Int J Med Sci
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Objectives: To investigate the effect of thermal pulsation treatment on meibomian gland function, ocular parameters and tear inflammatory cytokines compared with the warm compress group. Methods: Twenty-five participants with MGD underwent a 12-minute thermal pulsation treatment, while 25 participants with MGD underwent manual warm compress treatment. MGD related parameters, including meibomian gland function (MGE, MQ and lid margin), tear stability (NIKBUT, FBUT and LLT), tear secretion (SIT, and TMH), were examined and OSDI questionnaire was also obtained. ⋯ IP-10 was positively correlated with MQ (r = 0.522, *p = 0.037) and negatively correlated with tear stability (r = -0.613, **p = 0.002), and OSDI was only positively correlated with IL-8 (r = 0.679, ***p < 0.001). The decrease of MIG was positively correlated with less corneal epithelium injury (r = 0.557, **p = 0.006) and meibograde (r = 0.49, *p = 0.019). Conclusions: Thermal pulsation treatment obviously improved MGD probably by attenuating tear CXCL chemokines in ocular surface of MGD patients, which demonstrated an efficacy and well-tolerated therapy in clinical.
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Objective: Natural products in diet have shown a potential role in the prevention and treatment of cancer. Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) is a great candidate because of its properties of anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-cancer, but little is known about its effect on head and neck cancer. 6-Shogaol is an active compound derived from Ginger. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the possible anticancer effects of 6-shogaol, a major ginger derivate, on head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) and the underlying mechanisms. ⋯ And, finally, we also demonstrated that 6-shogaol could enhance the cytotoxicity of cisplatin in HNSCC cells. Conclusion: Our data provided new insights to understand the potential pharmaceutical efficacy of a ginger derivate, 6-shogaol, in antagonizing HNSCC survival. The present study suggests that 6-shogaol is a potential novel candidate for anti-HNSCCs therapy.
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Introduction: Dysphagia-associated pneumonia is a critical health issue especially in the elders and stroke patients which carries a poorer prognosis. Therefore, we aim to identify methods with the potentials to predict subsequent pneumonia in dysphagia patients, which will be of great value in the prevention and early management of pneumonia. Methods: One-hundred dysphagia patients were enrolled and measurements including Dysphagia Severity Scale (DSS), Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS), Ohkuma Questionnaire, and Eating Assessment Tool-10 (EAT-10) were assessed by either videofluoroscopy (VF), videoendoscopy (VE), or the study nurse. ⋯ Conclusions: Dysphagia severity evaluated by VE-DSS, VE-FOIS, VF-FOIS, Ohkuma Questionnaire, and EAT-10 is not associated with subsequent pneumonia. Only VF-DSS is associated with both short-term and long-term subsequent pneumonia. In patients with dysphagia, VF-DSS is predictive of subsequent pneumonia.
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Although B lymphocytes are widely known to participate in the immune response, the conclusive roles of B lymphocyte subsets in the antitumor immune response have not yet been determined. Single-cell data from GEO datasets were first analyzed, and then a B cell flow cytometry panel was used to analyze the peripheral blood of 89 HCC patients and 33 healthy controls recruited to participate in our research. Patients with HCC had a higher frequency of B10 cells and a lower percentage of MZB cells than healthy controls. ⋯ For the first time, our results suggest that altered B cell subsets are associated with the development and prognosis of HCC. Increased B10 cell percentage and IL-10 in HCC patients suggest they might augment the development of liver tumors. Hence, B cell subsets and related cytokines may have predictive value in HCC patients and could be potential targets for immunotherapy in HCC.
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Aim/hypothesis: The relationship between peripheral blood leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and kidney dysfunction, especially in people with hypertension, remains unclear. No clinical study has explored the role of inflammation and oxidative stress in the relationship between LTL and kidney dysfunction. Therefore, we examined the relationship between baseline LTL and albuminuria progression and/or rapid renal function decline in Chinese patients with or without hypertension and investigated whether inflammation and oxidative stress played a mediating role in this relationship. ⋯ In subgroup analyses, LTL was inversely associated with rapid decline in renal function or the composite endpoint of kidney dysfunction only in patients with hypertension (OR=49.07[3.72,211.12] vs.1.32[0.69,2.58] per 1SD, P for interaction=0.045;OR=3.10 [1.48, 7.52] vs.1.08[0.92,1.63] per 1SD, P for interaction=0.036). Conclusion: Baseline LTL could independently predict kidney dysfunction at follow-up, especially in participants with hypertension. TNF-a partially mediated the negative association between LTL and kidney dysfunction.