Objective: To provide guidance for future randomized controlled trials (RCTs) based on a review concerning acupuncture for treating polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted in October 2015 using MEDLINE, EMBASE, SCISEARCH, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, the Cochrane Menstrual Disorders and Subfertility Group trials register, Allied and Complementary Medicine (AMED), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and the Wanfang databases. RCTs comparing either acupuncture with no/sham/pharmacological intervention or a combination of acupuncture and conventional therapy with conventional therapy in the treatment of PCOS were included in this review. A quality evaluation was performed for each of the included studies. Results: Thirty-one RCTs were included in the review and were divided into four categories according to the type of intervention used in the comparator or control group. Menstrual frequency, hormones, anthropometrics, insulin sensitivity, blood lipids, and fertility were used as the main measurements to assess the effects of acupuncture on the patients with PCOS. Thirty trials, except for one, showed an improvement in at least one of the indicators of PCOS after acupuncture treatment. However, normalizing the methodological and reporting format remains an issue. Conclusions: Based upon this review of current clinical trials concerning acupuncture for treating PCOS, we provide guidelines for better clinical trial design in the future.

The purpose of this review is to objectively evaluate the biochemical and pathophysiological properties of 0.9% saline (henceforth: saline) and to discuss the impact of saline infusion, specifically on systemic acid-base balance and renal hemodynamics. Studies have shown that electrolyte balance, including effects of saline infusion on serum electrolytes, is often poorly understood among practicing physicians and inappropriate saline prescribing can cause increased morbidity and mortality. Large-volume (>2 L) saline infusion in healthy adults induces hyperchloremia which is associated with metabolic acidosis, hyperkalemia, and negative protein balance. Saline overload (80 ml/kg) in rodents can cause intestinal edema and contractile dysfunction associated with activation of sodium-proton exchanger (NHE) and decrease in myosin light chain phosphorylation. Saline infusion can also adversely affect renal hemodynamics. Microperfusion experiments and real-time imaging studies have demonstrated a reduction in renal perfusion and an expansion in kidney volume, compromising O₂ delivery to the renal parenchyma following saline infusion. Clinically, saline infusion for patients post abdominal and cardiovascular surgery is associated with a greater number of adverse effects including more frequent blood product transfusion and bicarbonate therapy, reduced gastric blood flow, delayed recovery of gut function, impaired cardiac contractility in response to inotropes, prolonged hospital stay, and possibly increased mortality. In critically ill patients, saline infusion, compared to balanced fluid infusions, increases the occurrence of acute kidney injury. In summary, saline is a highly acidic fluid. With the exception of saline infusion for patients with hypochloremic metabolic alkalosis and volume depletion due to vomiting or upper gastrointestinal suction, indiscriminate use, especially for acutely ill patients, may cause unnecessary complications and should be avoided. More education regarding saline-related effects and adequate electrolyte management is needed.

Bacteria of the genus Myroides (Myroides spp.) are rare opportunistic pathogens. Myroides sp. infections have been reported mainly in China. Myroides sp. is highly resistant to most available antibiotics, but the resistance mechanisms are not fully elucidated. Current strain identification methods based on biochemical traits are unable to identify strains accurately at the species level. While 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequencing can accurately achieve this, it fails to give information on the status and mechanisms of antibiotic resistance, because the 16S rRNA sequence contains no information on resistance genes, resistance islands or enzymes. We hypothesized that obtaining the whole genome sequence of Myroides sp., using next generation sequencing methods, would help to clarify the mechanisms of pathogenesis and antibiotic resistance, and guide antibiotic selection to treat Myroides sp. infections. As Myroides sp. can survive in hospitals and the environment, there is a risk of nosocomial infections and pandemics. For better management of Myroides sp. infections, it is imperative to apply next generation sequencing technologies to clarify the antibiotic resistance mechanisms in these bacteria.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common chronic degenerative joint disease, with complicated pathogenic factors and undefined pathogenesis. Various signaling pathways play important roles in OA pathogenesis, including genetic expression, matrix synthesis and degradation, cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and so on. MicroRNA (miRNA) is a class of non-coding RNA in Eukaryon, regulating genetic expression on the post-transcriptional level. A great number of miRNAs are involved in the development of OA, and are closely associated with different signaling pathways. This article reviews the roles of miRNAs and signaling pathways in OA, looking toward having a better understanding of its pathogenesis mechanisms and providing new therapeutic targets for its treatment.

This study investigated the alleviating effects of hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), derived from sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS), on inflammation induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) in both in vivo and in vitro models. We found that NaHS injection markedly decreased rectal bleeding, diarrhea, and histological injury in DSS-challenged mice. NaHS (20 μmol/L) reversed DSS-induced inhibition in cell viability in Caco-2 cells and alleviated pro-inflammation cytokine expression in vivo and in vitro, indicating an anti-inflammatory function for H₂S. It was also found that H₂S may regulate cytokine expression by inhibiting the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that H₂S alleviated DSS-induced inflammation in vivo and in vitro and that the signal mechanism might be associated with the NF-κB signaling pathway.

Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) is a condition with complex etiologies, to which both genetic and environmental factors may contribute. During the last decade, studies indicated that the expression patterns of the prokineticin receptor (PKR1 and PKR2) are closely related to early pregnancy. However, there are few studies on the role of PKR1 and PKR2 in RPL. In this study, we purpose to investigate the association between polymorphisms of the prokineticin receptor (PKR1 rs4627609 and PKR2 rs6053283) and RPL on a group of 93 RPL cases and 169 healthy controls. Genotyping of the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) was performed using a Sequenom MassARRAY iPLEX system. The results revealed a significant association between PKR2 rs6053283 polymorphism and RPL (P=0.003), whereas no association was observed between PKR1 rs4627609 polymorphism and RPL (P=0.929) in the Chinese Han population.

Functional studies have suggested the important role of early growth response 1 (EGR1) and Laminin α2-chain (LAMA2) in human eye development. Genetic studies have reported a significant association of the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the LAMA2 gene with myopia. This study aimed to evaluate the association of the tagging SNPs (tSNPs) in the EGR1 and LAMA2 genes with high myopia in two independent Han Chinese populations. Four tSNPs (rs11743810 in the EGR1 gene; rs2571575, rs9321170, and rs1889891 in the LAMA2 gene) were selected, according to the HapMap database (http://hapmap.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov), and were genotyped using the ligase detection reaction (LDR) approach for 167 Han Chinese nuclear families with extremely highly myopic offspring (<−10.0 diopters) and an independent group with 485 extremely highly myopic cases (<−10.0 diopters) and 499 controls. Direct sequencing was used to confirm the LDR results in twenty randomly selected subjects. Family-based association analysis was performed using the family-based association test (FBAT) software package (Version 1.5.5). Population-based association analysis was performed using the Chi-square test. The association analysis power was estimated using online software (http://design.cs.ucla.edu). The FBAT demonstrated that all four tSNPs tested did not show association with high myopia (P>0.05). Haplotype analysis of tSNPs in the LAMA2 genes also did not show a significant association (P>0.05). Meanwhile, population-based association analysis also showed no significant association results with high myopia (P>0.05). On the basis of our family- and population-based analyses for the Han Chinese population, we did not find positive association signals of the four SNPs in the LAMA2 and EGR1 genes with high myopia.

Objective: Three mainstream techniques—laparoscopic hepatectomy (LH), percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (pRFA), and open hepatectomy (OH)—were compared in this study, in terms of their efficacies in the treatment of small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: A comparative study was performed within a total of 94 patients diagnosed with small HCC in our hospital from 2005 to 2010, who underwent LH (28), RFA (33), or OH (33). They had either a single tumor lesion of less than or up to three nodules with diameters of less than each. Outcomes were carefully evaluated throughout a 3-year follow-up interval and statistically interpreted. Results: The pRFA group had a significantly lower disease-free survival rate compared with the two surgical groups (P=0.001) and significantly shorter overall survival (P=0.005), while the LH group and the OH group had no difference in survival results. For patients younger than 60 years old, surgical approaches offered a better long-term overall survival prognosis (P=0.008). There were no statistically significant differences among the three groups in overall survival for elderly patients (P=0.104). Conclusions: Among patients with small HCC, LH may provide better curative effects than pRFA without increasing complication rates. pRFA leads to faster recurrence than surgical resections. LH has similar therapeutic effects to OH and causes less trauma. For patients younger than 60 years old, LH may be the best curative treatment. Elderly patients may choose either surgery or pRFA.