This study examined whether a traditional low-impact mind-body exercise, Tai Chi, affects healthrelated quality-of-life (HRQOL) and headache impact in an adult population suffering from tension-type headaches. Forty-seven participants were randomly assigned to either a 15 week intervention program of Tai Chi instruction or a wait-list control group. HRQOL (SF-36v2) and headache status (HIT-6Ô) were obtained at baseline and at 5, 10 and 15 weeks post-baseline during the intervention period. Statistically significant (P < 0.05) improvements in favor of the intervention were present for the HIT score and the SF-36 pain, energy/fatigue, social functioning, emotional well-being and mental health summary scores. A 15 week intervention of Tai Chi practice was effective in reducing headache impact and also effective in improving perceptions of some aspects of physical and mental health.

Expression of claudin-6 (CLDN6) in the tissues of gastric cancer patients and its association with clinical pathology and prognosis were investigated. A retrospective analysis was performed on 213 gastric cancer patients diagnosed and surgically treated in the Central Hospital of Zibo from January 2010 to January 2013. Cancer and normal adjacent tissues were obtained from the patients to detect the expression level of CLDN6 using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). The association between the expression level of CLDN6 and the clinical and pathological features, as well as the prognosis of gastric cancer patients was analyzed. The expression level of CLDN6 was significantly lower in gastric cancer tissues than that in adjacent tissues (t=23.350, P<0.001). The expression level of CLDN6 was associated with age, lymph node metastasis, pathological staging, and distant metastasis (P<0.05). In this study, patients were separated into CLDN6 high-expression group (≥1.42) with 107 patients and CLDN6 low-expression group (<1.42) with 106 patients, with the median expression level of CLDN6 as the boundary. The 1-, 2- and 3-year survival rates of patients in the CLDN6 low-expression group were 80.19, 60.38 and 48.11%, respectively, and those in the CLDN6 high-expression group were 87.85, 73.83 and 66.36%, respectively. The survival rate was significantly better in the CLDN6 high-expression group than that in the CLDN6 low-expression group (P=0.009). In conclusion, the expression level of CLDN6 is low in the cancer tissues of gastric cancer patients, and associated with age, lymph node metastasis, pathological staging and distant metastasis. CLDN6 low expression has a certain negative impact on the prognosis of patients, and therefore, shows potential as an important indicator for the prognosis of gastric cancer patients.

The authors characterized a commercially available foam composed of polyurethane and polyisocyanurate which is marketed for modeling parts in the aircraft, automotive, and related industries. The authors found that the foam may be suitable for use as a density reference standard in the range below -400 Hounsfield units. This range is coincident with the density of lung tissue. The foam may be helpful in making the diagnosis of lung disease more systematic.

Background: Acute spinal cord injury (SCI) is one of the weakest pathologies that seriously affect the quality of life of patients. Objective: To study the mechanism of how Zhenbao Pill reduces Treg cell proportion and improves acute SCI. Methods: A rat SCI model was established. Flow cytometry analysis was performed to determine the Treg cell proportion. RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) and RNA pull-down were applied in confirming taurine up-regulated gene 1 (TUG1) and miR-214 binding. Intrathecal injection of TUG1 siRNA was also conducted to determine the effect of TUG1 in vivo. Results: Zhenbao Pill promoted the expression of TUG1 and heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) protein, and reduced the expression of miR-214 and forkhead box protein p3 (Foxp3) as well as Treg cell proportion in a concentration-dependent manner in SCI rats or in vitro cultured CD4+ T cells. Knockdown of TUG1 reversed the high protein expression of HSP27 and the inhibition of Treg cell proportion as well as Foxp3 protein induced by Zhenbao Pill, and miR-214 inhibitor canceled the TUG1 knockdown effect. Further, miR-214 mimic reversed the inhibition of Treg cell proportion and Foxp3 protein expression by Zhenbao Pill, which was abolished by the overexpression of HSP27. The mechanism was validated in animal experiments. Conclusion: Zhenbao Pill regulated TUG1/miR-214/HSP27 signaling pathway to reduce Treg cell proportion and thus relieve acute SCI.