Blockchain technology is a core, underlying technology with promising application prospects in the banking industry. On one hand, the banking industry in China is facing the impact of interest rate liberalization and profit decline caused by the narrowing interest-rate spread. On the other hand, it is also affected by economic transformation, Internet development, and financial innovations. Hence, the banking industry requires urgent transformation and is seeking new growth avenues. As such, blockchains could revolutionize the underlying technology of the payment clearing and credit information systems in banks, thus upgrading and transforming them. Blockchain applications also promote the formation of "multi-center, weakly intermediated" scenarios, which will enhance the efficiency of the banking industry. However, despite the permissionless and self-governing nature of blockchains, the regulation and actual implementation of a decentralized system are problems that remain to be resolved. Therefore, we propose the urgent establishment of a "regulatory sandbox" and the development of industry standards.

BackgroundResults of the association of folate metabolism and carcinogenesis are conflicting. We performed a meta-analysis to examine the effect of the interaction of serum concentration of homocysteine (Hcy), folate, and vitamin B12 and 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) polymorphism on risk of cancer overall.MethodTwo reviewers independently searched for all published studies of Hcy and cancer in PubMed, EMBASE-MEDLINE and Chinese databases. Pooled results were reported as odds ratios (ORs) and mean differences and presented with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) and 2-sided probability values.ResultsWe identified 83 eligible studies of 15,046 cases and 20,712 controls. High level of Hcy but low level of folate was associated with risk of cancer overall, with little effect by type of cancer or ethnicity. Vitamin B12 level was inversely associated with only urinary-system and gastrointestinal carcinomas and for Asian and Middle Eastern patients. As well, MTHFR C677T, A1298C and G1793A polymorphisms were related to elevated serum level of Hcy, and folate and vitamin B12 deficiency. However, only MTHFR C677T homogeneity/wild-type (TT/CC) polymorphism was positively associated with overall risk of cancer.ConclusionElevated serum Hcy level and folate deficiency are associated with increased overall risk of cancer.

Head and neck cancer (HNC) is a disease of the upper aerodigestive tract and is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers worldwide. A high rate of cancers involving the head and neck are reported across the Asian region, with notable variations between countries. Disease prognosis is largely dependent on tumor stage and site. Patients with early stage disease have a 60-95% chance of cure with local therapy. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment are important to increase the likelihood of cure and survival. However, the majority of patients present with locally advanced disease and require multimodality treatment. This necessitates, a multidisciplinary approach which is essential to make appropriate treatment decisions, particularly with regards to tolerability, costs, available infrastructure and quality of life issues. Unfortunately, majority of the studies that dictate current practice have been developed in the west where diseases biology, patient population and available infrastructure are very different from those in the Asian continent. With this in mind an expert panel of Head and Neck Oncologists was convened in May 2012 to review the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) and the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) clinical practice guidelines and develop practical recommendations on the applicability of these guidelines on the management of head and neck cancer for Asian patients. The objective of this review and consensus meeting was to suggest revisions, to account for potential differences in demographics and resources, to the NCCN and ESMO guidelines, to better reflect current clinical management of head and neck cancer within the Asian region for health care providers. These recommendations, which reflect best clinical practice within Asia, are expected to benefit practitioners when making decisions regarding optimal treatment strategies for their patients.

To improve the identification for CTCs with weak or negative CK and diploid CTCs in pancreatic cancer, we combined immunestaining of CK, CD45, DAPI and fluorescence in situ hybridization with the centromere of chromosome 8 (CEP8) probe method. CTCs in 3.75 mL of blood were depleted for CD45 positive cells with anti-CD45 antibodies and identified by combining CK, CD45, DAPI and CEP8 in 61 cases including 22 pancreatic cancers, 3 borderline pancreatic solid pseudopapillary tumors, 6 pancreatic benign tumors, and 30 healthy individuals. We found that enriched cells could be classified into 5 patterns: CK1CD45-DAPI1CEP852 (2 hybridization signals), CK1CD45-DAPI1CEP8>2 (>2 hybridization signals), CK-CD45-DAPI1CEP8>2, CK-CD45-DAPI1CEP852, and CK1/-CD451DAPI1CEP852 or >2. Among 22 pancreatic cancers, CK1CD45-DAPI1CEP852 and CK1CD45-DAPI1CEP8>2 patterns were identified in two cases, and CK-CD45-DAPI1CEP8>2 pattern was identified in 16 cases. CK-CD45-DAPI1CEP852 and CK1/-CD451DAPI1CEP852 or >2 patterns were detected in pancreatic cancers, other pancreatic diseases and healthy individuals. Among the five patterns, CK1CD45-DAPI1CEP852, CK1CD45-DAPI1CEP8>2 and CK-CD45-DAPI1CEP8>2 were considered as CTCs, while CK-CD45-DAPI1CEP852 and CK1/-CD451DAPI1CEP852 or >2 were considered as indeterminate cells. When the cutoff value was set as 2 cells/3.75 mL based on ROC curve, the sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer was 68.18 and 94.87%, respectively. Dynamically monitoring CTCs changes prior to and after surgery in pancreatic patients revealed that CTCs count decreased in 3 days after surgery, but increased in 10 days after surgery in most patients. During our one and a half year follow-up, CTCs positive patients showed metastasis and worse survival rate.