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Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility of using mpMRI image features predicted by AI algorithms in the prediction of clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa). Materials and methods: This study analyzed patients who underwent prostate mpMRI and radical prostatectomy (RP) at the Affiliated Hospital of Jiaxing University between November 2017 and December 2022. The clinical data collected included age, serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA), and biopsy pathology. The reference standard was the prostatectomy pathology, and a Gleason Score (GS) of 3 + 3 = 6 was considered non-clinically significant prostate cancer (non-csPCa), while a GS ≥ 3 + 4 was considered csPCa. A pre-trained AI algorithm was used to extract the lesion on mpMRI, and the image features of the lesion and the prostate gland were analyzed. Two logistic regression models were developed to predict csPCa: an MR model and a combined model. The MR model used age, PSA, PSA density (PSAD), and the AI-predicted MR image features as predictor variables. The combined model used biopsy pathology and the aforementioned variables as predictor variables. The model's effectiveness was evaluated by comparing it to biopsy pathology using the area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operation characteristic (ROC) analysis. Results: A total of 315 eligible patients were enrolled with an average age of 70.8 ± 5.9. Based on RP pathology, 18 had non-csPCa, and 297 had csPCa. PSA, PSAD, biopsy pathology, and ADC value of the prostate outside the lesion (ADCprostate) varied significantly across different ISUP grade groups of RP pathology (P < 0.001). Other clinical variables and image features did not vary significantly across different ISUP grade groups (P > 0.05). The MR model included PSAD, the ratio of ADC value between the lesion and the prostate outside the lesion (ADClesion/prostate), the signal intensity ratio of DWI between the lesion and the prostate outside the lesion (DWIlesion/prostate), and the ratio of DWIlesion/prostate to ADClesion/prostate. The combined model included biopsy pathology, ADClesion/prostate, mean signal intensity of the lesion on DWI (DWIlesion), DWI signal intensity of the prostate outside the lesion (DWIprostate), and signal intensity ratio of DWI between the lesion and the prostate outside the lesion (DWIlesion/prostate). The AUC of the MR model (0.830, 95% CI 0.743, 0.916) was not significantly different from that of biopsy pathology (0.820, 95% CI 0.728, 0.912, P = 0.884). The AUC of the combined model (0.915, 95% CI 0.849, 0.980) was higher than that of the biopsy pathology (P = 0.042) and MR model (P = 0.031). Conclusion: The aggressiveness of prostate cancer can be effectively predicted using AI-extracted image features from mpMRI images, similar to biopsy pathology. The prediction accuracy was improved by combining the AI-extracted mpMRI image features with biopsy pathology, surpassing the performance of biopsy pathology alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Acupuncture has been shown to reduce tension-type headache (TTH) frequency in previous studies. Nevertheless, repeated significance testing might inflate type I error. We aimed to verify the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture in reducing TTH frequency by meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis (TSA). Methods: Ovid Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Library were searched until September 29, 2022. Randomized controlled trials comparing acupuncture with sham acupuncture, no acupuncture, or other active therapies in adults with TTH were included. The primary outcome was TTH frequency. The secondary outcomes were responder rate and adverse event. Results: Fourteen studies involving 2795 participants were included. Acupuncture had more reduction than sham acupuncture in TTH frequency, both after treatment (standardized mean difference [SMD] − 0.80, 95% CI − 1.36 to − 0.24, P = 0.005) and at the follow-up period (SMD − 1.33, 95% CI − 2.18 to − 0.49, P = 0.002), while TSA showed the included sample size did not exceed required information size (RIS). Acupuncture was superior over no acupuncture after treatment (SMD − 0.52, 95% CI − 0.63 to − 0.41, P < 0.001), and cumulative sample size reached RIS. In terms of responder rate, acupuncture had a higher responder rate compared with sham acupuncture both after treatment (relative ratio [RR] 1.28, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.46, P = 0.0003) and the follow-up period (RR 1.37, 95% CI 1.19 to 1.58, P < 0.0001), but the sample size is inadequate. Conclusion: Acupuncture is an efficacious and safe treatment for TTH prevention, but this conclusion might be limited by the generally very low to low quality evidence. TSA suggested that high-quality trials are needed to verify the efficacy and safety of acupuncture compared to sham acupuncture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) has now been established as a safe and minimally invasive technique that is deemed feasible for treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). However, the role of LLR in treating combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma (cHCC-CC) patients has been rarely reported. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of LLR when compared with open liver resection (OLR) procedure for patients with cHCC-CC. Methods: A total of 229 cHCC-CC patients who underwent hepatic resection (34 LLR and 195 OLR patients) from January 2014 to December 2018 in Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University were enrolled and underwent a 1:2 propensity score matching (PSM) analysis between the LLR and OLR groups to compare perioperative and oncologic outcomes. Overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) parameters were assessed by the log-rank test and the sensitivity analysis. Results: A total of 34 LLR and 68 OLR patients were included after PSM analysis. The LLR group displayed a shorter postoperative hospital stay (6.61 vs. 8.26 days; p value < 0.001) when compared with the OLR group. No significant differences were observed in the postoperative complications' incidence or a negative surgical margin rate between the two groups (p value = 0.409 and p value = 1.000, respectively). The aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and inflammatory indicators in the LLR group were significantly lower than those in the OLR group on the first and third postoperative days. Additionally, OS and RFS were comparable in both the LLR and OLR groups (p value = 0.700 and p value = 0.780, respectively), and similar results were obtained by conducting a sensitivity analysis. Conclusion: LLR can impart less liver function damage, better inflammatory response attenuation contributing to a faster recovery, and parallel oncologic outcomes when compared with OLR. Therefore, LLR can be recommended as a safe and effective therapeutic modality for treating selected cHCC-CC patients, especially for those with small tumors in favorable location. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped, facultatively anaerobic, motile and spore-forming strain designated FJAT-44921T was isolated from red mud collected from Chiping County, Shandong Province, China. The 16S rRNA gene sequence result showed that strain FJAT-44921T shared a low sequence identity (96.6%) with the members of the genus Bacillus. Growth was observed at pH 8.0–10.0 (optimum pH 9.0), 10–40 °C (optimum 20–25 °C) with 0–8% (v/w %) NaCl (optimum 4–6 v/w %). FJAT-44921T consists of MK-7 as the isoprenoid quinone and meso-2,6-diaminopimelic acid as the cell-wall diamino acid. The predominant fatty acids were anteiso-C15:0, iso-C15:0, C16:0, and anteiso-C17:0. The polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidyl glycerol, phosphatidylmethylethanolamine, unidentified phospholipid, and unidentified aminophospholipid. The genomic DNA G + C content was 37.3 mol%. The average nucleotide identity (ANI) and digital DNA–DNA hybridization (dDDH) values between FJAT-44921T and other closely related Bacillus members were lower than the recognized threshold values of ANI (95–96%) and dDDH (70%) recommended as the criterion for interspecies identity. The type strain is FJAT-44921T (=CCTCC AB 2016196T =DSM 104630T). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The concurrent presence of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) poses a challenge for laparoscopic surgeons to establish a routine practice. The aim of this study was to gather evidence and produce recommendations on the safe and effective practice of laparoscopic hepatectomy for patients with solitary HCC (≤ 5 cm) and liver cirrhosis. Methods: Between October 2013 and October 2014, 356 curative hepatectomies were performed for patients pathologically diagnosed with solitary HCC (≤ 5 cm) accompanied by cirrhosis (stage 4 fibrosis). To overcome selection bias, a 1:2 match using propensity score matching analysis was conducted between laparoscopic and open hepatectomy. Perioperative outcomes were compared between the groups, including hospitalization, operation time, blood loss, and surgical complications. Perioperative inflammation-based markers, including systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) were collected from medical records and analyzed. Results: There were 43 and 77 patients in the laparoscopic and open groups, respectively. The laparoscopic group had less hepatic inflow occlusion (16.3% vs. 61%; P < 0.001), shorter operation time (155 vs. 170 min; P = 0.004), and shorter postoperative hospital stay (4 vs. 7 days; P < 0.001). Although the difference was not significant (P = 0.154), the rate of postoperative complications tended to be lower in the laparoscopic group (2.3%) compared with the open group (9.1%). The increase in postoperative SII, NLR, and LMR for laparoscopic hepatectomy were significantly lower than for open hepatectomy. NLR < 5.8 on postoperative day 3 was significantly correlated with shorter hospital stay (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Compared with open hepatectomy, laparoscopic hepatectomy for selected HCC patients, even in the presence of cirrhosis, might result in better perioperative outcomes and postoperative inflammatory response attenuation, and ultimately promote faster recovery. This provides evidence for considering routine laparoscopic hepatectomy through careful selection of patients with HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sustainable biomass-derived porous carbon is promising in electrochemical energy storage devices because of its fascinating features. In this work, porous carbon materials are prepared from chinar fruit fluffs with a facile single-stage activation method by using phosphoric acid as the activation agent. By adjusting the preparation parameters (i.e., the dosage of phosphoric acid and calcination temperature), the optimal carbon (denoted as ACC-600-5.0) exhibits a mesopore-dominant hierarchical interconnected porous structure with high specific surface area (1758.5 m2 g−1). As the electrode material for three-electrode supercapacitors, ACC-600–5.0 displays a specific capacitance of 247.5 F g−1 at 1.0 A g−1 in 6.0 M KOH solution. Moreover, the ACC-600-5.0-based symmetric configuration shows an energy density of 21.99 Wh kg−1 at 400 W kg−1, which is still maintained as 17.33 Wh kg−1 at 8000 W kg−1. Also, the assembled two-electrode supercapacitor demonstrates a rate capability of 78.85% when the current density increases from 0.5 to 10.0 A g−1, as well as good cycling stability. This work offers a highly effective fabrication strategy for advanced carbon electrode materials from worthless or even harm biomass wastes for energy storage and conversion devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The low-cost and environmentally friendly solid acid catalysts for the efficient synthesis of ethyl levulinate fuel additives were prepared from pine needles through the partial carbonization, followed by a hydrothermal H2SO4 sulfonation procedure. The resultant sulfonated carbon catalysts possessed an amorphous carbon structure and high contents of the sulfate groups. Other than that, they had good thermal stability and the total acid density was as high as 2.28 mmol g−1. In this work, noticeably, the parameters of both synthetic and catalytic reactions were optimized to enhance the conversion of levulinic acid (LA). The results showed that the LA conversion was as high as 96.1% over the catalysts carbonizated at 700 °C for 90 min and sulfonated at 160 °C for 15 h under the optimized conditions (5:1 ethanol/LA molar ratio, 5 wt% catalyst dosage, 80 °C reaction temperature, 8 h reaction time). Meanwhile, the recyclability experiments confirmed that the resultant catalysts exhibited satisfactory reusability and the corresponding conversion of LA was maintained as 63.0% in the fourth run. Remarkably, the reused catalysts can be easily activated again and the corresponding LA conversion could reach up to 90.1%. The results demonstrated that the catalysts had great potential in the synthesis of biofuels, which could be efficient and could have excellent recyclability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Effects of enzymatic hydrolysis on the physicochemical and functional properties of egg yolk were investigated in this study. Alcalase, neutrase and flavourzyme were used to hydrolyze egg yolk. Solubility, foaming properties, emulsifying and microstructure properties of egg yolk were determined after enzymatic hydrolysis. Results showed that alcalase had better efficiency of hydrolysis than neutrase and flavourzyme. Enzymatic hydrolysis caused a marked changes in protein solubility, surface hydrophobicity, molecular weight distributions, microstructure and other functional properties. It was observed that egg yolk and its hydrolysates exhibited a relatively smooth curve over the entire pH range; egg yolk hydrolysates with high DH had higher solubility than those having lower DH. Foam capacity and stability generally increased with increasing DH although foam stability showed a decrease at 15% DH. Hydrolysates of egg yolk showed scattered and fewer aggregated particles. This study demonstrated that egg yolk hydrolysates could be an excellent emulsifying agent for food and other applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to investigate the effects of microRNA-218 (miR-218) on the proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis of gastric cancer (GC) cells by targeting LIM and SH3 domain protein 1 (LASP1). The GC cells in the logarithmic phase were selected and divided into five groups: the blank group, negative control (NC) group, miR-218 inhibitors group, miR-218 inhibitors + siLASP1 group, and miR-218 mimics + siLASP1 group. The miR-218 expression in each group was also detected by qRT-PCR. The CCK8 assay, Transwell migration, and invasion assays and flow cytometry were performed to determine the effects of miR-218 on cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis of GC cells. Western blotting was conducted to measure LASP1 protein expression in GC cells after transfection. The qRT-PCR revealed that the transfection of miR-218 mimics could upregulate the miR-218 expression, and the transfection of miR-218 inhibitors could downregulate the miR-218 expression in the GC cells. Compared with the blank and NC groups, the proliferation, migration, and invasion of GC cells were significantly reduced in the miR-218 mimics, miR-218 inhibitors + siLASP1, and miR-218 mimics + siLASP1 groups but enhanced in the miR-218 inhibitors group. Similarly, compared with the blank and NC groups, the cell apoptosis rates in the miR-218 mimics, miR-218 inhibitors + siLASP1, and the miR-218 mimics + siLASP1 groups were significantly increased, while the miR-218 inhibitors group had a lower apoptosis rate. In conclusion, these results indicate that miR-218 could inhibit the proliferation, migration, and invasion and promote apoptosis of GC cells by downregulating LASP1 expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemokine receptor-like 1 (CCRL1) has the potential in creating a low level of CCL19 and CCL21 to hinder CCR7 cell tracking to tumor tissue. Previously, we found a tumor suppressive role of CCRL1 by impairing CCR7-related chemotaxis of tumor cells in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here, we reported a contribution of CCR7 mononuclear cells in the tumor microenvironment to the progression of disease. Immunohistochemistry was used to investigate the distribution and clinical significance of CCR7 cells in a cohort of 240 HCC patients. Furthermore, the phenotype, composition, and functional status of CCR7 cells were determined by flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, and in vitro co-culture assays. We found that CCR7 mononuclear cells were dispersed around tumor tissue and negatively related to tumoral expression of CCRL1 ( P < 0.001, r = 0.391). High density of CCR7 mononuclear cells positively correlated with the absence of tumor capsule, vascular invasion, and poor differentiation ( P < 0.05). Survival analyses revealed that increased number of CCR7 mononuclear cells was significantly associated with worse survival and increased recurrence. We found that CCR7 mononuclear cells featured a naive Treg-like phenotype (CD45RACD25FOXP3) and possessed tumor-promoting potential by producing TGF-β1. Moreover, CCR7 cells were also composed of several immunocytes, a third of which were CD8 T cells. CCR7 Treg-like cells facilitate tumor growth and indicate unfavorable prognosis in HCC patients, but fortunately, their tracking to tumor tissue is under the control of CCRL1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Triggering receptors expressed on myeloid cells 1 (TREM-1) is a novel molecule that modulates inflammatory responses. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a well-known type of inflammation-related cancer. However, TREM-1 expression and its direct effects on HCC cells have not been previously determined. Methods: Western blotting, quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR), and immunofluorescence were used to detect TREM-1 expression. TREM-1 upregulation by pcDNA (mammalian expression vector with the CMV promoter) and its downregulation by shRNA (short hairpin RNA) were used to determine the function of this molecule. Transwell, CCK-8, cell cycle, and apoptosis assays were used to detect the effects of TREM-1 on HCC cells. Immunohistochemical staining of samples from a cohort of 322 HCC patients was used to determine the prognostic value of TREM-1. Results: TREM-1 investigation through Western blot, qRT-PCR, and immunofluorescence analyses revealed that TREM-1 was expressed in HCC cells and tumor tissues. Functional experiments suggested that TREM-1 significantly promoted proliferation, invasion, and inhibited apoptosis of HCC cells. Inflammatory cytokine profiles under TREM-1 up- or downregulation indicated the majority of proinflammation cytokines significantly and positively correlated with TREM-1 expression, including IL-1β, TNF-α, and MCP-1. Western blot analyses revealed that p65, STAT3, ERK, and AKT might be the downstream effectors of TREM-1 signal transduction. High TREM-1 expression correlated significantly with increased recurrence and poorer survival in HCC patients, and it was an independent prognostic factor for recurrence ( P = 0.009). Conclusions: TREM-1 was found to be expressed in HCC cells and to be a prognostic factor for the clinical outcome of HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A possible association between multiple drug resistance 1 gene (MDR1) polymorphisms and the risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is currently under debate, and evidence from various epidemiological studies has yielded controversial results. To derive a more precise estimation of the association between MDR1 polymorphisms and HCC risk, the present meta-analysis was performed. A total of 8 studies containing 11 cohorts with 4407 cases and 4436 controls were included by systematic literature search of EMBASE, PubMed, Web of Science, and CNKI. All polymorphisms were classified as mutant/wild-type alleles. In particular, the variation type, functional impact, and protein domain location of the polymorphisms were assessed and used as stratified indicators. The pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95 % confidence interval (CI) was calculated to evaluate the association. Overall, our results suggested that the mutant alleles of the MDR1 gene were associated with a significantly increased risk for HCC under all genetic models (allelic model: OR = 1.28, 95 % CI = 1.20-1.36, P < 0.001; dominant model: OR = 1.27, 95 % CI = 1.16-1.38, P < 0.001; recessive model: OR = 1.59, 95 % CI = 1.36-1.85, P < 0.001). Furthermore, increased risks for HCC were also revealed in stratified analyses by ethnicity, sample size, and quality scores of cohorts as well as variation type, functional impact, and protein domain location of polymorphisms. In conclusion, the present meta-analysis suggested that the presence of MDR1 mutant alleles might be a risk factor for HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An Al-Mg-Si-Cu-Fe alloy was solid-solution treated at 560°C for 3 h and then cooled by water quenching or furnace cooling. The alloy samples which underwent cooling by these two methods were rolled at different temperatures. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the rolled alloys were investigated by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, and tensile testing. For the water-quenched alloys, the peak tensile strength and elongation occurred at a rolling temperature of 180°C. For the furnace-cooled alloys, the tensile strength decreased initially, until the rolling temperature of 420°C, and then increased; the elongation increased consistently with increasing rolling temperature. The effects of grain boundary hardening and dislocation hardening on the mechanical properties of these rolled alloys decreased with increases in rolling temperature. The mechanical properties of the 180°C rolling water-quenched alloy were also improved by the presence of β″ phase. Above 420°C, the effect of solid-solution hardening on the mechanical properties of the rolled alloys increased with increases in rolling temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling is an important pathway that is not only involved in the determination of cellular development, but also has significant roles in tumor development and progression. The study aims to examine the expression of EGFR signaling pathway-related proteins (EGFR, c-Fos, and c-erb-B2) in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and to investigate their relationships with clinical significance. Sixty esophageal squamous carcinoma specimens obtained by fiber esophagoscope were subjected to two-step immunohistochemistry to test the expression of EGFR, c-Fos, and c-erb-B2. EGFR expression was observed in 73.3 % of tumors (44/60); positive EGFR expression was significantly correlated with tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) staging, lymph node metastasis, and distant metastasis ( P < 0.05). c-Fos expression was found in 85 % (51/60) of tumors, and its expression was significantly related to tumor depth and TNM staging ( P < 0.05). c-erb-B2 expression was 75 % (45/60) in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) specimens, and positive-erb-B2 expression had a significant association with the depth of tumor invasion ( P < 0.05). c-Fos expression was significantly and positively correlated with c-erb-B2 ( P < 0.05). Overexpression of EGFR, c-Fos, and c-erb-B2 was associated with tumor progression and development. EGFR and c-Fos expression can predict the tumor stage. c-Fos and c-erb-B2 expression can be used to determine the depth of tumor invasion and can also act as a combined prognostic indicator in ESCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

B7-H3, a novel B7 family member, positively or negatively regulates T-cell responses. We investigated the clinical relevance and prognostic significance of B7-H3 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Western blotting showed B7-H3 upregulation in 17 of 24 (70.8 %) HCC tissues compared with nontumor liver tissues ( p = 0.028). B7-H3 immunostaining on tissue microarrays containing 240 HCC patient samples indicated that 225 (93.8 %) tumors had aberrant B7-H3 expression, with strong intensity in 79 (32.9 %) cases, whereas B7-H3 expression in peritumor liver cells was weak in most cases (226; 94.2 %). Notably, patients with high/moderate tumor cell B7-H3 expression showed significantly poorer survival ( p = 0.009) and increased recurrence ( p = 0.002). After multivariable adjustment, high/moderate B7-H3 expression remained significant for an increased risk of recurrence (hazard ratio = 1.79; 95 % confidence interval = 1.19-2.70; p = 0.005). B7-H3 expression correlated with invasive phenotypes like vascular invasion and advanced tumor stage, and the metastatic potential of HCC cell lines. Flow cytometry showed that B7-H3 expression is inversely correlated with proliferation and interferon-γ production by infiltrating T cells. Interferon-γ stimulation significantly upregulated B7-H3 expression in HCC cells in vitro , implicating B7-H3 expression as a feedback mechanism to evade anti-tumor immunity. Importantly, the prognostic value of B7-H3 expression was validated in an independent cohort of 206 HCC patients. Collectively, our data suggest that B7-H3 was abundantly expressed in HCC and was associated with adverse clinicopathologic features and poor outcome. Thus, B7-H3 represents an attractive target for diagnostic and therapeutic manipulation in human HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Inflammatory reactions at a tumor site have both detrimental and beneficial effects on tumor progression. This study was designed to assess the clinical significance of tumor-infiltrating inflammatory cells in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). Methods: A total of 123 consecutive ICC patients who underwent curative resection were enrolled. Tissue microarray and immunohistochemistry were used to analyze the distribution and clinical relevance of IL-17, FOXP3, CD8, CD66b cells, and microvessel density (CD34) in different microanatomical areas. Results: IL-17 cells, FOXP3 lymphocytes, CD66b neutrophils, and microvessels were enriched predominantly in intratumor (IT) area, whereas CD8 lymphocytes were most abundant in tumor invasive front. On univariate analyses, increasing IL-17 and neutrophils were significantly associated with worse patient survival. Multivariate analyses revealed that IL-17 (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.59; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.05-2.41; P = 0.028), neutrophils (HR = 1.76; 95% CI, 1.16-2.65; P = 0.007), and their combination (HR 2.8; 95% CI 1.72-4.57; P < 0.001) were independent prognostic factors, which were superior to conventional clinicopathologic features, such as intrahepatic metastasis and TNM stage. IL-17 significantly correlated with the presence of lymph node metastasis, intrahepatic metastasis, and advanced stages, whereas neutrophils correlated with the presence of vascular invasion. In addition, significant positive correlations were detected among densities of IL-17 cells, neutrophils, and microvessel density. Conclusions: Our data suggested that intratumor IL-17 cells, neutrophils are novel, powerful predictors of prognosis in patients with ICC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are known to play an important role in bone and cartilage development. Recent research has shown that BMPs may induce tumorigenesis and promote tumor to spread, but the molecular mechanisms have not been elucidated. The aim of the present study was to investigate the regulatory function of BMP-2 in the migration of COS-7 cells and the underlying mechanisms. Methods: Human BMP-2 genetic fragment was amplified and introduced into the pEGFP-C1 vector. After being confirmed by XhoI and BamHI digestion analyses and DNA sequencing, the recombinant pEGFP-C1-BMP-2 plasmid was transfected into COS-7 cells. The influence of BMP-2 on cell migration and cofilin activity was detected by cell scratch assay and Western blotting. Results: The recombinant pEGFP-C1-BMP-2 was effectively expressed in COS-7 cells. An increased phosphorylation of both LIMK1 and cofilin and an enhancement of cell migration were observed in cells with overexpression of BMP-2. Conclusions: A recombinant pEGFP-C1-BMP-2 vector was successfully constructed and overexpression of BMP-2 regulated the activities of the downstream molecules of the Rho GTPase signaling pathway, which might contribute to the enhancement of cell migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim:Gefitinib is effective in only approximately 20% of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and the underlying mechanism remains unclear. FoxM1 is upregulated in NSCLC and associated with a poor prognosis in NSCLC patients. In this study, we examined the possible role of FoxM1 in gefitinib resistance and the related mechanisms.Methods:Gefitinib resistant human lung adenocarcinoma cell line SPC-A-1 and gefitinib-sensitive human lung mucoepidermoid carcinoma cell line NCI-H292 were used. mRNA and protein expression of FoxM1 and other factors were tested with quantitative RT PCR and Western blot analysis. RNA interference was performed to suppress FoxM1 expression in SPC-A-1 cells, and lentiviral infection was used to overexpress FoxM1 in H292 cells. MTT assay and flow cytometry were used to examine the proliferation and apoptosis of the cells.Results:Treatment of SPC-A-1 cells with gefitinib (1 and 10 μmol/L) upregulated the expression of FoxM1 in time- and concentration-dependent manners, while gefitinib (1 μmol/L) downregulated in H292 cells. In SPC-A-1 cells treated with gefitinib (1 μmol/L), the expression of several downstream targets of FoxM1, including survivin, cyclin B1, SKP2, PLK1, Aurora B kinase and CDC25B, were significantly upregulated. Overexpression of FoxM1 increased the resistance in H292 cells, while attenuated FoxM1 expression restored the sensitivity to gefitinib in SPC-A-1 cells by inhibiting proliferation and inducing apoptosis.Conclusion:The results suggest that FoxM1 plays an important role in the resistance of NSCLC cells to gefitinib in vitro. FoxM1 could be used as a therapeutic target to overcome the resistance to gefitinib. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The density of tumor-infiltrating immunocytes (TICs) has been proposed as an independent predictor of intrahepatic recurrence in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the relative roles of TIC density in predicting tumor extrahepatic metastasis remain to be elucidated. Methods: The densities of CD3, CD8, granzyme B, FoxP3, CD45RO, CD20, CD1a, CD83, CD57, and CD68 TICs were assessed by immunohistochemistry in tissue microarrays containing paired intratumoral (IT) and peritumoral (PT) tissues from 206 consecutive HCC patients who underwent liver transplantation. Occurrence of extrahepatic metastasis, recurrence-free survival (RFS), and cancer-specific survival (CSS) were assessed retrospectively in relation to TIC densities. Results: CD45RO memory T cell density was lower in tumor tissue compared with peritumor, whereas CD57 senescent T cell density was higher. Univariate analysis revealed that increased CD45RO and decreased CD57 densities were statistically significantly associated with favorable RFS and CSS, while other types of TICs, intratumorally or peritumorally, showed no prognostic values. Further, the CD45RO/CD57 ratio could stratify patients more accurately in terms of RFS and CSS than either marker used alone. Finally, multivariate analysis indicated that a high CD45RO/CD57 ratio was independently associated with better RFS (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.64; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.42 to 0.98; P = 0.040) and CSS (HR = 0.51; 95% CI, 0.31 to 0.83; P = 0.007), but not CD45RO or CD57 individually. Conclusions: These results suggest that the CD45RO/CD57 (memory/senescent T cell) ratio is of vital importance in preventing HCC extrahepatic metastasis and in particular demonstrates its independent prognostic value in liver transplant recipients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

multi-band/multi-mode single-pole nine-throw (SP9T) switch for GSM/UMTS (global system for mobile communications/universal mobile telecommunication system) systems is demonstrated. The switch consists of a GaAs 0.5 μm pseudomorphic high-electron mobility transistor (pHEMT) radio frequency (RF) switches module and Si complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (COMS) digital module with an encoder and a DC boost circuit. High isolation and high linearity are achieved by a series-shunt switch structure and the DC boost circuit, respectively. The switch shows a measured insertion loss of 0.4 dB at 0.8 GHz for GSM transmit arms, 0.7 dB at 0.9 GHz and 0.9 dB at 1.8 GHz for GSM receive arms, and 0.6 dB at 1.8 GHz for UMTS arms. The switch introduces 2nd and 3rd harmonic suppression levels less than −64 dBc at 37 dBm input power. Isolations between transmit and receive terminals are more than 48 dB when one transmit arm is activated. The size of the RF switches module is 1.5 mm×1.1 mm, and the size of the digital module is 1.3 mm×0.63 mm with gold bonding wires connecting these two modules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Periplocin is an active digitalis-like component from Cortex Periplocae, which has been widely used in the treatment of heart diseases in China for many years. According to the recommendations on the cardiovascular effect of periplocin from in vivo experiments, subsequent in vitro experiments are greatly needed for the global assessment of periplocin. The objective of this study is to investigate the cell proliferation effect and the mechanism of periplocin on endothelial cells. The proliferative activity of periplocin (0.4, 2, 10, 50, 250 μmol/L; 6, 12, 24, 48, 72 h) was investigated by a comparison with the well-reported cardiac glycoside, ouabain, on mouse cardiac microvascular endothelial cells (CMEC). 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU) assays were used to evaluate cell proliferation and viability. Subsequently, cDNA microarray experiments were performed on periplocin- (50 μmol/L) and ouabain- (50 μmol/L) treated cells, and data was analyzed by ArrayTrack software. Periplocin could increase cell viability to a level lower than ouabain in the MTT analysis, but decrease LDH release simultaneously. The BrdU incorporation assay showed an increase in cell proliferation with 2–50 μmol/L periplocin. Genes related to protein serine/threonine kinase were the most significantly enriched in the 160 genes identified in periplocin versus the control. In the 165 genes regulated by periplocin versus ouabain, GTP-binding was the most altered term. The results demonstrated the proliferation action of periplocin on CMEC. Meanwhile, its lower cytotoxicity compared to ouabain provides a new insight into the treatment of heart failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of this paper is to study the mean value properties of the character sums over the interval $$ \left[ {1,\;{p \over 8}} \right) $$ by using the mean value theorems of the Dirichlet L-functions, and give an interesting mean value formula for this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To observe the levels of serum C-reactive protein (CRP), endothelin-1 (ET-1), nitric oxide (NO), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in patients after intracoronary stenting (ICS), and the effects of Erigeron Injection (EI) on them. Methods: Seventy-two patients, who received ICS and had symptoms of chest stuffiness, palpitation and chest pain, were randomly divided into two groups, with 36 patients in the control group treated with Plavix alone for anti-platelet aggregation, and the other 36 patients in the treated group treated with Plavix and EI in combination. CRP, ET-1, NO and SOD were determined and compared before and 1, 2 and 3 weeks after treatment. Results: As compared with those in the control group, improvement of symptoms in the treated group was significantly better, with the levels of CRP and ET-1 lower and levels of SOD and NO higher or approaching to normal ranges and significant difference was shown between the two groups (P<0.01). Conclusion: EI could alleviate uncomfortable feelings such as chest stuffiness in patients after ICS, and improve the function of vascular endothelium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) reduced stroke risk in high-risk transient ischemic attack (TIA) patients assessed by ABCD2 score. Patients with positive diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) were identified as imaging-based high-risk. The present study aims to investigate whether DAPT could reduce stroke risk in TIA with DWI positive. The study enrolled TIA patients within 72 h of onset from the prospective TIA database of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University. The predictive outcome was ischemic stroke at 90-day. The relationship between DAPT and stroke was analyzed in a cox proportional hazards model. The Kaplan–Meier curves of TIA patients with DAPT and monotherapy were plotted. Total of 661 TIA patients were enrolled, 279 of whom were DWI positive and 281 used DAPT. The 90-day stroke risk was higher in patients used monotherapy than those used DAPT in TIA with positive DWI (23.7% vs. 13.4%, p = 0.029). DAPT was associated with reduced stroke risk in TIA patients with positive DWI (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.54; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.30–0.97; p = 0.037). However, the benefit didn't exist in TIA patients with negative DWI (HR = 0.43; 95% CI, 0.14–1.33; p = 0.142). Early use of DAPT reduced stroke risk in TIA patients with positive DWI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]