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To explore the risk factors of abdominal aortic enlargement (AAE) after thoracic endovascular aortic repair using two-stent graft implantation (TEVAR-TSI) for Stanford type B aortic dissection.The clinical and imaging data of patients who underwent TEVAR-TSI for Stanford type B aortic dissection in the First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North University from January 2013 through September 2020 were retrospectively collected and analyzed. CT angiography (CTA) scans were performed before the procedure. Follow-up CTA scans were scheduled and performed in 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after the procedure and annually thereafter. The primary outcome was AAE. The risk factors of AAE after TEVAR-TSI were selected and survival analysis and multivariate logistic regression were conducted accordingly.A total of 146 patients were regularly followed up at our hospital, with the median followup time of the entire cohort being 48 months (ranging from 12 to 84 months). During the followup period after TEVAR-TSI, the incidence of AAE was 19.9% (29/146). A total of 29 patients developed AAE (the AAE group), while 117 patients did not develop AAE (the non-AAE group). There were a total of 27 deaths, including 13 in the non-AAE group versus 14 in the AAE group. Distal aortic reoperation was performed on 10 patients, including 4 in the non-AAE group versus 6 in the AAE group. The cumulative long-term survival and freedom from distal aortic reoperation of the non-AAE group were both significantly better those of the AAE group (The prognosis of patients who developed AAE after TEVAR-TSI was not good. During followup visits, as precautions against the development of AAE, close attention should be paid to partial thrombosis of the false lumen, cumulative diameter of residual intimal tear above the level of the lowest renal arteries, and cumulative diameter of residual intimal tear below the level of the lowest renal arteries.

Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) cryptic complex has invaded Xinjiang, China, since 1998. The distribution of Mediterranean (MED) and Middle East-Asia Minor 1 (MEAM1) B. tabaci substrains has been gradually identified due to the development of molecular technology. In this study, the distribution of MED and MEAM1 in Xinjiang was determined by cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (CAPs). Results showed that MED dominated in northern Xinjiang (84%), whereas MEAM1 was dominant in southern Xinjiang (72%). Five pairs of simple sequence repeat (SSR) primers were used to analyze the genetic diversity of B. tabaci among 36 geographic populations. The genetic diversity of MED and MEAM1was low and varied little among populations in Xinjiang (0.09 ± 0.14 and 0.09 ± 0.13, respectively). Based on ∆K statistic, 13 populations of MEAM1 could be classified into two subgroups at K = 2, whereas the 23 populations of MED could be classified into four subgroups at K = 4. However, Mantel t-test demonstrated no correlation between geographical and genetic distances among B. tabaci complex (R = 0.42, P = 1.00). Neighbor-joining and principal coordinate analysis showed that geographical isolation and interspecific differences were the main causes of the genetic variation. Gene flow predicted that MEAM1 was most likely introduced from Urumqi to the southern Xinjiang. Meanwhile, a large proportion of MED in Kashi region came from Changji and Yining. To block ongoing dispersal, strict detection and flower quarantine regulations need to be enforced.

To investigate the characteristics of aortic remodeling after thoracic endovascular aortic repair using two-stent graft implantation (TEVAR-TSI) for Stanford B aortic dissection.The clinical and imaging data of 128 patients who underwent TEVAR-TSI for Stanford B aortic dissection in the First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North University from January 2013 through May 2019 were retrospectively collected. CT images were obtained before (TThe stented segment of the descending thoracic aorta was evaluated (LAfter receiving TEVAR-TSI, Stanford type B aortic dissection patients had high thrombosis absorption rate in the thoracic aortic segment covered by stent, and the aortic remodeling was more ideal. The aortic remodeling effect in the abdominal aortic segment not covered was not ideal, and the inner diameter of the abdominal aorta tended to increase. Therefore, close follow-up monitoring should be conducted.

// Hai-Song Tan 1, * , Wei-Hua Jiang 2, * , Yi He 3, * , De-Sheng Wang 4, * , Zhen-Jie Wu 1 , Deng-Shuang Wu 1 , Li Gao 5 , Yi Bao 1 , Jia-Zi Shi 1 , Bing Liu 1 , Li-Jun Ma 2 and Lin-Hui Wang 1 1 Department of Urology, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200003, China 2 Department of Oncology, Shanghai Tongren Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200336, China 3 Department of Urology, Jiaxing First Hospital, Zhejiang 314000, China 4 Department of Urology, Second People's Hospital of Bengbu City, Anhui 233000, China 5 Department of Pathology, Changhai Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China * These authors have contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Lin-Hui Wang, email: wanglinhuicz@163.com Li-Jun Ma, email: lijun.ma@shtrhospital.com Bing Liu, email: 13501616398@163.com Keywords: clear cell renal cell carcinoma, metastasis, KRT8, IL-11, biomarker Received: January 17, 2017 Accepted: June 19, 2017 Published: July 12, 2017 ABSTRACT Keratin 8 (KRT8) plays an essential role in the development and metastasis of multiple human cancers. However, its role in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) remains unexplored. Here, we investigated the expression pattern, clinical significance, and function of KRT8 in ccRCC. KRT8 mRNA and protein levels were determined in two large cohorts using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and tissue microarray (TMA) immunohistochemistry (IHC), respectively. We found that KRT8 expression was upregulated in ccRCC and vein tumor thrombi (VTTs). KRT8 overexpression in ccRCC was significantly correlated with aggressive characteristics and was predictive of a poor prognosis in ccRCC patients. Moreover, KRT8 overexpression in renal cancer cell lines promoted cell migration and invasion. In contrast, KRT8 knockdown suppressed ccRCC metastasis both in vitro and in vivo . In addition, our findings showed that KRT8 promoted ccRCC metastasis by increasing IL-11 expression, causing IL-11 autocrine induction, and triggering STAT3 signaling. Overall, this study established the significance of KRT8-IL-11 axis activation in aggressive ccRCC and defined a novel critical signaling mechanism that drives human ccRCC invasion and metastasis.

The sorbent was prepared by agricultural waste straw and power plant waste fly ash. The sorbent was used to remove COD from wastewater. The straw is crushed and carbonized. Fly ash is modified by zinc chloride activation. Result showed that the adsorption effect of the sorbent exceeds 90%.

CRISPR/Cas9 has recently been developed as an efficient genome engineering tool. The rabbit is a suitable animal model for studies of metabolic diseases. In this study, we generated ATP7B site-directed point mutation rabbits to simulate a major mutation type in Asians (p. Arg778Leu) with Wilson disease (WD) by using the CRISPR/Cas9 system combined with single-strand DNA oligonucleotides (ssODNs). The efficiency of the precision point mutation was 52.94% when zygotes were injected 14 hours after HCG treatment and was significantly higher than that of zygotes injected 19 hours after HCG treatment (14.29%). The rabbits carrying the allele with mutant ATP7B died at approximately three months of age. Additionally, the copper content in the livers of rabbits at the onset of WD increased nine-fold, a level similar to the five-fold increase observed in humans with WD. Thus, the efficiency of precision point mutations increases when RNAs are injected into zygotes at earlier stages, and the ATP7B mutant rabbits are a potential model for human WD disease with applications in pathological analysis, clinical treatment and gene therapy research.

Aberrant chromobox (CBX) family protein expression has been reported in a variety of human malignancies. However, the role of CBX6 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression and patient prognosis remains unknown. In this study, we found that CBX6 was frequently up-regulated in HCC clinical samples and HCC cell lines and that CBX6 expression was significantly correlated with larger tumor sizes (≥ 5 cm, p = 0.011) and multiple tumors (n ≥ 2, p = 0.018). Survival analyses indicated that patients with higher CBX6 expression levels had significantly shorter recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) than patients with lower CBX6 expression levels, and multivariate analyses confirmed that increased CBX6 expression was an independent unfavorable prognostic factor for HCC patients. Functional study demonstrated that CBX6 profoundly promoted HCC cell growth both in vitro and in vivo, and mechanistic investigation revealed that the S100A9/NF-κB/MAPK pathway was essential for mediating CBX6 function. In conclusion, our results represent the first evidence that CBX6 contributes to tumor progression and indicate that the protein may serve as a novel prognostic biomarker for HCC and as a therapeutic target in the treatment of the disease.

Transmembrane p24 trafficking protein 3(TMED3) is a metastatic suppressor in colon cancer, but its function in the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is unknown. Here, we report that TMED3 was up-regulated in HCC and portal vein tumor thrombus. TMED3 up-regulation in HCC was significantly correlated with aggressive characteristics and predicted poor prognosis in HCC patients. TMED3 overexpression in HCC cell lines promoted cell migration and invasion. In contrast, TMED3 knockdown suppressed HCC metastasis both in vitro and in vivo. Gene microarray analysis revealed decreased IL-11 expression in TMED3-knockdown cells. We propose that TMED3 promotes HCC metastasis through IL-11/STAT3 signaling. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that TMED3 promotes HCC metastasis and is a potential prognostic biomarker in HCC.

The Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say)) in the north Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region has evolved resistance to various types of insecticides. Chlorantraniliprole is a novel anthranilic diamide insecticide that binds and activates ryanodine receptors. It exhibited excellent efficacy against L. decemlineata in several field trails in Europe. In the present paper, the susceptibility of L. decemlineata fourth-instar larvae derived from six field populations and L. decemlineata adults derived from three field populations to chlorantraniliprole was determined by a topical application. The fourth-instar larvae were substantially more susceptible to chlorantraniliprole than adults, although the range of susceptibility was far greater among the fourth-instar larvae. Regarding stomach toxicities, adult beetles were less susceptible to chlorantraniliprole than larvae. Chlorantraniliprole was most toxic to second-instar larvae, followed by third- and fourth-instar larvae. These data suggested that the appropriate timing for chlorantraniliprole spraying is the early larval stage. Moreover, the synergistic activities of chlorantraniliprole in combination with triphenyl phosphate, diethyl maleate, or piperonyl butoxide against fourth-instar larvae from two field populations and adults from one field population were tested. Piperonyl butoxide had synergistic effects with chlorantraniliprole against fourth-instar larvae but not against adult beetles. Conversely, triphenyl phosphate and diethyl maleate exerted little synergistic effects. It appears that there is a potential risk of resistance against chlorantraniliprole resulting from cytochrome P450 monooxygenase activity.

Background Germline mutations in PALB2 gene make a small contribution to heritable breast cancer susceptibility. A recent report has revealed that women with mutations in the PALB2 gene were more than nine times as likely to develop breast cancer compared to those without. The aim of this study is to understand the status of PALB2 mutations among Chinese high-risk breast cancer patients in a multi-ethnic region in China. Methods 152 patients with hereditary predisposition to breast cancer from the Xinjing region of China were enrolled in the study, and 100 control samples from healthy women were collected in the same locality. We sequenced the coding sequences and flanking intronic regions of PALB2 gene from DNA samples obtained from all subjects by direct sequencing. Results A total of 4 deleterious PALB2 mutations were identified in 152 breast cancer patients with a prevalence of about 2.6 % (4/152). The PALB2 mutation prevalence was 3.2 % (3/95) in cases with family history of breast cancer. In addition to the four deleterious mutations, we identified nine missense variants in 12 patients, using the prediction Softwares SIFT and PolyPhen, four of which might be disease associated (in 5 patients). Two of the 4 patients with deleterious mutations and 2 of the 5 patients presenting putative deleterious missense mutations had triple-negative breast cancer. No PALB2 mutation carriers were identified in 100 healthy controls. Conclusion PALB2 mutations account for a small, but not negligible, proportion of patients with hereditary predisposition to breast cancer in the Xinjing region of China.

Guang-Lei Qiao,1 Wei-Xiang Qi,2 Wei-Hua Jiang,1 Ying Chen,1 Li-Jun Ma1 1Department of Oncology, Tongren Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 2Department of Radiation Oncology, Shanghai Proton and Heavy Ion Center, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China Purpose: The prognostic significance of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in esophageal carcinoma (EC) is controversial. We aim to assess its association with clinicopathological and prognostic relevance in EC by using a meta-analysis.Methods: We searched PubMed, Cochrane Database, Embase databases, and the references in relevant studies that assessed the clinicopathological or prognostic relevance of CTCs in peripheral blood of patients with EC. Statistical analyses were conducted by using Stata software to calculate the pooled odds ratio (OR), hazard ratio (HR), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using fixed or random-effects models according to the heterogeneity of included studies. The subgroup analyses were performed according to ethnicity, histological type, and detection method.Results:Sixteen trials containing 1,260 patients were included for analysis. Pooled results showed that presence of CTCs was significantly associated with poor overall survival (HR=1.71, 95% CI [1.30, 2.12],P

Distortion analysis typically focuses on the physical measurement of distortion. There is little information on the relation between these measurements and perception. A series of studies has been conducted as part of the development of a general method for measuring distortion, based on a simple critical band model of hearing, that links physical measurement with the perception of distortion. Results from both detection and ranking experiments using paired comparison measures of speech processed through a hearing aid will be reported. These results suggest that a critical band analysis of distortion can be useful for relating physical and perceptual measures of distortion, at least for simple stimuli. The limitations of the measure will also be discussed. [Research supported by NIDRR.]