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Enhanced serum secreted clusterin (sCLU) protein was associated with progression, poor prognosis and chemotherapy sensitivity evaluation in malignant patients. However, the clinical significance of serum sCLU protein levels in patients with invasive breast cancer (IBC) is unknown. In this study, the serum sCLU protein in 2648 patients with IBC was detected. The diagnostic value and treatment responses of serum sCLU protein in patients with IBC were also performed. The results showed that the serum sCLU protein level was significantly higher in IBC patients compared to the healthy controls (P, Graphical abstract

Microhaplotypes are an emerging type of forensic genetic marker that are expected to support multiple forensic applications. Here, we developed a 124-plex panel for microhaplotype genotyping based on next-generation sequencing (NGS). The panel yielded intralocus and interlocus balanced sequencing data with a high percentage of effective reads. A full genotype was determined with as little as 0.1 ng of input DNA. Parallel mixture experiments and in-depth comparative analyses were performed with capillary-electrophoresis-based short tandem repeat (STR) and NGS-based microhaplotype genotyping, and demonstrated that microhaplotypes are far superior to STRs for mixture deconvolution. DNA from Han Chinese individuals (n = 256) was sequenced with the 124-plex panel. In total, 514 alleles were observed, and the forensic genetic parameters were calculated. A comparison of the forensic parameters for the 20 microhaplotypes with the top Ae values in the 124-plex panel and 20 commonly used forensic STRs showed that these microhaplotypes were as effective as STRs in identifying individuals. A linkage disequilibrium analysis showed that 106 of the 124 microhaplotypes were independently hereditary, and the combined match probability for these 106 microhaplotypes was 5.23 × 10−66. We conclude that this 124-plex microhaplotype panel is a powerful tool for forensic applications.

BACKGROUND The relationship between non-cholestatic liver disease and total bile acid (TBA) remains obscure. The present study aimed to verify this relationship in patients with non-cholestatic chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. METHODS A total of 922 consecutive chronic HBV infected patients with alkaline phosphatase (ALP) ≤ 1.5 upper limit of normal (ULN) and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) ≤ 3 ULN were rigorously included in this cross-sectional study. Liver biopsy was performed in 53 patients and Scheuer scoring system was used to evaluate inflammation grade. G3/G4 or Child-Pugh B/C were considered to be significant liver injury. RESULTS Compared to Child-Pugh A, TBA, total bilirubin (TBIL), ALP, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and AST to ALT ratio (AST/ALT) were significantly higher in Child-Pugh B/C, while TBIL to TBA ratio (TBIL/TBA) was significantly lower (all p < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, TBA and AST/ALT were independently correlated with Child-Pugh B/C [odds ratio (OR) = 1.04, p < 0.001; OR = 1.79, p < 0.001, respectively]. The area under the curve (AUC) of TBA (0.82) was significantly higher than that of AST (0.73, p < 0.001) and ALT (0.63, p < 0.001). Furthermore, in patients with liver biopsy, TBA was also significantly higher in G3/G4 while TBIL/TBA was significantly lower (p < 0.05). After adjusting the factors related to bile excretion, TBIL/TBA was independently associated with G3/G4 (OR = 0.89, p = 0.037). CONCLUSIONS Serum TBA shows a close relationship with significant liver injury in chronic HBV infected patients without cholestasis. Assessment of TBA, especially in combination with TBIL/TBA, may serve as a non-invasive marker for the diagnosis of non-cholestatic hepatic damage.

Short tandem repeat (STR) profiling is routinely used in forensic genetics. At present, STR analysis is mainly performed by capillary electrophoresis (CE). However, due to limitations associated with the CE method, STR genotyping has been limited to length polymorphisms only. Because next generation sequencing (NGS) is capable of providing full resolution STR data at the sequence variation level, the individual identification capability of forensic STR loci could be significantly improved. Here we present sequence-based STR data for the Beijing Han population in which 291 individuals were screened for 23 commonly used forensic STRs using the SeqTypeR24 CASE kit on an Ion PGM platform. In total, 234 length-based alleles and 356 sequence-based alleles, which included 22 novel core repeat sequences, were observed. The sequence-based matching probability and power of discrimination were superior to the length-based numbers for 16 loci bearing micro-variant alleles. Combined matching probability reached 8.2 × 10-29 for 23 STR loci at the sequence level. This was two orders of magnitude higher than the parameters at length level and provides a data base for sequence-based STR casework applications.

Phragmites australis and Chloris virgata are native, dominant, salt-tolerant grass species that grow in the Yellow River Delta, China, and have potential applications in the phytoremediation of petroleum-polluted saline soil. The characteristics of endophytic bacterial communities of Phragmites australis and Chloris virgata and their functions in hydrocarbon degradation and plant growth promotion have been studied using both high-throughput sequencing and conventional microbial techniques. Through 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, we found five bacterial phyla that were dominant among the endophytic bacterial communities of the two grass species, including Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Tenericutes. The phylum Proteobacteria was common among the endophytic bacterial communities of the two grass species. The diversity in the endophytic bacterial community of Chloris virgata was generally higher than that in the community of Phragmites australis. Thirty-eight hydrocarbon-degrading endophytic bacteria were isolated from the two grasses via culturing techniques. Based on phylogenetic analyses, the bacterial isolates were classified into the phyla Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria. The majority of strains belonged to the genera Bacillus and Pseudomonas. More than 70% of the isolates of hydrocarbon-degrading endophytes exhibited the ability to stimulate plant growth. These isolates mainly belonged to Bacillus sp., Pseudomonas sp., Beijerinckia sp., Serratia sp., Acinetobacter sp., Microbacterium sp., and Rhizobium sp. Altogether, the present study revealed that Phragmites australis and Chloris virgata growing on petroleum-polluted saline soil in the Yellow River Delta harbor several diverse species of endophytic bacteria and serve as novel sources of beneficial bacteria and hydrocarbon degradation.

Microalgal cultivation coupled with urban wastewater treatment can promote the large-scale production of algal biodiesel. However, most studies conducted to date have focused on effects of the nitrogen lipid production and nutrient removal, while ignoring the effects of dilution levels on the growth and biochemical properties. In this study, synthetic urban wastewater (SUW) was adopted to cultivate Scenedesmus sp. to explore the effects of dilution levels on the growth and biochemical properties, especially the lipid and protein properties. Microalgae reached maximum cell density (4.12 × 106 cell/mL) at 100% dilution, maximum specific growth rate (0.5815 d−1) at 100% dilution, maximum total lipid content (25.4%) at 25% dilution, and maximum protein content (49.97%) at 75% dilution after 5 d of cultivation. The maximum removal rate was COD 69.5 mg/L/d (100% dilution), NH3-N 7.33 mg/L/d (100% dilution) and TP 0.325 mg/L/d (75% dilution). Overall, SUW is a feasible medium for Scenedesmus sp. and 100%...

Objective: To investigate the short-term efficacy of laparoscopic assisted Total Extraperitoneal Repair (TEP) with small incision for large inguinal hernia in adults, so as to guide the treatment of patients. Methods: A total of 32 adults with large inguinal hernia treated with laparoscopic assisted TEP from September 2015 to March 2017 were enrolled as the observation group, and from January 2013 to June 2015, 34 cases with large inguinal hernia treated with TEP were enrolled as the control group. The efficacy of operation and recovery, White Blood Count (WBC), C Reactive Protein (CRP) and Visual Analogue Score (VAS), the recurrence rate within 6 months and quality of life between two groups were compared. Results: Compared with the control group, the operation time in observation group was longer, intraoperative bleeding volume was less, postoperative ambulation time and hospital stays were shorter, the WBC, CRP and VAS at 3 d after operation were less, the differences were statistically significant (P 0.05). Within 6 months after surgery, quality of life in two groups improved significantly (P 0.05). Conclusion: Laparoscopic assisted TEP with small incision is effective in treatment of large inguinal hernia in adult patients. Compared with the traditional TEP, intraoperative bleeding volume in laparoscopic assisted TEP with small incision is less, postoperative recovery is faster, pain and physiological stress are less.

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) are considered to be a potential therapy for end-stage liver disease. However, the therapeutic mechanism of BM-MSCs remains unclear. The aim of the current study was to investigate the role of paracrine signaling in BM-MSCs in liver cirrhosis in vitro. Human BM-MSCs and hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) were cultured using a vertical double cell co-culture system. Groups were divided into HSCs alone (control group) and the co-culture system of BM-MSCs with HSCs (experimental group). HSC morphology was observed by inverted phase contrast microscopy. The proliferative capacity of HSCs was measured with the MTT assay and flow cytometry. Hoechst staining was performed to examine the apoptosis of HSCs. Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 and Smad7 mRNA expression were detected by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. BM-MSCs did not inhibit the proliferation of HSCs at 24 h, however significantly inhibited the proliferation of HSCs at 48 and 72 h. BM-MSCs additionally induced the apoptosis of HSCs at 48 h. The concentration of TGF-β1 in the supernatant at 24 h and 48 h in the co-cultured system was observed to be significantly lower than in the control group (P

To investigate the relationship between serum soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) level and anti-HBc in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.Sera from 100 patients with chronic HBV infection and 30 healthy controls were included in this study. The patients were divided into group A [HBsAg (+), HBeAg (+) and anti-HBc (+), n=50] and group B [HBsAg (+), HBeAg (+) and anti-HBc (-), n=50]. sIL-2R levels were determined using ELISA. HBV DNA and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were also detected.Serum sIL-2R levels were significantly higher in patients with chronic HBV infection than in healthy controls. Moreover, serum sIL-2R levels were significantly higher in patients with HBsAg (+), HBeAg (+) and anti-HBc (+) (976.56+/-213.51x10(3) U/L) than in patients with HBsAg (+), HBeAg (+) and anti-HBc (-) (393.41+/-189.54x10(3) U/L, P0.01). A significant relationship was found between serum sIL-2R and ALT levels (P0.01) in patients with chronic HBV infection, but there was no correlation between sIL-2R and HBV DNA levels. The anti-HBc status was significantly related to the age of patients (P0.01).The high sIL-2R level is related to positive anti-HBc in chronic hepatitis B patients. Positive anti-HBc may be related to T-lymphocyte activation and negative anti-HBc may imply immune tolerance in these patients.