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The key to reducing the mortality of gastric cancer is early detection, early diagnosis, and early treatment of gastric cancer. Early diagnosis of gastric cancer is the key to early detection and diagnosis of gastric cancer. Early diagnosis and treatment of gastric cancer is of great significance for improving the curative effect and reducing mortality of gastric cancer. The purpose of this paper is to study the diagnosis of early gastric cancer based on medical imaging techniques and mathematical modeling. The effect of W-DeepLab network-assisted diagnosis of images under white light was analyzed, and the value of Narrow Band Imaging and Blue Laser Imaging in the diagnosis of early gastric cancer was compared. Because Blue Laser Imaging endoscopy can clearly observe the demarcation line and microvascular morphology; but when using Narrow Band Imaging observation, part of the demarcation line and microvascular morphology is not observed. The results show that Blue Laser Imaging is brighter than Narrow Band Imaging’s endoscopic images, and it is easier to observe the microstructure of lesions under endoscopy, so as to accurately determine the nature of lesions.

Background: This study was to investigate the prevalence of preoperative rim enhancement, and its association with clinicopathological features, relapse, and survival profiles in Chinese basal-like...

The development of venous thromboembolism (VTE) is associated with high mortality among gastric cancer (GC) patients. Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) have been reported to correlate with the prothrombotic state in some diseases, but are rarely reported in GC patients.To investigate the effect of NETs on the development of cancer-associated thrombosis in GC patients.The levels of NETs in blood and tissue samples of patients were analyzed by ELISA, flow cytometry, and immunofluorescence staining. NET generation and hypercoagulation of platelets and endothelial cells (ECs)NETs were likely to form in blood and tissue samples of GC patients compared with healthy individuals.GC-induced NETs strongly increased the risk of VTE development both

Current pre-training methods in computer vision focus on natural images in the daily-life context. However, abstract diagrams such as icons and symbols are common and important in the real world. We are inspired by Tangram, a game that requires replicating an abstract pattern from seven dissected shapes. By recording human experience in solving tangram puzzles, we present the Tangram dataset and show that a pre-trained neural model on the Tangram helps solve some mini visual tasks based on low-resolution vision. Extensive experiments demonstrate that our proposed method generates intelligent solutions for aesthetic tasks such as folding clothes and evaluating room layouts. The pre-trained feature extractor can facilitate the convergence of few-shot learning tasks on human handwriting and improve the accuracy in identifying icons by their contours. The Tangram dataset is available at https://github.com/yizhouzhao/Tangram.

Glioma is the most common primary intracranial tumor and is related to poor clinical outcomes. The developments of sensitive markers can be applied to reveal the mechanisms involved in the progression of glioma. This study examined CDCA2 expression in glioma samples and its significance in predicting glioma patient outcome. GEPIA and GEO datasets were used to explore the expression of CDCA2 in glioma. Kaplan-Meier and multivariate assays were applied to delve into the prognostic values of CDCA2 expression in glioma patients using CGGA datasets. Our group also determined the associations between CDCA2 and clinical characteristics. Coexpression analysis was performed. In this research, we observed that CDCA2 expression was distinctly upregulated in glioma specimens compared with nontumor specimens. The prognosis of glioma with high CDCA2 expression was distinctly worse compared with that of glioma with low CDCA2 expression. Additionally, multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that high CDCA2 expression was an independent poor prognostic indicator for glioma patients. High expression of CDCA2 was positively associated with advanced clinical progression. Coexpression analysis revealed that CDCA2 could be positively related to ASPM, SKA1, DLGAP5, NCAPG, and CDCA8 and was negatively associated with ETNPPL, LDHD, MRVI1, CBX7, and CENPJ. Overall, our findings revealed that CDCA2 might serve as an independent prognosis indicator for glioma.

PurposeTo summarize and discuss the treatment and timing of glaucoma in patients with MICOF keratoprosthesis implantation to guide follow-up clinical treatment.MethodsThe data of 39 eyes (39 patients) with the Moscow Eye Microsurgery Complex in Russia (MICOF) keratoprosthesis implantation in our hospital from 1 January 2002 to 31 December 2017 were collected, including patients with preexisting glaucoma and those who developed glaucoma de novo after MICOF. The sex, age, preoperative diagnosis, glaucoma surgery, keratoplasty, times of keratoplasty, best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and final follow-up corrected visual acuity, visual field (VF) defect, and cup-to-disk ratio (CDR) were statistically analyzed.ResultsAmong 16 eyes with preexisting glaucoma, eight eyes underwent glaucoma surgery before MICOF, 4 eyes underwent glaucoma surgery combined with MICOF, and four eyes were managed medically. Among 23 eyes with de novo glaucoma, seven eyes were treated with surgery and 16 eyes were treated with medication only. A total of 9 (56.3%) eyes had corneal transplants with preexisting glaucoma, which was a higher percentage than that in the patients with de novo glaucoma (n = 5, 21.7%, P = 0.043). In both the preexisting glaucoma group and the de novo glaucoma group, the most common causes were alkali burns (56.3% of preexisting glaucoma and 43.5% of de novo glaucoma). There was no significant difference between the operation and initial visual acuity, postoperative visual acuity, BCVA, CDR, or VF defect. In the de novo glaucoma group, the final follow-up visual acuity of the glaucoma surgery group (1.56 ± 1.07) was worse than that of the mediation group (0.44 ± 0.53) (P < 0.017). Among the complications, the incidence of cornea melting in the patients treated with medications only (n=10) was significantly higher than that in the patients treated with glaucoma surgery (n = 0, P = 0.007), but there was no significant difference in the other complications.ConclusionAmong patients with MICOF, those patients who have undergone keratoplasty are more likely to develop glaucoma before surgery and glaucoma needs to be prevented. Surgical treatment can be selected according to the ocular surface condition in the patients with de novo glaucoma to reduce the occurrence of complications.

Glioma is the common, most aggressive and poorest prognostic tumor type in the brain. More and more biomarkers associated with glioma treatment, prognosis, and immunity are being discovered. Here, we aimed to explore the underlying biological functions and prognostic predictive value of Apolipoprotein L4 (APOL4) in glioma. We downloaded the expression data of APOL4 and clinical information from several databases and used R software for preprocessing. The clinical significance of APOL4 in a glioma outcome was explored by the Cox regression analysis and Kaplan–Meier survival analysis. In addition, immune infiltrates and microenvironmental indicators were assessed by CIBERSORT and TIMER. GO and KEGG analyses were used to analyze the potential functions of APOL4 in gliomas. APOL4 expression was increased in glioma specimens compared to normal tissues and correlated dramatically with the WHO grade. A survival analysis showed a shorter overall survival (OS) in glioma patients with APOL4 overexpression, and a Cox regression analysis showed that APOL4 was an independent prognostic factor for the OS of glioma patients. GSEA, GO, and KEGG enrichment analyses showed remarkable enrichment in immune-related pathways. APOL4 expression was positively correlated with immune infiltration (including DC cells, neutrophils, CD8+ T cells, B cells, macrophages, CD4+ T cells, etc.) and microenvironmental parameters (including immune, stromal, and ESTIMATE scores) in gliomas. Glioma patients with a higher expression of APOL4 may be more sensitive to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI). In conclusion, these findings suggest that APOL4 is associated with the tumor grade and immune infiltrates; APOL4 may be a new and potential biomarker for therapeutic and prognostic evaluations that may further suggest the therapeutic efficacy of immunotherapy.

BackgroundDiabetic kidney disease (DKD) is the primary cause of end-stage renal disease, raising a considerable burden worldwide. Recognizing novel biomarkers by metabolomics can shed light on new biochemical insight to benefit DKD diagnostics and therapeutics. We hypothesized that serum metabolites can serve as biomarkers in the progression of DKD.MethodsA cross-sectional study of 1,043 plasma metabolites by untargeted LC/MS among 89 participants identified associations between proteinuria severity and metabolites difference. Pathway analysis from differently expressed metabolites was used to determine perturbed metabolism pathways. The results were replicated in an independent, cross-sectional cohort of 83 individuals. Correlation and prediction values were used to examine the association between plasma metabolites level and proteinuria amount.ResultsDiabetes, and diabetic kidney disease with different ranges of proteinuria have shown different metabolites patterns. Cysteine and methionine metabolism pathway, and Taurine and hypotaurine metabolism pathway were distinguishable in the existence of DKD in DC (diabetes controls without kidney disease), and DKD with different ranges of proteinuria. Two interesting tetrapeptides (Asn-Met-Cys-Ser and Asn-Cys-Pro-Pro) circulating levels were elevated with the DKD proteinuria progression.ConclusionsThese findings underscore that serum metabolomics provide us biochemical perspectives to identify some clinically relevant physiopathologic biomarkers of DKD progression.

The types and intensity of anthropogenic pressure in the same sea area may differ spatially and may change as time passes, but response of benthic biotic indices to different pressure is different, which makes it unreasonable to use the same benthic biotic indices in a large sea area. We provided a new way of thinking as to selecting benthic biotic indices according to pressure type. The study took six bays under eutrophication and sediment heavy metal pollution to different levels in Fujian coastal water, East China sea, as examples, analysed the response of five benthic biotic indices, namely AZTI marine biotic index (AMBI), multivariate AMBI (M-AMBI), Shannon-Wiener diversity index (H'), benthic opportunistic polychaetes amphipods (BOPA) and benthic polychaetes amphipods (BPA), to eutrophication factors and sediment heavy metal pollution factors firstly. The result indicated that AMBI well responded to dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP); M-AMBI responded soundly in the range of DIN0.131 mg L

Background Tuberculosis (TB) is an important public health problem in China and environmental and genetic factors have an impact on its occurrence and development. We explored the relationship between environmental factors, genetic susceptibility genes and gene–environment interactions and the incidence of TB, as well as their high-risk combination, which can provide a scientific basis for prevention of the disease. Methods The 242 individuals, which included 82 TB patients, 67 family genetically related patients and 93 healthy controls, all of whom were of the Han population in Guangdong Province. The basic information of subjects was collected, including general conditions, behaviour habits, family environmental factors and blood samples. Two single nucleotides with potential functions (interleukin-10 [IL-10] rs1800896, interferon-γ [IFN-γ] rs2430561) were screened by bioinformatics tools and identified by polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism. Results We found that gender, education, TB exposure history, fitness activities, residential areas and indoor hygiene conditions were all associated with the occurrence of TB. In the dominant model, AG+GG of IL-10 and AA of IFN-γ are high-risk genotypes. Multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR) analysis of TB-prone families shows that a combination of male sex, IL-10 AA and AG genotypes and smoking history are elements of high risk for TB infection (prediction accuracy 62.45%, cross-validation consistency 10/10). The MDR analysis of the TB patients group and the healthy control group showed that the combination of low education level, history of TB exposure, and IFN-γ AA genotype represented a higher risk of TB infection (prediction accuracy 80.34%, cross-validation consistency 10/10). Conclusions The occurrence of TB in TB-prone families in the Han population of Guangdong Province is related to environmental factors as well as cytokines IL-10 and IFN-γ. We also found high-risk combinations of genes and environmental factors, providing clues for the timely detection of high-risk groups.

A new labdane-type diterpenoid, ent-19-ol-13-epi-manoyl oxide,19-undecane ester, together with ten known diterpenes, were isolated from the ethanolic crude extract of the fresh tubers of Sagittaria trifolia L. The chemical structures of these compounds were determined by extensive 2-D NMR experiments and by comparison with the data reported in the literature. These compounds showed different inhibitory effects on various human cancer cells. Among these, compound 11 exhibited potential inhibition effects against human colon cancer cells. Moreover, flow cytometry demonstrated that compound 11 arrested the cell cycle at the G1 phase and induced cellular apoptosis, accompanied by mitochondrial membrane potential reduction. Mechanistic studies revealed that treatment with compound 11 inhibited IKKα/β phosphorylation and IκBα phosphorylation, which subsequently caused the blockage of NF-κB p65 phosphorylation and nuclear translocation. Compound 11 also inhibited the expression of c-Myc, Cyclin D1, and Bcl-2, the downstream targets of NF-κB. Therefore, our findings provided insight into the anticancer components of Sagittaria trifolia L. tubers, which could facilitate their utilization as functional food ingredients.

Background. Collagen type V alpha 1 chain (COL5A1) is a hypoxia-related gene (a collagen family protein) and participates in the formation of the extracellular matrix. Although some evidence supports a significant role for COL5A1 in the progression of several cancers, a pan-cancer analysis of COL5A1 is not currently available. Herein, we aimed to assess the prognostic value of COL5A1 in 33 human cancers and to investigate its underlying immunological function. Methods. Through multiple bioinformatics methods, we analyzed the data from Oncomine, TCGA, CCLE, HPA, DNMIVD, and cBioPortal database to explore the potential underlying carcinogenic effect of COL5A1, including the relevance of COL5A1 to the outcome, DNA methylation, tumor microenvironment, immune cells infiltration, and drug sensitivity in 33 human cancers. The effects of COL5A1 on glioma cell proliferation, migration, and invasion were verified in cellular experiments. Results. Our findings indicated that COL5A1 was expressed at high levels in 13 cancers and was negatively related to the prognosis of 11 cancers. Additionally, COL5A1 was coexpressed with genes encoding the major histocompatibility complex, immune activators, immune suppressors, chemokines, chemokine receptors, mismatch repair genes, and immune checkpoints. We also identified different roles for COL5A1 in the immunocyte infiltration in different cancers. The correlation between COL5A1 and drug sensitivity was found in several cancers. COL5A1 potentially influenced the tumor progression through immune-related pathways, negative regulation of immune system processes, chemokine signaling pathways, JAK-STAT pathways, T cell receptor pathways, lymphocyte migration, and antigen processing and presentation, among other processes. Conclusions. Based on our study, COL5A1 may be employed as a prognostic marker in different malignancies because of its impact on tumorigenesis and immune cell infiltration and have implications for cancer immune checkpoint inhibitors and chemotherapy.

Retinoic acid receptor related orphan receptor γt (RORγt), identified as the essential functional regulator of IL-17 producing Th17 cells, is an attractive drug target for treating autoimmune diseases. Starting from the reported GSK2981278 (Phase II), we structurally modified and synthesized a series of 2H-chromone-4-one based sulfonamide derivatives as novel RORγt inverse agonists, which significantly improved their human metabolic stabilities while maintaining a potent RORγt inverse agonist profile. Efforts in reducing the lipophilicity and improving the LLE values led to the discovery of c9, which demonstrated potent RORγt inverse agonistic activity and consistent metabolic stability. During in vivo studies, oral administration of compound c9 exhibited a robust and dose-dependent inhibition of IL-17A cytokine expression and significantly lessened the skin inflammatory symptoms in the mouse imiquimod-induced skin inflammation model. Docking analysis of the binding mode revealed that c9 can suitably occupy the active pocket, and the introduction of the morpholine pyridine group can interact with Leu396, His479, and Cys393. Thus, compound c9 was selected as a preclinical compound for treating Th17-driven autoimmune diseases.

Kimura's disease is a rare, chronic inflammatory condition that usually manifests as highly recurrent head and neck tumors.Systematic review of recurrence predictors following surgical excision.The pathologically confirmed cases at the tertiary medical center were reviewed. PubMed, Medline, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Airiti Library containing grey literature were searched through August 31st, 2019.A total of 31 articles were included for meta-analysis which revealed that surgical excision resulted in a lower recurrence rate (pooled odds ratio [POR] = 3.15, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.12-8.82; p = 0.03) than conservative measures. Surgery was an effective single treatment modality for patients with tumors smaller than 3 cm (POR = 2.89, 95% CI: 1.20-6.95; p = 0.02), symptom duration shorter than 5 years (POR = 3.11, 95% CI, 1.03-9.38; p = 0.04), peripheral blood eosinophilia less than 20% (POR = 4.49, 95% CI: 1.46-13.84; p = 0.009) or serum IgE level less than 10000 IU/ml (POR = 8.30, 95% CI: 1.05-65.34; p = 0.04).Directing patients with Kimura's disease through the treatment algorithm will reduce the recurrence rate. Combination adjuvant therapy with surgery is recommended for the following conditions -- a tumor greater than or equal to 3 cm in size, symptom duration longer than or equal to 5 years, peripheral blood eosinophilia greater than or equal to 20%, or serum IgE greater than or equal to 10000 IU/ml to achieve the optimal therapeutic outcome.PROSPERO CRD42020173258 (http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO).

In order to improve the hydrophobicity of traditional polyethersulfone (PES) membranes, this study combined the reverse thermally induced phase separation (RTIPS) method with the constructed bimetallic polyphenol networks (BMPNs) to prepare hydrophilic anti-fouling membranes. As for BMPNs, tannic acid (TA) was served as an intermediate to construct both the inner and surface hydrophilic layers of the PES membranes. On the one hand, etching Zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (EZIF-8) with synergistic etching and surface functionalization via TA not only retained the high pore structure of MOFs, but also had good hydrophilicity. On the other hand, the MPN hydrophilic layer was formed on the membrane surface by the combination of TA from the surface of EZIF-8 and iron ions in the coagulation bath. Therefore, BMPNs structure penetrated the interior and surface of PES membrane, which greatly improved the hydrophilic properties. In addition, the membrane with porous surfaces and spongy cross sections by RTIPS method improved the permeability and mechanical properties of the membrane by several times compared with the membrane via NIPS method. The obtained membranes in this experiment showed excellent permeability, just like pure water flux reached 1662.16 L/m2 h, while BSA rejection rate remained at 92.78%. Compared with pure membrane, it showed a better flux recovery rate (FRR = 83.33%) after cleaning, and the reduction of irreversible (Rir = 16.67%) fouling indexes indicated that the adsorption of protein was inhibited. These results suggested that the hydrophilic anti-fouling PES membranes prepared by this method possessed great application potential in membrane separation technology.

To evaluate whether programmed intermittent epidural bolus (PIEB) reduces the incidence of maternal intra-partum fever compared with continuous epidural infusion (CEI) during labor. Parturients were randomized to receive CEI (CEI group) or PIEB (PIEB group) with 10 ml per hour for epidural labor analgesia with 1500 subjects in each group. The maintaining dose of two groups is 0.08% ropivacaine with 0.4 μg/ml sufentanil, with patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) dose of 5 ml and lockout interval of 30 min. The incidence of maternal fever, pain score, epidural sensory levels, the number and proportion of PCEA demand, anesthetics consumption, satisfaction score, neonatal Apgar scale, and maternal and neonatal side effects were recorded. It was significantly lower of the incidence of maternal fever beginning at 4 h post-analgesia and continuing until delivery in the PIEB group than the CEI group (4 h: 2.6% vs. 4.2%; 5 h: 7.3% vs. 10.2%; delivery: 5.6% vs. 7.9%; 1 h post-delivery: 3.9% vs. 6.2%; 2 h post-delivery: 2.1 vs. 3.5%; total: 5.8% vs. 8.4% in PIEB and CEI, respectively). Compared with CEI group, pain scores at 3, 4, 5 h post-analgesia and delivery (3 h: 2 [1, 2] vs. 2 [1–3]; 4 h: 2 [2, 3] vs. 3 [2–4]; 5 h: 2 [2, 3] vs. 3 [2–4]; delivery: 3 [2–4] vs. 4 [3, 4] in PIEB and CEI, respectively), the number and proportion of PCEA demand (number: 0.7 ± 0.9 vs. 2.2 ± 1.9; proportion: 42.0% vs. 80.3% in PIEB and CEI, respectively), and anesthetics consumption significantly decreased in the PIEB group (Ropivacaine: 60 ± 13 mg vs. 76 ± 17 mg; Sufentanil: 26 ± 4 mg vs. 32 ± 6 mg in PIEB and CEI, respectively), without severe maternal and neonatal side effects and any difference in neonatal Apgar scale. The epidural sensory levels 2 h post-analgesia (2 h: 8[8, 9] vs. 9[8, 9] in PIEB and CEI) and satisfaction score (9 [9, 10] vs. 7 [6, 7] in PIEB and CEI) were significantly higher in the PIEB group compared with those in the CEI group. PIEB with 10 ml of 0.08% ropivacaine and 0.4 μg/ml sufentanil hourly provided a lower incidence of intra-partum fever with a better analgesic effect compared with CEI, without any severe maternal and neonatal adverse reactions.

A sensitive and specific diagnosis biomarker, in principle scalable to most cancer types, is needed to reduce the prevalent cancer mortality. Meanwhile, the investigation of diagnosis determinants of a biomarker will facilitate the interpretation of its screening results in clinic. Here we design a large‐scale (1558 enrollments), multicenter (multiple hospitals), and cross‐validation (two datasets) clinic study to validate plasma Hsp90α quantified by ELISA as a pan‐cancer biomarker. ROC curve shows the optimum diagnostic cutoff is 69.19 ng/mL in discriminating various cancer patients from all controls (AUC 0.895, sensitivity 81.33% and specificity 81.65% in test cohort; AUC 0.893, sensitivity 81.72% and specificity 81.03% in validation cohort). Similar results are noted in detecting early‐stage cancer patients. Plasma Hsp90α maintains also broad‐spectrum for cancer subtypes, especially with 91.78% sensitivity and 91.96% specificity in patients with AFP‐limited liver cancer. In addition, we demonstrate levels of plasma Hsp90α are determined by ADAM10 expression, which will affect Hsp90α content in exosomes. Furthermore, Western blotting and PRM‐based quantitative proteomics identify that partial false ELISA‐negative patients secret high levels of plasma Hsp90α. Mechanism analysis reveal that TGFβ‐PKCγ gene signature defines a distinct pool of hyperphosphorylated Hsp90α at Theronine residue. In clinic, a mechanistically relevant population of false ELISA‐negative patients express also higher levels of PKCγ. In sum, plasma Hsp90α is a novel pan‐cancer diagnosis biomarker, and cancer diagnosis with plasma Hsp90α is particularly effective in those patients with high expression of ADAM10, but may be insufficient to detect the patients with low ADAM10 and those with hyperphosphorylated Hsp90α.

Objective This study was performed to summarize our experience in applying choledochofiberscopy to the treatment of anastomotic stricture after cholangiojejunostomy. Methods We retrospectively analyzed patients who underwent choledochofiberscopy for the treatment of anastomotic stricture via balloon dilatation and were followed up for at least 6 to 12 months. Results A 6- to 12-month follow-up was performed in the above-mentioned 30 patients after trans-choledochofiberscopic balloon dilation and stone removal. Among these patients, 19 did not develop recurrent fever or abdominal pain, and the serum levels of direct bilirubin, aspartate aminotransferase, γ-glutamyl transpeptidase, and alkaline phosphatase returned to normal or near normal, with a total success rate of 63%. Eleven patients developed restenosis and recurrence of intrahepatic stones, with a stenosis rate of 37%. Among these 11 patients, 6 underwent trans-choledochofiberscopic balloon dilatation for stone removal, and they recovered uneventfully; the remaining 5 patients were transferred for surgical reoperations for treatment of stenosis following repeated dilatation, with a failure rate of 17%. Conclusion Choledochofiberscopy for the treatment of anastomotic stricture after cholangiojejunostomy has the following advantages: minimal trauma, minimal pain, rapid effect, low risk, repeatable treatment procedures, and no serious complications. This is a safe and effective method of treatment.

Inappropriate use of acetaminophen (APAP) can lead to morbidity and mortality secondary to hepatic necrosis. Ginsenoside Rg1 is a major active ingredient in processed Panax ginseng, which is proved to elicit biological effects. We hypothesized the beneficial effect of Rg1 on APAP-mediated hepatotoxicity was through Nrf2/ARE pathway. The study was conducted in cells and mice, comparing the actions of Rg1. Rg1 significantly improved cell survival rates and promoted the expression of antioxidant proteins. Meanwhile, Rg1 reduced the excessive ROS and the occurrence of cell apoptosis, which were related to Nrf2/ARE pathway. Expression of Nrf2 has a certain cell specificity.

At present, the training mode of clinical medical talents in China is mainly the combination of the standardized training of resident doctors and the postgraduate training of clinical medicine, which is the “double-track integration” talent training mode. The new model has created a group of graduate students with deep clinical thinking and strong clinical operation ability. However, due to the pressure of the situation, this group of students generally attaches importance to clinical research rather than scientific research. Thus, their scientific research ability is poor or even obviously insufficient, and their artificial spirit is weakened. The purpose of this article is to provide some suggestions and references for workers in the medical profession by comprehensively analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of this model and proposing some solutions.

PURPOSE To estimate the efficacy and safety of ocriplasmin for patients with vitreous macular traction (VMT). METHODS The PubMed, EMBASE and Ovid were searched up to May 2020 to identify related studies. Statistical analysis was conducted by R software version 3.6.3. Results in proportion with 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated by means of Freeman-Tukey variant of arcsine square transformation. RESULTS The pooling results indicated the overall complete release rate was 50% (95% CI [45%-54%]). For VMT patients younger than 65 years old, with smaller adhesion size of VMT (

Background Chlorpyrifos (CPF) is one of the most widely used organophosphorus pesticides globally and can accumulate in the kidney. Researchers have confirmed the regulatory functions of long non-coding ribonucleic acid (lncRNA) in the kidney. However, very few studies have examined the effects of prenatal CPF exposure or lncRNA on kidney development. Methods High-throughput ribonucleic acid (RNA) sequencing was performed on embryonic kidneys obtained at E12.5, E14.5, E16.5, and E18.5 of prenatal CPF-exposed mice and the dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) control mice. A weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and a functional enrichment analysis were applied to construct a lncRNA-messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) network and screen targeted genes. These strategies were used to select the modules and genes correlated with prenatal CPF exposure in mouse kidney development. Results A gene ontology (GO) analysis revealed that the hub mRNAs linked to prenatal CPF exposure were mainly involved in the extracellular matrix and collagen degradation. Prss1, Prss2, and Prss3 were the most significantly upregulated mRNAs, and all had strong connections to lncRNAs Gm28760, Gm28139, and Gm26717. Additionally, we analyzed the lncRNA-mRNA network at different developmental kidney stages after prenatal CPF exposure. The results showed that kidney development was blocked at E12.5, which led to ectopic proximal tubule formation at E18.5. Conclusions In summary, the RNA-sequencing and weighted gene co-expression network analyses showed that molecular phenotype changes occur in kidney development in a prenatal CPF exposure mouse model.

Background Orbital solitary fibrous tumors (SFTs) are rare neoplasms. Recurrent, hypervascular, malignant variations of orbital SFTs have recently been noted and can present a surgical challenge. Case presentation We describe a case of a 53-year-old Chinese woman with a history of a resected orbital SFT. She presented with proptosis, limited eyeball movement, and visual loss in the right eye, suggestive of a recurrent SFT. Ocular examination with multimodal imaging revealed a large, nonpulsatile, noncompressible, hypervascular mass behind the eyeball. The patient underwent preoperative transarterial embolization of the main blood supply to the tumor in order to control intraoperative blood loss, followed by ocular enucleation to optimize exposure and enable complete resection of the tumor. Embolization of the right ophthalmic artery and the distal branch of the right internal maxillary artery caused an immediate, substantial reduction of vascular flow, which allowed us to enucleate the eyeball and resect the tumor with minimal blood loss and no complications. Conclusions Our case is so far the first Chinese case of successful preoperative embolization of the main blood supply to a large, recurrent, hypervascular orbital SFT. This case also described a different surgical approach to achieve total removal of an orbital SFT without osteotomy.

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is an important aspect in the management of patients with hepatitis B (HB), which remains a serious health problem in China. There have been relatively few HRQoL studies involving Chinese patients with HB. The aim of this study was to analyze HRQoL in patients diagnosed with HB living in Zhejiang Province, China. A cross-sectional sample of 98 patients with chronic HB (CHB), 56 patients with advanced HB that have developed cirrhosis, and 48 healthy controls (HCs), all from Zhejiang Province, was used in this study. HRQoL was assessed using Short-Form 36 (SF-36) version 2, European quality of life questionnaire-5 dimensions (EQ-5D), and chronic liver disease questionnaire (CLDQ). Intergroup score differences were detected with U tests. Factors with a significant effect on HRQoL were identified with Spearman correlational analyses. Patients with HB (both groups) had lower SF-36 scores than HCs ( p < 0.01 ), with the exception of general health subscores. Patients with HB cirrhosis had the lowest scores in the EQ-5D visual analog scale (VAS) component. Furthermore, patients with HB cirrhosis had lower ( p < 0.01 ) CLDQ scores than patients with CHB. In our HB patient cohort, disease stage and income level were the factors most associated with HRQoL variables; age, education level, and marital status were, each, also significantly associated with some HRQoL variables in patients with HB in our study ( p < 0.05 or p < 0.01 ). HRQoL is diminished in patients with HB in southeastern China. Disease stage and income emerged as key determinants of HRQoL scores. Augmenting social and medical supports for patients with HB, especially those with a socioeconomic status and an advanced disease stage, may help to enhance HRQoL.

Background. CYP39A1 is a poorly characterized metabolic enzyme that has been investigated in a few tumors. However, the role of CYP39A1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has not yet been clarified. In this study, the expression and clinical significance of CYP39A1 in HCC were explored. Methods. CYP39A1 protein expression was detected in Akt/c-Met-induced HCC mice and 14 paired fresh HCC samples as well as another 159 HCC and matched noncancerous tissues. Meanwhile, the mRNA expression was analyzed by GEO and TCGA analysis and validated in 14 paired fresh HCC tissues. Furthermore, the relationships between CYP39A1 expression and clinicopathologic features as well as prognosis were analyzed. HCC cell growth changes were analyzed by cell viability assays after CYP39A1 overexpression and then validated after CYP39A1 knockout by DepMap database analysis. Results. CYP39A1 protein expression was lower expressed in HCC mouse models, and its mRNA and protein expression were also downregulated in HCC compared with noncancerous liver tissues. Higher CYP39A1 expression was associated with well differentiation. Moreover, survival analysis indicated that lower CYP39A1 expression was associated with poorer overall survival. In addition, HepG2 and SMMC-7721 cell viability were inhibited after CYP39A1 overexpression. Genome-wide CRISPR/Cas9 proliferation screening indicated that knockout of CYP39A1 could promote HCC cell growth. Likewise, p-NF-κB and Nrf2 were suppressed after CYP39A1 overexpression. It is worth mentioning that total bile acid, total bilirubin, and direct bilirubin were significantly increased in the patients with low CYP39A1 expression. Conclusions. Downregulation of CYP39A1 is associated with HCC carcinogenesis, tumor differentiation, and poor overall survival, suggesting that CYP39A1 may serve as a tumor suppressor gene and novel biomarker for HCC patients.

Background: We performed a meta-analysis to more precisely evaluate the association between the cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) -1772T/C polymorphism and overall gastric cancer (GC) risk and the influence of ethnicity and the source of controls on that association. Methods: A systematic literature search was performed in PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science (WOS) Database, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China biomedical literature database (CBM), Wanfang database, and VIP. Two investigators independently reviewed the articles, and disagreements were resolved by discussion and consensus. The odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) was used to assess the strength of the association between the CTLA-4 -1722T/C polymorphism and GC risk, based on the genotype frequencies in cases and controls. The meta-analyses were performed with Stata 12.0, using two-sided P values. Trial sequential analysis (TSA) was calculated by TSA Software. Results: Overall, we identified 5 studies including 1039 GC cases and 2136 controls that evaluated the association of the CTLA-4 -1722T/C polymorphism and GC risk. Overall, there was no significant association between the CTLA-4-1722T/C polymorphism and the risk of GC. In the subgroup analysis based on ethnicity, the results showed that the relationship between the CTLA-4 -1722T/C polymorphism and GC susceptibility was strongest in the Chinese population rather than in the Iranian population (TC vs CC: OR = 1.405, 95% CI: 1.100–1.796, P = .007; TC+TT vs CC: OR = 1.329, 95% CI: 1.052–1.680, P = .017). Then, there was a significant association between the CTLA-4 -1722T/C polymorphism and the risk of GC in studies with HB controls. However, the above correlation can only be reflected in specific populations and gene models. Therefore, we believe that the evidence of this correlation is insufficient. Conclusion: Our meta-analysis showed that the CTLA-4 -1722T/C polymorphism may be associated with the susceptibility to GC. However, the slight correlation can only be reflected in specific populations and gene models. Therefore, we believe that this association is negligible. The large and well-designed case-control studies are needed to validate our findings.

Our study aimed to investigate the effect of intravenous thrombolysis with alteplase and edaravone on cerebral hemodynamics and T lymphocyte level in patients harboring acute cerebral infarction. There involved a total of 118 patients with acute cerebral infarction from November 2017 to May 2019 in our hospital were randomly divided into 2 groups: the observation group (59 patients were treated with intravenous thrombolysis with alteplase combined with edaravone) and the control group (59 patients were treated with intravenous thrombolysis of alteplase). The clinical effect, neurological function, cerebral hemodynamic index, T lymphocyte level, oxygen free radical scavenging level and oxidative stress index of the 2 groups were observed and compared. Before the treatment, there were no significant differences in neurological function, cerebral hemodynamic indexes, T-lymphocyte level, oxygen free radical scavenging level and oxidative stress indexes between the 2 groups (P > .05). After the treatment, the neurological function, cerebral hemodynamic indexes, T-lymphocyte level, oxygen free radical scavenging level and oxidative stress indexes of the 2 groups were significantly improved. In addition, the observation group exerted greater beneficial effect in terms of the clinical effect, neurologic function, cerebral hemodynamic index, T lymphocyte level, oxygen free radical scavenging level and oxidative stress index than those of the control group (P

Chronic inflammation is considered as an important pathophysiologic mechanism of hepatic cirrhosis, which induces hepatocyte injury and activates hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), thus resulting in hepatic fibrosis. Previous studies have reported that cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor can effectively treat liver fibrosis, while somatostatin (SST) analogues inhibit the activation of HSCs. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of a COX-2 inhibitor, celecoxib, combined with a SST analogue, octreotide, for protection of hepatocytes and prevention of fibrosis in a rat model of hepatic fibrosis. Therefore, a hepatic fibrosis rat model was established following peritoneal injection of thioacetamide (TAA), and the rats were then treated with a combination of celecoxib and octreotide (TAA + C). Immunohistochemistry and western blotting assays were used to assess the expression levels of proteins associated with inflammation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), proliferation, apoptosis and autophagy. H&E staining, transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used to evaluate the destruction of hepatocytes. Masson's Trichrome and Sirius Red were used to measure the degree of liver fibrosis. The results demonstrated that, compared with those of the control group, the degree of liver fibrosis and the expression of the intrahepatic inflammation factors were aggravated in the TAA group. Furthermore, the apoptosis rate, EMT and autophagy of hepatocytes were also increased in the TAA group. However, treatment with TAA + C restored the aforementioned increased levels compared with the TAA group. In conclusion, treatment of rats with the combination of celecoxib and octreotide could attenuate the progress of hepatic fibrosis via protection of hepatocytes by reducing apoptosis, EMT and autophagy in hepatocytes.

Objective Herbal medicine is an important therapeutic option for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a common disease in older men that can seriously affect their quality of life. Currently, it is crucial to develop agents with strong efficacy and few side effects. Herein we investigated the effects of the extract of Rauwolfia vomitoria, a shrub grown in West Africa, on BPH. Methods Rats with testosterone-induced BPH were treated with R. vomitoria. Prostates were histologically analyzed by Hematoxylin and eosin staining. Proliferation index and the expression levels of androgen receptor and its associated proteins were quantified through immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting. Androgen receptor target genes were examined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The sperm count and body weight of rats were also measured. Results The oral administration of R. vomitoria extract significantly reduced the prostate weight and prostate weight index in BPH rats, supported by the decreased thickness of the prostate epithelial layer and increased lumen size. Similar effects were observed in the BPH rats treated with the reference drug, finasteride. R. vomitoria extract significantly reduced the testosterone-induced proliferation markers, including proliferating cell nuclear antigen and cyclin D1, in the prostate glands of BPH rats; it also reduced levels of androgen receptor, its associated protein steroid 5α-reductase 1 and its downstream target genes (FK506-binding protein 5 and matrix metalloproteinase 2). Notably, compared with the finasteride group, R. vomitoria extract did not significantly reduce sperm count. Conclusion R. vomitoria suppresses testosterone-induced BPH development. Due to its milder side effects, R. vomitoria could be a promising therapeutic agent for BPH.

This study presents a systematic on-site remediation case involving both heavy metal and organic contaminants in soil and groundwater in a historically industrial-used site in Shanghai, China. Lab-scale experiments and field tests were conducted to determine the optimum parameters for the removal of contaminants in soil and groundwater. It has been found that the remediation goal of hexavalent chromium in soil could be achieved with the mass content of added sodium hydrosulfite and ferrous sulfate reaching 3% + 6%. The total chromium in the groundwater was effectively removed, when the mass ratio of sodium metabisulfite was not less than 3 g/L, and the added quick lime made pH value not less than 9. The concentrations of arsenic and 1,2-dichloropropane in the groundwater decreased evidently after extraction and mixing of groundwater. The pH and calcium chloride dosage added should be larger than 9.5 and 5 g/L, respectively, to remove phosphate in groundwater. The removal efficiency of those contaminants was examined and evaluated after the on-site remediation. The results demonstrated that it was feasible to use the chemical reduction and solidification/stabilization methods for the on-site ex situ remediation of this site, which could be referenced for the realistic remediation of similar sites.

Salvia plebeia has been in use as traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for more than 500 years. In this study, the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of S. plebeia was sequenced, assembled and compared to those of other five published Salvia cp genomes. It was found that the cp genome structure of S. plebeia was well conserved and had a total size of 151 062 bp. Four parameters were used to display the usage conditions of the codons of the amino acids in Salvia genus. Although the number of protein-coding genes in each species was the same, the total number of codons was different. Except for amino acids Trp and Met whose Relative Synonymous Codon Usage (RSCU) value of one condon was equal to 1, the remaining 19 amino acids had 1-3 preferred codons. The preferred codon names of each amino acid were coincident. The period size for the tandem repeats of six species ranged from 9 to 410 bp. Salvia cp genomes mainly possessed tandem repeats with a copy number less than or equal to 3. The sequence length of tandem repeats of the six species ranged from 25 to 824 bp. Highly viarable regions including four intergenic spacers and six partial genes were discovered as potential specific barcodes for Salvia species through cp genome-wide comparison. Finally, we performed phylogenetic analyses based on the complete cp genome and coding sequences respectively. These results provide information to help construct the cp genome library for Salvia, which may support studies of phylogenetics, DNA barcoding, population and transplastomics.

AIM To explore the applicability of diffusion-tensor imaging (DTI) sequence quantitative parameters in differentiating uterine sarcoma (USr) from degenerative uterine fibroids (DUF). MATERIALS AND METHODS Fourteen cases of USr and 30 cases of DUF were analysed retrospectively. The diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and DTI images were analysed by two observers using Functool software on a ADW4.6 workstation. The images were post-processed to generate an apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) map of DWI, ADC map of DTI (ADCT map), and fractional anisotropy (FA) map. Three regions of interest (ROI) were selected from the ADC, ADCT, and FA maps to obtain the ADC, ADCT, and FA values. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of all parameters were used to analyse and compare the diagnostic value of USr and DUF. RESULTS The ADC value, ADCT value, and FA value of USr (1.190 ± 0.262 × 10−3mm2/s, 1.165 ± 0.270 × 10−9mm2/s, 0.168 ± 0.063) were significantly lower compared to the values for DUF (1.525 ± 0.314 × 10−3mm2/s, 1.650 ± 0.332 × 10−9mm2/s, 0.254 ± 0.111; all p CONCLUSIONS DTI quantitative parameters can be used to differentiate USr from DUF. The ADCT value had the highest diagnostic efficacy.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the remodeling pattern of the extracranial occluded internal carotid artery (OICA) by vessel wall magnetic resonance imaging (VWI). Thirty-nine atherosclerotic OICAs from 32 consecutive cases underwent 3-Tesla VWI to acquire pre- and post-contrast T1-weighted two-dimensional fluid-attenuated inversion recovery fast spin echo sequences. 25 symptomatic CAs exhibited ipsilateral downstream cerebral ischemia or ophthalmic artery embolism within last three months. The 14 remaining CAs were asymptomatic. Twenty-four CAs from 22 patients with atherosclerosis but no stenosis were recruited as control group. The outer wall area (OWA) was calculated based on the outer contour of the carotid artery drawn on the pre-contrast VWI. Negative remodeling was defined as a lower OWA compared to that of control group. Clinical characteristics including age, sex and vascular risk factors showed no significant difference between the occluded and control group. However, the OWA was lower in the occluded group than in the control group (0.63 versus 0.90 cm2, p = 0.004). For all OICAs, the OWA was larger in symptomatic cases than asymptomatic cases (0.71 versus 0.49cm2, p = 0.025). Using a cutoff value of 0.44, the sensitivity and specificity of OWA for detecting symptomatic OICA were 0.88 and 0.57, respectively. Heterogeneous signal intensity and enhancement were more often observed at the proximal than the distal segment of occlusion (p < 0.001). The inter-observer agreement regarding the evaluation of VWI characteristics was desirable (κ = 0.805 ∼ 0.847). Negative remodeling is prevalent in OICA, especially in asymptomatic cases.

This study aims to explore the factors influencing the success rate of the microdissection testicular sperm extraction (Micro-TESE) in patients with nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA) and cryptorchidism. Clinical data of 162 patients with cryptorchidism who underwent Micro-TESE due to infertility from December 2015 to May 2020 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University were analyzed retrospectively. In the univariate analysis, significant differences in the age of patient at the time of orchidopexy (median [interquartile range, IQR]: 7.0 [4.0-11.0] years vs 11.5 [9.0-14.5] years, P0.001), interval between orchidopexy and Micro-TESE (mean ± standard deviation: 17.5 ± 5.0 years vs 14.4 ± 4.4 years, P0.001), severity of cryptorchidism (unilateral [62.8%] vs bilateral [31.6%], P0.001; location of cryptorchidism, intra-abdominal [27.3%] vs inguinal [44.8%] vs suprascrotal [66.7%], P0.001), volume of the dominant testis (median [IQR]: 17.00 [15.00-19.00] ml vs 14.50 [11.75-16.25] ml, P0.001), and levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH; P = 0.004) and testosterone (P = 0.006) were observed between the successful and failed sperm extraction groups. After conducting the multivariate analysis, four of these factors, including unilateral/bilateral cryptorchidism (P0.001), location of cryptorchidism (P = 0.032), age of orchidopexy (P0.001), and dominant testicular volume, were adopted in the clinical prediction model to evaluate preoperatively the success rate of Micro-TESE for patients with NOA and cryptorchidism. The likelihood of successful sperm retrieval by Micro-TESE in men with NOA and cryptorchidism increased in patients with mild forms of cryptorchidism.

As the most aggressive and malignant glioma, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) abnormally expresses genes that mediate glycolytic metabolism and tumour cell growth. In this study, we investigated myricetin incorporated nanoliposomes and ascertained their prospect in effectively treating cancer via the employment of the GBM cell line DBTRG-05MG. Notably, the myricetin nanoliposomes (MYR-NLs) displayed potent inhibition of proliferation and significantly regulated the levels of proteins related to both glycolytic metabolism and cell survival. Most importantly, SIRT3 and phosphorylated p53 were also down-regulated by MYR-NLs, indicating that the MYR-NLs inhibited GBM cell growth through the SIRT3/p53-mediated PI3K/Akt-ERK and mitochondrial pathways. Our findings thus provide rational evidence that liposomal myricetin targeted at alternative cell death pathways may be a useful adjuvant therapy in glioblastoma treatment.

Objective A retrospective observational cohort study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of tacrolimus in Osserman grade III and Osserman grade IV myasthenia gravis (MG) patients. Patients and methods MG patients admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine between June 2011 and January 2017 with grade III and grade IV according to the modified Osserman scale were recruited and received a telephone follow-up in September 2017. Patients treated with tacrolimus plus prednisone were compared with those treated without tacrolimus. The efficacy of tacrolimus was assessed using MG-activities of daily living (MG-ADL) score, Osserman classification, Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America (MGFA) post intervention status (PIS), the number of hospitalizations, the number of myasthenic crises and deaths. The adverse drug effects of tacrolimus were monitored. Results A total of 124 patients were included. The tacrolimus group had a significantly lower MG-ADL score than the control group at follow-up (1.90 ± 2.27vs 2.97 ± 2.78, p = 0.029). The difference of MG-ADL score between baseline and after follow-up was significantly greater in the tacrolimus group than the control group (-7.20 ± 2.95 vs -5.52 ± 2.91, p = 0.003). Fewer patients were hospitalized in the tacrolimus group (p = 0.011). The Osserman classification, MGFA PIS, the number of myasthenic crises and deaths did not differ significantly between the two groups. Nineteen patients in the tacrolimus group had adverse drug reactions, but no severe adverse effects appeared. Conclusion Our study suggested that tacrolimus could be an effective and safe treatment for Osserman grade III and Osserman grade IV MG patients.

Background: Renal diabetic changes are frequent in kidney transplantation (KTx) donors. Whether these diabetic changes are reversible remains a topic of debate. This study aimed to test the hypothesized reversibility of diabetic changes after KTx. Methods: C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into three groups: the control group, early-stage group (ESG), and advanced-stage group (ASG). Diabetes mellitus (DM) was induced in mice by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ) at 50 mg/kg body weight for five consecutive days. Blood glucose levels ≥16.7 mmol/L were indicative of diabetic mice. The kidneys from ESG and ASG were transplanted to control mice 12 or 32 weeks after STZ injection. Kidney tissue, blood, and 24-hour urine specimens of donor and recipient mice were collected before KTx and 28 days after KTx, respectively. We measured the body weight, blood glucose, histological changes, reactive oxygen species (ROS), apoptosis. Electron microscopy was also performed to evaluate the mitochondrial morphology. The expression of NADPH oxidases (NOXs) was assessed by qRT-PCR. Results: Kidneys from early-stage diabetic mice showed evidence of lesion reversal four weeks after KTx, including decreased urinary albumin and reversal of histological changes. Besides, mitochondrial swelling, oxidative stress, apoptosis, and overexpression of NOXs in the kidneys were also suppressed. Conversely, no changes were observed in kidneys from advanced-stage diabetic mice after KTx. Conclusions: We confirmed that early-stage but not advanced-stage diabetic nephropathy (DN) is reversible, which is related to reduced NOX expression and improvement in mitochondrial function. These results indicated that kidneys with early-stage DN could be used for KTx in clinical practice, as the disease may be reversed following KTx.

Modified citrus pectin (MCP) is a carbohydrate enriched complex, which has been implicated in cancer treatment and prevention. However, the effects of MCP on urinary bladder cancer (UBC) are unknown. In this study, MCP was first tested in T24 and J82 human UBC cells and showed the inhibition of cell viability by the sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay. The MCP-treated UBC cells exhibited G(2)/M phase arrest with the decrease of Cyclin B1 and phosphorylated Cdc2. Caspase-3 was also activated, leading to the cleavage of Caspase-3 and PARP. We further explored the possible molecular mechanisms upon MCP treatment in UBC cells. Reduction of galectin-3 was observed and followed with the inactivation of Akt signaling pathway. Of note, galectin-3 knockdown by RNA interference recapitulated the MCP-mediated anti-proliferation, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Moreover, oral administration of MCP to the T24 xenograft-bearing nude mice inhibited the tumor growth significantly (P

Scar treatments are considered a major issue in the plastic surgery field. Activation of the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)-mediated signaling pathway plays a key role in the scar pathogeneses, and high temperature requirement factor A1 (HTRA1) inhibits TGF-β1 activation in tumor cells. Our study aims to investigate the role of HTRA1 in the pathogenesis of scars. The mRNA levels of HTRA1 was evaluated by real time PCR, HTRA1 protein expression was determined using western blot and immunohistochemistry, and a luciferase assay was applied to measure dynamic changes of TGF-β1 activity. We found that the expression of HTRA1 was significantly elevated in keloid tissues, compared to normal skin, and TGF-β1 mRNA levels slightly increase in the keloid tissue. Furthermore, active TGF-β1 protein levels and Smad2 phosphorylation significantly increased in the keloid tissue. Treatment with the latent TGF-β1 or recombinant human HTRA1 (rhHTRA1), alone or in combination, increased Smad2 phosphorylation levels in keloid fibroblasts and active TGF-β1 contents of associated supernatants. Our results suggest that HTRA1 is involved in the pathogenesis of scars through regulating activation of latent TGF-β1 in keloid fibroblasts, and our study reveals that HTRA1 is a novel target that regulates scar formation.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the toxic effects of Cr6+ on bioaccumulation, digestion, immunity, oxidative stress, apoptosis and inflammation-related genes in Channa asiatica. The fish was exposed to waterborne Cr6+ concentrations (0, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 mg/L) for 28 and 56 days. Our results demonstrated that the accumulation of Cr6+ in tissues increased in a concentration-dependent manner, and the content in tissue was liver > gill > gut > muscle. Meanwhile, Cr6+ exposure led to a remarkable suppression of digestion, immunity and antioxidant capacity in C. asiatica. Inversely, MDA and PC content were positively correlated with Cr6+ exposure concentration. Furthermore, the expression of genes went up with the increase of waterborne Cr6+ concentration. Among them, HSP90, NF-κB and TNF-α have a sharp increase. These results elucidate that waterborne Cr6+ exposure may induce bioaccumulation, inhibit digestion and immunity, promote oxidative stress and up-regulate the expression of apoptosis and inflammation-related genes in C. asiatica.

Leachate is a polluting liquid which may cause harmful effects on human health or the environment without a tightly control manner. The leachate management is an important part of the design and operation of bioreactor landfills. To detect the leachate distribution in Laogang Landfill, China, the measurement of electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) was carried out in three areas with different ages. ERT method proved to be an effective non-invasive geophysical method in bioreactor landfills, and the physical properties of waste samples obtained by boreholes were tested in a laboratory. The correlation between the resistivity and the moisture content was described by Archie's law. The result shows that the moisture content of fresh waste is inhomogeneous, while that of aged waste increases with depth. A pseudo 3D model of the moisture content was proposed to improve the understanding of leachate distribution and exhibit the accuracy of the ERT method.

Xue Li,1 Feng Shi,2 Liping Gong,2 Baojian Hang,2 Daoyuan Li,1 Lianli Chi1 1National Glycoengineering Research Center, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Glycobiology, and State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, People’s Republic of China; 2Scientific Research Division, Shandong Institute for Food and Drug Control, Jinan, Shandong, People’s Republic of China Abstract: Collacoriiasini (CCA) is a protein-based traditional Chinese medicine made from donkey skins. Because it has the ability to nourish blood, its demand is increasing rapidly. The shortage of donkey skins increases the risk of the adulteration of CCA products with other animal skins. To ensure the drug efficacy and safety of CCA products, a proteomics technique was applied to reveal proteins in the skins of donkey, horse, cattle, and pig. Species-specific peptides for each animal species were predicted using bioinformatics, and their presence in the skins and gelatin samples was examined by nano-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (nano-LC-MS/MS). One unique marker peptide for each animal species was selected to develop an LC-MS/MS multiple reaction monitoring method. The capability of this method to identify donkey, horse, cattle, and pig materials was demonstrated by analyzing in-house-made donkey gelatins containing different amounts of other animal skins and commercial CCA products. The adulteration of non-donkey species could be sensitively detected at a low level of 0.5%. Hybrid animals, such as mules and hinnies, were also differentiated from donkeys. We provide a practical tool for the quality control of CCA products. The strategy can also be used to study other important traditional Chinese medicines which contain animal proteins. Keywords: Colla corii asini, collagen, proteomics, adulteration, mass spectrometry

Background/Aims: Infection with Acinetobacter baumannii was emerging as one of the leading causes of mortality after donation after cardiac death transpalantion. Methods: We reported a case of a recipient who underwent DCD renal transplantation and later got infected by A.baumannii. Etests were done to verify the susceptibility test results in clinic. Whole-genome analysis was applied to investigate the resistant mechanism at gene level. Results: The pathogen was isolated from his draining liquid the day after the surgery, and susceptibility test reavealed that it was sensitive to tigecycline. However, the isolate obtained from the draining liquid became tigecycline-resistant after fifteen-day administration of tigecycline. The Susceptibility tests showed that the pathogen recovered from tigecycline resistance and became intermediated to tigecycline. Whole-Genome analysis revealed the genetic level change leading to tigecycline resistance and we identified the location of mutation by comparing the whole genome sequence of the isolates. Three loci were figured out which may contribute to drug resistance, including genes encoding HTH domain protein, MFS transporter and AdeS. Conclusion: Understanding the genetic characteristics associated with drug resistance mechanism and antimicrobial profiles of pathogen is important in controlling infection outbreak and preventing serious complications and gives a new insight into the development of antimicrobial agents.

Oxidative stress is mainly caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS). The damage causes a net stress on normal organs, leading to a gradual loss of vital physiological function. ROS, such as free radicals, represent a class of molecules which are derived from the metabolism of oxygen and exist inherently. However, excessive produced ROS can damage all aerobic organisms. Ginseng is one of the most commonly used alternative herbal medicines, also as a traditional Chinese medicine. The aim of this study is to investigate the antioxidant potential function of ginsenoside Rg1 against cisplatin-caused hepatic damage. Male mice were treated with cisplatin to induce oxidative stress to mimic the side effect of anti-cancer drug cisplatin. Ginsenoside Rg1 effectively prevented against cisplatin-induced hepatotoxicity, alleviating histological lesions. Antioxidant functions of Rg1 were restrained by the activation of p62-Keap1-Nrf2 signaling pathway, simultaneously accompanied with expression of protein products. Accumulative p62 and increased activation of JNK in hepatocytes promoted the activation of Nrf2. For the other, degradation of Nrf2 was guided by tyrosine phosphorylation, ubiquitin, and Keap1. In summary, Rg1 prevents hepatotoxicity mainly by inhibiting the binding of Keap1 and Nrf2, partly by p62 accumulation, and more importantly by increasing the production of antioxidative proteins associated to Nrf2. Pharmacological activation of Nrf2 is an effective way in combating against liver injury.

The RTN4 gene plays a role in the development and progression of cancer. This case–control study aimed to investigate the association between the RTN4 gene polymorphism and its plasma level with the risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in a Chinese population. RTN4 gene polymorphisms (rs2920891, rs17046583, rs117465650, rs10496040, and rs2588519) in 220 patients with NPC and 300 healthy controls were analyzed using Snapshot single-nucleotide polymorphism genotyping assays. The plasma level of RTN4 was measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The allele frequencies of RTN4 gene polymorphisms showed no significant difference between the patients and controls (P > .05). Nevertheless, the rs2920891 polymorphism in a dominant model (A/C+C/C) and codominant model (A/C) was significantly associated with the susceptibility to NPC (P = .017, odds ratio [OR] = 1.54, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.08–2.21 and P = .034, OR = 1.64, 95% CI = 1.13–2.38, respectively). The plasma level of RTN4 was significantly higher in patients with NPC in comparison with the controls (P

Purpose The methylation status of the O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter has been proven to be a prognostic and predictive biomarker for lower grade glioma (LGG). This study aims to build a radiomics model to preoperatively predict the MGMT promoter methylation status in LGG. Method 122 pathology-confirmed LGG patients were retrospectively reviewed, with 87 local patients as the training dataset, and 35 from The Cancer Imaging Archive as independent validation. A total of 1702 radiomics features were extracted from three-dimensional contrast-enhanced T1 (3D-CE-T1)-weighted and T2-weighted MRI images, including 14 shape, 18 first order, 75 texture, and 744 wavelet features respectively. The radiomics features were selected with the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator algorithm, and prediction models were constructed with multiple classifiers. Models were evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC). Results Five radiomics prediction models, namely, 3D-CE-T1-weighted single radiomics model, T2-weighted single radiomics model, fusion radiomics model, linear combination radiomics model, and clinical integrated model, were built. The fusion radiomics model, which constructed from the concatenation of both series, displayed the best performance, with an accuracy of 0.849 and an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.970 (0.939-1.000) in the training dataset, and an accuracy of 0.886 and an AUC of 0.898 (0.786-1.000) in the validation dataset. Linear combination of single radiomics models and integration of clinical factors did not improve. Conclusions Conventional MRI radiomics models are reliable for predicting the MGMT promoter methylation status in LGG patients. The fusion of radiomics features from different series may increase the prediction performance.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a dependent risk factor in the progression of intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD). High glucose supply has negative effects on nucleus pulpous (NP) cell and mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) biology. However, the effect of hyperglycaemia on the biological characterization of nucleus pulpous-derived mesenchymal stem cell (NPMSC) has not been investigated previously. Therefore, further exploration of the effects of DM-associated hyperglycaemia on NPMSC biology is important to better understand and develop endogenous repair strategies of DM patient-associated IVDD. Therefore, the cell biological characteristics were compared between NPMSC cultured in media with low glucose concentration (LG-NPMSC) and high glucose concentration (HG-NPMSC). The results demonstrated that HG-NPMSC showed significantly decreased cell proliferation, colony formation ability, migration and wound-healing capability compared with those of LG-NPMSC. HG-NPMSC also showed significantly decreased expressions of stemness genes and mRNA and protein expressions of silent information regulator protein 1 (SIRT1), SIRT6, hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and glucose transporter 1 (GLUT-1), whereas increased cell apoptosis, cell senescence and caspase-3 expression. These results suggest that high glucose may decrease proliferation and stemness maintenance ability and increase apoptosis and senescence of NPMSC. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY: We found that high glucose concentration significantly decreased cell proliferation, colony formation ability, migration and wound-healing capability of nucleus pulposus-derived mesenchymal stem cells. Moreover, high glucose cultured nucleus pulposus-derived mesenchymal stem cells showed significantly decreased expression of stemness genes, related mRNA and protein, whereas increased cell apoptosis, cell senescence and expression of caspase-3. The present study indicated that better control of high concentration glucose in the early stage of diabetes mellitus should be recommended to prevent or limit intervertebral disc degeneration.

Purpose. To assess the diagnostic value of ultrasonography (US) for congenital small bowel atresia (SBA) in neonates and their sonographic characteristics. Methods. A retrospective analysis was performed of 20 neonates who were confirmed with SBA by operation from March 2014 to January 2019. All the neonates have been scanned by US before surgery, and no one underwent barium enema or upper gastrointestinal imaging prior to US. Preoperation ultrasound characteristics about intestinal morphology and intestinal contents were collected, further to summarize the typical ultrasonic features of SBA. Results. Five cases were duodenal atresia, and 15 cases were jejuno-ileal atresia. Distended proximal intestines, liquid with tiny points in it, can be found in 20 neonates. The small intestine without any gas can be found in 20 neonates. Microcolon, no gas and other contents in it, can be found in 16 cases. Conclusions. The typical ultrasonic features of SBA include dilation in proximal intestines, small intestines, and microcolon. US is a promising modality in the clinical diagnosis of SBA.