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Background: Acellular Bovine Pericardium Matrix (ABPM) is a new material in implant-based breast reconstruction (IBBR). Few studies have reported on its outcome and complications worldwide and most studies were without a control group. Our aim was to compare its use in IBBR with the other two conventional implant-based reconstruction methods. Methods: A retrospective review of patients undergoing IBBR from January to December 2018 was performed. Patients were assigned to the ABPM-assisted IBBR (group A), latissimus dorsi-assisted IBBR (group B) and two-stage IBBR (group C). Patients’ post-operative complications, cost-effectiveness and Quality of Life were compared. Results: 100 patients with 100 breasts were included in the study. No complications occurred in group C (n = 11). No significant differences were noted between group A (n = 44) and group B (n = 45) in terms of overall complications (9.1% vs 11.1%, p = 0.973). Group B had the longest operative duration (310.8 ± 62.3 min, p

Objective Bladder pain syndrome (BPS) is a chronic pain condition associated with injury to the glycosoaminoglycan (GAG) layer. We aimed to prospectively evaluate iAluRil® with multi-centre tertiary urogynaecology collaboration. We hypothesised that iAluRil® (a GAG therapy) would demonstrate equivalent symptom, pain and QOL scores compared to DMSO controls. Study Design iAluRil® was administered for 7 instillations over 3 months in 34 women over 6 sites. 18 historical DMSO controls were matched 2:1. At baseline and 3 months post treatment validated questionnaires were collected. Results Both iAluRil® and DMSO were associated with statistically significant improvements in IC/BPS specific questionnaire scores. iAluRil® showed statistically significant improvements in pain, symptoms, and QOL. 45 % of iAluRil® recipients had a greater than 50 % reduction in pain score as represented by the VAS. DMSO was also effective in improving measures of IC/BPS with statistically significant decreases in ICSI and ICPI. There was no statistically significant difference in the size of the effect between DMSO and IAluRil®. Conclusions iAluRil® is well tolerated and associated with significant improvements in pain and symptom scores. Almost half of refractory BPS will have a 50 % decrease in pain score at three months post treatment. This effect size is similar to DMSO.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the value of elastic strain rate ratio (SR) in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant thyroid imaging reporting and data system (TI-RADS) 4 nodules under the influence of various factors. Method: This study included 180 patients with type 4 unifocal thyroid nodules diagnosed by ultrasound examination in the Xiangyang No. 1 People's Hospital from March 2016 to March 2019. All patients underwent elasticity imaging and surgical operations. The pathological results were used as the gold standard to perform logistic regression analyses and identify the factors influencing the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant thyroid nodules. Then, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn. Results: The ROC curve suggested a cutoff value of 0.52 in differentiating between benign and malignant TI-RADS 4 nodules using the SR value. The nodule size, calcification, border, and thyroid gland with diffuse lesions were factors influencing the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant TI-RADS 4 nodules with the SR value. SR had a high accuracy identifying benign and malignant TI-RADS 4 nodules with a diameter of less than 0.8 cm (but >0.4 cm), no or granular calcification, nodules with blurred borders, and no thyroid gland with diffuse lesions. Conclusion: The diagnostic accuracy was improved by combining the two-dimensional ultrasound with SR determination in the differential diagnosis of benign or malignant TI-RADS 4 nodules.

The clinical translation of cationic α-helical antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) has been hindered by structural instability, proteolytic degradation and in vivo toxicity from nonspecific membrane lysis. Although analyses of hydrophobic content and charge distribution have informed the design of synthetic AMPs with increased potency and reduced in vitro hemolysis, nonspecific membrane toxicity in vivo continues to impede AMP drug development. Here, we analyzed a 58-member library of stapled AMPs (StAMPs) based on magainin II and applied the insights from structure–function–toxicity measurements to devise an algorithm for the design of stable, protease-resistant, potent and nontoxic StAMP prototypes. We show that a lead double-stapled StAMP named Mag(i+4)1,15(A9K,B21A,N22K,S23K) can kill multidrug-resistant Gram-negative pathogens, such as colistin-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii in a mouse peritonitis–sepsis model, without observed hemolysis or renal injury in murine toxicity studies. Inputting the amino acid sequences alone, we further generated membrane-selective StAMPs of pleurocidin, CAP18 and esculentin, highlighting the generalizability of our design platform. The authors designed stapled antimicrobial peptides that have potent antibacterial activity in mice and limited toxicity.

The high mobility group A1 (HMGA1) protein, an architectural transcription factor, is profoundly implicated in the pathogenesis and progression of multiple malignant tumors. Reprogrammed energy metabolism is a hallmark of diverse types of cancer cells. However, little is known about the regulatory role of HMGA1 in aerobic glycolysis. In this study, we found that HMGA1 was highly expressed in many types of human cancers including gastric cancer and predicted a poor prognosis. However, high HMGA1 expression was not correlated with TNM stages. Gene set enrichment analysis result suggested a link between HMGA1 expression and glycolytic phenotype in gastric cancer. Genetic silencing of HMGA1 significantly inhibited gastric cancer glycolytic activity as revealed by reduced glucose uptake, lactate release, and extracellular acidification ratio. In addition, cell proliferation and invasive capacity of gastric cancer cells were also suppressed by HMGA1 knockdown. Mechanistically, the key glycolysis regulator c-Myc was identified as a downstream target of HMGA1. In gastric cancer patients, HMGA1 and c-Myc expression were closely associated with the glycolysis gene signature. Taken together, our findings identify a novel function of HMGA1 in regulating aerobic glycolysis in gastric cancer.

Introduction: Most patients with malignant solid tumours have abnormal blood coagulation and an abnormal peripheral blood count, but data on nasopharyngeal carcinoma is scare. We hypothesised abnormal coagulation indices and red cell distribution width (RDW) in this group that are linked to the tumour (T), lymph node (N) and metastatic aspects (M) of the patients.Methods: We recruited 740 newly diagnosed patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma and 238 healthy controls, taking venous blood for prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), thrombin time, fibrinogen, fibrin degradation products (FDP), D-dimer, RD), platelets and platelet distribution width (PDW). In the patients, lab indices were analysed according to clinical stage.Results: All indices except thrombin time were significantly different between cases and controls (p 0.7, and in combination gave an AUC of 0.88 (95% CI 0.86-0.91) for nasopharyngeal carcinoma. No index provided an AUC >0.7 for T or N classification, or early v late stage, but APTT, fibrinogen and FDP all gave AUCs ≥0.7 for predicting metastases. Together, these three indices gave an AUC of 0.84 (0.78-0.91).Conclusions: Routine coagulation indices can predict nasopharyngeal carcinoma, with the combination of prothrombin time, APTT and PDW being strongest. The combination of APTT, fibrinogen and FDPs provides a useful score to predict metastases. These indices should be considered in the diagnosis and staging of this disease.

1. The objectives of the current study were to investigate the mitochondrial genome and molecular phylogeny of Lueyang black-bone chicken, and provide molecule base to preserve and explore the specific chicken strain. 2. Based on sequencing and clustering, the complete mitochondrial DNA map and sequences of Lueyang black-bone chicken were revealed, and two phylogenetic trees of Lueyang black-bone chickens based on D-loop sequences and the mitochondrial genome were constructed. 3. The results showed that the complete mitochondrial genome of Lueyang black-bone chickens is 16,784bp in size, consisting of 22 transfer RNA genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, 13 protein-coding genes, and one non-coding control region. The base composition of the complete mtDNA sequence is 30.28% for A, 23.78% for T, 32.42% for C, 13.52% for G. Additionally, 10 haplotypes of D-loop sequences in 32 Lueyang black-bone chickens were detected, which were distributed into 4 clades (A, B, C and E). 4. It was concluded that genetic diversity is wide in Lueyang black-bone chickens, and this strain has multiple maternal origins from different regions in China and neighbouring regions.

Glanzmann’s thrombasthenia (GT) is a rare bleeding disorder characterized by spontaneous mucocutaneous bleeding. The disorder is caused by quantitative or qualitative defects in integrin αIIbβ3 (encoded by ITGA2B and ITGB3) on the platelet and is more common in consanguineous populations. However, the prevalence rate and clinical characteristics of GT in nonconsanguineous populations have been unclear. We analyzed 97 patients from 93 families with GT in the Han population in China. This analysis showed lower consanguinity (18.3%) in Han patients than other ethnic populations in GT-prone countries. Compared with other ethnic populations, there was no significant difference in the distribution of GT types. Han females suffered more severe bleeding and had a poorer prognosis. We identified a total of 43 different ITGA2B and ITGB3 variants, including 25 previously unidentified, in 45 patients. These variants included 14 missense, four nonsense, four frameshift, and three splicing site variants. Patients with the same genotype generally manifested the same GT type but presented with different bleeding severities. This suggests that GT clinical phenotype does not solely depend on genotype. Our study provides an initial, yet important, clinical and molecular characterization of GT heterogeneity in China.

Background Sensitive skin (SS) seems not to be a one-dimensional condition and many scholars concentrate on skin barrier disruption or sensorineural change, but few focus on its increased vascular reactivity. This study explored the possibility of using the different selection methods and measurement methods to verify a high vascular reactivity in SS without an impaired cutaneous barrier function. Methods Sixty "self-perceived sensitive skin" volunteers were enlisted and each one completed three kinds of screening tests: assess cutaneous sensory using questionnaire survey and Lactic Acid Sting Test (LAST); assess barrier function using Sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) skin irritation test and assess cutaneous vascular reactivity using 98% DMSO test and non-invasive measurement. Volunteers were divided into different groups based on response to SLS. The DMSO clinical score and the biophysical parameters obtained by non-invasive measurement were subsequently analysed. Results (1) The positive correlations could be seen between sum LAST score and sum DMSO score regardless of the observation time; (2) The biological parameters (CBF、a*values and L* values) are all keeping with DMSO score; (3) If the participants were divided into SLS reactors and non-reactors, a composition ratio of DMSO score was significant difference in these two groups and in SLS non-reactors, there were still seven participants showed high reaction to DMSO. Conclusions There is a sub-group of SS for characteristics of a high vascular reactivity without an impaired cutaneous barrier function. The DMSO test and novel non-invasive measurements which are conducive to assess cutaneous vascular reactivity, combined with SLS skin irritation test could help us to screen this kind of SS.

Unilateral absence of the pulmonary artery (UAPA) is a rare congenital cardiovascular malformation that can present as an isolated lesion or may be associated with other congenital heart malformations. Several studies have reported UAPA after birth. To our knowledge, the absence of the right pulmonary artery in the fetus has not been reported. Here, we report a rare case of fetal right pulmonary artery absence with aortic coarctation, which was confirmed by postpartum ultrasound and computed tomography angiography (CTA). Our case demonstrates that fetal echocardiography, especially the three-vessel view, is beneficial for the prenatal diagnosis of pulmonary artery malformations.

Purpose/objective(s) Chemo-radiotherapy (CRT) remains the main treatment modality for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, its clinical efficacy is largely limited by individual variations in radio-sensitivity and risk of radiation-induced thoracic toxicity (RITT). There is an urgent need to identify genetic determinants that can explain patients' likelihood to develop recurrence and RITT following CRT. Materials/methods We performed comprehensive genomic profiling, using a 474-cancer and radiotherapy-related gene panel, on pretreatment biopsy samples from patients with unresectable stage III NSCLCs who underwent definitive CRT. Patients' clinical and genomic features were correlated with progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and high-grade RITT development, after CRT. Results A total of 122 patients were enrolled (median age, 62 years; 87% males). Of these, the majority (n = 84, 69%) had squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and the remaining 38 (31%) were adenocarcinoma (ADC). Median PFS and OS of the cohort were 11.4 and 34.6 months, respectively. No clear survival difference was seen between the histological subtypes or other clinical features, other than an association between smoking history and an unfavorable outcome (PFS HR = 1.89 [95% CI, 1.11-3.21], P = 0.02; OS HR = 1.59 [0.80-3.16], P = 0.19). Genetic association analysis identified alterations in NOTCH2, KEAP1, FGFR1/3 alterations as potential risk factors of CRT resistance, with reduced PFS and OS compared with patients carrying the respective wild-type genes. The rates of grade 2 or higher (high-grade) radiation-induced pneumonitis and esophagitis were 32% and 13%, respectively. Polymorphisms in the DNA repair-associated XRCC5 (rs3835) and XRCC1 (rs25487) were associated with an increased risk of high-grade esophagitis and pneumonitis, respectively. Moreover, XRCC5 (rs3835) was also associated with an earlier occurrence of high-grade esophagitis. MTHFR (rs1801133) and NQO1 (rs1800566) were additional risk alleles associated with an increased susceptibility to RITT overall. Conclusion Our results provide a set of clinically usable predictive biomarkers for chemo-radiotherapy toxicity and efficacy. These findings suggest that pre-treatment testing for a combination of genetic variants, which likely act together to confer resistance or toxicity after CRT, might be clinically useful.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S) To analyze the prognosis and locoregional failure patterns of patients with isolated regional recurrence (RR) after mastectomy and investigate the effect of radiotherapy (RT) and optimal radiation target volumes. MATERIALS/METHODS A total of 144 patients with first isolated RR after mastectomy treated in two institutions between 2001 and 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. All had not received postmastectomy RT. 100 (69.4%) had supraclavicular fossa (SC) recurrence, 54 (37.5%) had axilla recurrence, and 7(4.9%) had internal mammary region (IM) recurrence. After RR, 93 (63.6%) patients received local plus systemic therapy, 10 (6.9%) received local therapy, and 40 (27.8%) received systemic therapy alone. Among the 103 patients who received local therapy, 27 (26.2%) received surgery plus RT, 60 (58.3%) received RT and 16 (15.5%) received surgery alone. Of the 87 patients who received RT, 14 (16.1%) received involved-field RT, and 73 (83.9%) received additional prophylactic RT to the initially uninvolved locoregional sites. The median dose to the recurrent tumor or tumor bed after surgery was 60 Gy. Of the 73 patients who received prophylactic RT, the median dose was 50 Gy, to chest wall (CW) in 67/87 (77.0%), to SC in 24/28 (85.7%), to axilla in 6/53 (11.3%), and to IM in 3/81 (3.7%). Post-recurrence progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were calculated by Kaplan-Meier method and the differences were compared with Log-rank test. Competing risk model was used to estimate the subsequent locoregional recurrence (sLRR) rates, and the differences were compared with Gray test. Multivariate analysis was performed using Cox logistic and Fine-Gray regression. RESULTS With a median follow-up of 82.5 months (range, 5.0-205.0) after RR, the 5-year sLRR, PFS and OS rates for the entire group were 42.1%, 22.9% and 62.6%. Local plus systemic therapy was an independent favorable prognostic factor for sLRR and PFS. Surgery plus RT was an independent favorable prognostic factor for sLRR. The most common sLRR sites were initially involved nodal regions, followed by CW, and then initially uninvolved nodal regions. Surgery plus RT significantly reduced the risk of recurrence within the initially involved nodal regions (P

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S) Esophageal cancer (EC), especially esophageal squamous cell carcinoma is one of the most aggressive tumors in China with a five-year survival rate of approximately 40%. While definitive chemo-radiotherapy (CRT) remains the main treatment modality for EC, its clinical efficacy is largely limited by variations in individuals' radio-sensitivity. The ability to accurately and reliably identify poor CRT responders might be of great value for timely regimen adjustments. MATERIALS/METHODS In this retrospective study, targeted next-generation sequencing using a 474-gene panel was performed on baseline tumors of 190 inoperable EC patients treated with CRT. Baseline clinical characteristics, genomic alterations and canonical oncogenic pathways were investigated for their associations with clinical outcomes. RESULTS In this cohort, alterations in TP53 (94.2%), CDKN2A (51.1%), CCND1 (45.3%), MYC (34.2%), FGF19 (34.2%), CDKN1C (33.2%), NOTCH1 (30.5%), NFE2L2 (30.0%), FAT1 (25.8%) and PIK3CA (24.2%) were frequently observed. We revealed distinct genomic profiles between patients who achieved complete or partial response (CR/PR) and those with stable or progressive disease (SD/PD). Specifically, deletion of CDKN2B [29.59% vs. 16.48%, fisher's exact P = 0.039] and amplification of CDK6 [10.2% vs. 0%, fisher's exact P = 0.002] were significantly enriched in the SD/PD group comparing to CR/PR. Pathway analyses demonstrated that genetic alterations in the cell cycle regulation pathway were also more commonly identified in SD/PD than CR/PR group [22.22% vs. 17.83%, fisher's exact P = 0.025]. At baseline, clinical stage, the best response and level of reported radiation toxicity were significantly associated with PFS following CRT. Additionally, mutations in CHEK2 [PFS HR 3.81 (1.89-7.67), P < 0.0001; OS HR 2.44 (1.06-5.64), P = 0.031] and deletion of CDKN1C [PFS HR 1.63 (1.12-2.36), P = 0.009; OS HR 1.57 (0.984-2.5), P = 0.057], among others, could predict poor PFS and OS following CRT and remained meaningful after adjusting for clinical factors. CONCLUSION We demonstrated here crucial prognostic factors and abnormal oncogenic pathways that were associated lesser clinical benefit of CRT-treated EC patients. Results from comprehensive pre-treatment genomic testing could provide guidance for future clinical management for inoperable EC patients.

Purpose/Objective(s) To compare the dosimetry differences between coplanar and non-coplanar modes and analyze the feasibility of single non-coplanar mode in the stereotactic radiosurgery of brain metastases. Materials/Methods Retrospective analysis were made on the 14 patients with brain metastases and all the plans take the VMAT and FFF technology with the prescription of 25 Gy. The distinction between plans which used coplanar and single non-coplanar and multiple non-coplanar were compared in the study, including the dose distribute of targets, Conformal index (CI), Gradient index (GI50, GI25), brain tissue exposure, beam-on time and execution efficiency. Results There was no significant difference in beam-on time and conformal index (CI) of target between coplanar and non-coplanar plan (P>0.05). All plans met clinically requirements, but differences were observed in the dosimetric parameters. The value of GI50 and GI25 in coplanar plan (GI50 = 4.84 ± 0.52, GI25 = 16.13 ± 2.73) was much higher than that in single non-coplanar (GI50 = 3.66 ± 0.44, GI25 = 9.94 ± 1.41) and multiple non-coplanar plan (GI50 = 3.73 ± 0.42, GI25 = 9.32 ± 1.23). In the meantime, the dose of brain tissue (V10 = 11.46 ± 3.47, V5 = 35.25 ± 11.79) in coplanar plan exceed the dose of brain tissue in single non-coplanar (V10 = 10.44 ± 3.16, V5 = 28.55 ± 9.62) and multiple non-coplanar plan (V10 = 10.61 ± 3.40, V5 = 25.37 ± 9.04). There was no obvious difference in beam-on time, conformal index (CI) of target and GI50 between Single non-coplanar and multiple non-coplanar plan (P > 0.05). However, multiple non-coplanar plans could achieve drop dose in low dose area. The value of V5 in brain tissue of multiple non-coplanar plans was much lower than that in single non-coplanar plan (P = 0). Conclusion Compared with non-coplanar plans, coplanar plans which have the shortest time and the highest execution efficiency in the whole process can achieve the similar prescription dose distribution without increasing the beam-on time. However, the non-coplanar plans can achieve faster out-of-target dose drop and protect the brain tissue better. The quality of single non-coplanar plans was similar to that of multiple non-coplanar plans. Multiple non-coplanar plans have significant advantages at low doses at the cost of prolong treatment time and negate delivery efficiency. The use of single-group non-coplanar models may be preferred in clinical practice. Author Disclosure M. Liu: None. J. Wu: None. X. Yao: None. K. Yuan: None. D. Zhang: None. B. Tang: None. J. Yin: None.

Objective The objective of the present study was to determine whether mango saponin (MS) could be used as a feed additive in broiler chicks by evaluating growth performance, carcass characteristics, meat quality, and plasma biochemical indices. Methods A total of 216 1-d-old Arbor Acres male broiler chicks were randomly assigned into three dietary treatments supplemented with 0 (control), 0.14% (MS 0.14%), or 0.28% (MS 0.28%) MS. Each treatment had six replicates (cages) with 12 chicks each. The feeding trial lasted for six weeks. Results Compared with the control, dietary supplemented with 0.14% or 0.28% MS increased average daily weight gain of chicks in the grower (22 to 42 d) and the whole (1 to 42 d) phases, and the final body weight of chicks on d 42 was higher in MS supplemented groups (p

Weanling pigs, with an underdeveloped intestine and immature immune system, are usually subjected to depressed feed intake, growth retardation, and postweaning diarrhea. The aim of this study was to determine 1) the growth response of weaned pigs to supplemental tributyrin (TB) and 2) the potential effects and mechanisms of TB in modulating immune responses of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-challenged piglets. A total of 240 piglets (Duroc × Large White × Landrace) were weaned at 21 d of age to a control (basal diet), supplemented with antibiotics (AB; +AB), supplemented with TB (+TB), or with supplemental AB and TB (+AB+TB) diets, with 10 replicate pens (6 piglets/pen) per diet. At 49 d of age, male pigs from the control and +TB groups were intraperitoneally injected with LPS (25 μg/kg BW) or saline ( = 6) and sacrificed at 4 h after injection to collect blood, intestine, and digesta samples for biochemical analysis. There were higher ( 0.05) observed between +TB groups following LPS challenge. Taken together, dietary supplementation with TB prevented growth retardation through stimulating the appetite of weaned pigs and protected piglets against lethal infection via modulation of inflammatory cytokines production, ileal expression, and intestinal acetate fermentation.

According to the mathematical analysis model constructed on the basis of energy-balance relationship in lightning strike, and accompany with the simplified calculation strategy of composite resin pyrolysis degree dependent electrical conductivity, an effective three dimensional thermal-electrical coupling analysis finite element model of composite laminate suffered from lightning current was established based on ABAQUS, to elucidate the effects of lighting current waveform parameters and thermal/electrical properties of composite laminate on the extent of ablation damage. Simulated predictions agree well with the composite lightning strike directed effect experimental data, illustrating the potential accuracy of the constructed model. The analytical results revealed that extent of composite lightning strike ablation damage can be characterized by action integral validly, there exist remarkable power function relationships between action integral and visual damage area, projected damage area, maximum damage depth and damage volume of ablation damage, and enhancing the electrical conductivity and specific heat of composite, ablation damage will be descended obviously, power function relationships also exist between electrical conductivity, specific heat and ablation damage, however, the impact of thermal conductivity on the extent of ablation damage is not notable. The conclusions obtained provide some guidance for composite anti-lightning strike structure-function integration design.

Background & aims: Biopsy is the gold standard for staging liver fibrosis, but it may be accompanied by complications. As an alternative, non-invasive markers such as transient elastography (for liver fibrosis) and certain combinations of routine blood markers (liver function tests, full blood count) have been developed although their clinical significance remains controversial. Here, we compare the diagnostic values of non-invasive markers for liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B infection. Methods: Transient elastography and routine laboratory tests were performed in 196 patients. Diagnostic performances were compared and were assessed based on the area under the curve (AUC) of a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Results: Elevated GGT to platelet ratio (GPR), the fibrosis index FIB-4 [based on age, AST, platelets and ALT], platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and total bilirubin were independent predictors of liver stiffness defined by transient elastography (all P < 0.001). The AUCs of GPR in predicting both advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis were significantly larger than that of FIB-4 (P = 0.037 and P = 0.008, respectively) and AST-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) (P = 0.008 and P = 0.005). FIB-4, APRI and red cell volume distribution width-to-platelet ratio (RPR) had similar diagnostic values in discriminating different levels of liver fibrosis. Conclusions: GPR showed the best diagnostic value and RPR and PLR are easily available and inexpensive markers in evaluating fibrosis and cirrhosis. The diagnostic values of these laboratory markers are useful in diagnosing advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis, and in confirming the different levels of liver fibrosis.

In order to assess the clinical value of echocardiography in the diagnosis of aortico-left ventricular tunnel (ALVT) the echocardiographic data and clinical manifestations of six patients with ALVT were analyzed in the present study. Based on the results, a comprehensive study was conducted regarding 147 cases from related documents. Six patients were confirmed with ALVT by surgery. The echocardiographic images of the patients revealed an abnormal communication beginning in the ascending aorta above the coronary arteries, bypassing the aortic valve, and ending in the left ventricle. The color Doppler flow imaging showed a high-speed to- and -fro flow with or without the involvement of the aortic valve. According to Hovaguimian type casting, there were two cases of type I, two cases of type III, one case of type IV, and one case of type II (postoperative recanalization). Of the 153 cases reported, the accuracy rate of the ultrasound diagnosis was 79.6%, the misdiagnosis rate was 17.1%, and the missed diagnostic rate was 3.3%. In conclusion, echocardiography is the preferred method for non-invasive preoperative diagnosis of the ALVT and can accurately describe the type and involvement of the cardiac structure.

The aim of the study was to examine changes in left atrial appendage volume (LAA-V) in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) using real-time three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (RT3D-TEE) and evaluate the prediction value on the high risk of thrombosis of LAA. Using RT3D-TEE we measured: i) LAA peak empty velocity (LAA-PEV), ii) LAA-V including LAA end-diastolic volume (LAA-EDV) and end-systolic volume (LAA-ESV). We also calculated LAA ejection fraction (LAA-EF). RT3D-TEE was applied in 20 control cases and 74 patients with non-valvular AF. According to the presence of thrombosis, 74 patients were divided into the no thrombosis group (NTH group, n=52) and thrombosis group (TH group, n=22). Our results showed that there were significant differences in LAA-V and LAA-EF values in different groups (P

The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential role of Ileucyl-tRNA synthetase (IARS2) silencing in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The silencing of IARS2 in H1299 cells and A549 cells were performed by lentivirus encoding shRNAs. The efficiency of IARS2 silencing was detected by quantitative real time PCR and western blot. The effects of IARS2 silencing on cell growth, cell apoptosis, cell cycle and cell colony formation ability were assessed by cells counting, MTT assay, flow cytometer analysis and soft agar colony formation assay, respectively. Compared with negative control group, IARS2 was significantly knockdown by transfection with lentivirus encoding shRNA of IARS2. The IARS2 silencing significantly inhibited the cells proliferation and cells colony formation ability, induced cell cycle arrest at G1/S phase and promoted cell apoptosis. IARS2 silencing induced NSCLC cells growth inhibition, cell cycle arrest and promoted cell apoptosis. These results suggest that IARS2 may be a novel target for the treatment of NSCLC.

There is a paucity of studies examining the beneficial effects of fish consumption on cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) among adults with diabetes, who experience a substantially high risk of CVDs.We analyzed the data of 1136 adults with diabetes mellitus aged 18 years and older who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988-1994, and were followed up through December 31, 2010. We used Cox regression to estimate the adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for the relative risk across the levels of fish consumption. A total of 698 deaths were recorded at the end of 11,465 person-years follow-up with a mortality rate of 60.88 per 1000 person-years. CVDs were listed as a contributing cause for 326 deaths, thus accounting for 46.4% of total deaths. Stroke-specific mortality rate among patients who ate fish less than once a week was more than twice as high as that among patients who ate fish more than twice a week, 6.23 vs. 2.36 per 1000 person-years, respectively. The corresponding CVD-specific rate was 34.38 vs. 22.99 per 1000 person-years, respectively. The adjusted HRs of death due to stroke were 1.00 (reference), 0.55 (95% confidence interval = 0.28-1.07), and 0.30 (0.11-0.80) among patients who ate fish1, 1-2, and 2 + times a week, and the corresponding HRs of death due to CVDs were 1.00 (reference), 0.78 (0.60-1.02), and 0.69 (0.50-0.96), respectively.A high consumption of fish was associated with a low risk of death due to CVDs, especially stroke, among adults with diabetes.

Brake pads of disc brake play an important role in the stable braking process of a large-megawatt wind turbine. There is always vibration, screaming, and severe nonuniform wear under the effect of both retardation pressure and friction. To solve these issues, this article aims to find a new structure of the brake pads to improve brake performance. A multiobjective structure topology optimization method considering thermal-structural coupling and brake vibration is carried out in this article. Based on topology optimization method of Solid Isotropic Microstructures with Penalization (SIMP), the compromise planning theory is applied to meet the stiffness requirement and vibration performance of brake pads. Structure of brake pads is optimized, and both the stiffness and vibration performance of brake pads are also improved. The disadvantages of single-objective optimization are avoided. Thermal-structural coupling analysis is tested with the actual working conditions. The results show that the new structure meets the stiffness requirement and improves the vibration performance well for the large-megawatt wind turbine. The effectiveness of the proposed method has been proved by the whole optimization process.

Incidental irradiation of the heart in patients with lung cancer treated with RT produces proven cardiotoxic effects positively correlating with the absorbed dose. With the introduction of targeted therapies, the survival of lung cancer patients is increasing, resulting in higher risk to develop radiation induced cardiac toxicity. It has therefore become paramount to introduce in the clinical routine efficient methods to properly manage heart motion, which is the main reason for misdosage. In this work we introduce and validate an automatic heart segmentation algorithm on 4D CT scans, and we compare the union of its contours on all the respiratory bins with the contour of the maximum intensity projection (MIP), which is currently the most advanced clinical approach to the problem in treatment planning.

Li, Y. H., Li, F., Liu, M., Yin, J. J., Cheng, B. J., Shi, B. M. and Shan, A. S. 2015. Effect of γ-aminobutyric acid on growth performance, behavior and plasma hormones in weaned pigs. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 95: 165–171. The study was conducted the effects of dietary γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA, 0 and 30 mg kg−1) on average daily intake, growth performance, behavior and plasma hormone levels in weaned pigs. A total of 96 28-d-old healthy weaned male pigs (Duroc×Landrace×Yorkshire) with similar weight were randomly assigned into two groups. Six units were included in each treatment, with eight pigs in each unit. The trial lasted 35 d. Four pigs were exchanged between every two pens in the same treatment on day 28. No difference was observed on average daily feed intake, average daily gain and feed-to-gain ratio between the pigs fed 30 mg kg−1 GABA diets and the pigs fed basal diet, respectively. Longer feed consumption time and lower biting incidences were observed in pigs fed GABA, compared with those fed basal diet, respectively. Plasma growth hormone concentration was significantly increased and the plasma concentrations of adrenocorticotrophic hormone and cortisol were lower in weaned pigs in the GABA supplementation group on day 35. Dietary GABA significantly increased the plasma neuropeptide Y concentration on day 14 and day 35. It is indicated that dietary GABA reduced aggressive behavior and regulated endocrine hormones in weaned pigs, ultimately reducing the negative influences of stress (weaning and mixing) on the pigs.

Summary Background Few studies have examined the association between psoriasis and glomerulonephritis (GN) as well as chronic kidney disease (CKD). Objectives To determine the risk of CKD in patients with psoriasis and evaluate the impact of the severity of psoriasis, comorbidities and concomitant drugs on the risk of GN and CKD in patients with psoriasis. Methods We identified 4344 patients with psoriasis for the study cohort and randomly selected 13 032 subjects as a control cohort. Each subject was individually followed for up for 5 years to identify those who subsequently developed GN and CKD. Results After adjustment for traditional CKD risk factors, psoriasis was found to be independently associated with an increased risk of CKD during the follow-up period [hazard ratio (HR) 1·28; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1·14–1·44]. The increased incidence of GN in patients with psoriasis (HR 1·50, 95% CI 1·24–1·81) may contribute to the positive association between psoriasis and CKD. Patients with mild and severe psoriasis had an increased risk of CKD and GN compared with the control cohort; the risk increased with severity. Patients with psoriasis and arthritis exhibited a higher risk of CKD than patients without arthritis (HR 1·62 vs. 1·26). Among drugs, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have the strongest association with CKD in patients with psoriasis (adjusted odds ratio 1·69, 95% CI 1·14–2·49). Conclusions Psoriasis was associated with a higher risk of developing CKD and GN. High severity, psoriatic arthritis involvement and concomitant NSAIDs use further increased the risk of CKD in patients with psoriasis.

Influenza virus (IV) infection is a major public health problem, causing millions of cases of severe illness and as many as 500 000 deaths each year worldwide. Given the limitations of current prevention or treatment of acute influenza, novel therapies are needed. RNA interference (RNAi) through microRNAs (miRNA) is an emerging technology that can suppress virus replication in vitro and in vivo. Here, we describe a novel strategy for the treatment of infuenza based on RNAi delivered by a replication-defective adenovirus (Ad) vector, derived from chimpanzee serotype 68 (AdC68). Our results showed that artificial miRNAs (amiRNAs) specifically targeting conserved regions of the IV genome could effectively inhibit virus replication in human embryonic kidney 293 cells. Moreover, our results demonstrated that prophylactic treatment with AdC68 expressing amiRNAs directed against M1, M2 or nucleoprotein genes of IV completely protected mice from homologous A/PR8 virus challenge and partially protected the mice from heterologous influenza A virus strains such as H9N2 and H5N1. Collectively, our data demonstrate that amiRNAs targeting the conserved regions of influenza A virus delivered by Ad vectors should be pursued as a novel strategy for prophylaxis of IV infection in humans and animals.

Glioblastomas (GBMs) maintain their cellular heterogeneity with glioma stem cells (GSCs) producing a variety of tumor cell types. Here we interrogated the oncogenic roles of Lim domain only 2 (LMO2) in GBM and GSCs in mice and human. High expression of LMO2 was found in human patient-derived GSCs compared with the differentiated progeny cells. LMO2 is required for GSC proliferation both in vitro and in vivo, as shRNA-mediated LMO2 silencing attenuated tumor growth derived from human GSCs. Further, LMO2 is sufficient to induce stem cell characteristics (stemness) in mouse premalignant astrocytes, as forced LMO2 expression facilitated in vitro and in vivo growth of astrocytes derived from Ink4a/Arf null mice and acquisition of GSC phenotypes. A subset of mouse and human GSCs converted into vascular endothelial-like tumor cells both in vitro and in vivo, which phenotype was attenuated by LMO2 silencing and promoted by LMO2 overexpression. Mechanistically, the action of LMO2 for induction of glioma stemness is mediated by transcriptional regulation of Jagged1 resulting in activation of the Notch pathway, whereas LMO2 directly occupies the promoter regions of the VE-cadherin gene for a gain of endothelial cellular phenotype. Subsequently, selective ablation of human GSC-derived VE-cadherin-expressing cells attenuated vascular formation in mouse intracranial tumors, thereby significantly prolonging mouse survival. Clinically, LMO2 expression was elevated in GBM tissues and inversely correlated with prognosis of GBM patients. Taken together, our findings describe novel dual roles of LMO2 to induce tumorigenesis and angiogenesis, and provide potential therapeutic targets in GBMs.

The pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterized by inflammation. We aimed to examine the roles of double-stranded RNA-activated protein kinase (PKR) and high-mobility group box chromosomal protein 1 (HMGB1) in a rat model of RA. Male SD rats were divided into three groups: control, RA model, and intervention (RA model plus treatment). The model of RA was made by injecting Freund's adjuvant into the posterior right limb of the rat and the intervention group received a PKR-specific inhibitor C16 after RA modeling. The degree of limb swelling was measured following RA modeling and intervention. In addition, plasma levels of HMGB1 were determined using ELISA. The mRNA and protein levels of PKR and HMGB1 were detected in rat synovium using quantitative PCR and western blot, respectively. The degree of limb swelling in the RA model was increased compared to control, while it was decreased in the intervention model compared to the RA model. Plasma HMGB1 levels in the model group were significantly higher compared to the control group but were lower in the intervention group compared to the model group. PKR and HMGB1 protein and mRNA levels in the rat synovium were elevated in the model group and markedly reduced in the intervention group. Increased levels of PKR and HMGB1 in synovium or blood appear to be involved in the occurrence and development of RA in a rat model. Selective inhibition of PKR improves the symptoms of RA, perhaps by inhibiting the release of HMGB1.