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Background and Aim: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is recommended as one of the standard treatments for early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Because of high-risk tumor locations unfit for RFA, transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is served as an alternative option in these settings. To define the role of TACE on early HCC, we retrospectively compared the efficacies of TACE with RFA in patients with unresectable Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage 0/A HCC., Materials and Methods: Treatment-naïve patients with unresectable BCLC stage 0/A HCC who underwent TACE or RFA were recruited from 2007 to 2011. In all, 208 patients who underwent TACE and 235 patients who underwent RFA were included in the final analysis. Using the propensity model to correct selection bias, 103 patients were selected from each treatment arm. Cumulative overall survival (OS) as the primary end point was compared after adjustment with propensity score matching., Results: In all patients, the OS rate was significantly higher in patients treated with RFA than that in those who received TACE (1-, 3-, and 5-year OS rates, 93.7%, 72.6%, and 58.1% vs 88.1%, 50.3%, and 30.4%, respectively; P < 0.001). However, adjustment with propensity score matching yielded comparable OS between the two groups (P = 0.207). Subgroup analysis showed that RFA provided better OS than TACE in patients with serum γ-glutamyltranspeptidase < 75 IU/L (P = 0.035). Univariate and subsequent multivariate analyses revealed that Child-Pugh class B (hazard ratio = 1.805; 95% confidence interval, 1.805-3.003; P = 0.023) and hepatitis C virus positivity (hazard ratio = 2.478; 95% confidence interval, 1.136-5.404; P = 0.023) were independent predictors of poor prognosis., Conclusion: Transarterial chemoembolization is an effective alternative treatment for unresectable BCLC stage 0/A HCC when RFA is not feasible., (© 2015 Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Foundation and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Objective: The issue of non-response in dementia epidemiological studies, which may result in the underestimation of the prevalence of dementia, has attracted little attention. We aimed to explore the causes and related factors of non-response in a dementia survey among Chinese veterans., Methods: A two-phase, cross-sectional study investigated the prevalence of dementia and mild cognitive impairment in Chinese veterans aged ≥ 60 years. We collected the socio-demographic data and prior medical history, evaluated the health status of veterans and their caregivers, assessed the cognitive status of veterans, and evaluated the care burden of caregivers by Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI)., Results: Of 9676 eligible participants, 525 (5.4%) veterans in phase 1 and 1706 (35.0%) veterans among 4875 veterans in phase 2 did not respond. Illness, hospitalization and death accounted for 63.0% and 75.5% non-response in phases 1 and 2, respectively. Non-participation in social activities, self-perceived poor health status, worsened health changes, self-reported need for life care, and history of hearing loss or glaucoma independently predicted non-response in phase 1 or 2. The heavy care burden, suggested by the higher CBI scores and self-reported health deterioration of the primary caregivers, predicted non-response in phase 1 or 2., Conclusions: The negative factors from both the participants and their caregivers independently predicted the non-response in the dementia study in an older population. Preventative strategies from the perspectives of the participants and caregivers should be developed to improve the response rates in both phases in a cross-sectional study., (Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.)

The aim of the present study was to investigate the correlation between the efficacy of immunosuppressive therapy (IST) in children with severe aplastic anemia (SAA) and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles. The polymerase chain reaction-sequence based typing high-resolution genotyping method was used to profile the HLA alleles of 115 SAA cases that were treated with rabbit-antithymocyte globulin (r-ATG) + cyclosporine (CsA) immunosuppressive therapy and 222 normal control subjects. The aim was to compare the frequency distribution of HLA alleles among the IST-effective group, the IST-ineffective group and the healthy control group. The results showed that the gene frequencies (GFs) of HLA-B*15:02, B*40:02, B*48:01, DRB1*09:01, C*01:02, C*03:04, DQB1*03:03 and DQB1*06:02 in the IST-effective group were significantly higher compared with those in the healthy control group, with a statistically significant difference. The GFs of HLA-B*15:11, B*38:01, B*39:05, DRB1*15:01, C*01:02 and C*08:22 in the IST-ineffective group were significantly increased compared with those in the healthy control group, with a statistically significant difference. The gene frequency of HLA-A*29:01 in the IST-effective group was significantly reduced compared with that in the IST-ineffective group, and the difference was statistically significant. In summary, IST efficacy in children with SAA that express the HLA-B*15:02, B*40:02, B*48:01, DRB1*09:01, C*01:02, C*03:04, DQB1*03:03 and DQB1*06:02 alleles may be superior, while the efficacy may be mitigated in children with SAA who express HLA-A*29:01, B*15:11, B*38:01, B*39:05, DRB1*15:01, C*01:02, C*08:22 alleles.

This study investigated vitamin K1 (VK1 ) distribution following intravenous vitamin K1-fat emulsion (VK1 -FE) administration and compared it with that after VK1 injection. Rats were intravenously injected with VK1-FE or VK1 . The organ and tissue VK1 concentrations were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography method at 0.5, 2 and 4 h to determine distribution, equilibrium and elimination phases, respectively. In the VK1-FE group, the plasma, heart and spleen VK1 concentrations decreased over time. However, other organs like liver, lung, kidney, muscle and testis, reached peak VK1 concentrations at 2 h. In the VK1 injection group, the liver VK1 concentrations were significantly higher than those in other organs at the three time points. However, VK1 concentrations in the other organs peaked at 2 h. In addition, in VK1-FE group, the heart, spleen and lung VK1 concentrations were significantly higher than those in the VK1 injection group at the three time points, and the liver VK1 concentration was significantly higher than that in the VK1 injection group at 4 h. The VK1 amount was greatest in the liver compared with the other organs. Thus, the liver is the primary organ for VK1 distribution. The distribution of VK1 is more rapid when injected as VK1-FE than as VK1 ., (Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

The excessive emission of N₂O (Nitrous oxide) will destroy the ozone layer, reasonable fertilization and adopting measures of emission reduction of N₂O are of great significance to slowing down the greenhouse effect. The article studied the impact of fertilization and water on the emission of N2 0 from the cabbage farmland using FTIR spectrometry. To enhance the sensitivity of the measuring system, we used multi-reflecting mirrors to increase the optical pathlength. By comparing the infrared spectra between the before and after fertilizer application and the NIST spectral library, finally, the band at 2160-2225 cm⁻¹ was chosen as the spectral characteristics band of quantitative calculation of N₂O through analyzing. The research found that fertilization and water could promote the emission of N2 0 from the cabbage farmland soil, which could supply theory bases for emission reduction of N₂O and slowing down the greenhouse effect. Finally, we also studied the diurnal emission rules of N₂O from the fertilized soil; the results showed that the emission of N₂O was lower at night and the results were compared with that of previous' studies, which verifies the feasibility of this method. The results proved that FTIR with long optical path was a rapid and effective method to measure the emission rules of N₂O from the cabbage farmland soil, which can measure the gas emissions of N₂O from the fertilized cabbage farmland soil and compared with other traditional measuring methods, it had the advantages such as rapidness and convenience.

This study investigated gender differences in cognition in schizophrenia with and without diabetes. Cognition was assessed in 263 individuals with schizophrenia with age range (40-68): 67 males and 34 females with schizophrenia with diabetes; and 125 males and 37 females with schizophrenia without diabetes according to the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS). Fasting glucose, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and lipid levels were measured. Results showed that male individuals performed worse on most cognitive tasks, especially attention, in schizophrenia with than without diabetes. This result was not observed in female individuals. Also, individuals of both genders showed higher fasting glucose and HbA1c in schizophrenia with than without diabetes. In schizophrenia with diabetes, males had significantly worse cognition than females in all cognitive domains. Higher HbA1c, lower high-density lipoprotein, and an earlier age of onset of schizophrenia were found in males compared with female individuals. HbA1c was negatively associated with attention and the RBANS total score for males but not for females. In schizophrenia without diabetes, males showed worse performance in immediate and delayed memory than females. This study support cognition was worse for males with schizophrenia irrespective of whether they have diabetes. However, diabetes exemplified the gender differences, especially in attention., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: An increasingly high occurrence of bone metastases in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients highlights the importance of fundamental research on HCC bone metastasis, which has been limited in its success due to the lack of a model system., Purpose: Establishment of animal and cellular models of HCC bone metastasis and discovery of HCC bone metastasis-related genes., Methods: Luciferase-transfected HCC cell lines HCCLM3, MHCC97H, and SMMC-7721 were used to inoculate nude mice intracardially. Formation of bone metastases was examined by bioluminescence imaging, SPECT, and pathology study. Metastatic cells in bone were isolated and subcultured. Differences between bone metastatic cells and their parental cells were studied by in vitro/in vivo assays., Results: Mouse model of HCC bone metastasis was successfully established. Injected tumour cells formed metastases in the skull, the spine, the hind limbs, and the sternum, causing osteolytic lesions via act of MMP-1 and recruitment of osteoclasts. Four bone metastatic cell lines were extracted from HCCLM3-inoculated mice and were demonstrated to exhibit a much stronger ability to form bone metastases as well as other phenotypes, including enhanced in vitro migration/invasion and colony formation. Moreover, the expression of PTHrP, MMP-1, and CTGF was significantly elevated in bone metastatic cells compared to parental HCC cells., Conclusion: The nude mouse model and bone metastatic cell lines together provide an effective simulation of HCC bone metastasis. This model system will become powerful tool with which to explore the mechanisms and therapies of HCC bone metastasis. Additionally, PTHrP, MMP-1, and CTGF are candidate genes related to HCC bone metastasis.

Inflammation plays a critical role in tumor metastasis. However, few inflammation-related biomarkers are currently available to predict the risk of metastasis for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Using huge tumors (diameter >10 cm) as a model, we evaluated the potential risk of pre- and post-treatment inflammatory responses in the development of metastasis of HCC patients undergoing transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). A logistic regression model was used to analyze the risk factors. One hundred and sixty-five patients with huge HCC were enrolled in the study. Metastases were identified in 25.5% (42/165) patients by imaging evaluation post-TACE. Neutrophils increased, whereas lymphocytes decreased significantly post-TACE. Univariate analysis showed that high post-treatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR; p = 0.003), low post-treatment lymphocyte count (p = 0.047), and high baseline NLR (p = 0.100) were potential risk factors for metastasis. Further, multivariate analysis showed that high post-treatment NLR, but not pre-treatment NLR, was an independent risk factor for metastasis; this was confirmed by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Post-treatment NLR, however, had no correlation to tumor response and overall survival of patients. In conclusion, post-treatment NLR but not pre-treatment NLR independently increases the risk of metastasis in huge HCC. Our findings suggest the potential contribution of treatment-related inflammation to metastasis in advanced HCC.

Celiac disease (CD) is a common autoimmune disorder characterized by heightened immunological response to ingested gluten. Certain gene polymorphisms of IL2/IL21 (rs6822844 and rs6840978) and SH2B3 (rs3184504) may influence susceptibility to CD, although the effects remain unclear. We performed a meta-analysis of the associations between rs6822844, rs6840978, and rs3184504 polymorphisms and CD risk. PubMed, EMBASE, and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure were searched. ORs and 95%CIs of each single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) were estimated using the fixed-effect model if I(2) < 50% in the test of heterogeneity; otherwise, the random-effect model was used. Our meta-analysis included 12,986 CD cases and 28,733 controls from 16 independent samples, and the analysis of each SNP contained a subset of the total. We found that the minor allele T of both rs6822844 (T vs G, OR = 0.72, 95%CI = 0.67-0.78, P < 0.001) and rs6840978 (T vs C, OR = 0.76, 95%CI = 0.71-0.83, P < 0.001) in IL2/IL21 significantly decreased the risk of CD. However, the minor allele A of rs3184504 (A vs G, OR = 1.18, 95%CI = 1.12-1.24, P < 0.001) in SH2B3 significantly increased CD susceptibility. The estimated lambda values were 0.49, 0.50, and 0.53 for rs6822844, rs6840978, and rs3184504, respectively, suggesting that a co-dominant model of genotype effect was most appropriate for the three SNPs. Our results support associations between the three SNPs and CD and provide a strong argument for further research.

Aims. Epistasis from gene set based on the function-related genes may confer to the susceptibility of type 2 diabetes (T2D). The Wnt pathway has been reported to play an important role in the pathogenesis of T2D. Here we applied tag SNPs to explore the association between epistasis among genes from Wnt and T2D in the Han Chinese population. Methods. Variants of fourteen genes selected from Wnt pathways were performed to analyze epistasis. Gene-gene interactions in case-control samples were identified by generalized multifactor dimensionality reduction (GMDR) method. We performed a case-controlled association analysis on a total of 1,026 individual with T2D and 1,157 controls via tag SNPs in Wnt pathway. Results. In single-locus analysis, SNPs in four genes were significantly associated with T2D adjusted for multiple testing (rs7903146(C) in TCF7L2, p = 3.21∗10(-3), OR = 1.39, 95% CI [1.31-1.47], rs12904944(G) in SMAD3, p = 2.51∗10(-3), OR = 1.39, 95% CI [1.31-1.47], rs2273368(C) in WNT2B, p = 4.46∗10(-3), OR = 1.23, 95% CI [1.11-1.32], rs6902123(C) in PPARD, p = 1.14∗10(-2), OR = 1.40, 95% CI [1.32-1.48]). The haplotype TGC constructed by TCF7L2 (rs7903146), DKK1 (rs2241529) and BTRC (rs4436485) showed a significant association with T2D (OR = 0.750, 95% CI [0.579-0.972], P = 0.03). For epistasis analysis, the optimized combination was the two locus model of WNT2B rs2273368 and TCF7L2rs7903146, which had the maximum cross-validation consistency. This was 9 out of 10 for the sign test at 0.0107 level. The best combination increased the risk of T2D by 1.47 times (95% CI [1.13-1.91], p = 0.0039). Conclusions. Epistasis between TCF7L2 and WNT2B is associated with the susceptibility of T2D in a Han Chinese population. Our results were compatible with the idea of the complex nature of T2D that would have been missed using conventional tools.

Our study aims to investigate the expression signature of plasma microRNA-106b (miRNA-106b, miR-106b) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients and chronic liver disease (CLD) patients compared with healthy controls and further evaluate the potential clinical value of miR-106b as biomarker in HCC detection. In addition, a meta-analysis was conducted to assess the diagnostic performance of miR-106a/b as a biochemical marker for cancer screening. This study was divided into two phases. In the first phase, the expression levels of plasma miR-106b obtained from 108 subjects (47 HCC patients, 25 CLD patients, and 36 healthy controls) were measured by using qRT-PCR. Areas under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves (AUCs) were used to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of plasma miR-106. In the second phase, a meta-analysis based on 11 previous researches as well as our current study was conducted to assess the potential clinical value of miR-106 in cancer detection. Plasma levels of miR-106b in HCC patients were significantly higher compared with CLD patients and healthy individuals. ROC curves suggested that plasma miR-106b yielded relative high sensitivities and specificities in differentiating HCC patients from CLD patients or healthy controls with corresponding AUC values of 0.726 and 0.879, respectively. In addition, miR-106b showed a relatively high accuracy in distinguishing CLD patients from healthy controls with its AUC value of 0.703. Furthermore, the meta-analysis for diagnostic performance of miR-106a/b showed a pooled sensitivity of 0.74, specificity of 0.75, and an AUC of 0.81. Subgroup analysis based on samples types revealed a higher diagnostic performance of miR-106 for cancer detection by using non-blood samples. Similarly, miR-106 as biomarker showed a higher diagnostic accuracy for gastric cancer detection. We found that plasma miR-106b has clinical value in the detection of HCC from healthy people and CLD patients. Further large-scale study may be needed to validate our findings.

Previous investigations suggested that Streptomyces jiujiangensis JXJ 0074(T) can secrete antialgal compounds. In this study, an antialgal compound was isolated from the cultured broth of S. jiujiangensis JXJ 0074(T) by using bioassay methods. Based on spectroscopic data, the active compound was identified as 2'-deoxyadenosine, which exhibited a greater antialgal activity against cyanobacteria than its analogues such as adenosine, guanosine, and 2'-deoxyguanosine. The antialgal activity of 2'-deoxyadenosine increased with the content and time. 2'-Deoxyadenosine severely damaged the vegetative cells of cyanobacteria, causing crumpling, collapse, expanding, perforation, breakage of filamentous cyanobacteria, and decrease of the chlorophyll. However, 2'-deoxyadenosine seemed to have less impact on the morphology of heterocysts of filamentous cyanobacteria. The superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in the treated cells of M. aeruginosa FACHB-905 initially increased with 31.14 ± 2.00% higher than that of the control after 36 h and then decreased quickly. On the same time, there were rapid increases in superoxide anion radical (O2 (-)) and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents with 315.53 ± 12.81 and 84.72 ± 6.15% higher than these of the controls at 60 h, respectively. The intracellular microcystin-LR (MC-LR) content in the treated cells of M. aeruginosa FACHB-905 increased by 36.34 ± 7.35% 1 day later, followed by a rapid decrease with a rate of 90.50 ± 1.08% 8 days later, while the extracellular MC-LR content showed no significant difference with the control. Five days after adding 15 μg/ml of 2'-deoxyadenosine to the culture of M. aeruginosa FACHB-905, there was no 2'-deoxyadenosine detected by HPLC, suggesting that 2'-deoxyadenosine completely degraded. This study provides a new clue to screen natural-based antialgal compounds from nucleoside analogues.

Inflammation is particularly strong in huge hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, it is unclear whether the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), as an inflammatory-related marker, can predict survival of patients with huge HCC. In this study, we enrolled 291 patients with huge HCC (diameter over 10 cm) who were undergoing repeated transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) at our institute. The baseline PLR was calculated from complete serum blood counts before the first chemoembolization. We found that a baseline PLR cutoff value over 150 best predicted huge HCC survival. The 12, 24, and 36 months survival rates in the high PLR group (22.6, 8.1, and 4.1 %, respectively) were significantly lower than in the low PLR group (35.6, 22.4, and 14 %, respectively). Thus, a significant difference was found in overall survival (log-rank test, p < 0.0001). Univariate analyses indicated a high PLR (p < 0.0001) was predictor of poor survival, and multivariate Cox analyses further showed that a high PLR (p = 0.002) was an independent factor that predicted worse survival. In conclusion, for patients with huge HCC, a high baseline PLR is a useful predictor of poor survival in patients undergoing chemoembolization. Additional anti-inflammatory or anti-platelet treatments, in combination with TACE, may improve survival in HCC patients with high PLR.

Current data regarding the association between the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T polymorphism and the risk of developing gastric cancer are insufficient to draw definite conclusions. Therefore, the present meta-analysis was conducted to achieve a more precise estimation of the association. MEDLINE, EMBASE and Wanfang database searches resulted in the identification of 28 eligible studies describing 5,757 cases and 8,501 controls. The strength of the association between the MTHFR C677T polymorphism and gastric cancer risk were evaluated using crude odds ratios (ORs), with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The pooled ORs were determined using homozygous (TT vs. CC), heterozygous (CT vs. CC), dominant (TT+CT vs. CC) and recessive (TT vs. CC+CT) models. When all studies were pooled into the meta-analysis, significant associations were identified between the MTHFR C677T polymorphism and the risk of gastric cancer (homozygous model: OR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.20-1.62; heterozygous model: OR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.05-1.32; dominant model: OR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.10-1.38; recessive model: OR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.12-1.42). Stratification of the data by ethnicity identified a statistically significantly elevated risk of gastric cancer in Asian MTHFR C677T polymorphism populations (homozygous model: OR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.43-1.90; heterozygous model: OR, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.16-1.45; dominant model: OR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.25-1.54; recessive model: OR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.25-1.51), but not in Caucasian populations (homozygous model: OR, 1.15; 95% CI, 0.89-1.48; heterozygous model: OR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.84-1.25; dominant model: OR, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.86-1.28; recessive model: OR, 1.09; 95% CI, 0.91-1.31). Following adjustment for heterogeneity, the current meta-analysis demonstrated that the MTHFR C677T polymorphism was not associated with the risk of gastric cancer in Caucasian individuals. Furthermore, no evidence of publication bias was observed. Thus, the current meta-analysis indicates that the MTHFR C677T allele may be a low-penetrant risk factor for the development of gastric cancer in Asian populations.

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are common primary liver cancers worldwide. However, the survival and prognosis of ICC are much poorer than those of HCC, indicating the different molecular characteristics and mechanisms between ICC and HCC. To identify differentially expressed (DE) genes between ICC and HCC or combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma (CHC), we performed integrated analysis of publicly available microarray Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets by MetaOmics. Three GEO datasets comprising 32 ICC biochips, 77 HCC biochips, and 34 CHC biochips were available for the data integration. We identified 7313 DE genes between ICC and HCC, including 3650 upregulated genes and 3663 downregulated genes. The S100 family members on chromosome 1q21 were extensively upregulated in ICC, and S100A11 had the greatest degree of upregulation in ICC. Based on the DE genes, combined gene ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis showed the enhanced pathways of local adhesion, ECM-receptor interaction, and regulation of action cytoskeleton, suggesting the enhanced communication between ICC and the microenvironment. Additionally, development-related genes and development-related pathways, including the Notch, Wnt, and TGF-β signaling pathways, were shown to be active prominently in ICC. Taken together, we identified the characteristically upregulated or downregulated DE genes and pathways in ICC compared with HCC or CHC. These DE genes and pathways supply new transcriptomics evidence for ICC and could help identify new therapeutic targets.

Toll-like receptors (TLRs), the triggers of the innate and adaptive immune responses, are involved in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Several studies have investigated the effects of genetic polymorphisms in TLR4 and TLR2, but they have yielded limited results. We investigated whether non-missense genetic polymorphisms in the regulatory regions of TLR4 and TLR2 were related to T2DM in a southern Chinese population. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in TLR4 (rs1927911, rs11536889, rs1927907, rs1927906, rs1927914, rs7873784, and rs2149356) and TLR2 (rs1898830, rs3804099, rs4696480, and rs3804100) were genotyped in 552 T2DM and 552 unrelated age- and gender-matched controls by SNaPShot Multiplex assay. Genotypes GG (OR = 0.09, 95%CI = 0.01- 0.83, P = 0.03) and CG (OR = 0.08, 95%CI = 0.01-0.74, P = 0.03) of the 3'-untranslated region (UTR) SNP rs7873784 in TLR4, and genotype AG (OR = 0.67, 95%CI = 0.46-0.97, P = 0.04) and allele G (OR = 0.88, 95%CI = 0.79-0.97, P = 0.01) of the intron SNP rs1898830 in TLR2 were identified as protective against the development of T2DM in southern Chinese people. In contrast, a meta-analysis of rs1927911 and rs1927914 showed no association. Haplotypes AGTT (OR = 0.34, 95%CI = 0.15-0.77, P = 0.01) and AATT (OR = 1.20, 95%CI = 1.01- 1.44, P = 0.05) in TLR2 were significantly associated with susceptibility to T2DM. Our results suggest that the effects of non-missense polymorphisms located in the regulatory regions of TLR4 and TLR2 should not be neglected in T2DM association analysis.

Overactivity of dopaminergic neurotransmission is a putative mechanism of tardive dyskinesia (TD). Previous studies have found dysfunction in plasma dopamine beta-hydoxylase (DBH) in schizophrenia with TD. Moreover, DBH, whose activity and levels are strongly controlled by the DBH gene, is a key enzyme in the conversion of dopamine (DA) to norepinephrine (NE) associated with excited behavior. This study examined whether the DBH5'-insertion/deletion (Ins/Del) polymorphism was associated with excited behavior in schizophrenia with TD. The presence of the DBH5'-Ins/Del polymorphism was determined in 741 schizophrenia with TD (n = 345) and without TD (n = 396). The Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale were used to assess the severity of TD and psychopathology of schizophrenia. There was no significant difference in the allelic and genotypic frequencies of the DBH5'-Ins/Del polymorphism between schizophrenia with and without TD (both p > 0.05). However, the excited symptoms score was significantly different to the DBH5'-Ins/Del genotypic groups in schizophrenia with TD (p < 0.05) but not in the two groups of non-TD and total patients (both p > 0.05). The excited symptoms score was higher in TD patients with the Del/Del genotype than those with Ins alleles (p = 0.015). Our findings suggest that the DBH5'-Ins/Del polymorphism may not contribute directly to the development of TD in schizophrenia, but it may be involved in the excited behavior of TD patients.

The trace element of Manganese element in the agricultural farm (Anhui Huaiyuan Nongkang) soil was quantitatively analyzed by Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy. The line of 403.1 nm was selected as the analysis line of Mn. The matrix element of Fe in soil was chosen as the internal calibration element and the analysis line was 407.2 nm. Ten soil samples were used to construct calibration curves with traditional method and internal standard method, and four soil samples were selected as test samples. The experimental results showed that the fitting correlation coefficient (r) is 0.954 when using the traditional method, the maximum relative error of the measurement samples is 5.72%, and the detection limit of Mn in soil is 93 mg x kg(-1). While using the internal standard method to construct the calibration curve, the fitting correlation coefficient (r) is 0.983, the relative error of measurement samples is reduced to 4.1%, and the detection limit of Mn in soil is 71 mg x kg(-1). The result indicates that LIBS technique can be used to detect trace element Mn in soil. In a certain extent, the internal standard method can improve the accuracy of measurement.

Aim: To investigate transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) with hepatic infusion of oxaliplatin and 5-fluorouracil and Lipiodol chemoembolization in large hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)., Methods: In this retrospective study, 132 patients with unresectable HCCs larger than 10 cm were treated with hepatic infusion of oxaliplatin and 5-fluorouracil followed by Lipiodol chemoembolization. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS). Sixteen-week disease-control rate, time to progression (TTP), and major complications were also studied. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify prognostic factors affecting OS and TTP., Results: A total of 319 procedures were performed in the 132 patients. Eleven (8.3%) patients received radical resection following TACE treatment (median time to initial TACE 4.3 ± 2.3 mo). The median OS and TTP were 10.3 and 3.0 mo respectively, with a 50.0% 16-wk disease-control rate. Major complications were encountered in 6.0% (8/132) of patients following TACE and included serious jaundice in 1.5% (2/132) patients, aleukia in 1.5% (2/132), and hepatic failure in 3.0% (4/132). One patient died within one month due to serious hepatic failure and severe sepsis after receiving the second TACE. The risk factor associated with TTP was baseline alpha-fetoprotein level, and vascular invasion was an independent factor related to OS., Conclusion: Hepatic infusion of oxaliplatin and 5-fluorouracil followed by lipiodolized-chemoembolization is a safe and promising treatment for patients with HCCs larger than 10 cm in diameter.

Background: In order to improve the clinical treatment level of urinary system injury, it is necessary to build up an animal model of urinary system wound, which is not only analogous to real clinical practice, but also simple and practical., Methods: We have developed the third generation of firearm fragment wound generator based on the first and the second producer. The best explosive charge of the blank cartridge was selected by gradient powder loading experiments. The firearm fragment injuries were made to the bulbous urethra of 10 New Zealand male rabbits. One week preoperatively and 2, 4 and 8 weeks postoperatively, all the animals underwent urethroscopy and urethrography. At 2, 4 and 8 weeks postoperatively, two animals were randomly selected and killed, and the urethra was cut off for pathological examination., Results: The shooting distance of the third generation of firearm fragment wound generator is 2 cm. The best explosive charge of the blank cartridge is 1 g of nitrocotton. All rabbits survived the procedures and stayed alive until they were killed. Injuries were limited to bulbous urethra and distal urethra. Round damaged areas, 1-1.5 cm in length, on the ventral wall were observed. Ureteroscopy results showed that canal diameter gradually shrank by over 50% in 9 rabbits. The rate of success was 90%. Urethrography result noted that a 1-1.3 cm stricture was formed at the bulbous urethra. Histology results of injured stricture urethra showed that fibrous connective tissue hyperplasia and hyaline degeneration caused further stricture in the canal., Conclusions: The third generation of firearm fragment wound generator imitates the bullet firing process and is more accurate and repeatable. The corresponding rabbit model of traumatic complex urethral stricture simulates the real complex clinical conditions. This animal model provides a standardized platform for clinical researches on treating traumatic injuries to the urinary system.

miRNAs are a class of conserved, small, endogenous, and non-protein-coding RNA molecules with 20-24 nucleotides (nt) in length that function as post-transcriptional modulators of gene expression in eukaryotic cells. Functional studies have demonstrated that plant miRNAs are involved in the regulation of a wide range of plant developmental processes. To date, however, no research has been carried out to study the expression profiles of miRNAs in Gossypium raimondii, a model cotton species. We selected 16 miRNAs to profile their tissue-specific expression patterns in G. raimondii four different tissues, and these miRNAs are reported to play important roles in plant growth and development. Our results showed that the expression levels of these miRNAs varied significantly from one to another in a tissue-dependent manner. Eight miRNAs, including miR-159, miR-162, miR-164, miR-172, miR-390, miR-395, miR-397, and miR-398, exhibited exclusively high expression levels in flower buds, suggesting that these miRNAs may play significant roles in floral development. The expression level of miR-164 was relatively high in shoots beside flower buds, implying that the function of miR-164 is not only limited to floral development but it may also play an important role in shoot development. Certain miRNAs such as miR-166 and miR-160 were extremely highly expressed in all of the four tissues tested compared with other miRNAs investigated, suggesting that they may play regulatory roles at multiple development stages. This study will contribute to future studies on the functional characterization of miRNAs in cotton.

Background: Oct4 and Nanog are key regulatory genes that maintain the pluripotency and self-renewal properties of embryonic stem cells. We previously reported that the two stemness markers were tightly associated with cancer progression and poor outcomes of hepatocellular carcinoma. In this study, we demonstrate that coexpression of Oct4/Nanog modulates activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (Stat3), an oncogenic transcription factor that is activated in many human malignancies including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), as well as the expression of Snail, a key regulator implicated in epithelial-mesenchymal transition and tumor metastasis., Methods: Oct4 and Nanog were ectopic expressed in MHCC97-L cell lines via lentiviral gene transfection. The stemness characteristics including self-renewal, proliferation, chemoresistance, and tumorigenicity were assessed. The effect of coexpression of Oct4 and Nanog on epithelial-mesenchymal transition change, and the underlying molecular signaling was investigated., Results: Ectopic coexpression of Oct4 and Nanog empowered MHCC97-L cells with cancer stem cell (CSC) properties, including self-renewal, extensive proliferation, drug resistance, and high tumorigenic capacity. Significantly, Oct4 and Nanog encouraged epithelial-mesenchymal transition change contributing to tumor migration, invasion/metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Following molecular mechanism investigation indicated Oct4/Nanog-regulated epithelial-mesenchymal transition change through Stat3-dependent Snail activation. Moreover, silencing Stat3 abrogates Oct4/Nanog-mediated epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) change and invasion/metastasis in HCC., Conclusions: We delineate Oct4 and Nanog initiate stem cell characteristics in hepatocellular carcinoma and promote epithelial-mesenchymal transition through activation of Stat3/Snail signaling. Our findings propose Stat3/Snail pathway as a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of progression and metastasis of HCC with CSC-like signatures and epithelial-mesenchymal transition phenotype.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a global public health concern. Current diagnostic methods show poor performance in early-stage HCC detection. Accumulating evidences revealed the great potential of microRNAs (miRNAs) as noninvasive biomarkers in HCC detection. In this study, we examined the diagnostic performance of serum miR-10b, miR-106b, and miR-181a for HCC screening in China. Furthermore, a systematic review of previous related studies was conducted to confirm our results. One hundred eight participants including 27 HCC patients, 31 chronic liver disease (CLD) patients, and 50 healthy people were recruited in this study. Blood specimen was drawn from each participant to extract serum miRNAs. Statistical analyses were performed to assess the 3 miRNAs levels in HCC, CLD patients, and normal controls. A meta-analysis was conducted to further assess the diagnostic value of miRNAs in HCC detection based on previous studies. All these miRNAs (miR-10b, miR-181a, miR-106b) could well discriminate HCC patients from normal controls, with area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC) values of 0.85 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.76-0.94), 0.82 (95% CI: 0.72-0.91), and 0.89 (95% CI: 0.81-0.97), respectively. In addition, these miRNAs could distinguish HCC cases from CLD controls with a medium accuracy. However, the ability of these miRNAs in differentiating CLD patients from normal controls was not satisfactory. Panel of these miRNAs displayed a better performance compared with single miRNA assay, with AUC values of 0.94 (95% CI: 0.89-0.99) in discriminating HCC patients from normal controls and 0.91 (95% CI: 0.80-0.97) in discriminating HCC patients from CLD controls. Results of meta-analysis of previous studies combined with the current study suggested that circulating miRNAs could well differentiate HCC from normal controls, with AUC values of 0.86 (95% CI: 0.82-0.89) for single miRNA assay and 0.94 (95% CI: 0.91-0.96) for miRNA panel assay. Serum miR-10b, miR-106b, and miR-181a have great potential to serve as accurate and noninvasive biomarkers for HCC preliminary screening. Meta-analysis of previous studies combined with current study further confirmed that circulating miRNAs could play an important role in HCC detection. Further large-scale studies are needed to confirm the clinical significance of circulating miRNAs in HCC screening.

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has been used as a curative therapy for small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, relatively little is known about the long-term outcome of RFA for small HCC in a background of hepatitis B infection, which is common among the Chinese population. Between May 2001 and May 2012, 837 patients with HCC nodules ≤3 cm treated with RFA were enrolled in this study. We evaluated long-term survival rates, local tumor progression rates, complications and the prognostic factors. Among 1020 tumor nodules in 837 patients, complete ablation was achieved in 98.8% (1008/1020) and the 1-, 3-,5-, and 10-year overall survival rates were 91, 71, 54, and 33%, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that tumor number [P = 0.003, hazard ratio (HR) 1.523, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.158-2.004], Child-Pugh grade (P = 0.001, HR 3.089, 95% CI 2.238-4.266), and serum-glutamyltranspeptidase level (P = 0.002, HR 1.576, 95% CI 1.251-1.985) were independent predictors of overall survival. The 1-, 3-, 5-, and 10-year recurrence-free survival rates were 74, 44, 30, and 15%, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that serum α-fetoprotein level (P = 0.041, HR 1.249, 95% CI 1.028-1.517) and tumor number (P = 0002, HR 1.449, 95% CI 1.143-1.836) were independent predictors of recurrence-free survival. There were no procedure-related patient deaths and major complications occurred in 0.59% (5/837) of patients. RFA achieved comparable long-term overall survival rates to those of surgical resection with fewer major complications and could therefore be considered as an alternative option for curative treatment of patients with small liver cancer.

In using spectroscopy to quantitatively or qualitatively analyze the quality of fruit, how to obtain a simple and effective correction model is very critical for the application and maintenance of the developed model. Strawberry as the research object, this research mainly focused on selecting the key variables and characteristic samples for quantitatively determining the soluble solids content. Competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS) algorithm was firstly proposed to select the spectra variables. Then, Samples of correction set were selected by successive projections algorithm (SPA), and 98 characteristic samples were obtained. Next, based on the selected variables and characteristic samples, the second variable selection was performed by using SPA method. 25 key variables were obtained. In order to verify the performance of the proposed CARS algorithm, variable selection algorithms including Monte Carlo-uninformative variable elimination (MC-UVE) and SPA were used as the comparison algorithms. Results showed that CARS algorithm could eliminate uninformative variables and remove the collinearity information at the same time. Similarly, in order to assess the performance of the proposed SPA algorithm for selecting the characteristic samples, SPA algorithm was compared with classical Kennard-Stone algorithm Results showed that SPA algorithm could be used for selection of the characteristic samples in the calibration set. Finally, PLS and MLR model for quantitatively predicting the SSC (soluble solids content) in the strawberry were proposed based on the variables/samples subset (25/98), respectively. Results show that models built by using the 0.59% and 65.33% information of original variables and samples could obtain better performance than using the ones obtained by using all information of the original variables and samples. MLR model was the best with R(pre)2 = 0.9097, RMSEP=0.3484 and RPD = 3.3278.

Three feature extraction algorithms, such as the principal component analysis (PCA), the discrete cosine transform (DCT) and the non-negative factorization (NMF), were used to extract the main information of the spectral data in order to weaken the influence of the spectral fluctuation on the subsequent quantitative analysis results based on the SERS spectra of the pesticide thiram. Then the extracted components were respectively combined with the linear regression algorithm--the partial least square regression (PLSR) and the non-linear regression algorithm--the support vector machine regression (SVR) to develop the quantitative analysis models. Finally, the effect of the different feature extraction algorithms on the different kinds of the regression algorithms was evaluated by using 5-fold cross-validation method. The experiments demonstrate that the analysis results of SVR are better than PLSR for the non-linear relationship between the intensity of the SERS spectrum and the concentration of the analyte. Further, the feature extraction algorithms can significantly improve the analysis results regardless of the regression algorithms which mainly due to extracting the main information of the source spectral data and eliminating the fluctuation. Additionally, PCA performs best on the linear regression model and NMF is best on the non-linear model, and the predictive error can be reduced nearly three times in the best case. The root mean square error of cross-validation of the best regression model (NMF+SVR) is 0.0455 micormol x L(-1) (10(-6) mol x L(-1)), and it attains the national detection limit of thiram, so the method in this study provides a novel method for the fast detection of thiram. In conclusion, the study provides the experimental references the selecting the feature extraction algorithms on the analysis of the SERS spectrum, and some common findings of feature extraction can also help processing of other kinds of spectroscopy.

Strain JXJ 0135(T), an anti-cyanobacterial actinomycete, was isolated from a soil sample collected from Lushan Mountain, south China, and identified by using polyphasic approach. Phylogenetic analysis of the near-complete 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that strain JXJ 0135(T) belongs to the genus Streptomyces and exhibited distinct subclade and also highest similarity (98.6%) to Streptomyces scopuliridis RB72(T). The strain developed well-branched substrate and aerial mycelia, and produced spiral spore chains. Spores were elliptical and the spore surface was smooth. The strain contained LL-diaminopimelic acid with whole-cell sugars of mannose, rhamnose, glucose and galactose. Phospholipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol mannosides, phosphotidylinositol dimannoside, an unidentified aminophospholipid and an unknown phospholipid. The menaquinones were MK-9(H6) and MK-9(H8). The major components of the fatty acids were anteiso-C15:0, iso-C16:0, anteiso-C17:0, iso-C15:0, C16:0, iso-C17:0 and iso-C14:0. The G+C content was 69.3 mol%. The DNA-DNA hybridization value between JXJ 0135(T) and S. scopuliridis RB72(T) was 41.2±1.4%. On the basis of the polyphasic data, strain JXJ 0135(T) represents a novel species of the genus Streptomyces, for which the name Streptomyces lushanensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is JXJ 0135(T) (=DSM 42121(T)=JCM 19628(T)=KCTC 29261(T)=KACC 17834(T)=NRRL B-24994(T)).

Thyroid hormones (THs) including thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) play critical roles in bone remodeling. However, the role and mechanism of THs in vascular calcification (VC) have been unclear. To explore the pathophysiological roles of T3 on VC, we investigated the changes in plasma and aortas of THs concentrations and the effect of T3 on rat VC induced by vitamin D3 plus nicotine (VDN). VDN-treated rat showed decreased plasma T3 content, increased vascular calcium deposition, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity. Administration of T3 (0.2 mg/kg body weight IP) for 10 days greatly reduced vascular calcium deposition and ALP activity in calcified rat aortas when compared with controls. Concurrently, the loss of smooth muscle lineage markers α-actin and SM22a was restored, and the increased bone-associated molecules, such as runt-related transcription factor2 (Runx2), Osterix, and osteopontin (OPN) levels in calcified aorta, were reduced by administration of T3. The suppression of klotho in calcified rat aorta was restored by T3. Methimazole (400 mg/L) blocked the beneficial effect of T3 on VC. These results suggested that T3 can inhibit VC development.

This study was purposed to compare the efficacy and safety of two different doses of rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin (r-ATG) combined with cyclosporine (CsA) for treating children with severe aplastic anemia (SAA). From January 2005 to July 2010, a total of 95 children with SAA accepted intensive immunosuppressive therapy (IIST) in our department, out of them 55 cases were treated with r-ATG 2.5 mg/(kg·d) for 5 days in combination with CsA (group I) and other 40 cases were treated with r-ATG 3.5 mg/(kg·d) for 5 days in combination with CsA (group II). The responsive rate, adverse reactions, early mortality, relapse and clonal disease were analyzed retrospectively and results between the two groups were compared. Out of 95 patients 43 were boys and 52 were girls, their ages were from 1 to 16 years. The sex, age, severity and course of the disease were comparable between the two groups. The results showed that after treating for 3 and 6 months, the response of patients in group II was higher than that of patients in group I (50% vs 32.1%, P = 0.08 and 65% vs 45.3%, P = 0.059), at 9 and 12 months the response rate of patients in group II and group I did not show significant difference (70.0% vs 71.1%,P = 0.904 and 82.5% vs 80.8%,P = 0.832); at 12 months of treatment, the complete response rate of patients in group II was significantly higher than that of patients in group I (40.0% vs 23.1%,P = 0.08); at 3, 6, 9 months of treatment, the complete response rate of 2 groups showed no obvious difference. The incidence of serum disease, early infection and early mortality did not show statistical difference between two groups. There was no statistical difference in 2 year overall survival rate of two groups. In group I 39 patients were followed-up for more than 2 years, among them 3 patients relapsed, 1 patient died and 1 patient was diagnosed as acute monocytic leukemia (M5). In group II 15 patients were followed up for more than 2 years, there were no relapse, death and clonal disease. It is concluded that the r-ATG combined with CsA is an effective and safe therapeutic regimen for the SAA children. The effect of r-ATG 3.5 mg/(kg·d) is better than the 2.5 mg/(kg·d). The early safety is comparable between the two groups. However, the long-term effect, complications and survival rate need longer follow-up study to evaluate.

Background: This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of radiofrequency ablation in patients with intermediate (BCLC B) stage hepatocellular carcinoma who underwent transcatheter arterial chemoembolization., Methods: Included in this study were 211 patients with intermediate stage HCC who underwent initial transcatheter arterial chemoembolization and were potentially amendable for radiofrequency ablation (single tumor with diameter 5-8 cm, median 6.0 cm; 2-5 multiple nodules with diameter less than 5 cm) between January 2005 and December 2011. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 55 patients were treated with following radiofrequency ablation, and the remaining 156 patients were treated with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization alone. The treatment effectiveness, local tumor control and survival outcome between the two groups were compared., Results: The complete tumor necrosis rate after treatment was 76.9% in combination group vs. 46.5% in transcatheter arterial chemoembolization alone group (P = 0.02). The major complication rate was 1.8% in combination group vs. 2.6% in transcatheter arterial chemoembolization alone group. Follow-up observation showed that the total tumor control rate was 74.5% in combination group versus 54.5% in transcatheter arterial chemoembolization alone group (P < 0.001). The 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates in combination group were significantly higher than those in TACE alone group (P = 0.01)., Conclusions: Radiofrequency ablation following initial transcatheter arterial chemoembolization delays tumor progression and prolongs overall survival of patients with intermediate stage HCC tumors.

In order to get to know the imitation of wild Gastrodia elata in life history and phenology period, by G. elata f. elata forest wild simulated cultivation in Dafang county, Guizhou province, observing and recording its morphological characteristics of each growth and development stage. This experiment summarized the law of its life history over 24 months, amplified the characteristics of each 5 phenology periods over the sexual and asexual reproduction of wild simulated cultivated G. elata f. elata in Guizhou. Which the results could clear the process of wild simulated cultivated G. elata f. elata in Guizhou, and provide a theoretical support for the standard technical of the simulated wild G. elata.

Although the polymorphisms of PTPN22 and the variants of CTLA-4 have been reported to be the susceptibility genes, which increased risk of latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA), the results remained inconclusive. The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the association between the polymorphisms of two genes and LADA. We performed a systematic review by identifying relevant studies and applied meta-analysis to pool gene effects. Data from ten studies published between 2001 and 2013 were pooled for two polymorphisms: rs2476601 in the PTPN22 gene and rs231775 in the CTLA-4 gene. Data extraction and assessments for risk of bias were independently performed by two reviewers. Fixed-effect model and random-effect model were used to pool the odds ratios; meanwhile, heterogeneity test, publication bias and sensitive analysis were explored. The minor T allele at rs2476601 and the minor G at rs231775 carried estimated relative risks (odds ratio) of 1.52 (95 % CI 1.29-1.79) and 1.39 (95 % CI 1.11-1.74), respectively. These alleles contributed to an absolute lowering of the risk of all LADA by 4.88 and 14.93 % when individuals do not carry these alleles. The estimated lambdas were 0.49 and 0.63, suggesting a codominant model of effects was most likely for two genes. In summary, our systematic review has demonstrated that PTPN22 rs2476601 and CTLA-4 rs231775 are potential risk factors for LADA. An updated meta-analysis is required when more studies are published to increase the power of these polymorphisms and LADA.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the deadliest cancers. We performed exome sequencing on 113 tumor-normal pairs, yielding a mean of 82 non-silent mutations per tumor, and 8 cell lines. The mutational profile of ESCC closely resembles those of squamous cell carcinomas of other tissues but differs from that of esophageal adenocarcinoma. Genes involved in cell cycle and apoptosis regulation were mutated in 99% of cases by somatic alterations of TP53 (93%), CCND1 (33%), CDKN2A (20%), NFE2L2 (10%) and RB1 (9%). Histone modifier genes were frequently mutated, including KMT2D (also called MLL2; 19%), KMT2C (MLL3; 6%), KDM6A (7%), EP300 (10%) and CREBBP (6%). EP300 mutations were associated with poor survival. The Hippo and Notch pathways were dysregulated by mutations in FAT1, FAT2, FAT3 or FAT4 (27%) or AJUBA (JUB; 7%) and NOTCH1, NOTCH2 or NOTCH3 (22%) or FBXW7 (5%), respectively. These results define the mutational landscape of ESCC and highlight mutations in epigenetic modulators with prognostic and potentially therapeutic implications.

The quality and safety of fruits and vegetables are the most concerns of consumers. Chemical analytical methods are traditional inspection methods which are time-consuming and labor intensive destructive inspection techniques. With the rapid development of imaging technique and spectral technique, hyperspectral imaging technique has been widely used in the nondestructive inspection of quality and safety of fruits and vegetables. Hyperspectral imaging integrates the advantages of traditional imaging and spectroscopy. It can obtain both spatial and spectral information of inspected objects. Therefore, it can be used in either external quality inspection as traditional imaging system, or internal quality or safety inspection as spectroscopy. In recent years, many research papers about the nondestructive inspection of quality and safety of fruits and vegetables by using hyperspectral imaging have been published, and in order to introduce the principles of nondestructive inspection and track the latest research development of hyperspectral imaging in the nondestructive inspection of quality and safety of fruits and vegetables, this paper reviews the principles, developments and applications of hyperspectral imaging in the external quality, internal quality and safety inspection of fruits and vegetables. Additionally, the basic components, analytical methods, future trends and challenges are also reported or discussed in this paper.

Background: Preoperative jaundice is frequent in gallbladder cancer (GBC) and indicates advanced disease. Resection is rarely recommended to treat advanced GBC. An aggressive surgical approach for advanced GBC remains lacking because of the association of this disease with serious postoperative complications and poor prognosis. This study aims to re-assess the prognostic value of jaundice for the morbidity, mortality, and survival of GBC patients who underwent surgical resection with curative intent., Methods: GBC patients who underwent surgical resection with curative intent at a single institution between January 2003 and December 2012 were identified from a prospectively maintained database., Results: A total of 192 patients underwent surgical resection with curative intent, of whom 47 had preoperative jaundice and 145 had none. Compared with the non-jaundiced patients, the jaundiced patients had significantly longer operative time (p < 0.001) and more intra-operative bleeding (p = 0.001), frequent combined resections of adjacent organs (23.4% vs. 2.8%, p = 0.001), and postoperative complications (12.4% vs. 34%, p = 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that preoperative jaundice was the only independent predictor of postoperative complications. The jaundiced patients had lower survival rates than the non-jaundiced patients (p < 0.001). However, lymph node metastasis and gallbladder neck tumors were the only significant risk factors of poor prognosis. Non-curative resection was the only independent predictor of poor prognosis among the jaundiced patients. The survival rates of the jaundiced patients with preoperative biliary drainage (PBD) were similar to those of the jaundiced patients without PBD (p = 0.968). No significant differences in the rate of postoperative intra-abdominal abscesses were found between the jaundiced patients with and without PBD (n = 4, 21.1% vs. n = 5, 17.9%, p = 0.787)., Conclusions: Preoperative jaundice indicates poor prognosis and high postoperative morbidity but is not a surgical contraindication. Gallbladder neck tumors significantly increase the surgical difficulty and reduce the opportunities for radical resection. Gallbladder neck tumors can independently predict poor outcome. PBD correlates with neither a low rate of postoperative intra-abdominal abscesses nor a high survival rate.

Angiogenesis plays an important role in myocardial infarction. Apelin and its natural receptor (angiotensin II receptor-like 1, AGTRL-1 or APLNR) induce sprouting of endothelial cells in an autocrine or paracrine manner. The aim of this study is to investigate whether apelin can improve the cardiac function after myocardial infarction by increasing angiogenesis in infarcted myocardium. Left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP), left ventricular end systolic pressure (LVESP), left ventricular developed pressure (LVDP), maximal left ventricular pressure development (±LVdp/dtmax), infarct size, and angiogenesis were evaluated to analyze the cardioprotective effects of apelin on ischemic myocardium. Assays of 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide, 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine incorporation, wound healing, transwells, and tube formation were used to detect the effects of apelin on proliferation, migration, and chemotaxis of cardiac microvascular endothelial cells. Fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled bovine serum albumin penetrating through monolayered cardiac microvascular endothelial cells was measured to evaluate the effects of apelin on permeability of microvascular endothelial cells. In vivo results showed that apelin increased ±LV dp/dtmax and LVESP values, decreased LVEDP values (all p < 0.05), and promoted angiogenesis in rat heart after ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery. In vitro results showed that apelin dose-dependently enhanced proliferation, migration, chemotaxis, and tube formation, but not permeability of cardiac microvascular endothelial cells. Apelin also increased the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor receptors-2 (VEGFR2) and the endothelium-specific receptor tyrosine kinase (Tie-2) in cardiac microvascular endothelial cells. These results indicated that apelin played a protective role in myocardial infarction through promoting angiogenesis and decreasing permeability of microvascular endothelial cells via upregulating the expression of VEGFR2 and Tie-2 in cardiac microvascular endothelial cells.

Leiomyosarcoma of the esophagus is a rare malignant tumor with slow growth and late metastasis. The aim of this study was to reassess the clinical characteristics and treatment modality in one of the largest series of esophageal leiomyosarcomas from a single institution. From February 1973 to December 2011, 12 cases of esophageal leiomyosarcoma were identified. The principal symptoms included progressive dysphagia in 11 cases (91.7%), retrosternal/back pain in four (33.3%), weight loss in four (33.3%), upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage in two (16.7%), and emesis in two (16.7%). The average duration of symptoms was 10.6 months. The location of the primary tumor was in the middle thoracic esophagus in five cases, and lower thoracic esophagus in seven cases. Six cases were classified as the polypoid type, five cases as the infiltrative type, and only one case as the intramural type. All 12 of the patients underwent esophagectomies, and radical resections were achieved in these patients. Based on the Kaplan-Meier Method, the 3-, 5-, and 10-year survival rates were 80.0%, 58.3%, and 31.1%, respectively, with a median survival of 63 months. Five-year survival rates for patients with polypoid or intramural tumors (n = 7) was 83.3%, and for patients with infiltrative tumor (n = 5) it was 25.0%. One of the patients had tumor resected four times and survived for 161 months. In conclusion, patients presenting with esophageal leiomyosarcomas have an excellent prognosis, and radical resection may achieve acceptable results., (© 2012 Copyright the Authors. Journal compilation © 2012, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the International Society for Diseases of the Esophagus.)

To improve the precision and robustness of the NIR model of the soluble solid content (SSC) on pear. The total number of 160 pears was for the calibration (n=120) and prediction (n=40). Different spectral pretreatment methods, including standard normal variate (SNV) and multiplicative scatter correction (MSC) were used before further analysis. A combination of genetic algorithm (GA) and successive projections algorithm (SPA) was proposed to select most effective wavelengths after uninformative variable elimination (UVE) from original spectra, SNV pretreated spectra and MSC pretreated spectra respectively. The selected variables were used as the inputs of least squares-support vector machine (LS-SVM) model to build models for de- termining the SSC of pear. The results indicated that LS-SVM model built using SNVE-UVE-GA-SPA on 30 characteristic wavelengths selected from full-spectrum which had 3112 wavelengths achieved the optimal performance. The correlation coefficient (Rp) and root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) for prediction sets were 0.956, 0.271 for SSC. The model is reliable and the predicted result is effective. The method can meet the requirement of quick measuring SSC of pear and might be important for the development of portable instruments and online monitoring.

The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a useful biomarker that reflects systemic inflammation responses. However, the prognostic value of the NLR in patients with primary liver cancer (PLC) remains controversial. We performed a meta-analysis of 26 studies (comprising 4,461 patients) to evaluate the association between the pre-treatment NLR and clinical outcomes of overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) in patients with PLC. The correlation between NLR and tumor characteristics or other inflammation-related parameters was also assessed. Data were synthesized using the random-effects model of DerSimonian and Laird, and the hazard ratio (HR) or odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to estimate effect size. Our analysis indicated that a high NLR predicted poor OS (HR, 2.102; 95% CI: 1.741-2.538) and DFS (HR, 2.474; 95% CI: 1.855-3.300) for PLC. A high NLR was associated with the presence of tumor vascular invasion (OR: 1.889, 95% CI: 1.487-2.400; p<0.001) and an elevated alpha-fetoprotein level (OR: 1.536; 95% CI: 1.152-2.048; p = 0.003). Thus, we conclude that a high NLR indicates a poor prognosis for patients with PLC and may also be predictive for PLC invasion and metastasis. Subgroup analysis suggested that the predictive role of NLR in cholangiocarcinoma is limited, and a further large study to confirm these findings is warranted.

Pecan is an important nut in US, however, the inner insect influences pecan's quality a lot. To realize the nondestructive detection of insect damage in American pecans rapidly and efficiently, preliminary research on insect damage detection in pecans was conducted based on terahertz spectroscopy. Firstly, a set of native pecan nuts were collected and were manually sliced with a thickness of about 1, 2 and 3 mm and with a size of about 2 cm(length) X 1 cm(width) for every pecan nutmeat; Pecan shell and inner separator were also cut into the same size. Secondly, the absorption spectra of the nutmeat slices, shell, and inner separator were collected using THz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) developed by a group of researchers at Oklahoma State University, and the spectral characteristic of the slices was analyzed. Thirdly, the absorption spectra of the alive manduca sexta and dry pecan weevil were collected, and due to the high contents in the insects, very obvious spectral characteristics were found. Finally, the transmission experiment was conducted with the whole pecans. The results from the preliminary study show a potential application of THz technology for insect damage detection. This research provides a reference for further understanding terahertz and exploring sample preparation methods, test methods, data acquisition and optical parameters calculation methods, and developing nondestructive detection system for insect damage in American pecans based on terahertz technology.

Bruising is one of the major defects occurring on apple surface inevitably during postharvest handling and processing stage. To detect slight bruises on apples fast and efficiently, a novel bruises detection algorithm based on hyperspectral imaging and minimum noise fraction transform is proposed. First, the hyperspectral images in the visible and near-infrared (400 approximately 1 000 nm) ranges are acquired, and MNF transform based on full ranges could obtain better detection performance compared to PCA transform; Second, five wavebands (560, 660, 720, 820 and 960 nm) are selected as the effective wavebands based on the coefficient curve of I-RELIEF method conducted on spectra extracted from intact and bruise surface; Third, the bruises detection algorithm is developed based on the effective wavebands and MNF transform method. For the investigated 40 sound samples and 40 different time stage bruise samples, the results with a 97. 1% overall detection rate are got. The recognition results indicate that the proposed methods and the effective wavelengths selected in this paper are feasible and efficient. This research lays a foundation for the development of multispectral imaging system based on MNF transform for slight bruises detection on apples.

Background: Mucin-producing bile duct tumors (MPBTs) are unusual, and we present our experience with nine surgically proven cases., Methods: Between November 2002 and November 2012, 9 patients with surgically proven MPBTs (including history of relevant hepatobiliary surgery in 6 patients) were encountered. Their clinical, imaging, and surgical findings were reviewed., Results: The most common symptom is intermittent jaundice, which occurs in seven patients. The diagnostic specificity was 77.8% by preoperative Magnetic Resonance Cholangiopancreatography (MRCP). All the patients underwent ipsilateral hemihepatectomy or remnant hemihepatectomy, accompanied caudate lobectomy in one case and concomitant Roux-en-Y choledochojejunostomy in four cases. Postoperative course was uneventful. One patient, who had intra-abdominal recurrence 59 months after surgery, was received reoperation without recurrence at the last follow-up. The remaining eight patients were alive without disease recurrence., Conclusion: Based on our follow up of 9 cases that were surgically treated for MPBTs, we conclude that ipsilateral hemihepatectomy is a safe surgical procedure with an observed recurrence risk of 11.1% and all long-term survival.

An actinomycete capable of lysing cyanobacteria, strain JXJ 0074(T), was isolated from a soil sample collected from Jiangxi province, south China, and characterized by using polyphasic taxonomy. The new isolate showed morphological and chemotaxonomic properties typical of members of the genus Streptomyces. Phylogenetic analysis of the near-complete 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that strain JXJ 0074(T) should be affiliated to the genus Streptomyces and exhibited highest similarities to Streptomyces shenzhenensis DSM 42034(T) (98.99 %) and Streptomyces lucensis NBRC 13056(T) (98.60 %), while the similarities to other members of the genus are lower than 98.22 % similarity. However, the DNA-DNA hybridization values between strain JXJ 0074(T) and S. shenzhenensis DSM 42034(T) or S. lucensis NBRC 13056(T) were 46.2 ± 2.6 and 32.6 ± 3.1 %, respectively. Thus, on the basis of the polyphasic data, strain JXJ 0074(T) represents a novel species of the genus Streptomyces, for which the name Streptomyces jiujiangensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is JXJ 0074(T) (= BCRC 16953(T) = KCTC 29262(T)).

The fragmentation of CH4 (2+) dications following 55 eV, 75 eV, and 100 eV electron impact double ionization of methane was studied using a cold target recoil-ion momentum spectroscopy. From the measured momentum of each recoil ion, the momentum of the neutral particles has been deduced and the kinetic energy release distribution for the different fragmentation channels has been obtained. The doubly charged molecular ions break up into three or more fragments in one or two-step processes, resulting in different signatures in the data. We observed the fragmentation of CH4 (2+) dications through different mechanisms according to the momentum of the neutral particles. For example, our result shows that there are three reaction channels to form CH2 (+), H(+), and H, one synchronous concerted reaction channel and two two-step reaction channels. For even more complicated fragmentation processes of CH4 (2+) dications, the fragmentation mechanism can still be identified in the present measurements. The slopes of the peak in the ion-ion coincidence spectra were also estimated here, as they are also related to the fragmentation mechanism.

Seven new cinchona alkaloids, cinchonanines A-G (1-7), and 29 known alkaloids were isolated from the barks of Cinchona surrirubra and C. ledgeriana collected from Yunnan Province in China. The new structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis. All compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxicity against five human cancer cell lines. Compounds 2, 13, 14, and 15 showed moderate cytotoxicity., (Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

This study was aimed to explore whether hyperglycemia during chemotherapy influences the prognosis of children with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). The clinical medical records of all newly diagnosed patients with ALL at SUN Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital from June 2008 to May 2012 were analyzed retrospectively. The median time of follow-up for patients was 2.6 years (range 0.08 to 4.9 years). Patients were divided to hyperglycemia and euglycemia groups according to their blood glucose concentrations during chemotherapy which contains L-asp and dexamethasone. The variables between two groups were compared using χ(2) test, the RFS and OS among two groups were compared by use of Kaplan-Meier and Cox-proportional hazard analyses. The results showed that the hyperglycemia correlated with older age (43.33% vs 19.23%, P = 0.008) and high-risk disease at diagnosis (26.62% vs 4.76%, P = 0.017) , but did not associate with sex (P = 0.059). Patients with hyperglycemia had worse OS (94.2 ± 2.9% vs 83.1 ± 6.3%, P = 0.014) and more poor RFS (64.1 ± 8.9% vs 88.6 ± 3.8%, P < 0.001) at 5 years than their counterpart. It is concluded that the incidence rate of hyperglycemia during chemotherapy correlated with older age and high-risk disease in ALL children, and the patients with hyperglycemia during chemotherapy may have poorer prognosis.

Background: GATA family of transcription factors are critical for organ development and associated with progression of various cancer types. However, their expression patterns and prognostic values for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are still largely unknown., Methods: Expression of GATA transcription factors in HCC cell lines and tissues (n = 240) were evaluated by RT-qPCR, western blot and immunohistochemistry. Cellular proliferation, migration and invasion of HepG2 was evaluated by CCK-8 kit, scratch wound assay and transwell matrigel invasion assay, respectively., Results: GATA2 expression was decreased in HCC cell lines (p = 0.056 for mRNA, p = 0.040 for protein) and tissues (p = 1.27E-25) compared with normal hepatocytes. Decreased expression of intratumoral GATA2 protein significantly correlated with elevated alpha feto-protein (p = 2.7E-05), tumor size >5 cm (p = 0.049), absence of tumor capsule (p = 0.002), poor differentiation (p = 0.005), presence of tumor thrombi (p = 0.005) and advanced TNM stage (p = 0.001) and was associated with increased recurrence rate and decreased overall survival rate by univariate (p = 1.6E-04 for TTR, p = 1.7E-04 for OS) and multivariate analyses (HR = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.43-0.90, p = 0.012 for TTR; HR = 0.67, 95% CI = 0.47-0.95, p = 0.026 for OS). RNAi-mediated knockdown of GATA2 expression significantly enhanced proliferation, migration and invasion of HepG2 cell in vitro., Conclusions: Decreased expression of hematopoietic factor GATA2 was associated with poor prognosis of HCC following resection.

Background: Recent studies suggest that a combination of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) may have theoretical advantages over TACE alone for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of radiofrequency ablation following first-line TACE treatment in the management of HCC beyond the Milan Criteria., Methods: Forty-five patients who consecutively underwent RFA following first-line TACE treatment for HCC beyond the Milan criteria were enrolled in this study. RFA was performed within 1-2 months after TACE treatment in patients who had incomplete necrotic tumor nodules. Primary effectiveness, complications, survival rates, and prognostic factors were evaluated retrospectively., Results: Complete ablation was achieved in 76.2% of the lesions according to 1-month follow-up computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging evaluation. The mean follow-up period was 30.9 months (range 3-94 months). There were no major complications after RFA therapy. The median overall survival was 29 months (range 20-38 months), with 1-, 2-, and 3-year survival of 89%, 61%, and 43%, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that tumor diameter (P = 0.045, hazard ratio [HR] = 0.228, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.054-0.968) and pretreatment serum alpha-fetoprotein level (P = 0.024, HR = 2.239, 95% CI: 1.114-4.500) were independent predictors for long-term survival., Conclusions: HCC beyond the Milan criteria can be completely and safely ablated by radiofrequency ablation following first-line TACE treatment with a low rate of complications and favorable survival outcome. Further assessment of the survival benefits of combination treatment for HCCs beyond the Milan Criteria is warranted.