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BACKGROUND: Curcumin pre-conditioning can alleviate liver injury induced by limb ischemia/reperfusion (l/R), but whether curcumin post-conditioning has protective effect against liver cold l/R injury and its mechanism are still poorly studied. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of curcumin post-conditioning on hepatocyte apoptosis in rats with liver cold l/R injury in rats. METHODS: Eighty adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups (n=20 per group) by using a random number table: sham group, l/R group, curcumin post-conditioning group (l/R+Cur group), and dexamethasone group {l/R+Dex group). The liver blood flow was completely blocked. Then the splenic vein and the adrenal vein were used as the inflow and outflow tracts to inject 0 °C compound Ringer lactate solution followed by cold perfusion for 30 minutes. After stopping cold perfusion, the proximal splenic vein and the right adrenal vein were ligated to remove the spleen, and then the blood flow in the liver restored. The cold l/R model was successfully established. After 30 minutes of cold ischemia, 60 mg/kg curcumin was injected into the rat tail vein in the l/R+Cur group, 0.5 mg/kg dexamethasone was injected into the rat tail vein in the l/R+Dex group, and the same amount of saline was injected in the other groups. Blood sample was taken from the carotid artery at 6 hours after reperfusion. Serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine transferase were detected. Then the rats were sacrificed to detect malondialdehyde level in liver tissue, observe liver pathological changes by hematoxylin-eosin staining, measure hepatocyte apoptosis index by Hoechst 33258 staining, detect expression of Bcl-2 and Bax protein by western blot, expression of caspase-9 mRNA by RT-PCR, and levels of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1β by ELISA. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Compared with the sham group, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine transferase, malondialdehyde levels and apoptosis index in the l/R group increased significantly (P < 0.05). Hematoxylin-eosin staining showed a large number of inflammatory cells infiltrated in the hepatic sinusoids, eosinophilic changes of hepatocytes, cytoplasmic loosening, balloon-like changes of hepatocytes, occasional patchy necrosis, and scattered punctate necrosis foci in the l/R group. The l/R group had significantly decreased expression of Bcl-2, and increased expression of Bax (P < 0.05), Caspase-9 mRNA, tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1β (P < 0.05). Compared with the l/R group, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine transferase, malondialdehyde levels and apoptosis index in the l/R+Cur group decreased significantly (P < 0.05). Hematoxylin-eosin staining showed that inflammatory infiltration in the hepatic sinusoids decreased significantly, eosinophilic and balloon-like hepatocytes decreased significantly, but occasionally a small amount of scattered punctate necrosis was observed in the l/R+Cur group. There was significantly increased Bcl-2 expression, and significantly decreased Bax (P < 0.05), Caspase-9 mRNA, tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1β (P < 0.05). No significant differences were observed between l/R+Cur group and l/R+Dex group (P > 0.05). In a word, curcumin-post conditioning can alleviate liver injury induced by cold l/R in rats. Its mechanism may be related to down-regulation of Bci-2/Bax ratio, inhibition of caspase-9 m RNA expression, and reduction of the release of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1β. therefore playing an anti-apoptotic role in liver protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that the aberrant expression of microRNAs (miRs or miRNAs) may contribute to the initiation and progression of various types of human cancer and may also constitute biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and therapy. However, the specific function of miR‐9 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unclear, and the mechanisms that underlie HCC are incompletely understood. Here, we report that miR‐9 expression was significantly decreased in clinical tumor tissue samples, as well as in a cohort of HCC cell lines. In addition, it was demonstrated that overexpression of miR‐9 suppressed the proliferative and migratory capacity of HCC cells and impaired cell cycle progression. Furthermore, high mobility group AT‐hook 2 (HMGA2) was verified as a downstream target gene of miR‐9 using a luciferase reporter assay. Quantitative RT‐PCR and western blotting implicated HMGA2 in the miR‐9‐mediated reduction of HCC cell growth. In vivo, transfection with miR‐9 mimics down‐regulated the expression of HMGA2, thus leading to a dramatic reduction in tumor growth in a mouse xenograft model. These results suggest that miR‐9 may exert critical antitumor effects on HCC by directly targeting HMGA2, and the miR9/HMGA2 signaling pathway may be of use for the diagnosis and prognosis of patients with HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: At present, Da Vinci robotic assisted hepatectomy has been routinely carried out in conditional units. But there is no report concerning the use of Da Vinci robots for hepatic hydatid cystectomy and experience on this aspect is seldom mentioned before. This study was to summarize the preliminary experience in laparoscopic resection of hepatic hydatidectocyst with the Da Vinci Surgical System (DVSS).Case Presentation: A 29-year-old female diagnosed as hepatic hydatid in the right anterior lobe of liver was treated with laparoscopic resection by the DVSS under general anesthesia. Appropriate disposal of tumor cell in vascular system and disinfection of surgical field with hypertonic saline were conducted. The hepatic hydatidectocyst was resected completely with an operation time of 130 min, an intraoperative blood loss of 200 ml and a length of hospital stay for five days. The vital signs of patient were stable and no cyst fluid allergy occurred after operation.Conclusions: Our result showed that laparoscopic resection of hepatic hydatidectocyst by using the DVSS is safe and feasible on the basis of hospitals have rich experience in treatment of cystic echinococcosisliver, resection with DVSS and laparoscopic excision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magmatism in SE China was dormant during 204–180 Ma, but was reactivated in 180–170 Ma (early J2), and then became more and more intensive towards the end of early Cretaceous. The small-scale early J2 magmatism is the incipience to long-term and large-scale magmatism in this region. A near east-west (EW) trend volcanic belt was distributed across south Hunan, south Jiangxi and southwest Fujian was formed during early J2 time. Along this belt from the inland toward the coast, the lithology of basalts changes from alkali into tholeiite, and the amount of erupted volcanic rocks and the proportions of rhyolites coexisting with the basalts increase. On the basis of geochemical characteristics of these basalts, we infer that the melting degree of source rocks and the extent of fractional crystallization and crustal contamination all increased whereas the depth of mantle source decreased from the inland to the coast, which led to the variations of geological characteristics of the volcanic belt. In early J2, the western spreading Pacific plate began to subduct underneath SE China continental block, reactivating near EW trend deep fault that was originally formed during the Indosinian event. The stress of the western spreading Pacific plate and the extent of asthenosphere upwelling increased from the inland to the coast, which is consistent with the generation and evolution of early J2 basalts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report [sup 230]Th-[sup 238] disequilibrium data on mid-ocean ridge basalts recovered 5 to 40 kilometers off the ridge axis near 9°30'N of the East Pacific Rise. These data indicate near-symmetrical eruptions of normal mid-ocean ridge basalts (NMORBs) and incompatible element-enriched mid-ocean ridge basalts (EMORBs) as far as 20 kilometers off axis. Our results suggest Large-scale subsurface Lateral transport of NMORB melt at 19 to 21 centimeters per year and also provide constraints on the petrogenesis of EMORBs of off-axis origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ages and source of early Precambrian mafic dykes in western Shandong Province, North China Craton (NCC), were determined using geochronological, and whole-rock geochemical, and whole–rock Sr–Nd isotopic data. U–Pb dating of zircons by laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry yields weighted average 207 Pb/ 206 Pb ages of 2514 ± 11 Ma, 2526 ± 8 Ma, and 2505 ± 7 Ma for three dykes. The dykes are classified as alkaline dolerites, and belong to the shoshonitic series. These dolerites are characterized by low concentrations of the light rare earth elements, negligible Eu anomalies, positive Rb, Ba, U, K, Pb, and Sr anomalies, and depletions in high field strength elements. In addition, the mafic dykes have depleted initial ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) i and high ε Nd (i) values. Collectively, these data suggest that the mafic dykes were derived from the partial melting of a depleted mantle source, that of the mantle that was hybridized during interaction with continental crust or sediments from the subducted block/plate. The parental mafic magmas of these dykes underwent the fractional crystallization of olivine, pyroxene, hornblende, and Fe–Ti oxides during ascent, with negligible evidence for crustal contamination prior to emplacement at a high crustal level. The mafic magmas were emplaced to form swarms of dykes in response to lithospheric extension, which affected the NCC ~ 2.55 Ga, during the late Neoarchaean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to reveal novel markers for prognostic and diagnostic prediction of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)., Methods: We applied The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data to screen differentially expressed genes (DEGs). We identified hub modules and genes using weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). After verification with the GSE36376 dataset, hub genes were further identified. The expression of progestin and adipoQ receptor 4 ( PAQR4 ) was confirmed in HCC by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) . The diagnostic and prognosis value of PAQR4 was assessed. The expression of PAQR4 was verified using the GSE76427 dataset., Results: A total of 803 DEGs were obtained between HCC and normal tissue. Through WGCNA, 7 hub modules were screened, among which the blue module was selected to identify the hub genes associated with the HCC. After overlapping all the DEGs with 837 genes of the blue module, we obtained 466 DEGs that were defined as hub genes. Among the hub genes, 239 were related to staging. After verifying with the GSE36376 dataset, PAQR4 was identified as the real hub gene of HCC. The results of qRT-PCR revealed that PAQR4 was upregulated between HCC and normal tissue. Furthermore, PAQR4 was related to the diagnosis and prognosis of patients with HCC. Moreover, the GSE76427 verification results of PAQR4 were consistent with our integration and qRT-PCR results. Ultimately, high expression of PAQR4 was significantly related to cell cycle, DNA replication, and the p53 signaling pathway., Conclusions: The PAQR4 gene may be associated with the prognosis and diagnosis of HCC ., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://jgo.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/jgo-22-168/coif). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (2022 Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To explore the molecular mechanism of umbilical cord blood mesenchymal stem cells (UCBMSCs) in the treatment of advanced osteoarthritis pain., Methods: Normal healthy rats were selected to establish advanced osteoarthritis (OA) model, and the rats were randomly divided into control group, intravenous group, intracavitary group and intrathecal group. The intravenous group received intravenous injection of UCBMSCs, intracavitary group received intra-articular injection of UCBMSCs, and intrathecal group received subarachnoid injection of UCBMSCs. The pain behavior and serum pro-inflammatory factor levels were evaluated before and after treatment. microRNA-29a-3p and FOS mRNA in spinal dorsal horn was detected using qPCR, the phosphorylation of c-fos protein and NR1, NR2B, ERK and PKCg was detected using Western blot, and the level of LncRNA H19 was detected using qPCR., Results: LncRNA H19 was enriched in the exosomes of UCBMSCs. microRNA-29a-3p was the target gene of LncRNA H19, while FOS was the downstream target of microRNA-29a-3p. Pain and inflammation of rats in the intrathecal group improved best, and the phosphorylation levels of c-fos and NR1, NR2B, ERK and PKCg in the spinal dorsal horn of the intrathecal group decreased. LncRNA H19 regulated the central sensitization of astrocytes through microRNA-29a-3p/FOS axis., Conclusion: Intrathecal injection of umbilical cord blood mesenchymal stem cells can improve the pain and central sensitization of advanced osteoarthritis through LncRNA H19/microRNA-29a-3p/FOS axis., Competing Interests: None., (AJTR Copyright © 2021.)

Despite the theoretical advantages of laparoscopic hepatectomy, it is still not considered the standard treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma patients because of criticism concerning oncologic stability. This study aimed at examining the short- and long-term follow-up results of laparoscopic hepatectomy versus open hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma and at investigating clinical outcomes, oncologic safety, and any potential advantages of laparoscopic hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma. A series of 53 patients who underwent laparoscopic hepatectomy (Lap group) for hepatocellular carcinoma were matched with 53 patients who underwent open hepatectomy during the same time period (Open group). The short- and long-term outcomes were compared between the two groups of patients. The patients who underwent the laparoscopic procedure showed a significantly faster recovery and less blood loss compared with patients who underwent open surgery. No differences were found in 5-year overall and disease-free survival rates. Our results suggested that the laparoscopic approach was as safe as the open alternative. Laparoscopic hepatectomy has been shown to be a favorable surgical option with better short-term outcomes and similar long-term oncological control compared with open hepatectomy.

Background/aims: To evaluate the effect of high-intensity ultrasound (HIFU) ablation on human hepatocellular carcinoma tissues and apoptotic proteins (bcl-2 and p-53)., Methodology: Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma at stage B were treated with HIFU ablation. Levels of bcl-2 and p53 protein and the apoptosis rate were evaluated both in the pre-treatment and post-treatment tissue specimens using immunochemistry and TUNEL methods, respectively., Results: After HIFU ablation, p53 protein levels were significantly increased around the coagulation necrosis area, whereas, the level of bcl-2 was significantly decreased. More apoptosis cells were found post ablation compared with those in the pretreatment tissues. Additionally, no significant correlation was found between p53/bcl-2 levels and apoptotic index., Conclusions: HIFU ablation may exert promote the apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells and the effect has a closely association with the change of p53 and bcl-2 expression.

Objective: To investigate whether transplantation of autologous peripheral blood CD34+ stem cells is a viable approach for treating patients with advanced cirrhosis,which is currently hindered by a shortage in liver donors., Methods: A total of 100 patients with advanced cirrhosis and who had failed to respond to conservative therapy were recruited for transplantation of autologous peripheral blood CD34+ stem cells.The success of transplantation was investigated 6-and 12-months later by measuring markers of liver biosynthesis function (coagulation,albumin level,indocyanine green clearance,Child-Pugh score) and assessing pathological changes (Knodell score) and morphologic changes in the liver tissue.Complications were also recorded during follow-up., Results: The 1-year cumulative survival rate was 100%. Fifty-two patients with massive ascites showed gradual reduction and disappearance of the ascites.Four patients experienced upper gastrointestinal bleeding and three patients developed with hepatic encephalopathy (I-II degree) at 3 months post-transplantation.All patients showed significantly improved liver biosynthesis function,liver elasticity and Knodell score after transplantation (P less than 0.05)., Conclusion: Autologous peripheral blood CD34+ stem cell transplantation is a safe and effective treatment for advanced cirrhosis,and has high cost-benefit since it improves liver function,liver histology,and quality of life.

Objective: To evaluate the values of radiology, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in assessing symptomatic osteoporosis vertebral compression fractures in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty., Methods: Retrospective reviews were conducted for 41 osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures patients with preoperative CT (with 3D reconstruction)/MRI (with fat saturation sequence) and preoperative and postoperative radiological imaging data. All patients underwent percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) or balloon kyphoplasty (BKP) when conservative treatment failed to offer pain relief., Results: CT scan showed 52 vertebral fractures while MRI detected a total of 70 lesions of vertebral body, including 44 new fractures, 8 old fractures and 18 bone bruises. Eight old fractures and 2 mild bone bruises were treated conservatively. In conjunctions with MRI, especially fat saturation sequence, 60 therapeutic vertebral bodies were visualized. It was superior to CT. As demonstrated by preoperative and postoperative radiology, vertebral body height improved and Cobb Angle slightly decreased for 60 lesions., Conclusion: For vertebral compression fractures in osteoporosis patients, preoperative CT and MRI examinations have important clinical significance in providing treatment guidance and assessing postoperative outcomes.

Objective: To explore the effects of autotransfusion on intraoperative blood loss and postoperative drainage volume in posterior lumbar spinal surgery., Methods: From June 2010 to January 2012, a total of 183 patients with lumbar disease were enrolled. There were 74 males and 109 females with an average age of 56.6 (31-81) years. There were lumbar disc herniation (n = 80), lumbar stenosis (n = 69), lumbar spondylolisthesis (n = 32) and discogenic pain (n = 2). And one-level (n = 83) and two-level (n = 100) operations were performed. The treatments were non-transfusion (n = 34), auto-blood (n = 109) and allogeneic blood (n = 20) and both (n = 20).Operative duration, operative level, intraoperative autologous blood transfusion, intraoperative allogeneic blood transfusion, intraoperative blood loss, immediate drainage volume, duration of drainage tube and final drainage volume were recorded., Results: The mean intraoperative blood loss was (369.4 ± 284.0) ml and (568.8 ± 398.7) ml for two-level operation, there were significant differences between them(t = 3.94, P < 0.001). The final drainage volume was (186.3 ± 135.6) ml for one-level patients and (301.4 ± 286.8) ml for two-level patients, there were significant differences between them (t = 3.56, P < 0.05). The total intraoperative blood loss was (478.3 ± 364.3) ml and total final drainage volume was (249.2 ± 237.4) ml, there were significant differences between them(P < 0.001). There were significant differences in blood loss between autologous blood transfusion for non-transfusion groups (P < 0.001) .However, there was no difference for immediate drainage and final drainage comparing with other blood transfusion methods (P > 0.05) ., Conclusion: Using autologous blood transfusion alone during operation has significant difference for inoperative blood loss compared with non-transfusion. Yet there is no effect on immediate or final drainage volume.