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Objective . The search for methods by which to predict the risks of cerebral hyperperfusion syn-drome (CHS) in adults with moyamoya disease (MMD), including those utilizing new biomarkers, still deserves further research. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between the hemodynamics of parasylvian cortical arteries (PSCAs) and postoperative CHS. Methods . A consecutive number of adults with MMD who had undergone direct bypass between September 2020 and December 2022 were recruited. Intraoperative microvascular doppler ultrasonography (MDU) was performed to evaluate the hemodynamics of PSCAs. The intraoperative flow direction, mean value of velocity (MVV) of recipient artery (RA) and bypass graft were recorded. According to flow direction after bypass, RA was divided into entering sylvian (RA.ES) and leaving sylvian (RA.LS) subtypes. Univariate, multivariate, and ROC analyses of the risk factors for postoperative CHS were performed. Results . A total of 16 (15.09%) cases in 106 consecutive hemispheres (101 patients) sat-isfied the postoperative CHS criteria. According to univariate analysis, advanced Suzuki stage, MVV of RA before bypass, and fold increase of MVV in RA.ES after bypass were significantly associated with postoperative CHS ( p < 0.05). Multivariate analysis indicated that left-operated hemisphere (OR (95%CI), 4.58 (1.05-19.97), p = 0.043), advanced Suzuki stage (OR (95%CI), 5.47 (1.99-15.05), p = 0.017), and fold increase of MVV in RA.ES (OR (95%CI), 1.17 (1.06-1.30), p = 0.003) were statistically significantly associated with the occurrence of CHS. The cut-off value of fold increase of MVV in RA.ES was 2.7-fold ( p < 0.05). Conclusions . Left-operated hemisphere, advanced Suzuki stage, and postoperative fold increase of MVV in RA.ES were potential risk factors for postoperative CHS. Intraoperative MDU was useful for evaluating hemodynamics and predicting CHS.

Background: To investigate the incidence, risk factors, and clinical prognosis of cerebral hyperperfusion syndrome (CHS) after superficial temporal artery-middle cerebral artery anastomosis combined with encephalo-duro-arterio-synangiosis (STA-MCA/EDAS) in adult patients with moyamoya disease (MMD)., Methods: The clinical data of 160 adult patients with MMD treated by STA-MCA/EDAS from January 2016 to January 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. According to CHS diagnosis, MMD patients were divided into CHS and non-CHS group. Univariate and multivariate analysis of risk factors and Kaplan-Meier curve of stroke-free survival for CHS were performed., Results: A total of 12 patients (7.5%) developed postoperative CHS, of which 4 patients (2.5%) presented with cerebral hemorrhage. Univariate and multivariate analysis showed moyamoya vessel on the surgical hemisphere (OR = 3.04, 95% CI = 1.02-9.03, P = 0.046) and left operated hemisphere (OR = 5.16, 95% CI = 1.09-21.34, P = 0.041) were independent risk factors for CHS. The other variables, such as age, gender, presentation, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, mean mRS score on admission, modified Suzuki stage and pre-infarction stage on surgical hemisphere, and bypass patency, had no association with postoperative CHS (P > 0.05). At final follow-up with average 38 months, there were 18 out of 133 patients (13.5%, 4.91% per person year) presented with newly developed complications. There was no significant difference between newly developed complications, mean mRS scores, and Kaplan-Meier curve of stroke-free survival in patients with and without CHS (P > 0.05)., Conclusion: The concentration of moyamoya vessels and left operated hemisphere was independent risk factors for CHS, which could not affect the clinical prognosis if treated timely and properly. The current study offers a new perspective of moyamoya vessels and supporting data for choosing MMD candidates on cerebral revascularization., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Evolution of resistance to Cry proteins in multiple pest insects has been threatening the sustainable use of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)-transgenic crops. Better understanding about the mechanism of resistance to Cry proteins in insects is needed. Our preliminary study reported that the transcription of HaABCC3 was significantly decreased in a near-isogenic line (LFC2) of a Cry1Ac-resistant strain (LF60) of the global pest Helicoverpa armigera. However, the causality between HaABCC3 downregulation and resistance to Cry1Ac remains to be verified, and the regulatory mechanism underlying the HaABCC3 downregulation is still unclear. In this study, our data showed that both HaABCC3 and HaABCC3 downregulation were genetically linked to resistance to Cry1Ac in LF60. However, no InDels were observed in the coding sequence of HaABCC3 from LF60. Furthermore, F 1 offspring from the cross of LF60 and a HaABCC2/3-knockout mutant exhibited moderate resistance to Cry1Ac toxin; this indicated that the high resistance to Cry1Ac toxin in LF60 may have resulted from multiple genetic factors, including HaABCC2 mis-splicing and HaABCC3 downregulation. Results from luciferase reporter assays showed that promoter activity of HaABCC3 in LF60 was significantly lower than that in the susceptible strain, which indicated that HaABCC3 downregulation was likely mediated by promoter variation. Consistently, multiple variations of the GATA- or FoxA-binding sites in the promoter region of HaABCC3 were identified. Collectively, all results in this study suggested that the downregulation of HaABCC3 observed in the H. armigera LF60 strain, which is resistant to Cry1Ac, may be mediated by a cis-regulatory mechanism., (© 2022 Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.)

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is one of the most economically important diseases affecting the pig-raising industry. The PRRS virus (PRRSV) has high genetic diversity, partly owing to viral recombination. Some individual recombinant type 2 PRRSV (PRRSV-2) strains have been detected; however, the sequence composition characteristics of recombination hot spots and potential driving forces for recombinant PRRSV-2 are still unreported. Therefore, all available genomic sequences of PRRSV-2 ( n  = 949, including 29 genomes sequenced in this study) from 11 countries from 1991 to 2021 were collected and analyzed. The results revealed that the dominant major recombinant parent has been converted from lineage 3 (L3) to L1 since 2012. The recombination hot spots were located at nucleotides (nt) 7900 to 8200 (in NSP9, encoding viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase) and nt 12500 to nt 13300 (in ORF2-ORF4, mean ORF2 to ORF4); no AU-rich characteristics were found in the recombination hot spots. Based on infectious clones of L1 and L8 PRRSV-2, recombinant PRRSVs were generated by switching complete or partial NSP9 (harboring the recombination hot spot). The results showed that recombinant PRRSVs based on the L1 backbone, but not the L8 backbone, acquired a higher replication capacity in pig primary alveolar macrophages. These findings will help to understand the reason behind the dominance of L1-based recombination in PRRSV-2 strains and provide new clues for an in-depth study of the recombination mechanism of PRRSV-2. IMPORTANCE Recombination is an important driver of the genetic shifts that are tightly linked to the evolution of RNA viruses. Viral recombination contributes substantially to the emergence of new variants, alterations in virulence, and pathogenesis. PRRSV is genetically diverse, partly because of extensive recombination. In this study, we analyzed interlineage recombination based on available genomic sequences of PRRSV-2 from 1991 to 2021. The study revealed the temporal and geographical distribution of recombinant PRRSVs and the recombination hot spot's location and showed that artificially constructed recombinant PRRSVs (harboring a high-frequency region) had more viral genomic copies than their parental virus, indicating that dominant recombination was shaped by a tendency to benefit viral replication. This finding will enrich our understanding of PRRSV recombination and provide new clues for an in-depth study of the recombination mechanism.

Objective: To investigate the characteristics of the proximal internal carotid artery (ICA) and their relationships with ipsilateral intracranial stroke in sufferers of moyamoya disease (MMD) with champagne bottle neck sign (CBNS)., Patients and Methods: Forty-four patients with MMD（mean age 43.98 ± 10.54 years, 21 males）confirmed by digital subtraction angiography were enrolled and carotid magnetic resonance vessel wall imaging was introduced in this study. CBNS was defined as the ratio of the diameters of proximal ICA to the common carotid artery (CCA) (DpICA/CCA) < 0.5. The wall thickness and enhancement of the proximal ICA was measured on postcontrast T1-VISTA images. The correlations between these characteristics of the proximal ICA and ipsilateral intracranial stroke were analysed., Results: Among the 44 patients with MMD, twelve patients (27.3 %) had bilateral CBNS and fourteen patients (31.8 %) without CBNS. Compared with normal extracranial arteries, in arteries with CBNS, the proximal ICA had a smaller diameter (3.03 ± 1.05 mm vs 3.95 ± 1.10 mm, p < 0.001), the maximum wall thickness of the proximal ICA was thicker (1.34 ± 0.31 mm vs 1.06 ± 0.26 mm, p < 0.001), and arterial wall contrast enhancement was more frequently observed (66.7 % vs 2 %, p = 0.001). Logistic regression analysis revealed that the wall enhancement of the proximal ICA with CBNS (OR = 15.16, 95 % CI, 2.32-99.02; P = 0.005) was independently associated with intracranial multiple lesions. The AUC of the wall enhancement of the proximal ICA with CBNS was 0.79(P = 0.003)., Conclusions: Vessel wall enhancement of the proximal ICA with CBNS is independently associated with intracranial stroke in the ipsilateral hemispheres of patients with MMD, particularly those with multiple lesions., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common malignancy of digestive tract. Pinocembrin (PINO) has been discovered to have a proapoptotic effect on CRC. This study aimed to elucidate how other biological behaviors of CRC cells were affected under PINO treatment. Materials and Methods: The effect of PINO on HT29 and HCT116 cells were detected through treatment of different concentrations of PINO. The role of LACTB in PINO treatment was investigated by transfection of siRNA-LACTB. Cell counting kit-8 assay, wound healing assay, and Transwell assay were conducted to evaluate the proliferation, migration, and invasiveness of CRC cells, respectively. Western blot or quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was carried out to measure the expressions of LACTB, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, E-cadherin, and N-cadherin. Results: Gradient PINO inhibited the viability, migration, invasiveness, and expressions of MMP-2 and N-cadherin in CRC cells, while promoted E-cadherin and LACTB expressions. Silencing LACTB promoted the viability, migration, invasiveness, and expressions of MMP-2 and N-cadherin in CRC cells and inhibited E-cadherin expression. PINO counteracted the effect of silenced LACTB, and yet silencing LACTB partially abolished the effect of PINO on CRC cells. Conclusion: PINO inhibited the proliferation, migration, invasiveness, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition of CRC cells by regulating LACTB.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common form of malignancy affecting the kidneys. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are non-coding RNAs that are derived from exonic or intronic sequences through a selective shearing process. There is growing evidence that these circRNAs can influence a range of biological pathways by serving as protein decoys, microRNA sponges, regulators of transcriptional activity, or templates for protein translation. The dysregulation of circRNA expression patterns is a hallmark of RCC and other cancer types, and there is strong evidence that these RNA species can play central roles in the onset and progression of RCC tumors. In the present review, we summarized recent findings on the functional roles and clinical impacts of circRNAs in RCC. Further, we discussed their potential utility as diagnostic biomarkers or targets for therapeutic intervention., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: The global pork industry is continuously affected by infectious diseases that can result in large-scale mortality, trade restrictions, and major reductions in production. Nevertheless, the cause of many infectious diseases in pigs remains unclear, largely because commonly used diagnostic tools fail to capture the full diversity of potential pathogens and because pathogen co-infection is common., Results: We used a meta-transcriptomic approach to systematically characterize the pathogens in 136 clinical cases representing different disease syndromes in pigs, as well as in 12 non-diseased controls. This enabled us to simultaneously determine the diversity, abundance, genomic information, and detailed epidemiological history of a wide range of potential pathogens. We identified 34 species of RNA viruses, nine species of DNA viruses, seven species of bacteria, and three species of fungi, including two novel divergent members of the genus Pneumocystis. While most of these pathogens were only apparent in diseased animals or were at higher abundance in diseased animals than in healthy animals, others were present in healthy controls, suggesting opportunistic infections. Importantly, most of the cases examined here were characterized by co-infection with more than two species of viral, bacterial, or fungal pathogens, some with highly correlated occurrence and abundance levels. Examination of clinical signs and necropsy results in the context of relevant pathogens revealed that a multiple-pathogen model was better associated with the data than a single-pathogen model was., Conclusions: Our data demonstrate that most of the pig diseases examined were better explained by the presence of multiple rather than single pathogens and that infection with one pathogen can facilitate infection or increase the prevalence/abundance of another. Consequently, it is generally preferable to consider the cause of a disease based on a panel of co-infecting pathogens rather than on individual infectious agents. Video abstract., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Distal intracranial aneurysms are often located deep in the lateral or longitudinal fissure pool or brain parenchyma, lacking a fixed anatomical location. Precise intraoperative localization of distal intracranial aneurysms is a problem that plagues neurosurgeons. Studies have shown that neuronavigation and Computed Tomography (CT) three-dimensional angiography can significantly improve the accuracy of intracranial aneurysm surgery. However, their values in the distal intracranial aneurysm surgery remain unknown. The objective of this study was to explore the application value of neuronavigation combined with CT three-dimensional angiography in distal intracranial aneurysm surgery., Methods: 112 patients admitted to our hospital for intracranial distal aneurysm surgery were retrospectively collected and divided into an observation group (n=51) and a control group (n=61) according to the surgical method received by the patients. The observation group underwent clipping treatment based on neuronavigation combined with CT three-dimensional angiography, and the control group received clipping treatment under the guidance of CT angiography. Both groups were observed for the accuracy of localization and approach design, duration of surgery, intraoperative bleeding volume, Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS), National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), length of hospital stay, and complications., Results: Compared with the control group, the localization accuracy of patients in the observation group was significantly increased (94.12% vs. 78.69%, P=0.020), and the accuracy of approach design was markedly improved (90.20% vs. 72.13%, P=0.017). Furthermore, the length of hospital stay in the observation group was notably reduced compared with the control group (8.12±2.12 vs. 8.99±1.87 d, P=0.023). There was no statistical difference in the NIHSS scores between the two groups before treatment and at 3 days after treatment (P>0.05). However, compared with the control group, the NIHSS score was significantly reduced in the observation group at 28 days after surgery (4.10±2.48 vs. 6.30±3.20, P=0.000). There were no statistically significant postoperative complications in either group (P>0.05)., Conclusions: Neuronavigation combined with CT three-dimensional angiography can enhance the accuracy of localization and approach design in intracranial distal aneurysm surgery, improve patient nerve function, and is worth promoting., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://atm.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/atm-22-1749/coif). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (2022 Annals of Translational Medicine. All rights reserved.)

Bacillus thuringiensis Cry proteins are used worldwide for insect control. It was proposed that Cry-protoxins must be converted into activated toxin by proteases to bind midgut cell proteins to kill insects. However, Cry-protoxins also bind to midgut proteins and kill insects that have evolved resistance to activated toxins suggesting an independent toxicity pathway. Cadherin (CAD) and ABCC transporters are recognized as important receptors for Cry proteins. Here we constructed different Helicoverpa armigera mutations in these receptors by CRISPR/Cas9. HaCAD-KO mutant showed much higher resistance to Cry1Ac activated toxin than to Cry1Ac protoxin. In contrast, the HaABCC2-M and HaABCC3-M mutants showed higher resistance to Cry1Ac-protoxin than to activated toxin. However, in the double HaABCC2/3-KO mutant, very high levels of resistance were observed to both Cry1Ac protoxin and activated toxin, supporting that both ABC transporters have redundant functions for these two proteins. In addition, Hi5 cells transfected with HaCAD were susceptible only to the activated toxin but not to protoxin. In contrast, both forms of Cry1Ac were similarly toxic to Hi5 cells expressing HaABCC2 or HaABCC3. Co-expression of HaCAD with HaABCC2 or HaABCC3 revealed a more important synergistic effect for activated toxin compared to protoxin. Overall, our results show that toxicity of Cry1Ac activated toxin involves synergistic interplay of HaCAD with ABCC transporters, while the Cry1Ac protoxin toxicity is mainly mediated by ABCC transporters with little participation of HaCAD. These data help to understand the mode of action of Cry proteins that will be relevant to enhance efficacy and durability of Bt-crops. IMPORTANCE Better understanding of the mode of action of Bacillus thuringiensis toxins is beneficial for the sustainable application of Bt crops. It is generally accepted that Cry-protoxins need to be activated by proteases to bind with midgut cell proteins and exert toxicity against insects. Here, we provide new insights into the toxic pathway of Cry proteins in the cotton bollworm. First, our results demonstrate that Cry1Ac protoxin is able to exert cytotoxicity against the insect cells expressing ABCC transporters. Second, we reveal that CAD plays a critical role in the different toxicity of protoxin and toxin by facilitating a synergistic interplay with ABCC transporters. Our results provide in vivo and in vitro experimental evidence supporting that Cry1Ac protoxin exerts toxicity against H. armigera via different steps from that of toxin. These new findings on the mode of action of Cry proteins could be beneficial for efficacy enhancement and durability of Bt-crops.

Objectives: Various degrees of surgical collateral circulation are often found in moyamoya angiopathy (MMA) patients after revascularization. Little is known about arterial spin labeling (ASL) that affects surgical collateral circulation. This study aimed to investigate the effect of ASL on surgical collaterals in patients with MMA after combined bypass surgery., Methods: MMA patients with complete radiological and clinical information, who had undergone combined bypass, were enrolled in this study. Surgical collaterals were classified as good or poor based on the Matsushima standard. Cerebral perfusion on ASL was quantitatively analyzed as relative cerebral blood flow (rCBF). The qualitative collateral score was calculated using a four-grade scale. Univariable and multivariable logistic regressions were performed to identify the predictors for surgical collaterals after combined bypass., Results: In total, 66 hemispheres of 61 patients (47 years old ± 8.66) were prospectively included (29 and 37 hemispheres with good and poor surgical collaterals, respectively). The presurgical collateral score was significantly lower in patients with good surgical collaterals (13.72 scores ± 7.83) than in those with poor surgical collaterals (19.16 scores ± 6.65, P = 0.005). The presurgical rCBF and modified Rankin scale (mRS) scores were not significantly different between the two groups (P rCBF = 0.639, P mRS = 0.590). The collateral score was significantly elevated (good: 13.72 scores ± 7.83 vs . 20.79 scores ± 6.65, P < 0.001; poor: 19.16 scores ± 6.65 vs . 22.84 scores ± 5.06, P < 0.001), and the mRS was reduced (good: 1.66 scores ± 1.14 vs . 0.52 scores ± 0.83, P < 0.001; poor: 1.49 scores ± 0.90 vs . 0.62 scores ± 0.76, P < 0.001) in patients after revascularization. Multivariable logistic regression showed that preoperative collateral scores [odds ratio (OR): 0.791; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.695, 0.900; P < 0.001], age (OR: 0.181; 95% CI: 0.039, 0.854; P = 0.031), sex (OR: 0.154; 95% CI: 0.035, 0.676; P = 0.013), and hypertension (OR: 0.167; 95% CI: 0.038, 0.736; P = 0.018) were predictors of surgical collaterals after combined revascularization., Conclusion: The preoperative collateral score based on ASL could be a predictor for surgical collaterals in patients with MMA after combined bypass surgery. Combined with age, sex, and hypertension, it may have a better predictive effect., Competing Interests: XZ was employed by the company Philips Healthcare, Shanghai. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Wang, Wang, Zhang, Zhao, Yang and Zhang.)

Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the clinical significance of multiparameter intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring in the prediction of the prognosis of hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage (HICH)., Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 53 HICH patients. The patients underwent removal of intracranial hemorrhage and decompressive craniectomy after admission. A ventricular ICP monitoring probe was used to continuously and invasively monitor mean arterial pressure (MAP) and ICP after surgery. The NEUMATIC system was used to collect ICP data, including pressure reactivity index (PRx), ICP dose (DICP), amplitude and pressure regression (RAP), and cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP). The mean PRx, CPP, RAP, ICP, and DICP20 mmHg × h were calculated with 1 h as the time segment. According to the Glasgow outcome scale (GOS) scores after discharge, the patients were grouped into the poor prognosis group (GOS I-III) and the good prognosis group (GOS IV and V). The two groups were compared in terms of GOS scores in the treatment and prediction of prognosis of patients., Results: The good prognosis group showed significantly lower values of mean ICP, DICP20 mmHg × h, RAP, and PRx than the poor prognosis group, while CPP was significantly higher ( p < 0.001)., Conclusions: PRx, DICP, RAP, and CPP could reflect intracranial changes in patients and were significantly correlated with the prognosis of the patients. Mean ICP, PRx, DICP20 mmHg × h, and RAP were negatively correlated with prognosis, while CPP was positively correlated with prognosis.

Background: Surgery is an important component in the treatment of esophageal cancer. For patients not eligible for R0 resection, defined as locally advanced unresectable esophageal cancer, a new approach is to transform the cancer into a resectable state by preoperative treatment. However, preoperative chemo/radiation is unsatisfactory. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the safety and efficacy of chemo/radiotherapy combined with a programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitor in the preoperative transformation of unresectable esophageal cancer., Methods: Patients were evaluated as having unresectable, locally advanced esophageal cancer at baseline and were re-evaluated as possible R0 resection candidates after PD-1 inhibitor treatment. Patient data were derived from the prospective database of Peking University Cancer Hospital Thoracic Surgery I. Preoperative chemotherapy plus PD-1 inhibitor treatment was defined as "transformation treatment." The objective response rate, operation rate (proportion of patients who underwent surgery), R0 rate, and treatment safety were analyzed retrospectively., Results: A total of 36 patients were enrolled into the study, and 94.4% (34/36) completed the planned transformation treatment. The objective response rate was 71.4% (25/35), and 75% (27/36) of the patients who completed transformation treatment underwent surgery. For these surgical patients, 81.5% (22/27) obtained R0 resection, and 22.2% (6/22) had pathological complete response (pCR). During transformation treatment, 22.2% (8/36) patients had ≥ grade 3 complications. There were no reoperations or perioperative deaths. After surgery, 29.6% (8/27) had ≥ grade 3 complications., Conclusions: Esophagectomy after immunotherapy is safe with acceptable complications. Compared with chemotherapy alone, chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy had a more favorable transformation effect for patients with unresectable esophageal cancer., (© 2021 The Authors. Thoracic Cancer published by China Lung Oncology Group and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Objectives: To compare bypass patency and intracranial collaterals from the external carotid artery (ECA) by four-dimensional MR angiography (MRA) based on super-selective pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (pCASL) combined with the keyhole and view-sharing techniques (4D-sPACK) versus three-dimensional time-of-flight (3D TOF) MRA in patients with extra-intracranial revascularization., Methods: The MR data of 45 patients administered bypass surgery were collected. The image quality of 4D-sPACK was evaluated using a 4-point grading system according to whether the diagnosis of intracranial collaterals was affected. Anastomosis patency and intracranial collateral visualization from ECA were assessed by two radiologists on 4D-sPACK and 3D TOF MRA, with digital subtraction angiography (DSA) findings as reference. Intracranial collateral assessment employed another 4-point grading system according to the number of vessels shown. Interobserver agreement was assessed with the weighted kappa statistic., Results: Fifty hemispheres in 43 patients were included. The image quality of 4D-sPACK was good in 47 (47/50, 94.0%) hemispheres. 4D-sPACK had a higher sensitivity than 3D TOF MRA (97.73% vs 79.55%) for visualizing anastomoses. There were significant differences between 4D-sPACK (scores, 3.22 ± 1.15) and 3D TOF MRA (scores, 1.80 ± 0.67) in the visualization of intracranial collaterals from ECA (p < 0.001). The interobserver agreement was substantial for intracranial collateral assessment (κ 4D-sPACK  = 0.788; κ 3D TOF MRA  = 0.800) and almost perfect for bypass patency (κ 4D-sPACK  = 0.912; κ 3D TOF MRA  = 0.816; κ DSA  = 0.811)., Conclusion: This pilot study shows that, 4D-sPACK has a better performance than 3D TOF MRA in treatment evaluation of patients after bypass surgery, and has high consistency with DSA., Key Points: • 4D-sPACK is a non-contrast-enhanced dynamic MRA method for the visualization of intracranial vessels. • 4D-sPACK has higher specificity for the diagnosis of anastomosis occlusion. • 4D-sPACK is better than 3D TOF MRA in the visualization of intracranial collaterals in patients after bypass surgery.

Background: Although the association between periventricular target collateral anastomosis and recurrent ipsilateral hemorrhage has been evaluated in adult patients with moyamoya disease (MMD), no studies have investigated the relationship between target anastomotic territory and recurrent ipsilateral hemorrhage. The goal of this study was to assess this association., Methods: Consecutive adult MMD patients who had experienced initial intracranial hemorrhage and undergone conservative treatment were included. Two readers assessed angiographic results to identify the target anastomotic territory (medial medullary artery, lateral medullary artery, multiple medullary arteries, or nonmedullary artery) responsible for the hemorrhage. Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to estimate the risk of recurrent hemorrhage., Results: In the 36 hemispheres with initial hemorrhage, the target anastomotic territory was in the anastomotic territory of the medial medullary artery in 10 (27.8%), lateral medullary artery in 15 (41.7%), multiple medullary arteries in 2 (5.6%), and a nonmedullary artery in 9 (25.0%) hemispheres. During 45.1 ± 40.0 months of follow-up, recurrent ipsilateral hemorrhage occurred in 44.4% (16/36) of hemispheres. The target anastomotic territories responsible for the recurrent event were in the anastomotic territory of the medial medullary artery in 9 (56.3%) hemispheres, lateral medullary artery in 6 (37.5%) hemispheres, and multiple medullary arteries in 1 (6.3%) hemisphere. The anastomotic territory of the medial medullary artery was associated with recurrent hemorrhage before (HR = 2.94; 95% CI, 1.07-8.08; p = 0.037) and after (HR = 6.65; 95% CI, 1.32-33.60; p = 0.022) adjustments were made for confounding factors., Conclusions: The incidence of recurrent ipsilateral hemorrhage varies with the target anastomotic territory in adult patients with MMD. Medial target medullary artery anastomosis is a significant risk factor for recurrent ipsilateral hemorrhage.

To quantitatively synthesize the comparative efficacy and safety of the most common surgical approaches including endonasal transsphenoidal endoscopic surgery (ETES), sublabial transsphenoidal microsurgery (STMS) and endonasal transsphenoidal microsurgery (ETMS) for all kinds of pituitary tumors. This systematic review and network meta-analysis was performed on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and comparison studies from databases of Pubmed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane library. We selected the rate of gross complete resection as our primary outcome of efficacy. And the incidence of all complications, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak, diabetes insipidus, nasal septal perforation, death, and bleeding were designed as our primary outcomes of safety. Twenty-seven studies with 2618 patients were included in this network meta-analysis. On efficacy, there was no statistical difference among the three methods including ETES, STMS, and ETMS. As for safety, results indicated that the incidence of total complications of STMS (OR = 4.74; 95% CI 1.03, 40.14) is significantly superior to ETES. And the incidence of diabetes insipidus of ETMS (OR = 2.21; 95% CI 1.31, 3.81) was significantly superior to that of ETES. Besides, there was no statistical difference in the other complications including CSF leak, nasal septal perforation, death, and bleeding. We clarified the overpraise of the efficacy of endoscopy especially the endonasal transsphenoidal approach, and verified that all the approaches owned similar efficacy. Moreover, we recommended the endoscopy to be the first choice for pituitary tumors, because it demonstrated the best safety.

Background: Duodenal papilla carcinoma (DPC) is a rare malignancy of the gastrointestinal tract with high recurrence rate, and the pathogenesis of this highly malignant neoplasm is yet to be fully elucidated. This study aims to identify key genes to further understand the biology and pathogenesis underlying the molecular alterations driving DPC, which could be potential diagnostic or therapeutic targets., Methods: Tumor samples of three DPC patients were collected and integrating RNA-seq analysis of tumor tissues and matched normal tissues were performed to discover differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis were carried out to understand the potential bio-functions of the DPC differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed for functional modules analysis and identification of hub genes. qRT-PCR of clinical samples was conducted to validate the expression level of the hub genes., Results: A total of 110 DEGs were identified from our RNA-seq data, GO and KEGG analyses showed that the DEGs were mainly enriched in multiple cancer-related functions and pathways, such as cell proliferation, IL-17signaling pathway, Jak-STAT signaling pathway, PPAR signaling pathway. The PPI network screened out five hub genes including IL-6, LCN2, FABP4, LEP and MMP1, which were identified as core genes in the network and the expression value were validated by qRT-PCR. The hub genes identified in this work were suggested to be potential therapeutic targets of DPC., Discussion: The current study may provide new insight into the exploration of DPC pathogenesis and the screened hub genes may serve as potential diagnostic indicator and novel therapeutic target.

Although it is well known that Bacillus thuringiensis Cry toxins kill insect pest by disrupting midgut cells of susceptible larvae through their pore formation activity, it is not clear what intracellular events are triggered after pore formation on the cell membrane of the target cells. Here we analyzed the role of Cry toxins on autophagy activation using several cell lines as models as well as in Helicoverpa armigera larvae. The selected insect cell lines (Hi5, Sl-HP and Sf9) were susceptible to activated Cry1Ca toxin, but only Sl-HP cells were also susceptible to activated Cry1Ac toxin. In contrast, the mammalian cell line 293 T was not susceptible to Cry1Ac or to Cry1Ca. Results show that Cry toxins induced autophagy only in the susceptible cell lines as shown by the analysis of the changes in the ratio of Atg8-PE to Atg8 and by formation of autophagosome dots containing Atg8-PE. The Cry1Ac enhanced autophagy in the midgut tissue of H. armigera larvae. Silencing expression of specific genes by RNAi assays confirmed that the autophagy induced by activated Cry toxins was dependent on AMPK and JNK pathways. Finally, inhibition of autophagy in the cell lines by specific inhibitors or RNAi assays resulted in delayed cell death triggered by Cry toxins, suggesting that the increased autophagy activity observed after toxin intoxication may contribute to cell death., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Skeletal defects resulting from trauma and disease represent a major clinical problem worldwide exacerbated further by global population growth and an increasing number of elderly people. As treatment options are limited, bone tissue engineering opens the doors to start an infinite amount of tissue/bone biomaterials having excellent therapeutic potential for the management of clinical cases characterized by severe bone loss. Bone engineering relies on the use of compliant biomaterial scaffolds, osteocompetent cells, and biologically active agents. In fact, we are interested to use a new natural material, tannin. Among other materials, porous tannin spray-dried powder (PTSDP) has been approved for human use. We use PTSDP as reconstructive materials with low cost, biocompatibility, and potential ability to be replaced by bone in vivo . In this study, macro PTSDP scaffolds with defined geometry, porosity, and mechanical properties are manufactured using a combination of casting technology and porogen leaching, by mixing PTSDP and hydroxyapatite Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2 with polyethylene glycol macroparticles. Our results show that the scaffolds developed in this work support attachment, long-term viability, and osteogenic differentiation of human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived mesenchymal progenitors. The combination of select macroporous PTSDP scaffolds with patient-specific osteocompetent cells offers new opportunities to grow autologous bone grafts with enhanced clinical potential for complex skeletal reconstructions., (Copyright © 2020 Yang and Abdalla.)

Rho GTPase family members were identified as critical regulators of cell morphology, actin cytoskeleton organization, cell movement, and cell cycle and also contributed to tumor progression, which have been implicated in various types of cancer metastasis and growth. Here, we firstly reported the dysregulation of Rhoj in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and aimed to investigate the role and mechanism of Rhoj in GBM. We analyzed the expression of 21 Rho GTPases family members and validated the expression of Rhoj in GBM by immunohistochemistry. We further investigated the role and mechanism of Rhoj in GBM both in vitro and in vivo. We observed that Rhoj is significantly overexpressed in GBM and associated with patients' survival. However, the role and underlying molecular mechanism of Rhoj in GBM are still unclear. We demonstrated that transcription factor c-Jun regulated the expression of Rhoj, and Rhoj interacted with moesin to promote GBM cell proliferation and migration by potentiating the activation of Rac1/PAK pathway and cytoskeletal dynamics. Rhoj may promote migration and invasion of GBM cells by regulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-like process. In conclusion, the Rhoj/Rac1/PAK signaling mediates invasion and progression of GBM and is a potential therapeutic target for GBM treatment. Rhoj may also be a promising biomarker for GBM diagnosis and prognosis.

Purpose: To investigate the association between proximal internal carotid artery (ICA) luminal narrowing and diffuse wall thickening (DWT) in ipsilateral petrous ICA in moyamoya disease (MMD) patients., Methods: Forty-one MMD (mean age 42.8 ± 11.0 years, 19 males) and 36 atherosclerotic patients (mean age 61.5 ± 7.1 years, 31 males) and 41 healthy controls were recruited and underwent carotid MR vessel wall imaging. The luminal narrowing of proximal ICA was evaluated by the diameter ratio of ICA to common carotid artery (DR ICA/CCA ). The wall thickness of petrous ICA was measured on T1-VISTA images. The enhancement degree of petrous ICA was recorded and graded into four grades (none to marked) on the CE-T1-VISTA images. The correlation between wall thickness in petrous ICA and DR ICA/CCA was analyzed . RESULTS: In total, 81 arteries of MMD patients and 64 arteries of atherosclerotic patients were included for analysis. The DR ICA/CCA was significantly correlated with the wall thickness in petrous ICA in MMD (r = - 0.434, P < 0.001) and atherosclerotic groups (r = - 0.604, P < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis revealed that odds ratio (OR) of DR ICA/CCA was 4.433 (95% CI 1.980-9.925, P < 0.001) and 2.212 (95% CI 1.253-3.905, P = 0.006) in MMD and atherosclerotic groups in discriminating petrous ICA DWT after adjusting for confounding factors. An increasing trend was found in prevalence of DWT and wall thickness with enhancement grades in petrous ICA in MMD (P = 0.02 and P = 0.01) and atherosclerotic groups (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001), respectively., Conclusions: The proximal ICA luminal narrowing is significantly associated with wall thickness and diffuse wall thickening in ipsilateral petrous ICA in patients with carotid steno-occlusive diseases regardless of MMD or atherosclerosis.

Objective: To assess association between champagne bottle neck sign (CBNS) in carotid artery and intracranial hemorrhage in patients with moyamoya disease (MMD)., Methods: This retrospective study included 76 consecutive patients with MMD without definite risk factors associated with intracranial hemorrhage who underwent preoperative angiography from January 2016 to December 2017. CBNS was defined as luminal diameter ratio of internal carotid artery/common carotid artery ≤0.5 on angiography. The right and left cerebral hemisphere in each patient was separately identified as hemorrhagic and nonhemorrhagic. Association between CBNS and intracranial hemorrhage was analyzed., Results: Of 76 patients with MMD, intracranial hemorrhage was found in 44 of 152 (28.9%) hemispheres, and 6.8% (3/44) had multiple events. Comparing carotid arteries without intracranial hemorrhage in ipsilateral hemispheres, patients with intracranial hemorrhage in the ipsilateral hemisphere had significantly smaller luminal diameter ratio of internal carotid artery/common carotid artery (0.49 ± 0.11 vs. 0.55 ± 0.12, P < 0.01) and higher prevalence of CBNS (63.7% vs. 41.7%, P = 0.01). Comparing hemispheres with intracranial hemorrhage, patients with ipsilateral carotid artery CBNS had significantly higher prevalence of hemorrhage in posterior territories than patients without CBNS (57.1% vs. 23.1%, P = 0.05). Logistic regression revealed that CBNS was significantly associated with ipsilateral intracranial hemorrhage before (odds ratio = 2.45; 95% confidence interval, 1.19-5.05; P = 0.02) and after (odds ratio = 3.43; 95% confidence interval, 1.50-7.87; P < 0.01) adjusting for female sex, lenticulostriate anastomosis, and choroidal anastomosis., Conclusions: CBNS is significantly associated with intracranial hemorrhage in the ipsilateral hemisphere in patients with MMD, particularly intracranial hemorrhage in posterior territories., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Currently, there is no consensus on the follow-up strategy (follow-up time interval and content) of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the world, and the relevant clinical evidence is also very limited. In this study, we aimed to summarize the recurrence/metastasis sites and timings of stage I NSCLC patients based on their follow-up data, aiming to provide a basis of follow-up time interval and content for this group of patients., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the 416 stage I NSCLC patients that underwent continuous anatomic lobectomy between Jan. 2000 to Oct. 2013 in our prospective lung cancer database. According to the recurrence/metastasis sites and timings, the long term follow-up time interval and content were explored., Results: The 5-yr disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in the whole group were 82.4% and 85.4%, respectively. There were 76 cases (18.3%) had recurrence/metastasis during follow-up, among which the most frequent site was pulmonary metastasis (21 cases, 5.0%), followed by brain metastasis (20 cases, 4.8%), bone metastasis (12 cases, 2.9%), and mediastinal lymph node metastasis (12 cases, 2.9%). Among the factors that could influence recurrence/metastasis, patients with pT2a suffered from a higher recurrence/metastasis rate compared to patients with pT1 (P=0.006), with 5-yr DFS being 73.8% and 87.3%, respectively (P=0.002), and the 5-yr OS being 77.7% and 90.3%, respectively (P=0.011)., Conclusions: The commonest recurrence/metastasis sites of stage I NSCLC after anatomic lobectomy are lung, brain and mediastinal lymph nodes, the risk of recurrence/metastasis within 2 years were equal to that between 3 years and 5 years. The follow-up frequencies and content within 2 years could be adjusted according to T stages.

Background: Thoracoscopic surgery has gradually become the major procedure for lung cancer surgery in our department. Its characteristics are minimal trauma and quick recovery, which make approximately 90% of patients discharge from the hospital after surgery. However, the postoperative complications still happen now and then. We analyzed the patients who had been hospitalized for longer than 7 days after thoracoscopic lung cancer surgery, aiming to summarize the types and risk factors of complications, and improve postoperative safety of patients., Methods: The data were come from the prospective database of Thoracic Surgery Unit One in Peking Cancer Hospital, and patients that underwent thoracoscopic pulmonary surgery between Jan. 2010 and Dec. 2014 with length of stay more than 7 days were included in the study. The classifications of the complications were investigated and graded as mild or severe complications according to modified Claviengrading, the relationship between clinical factors and degrees of complications was also analyzed., Results: The hospitalization of 115 cases were longer than 7 days after surgery, accounting for 10.3% (115/1,112) of the whole patients that underwent surgery during the same period. Eighty-one cases had mild complications, accounting for 7.3% (81/1,112) of the whole cases that underwent surgery during the same period and 70.4% (81/115) of the cases with prolonged length of stay; the proportions of severe complications in both groups were 3.1% (34/1,112) and 29.6% (34/115), respectively; and the proportions of complications that caused perioperative deaths were 0.18% (2/1112) and 1.7% (2/115), respectively. Among all the postoperative complications, the most common was air leakage for more than 5 days after surgery, with a total of 20 cases (1.8% and 17.4%). The other common complications were: atelectasis (19 cases, 1.7% and 16.5%), pulmonary infection (18 cases, 1.6% and 15.7%), etc. The less common complications was bronchopleural fistula (4 cases, 0.36% and 3.5%) with very high risk, and 2 cases died perioperatively due to the combination of acute respiratory distresssyndrome (ARDS). In the clinical factors, only preoperative low pulmonary function (FEV1%<70%) was the potential risk factor for postoperative severe complications (45.8% vs 23.6%, P=0.038). There was no significant difference either regarding the 5 year disease free survival or the 5 year overall survival between mild complication group and severe complication group, with 5 year DFS being 52.2% and 51.9%, respectively (P=0.894) , and 5 year overall survival being 64.0% and 53.5%, respectively (P=0.673)., Conclusions: Continuous postoperative air leakage, atelectasis and pulmonary infections were the major causes for prolonged hospitalization after thoracoscopic surgery for lung cancer, and bronchopleural fistula was the most perilous complications. Patients with low preoperative pulmonary function were more likely to have severe postoperative complication, however, this would not influence the long term survival of the patients.

A bimodal contrast nanoagent was developed by chelating gadolinium ions to 2-[bis[2-[carboxymethyl-[2-oxo-2-(2-sulfanylethyl-amino)ethyl]amino]ethyl]amino]acetic acid (DTDTPA)-modified CuInS 2 /ZnS quantum dots (QDs). The longitudinal relaxivity (r 1 ) of the resulted QDs@DTDTPA-Gd nanoparticles (NPs) was calculated to be 9.91 mM -1 s -1 , which was 2.5 times as high as that of clinically approved Gd-DTPA (3.9 mM -1 s -1 ). In addition, the in vivo imaging experiments showed that QDs@DTDTPA-Gd NPs could enhance both near-infrared fluorescence and T 1 -weighted magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of tumor tissue through passive targeting accumulation. Moreover, the high colloidal and fluorescence stabilities and good biocompatibility indicate that QDs@DTDTPA-Gd NPs have a great potential for use as an efficient nanoagent to integrate the extremely high sensitivity of fluorescence imaging to the high resolution of MR imaging. Integration of bimodal detectability in the same agent of QDs@DTDTPA-Gd NPs can avoid extra stress on the blood clearance mechanisms as the administration of multiple dose of agents.

Background: Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play essential roles in tumor progression. Aberrant colorectal cancer-associated lncRNA (CCAL) has been found in colorectal cancer. However, the function of lncRNA CCAL in osteosarcoma (OS) remains unclear., Methods: Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was performed to measure CCAL expression in OS tissues and adjacent nontumor tissues. The correlation betweent CCAL expression and clinicopathological features and prognosis was also analyzed. In addition, the function of CCAL was further evaluated by cell proliferation, migration and invasion assays., Results: We showed that CCAL was significantly up-regulated in OS tissues compared with adjacent nontumor tissues. Increased expression of CCAL was correlated with advanced TNM stage and metastasis. Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated that patients with high CCAL expression had lower overall survival than those with low CCAL expression. Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that CCAL expression might be an independent prognostic factor for OS patients. In addition, functional assays showed that decreased CCAL expression could inhibit OS cell proliferation, migration and invasion ability., Conclusions: Our findings suggested that CCAL plays critical roles in OS progression and could act as a therapeutic target in the treatment of OS.

This article reports an effective method to regulate hydrophobic drug release rate from partially silica-coated bicellar nanodisc generated from proamphiphilic organoalkoxysilane and dihexanoylphosphatidylcholine by introducing different molar percentages of 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-PEG2000 (DSPE-PEG2000) into planar bilayers of hybrid bicelles. It was found that the drug release rate increased with increasing the molar percentages of DSPE-PEG2000, and 57.38%, 69.21%, 78.69%, 81.64%, and 82.23% of hydrophobic doxorubicin was released within 120 h from the nanodics incorporating with 0%, 2.5%, 5%, 10%, and 20% DSPE-PEG2000, respectively. Compared with the non-PEGylated nanodisc and free doxorubicin, the PEGylated nanodiscs showed good biocompatibility, high cellular uptake, and adhesion, as well as high local drug accumulation. In addition, both in vitro and in vivo results demonstrated significantly improved antitumor efficacy of the PEGylated nanodisc than its control groups. Thus, the PEGylated nanodisc with partial silica coating offers a facile and efficient strategy of drug delivery for chemotherapy with improved patient acceptance and compliance.

Background: The bone and soft tissue sarcoma can metastasize to distant sites, most commonly the lungs. Some cases can be cured by radical metastasectomy, but its role, indication and prognostic factors remains controversial. The rarity of the disease combined with the diverse number of subtypes can make bone and soft tissue sarcomas very difficult to study. There are few randomized control studies or international high volume results, and such reports in China are seldom seen. The aim of this study is to investigate surgical treatment outcomes and prognostic factors of pulmonary metastatic bone and soft tissue sarcoma patients., Methods: From January 2007 to December 2015, patients with bone and soft tissue sarcoma who underwent multimodality therapy including definitive surgery for the primary lesion and at least one pulmonary metastasectomy were enrolled in the retrospective study. All the relevant clinical variables were collected, and then statistically analyzed and interpreted with the aid of univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression method., Results: Totally 155 pulmonary metastasectomies in 144 patients were analyzed. Incomplete R0 resection, a less than 1-year interval from a previous surgery, more than three detected nodules; and the summed maximum diameter of more than 45 mm for pulmonary metastases were independent prognostic indicators by multivariate analysis., Conclusions: We suggest that metastatic bone and soft tissue sarcoma patients can benefit most from aggressive surgical intervention of pulmonary metastasectomy. Its prognostic factors include R0 resection, a longer interval from a previous surgery, smaller total number and total size of pulmonary metastases.

Objective: To summarize the mortality of esophagectomy in our series and compare the different mortalities based on 30-day deaths and 90-day deaths postoperatively., Methods: A total of 954 patients undergoing esophagectomy by single-surgeon-team between January 2000 and December 2012 from our prospective database were enrolled. The mortalities based on 30-day and 90-day deaths postoperatively were compared, and the causes of deaths within 30 days and 90 days were analyzed., Results: Among all these 954 patients, a total of 20 postoperative deaths(2.1%) were observed: 11 within 30 days(1.1%) and 9 between 30 and 90 days after surgery(1.0%). The reasons for deaths within 30 days were as follows: 3 for respiratory failure related to anastomotic leakage,1 for bleeding after stenting due to anastomotic fistula, 1 for sepsis, 3 for respiratory failure from presenting preoperative respiratory morbidities, 2 for cardiac arrest caused by preoperative heart disorder, and 1 for multiple organ failure caused by early adjuvant chemotoxicity. The reasons for deaths between 30 and 90 days were as follows: 1 for respiratory failure related to anastomotic leakage, 1 for cardiac arrest from preoperative heart disorder, 1 for cerebrovascular accident, 1 for liver failure from liver cirrhosis presenting preoperatively, 1 for renal failure after operation, 1 for tumor progression and 2 for unknown reasons., Conclusion: Since postoperative mortality calculated based on 30 days deaths postoperatively may underestimate the risk of esophagectomy, mortality calculated based on 90 days may be a better option.

The midgut of lepidopteran larvae serves as a target for many pathogens such as Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). Cell lines originating from midgut tissues will be very helpful tools in many research fields. However, to date, no Bt-susceptible midgut-derived cell lines are available. Here, we reported that a novel cell line, designated as HNU-Ha-MG1, was established from midgut tissue of the fourth instar larvae of Helicoverpa armigera. This cell line grew well in Grace's insect cell culture medium supplemented with 10-15% fetal bovine serum. The shape of the most cells was round or polygonal, and some tended to aggregate to form multiple cell masses. The size of the cells was 13.8 ± 1.8 μm in diameter, and the maximum density reached (2.40 ± 0.15) × 10(6) cells/ml. The population doubling time during logarithmic growth phase was 58.6 ± 7.0 h at 28°C. The number of chromosomes was about 90-130, which exhibited typical chromosome characteristics of lepidopteran cell lines. The patterns of random amplified polymorphic DNA of the cell line were different from those of Sl-HP and Hi5 cell lines which were frequently used in our laboratory. 20-Hydroxyecdysterone induced apoptosis in a very small part of cells at 2 μg/ml but did not affect expression of autophagy-related protein 8 (Atg8) and its lipidation at 36 h post-treatment. The cell line was permissive to Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus (AcMNPV) and H. armigera nuclear polyhedrosis virus (HaSNPV). This cell line was found to be susceptible to activated Cry1C at the final concentration of 0.5-1.0 μg/ml but not to the activated Cry1Ac.

Objective: To investigate the cause and the management of treatment and prevention of reoperation following esophagectomy., Methods: Clinical data of 946 cases with esophageal cancer undergoing esophagectomy from January 2000 to December 2012 by the same surgical team in the Beijing Cancer Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 19 patients underwent reoperation after esophagectomy because of serious complications. Clinical features and treatment course of these 19 cases were summarized., Results: The indications and procedures of reoperation included thoracotomy for hemorrhage (n=4), diaphragmatic hernia repair (n=4), thoracic duct ligation for chylothorax (n= 4), re-suturing for incision dehiscence (n=4), re-laparotomy and re-thoracotomy for drainage of traumatic pancreatitis (n=1), re-laparotomy for intestinal obstruction (n=1), and tracheotomy for bilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis (n=1). All the 19 patients were successfully cured without perioperative deaths and further complications., Conclusions: The indications of reoperation following esophagectomy include postoperative bleeding, diaphragmatic hernia, chylothorax and abdominal incision dehiscence.

In this paper, theranostic nanoparticles (MnP-DOX NPs) were fabricated by conjugating Mn-porphyrin onto the surface of doxorubicin (DOX)-loaded poly(lactic acid) (PLA) nanoparticles (DOX NPs) for potential T1 magnetic resonance imaging and pH-sensitive drug delivery. An in vitro drug release study showed that the release rate of DOX from MnP-DOX NPs was slow at neutral pH but accelerated significantly in acidic conditions. It was found that MnP-DOX NPs could be easily internalized by HeLa cells and effectively suppressed the growth of HeLa cells and HT-29 cells due to the accelerated drug release in acidic lysosomal compartments. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanning analysis demonstrated that MnP-DOX NPs had much higher longitudinal relaxivity in water (r1 value of 27.8 mM(-1) s(-1) of Mn(3+)) than Mn-porphyrin (Mn(III)TPPS3NH2; r1 value of 6.70 mM(-1) s(-1) of Mn(3+)), behaving as an excellent contrast agent for T1-weighted MRI both in vitro and in vivo. In summary, such a smart and promising nanoplatform integrates multiple capabilities for effective cancer diagnosis and therapy., (Copyright © 2013 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: We studied the regulating effect of human bocavirus 1 (HBoV1) nonstructural protein NP1 on the activity of cellular transcription factors and the expression of inflammatory cytokine TNF-alpha and IL-6., Methods: The modulation of NP1 was measured by the Dual Luciferase Reporter Assay System and the expression of cytokines TNF-alpha and IL-6 was detected by ELISA and Real-time PCR. The luciferase based mammalian two-hybrid system was used to analyze whether the function of NP1 protein aroused from oligomerization., Results: The transcription factors AP-1, STAT3 and STAT1 but not NF-kappaB were up-regulated by NP1, which was evidenced by approximately 2-3-fold increase of the luciferase activity compared to the control vector. Moreover, NP1 increased the TNF-alpha mRNA expression, but not contributed to cytokine IL-6 secretion. We also found that the self-interaction did not exist when NPI was solely expressed in 293T cells., Conclusion: This study demonstrates for the first time that NP1 may play important roles in activation of transcription factors and up-regulation of inflammatory cytokines expression, suggesting that NP1 be involved in HBoV1 pathogenesis.

Clinical features and therapeutic strategies of cervicocranial arterial dissection (CCAD) are still unclear. A retrospective review was conducted on 71 CCAD patients. Diagnosed by DSA and outcome evaluation was through mRS scores follow-up 12 months. All patients were allocated into three groups according to clinical situation: 1) subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), 2) ischemic symptoms and 3) mass effect. CCAD with anterior circulation arterial dissection (ACAD) had higher ischemia than that with posterior circulation arterial dissection (PCAD) (p=0.023). The non-aneurysmal dissection (NAD) patients were susceptible to ischemia (p=0.00) and patients with aneurismal dissection (AD) were more susceptible to SAH (p=0.001); The outcome of patients with SAH was significantly worse than patients with other manifestations (p=0.012). Following up one year, the outcome of CCAD involving posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) was significantly worse than the other area (p=0.035). There was no statistically significant difference in mRS scores between endovascular treatment and conservative treatment (p=0.052) at one year follow-up. Patients suffering from SAH that received endovascular treatment experienced improved outcomes than patients with conservative treatment (p=0.033). The patients in the ACAD, NAD and extracranial CCAD groups were more likely to suffer from ischemia, while patients in the AD group were susceptible to SAH. CCAD with SAH or involving PICA had poor prognoses. The therapeutic efficacy of conservative treatment is nearly equal to endovascular treatment in CCAD patients follow up 12 months; however, endovascular treatment may decrease the risk of mortality for the patient with SAH.

Human parvovirus B19 (B19) is a small nonenveloped icosahedral virus with a single-stranded, linear 5.6 kb DNA genome. The p6 promoter, at map unit 6 of the viral genome, controls the expression of all B19 transcripts. Some previous reports revealed that this promoter is transactivated by NS1 protein. In an attempt to investigate the roles of other small viral proteins in the control of the p6 promoter activity, various truncated promoter/reporter constructs along with these nonstructural protein expression vectors were introduced into Hela cells. The results showed that the putative X protein upregulated the activity of p6 promoter significantly, but that the 11 kDa protein did not. Furthermore, the possible responsive DNA elements for X protein were identified to be located primarily between nt 265 and 343 of the p6 promoter region. In addition, we observed that deletion of the potential ATF/CREB binding sites located in 5' terminal nucleotide influenced the activity of p6 promoter significantly.

Human bocavirus (HBoV) is a parvovirus associated with respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases in humans. Recombinant baculoviruses have been used widely for many years to transduce transiently and stably a variety of mammalian cell types at high frequencies. In this study, to explore further the use of baculovirus as a gene delivery vehicle for study of transcription and translation mechanism of human bocavirus which lacks susceptible cell culture system, two recombinant baculoviruses were constructed: Bac-BoV-EGFP in which the EGFP gene was under the control of the HBoV1 promoter, and Bac-HBoV1 encompassing the nearly whole HBoV1 genome without both termini. The data demonstrated that efficient gene delivery and expression were observed in numerous mammalian cells transduced by Bac-BoV-EGFP and the transduction rate was much greater than that in plasmid-based transfected cells. The analysis of transcription and translation in Bac-HBoV1 transduced A549 cells showed that two transcripts from NP1 gene were detected by RT-PCR and the NP1 was localized in the nucleus, suggesting that the Bac-HBoV1 recombinant baculovirus delivered efficiently the HBoV1 genome into A549 cells. In summary, this system provides a useful tool for analysis of the transcription and translation of some viruses lacking a virus-cell replication system., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Pyrosmalite-(Fe), ideally Fe(II) (8)Si(6)O(15)(OH,Cl)(10) [refined composition in this study: Fe(8)Si(6)O(15)(OH(0.814)Cl(0.186))(10)·0.45H(2)O, octa-iron(II) hexa-silicate deca-(chloride/hydroxide) 0.45-hydrate], is a phyllosilicate mineral and a member of the pyrosmalite series (Fe,Mn)(8)Si(6)O(15)(OH,Cl)(10), which includes pyrosmalite-(Mn), as well as friedelite and mcgillite, two polytypes of pyrosmalite-(Mn). This study presents the first structure determination of pyrosmalite-(Fe) based on single-crystal X-ray diffraction data from a natural sample from Burguillos del Cerro, Badajos, Spain. Pyrosmalite-(Fe) is isotypic with pyrosmalite-(Mn) and its structure is characterized by a stacking of brucite-type layers of FeO(6)-octa-hedra alternating with sheets of SiO(4) tetra-hedra along [001]. These sheets consist of 12-, six- and four-membered rings of tetra-hedra in a 1:2:3 ratio. In contrast to previous studies on pyrosmalite-(Mn), which all assumed that Cl and one of the four OH-groups occupy the same site, our data on pyrosmalite-(Fe) revealed a split-site structure model with Cl and OH occupying distinct sites. Furthermore, our study appears to suggest the presence of disordered structural water in pyrosmalite-(Fe), consistent with infrared spectroscopic data measured from the same sample. Weak hydrogen bonding between the ordered OH-groups that are part of the brucite-type layers and the terminal silicate O atoms is present.

Lotharmeyerite, calcium bis-(zinc/manganese) bis-(arsenate) bis-(hydroxide/hydrate), Ca(Zn,Mn(3+))(2)(AsO(4))(2)(H(2)O,OH)(2), is a member of the natrochalcite group of minerals, which are characterized by the general formula AM(2)(XO(4))(2)(H(2)O,OH)(2), where A may be occupied by Pb(2+), Ca(2+), Na(+), and Bi(3+), M by Fe(3+), Mn(3+), Cu(2+), Zn(2+), Co(2+), Ni(2+), Al(3+), and Mg(2+), and X by P(V), As(V), V(V), and S(VI). The minerals in the group display either monoclinic or triclinic symmetry, depending on the ordering of chemical components in the M site. Based on single-crystal X-ray diffraction data of a sample from the type locality, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico, this study presents the first structure determination of lotharmeyerite. Lotharmeyerite is isostructural with natrochalcite and tsumcorite. The structure is composed of rutile-type chains of edge-shared MO(6) octa-hedra (site symmetry [Formula: see text]) extending along [010], which are inter-connected by XO(4) tetra-hedra (site symmetry 2) and hydrogen bonds to form [M(2)(XO(4))(2)(OH,H(2)O)(2)] sheets parallel to (001). These sheets are linked by the larger A cations (site symmetry 2/m), as well as by hydrogen bonds. Bond-valence sums for the M cation, calculated with the parameters for Mn(3+) and Mn(2+) are 2.72 and 2.94 v.u., respectively, consistent with the occupation of the M site by Mn(3+). Two distinct hydrogen bonds are present, one with O⋯O = 2.610 (4) Å and the other O⋯O = 2.595 (3) Å. One of the H-atom positions is disordered over two sites with 50% occupancy, in agreement with observations for other natrochalcite-type minerals, such as natrochalcite and tsumcorite.

Lithio-marsturite, ideally LiCa(2)Mn(2)Si(5)O(14)(OH), is a member of the pectolite-pyroxene series of pyroxenoids (hydro-pyroxenoids) and belongs to the rhodonite group. A previous structure determination of this mineral based on triclinic symmetry in space group P[Formula: see text] by Peacor et al. [Am. Mineral. (1990), 75, 409-414] converged with R = 0.18 without reporting any information on atomic coordinates and displacement param-eters. The current study redetermines its structure from a natural specimen from the type locality (Foote mine, North Carolina) based on single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. The crystal structure of lithio-marsturite is characterized by ribbons of edge-sharing CaO(6) and two types of MnO(6) octa-hedra as well as chains of corner-sharing SiO(4) tetra-hedra, both extending along [110]. The octa-hedral ribbons are inter-connected by the rather irregular CaO(8) and LiO(6) polyhedra through sharing corners and edges, forming layers parallel to ([Formula: see text]1[Formula: see text]), which are linked together by the silicate chains. Whereas the coordination environments of the Mn and Li cations can be compared to those of the corresponding cations in nambulite, the bonding situations of the Ca cations are more similar to those in babingtonite. In contrast to the hydrogen-bonding scheme in babingtonite, which has one O atom as the hydrogen-bond donor and a second O atom as the hydrogen-bond acceptor, our study shows that the situation is reversed in lithio-marsturite for the same two O atoms, as a consequence of the differences in the bonding environments around O atoms in the two minerals.

Background and Objective: Atelectasis is a common complication after thoracotomy, and it may threaten patients' life if it was not treated correctly and properly. The aim of this article is to explore and discuss the prevention and treatment for atelectasis during the perioperative period, and also to explore new methods for reducing the perioperative mortality due to atelectasis after thoracotomy., Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 374 lung cancer patients who underwent thoracotomy in our department between Jan 2007 and Nov 2009., Results: Atelectasis occurred in 14 patients among all the 374 lung cancer patients who underwent thoracotomy. All the atelectasis returned to reexpansion after treatment., Conclusion: The incidence of atelectasis in these series is relatively low compared with the reports in literatures. Good perioperative preparation and perioperative treatment can remarkably decrease the incidence and mortality of atelectasis after thoracotomy in the treatment of lung cancer.