Using deep learning to model the biological dose prediction on bulky lung cancer patients of partial stereotactic ablation radiotherapy

PURPOSE

To develop a biological dose prediction model considering tissue bio-reactions in addition to patient anatomy for achieving a more comprehensive evaluation of tumor control and promoting the automatic planning of bulky lung cancer.

METHODS

A database containing images and partial stereotactic ablation boost radiotherapy (P-SABR) plans of 94 bulky lung cancer patients was studied. Patient-specific parameters of gross tumor boost volume (GTVb), planning gross target volume (PGTV), and identified organs at risk (OARs) were extracted via Numpy and simple ITK. The original dose and structure maps for P-SABR patients were resampled to have a voxel resolution of 3.9 × 3.9 × 3 mm³ . Biological equivalent dose (BED) distributions were reprogrammed based on physical dose volumes. A developed deep learning architecture, Nestnet, was adopted as the training framework. We utilized two approaches for data organization to correlate the structures and BED: (a) BED programming before training model (B-Nestnet); (b) BED programming after the training process (D-B Nestnet). The early-stop mechanism was adopted on the validation set to avoid overfitting. The evaluation criteria of predictive accuracy contain the minimum BED of GTVb and PGTV, the maximum and the mean BED of all targets, BED-volume metrics. For comparison, we also used the original Unet for BED prediction. The absolute differences were statistically analyzed with the paired-samples t test.

RESULTS

The statistical outcomes demonstrate that D-B Nestnet model predicts biological dose distributions accurately. The average absolute biases of [max, mean] BED for GTVb, PGTV are [2.1%, 3.3%] and [2.1%, 4.7%], respectively. Averaging across most of OARs, the D-B Nestnet model is capable of predicting the errors of the max and mean BED within 6.3% and 6.1%, respectively. While the compared models performed worse with averaged max and mean BED prediction errors surpassing 10% on some specific OARs.

CONCLUSIONS

The study developed a D-B Nestnet model capable of predicting BED distribution accurately for bulky lung cancer patients in P-SABR. The predicted BED map enables a quick intuitive evaluation of tumor ablation, modification of the ablation range to improve BED of tumor targets, and quality assessment. It represents a major step forward toward automated P-SABR planning on bulky lung cancer in real clinical practice.

An analysis of the variations and clinical applications of the lateral circumflex femoral artery

BACKGROUND

Identifying the arterial variation of the lateral circumflex femoral artery (LCFA) is a vital step in planning surgical and radiological approach. The aim of the study was to evaluate the variations and discuss the clinical correlates of the LCFA.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Fifty eight adult cadavers (male 45, female 13) with 115 usable sides were used to assess and classify the origin and branches of the LCFA. Also its external diameter, distance from mid-inguinal ligament to sites of origin from the profunda femoris artery or femoral arteries.

RESULTS

There were seven types of LCFA variations in this sample. We classified them as types A to G, of which type A was normal, that is, the one showing a single LCFA arising from the profunda femoris artery. Nearly 50.43% of the sample had type B-G variations, each having 13, 10, 23, 4, 4, and 3 cases, accounting for 11.30%, 8.70%, 20.00%, 3.48%, 3.48%, and 2.61%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

There are many variant types in the LCFA. To avoid iatrogenic injuries, clinicians must have a sound understanding of the variation types of this important blood vessel.

Efficacy evaluation of selenium-enriched yeast in laying hens: effects on performance, egg quality, organ development, and selenium deposition

The aim of this study was to compare the dynamic changes of egg selenium (Se) deposition and deposition efficiency and to evaluate the efficacy of selenium-enriched yeast (SY) in laying hens over the 84 d feeding period after SY supplementation. A total of one thousand one hundred fifty-two 30-wk-old, Hy-Line Brown hens were randomly assigned to 1 of 6 groups (192 laying hens per group) with 6 replicates of 32 birds each, fed a basal diet (without Se supplementation), basal diet with 0.3 mg/kg of Se from sodium selenite (SS) or basal diets with 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, or 0.4 mg/kg of Se from SY, respectively. The results showed that the Se concentrations in the eggs and breasts from hens fed a SY-supplemented diet were significantly higher than those from hens fed a SS-supplemented diet or a basal diet (P < 0.001). There was a positive linear and quadratic correlation between Se concentrations in the eggs from hens fed a SY-supplemented diet and dietary Se supplementation on days 28, 56, and 84 (r² = 0.931, 0.932, 0.976, P < 0.001; r² = 0.946, 0.935, 0.976, P < 0.001), respectively. The Se deposition efficiency in whole eggs from hens fed a basal or SY-supplemented diet weresignificantly higher than those in eggs from hens fed a SS-supplemented diet on days 28, 56, and 84 (P < 0.001), respectively. In addition, there was a positive linear and quadratic correlation between Se concentrations in the eggs from hens fed SY-supplemented diet (r² = 0.655, 0.779, 0.874, 0.781, P < 0.001; r² = 0.666, 0.863, 0.944, 0.781, P < 0.001) or SS-supplemented diet (r² = 0.363, P = 0.002; r² = 0.440, P = 0.002) and number of feeding days. In conclusion, the organic Se from SY has higher bioavailability and deposition efficiency of Se in whole eggs as compared with inorganic Se from SS. The Se concentrations and Se deposition efficiency in the eggs increased from hens fed a SS- or SY-supplemented diet but decreased from hens fed a basal diet with the extension of the experimental duration. The results indicate that the dietary Se supplementation from SY should be limited to a maximum of 0.1 mg Se/kg complete feed when the eggs and meat produced from hens fed a SY-supplemented diet are used as food for humans directly, whereas up to 0.4 mg/kg organic Se from SY can be used to supplement the diets for laying hens when the products are used as raw materials for producing Se-enriched food.

The role of cyanide-resistant respiration in Solanum tuberosum L. against high light stress

Cyanide-resistant respiration in potato mitochondria is an important pathway for energy dissipation. It can be activated by high light; however, it is unclear what roles cyanide-resistant respiration plays in the response to high light stress in potato. We designed a CRISPR vector for the functional gene StAOX of the potato cyanide-resistant respiratory pathway. Agrobacterium tumefaciens GV3101 was transformed into potato. Hydrogen peroxide level, MDA content, antioxidant activity and cyanide-resistant respiratory capacity of potato leaves under high light stress were determined. Photosynthetic efficiency and chlorophyll content were determined. In addition, the operation of the malate-oxaloacetate shuttle route and transcription level of photorespiration-related enzymes were also examined. The results showed that two base substitutions occurred at the sequencing target site on leaves of the transformed potato. Accumulation of ROS and increased membrane lipid peroxidation were detected in the transformed potato leaves and lower photosynthetic efficiency was observed. The transcription level of the malate-oxaloacetate shuttle route and photorespiration-related enzymes also significantly increased. These results indicate that the cyanide-resistant respiration is an important physiological pathway in potato in response to high light stress. It also suggests that plant cyanide-resistant respiration is closely related to photosynthesis. This implies the unexplored importance of plant cyanide-resistant respiration in plant photosynthesis, energy conversion and carbon skeleton formation.

MicroRNA-590-5p suppresses the proliferation and invasion of non-small cell lung cancer by regulating GAB1

OBJECTIVE

Some specific microRNAs (miRNAs) have been identified to regulate the tumorigenesis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). MiR-590-5p was found to involve in the carcinogenesis of human cancers. This study aims at exploring the role of miR-590-5p in the pathogenesis of NSCLC.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The expressions of miR-590-5p and GAB1 were measured by quantitative Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blot, respectively. The biological functions of miR-590-5p and GAB1 on cell viability and invasion were investigated through MTT and transwell assays. The binding site between miR-590-5p and GAB1 was verified by dual-luciferase reporter gene assay (DLR).

RESULTS

MiR-590-5p expression was downregulated in NSCLC. MiR-590-5p overexpression inhibited the proliferation and invasion of NSCLC cells. Furthermore, miR-590-5p was confirmed to directly target GAB1. GAB1 knockdown had the same effect as overexpression of miR-590-5p in NSCLC. Moreover, overexpression of GAB1 partially reversed the suppressive effect of miR-590-5p on NSCLC.

CONCLUSIONS

MiR-590-5p suppressed cell proliferation and invasion of NSCLC by inhibiting GAB1 expression, indicating that miR-590-5p was a suppressive miRNA in NSCLC.

miR-497 promotes the progression of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma through FAM114A2

OBJECTIVE

To explore the possible role and mechanism of miR-497 in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Quantitative Real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect miR-497 and FAM114A2 expression level in 38 cases of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) and 22 normal skin tissues as well as in CSCC cell lines (A431, HSC-5) and normal cells (HaCaT). MiR-497 effects on cell proliferation and cell cycle were examined by CCK8 assays and flow cytometry. Dual luciferase reporter gene assay was performed to detect the regulating relationship between miR-497 and FAM114A2. In addition, the expression of FAM114A2 after overexpression or knockdown of miR-497 was detected by Western blot to evaluate whether miR-497 could regulate proliferation and cell cycle by regulating the expression of FAM114A2.

RESULTS

MiR-497mRNA expression in CSCC tissues and cell lines was markedly lower than that in normal tissues and cells. Meanwhile, FAM114A2 mRNA and protein levels in CSCC tissues were markedly higher when compared to than that in normal tissues. miR-497 overexpression or knockdown could inhibit or promote the cell proliferation and cell cycle of A431, HSC-5. The dual luciferase reporter gene assay suggested that FAM114A2 might be a direct target gene of miR-497, and that FAM114A2 expression had a significant negative correlation with miR-497. Overexpression of miR-497 could inhibit FAM114A2 protein expression. Besides, FAM114A2 knockdown reversed the inhibitory effect of low expression of miR-497 on proliferation rate of A431 or HSC-5 cells.

CONCLUSIONS

MiR-497 was lowly expressed in squamous cell carcinoma tissues and cells, which can participate in the regulation of cell proliferation through FAM114A2, thus promoting the progression of CSCC.

MicroRNA-138 inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis of laryngeal carcinoma via targeting MAPK6

OBJECTIVE

To explore whether microRNA-138 could regulate the incidence and progression of laryngeal carcinoma through modulating proliferation and apoptosis of laryngeal carcinoma cells via MAPK6.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

MicroRNA-138 expression in laryngeal carcinoma tissues and paracancerous tissues were detected by qRT-PCR (Quantitative Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction). The regulatory effects of microRNA-138 on proliferation and apoptosis of laryngeal carcinoma cells were detected by colony formation assay and flow cytometry, respectively. Target gene of microRNA-138 was predicted by online software and verified by luciferase reporter gene assay. Corresponding plasmids of microRNA-138 and the target gene were constructed. Rescue experiments were conducted to explore the regulatory effect of microRNA-138 on the target gene.

RESULTS

MicroRNA-138 was downregulated in laryngeal carcinoma tissues than that of paracancerous tissues. MicroRNA-138 knockdown resulted in increased proliferation and decreased apoptosis of laryngeal carcinoma cells. MAPK6 was predicted as the target gene of microRNA-138. Luciferase reporter gene assay further verified that MAPK6 could directly bind to microRNA-138. Both mRNA and protein levels of MAPK6 were downregulated after microRNA-13 overexpression in laryngeal carcinoma cells. Rescue experiment results indicated that increased proliferation and decreased apoptosis of laryngeal carcinoma cells resulted from microRNA-13 knockdown were partially reversed by MAPK6 overexpression.

CONCLUSIONS

MicroRNA-138 is downregulated in laryngeal carcinoma patients. MicroRNA-138 knockdown promotes proliferation and inhibits apoptosis of laryngeal carcinoma cells via inhibiting MAPK6 expression.

The complete mitochondrial genome of Conwentzia sinica (Neuroptera: Coniopterygidae)

The complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of Conwentzia sinica Yang, 1974 was sequenced and analyzed. The sequenced mitogenome is 15,153 bp in size, including 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA genes, and one control region. Thirteen PCGs use ATN as the start codon. Most of PCGs terminate with TAA codons but ND5, ND4 with a single T residue, and ND3 terminates with TAG. The lrRNA gene is 1290 bp. The measured length of srRNA gene is 782 bp. Twenty-two tRNA genes possess the typical clover-leaf secondary structure except for tRNASer(AGN) . The phylogenetic result supports the monophyly of the family Coniopterygidae and a closer relationship between Conwentzia and Coniopteryx.

Integrating transcriptome-wide association study and mRNA expression profiling identified candidate genes and pathways associated with osteomyelitis

Objective: Osteomyelitis (OM) is an acute or chronic inflammatory process, characterized by severe inflammation and progressive bone destruction. Limited efforts have been made to explore the genetic basis of OM.Method: The genome-wide association study data set of OM was obtained from the UK Biobank. A transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) of OM was conducted by the FUSION tool using the gene expression reference weights of lymphocytes and blood. The OM-associated genes identified by TWAS were subjected to gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis to explore OM-related gene sets. The TWAS results of OM were finally compared with a genome-wide mRNA expression profiling of OM to detect common genes and gene sets.Results: TWAS of OM detected 86 genes for lymphocytes and 387 genes for blood. Comparing the genes identified by TWAS and mRNA expression profiling detected eight common genes for OM, including VWF (p_TWAS = 0.0030, p_mRNA = 3.44 × 10^-9), CCDC50 (p_TWAS = 0.0130, p_mRNA = 0.0003), and TPD52 (p_TWAS = 0.0180, p_mRNA = 1 × 10^-6). GO analysis of the genes identified by TWAS detected multiple OM-associated GO terms, e.g. peroxisomal matrix (p_TWAS = 0.0082), extracellular exosome (p_TWAS = 0.0248), and monooxygenase activity (p_TWAS = 0.0040). Further comparing the GO results of TWAS and mRNA expression profiling detected one common GO term, named extracellular exosome (p_TWAS = 0.0248, p_mRNA = 0.0027).Conclusion: This integrative study of TWAS and mRNA expression profiling detected multiple candidate genes and GO terms for OM. Our results provide novel clues for understanding the pathogenesis of OM.

Measurement of the cosmic ray proton spectrum from 40 GeV to 100 TeV with the DAMPE satellite

The precise measurement of the spectrum of protons, the most abundant component of the cosmic radiation, is necessary to understand the source and acceleration of cosmic rays in the Milky Way. This work reports the measurement of the cosmic ray proton fluxes with kinetic energies from 40 GeV to 100 TeV, with 2 ¹/₂ years of data recorded by the DArk Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE). This is the first time that an experiment directly measures the cosmic ray protons up to ~100 TeV with high statistics. The measured spectrum confirms the spectral hardening at ~300 GeV found by previous experiments and reveals a softening at ~13.6 TeV, with the spectral index changing from ~2.60 to ~2.85. Our result suggests the existence of a new spectral feature of cosmic rays at energies lower than the so-called knee and sheds new light on the origin of Galactic cosmic rays.

Integrating transcriptome-wide association study and mRNA expression profiling identifies novel genes associated with bone mineral density

To scan novel candidate genes associated with osteoporosis, a two-stage transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) of bone mineral density (BMD) was conducted. The BMD-associated genes identified by TWAS were then compared with the gene expression profiling of BMD in bone cells, B cells, and mesenchymal stem cells. We identified multiple candidate genes and gene ontology (GO) terms associated with BMD.

INTRODUCTION

Osteoporosis (OP) is a metabolic bone disease characterized by decrease in BMD. Our objective is to scan novel candidate genes associated with OP.

METHODS

A transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) was performed by integrating the genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary of bone mineral density (BMD) with two pre-computed mRNA expression weights of peripheral blood and muscle skeleton. Then, another independent GWAS data of BMD was used to verify the discovery results. The BMD-associated genes identified between discovery and replicate TWAS were further subjected to gene ontology (GO) analysis implemented by DAVID. Finally, the BMD-associated genes and GO terms were further compared with the mRNA expression profiling results of BMD to detect the common genes and GO terms shared by both DNA-level TWAS and mRNA expression profile analysis.

RESULTS

TWAS identified 95 common genes with permutation P value < 0.05 for peripheral blood and muscle skeleton, such as TMTC4 in muscle skeleton and DDX17 in peripheral blood. Further comparing the genes detected by discovery-replicate TWAS with the differentially expressed genes identified by mRNA expression profiling of OP patients found 18 overlapped genes, such as MUL1 in muscle skeleton and SPTBN1 in peripheral blood. GO analysis of the genes identified by discovery-replicate TWAS detected 12 BMD-associated GO terms, such as negative regulation of cell growth and regulation of glycogen catabolic process. Further comparing the GO results of discovery-replicate TWAS and mRNA expression profiles found 6 overlapped GO terms, such as membrane and cell adhesion.

CONCLUSION

Our study identified multiple candidate genes and GO terms for BMD, providing novel clues for understanding the genetic mechanism of OP.

The applied anatomy and clinical significance of the proximal, V1 segment of vertebral artery

BACKGROUND

The aim of the study was to probe the morphological features of the proximal segment (V1) of vertebral artery (VA) in a sample of Chinese cadavers.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The origin, course and outer diameter at origin of the pre-vertebral part of the VAs were evaluated in 119 adult cadavers.

RESULTS

It was found that 94.12% of the VAs originated from the subclavian arteries, bilaterally. The variant origins were present in 5.88% of the cadavers and all originated directly from the arch of the aorta. All the variations were observed on the left side of male cadavers. The average outer diameters at origin of the normal and variation groups were 4.35 ± 1.00 mm and 4.82 ± ± 1.42 mm, respectively, p = 0.035. In the normal group, but not in the variation group, the average diameter in the males was significantly larger than that in the females (4.50 ± 0.99 mm, 3.92 ± 0.92 mm, respectively, p = 0.000). In addition, only 5 cadavers in the normal group had hypoplastic VAs (4.20%, 4 males, 3 right-sided). Vertebral artery dominance (VAD) was present in 91 (69 males) out of 112 cadavers and more common on the left (n = 48). In addition, 3 cadavers satisfied conditions for coexistence of VAD and vertebral artery hypoplasia. All 7 cadavers in the variation group exhibited VAD, which was more common on the right side (n = 5).

CONCLUSIONS

The morphologic variations and frequencies described above have implications for the early prevention, abnormal anatomy detection, accurate diagnosis, safe surgery and endovascular treatment of cardiovascular and neurological disease.

The potential of cadmium ion-immobilized Rhizobium pusense KG2 to prevent soybean root from absorbing cadmium in cadmium-contaminated soil

AIMS

Because the effect of Cd2+ -immobilized microbe on Cd uptake of plants in Cd-contaminated soil remains underexplored, this study focuses on the effect of Cd2+ -immobilized rhizobia on Cd uptake of soybean.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Strain KG2 from soybean nodule was identified as Rhizobium pusense KG2 by phylogenetic analysis. Rhizobium pusense KG2 showed the 120 mg l-1 of minimal lethal concentration for Cd2+ . In 50 and 100 mg l-1 of Cd2+ liquid, approximately 2 × 1010 cells removed 56·71 and 22·11% of Cd2+ , respectively. In pot soil containing 50 and 100 mg kg-1 of Cd2+ , strain KG2 caused a 45·9 and 35·3% decrease in soybean root Cd content, respectively. Meanwhile, KG2 improved the root and shoot length, nitrogen content and biomass of soybean plants and superoxide dismutase activity.

CONCLUSIONS

The Cd2+ -immobilized rhizobia could inhibit soybean plants to absorb Cd2+ from soil, promote plant growth and improve plant's tolerance against Cd. This study is the first time to report that R. pusense is an effective nodulating rhizobium of legume.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

Some Cd2+ -immobilized microbe lowering Cd uptake of plant and promoting plant growth should be considered as an effective strategy for producing safety crops in the Cd-contaminated agricultural soil.

[Clinical significance of exosomal miR-1231 in pancreatic cancer]

Objective: To investigate the expression and clinical significance of exosomal miR-1231 in plasma of pancreatic cancer (PC) patients and pancreatic cancer cells. Methods: A total of 16 patients who were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in Hunan Cancer Hospital were collected from April 2016 to August 2017. Meanwhile, 16 healthy volunteers were recruited as the healthy control group at the same period. The plasma exosomes were extracted, and the levels of miR-1231 were detected by qRT-PCR in PC and healthy control groups. Moreover, the clinicopathological significance of exosomal miR-1231 expression was analyzed. Furthermore, the expression of exosomal miR-1231 was detected in several pancreatic cancer cells (MIA PaCa-2, PANC-1, SW1990, AsPC-1 and BxPc-3) and two normal pancreatic epithelial cells (HPDE and human primary pancreatic epithelial cell). Results: qRT-PCR results showed that the expression level of miR-1231 in plasma exosomes of pancreatic cancer patients (1.06±0.46) was significantly lower than that in healthy controls (2.30±0.99; P<0.05). The levels of exosomal miR-1231 in patients with stage Ⅰ-Ⅱ (1.515±0.531), no distant metastasis (1.236±0.461) and no lymph node metastasis (1.337±0.522) were significantly higher than those with stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ (0.848±0.224), distant metastasis (0.757±0.278) and lymph node metastasis (0.838±0.261), respectively (P<0.05 for all). In addition, there were no correlation between exosomal miR-1231 expression and age, sex, smoking history, CA19-9 levels and tumor sites (P>0.05). Furthermore, the expression level of exosomal miR-1231 in pancreatic cancer cell lines (0.142±0.135) was significantly lower than that in normal epithelial cells (1.127±0.179; P<0.05). Conclusions: The downregulation of exosomal miR-1231 in plasma of pancreatic cancer patients and pancreatic cancer cells suggests that it is related to the initiation and development of PC. It may be a new diagnostic and prognostic marker for PC.

Negative Association of Serum URIC Acid with Peripheral Blood Cellular Aging Markers

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to explore the association between serum UA and cellular aging markers.

DESIGN

The current cross-sectional analysis was based on data collected within a type 2 diabetes project.

SETTINGS

Serum uric acid (UA), which has both antioxidant and pro-oxidant properties, is thought to be involved in cellular aging processes.

PARTICIPANTS

There are 536 participants included in total, 65.3% of which are women. The average serum UA in women was 267.8 umol/l, lower than in men of 337.7 umol/l (P<0.001).

MEASUREMENTS

Serum UA, blood lipid profile, HbA1c, plasma glucose and insulin were determined. The peripheral blood leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn) were assessed using a real-time PCR assay. Logistic regressions were used to analyze the associations between serum UA and cellular aging markers.

RESULTS

In Spearman's correlation analysis, there were significantly negative correlations between serum UA and LTL in both women and men (r=-0.162, P=0.006; and r=-0.232, P=0.004, respectively). The logistic regression adjusted for age, BMI, WC, daily energy intake, HbA1c, TG, and LDL-C revealed that the ORs of shorter LTL comparing the extreme serum UA quintiles was 5.52 (95% CI 1.69-18.02; P for trend =0.025) in women and 6.49 (95% CI 1.38-30.45; P for trend =0.108) in men. Furthermore, the OR (95% CI) for shorter LTL per 1 SD increment in serum UA was 1.51(1.10-2.07) in women and 1.64(1.01-2.65) in men. In regard to mtDNAcn, the association between elevated serum UA and lower mtDNAcn only reached significance in men when comparing the second and fifth quintiles with reference quintile (OR=3.73(1.07-13.04) and 3.76(1.01-14.09) , separately, and P for trend=0.066).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results indicate a significant negative association between serum UA and peripheral blood cellular aging markers. Serum UA might play a role in promoting cellular aging.

[Effect of enteral nutrition on accidental upper gastrointestinal injury in children]

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of enteral nutrition in children with accidental upper gastrointestinal injury. Methods: The medical records of 128 patients with mechanical or chemical gastrointestinal mucosal injury, who were hospitalized in Department of Gastroenterology, Children's Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine from January 1, 2011 to December 30, 2017, were collected. All cases were treated with enteral nutrition. The clinical features and etiologies were retrospectively analyzed. Weight-for-age Z score and lab findings including white blood cells, C-reactive protein, neutrophils, albumin, prealbumin, urea nitrogen and hemoglobin before and after treatment were extracted. The clinical characteristics, the duration of enteral nutrition and gastrointestinal mucosal healing between different etiologies were further analyzed. Normal distribution variables and categorized variables were compared with t test and χ(2) test respectively, and abnormal distribution data was compared with Wilcoxon test. Results: Among all the cases, 77 were males and 51 were females. The average age was (29±22) months. The mean duration of hospitalization and enteral nutrition were (11±7)d and (27±20)d respectively. Vomiting was the most common clinical presentation (72 cases, 56.3%). In 79 cases the problems were caused by mechanical injury, among which coins were most commonly seen. The rest 49 cases were caused by chemical injury. However, the duration of hospitalization ((13±8) d vs. (10±6)d, t=-3.089, P=0.002) and enteral nutrition ((39±22) vs. (19±14) d, t=-5.365, P=0.000) were longer in children with chemical injury than those with mechanical injury. A total of 112 cases got complete blood count and C-reactive protein both before and after enteral nutrition. Inflammatory markers, including leukocytes ((7.7±2.7) ×10(9)/L vs. (13.7±5.0) ×10(9)/L, t=12.244, P <0.05), neutrophils ((3.4±1.9)×10(9)/L vs. (9.4±4.6) ×10(9)/L, t=13.655, P<0.05), and C-reactive proteins (5.0(3.0,7.8) vs. 13.5(6.0,40.5) mg/L, Z=7.776, P <0.05) were significantly decreased. The nutritional markers, including the weight-for-age z score (-0.1 ± 1.0 vs. 0.0 ± 1.0, t=-2.622, P=0.010) and the prealbumin (0.1 ± 0.1 vs. 0.2 ± 0.0 g/L, t=-3.671, P=0.001) were significantly increased. Fifty-five (82.1%) children in mechanical injury group recovered in 4 weeks, while 27 (79.4%) children in chemical injury group recovered in 7 weeks. Conclusion: Enteral nutrition can provide adequate nutritional requirements for children with upper gastrointestinal injury, and may help to decrease imflammation and improve mucosal healing.

Cell-bound complement activation products (CB-CAPs) have high sensitivity and specificity in pediatric-onset systemic lupus erythematosus and correlate with disease activity

OBJECTIVE

Elevated levels of cell-bound complement activation products (CB-CAPs) (C4d deposition on B lymphocytes (BC4d) and/or erythrocytes (EC4d)) are sensitive and specific in diagnosis and monitoring of adult systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Our objective was to evaluate the role of CB-CAPs for diagnosis and monitoring of pediatric-onset SLE (pSLE).

METHODS

A prospective cohort study of 28 pSLE and 22 juvenile arthritis patients was conducted. SLE disease activity was determined using a clinical Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) that excluded serologies. Autoantibodies were measured using solid-phase immunoassays, C3 and C4 using immunoturbidimetry, and CB-CAPs using quantitative flow cytometry. Abnormal CB-CAPs were defined as EC4d or BC4d above the 99th percentile for healthy adults (>14 and > 60 net mean fluorescence intensity (MFI), respectively). Performance characteristics of CB-CAPs were assessed using area under the curve (AUC) for receiver operating characteristics. Linear mixed effect models evaluated the correlation between CB-CAPs and clinical SLEDAI over 6 months.

RESULTS

BC4d yielded higher AUC (0.91 ± 0.04) than C3 (0.63 ± 0.08) and C4 (0.67 ± 0.08) ( p < 0.05). Abnormal CB-CAPs were 78% sensitive and 86% specific for diagnosis of pSLE (Youden's index = 0.64 ± 0.11). In contrast to BC4d, EC4d levels correlated with clinical SLEDAI ( p < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

CB-CAPs (EC4d and BC4d) have higher sensitivity and specificity than low complement in pSLE, and may help with diagnosis of pSLE. EC4d could provide a useful biomarker for disease activity monitoring.

Highly efficient extraction and purification of low-density lipoprotein from hen egg yolk

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) from hen egg yolk has high nutritional value and plays an important role in the fields of biology, medicine, and materials. To develop fundamental research about LDL, a highly efficient extraction method is necessary. We found that 30% saturated ammonium sulfate can extract more crude LDL than 40% saturation. We selected polyethylene glycol (PEG; nonionic type) to obtain crude LDL. Three factors were employed, namely, degree of polymerization, concentration of PEG, and pH of egg yolk plasma. The optimized condition was 5% PEG 4,000 and plasma pH 6.0, and the best extraction efficiency was 68.1 ± 0.5 g lipid /100 g DM and 69.9 ± 2.0% protein. The crude LDL oil of PEG precipitation was very significantly higher (P < 0.01) than ammonium sulfate precipitation (ASP), while there was no significant difference in protein, which indicates that PEG can extract more crude LDL. When ascorbic acid was added, hydrosulfuryl (SH) groups and lipids oxidation degree of crude LDL extracted by PEG (PEG-LDL) was very significantly lower than ASP (P < 0.01). We also obtained both purified LDL and yolk immunoglobulin (IgY) with an appropriate purification column. This paper proposes a highly efficient method to extract LDL with high activity using PEG and ensures co-purification of LDL and IgY.

Survival outcomes of radical prostatectomy and external beam radiotherapy in clinically localized high-risk prostate cancer: a population-based, propensity score matched study

OBJECTIVE

This study was aimed to compare survival outcomes in high-risk prostate cancer (PCa) patients receiving external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) or radical prostatectomy (RP).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was used to identify PCa patients with high-risk features who received RP alone or EBRT alone from 2004 to 2008. Propensity-score matching (PSM) was performed. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to compare cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS). Multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to identify independent prognostic factors.

RESULTS

A total of 24,293 patients were identified, 14,460 patients receiving RP and 9833 patients receiving EBRT. Through PSM, 3828 patients were identified in each group. The mean CSS was 128.6 and 126.7 months for RP and EBRT groups, respectively (P<0.001). The subgroup analyses showed that CSS of the RP group was better than that of the EBRT group for patients aged <65 years (P<0.001), White race (P<0.001), and married status (P<0.001). However, there was no significant difference in CSS for patients aged ≥65 years, Black race, other race, and unmarried status. Similar trends were observed for OS. Multivariate analysis showed that EBRT treatment modality, T3-T4 stage, Gleason score 8-10, and prostate-specific antigen >20 ng/mL were significant risk factors for both CSS and OS.

CONCLUSION

This study suggested that survival outcomes might be better with RP than EBRT in high-risk PCa patients aged <65 years; however, RP and EBRT provided equivalent survival outcomes in older patients, which argues for primary radiotherapy in this older cohort.

Protective effects of Herpetospermum caudigerum extracts against liver injury induced by carbon tetrachloride in mouse

Herpetospermum caudigerum (H. caudigerum; HC), popularly known as “Sejimeiduo” in Tibet, it is widely used in Tibetan traditional medicine for the treatment of dyspepsia, liver and colic diseases. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of H. caudigerum extract (HCE) on suppressing liver injury induced by carbon tetra chloride (CCl4). For this purpose, we used CCl4 to induce acute liver injury in mouse model. The protective effects of HCE against liver injury were evaluated by biochemical parameters, histopathological and immunohistochemical staining. The results showed that the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was significantly increased with the increasing dose of HCE as compared to the CCl4-treated group (p less than 0.01); while AST and ALT levels in serum, MDA and MPO in liver were reduced in a dose-dependent manner. The histopathology showed that HCE treatment promoted the recovery of histopathological changes in liver in a dose-dependent way. Meanwhile, there was a higher expression of caspase-3 and NF-κB in the nucleus of several liver cells in the CCl4-induced group, and a low expression of caspase-3 and NF-κB were found with the increasing dose of HCE. Therefore, the present study suggests that HCE is a potent hepatoprotective agent that can treat acute liver injury and this ability may be attributed towards its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant potential.

Alternaria alternata challenge at the nasal mucosa results in eosinophilic inflammation and increased susceptibility to influenza virus infection

BACKGROUND

Eosinophils in the nasal mucosa are an elemental feature of allergic rhinitis.

OBJECTIVE

Our objective was to explore eosinophilic inflammation and its impact on respiratory virus infection at the nasal mucosa.

METHODS

Inflammation in the nasal mucosae of mice was evaluated in response to repetitive stimulation with strict intranasal volumes of a filtrate of Alternaria alternata. Mice were then challenged with influenza virus.

RESULTS

Repetitive stimulation with A. alternata resulted in eosinophil recruitment to the nasal passages in association with elevated levels of IL-5, IL-13 and eotaxin-1; eosinophil recruitment was diminished in eotaxin-1^-/- mice, and abolished in Rag1^-/- mice. A. alternata also resulted in elevated levels of nasal wash IgA in both wild-type and eosinophil-deficient ∆dblGATA mice. Interestingly, A. alternata-treated mice responded to an influenza virus infection with profound weight loss and mortality compared to mice that received diluent alone (0% vs 100% survival, ***P < .001); the lethal response was blunted when A. alternata was heat-inactivated. Minimal differences in virus titre were detected, and eosinophils present in the nasal passages at the time of virus inoculation provided no protection against the lethal sequelae. Interestingly, nasal wash fluids from mice treated with A. alternata included more neutrophils and higher levels of pro-inflammatory mediators in response to virus challenge, among these, IL-6, a biomarker for disease severity in human influenza.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Repetitive administration of A. alternata resulted in inflammation of the nasal mucosae and unanticipated morbidity and mortality in response to subsequent challenge with influenza virus. Interestingly, and in contrast to findings in the lower airways, eosinophils recruited to the nasal passages provided no protection against lethal infection. As increased susceptibility to influenza virus among individuals with rhinitis has been the subject of several clinical reports, this model may be used for further exploration of these observations.

BRCA2 mutations should be screened early and routinely as markers of poor prognosis: evidence from 8,988 patients with prostate cancer

The aim of this study was to focus on clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis in men with prostate cancer (PCa) harboring a breast cancer 2 (BRCA2) gene mutation and to offer convincing evidence to consider BRCA2 mutation as a marker of poor prognosis in the molecular classification of PCa. We searched relevant articles from PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library databases to evaluate the differences in the overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) between BRCA2 mutation carriers and non-carriers in patients with PCa. We included 525 BRCA2 mutation-carriers and 8,463 non-carriers in total from 10 studies in our meta-analysis. The results showed that carrying a BRCA2 mutation was correlated with a reduced CSS and OS when compared with that of non-carriers, with pooled Hazard Ratios (HRs) of 2.53 (95% confidence interval (CI): 2.10–3.06, P < 0.001) and 2.21 (95% CI: 1.64–2.99, P < 0.001), respectively. The results also demonstrated that BRCA2 mutation-carriers harbored a higher Gleason Score (GS) (> 7), TNM stage (> T3, N1, M1), and risk level than non-carriers. Our meta-analysis showed that a BRCA2 mutation predicted poor survival outcomes in patients with prostate cancer, especially in those undergoing treatments with radiotherapy. Therefore, the use of BRCA2 mutation as a clinical prognostic factor could help stratify the high-risk patients and provide clinical strategies for more effective targeted treatments for patients with prostate cancer.

Prognostic significance of osteopontin expression in gastric cancer: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Accumulated studies have exploited the association between osteopontin (OPN) expression and survival of patients with gastric cancer (GC), however, the results were controversial. Thus, we performed a meta-analysis, aiming to investigate the prognostic role of OPN for GC patients and to explore the association between OPN and clinicalpathological features of GC.

RESULTS

A total of ten studies involving 1775 patients were included in final meta-analysis. Of the included studies, nine were conducted on Asian patients and one was performed on Caucasian patients. Regarding OPN detection, immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used on tissue specimens in eight studies and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used on plasma specimens in two studies. The pooled data showed that high OPN expression was correlated with poor OS (HR = 1.59, 95% CI: 1.15-2.22, p = 0.006). Subgroup analyses demonstrated that OPN had enhanced prognostic value for Asian patients (HR = 1.64, 95% CI = 1.11-2.41, p = 0.012) and for patients receiving surgical resection (HR = 1.6, 95% CI = 1.04-2.48, p = 0.034). In addition, the results also showed that elevated OPN expression was associated with lymph node metastasis, TNM stage, depth of invasion, tumor size and distant metastasis in GC.

METHODS

Relevant studies were retrieved through PubMed, Embase and Web of Science. Combined hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated to assess the association between OPN and overall survival (OS). Subgroup analyses and publication bias were also conducted.

CONCLUSIONS

OPN overexpression was correlated with poor OS and clinical features reflecting high aggressiveness in patients with GC. OPN was a promising prognostic biomarker for GC.

Effects of coexisting BDE-47 on the migration and biodegradation of BDE-99 in river-based aquifer media recharged with reclaimed water

Two prominent polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners have been included in the persistent organic pollutant list, 2,2',4,4',5-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-99) and 2,2,4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47), which have been detected in treated municipal wastewater, river water, and sediments in China. A lab-scale column experiment was established to investigate the effects of the competitive sorption of BDE-47 on BDE-99 biodegradation and migration in two types of river-based aquifer soils during groundwater recharge with reclaimed water. Two types of recharge columns were used, filled with either silty clay (SC) or black carbon-amended silty clay (BCA). The decay rate constants of BDE-99 in the BCA and SC systems were 0.186 and 0.13 m^-1 in the single-solute system and 0.128 and 0.071 m^-1 in the binary-solute system, respectively, showing that the decay of BDE-99 was inhibited by the coexistence of BDE-47. This was particularly evident in the SC system because the higher hydrophobicity of BDE-99 determined the higher affinity and competition for sorption sites onto black carbon. The biodegradation of BDE-99 was suppressed by the coexistence of BDE-47, especially in the SC system. Lesser-brominated congeners (BDE-47 and BDE-28) and higher-brominated congeners (BDE-100, BDE-153, BDE-154, and BDE-183) were generated in the four recharge systems, albeit at different ratios. Bacterial biodiversity was influenced by the presence of BDE-47 in the SC system, while it had no significant effect on the BCA system, because the high sorption capacity of black carbon on the hydrophobic PBDEs effectively reduced their toxicity. The ranking order of the most abundant classes changed markedly due to the coexistence of BDE-47 in both the SC and BCA systems. The ranking order of the most abundant genera changed from Azospira, Methylotenera, Desulfovibrio, Methylibium, and Bradyrhizobium to Halomonas, Hyphomicrobium, Pseudomonas, Methylophaga, and Shewanella, which could be involved in PBDE degradation.

Protonation induced high-Tc phases in iron-based superconductors evidenced by NMR and magnetization measurements

Chemical substitution during growth is a well-established method to manipulate electronic states of quantum materials, and leads to rich spectra of phase diagrams in cuprate and iron-based superconductors. Here we report a novel and generic strategy to achieve nonvolatile electron doping in series of (i.e. 11 and 122 structures) Fe-based superconductors by ionic liquid gating induced protonation at room temperature. Accumulation of protons in bulk compounds induces superconductivity in the parent compounds, and enhances the T_c largely in some superconducting ones. Furthermore, the existence of proton in the lattice enables the first proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) study to probe directly superconductivity. Using FeS as a model system, our NMR study reveals an emergent high-T_c phase with no coherence peak which is hard to measure by NMR with other isotopes. This novel electric-field-induced proton evolution opens up an avenue for manipulation of competing electronic states (e.g. Mott insulators), and may provide an innovative way for a broad perspective of NMR measurements with greatly enhanced detecting resolution.

Development of a data-processing method based on Bayesian k-means clustering to discriminate aneugens and clastogens in a high-content micronucleus assay

Genotoxicants can be identified as aneugens and clastogens through a micronucleus (MN) assay. The current high-content screening-based MN assays usually discriminate an aneugen from a clastogen based on only one parameter, such as the MN size, intensity, or morphology, which yields low accuracies (70-84%) because each of these parameters may contribute to the results. Therefore, the development of an algorithm that can synthesize high-dimensionality data to attain comparative results is important. To improve the automation and accuracy of detection using the current parameter-based mode of action (MoA), the MN MoA signatures of 20 chemicals were systematically recruited in this study to develop an algorithm. The results of the algorithm showed very good agreement (93.58%) between the prediction and reality, indicating that the proposed algorithm is a validated analytical platform for the rapid and objective acquisition of genotoxic MoA messages.

Steroid 5-alpha-reductase type 2 (SRD5A2) gene V89L polymorphism and hypospadias risk: A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Hypospadias is a common congenital malformation in males, in which the urethral orifice is found on the ventral side of the penis as a result of incomplete fusion of urethral folds. The etiology of hypospadias is poorly understood, and may be multifactorial, including genetic, endocrine and environmental factors. The steroid 5-alpha-reductase type 2 (SRD5A2) gene, which is mainly expressed in the ventral side of the urethra in the process of male genital development, plays an important role in urethral shaping.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate, with database searches of related published papers, whether SRD5A2 gene V89L polymorphism has an association with hypospadias risk.

METHODS

The following databases were searched for relevant papers, and all published case-control studies of hypospadias were used to perform a meta-analysis: PubMed, Embase, Springer Link, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, and Weipu. A quality assessment was performed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale of a case-control study. To assess the strength of the association under various genetic models, odds ratio (OR) and its 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using fixed-effect or random-effects model according to the heterogeneity. Overall and stratified subgroup analyses, including ethnicity, source of controls, sample for DNA extraction, and hypospadias classification, were performed. All data were analyzed using Review Manager 5.3.

RESULTS

This analysis included six eligible case-control studies with 1130 cases and 1279 controls. Overall, there was a statistically significant association between hypospadias risk and V89L polymorphism for allele contrast (C vs G: OR 1.91, 95% CI 1.13-3.23), P = 0.02), codominant model (CC vs GG: OR 2.97, 95% CI 1.25-7.04, P = 0.01; GC vs GG: OR 2.36, 95% CI 1.35-4.13, P = 0.003), dominant model (GC + CC vs GG: OR 2.46, 95% CI 1.28-4.72, P = 0.007), and recessive model (CC vs GC + GG: OR 1.91, 95% CI 1.00-3.66, P = 0.05). Moreover, there was also a statistically significant association in some subgroups. The positive results are shown in the Summary Table.

CONCLUSION

This meta-analysis suggested that the V89L polymorphism definitely increases the risk of hypospadias, and the C allele is a genetic risk factor for hypospadias occurrence.