Inhibition of autophagy enhances apoptosis induced by bortezomib in AML cells

Bortezomib is a novel proteasome inhibitor, which has been successfully used to treat mantle cell lymphoma and multiple myeloma. However, the direct effects of bortezomib on acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL) have not been fully investigated. In the present study, the WST-8 assay, western blotting, flow cytometry, monodansylcadaverine staining and transmission electron microscopy were performed. It was demonstrated that bortezomib treatment induced a time- and dose-dependent decrease in the viability of NB4 cells. Bortezomib treatment induced cell apoptosis in NB4 cells, as assessed by Annexin V/propidium iodide analysis, and the detection of cleaved caspase-3, cleaved poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, Bax and Bcl-2 expression. Furthermore, bortezomib treatment induced autophagy in NB4 cells, as indicated by autophagosome formation, p62 degradation, LC3-I to LC3-II conversion and formation of acidic autophagic vacuoles. Notably, autophagy induced by bortezomib was initiated prior to apoptosis. Inhibition of autophagy by knocking down Beclin-1 expression increased bortezomib-induced apoptosis in NB4 cells. Therefore, the present study revealed that the combination of bortezomib and autophagy inhibition may be a potential treatment strategy for APL.

[Vertical Distribution of Surface Formaldehyde in the Pearl River Delta Urban Area Based on Observations at the Canton Tower]

To investigate the vertical distribution of atmospheric formaldehyde in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) urban area, simultaneous measurements were performed at three heights on Canton Tower for the first time. Carbonyls including formaldehyde were sampled with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazin (DNPH) at noon for 32 days in autumn of 2018, and then analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Average mass concentrations of formaldehyde at ground level, 118 m, and 488 m sites at Canton Tower were (5.10±1.93), (6.61±2.84), and (5.33±2.55) μg·m^-3, respectively. The measured formaldehyde was positively correlated with atmospheric oxidant O_x at the three sites (R 0.65-0.75), indicating that photochemical formation is an important source for urban formaldehyde in PRD. Three different profiles were found for formaldehyde vertical distribution during the measurements. The most frequently observed one showed a higher value at 118 m while lower ones at ground level and 488 m, occurring when the boundary layer is in moderate convection state with high photochemical reactivity. The 118 m layer may be also influenced by transported high-chimney emissions from industries in suburban areas. Vertical columns of formaldehyde were also calculated according to its vertical profile. The average value was (11.23±4.80)×10¹⁵ molecules·cm^-2, 19% lower than that from satellite retrieval, while in the same magnitude as values reported in reference papers.

Clinical manifestations and imaging features of white matter demyelination in older patients

Objective

To investigate the clinical manifestations and imaging features of older patients with white matter demyelination diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Methods

Ninety-six patients with leukoaraiosis diagnosed by MRI were divided by their clinical diagnoses into a demyelinating group (40 cases) and a non-demyelinating group (56 cases). The imaging and clinical features of the patients in the two groups were analyzed.

Results

Compared with the non-demyelinating group, there were significantly more women in the demyelinating group than men. There was no significant difference in age between the two groups. Of the 37 cases who had an imaging report of “white matter demyelination and multiple sclerosis,” 36 cases had a clinical diagnosis in accordance with white matter demyelination (97.3%). Of the 59 cases who had an imaging report of “white matter demyelination”, only four cases had a clinical diagnosis in accordance with demyelination (6.8%).

Conclusion

In older patients with headaches, vertigo, other head symptoms, and unilateral numbness as the chief complaints, a clinical diagnosis of demyelinating disease is very unlikely when the imaging report states white matter demyelination only.

[Investigation and analysis of reproductive health status of female street cleaners in a district]

Objective: To explore the reproductive health status of the female street cleaners in Chaoyang district of Beijing and its influencing factors. Methods: In July 2018, a total of 647 questionnaires were sent out to female road cleaning and sanitation workers in the whole district, 613 of which were valid, with an effective rate of 94.7%. Frequency or percentage (%) is used for statistical description of counting data, and mean standard deviation is used for measurement data. The influencing factors were analyzed by 2 test. Results: The average age of 613 female road sweepers in Chaoyang District of Beijing was 42.01 (SD=6.69) years old, including 535 married female workers (87.28%) , 356 middle school and below educated (58.08%) , 292 non Beijing registered (47.63%) , accounting for (/613) , (/613) female workers working hours >8 hours per day 110 (17.94%) , weekly rest <2 days 341 (55.63%) . 144 (23.49%) women workers did not have regular gynecological examination, 119 (19.41%) had reproductive tract infections, 177 (28.87%) had abnormal menstruation in recent 6 months. Drinking, sexual behavior outside marriage, night shift and job satisfaction were all the influencing factors (P<0.05) . The increasing age, working years, drinking, household registration in other places and the decreasing satisfaction of women workers＇ rights and interests protection were all the influencing factors (P<0.05) . Conclusion: The reproductive health status of female road sweepers in Chaoyang District of Beijing is not optimistic.

Plasma-activated water: Physicochemical properties, microbial inactivation mechanisms, factors influencing antimicrobial effectiveness, and applications in the food industry

Novel nonthermal inactivation technologies have been increasingly popular over the traditional thermal food processing methods due to their capacity in maintaining microbial safety and other quality parameters. Plasma-activated water (PAW) is a cutting-edge technology developed around a decade ago, and it has attracted considerable attention as a potential washing disinfectant. This review aims to offer an overview of the fundamentals and potential applications of PAW in the agri-food sector. A detailed description of the interactions between plasma and water can help to have a better understanding of PAW, hence the physicochemical properties of PAW are discussed. Further, this review elucidates the complex inactivation mechanisms of PAW, including oxidative stress and physical effect. In particular, the influencing factors on inactivation efficacy of PAW, including processing factors, characteristics of microorganisms, and background environment of water are extensively described. Finally, the potential applications of PAW in the food industry, such as surface decontamination for various food products, including fruits and vegetables, meat and seafood, and also the treatment on quality parameters are presented. Apart from decontamination, the applications of PAW for seed germination and plant growth, as well as meat curing are also summarized. In the end, the challenges and limitations of PAW for scale-up implementation, and future research efforts are also discussed. This review demonstrates that PAW has the potential to be successfully used in the food industry.

Removal of Sr2+ Ions by a High-Capacity Indium Sulfide Exchanger Containing Permeable Layers with Large Pores

An ethylammonium-templated indium sulfide, [CH₃CH₂NH₃]₆In₈S₁₅ (InS-2), featuring anionic layers perforated with large, 24-membered rings that facilitate the accommodation of hydrated Sr²⁺ ions is reported. InS-2 exhibits an excellent adsorption performance toward Sr²⁺ with a top-ranked capacity (q_m = 143.29 mg g^-1), rapid kinetics, wide pH durability (3-14), β- and γ-radiation resistances, and a facile elution.

Elevated lipid levels in patients with achilles tendon ruptures: a retrospective matching study

Background

Achilles tendon rupture (ATR) can lead to significant disability of patients. However, whether serum lipid levels are associated with ATR is still unclear. This study aimed to examine the difference in lipid levels between patients with and those without ATR.

Methods

Patients who received ATR surgery during January 2017 to December 2017 were categorized into the case group, and those who had physical examinations during the same period without ATR were in the control group. Different matching methods [case-control matching (CCM) and propensity score matching (PSM)] were used to match the cases and controls at a 1:1 ratio.

Results

Among a total of 216 pairs of subjects with CCM, cholesterol, triglyceride, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels were significantly higher (all P<0.05) in the case group than in the control group. Among 241 pairs of subjects with PSM, the same results as those with CCM were obtained. Abnormal rates of cholesterol, triglyceride, and LDL levels in the case group were also significantly higher than those in the control group in CCM and PSM (all P<0.05). After adjusting for the factors of height and weight, there were still significant differences in cholesterol, triglyceride, and LDL levels, as well as high-density lipoprotein levels, between the case and control groups (all P<0.05).

Conclusions

Cholesterol, triglyceride, and LDL levels in patients with ATR are higher than those in healthy people. Further studies are required to verify the effect of some components of lipids on Achilles tendon structure.

Enhanced recovery after surgery program in the patients undergoing hepatectomy for benign liver lesions

BACKGROUND

Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) has shown effectiveness in terms of reducing the hospital stay and cost. However, the benefit of ERAS in patients undergoing hepatectomy for benign liver lesions is still unclear.

METHODS

ERAS was implemented in our center since March 1st, 2018. From September 2016 to February 2018, 109 patients were enrolled into the control group, and from March 2018 to June 2019, 124 patients were enrolled into the ERAS group. All the indicators related to operation, liver functions, and postoperative outcomes were included in the analysis.

RESULTS

The clinicopathologic baselines were similar in these two groups. A significantly higher proportion of patients underwent laparoscopic surgery in the ERAS group. On the whole, intraoperative blood loss (100.00 mL vs. 200.00 mL, P < 0.001), blood transfusion (3.23% vs. 10.09%, P = 0.033), total bilirubin (17.10 µmol/L vs. 21.00 µmol/L, P = 0.041), D-dimer (2.08 µg/mL vs. 2.57 µg/mL, P = 0.031), postoperative hospital stay (5.00 d vs. 6.00 d, P < 0.001), and postoperative morbidity (16.13% vs. 32.11%, P = 0.008) were significantly shorter or less in the ERAS group than those in the control group. After stratified by operation methods, ERAS group showed significantly shorter postoperative hospital stay in both open and laparoscopic operation (both P < 0.001). In patients underwent open surgery, ERAS group demonstrated significantly shorter operative duration (131.76 ± 8.75 min vs. 160.73 ± 7.23 min, P = 0.016), less intraoperative blood loss (200.00 mL vs. 450.00 mL, P = 0.008) and less postoperative morbidity (16.00% vs. 44.44%, P = 0.040).

CONCLUSIONS

ERAS program may be safe and effective for the patients underwent hepatectomy, especially open surgery, for benign liver lesions.

[Interpretation of consensus on the watch and wait strategy in rectal cancer patients after neoadjuvant treatment (2020)]

Watch and wait (W&W) after neoadjuvant treatment of rectal cancer has been a focus in the field of rectal cancer in recent years. Many Chinese or international centers have accumulated valuable experience through conducting clinical research, but there are many disputes about the details of developing W&W, and there is also a problem of insufficient evidence level. Dozens of experts of gastrointestinal surgery, oncology, radiotherapy, pathology and radiology shared the experience of developing W&W and compiled the consensus on the W&W policy in rectal cancer patients after neoadjuvant treatment (2020). This article further analyzes and interprets 5 issues that are likely to cause confusion in consensus, including near-cCR and prolonged waiting time, the relationship between cCR and pCR, the role of biopsy in W&W, local resection, and contact X-ray brachytherapy, and at the same time explains the adjustments in the consensus based on national conditions.

[Total neoadjuvant therapy followed by watch and wait approach or organ preservation for MRI stratified low-risk rectal cancer: early result from a prospective, single arm trial]

Objective: To explore the safety and efficacy of watch and wait strategy and organ preservation surgery after total neoadjuvant treatment for MRI stratified low-risk rectal cancer. Methods: A prospective single arm phase Ⅱ trial developed at Department of Gastrointestinal Cancer, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute was preliminarily analyzed. Subjects were enrolled from August 2016 to January 2019. Low-risk rectal cancer with following MRI features were recruited: mid-low tumor, mrT2-3b, MRF (-), EMVI (-), CRM (-), differentiation grade 1-3. Patients received intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) 50.6 Gy/22f with concurrent capecitabine and 4 cycles of consolidation CAPEOX. Patients with cCR/near-cCR confirmed by physical examination, rectal MRI, endoscopy, and serum CEA were recommended for watch & wait approach or local excision (LE). The main study outcomes were 2-year organ preservation rate (OPR) and sphincter preservation rate (SPR). Results: Thirty-eight patients were eligible for analysis, including 24 males and 14 females with median age of 56 years; 9 cases of mrT2 (23.7%), 14 cases of mrT3a (36.8%) and 15 cases of mrT3b (39.5%); 5 cases of well differentiated adenocarcinoma (13.2%), 32 cases of moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma (84.2%) and 1 case of mucinous adenocarcinoma (2.6%). Carcinoemobryonic antigen (CEA) was elevated before treatment in 1 case. One case (2.6%) of grade 3 radiation dermatitis occurred during IMRT; 18 cases (47.4%) occurred grade 3 to 4 adverse events during consolidation chemotherapy. After total neoadjuvant treatment, the cCR and near-cCR rates were 42.1% (16/38) and 23.7% (9/38), respectively, while non-cCR rate was 34.2% (13/38). Twenty patients (20/38, 52.6%) of cCR or near-cCR underwent watch & wait approach, with a local regrowth rate of 20% (4/20). Four patients received LE, including one salvage LE. Thirteen patients (4 were ypCR) received radical resection, including 10 cases of initial low anterior resections (LAR), 1 cases of initial abdominal perineal resection (APR) and 2 cases of salvage LAR, four patients refused operation. The median follow-up time was 23.5 (8.5-38.3) months. At the last interview of follow-up, the OPR and SPR were 52.6% (20/38) and 84.2% (32/38), respectively. Only one patient developed lung metastasis and no local recurrence occurred after radical resection or LE. Conclusion: Total neoadjuvant treatment for low-risk rectal cancer achieves high cCR/near-cCR rate, with increased probability of receiving watch and wait approach and organ preservation in this subgroup.

[Prognosis analysis of 112 cases with Japanese encephalitis in adults]

Objective: To analyze the improvement of clinical symptoms and recovery of neurological function in adult Japanese encephalitis, and study the prognostic factors. Methods: Follow-up was conducted for 112 hospitalized patients with Japanese encephalitis (JE) in adults at the Department of Neurology of three hospitals in Gansu province from July to October 2016, from July to October 2017, 6 months and 1 year after onset, respectively. The neurological functional recovery was evaluated by modified Ranking Scale (mRS).The influencing factors were analyzed by logistic regression model. Results: Among the 112 adult patients with JE after 1year follow-up, 57% (64/112) were completely recovered (mRS score=0), and 14%(16/112) had mild neurological dysfunction (mRS score=1 or 2 points), 20% (22/112) had moderate to severe neurological dysfunction (mRS score 3 to 5), and 9% (10/112) died. In 102 survivors, decreased consciousness were fully recovered (100%), 75% of the mental and behavior disorders, 64% of cognitive/memory impairment, 71% of language function disorder, 61% of paralysis, 73% of extrapyramidal symptoms were fully recovered, and 92% of the seizures were controlled. Comparison of clinical data of initial on-set between good prognosis group (mRS score≤2, 80 cases) and poor prognosis group (mRS score>2, 32 cases) showed that initial clinical manifestation with seizures, consciousness (GCS score), cerebrospinal fluid pressure, and lesion of MRI involved in midbrain had statistically significant differences (all P<0.05) . Multivariate analysis demonstrated that cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure>250 mmH(2)O and lesion of midbrain in MRI were independent risk factors of poor prognosis in adult patients with JE. Conclusion: JE is an acute and infectious viral encephalitis of the central nervous system with high disability and mortality. Most patients were completely recovered, and some had neurological sequelae. CSF pressure>250 mmH(2)O and lesion of midbrain in MRI are independent risk factors for poor prognosis.

Meta-analysis of short-term outcomes comparing robot-assisted and laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy

Aim: To evaluate and compare the short-term outcomes of robotic surgery and laparoscopic approach in distal pancreatectomy (DP). Materials & methods: EMBASE, PubMed, the Cochrane Library, CNKI and Wan Fang database were retrieved from the inception of electronic databases to June 2019. All analyses were performed using Stata/SE 15.1 version (StataCorp). Results: Twenty-two papers were included, four of which were prospective studies and the rest were retrospective studies. There was significant difference in spleen preservation rate (odds ratio: 2.020; 95% CI: 1.085-3.758; p = 0.027), operation time (mean difference [MD]: 27.372; 95% CI: 8.236-47.210; p = 0.000), the length of hospital stay (MD: -0.911; 95% CI: -1.287 to -0.535; p = 0.000), conversion rate (rate difference: -0.090; 95% CI: -1.287 to -0.535; p = 0.000), operation cost (MD: 2816.564; 95% CI: 1782.028-3851.064; p = 0.000). However, no significant difference was detected in estimated blood loss, total complication, severe complication, lymph nodules harvest, blood transfusion rate, total pancreatic fistula, severe pancreatic fistula, R0 resection rate and mortality. Conclusion: Both robotic and laparoscopic DP are safe and feasible. Although robotic DP increases the operation cost, the spleen-preserving rate is much higher. Robotic surgery may be an alternative approach to DP.

Adefovir Dipivoxil plus Chinese Medicine in HBeAg-Positive Chronic Hepatitis B Patients: A Randomized Controlled 48-Week Trial

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effects of a 48-week course of adefovir dipivoxil (ADV) plus Chinese medicine (CM) therapy, namely Tiaogan Jianpi Hexue () and Tiaogan Jiedu Huashi () fomulae, in hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive Chinese patients.

METHODS

A total of 605 HBeAg-positive Chinese CHB patients were screened and 590 eligible participants were randomly assigned to 2 groups in 1:1 ratio including experimental group (EG, received ADV plus CM) and control group (CG, received ADV plus CM-placebo) for 48 weeks. The major study outcomes were the rates of HBeAg and HBV-DNA loss on week 12, 24, 36, 48, respectively. Secondary endpoints including liver functions (enzymes and bilirubin readings) were evaluated every 4 weeks at the beginning of week 24, 36, and 48. Routine blood, urine, and stool analyses in addition to electrocardiogram and abdominal B scan were monitored as safety evaluations. Adverse events (AEs) were documented.

RESULTS

The combination therapy demonstrated superior HBeAg loss at 48 weeks, without additional AEs. The full analysis population was 560 and 280 in each group. In the EG, population achieved HBeAg loss on week 12, 24, 36, and 48 were 25 (8.90%), 34 (12.14%), 52 (18.57%), and 83 (29.64%), respectively; the equivalent numbers in the CG were 20 (7.14%), 41 (14.64%), 54 (19.29%), and 50 (17.86%), respectively. There was a statistically significant difference between these group values on week 48 (P<0.01). No additional AEs were found in EG. Subgroup analysis suggested different outcomes among treatment patterns.

CONCLUSION

Combination of CM and ADV therapy demonstrated superior HBeAg clearance compared with ADV monotherapy. The finding indicates that this combination therapy may provide an improved therapeutic effect and safety profile (ChiCTR-TRC-11001263).

[Effect of monoacylglycerol lipase with proliferation of MHCC97H human liver cancer cells in vivo]

Objective: To investigate the effects of different expression of monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) in tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) with the proliferation of MHCC97H human liver cancer cells in vivo and its mechanism. Methods: Human peripheral blood-derived monocyte was induced to differentiate into M2-type TAMs and was identified by flow cytometry. The co-culture model of TAMs and MHCC97H human liver cancer cells was established, and the expression of MAGL in TAMs cells was detected by qRT-PCR. The expression of MAGL in TAMs cells was detected by plasmid transfection. ELISA and qRT-PCR was used to detect the mRNA expression levels and secretion levels of inflammatory factors in TAMs cells. The subcutaneous tumor model of MHCC97H mice was constructed to observe the effect of different expression of MAGL in TAMs cells with the proliferation of MHCC97H human liver cancer cells in vivo. F-test was used for the measurement of homogeneity of variance between two independent samples. A t-test was used for homogeneity of variance, and the corrected t-test was used for non-homogeneity of variance. Results: Human peripheral blood-derived monocytes were successfully induced to differentiate into M2-type TAMs. An in vitro co-culture model was established. qRT-PCR showed that MHCC97H human liver cancer cells significantly down-regulated the expressional level of MAGL in TAMs cells. The constructed subcutaneous tumor model of mice demonstrated that up-regulation up-regulation of MAGL expression in M2-type TAMs inhibited the proliferation of MHCC97H human liver cancer cells in vivo. Furthermore, the mechanistic study illustrated that the high expression of MAGL promoted the transcription and secretion of inflammatory factors such as interleukin-1 beta, interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in M2-type TAMs cells. Conclusion: The overexpression of MAGL inhibits the proliferation of MHCC97H hepatocellular carcinoma cells in vivo, and its mechanism may be associated to the release of inflammatory factors that from TAMs cells.

[Correlation between the expression of STOX1 in placenta of patients with early onset preeclampsia]

Objective: To investigate the relationship of STOX1expression and pathogenesis of early onset preeclampsia. Methods: 65 cases of preeclampsia women who delivered in Shanghai Pudong Hospital from October 2015 to June 2018, were recruited, which included 31 cases with early onset preeclampsia (early onset group, gestational week<34 weeks) and 34 patients with late onset preeclampsia (late onset group, gestational week ≥34 weeks). 34 cases women who received caesarean section because of pelvic structural deformities, breech presentation, macrosomia and social factors were included as the control group(gestational week ≥34 weeks) were selected as control group.The expression and localization of STOX1 mRNA and protein in placenta of three groups of maternal were evaluated by immunohistochemistry SP, RT-qPCR and Western blotting. Results: (1) The expression of STOX1 in placenta mainly distributed in the cytoplasm of placental syncytiotrophoblasts, cytotrophoblasts, vascular endothelial and mesenchymal cells, a few in the cell nucleus.The staining intensity of STOX1 in early onset group was significantly stronger than that in late onset group, the staining intensity of the late onset group was similar to that of the control group. The positive expression rates of STOX1protein in early onset group, late onset group and control group were 96.8%(30/31), 70.6%(24/34), 67.6%(23/34) respectively, which was higher in early onset group than that in late onset group(P=0.005). There was no statistical difference of STOX1 level between the late onset group and the control group(P=0.793). (2)Relative expression of STOX1 mRNA in early onset group, late onset group and control group were 0.054 3±0.003 5,0.037 5±0.000 7,0.035 2±0.000 4 respectively, which was significantly higher in early onset group than that in late onset group(P<0.05), while there was no statistical difference between the late onset group and the control group(P>0.05).(3)Relative expression level of STOX1 protein in early onset group, late onset group and control group were 0.78±0.04,0.59±0.020 and 0.54±0.018 respectively, which is higher in early onset group than that in late onset group(P<0.05). There was no statistical difference of STOX1 level between the late onset group and the control group(P>0.05). Conclusions: The pathogenesis of early onset and late onset preeclampsia may be different. Up-regulated expression of STOX1 in placenta may be associated with the pathogenesis of early onset preeclampsia.

New Insight into the Role of Exosomes in Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal diseases among solid malignancies. Most patients are diagnosed in the late stage or after metastasis. Notably, pancreatic cancer is resistant to chemotherapy and lacks efficient target therapy methods. Given that, investigating the mechanism of metastasis, finding biomarkers for early detection and identifying novel therapeutic target of pancreatic cancer are needed. Exosomes, which are one type of extracellular vesicules, play an important role in intercellular communication. It has been confirmed that exosomes can be released by all types of cells and are significantly associated with multifaceted cancer, including pancreatic cancer. It has been suggested that they correlate with biogenesis, progression, metastasis, and tumor immunity in pancreatic cancer. Meanwhile, exosomes have the potential to be non-invasive biomarkers for early detection of pancreatic cancer. In this review, we retrospectively assess the discovery and evolvement of exosomes and highlight the multiple roles of exosomes in pancreatic cancer. Exosomes, as intercellular messengers, are projected to be a novel strategy for early detection and targeted therapy in pancreatic cancer.

[Establishment of Flow Cytometric Immunobead Array for Detecting Plasma Von Willebrand Factor Activity and Its Clinical Application in the Prognosis of Ischemic Stroke]

OBJECTIVE

To establish a novel flow cytometric immunobead array (FCIA) for detecting plasma von Willebrand factor activity (vWF:GPIbR) and apply it in ischemic stroke (IS).

METHODS

Microspheres coated with anti-human platelet glycoprotein Ibα (GPIbα) monoclonal antibody SZ151 IgG, were incubated with recombinant fragment of GPIbα, then added ristocetin and plasma, finally incubated with FITC-conjugated sheep-anti-human vWF IgG polyclonal antibody, and detected by flow cytometry. vWF antigen (vWF:Ag), vWF:GPIbR, and vWF collagen binding assay (vWF:CB) were also included for evaluating vWF levels in IS patients.

RESULTS

The intra-assay coefficient variations (CVs) and inter-assay CVs of FCIA were 7.7% and 13.5%, respectively. The slope of the linear regression was 0.9739 (r=0.855, P<0.001), and the Bland-Altman bias was 9.95%, indicating a good correlation between FCIA and ELISA. The FCIA had better sensitivity, specificity and accuracy as compared with those by ELISA (P<0.05). The levels of vWF:Ag, vWF:GPIbR and vWF:CB in IS patients were significantly higher in comparison with those in healthy controls (H=7.8, 6.4, 6.2, respectively, P<0.01), the level of vWF:GPIbR in IS patients positively correlated with levels of vWF:Ag, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, Autar score and hospitalization time.

CONCLUSION

The FCIA for detecting plasma vWF:GPIbR is more specific and accurate than ELISA. The vWF:GPIbR is involved in the paroxysm of IS, which could be used to evaluate the risk of thrombosis in IS patients.

[Expression and significance of STOX1 in villi and placenta at different stages of normal gestation]

Objective: To investigate the expression and significance of STOX1 in different stages of gestation villi and placenta. Methods: Totally 137 cases of normal villi and placenta of pregnant women were collected from the Department of Obstetrics of Shanghai Pudong Hospital from October 1(st) 2015 to February 28(th) 2018, including 64 cases of early pregnancy (early pregnancy group) which consists of 32 cases of 5-7(+6) weeks gestation (early pregnancy group A) and 32 cases of 8-11(+3) weeks gestation (early pregnancy group B), 28 cases of 14-26 weeks gestation(middle pregnancy group) and 45 cases of 37-41 weeks gestation (late pregnancy group). The expression and localization of STOX1 mRNA and protein in placenta were evaluated by RT-qPCR, Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Results: (1)STOX1 was positively expressed in the cytotrophoblasts and syncytiotrophoblasts as well as interstitial and vascular endothelial cells of all groups. (2)STOX1 mRNA expression in each group was significantly different (P<0.05), the lowest was in the early pregnancy group A(0.007 8±0.000 4), which increased along with the progression of gestational age(P<0.05),and reached the highest level in the third trimester(0.064 4±0.001 3). (3)The protein level of STOX1 in different stages of normal pregnancy was 0.53±0.20 in early pregnancy group A;0.62±0.37 in early pregnancy group B;0.70±0.03 in middle pregnancy group and 0.81±0.04 in late pregnancy group respectively; which was positively related with the progression of gestational age (P<0.05). Conclusion: The expressions of STOX1 is gradually increasing along with the normal pregnancy progression, suggesting that it might be involved in proliferation, differentiation and infiltration and (or) apoptosis of trophoblast cells and the development of the placenta.

[The effect of WT1 expression on the prognosis of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in acute leukemia]

Objective: To study the effect of WT1 expression on the prognosis of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) in acute leukemia (AL) and its significance as molecular marker to dynamically monitor minimal residual disease (MRD) . Methods: Retrospectively analyzed those AL patients who underwent allo-HSCT in the First Hospital Affiliated to Zhejiang University School of Medicine during Jan 2016 to Dec 2017, a total number of 314 cases, 163 males and 151 females, median age was 30 (9-64) years old. Comparing the difference of WT1 expression at diagnosed, pre-HSCT and after HSCT. Using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve to determine the WT1 threshold at different time so as to predict relapse. The threshold of WT1 expression before transplantation was 1.010%, within 3 months after HSCT was 0.079% and 6 months after HSCT was 0.375%. According to these thresholds, WT1 positive patients were divided into low expression groups and high expression groups. Analyzed the relationship between overall survival (OS) , disease-free survival (DFS) , cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) and WT1 expression. Results: The OS and DFS of high expression group pre-HSCT were lower than low expression group [69.2% (9/13) vs 89.1% (57/64) , χ(2)=4.086, P=0.043; 53.8% (7/13) vs 87.5% (56/64) , χ(2)=9.766, P=0.002], CIR was higher than low expression group [30.8% (4/13) vs 7.8% (5/64) , P=0.017]. There was no significant difference of OS and DFS between high expression and low expression group of 3 months after HSCT (P=0.558, P=0.269) . The OS and DFS of high expression group of 6 months after transplantation were both lower than low expression group (P=0.049, P=0.035) . Multivariate analysis showed that WT1>0.375% when 6 months after transplantation was the only independent prognostic factor for shorter DFS (P=0.022) . There was no statistically significant difference in CIR between the high-expression group and the low-expression group 3 months after transplantation and 6 months after transplantation (P=0.114, P=0.306) . Conclusion: High expression of WT1 before and after HSCT was an adverse prognosis factor. It is of clinical practical value to use WT1 as a transplant recommendation index for patients with acute leukemia and as a marker to monitor MRD dynamically.

[Effects of Bentonite on Chemical Forms and Bioavailability of Heavy Metals in Different Types of Farmland Soils]

A pot experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of bentonite on the physicochemical properties of soil; chemical forms of Cd, As, V, and Cr; pakchoi (Brassica chinensis L.) growth; metal uptake; and rhizosphere microbial community in three different types of farmland soils. The results showed that bentonite decreased the exchangeable Cd in the sequence of Yellow earths (Gy, 19.44%) > Yellow-cinnamon soils (Sy, 13.85%) > Fluvo-aquic soils (Bf, 5.03%), and the content of Cd in shoots of pakchoi declined in the sequence of Gy (34.81%) > Bf (23.91%) > Sy (11.11%), compared with the controls. Compared with the controls, the exchangeable As in Bf and Sy decreased by 4.53% and 25.16%, respectively, while the exchangeable As in Gy increased by 0.57%. The exchangeable Cr was increased in the sequence of Sy (31.30%) > Gy (2.91%) > Bf (0.58%). The residual As, V, and Cr increased (except for Cr in Sy), and their uptake was also reduced in different degrees. The addition of bentonite significantly promoted the growth of pakchoi in the three soil types, especially in Bf. pakchoi biomass, root surface area, and number of root tips increased by 147.55%, 80.71%, and 124.31%, respectively, in Bf, compared with the control. In addition, bentonite reduced the content of available nitrogen, phosphorus, and organic matter; increased the content of available potassium; and increased the diversity of rhizosphere microbial community in all three soils. Therefore, bentonite could be highly recommended as a safe stabilizer in these three types of soil.

Principles and recent applications of novel non-thermal processing technologies for the fish industry-a review

Thermal treatment is a traditional method for food processing, which can kill microorganisms but also lead to physicochemical and sensory quality damage, especially to temperature-sensitive foods. Nowadays consumers' increasing interest in microbial safety products with premium appearance, flavor, great nutritional value and extended shelf-life has promoted the development of emerging non-thermal food processing technologies as alternative or substitution to traditional thermal methods. Fish is an important and world-favored food but has a short shelf-life due to its extremely perishable characteristic, and the microbial spoilage and oxidative process happen rapidly just from the moment of capture, making it dependent heavily on post-harvest preservation. The applications of novel non-thermal food processing technologies, including high pressure processing (HPP), ultrasound (US), pulsed electric fields (PEF), pulsed light (PL), cold plasma (CP) and ozone can extend the shelf-life by microbial inactivation and also keep good sensory quality attributes of fish, which is of high interest for the fish industry. This review presents the principles, developments of emerging non-thermal food processing technologies, and also their applications in fish industry, with the main focus on microbial inactivation and sensory quality. The promising results showed great potential to keep microbial safety while maintaining organoleptic attributes of fish products. What's more, the strengths and weaknesses of these technologies are also discussed. The combination of different food processing technologies or with advanced packaging methods can improve antimicrobial efficacy while not significantly affect other quality properties under optimized treatment.

[Research progress of the relationship between von Willebrand factor and hepatic diseases]

Hepatic diseases refer to acute and chronic liver disease linked to all kinds of hepatic pathological changes. Viral hepatitis, bacterial infections, endotoxins and other factors initiate the activation and injury of vascular endothelial cells in patients with liver diseases. Von Willebrand factor (vWF) represents a specific marker of endothelial dysfunction and plays a vital role in the occurrence and development of hepatic diseases. This paper reviews the research progress of the relationship between vWF and hepatic diseases.