Isotopic determination with molecular emission using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy and laser-induced radical fluorescence

Molecular emission can be used for isotopic analysis in laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) due to its large isotopic shift. However, spectral weakness and interference have become the main flaws in molecular isotopic analysis, causing deterioration of quantitative accuracy and sensitivity. Here, to overcome these problems, laser-induced radical fluorescence (LIRF) was applied to enhance the molecular spectra and eliminate the spectral interference. The root mean square errors of cross validation (RMSECVs) of boron and carbon isotopes (¹¹BO, ¹⁰BO, ¹²CN, and ¹³CN) improved to 2.632, 5.721, 5.990, and 1.543 at.%, as compared with 16.96, 35.79, 57.10, and 13.89 at.%, respectively, obtained in the case without LIRF. The limits of detection (LoDs) of ¹¹BO, ¹⁰BO, ¹²CN, and ¹³CN were 0.9858, 0.8470, 1.606, and 1.193 at.%, respectively. This work demonstrates the feasibility of LIBS-LIRF to achieve isotopic determination with high accuracy and sensitivity.

Detection of novel mutations associated with independent resistance and cross-resistance to isoniazid and prothionamide in Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical isolates

OBJECTIVES

Prothionamide, a structural analogue of isoniazid, is used mainly for treating multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). Both drugs have a common target InhA, so prothionamide can be ineffective against isoniazid-resistant (INH^R) Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of mutations in katG, ethA, ndh, ethR, mshA, inhA and/or its promoter associated with independent resistance and cross-resistance to INH^R and/or prothionamide-resistant (PTO^R) M. tuberculosis isolates.

METHODS

We sequenced the above genes in 206 M. tuberculosis isolates with susceptibility testing against ten drugs.

RESULTS

Of the 173 INH^R PTO^R isolates, 170 (98.3%) harboured mutations in katG, 111 (64.2%) in ethA, 58 (33.5%) in inhA or its promoter, 5 (2.9%) in ndh, 3 (1.7 %) in ethR and 2 (1.2%) in mshA. Among the 18 INH^R PTO^S isolates, mutations in katG were found in all of them; one had a mutation in the inhA promoter and another in ndh. Of the five INH^S PTO^R isolates, four showed mutations in ethA and two in the inhA promoter. Notably, 55 novel non-synonymous mutations were found in them and 20.2% of the PTO^RM. tuberculosis isolates harboured no known mutations.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first report to investigate cross-resistance between INH^R and/or PTO^R isolates. Among INH^R (94.4% MDR-TB) M. tuberculosis isolates, the high diversity of mutations for independent resistance and cross-resistance with prothionamide highlight the importance of both phenotypic susceptibility and genotypic diagnosis when using it to treat patients with INH^R-TB. The high proportion (one-fifth) of PTO^RM. tuberculosis isolates showed no known mutation related to PTO^R genes, so uncovered resistance mechanism(s) of prothionamide exist.

Accuracy of interferon-γ-induced protein 10 for diagnosing latent tuberculosis infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Effective diagnostic methods for detecting latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) are important for its eradication. A number of studies have evaluated the use of interferon-γ-induced protein 10 (IP-10), which is elevated after tuberculosis infection, as a biomarker for LTBI, but conclusive results regarding its effectiveness have not been reported.

OBJECTIVES

Our objective was to assess the diagnostic value of IP-10 for LTBI.

DATA SOURCES

We searched the PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library and Web of Science databases to find eligible studies.

STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

We included cohort, case-control and cross-sectional studies that evaluated IP-10 in LTBI participants in comparison with tuberculin skin tests (TST) and interferon-γ release assays (IGRA).

PARTICIPANTS

Individuals with LTBI and uninfected participants.

INTERVENTIONS

IP-10 (index test) compared with TST and IGRA (reference standard) for diagnosing LTBI.

METHODS

PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases were searched up to June 2018. A hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic (HSROC) model was used to evaluate the pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and HSROC curve for the diagnostic efficiency of IP-10.

RESULTS

Twelve studies including 1023 participants and 1122 samples were included. The overall pooled sensitivity was 0.85 (95% CI 0.80-0.88), specificity was 0.89 (95% CI 0.84-0.92), PLR was 7.55 (95% CI 5.20-10.97), NLR was 0.17 (95% CI 0.13-0.22) and DOR was 44.23 (95% CI 28.86-67.79), indicating a high accuracy for diagnosing LTBI. Based on a meta-regression analysis, high-burden countries, study design, IP-10 method, reference standard and the IP-10 cut-off could not explain the heterogeneity (p >0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggested that IP-10 is a promising biomarker for the diagnosis of LTBI.

[Mechanisms of the suppression of proliferation and invasion ability mediated by microRNA-147b in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma]

Objective: To explore the expression of microRNA(miR)-147b in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and its regulatory roles in cell proliferation, cell cycle and invasion as well as its molecular mechanisms. Methods: Real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) was used to investigate the expression of miR-147b in ESCC tissues and cells. Negative control (NC) and miR-147b inhibitor were transfected into ESCC EC1 and EC9706 cells, which were divided into two groups: NC group and miR-147b inhibitor group, and qPCR was employed to detect the miR-147 level and CCK-8. Flow cytometry and Transwell chamber were utilized to investigate the effects of miR-147b downregulation on cell proliferation, cell cycle and invasion in ESCC cells. Besides, target genes of miR-147b was confirmed by double luciferase reporter assay. Subsequently, qPCR and Western blot were used to examine the effects of miR-147b downregulation on NDUFA4 expression, and NDUFA4 expression and its correlation with miR-147b were investigated in ESCC tissues. Results: Relative level of miR-147b in ESCC tissues (3.03±0.27) and cells were markedly higher than that in para-carcinoma tissues (1.00±0.01) and normal esophageal epithelial cell, and the differences had statistical significance (P<0.01), and its high expression was closely associated with clinical staging, invasion depth, histological grading and lymph node metastasis(P<0.05). Importantly, clinical staging, lymph node metastasis and miR-147b may be an independent prognostic factor in ESCC. Moreover, miR-147b downregulation dramatically suppressed cell proliferation, arrested cell cycle in G0/G1 phase and reduced invasion ability in ESCC cells. Most importantly, NDUFA4 was a direct target gene of miR-147b, and miR-147b inhibitor evidently upregulated the expression of NDUFA4. Furthermore, NDUFA4 displayed low expression in ESCC tissues and its expression exhibited negative correlation with miR-147b expression. Conclusions: The downregulation of miR-147b expression significantly suppresses the proliferation and invasion abilities as well as alters cell cycle distribution in ESCC.

Vitamin D deficiency in patients with stages 1 and 2 chronic kidney disease in Southern China

AIM

We aim to investigate the incidence and associated factors of vitamin D deficiency, a seldom reported factor, in patients with stages 1 and 2 chronic kidney disease (CKD) in southern China.

METHODS

We conducted a single-center observational study. Hospitalized patients over 14 years old, who were diagnosed with stages 1 and 2 CKD and had their serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25 (OH) D] measured, were included. Patients were divided into vitamin D deficient and non-deficient groups depending on the cutoff serum 25 (OH) D value of 37 nmol/L. Clinical and biochemical parameters were evaluated for associated factors of vitamin D deficiency by logistic regression.

RESULTS

A total of 118 patients were included, of which 62 (52.5%) were vitamin D insufficient and 47 (39.8%) were vitamin D deficient. Using multivariate binary logistic regression analysis, high serum level of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) (OR = 5.163; 95%CI, 1.105-24.130; P = 0.037), dyslipidemia (OR = 3.083; 95%CI, 1.029-9.243; P = 0.044), 24-hour urinary protein excretion (UPE) ≥3.5 g/24 hrs (OR = 5.010; 95%CI, 1.316-19.074; P = 0.018), and treatment with glucocorticoids (OR = 2.973; 95%CI, 1.093-8.084; P = 0.033) were independently associated with vitamin D deficiency. In addition, among different types of nephropathy, minimal change disease (MCD) had the highest incidence (85.7%) of vitamin D deficiency.

CONCLUSION

Poor vitamin D status is common in patients with stages 1 and 2 CKD in southern China. The incidence of vitamin D deficiency is 39.8%. High serum GGT level, dyslipidemia, 24-hour UPE ≥3.5 g/24 hrs, and treatment with glucocorticoids are independent associated factors of vitamin D deficiency.

Biological characteristics of a new antibacterial peptide and its antibacterial mechanisms against Gram-negative bacteria

MDAP-2 is a new antibacterial peptide with a unique structure that was isolated from house- flies. However, its biological characteristics and antibacterial mechanisms against bacteria are still poorly understood. To study the biological characteristics, antibacterial activity, hemolytic activi- ty, cytotoxicity to mammalian cells, and the secondary structure of MDAP-2 were detected; the results showed that MDAP-2 displayed high antibacterial activity against all of the tested Gram-negative bacteria. MDAP-2 had lower hemolytic activity to rabbit red blood cells; only 3.4% hemolytic activity was observed at a concentration of 800μg/ml. MDAP-2 also had lower cytotoxicity to mammalian cells; IC50 values for HEK-293 cells, VERO cells, and IPEC-J2 cells were greater than 1000 μg/ml. The circular dichroism (CD) spectra showed that the peptide most- ly has α-helical properties and some β-fold structure in water and in membrane-like conditions. MDAP-2 is therefore a promising antibacterial agent against Gram-negative bacteria. To deter- mine the antibacterial mechanism(s) of action, fluorescent probes, flow cytometry, and transmis- sion electron microscopy (TEM) were used to study the effects of MDAP-2 on membrane perme- ability, polarization ability, and integrity of Gram-negative bacteria. The results indicated that the peptide caused membrane depolarization, increased membrane permeability, and destroyed membrane integrity. In conclusion, MDAP-2 is a broad-spectrum, lower hemolytic activity, and lower cytotoxicity antibacterial peptide, which is mainly effective on Gram-negative bacteria. It exerts its antimicrobial effects by causing bacterial cytoplasm membrane depolarization, increas- ing cell membrane permeability and disturbing the membrane integrity of Gram-negative bacte- ria. MDAP-2 may offer a new strategy to for defense against Gram-negative bacteria.

[Effects of glycyrrhizic acid on ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK signaling pathway in a murine model of asthma]

Objective: To explore the effects of glycyrrhizic acid (GA) on Extracellular regulated protein kinases (ERK1/2) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (p38 MAPK) signaling pathways in a murine model of asthma. Methods: Sixty female BALB/c mice were randomly divided into 6 groups (n=10 each): a control group, an asthmatic group, two treatment groups with low and high doses of GA, U0126 group and SB203580 group. Within 24 hours after the last OVA challenge, histological studies of lung were conducted with the hematoxylin and eosin staining (HE) and alcian blue-periodic acid-Schiff (AB-PAS), the relative protein expression of ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK were detected by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting in vivo. CD4(+) T cells were purified from spleens of OVA-sensitized and challenged mice by using the Mouse CD4 Cell Positive Isolation Kit and incubated with anti-CD3 mAb (1 μg/ml) in the presence of various concentrations of GA (10 and 100 μg/ml), U0126 (10 μmol/L) or SB203580(10 μmol/L). After 72 h of incubation, the relative protein expression of ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK of CD4(+) T cells were detected by Western blotting in vitro. Results: The asthmatic mice induced infiltration of inflammatory cells around airways and blood vessels, airway goblet cell hyperplasia and mucus production. Administration of GA at a dose of 100 mg/kg, U0126 or SB203580 significantly reduced the infiltration of inflammatory cells in the peribronchial areas and goblet cell hyperplasia compared with the asthmatic mice. The protein expressions of p-ERK1/2 were lower in GA at a dose of 100 mg/kg (0.090±0.022) and U0126 group (0.072±0.017) than those in asthmatic group (0.143±0.022) (all P<0.05). The protein expressions of p-p38 MAPK were lower in GA at a dose of 100 mg/kg (0.072±0.019) and SB203580 group (0.061±0.015) than those in asthmatic group (0.121±0.022) (all P<0.05) by immunohistochemistry. Compared with asthmatic group (0.783±0.133, 0.649±0.095), the protein expressions of p-ERK1/2 and p-p38 MAPK in GA at a high dose group (0.385±0.186, 0.275±0.089) and in U0126 group (0.117±0.051) or in SB203580 group (0.108±0.043) were decreased by Western blotting (all P<0.05). The expressions of p-ERK1/2 in CD4(+) T cells after 72 h incubation were lower in 100 μg/ml concentrations of GA (0.579±0.184) and group U0126 (0.249±0.082) and the expressions of p-p38 MAPK were much lower in 100 μg/ml concentrations of GA (0.445±0.081) and group SB203580 (0.249±0.082) compared with those in group CD3 (1.028±0.147, 0.902±0.107) (all P<0.05). Conclusion: ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK signaling pathways are activated in asthmatic mice and GA may negative regulate this activation.

Differential expression profile of hepatic circular RNAs in chronic hepatitis B

CircRNAs exert gene regulatory effects by sequestering target microRNAs (miRNAs) and play a vital role in the onset and development of disease. Until recently, little has been known about the expression, regulation and biological function of circRNAs in both health and chronic hepatitis B (CHB).To identify hepatic circRNAs associated with CHB, we performed RNA sequencing using liver biopsies from untreated CHB patients and controls. We then established a bioinformatics pipeline for identification of CHB-associated circRNAs and in silico analysis of the circRNA-miRNA-mRNA pathways. We used quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) to confirm these results. The profiles of hepatic circRNA expression were significantly different in CHB compared with controls, with a total of 99 dysregulated circRNAs identified to be correlated with CHB. Computational analysis of the circRNA-miRNA-mRNA pathways revealed a large number of miRNAs (665), which were putatively targeted by the differentially expressed hepatic circRNAs. Interestingly, four of the predicted CHB-related circRNA-miRNA-mRNA pathways were found to be involved in the pathogenesis of HBV infection and progression of HBV-associated liver disease. Among these pathways, regression analysis of gene expression revealed a strong positive correlation between hsa_circ_0000650 and TGFβ2 and a negative correlation between hsa_circ_0000650 and miR-6873-3p, which hinted that hsa_circ_0000650 interacted with TGFβ2 mediated by miR-6873-3p. This study firstly demonstrates that patients with CHB present different profiles of hepatic circRNAs and circRNA/miRNA interactions. Thus, circRNAs have promise as novel mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis and progression of CHB.

[Surgical technique and outcomes of uteri retrieval from brain-dead multi-organ donors: a preclinical research of human uterine transplantation]

Objective: To evaluate the surgical technique and outcomes of uteri retrieval from brain-dead multi-organ donors.This study is a preclinical research of human living uterine transplantation. Methods: From May, 2015 to May, 2017, four uteri retrieval procedures, characterized with radical hysterectomy and uterine vascular pedicles dissection, were performed in multi-organ brain-dead donors.The uterus was the third authorized organ after the kidney and liver retrieval procedures in the first two cases.The uterine pedicles included the uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, the upper one-third of the vagina and internal iliac vessels or external iliac vessels.The perfusion of the uterus was conducted after the retrieval for evaluating the availability, followed by histopathological examination of the uterine issues per 30 minutes. Results: Since the uterine vein was quite difficult to identify and dissect in the first two case, which result in the rupture of triple uterine veins.Therefore, the uterine venous vessels including uterine vein connected with internal iliac vein and internal iliac arteries were selected as vascular grafts and dissected successfully in the last two cases, which could be perfused with the mixture of 4 ℃ heparinized physiological saline through each artery because of shortening the surgical time and arranging the uterine procurement as the first authorized organ procedure.Mean (SD) operative time was 152.5±39.0 min (115-215 min, n=4). Conclusion: Our preliminary experience indicated that the uterus could be retrieved from the brain-dead multi-organ donors and transplanted to the recipient.The attempt of skeletonizing the uterine veins should be replaced by dissection of internal iliac vein.

Molecular characterization, expression pattern and metabolic activity of flavin-dependent monooxygenases in Spodoptera exigua

Enhanced detoxification is one of the important mechanisms for insecticide resistance. Most research in this field to date has focused on the role of cytochrome P450s. Our previous work revealed that flavin-dependent monooxygenases (FMOs) were involved in metabolic resistance of Spodoptera exigua. In the present study we investigated the molecular characteristics, expression patterns and oxidative activities of SeFMO on insecticides. Three FMO genes, which encode proteins with the typical FMO motifs, were cloned from S. exigua. The oxidative activities of eukaryotically expressed SeFMO enzymes were verified with the model substrate of FMO. Importantly, the SeFMOs had significantly higher oxidative activities on metaflumizone and lambda-cyhalothrin than on model substrates and other insecticides tested. The three SeFMOs were mainly expressed in the midgut, fat body and Malpighian tubules. The tissues responsible for xenobiotic metabolism and their expression characteristics were similar to those of P450s acting as detoxification genes. The study also revealed that the expression of SeFMOs could be induced by insecticide exposure, and that SeFMOs were over-expressed in a metaflumizone-resistant strain of S. exigua. These results suggest that SeFMOs are important insecticide detoxifying enzymes, and that over-expression of FMO genes may be one of the mechanisms for metabolic resistance in S. exigua.

Systematic review and meta-analysis: Development of hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic hepatitis B patients with hepatitis e antigen seroconversion

Hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) seroconversion is considered to have significantly favourable clinical outcomes for patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). However, inconsistent study results suggest that hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) still occurs in patients with HBeAg seroconversion. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the incidence of HCC in patients with CHB after HBeAg seroconversion. Web of Science, PubMed and Embase databases were searched through January 2017. The incidence of HCC in CHB patients after HBeAg seroconversion was pooled using a random-effects model or fix-effects model. Sixteen studies were finally included, involving 4910 patients with HBeAg seroconversion. The overall pooled proportion suggested that 3.33% (95% confidence interval (CI): 2.28%-4.58%) of patients with CHB develop HCC despite HBeAg seroconversion. In patients with HBeAg seroconversion without cirrhosis, the pooled proportion of HCC development was 0.94% (95% CI: 0.15%-2.4%). Moreover, patients with cirrhosis, active hepatitis, or aged greater than 40 years at the time of HBeAg seroconversion were at significantly higher risk for HCC development. HBeAg seroconversion was significantly associated with a reduced risk of HCC compared with persistently positive HBeAg (RR = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.35-0.97, P = .04). Despite the reduced risk with HBeAg seroconversion, HCC can still occur in a proportion of patients with CHB after HBeAg seroconversion. Long-term monitoring is needed for patients with established cirrhosis, active hepatitis or those older than 40 years at the time of HBeAg seroconversion.

Cortical thinning in epilepsy patients with postictal generalized electroencephalography suppression

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The aim was to investigate the brain microstructural abnormalities in epilepsy patients with postictal generalized electroencephalographic suppression (PGES) using a cortical surface-based analysis.

METHODS

According to the video-electroencephalography records of epilepsy patients with generalized convulsive seizures, 30 patients with PGES (PGES+) and 21 patients without PGES (PGES-) were recruited. High-resolution T1-weighted images were acquired from each patient and 30 matched healthy control subjects. Cortical thickness was compared amongst the three groups using FreeSurfer software.

RESULTS

Patients with PGES showed reduced cortical thickness in the right paracentral lobule, inferior parietal lobule, supramarginal gyrus and middle temporal lobe compared with patients without PGES. In relation to healthy control subjects, the PGES+ group presented reduced cortical thickness in the right superior parietal lobule and supramarginal gyrus, whilst the PGES- group presented reduced cortical thickness in the left precuneus, precentral gyrus, lateral occipital gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus, superior parietal lobule and right caudal middle frontal gyrus.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with PGES exhibited characteristic brain microstructural abnormalities, corroborating the PGES mechanisms at the brain level. The right-sided predominance of the detected PGES-related cortical thinning was the same as that of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) cases and patients at high risk for SUDEP, implying that PGES and SUDEP may share a common abnormal brain substrate that is involved in the pathophysiology of these conditions.

Liraglutide ameliorates palmitate-induced insulin resistance through inhibiting the IRS-1 serine phosphorylation in mouse skeletal muscle cells

OBJECTIVE

A reduction in insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in skeletal muscles is a characteristic of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 agonist liraglutide can reduce blood glucose levels in individuals with T2DM. However, its effect on insulin-induced glucose metabolism in the skeletal muscle of insulin resistance is unknown. We investigated the effects and action mechanisms of liraglutide on insulin resistance (IR) in the skeletal muscle cells treatment with palmitic acid (PA).

METHODS

The cell-surface GLUT4myc levels were determined by an antibody-coupled colorimetric assay. The phosphorylation levels of Akt, PI3K(p85α), AS160, IRS1, IKK, and JNK were determined by western blotting. The quantifications of mRNA levels of TNFα, IL-1β, and IL-6 were determined by real-time PCR. Analysis of variance was used for data analysis.

RESULTS

PA elevated not only phosphorylation of JNK, IRS1 serines, and IKKα/β, but also the expression of IL-6, TNFα and IL-1β in C2C12-GLUT4myc cells. PA can reduce phosphorylation of IRS1 tyrosine. These effects of PA were reversed by liraglutide. In addition, liraglutide can reverse PA-decreased insulin-stimulated cell-surface GLUT4 levels, Akt, PI3K(p85α), and AS160 phosphorylation.

CONCLUSIONS

Liraglutide can enhance insulin-induced GLUT4 translocation by inhibiting IRS1 serine phosphorylation in PA-treated muscle cells.

[Prognosis and risk factors of 1 791 patients with breast cancer treated with breast-conserving surgery based on real-world data]

Objective: To investigate the overall efficacy of early breast cancer after breast-conserving treatment. To analyze risk factors affecting local regional recurrence (LRR), distant metastasis (DM) and survival. Methods: 1 791 breast cancer patients treated with breast-conserving surgery were retrospectively analyzed. The inclusion criteria were pathologic diagnosis of invasive breast cancer without supraclavicular and internal mammary node metastasis, T1-2N0-3M0, and no neoadjuvant therapy. Univariate analysis of survival was performed by Kaplan-Meier method and log rank test. Cox regression model was used for multivariate analysis. Results: The median follow-up time was 4.2 years. For all patients, the 5-year LRR, DM, disease-free survival(DFS) and overall survival(OS) rates were 3.6%, 4.6%, 93.0% and 97.4%, respectively. The LRR rates of patients with Luminal A, Luminal B1, Luminal B2, HER-2 over-expressed and triple-negative breast cancer were 2.0%, 6.1%, 5.9%, 0 and 10.0%, while the DM rates were 3.2%, 6.7%, 8.3%, 4.8% and 7.3%, respectively. Among the N0 patients, axillary dissection was performed in 689 cases and sentinel lymph node biopsy in 652 cases. The 5-year LRR rates were 3.3% and 3.2% (P=0.859), and the OS rates were 98.2% and 98.3% (P=0.311) respectively, which showed no statistically significant. There were 1 576 patients that underwent postoperative radiotherapy. Postoperative radiotherapy significantly reduced the 5-year LRR compared with surgery alone (2.5% vs 12.9%). The 5-year LRR rates of patients who received conventional fractionated radiotherapy and hypo-fractionated radiotherapy were 2.7% and 3.1%, respectively. But the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.870). Multivariate analysis showed that age, lymphovascular invasion, pathological T staging, postoperative radiotherapy, ER/PR status and endocrine therapy were independent factors of LRR in breast cancer patients (all P<0.05). Histological grade and pathological N staging were independent factors of DM (all P<0.05). The age, lymphovascular invasion, pathological T and N staging, postoperative radiotherapy, ER/PR status and endocrine therapy were independent factors for DFS (all P<0.05). Histological grade, pathological N staging, ER/PR status and endocrine therapy were factors for OS (all P<0.05). Conclusions: With contemporary standard treatment, the recurrence rate of early breast cancer after breast conserving treatment is less than 10%. Node-negative patients after sentinel lymph node biopsy did not need axillary dissection. The overall utilization of radiotherapy after breast conserving surgery is satisfactory. Hypofractionated radiotherapy is as effective as conventional fractionated radiotherapy. Local regional recurrence and distant metastasis have different risk factors.

Managing microbial communities in membrane biofilm reactors

Membrane biofilm reactors (MBfRs) deliver gaseous substrates to biofilms that develop on the outside of gas-transfer membranes. When an MBfR delivers electron donors hydrogen (H₂) or methane (CH₄), a wide range of oxidized contaminants can be reduced as electron acceptors, e.g., nitrate, perchlorate, selenate, and trichloroethene. When O₂ is delivered as an electron acceptor, reduced contaminants can be oxidized, e.g., benzene, toluene, and surfactants. The MBfR's biofilm often harbors a complex microbial community; failure to control the growth of undesirable microorganisms can result in poor performance. Fortunately, the community's structure and function can be managed using a set of design and operation features as follows: gas pressure, membrane type, and surface loadings. Proper selection of these features ensures that the best microbial community is selected and sustained. Successful design and operation of an MBfR depends on a holistic understanding of the microbial community's structure and function. This involves integrating performance data with omics results, such as with stoichiometric and kinetic modeling.

Curcumin Inhibits Proliferation and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition of Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells Via Multiple Pathways

BACKGROUND

Proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) is a disease caused by dedifferentiation, translocation and proliferation of several types of local cells. These cells form fibrocellular membranes resulting in detachment of retinal and vision loss. PVR occurs in 8%-10% of patients undergoing primary retinal detachment (RD) surgery and becomes a major obstacle for successful RD repair. Retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells are among the major cells which consist of fibrocellular membranes. Reproliferation and Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) are the primary pathological alteration of RPE cells in PVR.

METHODS

RPE cells were treated with curcumin at different concentrations for 24, 48 and 72 hours. The viable cells were detected by MTT assay. The apoptosis of RPE was stained by Multicaspase/7-AAD and detected using flow cytometry. Cell cycle analysis was quantified by PI staining. The mRNA levels were detected by real-time PCR. The protein levels were detected by western blot.

RESULTS

We found a compound curcumin significantly inhibited proliferation and EMT of RPE cells in vitro. Further study showed curcumin induced cell cycle arrest by activating G2 checkpoint through p53 pathway. Meanwhile, we found that curcumin suppressed the AKT, MAPK and TGF-β pathways in RPE cells which may also affect proliferation and EMT. Our research identified curcumin a potential novel agent for the PVR prevention and treatment. Curcumin induces cell cycle arrest by activating G2 checkpoint.

CONCLUSION

Our results in this study also provide the insights to broaden the application of curcumin in research and probably clinics.

The microRNA-1908 up-regulation in the peripheral blood cells impairs amyloid clearance by targeting ApoE

OBJECTIVE

To give a new insight into the mechanism of ApoE dysregulation and microRNA-1908 in Alzheimer's disease (AD).

METHODS

Plasma ApoE levels were measured in 20 AD patients and 20 healthy controls. THP-1 was maintained in RPMI1640 with 10% fetal bovine serum. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was performed to detect 13-microRNA and ApoE mRNA in cultured cell lines. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure human ApoE in the plasma or culture medium of cell lines and also used to quantify the human Aβ42 in the culture medium of cell lines.

RESULTS

We found plasma ApoE level reduced in AD patients (2.28 vs 3.78 μg/mL, P < .001), and microRNA-1908 was up-regulated in AD patients and was negatively associated with plasma ApoE (r = -0.32, P = .012). In human macrophage cell line THP-1 and astrocytoma cell line U87, microRNA-1908 could inhibit the mRNA and protein levels of ApoE by targeting its 3'untranslated region. Consistently, microRNA-1908 inhibits the ApoE-mediated Aβ clearance.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study provides new insight into the mechanism of ApoE dysregulation in AD patients, and microRNA-1908 might be a therapeutic target for AD treatment.

[Clinical value of acoustic radiation force impulse technique to predict esophageal and gastric varices in patients with biliary atresia]

Objective: To investigate the clinical value of acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI)technique in predicting esophageal and gastric varices in patients with biliary atresia after Kasai portoenterostomy. Methods: A total of 42 patients with biliary atresia after Kasai portoenterostomy were collected from September 2015 to May 2016 in Tianjin First Central Hospital.ARFI technique was used to measure the stiffness of liver and spleen, and 28 healthy children as control.According to the result of CT examination , patients with biliary atresia were divided into two groups , twenty-three patients with esophageal and gastric varices(A group) and nineteen patients without esophageal and gastric varices (B group), Comparing the difference of liver and spleen stiffness between the two groups.The ROC curve analysis was carried out to test the diagnostic power of effective parameter. Results: The ARFI value of liver (2.98±0.80) m/s and spleen (3.00±0.33) m/s of patients with biliary atresia was significantly higher than that of control group((1.10±0.16) m/s, (2.12±0.32) m/s), the differences had statistical significance (both P<0.01). Between group A and group B, the spleen ARFI value of group A(3.16±0.26) m/s was higher than group B(2.83±0.32) m/s, the difference had statistical significance (P<0.01), whereas there was no statistical difference of liver ARFI value between two group((2.93±0.65), (3.02±0.96) m/s)(P>0.05). The cut-off ARFI value of spleen to diagnose esophageal and gastric varices in biliary atresia was 3.02 m/s, and the biggest area under the ROC curve, sensitivity, and specificity were 0.81, 78.6% and 84.5%, respectively. Conclusion: ARFI can be used as a noninvasive method to predict the presence of esophageal and gastric varices in patients with biliary atresia after Kasai portoenterostomy.

[Clinical characteristics and prognosis of patients with ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence after breast conservation therapy]

Objective: To analyze the clinical features and prognosis of the ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR) after breast conserving surgery. Methods: From 1999 to 2013, 63 women with IBTR after breast conserving surgery were retrospectively reviewed. All patients had adequate information on tumor location both at first presentation and at recurrence, with or without regional recurrence or distant metastasis. The histologic changes between true local recurrence and elsewhere recurrence groups were compared. The local recurrence, the overall survival after IBTR (IBTR-OS), the disease-free survival after IBTR (IBTR-DFS) were also compared. Results: All patients had undergone lumpectomy, including 38 cases with additional axillary lymph node dissection and 13 cases with sentinel lymph node biopsy. There were 11.3% (7/63) cases received neoadjuvant systemic therapy, 68.3% (43/63) had adjuvant radiotherapy, 60.3% (38/63) underwent adjuvant chemotherapy and 47.6% (30/63) received hormonal therapy. Forty-five cases (71.4%) had recurrence in the same quadrant, and 18 cases (28.6%) had elsewhere recurrence. Compared with histology at presentation, 10.3% of the patients (6/58) had different ones at recurrence and 28.9% of patients (13/45) had different molecular subtypes. The conversion rate of estrogen receptor status (33.3% vs 9.5%, P=0.012) and progesterone receptor status (56.3% vs 19.0%, P=0.005) in patients with elsewhere recurrence was significantly higher than that in patients with same quadrant recurrence. Fifty-nine cases had undergone surgery after IBTR, with 48 cases of secondary breast-conserving surgery and 11 cases of salvage mastectomy. The median time to IBTR of same quadrant recurrence and elsewhere recurrence groups were 26 months and 62 months (P=0.012), respectively. There were 84.4% and 44.4% cases who had local recurrence within 5 years after breast conserving surgery, respectively. Of all cases, the overall 5-year IBTR-OS and 5-year IBTR-DFS rates were 79.4% and 60.4%, respectively. There were no significant differences in 5-year IBTR-OS (77.4% vs. 83.6%, P=0.303) or 5-year IBTR-DFS (60.0% vs. 62.8%, P=0.780) between same quadrant recurrence and elsewhere recurrence groups. Univariate analysis showed that pN0-1 (P<0.001), luminal subtype (P=0.026), adjuvant endocrine therapy (P=0.007) at first presentation, recurrent tumor < 3 cm (P=0.036) and having surgery after IBTR(P=0.002) were favorable factors of IBTR-OS. pN0-1 (P<0.001) at first presentation, recurrent tumor stage Ⅰ-Ⅱ (P<0.001) and having surgery after IBTR(P=0.001) were favorable factors of IBTR-DFS. There was no significant difference between second breast-conserving surgery and salvage mastectomy in IBTR-OS and IBTR-DFS (P>0.05). Conclusions: The IBTR after breast conserving surgery mainly occurred at the original quadrant. Second breast-conserving surgery did not affect patient's prognosis. There were significant differences in biological features between the same quadrant recurrence and elsewhere recurrence, requiring different therapeutic strategies in the future.

Inverse association between plasma homocysteine concentrations and type 2 diabetes mellitus among a middle-aged and elderly Chinese population

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Plasma homocysteine concentrations have been reported to be associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) with controversial findings. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between plasma homocysteine concentrations and T2DM.

METHODS AND RESULTS

A cross-sectional study including 19,085 eligible participants derived from the Dongfeng-Tongji cohort was conducted. Plasma homocysteine concentrations were measured by Abbott Architect i2000 Automatic analyzer and T2DM was defined according to American Diabetes Association criteria. Logistic regression model was used to explore the association between plasma homocysteine concentrations and T2DM. The prevalence of T2DM was 19.0% in the whole population (mean age 62.9 years), 21.8% in males, and 17.1% in females. In the multivariable logistic regression analyses, compared with those in the lowest quintile, the OR (95% CI) of T2DM was 1.05 (0.92-1.21), 0.99 (0.86-1.14), 0.90 (0.78-1.05), and 0.77 (0.66-0.90) for quintile 2 to quintile 5 of homocysteine concentrations after adjustment for potential confounders (P for trend < 0.0001). Homocysteine concentrations were associated with decreased T2DM prevalence risk (OR = 0.88 per SD increase of homocysteine concentration; 95% CI: 0.84-0.93). A significant interaction between homocysteine concentrations and drinking status on T2DM prevalence risk was observed (P for interaction = 0.03). The inverse association of plasma homocysteine concentrations with T2DM prevalence risk was observed in non-drinkers but not in current drinkers.

CONCLUSION

Plasma homocysteine concentrations were inversely correlated with T2DM among a middle-aged and elderly Chinese population.

Block iliac bone grafting enhances osseous healing of alveolar reconstruction in older cleft patients: A radiological and histological evaluation

Background

Older alveolar cleft patients (&12 years old) often have wide bone defect as well as teeth loss, resulting in poor osseous healing with conventional alveolar bone grafting (ABG). In this study, we investigated a surgical technique of block iliac bone grafting for the alveolar cleft reconstruction and evaluated the clinical and radiological outcomes of these cleft patients.

Material and Methods

Fifteen patients were included in this study. All cases received preoperative cone bean computed tomography (CBCT) scans for the alveolar cleft evaluation. Osseous outcomes of block iliac bone grafting were assessed at 1 week, 3- and 6-month postoperatively. Volume changes and bone resorption rates were calculated using the measurement modules of Simplant software. Bone samples from one patient undergoing dental implantation were assessed by micro-CT and histological examination. The morbidities of donor-site were analyzed by clinical examination and questionnaire survey.

Results

The average age of the case series was 18.53±2.50 years. The intraoral incision of thirteen cases healed well. However, two cases had oronasal fistula and graft exposure at 1-week postoperatively. The results of follow-up CBCT scans showed significant resistance to radiation on both sides of the bone graft, suggesting a good osseous healing and new bone formation. The mean residual bone volume was 1.68±0.26 cm3, 1.29±0.23 cm3 and 1.15±0.23 cm3 at 1-week, 3- and 6-month postoperatively. Correspondingly, the mean bone resorption rates in 3- and 6-month postoperative were 21.78±6.88% and 30.66±8.97%, respectively. From micro-CT and HE examinations, the block bone samples exhibited a cancellous structure in which mature bone trabecula and functional blood vessels appeared. The average scores of donor-site morbidities were drastically decreased at 3- and 6-month postoperatively compared with those at 1-week postoperatively.

Conclusions

Our results demonstrated that block iliac bone grafting could achieve satisfying osseous outcomes in older alveolar cleft patients, and this technique provided favorable bony condition for further treatments, especially dental implantation.

Key words:Alveolar bone grafting, Block bone grafting, Osseous healing, CBCT.

Determination of boron with molecular emission using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy combined with laser-induced radical fluorescence

Boron is an essential element for industry, but it is hard to accurately and rapidly determine high boron content with conventional laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), due to the matrix and self-absorption effect. Using molecular emission is an alternative method for boron content analysis, but its weak spectra are major challenges. Here, boron monoxide (BO) radicals were used to establish calibration assisted by LIBS and laser-induced radical fluorescence (LIBS-LIRF). Two types of BO radical excitations, vibrational ground state excitation (LIRFG) and vibrational excited state excitation (LIRFE), were compared. The results showed that LIRFG achieved better sensitivity with a limit of detection of 0.0993 wt.%, while the LIRFE was more accurate with a root mean square error of cross validation of 0.2514 wt.%. In conclusion, this work provided a potential approach for molecular emission analysis with LIBS-LIRF.

Comparison of two kinds of skin imaging analysis software: VISIA® from Canfield and IPP® from Media Cybernetics

BACKGROUND

Skin imaging analysis, acting as a supplement to noninvasive bioengineering devices, has been widely used in medical cosmetology and cosmetic product evaluation. The main aim of this study is to assess the differences and correlations in measuring skin spots, wrinkles, vascular features, porphyrin, and pore between two commercially available image analysis software.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Seventy healthy women were included in the study. Before taking pictures, the dermatologist evaluated subjects' skin conditions. Test sites included the forehead, cheek, and periorbital skin. A 2 × 2 cm cardboard was used to make a mark on the skin surface. Pictures were taken using VISIA^® under three kinds light conditions and analyzed using VISIA^® and IPP^® respectively.

RESULTS

(1) Skin pore, red area, ultraviolet spot, brown spot, porphyrin, and wrinkle measured with VISIA^® were correlated with those measured with IPP^® (P < .01). (2) Spot, wrinkle, fine line, brown spot, and red area analyzed with VISIA^® were correlated with age on the forehead and periorbital skin (P < .05). L-value, Crow's feet, ultraviolet spot, brown spot, and red area analyzed with IPP^® were correlated with age on the periorbital skin (P < .05). (3) L-value, spot, wrinkle, fine line, porphyrin, red area, and pore analyzed with VISIA^® and IPP^® showed correlations with the subjective evaluation scores (P < .05).

CONCLUSIONS

VISIA^® and IPP^® showed acceptable correlation in measuring various skin conditions. VISIA^® showed a high sensibility when measured on the forehead skin. IPP^® is available as an alternative software program to evaluate skin features.

S-1 chemotherapy and intensity-modulated radiotherapy after D1/D2 lymph node dissection in patients with node-positive gastric cancer: a phase I/II study

BACKGROUND

This phase I/II clinical trial investigated S-1 administered with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) as adjuvant therapy for node-positive gastric cancer. Patients had undergone radical resection and D1/D2 lymph node dissection.

METHODS

In phase I, patients received adjuvant chemoradiotherapy of IMRT (45 Gy in 25 fractions) with concurrent S-1 administered on a dose-escalation schedule to determine the recommended dose (RD). In phase II, the safety and efficacy of the RD of S-1 combined with IMRT were assessed.

RESULTS

We consecutively enrolled 73 patients (56 men; median age, 53 years; range, 29-73 years) and the phase I portion of the study included 27 patients. The RD of S-1 administered concomitantly with IMRT was 80 mg m^-2 day^-1 orally, twice daily. The phase II analysis included 52 patients (46 new patients plus 6 from phase I). 8 patients (15.4%) developed grade 3 or 4 toxicities. There were 21 recurrence events and 15 deaths (1 bowel obstruction, 14 gastric cancer). Three-year disease-free survival and overall survival were 62.2% (95% confidence interval (CI), 48.5-75.9) and 70.0% (95% CI, 56.3-83.7), respectively. The median time to recurrence was 17.5 months (range, 3.8-42.0). The median time from recurrence to death was 7.0 months (range, 1.5-28.7).

CONCLUSIONS

S-1 combined with IMRT adjuvant chemoradiotherapy is safe and efficacious for advanced gastric cancer.

[Risk-adapted postmastectomy radiotherapy based on local-regional recurrence for T1-2N1M0 breast Cancer]

Objective: To establish a risk-adapted postmastectomy radiotherapy strategy based on local-regional recurrence for intermediate-risk breast cancer (T1~2N1M0 stage). Methods: A total of 2413 patients with T1-2N1M0 breast cancer were retrospectively reviewed. Of them, 588 patients (24.4%) received postmastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT), while 1 825 (75.6%) patients did not. A comprehensive comparative study was performed by using multivariable and propensity score-matched (PSM) analyses. Results: The median follow-up time was 67.0 months, the 5-year local region recurrence free-survival (LRRFS), disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were 93.8%, 85.7% and 93.3%, respectively. The 5-year local region recurrence (LRR) was 6.1%. For patients without PMRT, multivariable analysis indicated that age, tumor localization, molecular subtype, pathologic T stage and number of positive lymph node were independent factors for LRRFS (all of P<0.05). Patients with T1-2N1 breast cancer were classified into low-risk group (0-1 risk factor, 768 patients), intermediate-risk group (2 risk factors, 690 patients) and high-risk groups (≥3 risk factors, 544 patients) based on the five independent factors mentioned above. The 5-year LRRFS, DFS and OS were significantly different among the three groups (P<0.001). In low- and intermediate-risk groups, there were no significant differences in LRRFS, DFS and OS of patients who received PMRT or not (P>0.05). In high-risk group, the DFS of patients received PMRT or not were 79.8% and 74.4%, respectively (P=0.127), the OS of them were 86.8% and 87.1%, respectively (P=0.174), and the LRRFS were 93.3% and 84.3%, respectively (P=0.002). After PSM adjustment, no significant differences in LRRFS, DFS and OS were observed between PMRT-received subgroup and no PMRT subgroup of low-risk group (P>0.05). In intermediate-risk group, the LRRFS of patients received PMRT or not were 95.2% and 91.0%, respectively (P=0.037). However, in the high-risk group, the LRRFS, DFS and OS of patients received PMRT were 93.3%, 79.7% and 86.6%, respectively, while those of patients did not receive PMRT were 78.5% (P<0.001), 69.5% (P=0.038) and 85.7% (P=0.080), respectively. Conclusions: The local-regional recurrence risks of patients with pT1-2N1 breast cancer are viable and risk-adapted PMRT is available for them. Better prognoses can be achieved by the patients of intermediate and high-risk group. More samples on this subject are needed to validate the results.

Epidemiological investigation of H9 avian influenza virus, Newcastle disease virus, Tembusu virus, goose parvovirus and goose circovirus infection of geese in China

To deepen the knowledge about epidemic prevalence in the goose breeding field, a triplex PCR assay was established, and 478 samples were collected from scaled goose farms in 11 provinces in China. The results of this epidemiological investigation showed that incidence rates of H9 avian influenza and goose circovirus were the highest among five infectious diseases that were evaluated. In addition, the triplex PCR assay established remarkable sensitivity, rapidity and versatility compared to other diagnostic methods. Dual infection comprised a large proportion of the co-infections in the field, of which the combinations of H9/Tembusu, H9/goose circovirus and goose circovirus/Tembusu co-infected cases were more common. Epidemics were more severe in winter and spring. Additionally, significant differences in the prevalence of these infectious diseases were observed in association with different age groups. In addition, phylogenetic analysis, determined by the neighbour-joining method, was carried out to investigate the evolution of these viruses during the study period. For the most part, virus strains isolated during the study were consistent with most goose-origin strains isolated from the Chinese mainland over the past few years. However, mutations were observed between isolated H9 avian influenza virus strains and sequences available from GenBank, which should draw much attention.

Bounded perturbation resilience of extragradient-type methods and their applications

In this paper we study the bounded perturbation resilience of the extragradient and the subgradient extragradient methods for solving a variational inequality (VI) problem in real Hilbert spaces. This is an important property of algorithms which guarantees the convergence of the scheme under summable errors, meaning that an inexact version of the methods can also be considered. Moreover, once an algorithm is proved to be bounded perturbation resilience, superiorization can be used, and this allows flexibility in choosing the bounded perturbations in order to obtain a superior solution, as well explained in the paper. We also discuss some inertial extragradient methods. Under mild and standard assumptions of monotonicity and Lipschitz continuity of the VI's associated mapping, convergence of the perturbed extragradient and subgradient extragradient methods is proved. In addition we show that the perturbed algorithms converge at the rate of [Formula: see text]. Numerical illustrations are given to demonstrate the performances of the algorithms.

Perilesional and contralateral white matter evolution and integrity in patients with periventricular nodular heterotopia and epilepsy: a longitudinal diffusion tensor imaging study

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

This study aimed to assess the evolution of perinodular and contralateral white matter abnormalities in patients with periventricular nodular heterotopia (PNH) and epilepsy.

METHODS

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) (64 directions) and 3 T structural magnetic resonance imaging were performed in 29 PNH patients (mean age 27.3 years), and 16 patients underwent a second scan (average time between the two scans 1.1 years). Fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity were measured within the perilesional and contralateral white matter.

RESULTS

Longitudinal analysis showed that white matter located 10 mm from the focal nodule displayed characteristics intermediate to tissue 5 mm away, and normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) also established evolution profiles of perinodular white matter in different cortical lobes. Compared to 29 age- and sex-matched healthy controls, significant decreased fractional anisotropy and elevated mean diffusivity values were observed in regions 5 and 10 mm from nodules (P < 0.01), whilst DTI metrics of the remaining NAWM did not differ significantly from controls. Additionally, normal DTI metrics were shown in the contralateral region in patients with unilateral PNH.

CONCLUSIONS

Periventricular nodular heterotopia is associated with microstructural abnormalities within the perilesional white matter and the extent decreases with increasing distance from the nodule. In the homologous contralateral region, white matter diffusion metrics were unchanged in unilateral PNH. These findings have clinical implications with respect to the medical and surgical interventions of PNH-related epilepsy.