A novel HDAC6 inhibitor attenuate APAP-induced liver injury by regulating MDH1-mediated oxidative stress

Glutathione (GSH) depletion, mitochondrial damage, and oxidative stress have been implicated in the pathogenesis of acetaminophen (APAP) hepatotoxicity. Here, we demonstrated that the expression of histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) is highly elevated, whereas malate dehydrogenase 1 (MDH1) is downregulated in liver tissues and AML-12 cells induced by APAP. The therapeutic benefits of LT-630, a novel HDAC6 inhibitor on APAP-induced liver injury, were also substantiated. On this basis, we demonstrated that LT-630 improved the protein expression and acetylation level of MDH1. Furthermore, after overexpression of MDH1, an upregulated NADPH/NADP+ ratio and GSH level and decreased cell apoptosis were observed in APAP-stimulated AML-12 cells. Importantly, MDH1 siRNA clearly reversed the protection of LT-630 on APAP-stimulated AML-12 cells. In conclusion, LT-630 could ameliorate liver injury by modulating MDH1-mediated oxidative stress induced by APAP.

One-step in vivo gene knock-out in porcine embryos using recombinant adeno-associated viruses

Introduction: Gene-edited pigs have become prominent models for studying human disease mechanisms, gene therapy, and xenotransplantation. CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)/CRISPR-associated 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) technology is a widely employed tool for generating gene-edited pigs. Nevertheless, delivering CRISPR/Cas9 to pre-implantation embryos has traditionally posed challenges due to its reliance on intricate micromanipulation equipment and specialized techniques, resulting in high costs and time-consuming procedures. This study aims to introduce a novel one-step approach for generating genetically modified pigs by transducing CRISPR/Cas9 components into pre-implantation porcine embryos through oviductal injection of recombinant adeno-associated viruses (rAAV). Methods: We first used rAAV-1, rAAV-6, rAAV-8, rAAV-9 expressing EGFP to screen for rAAV serotypes that efficiently target porcine embryos, and then, to achieve efficient expression of CRISPR/Cas9 in vivo for a short period, we packaged sgRNAs targeting the GHR genes to self-complementary adeno-associated virus (scAAV), and Cas9 proteins to single-stranded adeno-associated virus (ssAAV). The efficiency of porcine embryos -based editing was then validated in vitro. The feasibility of this one-step method to produce gene-edited pigs using rAAV-CRISPR/Cas9 oviductal injection into sows within 24 h of conception was then validated. Results: Our research firstly establishes the efficient delivery of CRISPR/Cas9 to pig zygotes, both in vivo and in vitro, using rAAV6. Successful gene editing in pigs was achieved through oviductal injection of rAAV-CRISPR/Cas9. Conclusion: This method circumvents the intricate procedures involved in in vitro embryo manipulation and embryo transfers, providing a straightforward and cost-effective approach for the production of gene-edited pigs.

High Contrast Bioimaging of Tumor and Inflammation with a Bicyclic Dioxetane Chemiluminescent Probe

The link between inflammation and the evolution of cancer is well established. Visualizing and tracking both tumor proliferation and the associated inflammatory response within a living organism are vital for dissecting the nexus between these two processes and for crafting precise treatment modalities. We report the creation and synthesis of an advanced NIR chemiluminescence probe that stands out for its exceptional selectivity, extraordinary sensitivity at nanomolar concentrations, swift detection capabilities, and broad application prospects. Crucially, this probe has been successfully utilized to image endogenous ONOO- across different inflammation models, including abdominal inflammation triggered by LPS, subcutaneous inflammatory conditions, and tumors grafted onto mice. These findings highlight the significant promise of chemiluminescence imaging in enhancing our grasp of the intricate interplay between cancer and inflammation and in steering the development of potent, targeted therapeutic strategies.

Capsaicin functions as a selective degrader of STAT3 to enhance host resistance to viral infection

Although STAT3 has been reported as a negative regulator of type I interferon (IFN) signaling, the effects of pharmacologically inhibiting STAT3 on innate antiviral immunity are not well known. Capsaicin, approved for the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia and diabetic peripheral nerve pain, is an agonist of transient receptor potential vanilloid subtype 1 (TRPV1), with additional recognized potencies in anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and metabolic diseases. We investigated the effects of capsaicin on viral replication and innate antiviral immune response and discovered that capsaicin dose-dependently inhibited the replication of VSV, EMCV, and H1N1. In VSV-infected mice, pretreatment with capsaicin improved the survival rate and suppressed inflammatory responses accompanied by attenuated VSV replication in the liver, lung, and spleen. The inhibition of viral replication by capsaicin was independent of TRPV1 and occurred mainly at postviral entry steps. We further revealed that capsaicin directly bound to STAT3 protein and selectively promoted its lysosomal degradation. As a result, the negative regulation of STAT3 on the type I IFN response was attenuated, and host resistance to viral infection was enhanced. Our results suggest that capsaicin is a promising small-molecule drug candidate, and offer a feasible pharmacological strategy for strengthening host resistance to viral infection.

Emission Wavelength-Tunable Bicyclic Dioxetane Chemiluminescent Probes for Precise In Vitro and In Vivo Imaging

Chemiluminescent probes have become increasingly popular in various research areas including precise tumor imaging and immunofluorescence analysis. Nevertheless, previously developed chemiluminescence probes are mainly limited to studying oxidation reaction-associated biological events. This study presents the first example of bioimaging applicable bicyclic dioxetane chemiluminescent probes with tunable emission wavelengths that range from 525 to 800 nm. These newly developed probes were able to detect the analytes of β-Gal, H2O2, and superoxide with high specificity and a limit of detection of 77 mU L-1, 96, and 28 nM, respectively. The bioimaging application of the probes was verified in ovarian and liver cancer cells and macrophage cells, allowing the detection of the content of β-Gal, H2O2, and superoxide inside the cells. The high specificity allowed us to image the xenografted tumor in mice. We expect that our probes will receive extensive applications in recording complex biomolecular events using noninvasive imaging techniques.

Isolation of Projection-Specific and Behavior-Relevant Amygdala Circuit for RNA Sequencing

One of the most sought-after topics in neuroscience is to understand how the environment regulates the activity and function of neural circuitry and subsequently influences relevant behaviors. In response to alterations in the environment, the neural circuits undergo adaptive changes ranging from gene expression changes to altered cellular function. Performing sequencing of the transcriptome involved in these behavior-related circuits will provide clues to accurately dissect the detailed mechanisms of related behavior. Here, we describe methods for marking and collecting the ventral hippocampus-projecting basolateral amygdala neurons, which have been repeatedly implicated in regulation of anxiety-like behavior, and subsequently constructing a library ready for sequencing. Specifically, the reported approaches include adeno-associated virus injection, acute brain slice isolation, cell suspension preparation, cell extraction, and cDNA library construction. By utilizing the techniques described here, researchers can comprehensively investigate the transcriptional levels of neural clusters embedded in particular circuits and discover potential pathogenic and therapeutic targets for behavior-relevant disorders. © 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: Tagging of behavior-related neural circuits Basic Protocol 2: Isolation and capture of fluorescent-positive cells Basic Protocol 3: Foundation of sequencing library.

Silver-Catalyzed Decarboxylative Acylation of Isocyanides Accesses to α-Ketoamides with Air as a Sole Oxidant

α-Ketoamide moieties, as privileged units, may represent a valuable option to develop compounds with favorable biological activities, such as low toxicity, promising PK and drug-like properties. An efficient silver-catalyzed decarboxylative acylation of α-oxocarboxylic acids with isocyanides was developed to derivatize the α-ketoamide functional group via a multicomponent reaction (MCR) cascade sequence in one pot. A series of α-ketoamides was synthesized with three components of isocyanides, aromatic α-oxocarboxylic acid analogues and water in moderate yields. Based on the research, the silver-catalyzed decarboxylative acylation confirmed that an oxygen atom of the amide moiety was derived from the water and air as a sole oxidant for the whole process.

Ni-Catalyzed Protecting Group Free Diphenic Acid Analog Synthesis

Severe side effects and drug resistance are major drawbacks of Pt-based chemotherapy in clinical practice, leading to the search for new Pt-based drugs through the tuning of coordination ligands. Therefore, seeking appropriate ligands has attracted significant interest in this area. In this study, we report a Ni-catalyzed coupling strategy for the divergent synthesis of diphenic acid derivatives and the application of these newly prepared acids in Pt(II) agent synthesis.

Global survival trends for brain tumors, by histology: analysis of individual records for 556,237 adults diagnosed in 59 countries during 2000-2014 (CONCORD-3)

BACKGROUND

Survival is a key metric of the effectiveness of a health system in managing cancer. We set out to provide a comprehensive examination of worldwide variation and trends in survival from brain tumors in adults, by histology.

METHODS

We analyzed individual data for adults (15-99 years) diagnosed with a brain tumor (ICD-O-3 topography code C71) during 2000-2014, regardless of tumor behavior. Data underwent a 3-phase quality control as part of CONCORD-3. We estimated net survival for 11 histology groups, using the unbiased nonparametric Pohar Perme estimator.

RESULTS

The study included 556,237 adults. In 2010-2014, the global range in age-standardized 5-year net survival for the most common sub-types was broad: in the range 20%-38% for diffuse and anaplastic astrocytoma, from 4% to 17% for glioblastoma, and between 32% and 69% for oligodendroglioma. For patients with glioblastoma, the largest gains in survival occurred between 2000-2004 and 2005-2009. These improvements were more noticeable among adults diagnosed aged 40-70 years than among younger adults.

CONCLUSIONS

To the best of our knowledge, this study provides the largest account to date of global trends in population-based survival for brain tumors by histology in adults. We have highlighted remarkable gains in 5-year survival from glioblastoma since 2005, providing large-scale empirical evidence on the uptake of chemoradiation at population level. Worldwide, survival improvements have been extensive, but some countries still lag behind. Our findings may help clinicians involved in national and international tumor pathway boards to promote initiatives aimed at more extensive implementation of clinical guidelines.

Glucagon-Like Peptide-2 Ameliorates Age-Associated Bone Loss and Gut Barrier Dysfunction in Senescence-Accelerated Mouse Prone 6 Mice

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Senile osteoporosis is one of the most common age-related diseases worldwide. Glucagon like peptide-2 (GLP-2), a naturally occurring gastrointestinal peptide, possesses therapeutic effects on bone loss in postmenopausal women and ovariectomized rats. However, the role of GLP-2 in senile osteoporosis and underlying mechanisms has not been explored. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> GLP-2 was subcutaneously injected into the 6-month-old male senile osteoporosis model of senescence-accelerated mouse prone 6 (SAMP6) mice for 6 weeks. SAMP6 subjected to normal saline and senescence-accelerated mouse resistant 1 served as control groups. Micro-computed tomography was performed to evaluate the bone mass and microarchitecture of the mice. Osteoblastic and osteoclastic activities were determined by biochemical, quantitative real-time PCR, histological, and histomorphometric analyses combined with hematoxylin-eosin, toluidine blue, and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase staining. We also examined the proteins and structure of intestinal tight junction using immunohistochemical assay as well as a transmission electron microscope. Serum inflammation marker levels were measured using ELISA. Additionally, anti-oxidative enzymes GPX-4 and SOD-2 and receptors of GLP-2 and vitamin D expression in the ileum and colon were detected under immunofluorescence staining. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Six-week GLP-2 treatment attenuated bone loss in SAMP6 mice, as evidenced by increased bone mineral density, improved microarchitecture in femora, and enhanced osteogenic activities. In contrast, the activity of osteoclastic activity was not obviously inhibited. Moreover, GLP-2 ameliorated tight junction structure and protein expression in the intestinal barrier, which was accompanied by the reduction of TNF-α level. The expression of receptors of intestinal GLP-2 and vitamin D in the ileum was elevated. Furthermore, the oxidative stress in the intestines was improved by increasing the GPX-4 and SOD-2 signaling. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Our findings suggest that GLP-2 could ameliorate age-associated bone loss, tight junction structure, and improved antioxidant enzyme activity in the gut in SAMP6 mice. Amelioration of gut barrier dysfunction may potentially contribute to improving bone formation and provide evidence for targeting the entero-bone axis in the treatment of senile osteoporosis.

Golgi anti-apoptotic proteins redundantly counteract cell death by inhibiting production of reactive oxygen species under endoplasmic reticulum stress

Maintaining proteostasis in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is critical for cell viability and plant survival under adverse conditions. The unfolded protein response (UPR) pathways interact with reactive oxygen species (ROS) to precisely trigger adaptive outputs or cell death under ER stress with varying degrees. However, little information is known about the relationship between UPR signalling and ROS regulation. Here, Arabidopsis GOLGI ANTI-APOPTOTIC PROTEIN1 (GAAP1)-GAAP4 were found to play redundant positive roles under ER stress. Genetic analysis showed that GAAP4 played a role in INOSITOL-REQUIRING ENZYME (IRE1)-dependent and -independent pathways. In addition, GAAPs played negative roles to activate the adaptive UPR under conditions of stress. Quantitative biochemical analysis showed that mutations in GAAP genes decreased the oxidised glutathione content and altered the pattern of ROS and glutathione in early ER stress. When plants were challenged with unmitigated ER stress, mutations in GAAP advanced ROS accumulation, which was associated with a decline in adaptive UPR. These data indicated that GAAPs resist cell death by regulating glutathione content to inhibit ROS accumulation and maintain UPR during ER stress. They provide a basis for further analysis of the regulation of cell fate decision under ER stress.

Efficacy and safety of sirolimus early conversion protocol in liver transplant patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: A single-arm, multicenter, prospective study

Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor as an attractive drug target with promising antitumor effects has been widely investigated. High quality clinical trial has been conducted in liver transplant (LT) recipients in Western countries. However, the pertinent studies in Eastern world are paucity. Therefore, we designed a clinical trial to test whether sirolimus can improve recurrence-free survival (RFS) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients beyond the Milan criteria after LT. This is an open-labeled, single-arm, prospective, multicenter, and real-world study aiming to evaluate the clinical outcomes of early switch to sirolimus-based regimens in HCC patients after LT. Patients with a histologically proven HCC and beyond the Milan criteria will be enrolled. The initial immunosuppressant regimens are center-specific for the first 4-6 weeks. The following regimens integrated sirolimus into the regimens as a combination therapy with reduced calcineurin inhibitors based on the condition of patients and centers. The study is planned for 4 years in total with a 2-year enrollment period and a 2-year follow-up. We predict that sirolimus conversion regimen will provide survival benefits for patients particular in the key indicator RFS as well as better quality of life. If the trial is conducted successfully, we will have a continued monitoring over a longer follow-up time to estimate indicator of overall survival. We hope that the outcome will provide better evidence for clinical decision-making and revising treatment guidelines based on Chinese population data. Trial register: Trial registered at http://www.chictr.org.cn: ChiCTR2100042869.

[Epidemiological trend of cervical cancer]

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common malignant tumor in women worldwide, cervical cancer is also the only malignant tumor that is considered to be a known cause in human tumors, however, there is no significant decline in cervical cancer morbidity and mortality. It is estimated that there were about 570, 000 new cases of cervical cancer in the world in 2018, accounting for 3.15% of all cancer cases; and there were about 310, 000 deaths of cervical cancer, accounting for 3.26% of all cancer deaths. The burden of cervical cancer worldwide is severe. The article summarizes the epidemiological trends of cervical cancer worldwide with the latest data, and provides etiological basis and theoretical support for the prevention and treatment of cervical cancer in women.

A Retrospective Review of 193 Cases of Severe Eosinophilia in the Northeast United States

BACKGROUND

This retrospective review evaluated the causes of severe eosinophilia (≥5000 eosinophils/L). Higher eosinophilia levels are more likely to cause tissue damage and may reflect disease severity.

METHODS

We reviewed 193 cases of patients seen at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts, and at the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington, Vermont, between January 2015 to May 2020 who had a peak absolute eosinophil count of at least 5000/μL.

RESULTS

Thirty-nine percent of cases were attributable to a hematologic or oncologic cause. These cases had the highest mean peak absolute eosinophil count at 11,698/μL. Twenty percent of cases were secondary to drug reactions, of which 90% took place in an inpatient setting. Three percent of cases were from helminthic infection, the majority of which were in returning travelers.

CONCLUSIONS

In our region of study, hematologic and oncologic cases are important causes of severe eosinophilia, drug reactions are a common etiology in the inpatient setting, and infections are a rare cause.

[Analysis for the breast cancer screening among urban population in Hebei province, 2018-2019]

From 2018 to 2019, 3 453 cases of high-risk population were screened by the Cancer Screening Program in Urban China (CanSPUC) in Hebei Province, with the age of (53.94±8.00). 147 and 686 cases of breast cancer positive and suspicious positive patients were found, with the positive rate and suspicious positive rate of 4.26% and 19.87% respectively. The suspicious positive rate of 45-49 years old age group was the highest (28.32%), and the positive rate of over 70 years old age group was the highest (7.32%). The positive detection rate of mammography combined with ultrasound was 5.16%, which was higher than that of ultrasound alone (2.46%) (χ²=30.28,P<0.001) or mammography alone (3.06%) (χ²=14.56,P<0.001).

Customizable design strategies for high-performance bioanodes in bioelectrochemical systems

Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) can fulfill the demand for renewable energy and wastewater treatment but still face significant challenges to improve their overall performance. Core efforts have been made to enhance the bioelectrode performance, yet, previous approaches are fragmented and have limited applicability, unable to flexibly adjust physicochemical and structural properties of electrodes for specific requirements in various applications. Here, we propose a facile electrode design strategy that integrates three-dimensional printing technology and functionalized modular electrode materials. A customized graphene-based electrode with hierarchical pores and functionalized components (i.e., ferric ions and magnetite nanoparticles) was fabricated. Owing to efficient mass and electron transfer, a high volumetric current density of 10,608 ± 1,036 A/m³ was achieved, the highest volumetric current density with pure Geobacter sulfurreducens to date. This strategy can be readily applied to existing BESs (e.g., microbial fuel cells and microbial electrosynthesis) and provide a feasibility for practical application.

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A 3D-printed graphene aerogel electrode was proposed for BESs

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The optimized electrode mass transfer resistance was less than 5% of carbon felt

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A high volumetric current density of 10,608 ± 1,036 A/m³ was achieved

Tripartite Motif-Containing 27 Attenuates Liver Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury by Suppressing Transforming Growth Factor β-Activated Kinase 1 (TAK1) by TAK1 Binding Protein 2/3 Degradation

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury, which mainly involves inflammatory responses and apoptosis, is a common cause of organ dysfunction in liver transplantation (LT). As a critical mediator of inflammation and apoptosis in various cell types, the role of tripartite motif-containing (TRIM) 27 in hepatic I/R injury remains worthy of study.

APPROACH AND RESULTS

This study systemically evaluated the putative role of TRIM27/transforming growth factor β-activated kinase 1 (TAK1)/JNK (c-Jun N-terminal kinase)/p38 signaling in hepatic I/R injury. TRIM27 expression was significantly down-regulated in liver tissue from LT patients, mice subjected to hepatic I/R surgery, and hepatocytes challenged by hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) treatment. Subsequently, using global Trim27 knockout mice (Trim27-KO mice) and hepatocyte-specific Trim27 transgenic mice (Trim27-HTG mice), TRIM27 functions to ameliorate liver damage, reduce the inflammatory response, and prevent cell apoptosis. In parallel in vitro studies, activating TRIM27 also prevented H/R-induced hepatocyte inflammation and apoptosis. Mechanistically, TRIM27 constitutively interacted with the critical components, TAK1 and TAK1 binding protein 2/3 (TAB2/3), and promoted the degradation of TAB2/3, leading to inactivation of TAK1 and the subsequent suppression of downstream JNK/p38 signaling.

CONCLUSIONS

TRIM27 is a key regulator of hepatic I/R injury by mediating the degradation of TAB2/3 and suppression of downstream TAK1-JNK/p38 signaling. TRIM27 may be a promising approach to protect the liver against I/R-mediated hepatocellular damage in transplant recipients.

Characterization of 30 microsatellite markers for distylous Primula denticulata (Primulaceae) using HiSeq sequencing

Primula denticulata exhibits considerable variation in floral morphology and flowering phenology along elevational gradients in SW China. We isolated 30 microsatellite markers from P. denticulata to facilitate further investigation of population genetics and floral evolution in this species. We used the HiSeq X-Ten sequencing system to develop a set of markers, and measured polymorphism and genetic diversity in a sample of 72 individuals from three natural populations of P. denticulata subsp. denticulata. The markers displayed relatively high polymorphism, with the number of alleles ranging from two to seven (mean = 3.567). The observed and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0 to 1.000 and 0.041 to 0.702, respectively. Twenty-eight of the loci were also successfully amplified in P. denticulata subsp. sinodenticulata. The microsatellite markers we have identified will provide valuable tools for investigations of the population genetic structure, mating systems and phylogeography of the P. denticulata complex, and will help to address questions concerning the ecological and genetic mechanisms responsible for the evolution of reproductive traits in the species.

Massive abdominal hemorrhage after radiofrequency ablation of recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma with successful hemostasis achieved through transarterial embolization: a case report

Acute massive abdominal hemorrhage after radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an infrequent and severe complication. Delayed diagnosis and treatment may be life-threatening. We herein describe a 60-year-old man with a history of postoperative HCC. A new nidus of HCC was found in his right liver lobe after abdominal magnetic resonance imaging and intraoperative angiography. The patient then underwent computed tomography-guided RFA. However, 7 hours after RFA, he suddenly developed dizziness, nausea, abdominal distension, hematuria, a decreased blood pressure, and an increased heart rate. Diagnostic abdominal puncture produced bloody liquid, and angiography demonstrated hemorrhage in the right hepatic artery. Transarterial embolization was performed following the administration of an appropriate amount of tissue emulsion to embolize the source of hemorrhage. Following this treatment, the patient had no further bleeding. Neither the hemorrhage nor the HCC lesions had recurred after 3 months of follow-up.

Creating rat hepatocyte organoid as an in vitro model for drug testing

BACKGROUND

Liver organoids have recently been applied as models for liver disease and drug screening, especially when combined with liver-on-a-chip technologies. Compared to hepatocyte-like cells, primary hepatocytes have high functionality but cannot maintain their function when cultured in vitro. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) enhance hepatocyte function and maintain hepatocyte metabolism when co-cultured with hepatocytes. MSCs can help induced pluripotent stem cells to generate an organoid structure via the MSC-based traction force triggered by extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. In this study, primary hepatocytes were co-cultured with MSCs on a liver-derived ECM to generate liver organoids within a short duration.

AIM

To create hepatocyte organoids by co-culturing primary hepatocytes with MSCs on a porcine liver extracellular matrix (PLECM) gel.

METHODS

Perfusion and enzymatic hydrolysis were used to form the PLECM gel. Rat hepatocytes and human MSCs were mixed and plated on pre-solidified PLECM gel in a 48-well plate for 48 h to generate organoids. Generated organoids were evaluated through hematoxylin and eosin, periodic acid-Schiff, immuno-histological, and immunofluorescence staining, and quantitative PCR for alb, CYP450 gene markers, and urea cycle genes. Culture medium was collected to detect albumin (ALB) and urea production on days 2, 4, 6, 8, 14, and 20.

RESULTS

The whole porcine liver was perfused and enzymatically hydrolyzed to form a PLECM gel. The structural components and basement membrane composition of the ECM, such as collagen type I, collagen type IV, fibronectin, and laminin, were demonstrated to be retained. Through interaction of human MSCs with the liver-derived ECM, primary hepatocytes and human MSCs assembled together into a 3D construction and generated primary hepatocyte organoids for 48 h. The mRNAs of the gene alb, the CYP450 gene markers cyp1a1, cyp1a2, and cyp3a2 as well as urea cycle genes arg-1, asl, ass-1, cps-1, nags were highly expressed in hepatocyte organoids. Long-term survival of the primary hepatocyte organoids, as well as stable functionality, was demonstrated via ALB and urea production in vitro.

CONCLUSION

Our new method of creating primary hepatocyte organoids by co-culturing hepatocytes with MSCs on liver-derived ECM hydrogels could be used to develop models for liver disease and for drug screening.

Cu-Catalyzed Regioselective C-H Alkylation of Benzimidazoles with Aromatic Alkenes

Herein we report a novel Cu-catalyzed regioselective C2-H alkylation of benzimidazoles with aromatic alkenes. The reaction features exclusive regioselectivity and broad substrate scope in the intermolecular alkylation of benzimidazoles with terminal and internal aromatic alkenes, constituting a modular access toward benzimidazole-containing 1,1-di(hetero)aryl alkanes. The intramolecular C2-H alkylation of benzimidazoles with aromatic alkenes has been achieved in an endo-selective manner. The enantioselective C2 alkylation of benzimidazoles has also been realized with moderate to good stereocontrol.

Nitrate promoted mild and versatile Pd-catalysed C(sp2)-H oxidation with carboxylic acids

A nitrate-promoted Pd-catalysed mild cross-dehydrogenative C(sp²)-H bond oxidation of oximes or azobenzenes with diverse carboxylic acids has been developed. In contrast to the previous catalytic systems, this protocol features mild conditions (close to room temperature for most cases) and a broad substrate scope (up to 64 examples), thus constituting a versatile method to directly prepare diverse O-aryl esters. Moreover, the superiority of the nitrate additive in this mild transformation was further determined by experimental and computational evidence.

Cytoskeleton-associated membrane protein 4 is upregulated in tumor tissues and is associated with clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma

The role of cytoskeleton-associated membrane protein 4 (CKAP4) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is controversial. The present study aimed to investigate the association between tumor CKAP4 mRNA expression and clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis in patients with HCC. Data relating to CKAP4 mRNA expression in HCC tumor and normal adjacent liver tissues, and clinicopathological characteristics, were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus and The Cancer Genome Atlas databases. The CKAP4 mRNA levels in tumor tissues were compared with those in normal adjacent liver tissues, their association with clinicopathological parameters was analyzed, and diagnostic and prognostic values were evaluated in patients with HCC. In all 4 datasets (total samples, n=693), CKAP4 mRNA levels were significantly higher in tumor tissues compared with adjacent tissues (all P<0.001), with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve ranging from 0.799-0.898 for HCC diagnosis. In patients with HCC with available clinical data (n=361), the low-level CKAP4 mRNA group exhibited a lower body mass index (P=0.005), higher α-fetoprotein level (P<0.001), more frequent adjacent liver tissue inflammation (P<0.001), poorer tumor histological grade (P<0.001), higher Ishak fibrosis score (P=0.035) and a more advanced tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage (P=0.014) compared with the high-level CKAP4 mRNA group. Patients stratified by all the above parameters, except for TNM stage, exhibited significantly different expression of tissue CKAP4 mRNA (P<0.05-0.001). Furthermore, higher CKAP4 mRNA levels were observed in patients who died within one year following diagnosis compared with those who survived >3 years (P=0.003). The high-level CKAP4 mRNA group also exhibited lower overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates compared with the low-level group [hazard ratio (HR)=1.494; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.044-2.138; P=0.028] for OS and (HR=1.616; 95% CI, 1.022-2.555; P=0.040) for DFS. The results of the present study suggest that CKAP4 mRNA is upregulated in HCC tumor tissues compared with normal adjacent tissues, and is associated with poor clinical prognosis, pathological features and survival in patients with HCC. Thus, CKAP4 is a potential biomarker for HCC diagnosis and prognosis.

Simple Clinical Metrics Enhance AFP to Effectively Identify Cirrhotic Patients With Complicating Hepatocellular Carcinoma at Various AFP Levels

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) frequently occurs in cirrhosis and closely relates to poor prognosis of cirrhotic patients. Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is the most widely used biomarker in HCC diagnosis but not sensitive and specific to detect HCC at low AFP levels. In order to enhance the ability of AFP to detect HCC developed on cirrhosis, we attempted to combine AFP with conventional clinical metrics to develop a simple and effective method for identifying cirrhotic patients with complicating HCC at various AFP levels.

Methods: Cirrhotic patients with or without HCC hospitalized to receive therapy for the first time were recruited and their clinical data were retrospectively collected. A model for diagnosing HCC was developed with routine clinical metrics and AFP by binary logistic regression analysis and internally validated. The goodness of fit, diagnostic accuracy and clinical usefulness of the model were evaluated using a calibration curve, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) and a decision curve analysis, respectively.

Results: A total of 574 patients with cirrhosis mainly caused by hepatitis B were recruited in this study, including 286 cases of simple cirrhosis (LC) and 288 cases of cirrhosis with HCC (LCC) (124 AFP-negative), with an average age of 53.2 ± 12.1 years and 81.4% males. Twelve of the 19 clinical metrics (age, gender, AFP, liver function tests, serum electrolytes, and coagulation tests) significantly differed between the LC and LCC groups. A model was successfully developed with age, AFP, Na⁺, Cl⁻, alkaline phosphatase, and activated partial thromboplastin time, which exhibited good performance in diagnosing LCC, with an AUROC of 0.918 (95%CI 0.895–0.940), 82.3% sensitivity, 89.5% specificity, and 85.9% accuracy for all patients, which were much higher values than those for AFP [0.846 (95%CI 0.815–0.878), 72.9, 81.5, and 77.2%, respectively]. For cirrhotic patients complicated with AFP-negative HCC, the model showed an AUROC of 0.854 (95%CI 0.812–0.896), 68.5% sensitivity, 86.6% specificity, and 80.0% accuracy. A high net benefit could be obtained in clinical decision making according to the model.

Conclusion: A diagnostic model combining simple clinical metrics with AFP is valuable for the identification of cirrhotic patients complicating HCC with various AFP levels.

[Analysis on the consciousness of the cancer early detection and its influencing factors among urban residents in China from 2015 to 2017]

Objective: To understand the consciousness of the cancer early detection among urban residents and identify the influencing factors from 2015 to 2017. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 16 provinces covered by the Cancer Screening Program in Urban China from 2015 to 2017. A total of 32 257 local residents aged ≥18 years old who could understand the investigation procedure were included in the study by using the cluster sampling method and convenient sampling method. All local residents were categorized into four groups, which contained 15 524 community residents, 8 016 cancer risk assessment/screening population, 2 289 cancer patients and 6 428 occupational population, respectively. Self-designed questionnaires were used to collect population, socioeconomic indicators, self-cancer risk assessment, regular participation in physical examination and other information. The multivariate logistic regression model was used to identify the factors of people who had not regularly participated in the regular physical examination in the past five years. Results: The self-assessment results of 32 357 residents showed that there were 27.54% (8 882) of total study population with self-reported cancer risk, 45.48% (14 671) without cancer risk and 26.98% (8 704) with unclear judgement on their own cancer risk. Among population with cancer risk, 79.84% (7 091) considered physical examination accounted. In the past five years, there were 21 105 (65.43%) residents participated in regular physical examination and 11 148 (34.56%) participated in non-scheduled one, respectively. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that compared with unmarried and western region residents, divorced, middle and eastern region residents had a stronger consciousness to participate in the regular physical examination (P<0.05). Compare with residents with annual household income less than 20 000 CNY in 2014, cancer risk assessment/screening intervention population, and self-assessment with cancer risk, residents with annual household income between 20 000 CNY and 59 000 CNY in 2014, occupational population, community residents, cancer patients, self-reported cancer-free risk, and self-assessment with unclear judgement of cancer risk were less likely to participate in the regular physical examination (all P values <0.05). Conclusion: From 2015 to 2017, the Chinese urban residents had a acceptable consciousness of the cancer early detection. The marital status, annual household income, population group and self-assessment of cancer risk were related to the consciousness of the cancer early detection of people who had not participated in the regular physical examination in the past five years.

[Analysis on the demand, access and related factors of cancer prevention and treatment knowledge among urban residents in China from 2015 to 2017]

Objective: To investigate the demand and access to the cancer prevention and treatment knowledge and related factors among urban residents in China from 2015 to 2017. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 16 provinces covered by the Cancer Screening Program in Urban China from 2015 to 2017. A total of 32 257 local residents aged ≥18 years old who could understand the investigation procedure were included in the study by using the cluster sampling method and convenient sampling method. All local residents were categorized into four groups, which contained 15 524 community residents, 8 016 cancer risk assessment/screening population, 2 289 cancer patients and 6 428 occupational population, respectively. The self-designed questionnaire was used to collect the information of general demographic characteristics, the demand and access to cancer prevention and treatment knowledge, and the influencing factors of the attitude. The Chi-square test was used to analyze the difference of the demand of the cancer prevention knowledge among different groups and the corresponding factors of the cancer prevention and treatment knowledge were analyzed by using the logistic regression model. Results: The proportion of residents who need the cancer prevention and treatment knowledge was 79.5%. The demand rate of the inducement, symptom and diagnosis methods of cancer in the occupational population was highest, about 66.8%, 71.0% and 20.8%, respectively. The demand rate of treatment methods and cost in current cancer patients was the highest, about the 45.9% and 21.9%, respectively. The top three sources to acquire the cancer prevention and treatment knowledge were "broadcast or television" (69.5%), "books, newspapers, posters or brochures" (44.7%) and "family and friends" (33.8%). The multivariate analysis showed that compared with public institution personnel/civil servants, unmarried/cohabiting/divorced/widowed and others, annual household income less than 20 000 CNY, from the eastern region, people without cancer diagnosis and people with self-assessment of cancer risk, the demand rate of cancer prevention and treatment knowledge was higher in enterprise personnel/workers, married, annual household income between 60 000 CNY and 150 000 CNY, from the central region, people with cancer and people with unclear cancer risk (all P values <0.05). Conclusion: There was a high demand for the cancer prevention and treatment knowledge among urban residents in China from 2015 to 2017. The main access to the knowledge is from the radio or television. The occupation, marital status, annual household income, residential region, health status and risk of disease were the main factors of the demand of the cancer prevention and treatment knowledge.

[Study on the health literacy and related factors of the cancer prevention consciousness among urban residents in China from 2015 to 2017]

Objective: To understand the health literacy and relevant factors of cancer prevention consciousness in Chinese urban residents from 2015 to 2017. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 16 provinces covered by the Cancer Screening Program in Urban China from 2015 to 2017. A total of 32 257 local residents aged ≥18 years old who could understand the investigation procedure were included in the study by using the cluster sampling method and convenient sampling method. All local residents were categorized into four groups, which contained 15 524 community residents, 8 016 cancer risk assessment/screening population, 2 289 cancer patients and 6 428 occupational population, respectively. The self-designed questionnaire was used to collect the information of demographic characteristics and cancer prevention consciousness focusing on nine common risk factors, including smoking, alcohol, fiber food, food in hot temperature or pickled food, chewing betel nut, helicobacter pylori, moldy food, hepatitis B infection, estrogen, and exercise. The logistic regression model was adopted to identify the influencing factors. Results: The overall health literacy of the cancer prevention consciousness was 77.4% (24 980 participants), with 77.4% (12 018 participants), 79.9% (6 406 participants), 77.2% (1 766 participants) and 74.5% (4 709 participants) in each group (P<0.001). The correct response rates for nine risk factors ranged from 55.2% to 93.0%. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that compared with community residents, people with primary school level education or below, and the number of people living together in the family <3, the cancer risk assessment/screening intervention population, cancer patients, those with junior high school level educationor above and the number of people living in the family ≥3 had better health literacy of the cancer prevention consciousness (all P values <0.05). Compared with females, 39 years old and below, government-affiliated institutions or civil servants, from the eastern region, males, older than 40 years, company or enterprise employees, and from the middle or western region had worse health literacy of the cancer prevention consciousness (all P values <0.05). Conclusion: The health literacy of the cancer prevention consciousness in Chinese urban residents should be improved. The cancer screening intervention, gender, age, education, occupation, the number of people co-living in the family, and residential region were associated with the health literacy of the cancer prevention consciousness.

[Analysis on the health literacy of the cancer prevention and treatment and its related factors among urban residents in China from 2015 to 2017]

Objective: To understand the health literacy of the cancer prevention and treatment among urban residents of China, and explore the related factors. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 16 provinces covered by the Cancer Screening Program in Urban China (CanSPUC) from 2015 to 2017. A total of 32 257 local residents aged ≥18 years old who could understand the investigation procedure were included in the study by using the cluster sampling method and convenient sampling method. All local residents were categorized into four groups, which contained 15 524 community residents, 8 016 cancer risk assessment/screening population, 2 289 cancer patients and 6 428 occupational population, respectively. The health literacy of the cancer prevention, early discovery, early diagnosis, early treatment and the demands of cancer prevention and treatment knowledge was analyzed. The level of health literacy among different groups were calculated and compared. The binary logistic regression model was used to analyze the influencing factors of the health literacy of the cancer prevention and treatment. Results: The level of health literacy of the cancer prevention and treatment was 56.97% among all study population; in each group it was 55.01% for community residents, 59.08% for cancer risk assessment/screening population, 61.99% for cancer patients and 57.31% for occupational population, respectively (P<0.001). The level of health literacy of the cancer prevention and treatment of residents aged 50 to 69 years old, other occupational groups, unmarried, the central and western region residents and the group with unclear self-assessment of cancer risk was significantly lower than that of residents younger than 40 years old, personnel of public institutions/civil servants, married, the eastern region residents and the group whose self-assessment without cancer risk (P<0.05) . The level of health literacy of cancer prevention and treatment of females, people who went to high school or over, cancer risk assessment/screening population, cancer patients and occupational population was significantly higher than that of males, people who had an education level of primary school or below and community residents (P<0.05) . Conclusion: The health literacy of the cancer prevention and treatment of urban residents in China was relatively high, but there was still room for improvement. Gender, age, educational level, occupation, region, marital status, self-assessment of cancer risk, and type of respondents were the key influencing factors of the health literacy of the cancer prevention and treatment. Male, 50-69 years old, lower educational level, central and western regions, unclear cancer risk self-assessment, and without specific environmental exposure to cancer prevention and treatment knowledge or related risk factors were the characteristics of the key intervention group of the health literacy of the cancer prevention and treatment.

[Analysis on the consciousness of the early cancer treatment and its influencing factors among urban residents in China from 2015 to 2017]

Objective: To understand the consciousness of the cancer early treatment and its demographic and socioeconomic factors. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 16 provinces covered by the Cancer Screening Program in Urban China (CanSPUC) from 2015 to 2017. A total of 32 257 local residents aged ≥18 years old who could understand the investigation procedure were included in the study by using the cluster sampling method and convenient sampling method. All local residents were categorized into four groups, which contained 15 524 community residents, 8 016 cancer risk assessment/screening population, 2 289 cancer patients and 6 428 occupational population, respectively. The questionnaire collected personal information, the consciousness of the cancer early treatment and relevant factors. The Chi square test was used to compare the difference between the consciousness of the cancer early treatment and relevant factors among the four groups. The logistic regression model was used to analyze the influencing factors related to the consciousness of the cancer early treatment. Results: With the assumption of being diagnosed as precancer or cancer, 89.97% of community residents, 91.84% of cancer risk assessment/screening population, 93.00% of cancer patients and 91.52% of occupational population would accept active treatments (P<0.001). If the immediate family members were diagnosed as precancer or cancer, people who would encourage their family members to receive early treatment in the four groups accounted for 91.96%, 91.94%, 92.44% and 91.55%, respectively (P<0.001). The company employees, annual household income with 40 000 yuan and more and other three groups had a relatively better consciousness of the cancer early treatment (P<0.05). Male, widowed, unemployed and from the central and western regions had a relatively worse consciousness of the cancer early treatment (P<0.05). Conclusion: Residents in urban China participants had a good consciousness of the cancer early treatment. The marital status, occupation, annual household income and residential regions were major factors related to the consciousness of the cancer early treatment.

[Research status of common processing technology of traditional Chinese medicine "maintaining medicinal properties after carbonisatus" and supramolecular "imprinting template" characterization technology]

Based on the characteristics of biological supramolecules and the law of " imprinting template",the research status and common problems in " maintaining medicinal properties after carbonisatus" in traditional Chinese medicine( TCM) were analyzed,and the further countermeasures were put forward. According to the historical evolution of " maintaining medicinal properties after carbonisatus" in TCM processing,the origin of its common problems was clarified by using the theory of biosupramolecular chemistry. TCM is a megacomplex biological supramolecular system,so TCM processing is just the processing of megacomplex biological supramolecular system,and its essence is a TCM pharmaceutical technology with chemical changes in host and guest of biological supramolecular system with or without adjuvant material under high temperature and humidity. In this study on pharmaceutical technology,host molecule was destructed in the process of carbonizing,but guest molecule was retained. The changing law of the host and guest molecule was controlled by the " imprinting template",which was reflected in the degree of change in the drug properties and efficacy of the decoction pieces. Supramolecular chemistry ran through the whole process,and the " imprinting template" of charcoal medicine was characterized by the supramolecular topological structure characteristics and imprinting behavior. After being combined with the quantitative mathematical model of heating degree in processing,it can realize the accurate processing of " maintaining medicinal properties after carbonisatus" from the source,quantitatively control the quality of carbonic herbs,and formulate stable and controllable quality standards.

Bioartificial liver support systems for acute liver failure: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the clinical and preclinical literature

BACKGROUND

Acute liver failure (ALF) has a high mortality varying from 80% to 85% with rapid progress in multi-organ system failure. Bioartificial liver (BAL) support systems have the potential to provide temporary support to bridge patients with ALF to liver transplantation or spontaneous recovery. In the past decades, several BAL support systems have been conducted in clinical trials. More recently, concerns have been raised on the renovation of high-quality cell sources and configuration of BAL support systems to provide more benefits to ALF models in preclinical experiments.

AIM

To investigate the characteristics of studies about BAL support systems for ALF, and to evaluate their effects on mortality.

METHODS

Eligible clinical trials and preclinical experiments on large animals were identified on Cochrane Library, PubMed, and EMbase up to March 6, 2019. Two reviewers independently extracted the necessary information, including key BAL indicators, survival and indicating outcomes, and adverse events during treatment. Descriptive analysis was used to identify the characteristics of the included studies, and a meta-analysis including only randomized controlled trial (RCT) studies was done to calculate the overall effect of BAL on mortality among humans and large animals, respectively.

RESULTS

Of the 30 selected studies, 18 were clinical trials and 12 were preclinical experiments. The meta-analysis result suggested that BAL might reduce mortality in ALF in large animals, probably due to the recent improvement of BAL, including the type, cell source, cell mass, and bioreactor, but seemed ineffective for humans [BAL vs control: relative risk (95% confidence interval), 0.27 (0.12-0.62) for animals and 0.72 (0.48-1.08) for humans]. Liver and renal functions, hematologic and coagulative parameters, encephalopathy index, and neurological indicators seemed to improve after BAL, with neither meaningful adverse events nor porcine endogenous retrovirus infection.

CONCLUSION

BAL may reduce the mortality of ALF by bridging the gap between preclinical experiments and clinical trials. Clinical trials using improved BAL must be designed scientifically and conducted in the future to provide evidence for transformation.

A Simple-to-Use Nomogram for Predicting the Survival of Early Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients

Objective: This study aimed to develop and validate a simple-to-use nomogram for early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients undergoing a preoperative consultation and doctors conducting a postoperative evaluation.

Methods: A total of 2,225 HCC patients confirmed with stage I or II were selected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database between January 2010 and December 2015. The patients were randomly divided into two groups: a training group (n = 1,557) and a validation group (n = 668). Univariate and multivariate hazards regression analyses were used to identify independent prognostic factors. The Akaike information criterion (AIC) was used to select variables for the nomogram. The performance of the nomogram was validated concerning its ability of discrimination and calibration and its clinical utility.

Results: Age, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), race, the degree of differentiation, and therapy method were significantly associated with the prognosis of early HCC patients. Based on the AIC results, five variables (age, race, AFP, degree of differentiation, and therapy method) were incorporated into the nomogram. The concordance indexes of the simple nomogram in the training and validation groups were 0.707 (95% CI: 0.683–0.731) and 0.733 (95% CI: 0.699–0.767), respectively. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of the nomogram in the training and validation groups were 0.744 and 0.764, respectively, for predicting 3-year survival, and 0.786 and 0.794, respectively, for predicting 5-year survival. Calibration plots showed good consistency between the predictions of the nomogram and the actual observations in both the training and validation groups. Decision curve analysis (DCA) showed that the simple nomogram was clinically useful, and the overall survival significantly differed between low- and high-risk groups divided by the median score of the nomogram in the training group (P < 0.001).

Conclusion: A simple-to-use nomogram based on a large population-based study is developed and validated, which is a conventional tool for doctors to facilitate the individual consultation of preoperative patients and the postoperative personalized evaluation.

[Three-dimensional finite element analysis of cantilever fixed bridge supported by implants with mandibular central incisor]

Objective: To investigate effect of the contact surface between the bridge and the adjacent teeth on the stress distribution of the implant and bone tissue and the displacement of the prosthesis in the cantilever fixed implant bridge restoring missing mandibular central incisors. Methods: Two-dimensional images of the mandible and dentition in healthy adults were obtained using CT data. A three-dimensional finite element model of cantilever fixed bridge supported by implants with mandibular central incisor was established by computer reconstruction technique.The contact surface between the bridge and the adjacent natural tooth was designed as "oval" and "trapezoid". The "trapezoid" has a slightly smaller median diameter on the labial side and a slightly larger medial diameter on the lingual side. Loading of 120 N was applied on the tangential margin of the middle line of the long axis of the bridge 41. The direction was set at 0°, which was parallel to the long axis of the tooth and downward. The buccal to lingual and downward angles were 30°, 45° and 60°, respectively, perpendicular to the long axis of the tooth and 90° to the lingual side.The stress distribution of the implant and surrounding bone tissue and the displacement of the prosthesis were compared between the two models. Results: Under axial and buccolingual loading, the maximum equivalent stress peak in the implant and surrounding bone tissue in the cantilever with trapezoidal contact surface design and the maximum displacement of the prosthesis were lower. Moreover, the distribution of stress was more balanced and the concentration range of stress was smaller. With the loading angle increasing, this trend was more obvious. When loading angle increased to 90°, the maximum equivalent stress and the maximum displacement of the elliptic contact surface model implant and surrounding bone tissue were 196 and 101 MPa and 0.196 mm, respectively, while the trapezoidal contact surface model were 157 and 72 MPa and 0.164 mm, respectively. Conclusions: The trapezoidal contact surface of the bridge and the adjacent teeth in the cantilever fixed bridge supported by implants with mandibular central incisor is beneficial to reduce the impact of the leverage on the implant and surrounding bone tissue.

Feasible atomic-resolution electron tomography for general crystal surfaces by quantitative reconstruction from a high-resolution image

Whether or not the 3-dimensional surface morphologies of a crystal sample can be reconstructed at atomic-scale from a single 2-dimensional image becomes an interesting issue in high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, after the work by Jia et al. [1]. Here we propose an improved and self-validated algorithm to enhance such an electron tomography method and to make it applicable to more general crystal surfaces even with thin amorphous layers. Our study shows that a resolution in the beam (z) direction and a confidence level have to be defined and estimated after performing tomographic reconstruction in order to evaluate the quality and the reliability of its result. Applying the proposed procedure to the Si[110] image to recover the surface morphologies of a silicon crystal with amorphous contamination, the obtained results show that an atomic-resolution of 0.384 nm in the z-direction and a high confidence level of 95% are achieved for imaging the Si-surface structures, quantitatively described by tomographic parameters, i.e., the height (defocus) and the thickness (atom number) of Si-atomic columns.

Pretreatment risk management of a novel nomogram model for prediction of thoracoabdominal extrahepatic metastasis in primary hepatic carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Extrahepatic metastasis is the independent risk factor of poor survival of primary hepatic carcinoma (PHC), and most occurs in the chest and abdomen. Currently, there is still no available method to predict thoracoabdominal extrahepatic metastasis in PHC. In this study, a novel nomogram model was developed and validated for prediction of thoracoabdominal extrahepatic metastasis in PHC, thereby conducted individualized risk management for pretreatment different risk population.

METHODS

The nomogram model was developed in a primary study that consisted of 330 consecutive pretreatment patients with PHC. Large-scale datasets were extracted from clinical practice. The nomogram was based on the predictors optimized by data dimension reduction through Lasso regression. The prediction performance was measured by the area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC), and calibrated to decrease the overfit bias. Individualized risk management was conducted by weighing the net benefit of different risk population via decision curve analysis. The prediction performance was internally and independently validated, respectively. An independent-validation study using a separate set of 107 consecutive patients.

RESULTS

Four predictors from 55 high-dimensional clinical datasets, including size, portal vein tumor thrombus, infection, and carbohydrate antigen 125, were incorporated to develop a nomogram model. The nomogram demonstrated valuable prediction performance with AUROC of 0.830 (0.803 in internal-validation, and 0.773 in independent-validation, respectively), and fine calibration. Individual risk probability was visually scored. Weighing the net benefit, threshold probability was classified for three-independent risk population, which was < 19.9%, 19.9-71.8% and > 71.8%, respectively. According to this classification, pretreatment risk management was based on a treatment-flowchart for individualized clinical decision-making.

CONCLUSIONS

The proposed nomogram is a useful tool for pretreatment risk management of thoracoabdominal extrahepatic metastasis in PHC for the first time, and may handily facilitate timely individualized clinical decision-making for different risk population.

[Incidence and mortality of bladder cancer in China, 2014]

Objective: To estimate the incidence and mortality of bladder cancer in China based on the cancer registration data in 2014, collected by the National Central Cancer Registry (NCCR). Methods: There were 449 cancer registries submitted bladder cancer new cases and deaths occurred in 2014 to NCCR. After evaluating the data quality, 339 registries' data were finally accepted for analysis. According to the national population data of 2014, the nationwide incidence and mortality of bladder cancer were estimated by stratification in the area (urban or rural), gender, and age. Chinese population census in 2000 and Segi's population were used for age-standardized incidence/mortality rates. Results: All 339 cancer registries covered a total of 288 243 347 populations (144 061 915 in urban and 144 181 432 in rural areas). The percentage of morphologically verified cases and death certificate-only cases were 74.86% and 1.45%, respectively. The mortality to incidence ratio was 0.41. The estimates of new bladder cancer cases were 78 100 in China in 2014, with a crude incidence rate of 5.71/100 000. The age-standardized incidence rates by China standard population (ASR China) and world standard population (ASR world) of bladder cancer were 3.61/100 000 and 3.56/100 000, respectively. Cumulative incidence rate of bladder cancer in China was 0.41%. The crude and ASR China incidence rates in urban areas were 6.88/100 000 and 4.07/100 000, respectively, whereas those were 4.29/100, 000 and 2.96/100 000 in rural areas. The estimates of bladder cancer deaths caused by bladder cancer were about 32 100 in China in 2014, with a crude mortality rate of 2.35/100 000. The ASR China and ASR world mortality rates were both 1.30/100 000 with a cumulative mortality rate (0-74 years old) of 0.12%. The crude and ASR China mortality rates were 2.79/100 000 and 1.41/100 000 in urban areas, respectively, whereas those were 1.81/100 000 and 1.14/100 000 in rural areas. Conclusions: The incidence and mortality pattern of bladder cancer were different in urban and rural areas. The incidence and mortality were higher in urban areas than that in rural areas, and higher for male than for female. We should focus on strengthening the prevention and control of bladder cancer in key population, especially men in urban areas.

An improved iterative wave function reconstruction algorithm in high-resolution transmission electron microscopy

Exit wavefunction reconstruction is a powerful image processing technique to enhance the resolution and the signal-to-noise ratio for atomic-resolution imaging in both aberration uncorrected and corrected transmission electron microscopes. The present study aims to improve the performance of the iterative wavefunction reconstruction algorithm in comparison not only with its conventional form but also with the popular commercial Trueimage software for exit wavefunction reconstruction. It is shown that by implementing a wave propagation procedure for refining its image alignment, the iterative wavefunction reconstruction algorithm can be greatly improved in accurately retrieving the wavefunctions while keeping its original advantages, which allow the reconstruction be performed with less images and a larger defocus step in the data set of through-focus image series. In addition, calculations of this algorithm can be accelerated drastically by the graphic processing unit (GPU) hardware programming using the popular computer unified device architecture language, whose computing speed can be 25-38 times as fast as a central processing unit (CPU) program.

[Trend of cancer mortality in Hebei province, 1973-2013]

Objective: To analyze the data of malignant tumor mortality and change in disease burden in Hebei province from 1973 to 2013. Methods: Cancer mortality rate, age-standardized mortality rate and the years of life lost due to premature mortality (YLLs) were calculated by using the data from three rounds of all death causes survey and database of cancer registry in Hebei during 1973-2013. Results: From 1973 to 2013, a linear upward of malignant tumor mortality was observed, with a 51.57% increase. The mortality rate during 1973-1975 was 98.52/100 000 and it was 149.33/100 000 during 2011-2013. During 1973-1975, the YLLs was 17.0/1 000 in males and 12.8/1 000 in females. While during 2011-2013, the YLLs was 23.2/1 000 in males and 15.9/1 000 in females. During 1973-1975, esophagus cancer, stomach cancer and liver cancer were top three leading causes of deaths. During 2011-2013, lung cancer, stomach cancer and liver cancer were main leading causes of deaths. During the past 40 years, the deaths of esophagus cancer and cervix cancer decreased dramatically, but the deaths of lung cancer and breast cancer increased sharply. Conclusions: The disease burden caused by malignant tumor is becoming more serious in Hebei. It is necessary to strengthen the primary prevention and screening of malignant tumor.

Sputum metabolomic profiling of bronchial asthma based on quadruple time-of-flight mass spectrometry

To improve diagnosis of asthma, we tend to confirm potential biomarkers by comparing sputum metabolome profiles between asthma patients and healthy controls, using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadruple time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF/MS). Thirty endogenous metabolites contributing to the separation of asthma patients and healthy controls were tentatively identified in positive mode, such as 1-hexadecanoyl-sn-glycerol, glycerol 1-stearate, sphingosine, Phe-Ser, Tyr-Ala and Phe-Gln, and 12 endogenous metabolites were identified in negative mode, such as cytidine 2',3'-cyclic phosphate, 1-hexadecanoyl-2-(9Z-octadecenoyl)-sn-glycero-3-phospho-(1'-rac-glycerol), 1-octadecanoyl-2-(9Z-octadecenoyl)-sn-glycero-3-phosphoserine, thymidine, gamma-L-glutamyl-L-valine and adenine. Those differential metabolites were mainly participatedin glycerophospholipid metabolism, retrograde endocannabinoid signaling and metabolic pathways in positive mode and 2-oxocarboxylic acid metabolism, biosynthesis of amino acids, phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis, valine, leucine and isoleucine degradation and metabolic pathways in negative mode. Importantly, several metabolic pathways including glycerophospholipid metabolism, inositol phosphate metabolism, and glycolysis or gluconeogenesis were found most important. These findings suggest sputum metabolomics can be used for the early diagnosis and risk prediction of asthma.

[Estimated of esophageal cancer incidence and mortality in China, 2013]

Objective: The National Central Cancer Registry (NCCR) collected esophageal data of local cancer registries in 2013 to estimate the incidence and mortality in China. Methods: Data submitted from 347 registries were evaluated and 255 registries' data are qualified by NCCR. Data of incidence and mortality were stratified with areas (urban/rural), gender and age group. Chinese population census in 2000 and Segi's population were used for age-standardized incidence/mortality. Results: All of 255 cancer registries covered a total of 226 494 490 population (111 595 772 in urban areas and 114 898 718 in rural areas). The morphology verified cases (MV%) of esophageal cancer accounted for 75.51% and 1.64% of incident cases were identified through death certifications only (DCO%) with mortality to incidence ratio of 0.75. The estimates of new esophageal cancer cases and deaths were 277 thousand and 206 thousand in China, respectively. The crude incidence rate of esophageal cancer in Chinese cancer registration areas was 20.35/10(5) (28.15/10(5) in male, 12.15/10(5) in female), age-standardized incidence rates by Chinese standard population (ASIRC) and by world standard population were 13.64/10(5) and 13.82/10(5) with the cumulative incidence rate (0-74 age years old) of 1.77%. The esophageal cancer incidence and ASIRC were 13.38/10(5) and 8.74/10(5) in urban areas whereas in rural areas, they were 28.44/10(5) and 19.56/10(5,) respectively. In rural areas, the crude incidence rate of esophageal cancer was 2.13 times higher than that in urban areas, and after age-standardized it remained 2.24 times higher. The esophageal cancer mortality in Chinese cancer registration areas was 15.17/10(5) (20.86/10(5) in male and 9.20/10(5) in female), age-standardized mortality by Chinese standard population (ASMRC) and by world standard population were 9.95/10(5) and 9.98/10(5,) with the cumulative mortality rate (0-74 age years old) of 1.20%. The esophageal cancer mortality and ASMRC were 10.12/10(5) and 6.46/10(5) in urban areas, whereas in rural areas, they were 21.05/10(5) and 14.16/10(5,) respectively. In rural areas, the esophageal cancer mortality and ASMRC were 2.08 and 2.19 times higher than those in urban areas. Esophageal cancer was the sixth common cancer and the fourth leading causes of cancer death, accounting for about 7.52% of all cancer cases and 9.26% of all cancer deaths. Conclusions: Esophageal cancer is one of the most common cancers in China. Screening and early detection are important to reduce the incidence and mortality.

[Isolation and biological characteristics on Yersinia pestis phage YP060]

OBJECTIVE

To isolate and identify the characteristics of Yersinia pestis phage YP060 from mice nests in Yunnan plague focus.

METHODS

Phage YP060 was isolated from Yunnan plague focus by double-layer agar plate method with attenuated vaccine Yersinia pestis strain EV76 as the host bacterium. Phage particle was observed under the electron microscope while biological properties of phage YP060 including lytic capacity, host spectrum, optimal multiplicity of infection (MOI), one-step growth curve, sensitivity to temperature, pH, ultraviolet ray and chloroform etc. were identified.

RESULTS

The particles of phage YP060 presented tadpoles-like features, with optimal multiplicity of infection as 0.1. Latent period and burst period appeared as 50 min and 80 min, respectively. The phage endured the temperature between 30-50 ℃, and it contained a stronger lysis activities in a range of pH 5 to 10. Phage YP060 was sensitive to ultraviolet rays but insensitive to chloroform while presented special lysic ability to Yersinia pestis.

CONCLUSION

Yersinia pestis phage YP060 was isolated for the first time from mice nests in plague natural focus in China. Our findings related to narrow host spectrum and stronger lysis activities.

Simple self-report FRAIL scale might be more closely associated with dialysis complications than other frailty screening instruments in rural chronic dialysis patients

AIM

Despite the perceived importance of frailty, few studies focus on its impact on rural patients undergoing chronic dialysis. Comparison of different self-report questionnaires in assessing frailty among these patients has not been attempted before.

METHODS

A prospectively enrolled chronic dialysis cohort from a rural centre was recruited for analysis. Six types of self-report questionnaires were administered to these patients. Clinical and dialysis-related laboratory parameters were collected. Correlation analyses between questionnaire results and dialysis complications were performed, and variables demonstrating significant correlations were entered into multivariate regression models to determine their independent associations.

RESULTS

Six types of questionnaire (Strawbridge questionnaire, Edmonton Frail Scale, simple FRAIL scale, Groningen Frail Indicator, G8 questionnaire, and Tilburg Frail Indicator) were provided to rural patients undergoing chronic dialysis. Scores from each questionnaire showed significant association with each other, except the G8 questionnaire. Scores from the simple FRAIL scale correlated significantly with age (P = 0.02), female gender (P = 0.03), higher Liu's comorbidity index (P = 0.02), lower serum albumin (P = 0.03) and creatinine levels (P < 0.01), and higher ferritin levels (P = 0.02). The other five questionnaires did not show consistently significant relationships with important dialysis-related complications. Multivariate linear regression analysis identified an independently negative association between serum albumin and the simple FRAIL scale results (P = 0.01).

CONCLUSION

This is the first study establishing the utility of different self-report questionnaires for assessing frailty in chronic dialysis patients. The simple FRAIL scale scores might demonstrate a closer relationship with dialysis-related complications.

Long-term combined chemical and manure fertilizations increase soil organic carbon and total nitrogen in aggregate fractions at three typical cropland soils in China

Soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and nitrogen (MBN) are important factors of soil fertility. However, effects of the combined chemical fertilizer and organic manure or straw on these factors and their relationships are less addressed under long-term fertilizations. This study addressed changes in SOC, TN, MBC and MBN at 0-20 cm soil depth under three 17 years (September 1990-September 2007) long-term fertilization croplands along a heat and water gradient in China. Four soil physical fractions (coarse free and fine free particulate organic C, cfPOC and ffPOC; intra-microaggregate POC, iPOC; and mineral associated organic C, MOC) were examined under five fertilizations: unfertilized control, chemical nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) (NPK), NPK plus straw (NPKS, hereafter straw return), and NPK plus manure (NPKM and 1.5NPKM, hereafter manure). Compared with Control, manure significantly increased all tested parameters. SOC and TN in fractions distributed as MOC > iPOC > cfPOC > ffPOC with the highest increase in cfPOC (329.3%) and cfPTN (431.1%), and the lowest in MOC (40.8%) and MTN (45.4%) under manure. SOC significantly positively correlated with MBC, cfPOC, ffPOC, iPOC and MOC (R(2) = 0.51-0.84, P < 0.01), while TN with cfPTN, ffPTN, iPTN and MTN (R(2) = 0.45-0.79, P < 0.01), but not with MBN, respectively. Principal component analyses explained 86.9-91.2% variance of SOC, TN, MBC, MBN, SOC and TN in each fraction. Our results demonstrated that cfPOC was a sensitive SOC indicator and manure addition was the best fertilization for improving soil fertility while straw return should take into account climate factors in Chinese croplands.

[Antigenic comparative analysis of Newcastle disease viruses with evolutional mutations in HN and F genes under antibody immune pressures]

In chicken fibroblast cell (CEF) cultures with antiserum against Newcastle disease virus (NDV) strain TZ060107, the virus was passed serially for 50 passages in 3 independent lineages. HN and F genes were amplified and sequenced every 10 passages. The derived virus A1-50 with most mutations among 3 lineages was further passed for another 50 passages in CEF with or without antiserum against A1-50, each in 3 independent lineages. Sequence comparisons for HN and F genes of 60, 70, 80, 90 and 100 passages indicated that the ratio of nonsynonymous mutations (NS) vs synonymous mutations (S) for HN genes in the lineages passed with antiserum against A1-50 was 5.25, which was obviously higher than 2. 375 of NS/ S in the lineages without the antiserum. The stable NS mutations occurred in the first 50 passages with the antiserum against the original TZ060107 were still maintained and one more new stable NS mutation appeared. For the F gene, 3 new stable NS mutations occurred during the second 50 passages in lineages with antiserum against A1-50 when the original NS mutations obtained in the first 50 passages with antiserum against TZ060107 still existed. Cross hemagglutination inhibition (HI) between original virus and its derivative viruses indicated that the more continuous passages in cell culture with antiserum passed, the bigger difference of antigenicity between the virus and the original virus had.

[The trends and preventive strategies of esophageal cancer in high-risk areas of Taihang Mountains, China]

OBJECTIVE

To analyze and predict the trends of incidence and mortality rates of esophageal cancer in areas of Taihang Mountains, and explore the strategies for facilitating the reduction of the incidence and mortality of esophageal cancer.

METHODS

The data were collected from Linxian and Cixian Counties registries between 1988-1997. The trends of the incidence and mortality rates for esophageal cancer had been fitted and predicted by the model of BP (Back Propagation) Neural Networks. Then Linqi Xiang in Linxian County was taken as an example, to determine the power for reducing incidence and mortality of esophageal cancer using endoscopic technology as an early detection and treatment method.

RESULTS

There were slowly declining trends for both incidence and mortality rates during past 10 years in Taihang Mountains. The predicting rates of the esophageal cancer incidence in 2,002 are 115. 70/100,000 for male and 79.88/100,000 for female; mortality rates are 94.00/100,000 and 56.29/100,000 respectively. Both incidence and mortality rates a still in high level. But when using endoscopic technology as an early detection and treatment method, the incidence rate is nearly 1/3 of a control group and the power is 88.30% at the end of eight years. The mortality rate is 1/4 of the control group and power is 89.44% after five years intervention (both powers based on 0.05 significant levels).

CONCLUSIONS

The incidence and mortality rates for esophageal cancer are still on high levels in Taihang Mountains. We should continue to enhance our preventive effort there. After using endoscopic technology as an early detection and treatment method, the incidence and mortality rates will be decreased markedly during 5 to 8 years. It is recommended to implement a large-scale secondary prevention strategy in these areas.

[Comparison between two diagnostic methods of computer's mathematic model and clinical diagnosis on TCM syndromes of rheumatoid arthritis]

Based on the test result of 14 trace elements in hair of 163 cases of rheumatoid arthritis, we used one of the methods of the computer's mathematic model, DYNAMIC to assign the patients to five groups among multidimensional space. Then, another method, M-DEC was used to diagnose it back on one plane. The result was compared with that by the usual clinical diagnosis, also five groups were obtained, the group of Deficiency of both Liver and Kidney, syndrome of intermingled Cold with Heat, Deficiency of Qi and Yin, syndrome of Dampness-Heat stagnating in collaterals and syndrome of Phlegm-Dampness stagnating in collaterals. And Kappa was 0.77, greater than 0.6. It displayed the consistency in observation of these two methods, which was shown reliable. After that, we have detected the sensitivity of the syndrome diagnosis by computer's mathematic model method, the result was 96.67% and the specificity of that was 95.15%. So we consider this method could give us an objective judgment on TCM syndromes of rheumatoid arthritis.

Urinary and biliary metabolites of pyrene in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

1. Pyrene was administered i.p. as a single dose to trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Urine was collected continuously for 3 days and bile sampled at the end of this period. Pyrene metabolites in these biological fluids were identified by 1H-nmr spectrometry, glc-ms and hplc-ms. 2. 1-Hydroxypyrene was the major oxidation metabolite in the urine and bile. Small amounts of 1,6-dihydroxypyrene and a putative 1,8-dihydroxypyrene metabolite also were detected. Unchanged pyrene was not found in any of these biological fluids. 3. Both free and conjugated metabolites of pyrene were found in the bile and urine. The majority of the pyrene metabolites in the bile were conjugated with glucuronic acid or sulphate.