STAT3-EphA7 axis contributes to the progression of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Our previous study has revealed that EphA7 was upregulated in patient-derived esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) xenografts with hyper-activated STAT3, but its mechanism was still unclear. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To assess the association between EphA7 and STAT3, western blotting, immunofluorescence, ChIP assay, and qRT-PCR were conducted. Truncated mutation and luciferase assay were performed to examine the promoter activity of EphA7. CCK-8 assay and colony formation were performed to assess the proliferation of ESCC. Cell-derived xenograft models were established to evaluate the effects of EphA7 on ESCC tumor growth. RNA-seq analyses were used to assess the effects of EphA7 on related signals. RESULTS: In this study, EphA7 was found upregulated in ESCC cell lines with high STAT3 activation, and immunofluorescence also showed that EphA7 was co-localized with phospho-STAT3 in ESCC cells. Interestingly, suppressing STAT3 activation by the STAT3 inhibitor Stattic markedly inhibited the protein expression of EphA7 in ESCC cells, in contrast, activation of STAT3 by IL-6 obviously upregulated the protein expression of EphA7. Moreover, the transcription of EphA7 was also mediated by the activation of STAT3 in ESCC cells, and the -2000∼-1500 region was identified as the key promoter of EphA7. Our results also indicated that EphA7 enhanced the cell proliferation of ESCC, and silence of EphA7 significantly suppressed ESCC tumor growth. Moreover, EphA7 silence markedly abolished STAT3 activation-derived cell proliferation of ESCC. Additionally, RNA-seq analyses indicated that several tumor-related signaling pathways were significantly changed after EphA7 downregulation in ESCC cells. CONCLUSION: Our results showed that the transcriptional expression of EphA7 was increased by activated STAT3, and the STAT3 signaling may act through EphA7 to promote the development of ESCC.

Effect of vacuum cooling on stability of macro-porous sausage during refrigerated storage-Vacuum-cooled sausage has a longer shelf life.

In this study, two types of cooling methods (vacuum cooling and air cooling) were used to cool cooked macro-porous sausage. Alterations in the microbiological conditions, pH, instrumental color (L*, a*, and b*), total volatile nitrogenous bases (TVB-N), lipid oxidation (TBARS), water activity (aW), moisture content, and texture indicators were evaluated to determine sausages' quality changes during storage under refrigeration for up to 10 days. In general, the shelf life of sausages chilled by vacuum cooling (8 days) was similar to that of sausages cooled by air cooling (9 days). For pH, no significant difference (p > .05) was obtained between two cooling methods. However, vacuum-cooled sausages have lower L* value (p < .05), lower moisture content, and water activity compared with the air-cooled sausages. However, sausages cooled by vacuum cooling showed a sharp increase in TBARS and TVB-N values but maintained texture characteristics for a longer time compared with air-cooled sausages. Although the results indicated that the quality of sausages treated by those two methods remarkably decreased after 7 days, characteristics of sausages cooled by vacuum cooling are better within accepted standards compared with air-cooled sausages. In conclusion, vacuum cooling can be a feasible cooling method with great potential to be used in cooked macro-porous sausages to maintain the quality and may provide reference experiences for the food with similar structure.

Changes in left ventricular function and contractile homogeneity in young adults with newly diagnosed hyperthyroidism due to Graves' disease.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate myocardial dysfunction and mechanical abnormalities in young patients with Graves' disease before therapy, using two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography. METHODS: We performed a comprehensive transthoracic echocardiographic examination, including segmental and global radial strain, and time-to-peak radial strain, in 47 young patients with hyperthyroidism and 34 healthy adults. The time-to-peak radial strain was corrected by RR interval. The variables derived from radial myocardial deformation by the six-basal, six-mid, and six-apical segmental model were compared to investigate the difference of the myocardial function between the two groups. RESULTS: Early diastolic mitral inflow velocity, E/A ratio, early diastolic mitral annular velocity, and e'/a' ratio were lower in patients with Graves' disease than in controls. The left ventricular end-diastolic volume, left ventricular end-systolic volume, stroke volume, cardiac output, heart rate, late diastolic mitral inflow velocity, and late diastolic mitral annular velocity were slightly higher in patients than in controls. Radial strain, global radial strain, and corrected time-to-peak radial strain were lower in the patient group. CONCLUSIONS: The decreased radial strain, global radial strain, and corrected time-to-peak radial strain in young patients with newly diagnosed hyperthyroidism due to Graves' disease could serve as an early sign of subclinical cardiac involvement.

Diagnosis and surgical treatment of 98 cases with adult primary retroperitoneal malignant tumor / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the diagnosis and surgical treatment of adult primary retroperitoneal malignant tumor (APRMT).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The clinical data of 98 cases with APRMT underwent resection from January 1990 to April 2003 were analyzed retrospectively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Among the 98 cases, complete excision were performed in 79 cases (80.6%), palliative excision in 16 cases (16.3%), tumor biopsy only in 3 cases (3.1%). Resection of involved adjacent organs were carried out in 25 cases (25.5%) and the re-operation rate for recurrence was 28.6% (28 cases). The 1, 3, 5 year survival rates for 79 cases with complete resection were 93.7%, 73.4% and 34.2%, respectively. The 1, 3, 5 year survival rate for 16 cases with palliative resection were 75.0%, 6.3% and 6.3%, respectively.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Certain imaging examinations are crucial to the diagnosis and preoperative evaluation of APRMT. Resection of the involved organs could improve resection rate and prognosis. For the recurrent cases, earlier reoperation is strongly recommended.</p>