Diffuse gastric polyposis in a young patient with a giant retroperitoneal mass: A case report.

Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is characterized by hundreds of colonic adenomatous polyps and extraintestinal manifestations beginning in adolescence and early adulthood. It is also one of the most common hereditary colorectal cancer syndromes. In this case study, a rare phenotype of FAP associated with diffuse gastric polyposis, colon oligo-polyposis, and a massive retroperitoneal mass is described. The results expand on the current body of knowledge of FAP and may represent a new phenotypic expression of FAP. Accurate evidence-based surveillance and management recommendations for this disease require further research and evaluation.

Proteomics-Based Identification of Candidate Exosomal Glycoprotein Biomarkers and Their Value for Diagnosing Colorectal Cancer.

Early diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC) significantly improves the survival rate and quality of life. Here we screened for differences in glycoproteins associated with tumor-derived exosomes and validated their clinical value to serve as liquid biopsy biomarkers to diagnosed early CRC. Exosomes were extracted from paracancerous tissues, cancer tissues, and plasma. LC-MS/MS proteomic and glycoproteomics analyses were performed using an LTQ-Orbitrap Elite mass spectrometer. The differences in glycoproteins associated with exosomes of paracancerous tissues and cancer tissue were determined, and their levels in plasma exosomes were determined. Statistical analysis was performed to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of exosome-associated glycoproteins for CRC. We found that the levels of fibrinogen beta chain (FGB) and beta-2-glycoprotein 1 (ß2-GP1) in the exosome of CRC tissue were significantly higher compared with those of paracancerous tissues exosome. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of plasma exosomal FGB and ß2-GP1 as biomarkers for CRC were 0.871 (95% CI = 0.786-0.914) and 0.834 (95% CI = 0.734-0.901), respectively, compared with those of the concentrations of carcinoembryonic antigen concentration [0.723 (95% CI = 0.679-0.853)] and carbohydrate antigen19-9 concentration [0.614 (95% CI = 0.543-0.715)]. Comprehensive proteomics analyses of plasma exosomal biomarkers in CRC identified biomarkers with significant diagnostic efficacy for early CRC, which can be measured using relatively non-invasive techniques.

[Decomposition dynamics of leaf litter in logging residue of a secondary Castanopsis carlesii plantation and its chemical composition changes].

A field experiment was conducted to understand the decomposition rates and chemical composition changes of leaf litter in logging residues of a 35-year-old secondary Castanopsis carlesii plantation over a period of one year. Mass loss rate of leaf litter showed an exponential decrease with time from May 2012 to April 2013, with a total 80% loss of initial dry mass. Net potassium (K) release was observed during this period, with only 5% of initial K remained. Nitrogen ( N) featured a pattern of accumulation at the early stage and release later, while phosphorus (P) exhibited a sequence of release, accumulation, and release. The remaining of N and P were 19% and 16% of their initial mass, respectively. The release rate was highest for K and the lowest for N. Decomposition of lignin indicated a trend of release-accumulation-release from May 2012 to October 2012, with no further significant change from November 2012 to the end of the experiment. The concentration of cellulose nearly unchanged during the experiment. The N/P rate increased with decomposition, ranging from 18.6 to 21.1. The lignin/N rate fluctuated greatly at the early stage and then almost stabilized thereafter.

Cathelicidin, an antimicrobial peptide produced by macrophages, promotes colon cancer by activating the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway.

Here we found that levels of cathelicidin, an antimicrobial peptide, were increased in colon cancer tissues compared to noncancerous tissues. Importantly, cathelicidin was mainly expressed in immune cells. Contact with tumor cells caused macrophages to secrete cathelicidin. Neutralization of cathelicidin, in vivo, significantly reduced the engraftment of macrophages into colon tumors, as well as proliferation of tumor cells, resulting in an inhibition of tumor growth. Furthermore, treatment with cathelicidin neutralizing antibody de-activated the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway in tumor cells both in vivo and in vitro. Cathelicidin activated Wnt/ß-catenin signaling by inducing phosphorylation of PTEN, leading to activation of PI3K/Akt signaling and subsequent phosphorylation of GSK3ß, resulting in stabilization and nuclear translocation of ß-catenin. These data indicate that cathelicidin, expressed by immune cells in the tumor microenvironment, promotes colon cancer growth through activation of the PTEN/PI3K/Akt and Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathways.

[Comparison on concentrations and quality of dissolved organic matter in throughfall and stemflow in a secondary forest of Castanopsis carlesii and Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation].

In this paper, monthly variation of dissolved organic matter (DOM) concentrations as well as humification and aromaticity indices in throughfall and stemflow from secondary broadleaved Castanopsis carlesii (BF) forest and Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation (CP) were measured. The DOC concentrations in throughfall were significantly higher with greater variation in BF than in CP. The concentrations of DOC in throughfall were averagely 7.2 and 3.2 times of those in rainfall in BF and CP forests, respectively. The DOC concentrations of stemflow in CP were averagely 2.5 times as much as those in BF, and the DOC concentrations in stemflow tended to be greater in dry season than in rain season for the two forests. A significantly negative relationship was' found between the DOC concentrations in stemflow and the amounts of stemflow for both BF and CP. Moreover, the humification and aromaticity indices of DOM in throughfall in BF was significantly greater than in CP. In contrast, the humification and aromaticity indices of DOM from stemflow of CP were significantly greater than those of BF. This result indicated that the structure of DOM from throughfall was more complex in BF than in CP, and the structure of DOM from stemflow was vice versa. These results indicated that DOM in stemflow and throughfall showed significant variations in quantity and quality between BF and CP and may greatly impact the accumulation of soil organic carbon.

[Meta-analysis of branched chain amino acid-enriched nutrition to improve hepatic function in patients undergoing hepatic operation].

OBJECTIVE: To perform a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the benefit of providing branched chain amino acid (BCAA)-enriched nutrition to improve hepatic function in patients undergoing hepatic operation. METHODS: The electronic databases of PubMed, Springerlink, the Chinese Biomedical Database (CBM), the Cochrane Library, and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) were searched for relevant RCTs using the following search terms: nutritional support, enteral nutrition, parenteral nutrition, hepatic/liver surgery, liver cirrhosis, cancer, hepatectomy, and liver transplantation. The quality of the retrieved RCTs was assessed according to the scale developed by the Cochrane Collaboration. The meta-analysis was conducted using RevMan software, version 5.2. RESULTS: A total of 11 relevant RCTs, representing 510 patients, were included in the meta-analysis. Compared to patients in the control (normal nutrition) group, the patients in the BCAA group experienced an effective improvement in hepatic function, as evidenced by significant decreases in total bilirubin (by 0.07 mumol/L; 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.18 to 0.05, P more than 0.05]. In addition, the BCAA group showed improvements in plasma levels of albumin (weighted mean difference (WMD) = 0.07; 95% CI: 0.06, 0.24, P less than 0.05) and alanine aminotransferase (WMD = +5.61; 95% CI: -8.63 to 19.86, P more than 0.05] but neither of the changes reached the threshold of a statistically significant improvement. The BCAA group did however show significantly lower complication rate after operation (65%, 95% CI: 0.48, 0.87, P less than 0.01] and mean duration of hospital stay (4.61 days; 95% CI: -6.61, -2.61, P less than 0.01]. CONCLUSION: BCAA-enriched nutrition improves hepatic function in patients undergoing hepatic operation, thereby helping to reduce the complication risk, duration of hospital stay, and financial burden. BCAA-enriched nutrition is a safe and effective therapy and further clinical application may be beneficial.

[Prognosis of patients with early enteral nutrition after gastrointestinal operation: a meta-analysis].

OBJECTIVE: To systematically assess the effect of early enteral nutrition support after gastrointestinal operation on prognosis. METHODS: The Cochrane Library, PubMed, CBM, CNKI, Wanfang, and VIP databases were retrieved via computer system for randomized controlled trails(RCTs) with early enteral nutrition support to patients undergoing gastrointestinal operation. Quality of studies was evaluated by the Cochrane Jadad rating scale. Nutrition indexes, bowel function indices, postoperative complications, health-economics indices were collected. Meta-analysis was conducted with RevMan 5.2. RESULTS: Eleven relevant RCTs studies with 1087 cases were enrolled, including 541 patients in the study group(early enteral nutrition) and 546 in the control group. Meta-analysis showed that patients in the study group had significantly higher levels of plasma albumin and prealbumin than those in the control group(WMD=2.87, 95%CI:1.03-4.71; WMD=0.04, 95%CI:0.02-0.05). The time of postoperative bowel ventilation in the study group was significantly shorter than that in the control group(WMD=4.10, 95%CI:-5.38--2.82). The postoperative complication rate in the study group was significantly lower as compared to the control group(RR=0.64, 95%CI:0.44-0.93). CONCLUSION: Early enteral nutrition support after gastrointestinal operation is safe and effective, which can improve the nutritional status, promote bowel function return, and reduce postoperative complication rate.

The association of matrix metalloproteinase-1 genetic polymorphism (-1607 1G>2G) with colorectal cancer: a meta-analysis.

Several case-control studies on the relation between matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1 gene -1607 1G>2G polymorphism and colorectal cancer do not have similar conclusions. The previous two meta-analyses focusing on the same issue also were inconsistent. To further evaluate the relation between the MMP-l gene polymorphism and colorectal cancer, we selected eight case-control studies related to MMP-1 gene polymorphism and colorectal cancer by searching MEDLINE, Embase, CANCERLIT, American Association for Cancer Research, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, Chinese CNKI, and Wanfang database. Q test and I (2) test were used to test the heterogeneity. We utilized the random effects model to calculate the odds ratio (OR), 95% confidence interval (CI), and the overall effect of P value using the RevMan 5.2 software. The present study included 1,403 patients with colorectal cancer and 1,754 healthy control subjects. Both -1607 2G/2G genotype carriers [OR = 1.59, 95 % CI (1.27-2.01); P < 0.001] and the -1607 2G allele carriers [OR = 1.26, 95% CI (1.05-1.51); P = 0.01] were found to have an increased risk of colorectal cancer. Therefore, we concluded that MMP-1 -1607 1G>2G polymorphism was associated with colorectal cancer.

CD146 expression correlates with epithelial-mesenchymal transition markers and a poor prognosis in gastric cancer.

CD146 has been regarded as a novel potential therapeutic target for multiple cancers. The aim of the study was to investigate the expression of CD146 in gastric cancer and evaluate its clinical-pathological and prognostic significance. The expression of CD146 and three epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related proteins (E-cadherin, ß-catenin and vimentin) was examined in 144 gastric cancers by immunohistochemistry. Fifty-nine cases (41.0%) were defined as positive for CD146 expression. We found that CD146 expression correlated positively with lymph node involvement and a poor prognosis, and retained an independent prognostic factor for gastric cancer patients. Furthermore, positive expression of CD146 was strongly associated with loss of the epithelial marker E-cadherin and acquisition of the expression of the mesenchymal markers nuclear ß-catenin and vimentin. These findings suggest that CD146 might promote EMT and progression in gastric cancer, and thus may be a potential therapeutic target for patients with gastric cancers.

Isolated pancreatic granulocytic sarcoma: a case report and review of the literature.

Granulocytic sarcoma (GS) is an extramedullary tumor mass consisting of immature myeloid cells. Isolated pancreatic granulocyte sarcoma is extremely rare. We report a very unusual pancreatic granulocytic sarcoma in a patient without acute myeloid leukemia. The patient presented with acute epigastric pain because of splenic infarction due to a mass consisting of myeloblasts in the pancreatic tail. The patients underwent splenectomy and distal pancreatectomy. Pathology and immunohistochemistry suggested a GS. Despite local surgery, an isolated tumor recurred 2 mo after operation and the patient died 3 mo after removal of the tumor. Only 7 reported cases of pancreatic GS were identified in the literature and the mass was located in the pancreatic head. This is the first report of GS in the pancreatic tail with splenic infarction.

Sampling survey of disability in 0-6 year-old children in China.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the current status of disabled children and prevalence of disabilities in children aged 0-6 years and their risk factors, and to provide scientific evidence for making relevant policies for disabled children. METHODS: In a community-based cross-sectional study, multi-phase, stratified, unequal proportional and cluster sampling was adopted to survey 60 124 children aged 0-6 years. All the investigated children were screened for disabilities, and those with positive screening tests were further diagnosed by various specialties. RESULTS: A total of 819 children were diagnosed as disabled with an overall prevalence of 1.362%, 0.155% for hearing disability, 0.160% for visual disability, 0.931% for intelligent disability, 0.424% for limb disability, and 0.101% for mental disability. Prevalence of disability in children was higher in rural areas, and in families with two or more children, low educational level or in divorced families. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of disability can be reduced by economic development, improvement of health care and quality of population, as well as harmonious familial relationship, early prevention of disability, and preschool education for disabled children.

[Significance of detection of K-ras gene mutations and CA19-9 in serum for diagnosis of pancreatic carcinoma].

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: The early diagnosis of pancreatic carcinoma is difficult. The serum tumor markers such as CA19-9 have a relatively high sensitivity but with low specificity. The oncogene K-ras is frequently mutated in pancreatic carcinoma and with high specificity. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of detection of K-ras mutation combined with serum content of CA19-9 as an approach for diagnosis of pancreatic carcinoma. METHODS: Serum DNA was extracted from 39 patients with pancreatic carcinoma. Mutation enriched polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was used to determine codon 12 mutations of K-ras. Serum content of CA19-9 was determined by radioimmunoassay. In addition, the sera from 17 patients with other pancreatic diseases and 21 healthy individuals were also analyzed as control. RESULTS: K-ras gene mutations at codon 12 were detected in the sera of 71.79%(28/39) patients with pancreatic carcinoma and 11.76%(2/17) of patients with benign pancreatic tumors. The positive rates of CA19-9 were 71.79% and 41.18%, respectively. Parallel combined test increased the diagnostic sensitivity to 94.87%; and serial combined test increased the diagnostic specificity to 94.12%. Negative results of K-ras gene and CA19-9 were obtained in all sera from healthy controls. CONCLUSION: Combined detection of K-ras mutation and CA19-9 could increase the sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing pancreatic carcinoma, and would seem to be merited in clinic.

[In situ gene therapy for murine gastric carcinoma with UPRT/5-FU enzyme/prodrug system mediated by retrovirus].

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: 5-Fluorouracil(5-FU), a widely used chemotherapeutic drug, has a limited overall effect in the treatment of human solid tumors due to resistance. This study was designed to investigate if antitumor activation of 5-FU could be enhanced by transfection of uracil phosphoribosyltransferase(UPRT) gene. METHODS: The UPRT gene encoding uracil phosphoribosyltransferase was amplified from Escherichia Coli K12 genome and subcloned into retrovirus expression vector pLXSN, Recombinant retrovirus was packaged and used further to infect murine gastric cancer cell line MFC. The sensitivity of MFC transfected with UPRT gene to 5-FU was determined by MTT method. In situ gene therapy was performed by regional repeated injections of concentrated and purified recombinant retrovirus carrying UPRT gene intratumorally and followed by administration of 5-FU intraperitoneally(i.p.). RESULTS: The 5-FU sensitivity in MFC transfected with the UPRT gene increased 17.26-fold compared to the control cells. In situ transfection of the UPRT gene mediated by retrovirus vector followed by the administration of 5-FU (10 mg/kg) significantly inhibited the tumor growth (P < 0.005) with an inhibition rate of 87.18% and prolonged the survival. CONCLUSION: Transfection of UPRT gene can render the murine gastric cancer cell line MFC be more sensitive to low concentration of 5-FU and significantly improve the antitumor effect of 5-FU both in vitro and in vivo.