[Effect of electroacupuncture on colonic autophagy and AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway in rats with acute ulcerative colitis].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture （EA） at "Zhongwan" （CV12）, "Tianshu" （ST25） and "Shangjuxu" （ST37） （an acupoint prescription "Changbingfang" for treatment of intestinal disorders） on autophagy and expression of AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway in rats with ulcerative colitis （UC）, so as to explore its mechanism underlying improvement of UC. METHODS: Thirty-two male SD rats were randomly divided into control, model, medication and EA groups, with 8 rats in each group. The UC model was established by free drinking of 5% dextran sulfate sodium salt solution for 7 days. EA stimulation （10 Hz/50 Hz） was delivered to CV12, ST25 and ST37 for 20 min, once a day for 3 consecutive days. Rats of the medication group received gavage of mesalazine suspension （200 mg/kg） once a day, 3 times in total. The rats' general conditions were recorded for calculating the disease activity index （DAI） score （0-4 points）. Histomorphological changes of colon were observed via HE staining. The levels of serum interleukin 6 （IL-6）, tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） and IL-10 were measured by ELISA. The mRNA expressions of LC3B and p62 were tested by fluorescence quantitative PCR. Western blot was used to detect the expression levels of LC3B, p62 and AMPK/mTOR pathway related proteins in colon tissues. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the DAI score, contents of serum IL-6 and TNF-α, the expression levels of p62 protein and mRNA, ratio of p-mTOR/mTOR were significantly increased （P<0.01）； while the content of serum IL-10, the expression levels of LC3B mRNA, ratio of LC3BⅡ/LC3BⅠ and p-AMPK/AMPK were decreased （P<0.01, P<0.05） in the model group. Relevant to the model group, modeling-induced increases of DAI score, serum IL-6, TNF-α and IL-10 contents, expressions of p62 protein and mRNA, LC3B mRNA, ratio of p-mTOR/mTOR, LC3BⅡ/LC3BⅠ and p-AMPK/AMPK were reversed in both medication and EA groups （P<0.01, P<0.05）. The effect of EA was apparently superior to that of mesalazine in up-regulating ratio of LC3BⅡ/LC3BⅠ and p-AMPK/AMPK, p62 mRNA expression （P<0.01, P<0.05）, and in down-regulating ratio of p-mTOR/mTOR （P<0.05）. H.E. staining showed severe damage of the colonic mucosal barrier with infiltration of a large number of inflammatory cells in the model group, which was milder in medication and EA groups. CONCLUSION: EA of acupoint recipe "Changbingfang" can improve the symptoms in UC rats, which may be related to its functions in promoting colonic autophagy, increasing AMPK phosphorylation level, and decreasing mTOR phosphorylation level.

Unpaired Artistic Portrait Style Transfer via Asymmetric Double-Stream GAN.

With the development of image style transfer technologies, portrait style transfer has attracted growing attention in this research community. In this article, we present an asymmetric double-stream generative adversarial network (ADS-GAN) to solve the problems that caused by cartoonization and other style transfer techniques when they are applied to portrait photos, such as facial deformation, contours missing, and stiff lines. By observing the characteristics between source and target images, we propose an edge contour retention (ECR) regularized loss to constrain the local and global contours of generated portrait images to avoid the portrait deformation. In addition, a content-style feature fusion module is introduced for further learning of the target image style, which uses a style attention mechanism to integrate features and embeds style features into content features of portrait photos according to the attention weights. Finally, a guided filter is introduced in content encoder to smooth the textures and specific details of source image, thereby eliminating its negative impact on style transfer. We conducted overall unified optimization training on all components and got an ADS-GAN for unpaired artistic portrait style transfer. Qualitative comparisons and quantitative analyses demonstrate that the proposed method generates superior results than benchmark work in preserving the overall structure and contours of portrait; ablation and parameter study demonstrate the effectiveness of each component in our framework.

Tunable plasmonic filter based on parallel bulk Dirac semimetals at terahertz frequencies.

A plasmonic bandpass filter based on parallel bulk Dirac semimetals (BDSs) is proposed and numerically investigated using the finite-difference time-domain method. The proposed filter is realized by the evanescent coupling between the resonator and waveguide, and Fabry-Parot resonant theory is used to analyze its realization mechanism. The performance of the filter can be tuned by changing the coupling distance, length of the resonator, and Fermi levels of the BDSs. We further simulate a plasmonic broadband filter using coupling mode splitting by locating two identical resonators along the waveguide direction. The pass band of the proposed broadband filter can be tuned by adjusting the coupling distances between the resonators and waveguide.

Large left paraduodenal hernia with intestinal ischemia: a case report and literature review.

A left paraduodenal hernia is a rare type of internal hernia but the most common type of peritoneal recess hernia. Preoperative diagnosis of a left paraduodenal hernia is difficult because of its nonspecific clinical manifestations, and it is often confused with other causes of acute abdomen. Diagnosis is therefore often delayed, resulting in serious clinical outcomes. We herein report a case of a large paraduodenal hernia with small intestinal obstruction and ischemia without abdominal pain. The patient was successfully discharged after emergency hernia repair. This case reveals the importance of diagnosing a left paraduodenal hernia with or without abdominal pain, especially in patients with no history of abdominal surgery.

Malnutrition-Related Factors Increased the Risk of Anastomotic Leak for Rectal Cancer Patients Undergoing Surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To study the possible risk factors and related prediction indexes of anastomotic leakage (AL) in patients with rectal cancer during the perioperative period and to provide effective indexes for predicting whether AL will occur in postoperative patients with rectal cancer and whether early nutritional support is needed. BACKGROUND: AL after rectal cancer surgery is a common and serious complication. Many of the risk factors for AL have been confirmed. Nevertheless, the evidence of the effect of perioperative malnutrition on AL is still insufficient. This article will make a further study on this point. METHODS: We collected perioperative clinical data from 382 patients with rectal cancer who underwent surgery from September 2015 to May 2017. After 1 month of follow-up, relevant risk factor data were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: Data analysis showed that the incidence of AL was 14.65%. In single factor analysis, patients with high score of NRS-2002, high score of PG-SGA, diabetes, perioperative blood transfusion, postoperative diarrhea, later tumor stage, high score of ASA, low postoperative albumin, and rectal cancer patients with tumor close to the anus may led to AL. Multivariate analysis revealed that low postoperative albumin (p = 0.044), tumor close to the anus (p = 0.004), diabetes (p = 0.003), perioperative blood transfusion (p < 0.001), diarrhea (p = 0.005), later tumor stage, and high score of PG-SGA (p < 0.001) were the independent risk factors for postoperative AL. CONCLUSIONS: AL in rectal cancer operation is a common postoperative complication. Patients with diabetes or high PG-SGA score or low perioperative albumin will have increased risk factors of AL, which should be paid enough attention in the perioperative period and nutritional support should be provided as soon as possible. Patients who have incomplete intestinal obstruction but can make effective intestinal preparation or who receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy have no increased risk of AL.

Application of Logging While Drilling Tool in Formation Boundary Detection and Geo-steering.

Logging while drilling (LWD) plays a crucial role in geo-steering, which can determine the formation boundary and resistivity in real time. In this study, an efficient inversion, which can accurately invert formation information in real time on the basis of fast-forward modeling, is presented. In forward modeling, the Gauss-Legendre quadrature combined with the continued fraction method is used to calculate the response of the LWD instrument in a layered formation. In inversion modeling, the Levenberg-Marquardt (LM) algorithm, combined with the line search method of the Armijo criterion, are used to minimize the cost function, and a constraint algorithm is added to ensure the stability of the inversion. A positive and negative sign is added to the distance parameter to determine whether the LWD instrument is located above or below the formation boundary. We have carried out a series of experiments to verify the accuracy of the inversion. The experimental results suggest that the forward algorithm can make the infinite integral of the Bessel function rapidly converge, and accurately obtain the response of the LWD instrument in a layered formation. The inversion can accurately determine the formation resistivity and boundary in real time. This is significant for geological exploration.

Retraction: MicroRNA-371-5p targets SOX2 in gastric cancer.

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.8289.].

Silencing Formin-like 2 inhibits growth and metastasis of gastric cancer cells through suppressing internalization of integrins.

BACKGROUND: Formin-like 2 (FMNL2) is a member of Formin family which governs cytokinesis, cellular polarity and morphogenesis. Dysregulation of FMNL2 has been discovered in cancers and is closely related to cancers. However, the role of FMNL2 in gastric cancer remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of FMNL2 in gastric cancer cells. METHODS: A FMNL2-specific shRNA was employed to decrease the endogenous expression of FMNL2. Then the degree of proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion of gastric cancer cells was assessed by MTT assay, flow cytometry, wound healing assay and transwell assay, respectively. The expression and distribution of FMNL2 and protein kinase C (PKC) α was detected by immunofluorescence. The internalization of integrins was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: Our results showed that silencing FMNL2 suppressed proliferation, migration and invasion, and induced apoptosis of gastric cancer cells. The integrin internalization induced by PKC was declined by FMNL2 silencing. CONCLUSIONS: Our study reveals that silencing FMNL2 suppresses growth and metastasis of gastric cancer cells. Modulation on integrin internalization may be implicated in the role of FMNL2 in growth and migration of gastric cancer cells. Our study indicates that FMNL2 may become a potential therapeutic target for gastric cancer.

Management of hemorrhage in gastrointestinal stromal tumors: a review.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are relatively common mesenchymal tumors. They originate from the wall of hollow viscera and may be found in any part of the digestive tract. The prognosis of patients with stromal tumors depends on various risk factors, including size, location, presence of mitotic figures, and tumor rupture. Emergency surgery is often required for stromal tumors with hemorrhage. The current literature suggests that stromal tumor hemorrhage indicates poor prognosis. Although the optimal treatment options for hemorrhagic GISTs are based on surgical experience, there remains controversy with regard to optimum postoperative management as well as the classification of malignant potential. This article reviews the biological characteristics, diagnostic features, prognostic factors, treatment, and postoperative management of GISTs with hemorrhage.

Gastrointestinal Bleeding Is an Independent Risk Factor for Poor Prognosis in GIST Patients.

A retrospective analysis of prognosis of GIST was used to assess the prognostic effects of hemorrhage of digestive tract induced by mucosal invasion of primary gastrointestinal stromal tumors and related mechanisms. The conclusion is that GISTs with gastrointestinal hemorrhage are more likely to recur, which indicates poor prognosis. Therefore, gastrointestinal hemorrhage may be used as a significant indicator to assess the prognosis of patients.

MicroRNA-371-5p targets SOX2 in gastric cancer.

We evaluated miR-371-5p expression in gastric cancer (GC) tissues and its influence on the expression of downstream genes, especially SOX2. MiR-371-5p expression (measured using qRT-PCR) was upregulated in GC tissues and correlated positively with TNM staging and lymph node (LN) metastasis. MiR-371-5p expression was higher in human GC cell lines (AGS, MKN-28, BGC-823, MGC-803, SGC-7901 and MKN-45) than in human normal gastric epithelial (GES-1) cells (all P < 0.05). MGC-803 tumor cell growth (measured with an MTT assay), migration, and invasion (measured with Transwell chamber assays) were severely inhibited in cells transfected with a miR-371-5p inhibitor, whereas they were stimulated in cells transfected with SOX2 siRNA or miR-371-5p inhibitor + SOX2 siRNA. Expression of SOX2 mRNA and protein (assessed with qRT-PCR and Western blot) were greatly enhanced in the miR-371-5p inhibitor group. These results indicate that miR-371-5p expression is strongly upregulated in GC tissues and negatively correlated with SOX2 expression, while miR-371-5p expression is inversely related to proliferation, TNM stage, and LN metastasis of GC cells. Suppression of miR-371-5p may inhibit the growth and invasion of MGC-803 GC cells by upregulating SOX2 expression.

Graphene-based electromagnetically induced transparency with coupling Fabry-Perot resonators.

We investigate the plasmonic analog of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) using two adjacent graphene-based Fabry-Perot (F-P) resonators side coupling to a nanoribbon waveguide. By the coupling mode theory in time and F-P resonant model, the destructive interference from the coupling of the two F-P resonators results in the EIT-like optical response. The induced peak and width of the transparency window can be dynamically manipulated by varying the coupling distance of the two resonators, and the transparent window is easily shifted by tuning the resonator length or the chemical potential of the graphene nanoribbon. In order to verify the characteristics of slow light, the group index profile is analyzed at different coupling distances. The proposed graphene-based EIT-like system could open up new opportunities for potential applications in plasmonic slow light and optical information buffering devices.

Octamer transcription factor 1 mediates epithelial-mesenchymal transition in colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common cancer types worldwide. Octamer transcription factor 1 (OCT1) is associated with tumor progression and a poor patient survival rate. However, little is known regarding the effect of OCT1 in CRC. Moreover, because the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a key player in metastasis, whether OCT1 induces EMT in CRC remains unclear. In the present study, we investigate the role of OCT1 in CRC and its expression pattern and clinical significance. The expression of OCT1 in CRC tissues and the adjacent noncancerous tissues was detected using quantitative real-time PCR (QRT-PCR), Western blot, and immunohistochemistry analyses. In addition, silencing of OCT1 with small interfering RNA (siRNA) was performed in CRC cell lines, and the impact on proliferation, migration, and the EMT marker of CRC was analyzed. Our results found that OCT1 levels were significant higher in CRC tissues compared with the adjacent noncancerous tissues. Furthermore, OCT1 siRNA significantly reduced the proliferation rate of SW620 and LoVo cells, inhibited the migration and invasion, and could reverse EMT in these two CRC cells, indicating that OCT1 plays a critical role in CRC progression.

Plasmonic bandpass filter based on graphene nanoribbon.

A plasmonic bandpass filter based on graphene is proposed and numerically investigated using the finite-difference time-domain method. The proposed filter has a very simple structure, including two graphene nanoribbon waveguides laterally coupled to a graphene ribbon resonator. The transmission efficiency can be tuned by altering the coupling distance between the ribbons. At the same time, the variation of the transmission spectra is investigated by tuning the size of the graphene resonant ribbon. Notably, due to the unique electronic tunability of graphene, the transmission spectra can be freely tuned in a broad frequency range by choosing the chemical potential, which exhibits more flexible tunability than that used in conventional metallic devices. Attributed to the standing wave distribution of different modes excited in the graphene resonant ribbon, the proposed filter can be used for the plasmonic device with the capability of band selection or power splitting by locating the output waveguide ports in the suitable positions.

Folate-decorated anticancer drug and magnetic nanoparticles encapsulated polymeric carrier for liver cancer therapeutics.

Nanoparticulate system with theranostic applications has attracted significant attention in cancer therapeutics. In the present study, we have developed a novel composite PLGA NP co-encapsulated with anticancer drug (sorafenib) and magnetic NP (SPION). We have successfully developed nanosized folate-conjugated PEGylated PLGA nanoparticles (SRF/FA-PEG-PLGA NP) with both anticancer and magnetic resonance property. We have showed that FA-conjugated NP exhibits sustained drug release and enhanced cellular uptake in BEL7402 cancer cells. The targeted NP effectively suppressed the tumor cell proliferation and has improved the anticancer efficacy than that of free drug or non-targeted one. Additionally, enhanced MRI properties demonstrate this formulation has good imaging agent characteristics. Finally, SRF/FA-PEG-PLGA NP effectively inhibited the colony forming ability indicating its superior anticancer effect. Together, these multifunctional nanoparticles would be most ideal to improve the therapeutic response in cancer and holds great potential to be a part of future nanomedicine. Our unique approach could be extended for multiple biomedical applications.

Diagnosis and treatment of intrahepatic biliary cystadenoma: experience with 14 cases in a single center.

Intrahepatic biliary cystadenoma (IHBCA) is a rare type of liver tumor. There are no specific diagnostic methods for IHBCA, so its preoperative diagnostic rate is still fairly low. The aims of this study were to evaluate the clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment of IHBCA. We retrospectively analyzed data from 14 patients treated in our hospital from January 2004 to April 2014. Eleven patients (78.6 %) were female, and the average age was 48.0 years (range 16-77 years). The most common clinical symptoms were abdominal discomfort (i.e., abdominal pain), reported in seven cases (50 %), and fullness after eating, reported in two cases (14.3 %). Jaundice was a less common symptom reported in one case (7.1 %). Four patients (28.6 %) were asymptomatic. Enhanced computed tomography (CT) scan showed multilocular or internal septations in 11 cases (78.6 %) and papillary projections or mural nodules on the cyst wall in one case (7.1 %). After injection of a contrast agent, the cyst walls or septations were slightly enhanced in nine cases (64.3 %). All 14 patients underwent surgical resection. Only one case showed recurrence (2 years postoperatively); the remaining 13 patients were recurrence-free. Intrahepatic biliary cystadenoma often occurs in middle-aged women. The main clinical symptoms are abdominal fullness with a sense of pain and jaundice. Enhanced CT is the main preoperative diagnostic method. Radical resection is the best treatment for IHBCA and can effectively prevent recurrence.

Aberrant promoter methylation of the vimentin gene may contribute to colorectal carcinogenesis: a meta-analysis.

This meta-analysis of published cohort studies was conducted to evaluate how closely the promoter methylation of the vimentin gene is correlated with the pathogenesis of colorectal carcinogenesis (CRC). The Web of Science (1945 ~ 2013), Cochrane Library Database (issue 12, 2013), PubMed (1966 ~ 2013), EMBASE (1980 ~ 2013), CINAHL (1982 ~ 2013), and Chinese Biomedical Database (CBM) (1982 ~ 2013) were searched without language restrictions. Meta-analyses were conducted using Stata software (Version 12.0, Stata Corporation, College Station, TX, USA). Odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (95 %CI) were calculated. Seven clinical cohort studies with a total of 467 CRC subjects met our inclusion criteria. Our meta-analysis results demonstrated that the frequency of vimentin promoter methylation in cancer tissues was significantly higher than in normal and benign tissues (cancer tissues vs. normal tissues: OR = 32.41, 95 %CI = 21.04 ~ 49.93, P < 0.001; cancer tissues vs. benign tissues: OR = 1.60, 95 %CI 1.05 ~ 2.42, P = 0.028). Ethnicity-stratified analysis indicated that the frequency of aberrant vimentin promoter methylation was correlated with the pathogenesis of CRC in both Asians and Caucasians. The findings of our meta-analysis confirm that vimentin methylation may play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of CRC.

[Clinicopathological significance of the expression of carbonic anhydrase II in human pancreatic invasive ductal cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinicopathological significance of the expression of carbonic anhydrase (CA)II protein and mRNA in primary invasive ductal cancer (IDC) of human pancreas. METHODS: The expression of CAII protein in 33 paired paraffin embedded IDC specimens of the pancreas and paired adjacent non-cancerous pancreatic tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry. Western blot and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were used to examine the expression of CAII protein and mRNA level in 12 paired fresh IDC specimens of the pancreas and adjuvant non-cancerous pancreatic tissues. The relationship between the protein expression and clinicopathological features was analyzed. RESULTS: Overexpression of CAII protein was shown in 11 cases of pancreatic IDC tissues (33.3%, 11/33), which was much lower than that in paired non-cancerous pancreatic tissues (72.7%, t = 6.275, P = 0.000). The expression of CAII protein had no correlation with tumor position (χ² = 0.992, P = 0.319), differentiation (χ² = 0.866, P = 0.352), TNM stage (χ² = 1.210, P = 0.271) and Lymph node metastasis (χ² = 0.798, P = 0.372), but had bordering statistic sig with the prognosis of the patients (χ² = 3.233, P = 0.072). The median survival time in the patients with high expression of CAII protein was 540 days, while that in the patients with low expression was 320 days. The expression of CAII protein and mRNA was lower in IDC than that in paired non-cancerous pancreatic tissues detected by Western blot and RT-PCR respectively (t = 3.399, P = 0.006; t = 2.281, P = 0.043). CONCLUSION: CAII is down regulated in pancreatic IDC and might be relative with the prognosis.

[Clinicopathological significance of the expression of carbonic anhydrase I and II in human pancreatic cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinicopathological significance of the expression of carbonic anhydrase I (CAI) and carbonic anhydrase II (CAII) protein and mRNA levels in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). METHODS: The expression of CAI and CAII protein in 57 pairs of paraffin-embedded PDAC specimens and adjacent non-cancerous pancreatic tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry. The relationship between the protein expression and clinicopathological characters was analyzed. Western blot and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (QRT-PCR) were used to examine the expression of CAI and CAII protein and mRNA levels in 16 paired fresh PDAC specimens, adjacent non-cancerous pancreatic tissues and 3 different differentiated pancreatic cancer cells (PANC-1, BxPC-3 & SW1990). RESULTS: The expression of CAI protein was higher in PDAC compared with that in paired non-cancerous pancreatic tissues (t = 2.395, P = 0.020), whereas, CAII expression was significantly lower in PDAC than that in paired non-cancerous pancreatic tissues (t = 4.296, P = 0.000). The expression of CAI and CAII protein had a positive correlation with tumor differentiation (χ(2) = 7.557, P = 0.023; χ(2) = 7.822, P = 0.020) and CAI showed a direct negative correlation with vascular invasion (χ(2) = 6.349, P = 0.012). Univariate and multivariate analysis with clinicopathological characters revealed that the CAII expression was an independent prognostic indicator for PDAC patients (P = 0.017; P = 0.011 respectively). No significant difference of CAI mRNA and protein expression existed between PDAC and adjacent normal pancreatic tissues (t = 1.619, P = 0.126; t = 1.352, P = 0.197) as detected by Western blot and QRT-PCR, but the expression of CAII mRNA and protein levels was much lower in PDAC than that in paired non-cancerous pancreatic tissues, respectively (t = 3.360, P = 0.004; t = 2.934, P = 0.010). Moreover, the mRNA and protein expression of CAI and CAII gradually increased with the better differentiation degree of pancreatic cancer cells. CONCLUSIONS: CAI is up-regulated and CAII down-regulated in PDAC. Both of them are correlated with tumor differentiation. CAII expression is an independent prognostic indicator for PDAC patients.

[Analysis of pancreatic leaking-related risk factors after pancreaticoduodenectomy].

OBJECTIVE: To analysis the risk factors of pancreatic fistula after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). METHODS: A retrospective clinical study had been done in 97 patients who underwent PD between June 2001 and June 2006. The two groups were first compared by the univariate analysis;logistic regression was then used to determine the effect of multiple factors on pancreatic fistula. A P-value of less than 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. RESULTS: Of the 97 patients, 13 patients were identified as having pancreatic fistula. Factors significantly increasing the risk of pancreatic fistula by univariate analysis included preoperative serum total bilirubin (P = 0.038), operative time (P = 0.003) and whether or not Braun anastomosis (P = 0.034), and prophylactic use of somatostatin (P = 0.003) after operation. A multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed the factors most highly associated with pancreatic fistula to be preoperative serum total bilirubin (OR = 11.687, P = 0.021) and postoperative prophylactic use of somatostatin (OR = 0.056, P = 0.020). CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative serum total bilirubin more than 170 mmol/L was a risk factor of pancreatic fistula after PD, and postoperative prophylactic use of somatostatin was a protect factor of pancreatic fistula after PD.