Experience of management of pediatric upper gastrointestinal perforations: a series of 30 cases.

Background: This study aimed to explore the characteristics of pediatric upper gastrointestinal (UGI) perforations, focusing on their diagnosis and management. Methods: Between January 2013 and December 2021, 30 children with confirmed UGI perforations were enrolled, and their clinical data were analyzed. Two groups were compared according to management options, including open surgical repair (OSR) and laparoscopic/gastroscopic repair (LR). Results: A total of 30 patients with a median age of 36.0 months (1 day-17 years) were included in the study. There were 19 and 11 patients in the LR and OSR groups, respectively. In the LR group, two patients were treated via exploratory laparoscopy and OSR, and the other patients were managed via gastroscopic repair. Ten and three patients presented the duration from symptom onset to diagnosis within 24 h (p = 0.177) and the number of patients with hemodynamically unstable perforations was 4 and 3 in the LR and OSR groups, respectively. Simple suture or clip closure was performed in 27 patients, and laparoscopically pedicled omental patch repair was performed in two patients. There was no significant difference in operative time and length of hospital stay between the LR and OSR groups. Treatment failed in two patients because of severe sepsis and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome, including one with fungal peritonitis. Conclusion: Surgery for pediatric UGI perforations should be selected according to the general status of the patient, age of the patient, duration from symptom onset, inflammation, and perforation site and size. Antibiotic administration and surgical closure remain the main strategies for pediatric UGI perforations.

The roles of AMPK/mTOR autophagy pathway in the acute kidney injury-induced acute lung injury.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is one of the most challenging clinical problems in kidney disease due to serious complications and high mortality rate, which can lead to acute lung injury (ALI) through inflammatory reactions and oxidative stress. Adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway has been reported to be involved in the development of renal ischemia-reperfusion through autophagy and it remains unclear whether AMPK/mTOR pathway has an effect on the AKI-induced ALI. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of autophagy-related AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway on inflammatory factors and oxidative stress in an AKI-induced ALI model. The 48 male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups randomly: (i) sham, (ii) ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI), (iii) IRI + rapamycin (RA), and (iv) IRI + 3-methyladenine (3-MA). Unilateral flank incisions were made and right kidneys were excised. The left kidney was subjected to 60 min of ischemia followed by 12, 24, 48, and 72 h of reperfusion. The levels of Scr, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), Wet/Dry ratio, indexes of inflammation, and oxidative stress were assayed. Histological examinations were performed. The protein expression of AMPK, mTOR, LC3-II/LC3-I ratio, and Beclin-1, ULK1 was evaluated by western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Compared to the rats from the sham group, IRI rats showed significantly pulmonary damage after AKI with increased Scr, BUN, Wet/Dry ratio, indexes of inflammation, and oxidative stress. The expression of AMPK, LC3-II/LC3-I ratio, Beclin-1, and ULK1 and were increased, while p62 and mTOR were decreased. In addition, RA treatment significantly attenuated lung injury by promoting autophagy through the activation of the AMPK/mTOR pathway, and 3-MA treatment exhibited adverse effects inversely. Therefore, the activation of the AMPK/mTOR pathway after renal IRI induction could significantly attenuate kidney injury and following AKI-induced ALI by inducing autophagy, which alienates inflammation, oxidative stress, and apoptosis.

lncRNA HCG11 Promotes Colorectal Cancer Cell Malignant Behaviors via Sponging miR-26b-5p.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a type of gastrointestinal cancer with an increasing incidence. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have raised great concern because of wide participation in human diseases, including cancers. However, whether lncRNA HLA complex group 11 (HCG11) played a functional role in CRC remained to be elucidated. Herein, we utilized qRT-PCR to analyze the expression of HCG11 and found that HCG11 was highly expressed in CRC cells. Besides, HCG11 knockdown suppressed cell proliferation, migration, and invasion but facilitated cell apoptosis. Furthermore, supported by bioinformatics analyses and mechanism assays, HCG11, mainly located in cell cytoplasm, was confirmed to competitively bind to miR-26b-5p to modulate the expression of the target messenger RNA (mRNA), namely, cAMP-regulated phosphoprotein 19 (ARPP19). ARPP19 was detected to be upregulated in CRC cells, and ARPP19 silence was verified to inhibit the malignant behaviors of CRC cells. Rescue experiments validated that miR-26b-5p inhibition or ARPP19 overexpression could countervail the inhibitory influences of HCG11 silence on CRC cell biological behaviors in vitro. To conclude, HCG11, upregulated in CRC cells, could promote cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and inhibit cell apoptosis via targeting miR-26b-5p/ARPP19 axis.

LINC00882 Plays a Tumor-promoter Role in Colorectal Cancer by Targeting miR-3619-5p to Up-regulate CTNNB1.

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common malignant tumor in gastrointestinal tract around the world. Emerging evidence has confirmed that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are closely connected to cell progression in cancers, including CRC. METHODS: RT-qPCR assays were applied to detect the expression of LINC00882, miR-3619-5p and CTNNB1. Western blot assays were performed to measure the protein level of E-cadherin, N-cadherin and CTNNB1. Transwell assay was conducted to test the cell migration. Immunofluorescence (IF) assay was performed to measure the connected protein of EMT process. RESULTS: LINC00882 was highly expressed in CRC tissues and cell lines. Knockdown of LINC00882 hindered the process of CRC. Studies on gain-of-function and loss-of-function further testified that knockdown of LINC00882 or up-regulation of miR-3619-5p hindered cell migration and EMT process in CRC cells. Moreover, rescue assay proved that the inhibition of migration ability and EMT process resulted from LINC00882 silencing could be rescued when miR-3619-5p inhibitor or pcDNA3.1/CTNNB1 was transfected into CRC cells. CONCLUSION: Our data suggested that LINC00882 promoted the progression of CRC as a ceRNA to regulate CTNNB1 via sponging miR-3619-5p. This finding would supply a novel insight for CRC therapy.

Silver nanoparticle in biosensor and bioimaging: Clinical perspectives.

Recent developments in nanotechnology promoted the production of nanomaterials with various shapes and sizes by utilizing interdisciplinary researches of biology, chemistry, and material science toward the clinical perspectives. In particular, gold and silver (Ag) are noble metals that exhibit tunable and unique plasmonic properties for the downstream applications. Ag exhibits higher thermal and electrical conductivities, and more efficient in the electron transfer than gold with sharper extinction bands. In addition, modified Ag nanoparticle is more stable in water and air. With all these above features, Ag is an attractive tool in various fields, including diagnosis, drug delivery, environmental, electronics, and as antimicrobial agent. In particular, applications of Ag nanoparticle in the fields of biosensor and imaging are prominent in recent days. Enhancing the specific detection of clinical markers with Ag nanoparticle has been proved by several studies. This review discussed the constructive application of Ag nanoparticle in biosensor and bioimaging for the detection of small molecule to larger whole cell in the perspectives of diagnosing diseases.

Long non-coding RNA AGAP2-AS1 accelerates cell proliferation, migration, invasion and the EMT process in colorectal cancer via regulating the miR-4,668-3p/SRSF1 axis.

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a frequently occurring tumor. Although a number of long noncoding RNAs have been researched in CRC, the expression, function and mechanism of AGAP2-AS1 remains poorly investigated. METHODS: Gene expression was analyzed by a quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain rreaction and western blot analyses. Cell counting kit-8, colony formation and Transwell assays were utilized to explore the functional role of AGAP2-AS1 in CRC. Luciferase reporter, RNA pull down and RNA immunoprecipitation assays were implemented to verify relationships between RNA molecules. RESULTS: In the present study, AGAP2-AS1 was unveiled as highly expressed in CRC cell lines compared to normal cells. AGAP2-AS1 knockdown suppressed cell proliferation, migration, invasion and the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition process. Interestingly, AGAP2-AS1 sponges miR-4,668-3p to release SRSF1 in CRC. Furthermore, in the rescue functional assay, miR-4,668-3p down-regulation exacerbated the malignant behaviors of AGAP2-AS1-depleted CRC cells, whereas such effects were further offset by SRSF1 knockdown. CONCLUSIONS: AGAP2-AS1 facilitates cell proliferation, motility and EMT in CRC via targeting the miR-4,668-3p/SRSF1 axis. AGAP2-AS1 or SRSF1 may have potential as underlying therapeutic targets for CRC patients.

Quality Evaluation and Characterization of Specific Spoilage Organisms of Spanish Mackerel by High-Throughput Sequencing during 0 °C Cold Chain Logistics.

Exploring the spoilage mechanism of Spanish mackerel is important to reduce the waste of Spanish mackerel and extend its shelf life. Cold chain logistics are commonly used to maintain the high quality and prolong the shelf life of aquatic products in circulation and storage. We assessed the sensory (body surface, odor, fish gills, fish elasticity, eyes, and overall assessment), chemical (total volatile base nitrogen (TVB-N), pH and 2-thiobarbituric acid (TBA)), and microbial characteristics (total viable counts (TVCs) and lactic acid bacteria) of Spanish mackerel combined with high-throughput sequencing at frequent intervals to determine their freshness and specific spoilage organisms (SSOs) during 0 °C cold chain logistics. Results showed that TVB-N, TBA, and TVCs correlated well (R2 > 0.90) with the sensory scores with prolonged circulation and storage time. The SSOs of Spanish mackerel were Proteobacteria in phylum and Pseudomonas in genus. The shelf life of mackerel under the 0 °C ice-stored cold chain system was approximately seven days, which is roughly three days longer compared with the traditional low-temperature storage method. These findings indicated that the freshness evaluation of Spanish mackerel in cold-chain circulation could be achieved by selecting appropriate chemical, microbial, and sensory indices. The study contributes to extend the shelf life of cold-chain Spanish mackerel by inhibiting the growth of dominant bacteria and provides a basis for the development of methods and tools to predict the shelf life of Spanish mackerel.

[Determination of 18 phenolic compounds in water by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry coupled with solid phase extraction].

At present, the kinds and the hazards of phenolic compounds in water were unclear. Research aimed at methods for the simultaneous detection of multiple phenolic compounds is still in its nascent stages. It is necessary to establish a method for the simultaneous determination of phenolic compounds in water. An analytical method was developed for the simultaneous determination of the 18 phenolic compounds in water by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) coupled with solid phase extraction (SPE). The phenolic compounds in water were enriched and separated on an SPE column. The optimal pretreatment method was established by optimizing the chromatographic and mass spectrometric conditions. The effects of the initial pH of the water sample, type of eluting solvent, and dosage of the washing solution were investigated. Then, the 18 phenolic compounds in the water samples were determined. The optimal pretreatment extraction conditions were determined to be as follows:final pH of water sample, 3.0; eluting solvent, ethyl acetate (10 mL); and elution rate, 1 mL/min. The phenolic compounds enriched and purified by SPE were finally determined by GC-MS/MS with an electrospray ionization (EI) source. The phenolic compounds were then quantitatively analyzed by the external standard method. The average recoveries of the 18 phenolic compounds were in the range of 51.7%-117.3% at four spiked levels, and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) were in the range of 3.1%-7.4%. The limits of detections (LODs) were 0.04-0.6 µg/L. Good linear relationships were observed for the phenolic compounds in their corresponding concentration ranges. The developed method was applied to determine the phenolic compounds in six kinds of water samples from rivers and lakes, domestic water, and process water. Fifteen of the phenolic compounds were detected, but 4-nonylphenol, 3-methyl-4-nitrophenol, and 2-methyl-4,6-dinitrophenol were not. Moreover, bisphenol A, 2,4,6-tribromophenol, and 2,4-dibromophnol had the highest contents of 49.4 µg/L. The contents and kinds of phenolic compounds in the rivers and lakes were highest. However, the contents of phenolic compounds in the domestic water were adverse compared with the rivers and lakes, in accord with National Standard GB 8537-2008. As opposed to traditional analytical methods, the present method is characterized by simple operation without derivative or the need for anhydrous sodium sulfate for water removal, as well as high sensitivity, good stability, and reliability. The establishment of this method has important theoretical and practical significance for the development of standards and for the control of residue phenolic residue levels in water.

Gastric Schwannoma: A Tumor Must Be Included in Differential Diagnoses of Gastric Submucosal Tumors.

Gastric schwannoma (GS) is a rare neoplasm of the stomach. It accounts for 0.2% of all gastric tumors and is mostly benign, slow-growing, and asymptomatic. Due to its rarity, GS is not widely recognized by clinicians, and the precise differential diagnosis between GS and other gastric submucosal tumors remains difficult preoperatively. The present study reports a case of GS misdiagnosed as gastrointestinal stromal tumor and reviews the clinical, imaging, and pathological features, treatment, and follow-up of 221 patients with GS previously reported in the English literature. Although GS is rare, the case reported in the current study highlights the importance of including GS in differential diagnoses of gastric submucosal tumors. Furthermore, the findings of the review suggest that although many cases are asymptomatic, the most common symptoms are abdominal pain or discomfort, not gastrointestinal bleeding, and malignant GSs present with clinical symptoms more commonly. Although large-sample multicenter studies on the efficacy, safety, and oncological outcomes of minimally invasive techniques are required, the findings presented herein may be helpful for clinicians when diagnosing or treating GS.

MiR-26b inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma cell proliferation, migration, and invasion by targeting EphA2.

Deregulated microRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to play important roles in cancer progression as a result of changes in expression of their target genes. In this study, we investigated the expression of miR-16b in eight hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines, revealed the roles of miR-26b on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, and confirmed that EphA2 is a direct target of miR-26b. The miR-26b expression was decreased and EphA2 expression was evaluated in HCC cell lines. Luciferase assays revealed that miR-26b inhibited EphA2 expression by targeting the 3'-untranslated region of EphA2 mRNA. Overexpression of miR-26b dramatically inhibited the proliferation, invasion, and migration of HCC cells by targeting EphA2. Moreover, miR-26b down-regulated c-Myc and CyclinD1 expression, which was reversed by overexpressed EphA2. Taken together, our data demonstrated the mechanism of miR-26b contributed to HCC progression and implicated that miR-26b's potential in HCC therapy.

[Simultaneous determination of 33 primary aromatic amines in polystyrene and polyethylene masterbatches for foods by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry]].

A comprehensive analytical method based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) has been developed for the simultaneous determination of 33 primary aromatic amines (PAAs) in polystyrene (PS) and polyethylene (PE) masterbatches for foods. The PS masterbatches were dissolved with dichloromethane, and methanol was added to precipitate after extraction by ultrasound extraction. Then the extract was purified by passing through a carbon graphite solid phase extraction column. The PE masterbatches were swelled and extracted with dichloromethane by ultrasound. The purified PS solution and PE extract were concentrated, and diluted to 2 mL with methanol-water (1:9, v/v), and filtered through the membranes of 0.22 µm before UPLC-MS/MS analysis. The analytes were separated on a BEH Phenyl column (100 mm x 2.1 mm, 1.7 µm), eluted by gradient with 0.07% (v/v) formic acid in methanol-water (1:9, v/v). The PAAs were detected by UPLC-MS/MS under multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode and quantified by the internal standard method. The separation conditions, fragment voltages and collision energies were optimized. The impacts of extraction times, extraction solvents and concentration methods on recoveries were studied. The limits of detection for the 33 primary aromatic amines were 6-10 µg/kg, and the limits of quantitation were 20-30 µg/kg. The mean recoveries of the two different masterbatch products at three spiked levels of 20, 100, 200 µg/kg were 61.3%-119.8%, and the relative standard deviations were 1.4%-14.8%. The experimental results indicated that the method is simple, rapid, sensitive, accurate, and can meet the related requirements for determination.

[Simultaneous determination of 33 primary aromatic amines of free state in fine pigments by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry].

A comprehensive analytical method based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) has been developed for the simultaneous determination of 33 primary aromatic amines (PAAs) in fine pigments such as gouache paint, oil painting pigment and acrylic paint. The primary aromatic amines in samples were extracted with acetonitrile. Then the extract was concentrated by centrifugation and nitrogen blow, finally diluted to 2 mL with methanol-water (1:9, v/v) and filtered through 0. 22 im membrane before UPLC-MS/MS analysis. The analytes were separated on a BEH Phenyl column (100 mm x 2. 1 mm, 1. 7 1µm) with 0. 07% (v/v) formic acid in methanol-water as mobile phases in gradient elution. The PAAs were detected by UPLC-MS/MS under multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode and quantified by the internal standard method. The separation conditions, fragment voltages and collision energies were optimized. The impacts of extraction times, extraction solvents and concentration methods on recoveries were studied. The limits of detection and limits of quantitation for the 33 primary aromatic amines were 5-50 µg/kg and 15-150 µg/kg respectively. The mean recoveries of three different dye products at three spiked levels were 70. 1% - 115. 8%. The relative standard deviations were 2. 1% - 15%. The expenmental results indicated that the method is simple, rapid, sensitive, accurate and can meet the requirements for the determination.

[Studies on the growth, chemical components and physiological characteristics of F1 generation of Dendrobium huoshanense].

OBJECTIVE: Through a comparison between F1 and its' parents on the growth, chemical components and physiology, this study aims to find the possibility of selecting new dendrobium hybrids with high yield and good quality. METHOD: To determinate the growth, chemical components, photosynthesis, hormones and isoenzyme in the plants. RESULT: Photosynthetic area, content of chlorophyll, net photosynthesis and yield of F1 generation are higher than those of the parents; chla/b rate is lower; growth is almost the same as in Dendrobium moniliforme; content of chemical components are the same as in D. huoshanense. F1 is approaching of advantages of parents. CONCLUSION: Physiological characters, yield and quality of F1 are greatly improved by hybridization.