Association between blood lipid levels and the risk of liver cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: The association between blood lipid levels and the risk of developing liver cancer remains a subject of ongoing debate. To elucidate this association, we conducted a meta-analysis by systematically incorporating data from all relevant prospective cohort studies. METHODS: We conducted a systematic search of the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases covering studies published from database inception through July 2023. This study included prospective cohort studies related to lipid profiles (e.g., total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels) that reported hazard ratios (HRs) or relative risks (RRs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) to investigate their association with the risk of liver cancer. During the analysis process, we used fixed-effects or random-effects models based on the level of heterogeneity among the studies and obtained pooled risk ratios using these models. To ensure the robustness and reliability of the study findings, we also conducted sensitivity analyses and publication bias analyses. RESULTS: After conducting a systematic search, 12 studies were identified from a total of 11,904 articles and were included in the meta-analysis. These studies included a combined population of 10,765,221 participants, among whom 31,055 cases of liver cancer were reported. The analysis revealed that the pooled HR for the serum TC concentration (highest versus lowest) was 0.45 (95% CI = 0.35-0.58, I2 = 78%). For TGs, the HR was 0.67 (95% CI = 0.46-0.96, I2 = 86%), while for HDL-C, the HR was 0.72 (95% CI = 0.58-0.90, I2 = 65%). The HR for LDL-C was 0.51 (95% CI = 0.23-1.13, I2 = 93%). CONCLUSION: The findings of this study indicate that serum TC, TG, and HDL-C levels are negatively associated with liver cancer risk, suggesting that higher concentrations of these lipids are associated with a reduced risk of liver cancer. However, no significant association has been found between LDL-C levels and liver cancer risk.

Association between blood lipid levels and risk of gastric cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The association between blood lipid levels and the risk of gastric cancer (GC) is well known. Therefore, to clarify this association, all relevant prospective cohort studies were included in this meta-analysis. METHODS: Our study was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022354899) prior to its commencement. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted in accordance with the PRISMA recommendations. Chinese databases (CNKI, CBM, Wanfang, and VIP) and English databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library) were systematically searched up to October 2022. This study included all relevant cohort studies that reported hazard ratios (HRs) or relative risks (RRs) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) to examine the association between various lipid profiles (e.g., total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol) and the risk of developing gastric cancer (GC). Fixed effects or random effects models were used based on the level of heterogeneity among the studies, and these models were employed to obtain pooled hazard ratios. Additionally, sensitivity analysis and publication bias analysis were conducted to ensure the robustness and reliability of the findings. RESULTS: After conducting a systematic search, a total of 10 studies were selected out of 10,525 papers involving a total of 5,564,520 individuals. Among these individuals, there were 41,408 GC cases. The analysis revealed that the highest versus lowest serum total cholesterol (TC) concentration was associated with a pooled hazard ratio of 0.89 (95% CI = 0.87-0.92, I2 = 15%). For triglycerides (TGs), the hazard ratio was 1.00 (95% CI = 0.96-1.04, I2 = 37%), while for high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), the hazard ratio was 0.90 (95% CI = 0.86-0.93, I2 = 0%). The hazard ratio for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) was 0.96 (95% CI = 0.91-1.00, I2 = 0%). CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results of this meta-analysis, it was found that serum TC and HDL-C levels were inversely correlated with the risk of GC. No association was observed between serum TG levels and the risk of GC. Similarly, no association was found between serum LDL-C levels and the risk of GC.

Metal-organic framework derived bimetallic selenide embedded in nitrogen-doped carbon hierarchical nanosphere for highly reversible sodium-ion storage.

Bimetallic selenides with various valence transitions and high theoretical capacities are extensively studied as anodes for sodium-ion-batteries (SIBs), but their huge volume changes and poor capacity retention limit their practicality. Herein, a facile and controllable strategy using a binary Ni-Co metal-organic framework (MOF) precursors followed by the selenization process, which produced a cobalt nickel selenide/N-doped carbon composite ((CoNi)Se2/NC) that maintained the hierarchical nanospheres structure. Such a distinctive structure affords both Na+ and electron diffusion pathways in the electrochemical reactions as well as high electrical conductivity, thus leading to superior electrochemical performance when the designed composite is utilized as an anode in SIBs. The resulting nanospheres-like (CoNi)Se2/NC hierarchical structure exhibits a high specific capacity of 526.8 mA h g-1 at 0.2 A/g over 100 cycles, a stable cycle life with no obvious capacities loss at 1.0 and 3.0 A/g after 500 cycles, and exceptional rate capability of 322.9 mA h g-1 at 10.0 A/g.

Comparative effectiveness of oral antibiotics, probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics in the prevention of postoperative infections in patients undergoing colorectal surgery: A network meta-analysis.

Oral antibiotics (OAB), probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics are reported to be effective for preventing postoperative infection following colorectal surgery, but the comparative effectiveness between them has not been studied. To compare these interventions through a network meta-analysis. Ovid Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Controlled Register of Trials (CENTRAL) were searched from inception to January 1, 2022 without any language restriction. Two reviewers independently screened the retrieved articles, assessed risk of bias, and extracted information from the included randomised controlled trials (RCTs). The primary outcome was infection rate, and the secondary outcome was anastomotic leakage rate. 4322 records were retrieved after literature search, and 20 RCTs recruiting 3726 participants were finally included. The analysis showed that usual care (UC) + Synbiotics ranked the most effective treatment (SUCRA = 0.968), UC + OAB ranked the second (SUCRA = 0.797), and UC + IAB ranked the third (SUCRA = 0.678) for preventing postoperative infection rate, but only UC + OAB achieved statistical significance. UC + OAB was the most effective treatment (SUCRA = 0.927) for preventing anastomotic leakage rate. Our study confirmed that preoperative administration of OAB was associated with lower infection rate and anastomotic leakage rate than placebo and UC alone. However, the beneficial effect of probiotics and synbiotics should still be investigated by large-scale randomised controlled trials.

Spatial pattern and co-occurrence network of microbial community in response to extreme environment of salt lakes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Microbial communities are important components of alpine lakes, especially in extreme environments such as salt lakes. However, few studies have examined the co-occurrence network of microbial communities and various environmental factors in the water of salt lakes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. From May to June 2019, nine samples from seven salt lakes with water salinity ranges from 13 to 267‰ on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau were collected. There were great differences between low-salinity samples and high-salinity samples in the inorganic salt ion concentration, pH, and biodiversity. In addition, the microbial community sturcture in low-salinity samples and high-salinity samples differed, suggesting that each sample has its own specific species. The co-occurrence network suggests that salinity was the most important forcing factor. We believe that salinity and inorganic salt ions can result in differences in microbial community in different salt lakes. This sequencing survey of multiple salt lakes with various salinities on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau enhances our understanding of the response of microbial communities to environmental heterogeneity.

Community assembly and co-occurrence network complexity of pelagic ciliates in response to environmental heterogeneity affected by sea ice melting in the Ross Sea, Antarctica.

In the Southern Ocean, the living environment of organisms has changed due to the dramatic increase in melting sea ice and the loss of glaciers, which have consequently caused substantial changes in biodiversity. Samples of pelagic ciliates from 13 sites were collected as bioindicators to demonstrate the relationship between spatial distribution patterns and environmental heterogeneity affected by sea ice melting and to reveal the community assembly mechanisms in the Ross Sea. Univariate analyses and multivariate analyses were effective tools demonstrating clear spatial patterns and providing a sufficient explanation to interpret strong correlations between pelagic ciliate communities and environmental variations, especially the distribution pattern of nutrients and Chl a. Moreover, environmental heterogeneity might affect the co-occurrence network complexity of ciliate communities. Furthermore, our results also indicated that stochastic processes play a significant role in the community assembly of pelagic ciliates. This study examined the controlling mechanisms of environmental heterogeneity affected by sea ice melting on pelagic ciliate communities and provided explanations for the community assembly of pelagic ciliates in polar marine ecosystems.

Diversity and co-occurrence networks of picoeukaryotes as a tool for indicating underlying environmental heterogeneity in the Western Pacific Ocean.

Picoeukaryotes are an essential component of microbial communities and play key roles in marine ecosystems. In this study, surface water picoeukaryotes were investigated at 32 stations along a latitudinal cross-section of the Western Pacific (WP) in 2015. Multivariate analyses demonstrated that there were clear spatial patterns in picoeukaryotic community structures which were consistent with the distributions of environmental variables. The spatial patterns of community structures and diversity indices were all significantly correlated with multiple environmental parameters, especially nutrients. Co-occurrence networks linked community variability to environmental heterogeneity. In summary, the construction of picoeukaryotic communities in the WP was significantly affected by numerous environmental variables, and certain variables were revealed as key forcing factors responsible for the main similarities between picoeukaryotic communities. This study details the relationships between the picoeukaryotes and environmental parameters in the WP, and provides insight for application of using picoeukaryotes as indicator in future bioassessment for open waters.

Identification and activity evaluation of Astragalus Radix from different germplasm resources based on specific oligosaccharide fragments.

Objective: Based on trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) hydrolysis, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) analysis, the carbohydrate responsible for immunomodulatory activity are used as quality indicators for Astragalus Radix (AR). Methods: In this study, 24 batches of AR from different germplasm resources were selected as the research object, and AR polysaccharides were extracted. PAGE and HPTLC methods were used to analyze the partial acid hydrolyzate of AR polysaccharides and obtain a series of saccharide fingerprints. The data were analyzed by principal component analysis to obtain the difference between AR from different germplasm resources. Results: The results showed that trisaccharide and tetrasaccharide could be used as differential fragments to distinguish AR of different cultivation methods; Disaccharides and trisaccharides can be used as differential fragments to distinguish different species of AR. The immunological activity analysis of the specific oligosaccharide fragment of AR showed that the specific oligosaccharide fragment of AR could promote the secretion of TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6, and NO in THP-1 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. Conclusion: Both PAGE and HPTLC methods can be used to evaluate AR from different germplasm resources. This study laid the foundation for the quality evaluation of AR medicinal herbs.

Spatial patterns and co-occurrence networks of microbial communities related to environmental heterogeneity in deep-sea surface sediments around Yap Trench, Western Pacific Ocean.

Microbial communities are a large component of abyssal and hadal benthic environments, especially in deep-sea areas like Yap Trench, they provide a continuous source of nutrients and energy in their unique ecosystems. However, due to sampling difficulties, these microbial communities are relatively understudied. In the summer of 2017, sediment samples were collected from 21 stations around Yap Trench in the Western Pacific Ocean (mostly in the West Caroline Basin), at depths ranging from 3156 to 7837 m. Sediment samples from deep water depths and shallow water depths differed in organic matter content, median grain size, silt-clay content, and biodiversity. The structure of the microbial communities in the surface sediments had distinct relationships with environmental factors and their co-occurrence networks exhibited a clear spatial pattern. In addition, for both prokaryotes or eukaryotes, a combination of variables including silt-clay content, organic matter content, median grain size, and depth had the greatest impact on community structure. It was notable that fungi played important roles in the co-occurrence networks of deep water depth sediment samples while bacteria dominated those of shallow water depth samples. The differences in structure and ecological niches in the different networks were due to differences in sediment texture and organic matter content. Since clay had a positive effect on the diversity of bacteria, it had an indirect positive effect on fungi, leading to differences in biodiversity among different groups. More organic matter meant more nutrients were available for the growth and reproduction of microbes, which led to fewer niche overlaps. This study conducted an extensive and systematic sequencing survey of surface sediments around Yap Trench in the Western Pacific Ocean, providing insight into microbial responses to environmental heterogeneity in deep-sea benthic ecosystems.

Saline lakes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau harbor unique viral assemblages mediating microbial environmental adaption.

The highest plateau on Earth, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, contains thousands of lakes with broad salinity and diverse and unique microbial communities. However, little is known about their co-occurring viruses. Herein, we identify 4,560 viral Operational Taxonomic Units (vOTUs) from six viromes of three saline lakes on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, with less than 1% that could be classified. Most of the predicted vOTUs were associated with the dominant bacterial and archaeal phyla. Virus-encoded auxiliary metabolic genes suggest that viruses influence microbial metabolisms of carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, and lipid; the antibiotic resistance mediation; and their salinity adaption. The six viromes clustered together with the ice core viromes and bathypelagic ocean viromes and might represent a new viral habitat. This study has revealed the unique characteristics and potential ecological roles of DNA viromes in the lakes of the highest plateau and established a foundation for the recognition of the viral roles in plateau lake ecosystems.

Clinical application of accelerated rehabilitation surgery in elderly patients with colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Gastrointestinal malignant tumors are the most common malignant tumors in elderly people in China, resulting in an increasing trend of morbidity and mortality. We conducted a non-randomized controlled trial to compare the effect of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) versus Routine care on clinical outcomes in elderly patients after colorectal cancer surgery. METHODS: This is a single center, non-random, parallel-controlled clinical trial, 60 patients aged ≥65 years will be randomized for Case group ERAS and Control group (routine care). RESULTS: This study will help to evaluate the clinical feasibility, safety and effectiveness of ERAS in elderly patients undergoing colorectal resection compared with routine care. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ChiCTR2000034984.

Extraction, Characterization, Antitumor and Immunological Activities of Hemicellulose Polysaccharide from Astragalus radix Herb Residue.

Astragalus radix (radix) have been frequently used for clinical application in China, and the herb residues of radix turn out to be a waste of resources. To escape from this, the medicine value of radix herb residues is mined in this article. We isolated hemicellulose polysaccharide AX-I-3b from radix herb residues by fractional extraction. Monosaccharide-composition analysis revealed that AX-I-3b consisted of arabinose, xylose, and glucose with a molar ratio of 10.4:79.3:1.1. Methylation, NMR and FT-IR analyses showed that AX-I-3b monosaccharide residue was linked as follows: →2,3,4)-ß-d-Xylp-(1→, →4)-ß-d-Arap-(1→, →4)-ß-d-Glcp-(1→. Then, we found that AX-I-3b exhibited antitumor activity against lung cancer in vitro and vivo through MTT assay and xenograft tumor model. Mechanistically, AX-I-3b induced apoptosis in lung cancer cells and xenograft tumors, which is evidenced by the up-regulation of p53, Bax and cleaved caspase-3, and the down-regulation of Bcl-2. Moreover, AX-I-3b synergistically improved the therapeutic ability of cisplatin in xenograft tumors model. Furthermore, AX-I-3b treatment effectively improved the immune organ index, the percentage of spleen lymphocyte subsets and serum cytokine levels in lung cancer mice, supporting that AX-I-3b showed immunomodulatory activity. In conclusion, our results identified AX-I-3b as an antitumor and immunomodulatory agent, providing a new insight into the reutilization of radix herb residue.

Practice and Training Needs of Staff Nurses Caring for Patients With Intestinal Ostomies in Primary and Secondary Hospitals in China: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to describe staff nurses' intestinal ostomy care practice in primary and secondary hospitals in China and their ostomy-related training needs. SUBJECTS AND SETTING: The target population for this study was first-line staff nurses working in general surgical departments in primary and secondary care hospitals in Luzhou, located in Sichuan Province, Southwest China. Hospitals in China are divided into 3 tiers; first tier facilities are usually located in townships and have fewer than 100 inpatients beds; secondary hospitals are usually found in medium-sized cities or districts and have between 100 and 500 inpatient beds. DESIGN: Descriptive, cross-sectional. METHODS: Participants were recruited through a stratified cluster sampling method based on hospital tier and the presence of general surgical department. Data were collected via a questionnaire that comprised 3 sections; the first section queried demographic and professional practice data, the second queried practice related to patients with intestinal ostomies, and the third queried nurses' stoma-related training needs. Links to the electronic survey were distributed through e-mail. RESULTS: Three hundred and eighteen nurses were invited to participate in the survey, and 280 questionnaires were returned, yielding a response rate of 88.05%. Review of data found that 214 questionnaires were sufficiently complete to be used in our data analysis. The mean intestinal ostomy practice score was 26.61 ± 7.98, indicating less than optimal engagement in ostomy care. Lack of manpower in the workplace and heavy workload of daily nursing were identified as leading barriers to continuing education in this area of practice. CONCLUSIONS: The ostomy-related practice of first-line staff nurses in Chinese primary and secondary hospitals showed less than optimal engagement in ostomy practice. We recommend creating additional ostomy-related continuing education targeted for nurses practicing in primary and secondary tier hospitals and removal of barriers to this education in order to improve ostomy care in primary and secondary tier hospitals in China.

[Research progress and secondary development ideas of Astragali Radix polysaccharides for injection].

Astragali Radix( AR) polysaccharide for injection( Guoyao Zhunzi Z20040086) is a traditional Chinese medicine for intravenous powder injection developed by Shanxi Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine in early 1990 s by taking advantage of AR resources in Shanxi province. The effective parts of AR polysaccharides were obtained by advanced technology. The hemogram of patients with radiotherapy and chemotherapy showed alleviations in clinic. However,due to the technical bottleneck in separation of the complex polysaccharides mixture and the difficulties in accurate measurement of the polysaccharide structures,the pharmacodynamic mechanism of the drug remained unclear,and the side effect was hard to control. In recent years,the theoretical studies for polysaccharide receptors have indicated that when polysaccharides bound to protein receptors,only the oligosaccharide fragments of the polysaccharide molecule bound to the receptors,and one or more active sites of oligosaccharide fragments may existed in the polysaccharide molecule.Therefore,the active center of polysaccharides can be studied based on the level of oligosaccharides through degradation of the polysaccharides,which provided a new strategy for breaking through the bottleneck in polysaccharide structure determination. Therefore,this paper reviews the current status of studies for AR polysaccharides for injection,the polysaccharide receptors theory and successful cases,in order to propose the secondary development ideas of AR polysaccharides for injection. The study results will lay a material foundation for the development of new drugs of polysaccharides from traditional Chinese medicine,and provide a basis for the resolution of international difficulties in quality control of polysaccharide drugs and molecular models,so as to further study of glycobiology,and enrich the polysaccharide receptors theory.

Risk factors for catheter-associated urinary tract infection among hospitalized patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.

AIMS: The study aimed to identify the risk factors for catheter-associated urinary tract infection among hospitalized patients. We also tried to explore its potential effect on patient outcomes if possible. BACKGROUND: Catheter-associated urinary tract infection accounts for a large proportion of healthcare-associated infections and remains a considerable threat to patient safety worldwide. DESIGN: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. DATA SOURCES: We conducted an electronic search in PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews for studies published between January 2008-January 2018. REVIEW METHODS: Two reviewers searched the articles and extracted the data independently. The quality of the studies was assessed with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. RevMan 5.3 was used to perform the meta-analysis. RESULTS: Ten studies involving a total of 8785 participants with or without catheter-associated urinary tract infection were included. The average incidence of catheter-associated urinary tract infection was 13.79 per 1000 catheter days, with a prevalence rate of 9.33%. The meta-analysis demonstrated that patients at high risk for catheter-associated urinary tract infection were female, had a prolonged duration of catheterization, had diabetes, had previous catheterization, and had longer hospital and ICU stays. Additionally, catheter-associated urinary tract infection was also accompanied by an increase in mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Healthcare staff should focus on the identified risk factors for catheter-associated urinary tract infection. Further research is needed to investigate the microbial isolates and focus on the intervention strategies of catheter-associated urinary tract infection, so as to reduce its incidence and related mortality.

Role of LncRNA RP11-513G11.1 in chemoresistance and prognosis evaluation in patients with small cell lung cancer / 中国肿瘤生物治疗杂志

@#Objective: To investigate the role of LncRNA RP11-513G11.1 in the chemoresistance and evaluation of prognosis in small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Methods: From June 2012 to June 2017，98 cases of SCLC tissue, 30 cases of paracancerous tissue and 30 cases of normal lung tissue were performed by surgery, puncture biopsy or bronchoscopic biopsy from the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University. QRT-PCR was used to detect the expression of LncRNA RP11-513G11.1 in SCLC tissue, paracancerous tissue, normal lung tissue and SCLC sensitive cell strain H69, drug resistance cell strain H69AR.All patients received EP regimen (etoposide+cisplatin). According to their chemosensitivity, they were divided into chemosensitivity group and drug resistance group. The expression of LncRNA RP11-513G11.1 in two groups was detected. The relationship between RP11-513G11.1 expression and prognosis, survival time and risk factors of OS in patients were analyzed. Results: The expression of LncRNA RP11-513G11.1 in H69AR chemoresistant cells (13.790±2.830) was significantly higher than that in H69AR chemosensitive cells (1.080±0.090) (P<0.01),the expression level of LncRNA RP11-513G11.1 in SCLC tissues (8.558±1.130) was significantly higher than that in adjacent tissues (1.188±0.090) and normal lung tissues (1.636±0.150) (all P<0.01), the expression of RP11-513G11.1 in chemoresistant patients was significantly higher than that in chemosensitive patients (4.974±0.313) (P<0.01). The expression of RP11-513G11.1 was not related to gender and age, but was related to disease stage, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis and chemotherapy resistance in SCLC patients (all P<0.05); High expression RP11-513G11.1 patients was shorter PFS [(12.59 ±2.08) months] and OS [(24.98 ±1.56) months] than those with low expression [(25.47±1.23) months] and [(39.03±2.67) months] (P<0.01). Univariate and multivariate analysis showed that RP11513G11.1 expression, disease stage and distant metastasis were independent prognostic risk factors for SCLC patients (all P<0.05). Conclusion: LncRNARP11-513G11.1 may be a potential biomarker of chemosensitivity and prognosis in SCLC patients.

[Study on extraction and immune regulation of polysaccharides from Marsdenia tenacissima].

OBJECTIVE: To optimize the extraction technology and determine the immune activity of polysaccharides from Marsdenia tenacissima. METHOD: The optimum extraction technology of polysaccharide from M. tenacissima was detected by orthogonal experiments with the extraction rate of polysacchride and the total sugar content as indicators. The immunocompromised mice model was established by intraperitoneal injection cyclophosphamide to detected the content of IL-2, IL-6 in serum, CD4+, CD8+ in the peripheral blood by ELISA and flow cytometry, respectively. RESULT: By the extraction rate of polysaccharide, the sequence of seriousness of all affecting factors from high to low was extracting times, temperature, heating time and water ratio. By the total sugar content, the sequence was temperature, extracting times, water ratio and heating time. Compared with the model group, the pleen index, IL-2, IL-6, CD4/CD8+ were increased significantly (P < 0.05) in the 0.14 g x kg(-1) group and 0. 28 g x kg(-1) group. CONCLUSION: T he optimum extraction condition was as follows: extraction three times/1.5 hours at 100 degrees C with 1:8 ratio of M. tenacissima to water. The polysaccharide of M. tenacissima can enhance the cellular immune and humoral immune.