Nitrogen removal of thermal hydrolysis-anaerobic digestion liquid: A review.

Thermal hydrolysis (TH) pretreatment, as an anaerobic digestion (AD) pretreatment, has not only been verified in the laboratory but also frequently employed in actual engineering. However, the properties of anaerobic digestion liquid (ADL), such as high organic matter concentration, high ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N) concentration, and low carbon-nitrogen ratio (C/N), have posed some difficulties in the follow-up treatment. To address the above issues, the autotrophic nitrogen removal (ANR) process is developed to treat ADL. Due to the NH4+-N, organic materials, toxic and harmful substances in the ADL that might directly impact the activity of functional bacteria, the ADL should be treated before being fed into the ANR process. This paper provided a focused review of the thermal hydrolysis-anaerobic digestion process (TH-ADP) mechanism and the ANR mechanism, summarized the existing difficulties in the treatment of thermal hydrolysis-anaerobic digestion liquid (TH-ADL), assessed the research status thoroughly, and offered the potential solutions to the problems.

Comparative study of Overlap anastomosis and traditional anastomosis in total laparoscopic radical resection of left colon cancer.

PURPOSE: To investigate the safety and feasibility of using linear stapler to complete the side-to-side anastomosis (Overlap method) of distal and proximal colon on taenia coli along the long axis of the intestine in laparoscopic radical resection of left colon cancer. METHODS: From January 2017 to December 2019, the clinical data of 24 patients with total laparoscopic radical resection of left colon cancer and Overlap anastomosis in the general surgery department of Wuhu First People's Hospital were retrospectively analyzed (research group, RG). In addition, 36 patients who underwent laparoscopic-assisted radical resection of left colon cancer during the same period and whose intestinal tubes were removed from the abdominal wall to complete specimen resection and intestinal anastomosis through auxiliary incision were used as controls (control group, CG). The advantages and disadvantages of the two surgical methods were compared through the research indexes during and after the operation. RESULTS: Compared with CG, the total operation time of the patients in RG was shortened (p<0.001), the intraoperative blood loss was less (p<0.001), the abdominal wall incision length was shorter (p<0.001) and the postoperative hospital stay was shorter (p=0.014). There was no significant difference between RG and CG in the number of lymph node dissection, the time of first postoperative anal exhaust and the incidence of postoperative complications (all p>0.05). CONCLUSION: The Overlap anastomosis technique of total laparoscopic radical resection of left colon cancer is feasible and easy to perform. It has the advantages of low incidence of complications, better cosmetic effect and short hospital stay. Although further prospective randomized studies are needed to determine its effects and limitations, it is still recommended that this operation can be popularized in clinical practice.

High Expression of Retinoblastoma-Binding Protein 2 (RBP2) in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Its Prognostic Significance.

BACKGROUND Recently, some studies have found that retinoblastoma-binding protein 2 (RBP2) is involved in the development and progression of many kinds of malignant tumors. This study aimed to explore the expression level of RBP2 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its prognostic significance. MATERIAL AND METHODS Immunohistochemical analysis was used to evaluate the RBP2 expression level in 130 HCC patients and adjacent normal tissues. Tumor angiogenesis was marked by CD31 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) staining. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses were performed to examine the relationship between RBP2 expression and prognosis of HCC patients. RESULTS RBP2 expression was significantly higher in HCC tissues (positive expression rate: 72.3%, 94/130). Increased RBP2 expression was dramatically associated with AFP level (P=0.016), degree of differentiation (P=0.000), and TNM stage (P=0.035). Moreover, tumors with RBP2-positive expression showed significantly higher intratumoral MVD than those with RBP2-negative expression (P=0.000). Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed RBP2-positive expression was related to decreased disease-free survival (DFS) (P=0.000) and overall survival (OS) (P=0.000). Furthermore, RBP2 was an independent poor prognostic factor of DFS and OS (P=0.029 and 0.010, respectively) as demonstrated by multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS Increased RBP2 expression, as an independent poor prognostic factor for DFS and OS of HCC patients, is closely related to tumor angiogenesis. RBP2 is expected to become a new potential therapeutic target for HCC.

Long Non-Coding RNA lincRNA-ROR Promotes the Progression of Colon Cancer and Holds Prognostic Value by Associating with miR-145.

Large intergenic non-coding RNA ribonucleic acids-ROR (lincRNA-ROR) has been reported to exert impacts on the maintenance of induced pluripotent stem cells and embryonic stem cells, and play important roles in human hepatocellular cancer. It contributes to tumorigenesis and metastasis and functions as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) by sponging miR-145 in breast cancer. However, its clinical significance and prognostic value in colon cancer remain unknown. The aim of the present study was to clarify the clinicopathological role and prognostic value of lincRNA-ROR and miR-145 in colon cancer. In the present study, qRT-PCR was performed to measure the expression levels of lincRNA-ROR in colon cancer tissues and cell lines. Then, the clinicopathological significance and prognostic value of lincRNA-ROR were analyzed. LincRNA-ROR expression correlated with pT stage, pN stage, AJCC stage and vascular invasion. Knockdown of lincRNA-ROR restored the expression of miR-145, and had a significant influence on colon cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion. Patients of the high lincRNA-ROR/low miR-145 group had significantly poorer outcomes than those of the low lincRNA-ROR/high miR-145 group. Taken together, Overexpression of lincRNA-ROR combined with depletion of miR-145 may exert crucial impact on colon cancer prognosis evaluation and treatment.