Effect of visceral fat area on the accuracy of preoperative CT-N staging of colorectal cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of visceral fat area (VFA) on the accuracy of preoperative CT-N staging of colorectal cancer. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical and imaging data of 385 CRC patients who underwent surgical resection for colorectal cancer between January 2018 and July 2021. Preoperative CT-N staging and imaging features were determined independently by two radiologists. Using postoperative pathology as the gold standard, patients were divided into accurately and incorrectly staged groups, and clinical and imaging characteristics were compared between the two groups. VFA and subcutaneous fat area (SFA) at the L3 vertebral level, sex, age, BMI, tumor location, size, and tumor circumference ratio (TCR) were included. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the independent factors influencing the accuracy of preoperative N staging of colorectal cancer. RESULTS: Of the 385 patients enrolled, 259 (67.27%) were in the preoperative N-stage accurate staging group, and 126 (32.73%) were in the incorrectly staged group. Univariate analysis showed that there were significant differences in BMI, tumor location, VFA, SFA, size and TCR between the two groups (P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that VFA (95% CI: 1.277, 3.813; P=0.005) and TCR (95% CI: 1.649, 17.545; P=0.005) were independent factors affecting the accuracy of N staging. The optimal cutoff points for VFA and TCR in predicting incorrect staging were 110 cm2 and 0.675, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Colorectal cancer patients with lower VFA and higher TCR and preoperative CT-N staging had an increased risk for diagnostic errors.

Gestational age-related changes in relaxation times of neonatal brain by quantitative synthetic magnetic resonance imaging.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the correlation between T1 and T2 relaxation times of synthetic MRI (SyMRI) and gestational age (GA) in each hemisphere of preterm and term newborns at the initial 28 days of birth. METHODS: Seventy preterm and full-term infants were prospectively included in this study. All subjects completed 3.0 T routine MRI and SyMRI (MAGiC) one-stop scanning within 28 days of birth (aged 34-42 W at examination). The SyMRI postprocessing software (v8.0.4) was used to measure the T1 and T2 relaxation values of each brain region. The linear regression equations of quantitative relaxation values with GA were established to compare the variation speed in each brain region. RESULTS: A significant linear and negative correlation was found between relaxation times and GA in the neonate cerebral cortex and subcortical gray and white matter regions (All p<.05). The relaxation time of the left centrum semiovale decreased with maximum variance with increasing GA among all white matter regions (T1: b = -51.45, ß = -0.65, p < .0001; T2: b = -8.77, ß = -0.71, p < .0001), whereas the right posterior limb of internal capsule showed minimal variance (T1: b = -27.94, ß = -0.60, p < .0001; T2: b = -3.25, ß = -0.68, p < .0001). Among all gray matter regions, the right globus pallidus and thalamus indicated the most significant decreasing degree of T1 and T2 relaxation values with GA (right globus pallidus T1: b = -33.14, ß = -0.64, p < .0001; right thalamus T2: b = -3.94, ß = -0.81, p < .0001), and the right and left occipital lobes indicated the least significant decreasing degree of T1 and T2 relaxation values with GA, respectively (right occipital lobes T1: b = -11.18, ß = -0.26, p = .028; left occipital lobes T2: b = -1.22, ß = -0.27, p = .024). CONCLUSIONS: SyMRI could quantitatively evaluate the linear changes of T1 and T2 relaxation values with GA in brain gray and white matter of preterm and term neonates.

A review of stress-induced hyperglycaemia in the context of acute ischaemic stroke: Definition, underlying mechanisms, and the status of insulin therapy.

The transient elevation of blood glucose produced following acute ischaemic stroke (AIS) has been described as stress-induced hyperglycaemia (SIH). SIH is common even in patients with AIS who have no previous diagnosis of diabetes mellitus. Elevated blood glucose levels during admission and hospitalization are strongly associated with enlarged infarct size and adverse prognosis in AIS patients. However, insulin-intensive glucose control therapy defined by admission blood glucose for SIH has not achieved the desired results, and new treatment ideas are urgently required. First, we explore the various definitions of SIH in the context of AIS and their predictive value in adverse outcomes. Then, we briefly discuss the mechanisms by which SIH arises, describing the dual effects of elevated glucose levels on the central nervous system. Finally, although preclinical studies support lowering blood glucose levels using insulin, the clinical outcomes of intensive glucose control are not promising. We discuss the reasons for this phenomenon.

Neutrophil Heterogeneity and its Roles in the Inflammatory Network after Ischemic Stroke.

As the first peripheral immune cells to enter the brain after ischemic stroke, neutrophils are important participants in stroke-related neuroinflammation. Neutrophils are quickly mobilized from the periphery in response to a stroke episode and cross the blood-brain barrier to reach the ischemic brain parenchyma. This process involves the mobilization and activation of neutrophils from peripheral immune organs (including the bone marrow and spleen), their chemotaxis in the peripheral blood, and their infiltration into the brain parenchyma (including disruption of the blood-brain barrier, inflammatory effects on brain tissue, and interactions with other immune cell types). In the past, it was believed that neutrophils aggravated brain injuries through the massive release of proteases, reactive oxygen species, pro-inflammatory factors, and extracellular structures known as neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). With the failure of early clinical trials targeting neutrophils and uncovering their underlying heterogeneity, our view of their role in ischemic stroke has become more complex and multifaceted. As neutrophils can be divided into N1 and N2 phenotypes in tumors, neutrophils have also been found to have similar phenotypes after ischemic stroke, and play different roles in the development and prognosis of ischemic stroke. N1 neutrophils are dominant during the acute phase of stroke (within three days) and are responsible for the damage to neural structures via the aforementioned mechanisms. However, the proportion of N2 neutrophils gradually increases in later phases, and this has a beneficial effect through the release of anti-inflammatory factors and other neuroprotective mediators. Moreover, the N1 and N2 phenotypes are highly plastic and can be transformed into each other under certain conditions. The pronounced differences in their function and their high degree of plasticity make these neutrophil subpopulations promising targets for the treatment of ischemic stroke.

Oil-gelling properties of soy lecithin fractions.

Lecithin is a mixture of amphiphilic lipids with health benefits. In this study, four different fractions (ethanol soluble, ethanol insoluble, phospholipid and glycolipid fractions) from soy lecithin were obtained and evaluated as oleogelators. As with the parent lecithin, the ethanol insoluble fraction (EIF) was unable to function as an oleogelator. The ethanol soluble fraction (ESF) and phospholipid fraction (PLF) formed oleogels at 30% (wt%), while the glycolipid fraction (GLF) formed oleogels at 15%. ESF resulted in an oleogel with a similar appearance and microstructure, but a harder and less cohesive texture than the PLF-supported oleogel. The oleogels formed with GLF were different from those formed with ESF and PLF in appearance and microstructure. GLF at 20% formed an oleogel with better texture characteristics (in the light of hardness) and oil-holding capacity than those formed with 30% of ESF and PLF. This is the first study to investigate the oil-gelling properties of fractions from soy lecithin. Our results show that the naturally occurring glycolipids from soy lecithin exhibit great potential as oleogelators.

Investigation on the surface-active and antimicrobial properties of a natural glycolipid product.

Glycolipids are a group of sugar-containing lipids with versatile functions. In this study, a natural glycolipid product was obtained from soy lecithin, and its emulsifying, oil-gelling, antibacterial and antiviral properties were investigated. A silica-based extraction method on a preparative scale was used to recover the glycolipid product (GLP) from soy lecithin. The GLP consisted of three different glycolipid classes: acylated sterol glucoside (64.16%), sterol glucoside (25.57%) and cerebroside (6.71%). As an emulsifier, the GLP was able to form a stable water-in-oil emulsion. The GLP exhibited a good oil-gelling property, capable of gelling rapeseed oil at a concentration of 6%. For the investigated microorganisms (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus), the GLP did not show any antibacterial effects. The GLP exerted antiviral activity against lentivirus, but not adenovirus. The results of this study help in enriching the knowledge on the properties of naturally occurring glycolipids, which may find potential applications in the food, pharmaceutical and related industries.

Visual determination of oxidation of edible oil by a nanofiber mat prepared from polyvinyl alcohol and Schiff's reagent.

A fiber mat was developed to visually determine the oxidation of edible oils, based on the colorimetric reaction of Schiff's reagent and aldehydes - the major volatile formed during lipid oxidation. The mixtures of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and Schiff's reagent containing various amounts of glycerol were electrospun to form the fiber mats. The response of the PVA/Schiff's reagent fiber mats to gaseous hexanal (model aldehyde) was investigated. Oxidized soybean oils were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the PVA/Schiff's reagent fiber mat for indicating oxidation of the oils. The results showed that the fiber mats obtained had average fiber diameters of less than 100 nm. Upon hexanal exposure, the fiber mats turned from white to purple. Higher amount of glycerol led to larger color change of the fiber mats and shorter response time to hexanal. A linear relationship (R2 = 0.96) was observed between the color change of the mat and hexanal concentration (15-117 µmol L-1). The visual determination limit of the mat for hexanal was 29 µmol L-1. The color change of the PVA/Schiff's reagent fiber mat was increased with an increase of soybean oil oxidation. Out of the seven soybean oils tested, the PVA/Schiff's reagent fiber mat was able to correctly indicate the oxidation states of six oils. The result suggested that the visual determination method developed is a promising method to indicate the oxidation of edible oils, which can be performed easily by non-experts.Graphical abstract.

Associations of C-reactive Protein with 25-hydroxyvitamin D in 24 Specific Diseases: A Cross-sectional Study from NHANES.

Most diseases might be associated with acute or chronic inflammation, and the role of vitamin D in diseases has been extensively explored in recent years. Thus, we examined the associations of one of the best markers for inflammation - C-reactive protein (CRP) with 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] in 24 specific diseases. We performed cross-sectional analyses among 9,809 subjects aged ≥18 years who participated in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in 2007~2010. The generalized additive model (GAM) was used to explore the associations of CRP with 25(OH)D in different diseases, adjusted for the age, gender, examination period and race. Distributions of CRP were significantly different (P < 0.05) in gender, examination period and race, and distributions of 25(OH)D were different (P < 0.05) in the examination period and race. Generally, CRP was negatively associated with 25(OH)D for majority diseases. 25(OH)D was negatively associated with CRP generally, and the associations were disease-specific and disease category-specific. In respiratory, gastrointestinal and mental diseases, the associations tended to be approximately linear. While in metabolic diseases, the associations were nonlinear, and the slope of the nonlinear curve decreased with 25(OH)D, especially when 25(OH)D < 30 µg/L.

Fractionating of canola lecithin from acid degumming and its effect.

In this study, lecithin obtained from acid degumming of canola oil was fractionated with absolute ethanol. The lipid composition and emulsifying properties of the resulting fractions were investigated. The results showed that phosphatidylcholine and lyso-phosphatidylcholine were greatly enriched in the ethanol soluble fraction (ESF), accounting for 43.79% and 13.21% of ESF, respectively. Phosphatidylinositol, lyso-phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidic acid, as a group, were enriched in the ethanol insoluble fraction (EIF), accounting for 37.4% of EIF. ESF and EIF promoted oil/water (o/w) emulsions as stable as the parent canola lecithin. EIF was not better than the parent lecithin as w/o emulsifier. This information is critical for evaluating the potential utilization of these canola lecithin fractions as emulsifiers or sources of specific phospholipid.

Lipid composition and emulsifying properties of canola lecithin from enzymatic degumming.

This study investigated the polar lipid composition and emulsifying properties of canola lecithin from enzymatic degumming (CLED). Phospholipase A1 was used for enzymatic degumming of crude canola oil to collect lecithin sample. Canola lecithin from water degumming (CLWD) was also collected and served as the control. The results showed that the contents of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) (2.99%) and phosphatidylcholine (PC) (6.59%) in CLED were significantly lower than that in CLWD (PE 15.55% and PC 21.93%); while the content of lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) (19.45%) in CLED was significantly higher than that in CLWD (3.27%). Unsaturated fatty acids accounted for a higher percentage of the total fatty acids in CLED than in CLWD. CLED promoted more stable o/w emulsions than CLWD. This study provides a better understanding of the chemical nature of CLED, and important information for utilization of CLED as o/w emulsifier.