Combination of Preoperative Circulating Tumor Cell Count and Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio for Prognostic Prediction in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients after Curative Hepatectomy.

Background: Both the preoperative neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and circulating tumor cell count (CTC) are associated with poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The purpose of this study was to explore the prognostic value of these two indices (CTC-NLR) in HCC. Methods: We retrospectively collected demographic and clinical data, including NLR and CTC, from 97 patients with HCC who underwent curative hepatectomy at our institution from March 2014 to May 2017. X-Tile software was used to confirm the optimal cut-off value of NLR and CTC for predicting overall survival (OS) in this study. OS were also analyzed using Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression methods. Based on preoperative CTC and NLR, patients were divided into three groups: CTC-NLR (0), CTC-NLR (1), and CTC-NLR (2). Relationships of CTC-NLR with clinicopathological factors and survival were evaluated. Results: Preoperatively, CTC positively correlated with NLR. Patients with NLR and CTC higher than the cut-offs had shorter OS than patients with low NLR and CTC. Kaplan-Meier analysis, and log-rank tests revealed significantly lower OS among patients with CTC-NLR scores of 0, 1, and 2. Uni- and multivariate analyses showed that CTC-NLR (hazard ratio 2.050, P = 0.005), CTC (hazard ratio 2.285, P = 0.032), and NLR (hazard ratio 1.902, P = 0.048) were independent predictor of OS. A time-dependent ROC curve indicated that the prognostic efficacy of the CTC-NLR at 1 year (0.714) was better than that of NLR (0.687) and CTC (0.590); the prognostic efficacy of the CTC-NLR at 2 years (0.746) was better than that of NLR (0.711) and CTC (0.601); the prognostic efficacy of the CTC-NLR at 3 years (0.742) was better than that of NLR (0.694) and CTC (0.629). Conclusions: HCC patients with higher NLR and CTC tend to show shorter OS. Preoperative CTC-NLR may be associated with poor survival and might be a reliable prognostic predictor in HCC after curative hepatectomy.

A new method of establishing orthotopic bladder transplantable tumor in mice.

OBJECTIVE: The present study aims to find a convenient, rapid, and stable method to establish bladder tumor in mice. METHODS: Female Balb/C-nu-nu nude mice (or female T739 mice) were narcotized by sodium pentobarbital at a dosage of 60 mg/kg. The stylet of the 24# venous retention needles was bent in a 5° to 7° angle at a distance of 15 mm from the needlepoint to form a circle with 2.61 mm to 3.66 mm radius when the stylet is rotated. The pipe casing was lubricated with liquid paraffin, and inserted into the bladder cavity. The drift angle stylet was inserted into the pipe casing slowly, rotated for five times, and then pulled out. A cell suspension (0.1 mL) of approximately 1×10(6) T24 cells (or BTT cells) was then injected immediately. RESULTS: A total of 60 T739 mice and 60 Balb/C-nu-nu nude mice were inoculated with BTT cells and T24 cells, respectively. The bladder tumor incidence and the average survival time of the tumor-bearing mice were 100% and (26.69±9.24) d and 100% and (34.59±9.8) d for the T739 mice and Balb/C-nu-nu nude mice, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Using the drift angle stylet to injure the mucous membrane of the urinary bladder can establish a stable bladder transplantable tumor model in mice.

[Temporal coherent control in Er(3+)-doped telluride glass].

The authors achieved the temporal coherent control in an Er(3+)-doped telluride glass, one kind of disordered solids. The upconversion at 670 nm was modulated and the dephasing time was simulated as 300 fs. Moreover, the photon echo signal gave the dephasing time due to the phonon interaction. The agreement between the two data indicates that the interaction between the wavepacket and the phonon leads to the fast disappearance of wavepackets interference, which is helpful for the technique to be applied to the disordered solids.