7,8-dihydroxyflavone displayed antioxidant effect through activating HO-1 expression and inhibiting caspase-3/PARP activation in RAW264.7 cells.

Flavonoids, which contain a benzo-γ-pyrone (C6-C3-C6) skeleton, have been reported to exhibit effective antioxidant ability. This study aimed to compare the antioxidant activities of 7,8-dihydroxyflavone (7,8-DHF) and 7-hydroxyflavone (7-HF) in H2 O2 , lipopolysaccharide (LPS), or tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHP)-induced RAW264.7 cells, respectively. The antioxidant capacities of 7,8-DHF and 7-HF were firstly evaluated by 2,2-azinobis-3-ethyl-benzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. Then, reactive oxygen species (ROS), super oxide dismutase (SOD), and malondialdehyde (MDA) productions in H2 O2 , LPS, or t-BHP-induced RAW264.7 cells were tested and compared, respectively. Finally, the antioxidant mechanisms of 7-HF and 7,8-DHF were initially investigated by western blot. Our results showed that 7,8-DHF possessed stronger free-radical scavenging capacity than 7-HF. Both 7,8-DHF and 7-HF suppressed MDA production and ROS accumulation, improved the activity of SOD in H2 O2 , LPS, or t-BHP-induced RAW264.7 cells, respectively. And 7,8-DHF exerted a better antioxidant effect than 7-HF, especially in t-BHP-induced oxidative stress. Mechanically, 7,8-DHF prevented the activation of poly ADP-ribosepolymerase and caspase-3, meanwhile markedly upregulated the expression of HO-1 protein in t-BHP-induced oxidative stress. These results suggested that 7,8-DHF might serve as a potential pharmaceutical drug against oxidative stress injury.

Antibacterial metabolites from the beetle-associated fungus Penicillium chrysogenum.

The antibacterial secondary metabolites of the fungus Penicillium chrysogenum associated with the beetle Aspongopus chinensis were investigated through chromatographic fractionation methods of ethyl acetate extracts of the fungal cultures. Five compounds were isolated, and their structures were determined as emodin, 4-(methoxymethyl)benzoic acid, isoochracinic acid, secalonic acid D, and dicerandrol A using mass spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic analyses. Emodin exhibited strong antimicrobial activity, especially against Staphylococcus aureus even when growing on cooked pork, with a minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 6.3 µg/mL. Dimeric tetrahydroxanthones, such as secalonic acid D and dicerandrol A, also exhibited potent activity, with MIC values ranging from 9.5 to 28.5 µg/mL. In summary, P. chrysogenum was isolated as a symbiotic fungus of the beetle A. chinensis for the first time and this strain could generate antibacterial secondary metabolites, which could potently inhibit gram-positive bacteria growth in vitro.

Molecular signatures of soil-derived dissolved organic matter constrained by mineral weathering.

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) in soils drives biogeochemical cycling and soil functions in different directions depending on its molecular signature. Notably, there is a distinct paucity of information concerning how the molecular signatures of soil DOM vary with different degrees of weathering across wide geographic scales. Herein, we resolved the DOM molecular signatures from 22 diverse Chinese reference soils and linked them with soil organic matter and weathering-related mineralogical properties. The mixed-effects models revealed that the yields of DOM were determined by soil organic carbon content, whereas the molecular signature of DOM was primarily constrained by the weathering-related dimension. The soil weathering index showed a positive effect on the lability and a negative effect on the aromaticity of DOM. Specifically, DOM in highly weathered acidic soils featured more amino sugars, carbohydrates, and aliphatics, as well as less O-rich polyphenols and condensed aromatics, thereby conferring a higher DOM biolability and lower DOM aromaticity. This study highlights the dominance of the weathering-related dimension in constraining the molecular signatures and potential functions of DOM in soils across a wide geographic scale.

Application of dendritic cells in tumor immunotherapy and progress in the mechanism of anti-tumor effect of Astragalus polysaccharide (APS) modulating dendritic cells: a review.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are potent antigen-presenting cells (APCs) that are essential in mediating the body's natural and adaptive immune responses. The body can regulate the function of DCs in various ways to enhance their antitumor effects. In the tumour microenvironment (TME), antigen-specific T cell responses are initiated through DC processing and delivery of tumour-associated antigens (TAAs); conversely, tumour cells inhibit DC recruitment by releasing metabolites, cytokines and other regulatory TME and function. Different subpopulations of DCs exist in tumour tissues, and their functions vary. Insight into DC subgroups in TME allows assessment of the effectiveness of tumour immunotherapy. Astragalus polysaccharide (APS) is the main component of the Chinese herb Astragalus membranaceus. The study found that the antitumor effects of APS are closely related to DCs. APS can promote the expression of surface molecules CD80 and CD86, promote the maturation of DCs, and activate CTL to exert antitumor effects. We reviewed the application of DCs in tumor immunotherapy and the mechanism of modulation of DCs by Astragalus polysaccharide to provide new directions and strategies for tumor therapy and new drug development.

Progress in neoadjuvant therapy for gastric cancer.

Gastric cancer is one of the most common malignant tumor types in the world and the majority of patients have already reached the advanced stage at the time of initial diagnosis, owing to the subtle symptoms of gastric cancer in the early stage and the low rate of screening in the population. Surgical resection is one of the main treatments for advanced gastric cancer; however, the efficacy of surgery is limited by factors such as low radical resection rate and high distant metastasis rate. A large number of clinical trials have indicated that neoadjuvant therapy (NAT), which consists of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and NAT combined with targeted therapy, may improve the therapeutic effect and prognosis of patients to different degrees. However, the benefit of NAT remains controversial due to the heterogeneity of clinical trials and gastric cancer itself. The present review summarizes the main research progress and key breakthrough of NAT for advanced gastric cancer and discusses its prospects.

CT Radiomics for Distinction of Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 Negative Gastric Cancer.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of computed tomography (CT) radiomics for the prediction of the human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2) status in patients with gastric cancer. METHODS: One hundred and thirty two consecutive patients with advanced gastric cancer undergoing radical gastrectomy were retrospectively reviewed. All patients received preoperative contrast CT examination, and immunohistochemistry results of their HER2 status were available. All the subjects were randomly divided into a training cohort (n = 90) and a test cohort (n = 42). Arterial phase (AP) and portal phase (PP) contrast CT images were retrieved for tumor segmentation and feature extraction. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves and area under the curve (AUC) were used to evaluate the performance of the radiomics classifiers. RESULTS: Among the 132 patients, a total of 99 patients were HER2 negative, and the remaining 33 patients were border line or positive. The AP radiomics model could distinguish HER2-negative cases with an AUC of 0.756 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.656-0.840) in the training cohort, which was confirmed in the test cohort with AUC of 0.830 (95% CI: 0.678-0.930). The PP radiomics model showed AUCs of 0.715 (95% CI: 0.612-0.804) and 0.718 (95% CI: 0.554-0.849) in the training and test cohort for distinction of negative HER2 cases, respectively. CONCLUSION: Radiomics models based on standard-of-care CT images hold promise for distinguishing HER2-negative gastric cancer.

Clinical application of combined detection of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody and nucleic acid.

BACKGROUND: The global outbreak of human severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV)-2 infection represents an urgent need for readily available, accurate and rapid diagnostic tests. Nucleic acid testing of respiratory tract specimens for SARS-CoV-2 is the current gold standard for diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, the diagnostic accuracy of reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests for detecting SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid may be lower than optimal. The detection of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies should be used as a serological non-invasive tool for the diagnosis and management of SARS-CoV-2 infection. AIM: To investigate the diagnostic value of SARS-CoV-2 IgM/IgG and nucleic acid detection in COVID-19. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 652 suspected COVID-19 patients, and 206 non-COVID-19 patients in Wuhan Integrated TCM and Western Medicine Hospital. Data on SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid tests and serum antibody tests were collected to investigate the diagnostic value of nucleic acid RT-PCR test kits and immunoglobulin (Ig)M/IgG antibody test kits. The χ2 test was used to compare differences between categorical variables. A 95% confidence interval (CI) was provided by the Wilson score method. All analyses were performed with IBM SPSS Statistics version 22.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, United States). RESULTS: Of the 652 suspected COVID-19 patients, 237 (36.3%) had positive nucleic acid tests, 311 (47.7%) were positive for IgM, and 592 (90.8%) were positive for IgG. There was a significant difference in the positive detection rate between the IgM and IgG test groups (P < 0.001). Using the RT-PCR results as a reference, the specificity, sensitivity, and accuracy of IgM/IgG combined tests for SARS-CoV-2 infection were 98.5%, 95.8%, and 97.1%, respectively. Of the 415 suspected COVID-19 patients with negative nucleic acid test results, 366 had positive IgM/IgG tests with a positive detection rate of 88.2%. CONCLUSION: Our data indicate that serological IgM/IgG antibody combined test had high sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and can be used in combination with RT-PCR for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Prevalence and risk factors on age-related cataract and surgery in adults over 50 years old in Binhu District, Wuxi, China.

AIM: To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of age-related cataract (ARC), ARC surgery procedures, and postoperative vision results among adults over 50 years old in the Binhu District of Wuxi City, China. METHODS: Thirty basic sampling units were analyzed via a cluster random sampling method. Detailed medical histories were collected and eye examinations were performed. Cataract prevalence and surgical procedures were quantified. RESULTS: Among the 6150 participants, 1421 cataract cases were diagnosed and prevalence was 23.1%. The prevalence of cortical, nuclear, and posterior subcapsular cataracts increased with age (P<0.001). Cataract prevalence was significantly higher among elderly, female, or illiterate individuals and people with hypertension, diabetes, and a history of smoking and drinking (all P<0.05). As participant age increased and education level decreased, the frequency of cataract blindness surgeries gradually decreased, but without statistical significance within groups (P>0.05). The odds ratio of cataract patients who had or did not have cataract surgery was 3.15 (87/28) and the frequency of cataract blindness surgery was 75.7% (87/115). Poor visual outcomes was in 107 eyes (40.7%) after cataract surgery. Poor vision was mostly caused by uncorrected reflective errors (30.9%) and ocular comorbidities (41.1%). The prevalence of cataract surgery complications was 5.7% (15/263). Surgical complications and posterior capsular opacification were avoidable factors facilitating poor vision. CONCLUSION: ARC, especially in females and illiterate individuals, presents a public health problem in this district. Poor visual outcomes after cataract surgery are frequent. High-quality cataract surgeries and treatment of ocular comorbidities are vital.

Typical and atypical pelvic MRI characteristics of Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome: a comprehensive analysis of 201 patients.

OBJECTIVES: To comprehensively evaluate the pelvic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome and summarize the typical and atypical characteristics. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 201 consecutive MRKH patients was carried out. Pelvic MRI was reviewed by two experienced gynecological radiologists in consensus. Characteristics including the morphology, signal pattern and volumes of the uterine rudiments, location and volume of the ovaries, and the degree of vaginal dysgenesis were evaluated. Other noted abnormalities were also recorded. RESULTS: Morphologically, the majority (95%) of patients displayed bilateral uterine rudiments combined with a fibrous band. The minority of patients showed no (3.5%) or unilateral (1.5%) uterine rudiments. A total of 385 uterine rudiments were detected which showed four types of signal patterns: one-layer differentiation (325, 84.4%), two-layer differentiation (27, 7%), three-layer differentiation without subsequent alteration (23, 6.0%), and three-layer differentiation with hematometra and/or ipsilateral hematosalpinx (10, 2.6%). The median volumes of these four types of uterine rudiments were 2.6 ml (1.69-3.81 ml), 3.19 ml (2.67-4.51 ml), 6.05 ml (3.37-12.44 ml), and 31.97 ml (19.2-38.7 ml), respectively. The mean ovarian volume was 6.49 ± 3.91 ml. Abnormally located ovaries were detected in 63 (31.3%) patients. The distal vagina was discernable in 25.1% of patients. CONCLUSION: MRKH patients typically display bilateral uterine rudiments combined with a fibrous band and normally located ovaries. The uterine rudiments are generally small with only one-layer differentiation, a subset of which might be large and exhibited other atypical presentations, including two- or three-layer differentiation or even hematometra. Abnormally located ovaries are not rare. KEY POINTS: • Morphologically, MRKH patients typically displayed bilateral uterine rudiments combined with a fibrous band. • Typically, the uterine rudiments (84.4%) were small and displayed only one-layer differentiation. • About 15.6% of rudiments showed atypical characteristics including two- or three-layer differentiation, even complicated with hematometra or hematosalpinx.

Potential value of CT radiomics in the distinction of intestinal-type gastric adenocarcinomas.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to investigate the role of CT radiomics for the preoperative distinction of intestinal-type gastric adenocarcinomas. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 187 consecutive patients with preoperative contrast CT examination and pathologically proven gastric adenocarcinoma were retrospectively collected. Patients were divided into a training set (n = 150) and a test set (n = 37). Arterial phase (AP), portal phase (PP), and delay phase (DP) images were retrieved for analysis. A dedicated postprocessing software was used to segment the lesions and extract radiomics features. Random forest (RF) algorithm was applied to construct the classifier models. A nomogram was developed by incorporating multiphase radiomics scores. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to evaluate the performance of the radiomics model and nomogram in both sets. RESULTS: The radiomics model showed a favorable capability in the distinction of intestinal-type gastric adenocarcinomas. The areas under curves (AUCs) of the AP, PP, and DP radiomics models were 0.754 (95% CI: 0.676, 0.820), 0.815 (95% CI: 0.744, 0.874), and 0.764 (95% CI: 0.688, 0.829) in the training set, respectively, which were confirmed in the test set with AUCs of 0.742 (95% CI: 0.572, 0.872), 0.775 (95% CI: 0.608, 0.895), and 0.857 (95% CI: 0.703, 0.950), respectively. The nomogram yielded excellent performance for distinguishing intestinal-type adenocarcinomas in both sets, with AUCs of 0.928 (95%: 0.875, 0.964) and 0.904 (95% CI: 0.761, 0.976). CONCLUSIONS: The multiphase CT radiomics nomogram holds promise for the individual preoperative discrimination of intestinal-type gastric adenocarcinoma. KEY POINTS: • CT radiomics has a potential role in the distinction of intestinal-type gastric adenocarcinomas. • Single-phase enhanced CT-based radiomics showed favorable capability in distinguishing intestinal-type tumors. • The nomogram which incorporates the multiphase radiomics scores could facilitate the individual prediction of intestinal-type lesions.

[Effects of "Tiaoyi Sanjiao" acupuncture and moxibustion on cancer-induced fatigue and immune function in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the therapeutic effect of "Tiaoyi Sanjiao" （regulating and tonifying the triple energizer）acupuncture and moxibustion in the treatment of cancer-related fatigue of advanced non-small cell lung cancer and observe its influence on lymphocyte count. METHODS: The cancer-related fatigue patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer who met the inclusive criteria were randomly divided into 2 groups, with 77 cases in each group. Patients in the control group were treated with conventional Chinese and Western medicine. In the treatment group, on the base of the treatment as the control group, "Tiaoyi Sanjiao" acupuncture and moxibustion was applied（mild moxibustion at Danzhong ［CV17］, Zhongwan［CV12］, Qihai［CV6］, bilateral Zusanli［ST36］, and acupuncture at bilateral Xuehai［SP10］, Waiguan［SJ5］, Taichong［LR3］）. KPS score, Piper scale, percentage and absolute count of lymphocyte subsets of the two groups before and after treatment were observed. RESULTS: Compared with pre-treatment, the KPS scores of both groups were significantly increased after treatment (P<0.05); the behavioral dimension score of the Piper scale, and the percentage of B cells of the control group decreased significantly(P<0.05); the behavioral dimension, emotional dimension, sensory dimension scores, and total score of the Piper scale in the treatment group were significantly reduced(P<0.05), while the percentage of CD3+T cells and absolute counts of CD3+T cells, CD4+T cells and CD8+T cells of the treatment group were significantly increased (P<0.05). After treatment, in comparison with the control group, behavioral dimension score of the Piper scale in the treatment group decreased significantly(P<0.05); the percentage and absolute counts of B cells and CD4+T cells, the absolute count of CD3+T cells in the treatment group were up-regulated (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: "Tiaoyi Sanjiao" acupuncture and moxibustion can significantly alleviate the fatigue state and improve the quality of life in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer, which may be achieved by regulating the number of lymphocytes and improving immune function.

CT radiomics nomogram for the preoperative prediction of lymph node metastasis in gastric cancer.

PURPOSE: To investigate the role of computed tomography (CT) radiomics for the preoperative prediction of lymph node (LN) metastasis in gastric cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study included 247 consecutive patients (training cohort, 197 patients; test cohort, 50 patients) with surgically proven gastric cancer. Dedicated radiomics prototype software was used to segment lesions on preoperative arterial phase (AP) CT images and extract features. A radiomics model was constructed to predict the LN metastasis by using a random forest (RF) algorithm. Finally, a nomogram was built incorporating the radiomics scores and selected clinical predictors. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to validate the capability of the radiomics model and nomogram on both the training and test cohorts. RESULTS: The radiomics model showed a favorable discriminatory ability in the training cohort with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.844 (95% CI, 0.759 to 0.909), which was confirmed in the test cohort with an AUC of 0.837 (95% CI, 0.705 to 0.926). The nomogram consisted of radiomics scores and the CT-reported LN status showed excellent discrimination in the training and test cohorts with AUCs of 0.886 (95% CI, 0.808 to 0.941) and 0.881 (95% CI, 0.759 to 0.956), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The CT-based radiomics nomogram holds promise for use as a noninvasive tool in the individual prediction of LN metastasis in gastric cancer. KEY POINTS: • CT radiomics showed a favorable performance for the prediction of LN metastasis in gastric cancer. • Radiomics model outperformed the routine CT in predicting LN metastasis in gastric cancer. • The radiomics nomogram holds potential in the individualized prediction of LN metastasis in gastric cancer.

Improved Visualization of Gastric Cancer and Increased Diagnostic Performance in Lesion Depiction and Depth Identification Using Monoenergetic Reconstructions from a Novel Dual-Layer Spectral Detector CT.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: To determine the optimal keV for the visualization of gastric cancer and to investigate its value in depicting lesions and in identifying depth invasion using virtual monoenergetic images (VMIs) on a novel dual-layer spectral detector CT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty-two gastric cancer patients were retrospectively enrolled, and 41 patients who did not undergo surgery were evaluated for image quality in VMIs at different keVs (40 keV-70 keV with 10 keV increments) and in conventional 120 kVp polyenergetic images (PEIs) reconstructed from the portal venous phase. Objective image quality was assessed by the contrast-to-noise ratio of the gastric cancer, while subjective performance was compared using a 5-point Likert scale. Another 41 patients who underwent surgery were examined to compare the diagnostic performance of the VMIs taken at the optimal keV and that of the 120 kVp-PEIs. RESULTS: The contrast-to-noise ratio of gastric cancer at 40 keV (10.4 ± 4.6) was the highest among all the VMIs and was significantly superior to that of the 120 kVp-PEIs (3.5 ± 1.5, p < 0.001). Gastric-specific image quality was rated highest for the 40 keV-VMIs (4.92 ± 0.26), which was significantly superior to that of the 120 kVp-PEIs (4.15 ± 0.82, p < 0.001). In the diagnostic group, there were 13 pT1, 10 pT2, 9 pT3, and 9 pT4 gastric cancer patients. Compared with the 120 kVp-PEIs, the VMIs at 40 keV tended to have a higher detection rate of gastric cancer (82.9% vs. 92.7%, respectively, p = 0.125) and a significantly improved diagnostic accuracy in the T stage (from 41.5% to 78.11%, respectively) (p < 0.001), particularly in pT1 patients, whose diagnostic accuracy was improved by 53.8% (7.7% vs. 61.5%, respectively, p = 0.016). CONCLUSION: VMIs at 40 keV performed the best, both objectively and subjectively, for gastric cancer, leading to improved lesion depiction and higher T stage accuracy.

Prediction of the Depth of Tumor Invasion in Gastric Cancer: Potential Role of CT Radiomics.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the value of computed tomography (CT) radiomics for the differentiation between T2 and T3/4 stage lesions in gastric cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 244 consecutive patients with pathologically proven gastric cancer were retrospectively included and split into a training cohort (171 patients) and a test cohort (73 patients). Preoperative arterial phase and portal phase contrast enhanced CT images were retrieved for tumor segmentation and feature extraction by using a dedicated postprocessing software. The random forest method was used to build the classifier models. RESULTS: The performance of single phase radiomics models were favorable in the differentiation between T2 and T3/4 stage tumors. Arterial phase-based radiomics model exhibited areas under the curve of 0.899 (95% CI: 0.812-0.955) in the training cohort and 0.825 (95% CI: 0.718-0.904) in the test cohort. Portal phase-based radiomics model showed areas under the curve of 0.843 (95% CI: 0.746-0.914) and 0.818 (95% CI: 0.711-0.899) in the training and test cohort, respectively. CONCLUSION: CT radiomics approach has a potential role in differentiation between T2 and T3/4 stage tumors in gastric cancer.

Up-regulation of miR-27 extenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced injury in H9c2 cells via modulating ICAM1 expression.

BACKGROUND: MiR-27 has been found to present an overt myocardial expression during cardiogenesis. However, whether miR-27 involves in myocarditis development and the possible molecular mechanism remain unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the biological characteristic of miR-27 in LPS-damaged H9c2 cells. METHODS: H9c2 cells were treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 10 µg/ml) for 12 h to form cell injury. MiR-27 mimic and inhibitor were used to up-regulate or down-regulate miR-27 expression. MTT assay and flow cytometry analysis were conducted to test cell viability and apoptosis. The relative RNA expression level of miR-27 and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM1) was determined by qRT-PCR. Luciferase reporter gene assay was utilized to confirm the interaction between miR-27 and ICAM1. Western blot was used to determine the protein expression levels. RESULTS: We observed that LPS treatment significantly decreased the level of miR-27 in H9c2 cells. Moreover, LPS exposure suppressed cell viability, promoted cell apoptosis and increased the relative expression of p-NF-κB p65/NF-κB p65 and p-IκBα/IκBα. Up-regulation of miR-27 increased cell proliferation and reduced cell apoptosis, while down-regulation of miR-27 suppressed cell growth and promoted cell apoptosis. ICAM1 was predicted and verified as a target of miR-27, and the expression of ICAM1 is negatively regulated by miR-27. The relative expression of p-NF-κB p65/NF-κB p65 and p-IκBα/IκBα was dramatically decreased by miR-27 mimic and increased by miR-27 inhibitor. CONCLUSION: Our study illustrated that up-regulation of miR-27 exhibits a protective effect on LPS-damaged H9c2 cells, which may be achieved by regulating ICAM1 and NF-κB signaling.

[Predictive Factors of Early Weight Loss after Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy].

Objective To explore the clinical factors that can be used to predict the early weight loss after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy(LSG).Methods The clinical data of 64 obese patients undergoing LSG in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from August 2015 to January 2018 were retrospectively analyzed.We analyzed the relationship between different clinical factors and early weight loss,determined the independent predictors based on Logistic models,and estimated their test power by using the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves.Results Correlation analysis indicated that preoperative body mass index(P=0.000,P=0.000,P=0.000),waist circumference(WC)(P=0.000,P=0.000,P=0.000),whole body fat volume(P=0.000,P=0.006,P=0.003),homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance(HOMA-IR)(P=0.000,P=0.000,P=0.002),and hypersensitive C-reactive protein(hsCRP)(P=0.004,P=0.002,P=0.025)were negatively correlated with excess weight loss percentage(EWL %) after 3,6 and 12 months.Also,hsCRP after 6 months showed negative correlation with EWL % after 1 year(P=0.029).Binary Logistic regression analysis showed that WC was an independent predictor of early weight loss(P=0.018).ROC analysis showed that when the optimal cutoff value is 142.5 cm for WC,Youden index was highest,with a sensitivity of 80% and a specificity of 87%.Patients were further divided into low WC group and high WC group based on this optimal cutoff value.The low WC group had significantly higher EWL% than the high WC group 3 months(t=6.677,P=0.000),6 months(t=6.157,P=0.000),and 1 year(t=4.006,P=0.000)after surgery.The low WC group also had significantly lower hsCRP than high WC group 6 months after surgery(z=-3.510,P=0.000).HOMA-IR showed no significant difference between these two groups(z=-0.821,P=0.412).Conclusions WC is an independent predictor of weight loss early after LSG.The patients with low WC have better weight loss effectiveness.

[Impacts of moxibustion at Zusanli (ST 36) on the improvements in the quality of life in patients with advanced malignant tumor].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the impacts of moxibustion at Zusanli (ST 36) on the improvements in the quality of life in the patients with advanced malignant tumor. METHODS: A total of 60 patients with advanced malignant tumor were randomized into an observation group and a control group, 30 cases in each one. In the control group, the routine symptomatic scheme was adopted. In the observation group, on the base of the routine treatment, moxibustion was applied to bilateral Zusanli (ST 36), once a day. The observation period was 12 days. The percentages of , and in T lymphocyte subset, the ratio of / , the value of hemoglobin, Karnofsky score (KPS) and the main symptom score of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) were compared before and after treatment in the two groups. RESULTS: In comparison before and after treatment in the two groups as well as between the two groups, the differences were not significant in the contents of , and , hemoglobin and the ratio of / (all P>0.05). In the observation group, KPS after treatment was increased as compared with the score before treatment (P<0.05). In the observation group, the scores of the main TCM symptoms, i.e. lassitude, insomnia, poor appetite, spontaneous sweating, dizziness and vertigo as well as the total score after treatment were all reduced as compared with the scores before treatment (all P<0.01). In the control group, the difference was not significant in the score of each item (all P>0.05). In the observation group, the improvements in lassitude, short breath, poor appetite, dizziness and vertigo, complexion, palpitation, soreness and weakness of the lumber region and knee joint as well as the total score were better than the control group (P<0.05, P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Moxibustion at Zusanli (ST 36) effectively regulates the immune balance and relieves the clinical symptoms in the patients with advanced malignant tumor.

NUCKS1 promotes gastric cancer cell aggressiveness by upregulating IGF-1R and subsequently activating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.

The effects of nuclear ubiquitous casein and cyclin-dependent kinase substrate 1 (NUCKS1) on tumor cells and the relevant mechanisms are less well defined. This study aimed to explore the role and mechanism of action of NUCKS1 in gastric cancer (GC) progression. The expression dynamics of NUCKS1 were examined using microarray-based immunohistochemistry (IHC) in a group of carcinomatous and adjacent non-tumor specimens. Various in vitro and in vivo assays were performed to clarify the function of NUCKS1 in GC and its underlying mechanisms. In our research, NUCKS1 overexpression was identified by IHC in 86/200 (43%) GC patients, was significantly related to the invasive phenotype of GC and was an indisputable predictor of shortened survival. Depleting NUCKS1 in GC cells significantly induced apoptosis and reduced cell proliferation and invasiveness in vitro and inhibited tumor growth in vivo. Additionally, ectopic overexpression of NUCKS1 in GC cells enhanced proliferation and invasion in vitro and promoted tumor growth in vivo. Importantly, PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway activity was inhibited upon downregulation of NUCKS1 expression and enhanced by ectopic overexpression of NUCKS1. Subsequently, the insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R) gene was found to be a potential downstream target of NUCKS1 in GC cells, and knockdown of IGF-1R eliminated the augmentation of GC cell migration, invasion and proliferation as well as PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway activity by ectopic NUCKS1. The data suggested that NUCKS1 enhanced GC aggressiveness via the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway in an IGF-1R-dependent manner. NUCKS1 or its respective signaling pathways could hold immense promise as potent anticancer targets for GC treatment.

Gastric cancer with severe immune thrombocytopenia: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is a rare autoimmune disease associated with a high bleeding risk. For those patients with gastric cancer, surgical treatment may be the only option for therapy. Here, we present the first case of gastric cancer with severe and medically refractory ITP treated by radical resection of the gastric cancer and splenectomy. CASE SUMMARY: A 54-year-old female patient was admitted to our surgical department with a 2 mo history of decreased appetite, nausea, vomiting, and weight loss, which progressed to difficulty in feeding 3 d prior to her visit. According to her medical history, she was diagnosed with refractory ITP [platelets (PLT), 3000-8000/µL] 10 years ago. After admission, the patient underwent a splenectomy and a distal subtotal gastrectomy (D2 radical resection) with Roux-en-Y reconstruction simultaneously. She had an uneventful postoperative course with a slight increase in her PLT count. This case is unique in terms of the patient's complication of severe and medically refractory ITP. CONCLUSION: Simultaneous splenectomy, preoperative PLT transfusion, and early enteral nutrition were important treatment methods for helping this patient recover.

[Multidisciplinary Team and Nutrition Management for Bariatric Surgery].

Bariatric surgery remains the most successful treatment for morbid obesity. Multiple departments may be involved due to the presence of various co-morbidities and the complex procedure. Thus,the establishment of a multidisciplinary team based on endocrinology,gastrointestinal surgery,nutrition,and psychology is important to ensure a successful bariatric surgery. Although the bariatric surgery has definite effectiveness in decreasing body weight and improving comorbidities,patients may still face the risks including protein and/or micronutrient malnutrition and other complications after the bariatric surgery. The medium-and long-term follow-up and nutrition management after bariatric surgery mainly focus on the following two aspects: weight loss and improvement of obesity-related complications; and assessment and treatment of possible nutritional deficiencies and eating disorders.