A combined pre- and intra-operative nomogram in evaluation of degrees of liver cirrhosis predicts post-hepatectomy liver failure: a multicenter prospective study.

Background: Adequate evaluation of degrees of liver cirrhosis is essential in surgical treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. The impact of the degrees of cirrhosis on prediction of post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) remains poorly defined. This study aimed to construct and validate a combined pre- and intra-operative nomogram based on the degrees of cirrhosis in predicting PHLF in HCC patients using prospective multi-center's data. Methods: Consecutive HCC patients who underwent hepatectomy between May 18, 2019 and Dec 19, 2020 were enrolled at five tertiary hospitals. Preoperative cirrhotic severity scoring (CSS) and intra-operative direct liver stiffness measurement (DSM) were performed to correlate with the Laennec histopathological grading system. The performances of the pre-operative nomogram and combined pre- and intra-operative nomogram in predicting PHLF were compared with conventional predictive models of PHLF. Results: For 327 patients in this study, histopathological studies showed the rates of HCC patients with no, mild, moderate, and severe cirrhosis were 41.9%, 29.1%, 22.9%, and 6.1%, respectively. Either CSS or DSM was closely correlated with histopathological stages of cirrhosis. Thirty-three (10.1%) patients developed PHLF. The 30- and 90-day mortality rates were 0.9%. Multivariate regression analysis showed four pre-operative variables [HBV-DNA level, ICG-R15, prothrombin time (PT), and CSS], and one intra-operative variable (DSM) to be independent risk factors of PHLF. The pre-operative nomogram was constructed based on these four pre-operative variables together with total bilirubin. The combined pre- and intra-operative nomogram was constructed by adding the intra-operative DSM. The pre-operative nomogram was better than the conventional models in predicting PHLF. The prediction was further improved with the combined pre- and intra-operative nomogram. Conclusions: The combined pre- and intra-operative nomogram further improved prediction of PHLF when compared with the pre-operative nomogram. Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT04076631.

Unexpected discovery of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma during follow-up in two cases of liver cysts: case report.

Background: The liver cyst is commonly treated by hepatobiliary surgery. Generally, most patients show no apparent symptoms and often get diagnosed accidentally during the imaging examinations. In addition, most patients with liver cysts follow a benign course, with fewer severe complications and rare occurrences of malignant changes. Therefore, based on disease characteristics and healthcare costs, long-term regular follow-up of liver cysts are rarely performed clinically. Case Description: Here, we reported two previously treated or observed cases for liver cysts, where intrahepatic neoplastic lesions were found unexpectedly at the liver cyst during follow-up. These two patients' clinical manifestations and laboratory examinations lacked specificity with unclear pre-operative diagnosis, whereas the post-operative pathology confirmed cholangiocarcinoma. One of the patients was a 64-year-old female with right upper abdominal distension. She underwent cyst fenestration for a liver cyst 3 years ago. In the latest admission, imaging examination revealed a tumor in the left inner lobe of the liver. The tumor was located in the exact fenestration location, and the pathological diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma was made after surgical resection. The patient received Lenvatinib post-operatively and had no recurrence during the follow-up. Another patient, a 68-year-old woman, was asymptomatic, but the liver margin was palpable under the ribs on her physical examination. She had a previous diagnosis of liver cysts and was on regular yearly follow-up. In the last follow-up, a tumor was found close to a cyst. It was diagnosed as intrahepatic cystadenocarcinoma before surgery; however, the pathological features after surgical resection were more consistent with the cholangiocarcinoma. The patient had lung metastases 2 months after the surgery, but her condition improved after receiving targeted therapy and immunotherapy. Moreover, she is alive to this day. Conclusions: We reported 2 cases of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma discovered accidentally during the follow-up of hepatic cysts. The location of the malignant tumor coincided with the location of the cyst, making the clinical differential diagnosis problematic. Therefore, it is necessary to be vigilant about the possibility of combined malignant tumors for the follow-up of complex cysts, as early detection and treatment may help improve the prognosis of these patients. After surgery, multimodal therapy, including chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy, is helpful.

SV40T reprograms Schwann cells into stem-like cells that can re-differentiate into terminal nerve cells.

BACKGROUND: The specific effect of SV40T on neurocytes has seldom been investigated by the researchers. We transfected Schwann cells (SCs) that did not have differentiation ability with MPH 86 plasmid containing SV40T, in order to explore the effects of SV40T on Schwann cells. METHODS: SCs were transfected with MPH 86 plasmid carrying the SV40T gene and cultured in different media, and also co-cultured with neural stem cells (NSCs). In our study, SCs overexpressing SV40T were defined as SV40T-SCs. The proliferation of these cells was detected by WST-1, and the expression of different biomarkers was analyzed by qPCR and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: SV40T induced the characteristics of NSCs, such as the ability to grow in suspension, form spheroid colonies and proliferate rapidly, in the SCs, which were reversed by knocking out SV40T by the Flip-adenovirus. In addition, SV40T up-regulated the expressions of neural crest-associated markers Nestin, Pax3 and Slug, and down-regulated S100b as well as the markers of mature SCs MBP, GFAP and Olig1/2. These cells also expressed NSC markers like Nestin, Sox2, CD133 and SSEA-1, as well as early development markers of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) like BMP4, c-Myc, OCT4 and Gbx2. Co-culturing with NSCs induced differentiation of the SV40T-SCs into neuronal and glial cells. CONCLUSIONS: SV40T reprograms Schwann cells to stem-like cells at the stage of neural crest cells (NCCs) that can differentiate to neurocytes.

BMP9 Can Induce Schwann Cells Expressing Simian Virus 40 T Antigen to Differentiate into Fat and Bone In Vivo and In Vitro.

In our previous study, we constructed Schwann cells (SCs) that stably express Simian virus 40 T antigen (SV40T-SCs). SV40T-SCs functions and markers are similar to those of neural crest cells. There we used bone morphogenetic protein 9 (BMP9) to induce SV40T-SCs differentiation in vitro and in vivo and study possible related mechanism. SV40T-SCs differentiation was induced by BMP9 conditioned medium. The lipogenic differentiation of SV40T-SCs was assessed by Oil Red O staining. Alizarin red and Alcian blue staining, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) assays were used to evaluate the SV40T-SCs osteogenic differentiation. The expression of adipocyte differentiation (c/EBPα and c/EBPß) and osteoblast differentiation markers (OSX and RUNX2) were detected by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). To study possible mechanism related to SV40T-SCs differentiation, the P53 and E2F1 activity were assessed by luciferase reporter plasmid, and Slug and E-cadherin expression by qPCR. In vivo, SV40T-SCs infected by Ad-BMP9 or Ad-GFP were injected under the skin of nude mice. After 4-6 W, the mice were euthanized and subcutaneously mass formed at injecting sites was collected for pathological analysis. After SV40T-SCs were cultured in BMP9 conditioned medium, lipid droplets were formed in the cytoplasm of these cells. Alizarin red and Alcian blue staining were positive, and ALP activity of SV40T-SCs increased significantly. The expression of adipocyte differentiation (c/EBPα and c/EBPß) and osteoblast differentiation markers (OSX and RUNX2) in SV40T-SCs was upregulated by BMP9. SV40T significantly increased Slug expression and decreased E-cadherin expression. SV40T-SCs infected with Ad-BMP9 were able to differentiate into adipose tissue and form a small bone matrix under the nude mice skin. SV40T-SCs have the ability to differentiate into adipocytes and osteoblasts in vivo and in vitro. SV40T can upregulate the Slug expression and downregulate the E-cadherin expression to produce endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). The multidirectional differentiation ability of SV40T-SCs may be related to EMT.

Ethylene and salicylic acid synergistically accelerate leaf senescence in Arabidopsis.

The phytohormones ethylene and salicylic acid (SA) have long been known to promote senescence, but their interplay during this process remains elusive. Here we report the synergistic effects of ethylene and SA on promoting leaf senescence in Arabidopsis. EIN3, a key transcription factor of ethylene signaling, physically interacted with the core SA signaling regulator NPR1 in senescing leaves. EIN3 and NPR1 synergistically promoted the expression of the senescence-associated genes ORE1 and SAG29. The senescence phenotype was more delayed for the ein3eil1npr1 triple mutant than ein3eil1 or npr1 with ethylene or/and SA treatment. NPR1-promoted leaf senescence may depend on functional EIN3/EIL1.

Isorhamnetin: A review of pharmacological effects.

Isorhamnetin is one of the most important active ingredients in the fruits of Hippophae rhamnoides L. and the leaves of Ginkgo biloba L., which possesses extensive pharmacological activities. At present, there have been numerous investigations on isorhamnetin, which has the effects of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular protection, anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidation, organ protection, prevention of obesity, etc. The related mechanisms involve the regulation of PI3K/AKT/PKB, NF-κB, MAPK and other signaling pathways as well as the expression of related cytokines and kinases. Isorhamnetin has a high value of development and application. However, the investigations on its mechanism of action are limited and lack of detailed scientific validation. The manuscript reviewed the pharmacological effects of isorhamnetin and related mechanisms of action for the development of its medicinal properties further.

Effect of CLIC1 gene silencing on proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis of human gallbladder cancer cells.

This study aimed to explore the effects of CLIC1 gene silencing on proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis of human gallbladder cancer (GBC). GBC and normal gallbladder tissues were extracted for the detection of mRNA and protein expressions of CLIC1. GBC-SD and NOZ cells in the logarithmic growth phase were selected to conduct the experiment. Three different siRNA recombined expression vectors were established using CLIC1 as a target at different sites. Reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and Western blotting were, respectively, used to detect the CLIC1 mRNA and protein expressions. MTT assay was performed to detect the cell proliferation. Flow cytometry was applied to measure the cell apoptosis and cell cycle distribution. The variations of cell migration and invasion were evaluated using Transwell assay. GBC tissues showed higher CLIC1 mRNA and protein expressions than normal gallbladder tissues. The CLIC1 mRNA and protein expressions in the CLIC1 siRNA group were significantly lower than those in the NC and blank groups. Compared with the NC and blank groups, the CLIC1 siRNA group showed a significant decrease in cell proliferation but an obvious increase in apoptosis rate in GBC cells. Besides, in the CLIC1 siRNA group, cell percentage in G0/G1 and G2/M phase was gradually increased but decreased in S phases. The migration and invasion abilities in GBC cells were significantly lower than those in the NC and blank groups. Our study demonstrates that CLIC1 gene silencing could promote apoptosis and inhibit proliferation migration and invasion of GBC cells.

The ERF11 Transcription Factor Promotes Internode Elongation by Activating Gibberellin Biosynthesis and Signaling.

The phytohormone gibberellin (GA) plays a key role in promoting stem elongation in plants. Previous studies show that GA activates its signaling pathway by inducing rapid degradation of DELLA proteins, GA signaling repressors. Using an activation-tagging screen in a reduced-GA mutant ga1-6 background, we identified AtERF11 to be a novel positive regulator of both GA biosynthesis and GA signaling for internode elongation. Overexpression of AtERF11 partially rescued the dwarf phenotype of ga1-6 AtERF11 is a member of the ERF (ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR) subfamily VIII-B-1a of ERF/AP2 transcription factors in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Overexpression of AtERF11 resulted in elevated bioactive GA levels by up-regulating expression of GA3ox1 and GA20ox genes. Hypocotyl elongation assays further showed that overexpression of AtERF11 conferred elevated GA response, whereas loss-of-function erf11 and erf11 erf4 mutants displayed reduced GA response. In addition, yeast two-hybrid, coimmunoprecipitation, and transient expression assays showed that AtERF11 enhances GA signaling by antagonizing the function of DELLA proteins via direct protein-protein interaction. Interestingly, AtERF11 overexpression also caused a reduction in the levels of another phytohormone ethylene in the growing stem, consistent with recent finding showing that AtERF11 represses transcription of ethylene biosynthesis ACS genes. The effect of AtERF11 on promoting GA biosynthesis gene expression is likely via its repressive function on ethylene biosynthesis. These results suggest that AtERF11 plays a dual role in promoting internode elongation by inhibiting ethylene biosynthesis and activating GA biosynthesis and signaling pathways.

Potentially optimal body size to adjust tube current for individualized radiation dose control in retrospective ECG-triggered 256-slice CT coronary angiography.

INTRODUCTION: We aimed to determine a potentially optimal body size index for adjusting the tube current in retrospective ECG-triggered helical 256-slice CT coronary angiography (CTCA) for individualized radiation dose control. METHODS: Consecutive patients (n=102) with suspected coronary artery disease underwent retrospective ECG-triggered CTCA with a 256-slice CT scanner. Body mass index (BMI), nipple level (NL) bust and six anthropometric body size indexes, including thoracic anteroposterior diameter at NL, chest circumference (CC) at NL, left main (LM) and right coronary artery (RCA) origin level, chest area (CAr) and chest attenuation (CAt) at RCA origin level were measured, and their correlation with image noise in the aorta was evaluated using linear regression. Pearson correlation analysis was performed respectively to determine the body size index that correlated best with the other body size indexes. An equation was derived to use the best correlated body size index for adjusting tube current. RESULTS: Linear regression demonstrated that CCRCA had the best correlation with image noise. Pearson correlation analysis showed that CCNL, CCLM and CArRCA had the closest linear relationship with CCRCA. The equations connecting CCRCA and tube current for males and females were XmA = 662 × (0.055 × CCRCA - 28.594) / 302 and XmA = 662 × (0.049 × CCRCA - 21.584) / 302, respectively, for a fixed image noise value of 30 HU. CONCLUSIONS: Tube current selection is different for males and females, particularly in patients with a small chest circumference. CCRCA is an ideal body index for appropriately adjusting tube current in CTCA for individualized radiation dose control.

Suppression of angiogenesis and tumor growth in vitro and in vivo using an anti-angiopoietin-2 single-chain antibody.

Hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) are tumors with a highly developed vascular architecture. HCC cells require access to blood vessels for growth and metastasis; therefore, the inhibition of angiogenesis represents a potential therapeutic target for HCC that may reduce the mortality and morbidity from HCC. Various attempts to develop an anti-angiogenic therapy have been made in past decades; however, modest results have been achieved in clinical trials and the challenge of HCC treatment remains. Single-chain antibodies (scFv) are characterized by low molecular weight, low immunogenicity, high penetration and a short half-life, and are easy to produce on a large scale by genetic engineering. Accordingly, an scFv against a specific angiogenic regulator, such as angiopoietin (Ang), may be a promising anti-angiogenic therapy for HCC. Our previous study indicated that an imbalanced expression of angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) vs. angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1) in HCCs contributes to initiation of neovascularization and promotes the angiogenesis and progression of HCCs. Therefore, we suggest that specific Ang-2-targeting interventions may be valuable in the treatment of HCC via remodeling the neovascular network and changing the tumor microenvironment. In this study, a prokaryotic expression vector of Ang-2 was constructed and purified human Ang-2 protein was isolated. An scFv against human Ang-2 (scFv-Ang2) was identified and purified via phage display technology, and the effects of scFv-Ang2 in vitro and in vivo on HCC in nude mice were evaluated. The results show that scFv-Ang2 inhibits vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and Ang-2 induces the proliferation, migration and tubule formation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in vitro. In the in vivo assay, statistical indices, including tumor weight and volume, metastases to lungs, CD31 expression and the microvessel density (MVD) count in the scFv-Ang2-treated group of mice were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). In conclusion, the successfully generated scFv-Ang2 showed significant inhibitory effects on the angiogenesis and tumor growth of human HCC in vitro and in vivo.

Separation of low concentration of cesium ion from wastewater by electrochemically switched ion exchange method: experimental adsorption kinetics analysis.

A series of experiments were performed to evaluate the continuous separation of cesium based on an electrochemically switched ion exchange (ESIX) process using a diaphragm-isolated reactor with two identical nickel hexacyanoferrate/porous three-dimensional carbon felt (NiHCF/PTCF) electrodes as working electrodes. The effects of applied potential, initial concentrations and pH values of the simulation solutions on the adsorption of cesium ion were investigated. The adsorption rate of cesium ion in the ESIX process was fitted by a pseudo-first-order reaction model. The experiments revealed that the introduction of applied potential on the electrodes greatly enhanced the adsorption/desorption rate of Cs(+) and increased the separation efficiency. H(3)O(+) was found to play a dual role of electrolyte and competitor, and the adsorption rate constant showed a curve diversification with an increase in pH value. Also, it was found that the electrochemically switched adsorption process of Cs(+) by NiHCF/PTCF electrodes proceeded in two main steps, i.e., an ESIX step with a fast adsorption rate and an ion diffusion step with a slow diffusion rate. Meanwhile, the NiHCF/PTCF film electrode showed adsorption selectivity for Cs(+) in preference to Na(+).

Scarecrow-like 3 promotes gibberellin signaling by antagonizing master growth repressor DELLA in Arabidopsis.

The diterpenoid phytohormone gibberellin (GA) controls diverse developmental processes throughout the plant life cycle. DELLA proteins are master growth repressors that function immediately downstream of the GA receptor to inhibit GA signaling. By doing so, DELLAs also play pivotal roles as integrators of internal developmental signals from multiple hormone pathways and external cues. DELLAs are likely nuclear transcriptional regulators, which interact with other transcription factors to modulate expression of GA-responsive genes. DELLAs are also involved in maintaining GA homeostasis through feedback up-regulating expression of GA biosynthesis and receptor genes. However, the molecular mechanisms by which DELLAs restrict growth and development are largely unknown. This study reveals an important step of the mechanism. Previous microarray studies identified scarecrow-like 3 (SCL3) as a direct target gene of DELLA in Arabidopsis seedlings. SCL3 expression is induced by DELLA and repressed by GA. Unexpectedly, a scl3 null mutant displays reduced GA responses and elevated expression of GA biosynthesis genes during seed germination and seedling growth, indicating that SCL3 functions as a positive regulator of GA signaling. SCL3 seems to act as an attenuator of DELLA proteins. Transient expression, ChIP, and co-IP studies show that SCL3 autoregulates its own transcription by directly interacting with DELLA. Our data further show that SCL3 and DELLA antagonize each other in controlling both downstream GA responses and upstream GA biosynthetic genes. This work is beginning to shed light on how this complex regulatory network achieves GA homeostasis and controls GA-mediated growth and development in the plant.

[CT and MRI features of Castleman's disease of the abdomen and pelvis].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the CT/MRI features of Castleman's disease of the abdomen and pelvis. METHODS: CT/MRI images of 6 cases of pathologically confirmed Castleman's disease of the abdomen and pelvis were retrospectively reviewed. All the patients received plain CT scan and dynamic enhanced scan, and one had an additional MR scan. RESULTS: One case was identified as the disseminated type with multicentric enlarged lymph nodes and hepatosplenomegaly, and 5 cases were found to have localized type, of which 3 had retroperitoneal, 1 had mesentery and 1 had pelvic lesions. On CT scan, all the 5 cases with localized lesions showed single, round or ellipse soft tissue masses, with intra-tumoral calcification in 2 cases, fascial thickening around the mass in 3 cases, and satellite nodules in 4 cases. Enhanced scanning revealed obvious enhancement in the arterial phase and continuous enhancement in the portal vein and delayed phase in all the lesions, with an attenuation pattern similar to that of large vessels; enlarged blood vessels within or around the mass were displayed in each case. In 4 cases, the intra-tumoral radial or fissured non-enhanced areas in early stage of enhancement were gradually filled up as the scan time was delayed. The patient receiving MRI showed hypo-intensity on T(1)WI and hyper-intensity on T(2)WI, presenting with an enhancement feature similar to that of CT. CONCLUSION: Castleman's disease in the abdomen and pelvis is rare and liable to misdiagnosis, but its characteristic imaging features can help in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis.

[Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging features of desmoid-type fibromatosis: comparison with the pathological findings].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of desmoid-type fibromatosis, and improve the diagnostic accuracy and understanding of the disease. METHODS: The CT and MRI features of 18 cases of surgically and pathologically confirmed desmoid-type fibromatosis were reviewed retrospectively. Among the patients, 10 received CT pre- and post-contrast scanning, and 8 patients had MRI pre- and post-contrast scanning. The CT and MRI features were analyzed in comparison with the pathological findings. RESULTS: In the extra abdominal cases, the tumors occurred in the head and neck in 3, in the dorsal part of the chest in 2, in the abdominal wall and groin area in 9, and in the peritoneal cavity in 4; concomitant Gardner syndrome was found in 1 case. In 4 cases the tumor occurred within 1 to 3 years after abdominal surgeries. Pathologically, the lesion was hard and composed of fusiform fibroblasts and myofibroblast. The cells showed no obvious heteromorphism with few karyokinesis, growing invasively and recurrent locally but without distant metastasis. Immunohistochemically, the fibroblasts and myofibroblasts expressed vimentin, and the myofibroblasts were positive for SMA. On CT and MRI, the lesion appeared benign with malignant growth pattern, and caused compression of the adjacent organs and vessels or encasement of the vessels; the border was unclear without encapsulation, and necrosis and calcification was scarce. The density and signal of the tumor were well distributed. Twelve patients displayed obvious enhancement and 5 showed uneven enhancement. CONCLUSION: The CT and MRI features of desmoid-type fibromatosis are characteristic, and CT and MRI are valuable modalities for the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of the tumor.

[Association of vascular endothelial growth factor 936C/T polymorphism and the susceptibility to colorectal adenoma].

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between polymorphism of vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)1498 C/T,936 C/T and colorectal adenoma genetic susceptibility. METHODS: A case-control study of 224 colorectal adenomas and 200 controls was conducted and VEGF genotypes were determined based on TaqMan-probe assay. The epidemiological factors were collected through questionnaire. Accordingly, the clinicopathological data of each sample were also investigated. RESULTS: The carriage of 936 CT and CT+TT genotypes had significantly higher risk of colorectal adenoma (CT vs. CC, OR=2.00, 95% CI: 1.23-3.25, P=0.006; CT+TT vs. CC, OR=2.04, 95% CI:1.28-3.26, P=0.003). 936-T allele carriage had increased risk of colorectal adenoma (OR=1.91, 95% CI:1.25-2.91, P=0.003). The genotypes of 1498 C/T and the frequency of C/T allele showed no differences between healthy persons and patients (P>0.05). In patients with 936 CT+TT and 936-T allele implied a tendency of villous adenoma category (CT+TT vs. CC, OR=2.54, 95% CI:1.12-5.75, P=0.040; T allele vs. C allele, OR=3.08, 95% CI, 1.64-5.80, P=0.001). CONCLUSION: VEGF 936 C/T polymorphism can influence susceptibility to colorectal adenoma.

[Clinical study of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization plus radiofrequency ablation in hepatocellular carcinoma by magnetic resonance imaging and functional diffusion-weighted imaging].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value features of the lesions after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) plus radiofrequency ablation in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with 3.0T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion-weight imaging (DWI) and analyze the value of 3.0T DWI in detecting the pathological lesion features of post-TACE plus radiofrequency ablation in HCC. METHODS: Twenty-eight HCC patients were enrolled to receive TACE firstly. Then all viable tumors around the lesions underwent radiofrequency ablation. At 1-4 months after radiofrequency ablation, 3.0T MRI and DWI (b = 600 sec/mm(2)) were performed to measure the ADC values of different lesions of post-TACE plus radiofrequency ablation. The features of MRI and ADC values of different lesions, the difference of contrast enhancement sequence and DWI in evaluating the lesions of post-TACE plus radiofrequency ablation were analyzed. RESULTS: Viable tumors occurred in 14 of 28 HCC patients after TACE plus radiofrequency ablation. The ADC values of necrotic tissues with lipiodol, necrotic tissues without lipiodol, viable tumors and normal liver tissues were 1.905 ± 0.487, 0.726 ± 0.116, 1.449 ± 0.054 and 1.777 ± 0.094 (10(-3) mm(2)/sec) respectively. There was no significant difference of ADC values between necrotic tissues with lipiodol and normal tissues (P = 0.115). But there were significant differences of ADC values among necrotic tissues with lipiodol, necrotic tissues without lipiodol and viable tumors (P < 0.05). The viable tumor tissues after TACE plus radiofrequency ablation appeared as nodular lesions with slightly heightened signal intensities around the necrotic tissues, the lesions with heterogeneous enhancement during arterial phase, portal vein phase and parenchymal phase. Necrotic tissues without lipiodol occurred outside necrotic tissues without lipiodol, around normal liver tissues, with low signal intensities on T2WI, without enhancement during arterial phase, portal vein phase and parenchymal phase. There were no significant difference between contrast enhancement and DWI sequence in detecting viable tumors after TACE plus radiofrequency ablation (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The ADC values of 3.0T MR DWI may be used to distinguish the viable residue or recurrent tumor tissues, necrotic tissues in HCC after TACE plus radiofrequency ablation.

A negative regulator encoded by a rice WRKY gene represses both abscisic acid and gibberellins signaling in aleurone cells.

Abscisic acid (ABA) and gibberellins (GAs) control several developmental processes including seed maturation, dormancy, and germination. The antagonism of these two hormones is well-documented. However, recent data from transcription profiling studies indicate that they can function as agonists in regulating the expression of many genes although the underlying mechanism is unclear. Here we report a rice WRKY gene, OsWRKY24, which encodes a protein that functions as a negative regulator of both GA and ABA signaling. Overexpression of OsWRKY24 via particle bombardment-mediated transient expression in aleurone cells represses the expression of two reporter constructs: the beta-glucuronidase gene driven by the GA-inducible Amy32b alpha-amylase promoter (Amy32b-GUS) and the ABA-inducible HVA22 promoter (HVA22-GUS). OsWRKY24 is unlikely a general repressor because it has little effect on the expression of the luciferase reporter gene driven by a constitutive ubiquitin promoter (UBI-Luciferase). As to the GA signaling, OsWRKY24 differs from OsWRKY51 and -71, two negative regulators specifically function in the GA signaling pathway, in several ways. First, OsWRKY24 contains two WRKY domains while OsWRKY51 and -71 have only one; both WRKY domains are essential for the full repressing activity of OsWRKY24. Second, binding of OsWRKY24 to the Amy32b promoter appears to involve sequences in addition to the TGAC cores of the W-boxes. Third, unlike OsWRKY71, OsWRKY24 is stable upon GA treatment. Together, these data demonstrate that OsWRKY24 is a novel type of transcriptional repressor that inhibits both GA and ABA signaling.

[Vardenafil significantly alleviates erectile dysfunction in aged men with diabetes].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the efficacy and safety of vardenafil in the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED) in aged men with diabetes mellitus (DM). METHODS: One hundred outpatients with diagnosed ED (40 diabetic and 60 non-diabetic) received vardenafil at the initial dose of 20 mg and sustained dose of 10 mg once a week for 8 weeks, and their erectile functions were evaluated by IIEF and EQS. RESULTS: The scores on IIEF and EQS in the diabetic ED group were 18.9 +/- 0.2 and 25.1 +/- 1.4 after the vardenafil treatment, significantly higher than 8.1 +/- 0.5 and 9.1 +/- 1.3 before the treatment (P < 0.01), and the non-diabetic group scored 21.1 +/- 0.2 and 34.2 +/- 1.2 on IIEF and EQS after the treatment, as compared with the statistically lower scores of 10.1 +/- 0.3 and 10.1 +/- 1.7 before it (P < 0.01). The total rate of effectiveness was 65% in the diabetic and 73.30% in the non-diabetic group, with statistical differences (P < 0. 05). CONCLUSION: Vardenafil can significantly improve erectile function and is well tolerated in the aged males with diabetic ED.

[Preoperative evaluation of the 64-slice spiral CT three dimensional angiography for vascular invasion in gastric cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the preoperative diagnosis value of 64-slice spiral CT three dimensional angiography (3D CTA) for the vascular invasion in gastric cancer. METHODS: CT images of 40 patients diagnosed as gastric cancer by endoscope,who proceeded to surgical exploration from August 2006 to December 2007,were collected. These images were rebuilt by 3D CTA to judge vascular invasion by gastric cancer in comparison with the surgical finding as standard reference. RESULTS: Successful 3D CTA reconstructions were performed for all these 40 patient images. Out of 40 cases, 14 cases presented vascular invasion in the 3D CTA, and 12 of 14 cases were proved to have vascular invasion in the surgery. For assessing vascular invasion with CTA, the sensitivity was 98.1% and the specificity was 96.4% respectively (Chi Square chi(2)=0.0099,P>0.05). There was no significant differences regarding vascular invasion in gastric cancer between preoperative 3D CTA assessment and surgical finding. CONCLUSION: Sixty-four-slice spiral CT 3D angiography is effective in assessing vascular invasion in gastric cancer and is also valuable in clinical application.

Global analysis of della direct targets in early gibberellin signaling in Arabidopsis.

Bioactive gibberellins (GAs) are phytohormones that regulate growth and development throughout the life cycle of plants. DELLA proteins are conserved growth repressors that modulate all aspects of GA responses. These GA-signaling repressors are nuclear localized and likely function as transcriptional regulators. Recent studies demonstrated that GA, upon binding to its receptor, derepresses its signaling pathway by binding directly to DELLA proteins and targeting them for rapid degradation via the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. Therefore, elucidating the signaling events immediately downstream of DELLA is key to our understanding of how GA controls plant development. Two sets of microarray studies followed by quantitative RT-PCR analysis allowed us to identify 14 early GA-responsive genes that are also early DELLA-responsive in Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings. Chromatin immunoprecipitation provided evidence for in vivo association of DELLA with promoters of eight of these putative DELLA target genes. Expression of all 14 genes was downregulated by GA and upregulated by DELLA. Our study reveals that DELLA proteins play two important roles in GA signaling: (1) they help establish GA homeostasis by direct feedback regulation on the expression of GA biosynthetic and GA receptor genes, and (2) they promote the expression of downstream negative components that are putative transcription factors/regulators or ubiquitin E2/E3 enzymes. In addition, one of the putative DELLA targets, XERICO, promotes accumulation of abscisic acid (ABA) that antagonizes GA effects. Therefore, DELLA may restrict GA-promoted processes by modulating both GA and ABA pathways.