Supplementing Glucose Intake Reverses the Inflammation Induced by a High-Fat Diet by Increasing the Expression of Siglec-E Ligands on Erythrocytes.

Siglec-9/E is a cell surface receptor expressed on immune cells and can be activated by sialoglycan ligands to play an immunosuppressive role. Our previous study showed that increasing the expression of Siglec-9 (the human paralog of mouse Siglec-E) ligands maintains functionally quiescent immune cells in the bloodstream, but the biological effects of Siglec-9 ligand alteration on atherogenesis were not further explored. In the present study, we demonstrated that the atherosclerosis risk factor ox-LDL or a high-fat diet could decrease the expression of Siglec-9/E ligands on erythrocytes. Increased expression of Siglec-E ligands on erythrocytes caused by dietary supplementation with glucose (20% glucose) had anti-inflammatory effects, and the mechanism was associated with glucose intake. In high-fat diet-fed apoE-/- mice, glucose supplementation decreased the area of atherosclerotic lesions and peripheral inflammation. These data suggested that increased systemic inflammation is attenuated by increasing the expression of Siglec-9/E ligands on erythrocytes. Therefore, Siglec-9/E ligands might be valuable targets for atherosclerosis therapy.

One-Pot Synthesis of B/P-Codoped Co-Mo Dual-Nanowafer Electrocatalysts for Overall Water Splitting.

Exploring electrocatalysts with satisfactory activity and durability has remained a long-lasting target for electrolyzing water, which is particularly significant for sustainable hydrogen fuel production. Here, we report a quaternary B/P-codoped transition metal Co-Mo hybrid as an efficient alternative catalyst for overall water splitting. The Co-Mo-B-P/CF dual nanowafers were deposited on a copper foam by double-pulse electrodeposition, which is favorable for achieving a nanocrystalline structure. The Co-Mo-B-P/CF catalyst shows a high catalytic activity along with good long-term stability in 1.0 M KOH solutions for both the hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions, requiring 48 and 275 mV to reach 10 mA cm-2, respectively. The synergetic effect between Co-Mo and doped B and P elements is mainly attributed to the excellent bifunctional catalysis performance, while the dual-nanowafer structure endows Co-Mo-B-P with numerous catalytical active sites enhancing the utilization efficiency of atoms. Moreover, the catalytic capability of Co-Mo-B-P/CF as a bifunctional electrocatalyst for the overall water splitting is proved, with the current density of 10 mA cm-2 accomplished at 1.59 V. After the stability test for overall water splitting at 1.59 V for 24 h, the activity almost remains unchanged. The features of excellent electrocatalytic activity, simple preparation, and inexpensive raw materials for Co-Mo-B-P/CF as a bifunctional catalyst hold great potentials for overall water splitting.

Prediction of postpartum pelvic floor dysfunction with a nomogram model based on big data collected during pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: Pregnancy and childbirth are the main causes of pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD). Although pelvic floor muscle tension is typically measured at 42 days postpartum to assess the severity of PFD and provide timely rehabilitation, it is still impossible to predict PFD and take targeted preventive measures in clinical practice. A PFD prediction model based on big data obtained in prenatal check-ups was established in this study to allow the formulation of personalized preventive strategies to reduce the incidence of PFD. METHODS: A total of 1,500 women who underwent regular prenatal checkups and examinations for PFD at 42 days postpartum at the Zhuji Maternal and Child Health Hospital between May 2015 and May 2020 were selected. The data from 1,000 of them were selected as the training cohort, and the data from 500 of them were used as the validation cohort. The women were divided into a PFD group and a non-PFD group according to whether PFD was diagnosed at 42 days postpartum. A nomogram prediction model was created using the influencing factors that lead to PFD, and the discrimination and calibration of the nomogram were evaluated through internal and external validation. RESULTS: A total of 389 cases (38.9%) of PFD were included in the training cohort. Multivariate analysis showed that age (odds ratio (OR) =1.896, P<0.001), history of childbirth (OR =4.531, P<0.001), history of constipation (OR =2.475, P<0.001), urinary incontinence during pregnancy (OR =4.416, P<0.001), and biparietal diameter at 32 weeks of gestation (OR =51.672, P=0.012) were independent influencing factors of PFD at 42 days postpartum. These factors were used to establish a nomogram prediction model. This prediction model maintained good discrimination between the training cohort and the external validation cohort (the area under the curve was 0.893 and 0.842 for the training and validation cohorts, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The study validated that the nomogram prediction model based on the factors influencing PFD can be used to predict PFD at 32 weeks of gestation for timely intervention and prevention of PFD.

Enhanced flux and fouling resistance forward osmosis membrane based on a hydrogel/MOF hybrid selective layer.

Although forward osmosis (FO) technology has been widely adopted for water treatment, it still faces great challenges, including low permeability and fouling problem. Herein, a novel forward osmosis membrane was developed with a stable, uniform and defect-free polyvinyl alcohol/polydopamine coated zeolitic imidazolate framework (PVA/PDA@ZIF-8) hybrid selective layer to simultaneously enhance its transport property and fouling resistance. The prepared FO membrane exhibits improved water flux without losing the selectivity, since the PDA@ZIF-8 provide additional preferential passageway for water transporting while hinder the diffusion of salt. The optimized membrane shows a higher water flux than pristine PVA membrane (14.2 vs. 8.7 L m-2 h-1 in FO mode, 24.3 vs. 14.8 L m-2 h-1 in PRO mode) with a reasonable selectivity considering as Js/Jw value (0.44 vs. 0.4 g L-1 in FO mode, 0.38 vs. 0.33 g L-1). Moreover, the dynamic fouling experiments with organic foulants (protein and polysaccharide) indicate that the prepared membrane exhibits strong antifouling property and excellent permeation recovery ability (>95.0%) due to the optimized surface property. This study opens a new avenue for treatment wastewater by developing a forward osmosis membrane based on a hydrogel/MOF hybrid selective layer.

Prognostic nomogram based on immune scores for breast cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: Increased attention has been focused on cancer immunity gene signature. However, the threshold of immune scores to predict disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in breast cancer has not yet been defined. This study aimed to explore the association of immune scores with prognosis and build a clinical nomogram to predict the survival of patients with breast cancer. METHODS: A total of 986 subjects were analyzed, and clinicopathological characteristics and immune scores were obtained from the TCGA database. Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to estimate the adjusted hazard ratios (HRs). Based on results of multivariate analysis, nomograms were built. The models were subjected to bootstrap internal validation. The predictive accuracy and discriminative ability were measured by concordance index (C-index) and the calibration curve. RESULTS: The patients were divided into three subgroups according to their immune scores. We found that compared with patients with low immune scores, those with intermediate and high immune scores had significantly improved DFS (HR and 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.439 [0.242-0.799], 0.541 [0.343-0.855], respectively), whereas only intermediate immune scores significantly indicated better OS (HR and 95% CI: 0.385 [0.163-0.910]). The C-index for DFS and OS prediction was 0.723 (95% CI, 0.661-0.785) and 0.800 (95% CI, 0.724-0.877), respectively. The calibration curves for probability of 3- and 5-year DFS showed significant agreement between nomogram predictions and the actual observations. CONCLUSIONS: High and/or intermediate immune scores are significantly correlated with better DFS and OS in patients with breast cancer. Moreover, the nomograms for predicting prognosis may help to estimate the survival of patients.

Unilateral Axilla-Bilateral Areola Approach for Thyroidectomy by da Vinci Robot: 500 Cases Treated by the Same Surgeon.

Objective: To investigate the efficacy and safety of da Vinci robot-assisted thyroidectomy via an unilateral axilla-bilateral areola (UABA) approach. Methods: The clinical data of 500 patients undergoing robotic thyroidectomy via an UABA approach from July 2014 to April 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. All 500 patients were operated on by the same surgeon and divided into two groups by the time sequence. The efficacy and complications were compared between the two groups. Results: Robotic thyroidectomy via an UABA approach was performed successfully in 500 cases, including 196 cases of benign thyroid diseases with a lesion diameter of 3.1 ± 1.3 cm (0.4 - 8.2 cm) and 304 cases of thyroid cancer with a tumor diameter of 1.2 ± 0.7 cm (0.4 - 4.4 cm). Surgical procedures included unilateral lobectomy and total thyroidectomy with or without central lymph node dissection. Among the 500 patients, 9 (1.8%) had transient recurrent laryngeal nerve injury, 1 (0.2%) had permanent unilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve injury, 12 (2.4%) had subcutaneous hemorrhage of the trajectory area, and 6 (1.2%) had subcutaneous infection of the trajectory area after surgery. Among 239 thyroid cancer patients undergoing total thyroidectomy, 45 (18.8%) had transient hypoparathyroidism and 5 (2.1%) had permanent hypoparathyroidism. The incidence of permanent hypoparathyroidism was 1.9% (4/212) among the patients undergoing total thyroidectomy plus unilateral central lymph node dissection, and 3.7% (1/27) among the patients undergoing total thyroidectomy plus bilateral central lymph node dissection. During the follow-up of median 17 months, all patients were satisfied with postoperative appearance of the neck and no structural recurrence or metastases occurred. There was no significant difference in efficacy between the two groups (P > 0.05), while the complication rate in phase 2 was significantly lower than that in phase 1 (P < 0.05) as the surgeon became more proficient in the UABA approach. Conclusion: Robotic thyroidectomy via an UABA approach is simple, safe, and minimally invasive, suitable for radical resection of large benign tumors and early thyroid cancer and central lymph node dissection.

First report of in-situ preservation of a subcapsular parathyroid gland through super-meticulous capsular dissection during robotic radical thyroidectomy.

PURPOSE: Meticulous capsular dissection can preserve the function of the parathyroid gland in most patients, but it is difficult to identify and preserve the subcapsular parathyroid gland. We performed in-situ preservation of the subcapsular parathyroid gland during robotic radical thyroidectomy using super-meticulous capsular dissection, and evaluated its effect on postoperative parathyroid function. METHODS: A 45-year-old woman was admitted with bilateral thyroid nodules. Color Doppler ultrasound demonstrated a 7 × 7 × 6 mm hypoechoic area in the middle and inferior part of the right lobe and 3 × 3 × 3 mm hypoechoic nodule in the middle part of the left lobe. She was diagnosed with right thyroid papillary cancer by fine-needle aspiration. Robotic bilateral thyroidectomy plus right central lymph node dissection was performed. During the left thyroidectomy, we found that the left inferior parathyroid gland was just under the true capsule. Subsequently, the super-meticulous capsular dissection was performed for in-situ preservation of the parathyroid gland. RESULTS: The patient's serum parathyroid hormone concentration was 43.77 pg/ml before and 37.98 pg/ml after surgery (normal: 15-65 pg/ml). Her blood calcium level was 2.21 mmol/l before and 2.18 mol/l after surgery (normal: 2.10-2.65 mmol/l). CONCLUSIONS: The super-meticulous capsular dissection, which could cut through the true capsule to identify subcapsular parathyroid and protect its anatomic structure as well as blood supply, is recommend for in-situ preservation of subcapsular parathyroid gland during robotic radical thyroidectomy.

Aggressive fibromatosis-associated with papillary thyroid cancer: two cases and a brief review.

Aggressive fibromatosis (AF) is usually considered a benign tumor. Reports of the association between AF and malignancies have appeared infrequently. Herein, we report two cases of AF arising in the neck that were associated with papillary thyroid cancer. Two cases are presented in this article. One is a 31-year-old male patient who was diagnosed with AF 9 months after his thyroid cancer operation; there has been no recurrence after surgical resection and postoperative radiotherapy. The other is a 53-year-old female patient who was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and AF simultaneously. There is still no recurrence after surgical resection, endocrine therapy and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) suppression treatment. Both cases showed ß-catenin positivity upon further immunohistochemistry (IHC) examination. AF is a rare and benign tumor. It can occur in association with malignancies, such as thyroid cancer. Whether a patient diagnosed with AF associated with thyroid cancer has a family history of a familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) mutation or ß-catenin mutation should be given more attention. The treatment strategy in this situation includes surgical excision combination with radiotherapy and endocrine therapy to reduce the recurrence rate.

Comparison of sentinel lymph node detection performances using blue dye in conjunction with indocyanine green or radioisotope in breast cancer patients: a prospective single-center randomized study.

OBJECTIVE: This randomized study aimed to compare the clinical efficacy between the novel dual tracer composed of indocyanine green (ICG) and blue dye (BD) and the conventional dual tracer composed of radioisotope and BD for sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping in patients with breast cancer. METHODS: This study enrolled 471 clinically lymph node-negative patients with primary breast cancer. All patients underwent mastectomy, and those undergoing sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) were randomized to receive blue dye plus radioisotope (RB group) or BD plus ICG (IB group). The detection performances on SLN identification rate, positive SLN counts, detection sensitivity, and false-negative rate were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: In the IB group, 97% (194/200) of the patients who underwent the ICG and BD dual tracer injection showed fluorescent-positive lymphatic vessels within 2-5 min. The identification rate of SLNs was comparable between the IB group (99.0%, 198/200) and the RB group (99.6%, 270/271) (P = 0.79). No significant differences were observed in the identification rate of metastatic SLNs (22.5% vs. 22.9%, P > 0.05, RB group vs. IB group, the same below), positive SLN counts (3.72 ± 2.28 vs. 3.91 ± 2.13, P > 0.05), positive metastatic SLN counts (0.38 ± 0.84 vs. 0.34 ± 0.78, P > 0.05), SLNB detection sensitivity (94.4% vs. 92.5%, P > 0.05), or false-negative rate (5.6% vs. 7.5%, P > 0.05) between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: ICG can be used as a promising alternative tracer for radioisotope in SLN mapping, and when it is combined with BD in lymphangiography, it offers comparable detection sensitivity compared to the conventional lymphatic mapping strategies that are widely used in clinical practice.