Interleukin-41: a novel serum marker for the diagnosis of alpha-fetoprotein-negative hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: For the lack of effective serum markers for hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) diagnosis, it is difficult to detect liver cancer and identify its recurrence early. Methods: Databases were used to analyze the genes potentially associated with alpha-fetoprotein(AFP). ELISA assay was used to detect the serum IL-41 in HCC, liver metastases, hepatitis, and healthy people. Immunohistochemical staining was used to analyze the relative quantification of IL-41 in HCC and paracancer tissues. Various survival curves were plotted according to clinical pathological data and helped us draw the ROC curve of IL-41 diagnosis of HCC. Results: The serum expression of IL-41 was highest in AFP negative HCC patients and significantly higher than that in AFP positive HCC and metastatic cancer patients. There was a significant negative correlation between elevated serum IL-41 and AFP(<1500ng/ml). The clinicopathological features suggested that the serum IL-41 level was significantly correlated with capsule invasion, low differentiation and AFP. High serum expression of IL-41 suggests poorer survival and earlier recurrence after resection, and IL-41 upregulated in patients with early recurrence and death. The expression of IL-41 was higher in HCC tissues of patients with multiple tumors or microvascular invasion. The ROC curve showed that serum IL-41 had a sensitivity of 90.17 for HCC and a sensitivity of 96.63 for AFP-negative HCC, while the specificity was higher than 61%. Conclusion: IL-41 in serum and tissue suggests poor prognosis and postoperative recurrence in HCC patients and could be a new serum diagnostic marker for AFP negative patients.

Study on the Degradation Effect of Carbonaceous Shale under the Coupling Effect of Chemical Erosion and High Temperature.

The southwest region of China has abundant groundwater and high-temperature geothermal energy. Carbonaceous shale, as one of the typical surrounding rocks in this region, often suffers from deterioration effects due to the coupled action of groundwater chemical erosion and high temperature, which affects the long-term stability of tunnel engineering. In order to investigate the deterioration effects of carbonaceous shale under the coupled action of chemical erosion and high temperature, carbonaceous shale from a tunnel of Lixiang Railway in Yunnan Province was taken as the research object. The microstructure and mineral composition of the samples before and after chemical erosion were obtained with a scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive spectrometer and an X-ray diffraction test. Then, triaxial compression tests were conducted on the samples under different time points and different temperature effects of chemical erosion, and the stress-strain curves and the deterioration laws under a single factor were obtained. An improved numerical simulation method based on the parallel bond model was developed, which can account for the coupled effects of chemical erosion and high temperature on the rock. By simulating the triaxial compression test of carbonaceous shale, the deterioration law of carbonaceous shale under the coupled action was discussed. The results show that chemical erosion has a significant deterioration effect on the triaxial compressive strength of carbonaceous shale, and the degree of deterioration is related to the erosion time. In the first 30 days of erosion, the triaxial compressive strength of carbonaceous shale decreased by 11.38%, which was the largest deterioration range. With the increase in erosion time, the deterioration rate gradually decreased; temperature had a significant threshold effect on the strength of carbonaceous shale, and a clear turning point appeared at about 200 °C. By simulating the deterioration effects of carbonaceous shale under the coupled action of chemical erosion and high temperature, it was found that the longer the duration of chemical erosion, the stronger the temperature sensitivity of carbonaceous shale, and the more serious the loss of compressive strength during the heating process. When the temperature was low, the strength of carbonaceous shale changed little, and some samples even showed an increase in strength; when the temperature was high, the strength of carbonaceous shale decreased significantly, showing deterioration characteristics. The numerical simulation method was compared and verified with the indoor test results, and it was found that the numerical calculation had a good agreement with the test results.

Construction of heterointerfaces and honeycomb-like structure for ultrabroad microwave absorption.

Heterointerface design is an effective strategy to improve the effective absorption bandwidth in electromagnetic wave EMW absorbing materials. In this paper, honeycomb-like Fe-doped tremella carbide composites (FCT) with a large number of heterogeneous interfaces were obtained by in-situ construction of multiphase composite particles (Fe3C, Fe3O4, and a-Fe) during the carbonization process. The effects of Fe doping on the phase, structure, morphology, and absorption properties of FCT were investigated. The results show that the porous structure and the heterogeneous interface can significantly improve the electromagnetic wave absorption performance of FCT. Iron doping introduces a heterogeneous multiphase structure into FCT, which increases the interfacial loss and magnetic loss of the material, thereby improving the overall impedance matching of the material. FCT-4 composite exhibited excellent microwave attenuation capability with a reflection loss of -34.6 dB. Simultaneously, the widest effective absorption bandwidth is up to 8.84 GHz (9.16-18 GHz) with a matching thickness of 2.8 mm, which covers almost the entire X (8-12 GHz) and Ku (12-18 GHz) bands. Thus, this paper provides an effective strategy for the preparation of excellent electromagnetic wave absorbing materials by in situ construction of heterointerfaces.

Association of RGS20 expression with the progression and prognosis of renal cell carcinoma.

Regulator of G protein signaling 20 (RGS20) has been shown to be highly expressed in various types of cancer. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of RGS20 in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and in RCC cells. Bioinformatics analysis was performed to analyze the role of RGS20 in RCC. Quantitative PCR and western blotting were used to determine the mRNA and protein expression levels of RGS20 in cells, respectively. After RGS20 inhibition, the proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasiveness of A-498 cells were tested using MTT assay, EdU assay, propidium iodide staining, Annexin V-FITC/PI kit, wound healing assay and Transwell assay. High RGS20 expression was closely associated with the progression and immune infiltration of RCC, and may be considered as an independent indicator of poor prognosis in RCC. After knocking down RGS20, the proliferation, migration and invasiveness of cells were impaired, the cell cycle was arrested at the G0/G1 phase, and the level of apoptosis was increased. In addition, the mRNA expression levels of securin, CDC20 and cyclin B1 were decreased in RGS20-knockdown cells. RGS20 expression was significantly associated with the infiltration level of activated CD4 T cells, type 1 T helper cells and activated dendritic cells. In summary, RGS20 expression was associated with RCC progression and poor prognosis; thus, it may be used to estimate the prognosis of RCC and may serve as a new potential treatment strategy for RCC.

Protocatechualdehyde inhibits receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand-induced osteoclastogenesis and attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory osteolysis.

Inflammatory osteolysis as a consequence of chronic bacterial infection underlies several lytic bone conditions, such as otitis media, osteomyelitis, septic arthritis, periodontitis, periprosthetic infection, and aseptic loosening of orthopedic implants. In consideration of the lack of effective preventive or treatments options against infectious osteolysis, the exploitation of novel pharmacological compounds/agents is critically required. The present study assessed the effect of protocatechualdehyde (PCA), a natural occurring polyphenolic compound with diverse biological activities including but not limited to antibacterial and antiinflammatory properties, on nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL)-induced osteoclastogenesis in vitro and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced bone loss in vivo. In the present study, it was found that PCA potently inhibited RANKL-induced osteoclast formation, fusion, and activation toward bone resorption in a dose-dependent manner via the suppression of the ERK/c-Fos/nuclear factor of activated T-cells, cytoplasmic 1 signaling axis. It was further demonstrated that the in vivo administration of PCA could effectively protect mice against the deleterious effects of LPS-induced calvarial bone destruction by attenuating osteoclast formation and activity in a dose-dependent manner. Collectively, these findings provided evidence for the potential therapeutic application of PCA in the prevention and treatment of infectious osteolytic conditions, and potentially other osteoclast-mediated bone diseases.

Ultralow Ru-Induced Bimetal Electrocatalysts with a Ru-Enriched and Mixed-Valence Surface Anchored on a Hollow Carbon Matrix for Oxygen Reduction and Water Splitting.

Rational design of trifunctional electrocatalysts with robust efficiency used for oxygen reduction, oxygen evolution, and hydrogen evolution reactions (ORR, OER, and HER) is of significance to renewable energy conversion techniques, which remains a challenging issue. This study integrates dominant Co/Co3O4 with a small fraction of RuO2 and the CoRu alloy anchored on a hollow carbon matrix, originating from the novel Ru-doped hollow metal-organic framework (MOF) precursor, which is synthesized via tannic etching and ion exchange. Notably, the introduced ultralow Ru (1.28 wt %) not only generates new Ru-based species but also induces a Ru-enriched surface with abundant oxygen vacancies. Moreover, a suitable balance among different valencies of Co or Ru can be tuned by oxidation time, resulting in preferable Co2+ and Ru4+ species. Triggered by these unparalleled surface properties along with good conductivity, hollow structure, and the synergistic effect of multiple active sites, the resulting CoRu-O/A@hollow nitrogen-doped carbon (HNC) shows robust catalytic performance for ORR/OER/HER in an alkaline electrolyte. Typically, it exhibits a potential gap of 0.662 V for OER/ORR and enables an alkaline water electrolyzer with a cell voltage of 1.558 V at 10 mA cm-2. This work would serve as guidance for well construction of transition-metal-based trifunctional electrocatalysts by the MOF-assisted strategy or the modulation effects of low-content Ru.

Differential temperature control in heat-integrated pressure-swing distillation for separating azeotropes to deal with operating pressure fluctuations: Basic and explanatory data.

This data article contains basic and explanatory data of "Differential temperature control in heat-integrated pressure-swing distillation for separating azeotropes to deal with operating pressure fluctuations" [1], including thermodynamic models, vapor-liquid equilibrium diagrams, steady-state flowsheets, temperature profiles of columns, description and setpoint units of the abbreviation of inventory control loops, description of control loops of control flowsheet with DTC, control flowsheets of PCTC and DTC, temperature and composition tuning constants, faceplates and flowsheet equations, dynamic performances and integral absolute errors. It also contains other important information.

[Treatment efficacy of Solitaire stent- and LVIS stent-assisted coil embolization for intracranial wide-neck carotid aneurysm].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the safety, efficacy and complications of LVIS stent-assisted coil embolization and Solitaire stent-assisted coil embolization for management of intracranial wide-neck carotid aneurysms. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the data of 86 patients with intracranial wide-neck carotid aneurysm treated in our hospital between June, 2016 and June, 2019. Forty-three of the patients received LVIS stent-assisted coil tamponade and the other 43 received Solitaire stentassisted coil tamponade. Arteriography was performed during, immediately after, and at 3 months after the surgery. The immediate embolization rate, surgical complications (vascular spasm, acute thrombus, coil escape, and bleeding), and the recurrence rate were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: In the LVIS stent group, 37 aneurysms were completely embolized, 5 were nearly fully embolized, and 1 was partially embolized, as compared with the numbers of 35, 6, and 2 in the Solitaire stent group, respectively. Surgery-related complications occurred in 5 patients in LVIS stent group and 3 in Solitaire stent group. Follow-up digital subtraction angiography (DSA) at 3 months after the operation revealed 4 recurrent aneurysms, including 1 in LVIS group and 3 in Solitaire stent group. All the patients had favorable outcomes that did not differ significantly between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Stent-assisted spring coils can achieve a high rate of complete and near-total embolization for intracranial aneurysms and is associated with a low incidence of neurological complications and favorable prognosis of the patients. The embolization rate, complications and recurrence rate are comparable between LVIS stent and Solitaire stent.

[Establishing assessment indexes for emergency response capability of disease control and prevention institutions].

OBJECTIVE: To establish an emergency response capability assessment indexes for disease control and prevention institutions. METHODS: Health emergency response capability assessment indexes of Shanghai Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDCs) was drafted based upon documentary analysis, expert consultation and focus group discussion according to duties and features of emergency work of CDCs. The assessment indexes were determined by applying Delphi method (18 experts), and the weights of indexes were determined using analytic hierarchy process and proportional distribution method. And then the established index system was used to assess the emergency response capability of CDCs in Shanghai. RESULTS: Two rounds of expert consultations were conducted. Kendall's coefficient of concordance was 0.420 and 0.495 at the first and second round of expert consultations respectively. After two rounds of consultations, the expert authority score was above 0.7. There were 7 primary indexes, 24 secondary indexes and 84 third-level indexes. The seven primary indexes included emergency management system, emergency response team, surveillance and early-warning ability, emergency response capacity, emergent supply capability, communication and cooperation, scientific research and exchange, with systematic weights of 0.2123, 0.1754, 0.1334, 0.1916, 0.1281, 0.0962 and 0.0630,respectively. According to the investigation, Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention ranked first in the total score of emergency response capability evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: The indexes identified in this study have good reliability and feasibility, and can be used in assessment of emergency response capability in disease prevention and control institutions.

Risk Factors for Influenza A(H7N9) Disease in China, a Matched Case Control Study, October 2014 to April 2015.

Background. Human infections with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus have been associated with exposure to poultry and live poultry markets (LPMs). We conducted a case-control study to identify additional and more specific risk factors. Methods. Cases were laboratory-confirmed A(H7N9) infections in persons in China reported from October 1, 2014 to April 30, 2015. Poultry workers, those with insufficient data, and those refusing participation were excluded. We matched up to 4 controls per case by sex, age, and residential community. Using conditional logistic regression, we examined associations between A(H7N9) infection and potential risk factors. Results. Eighty-five cases and 334 controls were enrolled with similar demographic characteristics. Increased risk of A(H7N9) infection was associated with the following: visiting LPMs (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 6.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.6-15.3), direct contact with live poultry in LPMs (aOR, 4.1; 95% CI, 1.1-15.6), stopping at a live poultry stall when visiting LPMs (aOR, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.1-6.9), raising backyard poultry at home (aOR, 7.7; 95% CI, 2.0-30.5), direct contact with backyard poultry (aOR, 4.9; 95% CI, 1.1-22.1), and having ≥1 chronic disease (aOR, 3.1; 95% CI, 1.5-6.5). Conclusions. Our study identified raising backyard poultry at home as a risk factor for illness with A(H7N9), suggesting the need for enhanced avian influenza surveillance in rural areas.

Reducing the risk of public health emergencies for the world's largest mass gathering: 2010 World Exposition, Shanghai China.

Mass Gatherings and Public Health   Mass gatherings are highly visible events with the potential for serious health and political consequences if not managed carefully and effectively.1-4 Mass gatherings have been reported to have significant impact upon public health systems throughout the world.5-10 International mass gathering events, such as those associated with the Olympic Games, often carry high political significance and have a historical risk for terrorist attacks.2 Mass gatherings ranging from the subnational level to international the level have also been associated with outbreaks and subsequent spread of communicable diseases. These events have included outbreaks of foodborne shigellosis occurring at an outdoor music festival in the United States.5,6 The annual Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia has been plagued by public health threats such as fires, stampedes and an outbreak of meningitis.7,9 Influenza outbreaks were also reported during the 2008 World Youth Day mass gathering in Australia.10 Local, provincial and national public health and medical agencies are frequently involved before, during and after a major event. Therefore, disaster risk reduction is a key element for the effective management of mass gatherings. Disaster Risk Reduction Throughout the world, the overall approach to emergencies and disasters has recently shifted from post-impact activities (i.e., ad hoc relief and reconstruction) to a more systematic and comprehensive process of risk management.11 Disaster risk management includes pre-impact disaster risk reduction (i.e., prevention, preparedness and mitigation) as well as post-impact response and recovery).12 While planners may not always have the ability to prevent health hazards from occurring at mass gathering events, the health sector can play an important role in preventing the public health impact of such hazards. This manuscript describes a comprehensive approach for disaster risk reduction as implemented by those entities responsible for health security associated with the 2010 Shanghai World Exposition (Shanghai Expo).

Distribution and hepatocellular carcinoma-related viral properties of hepatitis B virus genotypes in Mainland China: a community-based study.

INTRODUCTION: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotypes, replication status, and mutations have been associated with the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Our aim was to study the distribution and HCC-related viral properties of HBV genotypes/subgenotypes in Mainland China. METHODS: A multistage cluster probability sampling method was applied to select 81,775 participants between 1 and 59 years at 160 national disease surveillance points. We examined hepatitis B surface antigen, HBV genotypes and subgenotypes, hepatitis B e antigen, viral load, and mutations in the PreS and core promoter regions of HBV genome. RESULTS: HBV subgenotypes B2 (27.3%), C1 (10.7%), and C2 (58.0%) were predominant. Genotype D (D1, 80.8%) was frequent in the Uygur. We identified a new subgenotype, C9, mainly in Tibetans. Compositions of subgenotypes B2 and C1 and genotype mixture increased from the North to Central South, which was consistently associated with the increasing prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen. Hepatitis B e antigen positivity and viral loads were higher in the young with genotype B and declined more rapidly with increasing age than those with genotype C. In contrast to G1896A, PreS deletion, T31C, T1753V, and A1762T/G1764A were more frequent in subgenotype C2 than in subgenotype B2. A1762T/G1764A, T1753V, C1653T, and G1896A, except PreS deletion, consecutively increased with increasing age. CONCLUSION: HBV subgenotypes B2, C1, and C2 are endemic in Mainland China. HBV genotype C exhibits less replication activity in the young and harbors higher frequencies of the HCC-associated mutations than genotype B. IMPACT: These basic data could help evaluate the association of HBV variations with HCC.

IkappaBalpha gene promoter polymorphisms are associated with hepatocarcinogenesis in patients infected with hepatitis B virus genotype C.

Genetic predisposition of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB)-signaling pathways linking inflammation to hepatitis B virus (HBV)-induced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unresolved. We conducted a case-control study to determine the associations of the polymorphisms within the promoter regions of NFKB1 encoding NF-kappaB1 and NFKBIA encoding IkappaBalpha with the development of HCC. A total of 404 healthy controls, 482 non-HCC subjects with HBV infection and 202 patients with HCC were included. NFKB1 -94ATTG2 allele and GG allele in the 3'-untranslated region of NFKBIA were more prevalent in HCC patients than in the healthy controls. NFKBIA -826CT and NFKBIA -881AG allelic carriages were more prevalent in HCC patients than in the non-HCC subjects with HBV infection. The estimated haplotype frequency of NFKBIA promoter -881G-826T-519C was significantly higher in the patients with HCC than in the HBV-infected subjects without HCC (odds ratio = 3.142, P = 0.002). As compared with the HBV-infected subjects without HCC, NFKBIA -826 T and NFKBIA -881AG allelic carriages were only associated with HCC risk in the subjects with HBV genotype C. The association of NFKBIA -881AG allelic carriage with HCC risk was not affected by liver cirrhosis (LC) status, alanine aminotransferase level and hepatitis B e antigen status. By multivariate regression analysis, NFKB1 -94ATTG2, NFKBIA -826T, NFKBIA -881AG and HBV genotype C were independently associated with an increased risk of HCC. In conclusion, NFKB1 -94ATTG2 allele and haplotype -881G-826T-519C in NFKBIA promoter were associated with hepatocarcinogenesis. NFKBIA -826T and -881AG were associated with the risk of HCC in the subjects infected with HBV genotype C.

Associations between hepatitis B virus mutations and the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The association between hepatitis B virus (HBV) mutations and hepatocarcinogenesis remains controversial because of conflicting data in the literature. We conducted a meta-analysis of case-control and cohort studies to examine HBV PreS, enhancer II (EnhII), basal core promoter (BCP), and precore mutations in relation to the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: We searched databases for studies of these associations that were published in English or Chinese up to August 31, 2008. HBV mutation-specific odds ratios and relative risks were pooled by use of a random-effects model and stratified by potential confounders. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS: Of the 43 studies included in this meta-analysis, 40 used a case-control design. The 43 studies evaluated a total of 11 582 HBV-infected participants, of whom 2801 had HCC. Statistically significant summary odds ratios of HCC were obtained for any PreS mutation (3.77, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.57 to 5.52), C1653T in EnhII (2.76, 95% CI = 2.09 to 3.64), T1753V (2.35, 95% CI = 1.63 to 3.40), and A1762T/G1764A in BCP (3.79, 95% CI = 2.71 to 5.29). PreS mutations were more strongly associated with an increased risk of HCC in subjects who were infected with HBV genotype C than in those who were infected with HBV genotype B, whereas the opposite was true for A1762T/G1764A. C1653T, T1753V, and A1762T/G1764A were more strongly associated with an increased risk of HCC in hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive subjects than in HBeAg-negative subjects. PreS mutations, C1653T, T1753V, and A1762T/G1764A accumulated during the progression of chronic HBV infection from the asymptomatic carrier state to HCC (P(trend) < .001 for each mutation). PreS mutations, C1653T, C1653T + T1753V, and A1762T/G1764A-based combinations of mutations had specificities greater than 80% for the prediction of HCC. The precore mutations G1896A and C1858T were not associated with the risk of HCC, regardless of HBeAg status and HBV genotype. CONCLUSIONS: HBV PreS mutations, C1653T, T1753V, and A1762T/G1764A are associated with an increased risk of HCC. These mutations alone and in combination may be predictive for hepatocarcinogenesis.

Role of hepatitis B virus genotype mixture, subgenotypes C2 and B2 on hepatocellular carcinoma: compared with chronic hepatitis B and asymptomatic carrier state in the same area.

The role of genotype mixture and subgenotypes remains controversial in determining the clinical outcome of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. We aimed to determine their role on the development and the recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). HBV genotypes, serum viral load and hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) seroconversion were determined in 462 HCC patients, 234 chronic hepatitis patients and 425 asymptomatic carriers born in Eastern China. In the 462 HCC patients, 62 (13.4%), 337 (72.9%) and 49 (10.6%) had HBV subgenotype B2, C2 and genotype mixture, respectively. Genotype mixture in HCC patients and hepatitis patients was associated with higher viral load than HBV C2 (P = 0.012, P = 0.000) and more frequent than asymptomatic carriers (P = 0.005, P = 0.000). HBV C2 was more prevalent in HCC patients compared with controls. Proportion of HBV B2 in HCC patients decreased consecutively from <30 to 50-59 years group (P = 0.024). Age-related changes of HBeAg seroconversion were not consistent with serum viral load in HCC patients with HBV B2 and genotype mixture, quite in contrast to hepatitis patients. By multivariate regression analysis, age >or=40 years and serum viral load (>or=10 000 copies/ml) were independently associated with hepatocarcinogenesis, whereas age