Correlation of gut dominant microbiota with hyperuricemia. / åŸºäºŽç²ªä¾¿è‚ é“ä¼˜åŠ¿èŒç¾¤æ£€æµ‹æ•°æ®çš„é«˜å°¿é ¸è¡€ç—‡ç›¸å ³å½±å“å› ç´ åˆ†æž.

OBJECTIVES: To study the correlation of intestinal dominant flora with hyperuricemia, and to explore influencing factors of hyperuricemia. METHODS: Data of gut dominant microbiota were collected from subjects who underwent health check-up in Shulan (Hangzhou) Hospital from January 2018 to April 2020. Subjects with high uric acid and normal uric acid were matched by propensity score matching method according to age, gender and body mass index (BMI). This resulted in 178 pairs as hyperuricemia group and control group. The gut dominant microbiota between hyperuricemia and normal control group were compared. Pearson or Spearman correlation coefficient method was used to analyze the correlation between blood uric acid and intestinal dominant flora. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to analyze the influencing factors of hyperuricemia. RESULTS: The abundance of Atopobium, Lactobacillus, Bacteroides, Enterococcus, Clostridium leptum, Fusobacterium prausnitzii, Bifidobacterium, Clostridium butyricum and the ratio of Bifidobacterium to Enterobacter (B/E) in the hyperuricemia group were significantly lower than those in the control group (all P<0.01). The correlation analysis showed that serum uric acid were negatively correlated with the abundance of Atopobium (r=－0.224, P<0.01), Bacteroides (r=－0.116, P<0.05), Clostridium leptum (r=－0.196, P<0.01), Fusobacterium prausnitzii (r=－0.244, P<0.01), Bifidobacterium (r=－0.237, P<0.01), Eubacterium rectale (r=－0.125, P<0.05), Clostridium butyricum (r=－0.176, P<0.01) and B/E value (r=－0.127, P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that glutamyl transpeptidase was an independent risk factor for hyperuricemia (OR=1.007, 95%CI: 1.002-1.012, P<0.05), and the Atopobium was an independent protective factor for hyperuricemia (OR=0.714, 95%CI: 0.605-0.842, P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: There are alterations in abundance of gut dominant microbiota in patients with hyperuricemia, and Atopobium abundance appears as a protective factor for hyperuricemia.

Prediction Model and Mechanism for Drying Shrinkage of High-Strength Lightweight Concrete with Graphene Oxide.

The excellent performance of graphene oxide (GO) in terms of mechanical properties and durability has stimulated its application potential in high-strength lightweight concrete (HSLWC). However, more attention needs to be paid to the long-term drying shrinkage of HSLWC. This work aims to investigate the compressive strength and drying shrinkage behavior of HSLWC incorporating low GO content (0.00-0.05%), focusing on the prediction and mechanism of drying shrinkage. Results indicate the following: (1) GO can acceptably reduce slump and significantly increase specific strength by 18.6%. (2) Drying shrinkage increased by 8.6% with the addition of GO. A modified ACI209 model with a GO content factor was demonstrated to have high accuracy based on the comparison of typical prediction models. (3) GO not only refines the pores but also forms flower-like crystals, which results in the increased drying shrinkage of HSLWC. These findings provide support for the prevention of cracking in HSLWC.

Effect of Graphene Oxide on the Mechanical Properties and Durability of High-Strength Lightweight Concrete Containing Shale Ceramsite.

An effective pathway to achieve the sustainable development of resources and environmental protection is to utilize shale ceramsite (SC), which is processed from shale spoil to produce high-strength lightweight concrete (HSLWC). Furthermore, the urgent demand for better performance of HSLWC has stimulated active research on graphene oxide (GO) in strengthening mechanical properties and durability. This study was an effort to investigate the effect of different contents of GO on HSLWC manufactured from SC. For this purpose, six mixtures containing GO in the range of 0-0.08% (by weight of cement) were systematically designed to test the mechanical properties (compressive strength, flexural strength, and splitting tensile strength), durability (chloride penetration resistance, freezing-thawing resistance, and sulfate attack resistance), and microstructure. The experimental results showed that the optimum amount of 0.05% GO can maximize the compressive strength, flexural strength, and splitting tensile strength by 20.1%, 34.3%, and 24.2%, respectively, and exhibited excellent chloride penetration resistance, freezing-thawing resistance, and sulfate attack resistance. Note that when the addition of GO was relatively high, the performance improvement in HSLWC as attenuated instead. Therefore, based on the comprehensive analysis of microstructure, the optimal addition level of GO to achieve the best mechanical properties and durability of HSLWC is considered to be 0.05%. These findings can provide a new method for the use of SC in engineering.

High Prevalence of Abnormal Carcinoembryonic Antigen in Diabetic Inpatients with Poor Glycemic Control.

Introduction: Higher serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) was found in diabetic patients rather than controls. However, the prevalence of abnormal CEA among diabetic inpatients with a large proportion of poor glycemic control is unclear. Methods: A total of 385 diabetic inpatients were included in this study. We collected information from a large clinical database. Patients with malignant tumors were excluded by examination and follow-up. Results: We found a surprisingly high prevalence (14.3%) of diabetic inpatients with CEA above normal. The proportion of patients with abnormal CEA was significantly different in subgroups with different blood glucose levels, 20.4% in the HbA1c ≥ 9% group, and 8.5% in the HbA1c < 9%, p = 0.000. We found that the CEA levels were correlated with age, body mass index and HbA1c. The regression coefficient of HbA1c was the highest, B = 0.284, p = 0.000. We also found that the CEA levels were higher in diabetic inpatients with BMI < 24 kg/m2 than the overweight or obesity patients. There was a significant difference in the insulin level and C peptide level between the elevated CEA group and the non-elevated CEA group. Conclusion: The elevation of CEA is common in diabetic inpatients, especially those with poor hyperglycemia controlled (HbA1c ≥ 9%). The underlying mechanism may be related to glucose toxicity.

Mechanical Properties and Microstructure of High-Strength Lightweight Concrete Incorporating Graphene Oxide.

The increasing demand for high-strength lightweight concrete (HSLWC) with excellent mechanical properties has inspired the development of nanomaterials in fundamentally solving brittleness and cracking. This work investigated the effects of graphene oxide (GO) on the mechanical properties and microstructure of HSLWC, including the workability, density, compressive strength in different curing regimes, splitting tensile strength, flexural strength, modulus of elasticity and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Six groups of mixtures were mixed with GO aqueous solution at a dosage of 0.00%, 0.02%, 0.04%, 0.05%, 0.06%, and 0.08% by weight of cement, respectively, and dispersed by ultrasound for 30 min. The test results showed that adding a low volume of GO to the specimens could slightly increase the density, rationally reduce the slump, and significantly improve the mechanical properties. The maximum increase in compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, modulus of elasticity and flexural strength of HSLWC with GO at 28 days was by 24%, 17%, 15%, 20%, respectively, as compared with HSLWC without GO. Simultaneously, the SEM results showed that GO could not only fill nano-scale pores, but also regulate the formation and growth of flower-like crystals, which was an important factor for the further improvement of properties. The research results provided a potential new pathway to improve the mechanical properties of HSLWC.

The possibility of sports industry business model innovation based on blockchain technology: Evaluation of the innovation efficiency of listed sports companies.

The combination of blockchain and the sports industry is bound to be a trend in terms of innovation and the development of sports industry in the near future. Therefore, after analyzing the problems existing in the current business model of the sports industry, this paper takes 200 innovation indicators of 50 listed companies in the sports industry, among which 15 use blockchain and 35 do not use, as research samples and uses a three-stage DEA model to calculate their innovation efficiency. The results show that sports companies that use blockchain have better performance in terms of innovation efficiency than do those that do not, which illustrates the necessity of blockchain-based business model innovation. Then, by focusing on the internal structure and the case of the "vSport blockchain", this work shows that this business model innovation is feasible. The article first proposes a blockchain-based sports industry business model and then uses a combination of empirical and case studies to prove the necessity and feasibility of sports industry business model innovation.

[Explore antioxidant quality markers of Hippophae tibetana based on "dry-method + wet-method" technology].

The cross combination of dry-method(network pharmacology analysis) and wet-method(high-resolution mass spectro-metry with antioxidation experiment) was used to predict antioxidant quality markers(Q-markers) of Hippophae tibetana. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with hybrid quadrupole-orbitrap mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap-MS) was developed to rapidly separate and identify the chemical constituents in H. tibetana. Then in DPPH free radicals and superoxide anion scavenging experiment, the antioxidant activity of the four different polar parts with extracts of petroleumether, ethyl acetate, n-butanol and water was evaluated. Network pharmacology method was used for functional enrichment and pathway analysis to screen antioxidant-related components and preliminarily explain the mechanism of action. On this basis, multi-source information was integrated to predict the antioxidant Q-markers. The results showed that 51 components in H. tibetana were identified, including 18 flavonoids, 14 terpenoids, 6 alkaloids, 4 coumarins and phenylpropanoids, 3 volatile components and 2 polyphenols. The antioxidant capacity of different fractions: ethyl acetate > n-butanol > water > petroleum ether. The medicine mainly acted on PI3 K-Akt and FoxO signaling pathways to perform antioxidant effects through flavonoids such as quercetin, luteolin and kaempferol. According to the results of dry-method and wet-method, quercetin, luteolin and kaempferol, the representatives of poly-hydroxy flavone, may be the antioxidant Q-markers of H. tibetana. In this study, with the antioxidant Q-markers of H. tibetana as an example, an investigation model of predicting Q-marker was discussed based on the ternary system of composition, function and informatics, providing a scientific basis for the establishment of quality evaluation standards for H. tibetana.

Structural Basis for SARS-CoV-2 Envelope Protein in Recognition of Human Cell Junction Protein PALS1

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus has created a global health and economic emergency. SARS-CoV-2 viruses hijack human proteins to promote their spread and virulence including the interactions involving the viral envelope (E) protein and human proteins. To understand the structural basis for SARS-CoV-2 viral-host recognition, we used cryo-electron microscopy to determine a structure for the human cell junction protein PALS1 and SARS-CoV-2 E protein complex. The structure shows that the E protein C-terminal DLLV motif recognizes a pocket formed exclusively by hydrophobic residues from the PDZ and SH3 domains in PALS1. Our structural analysis provides an explanation for the observation that the viral E protein recruits PALS1 from lung epithelial cell junctions resulting in vascular leakage, lung damage, viral spread, and virulence. In addition, our structure provides novel targets for peptide- and small-molecule inhibitors that could block the PALS1-E interactions to reduce the E-mediated damage to vascular structures.

Explore antioxidant quality markers of Hippophae tibetana based on "dry-method + wet-method" technology / 中国中药杂志

The cross combination of dry-method(network pharmacology analysis) and wet-method(high-resolution mass spectro-metry with antioxidation experiment) was used to predict antioxidant quality markers(Q-markers) of Hippophae tibetana. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with hybrid quadrupole-orbitrap mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap-MS) was developed to rapidly separate and identify the chemical constituents in H. tibetana. Then in DPPH free radicals and superoxide anion scavenging experiment, the antioxidant activity of the four different polar parts with extracts of petroleumether, ethyl acetate, n-butanol and water was evaluated. Network pharmacology method was used for functional enrichment and pathway analysis to screen antioxidant-related components and preliminarily explain the mechanism of action. On this basis, multi-source information was integrated to predict the antioxidant Q-markers. The results showed that 51 components in H. tibetana were identified, including 18 flavonoids, 14 terpenoids, 6 alkaloids, 4 coumarins and phenylpropanoids, 3 volatile components and 2 polyphenols. The antioxidant capacity of different fractions: ethyl acetate > n-butanol > water > petroleum ether. The medicine mainly acted on PI3 K-Akt and FoxO signaling pathways to perform antioxidant effects through flavonoids such as quercetin, luteolin and kaempferol. According to the results of dry-method and wet-method, quercetin, luteolin and kaempferol, the representatives of poly-hydroxy flavone, may be the antioxidant Q-markers of H. tibetana. In this study, with the antioxidant Q-markers of H. tibetana as an example, an investigation model of predicting Q-marker was discussed based on the ternary system of composition, function and informatics, providing a scientific basis for the establishment of quality evaluation standards for H. tibetana.

Numerical simulation of bypass evaporation system treating FGD wastewater using high temperature flue gas.

A novel zero-liquid discharge (ZLD) technology for desulfurization wastewater treatment is put forward in this paper. A ZLD reconstruction project performed on 2 × 320 MW desulfurization system was taken as the research object, to study the evaporator structure and the key factors affecting spray evaporation through CFD numerical simulation. The result shows that when the evaporator diameter is 2.4 m, the central density difference and the temperature difference of evaporator outlets are 0 kg/L and 0°C, under this condition, the wall sticking can be avoided effectively, and the uniformity of evaporator's outlet flow field is improved. As for the same amount of wastewater, small atomized particle size, high flue gas flow rate and high flue gas temperature are conducive to complete evaporation, and the optimum atomized particle size is 100-150 µm, flue gas velocity is 3-4 m/s and flue gas temperature is 250-260°C. In order to reduce adverse impact on the main flue duct, the optimized design scheme that extracting flue gas before and after the air preheater is put forward in the purpose of energy saving.

Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of ligustrazine - betulin amino-acid/dipeptide derivatives as anti-tumor agents.

The ligustrazine - betulin derivative (TB), TB amino acids derivatives (TB-01 - TB-09) and TB dipeptide derivatives (TB-10 - TB-18) were designed and synthesized. And their in vitro cytotoxic activities were evaluated against four cancer cell lines (Hela, HepG2, BGC-823 and HT-29) and normal cells MDCK by standard methylthiazol tetrazolium (MTT) assay. Most of them demonstrated better antitumor activity than the relevant material betulin. Among them, compound TB-01 showed the best anti-tumor effect on the cancer cells and the lowest toxicity on the normal cells. For example, the cytotoxicity of TB-01 against the cancer cells (mean IC50 = 4.86 ±â€¯1.16 µM) was 3-fold higher than that against the normal cells MDCK (IC50 = 16.11 ±â€¯2.29 µM). Moreover, TB-01 showed better cytotoxic than positive drug cisplatin (DDP) on tumor cells. Besides, the Zebrafish toxicity evaluation test showed that TB-01 demonstrated high biosafety. Subsequently, fluorescent staining, apoptosis detection and cell cycle analysis indicated that TB-01 induced early apoptosis in HepG2 cells and blocked the cell cycle in the G1 phase. In addition, the structure-activity relationships of these derivatives were briefly discussed.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of cinnamic acid derivatives with synergetic neuroprotection and angiogenesis effect.

As for complex brain diseases involved with multiple pathogenic factors, it is extremely difficult to achieve curative effect by acting on a single target. Multi-approach drugs provide a promising prospect in the treatment of complex brain diseases and have been attracting more and more interest. Enlightened by synergetic effect of combination in traditional herb medicines, forty-two novel cinnamic acid derivatives were designed and synthesized by introducing capsaicin and/or ligustrazine moieties to enhance biological activities in both neurological function and neurovascular protection. Elevated levels of cell viability on human brain microvascular endothelium cell line (HBMEC-2) and human neuroblastoma cell line (SH-SY5Y) against free radical injury were observed in most of compounds. Among them, compound 14a exhibited the most potent activities with a significant EC50 value of 3.26 ±â€¯0.16 µM (HBMEC-2) and 2.41 ±â€¯0.10 µM (SH-SY5Y). Subsequently, the results of morphological staining and flow cytometry analysis experiments on both cell lines showed that 14a had the potential to block apoptosis, maintain cell morphological integrity and protect physiological function of mitochondria. Moreover, 14a displayed specific angiogenesis effect in the chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay; and the results of RT-PCR suggested that the mechanism for angiogenesis effect was associated with the enhancement of the expressions of VEGFR2 mRNA in chick embryo. Preliminary structure-activity relationship was analyzed. The above evidences suggested that conjunctures gained by combining active ingredients in traditional herb medicines deserved further study and might provide references in discovering dual-effective lead compounds for brain diseases.

Prioritization of reproductive toxicants in unconventional oil and gas operations using a multi-country regulatory data-driven hazard assessment.

BACKGROUND: Recent trends have witnessed the global growth of unconventional oil and gas (UOG) production. Epidemiologic studies have suggested associations between proximity to UOG operations with increased adverse birth outcomes and cancer, though specific potential etiologic agents have not yet been identified. To perform effective risk assessment of chemicals used in UOG production, the first step of hazard identification followed by prioritization specifically for reproductive toxicity, carcinogenicity and mutagenicity is crucial in an evidence-based risk assessment approach. To date, there is no single hazard classification list based on the United Nations Globally Harmonized System (GHS), with countries applying the GHS standards to generate their own chemical hazard classification lists. A current challenge for chemical prioritization, particularly for a multi-national industry, is inconsistent hazard classification which may result in misjudgment of the potential public health risks. We present a novel approach for hazard identification followed by prioritization of reproductive toxicants found in UOG operations using publicly available regulatory databases. METHODS: GHS classification for reproductive toxicity of 157 UOG-related chemicals identified as potential reproductive or developmental toxicants in a previous publication was assessed using eleven governmental regulatory agency databases. If there was discordance in classifications across agencies, the most stringent classification was assigned. Chemicals in the category of known or presumed human reproductive toxicants were further evaluated for carcinogenicity and germ cell mutagenicity based on government classifications. A scoring system was utilized to assign numerical values for reproductive health, cancer and germ cell mutation hazard endpoints. Using a Cytoscape analysis, both qualitative and quantitative results were presented visually to readily identify high priority UOG chemicals with evidence of multiple adverse effects. RESULTS: We observed substantial inconsistencies in classification among the 11 databases. By adopting the most stringent classification within and across countries, 43 chemicals were classified as known or presumed human reproductive toxicants (GHS Category 1), while 31 chemicals were classified as suspected human reproductive toxicants (GHS Category 2). The 43 reproductive toxicants were further subjected to analysis for carcinogenic and mutagenic properties. Calculated hazard scores and Cytoscape visualization yielded several high priority chemicals including potassium dichromate, cadmium, benzene and ethylene oxide. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings reveal diverging GHS classification outcomes for UOG chemicals across regulatory agencies. Adoption of the most stringent classification with application of hazard scores provides a useful approach to prioritize reproductive toxicants in UOG and other industries for exposure assessments and selection of safer alternatives.

Experimental and model research on chloride ion gas-solid distribution in the process of desulfurization wastewater evaporation.

In this paper, research on chloride ion gas-solid distribution in the process of desulfurization wastewater evaporation was carried out. The factor analysis of temperature, pH, and concentrations of Cl- Na+, Ca2+ and Mg2+ was explored by orthogonal experiments. Results show that the distribution coefficient increases with increasing temperature and Mg2+ concentration and decreasing pH, but decreases with increasing concentrations of Cl-, Ca2+ and Na+; The interaction and significance of each factor were compared and analyzed, and the order of influence significance on the chloride ion gas-solid distribution coefficient is listed as: temperature (0.781) > pH (0.611) > Cl- concentration (0.366 ) > Mg2+ concentration (0.211) > Ca2+ concentration (0.079) > Na+ concentration (0.03). A chloride ion gas-solid phase distribution coefficient model ranging from 180 °C to 380 °C was built based on phase equilibrium theory and state equations. The study clarifies the gas phase transformation mechanism of chloride ions, and achieves the quantification and prediction of chloride ion volatilization under different environmental and water quality parameters; an important theoretical and practical reference for the application of high temperature flue gas evaporation technology is provided through the research.

Research on characteristics of liver injury induced by rifampicin in mice / 局解手术学杂志

Objective To observe the symptom and characteristics of liver injury induced by different dosage of long-term administration of rifampicin(RIF) in mice.Methods Twenty-four healthy female ICR mice were randomly divided into 4 groups(6 mice in each group):control group,low dosage group,medium dosage group and high dosage group.The four groups were treated with 0,100,200,400 mg·kg-1·d-1 RIF respectively for 2 weeks.Mice blood and liver tissue samples were collected at 6 hours after the last administration for serological test and liver histological observation.Results No mice died before execution.The TBA,DBIL and TBIL of high dosage group all increased compared with the control group, but the ALT,AST and ALP showed no obvious change.The TBA and DBIL of medium dosage group increased compared with the control group, while the TBIL,ALT,AST and ALP showed no obvious change.In the low dosage group,there was no obvious change in terms of TBA,DBIL,TBIL,ALT,AST,and ALP compared with the control group.Obvious pathological change occured in the liver of mice in all the experimental groups.HE staining showed edema and feather steatosis in liver cells, accompanied by a large number of inflammatory cells infiltration and a few sporadic cholestasis.With the increasing of RIF dosage,the liver pathological change became more obviously.In the experimental group,electron microscope showed that there were a lot of fat droplets in the liver cells wrapped slurry,and part of the capillary bile duct were slightly expanded with different electron density and irregular shape of bile sample material inside.The pathologic changes get more obvious with the increase of the concentration of rifampicin as well.Conclusion RIF could induce liver injury after 2 weeks' treatment at different dosages,mainly pathological changes included liver cell steatosis,inflammatory cell infiltration,and cholestasis.Rifampicin induced liver injury in a concentration-dependent manner.However,the mechanism of rifampicin-induced liver injury in mice needs further study.

Complete mesocolic excision in right hemicolectomy: comparison between hand-assisted laparoscopic and open approaches

PURPOSE: To demonstrate the feasibility, safety, and technical strategies of hand-assisted laparoscopic complete mesocolic excision (HAL-CME) and to compare oncological outcomes between HAL-CME and the open approach (O-CME) for right colon cancers. METHODS: Patients who were scheduled to undergo a right hemicolectomy were divided into HAL-CME and O-CME groups. Measured outcomes included demographic variables, perioperative parameters, and follow-up data. Demographic variables included age, sex distribution, body mass index (BMI), American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status classification, previous abdominal surgery, tumor localization, and potential comorbidities. Perioperative parameters included incision length, operative time, blood loss, conversion rate, postoperative pain score, postoperative first passage of flatus, duration of hospital stay, total cost, number of lymph nodes retrieved, TNM classification, and postoperative complications. Follow-up data included follow-up time, use of chemotherapy, local recurrence rate, distant metastasis rate, and short-term survival rate. RESULTS: In total, 150 patients (HAL-CME, 78; O-CME, 72) were included. The groups were similar in age, sex distribution, BMI, ASA classification, history of previous abdominal surgeries, tumor localization, and potential comorbidities. Patients in the HAL-CME group had shorter incision lengths, longer operative times, less operative blood loss, lower pain scores, earlier first passage of flatus, shorter hospital stay, higher total costs, similar numbers of lymph nodes retrieved, similar TNM classifications, and a comparable incidence of postoperative complications. The 2 groups were also similar in local recurrence rate, distant metastasis rate, and short-term survival rate. CONCLUSION: The results demonstrate that the HAL-CME procedure is a safe, valid, and feasible surgical method for right hemicolon cancers.

Influence of transcriptional factor Sp1 on expression of bile acids transporters MRP3 and MRP4 / 局解手术学杂志

Objective To investigate the influence of transcriptional factor Sp1 on expression of bile acids transporters MRP3 and MRP4 so as to perfect the regulatory mechanism of MRP3 and MRP4 expression.Methods Transformed Sp1-overexpression and Sp1 siRNA plas-mids to HepG2 cell and obtained the stably cells line.Then the expression levels of bile acids transporters MRP3 and MRP4 were measured by RT-qPCR,and the change of protein levels were detected by Western blot.Results The stably cells line Sp1-OE-HepG2 and Sp1siRNA-HepG2 were successfully transformed.The mRNA expression and protein levels of MRP3 and MRP4 were significantly increased in Sp1-OE-HepG2 cells,among which the mRNA expression of MRP3 mRNA increased 2.8 times,the protein levels of MRP3 increased 3.0 times,and the mRNA expression and protein levels of MRP4 increased 3.2 times and 2.5 times respectively.Conversely,the mRNA expression and protein levels of MRP3 and MRP4 were decreased in Sp1 siRNA-HepG2 cells,among which the mRNA expression of MRP3 mRNA de-creased 52%,the mRNA expression of MRP4 mRNA decreased 58%,the protein levels of MRP3 decreased 57%,and the protein levels of MRP4 decreased 60%.Conclusion Transcriptional factor Sp1 could regulate the expression of bile acids transporters MRP3 and MRP4 in HepG2 cells.

Imaging features of intestinal-type and pancreaticobiliary-type invasive adenocarcinoma of the ampullary region / 中华消化外科杂志

Objective To analyze the computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of intestinal-type and pancreaticobiliary-type invasive adenocarcinomas of the ampullary region (IAARs) and investigate the value of the differential diagnosis.Methods The retrospective cross-sectional study was adopted.The clinicopathological data of 33 patients with IAAR who were admitted to the Lanzhou University Second Hospital (20 patients) and Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University (13 patients) between September 2013 and August 2015 were collected.The patients underwent plain and enhanced scans of CT and MRI.(1) Observation indictors included tumor size,shape,growth pattern,boundary,internal structure,density and/or signal,style and/or degree of contrast enhancement,changes of bile and/or pancreatic duct,invasion and metastasis.(2) The clinical and imaging features of intestinal-type and pancreaticobiliary-type IAARs were compared.(3) Operation was performed after preoperative examinations,and patients received the postoperative pathological examination and immunohistochemistry.Measurement data with normal distribution were presented as x-±s.Comparison between groups was evaluated with an independent sample t test,and count data were analyzed using the chi-square test.Results (1) Of 33 patients with IAAR,19 received plain scan of CT,including 17 receiving simultaneous enhanced scan of CT.Fourteen patients [9 receiving diffussion-weighted imaging (DWI) sequence of MRI] received plain scan of MRI,including 12 receiving simultaneous enhanced scan of MRI.The maximum diameter of IAAR in 33 patients was (2.8 ± 1.4)cm.Fourteen tumors were round-like or oval shape and 19 tumors were irregular shape.The intracavity type,extracavity type and mixed type of tumors were detected in 24,6 and 3 patients,respectively.There were clear boundary of tumors in 17 patients and fuzzy boundary of tumors in 16 patients.Tumors of 5 patients had appeared necrotic and/or cystic,no hemorrhage or calcification was found in tumors of 33 patients.Density and signal of tumors were homogeneous in 18 patients and inhomogeneous in 15 patients.Of 29 patients receiving enhanced scan of CT or MRI,homogeneous enhancement and inhomogeneous enhancement were respectively detected in 14 and 15 patients,and mild enhancement,moderate enhancement and no enhancement were respectively detected in 15,14 and 0 patients.Tumors of 9 patients in DWI showed slightly high or high signal.Thirty patients had secondary bile duct dilatation (3 with mild dilatation,6 with moderate dilatation and 21 with severe dilatation),and 3 patients had no changes of bile duct.Twenty-six patients had secondary pancreatic duct dilatation and 7 had no changes of pancreatic duct.Sixteen patients had tumor invasion to pancreatic tissues and 7 had lymph node metastases.(2) Of 33 patients with IAAR,19 had intestinal-type IAAR (8 males and 11 females) and 14 had pancreaticobiliary-type IAAR (11 males and 3 females).There was statistically significant difference in the gender between the 2 types of IAAR (x2=4.388,P ＜ 0.05).The intracavity type,extracavity type and mixed type of tumors,clear boundary and fuzzy boundary of tumors,homogeneous and inhomogeneous density and/or signal of tumors,with and without tumor invasion to pancreatic tissues were respectively detected in 17,0,2,13,6,14,5,6,13 patients with intestinal-type IAAR and 7,6,1,4,10,4,10,10,4 patients with pancreaticobiliary-type IAAR,with statistically significant differences between the 2 types of IAAR (x2=9.971,5.125,6.617,5.125,P ＜ 0.05).(3) All the patients underwent surgery and received comprehensive diagnosis and tumor classification after pathological examination and immunohistochemistry.Conclusion There are certain characteristics of CT and MRI in intestinal-type and pancreaticobiliary-type IAARs,and gender,tumor growth pattern,boundary,density and/or signal,tumor invasion to pancreatic tissues have certain reference values for the differential diagnosis of intestinal-type and pancreaticobiliary-type IAARs.

Oleanolic acid stimulates the expression of bile acids transporters OSTalpha-beta and BSEP in bile duct-ligation rats / 局解手术学杂志

Objective To study the function and effect of Oleanolic acid to cholestasis on regulating bile acids transporters. Methods A total of 45 rats were divided into 9 groups,5 rats in each group. The Sham group,Bile duct ligation group and Oleanolic acid group were treated with saline or Oleanolic acid for 3 days,7 days and 14 days. Then the liver and tested bile acids transporters in mRNA and protein lev-els were collected. Results The expression of bile acids transporter OSTβ with Oleanolic acid was increased after 3 days. The expression of OSTβ and BESP in Oleanolic acid group after 7 days were increased than those in Sham group. Fourteen days later,the increasing tendency of OSTα,OSTβ and BSEP were sensiable. Conclusion Oleanolic acid can stimulates the expression of bile acids transporters OSTalpha-beta and BSEP in bile duct-ligation rats.

Subjective Perception of Sports Performance, Training, Sleep and Dietary Patterns of Malaysian Junior Muslim Athletes during Ramadan Intermittent Fasting.

PURPOSE: To examine the subjective perception of daily acute fasting on sports performance, training, sleep and dietary patterns of Muslim athletes during the Ramadan month. METHODS: Seven hundred and thirty-four (411 male and 323 female) Malaysian Junior-level Muslim athletes (mean age 16.3 ± 2.6 y) participated in the survey which was designed to establish the personal perception of their sport performance, sleep pattern, food and fluid intake during Ramadan fasting. The survey was conducted during and immediately after the month of Ramadan in 2009. RESULTS: Twenty-four percent of the athletes perceived that there was an adverse effect of the Ramadan fast on their sporting performance and 29.3% reported that quality of training during Ramadan was also negatively influenced. Majority (48.2%) of the athletes stated that Ramadan fasting did not affect their normal sleep pattern but 66.6% of them complained of sleepiness during the daytime. Half of the athletes (41.4%) maintained the caloric intake during Ramadan as they normally would with the majority of them (76.2%) reporting that they consumed more fluids during Ramadan. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, Malaysian Junior-level Muslim athletes showed diverse views in their perception of changes in their training, sleep and dietary patterns during Ramadan fast. These individual differences probably indicate differences in the athletes' adaptability and coping strategies during fasting and training in Ramadan.