Effects and molecular mechanism of sugar transporter ESA_RS15745 on desiccation resistance, motility, and biofilm formation of Cronobacter sakazakii.

Cronobacter sakazakii, an important Gram-negative foodborne pathogen, can cause neonatal meningitis and sepsis with high rates of infection and death. Gene ESA_RS15745 encodes a sugar transporter protein, which is not only essential for osmotic pressure maintenance during bacterial growth and reproduction but also associated with their desiccation tolerance, motility, and biofilm formation. Here, a mutant strain of ESA_RS15745 (ΔESA_RS15745) and the complementation strain (cpESA_RS15745) were constructed using a suicide vector knockout and gene complementation. ΔESA_RS15745 was found to have a decrease in its ability to transport maltose and trehalose and resist desiccation, whereas an increase in the ability of motility and biofilm formation, implying that ESA_RS15745 may positively regulate sugar transport and desiccation tolerance and negatively regulate motility and biofilm formation. To further investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the function of related genes, RNA-seq was performed to explore the differentially expressed genes in the mutants. RNA-seq results showed the upregulation of 114 genes (mainly including those regulating chemotaxis and flagellar motility) and the downregulation of 22 genes (mainly including those regulating sugar transport). qRT-PCR analysis supported the RNA-seq results and showed that ESA_RS15745 may influence the dehydration tolerance though decreasing the intracellular trehalose content and negatively regulate the motility though the chemotactic signaling pathway. In addition, the biofilm formation of C. sakazakii should also be speculated to negatively regulate by ESA_RS15745 by consuming the extracellular carbohydrates concentration and then downregulating the intracellular cyclic diguanosine monophosphate. This study offers a reference for comprehending the molecular mechanism of gene ESA_RS15745 in C. sakazakii.

Blocking P2X4 purinergic receptor attenuates alcohol-related liver fibrosis by inhibiting hepatic stellate cell activation through PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

Alcoholic liver fibrosis（ALF）, as a liver disease caused by long-term alcoholism, attracts international attention. Activation of hepatic stellate cells is a key step in the development of alcoholic-associated liver fibrosis. Increasing studies have shown that P2X4 receptor, as a component of purinoceptor family in adenosine pathway, plays an important role in numerous liver diseases. In this study, it was found that the expression of P2X4 receptor was significantly increased in the mouse liver fibrosis model fed with ethanol plus CCL4 and in the HSC-T6 cell model stimulated by acetaldehyde. In vivo, C57BL/6J mice were used to establish ALF models, and 5-BDBD, a specific inhibitor of P2X4 receptor, was injected intraperitoneally at 6-8 weeks of ALF development. The results indicated that 5-BDBD could reduce the expression of fibrotic markers and attenuate the pathological features of fibrosis, thus demonstrating the alleviation of ALF.In vitro, PI3K/AKT pathway was activated in HSC-T6 cells stimulated by acetaldehyde. Silencing P2X4 receptor or administration of 5-BDBD could inhibit the phosphorylation of PI3K and AKT, thereby inhibiting the activation of HSC-T6 cells. In addition, 5-BDBD was administered to RAW264.7 cells activated by acetaldehyde, and then part of the supernatant was added to HSC-T6 cells culture medium. The results showed that 5-BDBD could reduce the expression of classical inflammatory pathways such as TGF-ß pathway in RAW267.4 cells, thus inhibiting the activation of HSC-T6 cells. Taken together, these results suggest that P2X4 receptors may influence the progression of alcohol-related liver fibrosis by directly mediating the PI3K/AKT pathway, or indirectly by influencing RAW264.7 cells to regulate hepatic stellate cell activation.

Identification and semisynthesis of (-)-anisomelic acid as oral agent against SARS-CoV-2 in mice.

(-)-Anisomelic acid, isolated from Anisomeles indica (L.) Kuntze (Labiatae) leaves, is a macrocyclic cembranolide with a trans-fused α-methylene-γ-lactone motif. Anisomelic acid effectively inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication and viral-induced cytopathic effects with an EC50 of 1.1 and 4.3 µM, respectively. Challenge studies of SARS-CoV-2-infected K18-hACE2 mice showed that oral administration of anisomelic acid and subcutaneous dosing of remdesivir can both reduce the viral titers in the lung tissue at the same level. To facilitate drug discovery, we used a semisynthetic approach to shorten the project timelines. The enantioselective semisynthesis of anisomelic acid from the naturally enriched and commercially available starting material (+)-costunolide was achieved in five steps with a 27% overall yield. The developed chemistry provides opportunities for developing anisomelic-acid-based novel ligands for selectively targeting proteins involved in viral infections.

Added value of systemic inflammation markers in predicting pulmonary infection in stroke patients: A retrospective study by machine learning analysis.

ABSTRACT: Exploring candidate markers to predict the clinical outcomes of pulmonary infection in stroke patients have a high unmet need. This study aimed to develop machine learning (ML)-based predictive models for pulmonary infection.Between January 2008 and April 2021, a retrospective analysis of 1397 stroke patients who had CT angiography from skull to diaphragm (including CT of the chest) within 24 hours of symptom onset. A total of 21 variables were included, and the prediction model of pulmonary infection was established by multiple ML-based algorithms. Risk factors for pulmonary infection were determined by the feature selection method. Area under the curve (AUC) and decision curve analysis were used to determine the model with the best resolution and to assess the net clinical benefits associated with the use of predictive models, respectively.A total of 889 cases were included in this study as a training group, while 508 cases were as a validation group. The feature selection indicated the top 6 predictors were procalcitonin, C-reactive protein, soluble interleukin-2 receptor, consciousness disorder, dysphagia, and invasive procedure. The AUCs of the 5 models ranged from 0.78 to 0.87 in the training cohort. When the ML-based models were applied to the validation set, the results also remained reconcilable, and the AUC was between 0.891 and 0.804. The decision curve analysis also showed performed better than positive line and negative line, indicating the favorable predictive performance and clinical values of the models.By incorporating clinical characteristics and systemic inflammation markers, it is feasible to develop ML-based models for the presence and consequences of signs of pulmonary infection in stroke patients, and the use of the model may be greatly beneficial to clinicians in risk stratification and management decisions.

Effect of Focused Cardiac Ultrasound in Combination with Lung Ultrasound on Critically Ill Patients: A Multicenter Observational Study in China / 中国医学科学杂志(英文版)

Objective Focused cardiac ultrasound (FCU) and lung ultrasound (LU) are increasingly being used in critically ill patients. This study aimed to investigate the effect of FCU in combination with LU on these patients and to determine if the timing of ultrasound examination was associated with treatment change. Methods This is a multicenter cross-sectional observational study. Consecutive patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) were screened for enrollment. FCU and LU were performed within the first 24 h, and treatment change was proposed by the performer based on the ultrasound results and other clinical conditions. Results Among the 992 patients included, 502 were examined within 6 h of ICU admission (early phase group), and 490 were examined after 6 h of admission (later phase group). The early phase group and the later phase group had similar proportions of treatment change (48.8%

Association of trimethylamine N-Oxide with cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in hemodialysis patients.

BACKGROUND: Trimethylamine-N-Oxide (TMAO) is a proatherogenic and prothrombotic metabolite. Our study examined the association of plasma TMAO level with cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in hemodialysis (HD) patients. METHODS: Patients who were at least 18 years-old and received HD for at least 6 months were enrolled within 6 months. Patients with coronary heart disease, congestive heart failure, arrhythmia, or stroke within 3 months before study onset were excluded. The primary endpoints were cardiovascular and all-cause death, and the secondary endpoint was cerebrovascular death. RESULTS: We recruited 252 patients and divided them into a high-TMAO group (>4.73 µg/mL) and a low-TMAO group (≤4.73 µg/mL). The median follow-up time was 73.4 months (interquartile range: 42.9, 108). A total of 123 patients died, 39 from cardiovascular disease, 19 from cerebrovascular disease, and 65 from other causes. Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated that the high-TMAO group had a greater incidence of cardiovascular death (Log-Rank: p = 0.006) and all-cause death (Log-Rank: p < 0.001). Cox regression analysis showed that high TMAO level was significantly associated with cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. After adjustment for confounding, this association remained significant for cardiovascular mortality (TMAO as a continuous variable: HR: 1.18, 95%CI: 1.07, 1.294, p < 0.001; TMAO as a dichotomous variable: HR: 3.44, 95%CI: 1.68, 7.08, p < 0.001) and all-cause mortality (TMAO as a continuous variable: HR: 1.14, 95%CI: 1.08, 1.21, p < 0.001; TMAO as a dichotomous variable: HR: 2.54, 95%CI: 1.71, 3.76, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: High plasma TMAO level is significantly and independently associated with cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in HD patients.

The current situation of the drug supply and determinants of drug shortage in primary health centers:A case study of Anhui Province / 中国卫生政策研究

Objective: To investigate the current situation of drug supply and determinants of drug shortage in primary health institutions in Anhui province. Methods:Primary health institutions in Anhui province were selected as the main research subjects. One hundred and six (106) primary health institutions from three areas/districts in Anhui province namely northern Anhui,Central Anhui,and Southern Anhui were selected with stratified random sampling as the first sample,and 54 pharmaceutical producing enterprises and 62 pharmaceutical trading enterprises were selected with convenience sampling method as the second sample. The survey was conducted by issuing questionnaires to record views of the respondents to help understand the current situation of drug supply from the first sample and the main de-terminants and solutions of drug shortage from two samples. Results:13% of the primary health institutions still suffer from serious shortage of drug supply; the drug distribution rate varies greatly between units, and 19% of the primary health institutions have a drug distribution rate below 70%,and all primary health institution within the scope of inves-tigation experienced drug shortages. The frequency of choices of determinants of drug shortage were in sequence of or-der:drug demand instability (19.20%), drugs have a new and higher profit alternative (15.94%), etc.; The fre-quency of choices of solutions of drug shortage of primary health institution were in sequence of order:to improve the national list of essential medicines(12.78%),appropriate improvement in efficacy the low-priced varieties(with cura-tive effect) (12.03%),etc. Conclusions:Primary health institutions suffer from drug shortage issue widely,and the reasons for the shortage of drugs are more complicated;the government should continue to implement relevant policies, comprehensively improving the primary health institution drug supply mechanisms in all to prevent drug shortages.

Genetic characteristics of Spermophilus in Shaanxi Province, China / 中国人兽共患病学报

We studied the genetic characteristics of Spermophilus in Shaanxi Province,China.The COI,Cyt-b gene were sequenced and the results were compared with those of dauricus from Inner Mongolia Keyouzhong Banner and Zhengxiangbai Banner,and S.alaschanicus from Haiyuan County of Ningxia.And genetic distance was analyzed and Neighbor-Joining tree was built.Results showed that the genetic distance of COI gene sequences between Spermophilus from Dingbian County in Shaanxi and S.alaschanicus in Ningxia was ≤0.5％,and the genetic distance was ranged from 7.9％ to 9.3％ with Citellus dauricus from Inner Mongolia.The genetic distance of Cyt-b gene between Spermophilus from Dingbian County in Shaanxi and S.alaschanicus in Ningxia was ≤2.2％,and ranged from 8.9％ to 11.2％ with Citellus dauricus from Inner Mongolia.The Neighbor-Joining tree of COI,Cyt-b gene showed two major clusters.One of them were clustered by Spermophilus from Dingbian County in Shaanxi and S.alaschanicus in Ningxia,and another one was Citellus dauricus from Inner Mongolia.The Neighbor-Joining tree of COI gene showed that all samples from Shaanxi Province clustered in a group.In conclusion,the Spermophilus in Shaanxi Province were S.alaschanicus.

Association of indoxyl sulfate with heart failure among patients on hemodialysis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Indoxyl sulfate, a protein-bound uremic toxin, may be associated with cardiovascular events and mortality in patients with CKD. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between indoxyl sulfate and heart failure in patients on hemodialysis. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: Patients on hemodialysis for >6 months were enrolled within 6 months. Patients with congestive heart failure, angina pectoris, acute myocardial infarction, cerebral infarction, or cerebral hemorrhage within 3 months before the study or those <18 years old were excluded. The primary end point was first heart failure event during follow-up. RESULTS: In total, 258 patients (145 men) with a mean age of 57.0 ± 14.6 years old were enrolled. Median plasma indoxyl sulfate level was used to categorize patients into two groups: the low-indoxyl sulfate group (indoxyl sulfate ≤ 2.35 µg/ml) and the high-indoxyl sulfate group (indoxyl sulfate >32.35 µg/ml). Then, patients were prospectively followed up for a median of 48.0 (interquartile range: 33.5-48.0) months. During follow-up, 68 patients experienced episodes of first heart failure. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed the incidence of first heart failure event in the high-indoxyl sulfate group was significantly higher than in the low-indoxyl sulfate group (log rank P<0.001). Cox regression analysis showed indoxyl sulfate was significantly associated with first heart failure event (indoxyl sulfate as the continuous variable: hazard ratio, 1.02; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.01 to 1.03; P=0.001; indoxyl sulfate as the dichotomous variable: hazard ratio, 3.49; 95% CI, 1.97 to 6.20; P<0.001). After adjustment for other confounding factors, the results remained significant (indoxyl sulfate as the continuous variable: hazard ratio, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.06; P<0.001; indoxyl sulfate as the dichotomous variable: hazard ratio, 5.31; 95% CI, 2.43 to 11.58; P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Plasma indoxyl sulfate was associated with first heart failure event in patients on hemodialysis. Whether indoxyl sulfate is only a biomarker or involved in the pathogenesis of heart failure in hemodialysis warrants additional study.

Inappropriately elevated endothelin-1 plays a role in the pathogenesis of intradialytic hypertension.

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of endogenous vasoactive substances on the occurrence of intradialytic hypertension (IDH) in patients during maintenance hemodialysis. Thirty-four maintenance hemodialysis patients were enrolled in this trial, and 17 of them were diagnosed with IDH (defined as an increase in blood pressure of at least 10 mmHg during or immediately after a hemodialysis session), while 17 age-matched and sex-matched controls without IDH were selected for a retrospective comparison. We collected patients' blood samples before and after a dialysis session and measured the plasma levels of N-terminal fragment brain natriuretic peptide, renin, angiotensin-II, aldosterone (ALD), angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), endothelin-1 (ET-1), nitric oxide (NO), norepinephrine (NOR), and adrenomedullin. The post-dialysis serum ET-1 concentrations were significantly higher (4.09 ± 2.06 vs. 2.75 ± 1.34 pg/mL, P < 0.05), while the post-dialysis ratio of NO to ET-1 was lower (17.79 ± 5.65 vs. 24.78 ± 12.04, P < 0.05) in IDH patients compared with the control group. Post-dialysis ALD and NOR values were significantly lower (P < 0.01) and ACE levels were significantly higher (P < 0.01) than the pre-dialysis concentrations only in the control and not in the IDH group. All other measured factors did not differ significantly between the groups and between pre-dialysis and post-dialysis determinations. Compared with blood angiotensin-II, ALD, ACE, NOR, adrenomedullin, N-terminal fragment brain natriuretic peptide, and NO status, inappropriately elevated ET-1 plasma concentrations may play a predominant role in the pathogenesis of IDH.

ELISA examining urinary angiotensinogen as a potential indicator of intrarenal renin-angiotensin system (RAS) activity: a clinical study of 128 chronic kidney disease patients.

In the current study, we measured urinary angiotensinogen (AGT) through enzyme-linked immunoadsordent assay (ELISA) and analyzed its correlation with intrarenal renin-angiotensin system (RAS) activity in 128 chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Urinary and plasma renin activity, AGT, angiotensin II (Ang II) and aldosterone levels were also measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA) or ELISA in these participants. Further, the expression level of intrarenal renin, AGT, Ang II and Ang II receptors were examined by immunohistochemistry staining (IHCS) in 72 CKD patients. Their correlations with urinary AGT were also analyzed. We found that the urinary AGT level was positively correlated with hypertension (ρ = 0.28, P < 0.01), urinary protein (r = 0.38, P < 0.01), urinary Ang II (r = 0.29, P < 0.05), urinary type IV collagen (Col IV) (r = 0.56, P < 0.01), and was negatively correlated with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (r = -0.28, P < 0.01), urinary sodium (r = -0.22, P < 0.05) and serum AGT (r = -0.27, P < 0.01). Multiple regression analysis indicated low serum AGT (P < 0.01), high urinary protein (P < 0.01), high urinary Ang II (P < 0.05) and high urinary Col IV (P < 0.01) were correlated significantly with high urinary AGT. Urinary AGT level was positively correlated with intrarenal expression level of AGT (ρ = 0.46, P < 0.01), Ang II (ρ = 0.56, P < 0.01) and Ang II type 1 receptor (ρ = 0.32, P < 0.01), as detected by IHCS. Together, these data suggest that urinary AGT might be a potential biomarker of intrarenal RAS and Ang II activities in CKD patients.

Effect of tamoxifen, methoxyprogesterone acetate and combined treatment on cellular proliferation and apoptosis in SKOV3/DDP cells via the regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of tamoxifen (TAM), methoxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) and their combined treatment on cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer SKOV3/DDP cells, as well as the potential mechanisms. METHODS: MTT assay was used to investigate the effect of different concentrations (0.01, 0.1, 1, 10 and 100 µM) of TAM, MPA and their combined treatment on the proliferation of cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer SKOV3/DDP cells. Flow cytometry was employed to analyze the cell cycle and apoptosis rate of SKOV3/DDP cells treated with medium concentration (10 µM) of TAM, MPA and their combined treatment. Change in the protein level of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in response to drug treatments was measured using Western-blot. RESULTS: The proliferation of SKOV3/DDP cells was inhibited by 1, 10 and 100 µM of TAM or MPA in a dose-dependent manner. Compared to the control group, 10 µM TAM could significantly arrest SKOV3/DDP cells in the G0/G1 stage and induce apoptosis (p < 0.01). However, 10 µM MPA only promoted cell apoptosis, while exhibited little effect on the cell cycle. We further found that 10 µM TAM could remarkably reduce the protein expression of VEGF, while 10 µM MPA only induce a slight reduction. Strikingly, the combined treatment of TAM and MPA exhibited additive effect on the proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis rate and VEGF expression of SKOV3/DDP cells. CONCLUSIONS: We found that TAM, MPA and their combined treatment exhibited significant inhibitory effect on the cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer SKOV3/DDP cells. Hence, TAM and MPA could be potential cytotoxic drugs to treat cisplatin-resistant patients with advanced ovarian cancer.

Endoscopic intraluminal closure of colon perforation with metal clip: a study in porcine model / 中华消化内镜杂志

Objective To evaluate the feasibility and safety of endoscopic intraluminal closure of small colon perforation with metal clips in porcine model.Methods A 2 cm full-thickness colon perforation was made in 4 bama mini-pigs.One did not receive local closure as a control, while 3 others underwent closure with bi-and tri-arm clips, one of which received additional fibrin glue injection after closure.Necropsy was done on day 14 after the procedure, and dye leak test, peritoneal fluid bacteria culture and histological examination were performed.During the 2 week observation period, the body temperature and blood leukocytes count were recorded and compared.Results Endoscopic closure of the colon perforation was technically successful in all 3 pigs.The body temperature and blood leukocyte count of these pigs were both lower than those of the control.Necropsy showed that the perforation in control pig was not completely closed and with multiple adhesions around.Perforation complete closure and pathological healing without adhesion were observed in 2 pigs with clip closure only, while adhesion and incomplete pathological healing was detected in the other one with clip closure plus fibrinogen injection (P＜0.05).Conclusion Endoscopic intraluminal closure of a 2 cm colon perforation with metal clips is feasible and safe, while further study is needed to evaluate the effect of combined local fibrinogen injection.

Adaptive regularized super-resolution reconstruction for magnetic resonance images / 南方医科大学学报

To increase the resolution and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of magnetic resonance (MR) images, an adaptively regularized super-resolution reconstruction algorithm was proposed and applied to acquire high resolution MR images from 4 subpixel-shifted low resolution images on the same anatomical slice. The new regularization parameter, which allowed the cost function of the new algorithm to be locally convex within the definition region, was introduced by the piori information to enhance detail restoration of the image with a high frequency. The experiment results proved that the proposed algorithm was superior to other counterparts in achieving the reconstruction of low-resolution MR images.

Endoscopic treatment of biliary duct damage / 国际外科学杂志

Objective To explore for the methede and effect of endoscopic treatment on biliary leakage and biliary duct damage. Methods All patients with biliary damage such as biliary leakage and biliary duct stricture were treated by endoscopic sphincoterotomy and endoscopic nasobiliary drainage (ENBD) during abdominal cavity drainage ENBD was removd when biliary leakage healed and abdominal cavity drainage ceased for 1～2 weeks were confirmed. Plastic stents were implanted to distend the biliary duct stricture for 2-3 months. Results Twenty-six patients with biliary leakage were cured 3-4 weeks after ENBD. Fourteen out of 17 patients implanted with plastic stent were recovered uneventfully after stent removed, and 4 patients also recovered after installation of double-stents for 3 months, while another case with calculus and stricture of left hepatic duct in spite of implantation of simple-stent suffered repeatedly from biliary tract infection and one case developed hepatic abscess after repeatedly infection for one year before he had the hepatic lobectomy. Conclution Endoscopic therapy is the first choice in treating biliary leakage or secondary duct stricture.

Treatment of non-biliary severe acute pancreatitis by endoscopic sphincterotomy / 中华胰腺病杂志

Objective To investigate the role of endoscopic sphincterotomy(EST)and endoscopic nasobiliary drainage(ENBD)in the treatment of non-biliary severe acute pancreatitis(SAP).Methods 73 patients were randomly divided into the endoscopic treatment group(35 cases)and control group(38 cases).The patients in control group received non-surgical treatment.EST plus ENBD were performed in patients in the endoscopic treatment group 72h within hospitalization.Serum levels of amylase before EST and 1d,3 d,7 d after EST were measured;the ease of pain and recovery of bowel function were documented;the mortality rate,complication rate,surgery rote and hospital stay were also observed.Results The successful cannulation rate in the EST group was 94.3%(33/35),and there was no procedure related complication.Serum levels of amylase before EST and 1d,3 d,7 d after EST were(1376±131)U/L,(675±49)U/L,(238±49)U/L,(75±13)U/L,the serum levels of amylase before EST and 1d after EST in the EST group were not significantly different from those in the control group,but the corresponding values at 3 d,7 d were significantly lower than those in the control group(P＜0.01).The apparent effective rate and total effective rate of pain relief was 37.1%and 48.6%.which was significantly higher than those in the control group (26.3%and 28.9%,P＜0.05).There was no mortality in both groups.The complication rate in the EST group within 30 d was 14.3%,which was signiilcanfly higher than that in the control group(44.7%,P＜0.01).The gurgery rate in EST group was 2.86%,which was significantly lower than that in the control group (21.1%,P＜0.05).The hospital stay in EST group was(27.6±4.0)d,which was significantly shorter than that in the control group[(41.7±5.9)d,P＜0.05].Conclusions EST and ENBD treatment for non-biliary SAP was superior to non-surgical treatment within 72 h of symptom onset with excellent safety and feasibility profile.

Potential mechanisms involved in ceramide-induced apoptosis in human colon cancer HT29 cells / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the potential mechanisms of cell death after the treatment with ceramide.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>MTT assay, DNA ladder, reporter assay, FACS and Western blot assay were employed to investigate the potential mechanisms of cell death after the treatment with C2-ceramide.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A short-time treatment with C2-ceramide induced cell death, which was associated with p38 MAP kinase activation, but had no links with typical caspase activation or PARP degradation. Rather than caspase inhibitor, Inhibitor of p38 MAP kinase blocked cell death induced by a short-time treatment with ceramide (<12 h). However, inhibition of p38 MAP kinase could not block cell death induced by a prolonged treatment with ceramide (>12 h). Moreover, incubation of cells with ceramide for a long time (>12 h) increased subG1, but reduced S phase accompanied by caspase-dependent and caspase-independent changes including NFkappaB activation.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Ceramide-induced cell apoptosis involves both caspase-dependent and -independent signaling pathway. Caspase-independent cell death occurring in a relatively early stage, which is mediated via p38 MAP kinase, can progress into a stage involving both caspase-dependent and -independent mechanisms accompanied by cell signaling of MAPKs and NFkappaB.</p>

Adaptive super resolution algorithm for under-sampled images / 南方医科大学学报

A new algorithm of adaptive super-resolution (SR) reconstruction based on the regularization parameter is proposed to reconstruct a high-resolution (HR) image from the low-resolution (LR) image sequence, which takes into full account the inaccurate estimates of motion error, point spread function (PSF) and the additive Gaussian noise in the LR image sequence. We established a novel nonlinear adaptive regularization function and analyzed experimentally its convexity to obtain the adaptive step size. This novel algorithm can effectively improve the spatial resolution of the image and the rate of convergence, which is verified by the experiment on optical images.

Adjuvant hepatic chemotherapy after resection of solitary hepatocellular carcinoma associated with hepatitis B virus cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND: Although resection is the major treatment for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the high intrahepatic recurrence remains a cardinal cause of death. This study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy on the survival and recurrence of HCC patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) cirrhosis after resection. METHODS: Twenty-eight patients who had undergone placement of a hepatic arterial pump at the time of liver wedge resection for HCC from 1998 through 2004 were reviewed retrospectively. These patients aged 23-71 years had HBV cirrhosis (Child-Pugh class A or B). They were given floxuridine (FUDR)(250 mg), doxorubicin (10 mg) and mitomycin C (4 mg) alternatively every 2 or 3 days through arterial pumps for 8 cycles each year in the first two years after resection. Meanwhile, traditional Chinese herbal medicine was prescribed to the patients. When the leukocyte count was as low as 3X10(9)/L or asparate aminotransferase (AST) level was significantly increased, the regimen of chemotherapy was delayed for the normalization of leukocyte count and AST level (below 80 U/L). RESULTS: Of the 28 patients, 23 received 8 or 16 cycles of the set regimen of chemotherapy. These patients are alive with no evidence of recurrence. Among them, 5, 7, and 11 patients are alive beyond 5 years, 3 years, and 1 year respectively. In the remaining 5 patients, 3 who had had a HCC 10 cm or more in diameter showed tumor recurrence within 1 year, in whom, 8 cycles of chemotherapy were not completed because of their low leukocyte count (<3 x 10(9)/L) and poor liver function. One patient who had received 8 cycles of chemotherapy demonstrated recurrence at 16 months after resection. One patient who had received 16 cycles of chemotherapy had intrahepatic recurrence at 58 months after surgery. No recurrence was observed in 17 patients who had received 16 cycles of chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: Adjuvant hepatic arterial chemotherapy may be feasible to improve the survival of patients after resection of solitary HCC associated with HBV cirrhosis.

A simplified method for the calculation of equivalent squares of irregular photon fields.

It is showed that the empirical scatter-radius function (Day function) used to generate the equivalent-field tables is a good approximation to the results of normalized scatter-air ratios extracted from the British Journal of Radiology (BJR) beam data for depths up to 10 cm. Accuracy can be improved by making the Day function depend on depth. Equivalent squares, determined by sector integration of the original or modified Day functions, are suitable for megavoltage photon-beam dose calculations in irregular as well as rectangular fields. We make further simplification for the functions to calculate equivalent squares by no use of scatter dose data that is often difficult to get for hospitals. The simplified method has the same accuracy compared to the original or modified Day functions.