A Single Latent Plant Growth-Promoting Endophyte BH46 Enhances Houttuynia cordata Thunb. Yield and Quality.

Plant growth-promoting endophytes (PGPE) can effectively regulate plant growth and metabolism. The regulation is modulated by metabolic signals, and the resulting metabolites can have considerable effects on the plant yield and quality. Here, tissue culture Houttuynia cordata Thunb., was inoculated with Rhizobium sp. (BH46) to determine the effect of BH46 on H. cordata growth and metabolism, and elucidate associated regulatory mechanisms. The results revealed that BH46 metabolized indole-3-acetic acid and induced 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase to decrease ethylene metabolism. Host peroxidase synthesis MPK3/MPK6 genes were significantly downregulated, whereas eight genes associated with auxins, cytokinins, abscisic acid, jasmonic acid, and antioxidant enzymes were significantly upregulated. Eight genes associated with flavonoid biosynthesis were significantly upregulated, with the CPY75B1 gene regulating the production of rutin and quercitrin and the HCT gene directly regulating the production of chlorogenic acid. Therefore, BH46 influences metabolic signals in H. cordata to modulate its growth and metabolism, in turn, enhancing yield and quality of H. cordata.

Clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic factors for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: a population-based study.

We aimed to explore the clinicopathological features and survival-related factors for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). Eligible data were extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database from 2004 to 2015. Totally, 4595 ICC patients were collected with a male to female ratio of nearly 1:1. The higher proportion of ICC patients was elderly, tumor size ≥ 5 cm and advanced AJCC stage. Most patients (79.2%) have no surgery, while low proportion of patients receiving radiotherapy (15.1%). The median survival was 7.0 months (range 0-153 months). The 5-year CSS and OS rates were 8.96% and 7.90%. Multivariate analysis found that elderly age (aged ≥ 65 years old), male, diagnosis at 2008-2011, higher grade, tumor size ≥ 5 cm, and advanced AJCC stage were independent factors for poorer prognosis; while API/AI (American Indian/AK Native, Asian/Pacific Islander) race, married, chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy were independent favorable factors in both CSS and OS. Furthermore, stratified analysis found that chemotherapy and radiotherapy improved CSS and OS in patients without surgery. Age, sex, race, years of diagnosis, married status, grade, tumor size, AJCC stage, surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy were significantly related to prognosis of ICC. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy could significantly improve survival in patients without surgery.

Roflumilast, a phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitor, improves hyperoxia-induced lung injury via anti-inflammation.

Roflumilast is an inhibitor of phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE4) and can suppress the hydrolysis of cAMP in inflammatory cells, conferring anti-inflammatory effects. This study aimed to investigate the protective effects of roflumilast on hyperoxia-induced acute lung injury (HALI) in a rat model. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned into: control group; HALI group; 2.5 mg/kg roflumilast group; and 5 mg/kg roflumilast group. Rats were pressurized to 250 kPa with pure oxygen to induce lung injury. In the roflumilast groups, rats were orally administered with roflumilast at 2.5 or 5 mg/kg once before hyperoxia exposure and once daily for two days after exposure. Rats were sacrificed 72 hours after hyperoxia exposure. The lung tissues were collected for the detection of lung water content, inflammatory cytokines and NF-κB/p-NF-κB protein expression, and the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was harvested for the measurement of protein concentration and lactate dehydrogenase activity. Results showed roflumilast at different doses could significantly reduce lung edema, improve lung pathology and reduce the expression of inflammatory cytokines in the lung. The protective effects seemed to be related to the dose of roflumilast. Our study indicates roflumilast has the potential as a medication for the treatment of HALI.

Selective freezing of target biological tissues after injection of solutions with specific thermal properties.

Cryosurgery is a minimally invasive surgical technique that employs the destructive effect of freezing to eradicate undesirable tissues. This paper proposes a flexible method to control the size and shape of the iceball by injecting solutions with specific thermal properties into the target tissues, to enhance freezing damage to the diseased tissues while preserving the normal tissues from injury. The cryosurgical procedure was performed using a minimally invasive cryoprobe cooled by liquid nitrogen (LN2) to obtain deep regional freezing. Several needle thermocouples were applied simultaneously to record the transient temperature to detect the freezing effect on the tissues. Simulation experiments on biological tissue (fresh pork) were performed in vitro and four different liquids were injected into the test materials; these were distilled water, an aqueous suspension of aluminum nanoparticles in water, ethanol, and a 10% solution of the cryoprotective agent dimethyl sulfoxide (Me2SO). The experimental results demonstrate that the localized injection of an appropriate solution could enhance the tumor-killing effect without altering the freezing conditions. The study also suggests the potential value of combining cryosurgery with other therapeutic methods, such as electrical, chemical, and thermal treatments, to develop new clinical modalities in the near future.

Development of a new mini-invasive tumour hyperthermia probe using high-temperature water vapour.

A new mini-invasive hyperthermia probe using high-temperature water vapour for deep regional tumour treatment was developed in this paper. The vacuum insulation mechanism was incorporated into the probe to avoid heating damage to the normal tissues around the edge of the insertion path. To better understand the heat transfer behaviour in living tissues due to operation of the probe, theoretical models based on the Pennes' equation were established and two closed form analytical solutions under constant flux or temperature heating at the tip of probe were obtained. Parametric studies were performed to investigate the influence of various parameters on the temperature response of tissues heated by the probe. Further, several simulating experiments on the actual heating performance of the probe fabricated in this paper were conducted on the in vitro biological materials (fresh pork) and phantom gel. It was demonstrated that the probe can cause a high enough temperature over the treatment area to thermally destroy the tumour tissue in due time, while the temperature over the surrounding healthy tissues can be kept below a safe threshold value. This mini-invasive heating probe may have significant applications in future clinical tumour hyperthermia.

Using electrical impedance detection to evaluate the viability of biomaterials subject to freezing or thermal injury.

This paper is aimed at comprehensively investigating the dynamic low-frequency electrical impedance (DLFI) of biological materials during the processes of freezing, thawing and heating, and combinations of them. Electrical impedance detection (EID) was proposed as a means of rapidly evaluating the viability of biological materials subject to freezing or thermal injury (processes expected to be significant in the practices of cryobiology and hyperthermia). Using two experimental setups, the DLFI for selected biological materials (fresh pork and fish) under various freezing and heating conditions was systematically measured and analyzed. Preliminary results demonstrate that damage that occurs to a biological material due to freezing or heating could result in a significant deviation in its electric impedance value from that of undamaged biomaterials. Monitoring impedance change ratios under various freezing and heating conditions may offer an alternative strategy for assessing the amount of damage sustained by biomaterials subject to cryosurgery, cryo-preservation and hyperthermia. Implementation of the present method in order to develop a new micro-analysis or biochip system is also suggested.