Development of a diagnostic nomogram for alpha-fetoproteinnegative hepatocellular carcinoma based on serological biomarkers

BACKGROUND Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide.Serum biomarkers play an important role in the early diagnosis and prognosis of HCC.Because a certain percentage of HCC patients are negative for alpha-fetoprotein(AFP),the diagnosis of AFP-negative HCC is essential to improve the detection rate of HCC.AIM To establish an effective model for diagnosing AFP-negative HCC based on serum tumour biomarkers.METHODS A total of 180 HCC patients were enrolled in this study.The expression levels of GP73,des-γ-carboxyprothrombin(DCP),CK18-M65,and CK18-M30 were detected by a fully automated chemiluminescence analyser.The variables were selected by logistic regression analysis.Several models were constructed using stepwise backward logistic regression.The performance of the models was compared using the C statistic,integrated discrimination improvement,net reclassification improvement,and calibration curves.The clinical utility of the nomogram was assessed using decision curve analysis(DCA).RESULTS The results showed that the expression levels of GP73,DCP,CK18-M65,and CK18-M30 were significantly greater in AFP-negative HCC patients than in healthy controls(P<0.001).Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that GP73,DCP,and CK18-M65 were independent factors for diagnosing AFP-negative HCC.By comparing the diagnostic performance of multiple models,we included GP73 and CK18-M65 as the model variables,and the model had good discrimination ability(area under the curve=0.946)and good goodness of fit.The DCA curves indicated the good clinical utility of the nomogram.CONCLUSION Our study identified GP73 and CK18-M65 as serum biomarkers with certain application value in the diagnosis of AFP-negative HCC.The diagnostic nomogram based on CK18-M65 combined with GP73 demonstrated good performance and effectively identified high-risk groups of patients with HCC.

Simvastatin inhibits apoptosis of endothelial cells induced by sepsis through upregulating the expression of Bcl-2 and downregulating Bax

BACKGROUND: Many studies have showed that apoptosis of endothelial cells plays a curial role in the progress of sepsis. But the role of simvastatin in apoptosis of endothelial cells induced by sepsis is not clear. The present study aimed to investigate the role of simvastatin in apoptosis of endothelial cells induced by sepsis and its mechanism.METHODS: Human umbilical vein endothelial cells(HUVECs) were randomly divided into three groups: control group, sepsis serum intervention group(sepsis group) and simvastatin+sepsis serum intervention group(simvastatin group). After 24-hour incubation with corresponding culture medium, the relative growth rate of HUVECS in different groups was detected by MTT assay; the apoptosis of HUVECs was detected by Hoechst33258 assay and fl ow cytometry; and the expression of the Bcl-2 and Bax genes of HUVECs was detected by PCR.RESULTS: Compared with the sepsis group, HUVECs in the simvastatin group had a higher relative growth rate. Apoptotic HUVECs decreased significantly in the simvastatin group in comparison with the sepsis group. Expression of the Bcl-2 gene in HUVECs decreased obviously, but the expression of the Bax gene increased obviously after 24-hour incubation with sepsis serum; however, the expression of the Bcl-2 and Bax genes was just the opposite in the simvastatin group.CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that simvastatin can inhibit apoptosis of endothelial cells induced by sepsis through upregulating the expression of Bcl-2 and downregulating Bax. It may be one of the mechanisms for simvastatin to treat sepsis.

Radiofrequency ablation micro-dissecting of eyelid nevus with XL-RFA device under operating microscope

AIM: To study the effect of an innovative micro-dissection procedure by radiofrequency ablation (MRA) in removing eyelid nevus.METHODS: Fifty-six consecutive outpatients with eyelid nevus were treated with MRA using a monopolar device. The effect of MRA was determined after following-up for 6mo to 5y.RESULTS: Fifty-two cases (52 eyes, 92.9%) were cured once, and 4 cases (4 eyes, 7.1%) received second treatment for small residual. All cases healed well after surgery, with no pigmentation, no scars, no loss of eyelashes, no deformation of eyelid margin. There was no visual impairment after healing.CONCLUSION: MRA of eyelid nevus using the XL-RFA device is highly efficient without significant complications.

Damage and recovery of fiber Bragg grating under radiation environment

To develop the application of fiber Bragg gratings as temperature and strain sensors in space environments, it is necessary to understand the effect of high-energy radiation on the performance of the fiber Bragg grating. We performed an experiment involving Co（60）-γ ionizing irradiation with a total dose of 1.01 × 10~6 rad on two Ge-doped single-mode fiber Bragg gratings with central wavelengths of 825 and 835 nm, respectively. We found that, with the increase of radiation dose, the redshift of the peak wavelength of the reflection spectrum of the fiber Bragg gratings indicated the increase of the refractive index and the number of color centers. After irradiation, the refractive index decreased with the decreasing number of color centers. We analyzed the influence of ionizing irradiation on the transmission performance of the fiber Bragg gratings using a color-center model, which explained the experimental results. The proposed model was used to determine the creation rate and annihilation rates of the color center, which are foundational data for using the fiber Bragg gratings in space applications.

Multifunctional two-component in-situ hydrogel for esophageal submucosal dissection for mucosa uplift,postoperative wound closure and rapid healing

Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for gastrointestinal tumors and premalignant lesions needs submucosal fluid cushion (SFC) for mucosal uplift before dissection, and wound care including wound closure and rapid healing postoperatively. Current SFC materials as well as materials and/or methods for post-ESD wound care have single treatment effect and hold corresponding drawbacks, such as easy dispersion, short duration, weak hemostasis and insufficient repair function. Thus, designing materials that can serve as both SFC materials and wound care is highly desired, and remains a challenge. Herein, we report a two-component in-situ hydrogel prepared from maleimide-based oxidized sodium alginate and sulfhydryl carboxymethyl-chitosan, which gelated mainly based on "click" chemistry and Schiff base reaction. The hydrogels showed short gelation time, outstanding tissue adhesion, favorable hemostatic properties, and good biocompatibility. A rat subcutaneous ultrasound model confirmed the ability of suitable mucosal uplift height and durable maintenance time of AM solution. The in vivo/in vitro rabbit liver hemorrhage model demonstrated the effects of hydrogel in rapid hemostasis and prevention of delayed bleeding. The canine esophageal ESD model corroborated that the in-situ hydrogel provided good mucosal uplift and wound closure effects, and significantly accelerated wound healing with accelerating re-epithelization and ECM remodeling post-ESD. The two-component in-situ hydrogels exhibited great potential in gastrointestinal tract ESD.

Polyunsaturated linolenoyl-Co A modulates ERF-Ⅶ mediated hypoxia signaling in Arabidopsis

In plants,submergence from flooding causes hypoxia,which impairs energy production and affects plant growth,productivity,and survival.In Arabidopsis,hypoxia induces nuclear localization of the group VII ethylene-responsive transcription factor RELATED TO AP2.12(RAP2.12),following its dissociation from the plasma membrane-anchored ACYL-COA BINDING PRO-TEIN1(ACBP1)and ACBP2.Here,we show that polyunsaturated linolenoyl-Co A(18:3-Co A)regulates RAP2.12release from the plasma membrane.Submergence caused a significant increase in 18:3-Co A,but a significant decrease in 18:0-,18:1-,and 18:2-Co A.Application of 18:3-Co A promoted nuclear accumulation of the green fluorescent protein(GFP)fusions RAP2.12-GFP,HYPOXIA-RESPONSIVE ERF1-GFP,and RAP2.3-GFP,and enhanced transcript levels of hypoxia-responsive genes.Plants with decreased ACBP1 and ACBP2(acbp1 ACBP2-RNAi,produced by ACBP2 RNA interference in the acbp1 mutant)had reduced tolerance to hypoxia and impaired 18:3-Co A-induced expression of hypoxia-related genes.In knockout mutants and overexpression lines of LONG-CHAIN ACYL-COA SYNTHASE2(LACS2)and FATTY ACID DE-SATURASE 3(FAD3),the acyl-Co A pool size and 18:3-Co A levels were closely related to ERF-VII-mediated signaling and hypoxia tolerance.These findings demonstrate that polyunsaturation of long-chain acyl-Co As functions as important mechanism in the regulation of plant hypoxia signaling,by modulating ACBP–ERF-VII dynamics.

Changing Tendency Analysis of Chinese Normal Male's Semen Quality in Recent 25 Years:Samples from Chinese Documents

Objective To analyze the trend of change in semen quality of Chinese healthy men over recent 25 years. Methods A total of 115 reports were collected on quality inspection of semen of healthy Chinese men between 1985-2009 through literature search, which involved 23 126 persons from 69 counties and cities. Trend of change in semen parameters was analyzed by linear regression model and rank sum test. Results Sperm concentration and non-progressive motility （c%） declined, and the linear equation was of statistics value. Linear equations include y=2.968-0. 004x （P〈0.05） and y=3.204-0.026x （P〈0.05）. As the results of K-S rank sum test showed, the difference of sperm concentration and total sperm count in the three groups, i.e., the group for 1985-1989, the group for 1990-1999 and the group for 2000-2009 was of statistics value. Conclusion The semen concentration decline over recent 25 years （P〈0.05）. of healthy Chinese men appears a possible

Clinical and etiological characteristics of community-acquired pneumonia at high altitudes in Tibet, China

To the Editor:Community-acquired pneumonia(CAP)is one of the most common infectious diseases,causing high morbidity and mortality.High altitudes are characterized by a hypoxic environment with low barometric pressure,increased ultraviolet radiation,and low humidity.Hypoxia can disturb normal homeostasis of the immune system,especially impairing the function of the T lymphocytes,leading to an increased susceptibility to bacterial infection.The respiratory symptoms of CAP at high altitudes are similar to that of high-altitude pulmonary edema.

Review of Chinese Journal of Traumatology in the year 2016

A total of 89 papers were published in Chinese Journal of Traumatology （CJT） in the year 2016, among which brain injury, road traffic injury, blast injury, 3D bioprinting and eye injury were discussed. The articles reported the latest research trends and progress in the field of trauma care. The present study gives a retrospective review on the special topics.