Mini-invasive vs open resection of colorectal cancer and liver metastases: A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND The safety and feasibility of the simultaneous resection of primary colorectal cancer (CRC) and synchronous colorectal liver metastases (SCRLM) have been demonstrated in some studies. Combined resection is expected to be the optimal strategy for patients with CRC and SCRLM. However, traditional laparotomy is traumatic, and the treatment outcome of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is still obscure. AIM To compare the treatment outcomes of MIS and open surgery (OS) for the simultaneous resection of CRC and SCRLM. METHODS A systematic search through December 22, 2018 was conducted in electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library). All studies comparing the clinical outcomes of MIS and OS for patients with CRC and SCRLM were included by eligibility criteria. The meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager Software. The quality of the pooled study was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. The publication bias was evaluated by a funnel plot and the Begg’s and Egger’s tests. Fixed- and random-effects models were applied according to heterogeneity. RESULTS Ten retrospective cohort studies involving 502 patients (216 patients in the MIS group and 286 patients in the OS group) were included in this study. MIS was associated with less intraoperative blood loss [weighted mean difference (WMD)=-130.09, 95% confidence interval (CI):-210.95 to -49.23, P = 0.002] and blood transfusion [odds ratio (OR)= 0.53, 95%CI: 0.29 to 0.95, P = 0.03], faster recovery of intestinal function (WMD =-0.88 d, 95%CI:-1.58 to -0.19, P = 0.01) and diet (WMD =-1.54 d, 95%CI:-2.30 to -0.78, P < 0.0001), shorter length of postoperative hospital stay (WMD =-4.06 d, 95%CI:-5.95 to -2.18, P < 0.0001), and lower rates of surgical complications (OR = 0.60, 95%CI: 0.37 to 0.99, P = 0.04). However, the operation time, rates and severity of overall complications, and rates of general complications showed no significant differences between the MIS and OS groups. Moreover, the overall survival and disease-free survival after MIS were equivalent to those after OS. CONCLUSION Considering the studies included in this meta-analysis, MIS is a safe and effective alternative technique for the simultaneous resection of CRC and SCRLM. Compared with OS, MIS has less intraoperative blood loss and blood transfusion and quicker postoperative recovery. Furthermore, the two groups show equivalent long-term outcomes.

Effects of different chemotherapy regimens before radical operation for lung cancer on cancer cell growth and anti-tumor immune response

Objective:To investigate the effects of different chemotherapy regimens before radical operation for lung cancer on cancer cell growth and antitumor immune response.Methods: A total of 180 patients with primary lung cancer who underwent surgery in this hospital between February 2013 and August 2017 were divided into the cisplatin group (n=93) who received cisplatin & paclitaxel chemotherapy and the lobaplatin group (n=87) who received lobaplatin & paclitaxel chemotherapy according to different preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimens. The differences among the expression of proliferation genes and apoptosis genes in tumor tissues as well as the contents of Th1/Th2 cytokines in serum were compared between the two groups.Results: Proliferation genes DDX17, GPx1, MACC1, RACK1 and SIRT1 mRNA expression levels in tumor tissue of lobaplatin group were lower than those of cisplatin group whereas LRRC3B mRNA expression level was higher than that of cisplatin group;apoptosis gene Fas, FasL and Caspase-3 mRNA expression levels were higher than those of cisplatin group whereas Survivin and Bcl-2 mRNA expression levels were lower than those of cisplatin group;serum Th1 cytokines IFN-γ and IL-12 contents were higher than those of cisplatin group whereas Th2 cytokines IL-5 and IL-10 contents were lower than those of cisplatin group.Conclusion: Lobaplatin chemotherapy before radical operation for lung cancer is more effective than cisplatin chemotherapy to inhibit the proliferation activity and enhance the apoptosis activity of lung cancer cells and optimize the anti-tumor immune response.

Ultralow platinum-loading PtPdRu@PtRuIr/C catalyst with excellent CO tolerance and high performance for the methanol oxidation reaction

Carbon-supported PtPdRuIr, Pd@PtRuIr, PtPd@PtRuIr, and PtPdRu@PtRuIr catalysts were prepared by a colloidal method and their catalytic activities to the methanol oxidation reaction in the acidic media were extensively investigated at room temperature. The catalysts were characterized by transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques, and their electrochemical behavior was evaluated by the cyclic voltammetry. The PtPdRu@PtRuIr/C catalyst is found to yield much higher electrocatalytic activity than the other ones and the commercial catalyst. For example, the Pt metal mass-specific activity of this PtPdRu@PtRuIr/C（Pt content 10 wt%,1.7 mAácm-2ámg-1） electrocatalyst is ＊3-fold higher than that of the commercial JM 40 % Pt/C（0.6 mAácm-2ámg-1）electrocatalysts, and the If/Ib ratio of PtPdRu@PtRuIr/C is1.6, which is higher than that of the JM 40 % Pt/C（0.9）. The improvement may result from the high dispersion of the active metal catalyst and the synergistic effect between the PtRuIr and PtPdRu layers. It is thus concluded that the pseudo-core-shell structure could significantly improve the methanol electro-oxidation activity and CO tolerance of the electrocatalyst.

Synthesis and Properties of Hydroxide Conductive Polymers Carrying Dense Aromatic Side-chain Quaternary Ammonium Groups

A series of hydroxide conductive polymers QTBMs carrying dense aromatic side-chain quaternary ammonium groups has been synthesized by using a new monomer of 3,3＇-di（3＂,5＂-dimethylphenyl）-4,4＇-difluorodiphenyl sulfone and other commercial monomers via polycondensation reaction, and subsequent bromination, quaternization and alkalization. The chemical structures of the ionomers were confirmed by 1H- and 13C-NMR spectroscopy. Water uptake, swelling ratio, hydroxide conductivity, the number of bonded water per ammonium group （A）, volumetric ion exchange capacity （IECvwet）, mechanical and thermal properties, and chemical stability were systematically evaluated for the series of QTBMs membranes. QTBMs showed IECs ranging from 1.02 meq·g-1 to 2.11 meq·g-1; in particular, QTBM-60 membrane with the highest IEC （2.11 meq·g-1） had very high hydroxide ion conductivity of 131.9 mS·cm-1 at 80 ℃, which was attributed to the well assembled nano-channels with distinct phase separation evidenced by small-angle X-ray scattering （SAXS）. It was found that the hydrated QTBMs membranes were mechanically stable with moderate water uptakes and swelling ratios, high chemical stability under the harsh alkaline conditions. This work provides a facile way to prepare anion exchange membranes （AEMs） with high performances for the application in alkaline fuel cells.