Construction and validation of somatic mutation-derived long noncoding RNAs signatures of genomic instability to predict prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND Long non-coding RNAs(LncRNAs)have been found to be a potential prognostic factor for cancers,including hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).Some LncRNAs have been confirmed as potential indicators to quantify genomic instability(GI).Nevertheless,GI-LncRNAs remain largely unexplored.This study established a GI-derived LncRNA signature(GILncSig)that can predict the prognosis of HCC patients.AIM To establish a GILncSig that can predict the prognosis of HCC patients.METHODS Identification of GI-LncRNAs was conducted by combining LncRNA expression and somatic mutation profiles.The GI-LncRNAs were then analyzed for functional enrichment.The GILncSig was established in the training set by Cox regression analysis,and its predictive ability was verified in the testing set and TCGA set.In addition,we explored the effects of the GILncSig and TP53 on prognosis.RESULTS A total of 88 GI-LncRNAs were found,and functional enrichment analysis showed that their functions were mainly involved in small molecule metabolism and GI.The GILncSig was constructed by 5 LncRNAs(miR210HG,AC016735.1,AC116351.1,AC010643.1,LUCAT1).In the training set,the prognosis of high-risk patients was significantly worse than that of low-risk patients,and similar results were verified in the testing set and TCGA set.Multivariate Cox regression analysis and stratified analysis confirmed that the GILncSig could be used as an independent prognostic factor.Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis of the GILncSig showed that the area under the curve(0.773)was higher than the two LncRNA signatures published recently.Furthermore,the GILncSig may have a better predictive performance than TP53 mutation status alone.CONCLUSION We established a GILncSig that can predict the prognosis of HCC patients,which will help to guide prognostic evaluation and treatment decisions.

Improvement of inflammatory response and gastrointestinal function in perioperative of cholelithiasis by Modified Xiao-Cheng-Qi decoction

BACKGROUND In the perioperative period of biliary surgery,various factors can induce the release of a large number of inflammatory factors,leading to an imbalance in proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory responses and resulting in gastrointestinal(GI)dysfunction.Enhanced Recovery After Surgery protocols in biliary surgery have been shown to reduce the stress response and accelerate postoperative recovery.It is crucial to reduce the inflammatory response and promote the recovery of GI function after biliary surgery,both of which are the basis and key for perioperative care and postoperative recovery.AIM To better understand the effects of Modified Xiao-Cheng-Qi decoction(MXD)on inflammatory response and GI function in the perioperative management of cholelithiasis and their correlation.METHODS This was a prospective randomized placebo-controlled trial,in which 162 patients who received biliary tract surgery were randomly assigned to three groups:MXD group,XD group,and placebo-control group.The observed parameters included frequency of bowel sounds,time of first flatus and defecation,time of diet,and amount of activity after surgery.The serum levels of C-reactive protein(CRP),interleukin(IL)-6,IL-10,serum amyloid A protein(SAA),and substance P were measured by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Then,the spearman correlation coefficient was used to analyze the relationship between the indicators of GI function and inflammation.RESULTS Compared to the placebo-control,improvements in GI function were observed in the MXD groups including reduced incidence of nausea,vomiting,and bloating;and earlier first exhaust time,first defecation time,and feeding time after surgery(P<0.05).On the 1st and 2nd d after surgery,IL-6,CRP and SAA levels in MXD group were lower than that in placebo control,but substance P level was higher,compared to the control(P<0.05).Functional diarrhea occurred in both MXD and XD groups without any other adverse effects,toxic reactions,and allergic reactions.Diarrhea was relieved after the discontinuation of the investigational remedies.Bowel sounds at 12 h after surgery,the occurring time of the first flatus,first defecation,postoperative liquid diet and semiliquid diet were significantly correlated with levels of IL-6,CRP,SAA and substance P on second day after surgery(P<0.05).CONCLUSION Treatment with MXD can relieve inflammatory response and improve GI function after surgery.Moreover,there are significant correlations between them.Furthermore,it does not cause serious adverse reactions.

Heat shock factor 1 promotes neurite outgrowth and suppresses inflammation in the severed spinal cord of geckos

The low intrinsic growth capacity of neurons and an injury-induced inhibitory milieu are major contributo rs to the failure of sensory and motor functional recovery following spinal cord injury.Heat shock transcription factor 1(HSF1),a master regulator of the heat shock response,plays neurogenetic and neuroprotective roles in the damaged or diseased central nervous system.However,the underlying mechanism has not been fully elucidated.In the present study,we used a gecko model of spontaneous nerve regeneration to investigate the potential roles of gecko HSF1(gHSF1) in the regulation of neurite outgrowth and inflammatory inhibition of macrophages following spinal cord injury.gHSF1 expression in neurons and microglia at the lesion site increased dramatically immediately after tail amputation.gHSF1 ove rexpression in gecko primary neuro ns significantly promoted axonal growth by suppressing the expression of suppressor of cytokine signaling-3,and fa cilitated neuro nal survival via activation of the mitogen-activated extracellular signal-regulated kinase/extracellular regulated protein kinases and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B pathways.Furthermore,gHSF1 efficiently inhibited the macrophagemediated inflammatory response by inactivating 1kappa B-alpha/NF-kappaB signaling.Our findings show that HSF1 plays dual roles in promoting axonal regrowth and inhibiting leukocyte inflammation,and provide new avenues of investigation for promoting spinal co rd injury repair in mammals.

Ligamentum teres hepatis as a graft for portal and/or superior mesenteric vein reconstruction:From bench to bedside

BACKGROUND Pancreaticoduodenectomy combined with portal vein(PV)and/or superior mesenteric vein(SMV)resection in patients with pancreaticobiliary malignancy has become a common surgical procedure.There are various grafts currently used for PV and/or SMV reconstruction,but each of these grafts have certain limitations.Therefore,it is necessary to explore novel grafts that have an extensive resource pool,are low cost with good clinical application,and are without immune response rejection or additional damage to patients.AIM To observe the anatomical and histological characteristics of the ligamentum teres hepatis(LTH)and evaluate PV/SMV reconstruction using an autologous LTH graft in pancreaticobiliary malignancy patients.METHODS In 107 patients,the post-dilated length and diameter in resected LTH specimens were measured.The general structure of the LTH specimens was observed by hematoxylin and eosin(HE)staining.Collagen fibers(CFs),elastic fibers(EFs),and smooth muscle(SM)were visualized by Verhoeff-Van Gieson staining,and the expression of CD34,factor VIII-related antigen(FVIIIAg),endothelial nitric oxide synthase(eNOS),and tissue type plasminogen activator(t-PA)were detected using immunohistochemistry in LTH and PV(control)endothelial cells.PV and/or SMV reconstruction using the autologous LTH was conducted in 26 patients with pancreaticobiliary malignancies,and the outcomes were retrospectively analyzed.RESULTS The post-dilated length of LTH was 9.67±1.43 cm,and the diameter at a pressure of 30 cm H2O was 12.82±1.32 mm at the cranial end and 7.06±1.88 mm at the caudal end.Residual cavities with smooth tunica intima covered by endothelial cells were found in HE-stained LTH specimens.The relative amounts of EFs,CFs and SM in the LTH were similar to those in the PV[EF(%):11.23±3.40 vs 11.57±2.80,P=0.62;CF(%):33.51±7.71 vs 32.11±4.82,P=0.33;SM(%):15.61±5.26 vs 16.74±4.83,P=0.32].CD34,FVIIIAg,eNOS,and t-PA were expressed in both LTH and PV endothelial cells.The PV and/or SMV reconstructions were successfully completed in all patients.The overall morbidity and mortality rates were 38.46%and 7.69%,respectively.There were no graft-related complications.The postoperative vein stenosis rates at 2 wk,1 mo,3 mo and 1 year were 7.69%,11.54%,15.38%and 19.23%,respectively.In all 5 patients affected,the degree of vascular stenosis was less than half of the reconstructed vein lumen diameter(mild stenosis),and the vessels remained patent.CONCLUSION The anatomical and histological characteristics of LTH were similar to the PV and SMV.As such,the LTH can be used as an autologous graft for PV and/or SMV reconstruction in pancreaticobiliary malignancy patients who require PV and/or SMV resection.

Monte Carlo Study on Spontaneous Recoil of Confined DNA Chain

A part of a long DNA chain was driven into a confined environment by an electric field, while the rest remains in the higher-entropy region. Upon removal of the field, the chain recoils to the higher-entropy region spontaneously. This dynamical process was investigated by Monte Carlo simulations. The simulation reproduces the experimentally-observed phenomenon that the recoil of the DNA chain is initially slow and gradually increases in speed due to the presence of the confinement-entropic force. The results show that with increasing the dimension or decreasing the spacing of the nanopillars the recoil velocity of the DNA chain will increase. Further analysis suggests that the characteristic entropy per monomer in the confinement is proportional to the area fraction of the free part in the confinement.

Incidentally discovered asymptomatic splenic hamartoma misdiagnosed as an aneurysm:A case report

BACKGROUND Splenic hamartoma(SH)is a rare,benign vascular proliferation that is often found incidentally.It may be misdiagnosed as a splenic aneurysm or splenic malignancy.CASE SUMMARY A 21-year-old male patient was admitted to our hospital with a complaint of an incidentally discovered asymptomatic splenic space-occupying lesion for 2 wk.Abdominal computed tomography(CT)scan showed a circular low-density shadow in the hilum of the spleen.Contrast-enhanced CT revealed an aneurysm located in the hilum of the spleen before operation.Laparoscopic splenectomy was performed and postoperative pathology revealed the presence of SH.CONCLUSION Imaging studies are insufficient for the differential diagnosis of SH from other diseases,and laparoscopic splenectomy is a less invasive procedure and useful for the diagnostic purpose as well.

Cage-confinement synthesis of MoC nanoclusers as efficient sulfiphilic and lithiophilic regulator for superior Li–S batteries

High-energy-density Li-S batteries are subjected to serious sulfur deactivation and short cycle lifetime caused by undesirable polysulfide shuttle effect and frantic lithium dendrite formation.In this work,a controllable cage-confinement strategy to fabricate molybdenum carbide(MoC)nanoclusters as a high-efficient sulfiphilic and lithiophilic regulator to mitigate the formidable issues of Li-S batteries is demonstrated.The sub-2 nm MoC nanoclusters not only guarantee robust chemisorption and fast electrocatalytic conversion of polysulfides to enhance the sulfur electrochemistry,but also homogenize Li^(+) flux to suppress the lithium dendrite growth.As a consequence,the MoC-modified separator endows the batteries with boosted reaction kinetics,promoted sulfur utilization,and improved cycling stability.A reversible capacity of 701 mAh·g^(−1) at a high rate of 5.0C and a small decay rate of 0.076%per cycle at 1.0C over 600 cycles are achieved.This study offers a rational route for design and synthesis of bifunctional nanoclusers with both sulfiphilicity and lithiophilicity for high-performance Li-S batteries.

Rhodamine Mechanophore Functionalized Mechanochromic Double Network Hydrogels with High Sensitivity to Stress

Mechanochromic hydrogels, a new class of stimuli-responsive soft materials, have potential applications in a number of fields such as damage reporting and stress/strain sensing. We prepared a novel mechanochromic hydrogel using a strategy that has been developed to prepare dual-network(DN) hydrogels. A hydrophobic rhodamine derivative(Rh mechanophore) was covalently incorporated into a first network as a cross-linker. This first network embedded with Rh mechanophore within the DN hydrogel was pre-stretched. This guaranteed that the stress could be transferred extensively to the Rh-crosslinked first network once the hydrogel was under an applied force. Interestingly, we found that the threshold stress required to activate the mechanochromism of the hydrogel was less than 200 kPa, and much less than those in previous reports. Moreover, because of the excellent sensitivity of the hydrogel to stress, the DN hydrogel exhibited reversible freezing-induced mechanochromism. Benefiting from the sensitivity of Rh mechanophore to both p H and force, the DN hydrogel showed p H-regulated mechanochromic behavior. Our experimental results indicate that the preparation strategy we used introduces sensitive mechanochromism into the hydrogel and preserves the advantageous mechanical properties of the DN hydrogel. These results will be beneficial to the design and preparation of mechanochromic hydrogels with high stress sensitivity, and foster their practical applications in a number of fields such as damage reporting and stress/strain sensing.