Deletion of Krüppel-like factor-4 promotes axonal regeneration in mammals

Axonal regeneration plays an important role in functional recovery after nervous system damage.However,after axonal injury in mammals,regeneration is often poor.The deletion of Krüppel-like factor-4(Klf4)has been shown to promote axonal regeneration in retinal ganglion cells.However,the effects of Klf4 deletion on the corticospinal tract and peripheral nervous system are unknown.In this study,using a mouse model of sciatic nerve injury,we show that the expression of Klf4 in dorsal root ganglion sensory neurons was significantly reduced after peripheral axotomy,suggesting that the regeneration of the sciatic nerve is associated with Klf4.In vitro,dorsal root ganglion sensory neurons with Klf4 knockout exhibited significantly enhanced axonal regeneration.Furthermore,the regeneration of the sciatic nerve was enhanced in vivo following Klf4 knockout.Finally,AAV-Cre virus was used to knockout the Klf4 gene in the cortex.The deletion of Klf4 enhanced regeneration of the corticospinal tract in mice with spinal cord injury.Together,our findings suggest that regulating KLF4 activity in neurons is a potential strategy for promoting axonal regeneration and functional recovery after nervous system injury.This study was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee at Soochow University,China(approval No.SUDA20200316A01).

Comparison of postoperative complications between internal and external pancreatic duct stenting during pancreaticoduodenectomy: a meta-analysis

Background：Two types of pancreatic duct stents are used to improve postoperative outcomes of pancreatic anastomosis.The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate and compare the postoperative outcomes of patients with internal or external stenting during pancreaticoduodenectomy（PD）.Methods：We searched Pub Med,EMBASE,the Cochrane Library and Web of Science databases until the end of December,2014.Studies comparing outcomes of external vs.internal stent placement in PD were eligible for inclusion.Included literature was extracted and assessed by two independent reviewers.Results：Seven articles were identified for inclusion：three randomized controlled trials（RCTs）and four observational clinical studies（OCS）.The meta-analyses revealed that use of external stents had advantage on reducing the incidences of pancreatic fistula（PF）in total[odds ratio（OR）=0.69;95%confidence interval（CI）,0.48-0.99;P=0.04],PF in soft pancreas（OR=0.30;95%CI,0.16-0.56;P=0.0002）and delayed gastric emptying（DGE）（OR=0.58;95%CI,0.38-0.89;P=0.01）compared with internal stents.There were no significant differences in other postoperative outcomes between two stenting methods,including postoperative morbidity（OR=0.93;95%CI,0.39-2.23;P=0.88）,overall mortality（OR=0.70;95%CI,0.22-2.25;P=0.55）,and intra-abdominal collections（OR=0.67;95%CI,0.26-1.71;P=0.40）.Conclusions：Based upon this meta-analysis,the use of external pancreatic stents might have potential benefit in reducing the incidence of PF and DGE.Due to the limited number of original studies,more RCTs are needed to further support our result and clarify the issue.

血清胃蛋白酶原PGI/PGII联合胃泌素-17预测胃溃疡继发癌变

背景筛选胃溃疡继发癌变的敏感性标志物对胃癌的预防和治疗具有重要意义.先前的研究提示胃蛋白酶原和胃泌素-17(gastrin-17,G-17)可能在早期胃癌的预测方面有一定的参考价值,但尚无确切统一的观点.目的探讨血清胃蛋白酶原Ⅰ(pepsinogenⅠ,PGⅠ)/胃蛋白酶原Ⅱ(pepsinogenⅡ,PGⅡ)联合G-17预测胃溃疡继发癌变的临床价值,为胃癌的早期诊断提供敏感性生化标志物.方法回顾性总结2020-07/2023-04我院初诊为胃溃疡患者215例,根据胃镜下组织病理学诊断分为单纯溃疡组184例和胃癌组31例.入院检测血清PGⅠ、PGⅡ、G-17和肿瘤标志物[包括癌抗原(cancer antigen,CA)724、CA199、癌胚抗原(carcinoembryonic antigen,CEA)和铁蛋白],13C呼气试验测定幽门螺旋杆菌(Helicobacter pylori,H.pylori)感染超基准(delta over baseline,DOB)值.结果两组性别、年龄、DOB值和病程比较无明显差异(P>0.05).与单纯溃疡组相比,胃癌组血清PGⅡ、G-17、CA724、CA199和CEA水平升高,而PGⅠ、铁蛋白和PGI/PGII下降(P<0.05).Spearman检验显示,PGⅠ/PGⅡ与G-17、CA724、CA199和CEA呈负相关,与铁蛋白呈正相关(P<0.05).G-17与CA724、CA199和CEA呈正相关,与铁蛋白呈负相关(P<0.05).受试者工作曲线(receiver operating curve,ROC)显示,PGⅠ/PGⅡ和G-17诊断胃溃疡继发癌变的曲线下面积(area under curve,AUC)分别为0.804和0.742,PGⅠ/PGⅡ和G-17联合诊断的AUC为0.899,显著高于单一指标(P<0.05).结论血清PGⅠ/PGⅡ下降和G-17升高与胃溃疡继发癌变紧密相关,PGⅠ/PGⅡ联合G-17对胃溃疡继发癌变的预测性能较好,PGⅠ/PGⅡ和G-17可作为早期诊断胃癌的敏感性标志物.

Survey of antioxidant capacity and phenolic composition of blueberry,blackberry,and strawberry in Nanjing

Berries are a good source of natural antioxidants. In the present study, the total antioxidant capacity and phenolic composition of three berry fruits （blueberry, blackberry, and strawberry） cultivated in Nanjing were investigated. Blueberry, with a Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity （TEAC） value of 14.98 mmol Trolox/100 g dry weight （DW） exhibited the strongest total antioxidant capacity using both the 2,2-azinobis（3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid） diammonium salt （ABTS） and the 2,2-diphenyl-l-picrylhydrazyl （DPPH） methods. Blueberry also had the highest total phenolic content （TPC, 9.44 mg gallic acid/g DW）, total flavonoid content （TFC, 36.06 mg rutin/g DW）, and total anthocyanidin content （TAC, 24.38 mg catechin/g DW）. A preliminary analysis using high performance liquid chromatography （HPLC） showed that the blueberry, blackberry, and strawberry samples tested contained a range of phenolic acids （including gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, vanillic acid, caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, eUagic acid, and cinnamic acid） and various types of flavonoids （flavone： luteolin; flavonols： rutin, myricetin, quercetrin, and quercetin; flavanols： gallocatechin, epigallocatechin, catechin, and catechin gallate; anthocyanidins： malvidin-3-galactoside, malvidin-3-glucoside, and cyanidin）. In particular, the blueberries had high levels of proanthocyanidins and anthocyanidins, which might be responsible for their strong antioxidant activities. These results indicate a potential market role for berries （especially blueberries） as a functional food ingredient or nutraceutical.

Survey of antioxidant capacity and phenolic composition of blueberry, blackberry, and strawberry in Nanjing

Berries are a good source of natural antioxidants.In the present study,the total antioxidant capacity and phenolic composition of three berry fruits(blueberry,blackberry,and strawberry)cultivated in Nanjing were investigated.Blueberry,with a Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity(TEAC)value of 14.98 mmol Trolox/100 g dry weight(DW),exhibited the strongest total antioxidant capacity using both the 2,2-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)diammonium salt(ABTS)and the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl(DPPH)methods.Blueberry also had the highest total phenolic content(TPC,9.44 mg gallic acid/g DW),total flavonoid content(TFC,36.08 mg rutin/g DW),and total anthocyanidin content(TAC,24.38 mg catechin/g DW).A preliminary analysis using high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC)showed that the blueberry,blackberry,and strawberry samples tested contained a range of phenolic acids(including gallic acid,protocatechuic acid,p-hydroxybenzoic acid,vanillic acid,caffeic acid,p-coumaric acid,ferulic acid,ellagic acid,and cinnamic acid)and various types of flavonoids(flavone:luteolin;flavonols:rutin,myricetin,quercetrin,and quercetin;flavanols:gallocatechin,epigallocatechin,catechin,and catechin gallate;anthocyanidins:malvidin-3-galactoside,malvidin-3-glucoside,and cyanidin).In particular,the blueberries had high levels of proanthocyanidins and anthocyanidins,which might be responsible for their strong antioxidant activities.These results indicate a potential market role for berries(especially blueberries)as a functional food ingredient or nutraceutical.