Multicenter case-control study of the risk factors for ulcerative colitis in China

AIM:To evaluate potential risk factors in the development of ulcerative colitis(UC) in China.METHODS:A total of 1308 patients with UC and 1308 age-matched and sex-matched controls were prospectively studied in China.The UC cases were collected from 17 hospitals in China from April 2007 to April 2010.Uniform questionnaires were designed to investigate risk factors including smoking,appendectomy,stress,socio-economic conditions,nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs(NSAIDs),oral contraceptives,diet,breastfeeding,infections and family sanitary conditions.Group comparisons by each factor were done using simple logistic regression analysis.Conditional logistic regression was used for multivariate analysis.RESULTS:By univariate analysis,the variables predictive of UC included feeling stress,light and heavy alcoholic drinking,spicy food,sugar consumption and infectious diarrhea,while heavy tea intake and tap water consumption were protective against UC.On multivariate analysis,the protective factor for UC was tap water consumption [odds ratios(OR) = 0.424,95%CI:0.302-0.594,P < 0.001];while the potential risk factors for UC were heavy sugar consumption(OR = 1.632,95%CI:1.156-2.305,P < 0.001),spicy food(light intake:OR = 3.329,95%CI:2.282-4.857,P < 0.001;heavy intake:OR = 3.979,95%CI:2.700-5.863,P < 0.001),and often feeling stress(OR = 1.981,95%CI:1.447-2.711,P < 0.001).Other factors,such as smoking habit,appendectomy,breastfeeding,a history of measles,rural or urban residence,education,oral contraceptives,and NSAID use have not been found to have a significant association with the development of UC in the present study.CONCLUSION:Our study showed tap water consumption was a protective factor for UC,while spicy food,heavy sugar consumption and often feeling stress were risk factors for UC in this Chinese population.

Exploration and research progress of shale gas in China

There are three types of shale gas resources in China.The resources are present in large amounts and are widely distributed.Marine facies,transitional facies and continental facies resources each account for a third.Based on resource distributions,there are many wells penetrated into the Sinian,Cambrian, Ordovieian,Silurian,Devonian,Carboniferous and Permian strata of the Yangtze plate and its periphery, the North China Craton and the Tarim Basin.Many years of exploration have indicated that the marine Silurian Longmaxi shale gas is widely distributed in south China and has been industrialized in its production in the Siehuan basin.The shale gas from the Cambrian Niutitang Formation and the Sinian Doushantuo Formation are important discoveries in Yichang,Hub ei and Zhenba,Shanxi.There are also shale gas resources found within transitional facies and continental facies in different areas in China.The "two element enrichment theory"has been summarized during the exploration process of Silurian marine shale gas in the Sichuan Basin.In addition,horizontal drilling and fracturing technologies up to 3500 m in depth have been developed.Based on the understanding of shale gas accumulation in a complex tectonic zone outside the Sichnan basin,a preliminary summary of the formation of the "converse fault syneline control reservoir"and "paleo uplift control reservoir"model has been constructed.The dominant theory of "Trinity"shale gas enrichment and the high yield of the "deep water Lu Pengxiang sedimentary facies belt, structural preservation conditions and overpressure"is summarized.Guided by the above theories.Anyel well in Guizhou and Eyangyel well in Hubei were drilled."Four storey"oil and shale "gas is found in the Permian Qixia group,the Silurian Shiniulan Formation,the Longmaxi Formation and the Ordovician Baota Formation in Anyel well.Good shale gas has been gound in the Cambrian Niutitang formation inian Doushantuo formation in Eyangye lwell.This paper aims to summarize and review the main progress,theoretical technology and problems of shale gas exploration and development in recent years in China,and predicts the future exploration and development direction for shale gas and possible exploration areas.

"Source-Diagenesis-Accumulation" enrichment and accumulation regularity of marine shale gas in southern China

After the breakthrough of shale gas exploration and development in the Ordovician Wufeng Formation (Fm.) and Silurian Longmaxi Fm. of Chongqing Jiaoshiba area,Changning-Weiyuan area,etc. in Sichuan basin,a series of discovery and breakthrough were obtained by China Geological Survey in the Cambrian Niutitang Fm. and Sinian Doushantuo Fm. shale of the areas with complicated structure outside Sichuan basin. Based on the understanding of the law of shale gas enrichment in Longmaxi Fm. in the basin,this paper puts forward three elements of the formation and enrichment of shale gas,which are the “Source”,the “Diagenesis ” and the “Accumulation ”,after deeply studying the law shale gas enrichment and accumulation in Sinian-Cambrian reservoir of the complex structure area outside the basin. The “Source”means the sedimentary environment and petrological characteristics of organic shale.The “Diagenesis ”means the basin tectonic subsidence and hydrocarbon generation and expulsion process of organic matter.The “Accumulation” means the tectonic uplift and shale gas preservation. It is proposed that the Sinian-Cambrian and Ordovician-Silurian black shale series in the middle and upper Yangtze region of southern China were both formed in the deep-water shelf environment of rift trough and foreland basin respectively.The dessert intervals were formed in the strong reduction environment under transgressive system tract.The shale lithology belongs to calcium-siliceous and charcoal-siliceous respectively. Based on the summary of structural evolution in Yangtze area,the correlation of structural burial depth with shale diagenesis and the coupling evolution of organic matter with pore structure are discussed. Combining with structural styles,the preservation conditions of shale gas are discussed. Five types of shale gas reservoir control models are further described. Two types of future exploration directions,which are reverse fault syncline and paleo-uplift margin in complex structural area outside the basin,are proposed.

The evolution of the Huangling uplift and its control on the accumulation and preservation of shale gas

There are plenty of Sinian and Cambrian potential shale gas resources in South China,which is characterized by high thermal evolution degrees,poor drilling performances and only occurs in local areas.Taking the principle “high to find low” is the key issue to achieving a breakthrough in older shale.China Geological Survey drilled in the periphery of the Proterozoic basement,i.e.the Huangling anticline,in the western Hubei,and Hannan paleocontinent in the southern Shanxi.It received high-quality gas-bearing shale with relatively low Ro in the in Lower Cambrian Niutitang formation and Sinian Doushantuo formation.Based on geological conditions of shale gas reservoirs in the Huangling anticline,this paper puts forward the new model named “Control over reservoirs by periphery of basement” about shale gas accumulation,suggesting that the shale deposited in a deepwater continental shelf in the periphery of the basement is characterized by shallow burial,a short burial time,stable tectonics,relatively low thermal evolution degrees,and shale gas reservoirs in a good condition.The shale of the Sinian-Cambrian strata deposited in deepwater continental shelves in the periphery of Chuanzhong paleo-uplift in Sichuan,Hannan paleocontinent in the southern Shanxi,Huangling anticline in western Hubei and Jiangnang-Xuefeng paleo-uplift in Hunan and Guizhou province have good shale gas exploration potential.

Gastrocolic fistula in Crohn’s disease detected by oral agent contrast-enhanced ultrasound: A case report of a novel ultrasound modality

BACKGROUND Fistulas are common complications of Crohn’s disease(CD).Gastrocolic fistulas(GFs)are rare,occult and potentially life-threatening complications.Few cases of GFs have been reported.Oral agent contrast-enhanced ultrasound(OA-CEUS)is a novel technique of ultrasound(US)for gut.Contrast agent made by Chinese yam is taken orally to dilate the lumen of the upper gastrointestinal tract.Thus,the impediment of gas inside gastrointestinal tract is removed and a good acoustic window is provided for gastroin-testinal tract scanning.This paper describes a case of GF secondary to CD detected by OA-CEUS when it was missed by endoscopy and computed tomography(CT).To our knowledge,this is the first report of GF secondary to CD detected by OA-CEUS up to date.CASE SUMMARY A 29-year-old woman with a 6-year history of CD was admitted to our hospital for abdominal pain and diarrhea for 5 months without obvious predisposing causes.Initial gastroscopy failed to show any evidence of lesions.Colonoscopy revealed multiple erosions,mucosal nodularity,linear ulcers and a cobblestone appearance.A CT scan of her abdomen showed a complex multilocular structure adherent to the greater curvature of the stomach in her left lower abdomen,with fluid,gas and significant surrounding inflammation.CT also demonstrated an abdominal abscess,which was later treated with US-guided drainage.Colonoscopy,gastroscopy and CT missed the presence of a GF.OA-CEUS was performed.A contrast agent made from Chinese yam was taken orally to dilate the lumen of the gastrointestinal tract.A good acoustic window was provided for gastrointestinal tract scanning and the impediment of gas inside the gastrointestinal tract was removed.With the aid of the“window”,a canal with hypoechoic wall was identified connecting the greater curvature of stomach to the splenic colon flexure in free sections.We also observed the hyperechoic gas flowing dynamically inside the canal.Thus,a GF was suspected.US is the first imaging modality taking GF into account.At the same time,OA-CEUS identified the site of the fistula and its two orifices.Gastroscopy was performed again,revealing a small ulcer approximately 5 mm in diameter,which was considered as an orifice.On the basis of OA-CEUS and other examinations,the patient was diagnosed with a GF secondary to CD.Then,laparoscopic exploration,partial stomach resection,transverse colostomy and abdominal abscess drainage were performed.The patient recovered uneventfully.CONCLUSION GFs are rare,occult and potentially life-threatening complications in CD.US is one of the first-line modalities to evaluate CD and its complications.OA-CEUS,a novel technique of US for gut,may be helpful in reducing the possibility of a missed diagnosis of GF.

Clinical literature review of 1858 Crohn's disease cases requiring surgery in China

AIM: To summarize the clinical characteristics of Crohn's disease(CD) patients who underwent surgery in China.METHODS: We searched four main Chinese electronic databases: CBM, VIP, CNKI, and Wanfang(from January1990 to October 2013). Then, we selected and carefully read 97 studies and extracted the surgical data for CD. We found that 1858 patients with CD underwent surgery between 1961 and 2012. The patients were stratified into two groups according to the year of surgery: 1961-2000 and 2000-2012. The clinical characteristics of these CD cases were compared between the two groups.RESULTS: The mean age at the time of surgery was 38.13 years. The most common locations of disease were the small intestine(40.84%), the colon(33.60%) and the ileocolon(23.09%). The primary indications for surgery were intestinal obstruction or stricture(23.84%), failure of drug therapy(14.80%), acute abdominal disease(13.46%), abdominal mass(10.93%), intestinal fistulae(9.90%), intestinal perforation(8.45%), perianal disease(6.73%), gastrointestinal bleeding(4.79%), and abdominal abscess(4.04%). The rate of diagnosis of CD before surgery was low(34.78%), and the misdiagnosis rate was 20.49%. The predominant surgical procedure for CD was bowel resection(69.54%). The rate of surgical complications was 20.34%, and the primary complications of surgery were infection(39.44%) and intestinal fistulae(26.09%). The relapse rate after surgery was 27.71%. For the periods of 1961-2000 and 2000-2013, the rates of both misdiagnosis before surgery and surgery related-death decreased(34.90% vs 12.10%, P < 0.001, and 23.53% vs 5.26%, P < 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSION: The rates of surgical complications and misdiagnosis were higher, whereas the rate of CDassociated tumor and the relapse rate were lower in China than in West countries.

Sedimentary lithofacies characteristics and sweet-spot interval characterization of the Sinian Doushantuo Formation in Upper Yangtze Platform, South China

The Sinian Doushantuo Formation is the oldest shale gas reservoir discovered in the world, which contains good shale gas shows as the Eyangye-1 and Zidi-1 wells in the Yichang Region of western Hubei province, China. The shales in the Doushantuo Formation feature considerable thickness (135 m), high gas content (4.83 m^3/t) and high fragile mineral content (up to 75%). Due to the influences of the sedimentary environment, the shale reservoirs here have high dolomitic content (54%) and abruptly changes in vertical lithofacies. Moreover, the characteristics of the shale sweet-spot differ significantly from that in the Wufeng Formation and Longmaxi Formation in southeast Sichuan Basin. A high-resolution sequence stratigraphic correlation was performed on the shales of the Doushantuo Formation at the Eyangye-1 well, Zidi-1 well, Zidi-2 well and some outcrop profiles in Yichang area for the identification of their sedimentary microfacies characteristics. A comprehensive comparative analysis was made by incorporating the elemental geochemistry, wireline and mud logging data of the well to further identify the sweet-spot interval therein. With the analysis of Eyangye-1 well, the sweet-spot interval of the Doushantuo Formation is 3360?3408 m, of which sedimentary microfacies is deepwater reduced environment with many pyrite laminaes, and the TOC is high to 3.42%, the Ro is 3.3%, the organic and matrix pore are well developed and the aperture more than 50 nm, the porosity is 2.7%, the desorption gas content average is 2.16%, and the main mineral is dolomitic (54%) and siliceous quartz (21%). Additionally, these parameters combined with previous studies will shed light on evaluating and characterizing the layers therein, also provide referential geological data for the following exploration and development activities of this shale system.

Acetaminophen-induced acute pancreatitis: A case report and literature review

Acute pancreatitis is rarely associated with drugs. Acetaminophen overdose is a well-known cause of hepatic toxicity, but drug-induced pancreatitis is rarely reported, especially after mild overdose. A 32-yearold woman presented with nausea and vomiting for 12 h, but no abdominal pain following an overdose of eight Tylenol tablets containing acetaminophen(325 mg acetaminophen per tablet). Laboratory results on admission showed abnormal amylase and lipase levels but completely normal liver function. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography revealed mild swelling of the pancreas without fluid collection around the pancreas. The patient complained of severe abdominal pain five days after admission when attempting to drink water and liquids. Eight days after admission, fluid around the pancreas was observed by computed tomography. The patient was subsequently diagnosed with acetaminophen-induced acute pancreatitis after exclusion of common causes. Routine treatment for pancreatitis and N-acetylcysteine were administered to prevent disease progression. The patient was discharged in good condition.

Management and outcomes of surgical patients with intestinal Behçet’s disease and Crohn’s disease in southwest China

BACKGROUND Gastrointestinal involvement in Behçet's disease(GIBD)and Crohn’s disease(CD)are inflammatory diseases sharing a considerable number of similarities.However,different from CD,the operative and postoperative management of GIBD remains largely empirical because of the lack of comprehensive treatment guidelines.AIM To compare surgical patients with GIBD and those with CD in a medical center and identify notable clinical features and effective postoperative treatment for surgical patients with GIBD.METHODS We searched patients diagnosed with CD and GIBD who underwent operations for gastrointestinal complications from 2009 to 2015 at West China Hospital of Sichuan University.A total of 10 surgical patients with GIBD and 106 surgical patients with CD were recruited.Information including demographic data,medication,and operative and postoperative parameters were collected and analyzed.As the incidence of surgical GIBD is low,their detailed medical records were reviewed and compared to previous studies.Moreover,the prognoses of CD and GIBD were evaluated respectively between groups treated with biological and non-biological agents.RESULTS Indication for first surgery was often acute intestinal perforation for GIBDpatients (7/10 vs 0/106, P < 0.001), whereas intestinal fistulae (0/10 vs 44/106, P =0.013) and ileus (0/10 vs 40/106, P = 0.015) were the indications for surgical CDpatients. Approximately 40% of patients with GIBD and 23.6% of patients withCD developed postoperative complications, 50% of patients with GIBD and 38.7%of patients with CD had recurrence postoperatively, and 40% (4/10) of patientswith GIBD and 26.4% (28/106) of patients with CD underwent reoperations. Theaverage period of postoperative recurrence was 7.87 mo in patients with Behçet'sdisease (BD) and 10.43 mo in patients with CD, whereas the mean duration fromfirst surgery to reoperation was 5.75 mo in BD patients and 18.04 mo in CDpatients. Surgical patients with GIBD more often used corticosteroids (6/10 vs7/106, P < 0.001) and thalidomide (7/10 vs 9/106, P < 0.001) postoperatively,whereas surgical patients with CD often used infliximab (27/106), azathioprine,or 6-mercaptopurine (74/106) for maintenance therapy.CONCLUSIONPatients suffering GIBD require surgery mostly under emergency situations,which may be more susceptible to recurrence and reoperation and need moreaggressive postoperative treatment than patients with CD.

Correlation of PRPS1 and JAB1 expression in the bone marrow tissue of acute leukemia with the apoptosis and invasion of tumor cells

Objective:To study the correlation of PRPS1 and JAB1 expression in the bone marrow tissue of acute leukemia with the apoptosis and invasion of tumor cells.Methods:Patients who were diagnosed with acute leukemia by bone marrow aspiration biopsy in Edong medical group Huangshi central hospital between February 2015 and December 2017 were selected as the AL group of the research, and patients who received bone marrow aspiration biopsy and were without significant abnormality in Edong medical group Huangshi central hospital during the same period were selected as the control group of the research. RNA was extracted to determine the mRNA expression of PRPS1, JAB1, apoptosis genes and invasion genes, and protein was extracted to determine the protein expression of PRPS1 and JAB1.Results:Both mRNA expression and protein expression of PRPS1 and JAB1 in bone marrow tissues of AL group were significantly higher than those of control group;AuroraA, Bcl-2,β-catenin, MMP2, MMP9, N-cadherin and Msi2 mRNA expression in bone marrow tissues of AL group were significantly higher than those of control group whereas Bax, C/EBP , RUNX3 and TIMP3 mRNA expression were significantly lower than those of control group, and the PRPS1 and JAB1 mRNA expression in bone marrow tissues of AL group were positively correlated with AuroraA, Bcl-2,β-catenin, MMP2, MMP9, N-cadherin and Msi2 mRNA expression, and negatively correlated with Bax, C/EBP , RUNX3 and TIMP3 mRNA expression.Conclusion:The high expression of PRPS1 and JAB1 in the bone marrow tissue of acute leukemia can inhibit cell apoptosis and promote cell invasion.

Extracellular ATP Promotes Stomatal Opening of Arabidopsis thaliana through Heterotrimeric G Protein α Subunit and Reactive Oxygen Species

In recent years, adenosine tri-phosphate （ATP） has been reported to exist in apoplasts of plant cells as a signal molecule. Extracellular ATP （eATP） plays important roles in plant growth, development, and stress tolerance. Here, extra- cellular ATP was found to promote stomatal opening of Arabidopsis thaliana in light and darkness. ADP, GTP, and weakly hydrolyzable ATP analogs （ATPγS, Bz-ATP, and 2meATP） showed similar effects, whereas AMP and adenosine did not affect stomatal movement. Apyrase inhibited stomatal opening. ATP-promoted stomatal opening was blocked by an NADPH oxidase inhibitor （diphenylene iodonium） or deoxidizer （dithiothreitol）, and was impaired in null mutant of NADPH ox- idase （atrbohD/F）. Added ATP triggered ROS generation in guard cells via NADPH oxidase. ATP also induced Ca^2＋ influx and H ＋ efflux in guard cells. In atrbohD/F, ATP-induced ion flux was strongly suppressed. In null mutants of the heterotrimeric G protein α subunit, ATP-promoted stomatal opening, cytoplasmic ROS generation, Ca^2＋ influx, and ^H＋ efflux were all sup- pressed. These results indicated that eATP-promoted stomatal opening possibly involves the heterotrimeric G protein, ROS, cytosolic Ca^2＋, and plasma membrane H＋-ATPase.

Intralayer Phonons in Multilayer Graphene Moiré Superlattices

Moirépattern in twisted multilayers(tMLs)induces many emergent phenomena by subtle variation of atomic registry to modulate quasiparticles and their interactions,such as superconductivity,moiréexcitons,and moiréphonons.The periodic superlattice potential introduced by moirépattern also underlies patterned interlayer coupling at the interface of tMLs.Although this arising patterned interfacial coupling is much weaker than in-plane atomic interactions,it is crucial in moirésystems,as captured by the renormalized interlayer phonons in twisted bilayer transitional metal dichalcogenides.Here,we determine the quantitative relationship between the lattice dynamics of intralayer out-of-plane optical(ZO)phonons and patterned interfacial coupling in multilayer graphene moirésuperlattices(MLG-MS)by the proposed perturbation model,which is previously challenging for MLGs due to their out-of-phase displacements of adjacent atoms in one atomic plane.We unveil that patterned interfacial coupling introduces profound modulations on Davydov components of nonfolded ZO phonon that are localized within the AB-stacked constituents,while the coupling results in layer-extended vibrations with symmetry of moirépattern for moiréZO phonons.Our work brings further degrees of freedom to engineer moiréphysics according to the modulations imprinted on the phonon frequency and wavefunction.