Ocular biometric characteristics of Han ethnicity in Tianjin and Uyghur ethnicity in Xinjiang undergoing cataract surgery.

AIM: To analyze and compare the differences among ocular biometric parameters in Han and Uyghur populations undergoing cataract surgery. METHODS: In this hospital-based prospective study, 410 patients undergoing cataract surgery (226 Han patients in Tianjin and 184 Uyghur patients in Xinjiang) were enrolled. The differences in axial length (AL), anterior chamber depth (ACD), keratometry [steep K (Ks) and flat K (Kf)], and corneal astigmatism (CA) measured using IOL Master 700 were compared between Han and Uyghur patients. RESULTS: The average age of Han patients was higher than that of Uyghur patients (70.22±8.54 vs 63.04±9.56y, P<0.001). After adjusting for age factors, Han patients had longer AL (23.51±1.05 vs 22.86±0.92 mm, P<0.001), deeper ACD (3.06±0.44 vs 2.97±0.37 mm, P=0.001), greater Kf (43.95±1.40 vs 43.42±1.69 D, P=0.001), steeper Ks (45.00±1.47 vs 44.26±1.71 D, P=0.001), and higher CA (1.04±0.68 vs 0.79±0.65, P=0.025) than Uyghur patients. Intra-ethnic male patients had longer AL, deeper ACD, and lower keratometry than female patients; however, CA between the sexes was almost similar. In the correlation analysis, we observed a positive correlation between AL and ACD in patients of both ethnicities (rHan =0.48, rUyghur =0.44, P<0.001), while AL was negatively correlated with Kf (rHan =-0.42, rUyghur =-0.64, P<0.001) and Ks (rHan =-0.38, rUyghur =-0.66, P<0.001). Additionally, Kf was positively correlated with Ks (rHan =0.89, rUyghur =0.93, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: There are differences in ocular biometric parameters between individuals of Han ethnicity in Tianjin and those of Uyghur ethnicity in Xinjiang undergoing cataract surgery. These ethnic variances can enhance our understanding of ocular diseases related to these parameters and provide guidance for surgical procedures.

Intermolecular Interactions, Morphology, and Photovoltaic Patterns in p-i-n Heterojunction Solar Cells With Fluorine-Substituted Organic Photovoltaic Materials.

During the layer-by-layer (LBL) processing of polymer solar cells (PSCs), the swelling and molecule interdiffusion are essential for achieving precise, controllable vertical morphology, and thus efficient PSCs. However, the influencing mechanism of material properties on morphology and correlated device performance has not been paid much attention. Herein, a series of fluorinated/non-fluorinated polymer donors (PBDB-T and PBDB-TF) and non-fullerene acceptors (ITIC, IT-2F, and IT-4F) are employed to investigate the performance of LBL devices. The impacts of fluorine substitution on the repulsion and miscibility between the donor and acceptor, as well as the molecular arrangement of the donor/acceptor and the vertical distribution of the LBL devices are systematically explored by the measurement of donor/acceptor Flory-Huggins interaction parameters, spectroscopic ellipsometry, and neutron reflectivity, respectively. With efficient charge transfer due to the ideal vertical and horizon morphology properties, devices based on PBDB-TF/IT-4F exhibit the highest fill factors (FFs) as well as champion power conversion efficiencies (PCEs). With this guidance, high-performance LBL devices with PCE of 17.2%, 18.5%, and 19.1% are obtained by the fluorinated blend of PBDB-TF/Y6, PBDB-TF/L8-BO, and D18/L8-BO respectively.

Didymin alleviates metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) via the stimulation of Sirt1-mediated lipophagy and mitochondrial biogenesis.

BACKGROUND: Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is one of the most prevalent metabolic syndromes worldwide. However, no approved pharmacological treatments are available for MAFLD. Chenpi, one kind of dried peel of citrus fruits, has traditionally been utilized as a medicinal herb for liver diseases. Didymin is a newly identified oral bioactive dietary flavonoid glycoside derived from Chenpi. In this study, we investigated the therapeutic potential of Didymin as an anti-MAFLD drug and elucidated its underlying mechanisms. METHODS: High-fat diet (HFD)-induced MAFLD mice and alpha mouse liver 12 (AML12) cells were utilized to evaluate the effects and mechanisms of Didymin in the treatment of MAFLD. Liver weight, serum biochemical parameters, and liver morphology were examined to demonstrate the therapeutic efficacy of Didymin in MAFLD treatment. RNA-seq analysis was performed to identify potential pathways that could be affected by Didymin. The impact of Didymin on Sirt1 was corroborated through western blot, molecular docking analysis, microscale thermophoresis (MST), and deacetylase activity assay. Then, a Sirt1 inhibitor (EX-527) was utilized to confirm that Didymin alleviates MAFLD via Sirt1. Western blot and additional assays were used to investigate the underlying mechanisms. RESULTS: Our results suggested that Didymin may possess therapeutic potential against MAFLD in vitro and in vivo. By promoting Sirt1 expression as well as directly binding to and activating Sirt1, Didymin triggers downstream pathways that enhance mitochondrial biogenesis and function while reducing apoptosis and enhancing lipophagy. CONCLUSIONS: These suggest that Didymin could be a promising medication for MAFLD treatment. Furthermore, its therapeutic effects are mediated by Sirt1.

Decreased syntaxin17 expression contributes to the pathogenesis of acute pancreatitis in murine models by impairing autophagic degradation.

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is an inflammatory disease of the exocrine pancreas. Disruptions in organelle homeostasis, including macroautophagy/autophagy dysfunction and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, have been implicated in human and rodent pancreatitis. Syntaxin 17 (STX17) belongs to the soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) subfamily. The Qa-SNARE STX17 is an autophagosomal SNARE protein that interacts with SNAP29 (Qbc-SNARE) and the lysosomal SNARE VAMP8 (R-SNARE) to drive autophagosome-lysosome fusion. In this study, we investigated the role of STX17 in the pathogenesis of AP in male mice or rats induced by repeated intraperitoneal injections of cerulein. We showed that cerulein hyperstimulation induced AP in mouse and rat models, which was characterized by increased serum amylase and lipase activities, pancreatic edema, necrotic cell death and the infiltration of inflammatory cells, as well as markedly decreased pancreatic STX17 expression. A similar reduction in STX17 levels was observed in primary and AR42J pancreatic acinar cells treated with CCK (100 nM) in vitro. By analyzing autophagic flux, we found that the decrease in STX17 blocked autophagosome-lysosome fusion and autophagic degradation, as well as the activation of ER stress. Pancreas-specific STX17 knockdown using adenovirus-shSTX17 further exacerbated pancreatic edema, inflammatory cell infiltration and necrotic cell death after cerulein injection. These data demonstrate a critical role of STX17 in maintaining pancreatic homeostasis and provide new evidence that autophagy serves as a protective mechanism against AP.

Proteomics reveals defective peroxisomal fatty acid oxidation during the progression of acute kidney injury and repair.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is characterized by a rapid decrease in renal function with high mortality and risk of progression to chronic kidney disease (CKD). Ischemia and reperfusion injury (IRI) is one of the major causes of AKI. However, the cellular and molecular responses of the kidney to IRI are complex and not fully understood. Herein, we conducted unbiased proteomics and bioinformatics analyses in an IRI mouse model on days 3, 7, and 21, and validated the results using IRI, unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO), and biopsies from patients with AKI or CKD. The results indicated an obvious temporal expression profile of differentially expressed proteins and highlighted impaired lipid metabolism during the progression of AKI to CKD. Acyl-coenzyme A oxidase 1 (Acox1), the first rate-limiting enzyme of peroxisomal fatty acid beta-oxidation, was then selected, and its disturbed expression in the two murine models validated the proteomic findings. Accordingly, Acox1 expression was significantly downregulated in renal biopsies from patients with AKI or CKD, and its expression was negatively correlated with kidney injury score. Furthermore, in contrast to the decreased Acox1 expression, lipid droplet accumulation was remarkably increased in these renal tissues, suggesting dysregulation of fatty acid oxidation. In conclusion, our results suggest that defective peroxisomal fatty acid oxidation might be a common pathological feature in the transition from AKI to CKD, and that Acox1 is a promising intervention target for kidney injury and repair.

Validation of an orthotopic non-small cell lung cancer mouse model, with left or right tumor growths, to use in conformal radiotherapy studies.

Orthotopic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) mice models are important for establishing translatability of in vitro results. However, most orthotopic lung models do not produce localized tumors treatable by conformal radiotherapy (RT). Here we report on the performance of an orthotopic mice model featuring conformal RT treatable tumors following either left or right lung tumor cell implantation. Athymic Nude mice were surgically implanted with H1299 NSCLC cell line in either the left or right lung. Tumor development was tracked bi-weekly using computed tomography (CT) imaging. When lesions reached an appropriate size for treatment, animals were separated into non-treatment (control group) and RT treated groups. Both RT treated left and right lung tumors which were given a single dose of 20 Gy of 225 kV X-rays. Left lung tumors were treated with a two-field parallel opposed plan while right lung tumors were treated with a more conformal four-field plan to assess tumor control. Mice were monitored for 30 days after RT or after tumor reached treatment size for non-treatment animals. Treatment images from the left and right lung tumor were also used to assess the dose distribution for four distinct treatment plans: 1) Two sets of perpendicularly staggered parallel opposed fields, 2) two fields positioned in the anterior-posterior and posterior-anterior configuration, 3) an 180° arc field from 0° to 180° and 4) two parallel opposed fields which cross through the contralateral lung. Tumor volumes and changes throughout the follow-up period were tracked by three different types of quantitative tumor size approximation and tumor volumes derived from contours. Ultimately, our model generated delineable and conformal RT treatable tumor following both left and right lung implantation. Similarly consistent tumor development was noted between left and right models. We were also able to demonstrate that a single 20 Gy dose of 225 kV X-rays applied to either the right or left lung tumor models had similar levels of tumor control resulting in similar adverse outcomes and survival. And finally, three-dimensional tumor approximation featuring volume computed from the measured length across three perpendicular axes gave the best approximation of tumor volume, most closely resembled tumor volumes obtained with contours.

Simultaneous treatment with sorafenib and glucose restriction inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma in vitro and in vivo by impairing SIAH1-mediated mitophagy.

Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is the first-line treatment for unresectable intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). It is of high clinical significance to explore the synergistic effect of TACE with antiangiogenic inhibitors and the molecular mechanisms involved. This study determined that glucose, but not other analyzed nutrients, offered significant protection against cell death induced by sorafenib, as indicated by glucose deprivation sensitizing cells to sorafenib-induced cell death. Next, this synergistic effect was found to be specific to sorafenib, not to lenvatinib or the chemotherapeutic drugs cisplatin and doxorubicin. Mechanistically, sorafenib-induced mitophagy, as indicated by PINK1 accumulation, increased the phospho-poly-ubiquitination modification, accelerated mitochondrial membrane protein and mitochondrial DNA degradation, and increased the amount of mitochondrion-localized mKeima-Red engulfed by lysosomes. Among several E3 ubiquitin ligases tested, SIAH1 was found to be essential for inducing mitophagy; that is, SIAH1 silencing markedly repressed mitophagy and sensitized cells to sorafenib-induced death. Notably, the combined treatment of glucose restriction and sorafenib abolished ATP generation and mitophagy, which led to a high cell death rate. Oligomycin and antimycin, inhibitors of electron transport chain complexes, mimicked the synergistic effect of sorafenib with glucose restriction to promote cell death mediated via mitophagy inhibition. Finally, inhibition of the glucose transporter by canagliflozin (a clinically available drug used for type-II diabetes) effectively synergized with sorafenib to induce HCC cell death in vitro and to inhibit xenograft tumor growth in vivo. This study demonstrates that simultaneous treatment with sorafenib and glucose restriction is an effective approach to treat HCC, suggesting a promising combination strategy such as transarterial sorafenib-embolization (TASE) for the treatment of unresectable HCC.

Comparison of short-term and medium-term outcomes between intracorporeal anastomosis and extracorporeal anastomosis for laparoscopic left hemicolectomy.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have evaluated the feasibility and safety of intracorporeal anastomosis (IA) for left hemicolectomy. Here, we aimed to investigate the potential advantages and disadvantages of laparoscopic left hemicolectomy with IA and compare the short- and medium-term outcomes between IA and extracorporeal anastomosis (EA). METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 133 consecutive patients who underwent laparoscopic left hemicolectomies from July 2016 to September 2019 and categorized them into the IA and EA groups. Patients with stage 4 disease and conversion to laparotomy or those lost to follow-up were excluded. Postoperative outcomes between IA and EA groups were compared. Short-term outcomes included postoperative pain score, bowel function recovery, complications, duration of hospital stay, and pathological outcome. Medium outcomes included overall survival and disease-free survival for at least 2 years. RESULTS: After excluding ineligible patients, the remaining 117 underwent IA (n = 40) and EA (n = 77). The IA group had a shorter hospital stay, a shorter time to tolerate liquid or soft diets, and higher serum C-reactive protein level on postoperative day 3. There was no difference between two groups in operative time, postoperative pain, specimen length, or nearest margin. A 2-year overall survival (IA vs. EA: 95.0% vs. 93.5%, p = 0.747) and disease-free survival (IA vs. EA: 97.5% vs. 90.9%, p = 0.182) rates were comparable between two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic left hemicolectomy with IA was technically feasible, with better short-term outcomes, including shorter hospital stays and shorter time to tolerate liquid or soft diets. The IA group had higher postoperative serum C-reactive protein level; however, no complications were observed. Regarding medium-term outcomes, the overall survival and disease-free survival rates were comparable between IA and EA procedures.

Decoy receptor 2 mediates the apoptosis-resistant phenotype of senescent renal tubular cells and accelerates renal fibrosis in diabetic nephropathy.

Apoptotic resistance leads to persistent accumulation of senescent cells and sustained expression of a senescence-associated secretory phenotype, playing an essential role in the progression of tissue fibrosis. However, whether senescent renal tubular epithelial cells (RTECs) exhibit an apoptosis-resistant phenotype, and the role of this phenotype in diabetic nephropathy (DN) remain unclear. Our previous study was the first to demonstrate that decoy receptor 2 (DcR2) is associated with apoptotic resistance in senescent RTECs and renal fibrosis. In this study, we aimed to further explore the mechanism of DcR2 in apoptosis-resistant RTECs and renal fibrosis in DN. DcR2 was co-localized with fibrotic markers (α-SMA, collagen IV, fibronectin), senescent marker p16, and antiapoptotic proteins FLIP and Bcl2 but rarely co-localized with caspase 3 or TUNEL. DcR2 overexpression promoted renal fibrosis in mice with streptozotocin (STZ)-induced DN, as evidenced by augmented Masson staining and upregulated expression of fibrotic markers. DcR2 overexpression also enhanced FLIP expression while reducing the expression of pro-apoptotic proteins (caspases 8 and 3) in senescent RTECs, resulting in apoptotic resistance. In contrast, DcR2 knockdown produced the opposite effects in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, quantitative proteomics and co-immunoprecipitation experiments demonstrated that DcR2 interacted with glucose-related protein 78 kDa (GRP78), which has been shown to promote apoptotic resistance in cancer. GRP78 exhibited co-localization with senescent and antiapoptotic markers but was rarely co-expressed with caspase 3 or TUNEL. Additionally, GRP78 knockdown decreased the apoptosis resistance of HG-induced senescent RTECs with upregulated cleaved caspase 3 and increased the percentage of apoptotic RTECs. Mechanistically, DcR2 mediated apoptotic resistance in senescent RTECs by enhancing GRP78-caspase 7 interactions and promoting Akt phosphorylation. Thus, DcR2 mediated the apoptotic resistance of senescent RTECs and renal fibrosis by interacting with GRP78, indicating that targeting the DcR2-GRP78 axis represents a promising therapeutic strategy for DN.

Confidence interval construction for proportion difference from partially validated series with two fallible classifiers.

This article investigates the confidence interval (CI) construction of proportion difference for two independent partially validated series under the double-sampling scheme in which both classifiers are fallible. Several CIs based on the variance estimates recovery method of combining confidence limits from asymptotic, bootstrap, and Bayesian methods for two independent binomial proportions are developed under two models. Simulation results show that all CIs except for the bootstrap percentile-t CI and Bayesian credible interval with uniform prior under the independence model and all CIs under the dependence model generally perform well and are recommended. Two examples are used to illustrate the methodologies.

Long-Term Outcome of Centrally Located Hepatocellular Carcinomas Treated by Radical Resection Combined With Intraoperative Electron Radiotherapy (IOERT).

PURPOSE: To explore the feasibility and safety of centrally located hepatocellular carcinoma (CL-HCC) treated by narrow-margin resection combined with intraoperative electron radiotherapy (IOERT). METHODS AND MATERIALS: From November 2009 to November 2016, 37 consecutive patients were treated with IOERT as adjuvant treatment during narrow-margin resection for CL-HCC. Long-term outcomes, adverse events for surgery, and acute and chronic toxicities were analyzed. RESULTS: The median follow-up was 57.82 months (range, 3.75-111.41 months). A total dose of 15 Gy (range 12 to 17Gy) (prescribed at the 90% isodose) was delivered with a 0.9cm (range 0.8-1.2 cm) median treatment depth targeting the narrow-margin. The 1-year, 3-year and 5-year OS rates were 91.39%, 88.34% and 88.34%, respectively. The 1-year, 3-year and 5-year DFS rates were 80.81%, 68.59% and 54.17%, respectively. In the univariate analysis, none of the treatment characteristics were predictive of overall survival. Fifteen (40.5%) patients suffered from a recurrence event. No patient had marginal recurrence. The 1-year, 3-year and 5-year intrahepatic recurrence rates were 19.75%, 25.92% and 39.58%, respectively. The 1-year, 3-year and 5-year extrahepatic recurrence rates were 2.7%, 5.95% and 9.87%, respectively. There was no 30-day surgical-related death. Three patients had grade 4, and 28 patients had grade 3 alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels, and seven patients had grade 4, and 30 patients had grade 3 aspartate transaminase (AST) levels. All of them returned to normal within four months. There was no acute radiation-induced liver injury during follow-up. There were no acute or chronic toxicities associated with IOERT. CONCLUSION: IOERT for narrow-margin CL-HCC may achieve good long-term survival outcomes, without significantly increasing acute and chronic toxicities. An IOERT dose of 15Gy may be the safest and most feasible. IOERT might be considered as an adjuvant therapy for CL-HCC patients with a narrow-margin.

Caldalkalibacillus salinus sp. nov., isolated from a salt lake in Xinjiang, northwest China.

A novel Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, motile and rod-shaped bacterium, designated as strain YIM B00319T, was isolated from a sediment sample obtained from Wuzunbulake salt Lake in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, northwest China. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences along with the whole genome showed that strain YIM B00319T belongs to the family Bacillaceae and was most closely related to Bacillus horti K13T and Caldalkalibacillus mannanilyticus JCM 10596T, with sequence similarities of 95.7% and 94.6%, respectively. The genome of strain YIM B00319T was 3.77 Mbp with a DNA G + C content of 43%. Strain YIM B00319T grew at 15-45 ℃, pH 7.0-9.5 and with 3-11% (w/v) NaCl. The major respiratory quinone of strain YIM B00319T was MK-7, and the major fatty acids (> 10%) were iso-C15:0, anteiso-C15:0, and summed feature 3 (C16:1 ω6c and/or C16:1 ω7c). The main polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylglycerol (PG), and diphosphatidylglycerol (DPG). The cell-wall peptidoglycan contained meso-diaminopimelic acid. On the basis of the phenotypic, chemotaxonomic, genomic, and phylogenetic information, strain YIM B00319T represents a novel species of the genus Caldalkalibacillus, for which the name Caldalkalibacillus salinus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is YIM B00319T (= CGMCC 1.18750T = NBRC 115338T).

Efficacy and safety of a parylene-coated occluder for atrial septal defect: a prospective, multi-center, randomized controlled clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Nitinol-containing devices are widely used in clinical practice. However, there are concerns about nickel release after nitinol-containing device implantation. This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of a parylene-coated occluder vs. a traditional nitinol-containing device for atrial septal defect (ASD). METHODS: One-hundred-and-eight patients with ASD were prospectively enrolled and randomly assigned to either the trial group to receive a parylene-coated occluder (n = 54) or the control group to receive a traditional occluder (n = 54). The plugging success rate at 6 months after device implantation and the pre- and post-implantation serum nickel levels were compared between the two groups. A non-inferiority design was used to prove that the therapeutic effect of the parylene-coated device was non-inferior to that of the traditional device. The Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel chi-squared test with adjustment for central effects was used for the comparison between groups. RESULTS: At 6 months after implantation, successful ASD closure was achieved in 52 of 53 patients (98.11%) in both the trial and control groups (95% confidence interval (CI): [-4.90, 5.16]) based on per-protocol set analysis. The absolute value of the lower limit of the 95% CI was 4.90%, which was less than the specified non-inferiority margin of 8%. No deaths or severe complications occurred during 6 months of follow-up. The serum nickel levels were significantly increased at 2 weeks and reached the maximum value at 1 month after implantation in the control group (P < 0.05 vs. baseline). In the trial group, there was no significant difference in the serum nickel level before vs. after device implantation (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The efficacy of a parylene-coated ASD occluder is non-inferior to that of a traditional uncoated ASD occluder. The parylene-coated occluder prevents nickel release after device implantation and may be an alternative for ASD, especially in patients with a nickel allergy.

Controllable Preparation of Ag-Ce/ZnO Nanorods Photocatalyst and Its Growth on Modified Polyester Surface in Water Bath.

In this paper, a simple and effective method to prepare Ag-Ce/ZnO nanorods photocatalyst and grow them controllably on modified polyester fabrics was presented to fabricate multifunctional textiles. Analytical grade zinc acetate dihydrate and sodium hydroxide were used as the main raw materials to prepare Ag-Ce/ZnO nanorods. Morphological, structural and chemical characterization of the Ag-Ce/ZnO nanorods was performed by XRD, UV-vis and other spectroscopies. The results showed that the Ag-Ce/ZnO nanorods had a hexagonal wurtzite structure. After 60 minutes of irradiation under ultraviolet light, the Ag-Ce/ZnO nanorods showed a percentage photodegradation of 93.14% for a methylene blue (MB) solution. Modified polyester fabrics covered with the Ag-Ce/ZnO nanorods were then prepared in a water bath. By a series of tests, it was observed that the Ag-Ce/ZnO nanorods on the modified polyester surface were neatly arranged and had good photocatalytic properties. Moreover, the UPF of the modified polyester fabric after finishing increased from 30.4 to 877.2. The multifunctional properties of the finished fabric exhibited good durability.

Hepatocellular carcinoma with inferior vena cava and right atrium thrombus: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with inferior vena cava and right atrium thrombus is rare, accounting for approximately 1.4%-4.9% of cases. These patients are rarely reported, but the condition is being increasingly discovered with advances in imaging techniques, and their prognosis is extremely pessimistic with no current effective treatment. This condition is further associated with unexpected sudden death by cardiac arrest and acute large area pulmonary embolism. CASE SUMMARY: A 34-year-old man with advanced HCC with a hepatic vein thrombus extending into the right atrium had a long-term, disease-free survival following 5-mo sequential treatment combined with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization and curative liver resection. No severe adverse effects were encountered, such as massive hemorrhage or pulmonary embolism. The proper selection of operative method is an important factor. CONCLUSION: HCC with a tumor thrombus extending into the right atrium has a significant impact on the survival of patients. Thrombectomy combined with adjuvant therapy may be beneficial for these patients.

Comparison of quantitative and qualitative scoring approaches for radiation-induced pulmonary fibrosis as applied to a preliminary investigation into the efficacy of mesenchymal stem cell delivery methods in a rat model.

OBJECTIVES: Compare a quantitative, algorithm-driven, and qualitative, pathologist-driven, scoring of radiation-induced pulmonary fibrosis (RIPF). And using these scoring models to derive preliminary comparisons on the effects of different mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) administration modalities in reducing RIPF. METHODS: 25 rats were randomized into 5 groups: non-irradiated control (CG), irradiated control (CR), intraperitoneally administered granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor or GM-CSF (Drug), intravascularly administered MSC (IV), and intratracheally administered MSC (IT). All groups, except CG, received an 18 Gy conformal dose to the right lung. Drug, IV and IT groups were treated immediately after irradiation. After 24 weeks of observation, rats were euthanized, their lungs excised, fixed and stained with Masson's Trichrome. Samples were anonymized and RIPF was scored qualitatively by a certified pathologist and quantitatively using ImageScope. An analysis of association was conducted, and two binary classifiers trained to validate the integrity of both qualitative and quantitative scoring. Differences between the treatment groups, as assessed by the pathologist score, were then tested by variance component analysis and mixed models for differences in RIPF outcomes. RESULTS: There is agreement between qualitative and quantitative scoring for RIPF grades from 4 to 7. Both classifiers performed similarly on the testing set (AUC = 0.923) indicating accordance between the qualitative and quantitative scoring. For comparisons between MSC infusion modalities, the Drug group had better outcomes (mean pathologist scoring of 3.96), correlating with significantly better RIPF outcomes than IV [lower by 0.97, p = 0.047, 95% CI = (0.013, 1.918)] and resulting in an improvement over CR [lower by 0.93, p = 0.037, 95% CI = (0.062, 1.800]. CONCLUSION: Quantitative image analysis may help in the assessment of therapeutic interventions for RIPF and can serve as a scoring surrogate in differentiating between severe and mild cases of RIPF. Preliminary data demonstrate that the use of GM-CSF was best correlated with lower RIPF severity. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: Quantitative image analysis can be a viable supplemental system of quality control and triaging in situations where pathologist work hours or resources are limited. The use of different MSC administration methods can result in different degrees of MSC efficacy and study outcomes.

A new species of the genus Aalatettix Zheng amp; Mao (Orthoptera, Tetrigoidea, Tetrigidae) from China.

This paper provides a new species of the genus Aalatettix Zheng Mao, 2002. The type specimens are deposited in the Insect Collection of College of Life Sciences, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang, China.

Phase 2 Study of Adjuvant Radiotherapy Following Narrow-Margin Hepatectomy in Patients With HCC.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Surgical resection is the primary treatment for HCC; however, it is associated with a high rate of recurrence and death. We conducted this phase 2 study to investigate the efficacy and safety of postoperative intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for HCC after narrow-margin hepatectomy. APPROACH AND RESULTS: We designed a single-arm, prospective phase 2 trial to evaluate overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), recurrence patterns, and toxicity in patients receiving adjuvant radiotherapy. The eligibility criteria included the following: pathological diagnosis of HCC after hepatectomy, with narrow pathological margins (< 1 cm); age > 18 years; and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status score of 0 or 1. Patients received IMRT within 4-6 weeks after surgical resection. This trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01456156). Between 2008 and 2016, a total of 76 eligible patients who underwent narrow-margin resection were enrolled. The median follow-up duration was 70 months; the 3-year OS and DFS rates were 88.2% and 68.1%, respectively; and the 5-year OS and DFS rates were 72.2% and 51.6%, respectively. Intrahepatic recurrence was the primary recurrence pattern. No marginal recurrence was found. Intrahepatic, extrahepatic, and combined recurrences at the first relapse were found in 33, 5, and 1 patient, respectively. The most common radiation-related grade-3 toxicities were leukopenia (7.9%), elevated alanine aminotransferase (3.9%) and aspartate aminotransferase (2.6%) levels, and thrombocytopenia (1.3%). Classical or nonclassical radiation-induced liver disease was not noted. CONCLUSIONS: Adjuvant radiotherapy is an effective, well-tolerated, and promising adjuvant regimen in patients with HCC who have undergone narrow-margin hepatectomy. Our trial provides evidence and a rationale for planning a future phase 3 trial.

Garciesculenxanthone B induces PINK1-Parkin-mediated mitophagy and prevents ischemia-reperfusion brain injury in mice.

Mitophagy is a selective form of autophagy involving the removal of damaged mitochondria via the autophagy-lysosome pathway. PINK1-Parkin-mediated mitophagy is one of the most important mechanisms in cardiovascular disease, cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury, and neurodegenerative diseases. In this study we conducted an image-based screening in YFP-Parkin HeLa cells to discover new mitophagy regulators from natural xanthone compounds. We found that garciesculenxanthone B (GeB), a new xanthone compound from Garcinia esculenta, induced the formation of YFP-Parkin puncta, a well known mitophagy marker. Furthermore, treatment with GeB dose-dependently promoted the degradation of mitochondrial proteins Tom20, Tim23, and MFN1 in YFP-Parkin HeLa cells and SH-SY5Y cells. We revealed that GeB stabilized PINK1 and triggered Parkin translocation to the impaired mitochondria to induce mitophagy, and these effects were abolished by knockdown of PINK1. Finally, in vivo experiments demonstrated that GeB partially rescued ischemia-reperfusion-induced brain injury in mice. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that the natural compound GeB can promote the PINK1-Parkin-mediated mitophagy pathway, which may be implicated in protection against I/R brain injury.