Comparative Genome Analysis of Two Streptococcus suis Serotype 8 Strains Identifies Two New Virulence-Associated Genes.

Streptococcus suis is an important zoonotic pathogen that can cause meningitis and septicemia in swine and humans. Among numerous pathogenic serotypes, S. suis serotype 8 has distinctive characteristics such as a high detection rate and causing multi-host infection. There is no complete genome of serotype 8 strains so far. In this study, the complete genome of two S. suis serotype 8 strains, virulent strain 2018WUSS151 and non-virulent strain WUSS030, were sequenced. Comparative genomic analysis showed that the homology of the two genomes reaches 99.68%, and the main difference is the distinctive prophages. There are 83 genes unique to virulent strain 2018WUSS151, including three putative virulence-associated genes (PVGs). Two PVGs, padR and marR, are passenger genes in ISSsu2 family transposons that are able to form circular DNA intermediates during transposition, indicating the possibility of horizontal transmission among S. suis strains. The deletion mutant of PVGs marR or atpase attenuated the virulence of serotype 2 virulent SC070731 in a mouse infection model, confirming their role in S. suis virulence. These findings contribute to clarifying the genomic characterization of S. suis serotype 8 and S. suis pathogenesis.

Hybrid Acid/Base Electrolytic Cell for Hydrogen Generation and Methanol Conversion Implemented by Bifunctional Ni/MoN Nanorod Electrocatalyst.

Combining the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) within an integrated electrolytic system may offer the advantages of enhanced kinetics of the anode, reduced energy consumption, and the production of high-purity hydrogen. Herein, it is reported the construction of Ni─MoN nanorod arrays supported on a nickel foam substrate (Ni─MoN/NF) as a bifunctional electrocatalyst for electrocatalytic hydrogen production and selective methanol oxidation to formate. Remarkably, The optimal Ni─MoN/NF catalyst displays exceptional HER performance with an overpotential of only 49 mV to attain 10 mA cm-2 in acid, and exhibits a high activity for MOR to achieve 100 mA cm-2 at 1.48 V in alkali. A hybrid acid/base electrolytic cell with Ni─MoN/NF electrode as anode and cathode is further developed for an integrated HER-MOR cell, which only requires a voltage of 0.56 V at 10 mA cm-2 , significantly lower than that of the HER-OER system (0.70 V). The density functional theory studies reveal that the incorporation of Ni effectively modulates the electronic structure of MoN, thereby resulting in enhanced catalytic activity. The unique combination of high electrocatalytic activity and excellent stability make the Ni─MoN/NF catalyst a promising candidate for practical applications in electrocatalytic hydrogen production and methanol oxidation.

Reasons, safety and efficacy analysis for conversion of HAART to TAF/FTC/BIC among HIV-infected patients.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to determine the reasons for conversion and elucidate the safety and efficacy of transition to tenofovir alafenamide/emtricitabine/bictegravir sodium (TAF/FTC/BIC) in highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART)-experienced HIV-infected patients in real-world settings. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study. The treatment conversion rationales, safety, and effectiveness in 1684 HIV-infected patients with previous HAART experience who switched to TAF/FTC/BIC were evaluated at Beijing Ditan Hospital from September 2021 to Auguest 2022. RESULTS: Regimen simplification (990/1684, 58.79%) was the most common reason for switching, followed by osteoporosis or osteopenia (375/1684, 22.27%), liver dysfunction (231/1684, 13.72%), decline in tenofovir alafenamide/emtricitabine/elvitegravir/cobicistat (TAF/FTC/EVG/c) with food restriction (215/1684, 12.77%), virological failure (116/1684, 6.89%), and renal dysfunction (90/1684, 5.34%). In patients receiving non-nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTI)-containing regimens, lipid panel changes 1 year after switching indicated a difference of 3.27 ± 1.10 mmol/L vs . 3.40 ± 1.59 mmol/L in triglyceride ( P  = 0.014), 4.82 ± 0.74 mmol/L vs . 4.88 ± 0.72 mmol/L in total cholesterol ( P  = 0.038), 3.09 ± 0.70 mmol/L vs . 3.18 ± 0.66 mmol/L in low-density lipoprotein ( P  <0.001), and 0.99 ± 0.11 mmol/L vs . 0.95 ± 0.10 mmol/L in high-density lipoprotein ( P  <0.001). Conversely, among patients receiving booster-containing regimens, including TAF/FTC/EVG/c and lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r), lipid panel changes presented decreased trends. We also observed an improved trend in viral load suppression, and alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and serum creatinine levels after the transition ( P  <0.001). CONCLUSION: The transition to TAF/FTC/BIC demonstrated good treatment potency. Furthermore, this study elucidates the motivations behind the adoption of TAF/FTC/BIC in real-world scenarios, providing clinical evidence supporting the stable conversion to TAF/FTC/BIC for HAART-experienced patients.

Torsade de pointes associated with long-term antiretroviral drugs in a patient with HIV: a case report.

With the improving life expectancy of patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), there is an increasing health concern of potential toxicity and drug interactions of long-term antiretroviral therapies. We describe a female patient with HIV, who was admitted to the emergency department following an unexplained loss of consciousness. This patient had been on antiretroviral therapy comprising tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, lamivudine, and lopinavir/ritonavir for 12 years. Coincidentally, she had been prescribed terfenadine for urticaria recently. After 3 days on this medication, she suddenly lost her consciousness, with a distinctive electrocardiogram alteration characterized by QT prolongation and torsade de pointes. This symptom recurred several times over a span of 2 days. We postulate that the primary instigator was an elevated concentration of terfenadine, which can be traced back to her antiretroviral therapy regimen comprising lopinavir/ritonavir. This drug is known to impede the metabolism of cytochrome P450 3A4 substrates and consequently elevate terfenadine concentrations.

Supervised machine learning algorithms to predict the duration and risk of long-term hospitalization in HIV-infected individuals: a retrospective study.

Objective: The study aimed to use supervised machine learning models to predict the length and risk of prolonged hospitalization in PLWHs to help physicians timely clinical intervention and avoid waste of health resources. Methods: Regression models were established based on RF, KNN, SVM, and XGB to predict the length of hospital stay using RMSE, MAE, MAPE, and R2, while classification models were established based on RF, KNN, SVM, NN, and XGB to predict risk of prolonged hospital stay using accuracy, PPV, NPV, specificity, sensitivity, and kappa, and visualization evaluation based on AUROC, AUPRC, calibration curves and decision curves of all models were used for internally validation. Results: In regression models, XGB model performed best in the internal validation (RMSE = 16.81, MAE = 10.39, MAPE = 0.98, R2 = 0.47) to predict the length of hospital stay, while in classification models, NN model presented good fitting and stable features and performed best in testing sets, with excellent accuracy (0.7623), PPV (0.7853), NPV (0.7092), sensitivity (0.8754), specificity (0.5882), and kappa (0.4672), and further visualization evaluation indicated that the largest AUROC (0.9779), AUPRC (0.773) and well-performed calibration curve and decision curve in the internal validation. Conclusion: This study showed that XGB model was effective in predicting the length of hospital stay, while NN model was effective in predicting the risk of prolonged hospitalization in PLWH. Based on predictive models, an intelligent medical prediction system may be developed to effectively predict the length of stay and risk of HIV patients according to their medical records, which helped reduce the waste of healthcare resources.

The characteristics of population structure and antimicrobial resistance of Streptococcus suis serotype 8, a non-negligible pathotype.

Streptococcus suis, the leading causative agent of swine streptococcosis, is considered as a severe zoonotic and foodborne pathogen for humans. Characteristics of population structure and pathogenicity of S. suis vary significantly by serotypes. As one of the main pathogenic serotypes causing clinical disease in pigs, very little is known about the pathogenicity, population structure, and antimicrobial resistance of S. suis serotype 8 (SS8). In this study, the genome of 26 SS8 strains isolated from healthy and diseased pigs was sequenced. Together with 38 sequences from NCBI, we found that SS8 population was clustered into 12 sequence types (ST) and 4 minimum core genome (MCG) groups, linked to the geographical distribution. Noteworthily, 10 strains belonged to MCG group 1 which was defined to possess the capacity to cause global outbreaks in our previous study. We found that 75% (9/12) of representative SS8 strains were virulent in mice and zebrafish, including all ST1241 strains. No virulence indicators were identified from 67 putative virulence-associated genes mainly identified among pathogenic serotype 2 strains. Instead, we found that the genotype of some of these genes was correlated to their evolution. All 26 isolates were classified as multidrug-resistant strains by antimicrobial susceptibility testing. The high carrying rate of tetO and ermB, mainly disseminated by integrative mobilizable elements, contributed to the prevalent resistance phenotypes to macrolides, lincosamides and tetracyclines. These findings indicated that the pathogenic potential of SS8 cannot be ignored and provided valuable information for SS8 surveillance.

Stroke among highly active antiretroviral therapy-naive people living with the human immunodeficiency virus in China: a retrospective study of the characteristics, risk factors, and prognosis.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to clarify the characteristics, risk factors, and prognosis of stroke among HAART-naive people living with HIV (PLWH) in China. METHODS: We selected HAART-naive PLWH admitted to Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, from 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2019. Demographic and clinical data were obtained by searching an anonymous electronic case system. Descriptive analysis and logistic regression and Cox proportional hazard models were used to determine the characteristics and predictors of stroke among all HAART-naive PLWH and evaluate the risk factors of mortality in HAART-naive PLWH with stroke. RESULTS: Stroke was diagnosed in 105 cases (3.7%) of 2867 HAART-naive PLWH. Multivariate logistic regression indicated that age of 30-55 years (OR 1.903, 95% CI 1.005-3.603, p = 0.048), age of ≥ 55 years (OR 4.104, 95% CI 1.928-8.737, p < 0.001), and CD4 count of < 200 cells/µL (OR 2.005, 95% CI 1.008-3.985, p = 0.047) were associated with increased odds of stroke. Diabetes (OR 3.268, 95% CI 1.744-6.125, p < 0.001), hypertension (OR 2.301, 95% CI 1.425-3.717, p = 0.001), syphilis (OR 2.003, 95% CI 1.300-3.089, p = 0.002), and complicated AIDS-defining CNS diseases (OR 7.719, 95% CI 4.348-13.703, p < 0.001) were risk factors for stroke. Of the 105 stroke patients, 12 (11.4%) died during hospitalisation, and the risk factors for mortality among patients with stroke were age of > 65 years (AHR: 8.783, 95% CI 1.522-50.668, p = 0.015), complicated severe pneumonia (AHR: 3.940, 95% CI 1.106-14.029, p = 0.034), and AIDS-defining CNS diseases (AHR: 19.766, 95% CI 3.586-108.961, p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: For HAART-naive people living with HIV (PLWH), stroke occurred in various age groups, and early screening for stroke, timely intervention for risk factors among patients in various age groups, and controlling the CD4 count are extremely important in reducing the burden of stroke.

A retrospective study of distribution of HIV associated malignancies among inpatients from 2007 to 2020 in China.

HIV-associated malignancies are responsible for morbidity and mortality increasingly in the era of potent antiretroviral therapy. This study aimed to investigate the distribution of HIV-associated malignancies among inpatients, the immunodeficiency and the effect of antiretroviral therapy (ART) on spectrum of HIV-associated malignancies. A total of 438 cases were enrolled from 2007 to 2020 in Beijing Ditan Hospital. Demographic, clinical and laboratory data, managements, and outcomes were collected and analyzed retrospectively. Of 438 cases, 433 were assigned to non-AIDS-defining cancers (NADCs) (n = 200, 45.7%) and AIDS-defining cancers (ADCs) (n = 233, 53.2%), 5 (1.1%) with lymphoma were not specified further. No significant change was observed in the proportion of NADCs and ADCs as time goes on. Of NADCs, lung cancer (n = 38, 19%) was the most common type, followed by thyroid cancer (n = 17, 8.5%). Patients with ADCs had lower CD4 counts(104.5/µL vs. 314/µL), less suppression of HIVRNA(OR 0.23, 95%CI 0.16-0.35) compared to those with NADCs. ART did not affect spectrum of NADCs, but affect that of ADCs (between patients with detectable and undetectable HIVRNA). ADCs remain frequent in China, and NADCs play an important role in morbidity and mortality of HIV positive population.

Self-healing solid polymer electrolyte based on imine bonds for high safety and stable lithium metal batteries.

Due to their low flammability, good dimensional stability and chemical stability, solid polymer electrolytes are currently attracting extensive interest for building lithium metal batteries. But severe safety issues such as cracks or breakage, resulting in short circuits will prevent their widespread application. Here, we report a new design of self-healing solid polymer electrolyte (ShSPE) based on imine bonds, fabricated from varying amounts of polyoxyethylenebis(amine) and terephthalaldehyde through a simple Schiff base reaction. Moreover, adding diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A improves the flexibility and high stretchability of the polymer electrolyte. The polymer networks exhibit good thermal stability and excellent self-healing characteristics. The ShSPE with the highest NH2-PEG-NH2 content (ShSPE-3) has an improved lithium ion transference number of 0.39, and exhibits an electrochemical stability up to 4.5 V vs. Li/Li+. ShSPE-3 shows the highest ionic conductivity of 1.67 × 10-4 S cm-1 at 60 °C. Besides, the interfacial stability of ShSPE-3 is promoted and the electrolyte membrane exhibits good cycling performance with LiFePO4, and the LiFePO4/Li cell exhibits an initial discharge capacity of 141.3 mA h g -1. These results suggest that self-healing solid polymer electrolytes are promising candidates for high safety and stable lithium metal batteries.

N-Doped Carbon Nanofibers with Interweaved Nanochannels for High-Performance Sodium-Ion Storage.

Although graphite materials have been applied as commercial anodes in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), there still remain abundant spaces in the development of carbon-based anode materials for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). Herein, an electrospinning route is reported to fabricate nitrogen-doped carbon nanofibers with interweaved nanochannels (NCNFs-IWNC) that contain robust interconnected 1D porous channels, produced by removal of a Te nanowire template that is coelectrospun within carbon nanofibers during the electrospinning process. The NCNFs-IWNC features favorable properties, including a conductive 1D interconnected porous structure, a large specific surface area, expanded interlayer graphite-like spacing, enriched N-doped defects and active sites, toward rapid access and transport of electrolyte and electron/sodium ions. Systematic electrochemical studies indicate that the NCNFs-IWNC exhibits an impressively high rate capability, delivering a capacity of 148 mA h g-1 at current density of as high as 10 A g-1 , and has an attractively stable performance over 5000 cycles. The practical application of the as-designed NCNFs-IWNC for a full SIBs cell is further verified by coupling the NCNFs-IWNC anode with a FeFe(CN)6 cathode, which displays a desirable cycle performance, maintaining acapacity of 97 mA h g-1 over 100 cycles.

Dysbiotic gut microbes may contribute to hypertension by limiting vitamin D production.

BACKGROUND: Accumulating studies have suggested that gut microbiota (GM) dysbiosis and vitamin D3 deficiency each play an important role during the progression of hypertension (HTN). However, few studies have characterized the underlying interaction between GM shift and vitamin D3 deficiency in HTN patients. HYPOTHESIS: This study aimed to evaluate the possible crosstalk between GM dysbiosis and vitamin D deficiency in the pathogenesis of HTN. METHODS: In a cohort of 34 HTN patients and 15 healthy controls, we analyzed the fecal microbiota products, GM composition, and the interaction between GM and vitamin D3. RESULTS: Vitamin D3 was significantly decreased in feces of HTN patients (P = .006, vs controls) and was correlated with altered GM, including decreased Shannon index (R2 = 0.1296, P = .0111) and Pielou evenness (R2 = 0.1509, P = .0058). Moreover, vitamin D3 positively correlated with HTN-reduced bacterial genera, including Subdoligranulum (R2 = 0.181, P = .0023), Ruminiclostridium (R2 = 0.1217, P = .014), Intestinimonas (R2 = 0.2036, P = .0011), Pseudoflavonifractor (R2 = 0.1014, P = .0257), Paenibacillus (R2 = 0.089, P = .0373), and Marvinbryantia (R2 = 0.08173, P = .0464). Partial least squares structural equation modeling showed that 27.7% of the total effect of gut microbiome on HTN was mediated by limiting vitamin D production. Finally, receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed the predictive capacity of differential gut microbiome signatures and decreased vitamin D3 to distinguish HTN patients (AUC = 0.749, P = .006). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the GM dysbiosis contributing to the development of HTN might be partially mediated by vitamin D3 deficiency. Future studies involving the underlying mechanism and intervention strategies targeting microbiome composition and vitamin D3 to counteract the progression of HTN are warranted.

Genetic Evolution and Molecular Selection of the HE Gene of Influenza C Virus.

Influenza C virus (ICV) was first identified in humans and swine, but recently also in cattle, indicating a wider host range and potential threat to both the livestock industry and public health than was originally anticipated. The ICV hemagglutinin-esterase (HE) glycoprotein has multiple functions in the viral replication cycle and is the major determinant of antigenicity. Here, we developed a comparative approach integrating genetics, molecular selection analysis, and structural biology to identify the codon usage and adaptive evolution of ICV. We show that ICV can be classified into six lineages, consistent with previous studies. The HE gene has a low codon usage bias, which may facilitate ICV replication by reducing competition during evolution. Natural selection, dinucleotide composition, and mutation pressure shape the codon usage patterns of the ICV HE gene, with natural selection being the most important factor. Codon adaptation index (CAI) and relative codon deoptimization index (RCDI) analysis revealed that the greatest adaption of ICV was to humans, followed by cattle and swine. Additionally, similarity index (SiD) analysis revealed that swine exerted a stronger evolutionary pressure on ICV than humans, which is considered the primary reservoir. Furthermore, a similar tendency was also observed in the M gene. Of note, we found HE residues 176, 194, and 198 to be under positive selection, which may be the result of escape from antibody responses. Our study provides useful information on the genetic evolution of ICV from a new perspective that can help devise prevention and control strategies.

Evolutionary changes of the novel Influenza D virus hemagglutinin-esterase fusion gene revealed by the codon usage pattern.

The codon usage pattern can reveal the adaptive changes that allow virus survival and fitness adaptation to their particular host, as well as the external environment. Although still considered a novel influenza virus, there is an increasing number of influenza D viruses (IDVs) reported. Considering the vital role of the hemagglutinin-esterase fusion (HEF) gene in receptor binding, receptor degradation, and membrane fusion, we investigated the codon usage pattern of the IDV HEF gene to better understand its adaptive changes during evolution. Based on the HEF gene, three groups including, D/OK, D/660, and D/Japan were identified. We found a low codon usage bias, which allowed IDV to replicate in the corresponding hosts by reducing competition during evolution, that was mainly driven by natural selection and mutation pressure, with a profound role of natural selection. Furthermore, the interaction between the codon adaption index (CAI) and the relative codon deoptimization index (RCDI) revealed the adaption of IDV to multiple hosts, especially cattle which is currently considered its reservoir. Additionally, similarity index (SiD) analysis revealed that the swine exerted a stronger evolutionary pressure on IDV than cattle, though cattle is considered the primary reservoir. In addition, the conserved PB1 gene showed a similar pattern of codon usage compared to HEF. Therefore, we hypothesized that IDV has a preference to maintain infection in multiple hosts. The study aids the understanding of the evolutionary changes of IDV, which could assist this novel virus prevention and control.

Ultrasound and computed tomography features of primary acinic cell carcinoma in the parotid gland: a retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to characterize the ultrasound (US) and computed tomography (CT) findings of primary acinic cell carcinoma (AciCC) of the parotid gland. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Seventy patients (70 lesions) with histopathologically proven AciCC underwent US or CT examination. The following characteristics were assessed on US images: size, shape, border, echogenicity, echotexture, internal structure, distal acoustic enhancement, and vascularity. The following characteristics were evaluated on CT images: size, shape, border, density, CT values on plain and contrast-enhanced scans, enhancement pattern, enhancement degree, and surrounding bone destruction. RESULTS: On US images, lesions were irregular, well-defined, hypoechoic, heterogeneous, and poorly vascularized. On CT images, lesions were regular and well-defined, and showed slight heterogeneous enhancement. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that most primary AciCCs show benign features on US and CT.

Ultrasound-mediated vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C) gene microbubble transfection inhibits growth of MCF-7 breast cancer cells.

We evaluated the effects of ultrasound-mediated microbubble transfection of VEGF-C siRNA on breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. MCF-7 cells were transfected with VEGF-C siRNA and the protein and mRNA expression of VEGF-C was tested using Western blot and qRT-PCR. Twenty nude mice tumors were established by injecting with MCF-7 cells, and were randomized into four groups when palpable tumors reached 190 mm3. The length and width of MCF-7 tumors in mice were measured every 3 days. After 20 days, all mice were killed and the expression of VEGF-C in tumor tissue was also detected by Western blot and qRT-PCR. Results showed that VEGF-C siRNA effectively suppressed the protein and mRNA expression of VEGF-C in MCF-7 cells in vitro. VEGF-C siRNA inhibited the growth of human lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) and MCF-7 cells. The volume and weight of MCF-7 tumor in VEGF-C siRNA microbubble with irradiation group were reduced with more extent than that in other groups in vivo. The present study highlights that VEGF-C siRNA in combination with ultrasound-mediated microbubble destruction (UMMD) could be a powerful, promising nonviral technology for breast cancer gene therapy.

[The significance of ultrasound and mammography in the diagnosis of fat necrosis after fat transplantation in breasts].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the significance and images characters of ultrasound and mammography in the diagnosis of fat necrosis after fat transplantation in breasts(FTB). METHODS: From June 2005 to June 2012, 13 cases with 96 fat necrosis lumps after FTB, were retrospectively reviewed. The pre-operative images of ultrasound and mammography, as well as the post-operative histologic results were collected. RESULTS: All the 96 lumps were histologically diagnosed as fat necrosis. They were lipo-necrotic cysts with thin wall(29 lumps), or thick wall(52 lumps), or no wall(15 lumps). The cysts with wall could be distinguished both in the images of ultrasound and mammography, but the cysts without wall could only be found in mammography images, not in ultrasound images. CONCLUSIONS: Most fat necrosis lesions show a special cystic images with thin or thick wall in ultrasound and mammography. Irregular lesions without wall can be distinguished in the mammography images, but may be mis-diagnosed in the images of ultrasound. The images characters of fat necrosis lesions in mammography are not confused with the breast tumor.

Ultrasonographic appearances of mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the salivary glands.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the ability of sonography for diagnosis of mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) in the salivary glands. STUDY DESIGN: Sonographic images of 74 cases were analyzed retrospectively; the features evaluated included size, echogenicity, shape, internal structure, distal acoustic enhancement, and regional lymph node enlargement and vascularization, and categorized them into 3 groups based on histology (low, intermediate, and high grade). RESULTS: The lesion size of low-grade MEC was smaller than those of intermediate- and high-grade MEC. MEC lesions of the salivary glands were mostly associated with heterogeneous echotexture, indistinct margins, irregular shape, and absence of distal acoustic enhancement. They sometimes showed cystic areas, calcifications, regional lymph node enlargement, or were well vascularized on Doppler. There were no significant sonographic differences in low-, intermediate-, and high-grade MEC. CONCLUSIONS: Salivary MEC presents a variety of sonographic appearances, which would aid in the diagnosis of salivary MEC.

Real-time elastography for the differentiation of benign and malignant breast lesions: a meta-analysis.

The prognostic significance of ultrasound real-time elastography (RTE) in patients with breast lesions is controversial. There are two different diagnostic methods: the elasticity score (ES) and the strain ratio (SR). A meta-analysis was performed using a random-effect model to assess the overall sensitivity and specificity of RTE in the differentiation of breast lesions. MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed, and the Cochrane Library before February 2011 were searched. A total of 22 studies, which included 4,713 breast nodules in 4,266 patients were analyzed. The overall mean sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of malignant breast lesions by RTE were 0.834 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.814-0.853] and 0.842 (95% CI, 0.829-0.854) for ES, and 0.883 (95% CI, 0.844-0.916) and 0.814 (95% CI, 0.786-0.839) for SR, respectively. RTE has a high sensitivity and specificity in the evaluation of breast lesions and can potentially reduce unnecessary breast biopsies.

[The effect of cell density on E-cadherins expression, distribution and migration of hepatic cells and hepatoma cells].

This research project was designed to explore the molecular basis of the loss of contact inhibition in hepatoma cells by regulating the cell growth density of hepatic cells (L02) and hepatoma cells (HepG2) respectively. Analyzing the character of morphology, the change of cytoskeleton, the ability of deformation, the expression and distribution of E-cadherins of hepatic cells and hepatoma cells with different density, we found: Hepatoma cells' E-cadherins increased when compared to the hepatic cells'; Hepatic cells' up-regulated E-cadherins, and with their increased growth density, hepatic cells gathered in the contacted areas; Hepatoma cells, however, tended to down-regulate the expression of E-cadherins, and they kept the fusion distribution. The migration rate and net migration distance of these two kinds of cells were inhibited by growth density. Hepatoma cells kept the strong ability of migration, but the migration trace discretization of hepatic cell decreased with the increase of growth density. Hepatoma cells kept the high discretization of migration trace in different growth density. These different results show that hepatic cells are in positive correlation with E-cadherins distribution, and are in negative correlation with its migration. There is no aggregation tendency seen with respect to hepatoma cells' E-cadherins. The effect of hepatoma cells' growth density on migration is not obvious.

Ultrasonographic evaluation of mandibular ameloblastoma: a preliminary observation.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to demonstrate ultrasonographic characteristics of mandibular ameloblastoma and assess the value of ultrasonography in diagnosis of the tumor. STUDY DESIGN: Nineteen subjects with ameloblastomas in the mandibles were examined with ultrasonography. Locations, sizes, internal echoes, boundaries, and blood flow of the tumors were observed and documented. Ultrasonographic appearances of the tumors were compared with histopathological findings. Sensitivity and specificity of Doppler flow signals for prediction of active tumor proliferations were calculated. RESULTS: The main sonographic features of the tumor appeared as a complex cystic mass with solid contents. Most tumors (15/19, 79%) showed no or minimal flow signals on color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI), whereas the remaining 4 lesions demonstrated abundant flow signals. The sensitivity and specificity of the Doppler flow signals for prediction of active tumor proliferations were 100% and 94%, respectively. The ultrasonographic appearances could be classified into 4 types: multilocular (10/19, 53%), honeycomb (4/19, 21%), unilocular (3/19, 16%), and local severe destructive (2/19, 10%). CONCLUSION: Ultrasonography can be used as an effective supplementary diagnostic method for mandibular ameloblastomas. CDFI of tumor vascularity could be used to predict active tumor proliferations.