Molecularly imprinted electrochemical sensor based on CoNi-MOF/RGO nanocomposites for sensitive detection of the hippuric acid.

Toluene, a volatile organic compound, may have adverse effects on the nervous and digestive system when inhaled over an extended period. The assessment of environmental toluene exposure can be effectively conducted by detecting hippuric acid (HA), a toluene metabolite. In this investigation, a molecularly imprinted electrochemical sensor was developed for HA detection, utilizing the synergistic effects of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and a bimetallic organic skeleton known as CoNi-MOF. Initially, graphene oxide (GO) was synthesized using a modified Hummers' method, and RGO with better conductivity was achieved through reduction with ascorbic acid (AA). Subsequently, CoNi-MOF was introduced to enhance the material's electron transport capabilities further. The molecularly imprinted membrane was then prepared via electropolymerization to enable selective HA recognition. Under optimal conditions, the synthesized sensor exhibited accurate HA detection within a concentration range of 2-800 nM, with a detection limit of 0.97 nM. The sensor's selectivity was assessed using a selectivity coefficient, yielding an imprinting factor of 6.53. The method was successfully applied to the quantification of HA in urine, demonstrating a favorable recovery rate of 93.4%-103.9%. In conclusion, this study presents a practical platform for the detection of human metabolite detection.

Change in three-dimensional choroidal vessel network after AR device assisted 1-hour visual task in 2D/3D mode in young healthy subjects.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to investigate the changes of choroidal blood perfusion in different layers and quadrants and its possible related factors after 1 h visual task by augmented reality (AR) device in two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) mode, respectively. METHODS: Thirty healthy subjects aged 22-37 years watched the same video source in 2D and 3D mode separately using AR glasses for 1 h with a one-week interval. Swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography (SS-OCTA) was performed before and immediately after watching to acquire choroidal thickness (ChT), three-dimensional choroidal vascularity index (CVI) of large- and middle-sized choroidal vessels and choriocapillaris flow voids (FV%) at macular and peripapillary area. Near point of accommodation (NPA) and accommodative facility (AF) were examined to evaluate the accommodative ability. Pupil diameters by infrared-automated pupillometer under scotopic, mesopic and photopic condition were also obtained. RESULTS: Compared with pre-visual task, the subfoveal CVI decreased from 0.406 ± 0.097 to 0.360 ± 0.102 after 2D watching (p < 0.001) and to 0.368 ± 0.102 after 3D watching (p = 0.002). Pupil sizes under different illuminance conditions became smaller after both 2D and 3D watching (all p < 0.001). AF increased after both 2D and 3D watching (both p < 0.05). NPA receded in post-3D watching (p = 0.017) while a not significant tendency was observed in post-2D. CONCLUSION: A reduction in subfoveal choroidal blood flow accompanied with pupil constriction was observed immediately after 1 h visual task using AR glasses in 2D and 3D mode. Accommodative facility improved after 2D and 3D watching with AR glasses, whereas decrease in the maximum accommodation power was only found in 3D mode.

Determination of nine cardiovascular drugs in human plasma by QuEChERS-UPLC-MS/MS.

To determine the concentrations of nine drugs used in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases in human plasma through QuEChERS pre-treatment combined with ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Plasma samples were extracted with 3 mL of acetonitrile, 400 mg of anhydrous magnesium sulfate as a salting agent, and 20 mg of C18 as a sorbent. An Agilent Poroshell 120 EC-C18 column (4.6 × 100 mm, 2.7 µm) was selected and methanol-0.1 % water was used as the mobile phase, and ESI positive ion detection mode was selected. Results: The plasma concentrations of nisoldipine, metoprolol, and prazosin exhibited good linearity within the range of 0.05-4.0 ng/mL (r > 0.99), while atenolol, bisoprolol, propranolol, rosuvastatin, and atorvastatin showed linearity within the range of 0.5-40 ng/mL (r > 0.99). Fluvastatin showed good linearity within the range of 5.0-400 ng/mL. The accuracy of the method ranged from 94.15 to 110.62 %, while the recovery levels were in the range of 85.23 %-115.13 %. The matrix effects were observed between-6.54 % and 12.43 %. The intra-day and inter-day RSD was <15 % for the three concentrations of low, medium, and high. Conclusion The proposed method is rapid, accurate, specific, simple, reproducible, and suitable for the simultaneous measurement of the concentrations of nine drugs used in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases in human plasma.

Determination of five mTOR inhibitors in human plasma for hepatocellular carcinoma treatment using QuEChERS-UHPLC-MS/MS.

A fast and reliable QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe) method for pre-processing combined with Ultra - high performance liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) was established for the analysis of five mammalian rapamycin target protein (mTOR) inhibitors (vistusertib, AZD8055, pictilisib, everolimus, temsirolimus)in human plasma. Extraction was achieved by addition of acetonitrile to the sample followed by anhydrous magnesium sulfate and 30 mg C18 for salting out and purification, respectively. MTOR inhibitors were detected using selective response monitoring (SRM) under positive ion electrospray mode. Vistusertib, AZD8055 and pictilisib showed good linearity with a range of 1-80 ng/ml, Additionally, the concentration of everolimus and temsirolimus was 2.5-200 ng/ml and10-800 ng/ml, respectively. The linear correlation coefficient (R2) of each analysis was ≥ 0.9950. The limit of detection (LOD) and Limit of Quantitation (LOQ) were 0.015-0.75 ng/ml and 1-10 ng/ml, respectively. This method showed a high accuracy with high recovery rate and excellent stability. This method is fast, accurate and reliable, suitable for quantitative detection of mTOR inhibitors in human plasma.

Immobilized horseradish peroxidase on boric acid modified polyoxometalate molecularly imprinted polymer for biocatalytic degradation of phenol in wastewater: Optimized immobilization, degradation and toxicity assessment.

The degradation of phenol from wastewater is crucial for environmental protection. Biological enzymes, such as horseradish peroxidase (HRP), have shown great potential in the degradation of phenol. In this research, we prepared a hollow CuO/Cu2O octahedron adsorbent with a carambola matrix shape through the hydrothermal method. The surface of the adsorbent was modified by silane emulsion self-assembly, where 3-aminophenyl boric acid (APBA) and polyoxometalate (PW9) were combined with silanization reagents and grafted onto the surface. The adsorbent was then molecularly imprinted with dopamine to obtain boric acid modified polyoxometalate molecularly imprinted polymer (Cu@B@PW9@MIPs). This adsorbent was used to immobilize HRP, which served as a biological enzyme catalyst from horseradish. The adsorbent was characterized, and its synthetic conditions, experimental conditions, selectivity, reproducibility, and reusability were evaluated. The maximum adsorption amount of HRP under optimized conditions was 159.1 mg g-1, as determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). At pH 7.0, the immobilized enzyme showed a high efficiency of up to 90.0% in removing phenol, after 20 min of reaction with 25 mmol L-1 H2O2 and 0.20 mg mL-1 Cu@B@PW9@HRP. Growth tests of aquatic plants confirmed that the adsorbent reduced harm. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) tests revealed that the degraded phenol solution contained about fifteen phenol derivatives intermediates. This adsorbent has the potential to become a promising biological enzyme catalyst for dephenolization.

QuEChERS-Based Approach to the Extraction of Five Calcium Channel Blockers from Plasma Determined by UPLC-MS/MS.

Here, a QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) pretreatment method was combined with UPLC-MS/MS to facilitate the rapid and reliable simultaneous detection of five calcium channel blockers (CCBs) in human plasma. For this approach, samples were treated with 1 mL of acetonitrile, 350 mg of magnesium sulfate, and 70 mg of PSA adsorbent prior to centrifugation. Supernatants then underwent gradient elution for 8 min with an Agilent C18 column using an acetonitrile-water solution supplemented with 5 mmol⋅L-1 of ammonium acetate. This technique exhibited a good linear response in the 1-800 ng⋅mL-1 range for the analyzed drugs, with an R2≥ 0.9921, an accuracy of 87.54-113.05%, a matrix effect (ME) of 91.21-116.39%, a precision of 0.19-11.64%, and stability of no more than 10.05%. This time-saving QuEChERS reagent-based pretreatment technique thus allowed for the simultaneous and accurate detection of five CCBs in human plasma samples, providing a promising new basis for therapeutic drug monitoring in patients with hypertension.

The Impact of Corneal Epithelial Thickening and Inhomogeneity on Corneal Aberrations After Small Incision Lenticule Extraction.

PURPOSE: To investigate the corneal epithelial remodeling profile after small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE), the correlated explanatory variables, and its potential impact on corneal higher order aberrations (HOAs). METHODS: This single-center study prospectively evaluated 75 right eyes of 75 patients scheduled for SMILE. An anterior segment optical coherence tomography device was used to automatically obtain central 6-mm corneal epithelial thickness (ET), total corneal HOAs, and individual Zernike components before and after surgery. The ET inhomogeneity over the central 3- and 6-mm cornea was quantified with coefficient of variance (CV). RESULTS: Both ET and CV significantly increased 1 month postoperatively (all P < .05). The stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that ET and CV were significantly correlated with preoperative ET and CV, respectively (all P < .01). The corrected spherical equivalent also significantly influenced ET and CV (all P < .01). Over the central 6-mm zone, the alterations of total corneal HOAs and individual Zernike components such as vertical coma (Z7) and spherical aberration (Z12, Z24) were significantly correlated with ET and CV (all P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: The SMILE-induced epithelial remodeling involved both ET and ET inhomogeneity. The modulation was associated with preoperative and treatment parameters, and exerted a significant impact on corneal HOA alterations especially over the central 6-mm cornea. Together with the amount of correction and corneal curvature gradient change, preoperative assessment of ET and ET inhomogeneity might help predict postoperative epithelial remodeling. [J Refract Surg. 2023;39(1):23-32.].

Spatial influence of engineering construction on traffic accidents, a case study of Jinan.

Due to urban construction, engineering transport vehicles are gradually increased on roads, which might speed up traffic accident risks. To investigate the influence of urban construction on traffic accidents, this paper adopted 1977 traffic accidents of engineering transport vehicles and 220 engineering construction projects for correlation analysis. First, considering three degrees (Major, Ordinary and Minor) of accidents, the spatial autocorrelation test of engineering transport vehicle accidents is carried out by using spatial econometric. Then to further evaluate and analyze the spatial regression model, the optimal model is selected to analyze the spatial influence of the floor area of different types of engineering construction projects on the accidents of engineering transport vehicles. The results show that the accident of engineering transport vehicles itself is spatially dependent, that is, the higher the severity of the accident, the more concentrated it is in space, and there is a significant spatial positive correlation with engineering construction projects. And the floor areas of synthetic land, residential land, commercial land and land for roads and transportation facilities have significant spatial effects on engineering transport vehicle accidents, and the indirect effects are also concerned. The increase of floor area of roads and transportation facilities is more likely to induce accidents of engineering transport vehicles. For every 10,000 square meters of the floor area of roads and transportation facilities, there are 12.66 accidents of engineering transport vehicles in the region and its neighboring areas.

Rapid Determination of 9 Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors for the Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Human Plasma by QuEChERS-UPLC-MS/MS.

A reliable and rapid method employing QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe) pretreatment coupled with ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was successfully developed and validated for the analysis of nine tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in human plasma. Biological samples were extracted with acetonitrile and salted out with 350 mg of anhydrous magnesium sulfate (MgSO4), followed by purification with 40 mg of ethyl enediamine-N-propylsilane (PSA) adsorbents. All analytes and internal standards (IS) were separated on the Hypersil GOLD VANQUISH C18 (2.1 mm × 100 mm, 1.9 µM) column using the mobile phases composed of acetonitrile (phase A) and 0.1% formic acid in water (phase B) for 8.0 min. Detection was performed by selection reaction monitoring (SRM) in the positive ion electrospray mode. Lenvatinib, sorafenib, cabozantinib, apatinib, gefitinib, regorafenib, and anlotinib rendered good linearity over the range of 0.1-10 ng/ml, and 1-100 ng/ml for tivantinib and galunisertib. All linear correlation coefficients for all standard curves were ≥ 0.9966. The limits of detection (LOD) and the limits of quantitation (LOQ) ranged from 0.003 to 0.11 ng/ml and 0.01-0.37 ng/ml, respectively. The method was deemed satisfactory with an accuracy of -7.34-6.64%, selectivity, matrix effect (ME) of 90.48-107.77%, recovery, and stability. The proposed method is simple, efficient, reliable, and applicable for the detection of TKIs in human plasma samples as well as for providing a reference for the clinical adjustment of drug administration regimen by monitoring the drug concentrations in the plasma of patients.

Spatial meta-transcriptomics reveal associations of intratumor bacteria burden with lung cancer cells showing a distinct oncogenic signature.

BACKGROUND: The lung intratumor microbiome influences lung cancer tumorigenesis and treatment responses, but detailed data on the extent, location, and effects of microbes within lung tumors are missing, information needed for improved prognosis and treatment. METHODS: To address this gap, we developed a novel spatial meta-transcriptomic method simultaneously detecting the expression level of 1,811 host genes and 3 microbe targets (bacteria, fungi, and cytomegalovirus). After rigorous validation, we analyzed the spatial meta-transcriptomic profiles of tumor cells, T cells, macrophages, other immune cells, and stroma in surgically resected tumor samples from 12 patients with early-stage lung cancer. RESULTS: Bacterial burden was significantly higher in tumor cells compared with T cells, macrophages, other immune cells, and stroma. This burden increased from tumor-adjacent normal lung and tertiary lymphoid structures to tumor cells to the airways, suggesting that lung intratumor bacteria derive from the latter route of entry. Expression of oncogenic ß-catenin was strongly correlated with bacterial burden, as were tumor histological subtypes and environmental factors. CONCLUSIONS: Intratumor bacteria were enriched with tumor cells and associated with multiple oncogenic pathways, supporting a rationale for reducing the local intratumor microbiome in lung cancer for patient benefit. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT00242723, NCT02146170.

Artificial Intelligence-based Tumor Segmentation in Mouse Models of Lung Adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Mouse models are highly effective for studying the pathophysiology of lung adenocarcinoma and evaluating new treatment strategies. Treatment efficacy is primarily determined by the total tumor burden measured on excised tumor specimens. The measurement process is time-consuming and prone to human errors. To address this issue, we developed a novel deep learning model to segment lung tumor foci on digitally scanned hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) histology slides. METHODS: Digital slides of 239 mice from 9 experimental cohorts were split into training (n=137), validation (n=37), and testing cohorts (n=65). Image patches of 500×500 pixels were extracted from 5× and 10× magnifications, along with binary masks of expert annotations representing ground-truth tumor regions. Deep learning models utilizing DeepLabV3+ and UNet architectures were trained for binary segmentation of tumor foci under varying stain normalization conditions. The performance of algorithm segmentation was assessed by Dice Coefficient, and detection was evaluated by sensitivity and positive-predictive value (PPV). RESULTS: The best model on patch-based validation was DeepLabV3+ using a Resnet-50 backbone, which achieved Dice 0.890 and 0.873 on validation and testing cohort, respectively. This result corresponded to 91.3 Sensitivity and 51.0 PPV in the validation cohort and 93.7 Sensitivity and 51.4 PPV in the testing cohort. False positives could be reduced 10-fold with thresholding artificial intelligence (AI) predicted output by area, without negative impact on Dice Coefficient. Evaluation at various stain normalization strategies did not demonstrate improvement from the baseline model. CONCLUSIONS: A robust AI-based algorithm for detecting and segmenting lung tumor foci in the pre-clinical mouse models was developed. The output of this algorithm is compatible with open-source software that researchers commonly use.

Analysis of Tear Function Outcomes following Collagen Cross-Linking Treatment in Ectatic Corneas.

Purpose: To analyze tear function outcomes following collagen cross-linking (CXL) treatment in ectatic corneas. Methods: Fifty-seven eyes of 34 patients were included, and patients with keratoconus who underwent epithelium-on (epi-on) or epithelium-off (epi-off) CXL were evaluated. The following tests were performed preoperatively and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively: best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), maximum keratometry value (Kmax), ocular surface disease index (OSDI) questionnaire, slit-lamp examination, tear meniscus height, first noninvasive Keratograph breakup time (1st NIKBUT), average NIKBUT, and bulbar redness. Results: BCVA improved in both epi-on and epi-off groups at most follow-up points, but was not significantly different between groups. At 12-month follow-up, Kmax in the epi-on and epi-off groups improved after CXL, but there was no significant difference between the groups. The OSDI in both groups decreased after operation compared with before surgery, and there was no significant difference between the two groups. Comparing the two groups, only the change in the tear meniscus height at 6 months postoperatively was statistically significant, and the pre- and postoperative values of the two groups were within the normal range (>0.20 mm). The change was small and had no clinical significance. There was no change in the 1st NIKBUT and average NIKBUT between the epi-on and epi-off groups. A change in bulbar redness was significantly better in the epi-off group than in the epi-on group at 3 months postoperatively. Comparing the effects at 1 year postoperatively, both groups had positive results in OSDI, NIKBUT, tear meniscus height, and bulbar redness. Conclusion: Both epi-on and epi-off CXL can control the progression of keratoconus, although epi-off CXL is more effective. Both methods have a positive effect on dry eye, which can improve the condition of the tear film and reduce dry eye symptoms in patients with keratoconus.

Comprehensive economic evaluation of enhanced recovery after surgery in hepatectomy.

BACKGROUND: Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) is attracting extensive attention and being widely applied to reduce postoperative stress and accelerate recovery. However, the economic benefits of ERAS are less clarified at the social level. We aimed to assess the economic impact of ERAS in hepatectomy from the perspectives of patients, hospitals and society, as well as identify the approach to create the economic benefits of ERAS. METHODS: By combining the literature and national statistical data, the cost-effectiveness framework was clarified, and parameter values were determined. Cost-effectiveness analysis, cost-benefit analysis and cost-minimisation analysis were used to compare ERAS and conventional treatment from the perspectives of patients, hospitals and society. The capital flow diagram was used to analyse the change between them. RESULTS: ERAS significantly reduced the economic burden of disease on patients ($8935.02 vs $10,470.02). The hospital received an incremental benefit in ERAS (the incremental benefit cost ratio value is 1.09), and the total social cost was reduced ($5958.67 vs $6725.80). Capital flow diagram analysis demonstrated that the average daily cost per capita in the ERAS group increased ($669.51 vs $589.98), whereas the benefits depended on the reduction of hospital stay and productivity loss. CONCLUSION: The mechanism by which ERAS works is to reduce the average length of stay, thereby reducing the economic burden and productivity loss on patients and promoting the hospital bed turnover rate. Therefore, ERAS should further focus on accelerating the rehabilitation process, and more economic support (such as subsidies) should be given to hospitals to carry out ERAS.

Lag of accommodation predicts clinically significant change of spherical equivalents after cycloplegia.

AIM: To evaluate related factors with the change of spherical equivalents (ΔSE) and determine the suitable predictor of clinically significant ΔSE (≥0.50 D) with cyclopentolate hydrochloride on Chinese children. METHODS: A total of 145 right eyes of 145 children aged 4 to 15y were enrolled. Intraocular pressure, axial length and lag of accommodation (LOA) were assessed before cycloplegia induced by 3 drops of 1% cyclopentolate at 5-minute intervals. SE was measured before and 1h after the first drop of cyclopentolate. ΔSE was compared between different gender groups and among refractive groups. Multivariate linear regression analysis was performed to find related factors with ΔSE. ROC analysis was used to figure out the suitable predictor of clinically significant ΔSE. RESULTS: For the total 145 eyes, the mean SE reached up to -0.70±1.86 D from -1.30±1.62 D, with the mean ΔSE of 0.60±0.55 D. The mean ΔSE were 0.63±0.55 D and 0.57±0.56 D respectively in the male and female group (P=0.40). The mean ΔSE was significantly different among different refractive groups (P<0.0001), with the ΔSE of hyperopia group (1.12±0.64 D) larger than that of the emmetropia (0.56±0.43 D, P=0.001) and myopia group (0.32±0.28 D, P<0.0001). The ΔSE was correlated with LOA (B=-0.54, P<0.0001), cycloplegic SE (B=0.10, P<0.0001) and age (B=-0.04, P=0.015). ROC curve indicated that LOA predicted clinically significant ΔSE by 82% [area under the curve (AUC)=0.82] alone, while the value was slightly improved to 85% (AUC=0.85) in combination with axial length and 86% (AUC=0.86) in association with axial length as well as age. CONCLUSION: After cycloplegia with cyclopentolate, the ΔSE decreases with larger LOA, longer axial length and older age. Specifically, LOA plays a more vital role in predicting clinically significant ΔSE.

Host-Microbiome Interaction in Lung Cancer.

Commensal microbiota has emerged as an essential biomarker and regulator of both tumorigenesis and response to cancer therapy. However, our current knowledge about microbiota in cancer has been largely limited to intestinal microbiota. As a mucosal organ harboring one of the largest surface areas in the body, the lung is exposed to a variety of microbes through inhalation and micro-aspiration, and is colonized by a diverse bacterial community in both physiological and pathological conditions. Importantly, increasing evidence has linked the lung microbiome to cancer development. Studies in lung cancer patients and mouse models have revealed tumor-associated dysregulation of the local microbiome in the lung, which in turn impacts cancer progression by shaping the tumor microenvironment and modulating the activity of tumor-infiltrating immune cells. These findings not only provide novel mechanistic insight into the biology of lung cancer but also shed light on new therapeutic targets and strategies for lung cancer prevention and treatment. The goal of this review is to discuss the key findings, remaining questions, and future directions in this new and exciting field.

Agreement of Corrected Intraocular Pressure Values Between Corvis ST and Pentacam in Patients With Keratoconus, Subclinical Keratoconus, and Normal Cornea.

PURPOSE: To analyze the agreement of corrected intraocular pressure (IOP) values between Corvis ST (ΔIOP1) and Pentacam (ΔIOP2) in patients with keratoconus (KC), subclinical KC (sub-KC), and normal cornea. METHODS: In total, 235 eyes were divided into KC, sub-KC, and control groups. Differences in ΔIOP1 (biomechanically corrected IOP minus uncorrected IOP) and ΔIOP2 (central corneal thickness-corrected amounts of IOP) were analyzed within and among groups. Topographical and biomechanical differences were compared among the 3 groups. Factors affecting differences between ΔIOP1 and ΔIOP2 were analyzed. Agreement analysis of ΔIOP2 and ΔIOP1 was performed by Bland-Altman plots for all 3 groups. RESULTS: Mean ΔIOP1 was highest in the KC group (1.23 ± 0.84 mm Hg), followed by sub-KC and control groups (all P < 0.05). Deformation amplitude ratio at 2 mm (DA-2 mm), integrated radius, stiffness parameter at first applanation, and Corvis biomechanical index values significantly differed between sub-KC and control groups. The differences between ΔIOP1 and ΔIOP2 were affected by stiffness parameter at first applanation, after adjusting for central corneal thickness and age, in all 3 groups. The lowest agreement between ΔIOP2 and ΔIOP1 was observed in the KC group (mean difference: 1.90 mm Hg; 95% limit of agreement ranged from -0.2 to 3.9 mm Hg). CONCLUSIONS: Among the 3 groups in this study, the KC group exhibited the worst consistency between ΔIOP2 and ΔIOP1. For the sub-KC and control groups, corrected IOP values derived by Pentacam were similar to Corvis ST. Ophthalmologists should carefully consider the mechanical properties of eyes with KC during IOP management.

Unexpected guests in the tumor microenvironment: microbiome in cancer.

Although intestinal microbiome have been established as an important biomarker and regulator of cancer development and therapeutic response, less is known about the role of microbiome at other body sites in cancer. Emerging evidence has revealed that the local microbiota make up an important part of the tumor microenvironment across many types of cancer, especially in cancers arising from mucosal sites, including the lung, skin and gastrointestinal tract. The populations of bacteria that reside specifically within tumors have been found to be tumor-type specific, and mechanistic studies have demonstrated that tumor-associated microbiota may directly regulate cancer initiation, progression and responses to chemo- or immuno-therapies. This review aims to provide a comprehensive review of the important literature on the microbiota in the cancerous tissue, and their function and mechanism of action in cancer development and treatment.

Insufficient Post-operative Energy Intake Is Associated With Failure of Enhanced Recovery Programs After Laparoscopic Colorectal Cancer Surgery: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: Although enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) has been proven to be beneficial after laparoscopic colorectal surgery, some of the patients may fail to complete the ERAS program during hospitalization. This prospective study aims to evaluate the risk factors associated with ERAS failure after laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgery. Methods: This is a prospective study from a single tertiary referral hospital. Patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer who met the inclusion criteria were included in this study. Demographic and clinicopathological characteristics were collected. Post-operative activity time and 6-min walking distance (6MWD) were measured. Patients were divided into ERAS failure group and ERAS success according to decreased post-operative activity and 6MWD. Factors associated with ERAS failure were investigated by univariate and multivariate analysis. Results: A total of 91 patients with colorectal cancer were included. The incidence of ERAS failure is 28.6% among all patients. Patients in ERAS failure group experienced higher rate of post-operative ileus and prolonged hospital stay (p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that older age (p = 0.006), body mass index ≥25.5 kg/m2 (p = 0.037), smoking (p = 0.002), operative time (p = 0.048), and post-operative energy intake <18.5 kcal/kg•d (p = 0.045) were independent risk factors of ERAS failure after laparoscopic colorectal surgery. Conclusions: Our findings indicated that a proportion of patients may fail the ERAS program after laparoscopic colorectal surgery. We for the first time showed that post-operative energy intake was an independent risk factor for ERAS failure. This may provide evidence for further investigation on precise measurement of nutritional status and selected high-risk patients for enhanced nutrition support.

Age distribution and associated factors of cornea biomechanical parameter stress-strain index in Chinese healthy population.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the new cornea biomechanical parameter stress-strain index (SSI) in Chinese healthy people and the factors associated with SSI. METHODS: A total of 175 eyes from 175 participants were included in this study. Axial length was measured with the Lenstar LS-900. Pentacam measured curvature of the cornea and anterior chamber volume (ACV). Cornea biomechanical properties assessments were performed by corneal visualization Scheimpflug technology (Corvis ST). Student's t-test, one-way ANOVA, partial least square linear regression (PLSLR) and linear mixed effects (LME) model were used in the statistical analysis. RESULTS: The mean (±SD) SSI was 1.14 ± 0.22 (range, 0.66-1.78) in all subjects and affected by age significantly after age of 35 (P < 0.05). In LME models, SSI was significantly associated with age (ß = 0.526, P < 0.001), axial length (AL) (ß = - 0.541, P < 0.001), intraocular pressure (IOP) (ß = 0.326, P < 0.001) and steepest radius of anterior corneal curvature (RsF) (ß = 0.229, P < 0.001) but not with ACV, biomechanical corrected intraocular pressure (bIOP), flattest radius of anterior corneal curvature (RfF) or central corneal thickness (CCT) (P > 0.05 for each). CONCLUSIONS: SSI increased with age after the age of 35. In addition to age, SSI was positively correlated with RsF and IOP, while negatively correlated with AL.