Endovascular treatment with stenting of celiac artery aneurysms.

This study aimed to detail the clinical outcomes of patients suffering from celiac arterial aneurysm (CAA) that underwent treatment via stent occlusion.This is a single-center, retrospective study. A total of 8 consecutive CAA patients were treated via stent occlusion from March 2014 to September 2018 at our hospital. Follow-up computed tomography was conducted after stenting at 1, 3, 6, and 12-month time points and every year thereafter. Both short- and long-term outcomes were assessed.In total, 8 stents were inserted into these 8 patients, with 2 being uncovered and 6 being covered stents. In 2 patients, stents were positioned in the celiac artery, while in the remaining 6 patients they were placed in the celiac and common hepatic arteries. The median operative duration was 66 minutes. No patients exhibited procedure-associated complications, and the median follow-up duration was 39 months (range: 18-72). Abdominal contrast-enhanced CT analyses of these patients exhibited stent and distal artery patency in 100% of patients, together with CAA obliteration. Visceral necrosis did not occur in any patients over the follow-up period.Stent occlusion can be safely and effectively used to treat CAA patients.

Study on the effect of integrin ανß6 on the proliferation and apoptosis of thyroid carcinoma cells.

PURPOSE: To study the effect of integrin αvß6 on the proliferation and apoptosis of thyroid carcinoma cells. METHODS: The experiment was conducted on 3 groups : the control group, the positive observation group (in which the ανß6 on the surface of the thyroid carcinoma cell line SW579 was blocked by monoclonal antibody 10D5) and the negative observation group (in which the ανß6 was dealt with the negative placebo of 10D5-the IgG2a). Cell proliferation was detected by MTT assay, apoptosis by flow cytometry and the protein levels in Caspase-3, CyclinB1 and Bcl-xl as well as the protein levels in ERK, p-ERK, JNK, p-JNK, p38 and p-p38 were detected by Western blot. RESULTS: The cell survival rates of the control group and the negative observation group were prominently higher than those of the positive observation group, following decrease in the apoptosis rates, and the differences were statistically significant (p<0.05). The protein levels in CyclinB1 and Bcl-x1 of the control group and the negative observation group were prominently higher than those of the positive observation group, whereas the levels in Caspase-3 were decreased; the differences were statistically significant (p<0.05). The protein levels in p-ERK, p-JNK and p-p38 of the control group and the negative observation group were prominently higher than those of the positive observation group, while the protein levels of ERK, JNK and p38 showed no difference. CONCLUSION: Integrin ανß6 can mediate the MAPK signal pathway of the cells and regulate the expression of CyclinB1 and the apoptosis-related proteins like Bcl-x1 and Caspase-2, thus affecting the process of the proliferation and apoptosis of thyroid carcinoma cells.

Feasibility research of treating advanced gastric carcinoma with laparoscopy.

PURPOSE: To determine the feasibility and safety of treating patients with advanced gastric cancer with laparoscopy. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 180 patients with advanced gastric carcinoma and divided them into either the laparoscopy group (96 cases) or the laparotomy group (84 cases). RESULTS: The number of lymph nodes dissected during surgery and the surgical time were similar in both groups. The incision length, total amount of bleeding during the operation, postoperative exhaust recovery time, and the length of hospital stay were significantly improved in the laparoscopy group when compared to the laparotomy group. The rate of postoperative complications was also significantly lower in the laparoscopy group. The levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) at 1, 7, and 10 days after surgery were significantly lower in the laparoscopy group. CONCLUSION: Overall, the laparoscopic radical operation for advanced gastric carcinoma demonstrated higher safety, shorter incision less bleeding, faster postoperative recovery, and lower rate of postoperative complications compared to the laparotomy group. Thus, this study has shown clear advantages for shifting to laparoscopy for the treatment of advanced gastric carcinoma.

Elevated expression of KLK8 predicts poor prognosis in colorectal cancer.

KLK8, also known as neuropsin, is one of fifteen members of the human kallikrein-related peptidase (KLK) gene family, which consists of enzymes with serine protease enzymatic activity. Aberrant KLK8 expression has been reported in several malignancies. However, the clinicopathological significance and prognostic value of KLK8 expression in colorectal cancer (CRC) are unknown. Therefore, analysis of public datasets, quantitative real-time PCR and western blot analysis were performed to assess KLK8 expression in CRC at both the mRNA and protein level. KLK8 expression was also assessed by immunohistochemistry in a tissue microarray containing 124 CRC specimens. We observed that KLK8 was overexpressed in CRC tissues and was significantly associated with TNM stage, vascular invasion, differentiation and AJCC stage. Univariate and multivariate Cox analyses confirmed that KLK8 is a significant independent prognostic factor for both DFS and OS. Cell function assays also indicated that KLK8 could facilitate CRC cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro. In conclusion, elevated KLK8 expression was correlated with the progression of CRC and is a potential independent prognostic indicator for CRC.

Comparison of the breast and areola approaches for endoscopic thyroidectomy in patients with microcarcinoma.

The safety, advantages and disadvantages of thyroidectomy for microcarcinoma through the areola approach and breast approach were compared. Fifty patients diagnosed with thyroid microcarcinoma in our department from January 2014 to June 2015 were selected. The areola approach was carried out for 21 patients whereas the breast approach for 29 patients. Endoscopic thyroid lobectomy, isthmus resection and dissection of central group lymph nodes was performed. The clinical outcomes of the two surgical approaches were compared. Comparing operating time, blood loss during surgery, number of lymph node dissections, postoperative hospitalization time and surgical complications between the surgical approaches, there were no significant differences (P>0.05). Comparing patient satisfaction of cosmetic results from the incisions, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Endoscopic thyroidectomy via areola approach and breast approach have equal curative effects for the treatment of thyroid microcarcinoma. However, the areola approach can achieve better cosmetic results and is a safe and ideal surgical method, that we recommend be widely used.

Inhibition of CDH17 gene expression via RNA interference reduces proliferation and apoptosis of human MKN28 gastric cancer cells.

Gastric cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer and the second cause of cancer­related mortalities worldwide despite the use of multimodal therapy. Cadherins are transmembrane glycoproteins that are involved in tumorigenesis. CDH17 has been found to be over­expressed in gastric cancer and its overexpression was associated with lymph node metastasis and tumor­node­metastasis stage of the patients, yet the exact role and molecular mechanism of CDH17 in gastric cancer have not been determined. Using a lentiviral system as a delivery mediator of RNA interference, we found that inhibition of CDH17 can lead to reduce proliferation and increase apoptosis of gastric cancer cell line MKN28 in vitro and significantly diminish their tumorigenicity in vivo. Our results of the present study suggest that CDH17 may be a promising candidate for the therapeutic targeting of gastric cancer.

A Controlled Study of Alprostadil Liposomal Preparation in the Treatment of Blue Toe Syndrome.

The aim of this study is to examine the efficacy of alprostadil liposomal preparation in the treatment of blue toe syndrome. As many as 32 patients with blue toe syndrome were randomized into the test group and a control group. Patients out of the test group were treated with alprostadil liposomal preparation, while those out of the control group received placebo administration. Inter-group comparisons were conducted for the post-therapeutic changes of microcirculation and improvements of clinical symptoms. In the test group, there were eight subjects with marked response (50.0 %), six subjects with partial response (37.5 %), and two subjects with no response (12.5 %), with the overall response rate of 87.5 %. In the control group, there were three cases (18.8 %), one case (6.4 %), and 12 cases (75 %), respectively, with the overall response rate of 25.0 %. The inter-group difference of response was statistically significant (Χ (2) = 12.987, P = 0.002 < 0.05). In the test group, there was one case of administration site redness which could be resolved spontaneously. No other adverse drug reactions were reported. No any complaints were reported for the control group. The inter-group difference of nail-fold microcirculation was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). The post-therapeutic points of nail-fold microcirculation in the test group decreased significantly (P < 0.05), but no significant changes were observed for the control group (P > 0.05). The post-therapeutic waveform changes of photoelectric plethysmography were significant for the test group in comparison to the control. The safety and efficacy of alprostadil liposomal preparation have been demonstrated in the treatment of blue toe syndrome.

Investigation on etiology of hepatic venous obstruction Budd-Chiari syndrome.

Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS) is an uncommon clinical condition with a complex etiology. Pathogenesis of BCS is still poorly understood. We included hepatic veno-occlusive lesion tissues of 20 patients (patients group) with hepatic venous obstruction BCS and compared with 20 similar tissues with other etiologies (control group). Morphological changes in hepatic veno-occlusive lesion tissues and the positive expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), C-myc, and P-53 were observed by the pathological examination (H&E staining) and immunohistochemistry assay. Our results showed that PCNA and C-myc positive cell densities were significantly higher in patient group than control group. P-53 positive cell density showed increasing trends in patients than control group. Moreover, we observed irregular hyperplasia in intimal tissue, fibrous connective tissue, and smooth muscle cell, accompanied by tissue degeneration (hyaloid degeneration and fibrinoid degeneration) and a large quantity of inflammatory cell infiltration. In conclusion, an overexpression of PCNA, C-myc, and a weak positive expression of P53 might launch the extremely irregular hepatic venous intimal hyperplasia, which is probably one of the etiologies of hepatic venous obstruction BCS.

Krüppel-like factor 4 acts as an oncogene in colon cancer stem cell-enriched spheroid cells.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs), a rare population in any type of cancers, including colon cancer, are tumorigenic. It has been thought that CSCs are responsible for cancer recurrence, metastasis, and drug resistance. Isolating CSCs in colon cancers is challenging, and thus the molecular mechanism regulating the self-renewing and differentiation of CSCs remains unknown. We cultured DLD-1 cells, one of types of cells derived from colon cancers, in serum-free medium to obtain spheroid cells. These cells possessed the characteristics of CSCs, with the expression of CD133, CD166, Lgr5, and ALDH1, higher capacities of chemo-resistance, migration, invasion, and tumorigenicity in vitro and in vivo than the adherent DLD-1 cells. Krüppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) is essential factor for maintaining self-renewal of adult and embryonic stem cells. It has been used to induce pluripotent stem cells (iPS) from somatic cells. Since KLF4 is expressed in colon cancer cells, we investigated its role in spheroid cells isolated from DLD-1 cells and found that KLF4 was overexpressed only in spheroid cells and reducing the expression of KLF4 by short-hairpin RNA significantly decreased the capacities of these cells to resist the chemicals, migrate, invade, and generate tumors in vitro and in vivo. The spheroid cells with reduced KLF4 expression also had decreased expression of CSCs markers and mesenchymal markers. Taken together, culturing DLD-1 cells in serum-free medium enriches CSCs and the expression of KLF4 is essential for the characteristics of CSCs in DLD-1; thus KLF4 can be a potential therapeutic target for treating colon cancer.