Dramatically Accelerating II-I Crystal Phase Transition of Polybutene­1 by In Situ Incorporation of H-Shape Long-Chain-Branching Structures.

This communication reports an effective strategy helping address the long-troubling melt processing issue of isotactic polybutene-1 (i-PB) caused by its extremely slow II-I crystal phase transition. The solution lies in a facile synthesis of i-PB containing H-shape long-chain-branching structures (LCB-i-PB) by applying a so-called ω-alkenylmethyldichlorosilane copolymerization-hydrolysis (ACH) chemistry to butene-1 polymerization with Ziegler-Natta or metallocene catalysts. It is evident that the H-shape LCB structures effectively enhance chain entanglements of i-PB and induce an over-the-board acceleration of the overall melt crystallization process including nucleation, form II crystallization, and form II-form I phase transition. As i-PB usually requires up to a week to reach equilibrium of the II-I phase transition, it is found that with LCB-i-PB such a transition is almost finished within as short as 24 h to even higher degrees.

Microporous Organic Network: Superhydrophobic Coating to Protect Metal-Organic Frameworks from Hydrolytic Degradation.

Despite the rapid development of versatile metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), the synthesis of water-stable MOFs remains challenging, which significantly limits their practical applications. Herein, a novel engineering strategy was developed to prepare superhydrophobic MOFs by an in situ fluorinated microporous organic network (FMON) coating. Through controllable modification, the resulting MOF@FMON retained the porosity and crystallinity of the pristine MOFs. Owing to the superhydrophobicity of the FMON and the feasibility of MOF synthesis, the FMON coating could be in situ integrated with various water-sensitive MOFs to provide superhydrophobicity. The coating thickness and hydrophobicity of the MOF@FMON composites were easily regulated by changing the FMON monomer concentration. The MOF@FMON composites exhibited excellent oil/water separation and catalytic activities and enhanced durability in aqueous solutions. This study provides a general approach for the synthesis of superhydrophobic MOFs, expanding the application scope of MOFs.

Golgi_DF: Golgi proteins classification with deep forest.

Introduction: Golgi is one of the components of the inner membrane system in eukaryotic cells. Its main function is to send the proteins involved in the synthesis of endoplasmic reticulum to specific parts of cells or secrete them outside cells. It can be seen that Golgi is an important organelle for eukaryotic cells to synthesize proteins. Golgi disorders can cause various neurodegenerative and genetic diseases, and the accurate classification of Golgi proteins is helpful to develop corresponding therapeutic drugs. Methods: This paper proposed a novel Golgi proteins classification method, which is Golgi_DF with the deep forest algorithm. Firstly, the classified proteins method can be converted the vector features containing various information. Secondly, the synthetic minority oversampling technique (SMOTE) is utilized to deal with the classified samples. Next, the Light GBM method is utilized to feature reduction. Meanwhile, the features can be utilized in the penultimate dense layer. Therefore, the reconstructed features can be classified with the deep forest algorithm. Results: In Golgi_DF, this method can be utilized to select the important features and identify Golgi proteins. Experiments show that the well-performance than the other art-of-the state methods. Golgi_DF as a standalone tools, all its source codes publicly available at https://github.com/baowz12345/golgiDF. Discussion: Golgi_DF employed reconstructed feature to classify the Golgi proteins. Such method may achieve more available features among the UniRep features.

Translation and validation of the Pancreatic Cancer Disease Impact score for Chinese patients with pancreatic cancer: A methodological and cross-sectional study.

Objective: We aimed to establish and validate the Chinese version of the Pancreatic Cancer Disease Impact (C-PACADI) score for Chinese patients with pancreatic cancer (PC). Methods: This was a methodological and cross-sectional study. We established the C-PACADI score following Beaton's translation guidelines and then included 209 patients with PC to evaluate C-PACADI's reliability and validity. Results: The Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the C-PACADI score was 0.822. The correlation coefficient between "skin itchiness" score and the total score was 0.224, while the correlation coefficients ranged from 0.515 to 0.688 (P â€‹< â€‹0.001) for all the other items. The item content validity index and the scale content validity index, evaluated by eight experts were 0.875 and 0.98, respectively. Regarding concurrent validity, the total score of the C-PACADI score was moderately correlated with the EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D) index and the EQ-5D VAS score (r â€‹= â€‹-0.738, P â€‹< â€‹0.01; r â€‹= â€‹-0.667, P â€‹< â€‹0.01, respectively); the individual-item scores of C-PACADI on pain/discomfort, anxiety, loss of appetite, fatigue, and nausea were strongly associated with the corresponding symptoms of the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System scale (r ranged from 0.879 to 0.916, P â€‹< â€‹0.01). The known-group validity was demonstrated by C-PACADI's ability to detect significant symptom differences between groups stratified by treatment modalities (P â€‹< â€‹0.05) and health status (P â€‹< â€‹0.001). Conclusions: The C-PACADI score is a suitable disease-specific tool for measuring the prevalence and severity of multiple symptoms in the Chinese population with PC.

Chemosensory Protein 2 of Male Athetis lepigone Is Involved in the Perception of Sex Pheromones and Maize Volatiles.

In moths, the interactions between chemosensory proteins (CSPs) and sex pheromones have yet to be comprehensively investigated. Here, we examined the function of AlepCSP2 in male Athetis lepigone based on protein expression, molecular docking, site-directed mutagenesis, fluorescence competitive binding analyses, and RNA interference (RNAi) experiments. We found that AlepCSP2 showed strong binding affinity for two sex pheromones and five maize volatiles and that binding was optimal under neutral conditions. Furthermore, we identified six amino acids as being key residues involved in the interaction between AlepCSP2 and multiple ligands. Further RNAi showed that siCSP2 males displayed consistently lower electroantennography responses to two sex pheromones and three maize volatiles at different dosages tested, and the mating rate also decreased significantly by 37.50%. These findings will contribute to characterizing the binding mechanisms of moth CSPs to sex pheromones and host volatiles and also identify unique targets for developing novel pest behavior disruptors.

Room-temperature synthesis of dual-functionalized magnetic microporous organic network for efficient extraction of vanillins in food.

Microporous organic networks (MONs) are promising materials for the magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) of trace targets from diverse complex samples. However, all the reported magnetic MONs (MMONs) are mono-functionalized and synthesized by refluxing at high temperatures, which is not an energy-efficient and environmentally friendly method. Here, for the first time, we report the room-temperature fabrication of a novel dual-functionalized MMON (MMON-B) for the efficient MSPE of typical vanillin additives from food samples prior to high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The conjugated MMON-B with numerous -OH and -NH2 groups afforded good extraction for vanillins via π-π, hydrophobic, and hydrogen-bonding interactions. The factors affecting the extraction were studied in detail. Under the optimal conditions, the developed MMON-B-MSPE-HPLC-UV method exhibited wide linear range (0.50-1200 µg L-1), low limits of detection (0.10-0.15 µg L-1), and good reusability and stability. Therefore, MMON-B was successfully used to enrich vanillins in complex food samples. The morphology and extraction efficiency of the room-temperature synthesized MMON-B were comparable with those of the MMON-B synthesized via the conventional reflux method, indicating that the room-temperature fabrication method is a good alternative to the reflux method. This study presents the feasibility of using a room-temperature method for synthesizing dual-functionalized MONs, and the findings may significantly promote the application of MONs in the MSPE of trace targets from complex matrices.

Case Report: Small intestinal metastatic breast cancer: A case report and literature review.

Breast cancer is considered a malignant tumor with the highest incidence among women and is prone to develop distant metastasis. Small intestinal metastasis of breast cancer, however, is relatively rare. This case report describes a 49-year-old Chinese female patient who presented with small intestinal obstruction and was diagnosed with lobular breast cancer with small intestinal and contralateral breast metastasis. Clinical manifestations, clinicopathological features and potential mechanisms of metastasis, along with diagnosis and treatment, are discussed with a review of the relevant literature. Although small intestinal metastasis is rare in breast cancer, we should keep high alert on the possibility of gastrointestinal metastasis when treating lobular breast cancer patients.

Population Growth Performance of Arma custos (Faricius) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) at Different Temperatures.

Arma custos (Fabricius) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is a natural predator that can control various agricultural and forestry pests. This study aimed to clarify the effects of temperature on the growth, reproduction, and population of the predator and to simulate its population growth. Using the age-stage, two-sex life table method, 18°C, 22°C, 26°C, 30°C, and 34°C were selected as the temperature conditions. A. custos can complete its life cycle at 18°C-30°C, and the developmental duration of each A. custos stage, adult pre-oviposition period, total pre-oviposition period, and the mean generation time (T) were shortened with the increase in temperature. The pre-adult mortality was significantly reduced at 26°C and 30°C. In addition, the fecundity of a single female and the gross reproductive rate were the highest at 30°C. Significant differences were observed in the intrinsic rate of increase (r) and the finite rate of increase (λ) under different temperature conditions, and both reached the maximum at 30°C. Results showed that adult A. custos raised at 26°C had a longer lifespan and the fecundity was higher at 30°C in comparison with the other temperatures. This study is the first to report the life cycle of A. custos at different temperatures, and the results can provide a scientific theoretical basis for the indoor artificial reproduction, outdoor release, and colonization of A. custos.

Effects of body mass index and serum albumin on overall survival in patients with cancer undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy: a single-center retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to explore whether body mass index (BMI) and albumin were associated with overall survival (OS) in individuals who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) for cancer. METHODS: Three-hundred twenty-nine consecutive patients who underwent PD for cancer were enrolled from January 2020 to December 2020. All clinicopathological information was extracted based on medical records. The survival follow-ups were regularly performed and ended on June 30, 2021. The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and univariate and multivariate Cox proportional-hazards models were used to assess the association of BMI and albumin with OS. RESULTS: Of the 329 patients, 186 (56.5%) were male, and median age at admission was 65.0 (56.0-71.0) years. There were 258 patients (78.4%) with BMI < 25.0 kg/m2 and 89 patients (27.05%) with albumin < 35.0 g/L respectively. In overall cohort, BMI < 25.0 kg/m2 was associated with OS (adjusted HR = 3.516, 95% CI = 1.076-11.492, P = 0.037). In contrast, albumin < 35.0 g/L did not affect OS. Subgroup analysis showed, in patients with pancreas lesion, BMI < 25.0 kg/m2 had a higher risk for OS compared to BMI ≥ 25.0 kg/m2 (adjusted HR = 3.209, 95% CI = 0.985-10.451, P = 0.048), while albumin < 35.0 g/L was not linked to OS. In patients with lesion in ampulla of Vater, duodenum, or common bile duct, there was no significant association of BMI and albumin with OS. CONCLUSIONS: BMI, rather than serum albumin, was associated with OS in patients who underwent PD for cancer.

A Preliminary Report of One-Session Treatment with Cranioplasty and Superficial Temporal Artery-Middle Cerebral Artery Bypass for Hemorrhagic Moyamoya Disease Patients with Skull Defect.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to conduct a retrospective analysis of the safety and efficacy of one-session treatment with cranioplasty and superficial temporal artery-middle cerebral artery (STA-MCA) bypass after decompressive craniectomy in hemorrhagic moyamoya disease (MMD). METHODS: From March 2019 to August 2021, 5 patients with hemorrhagic MMD after DC were admitted in Nanfang Hospital. All patients underwent digital subtraction angiography to exclude any spontaneous revascularization between the cortex and temporal muscle and the preservation of STA. Then one-stage treatment with STA-MCA bypass and cranioplasty were performed. If no suitable recipient artery was available, an encephalo-myo-synangiosis procedure was used as a salvage plan. RESULTS: Four patients underwent direct STA-MCA bypass, while one underwent encephalo-myo-synangiosis due to absence of a suitable recipient artery. All patients had no hemorrhage on postoperative computed tomography, and no new infarcts were detected on magnetic resonance imaging. There were no new recurrent symptoms at clinical follow-up 8 to 24 months after surgery. Three patients had improved Glasgow Outcome Scale scores, and 2 patients had stable Glasgow Outcome Scale scores. Perfusion computed tomography showed improvement in cerebral hemodynamics. Four follow-up digital subtraction angiographies were performed, suggesting graft patency. CONCLUSIONS: One-session treatment with extracranial to intracranial bypass and cranioplasty are safe and effective in patients with MMD who have undergone previous decompressive craniectomy due to hemorrhagic attack.

ECG Signal-Enabled Automatic Diagnosis Technology of Heart Failure.

Usually, heart failure occurs when heart-related diseases are developed and continue to deteriorate veins and arteries. Heart failure is the final stage of heart disease, and it has become an important medical problem, particularly among the aging population. In medical diagnosis and treatment, the examination of heart failure contains various indicators such as electrocardiogram. It is one of the relatively common ways to collect heart failure or attack related information and is also used as a reference indicator for doctors. Electrocardiogram indicates the potential activity of patient's heart and directly reflects the changes in it. In this paper, a deep learning-based diagnosis system is presented for the early detection of heart failure particularly in elderly patients. For this purpose, we have used two datasets, Physio-Bank and MIMIC-III, which are publicly available, to extract ECG signals and thoroughly examine heart failure. Initially, a heart failure diagnosis model which is based on attention convolutional neural network (CBAM-CNN) is proposed to automatically extract features. Additionally, attention module adaptively learns the characteristics of local features and efficiently extracts the complex features of the ECG signal to perform classification diagnosis. To verify the exceptional performance of the proposed network model, various experiments were carried out in the realistic environment of hospitals. Influence of signal preprocessing on the performance of model is also discussed. These results show that the proposed CBAM-CNN model performance is better for both classifications of ECG signals. Likewise, the CBAM-CNN model is sensitive to noise, and its accuracy is effectively improved as soon as signal is refined.

Volume-activated chloride channels contribute to lipopolysaccharide plus nigericin-induced pyroptosis in bone marrow-derived macrophages.

The representative morphological features of pyroptosis are excessive cell swelling and subsequent membrane rupture. However, the mechanism underlying the cell's inherent inability to regulate volume during the progression of pyroptosis is poorly understood. In the current study, we found that both volume-activated chloride currents (Icl, vol) and the regulatory volume decrease (RVD) were markedly decreased in bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) undergoing pyroptosis induced by lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and nigericin. The inhibition of ICl, vol and RVD by the chloride channel blockers, tamoxifen or DCPIB, led to the emergence of pyroptosis-like phenotypes such as activated-caspase-1, pyroptotic-body-like bubbles, and a fried-egg-like appearance. Moreover, the expression of the volume-activated chloride channel (VRAC) constituent protein Leucine-Rich Repeat-Containing 8A (LRRC8A) was significantly down-regulated in pyroptotic BMDMs treated with LPS and nigericin. The silencing of LRRC8A expression by small interfering RNA (si)-LRRC8A transfection not only reduced ICl, vol and RVD, but also caused BMDMs to show pyroptosis-like manifestations such as activated-caspase-1, membrane bubbles, and have a fried-egg-like appearance. These results reveal a new mechanism for the loss of volume regulation in the process of pyroptotic cell swelling and strongly suggest that a functional deficiency of VRAC/LRRC8A plays a key role in this disorder.

Phosphorylation of keratin 18 serine 52 regulates mother-daughter centriole engagement and microtubule nucleation by cell cycle-dependent accumulation at the centriole.

Serine-52 (Ser52) is the major physiologic site of keratin 18 (K18) phosphorylation. Here, we report that serine-52 phosphorylated K18 (phospho-Ser52 K18) accumulated on centrosomes in a cell cycle-dependent manner. Moreover, we found that phospho-Ser52 K18 was located at the proximal end of the mother centriole. Transfection with the K18 Ser52 → Ala (K18 S52A) mutant prevented centriole localization of phospho-Ser52 K18 and resulted in separation of the mother-daughter centrioles. Inhibition of microtubule polymerization led to the disappearance of aggregated phospho-Ser52 K18 on the centrosome; removal of inhibitors resulted in reaccumulation of phospho-Ser52 K18 in microtubule-organizing centers. Transfection with a K18 S52A mutant inhibited microtubule nucleation. These results reveal a cell cycle-dependent change in centrosome localization of phospho-Ser52 k18 and strongly suggest that the phosphorylation status of Ser52 K18 of mother centrioles plays a critical role in maintaining a tight engagement between mother and daughter centrioles and also contributes to microtubule nucleation.

Spermidine Exhibits Protective Effects Against Traumatic Brain Injury.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) causes permanent neurological and cognitive impairments. Effective pharmacological interventions remain elusive. Spermidine is a polyamine compound found in our body that may play a role in brain development and congenital function. In this study, we aimed to investigate the therapeutic potential of spermidine for TBI. We employed experimental closed head injury (CHI) model to evaluate the protective function of spermidine on brain injury. We assessed the neurobehavioral function recovery using Neurologic Severity Score (NSS) and Morris water maze test. At histological level, we evaluated the improvement on brain edema, brain-blood barrier integrity, and cell apoptosis. We also measured inflammatory cytokines and brain injury biomarkers to monitor the treatment outcomes. Last, we correlated the level of spermidine with CHI animal model and TBI patients with different levels of severity. Spermidine administration post-CHI was found effectively to accelerate NSS improvement and shorten latency in maze test. We observed consistent improvements in brain edema, BBB function, and cell death in spermidine-treated group. Inflammatory cytokines and TBI biomarkers, e.g., S100B, MBP and CFAP were reduced significantly in treatment group. Interestingly, inhibiting spermidine synthesis influenced the neurobehavioral recovery in CHI mice. ODC1, a rate-limiting enzyme for spermidine synthesis, was found lower in CHI mice. Serum level of spermidine was significantly lower in TBI patients with severe pathological scores. Spermidine pathway may carry an endogenous role in pathophysiological process of CHI. For the first time, we demonstrated that administrating spermidine may provide a new treatment for TBI.

NPPB prevents postoperative peritoneal adhesion formation by blocking volume-activated Cl- current.

5-Nitro-2-(3-phenylpropylamino)-benzoic acid (NPPB) is a non-specific chloride channel blocker. Peritoneal adhesion is an inevitable complication of abdominal surgery and remains an important clinical problem, leading to chronic pain, intestinal obstruction, and female infertility. The aim of this study is to observe the effects of NPPB on peritoneal adhesions and uncover the underlying mechanism. The formation of postoperative peritoneal adhesions was induced by mechanical injury to the peritoneum of rats. MTT assay and wound-healing assay were used to evaluate proliferation and migration of primary cultured adhesion fibroblasts (AFB) respectively. Whole-cell chloride currents were measured using a fully automated patch-clamp workstation. Cell volume changes were monitored by light microscopy and video imaging. Our results demonstrated that NPPB could significantly prevent the formation of peritoneal adhesion in rats and inhibit the proliferation of AFB in a concentration-dependent manner. NPPB also reduced the migration of AFB cells with an IC50 of 53.09 µM. A 47% hypotonic solution successfully activated the ICl,vol in AFB cells. The current could be blocked by extracellular treatment with NPPB. Moreover, 100 µM NPPB almost completely eliminated the capacity of regulatory volume decrease (RVD) in these cells. These data indicate that NPPB could prevent the formation of postoperative peritoneal adhesions. The possible mechanism may be through the inhibition of the proliferation and migration of AFB cells by modulating ICl,vol and cell volume. These results suggest a potential clinical use of NPPB for preventing the formation of peritoneal adhesions.

Heterogeneous expression of Lgr5 as a risk factor for focal invasion and distant metastasis of colorectal carcinoma.

Leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein-coupled receptor 5 (Lgr5) is a downstream target gene of the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway and identified as a marker of cancer stem-like cells of colorectal carcinoma (CRC). Here, the heterogeneous expression pattern of Lgr5 and its clinical significance were studied by the method of immunohistochemistry in 204 CRC tumors at various pTNM stages. Lgr5 expression was found in 82.4% (168/204) cases, significantly more common in neoplastic cells at the infiltrative front (n = 59.5%, 110/185) or at the expanding front (n = 36.4%, 59/162) than at the tumor center (n = 16.7%, 34/204; P < 0.01). Tumor budding (TB) was discovered with significantly higher Lgr5 expression (n = 39.3%, 57/145, P = 0.03) and significantly positively correlated between Lgr5 expression and TB grade (r = 0.19, P = 0.02). Additionally, both positive Lgr5 expression and a high TB grade were significantly correlated to the depth of tumor invasion, lymph node metastasis, pTNM stage, and perineural invasion (P < 0.01). The study results suggest that heterogeneous expression of Lgr5 may be a risk factor for local invasion and distant metastasis of CRC.

Worse Prognosis in Papillary, Compared to Tubular, Early Gastric Carcinoma.

Purpose: Papillary early gastric carcinoma (EGC) is uncommon but shows worse prognosis in our most recent study in a Chinese population with unknown reasons. The aim of the present study was to further investigate risk factors for worse prognosis in patients with papillary adenocarcinoma, compared to those with tubular adenocarcinoma. Methods: We searched the electronic pathology databank for radical gastrectomy cases over an 8-year period at a single medical center in Nanjing, China, and identified consecutive 240 EGC cases that were classified as either papillary (n=59) or tubular (n=181) EGC tumors in accordance with the World Health Organization (WHO) gastric cancer diagnosis criteria. We investigated and compared clinicopathologic risk factors for prognosis between papillary and tubular EGC groups. All patients were followed up and their 5-year survival rate was compared statistically with the Kaplan-Meier method with a log rank test. Results: Compared to tubular EGCs, papillary EGCs were significantly more common in elderly patients, more frequently occurred in the proximal stomach with protruding/elevated growth patterns, submucosal invasion, and a micropapillary component. Although lymphovascular invasion (16.9%), nodal (13.6%) and distant (11.8%) metastases in papillary EGCs were more frequent than those (8.3%, 7.2%, and 3.7%, respectively) in tubular EGCs, the differences approached but did not reach statistically significant levels. Significant risk factors for nodal metastasis included lymphovascular invasion in both EGC groups, but the ulcerative pattern and submucosal invasion only in tubular EGCs. The 5-year survival rate was significantly worse in papillary (80.5%) than in tubular (96.8%) EGCs. Conclusions: Compared to tubular EGCs, papillary EGCs diagnosed with the WHO criteria in Chinese patients were more frequent in elderly patients, proximal stomach and showed the significantly worse 5-year survival rate with more protruding/elevated growth patterns and the micropapillary component. Further studies in larger samples are urgently needed to validate these findings for precision individualized EGC patient management.

Inhibitory effects of alpha-lipoic acid on oxidative stress in the rostral ventrolateral medulla in rats with salt-induced hypertension.

Oxidative stress in the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) plays an important role in the pathophysiology of hypertension. Alpha­lipoic acid (ALA) is widely recognized for its potent superoxide inhibitory properties, and it can safely penetrate deep into the brain. The aim of this study was to explore whether ALA supplementation attenuates hypertensive responses and cardiac hypertrophy by decreasing the NAD(P)H oxidase (NOX)-derived overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the mitochondria in the RVLM, and thus attenuating the development of salt­induced hypertension. For this purpose, male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 2 groups and either fed a high-salt diet or not. After 8 weeks, the rats were either administered ALA or an equal volume of the vehicle for 8 weeks. The rats fed a high­salt diet exhibited higher mean arterial pressure (MAP) and higher plasma noradrenaline (NE) levels, as well as cardiac hypertrophy, as evidence by the increased whole heart weight/body weight (WHW/BW) ratio, WHW/tibia length (TL) ratio and left­ventricular weight (LVW)/TL ratio. Compared with the rats in the NS group, the rats in the HS group only exhibited increased levels of superoxide, NOX2, NOX4 and mitochondrial malondialdehyde (MDA), but also decreased levels of copper/zinc (Cu/Zn)-superoxide dismutase (SOD), mitochondrial SOD and glutathione (GSH) in the RVLM. The supplementation of ALA decreased MAP, plasma NE levels and the levels of cardiac hypertrophy indicators. It also decreased the levels of superoxide, NOX2, NOX4 and mitochondrial MDA, and increased the levels of Cu/Zn­SOD, mitochondrial SOD and GSH in the RVLM compared with the rats fed a high-salt diet and not treated with ALA. On the whole, our findings indicate that long­term ALA supplementation attenuates hypertensive responses and cardiac hypertrophy by decreasing the expression of NAD(P)H subunits (NOX2 and NOX4), increasing the levels of mitochondrial bioenergetic enzymes, and enhancing the intracellular antioxidant capacity in the RVLM during the development of hypertension.

Clinicopathological characterisation of small (2 cm or less) proximal and distal gastric carcinomas in a Chinese population.

Clinicopathological characteristics of small gastric carcinoma have not been well defined in Chinese patients. The aim of this study was to investigate and compare small proximal (PGC, n = 111) with distal (DGC, n = 202) gastric carcinoma in 313 consecutive surgically resected small (≤2 cm) gastric carcinomas diagnosed with the WHO criteria. PGC patients were significantly older (average age 63 years versus 59 in DGCs) with a male/female ratio of 3:1. Most tumours were clustered along the lesser curvature (74% in PGCs and 65% in DGCs). Compared to DGCs, PGCs showed a protruded gross pattern significantly more frequently and were significantly better differentiated with a significantly wider histomorphological spectrum. Surprisingly, PGCs were composed of significantly fewer signet-ring cell carcinomas (1% versus 16% in DGCs) but were significantly more deeply invasive, compared to DGCs. Lymph node metastasis was detected in 23% overall, but was significantly less frequent in PGCs (16%) than in DGCs (26%) (p < 0.05). However, the difference in survival between the two groups was not statistically significant. Our results demonstrate that in Chinese patients, PGCs display distinct clinicopathological characteristics, compared to DGCs.

Interference of Notch 2 inhibits the progression of gliomas and induces cell apoptosis by induction of the cell cycle at the G0/G1 phase.

Glioblastoma is the most common type of malignant brain tumor with a poor prognosis. The Notch signaling pathway is often aberrantly activated in glioma cells. In order to determine the expression of Notch 2 and to evaluate its possible prognostic value in malignant glioblastoma, specimens from 32 patients and 20 controls were analyzed using immunohistochemical staining and reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The expression of Notch 2 in the glioma tissues was significantly higher compared with that in the normal brain tissues (P<0.01). Subsequently, endogenous Notch 2 interference was effectively performed by specific small hairpin (sh)RNA in the glioma cancer cell line U251. The results from an MTT assay and from Annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate/propidium iodide staining indicated that interference of Notch 2 significantly inhibited the proliferation and induced the apoptosis of U251 cells. In addition, the cell cycle was analyzed using flow cytometry and the results revealed that Notch 2 shRNA induced cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase in U251 cells. Additionally, proteins associated with the cell cycle and cell proliferation were detected using western blot analysis. The data demonstrated that the expression of P21, cyclin D and phosphorylated retinoblastoma was significantly inhibited in the Notch 2 shRNA-transfected U251 cells. The results of the present study provide further insights into the effects of Notch 2 and a molecular reference for brain tumor therapy.