Microwave ablation versus laparoscopic resection as first-line therapy for solitary 3-5-cm HCC.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The study objective was to compare the effectiveness of microwave ablation (MWA) and laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) on solitary 3-5-cm HCC over time. APPROACH AND RESULTS: From 2008 to 2019, 1289 patients from 12 hospitals were enrolled in this retrospective study. Diagnosis of all lesions were based on histopathology. Propensity score matching was used to balance all baseline variables between the two groups in 2008-2019 (n = 335 in each group) and 2014-2019 (n = 257 in each group) cohorts, respectively. For cohort 2008-2019, during a median follow-up of 35.8 months, there were no differences in overall survival (OS) between MWA and LLR (HR: 0.88, 95% CI 0.65-1.19, p = 0.420), and MWA was inferior to LLR regarding disease-free survival (DFS) (HR 1.36, 95% CI 1.05-1.75, p = 0.017). For cohort 2014-2019, there was comparable OS (HR 0.85, 95% CI 0.56-1.30, p = 0.460) and approached statistical significance for DFS (HR 1.33, 95% CI 0.98-1.82, p = 0.071) between MWA and LLR. Subgroup analyses showed comparable OS in 3.1-4.0-cm HCCs (HR 0.88, 95% CI 0.53-1.47, p = 0.630) and 4.1-5.0-cm HCCs (HR 0.77, 95% CI 0.37-1.60, p = 0.483) between two modalities. For both cohorts, MWA shared comparable major complications (both p > 0.05), shorter hospitalization, and lower cost to LLR (all p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: MWA might be a first-line alternative to LLR for solitary 3-5-cm HCC in selected patients with technical advances, especially for patients unsuitable for LLR.

MTUS1 is a promising diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: The morbidity and mortality of colorectal cancer (CRC) remain high, posing a serious threat to human life and health. The early diagnosis and prognostic evaluation of CRC are two major challenges in clinical practice. MTUS1 is considered a tumour suppressor and can play an important role in inhibiting cell proliferation, migration, and tumour growth. Moreover, the expression of MTUS1 is decreased in different human cancers, including CRC. However, the biological functions and molecular mechanisms of MTUS1 in CRC remain unclear. METHODS: In the present study, data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database were analysed using R statistical software (version 3.6.3.) to evaluate the expression of MTUS1 in tumour tissues and adjacent normal tissues using public databases such as the TIMER and Oncomine databases. Then, 38 clinical samples were collected, and qPCR was performed to verify MTUS1 expression. We also investigated the relationship between MTUS1 expression and clinicopathological characteristics and elucidated the diagnostic and prognostic value of MTUS1 in CRC. In addition, the correlation between MTUS1 expression and immune infiltration levels was identified using the TIMER and GEPIA databases. Furthermore, we constructed and analysed a PPI network and coexpression modules of MTUS1 to explore its molecular functions and mechanisms. RESULTS: CRC tissues exhibited lower levels of MTUS1 than normal tissues. The logistic regression analysis indicated that the expression of MTUS1 was associated with N stage, TNM stage, and neoplasm type. Moreover, CRC patients with low MTUS1 expression had poor overall survival (OS). Multivariate analysis revealed that the downregulation of MTUS1 was an independent prognostic factor and was correlated with poor OS in CRC patients. MTUS1 expression had good diagnostic value based on ROC analysis. Furthermore, we identified a group of potential MTUS1-interacting proteins and coexpressed genes. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses showed that MTUS1 was involved in multiple cancer-related signalling pathways. Moreover, the expression of MTUS1 was significantly related to the infiltration levels of multiple cells. Finally, MTUS1 expression was strongly correlated with various immune marker sets. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicated that MTUS1 is a promising biomarker for predicting the diagnosis and prognosis of CRC patients. MTUS1 can also become a new molecular target for tumour immunotherapy.

Scenarios of energy reduction potential of zero energy building promotion in the Asia-Pacific region to year 2050.

Building energy consumption in the Asia-Pacific region continues to rise. It is important to understand the energy use and future trends of 21 members of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and to find more effective ways to achieve APEC's dual goals of reducing energy intensity by 45% of 2005 levels by 2035 and doubling the share of renewable energy in the energy mix between 2010 and 2030. Recently, promoting building toward ultra-low energy, nearly zero energy and zero energy is becoming a consensus trend. This paper aims to explore how zero energy building promotion could influence the total energy demand in the mid to long term. An EUPP (Economic, Urbanization, Population and Purchasing power parity) model was established to show the relationship between building energy consumption and its influencing factors, and the potential development path of building energy consumption in APEC was predicted by using the model. The results show that in the Business As Usual (BAU) model, building energy demand will increase from 1387.4 Mtoe in 2016 to 2456.8 Mtoe in 2050 while in the CAP model, building energy demand will be constrained to under 2000 Mtoe before 2050. In the ZEB promotion model, 897.8 to 1945.3 Mtoe could be saved separately. The share of end demand supplied by onsite renewable energy production could reach 11%-54%. The building sector has the potential to become the largest contributor to achieve the APEC energy goal and thus to the climate change goal.

Toxicity and related mechanisms of dihydroartemisinin on porcine oocyte maturation in vitro.

Dihydroartemisinin (DHA), the main active metabolite of artemisinin, has been used to treat malaria and has anticancer activities. Previous work has shown that DHA has negative impacts on embryos in rodents and primates. However, whether DHA has adverse effects on oocyte maturation is unknown. In the present study, we evaluated the toxic effects and possible mechanisms of DHA on porcine oocyte maturation. The results showed that exposure to DHA inhibited porcine oocyte polar body extrusion, and blocked cell cycle progression. Meanwhile, early embryo development after parthenogenetic activation was also impaired. DHA disturbed spindle morphology and actin assembly in porcine oocytes by reducing phosphorylation levels of MAPK. Moreover, the ROS content was increased and the mitochondrial membrane potential decreased in oocytes treated with DHA. DHA also increased the levels of intracellular and mitochondrial calcium. Furthermore, Annexin V-FITC staining showed that early apoptosis occurred in DHA-treated oocytes. The mRNA levels of apoptosis-related genes BAX and CASP3 were increased, and the anti-apoptotic gene BCL2 was decreased in oocytes exposed to DHA. Taken together, these results indicate that DHA exposure impairs porcine oocyte maturation in vitro via mechanisms involved in cytoskeleton dynamics, oxidative stress, calcium homeostasis, and apoptosis.

2023: A year of accomplishments for the 13 Science Citation Index Expanded- and Emerging Sources Citation Index-indexed Baishideng journals.

In 2023, Baishideng Publishing Group (Baishideng) routinely published 47 open-access journals, including 46 English-language journals and 1 Chinese-language journal. Our successes were accomplished through the collective dedicated efforts of Baishideng staffs, Editorial Board Members, and Peer Reviewers. Among these 47 Baishideng journals, 7 are included in the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) and 6 in the Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI). With the support of Baishideng authors, company staffs, Editorial Board Members, and Peer Reviewers, the publication work of 2023 is about to be successfully completed. This editorial summarizes the 2023 activities and accomplishments of the 13 SCIE- and ESCI-indexed Baishideng journals, outlines the Baishideng publishing policy changes and additions made this year, and highlights the unique advantages of Baishideng journals.

The complete chloroplast genome of Ormosia purpureiflora (Fabaceae).

Ormosia purpureiflora is endemic to China. It is named after its purple flowers. It is a small tree only up to 3 m. It has leathery leaves, racemose inflorescences. The seeds are elliptic and red in coat. It is only confined to Luofushan Provincial Nature Reserve in Huizhou of Guangdong Province. Herein, we first reported on its complete chloroplast genome sequence as genomic resource for conservation purposes. The chloroplast genome of O. purpureiflora was 173,364 bp in length, with a large single-copy region of 73,465 bp, a small single-copy region of 18,751 bp, and a pair of inverted repeat regions that were 40,574 bp each. A total of 90 protein-coding genes, 38 transfer RNA genes, and eight ribosomal RNA genes were predicted, while 106 simple sequence repeats were recorded throughout the genome. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that O. purpureiflora was sister to O. emarginata.

Prognostic Value of Combined Preoperative Carcinoembryonic Antigen and Prognostic Nutritional Index in Patients With Stage II-III Colon Cancer.

Background: Tumor status can affect patient prognosis. Prognostic nutritional index (PNI), as a nutritional indicator, is closely related to the prognosis of cancer. However, few studies have examined the combined prognostic value of CEA and PNI in patients. This study investigated the relationship between CEA/PNI and prognosis of colon cancer patients. Methods: A total of 513 patients with stage II-III colon cancer who underwent curative resection at two medical centers from 2009 to 2019 were included. Clinicopathological factors were assessed and overall survival (OS) was assessed in a cohort of 413 patients. Multivariate analysis was used to identify independent prognostic variables to construct histograms predicting 1-year and 3-year OS. Data from 100 independent patients in the validation group was used to validate the prognostic model. Results: The median OS time was 33.6 months, and mortality was observed in 54 patients. Multivariate analysis revealed that preoperative CEA/PNI, lymph node metastasis, peripheral nerve invasion, operation mode, and postoperative chemotherapy were independent factors for prognosis evaluation and thus were utilized to develop the nomogram. The C-index was 0.788 in the learning set and 0.836 in the validation set. The calibration curves reached favorable consensus among the 1-, 3-year OS prediction and actual observation. Conclusion: The combined use of CEA and PNI is an independent prognostic factor and thus can serve as a basis for a model to predict the prognosis of patients with stage II-III colon cancer.

PPAR-gamma agonist inhibits Ang II-induced activation of dendritic cells via the MAPK and NF-kappaB pathways.

The renin-angiotensin system exerts a profound regulatory effect on the functional features of dendritic cells (DCs), thus suggesting a new target of angiotensin II (Ang II) action in the immune system. This study analyzed whether peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma) activation in DCs regulated Ang II-induced activation of DCs and exploited the possible molecular mechanisms, especially focused on the signaling pathways of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB). Ang II stimulation of human monocyte-derived DCs resulted in an intermediate state of DC maturation and function via modulating the balance of the negative or positive regulation of the signaling pathways of extracellular regulated kinase (ERK), p38 MAPK and NF-kappaB, but not c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). Moreover, pretreatment of DCs with the PPAR-gamma agonist pioglitazone reverted these effects of Ang II on DCs via suppression of the MAPK and NF-kappaB signaling pathways at least in part. Collectively, our data support the notion that PPAR-gamma activation in human DCs inhibits the activation of DCs induced by Ang II, with which involves the regulation of MAPK and NF-kappaB signaling pathways. These findings may support the important role of these mediators in the regulation of DC-mediated inflammatory and immunologic processes.