Risk Factors Associated With Renal and Urinary Tract Anomalies Delineated by an Ultrasound Screening Program in Infants.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the value of ultrasound screening for congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) during the early postnatal period. METHODS: This is a prospective study that enrolled all neonates born from August 2019 to July 2020 at one medical center. Postnatal ultrasound screening was conducted in all neonates at 1, 3, and 6 months old, respectively. Information on antenatal detection and pregnancy was collected. We performed logistic regression analyses and established a predictive model to assess the potential risk factors of abnormal ultrasound screening results. RESULTS: Postnatal ultrasound scanning in 4,877 infants identified 268 cases (5.5%) of anomalies of kidney and urinary tract by primary screening and 92 cases (1.9%) by tertiary screening. A specific diagnosis was identified in 47 cases within the 6-month screening and follow-up program. Logistic regression revealed that preterm birth, oligohydramnios, antenatal ultrasound screening anomalies, and gestational hypothyroidism were independent risk factors for the early detection of CAKUT by postnatal ultrasound screening. The above factors were adopted to develop a predictive model that showed good calibration in predicting ultrasound findings of CAKUT. Decision curve analysis demonstrated good clinical utility. CONCLUSIONS: Postnatal ultrasound screening should be conducted in infants with risk factors associated with CAKUT. Further study on prenatal and fetal factors could help establish the predictive model for the early detection of CAKUT.

[The expression and significance of human telomerase reverse transcriptase protein and gene in bile duct carcinomas and their adjacent tissues].

OBJECTIVE: To detect the expression of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) protein and mRNA in bile duct carcinomas and the adjacent tissues and to elucidate its role in bile duct carcinogenesis. METHODS: The expression of hTERT protein and hTERT mRNA in the formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded specimens of 71 cases of bile duct cancers and 39 cases of adjacent tissues was detected by streptavidin-peroxidase immunostaining and in situ hybridization. The correlation was analysed statistically between the expression of hTERT protein and mRNA and clinicopathological parameters bile duct carcinomas. RESULTS: The positive rate of hTERT protein expression and mRNA expression in malignant specimens was 78.9% (56/71) and 67.6% (48/71), while that in the adjacent tissues was 35.9% (14/39) and 23.1% (9/39), respectively. All the positive signals were found in the hyperplastic biliary epithelia. No significant correlation was established between hTERT expression and clinicopathological parameters. CONCLUSION: hTERT gene transcription and protein expression is most likely involved in the proliferation and malignant transformation of bile epithelia and the malignant progression of bile duct carcinomas. The detection of hTERT expression may serve elucidating the carcinogenesis of bile duct.

[In situ nucleic acid detection of HBV X gene in extrahepatic biliary tract carcinomas and its clinicopathological significance].

OBJECTIVE: To detect the expression of HBV X gene (HBx mRNA) in extrahepatic biliary tract carcinomas and the adjacent non-cancerous tissues, and to analyzed the relationship between HBV infection and incidence of biliary tract carcinomas, thereby to elucidate the possible role of HBx in the carcinogenesis of biliary tract. METHODS: The plasmid pSPX46 was digested by appropriate restriction enzyme. HBx fragment was obtained through gel extraction kit. The digoxigenin-labeled DNA probes for HBx mRNA were prepared by a random prime technique. The expression of HBx mRNA was detected in formalin-fixed- paraffin-embedded specimens from 71 cases of biliary tract carcinomas and 39 specimens of non-cancerous tissues adjacent to cancer by in situ hybridization. The correlations between HBx mRNA expression and clinicopathological parameters were statistically analysed in 71 cases of biliary duct carcinomas. RESULTS: Forty-three of 71 malignant specimens had detectable HBx mRNA expression with a positive rate being 61%. Only 7 of 39 specimens of non-cancerous tissues adjacent to cancer had weak HBx mRNA expression, with a positive rate being 18%, and all these positive signals were found in the hyperplastic biliary epithelium. No significant correlation was found between HBx mRNA expression and clinicopathological parameters, but a strong positive correlation was found between HBx mRNA and protein expression. CONCLUSION: There is a high frequency of HBx mRNA expression in extrahepatic biliary tract carcinomas. HBV infection and its gene integration might play a role to certain extent in the development of biliary tract carcinomas.

Performance of a combined system of microbial fuel cell and membrane bioreactor: wastewater treatment, sludge reduction, energy recovery and membrane fouling.

A novel combined system of sludge microbial fuel cell (S-MFC) stack and membrane bioreactor (MBR) was proposed in this study. The non-consumed sludge in the MBR sludge-fed S-MFC was recycled to the MBR. In the combined system, the COD and ammonia treatment efficiencies were more than 90% and the sludge reduction was 5.1% higher than that of the conventional MBR. It's worth noting that the energy recovery and fouling mitigation were observed in the combined system. In the single S-MFC, about 75 mg L(-1) COD could be translated to electricity during one cycle. The average voltage and maximum power production of the single S-MFC were 430 mV and 51 mWm(-2), respectively. Additionally, the combined system was able to mitigate membrane fouling by the sludge modification. Except for the content decrease (22%), S-MFC destroyed simple aromatic proteins and tryptophan protein-like substances in loosely bound extracellular polymeric substances (LB-EPS). These results indicated that effective wastewater treatment, sludge reduction, energy recovery and membrane fouling mitigation could be obtained in the combined system.