Alterations of actin cytoskeleton and arterial protein level in patients with obstructive jaundice.

Vascular hypo-responsiveness to vasopressors in patients with obstructive jaundice (OJ) is a common anesthetic event, which leads to perioperative complications and increased mortality. The cause of this clinical issue remains unclear. In this study, we estimated the actin cytoskeleton and arterial protein level in the artery of OJ patients by proteomic analysis. Ten patients with OJ due to bile duct diseases or pancreatic head carcinoma were enrolled, while another ten non-jaundice patients with chronic cholecystitis or liver hemangioma as the control group. Vascular reactivity to noradrenaline was measured before anesthesia on the day of surgery. Artery samples in adjacent tissues of removed tumor were collected and evaluated by 2-dimensional electrophoresis. Proteins with differential expression were detected by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry with immunoblot confirmation. The results confirmed the phenomenon of vascular hypo-reactivity in OJ patients as suppressed aortic response to noradrenaline were existed in these patients. We also found that actin cytoskeleton and several actin-binding proteins were up- or down-regulated in the artery of OJ patients. These proteins changed in OJ patents might be the basic mechanism of vascular hypo-reactivity, further studies to uncover the role of these proteins in OJ is critical for clinical treatment of these patients.

The Effect of Cognitive Impairment on the Prognosis of Major Depressive Disorder.

The study recruited 168 patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD). The nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Perceived Deficits Questionnaire for Depression (PDQ-D) were lower and the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST) was higher in the community volunteers than those in MDD patients. Depression-related scores (17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale [HAMD-17], Clinical Global Impressions-Severity of Illness Scale [CGI-S], and PHQ-9), functioning-related scores (Sheehan Disability Scale [SDS]), and Work Efficiency and Activity Damage-Specific Health Problems questionnaire work productivity loss were decreased, and the quality of life-related scores (European Quality of life-5 Dimensions [EQ-5D] utility score) were increased in the MDD patients. PDQ-D was decreased and DSST was increased with the increase of follow-up time. Linear regression indicated that cognitive symptoms (PDQ-D and DSST) improved more slowly than depressive symptoms (PHQ-9). At baseline, PDQ-D was related with functioning (SDS and work productivity loss). PDQ-D and DSST were related with EQ-5D utility score. In addition, at month 6, PDQ-D was related with functioning (SDS and work productivity loss) and EQ-5D utility score. Cognitive impairment might be a risk for MDD and MDD-related changes in the functioning and quality of life.

Effect of preoperative jaundice on long-term prognosis of gallbladder carcinoma with radical resection.

PURPOSES: This study was designed to evaluate the effect of preoperative jaundice on long-term prognosis of gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) after radical resection (R0). METHODS: A total of 267 GBC patients who underwent R0 resection from January 2004 to December 2014 were enrolled, including 54 patients with preoperative jaundice and 213 patients without jaundice. The clinicopathological parameters between the two groups were compared, and the correlation between preoperative jaundice and the long-term prognosis was furtherly analyzed. RESULTS: Unilateral and multivariate analyses of 267 GBC patients showed that the depth of tumor invasion (pT stage), lymphatic metastasis, and hepatic invasion were independent prognostic factors. The univariate and multivariate analysis of 54 GBC patients with preoperative jaundice showed that only pT stage was an independent factor for prognosis. Furthermore, the intraoperative blood transfusion and pT stage were significant different between long-term survival (survive for more than 3 years) and those who died within 3 years (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Preoperative jaundice was not the independent factor resulting in the poor long-term prognosis of gallbladder carcinoma after R0 resection. The pT stage was the only long-term prognostic factor in all GBC patients regardless of preoperative jaundice.

Transarterial chemoembolization versus percutaneous microwave coagulation therapy for recurrent unresectable intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: Development of a prognostic nomogram.

BACKGROUND: Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) and percutaneous microwave coagulation therapy (PMCT) are commonly used to treat intrahepatic recurrent liver cancers. However, there is no information regarding their effectiveness in patients with recurrent intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) after resection. METHODS: A total of 275 patients with localized recurrent ICC who received either TACE (n = 183) or PMCT (n = 92) were studied. A propensity score matching analysis was performed to compare prognostic impact of TACE and PMCT. Prognostic factors for TACE and PMCT were identified respectively. Predictive nomograms for each TACE and PMCT were developed using the Cox independent prognostic factors and were validated in independent patient groups by receiver operating characteristic curves and area under curve values. RESULTS: Both TACE and PMCT provided curativeness in partial patients (5-year overall survival: 21.4% and 6.1%, respectively), but TACE provided better survival benefit in both overall patients (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.71; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.50-0.97; P = 0.034) and propensity score matching analysis (HR = 0.69; 95% CI: 0.47-0.98; P = 0.041). Independent prognostic factors for TACE were tumor size >5 cm, poor differentiation, and major resection, whereas poor differentiation, hepatitis B virus infection, cholelithiasis, and lymph node metastasis were identified for PMCT. Both predictive nomograms for TACE and PMCT were validated to be effective with area under curve values of 0.77 and 0.70, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: TACE provided better survival benefits compared to PMCT. However, there was a disparity in prognostic factors, suggesting evaluation of the two nomograms may be supportive in modality selection. Further prospective validation studies are required for the results to be applied in clinical medicine.

Snare combined with endoclips in endoscopic submucosal dissection with mucosal traction for gastroesophageal neoplasia.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Mucosal traction as a "second hand" in endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is very helpful for ESD operators. The efficacy of using a snare combined with endoclips to assist in ESD (SC-ESD) was evaluated whether it could achieve peroral external traction (PET) and peroral internal traction (PIT) and real-time adjustment of mucosal traction position. This study aimed to preliminarily evaluate its feasibility. METHODS: A snare was fixed using endoclips to the incised mucosal flap that was intended for dissection. Subsequently, the snare was adjusted to achieve mucosal traction. This study included 54 gastroesophageal neoplasias in 54 consecutive patients who underwent SC-ESD. The operative and clinical data were retrospectively collected. RESULTS: Peroral external tractions were performed for 22 esophageal neoplasias, and PETs and PITs were performed for 32 gastric neoplasias. The median (interquartile range) sizes of lesions were 4.3 (2.5) and 4.2 (2.1) cm, operation times were 73.4 (43.8) and 60.0 (45.2) min, and submucosal dissection times were 27.0 (32.0) and 31.0 (34.5) min in the esophagus and stomach, respectively. Mucosal traction position could be effectively adjusted by fixing the snare to the incised mucosal flap intended for dissection during SC-ESD. All lesions in the esophagus and stomach were completely resected, with R0 resection rates of 100%. Besides postoperative bleeding in a patient with gastric neoplasia, no intraoperative and postoperative perforations occurred. CONCLUSIONS: SC-ESD seems to be feasible for resecting gastroesophageal neoplasia, and two types of mucosal tractions (PET and PIT) could be effectively achieved during SC-ESD. Further prospective comparative study with a large sample is warranted.

Choline Kinase α Mediates Interactions Between the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor and Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 2 in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells to Promote Drug Resistance and Xenograft Tumor Progression.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Choline kinase α (CHKA) catalyzes conversion of choline to phosphocholine and can contribute to carcinogenesis. Little is known about the role of CHKA in the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: We performed whole-exome and transcriptome sequence analyses of 9 paired HCC and non-tumor-adjacent tissues. We performed tissue chip analyses of 120 primary HCC and non-tumor-adjacent tissues from patients who received surgery in Shanghai, China from January 2006 through December 2009; 48 sets of specimens (HCC and non-tumor-adjacent tissues) were also analyzed. CHKA gene copy number was quantified and findings were validated by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis. CHKA messenger RNA and protein levels were determined by polymerase chain reaction, immunohistochemical, and immunoblot analyses. CHKA was examined in 2 hepatocyte cell lines and 7 HCC-derived cell lines, and knocked down with small interfering RNAs in 3 HCC cell lines. Cells were analyzed in proliferation, wound healing, migration, and invasion assays. Cells were injected into tail veins of mice and tumor growth and metastasis were quantified. Immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence assays were conducted to determine interactions between CHKA and the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and the mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 2. RESULTS: Levels of CHKA messenger RNA were frequently increased in HCC tissues compared with nontumor tissues; increased expression was associated with amplification at the CHKA loci. Tumors that expressed high levels of CHKA had more aggressive phenotypes, and patients with these tumors had shorter survival times after surgery compared to patients whose tumors expressed low levels of CHKA. HCC cell lines that stably overexpressed CHKA had higher levels of migration and invasion than control HCC cells, and formed larger xenograft tumors with more metastases in mice compared to HCC cells that did not overexpress CHKA. CHKA was required for physical interaction between EGFR and mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 2. This complex was required for HCC cells to form metastatic xenograft tumors in mice and to become resistant to EGFR inhibitors. CONCLUSIONS: We found levels of CHKA to be increased in human HCCs compared to nontumor tissues, and increased expression to be associated with tumor aggressiveness and reduced survival times of patients. Overexpression of CHKA in HCC cell lines increased their invasiveness, resistance to EGFR inhibitors, and ability to form metastatic tumors in mice by promoting interaction of EGFR with mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 2.

[Assessment of Influence Detective Position Variability on Precision of Near Infrared Models for Soluble Solid Content of Watermelon].

Non-destructive detection for soluble solids content (SSC) is important to improve watermelon's internal quality, which attracts more and more attention from consumers. In order to realize the precise detection for SSC of mini watermelon's whole surface by using Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and reduce the influence of detective position variability on the accuracy of NIR prediction model for SSC, the diffused transmission spectra and soluble solids content were collected from three different detective positions of 'jingxiu' watermelon, including the equator, calyx and stem. The prediction models of single detective position and mixed three detective positions for SSC were established with Partial least square (PLS). Successive projections algorithm (SPA) and competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS) were adopted to select effective variables of NIR spectroscopy for SSC of watermelon as well. The results showed that the prediction model of mixed three detective positions was better than the model of single detective position. Meanwhile, 42 characteristic variables of NIR spectroscopy selected with CARS were used to establish PLS prediction model for SSC. The prediction model was simplified significantly and the prediction accuracy for SSC was improved greatly. The correlation coefficient of prediction (RP) and root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) by CARS-PLS were 0.892, 0.684 °Brix for the equator, 0.905, 0.621 °Brix for the calyx, 0.899, 0.721 °Brix for the stem, respectively. However, the prediction result of SPA-PLS established by 19 characteristic wavelength variables of NIR spectroscopy was bad for the equator, calyx and stem detective positions. The correlation coefficient of prediction (RP) is less than 0.752 and root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) is relatively high. It was proposed that the PLS prediction model established by mixed three different detective positions with effective characteristic wavelength variables selected by CARS can improve the prediction accuracy for SSC. And the CARS-PLS prediction model can achieve fast and precise detection for SSC of mini watermelon's whole surface. The influence of detective position variability on the accuracy of NIR prediction model could be reduced simultaneously. This paper could provide theoretical basis for calibrating NIR prediction model for SSC of mini watermelon. It also could provide reference for developing the portable and non-destructive detection equipment for soluble solids content of mini watermelon's whole surface.

[Monitoring of Winter Wheat Aboveground Fresh Biomass Based on Multi-Information Fusion Technology].

The aim was to find a nondestructive way to improve the accuracy of detecting the winter wheat aboveground fresh biomass(AGFB). In this study, data fusion technology of the spectroscopy technology and the machine vision technology were used to analyze the AGFB and solve the problem that the accuracy of the prediction model of a single technology is not high. In this experiment, canopy spectra and canopy pictures of 93 samples at seeding stage were collected. Canopy spectra and side images of 200 samples at medium and later growth stage were collected. Spectral reflectance as the spectral absorption parameter was used to construct the AGFB prediction models based on the spectra technology at different stages; The wheat coverage were extracted from canopy pictures and side images by using image processing technology to build the AGFB prediction models. Multivariate regression analysis (MRA) and Partial least-squares regression analysis(PLS) were implemented on the feature variables from the spectral information and image information. The results showed that, compared with the individual image model and spectral model, the AGFB prediction models of PLS based on multi-information at different stages shows better performance. At the seeding stage, the determination coefficient (R2) of PLS models based on multi-information was 0.881，and the RMSE was 0.015 kg. The R2 of PLS models based on multi-information was 0.791, the RMSE was 0.059 kg at middle and final stages. It demonstrated that the precision of model based on multi-information fusion technology, which increased utilization of image and spectral information, was improved for AGFB detecting, which is than the individual image model and spectral model.

Measuring the Moisture Content in Maize Kernel Based on Hyperspctral Image of Embryo Region.

Maize is among the most important economic corps in China while moisture content is a critical parameterin the process of storage and breeding. To measure the moisture content in maize kernel, a near-infrared hyperspectral imaging system has been built to acquire reflectance images from maize kernel samples in the spectral region between 1 000 and 2 500 nm. Near-infrared hyperspectral information of full surface and embryo of maize kernel were firstly extracted based on band ratio coupled with a simple thresholding method and the spectra analysis between moisture content in maize kernel and embryo was performed. The characteristic bands were then selected with the help of Competitive Adaptive Reweighted Sampling (CARS), Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Successive Projection Algorithm (SPA). Finally, these selected variables were used as the inputs to build Partial Least Square (PLS) models for determining the moisture content of maize kernel. In this study, a significant relation, which the spectral reflectance decreases as moisture content increase, between moisture content and spectral of embryo in maize kernel was observed. For the investigated independent test samples, all the proposed regression models, namely CARS-PLS, GA-PLS and SPA-PLS, achieved a good performance by using the information of embryo region. The correlation coefficient (Rp) and Root Mean Squared Error of Prediction (RMSEP) and number of characteristic wavelength for the prediction set were 0.931 2, 0.315 3, 9 and 0.917 6, 0.336 9, 14 and 0.922 7, 0.336 6, 16 for CARS-PLS, GA-PLS and SPA-PLS models, respectively. And, compared with models obtained by full surface spectral information, less characteristic wavelengths is used for development of CARS-PLS, GA-PLS and SPA-PLS models, while similar results were obtained. Comprehensively analyzing to both model accuracy and model complexity, SPA-PLS model by using embryo region information achieved the best result. Wavelengths at 1 197，1 322 and 1 495 nm were applied to extracted the information of embryo region, and the bands at 1 322, 1 342, 1 367, 1 949, 2 070 and 2 496 nm were used to establish the SPA-PLS model. These results demonstrated that near-infrared hyperspectral information from embryo region is more effective for determination of moisture nondestructive in maize kernel.

Possible association between DBH 19 bp insertion/deletion polymorphism and clinical symptoms in schizophrenia with tardive dyskinesia.

Overactivity of dopaminergic neurotransmission is a putative mechanism of tardive dyskinesia (TD). Previous studies have found dysfunction in plasma dopamine beta-hydoxylase (DBH) in schizophrenia with TD. Moreover, DBH, whose activity and levels are strongly controlled by the DBH gene, is a key enzyme in the conversion of dopamine (DA) to norepinephrine (NE) associated with excited behavior. This study examined whether the DBH5'-insertion/deletion (Ins/Del) polymorphism was associated with excited behavior in schizophrenia with TD. The presence of the DBH5'-Ins/Del polymorphism was determined in 741 schizophrenia with TD (n = 345) and without TD (n = 396). The Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale were used to assess the severity of TD and psychopathology of schizophrenia. There was no significant difference in the allelic and genotypic frequencies of the DBH5'-Ins/Del polymorphism between schizophrenia with and without TD (both p > 0.05). However, the excited symptoms score was significantly different to the DBH5'-Ins/Del genotypic groups in schizophrenia with TD (p < 0.05) but not in the two groups of non-TD and total patients (both p > 0.05). The excited symptoms score was higher in TD patients with the Del/Del genotype than those with Ins alleles (p = 0.015). Our findings suggest that the DBH5'-Ins/Del polymorphism may not contribute directly to the development of TD in schizophrenia, but it may be involved in the excited behavior of TD patients.

Gender differences in cognitive deficits in schizophrenia with and without diabetes.

This study investigated gender differences in cognition in schizophrenia with and without diabetes. Cognition was assessed in 263 individuals with schizophrenia with age range (40-68): 67 males and 34 females with schizophrenia with diabetes; and 125 males and 37 females with schizophrenia without diabetes according to the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS). Fasting glucose, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and lipid levels were measured. Results showed that male individuals performed worse on most cognitive tasks, especially attention, in schizophrenia with than without diabetes. This result was not observed in female individuals. Also, individuals of both genders showed higher fasting glucose and HbA1c in schizophrenia with than without diabetes. In schizophrenia with diabetes, males had significantly worse cognition than females in all cognitive domains. Higher HbA1c, lower high-density lipoprotein, and an earlier age of onset of schizophrenia were found in males compared with female individuals. HbA1c was negatively associated with attention and the RBANS total score for males but not for females. In schizophrenia without diabetes, males showed worse performance in immediate and delayed memory than females. This study support cognition was worse for males with schizophrenia irrespective of whether they have diabetes. However, diabetes exemplified the gender differences, especially in attention.

[Quantitative Analysis of Mn in Soil Samples Using LIBS].

The trace element of Manganese element in the agricultural farm (Anhui Huaiyuan Nongkang) soil was quantitatively analyzed by Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy. The line of 403.1 nm was selected as the analysis line of Mn. The matrix element of Fe in soil was chosen as the internal calibration element and the analysis line was 407.2 nm. Ten soil samples were used to construct calibration curves with traditional method and internal standard method, and four soil samples were selected as test samples. The experimental results showed that the fitting correlation coefficient (r) is 0.954 when using the traditional method, the maximum relative error of the measurement samples is 5.72%, and the detection limit of Mn in soil is 93 mg x kg(-1). While using the internal standard method to construct the calibration curve, the fitting correlation coefficient (r) is 0.983, the relative error of measurement samples is reduced to 4.1%, and the detection limit of Mn in soil is 71 mg x kg(-1). The result indicates that LIBS technique can be used to detect trace element Mn in soil. In a certain extent, the internal standard method can improve the accuracy of measurement.

[A Study of FTIR Spectrometry Based on a Long Optical Path on the Emission Rules of Nitrous Oxide from Soil].

The excessive emission of N2O (Nitrous oxide) will destroy the ozone layer, reasonable fertilization and adopting measures of emission reduction of N2O are of great significance to slowing down the greenhouse effect. The article studied the impact of fertilization and water on the emission of N2 0 from the cabbage farmland using FTIR spectrometry. To enhance the sensitivity of the measuring system, we used multi-reflecting mirrors to increase the optical pathlength. By comparing the infrared spectra between the before and after fertilizer application and the NIST spectral library, finally, the band at 2160-2225 cm⁻¹ was chosen as the spectral characteristics band of quantitative calculation of N2O through analyzing. The research found that fertilization and water could promote the emission of N2 0 from the cabbage farmland soil, which could supply theory bases for emission reduction of N2O and slowing down the greenhouse effect. Finally, we also studied the diurnal emission rules of N2O from the fertilized soil; the results showed that the emission of N2O was lower at night and the results were compared with that of previous' studies, which verifies the feasibility of this method. The results proved that FTIR with long optical path was a rapid and effective method to measure the emission rules of N2O from the cabbage farmland soil, which can measure the gas emissions of N2O from the fertilized cabbage farmland soil and compared with other traditional measuring methods, it had the advantages such as rapidness and convenience.

[Near-infrared spectra combining with CARS and SPA algorithms to screen the variables and samples for quantitatively determining the soluble solids content in strawberry].

In using spectroscopy to quantitatively or qualitatively analyze the quality of fruit, how to obtain a simple and effective correction model is very critical for the application and maintenance of the developed model. Strawberry as the research object, this research mainly focused on selecting the key variables and characteristic samples for quantitatively determining the soluble solids content. Competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS) algorithm was firstly proposed to select the spectra variables. Then, Samples of correction set were selected by successive projections algorithm (SPA), and 98 characteristic samples were obtained. Next, based on the selected variables and characteristic samples, the second variable selection was performed by using SPA method. 25 key variables were obtained. In order to verify the performance of the proposed CARS algorithm, variable selection algorithms including Monte Carlo-uninformative variable elimination (MC-UVE) and SPA were used as the comparison algorithms. Results showed that CARS algorithm could eliminate uninformative variables and remove the collinearity information at the same time. Similarly, in order to assess the performance of the proposed SPA algorithm for selecting the characteristic samples, SPA algorithm was compared with classical Kennard-Stone algorithm Results showed that SPA algorithm could be used for selection of the characteristic samples in the calibration set. Finally, PLS and MLR model for quantitatively predicting the SSC (soluble solids content) in the strawberry were proposed based on the variables/samples subset (25/98), respectively. Results show that models built by using the 0.59% and 65.33% information of original variables and samples could obtain better performance than using the ones obtained by using all information of the original variables and samples. MLR model was the best with R(pre)2 = 0.9097, RMSEP=0.3484 and RPD = 3.3278.

[Quantitative analysis of thiram by surface-enhanced raman spectroscopy combined with feature extraction Algorithms].

Three feature extraction algorithms, such as the principal component analysis (PCA), the discrete cosine transform (DCT) and the non-negative factorization (NMF), were used to extract the main information of the spectral data in order to weaken the influence of the spectral fluctuation on the subsequent quantitative analysis results based on the SERS spectra of the pesticide thiram. Then the extracted components were respectively combined with the linear regression algorithm--the partial least square regression (PLSR) and the non-linear regression algorithm--the support vector machine regression (SVR) to develop the quantitative analysis models. Finally, the effect of the different feature extraction algorithms on the different kinds of the regression algorithms was evaluated by using 5-fold cross-validation method. The experiments demonstrate that the analysis results of SVR are better than PLSR for the non-linear relationship between the intensity of the SERS spectrum and the concentration of the analyte. Further, the feature extraction algorithms can significantly improve the analysis results regardless of the regression algorithms which mainly due to extracting the main information of the source spectral data and eliminating the fluctuation. Additionally, PCA performs best on the linear regression model and NMF is best on the non-linear model, and the predictive error can be reduced nearly three times in the best case. The root mean square error of cross-validation of the best regression model (NMF+SVR) is 0.0455 micormol x L(-1) (10(-6) mol x L(-1)), and it attains the national detection limit of thiram, so the method in this study provides a novel method for the fast detection of thiram. In conclusion, the study provides the experimental references the selecting the feature extraction algorithms on the analysis of the SERS spectrum, and some common findings of feature extraction can also help processing of other kinds of spectroscopy.

The prognostic importance of jaundice in surgical resection with curative intent for gallbladder cancer.

BACKGROUND: Preoperative jaundice is frequent in gallbladder cancer (GBC) and indicates advanced disease. Resection is rarely recommended to treat advanced GBC. An aggressive surgical approach for advanced GBC remains lacking because of the association of this disease with serious postoperative complications and poor prognosis. This study aims to re-assess the prognostic value of jaundice for the morbidity, mortality, and survival of GBC patients who underwent surgical resection with curative intent. METHODS: GBC patients who underwent surgical resection with curative intent at a single institution between January 2003 and December 2012 were identified from a prospectively maintained database. RESULTS: A total of 192 patients underwent surgical resection with curative intent, of whom 47 had preoperative jaundice and 145 had none. Compared with the non-jaundiced patients, the jaundiced patients had significantly longer operative time (p < 0.001) and more intra-operative bleeding (p = 0.001), frequent combined resections of adjacent organs (23.4% vs. 2.8%, p = 0.001), and postoperative complications (12.4% vs. 34%, p = 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that preoperative jaundice was the only independent predictor of postoperative complications. The jaundiced patients had lower survival rates than the non-jaundiced patients (p < 0.001). However, lymph node metastasis and gallbladder neck tumors were the only significant risk factors of poor prognosis. Non-curative resection was the only independent predictor of poor prognosis among the jaundiced patients. The survival rates of the jaundiced patients with preoperative biliary drainage (PBD) were similar to those of the jaundiced patients without PBD (p = 0.968). No significant differences in the rate of postoperative intra-abdominal abscesses were found between the jaundiced patients with and without PBD (n = 4, 21.1% vs. n = 5, 17.9%, p = 0.787). CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative jaundice indicates poor prognosis and high postoperative morbidity but is not a surgical contraindication. Gallbladder neck tumors significantly increase the surgical difficulty and reduce the opportunities for radical resection. Gallbladder neck tumors can independently predict poor outcome. PBD correlates with neither a low rate of postoperative intra-abdominal abscesses nor a high survival rate.

[Preliminary research on insect damage detection in pecans using terahertz spectroscopy].

Pecan is an important nut in US, however, the inner insect influences pecan's quality a lot. To realize the nondestructive detection of insect damage in American pecans rapidly and efficiently, preliminary research on insect damage detection in pecans was conducted based on terahertz spectroscopy. Firstly, a set of native pecan nuts were collected and were manually sliced with a thickness of about 1, 2 and 3 mm and with a size of about 2 cm(length) X 1 cm(width) for every pecan nutmeat; Pecan shell and inner separator were also cut into the same size. Secondly, the absorption spectra of the nutmeat slices, shell, and inner separator were collected using THz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) developed by a group of researchers at Oklahoma State University, and the spectral characteristic of the slices was analyzed. Thirdly, the absorption spectra of the alive manduca sexta and dry pecan weevil were collected, and due to the high contents in the insects, very obvious spectral characteristics were found. Finally, the transmission experiment was conducted with the whole pecans. The results from the preliminary study show a potential application of THz technology for insect damage detection. This research provides a reference for further understanding terahertz and exploring sample preparation methods, test methods, data acquisition and optical parameters calculation methods, and developing nondestructive detection system for insect damage in American pecans based on terahertz technology.

[Characteristic wavelengths selection of soluble solids content of pear based on NIR spectral and LS-SVM].

To improve the precision and robustness of the NIR model of the soluble solid content (SSC) on pear. The total number of 160 pears was for the calibration (n=120) and prediction (n=40). Different spectral pretreatment methods, including standard normal variate (SNV) and multiplicative scatter correction (MSC) were used before further analysis. A combination of genetic algorithm (GA) and successive projections algorithm (SPA) was proposed to select most effective wavelengths after uninformative variable elimination (UVE) from original spectra, SNV pretreated spectra and MSC pretreated spectra respectively. The selected variables were used as the inputs of least squares-support vector machine (LS-SVM) model to build models for de- termining the SSC of pear. The results indicated that LS-SVM model built using SNVE-UVE-GA-SPA on 30 characteristic wavelengths selected from full-spectrum which had 3112 wavelengths achieved the optimal performance. The correlation coefficient (Rp) and root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) for prediction sets were 0.956, 0.271 for SSC. The model is reliable and the predicted result is effective. The method can meet the requirement of quick measuring SSC of pear and might be important for the development of portable instruments and online monitoring.

[Principles and applications of hyperspectral imaging technique in quality and safety inspection of fruits and vegetables].

The quality and safety of fruits and vegetables are the most concerns of consumers. Chemical analytical methods are traditional inspection methods which are time-consuming and labor intensive destructive inspection techniques. With the rapid development of imaging technique and spectral technique, hyperspectral imaging technique has been widely used in the nondestructive inspection of quality and safety of fruits and vegetables. Hyperspectral imaging integrates the advantages of traditional imaging and spectroscopy. It can obtain both spatial and spectral information of inspected objects. Therefore, it can be used in either external quality inspection as traditional imaging system, or internal quality or safety inspection as spectroscopy. In recent years, many research papers about the nondestructive inspection of quality and safety of fruits and vegetables by using hyperspectral imaging have been published, and in order to introduce the principles of nondestructive inspection and track the latest research development of hyperspectral imaging in the nondestructive inspection of quality and safety of fruits and vegetables, this paper reviews the principles, developments and applications of hyperspectral imaging in the external quality, internal quality and safety inspection of fruits and vegetables. Additionally, the basic components, analytical methods, future trends and challenges are also reported or discussed in this paper.

[Detection of slight bruises on apples based on hyperspectral imaging and MNF transform].

Bruising is one of the major defects occurring on apple surface inevitably during postharvest handling and processing stage. To detect slight bruises on apples fast and efficiently, a novel bruises detection algorithm based on hyperspectral imaging and minimum noise fraction transform is proposed. First, the hyperspectral images in the visible and near-infrared (400 approximately 1 000 nm) ranges are acquired, and MNF transform based on full ranges could obtain better detection performance compared to PCA transform; Second, five wavebands (560, 660, 720, 820 and 960 nm) are selected as the effective wavebands based on the coefficient curve of I-RELIEF method conducted on spectra extracted from intact and bruise surface; Third, the bruises detection algorithm is developed based on the effective wavebands and MNF transform method. For the investigated 40 sound samples and 40 different time stage bruise samples, the results with a 97. 1% overall detection rate are got. The recognition results indicate that the proposed methods and the effective wavelengths selected in this paper are feasible and efficient. This research lays a foundation for the development of multispectral imaging system based on MNF transform for slight bruises detection on apples.