Performance of MAST, FAST, and MEFIB in predicting metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: To identify individuals with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) or "at-risk" MASH among patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), three noninvasive models are available with satisfactory efficiency, which include magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]- AST (MAST), FibroScan-AST (FAST score), and magnetic resonance elastography [MRE] plus FIB-4 (MEFIB). We aimed to evaluate the most accurate approach for diagnosing MASH or "at-risk" MASH. METHODS: We included 108 biopsy-proven MASLD patients who underwent simultaneous assessment of MRE, MRI proton density fat fraction (MRI-PDFF), and FibroScan scans. Compared with the histological diagnosis, we analyzed the AUC of each model and assessed the accuracy. RESULTS: Our study cohort consisted of 64.8% of MASH and 25.9% of "at-risk" MASH. When analyzing the performance of each model for the diagnostic accuracy of MASH, we found that the AUC [95% CI] of MAST was comparable to FAST (0.803 [0.719-0.886] vs 0.799 [0.707-0.891], P = 0.930) and better than MEFIB (0.671 [0.571-0.772], P = 0.005). Similar findings were observed in the "at-risk" MASH patients. The AUCs [95% CI] for MAST, FAST, and MEFIB were 0.810 [0.719-0.900], 0.782 [0.689-0.874], and 0.729 [0.619-0.838], respectively. The models of MAST and FAST had comparable AUCs (P = 0.347), which were statistically significantly higher than that of MEFIB (P = 0.041). Additionally, the cutoffs for diagnosis of MASH were lower than "at-risk" MASH. CONCLUSION: MAST and FAST performed better than MEFIB in diagnosing "at-risk" MASH and MASH using lower cutoff values. Our findings provided evidence for selecting the most accurate noninvasive model to identify patients with MASH or at-risk MASH.

Higher levels of neutrophil percentage-to-albumin ratio predict increased mortality risk in patients with liver cirrhosis: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies indicated that the neutrophil percentage-to-albumin ratio (NPAR) was a predictor of mortality in several diseases. There has been no evidence to prove the predictive function of NPAR in patients with liver cirrhosis. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association between NPAR and clinical outcomes in cirrhotic patients. METHODS: We retrospectively recruited hospitalized decompensated cirrhotic patients from the tertiary grade-A hospital. Patients with malignancy or severe cardiac, respiratory and kidney diseases were excluded. Demographical data, liver functions, complications and outcomes of cirrhosis were recorded. NPAR was calculated through the ratio of neutrophil percentage (%)/serum albumin concentration (g/dL) at admission to the hospital. Cox proportional hazards models were performed to evaluate the prognostic values of NPAR, and subgroup analyses were utilized to ensure stable results. RESULTS: A total of 376 patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis at baseline were enrolled. The liver dysfunction, cirrhosis-related complications and mortality rate increased along with the tertiles of NPAR. In multivariate analysis, higher NPARs were independently associated with increased risk of mortality in patients with liver cirrhosis after adjustments for confounding factors (tertile 3 versus tertile 1: adjusted HR = 1.92; 95% CI, 1.04-3.56; P trend = 0.008) and each unit increase of NPAR implicated a 4% increase risk of mortality. Subgroup analysis demonstrated no significant interactions in most subgroups. CONCLUSION: Increased NPAR was independently correlated with a higher risk of mortality in patients with liver cirrhosis.

Application of autologous SOX9+ airway basal cells in patients with bronchiectasis.

INTRODUCTION: Bronchiectasis is a common condition and a leading cause of respiratory morbidity and mortality. The treatment method for bronchiectasis is mainly symptomatic treatment or surgery; however, this condition is extremely prone to recurrence. OBJECTIVES: To preliminarily evaluate the safety and efficacy of applying SOX9+ autologous airway basal cells (BCs) in patients with bronchiectasis. METHODS: SOX9+ BCs were isolated from microscale tissue of a grade 3-5 bronchus by bronchoscopic brushing and expanded in vitro for approximately 4 weeks. Subsequently, the autologous SOX9+ BCs were transplanted into the diseased bronchus to treat patients with bronchiectasis. RESULTS: The forced expiratory volume in1 second (FEV1)%, forced vital capacity (FVC)%, total lung capacity (TLC)%, residual volume (RV)% and RV/TLC ratio of predicted value in patients with bronchiectasis were improved at 4, 12, 24 and 48 weeks after cell transplantation, although the differences were not statistically significant (P > .05). Chest CT scans showed that the lesions in the pulmonary segment had not progressed at 4, 12 and 24 weeks after transplantation. No patients died during the follow-up. At 4, 12 and 24 weeks after transplantation, routine blood tests, liver function tests, renal function tests and myocardial enzymatic indexes were normal (P > .05). CONCLUSION: Transplantation of autologous SOX9+ BCs has positive effects and is safe for patients with bronchiectasis.

Association of TM6SF2 rs58542926 T/C gene polymorphism with hepatocellular carcinoma: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth-most common malignancy worldwide. Multiple previous studies have assessed the relationship between TM6SF2 gene polymorphism and the risk of developing HCC, with discrepant conclusions reached. To assess the association of TM6SF2 rs58542926 T/C gene polymorphism with liver cancer, we performed the current meta-analysis. METHODS: This study queried the MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE, and CENTRAL databases from inception to April 2019. Case-control studies assessing the relationship between TM6SF2 rs5854292 locus polymorphism and liver cancer were selected according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. The Stata 12.0 software was employed for data analysis. RESULTS: A total of 5 articles, encompassing 6873 patients, met inclusion criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. Statistical analysis showed that the TM6SF2 gene polymorphism was significantly associated with liver cancer in the allele contrast, dominant, recessive and over dominant models (T vs C, OR = 1.621, 95%CI 1.379-1.905; CT + TT vs CC. OR = 1.541, 95%CI 1.351-1.758; TT vs CT + CC, OR = 2.897, 95%CI 1.690-4.966; CC + TT vs TC, OR = 0.693, 95%CI 0.576-0.834). The Egger's test revealed no significant publication bias. CONCLUSION: The present findings suggest a significant association of TM6SF2 gene polymorphism with HCC risk in the entire population studied.

Heterogeneous hydrosilylation reaction catalysed by platinum complexes immobilized on bipyridine-periodic mesoporous organosilicas.

The utility of a bipyridine periodic mesoporous organosilica, BPy-PMO, as a support material of a hydrosilylation catalyst was investigated in the hydrosilylation of phenylacetylene with trimethoxysilane. [PtMe2(BPy-PMO)] (1) exhibited a moderate catalytic activity, whereas the reaction was successfully catalysed by [PtMe2(BPy-PMO-TMS)] (2) bearing end-capped TMS groups on the surface. Spectroscopic analyses of 2 revealed that the porous structure of BPy-PMO-TMS remained almost unchanged through the reaction. The hot filtration test supported the nonleaching property of 2, thereby exhibiting good reusability without the loss of the product yields.

8-Week Basic Military Training Improves Adiponectin Multimer Ratio in Healthy Young Males.

To investigate the effect of exercise on adiponectin in young healthy human males, we examined serum total adiponectin and high-molecular-weight (HMW) adiponectin in newly recruited male soldiers who participated in an 8-week basic military training (BMT). A total of 95 males (mean age, 18.79±1.50 years) were sampled from among 1,100 new male army recruits in China. Participants were separated into 3 groups according to their body mass index (BMI): overweight group (BMI: 24.9 kg/m2 to<30 kg/m2; n=26); normal-weight group (BMI: 18.5 kg/m2 to<24.9 kg/m2; n=40); and underweight group (BMI:<18.5 kg/m2; n=29). Anthropometric measurements, fasting serum total adiponectin, HMW adiponectin, and lipid profiles were recorded at baseline and at the end of the 8-week BMT. After the 8-week BMT, the HMW/total adiponectin ratio (HMW/total ratio) and HDL cholesterol improved significantly (p<0.001 and p<0.001, respectively). HMW/total ratio showed significant correlations with HDL cholesterol. Our study suggests that an 8-week BMT can improve the HMW/total ratio in healthy young males regardless of their BMI and anthropometry. Both HMW/total ratio and HDL cholesterol can serve as potential biomarkers for assessing the efficacy of exercise and may have metabolic benefits for preventing obesity and obesity-related disease.

Radical Hydrophosphorylation of Alkynes with R2P(O)H Generating Alkenylphosphine Oxides: Scope and Limitations.

Radical hydrophosphorylation of aliphatic terminal alkynes with H-phosphine oxides can produce the corresponding anti-Markovnikov alkenylphosphorus adducts in moderate yields. This method is a cleaner approach for the preparation of the corresponding alkenylphosphine oxides, since it avoids the use of a metal catalyst that sometimes is difficult to remove from the products.

Direct Silyl-Heck Reaction of Chlorosilanes.

A nickel complex/Lewis acid combination effectively catalyzed the direct silyl-Heck reaction of chlorosilanes, which are key raw materials in the organosilicon industry, to give synthetically important alkenylsilane products. Trichlorosilanes, dichlorosilanes, and monochlorosilanes underwent the silyl-Heck reaction to afford the corresponding alkenylsilanes in high yields. In the reactions of dichlorosilanes, a single substitution occurred to give monoalkenylsilanes in a highly selective manner.

Kaempferol induces hepatocellular carcinoma cell death via endoplasmic reticulum stress-CHOP-autophagy signaling pathway.

Kaempferol is a flavonoid compound that has gained widespread attention due to its antitumor functions. However, the underlying mechanisms are still not clear. The present study investigated the effect of kaempferol on hepatocellular carcinoma and its underlying mechanisms. Kaempferol induced autophagy in a concentration- and time-dependent manner in HepG2 or Huh7 cells, which was evidenced by the significant increase of autophagy-related genes. Inhibition of autophagy pathway, through 3-methyladenine or Atg7 siRNA, strongly diminished kaempferol-induced apoptosis. We further hypothesized that kaempferol can induce autophagy via endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress pathway. Indeed, blocking ER stress by 4-phenyl butyric acid (4-PBA) or knockdown of CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein homologous protein (CHOP) with siRNA alleviated kaempferol-induced HepG2 or Huh7 cells autophagy; while transfection with plasmid overexpressing CHOP reversed the effect of 4-PBA on kaempferol-induced autophagy. Our results demonstrated that kaempferol induced hepatocarcinoma cell death via ER stress and CHOP-autophagy signaling pathway; kaempferol may be used as a potential chemopreventive agent for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Kaempferol induces apoptosis in HepG2 cells via activation of the endoplasmic reticulum stress pathway.

Kaempferol is a flavonoid compound that has gained importance due to its antitumor properties; however, the underlying mechanisms remain to be fully understood. The present study aimed to investigate the molecular mechanisms of the antitumor function of kaempferol in HepG2 hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Kaempferol was determined to reduce cell viability, increase lactate dehydrogenase activity and induce apoptosis in a concentration­ and time­dependent manner in HepG2 cells. Additionally, kaempferol­induced apoptosis possibly acts via the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress pathway, due to the significant increase in the protein expression levels of glucose­regulated protein 78, glucose­regulated protein 94, protein kinase R­like ER kinase, inositol­requiring enzyme 1α, partial activating transcription factor 6 cleavage, caspase­4, C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) and cleaved caspase­3. The pro­apoptotic activity of kaempferol was determined to be due to induction of the ER stress­CHOP pathway, as: i) ER stress was blocked by 4­phenyl butyric acid (4­PBA) pretreatment and knockdown of CHOP with small interfering RNA, which resulted in alleviation of kaempferol­induced HepG2 cell apoptosis; and ii) transfection with plasmid overexpressing CHOP reversed the protective effect of 4­PBA in kaempferol­induced HepG2 cells and increased the apoptotic rate. Thus, kaempferol promoted HepG2 cell apoptosis via induction of the ER stress­CHOP signaling pathway. These observations indicate that kaempferol may be used as a potential chemopreventive treatment strategy for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Synthesis of high-quality water-soluble near-infrared-emitting CdTe quantum dots capped with 3-mercaptobutyric acid.

Highly fluorescent CdTe quantum dots (QDs) with emission in red to near-infrared (NIR) wavelength were successfully prepared by using 3-mercaptobutyric acid (3MBA) as capping agent. The maximum of quantum yield (QY) could reach up to 82% for QDs with emission peak at 686 nm and FWHM of 66 nm at optimal conditions. The QY of these QDs could maintain above 65% in the 650-750 nm region and QDs with emission over 800 nm were still strong fluorescent (28-41%). These optical properties of CdTe quantum dots are among the best results prepared by the state-of-the-art methods, suggesting their promising applications in bio-imaging. The success of 3MBA as excellent capping agent in this method was attributed to the balanced chain length and methyl side chain in comparison to a series of linear and branched mercapto acids, namely thioglycolic acid, thiolactic acid, 3-mercaptopropionic acid, 4-mercaptobutyric acid, 5-mercaptovaleric acid, 4-mercaptovaleric acid and 3-mercapto-2-methylbutyric acid.

Digital camera measurements of soot temperature and soot volume fraction in axisymmetric flames.

New diagnostics are presented that use a digital camera to measure full-field soot temperatures and soot volume fractions in axisymmetric flames. The camera is a Nikon D700 with 12 megapixels and 14 bit depth in each color plane, which was modified by removing the infrared and anti-aliasing filters. The diagnostics were calibrated with a blackbody furnace. The flame considered here was an 88 mm long ethylene/air co-flowing laminar jet diffusion flame on a round 11.1 mm burner. The resolution in the flame plane is estimated at between 0.1 and 0.7 mm. Soot temperatures were measured from soot radiative emissions, using ratio pyrometry at 450, 650, and 900 nm following deconvolution. These had a range of 1600-1850 K, a temporal resolution of 125 ms, and an estimated uncertainty of ±50 K. Soot volume fractions were measured two ways: from soot radiative emissions and from soot laser extinction at 632.8 nm, both following deconvolution. Soot volume fractions determined from emissions had a range of 0.1-10 ppm, temporal resolutions of 125 ms, and an estimated uncertainty of ±30%. Soot volume fractions determined from laser extinction had a range of 0.2-10 ppm, similar temporal resolutions, and an estimated uncertainty of ±10%. The present measurements agree with past measurements in this flame using traversing optics and probes; however, they avoid the long test times and other complications of such traditional methods.

Reduced cytotoxicity of insulin-immobilized CdS quantum dots using PEG as a spacer.

Cytotoxicity is a severe problem for cadmium sulfide nanoparticles (CSNPs) in biological systems. In this study, mercaptoacetic acid-coated CSNPs, typical semiconductor Q-dots, were synthesized in aqueous medium by the arrested precipitation method. Then, amino-terminated polyethylene glycol (PEG) was conjugated to the surface of CSNPs (PCSNPs) in order to introduce amino groups to the surface. Finally, insulin was immobilized on the surface of PCSNPs (ICSNPs) to reduce cytotoxicity as well as to enhance cell compatibility. The presence of insulin on the surface of ICSNPs was confirmed by observing infrared absorptions of amide I and II. The mean diameter of ICSNPs as determined by dynamic light scattering was about 38 nm. Human fibroblasts were cultured in the absence and presence of cadmium sulfide nanoparticles to evaluate cytotoxicity and cell compatibility. The results showed that the cytotoxicity of insulin-immobilized cadmium sulfide nanoparticles was significantly suppressed by usage of PEG as a spacer. In addition, cell proliferation was highly facilitated by the addition of ICSNPs. The ICSNPs used in this study will be potentials to be used in bio-imaging applications.

Immobilization of lactobionic acid on the surface of cadmium sulfide nanoparticles and their interaction with hepatocytes.

In the current study, beta-galactose-carrying lactobionic acid (LA) was conjugated on the surface of mercaptoacetic acid-coated cadmium sulfide nanoparticles (CSNPs) to ensure specific recognition of liver cells (hepatocytes) and to enhance biocompatibility. Maltotrionic acid-coated CSNPs (MCSNPs) were also prepared for use as a control. The results showed that LA-immobilized CSNPs (LCSNPs) were selectively and rapidly internalized into hepatocytes and emitted more intense fluorescence images as well as demonstrated increased biocompatible behavior in vitro than those of CSNPs and MCSNPs. Furthermore, the uptake amount of LCSNPs into hepatocytes was higher than that of CSNPs and MCSNPs. All these results indicate that LCSNPs may find ever-growing applications in biological labels and detection or contrast agents in life science and medical diagnostics.

Tightly convoluted polymeric phosphotungstate catalyst: an oxidative cyclization of alkenols and alkenoic acids.

[reaction: see text] A tightly convoluted polymeric phosphotungstate catalyst was prepared via ionic assembly of H3PW12O40 and poly(alkylpyridinium). An oxidative cyclization of various alkenols and alkenoic acids was efficiently promoted by the polymeric catalyst in aq H2O2 in the absence of organic solvents to afford the corresponding cyclic ethers and lactones in high yield. The catalyst was reused four times without loss of catalytic activity.

Synthesis of fluorescent composite macromolecules by using organic/inorganic assemblies as structural units.

A synthetic pathway is introduced to construct fluorescent composite macromolecules with supramolecular assemblies as structural units. The supramolecular assembly that contains polymerizable groups is used as a starting "monomer." The supramolecular assembly is composed of nanoparticle core of II - IV group semiconductor and organic ammonium shell. Polymerization of the assemblies yields soluble composite macromolecules. Light scattering data show that the macromolecule has an average size of about 310 nm in diameter in chloroform; AFM image illustrates that the macromolecule has an average diameter of 120 nm and an average height of 35 nm on a mica surface and photoluminescent spectra reveal that the macromolecule performs an extraordinary enhancement in fluorescence intensity of the semiconductor nanoparticles. These observations suggest that construction of macromolecules with supramolecular assembly as starting monomer may produce generations of materials with novel properties.