To evaluate the efficacy and safety of dezocine combined with lidocaine in local anesthesia for percutaneous testicular sperm aspiration.

A total of 130 patients who underwent percutaneous testicular sperm aspiration from March 2021 to February 2023 were randomly divided into a Dezocine group and a control group. The Dezocine group received a muscle injection of 0.05mg/kg Dezocine 30 minutes before surgery, while the control group received a muscle injection of 0.01ml/kg normal saline. Both groups received 3ml of 2% lidocaine for spermatic cord block anesthesia. The anesthesia onset time, anesthesia duration, numeric rating scale (NRS) score, anesthesia satisfaction rate and incidence of adverse reactions were recorded and compared between the two groups. The statistical results showed that there were significant differences between the two groups in terms of anesthesia onset time, anesthesia duration, anesthesia satisfaction rate, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use within 24 hours after surgery and NRS scores at 15 minutes, 1 hour and 2 hours after surgery. The incidence of adverse reactions in the Dezocine group was lower than that in the control group, but the difference was not statistically significant. The combination of Dezocine and lidocaine for spermatic cord block anesthesia during percutaneous testicular sperm aspiration is safe, effective and associated with fewer adverse reactions. It is suitable for clinical application and promotion in reproductive medicine outpatient surgery.

[Cloning and expression analysis of UDP-rhamnose synthase from Citrus sinensis].

Uridine diphosphate rhamnose(UDP-Rha), a glycoside donor synthesized with the catalysis of rhamnose synthase(RHM), is one of the important elements in the synthesis of rhamnosides. In this study, we cloned a RHM gene from Citrus sinensis(CsRHM) and analyzed its bioinformatic information and functions in vitro. The results showed the gene consisted of an open reading frame of 2 007 bp encoding 668 amino acid residues. The deduced protein had a presumed molecular weight of 75.27 kDa, a theoretical isoelectric point of 6.97, and the characteristic signal sequences(GxxxGxxG/A and YxxxK) of the RHM family. Multiple sequence alignments and the phylogenetic tree demonstrated that CsRHM shared homology with other RHMs. The results of enzymatic reactions in vitro showed that the recombinant protein CsRHM catalyzed the conversion of UDP-Glu to UDP-Rha, with the kinetic parameters V_(max), K_m, K_(cat), and K_(cat)/K_m of 0.373 7 µmol·L~(-1)·min~(-1), 21.29 µmol·L~(-1), 0.24 s~(-1), and 1.13×10~4 s~(-1)·L·mol~(-1), respectively. This study is the first report about CsRHM with validated catalytic function in vitro, which provides a foundation for further research on the biosynthesis of UDP-Rha.

Analysis of radiotherapy impact on survival in resected stage I/II pancreatic cancer patients: a population-based study.

BACKGROUND: The application of radiotherapy (RT) in pancreatic cancer remains controversial. AIM: The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of radiotherapy (neoadjuvant and adjuvant radiotherapy) for resectable I/II pancreatic cancer. METHODS: Fourteen thousand nine hundred seventy-seven patients with pancreatic cancer were identified from SEER database from 2004 to 2015. Multivariate analyses were performed to determine factors including RT on overall survival. Overall survival and overall mortality among the different groups were evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method and Gray's test. RESULTS: Patients were divided into groups according to whether they received radiotherapy or not. The median survival time of all 14,977 patients without RT was 20 months, neoadjuvant RT was 24 months and adjuvant RT was 23 months (p < 0.0001). Median survival time of 2089 stage I patients without RT was 56 months, significantly longer than those with RT regardless of neoadjuvant or adjuvant RT (no RT: 56 months vs adjuvant RT: 37 months vs neoadjuvant RT: 27 months, P = 0.0039). Median survival time of 12,888 stage II patients with neoadjuvant RT was 24 months, adjuvant RT 22 months, significantly prolonged than those without radiotherapy (neoadjuvant RT: 24 months vs adjuvant RT: 22 months vs no RT: 17 months, P<0.0001). Neoadjuvant RT (HR = 1.434, P = 0.023, 95% CI: 1.051-1.957) was independent risk factors for prognosis of stage I patients, and adjuvant RT (HR = 0.904, P < 0.001, 95% CI: 0.861-0.950) predicted better outcomes for prognosis of stage II patients by multivariate analysis. The risk of cancer-related death caused by neoadjuvant RT in stage I and no-RT in stage II patients were significantly higher. CONCLUSIONS: The study identified a significant survival advantage for the use of adjuvant RT over surgery alone or neoadjuvant RT in treating stage II pancreatic cancer. RT was not associated with survival benifit in stage I patients.

Piperhancins A and B, Two Pairs of Antineuroinflammatory Cycloneolignane Enantiomers from Piper hancei.

Two pairs of cycloneolignane enantiomers, piperhancins A and B (1 and 2, respectively), along with two enantiomeric pairs of biosynthetic related neolignanes, hancinone C (3) and piperhancin C (4), were isolated from the stems of Piper hancei. Compound 1 is an unprecedented 1',2:1,2'-dicyclo-8,3'-neolignane. Their structures and absolute configurations were elucidated by spectroscopic analyses, X-ray diffraction, and electronic circular dichroism calculations. Among all of the isolates, compounds (+)-1, (-)-1, (+)-2, (-)-2, and (+)-3 could significantly inhibit the production of nitric oxide secreted by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced neuroinflammation in BV-2 microglial cells, with IC50 values of 1.1-26.3 µM. In addition, compound (-)-1 could decrease the mRNA levels of iNOS, IL-6, and TNF-α induced by LPS in BV-2 microglial cells.

[Construction of yeast cell factories for production of azadirachtin precursor tirucalla-7,24-dien-3ß-ol].

Azadirachtin, as a botanical insecticide, is a highly oxidized limonoid triterpenoid existing in the seeds of Azadirachta indica. However, due to the low content in the seeds, the production of azadirachtin by seed extraction has low yield. Chemical synthesis of azadirachtin is characterized by complex process and low yield. Synthetic biology provides an alternative for the supply of azadirach-tin. In this study, two oxidosqualene cyclases AiOSC1 and MaOSC1 respectively derived from A. indica and Melia azedarach were identified in yeast. A yeast strain producing tirucalla-7,24-dien-3ß-ol was constructed by integration of AiOSC1, Arabidopsis thaliana-derived squalene synthase gene(AtAQS2), and Saccharomyces cerevisiae-derived truncated 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl coenzyme A reductase gene(PgtHMGR) into the delta site of yeast. Then, the function of MaCYP71BQ5 was successfully verified in yeast after this gene was introduced into the constructed yeast strain. This study not only laid a foundation for the biosynthesis of tirucalla-7,24-dien-3ß-ol, but also provided a chassis cell for the functional identification of cytochrome oxidases(CYP450 s) in azadirachtin biosynthesis pathway.

Sesquineolignan and neolignan enantiomers from Triadica sebifera.

Two pairs of new sesquineolignan enantiomers (1a/1b and 1c/1d), two pair of new 4',7-epoxy-8,3'-neolignan enantiomers (2a/2b and 3a/3b), and a pair of new 3',7-epoxy-8,4'-oxyneolignan enantiomers (4a/4b), along with two pairs of known 4',7-epoxy-8,3'-neolignan enantiomers (5a/5b and 6a/6b), were obtained from the stems and leaves of Triadica sebifera. The structures of the enantiomers were elucidated by spectroscopic analyses, and their absolute configurations were assigned by the experimental ECD spectra. Among them, compounds 5b, 6a and 6b showed inhibitory activities against NO production in activated microglial BV-2 cells, with IC50 values of 14.3, 23.2 and 33.3 µM, respectively.

Fractal analysis of recurrence networks constructed from the two-dimensional fractional Brownian motions.

In this study, we focus on the fractal property of recurrence networks constructed from the two-dimensional fractional Brownian motion (2D fBm), i.e., the inter-system recurrence network, the joint recurrence network, the cross-joint recurrence network, and the multidimensional recurrence network, which are the variants of classic recurrence networks extended for multiple time series. Generally, the fractal dimension of these recurrence networks can only be estimated numerically. The numerical analysis identifies the existence of fractality in these constructed recurrence networks. Furthermore, it is found that the numerically estimated fractal dimension of these networks can be connected to the theoretical fractal dimension of the 2D fBm graphs, because both fractal dimensions are piecewisely associated with the Hurst exponent H in a highly similar pattern, i.e., a linear decrease (if H varies from 0 to 0.5) followed by an inversely proportional-like decay (if H changes from 0.5 to 1). Although their fractal dimensions are not exactly identical, their difference can actually be deciphered by one single parameter with the value around 1. Therefore, it can be concluded that these recurrence networks constructed from the 2D fBms must inherit some fractal properties of its associated 2D fBms with respect to the fBm graphs.

MiR-144 Inhibits Tumor Growth and Metastasis in Osteosarcoma via Dual-suppressing RhoA/ROCK1 Signaling Pathway.

Several microRNAs (miRNAs) have been found expressed differentially in osteosarcoma (OS), so they may function in the onset and progression of OS. In this study, we found that miR-144 significantly suppresses osteosarcoma cell proliferation, migration, and invasion ability in vitro and inhibited tumor growth and metastasis in vivo. Mechanically, we demonstrated that Ras homolog family member A (RhoA) and its pivotal downstream effector Rho-associated, coiled-coil-containing protein kinase 1 (ROCK1) were direct targets of miR-144. Moreover, the negative correlation between down-regulated miR-144 and up-regulated ROCK1/RhoA was verified in both OS cell lines and clinical patients' specimens. Functionally, RhoA with or without ROCK1 co-overexpression resulted a rescue phenotype on miR-144 inhibited cell growth, migration, and invasion abilities whereas individual overexpression of ROCK1 had no statistical significance compared with controls in miR-144-transfected SAOS2 and U2-OS cells. Taken together, this study demonstrates that miR-144 inhibited tumor growth and metastasis in OS via dual-suppressing of RhoA and ROCK1, which could be a new therapeutic approach for the treatment of OS.

The efficacy of anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T cells for B-cell malignancies.

Immunotherapy with chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cells has proved remarkably effective in recently published clinical trials. In this meta-analysis, we performed a systematic review in terms of the clinical response treated with CAR-T cells in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and lymphomas patients. Thirty-eight published clinical studies including 665 patients were eligible for response rate (RR) evaluation. The overall pooled RR of CD19-CAR-T cells was 72% (95% confidence interval: 62-77%). The various clinical parameters were analyzed. RR was 81% in ALL, 68% in lymphoma and 70% in CLL. RR in patients who received interleukin (IL)-2 was 70%, whereas in those who did not receive IL-2, it was 74%. RR was 75% with lymphodepletion and 56% without lymphodepletion. RR with autologous cells was 76% and 57% with allogeneic cells. In conclusion, this meta-analysis showed a high clinical RR of CD19-CAR-T cell-based immunotherapy in patients with refractory B-cell malignancies.

Pathogenic Leishmania spp. detected in lizards from Northwest China using molecular methods.

BACKGROUND: Leishmaniosis, a disease caused by pathogenic Leishmania parasites, remains an unresolved health problem in the New World and the Old World. It is well known that lizards can be infected by a subgenus of Leishmania parasites, i.e. Sauroleishmania, which is non-pathogenic to humans. However, evidence suggests that lizards may also harbor pathogenic Leishmania species including the undetermined Leishmania sp., discovered in our previous work. Leishmania DNA in lizard blood can be detected by using molecular methods, such as the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). RESULTS: Three hundred and sixteen lizards, representing 13 species of four genera, were captured for blood samples collection in Northwest China. Two reliable molecular markers (cytochrome b and heat shock protein 70 genes) were used for detection in the lizard blood samples, to confirm a widespread presence of pathogenic Leishmania parasites and the distribution pattern of Leishmania spp. in lizards from Northwest China. The PCR data indicated positive detection rate for Leishmania in all the tested lizards with an overall prevalence of 57.91% (183/316). Apart from lizard parasites like Leishmania tarentolae and Leishmania sp., several pathogenic Leishmania including L. turanica, L. tropica and L. donovani complex were identified by using phylogenetic analysis. Co-existence of different haplotypes was observed in most Leishmania DNA-positive lizards with an overall rate of 77.6% (142/183). Even mixed infections with different Leishmania species appeared to occur in the lizards with an overall rate of 37.7% (69/183). CONCLUSIONS: Lizards can harbor pathogenic Leishmania spp. Co-existence of different haplotypes or even species of Leishmania indicates mixed infections in natural lizard host. Lizards may contribute to the spread of Leishmania parasites. The pathogenic Leishmania species detected in lizards from Northwest China may be of great eco-epidemiological importance.

An antibody that confers plant disease resistance targets a membrane-bound glyoxal oxidase in Fusarium.

Plant germplasm resources with natural resistance against globally important toxigenic Fusarium are inadequate. CWP2, a Fusarium genus-specific antibody, confers durable resistance to different Fusarium pathogens that infect cereals and other crops, producing mycotoxins. However, the nature of the CWP2 target is not known. Thus, investigation of the gene coding for the CWP2 antibody target will likely provide critical insights into the mechanism underlying the resistance mediated by this disease-resistance antibody. Immunoblots and mass spectrometry analysis of two-dimensional electrophoresis gels containing cell wall proteins from Fusarium graminearum (Fg) revealed that a glyoxal oxidase (GLX) is the CWP2 antigen. Cellular localization studies showed that GLX is localized to the plasma membrane. This GLX efficiently catalyzes hydrogen peroxide production; this enzymatic activity was specifically inhibited by the CWP2 antibody. GLX-deletion strains of Fg, F. verticillioides (Fv) and F. oxysporum had significantly reduced virulence on plants. The GLX-deletion Fg and Fv strains had markedly reduced mycotoxin accumulation, and the expression of key genes in mycotoxin metabolism was downregulated. This study reveals a single gene-encoded and highly conserved cellular surface antigen that is specifically recognized by the disease-resistance antibody CWP2 and regulates both virulence and mycotoxin biosynthesis in Fusarium species.

ROS generated during early reperfusion contribute to intermittent hypobaric hypoxia-afforded cardioprotection against postischemia-induced Ca(2+) overload and contractile dysfunction via the JAK2/STAT3 pathway.

Moderate enhanced reactive oxygen species (ROS) during early reperfusion trigger the cardioprotection against ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, while the mechanism is largely unknown. Janus kinase 2 (JAK2)/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) contributes to the cardioprotection but whether it is activated by ROS and how it regulates Ca(2+) homeostasis remain unclear. Here we investigated whether the ROS generated during early reperfusion protect the heart/cardiomyocyte against I/R-induced Ca(2+) overload and contractile dysfunction via the activation of JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway by using a cardioprotective model of intermittent hypobaric hypoxia (IHH) preconditioning. IHH improved the postischemic recovery of myocardial contractile performance in isolated rat I/R hearts as well as Ca(2+) homeostasis and cell contraction in simulated I/R cardiomyocytes. Meanwhile, IHH enhanced I/R-increased STAT3 phosphorylation at tyrosine 705 in the nucleus and reversed I/R-suppressed STAT3 phosphorylation at serine 727 in the nucleus and mitochondria during reperfusion. Moreover, IHH improved I/R-suppressed sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca(2+)-ATPase 2 (SERCA2) activity, enhanced I/R-increased Bcl-2 expression, and promoted the co-localization and interaction of Bcl-2 with SERCA2 during reperfusion. These effects were abolished by scavenging ROS with N-(2-mercaptopropionyl)-glycine (2-MPG) and/or by inhibiting JAK2 with AG490 during the early reperfusion. Furthermore, IHH-improved postischemic SERCA2 activity and Ca(2+) homeostasis as well as cell contraction were reversed after Bcl-2 knockdown by short hairpin RNA. In addition, the reversal of the I/R-suppressed mitochondrial membrane potential by IHH was abolished by 2-MPG and AG490. These results indicate that during early reperfusion the ROS/JAK2/STAT3 pathways play a crucial role in (i) the IHH-maintained intracellular Ca(2+) homeostasis via the improvement of postischemic SERCA2 activity through the increase of SR Bcl-2 and its interaction with SERCA2; and (ii) the IHH-improved mitochondrial function.

Validity of combination active specific immunotherapy for colorectal cancer: a meta-analysis of 2993 patients.

BACKGROUND AIMS: The aim of this study was to investigate whether active specific immunotherapy (ASI) is able to demonstrate therapeutic efficacy against colorectal cancer. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review of published papers from MEDLINE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, the Wanfang Database, the China Science and Technology Periodical Database and China Journal Net. Published data were extracted independently by two authors who used predefined database templates. The effects of ASI were compared with those of surgery alone, and a pooled analysis was performed with the use of the data from random- or fixed-effect models. RESULTS: Twelve trials matched our inclusion criteria (n = 2993, including 1842 control subjects). The overall analysis showed a significant survival benefit [1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, 5-, 6- and 7-year overall survival (OS), P < 0.05; 10-year OS, P < 0.001] in favor of ASI immunotherapy combined with surgery, but there was not an improvement in the 8- or 9-year OS (P > 0.05). The disease-free survival (DFS) rate was improved after the combination of ASI immunotherapy (2-, 3-, 5- and 10-year DFS, P < 0.05), but no significant improvement was noted for the 1-, 4-, 6-, 7-, 8- or 9-year DFS (P > 0.05). In addition, the disease-specific survival (DSS) was improved at some time points after the combination of ASI immunotherapy and surgery (2-, 3-, 4-, 5- and 6-year DSS, P < 0.05, but not the 1-, 7-, 8- or 9-year DSS, P > 0.05). An improved 2-, 3-, 4-, 5- and 6-year recurrence-free interval (RFI) (P < 0.05) was also observed in patients who received ASI therapy, but this was not observed for the 1-year RFI (P > 0.05). Furthermore, an analysis of the recurrence-free survival (RFS) showed that it was significantly increased in the ASI plus surgery group (1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, 5- and 6-year RFS, P < 0.001). The funnel plots showed that the analyses were relatively reliable and the publication bias was small. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of ASI immunotherapy and surgery was superior in prolonging the overall survival time and enhancing the recurrence-free survival rate compared with surgery alone.

Clinical efficacy of autologous stem cell transplantation for the treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AIMS: In this study, we investigate whether bone marrow mononuclear cells (BM-MNC) or peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PB-MNC) have therapeutic efficacy in type 2 diabetes (T2D). METHODS: Search terms included stem cell, bone marrow cell, peripheral blood cell, umbilical cord blood and T2D in MEDLINE, the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, EMBASE, the Wanfang Database, the China Science and Technology Periodical Database and China Journal Net. RESULTS: Fifteen trials met our inclusion criteria (n = 497). One group included 266 cases with BM-MNC therapy and the other group contained 231 cases with PB-MNC treatment. Glycosylated hemoglobin was decreased after BM-MNC or PB-MNC therapy compared with that before (12 months: P < 0.001; 6 months: P < 0.001; 3 months: P < 0.05). Fasting plasma glucose was reduced in BM-MNC therapy group compared with control after 12-month follow-up (P < 0.001) and after BM-MNC therapy compared with that before (9 months: P < 0.001) but was not obvious in other stages. Meanwhile, the analysis showed that C-peptide level increased after BM-MNC and PB-MNC therapy compared with the control therapy (12 months: P < 0.001) and with that before therapy (6 months: P < 0.05). Insulin requirement reduction was also observed in patients receiving BM-MNC therapy (3, 6, 9 and 12 months: P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: To a certain extent, BM-MNC or PB-MNC therapy for T2D demonstrated superiority of glycemic control, increased insulin biosynthesis and elevated insulin secretion from existing ß-cells and might prevent islet cell loss.

Determination of multifractal dimensions of complex networks by means of the sandbox algorithm.

Complex networks have attracted much attention in diverse areas of science and technology. Multifractal analysis (MFA) is a useful way to systematically describe the spatial heterogeneity of both theoretical and experimental fractal patterns. In this paper, we employ the sandbox (SB) algorithm proposed by Tél et al. (Physica A 159, 155-166 (1989)), for MFA of complex networks. First, we compare the SB algorithm with two existing algorithms of MFA for complex networks: the compact-box-burning algorithm proposed by Furuya and Yakubo (Phys. Rev. E 84, 036118 (2011)), and the improved box-counting algorithm proposed by Li et al. (J. Stat. Mech.: Theor. Exp. 2014, P02020 (2014)) by calculating the mass exponents τ(q) of some deterministic model networks. We make a detailed comparison between the numerical and theoretical results of these model networks. The comparison results show that the SB algorithm is the most effective and feasible algorithm to calculate the mass exponents τ(q) and to explore the multifractal behavior of complex networks. Then, we apply the SB algorithm to study the multifractal property of some classic model networks, such as scale-free networks, small-world networks, and random networks. Our results show that multifractality exists in scale-free networks, that of small-world networks is not obvious, and it almost does not exist in random networks.

Adoptive cellular immunotherapy for the treatment of patients with breast cancer: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of dendritic cells (DC) alone, cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells alone and the combination of DC and CIK cells in the treatment of breast cancer, we performed a systemic review of the relevant published clinical studies, collectively referred to as DC-CIK cell therapy. METHODS: Six hundred thirty-three patients with breast cancer were assigned to cohorts, and a meta-analysis was conducted. RESULTS: The treatment of breast cancer with DC-CIK cells was associated with a significantly improved 1-year survival (P = 0.0001). The Karnofsky performance status scale of the patients treated with DC-CIK cells was significantly improved compared with that of the non-DC-CIK group (P < 0.0001). The percentage of T cells (CD3(+), CD4(+) and CD4(+)CD8(+)), CD16(+) monocytes, and CD3(+)CD56(+) natural killer T cells in the peripheral blood of cancer patients was significantly increased (P ≤ 0.05), whereas the percentage of CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T cells was not significantly decreased (P = 0.32) in the DC-CIK treatment group compared with the non-DC-CIK group. The levels of interleukin-2, interleukin-12, tumor necrosis factor-α, interferon-γ, and nucleolar organizer region protein in the peripheral blood of cancer patients, which reflect immune function, were significantly increased (P < 0.001) after DC-CIK cell treatment. Furthermore, after DC-CIK treatment, the average levels of the alpha-fetoprotein, cancer antigen embryonic antigen and carbohydrate antigen tumor markers were decreased (P < 0.00001). CONCLUSIONS: DC-CIK cell therapy markedly prolongs survival time, enhances immune function, and improves the efficacy of the treatment of breast cancer patients.

Comparative effectiveness of several adjuvant therapies after hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma patients with microvascular invasion.

BACKGROUND: For resectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), radical hepatectomy is commonly used as a curative treatment. However, postoperative recurrence significantly diminishes the overall survival (OS) of HCC patients, especially with microvascular invasion (MVI) as an independent high-risk factor for recurrence. While some studies suggest that postoperative adjuvant therapy may decrease the risk of recurrence following liver resection in HCC patients, the specific role of adjuvant therapies in those with MVI remains unclear. AIM: To conduct a network meta-analysis (NMA) to evaluate the efficacy of various adjuvant therapies and determine the optimal adjuvant regimen. METHODS: A systematic literature search was conducted on PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science until April 6, 2023. Studies comparing different adjuvant therapies or comparing adjuvant therapy with hepatectomy alone were included. Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals were used to combine data on recurrence free survival and OS in both pairwise meta-analyses and NMA. RESULTS: Fourteen eligible trials (2268 patients) reporting five different therapies were included. In terms of reducing the risk of recurrence, radiotherapy (RT) [HR = 0.34 (0.23, 0.5); surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) = 97.7%] was found to be the most effective adjuvant therapy, followed by hepatic artery infusion chemotherapy [HR = 0.52 (0.35, 0.76); SUCRA = 65.1%]. Regarding OS improvement, RT [HR: 0.35 (0.2, 0.61); SUCRA = 93.1%] demonstrated the highest effectiveness, followed by sorafenib [HR = 0.48 (0.32, 0.69); SUCRA = 70.9%]. CONCLUSION: Adjuvant therapy following hepatectomy may reduce the risk of recurrence and provide a survival benefit for HCC patients with MVI. RT appears to be the most effective adjuvant regimen.

Clinical features of plastic bronchitis in children after congenital heart surgery.

BACKGROUND: Plastic bronchitis (PB) can occur in patients who have undergone congenital heart surgery (CHS). This study aimed to investigate the clinical features of PB in children after CHS. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the electronic medical record system. The study population consisted of children diagnosed with PB after bronchoscopy in the cardiac intensive care unit after CHS from May 2016 to October 2021. RESULTS: A total of 68 children after CHS were finally included in the study (32 in the airway abnormalities group and 36 in the right ventricular dysfunction group). All children were examined and treated with fiberoptic bronchoscopy. Pathogens were detected in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of 41 children, including 32 cases in the airway abnormalities group and 9 cases in the right ventricular dysfunction group. All patients were treated with antibiotics, corticosteroids (intravenous or oral), and budesonide inhalation suspension. Children with right ventricular dysfunction underwent pharmacological treatment such as reducing pulmonary arterial pressure. Clinical symptoms improved in 64 children, two of whom were treated with veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) due to recurrent PB and disease progression. CONCLUSIONS: Children with airway abnormalities or right ventricular dysfunction after CHS should be alerted to the development of PB. Pharmacological treatment such as anti-infection, corticosteroids, or improvement of right ventricular function is the basis of PB treatment, while fiberoptic bronchoscopy is an essential tool for the diagnosis and treatment of PB. ECMO assistance is a vital salvage treatment for recurrent critically ill PB patients.

Corrigendum: Comparison of cardiac function between single left ventricle and tricuspid atresia: assessment using echocardiography combined with computational fluid dynamics.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fped.2023.1159342.].

Chicken single-chain antibody fused to alkaline phosphatase detects Aspergillus pathogens and their presence in natural samples by direct sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

A sensitive and specific analytical method to detect ubiquitous aflatoxigenic Aspergillus pathogens is essential for monitoring and controlling aflatoxins. Four highly reactive chicken single-chain variable fragments (scFvs) against soluble cell wall proteins (SCWPs) from Aspergillus flavus were isolated by phage display. The scFv antibody AfSA4 displayed the highest activity toward both A. flavus and A. parasiticus and specifically recognized a surface target of their cell walls as revealed by immunofluorescence localization. Molecular modeling revealed a unique compact motif on the antibody surface mainly involving L-CDR2 and H-CDR3. As measured by surface plasmon resonance, AfSA4 fused to alkaline phosphatase had a higher binding capability and 6-fold higher affinity compared with AfSA4 alone. Immunoblot analyses showed that the fusion had good binding capacity to SCWP components from the two fungal species. Direct sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays with mouse antiaspergillus monoclonal antibody mAb2A8 generated in parallel as a capture antibody revealed that the detection limit of the two fungi was as low as 10(-3) µg/mL, 1000-fold more sensitive than that reported previously (1 µg/mL). The fusion protein was able to detect fungal concentrations below 1 µg/g of maize and peanut grains in both artificially and naturally contaminated samples, with at least 10-fold more sensitivity than that reported (10 µg/g) thus far. Thus, the fusion can be applied in rapid, simple, and specific diagnosis of Aspergillus contamination in field and stored food/feed commodities.