Thoracic paravertebral nerve block combined laryngeal mask airway with preservation of spontaneous breathing can accelerate postoperative recovery.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the potential benefits of Thoracic Paravertebral Nerve Block (TPVB) coupled with Laryngeal Mask Airway (LMA) and the maintenance of spontaneous breathing anesthesia, in contrast to general anesthesia utilizing double-lumen endobronchial intubation, on promoting recovery following thoracoscopic surgery. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was carried out involving sixty patients set for Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (VATS) at the Affiliated People's Hospital of Jiangsu University from February 2021 to January 2022. Patients were randomized to either the TPVB and LMA with spontaneous breathing anesthesia group (non-intubation group, NI group) or the general anesthesia with double-lumen endobronchial intubation group (Intubation group, I group). The primary outcome measured was the duration of hospitalization. Secondary outcomes included early postoperative rehabilitation indicators, postoperative complications, Visual Analogue Score (VAS), and inflammatory response markers. RESULTS: Patients in the NI group experienced significantly shorter hospital stays than those in the I group (p < 0.05). Early postoperative recovery, assessed by metrics including the first exhaust time, food intake time, first ambulation time, and duration of chest-tube placement, was superior in the NI group (p < 0.05). Postoperative complications such as nausea and vomiting, pulmonary infection, atelectasis, sore throat, and hoarseness, along with cortisol and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels at the end of the operation and 24 h post-operation, and VAS values within the first 12 h post-operation, were significantly lower in the NI group (p < 0.05). However, blood loss, operation time, and VAS values at 24 h and 48 h post-surgery showed no significant differences between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that TPVB, in conjunction with LMA and spontaneous breathing anesthesia, may expedite postoperative recovery in patients undergoing VATS.

[Efficacy and safety of endoscopic submucosal dissection with additional radiotherapy for T1a-MM/T1b-SM esophageal squamous cell carcinoma].

Objective: To clarify the efficacy and safety of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) with additional radiotherapy in T1a-MM/T1b-SM esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 71 patients with T1a-MM/T1b-SM ESCC admitted to Southeast University Affiliated Zhongda Hospital from January 2015 to December 2019. The patients were divided into two groups based on the treatment method: the ESD group (ESD therapy alone) and the ESD-radiotherapy group (ESD combined radiotherapy). The follow-up duration after ESD was (44±17) months. The difference of disease-free survival (DFS) rate and overall survival (OS) rate between the two groups was compared by survival analysis, and the occurrence of complications was compared. Baseline variables of the two groups were compared and the influencing factors of DFS rate were analyzed by Cox proportional risk regression model. Results: There were 44 patients in the ESD-radiotherapy group [28 males, 16 females, aged (65±7) years] and 27 patients in the ESD group [18 males, 9 females, aged (67±9) years]. The results of survival analysis show that the 1, 3 and 5-year DFS rates of ESD-radiotherapy group were 95.5%, 92.9% and 77.4%, respectively, which were higher than those of ESD group 85.2%, 73.2% and 62.7% (all P<0.05). The 1, 3 and 5-year OS rates of the ESD-radiotherapy group were 100%, 94.7% and 94.7%, while those of the ESD group were 96.3%, 96.3% and 79.4%, respectively. The difference was not statistically significant (all P>0.05). Cox proportional hazard regression model analysis showed that ESD combined with radiotherapy (HR=0.19, 95%CI: 0.04-0.90, P=0.037), complete tumor resection (HR=0.25, 95%CI: 0.07-0.86, P=0.027), and vascular invasion (HR=12.06, 95%CI: 1.61-90.26, P=0.015) were the influencing factors of DFS rates. The most common complication of ESD was esophageal stenosis, and no grade 3 or higher radiation adverse reactions occurred after combined radiotherapy. Conclusion: ESD combined radiotherapy is an effective and safe therapeutic strategy for patients with T1a-MM/T1b-SM ESCC.

Impact of prior extrapulmonary cancer on survival after lung cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: This review aimed to examine the impact of previous extrapulmonary malignancies on the overall survival (OS) of lung cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The online databases of PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science were explored for studies published up to 22nd December 2022 and comparing outcomes of first lung cancer vs. second primary lung cancer with a history of previous extrapulmonary malignancy. Studies were to report adjusted data on OS. Meta-analysis was performed in a random-effects model. RESULTS: Nine retrospective studies were eligible. A total of 267,892 lung cancer patients with prior extrapulmonary malignancy and 1,351,245 primary lung cancer patients were analyzed in the studies. Meta-analysis of all studies showed that prior extrapulmonary malignancy results in poor OS in lung cancer patients as compared to those with no history of such cancer (HR: 1.27 95% CI: 1.07, 1.50 I2=83%). The results did not change on sensitivity analysis. No publication bias was noted. CONCLUSIONS: The result of this meta-analysis indicates that a history of prior extrapulmonary malignancy results in poor OS in patients with lung cancer. Caution is needed in the interpretation of the results owing to high interstudy heterogeneity. Further research is needed to assess how factors like the type of extrapulmonary malignancy, time interval of diagnosis, cancer stage, and treatment modality impact this relationship.

[Short-term outcomes and long-term quality of life after undergoing radical proximal gastrectomy with esophageal gastric tube anastomosis and total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y anastomosis for Siewert type II and III adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction: A propensity score matching analysis].

Objective: To evaluate the effects on short-term clinical outcomes and long-term quality of life of laparoscopic-assisted radical proximal gastrectomy with esophageal gastric tube anastomosis versus total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y anastomosis for adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction. Methods: This was a propensity score matching, retrospective, cohort study. Clinicopathological data of 184 patients with adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction admitted to two medical centers in China from January 2016 to January 2021 were collected (147 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University and 37 in the Affiliated Hospital of Qinghai University). All patients had undergone laparoscopic-assisted radical gastrectomy. They were divided into two groups based on the extent of tumor resection and technique used for digestive tract reconstruction. A proximal gastrectomy with reconstruction by esophageal gastric tube anastomosis group comprised 82 patients and a total gastrectomy with reconstruction by Roux-en-Y anastomosis group comprised 102 patients. These groups differed significantly in the following baseline characteristics: age, preoperative hemoglobin, preoperative albumin, tumor length, tumor differentiation, and tumor TNM stage (all P<0.05). To eliminate potential bias caused by unequal distribution between the two groups, 1∶1 matching was performed by the nearest neighbor matching method. The 13 matched variables comprised sex, age, height, body mass, body mass index, preoperative glucose, preoperative hemoglobin, preoperative total protein, preoperative albumin, neoadjuvant radiotherapy, tumor length, degree of differentiation, and pathological TNM stage. Postoperative complications, postoperative nutritional status, incidence of reflux esophagitis 1 year after surgery, and quality of life were compared between the two groups. Results: After propensity score matching, 60 patients each were enrolled in the proximal gastrectomy with esophageal gastric tube anastomosis and total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y anastomosis groups. The baseline characteristics were comparable between these groups (all P>0.05). There were no significant differences between the two groups in operative time, intraoperative bleeding, time to semifluid diet, postoperative hospital days, tumor length, and total hospital costs (P>0.05). Patients in the proximal gastrectomy with esophageal gastric tube anastomosis group had earlier postoperative gastric tube and abdominal drainage tube removal time than those in the total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y anastomosis group (t=-2.183, P=0.023 and t=-4.073, P<0.001, respectively). In contrast, significantly fewer lymph nodes were cleared and significantly fewer lymph nodes were positive in the proximal gastrectomy with esophageal gastric tube anastomosis group than in the total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y anastomosis group (t=-5.754, P<0.001 and t=-2.575, P=0.031, respectively). The incidence of early postoperative complications was 43.3% (26/60) in the total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y anastomosis group; this is not significantly higher than the 26.7% (16/60) in the proximal gastrectomy with esophageal gastric tube anastomosis group (χ2=3.663，P=0.056). The incidences of pulmonary infection (31.7%, 19/60) and pleural effusion (30.0%, 18/60) were significantly higher in the total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y anastomosis group than in the proximal gastrectomy with esophageal gastric tube anastomosis group (13.3%, 8/60 and 8.3%, 5/60, respectively); these differences are significant (χ2=8.711, P=0.003 and χ2=11.368, P=0.001, respectively). All early complications were successfully treated before discharge. The incidence of long-term postoperative complications was 20.0% (12/60) in the total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y anastomosis group and 35.0% (21/60) in the proximal gastrectomy with esophageal gastric tube anastomosis group; this difference is not significant (χ2=3.386，P=0.066). The incidence of reflux esophagitis was 23.3% (14/60) in the proximal gastrectomy with esophageal gastric tube anastomosis group; this is significantly higher than the 1.7% (1/60) in the total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y anastomosis group (χ2=12.876, P<0.001). Body mass index had decreased significantly in both groups 1 year after surgery compared with preoperatively; however, the difference between the two groups was not significant (P>0.05). The differences in hemoglobin and albumin concentrations between 1 year postoperatively and preoperatively were not significant (both P>0.05). Quality of life was assessed using the Visick grade. Visick grade I dominated in both groups. The percentage of patients with Visick II and III in the total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y anastomosis group was 11.7% (7/60), which is significantly lower than the 33.3% (20/60) in the proximal gastrectomy with esophageal gastric tube anastomosis group (χ2=8.076, P=0.004). No patients in either group had a grade IV quality of life. Conclusions: Both proximal gastrectomy with esophageal gastric tube anastomosis and total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y anastomosis laparoscopic-assisted radical surgery for adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction are safe and feasible. However, both procedures have their own advantages and disadvantages in terms of postoperative complications. The incidence of reflux esophagitis is higher after proximal gastrectomy with esophageal gastric tube anastomosis, whereas the long-term quality of life is lower than that of patients after total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y anastomosis.

[Efficacy and safety of adalimumab in patients with Crohn's disease].

Objective: To assess the effectiveness and safety of adalimumab in Crohn's disease (CD) patients. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the charts of 41 CD patients who received adalimumab in Zhongda Hospital Southeast University from January 2020 to August 2021. General clinical data, laboratory results, endoscopy and radiologic findings were collected, meanwhile, disease activity and safety events were evaluated at baseline and at 12, 24 and 48 weeks of administration. Adalimumab was given subcutaneously once every 2 weeks in doses of 160 mg for the first time, 80 mg for the second time, and 40 mg for each subsequent time. Results: The clinical remission rates at 12, 24, and 48 weeks of treatment were 43.9% (18/41), 60.6% (20/33), 60.9% (14/23), and the clinical response rates were 75.6% (31/41), 69.7% (23/33), and 56.5%( 13/23), respectively. The proportion of endoscopic remission at 12, 24 and 48 weeks were 4/14, 2/6, 1/4 in patients undergoing endoscopy, and 1/14 patients achieved mucosal healing at 24 weeks. Primary nonresponse rate (PNR) was 17.1% (7/41), loss of response (LOR) rate was 14.6% (6/41). The incidence of adverse reactions was 9.8%(4/41). Conclusion: Adalimumab can effectively relieve the clinical symptoms and intestinal disease activities of Crohn's disease, and deserves to be popularized clinically. Patients with disease course <2 years, first-line biologics, low baseline HBI score, and longer duration of medication may have better results.

[Congenital factor X deficiency: a retrospective analysis of 11 cases].

Objective: To analyze the clinical characteristics, laboratory examination, diagnosis, treatment, and outcome of hereditary factor Ⅹ (FⅩ) deficiency. Methods: Clinical data of 11 patients with congenital FⅩ deficiency were retrospectively analyzed from July 2009 to February 2021. Results: There were 3 males and 8 females. Median age was 39 (5-55) years. The media duration of follow-up was 81.67 (1.87-142.73) months. Of the 11 patients, 10 had bleeding symptoms, 7 had ecchymosis or hemorrhage after skin bump, 7 had nosebleed, 6 had gingival hemorrhage, and 1 had muscle hematoma. Among the female patients, 6 had menorrhagia and 1 experienced bleeding after vaginal delivery. Family history of FⅩ deficiency was found in one case. Eight patients had a history of surgery, and four had postoperative bleeding. Laboratory findings were characterized by significantly prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time, prothrombin time, and decreased FⅩ activity (FⅩ∶C) . Four cases underwent gene mutation analysis and five new mutations were found. Four cases were treated with prothrombin complex concentrates (PCC) and seven cases with fresh frozen plasma (FFP) . One female patient had significantly reduced menstrual volume after PCC prophylactic therapy. One patient received FFP for prophylactic infusion with no bleeding during and after the operation. Conclusion: Most patients with congenital FⅩ deficiency had bleeding symptoms and there was no significant correlation between severity of bleeding symptoms and FⅩ∶C. Prophylaxis should be applied in patients with severe bleeding tendencies. Gene mutation test is significant for screening, diagnosis, and prognosis prediction of congenital FX deficiency.

[Splenectomy for the treatment of common variable immunodeficiency complicated with cytopenia: report of one case and literature review].

Objective: To improve the understanding of splenectomy for treating common variable immunodeficiency complicated with cytopenia. Methods: A case of common variable immunodeficiency complicated with cytopenia was reported, and the literature was reviewed. Results: The patient, female, 16 years old, was hospitalized for eight years due to thrombocytopenia; she manifested recurrent thrombocytopenia with leukopenia since adolescence. The patient was diagnosed with common variable immunodeficiency with repeated mild infections, splenomegaly, and significantly reduced plasma immunoglobulin levels. Additionally, splenectomy was performed with adequate immunoglobulin replacement therapy, and the pathology confirmed hypersplenism; her blood cell level returned to normal after surgery. Conclusions: Common variable immunodeficiency has various clinical manifestations and can be complicated with cytopenia. Under the premise of adequate immunoglobulin replacement therapy, splenectomy is a safe and effective treatment for common variable immunodeficiency in patients with recurrent cytopenia.

[Quantitative analysis of near infrared optical signal in fluorescence molecular navigation surgery for oral squamous cell carcinoma].

Objective: To evaluate the effect of quantitative analysis of optical signal in the near infrared fluorescence molecular navigation surgery for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Methods: SCC9, HSC3 and epithelial cell lines (Leuk-1) were co-cultured with indocyanine green (ICG) for 6 hours in vitro in order to verify whether the quantitative analysis of near infrared optical signal could distinguish tumor cells from normal cells. A total of 16 BALB/c male mice (5-6 weeks, 20-25 g) were selected and fed in clean grade equipment and were equally divided into two groups. SCC9 and HSC3 cells were inoculated into the back of each mouse at a concentration of 1×106 cells/ml to establish a subcutaneous graft tumor model. The 5 mg/kg ICG was injected into the caudal vein to each of the tumor bearing mouse and the difference between OSCC and normal tissues was then analyzed by near infrared optical signal quantitative analysis (Paired t test). Ten patients with OSCC were enrolled in the Department of Stomatology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College from November 2019 to July 2020, including 6 patients with tongue squamous cell carcinoma and 4 patients with buccal squamous cell carcinoma.The patients were 6 males and 4 females and the range of age was from 46 to 71 years with an average age of 58.6 years. These patients were injected ICG (0.75 mg/kg) via the cubital vein at 6-8 h before surgery. Intraoperatively, the fluorescence intensities (FI) of near infrared signal were measured at tumor, peritumor tissues (2.0 cm beyond the tumor boundary) and normal tongue or buccal mucosa respectively. The signal background ratios (SBR) from the three site groups were assessed using one-way ANOVA followed by the Tukey post hoc test for multiple comparisons. Results: In vitro, the levels of near infrared FI in HSC3 and SCC9 groups were higher than that in Leuk-1group (P<0.01). In vivo, the result showed that the SBR of OSCC and normal tissues was 8.67±0.35. Clinical studies showed that the intensity of tumor [(408.23±101.51) arbitrary units (AU)] was significantly higher than those of peritumoral [(253.12±64.89) AU] and normal tissues [(261.50±80.47) AU] respectively. The SBRs of near infrared FI of tumor and peritumoral tissues, tumor and normal tissues were 1.61±0.53 and 1.56±0.48 respectively, while that of peritumoral and normal tissues was 0.96±0.17. Conclusions: The quantitative analysis of near infrared optical signal could distinguish OSCC from normal cells and could locate the OSCC tissue intraoperatively. Optical signal quantification and ICG near infrared fluorescence molecular technology possessed the feasibility in primary OSCC resection.

[Risk factors of peritoneal metastasis in primary appendiceal tumor].

Objective: To investigate the risk factors of peritoneal metastasis in primary appendiceal tumor. Methods: The clinic data of 71 patients with primary appendiceal tumor admitted in the Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University between Dec 2012 and Jan 2019 were enrolled retrospectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis were carried out to evaluate the risk factors of appendiceal tumor with peritoneal metastasis. Results: Of the 71 patients, 33 were peritoneal metastasis (peritoneal metastasis group) and 38 were non-peritoneal metastasis (no peritoneal metastasis group). Twenty-one patients in the peritoneal metastasis group had increased preoperative cancer embryo antigen (CEA), while 3 cases in the non-peritoneal metastasis group, with statistically significant difference (P<0.001). Sixteen cases in peritoneal metastasis group had increased preoperative carbohydrate antigen 199, while only 2 cases in the non-peritoneal metastasis group, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). The pathological type of 30 cases in the peritoneal metastasis group was adenocarcinoma (including mucus adenocarcinoma and colon adenocarcinoma), while 12 cases of adenocarcinoma in the non-peritoneal metastasis group, with statistically significant difference (P<0.001). Twelve cases in the peritoneal metastasis group had lymph node metastasis, while 3 cases in the non-peritoneal metastasis group, the difference is statistically significant (P=0.003). Preoperative CEA elevation and pathological type is adenocarinoma were independent risk factors for peritoneal metastasis of appendiceal cancer (P<0.05). Conclusions: The propensity of peritoneal metastasis in primary appendiceal tumor is high and the outcome is poor. Patients with increased preoperative CEA, adenocarcinoma histopathology are more inclined to have peritoneal metastasis.

LncRNA PROX1-AS1 promotes proliferation, invasion, and migration in prostate cancer via targeting miR-647.

Since this article has been suspected of research misconduct and the corresponding authors did not respond to our request to prove originality of data and figures, "LncRNA PROX1-AS1 promotes proliferation, invasion, and migration in prostate cancer via targeting miR-647, by C. Qian, C.-H. Liao, B.-F. Tan, Y.-F. Chen, B.-W. Dang, J.-L. Chen, C.-B. Liu, published in Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2020; 24 (6): 2938-2944-DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_202003_20658-PMID: 32271411" has been withdrawn. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. https://www.europeanreview.org/article/20658.

[Congenital factor â ¦ deficiency: a retrospective analysis of 43 cases].

Objective: To explore the pathogenesis, clinical characteristics, laboratory findings, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of congenital factor Ⅶ (FⅦ) deficiency. Methods: Clinical data of 43 patients with congenital FⅦ deficiency diagnosed from April 1999 to September 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Results: There were 27 females and 16 males. Median age was 16 (1-70) years. Family history was found in 6 cases. There were 29 (67.4%) cases with bleeding symptoms, most common of which were mucocutaneous bleeding (13 cases, 30.2%) , oral bleeding (13 cases, 30.2%) , and epistaxis (9 cases, 20.9%) . Menorrhagia occurred in 11 cases (47.6% of female patients who were in fertile age) . Laboratory findings were characterized by significantly prolonged prothrombin time (PT) , normal partial thromboplastin time (APTT) , and decreased FⅦ activity (FⅦ∶C) . Ten cases received gene mutation analysis and 3 new mutations were found. Fourteen cases (32.6%) were treated with prothrombin complex concentrates (PCC) , 12 (27.9%) with fresh frozen plasma (FFP) , and 3 (7.0%) with human recombinant activated FⅦ (rFⅦa) . Twenty cases (46.5%) with no or mild bleeding symptoms did not receive any replacement therapy. Previous bleeding symptoms recurred in 5 patients (11.6%) , 8 females still had heavy menstrual bleeding, and 9 patients (20.9%) were lost to follow-up. Conclusion: Most patients with congenital FⅦ deficiency have mild or no bleeding symptoms, but have a tendency to excessive bleeding after surgery or trauma. There is no significant correlation between FⅦ∶C and severity of bleeding symptoms. Prophylaxis should be applied in patients with severe bleeding symptoms and rFⅦa is the first choice. Gene mutation test is significant for screening, diagnosis, and prognosis prediction of the disease.

Significance of LncRNA KCNQ1OT1 expression in diagnosis and prognosis judgment of myelodysplastic syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To study the expression level of the long non-coding ribonucleic acid (lncRNA) KCNQ1 overlapping transcript 1 (KCNQ1OT1) in the patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), as well as the correlation between the expression level of lncRNA KCNQ1OT1 and the clinical diagnosis and prognosis of MDS. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 60 MDS patients were selected as the MDS group and 20 healthy people as the control group. The expression levels of lncRNA KCNQ1OT1 in the serum of the two groups of participants were compared. The associations of the expression level of lncRNA KCNQ1OT1 with the clinicopathological parameters of the MDS patients were analyzed. MDS was divided into various subtypes in accordance with the World Health Organization (WHO) classification. The expression level of lncRNA KCNQ1OT1 in all the subtypes was detected, and its correlation with the prognosis was judged. RESULTS: There was a statistical difference in the expression level of lncRNA KCNQ1OT1 between the control group and the MDS group (p<0.001). The MDS patients with the low expression of lncRNA KCNQ1OT1 had remarkably longer survival and progression-free survival (PFS) in comparison with those with the high expression of lncRNA KCNQ1OT1 (p<0.001). The survival status and chemosensitivity of the MDS patients were closely related to the prognosis (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: LncRNA KCNQ1OT1 presents high expressions in the MDS patients, indicating that it has a correlation with the prognosis of the MDS patients, and thus providing a new direction for the future treatment of the MDS patients.

LncRNA PROX1-AS1 promotes proliferation, invasion, and migration in prostate cancer via targeting miR-647.

OBJECTIVE: Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) act as an important role in many diseases. In this research, lncRNA PROX1-AS1 was explored to identify how it functioned in the development of prostate cancer (PC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Real Time-quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR) was utilized to detect PROX1-AS1 expression in PC patients. Then, MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay, colony formation assay, and transwell assay were performed to identify its function in PC cells. Furthermore, the potential mechanism was also explored using mechanism assays. RESULTS: PROX1-AS1 expression level was significantly higher in PC tissue samples and cell lines. Results of MTT assay, colony formation assay, and transwell assay showed that cell proliferation and invasion were inhibited through the silence of PROX1-AS1 in PC cells, while cell proliferation and invasion were promoted through the overexpression of PROX1-AS1 in PC cells. Furthermore, the expression of miR-647 was upregulated via the silence of PROX1-AS1 in PC cells, while the expression of miR-647 was downregulated via the overexpression of PROX1-AS1 in PC cells. Further mechanism assays showed that miR-647 was a direct target of PROX1-AS1 in PC. Correlation analysis showed that miR-647 expression was negatively correlated with PROX1-AS1 expression in PC tissues. CONCLUSIONS: Results above suggested that PROX1-AS1 could enhance cell proliferation and invasion of PC cells by sponging miR-647 and might be applied as a novel target for the treatment of PC.

Ionization-induced adiabatic soliton compression in gas-filled hollow-core photonic crystal fibers.

We investigate in the experiments the ionization-induced adiabatic soliton compression process in a short length of He-filled single-ring photonic crystal fiber. We observe that the plasma-driven blueshifting solitons show little residual light near the pump wavelength in a certain pulse energy region, leading to a high-efficiency frequency upconversion process. In contrast, at high pulse energy levels, we observe that the quality of the frequency upshifting process is impaired due to the existence of a dynamical loss channel induced by the coupling of the soliton to linear modes near the pump wavelength. In addition, through adjusting the input pulse energy, the central wavelength of blueshifting solitons can be continuously tuned over 300 nm. These experimental results, confirmed by numerical simulations, not only offer a deep insight into ionization-induced soliton-plasma dynamics in gas-filled hollow-core photonic crystal fibers, but also develop highly tunable ultrafast light sources at visible wavelengths, which may have many applications in ultrafast spectroscopy.

LncRNA MSTO2P promotes proliferation and autophagy of lung cancer cells by up-regulating EZH2 expression.

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to investigate the specific mechanism underlying the regulatory effect of long noncoding ribonucleic acids (lncRNAs) MSTO2P on lung cancer (LCa) cell proliferation and autophagy via regulating enhancer of zeste homolog (EZH2) expression. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was applied to analyze the levels of MSTO2P and EZH2 in 40 pairs of LCa tissues and corresponding adjacent tissues, as well as in LCa cell lines (H1299, H23, A549) and human bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B). Besides, the effect of MSTO2P on cell proliferation ability was detected by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and plate cloning experiments. The interaction between MTS02P and EZH2 as well as their effects on cell autophagy ability were examined by qRT-PCR and Western blot. RESULTS: The qRT-PCR results showed that MSTO2P expression in LCa tissues was remarkably higher than that in adjacent tissues. Meanwhile, compared with human bronchial epithelial cells, the level of MSTO2P was remarkably up-regulated in LCa cells. After down-regulating MSTO2P, the cell proliferation ability was weakened, and the protein levels of autophagy-related genes including Agt5, LC-3I, and LC-3II were remarkably down-regulated. At the same time, EZH2 expression in LCa tissues was also remarkably up-regulated relative to adjacent tissues, and it was positively correlated with the expression of MSTO2P. In addition, after down-regulating MSTO2P, the EZH2 level was also remarkably reduced. Further experimental results revealed that EZH2 down-regulation could impair the cell proliferation ability and down-regulate the expressions of autophagy genes such as Agt5, LC-3I, and LC-3II. CONCLUSIONS: LncRNA MSTO2P promotes LCa cell proliferation and autophagy by up-regulating EZH2. Therefore, MSTO2P may be a potential therapeutic target for LCa.

Heterologous Antibodies Adsorption in Xenotransplantation of a Landrace Piglet Kidney Into a Rhesus Monkey.

BACKGROUND: To explore the adsorption of heterologous antibodies in 6 xenotransplants of Landrace piglet kidneys into rhesus monkeys. METHODS: The Landrace piglets and rhesus monkeys were used as donors and recipients, respectively. The donor kidney was the left kidney excised from each Landrace piglet and lavaged with University of Wisconsin solution through the renal artery and vein ex vivo. The renal arteriovenous end of the recipient was preserved. After anastomosis of the renal artery and vein with the arteriovenous end of the recipient for reperfusion, a cross-lymphocyte cytotoxicity test of the heterogeneous kidney was performed. RESULTS: All 6 Landrace piglet kidneys absorbed heterologous antibodies that were pre-existing in the rhesus macaques' kidneys. The cross-lymphocyte toxicity test was performed after the kidney were completely blackened. The cross-lymphocyte toxicity in all each heterogeneous kidney changed from strong positive to weak positive. CONCLUSIONS: Heterologous antibodies were adsorbed in xenotransplants of Landrace piglet kidneys into rhesus monkeys. Xenotransplanted kidney can adsorb heterologous antibodies and consume relevant complements, which is a good model for research of hyperacute rejection in xenotransplantation.

Continuously wavelength-tunable blueshifting soliton generated in gas-filled photonic crystal fibers.

We experimentally report the generation of wavelength-tunable blueshifting soliton in the visible spectral region through a gas-filled single-ring photonic crystal fiber (SR-PCF). In particular, in a He-filled SR-PCF, we observed a sharp narrow-band spectral peak at the first resonant spectral region of the SR-PCF, which results from phase-matched nonlinear processes. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time investigating the influence of the core-cladding resonance on the blueshifting soliton. In addition, when Ar gas was filled into the SR-PCF, some interference fringes on the blueshifting soliton were observed at high pulse-energy levels due to plasma-induced pulse fission. These two experimental observations are confirmed by numerical simulations. Furthermore, through properly adjusting input pulse energy, we found that the blueshifting soliton can obtain a high conversion efficiency (∼84%) and its wavelength can be tuned over hundreds of nanometers (∼240 nm).

Intratumoral IL17-producing cells infiltration correlate with antitumor immune contexture and improved response to adjuvant chemotherapy in gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Tumor IL17-producing (IL17A+) cells infiltration has different prognostic values among various cancers. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of IL17A+ cells in gastric cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study included two patient cohorts, the Cancer Genome Atlas cohort (TCGA, n = 351) and the Zhongshan Hospital cohort (ZSHC, n = 458). The TCGA and ZSHC were used for mRNA-related and cells infiltration-related analyses, respectively. The roles of IL17A mRNA and IL17A+ cells in overall survival (OS), response to adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT), and immune contexture were evaluated. Another independent cohort was included to identify the correlation between mRNA of IL17A and IL17A+ cells infiltration (the preliminary Zhongshan Hospital cohort, PZSHC, n = 21). RESULTS: The infiltration of IL17A+ cells was positively correlated with the expression of IL17A mRNA (Spearman's ρ = 0.811; P < 0.001). High IL17A mRNA expression and intratumoral IL17A+ cells were correlated with improved OS and remained to be significant after adjusted for confounders. Patients with TNM II/III disease whose tumor present higher intratumoral IL17A+ cells or lower peritumoral IL17A+ cells can benefit more from ACT. Elevated IL17A mRNA expression and increased intratumoral IL17A+ cells infiltration was associated with more antitumor mast cells and nature killer cells infiltration and less pro-tumor M2 macrophages infiltration. High IL17A mRNA expression represented a Th17 cells signature and immune response process and was correlated with increased cytotoxic GZMA, GZMB, IFNG, PRF1, and TNFSF11 expression. CONCLUSIONS: IL17A mRNA expression and intratumoral IL17A+ cells infiltration were correlated with antitumor immune contexture. IL17A+ cells infiltration could be used as an independent prognostic biomarker for OS and predictive biomarker for superior response to ACT, and further prospective validation needs to be conducted.