Vascular stability of brain arteriovenous malformations after partial embolization.

INTRODUCTION: Brain arteriovenous malformation (bAVM) might have a higher risk of rupture after partial embolization, and previous studies have shown that some metrics of vascular stability are related to bAVM rupture risk. OBJECTIVE: To analyze vascular stability of bAVM in patients after partial embolization. METHODS: Twenty-four patients who underwent partial embolization were classified into the short-term, medium-term, and long-term groups, according to the time interval between partial embolization and surgery. The control group consisted of 9 bAVM patients who underwent surgery alone. Hemodynamic changes after partial embolization were measured by angiogram. The inflammatory infiltrates and cell-cell junctions were evaluated by MMP-9 and VE-cadherin. At the protein level, the proliferative and apoptotic events of bAVMs were analyzed by immunohistochemical staining of VEGFA, eNOS, and caspase-3. Finally, neovascularity and apoptotic cells were assessed by CD31 staining and TUNEL staining. RESULTS: Immediately after partial embolization, the blood flow velocity of most bAVMs increased. The quantity of MMP-9 in the medium-term group was the highest, and VE-cadherin in the medium-term group was the lowest. The expression levels of VEGFA, eNOS, and neovascularity were highest in the medium-term group. Similarly, the expression level of caspase-3 and the number of apoptotic cells were highest in the medium-term group. CONCLUSION: The biomarkers for bAVM vascular stability were most abnormal between 1 and 28 days after partial embolization.

Preferential association of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with soil colloids at an e-waste recycling site: Implications for risk of PAH migration to subsurface environment.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination at e-waste recycling sites poses high ecological and human-health risks. Of note, PAHs in surface soils can be mobilized through colloid-facilitated transport, and may migrate into the subsurface and pollute groundwater. Here, we show that the colloids released from the soil samples at an e-waste recycling site in Tianjin, China contain high concentrations of PAHs, with total concentrations of 16 PAHs as high as 1520 ng/g dw. Preferential association of the PAHs with the colloids is observed, with the distribution coefficients of PAHs between colloids and bulk soil often above 10. Source diagnostic ratios show that soot-like particles are the main source of PAHs at the site, due to the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, biomass, and electronic wastes during the e-waste dismantling practices. Due to their small sizes, a large fraction of these soot-like particles can be remobilized as colloids, and this explains the preferential association of PAHs with colloids. Moreover, the colloids-soil distribution coefficients are higher for the low-molecular-weight PAHs than for the high-molecular-weight ones, possibly attributable to the different binding routes/modes of these two groups of PAHs to the particles during combustion. Notably, the preferential association of PAHs with colloids is even more pronounced for the subsurface soils, corroborating that the presence of PAHs in the deeper soils is primarily the results of downward migration of PAH-bearing colloids. The findings highlight the important role of colloids as a vector for the subsurface transport of PAHs at e-waste recycling sites, and call for further understanding of colloid-facilitated transport of PAHs at e-waste recycling sites.

Multiple Diagnostic Indicators in the Development of Chronic Hepatitis B, Liver Cirrhosis, and Liver Cancer.

Context: Hepatitis B can develop into cirrhosis, and most liver cancers evolve on the basis of chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis. Many patients are already at an advanced stage when diagnosed. In recent years, clinicians have advocated detection of liver cancer using multiple markers in combination to improve the sensitivity and specificity of testing. Objective: The study aimed to evaluate the clinical value of using four tumor indicators-urea, alpha L-fucosidase (AFU), carbohydrate antigen 153 (CA153), carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125), and alpha fetoprotein (AFP) and comparing the use of combined indicators to use of a single indicator for the diagnosis of liver cancer. Design: The research team performed a prospective study. Setting: The study took place at Clinical Laboratory, Baoding People's Hospital, Baoding City, Hebei Province, China. Participants: Participants were 98 patients with chronic hepatitis B, who became the CHB group; 102 patients with liver cirrhosis, who became the cirrhosis group, and 100 patients with liver cancer, who became the liver cancer group. They all had been admitted to the hospital between March 2019 and March 2021. Outcome Measures: The research team measured the urea, AFU, CA153, CA125, and AFP levels of the three groups, constructed an ROC curve, and analyzed the diagnostic values of the indicators singly and in combination for liver cancer. Results: For the levels of urea, AFU, CA153, CA125, and AFP, the CHB group's levels were significantly lower than those of the cirrhosis and liver cancer groups (both P < .001), and the cirrhosis group's levels were significantly lower than those of the liver cancer group (P < .001). In the CHB group, the compensatory group's levels were significantly lower than those of the decompensated group (P < .05). In the cirrhosis group, no significant differences existed between the levels of the grade A and grade B groups (P < .001), between those of the grade A and grade C groups (P < .001), or between those of the grade B and grade C groups (P < .001). In the cirrhosis group, the levels of the no ascites group were significantly lower than those of the ascites group (P < .05). In the liver cancer group, the levels of the stage I-II group were significantly lower than those of the stage III and stage IV groups (both P < .05), and those of the stage IV group were significantly lower than those of the stage Ⅳ group (P < .05). The levels of the <5cm group were significantly lower than those of the ≥5cm group (P < .001). The value of using a combination of indicators for diagnosis was significantly higher than that of a single indicator (P < .001). Conclusions: Urea, AFU, CA153, CA125, and AFP all have diagnostic value in the evaluation of chronic hepatitis B-cirrhosis and liver cancer, with the highest efficacy, sensitivity and specificity from a combined test and diagnosis.

Sulfide- and UV-induced aging differentially affect contaminant-binding properties of microplastics derived from commercial plastic products.

Microplastics in the environments can undergo various aging processes that alter their physicochemical properties and consequently their affinities for environmental contaminants. Here, we compare the effects of sulfide-induced aging (a common process in anoxic environments) and UV-induced aging on contaminant binding of polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) microplastics derived from commercial plastic products. The two aging processes differentially affect adsorption of pyrene (a model nonionic, nonpolar organic) and ciprofloxacin (CIP, a zwitterion under the conditions tested) by modulating the hydrophobicity, surface charges and polarity of the microplastics to different extents. The effects of the two treatments on Cd(II) adsorption correlate well with their modulation on ζ potential and surface (O + S)/C ratio of the microplastics. For all three microplastics sulfide treatment results in stronger adsorption of Cr(VI) and its subsequent conversion to Cr(III) than does UV treatment, as the thiol groups formed during sulfide treatment strongly regulate the complexation and reduction of Cr(VI). Notably, both sulfide and UV treatments result in the flattening of the PET microplastics, significantly enhancing the adsorption of all four contaminants, by increasing surface area for adsorption. The findings of this study further underline the importance of understanding environmental aging/weathering processes of microplastics, particularly, those readily occur in anoxic environments but were previously not well studied.

Integrated Transcriptome Analysis Reveals the Impact of Photodynamic Therapy on Cerebrovascular Endothelial Cells.

Blood vessels in the brain tissue form a compact vessel structure and play an essential role in maintaining the homeostasis of the neurovascular system. The low dosage of photodynamic intervention (PDT) significantly affects the expression of cellular biomarkers. To understand the impact of photodynamic interventions on cerebrovascular endothelial cells, we evaluated the dosage-dependent impact of porfimer sodium-mediated PDT on B.END3 cells using flow cytometer, comet assay, RNA sequencing, and bioinformatics analysis. To examine whether PDT can induce disorder of intracellular organelles, we did not observe any significance damage of DNA and cellular skeleton. Moreover, expression levels of cellular transporters-related genes were significantly altered, implying the drawbacks of PDT on cerebrovascular functions. To address the potential molecular mechanisms of these phenotypes, RNA sequencing and bioinformatics analysis were employed to identify critical genes and pathways among these processes. The gene ontology (GO) analysis and protein-protein interaction (PPI) identified 15 hub genes, highly associated with cellular mitosis process (CDK1, CDC20, MCM5, MCM7, MCM4, CCNA2, AURKB, KIF2C, ESPL1, BUB1B) and DNA replication (POLE2, PLOE, CDC45, CDC6). Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) reveals that TNF-α/NF-κB and KRAS pathways may play a critical role in regulating expression levels of transporter-related genes. To further perform qRT-PCR assays, we find that TNF-α/NF-κB and KRAS pathways were substantially up-regulated, consistent with GSEA analysis. The current findings suggested that a low dosage of PDT intervention may be detrimental to the homeostasis of blood-brain barrier (BBB) by inducing the inflammatory response and affecting the expression of surface biomarkers.

Analysis of Glomerular IgG Subclasses Switch in Idiopathic Membranous Nephropathy Classified by Glomerular Phospholipase A2 Receptor Antigen and Serum Antibody.

BACKGROUND: The role of IgG subclass in idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN) was unclarified. Recent study found IgG subtype switches from IgG1 to IgG4 in the early pathological stage in IMN. The profile of IgG subclass in phospholipase A2 receptor- (PLA2R-) related and PLA2R-unrelated IMN was unrevealed. Our study is aimed at testifying whether IgG subclass switch existed in PLA2R-related and PLA2R-unrelated IMN, respectively. METHODS: Our study retrospectively enrolled 157 Chinese patients with biopsy-confirmed IMN between September 2017 and November 2019. We measured glomerular PLA2R antigen and serum anti-PLA2R antibody to classify the patients into PLA2R-related (n = 132) and PLA2R-unrelated (n = 25) subgroup. We evaluated glomerular IgG subclass by immunofluorescence (IF) predominance. Our study defined IgG subclass deposition as predominant if the IF score was higher than the other three and ≥1 +, or as codominant if the IF intensity was equal to any other and ≥1 +. We explored the relationship between IF predominance of glomerular IgG subtype and electron microscopic (EM) stages of IMN. RESULTS: We did not find statistical difference of predominant or codominant rate (pre/co-rate) among EM stages in any subclass (P > 0.05). Pre/co-rate of IgG3 linearly associated with EM stage in total and PLA2R-related subgroup (P = 0.044, P = 0.013). PLA2R-related subgroup showed higher IgG4 intensity (2.1 ± 0.6 vs. 1.6 ± 0.7, P = 0.001) and pre/co-rate of IgG4 in stage 1 (97% vs. 57%, P = 0.015) than PLA2R-unrelated group. We found no difference of IgG subclass pre/co-rate in different EM stages or linear association between pre/co-rate of IgG1, IgG2, IgG4, and EM stages (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Pre/co-rate of IgG3 declined with EM stage in total and PLA2R-related subgroup. We did not find IgG subclass switches from IgG1 to IgG4 in either IMN patients or subgroups.

Different Cultivation Environments Affect the Yield, Bacterial Community and Metabolites of Cordyceps cicadae.

Cordyceps cicadae is an entomogenous fungus with important uses in traditional Chinese medicine. However, its wild resources have not met consumers' demand due to excessive harvesting practices. Artificial cultivation is therefore an important alternative, but research on cultivating C. cicadae in natural habitats has not been reported. In this study, we aimed to explore the viability of cultivating C. cicadae in a natural habitat, in the soil of Pinus massoniana forest. We assessed and compared the yield, metabolite contents and bacterial community composition of C. cicadae grown in the Antheraea pernyi pupae at different growth stages, and under different cultivation conditions, in the soil of a natural habitat and in sterile glass bottles. Our results showed that cultivating C. cicadae in a natural habitat is feasible, with up to 95% of pupae producing C. cicadae fruiting bodies. The content of nitrogen compounds (amino acids) in C. cicadae cultivated in a natural habitat was significantly higher than in glass bottles, while the yield and carbon compound (mannitol and polysaccharide) and nucleoside (cordycepin and adenosine) contents were lower. Different bacterial genera were enriched in C. cicadae at different growth stages and cultivation environments, and these bacterial genera were closely related to metabolites contents during growth. This study demonstrated the viability of a novel cultivation method of C. cicadae, which could be used as an alternative to wild stocks of this fungus. These findings provided new insights into the growth mechanism of C. cicadae and its interaction with soil microorganisms.

Key Physicochemical Properties Dictating Gastrointestinal Bioaccessibility of Microplastics-Associated Organic Xenobiotics: Insights from a Deep Learning Approach.

A potential risk from human uptake of microplastics is the release of plastics-associated xenobiotics, but the key physicochemical properties of microplastics controlling this process are elusive. Here, we show that the gastrointestinal bioaccessibility, assessed using an in vitro digestive model, of two model xenobiotics (pyrene, at 391-624 mg/kg, and 4-nonylphenol, at 3054-8117 mg/kg) bound to 18 microplastics (including pristine polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene, thermoplastic polyurethane, and polyethylene, and two artificially aged samples of each polymer) covered wide ranges: 16.1-77.4% and 26.4-83.8%, respectively. Sorption/desorption experiments conducted in simulated gastric fluid indicated that structural rigidity of polymers was an important factor controlling bioaccessibility of the nonpolar, nonionic pyrene, likely by inducing physical entrapment of pyrene in porous domains, whereas polarity of microplastics controlled bioaccessibility of 4-nonylphenol, by regulating polar interactions. The changes of bioaccessibility induced by microplastics aging corroborated the important roles of polymeric structures and surface polarity in dictating sorption affinity and degree of desorption hysteresis, and consequently, gastrointestinal bioaccessibility. Variance-based global sensitivity analysis using a deep learning neural network approach further revealed that micropore volume was the most important microplastics property controlling bioaccessibility of pyrene, whereas the O/C ratio played a key role in dictating the bioaccessibility of 4-nonylphenol in the gastric tract.

Gastroprotective effect of gallic acid against ethanol-induced gastric ulcer in rats: Involvement of the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling and anti-apoptosis role.

Gallic acid (3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid, GA) is a phenolic compound found in many medicinal plants traditionally used in China or patent medicine such as Feiyangchangweiyan capsule (FY capsule) for the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases for decades. However, the evidence for the gastroprotective effect of GA is deficient and the pharmacological mechanisms remain limited. The present investigation was initiated to demonstrate the gastroprotective effect and to understand potential underlying mechanism of GA on ethanol-induced gastric ulcer in rats. Gastric ulcers were induced by absolute ethanol (5 mL/kg, i.g.) in male Sprague-Dawley rats, GA (10, 30, and 50 mg/kg), FY capsule (0.4 g/kg) and 30 mg/kg Lansoprazole was administered orally. Physiological saline and lansoprazole were used as negative and positive control, respectively. Induction of rats with ethanol resulted in a significant rise in ulcer index, serum levels of inflammatory cytokines markers (IL-1ß, IL-6 and TNF-α), TBARS, protein expression of Bax and Caspase-3 and a significant reduction in the activities or levels of endogenous antioxidants (SOD, CAT and GSH), gastric mucosal protective factors (PGE2 and NO) and protein expression of Bcl-2. Pretreatment with GA showed a remarkable decrease in ulcer index, inflammatory cytokines markers, TBARS, protein expression of Bax and Caspase-3 and a significant increase in the activities of endogenous antioxidants, levels of PGE2 and NO, and protein expression of Bcl-2, Nrf2 and HO-1 when compared with ethanol treated groups. This study demonstrated the gastroprotective effect of Gallic acid and FY capsule on ethanol-induced gastric ulcer in rats. The underlying mechanism of GA and FY capsule against gastric ulcer in rats caused by ethanol might be involved in Nrf2/HO-1 anti-oxidative pathway and ultimately played an anti-apoptotic role through regulating Bax, Bcl-2 and Caspase-3.

Clinical significance of C4d deposition in renal tissues from patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome-a preliminary study.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate renal expression of C4d, a complement component in the classical/mannose binding lectin (MBL) pathway, in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS)-associated renal impairments. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical and pathological data from 39 patients with pSS presenting with renal impairments. C4d was examined in paraffin-embedded biopsy tissues using immunohistochemistry. Glomerular C4d positive was defined when > 75% glomeruli were globally stained. Tubulointerstitial C4d (TI-C4d) were scored semi-quantitatively as 0 (absent), 1 (spotty or weak), 2 (patchy) and 3 (diffuse). A TI-C4d score ≥ 2 was considered TI-C4d positive and included in the TI-C4d+ group and vice versa. Peritubular capillary (PTC) C4d was scored as 0 (absent), 1 (0~10%, minimal), 2 (10%~ 50%, focal), and 3 (> 50%, diffuse). RESULTS: Glomerular C4d deposition was observed in all 8 patients with pSS-related membranous nephropathy (MN) without obvious C1q deposition. Two of 5 patients with mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis and 1 of 2 patients with IgA nephropathy had mild mesangial C4d deposition. Sixteen patients (6 glomerular dominant and 10 tubulointerstitial dominant) presented TI-C4d score ≥ 2. Patients in the TI-C4d+ group exhibited a higher serum creatinine level at the time of renal biopsy (TI-C4d+ 132.5 [89.7, 165.5] vs. TI-C4d- 83.0 [70.7, 102.0] µmol/L, P = 0.008). PTC C4d was observed in 12 patients, with each of minimal, focal and diffuse staining being noted in 4 patients. CONCLUSIONS: The MBL pathway of complement activation was potentially involved in pSS-related MN. Tubulointerstitial C4d might be a pathological marker of severe renal injury in patients with pSS-related renal impairments.

Knockdown of high mobility group box 3 impairs cell viability and colony formation but increases apoptosis in A549 human non-small cell lung cancer cells.

Previous research has linked high mobility group box 3 (HMGB3) overexpression to the malignant progression and poor prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The present study investigated the role of HMGB3 in cell survival and colony formation of NSCLC cells. Stable knockdown of HMGB3 in A549 cells was achieved by lentiviral-based shRNA interference and verified by detection of the transcriptional and translational level of HMGB3 with reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting, respectively. The influence of HMGB3 knockdown on A549 cell viability and apoptotic rate was evaluated by Cell Counting Kit-8 assay and flow cytometry following annexin V staining, respectively. The proliferative capacity of A549 cells with or without HMGB3 knockdown was compared by measuring their colony forming efficiency. The results of the current study revealed that HMGB3 knockdown significantly reduced cell viability and colony forming efficiency while promoting apoptosis in A549 cells, indicating that HMGB3 may be pivotal for the survival and colony formation of A549 cells, serving a notable role in NSCLC progression.

Intra-arterial ethanol embolization augments response to TACE for treatment of HCC with portal venous tumor thrombus.

BACKGROUND: The prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma with portal vein tumor thrombus remains extremely poor. This pilot study aimed to evaluate the technical feasibility, effectiveness and safety of transcatheter chemoembolization for tumors in the liver parenchyma plus intra-arterial ethanol embolization for portal vein tumor thrombus. METHODS: A pilot study was carried out on 31 patients in the treatment group (transcatheter chemoembolization plus intra-arterial ethanol embolization) and 57 patients in the control group (transcatheter chemoembolization alone). Enhanced computed tomography/magnetic resonance images were repeated 4 weeks after the procedure to assess the response. Overall survival and complications were assessed until the patient died or was lost to follow-up. RESULTS: Median survival was 10.5 months in the treatment group (2.4 ± 1.7 courses) and 3.9 months in the control group (1.9 ± 1 courses) (P = 0.001). Patients in the treatment group had better overall survival (at 3, 6 and 12 months, respectively), compared to patients in the control group (90.3% vs. 59.6%, 64.5% vs. 29.8%, and 41.9% vs. 10.6%; p = 0.001). Furthermore, the rate of portal vein tumor thrombus regression was higher in the treatment group (93.1%) than in the control group (32.1%) (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results of this study, transcatheter chemoembolization combined with intra-arterial ethanol embolization may be more effective than transcatheter chemoembolization alone for treating hepatocellular carcinoma with portal vein tumor thrombus. Intra-arterial ethanol embolization for treating portal vein tumor thrombus is safe, feasible and prolongs overall survival.

Clinicopathological Features of Idiopathic Membranous Nephropathy in 33 Adolescents.

Objective To investigate the clinicopathological features and prognosis of idiopathic membranous nephropathy(IMN)in adolescents. Methods This was a retrospective study on IMN patients hospitalized between June 2012 and December 2014,and a total of 33 IMN patients aged between 13 and 24 years old were enrolled in the study.Meanwhile,33 IMN patients aged more than 24 years old were selected randomly as control group during the same period.Diagnosis was confirmed by renal biopsy,and the secondary causes of membranous nephropathy were ruled out.Data collected from medical record and biopsy were analyzed. Results In the adolescent IMN group,the mean age at renal biopsy was(20±3)years old,and the male/female ratio was 22/11.Twenty-three cases presented as nephrotic syndrome.Systolic and diastolic pressures were(127±13)mmHg and(77±9)mmHg,respectively.The median 24-hour urine protein was 5.14(3.39,9.31)g/d,and the median serum creatinine was 62(52,73)µmol/L.The positive rate of serum anti-phospholipase A2 receptor in adolescent group was 54%.Compared with control group,the adolescent patients had lower incidence of hypertension and higher baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate level [15.2% vs.39.3%,χ2=4.889,P=0.03;125 ml/(min·1.73m2)vs.100 ml/(min·1.73m2),U=137.5,P<0.001].According to IMN staging criteria in electron microscopy,adolescent patients were classified as one case in stage I,21 in stage Ⅱ,and 11 in stage Ⅲ or higher.The positive rates of IgG1,IgG2,IgG3 and IgG4 subclass staining in glomeruli were 46.9%,3.1%,56.3%,and 87.5%,respectively.Compared with control group,the adolescent patients had lower incidence of renal interstitial fibrosis and arteriolar lesions(6.1% vs.66.7%,χ2=26.19,P<0.001;15.2% vs.66.7%,χ2=18.11,P<0.001).Three patients lost to follow-up while others started steroid combined with cyclosporine A(n=20),cyclophosphamide(n=7),or mycophenolate(n=1)or solely(n=2).After a median follow-up of 18(12,24)months,the median proteinuria decreased to 0.20(0.10,0.42)g/d,whereas serum creatinine level remained stable [69(56.8,81.3)µmol/L].Seventeen patients(56.7%)achieved complete remission(CR),and the remaining 13 patients(43.4%)achieved partial remission(PR).The median time of CR and PR were three and six months,respectively.Only one patient relapsed during the follow-up.Also,21 cases received maintenance therapy including cyclosporine A(n=18),azathioprine(n=2)and mycophenolate(n=1).Conclusions The immunofluorescence IgG subclass in glomeruli and distribution of serum anti-phospholipase A2 receptor in adolescent IMN patients are similar to those in older IMN patients.IMN patients in adolescents responded well to immunosuppressive therapy.Cyclosporine A in low dose as maintenance therapy is effective after achieving remission,and will not increase risk of nephrotoxicity.

MicroRNA-30e-5p promotes cell growth by targeting PTPN13 and indicates poor survival and recurrence in lung adenocarcinoma.

Aberrant microRNA expression is involved in the regulation of various cellular processes, such as proliferation and metastasis in multiple diseases including cancers. MicroRNA-30e-5p (miR-30e) was previously reported as an oncogenic or tumour suppressing miRNA in some malignancies, but its function in lung adenocarcinoma (LAC) remains largely undefined. In this study, we found that the expression of miR-30e was increased in LAC tissues and cell lines, associated with tumour size and represented an independent prognostic factor for overall survival and recurrence of LAC patients. Further functional experiments showed that knockdown of miR-30e suppressed cell growth while its overexpression promoted growth of LAC cells and xenografts in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, PTPN13 was identified as the direct target of miR-30e in LAC, in which PTPN13 expression was down-regulated in LAC tissues and showed the inverse correlation with miR-30e expression. Overexpression of PTPN13 inhibited cell growth and rescued the proliferation-promoting effect of miR-30e through inhibition of the EGFR signalling. Altogether, our findings suggest that miR-30e could function as an oncogene in LAC via targeting PTPN13 and act as a potential therapeutic target for treating LAC.

Transarterial Ethanol Ablation Combined with Transarterial Chemoembolization for Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Portal Vein Tumor Thrombus.

BACKGROUND: The prognosis for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT) is extremely poor. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of transarterial ethanol ablation (TEA) for the treatment of HCC with PVTT. METHODS: Patients were treated with TEA for PVTT under cone-beam computed tomography and traditional transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) with epirubicin for intrahepatic lesions. RESULTS: Seventeen men were successfully treated with TACE plus TEA. The mean overall survival was 18.3 ± 9.0 months (95% CI: 13.7 - 3.0 months). The quality of life (QoL) score increased from 56.9 ± 15.7 before the procedure to 88.5 ± 11.7 at 4 weeks after the procedure. Lipiodol accumulation grades of 3, 2, 1, and 0 were obtained in 3 (17.6%), 8 (47.1%), 6 (35.3%), and 0 (0%) patients, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: TEA is a safe and effective method for treating patients with PVTT, offering advantages for QoL, response rate after TEA, and OS.

Paeonol and danshensu combination attenuates apoptosis in myocardial infarcted rats by inhibiting oxidative stress: Roles of Nrf2/HO-1 and PI3K/Akt pathway.

Paeonol and danshensu is the representative active ingredient of traditional Chinese medicinal herbs Cortex Moutan and Radix Salviae Milthiorrhizae, respectively. Paeonol and danshensu combination (PDSS) has putative cardioprotective effects in treating ischemic heart disease (IHD). However, the evidence for the protective effect is scarce and the pharmacological mechanisms of the combination remain unclear. The present study was designed to investigate the protective effect of PDSS on isoproterenol (ISO)-induced myocardial infarction in rats and to elucidate the potential mechanism. Assays of creatine kinase-MB, cardiac troponin I and T and histopathological analysis revealed PDSS significantly prevented myocardial injury induced by ISO. The ISO-induced profound elevation of oxidative stress was also suppressed by PDSS. TUNEL and caspase-3 activity assay showed that PDSS significantly inhibited apoptosis in myocardia. In exploring the underlying mechanisms of PDSS, we found PDSS enhanced the nuclear translocation of Nrf2 in myocardial injured rats. Furthermore, PDSS increased phosphorylated PI3K and Akt, which may in turn activate antioxidative and antiapoptotic signaling events in rat. These present findings demonstrated that PDSS exerts significant cardioprotective effects against ISO-induced myocardial infarction in rats. The protective effect is, at least partly, via activation of Nrf2/HO-1 signaling and involvement of the PI3K/Akt cell survival signaling pathway.

[The relationship between anti-phospholipase A2 receptor antibody and idiopathic membranous nephropathy].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the value of anti-phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R) antibody in the diagnosis and disease activity monitoring of idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN). METHODS: A total of 233 patients with IMN proven by kidney biopsy at Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2012 to March 2014 were enrolled in this study. Another 46 patients with non-IMN kidney diseases at the same period were selected as control group. Serum titer of anti-PLA2R antibody was measured by quantitative enzyme-linked immuno sorbent assay (ELISA) at the time of renal biopsy. Clinical data were reviewed and retrospectively analyzed. The diagnostic accuracy of anti-PLA2R antibody in IMN was estimated by ROC curve. RESULTS: The total sensitivity of anti-PLA2R antibody was 60.0% in IMN. However, the sensitivity increased to 71.3% in patients who did not receive immuno-suppression therapies. The specificity of anti-PLA2R antibody was 100.0%, of which was not detected in any of the 25 control patients with lupus nephritis. The area under ROC curve of anti-PLA2R antibody for IMN diagnosis was 0.800. The prevalence of positive anti-PLA2R antibody in nephrotic range proteinuria group and non-nephrotic range proteinuria group were 68.3% and 41.7% (P < 0.05), respectively. The positive rates in patients with serum albumin level less than 30 g/L and more than 30 g/L were 67.3% and 44.6% (P < 0.05), respectively. Hypoalbuminemia became worse (P < 0.05) and the proportion of nephrotic arrange proteinuria rose significantly (P < 0.05) according to the elevation of antibody level. CONCLUSIONS: Anti-PLA2R antibody has high sensitivity and notable specificity for the diagnosis of IMN, which reveals good diagnostic accuracy. The antibody positive rate is affected by immunosuppression therapy, disease activity and other clinical status. Moreover, the antibody could reflect the disease activity.

Expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha-mediated genes predicts recurrence-free survival in lung cancer.

In this study, we conducted a meta-analysis on high-throughput gene expression data to identify TNF-α-mediated genes implicated in lung cancer. We first investigated the gene expression profiles of two independent TNF-α/TNFR KO murine models. The EGF receptor signaling pathway was the top pathway associated with genes mediated by TNF-α. After matching the TNF-α-mediated mouse genes to their human orthologs, we compared the expression patterns of the TNF-α-mediated genes in normal and tumor lung tissues obtained from humans. Based on the TNF-α-mediated genes that were dysregulated in lung tumors, we developed a prognostic gene signature that effectively predicted recurrence-free survival in lung cancer in two validation cohorts. Resampling tests suggested that the prognostic power of the gene signature was not by chance, and multivariate analysis suggested that this gene signature was independent of the traditional clinical factors and enhanced the identification of lung cancer patients at greater risk for recurrence.

Clinicopathological analysis of 155 patients with persistent isolated hematuria.

OBJECTIVES: To reveal etiologies of persistent isolated hematuria (PIH) through ultrastructural pathological examination, to disclose clinicopathological correlation in cases with PIH, and to summarize appropriate management of patients with PIH. METHODS: we retrospectively studied 155 PIH patients receiving renal biopsy between January, 2003 and December, 2008 in Peking Union Medical College Hospital. All the clinical data and follow-up result were analyzed. RESULTS: All subjects included 38 children and 117 adults, with mean age of 11.38±3.25 years for children and 35.17±8.44 years for adults. Thin basement membrane nephropathy (TBMN) was the most common pathology (55.3% of children and 49.6% of adults), followed by IgA nephropathy (18.4% of children and 32.5% of adults, mainly grade 2-3) and mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis (MsPGN) without IgA deposition (13.2% of children and 12.8% of adults). Besides, Alport syndrome (2.6% of children) and membrane nephropathy (2.6% of children and 0.9% of adults) were demonstrated as other causes of PIH. Elevated mean arteral pressure or protein excretion rate, as well as episodic macrohematuria, indicated higher risk for MsPGN rather than TBMN. On the other hand, severity of microhematuria was irrelevant to pathological types of PIH. Totally, 86 patients were followed up and 37 cases therein stayed on track for long term (mean duration 41.11?28.92 months, range 8-113 months). Most cases had benign clinical course except 3 cases with TBMN, 5 cases with IgA nephropathy, 1 case with MsPGN (without IgA deposition), and 1 case with Alport syndrome, who developed hypertension or proteinuria. All of them were administered timely intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Close follow-up should be required as the primary management for PIH. Equally important is careful monitoring for early identification of undesirable predictors; while renal biopsy and other timely intervention are warranted if there is hypertension, significant proteinuria or renal impairment.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) -2578C/A and -460C/T gene polymorphisms and lung cancer risk: a meta-analysis involving 11 case-control studies.

The aim of this meta-analysis is to generate large-scale evidence on whether common vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene polymorphisms (-2578C/A [dbSNP: rs699947] and -460C/T [dbSNP: rs833061]) are associated with lung cancer. A literature search of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and CBM databases was conducted to identify all eligible studies published before May 3, 2013. Crude odds ratios (ORs) with their corresponding confidence intervals (95% CIs) were used to evaluate the strength of the association. Eleven case-control studies were included with a total of 3,861 lung cancer cases and 3,676 controls in this meta-analysis. For the VEGF -2578C/A polymorphism, the combined results showed that there exist highly significant risk factors for individuals carrying the A allele resulting in lung cancer, and the magnitude of this effect was similar in smoker patients and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) patients. Unlike the situation with the -2578C/A polymorphism, the VEGF -460C/T polymorphism is not associated with the risk of lung cancer in neither Asians nor Caucasians. However, when stratified according to smoking status and histological types of lung cancer, we found that the T allele (-460C/T) was associated with decreased lung cancer risk among nonsmoker patients and SCC patients. Our findings showed that the -2578C/A polymorphism may increase lung cancer risk, especially in smoker patients and SCC patients, whereas the -460C/T polymorphism may decrease lung cancer risk, especially in nonsmoker patients and SCC patients.