Effect of simethicone for the management of early abdominal distension after laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a multicenter retrospective propensity score matching study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether simethicone expediates the remission of abdominal distension after laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). METHODS: This retrospective study involved LC patients who either received perioperative simethicone treatment or not. Propensity score matching (PSM) was employed to minimize bias. The primary endpoint was the remission rate of abdominal distension within 24 h after LC. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify independent risk factors affecting the early remission of abdominal distension after LC. Subsequently, a prediction model was established and validated. RESULTS: A total of 1,286 patients were divided into simethicone (n = 811) and non-simethicone groups (n = 475) as 2:1 PSM. The patients receiving simethicone had better remission rates of abdominal distension at both 24 h and 48 h after LC (49.2% vs. 34.7%, 83.9% vs. 74.8%, respectively), along with shorter time to the first flatus (14.6 ± 11.1 h vs. 17.2 ± 9.1 h, P < 0.001) compared to those without. Multiple logistic regression identified gallstone (OR = 0.33, P = 0.001), cholecystic polyp (OR = 0.53, P = 0.050), preoperative abdominal distention (OR = 0.63, P = 0.002) and simethicone use (OR = 1.89, P < 0.001) as independent factors contributing to the early remission of abdominal distension following LC. The prognosis model developed for predicting remission rates of abdominal distension within 24 h after LC yielded an area under the curve of 0.643 and internal validation a value of 0.644. CONCLUSIONS: Simethicone administration significantly enhanced the early remission of post-LC abdominal distension, particularly for patients who had gallstones, cholecystic polyp, prolonged anesthesia or preoperative abdominal distention. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ChiCTR2200064964 (24/10/2022).

Power supply characteristics of basketball players at different training intensities / Características do consumo de energia dos jogadores de basquete com diferentes intensidades de treinamento / Características del consumo de energía de los jugadores de baloncesto con diferentes intensidades de entrenamiento

ABSTRACT Introduction: In competitive basketball sports, athletes must repeatedly perform movements of maximum intensity quickly, followed by rest. A training mode called high-intensity interval training (HIIT) has the same characteristics. Objective: Explore basketball players' energy supply characteristics and training changes under different exercise intensities. Methods: The effects of different recovery methods in the intermittent period on exercise capacity and aerobic metabolic energy supply of young male basketball players during high-intensity intermittent interval training (HIIT) were presented. Results: Increased aerobic energy production during HIIT was closely related to the acceleration of kinetics. However, although the time to exhaustion, a parameter characterizing exercise capacity, increased by 3.5% and 4.6%, respectively, in the HIITa group compared to HIITs and HIITp, there was no significant difference. After analyzing each group for the 30s, a gradual increase in strength was noticed. Conclusion: The use of HIIT as training is an important way to improve the physical performance of athletes. Level of evidence II; Therapeutic studies - investigation of treatment outcomes.

RESUMO Introdução: Na competição esportiva do basquete, os atletas precisam realizar repetidamente movimentos de intensidade máxima rapidamente, seguidos de repouso. Há um modo de treinamento chamado de treinamento de intervalo de alta intensidade (HIIT) que possui as mesmas características. Objetivo: Explorar as características de consumo de energia e as mudanças de treinamento dos jogadores de basquetebol sob diferentes intensidades de exercício. Métodos: Foram apresentados os efeitos de diferentes métodos de recuperação em período intermitente sobre a capacidade de exercício e fornecimento de energia metabólica aeróbica de jovens jogadores masculinos de basquetebol durante o treinamento intermitente de alta intensidade (HIIT). Resultados: O aumento da produção de energia aeróbica durante o HIIT foi estreitamente relacionado com a aceleração da cinética. Entretanto, embora o tempo de exaustão, parâmetro que caracteriza a capacidade de exercício, tenha aumentado em 3,5% e 4,6% respectivamente no grupo de HIITa em comparação com HIITs e HIITp, não houve diferença significativa. Depois de analisar cada grupo durante 30s, percebeu-se um aumento gradual da força. Conclusão: O uso do HIIT como treinamento demonstrou-se um meio importante para melhorar o desempenho físico dos atletas. Nível de evidência II; Estudos terapêuticos - investigação dos resultados do tratamento.

RESUMEN Introducción: En los deportes de baloncesto de competición, los atletas necesitan realizar repetidamente movimientos de máxima intensidad de forma rápida, seguidos de descanso. Existe una modalidad de entrenamiento llamada entrenamiento por intervalos de alta intensidad (HIIT) que tiene las mismas características. Objetivo: Explorar las características del suministro de energía y los cambios en el entrenamiento de los jugadores de baloncesto bajo diferentes intensidades de ejercicio. Métodos: Se presentaron los efectos de diferentes métodos de recuperación en período intermitente sobre la capacidad de ejercicio y el suministro de energía metabólica aeróbica de jóvenes jugadores de baloncesto durante el entrenamiento de intervalos intermitentes de alta intensidad (HIIT). Resultados: El aumento de la producción de energía aeróbica durante el HIIT estaba estrechamente relacionado con la aceleración de la cinética. Sin embargo, aunque el tiempo hasta el agotamiento, un parámetro que caracteriza la capacidad de ejercicio, aumentó un 3,5% y un 4,6% respectivamente en el grupo HIITa en comparación con los HIIT y HIITp, no hubo diferencias significativas. Tras analizar cada grupo durante 30 segundos, se percibió un aumento gradual de la fuerza. Conclusión: El uso del HIIT como entrenamiento ha demostrado ser una forma importante de mejorar el rendimiento físico de los atletas. Nivel de evidencia II;Estudios terapéuticos - investigación de los resultados del tratamiento.

Correlation between aerobic training and physical endurance in basketball players / Correlação entre treinamento aeróbico e resistência física em jogadores de basquete / Correlación entre entrenamiento aeróbico y resistencia física en jugadores de baloncesto

ABSTRACT Introduction: Endurance is a quality that has been lacking in Chinese athletes. In most endurance sports training in China, there is a problem with attaching importance to high-intensity anaerobic training and ignoring aerobic training. The close combination of aerobic, strength and technical training is endurance training. A significant development trend in training. Objective: This study analyzes the relationship between aerobic training and physical endurance in basketball players. Methods: Basketball players were selected and randomly divided into groups through the analysis method with a questionnaire, observation method, and experimental method to analyze the relationship between aerobic exercise and physical endurance in basketball players. In this paper, the changes in physiological indicators of basketball players were recorded after aerobic exercise. Results: The physical endurance of basketball players were positively correlated with aerobic training time. The physiological indicators of basketball players and basketball skills after aerobic training were significantly improved (P<0.05). Conclusion: Aerobic exercise can improve basketball players' physical endurance and overall physical fitness, helping them achieve good results in competitions. Level of evidence II; Therapeutic studies - investigation of treatment outcomes.

RESUMO Introdução: Resistência é uma qualidade que tem faltado aos atletas chineses. Na maioria dos treinos esportivos de resistência na China, há um problema para atribuir importância ao treino anaeróbico de alta intensidade e ignorar o treinamento aeróbico. A combinação próxima de treinamento aeróbico e força e treinamento técnico é o treinamento de resistência. Uma tendência de desenvolvimento significativa na formação. Objetivo: Este estudo tem como objetivo analisar a relação entre treinamento aeróbico e resistência física em praticantes do basquete. Métodos: Jogadores de basquete foram selecionados e aleatoriamente divididos entre grupos passando pelo método de análise com questionário, método de observação e método experimental para analisar a relação entre exercício aeróbico e resistência física dos jogadores de basquete. Neste artigo, as alterações dos indicadores fisiológicos dos jogadores de basquete foram registradas após exercício aeróbico. Resultados: A resistência física dos jogadores de basquete foi positivamente correlacionada com o tempo de treinamento aeróbico. Os indicadores fisiológicos dos jogadores de basquete e as habilidades de basquete após o treinamento aeróbico foram significativamente melhorados (P<0,05). Conclusão: O exercício aeróbico não só pode melhorar a resistência física dos jogadores de basquete como também sua aptidão física geral, ajudando-os a alcançarem bons resultados nas competições. Nível de evidência II; Estudos terapêuticos - investigação dos resultados do tratamento.

RESUMEN Introducción: La resistencia es una cualidad de la que carecen los atletas chinos. En la mayoría de los entrenamientos de deportes de resistencia en China, existe el problema de dar importancia al entrenamiento anaeróbico de alta intensidad e ignorar el entrenamiento aeróbico. La estrecha combinación del entrenamiento aeróbico y el entrenamiento de fuerza y técnico es el entrenamiento de resistencia. Una tendencia de desarrollo importante en la formación. Objetivo: Este estudio pretende analizar la relación entre el entrenamiento aeróbico y la resistencia física en jugadores de baloncesto. Métodos: Se seleccionaron jugadores de baloncesto y se dividieron aleatoriamente entre grupos pasando por el método de análisis con cuestionario, método de observación y método experimental para analizar la relación entre el ejercicio aeróbico y la resistencia física en jugadores de baloncesto. En este trabajo se registraron los cambios de los indicadores fisiológicos de los jugadores de baloncesto después del ejercicio aeróbico. Resultados: La resistencia física de los jugadores de baloncesto se correlacionó positivamente con el tiempo de entrenamiento aeróbico. Los indicadores fisiológicos de los jugadores de baloncesto y las habilidades de baloncesto después del entrenamiento aeróbico mejoraron significativamente (P<0,05). Conclusión: El ejercicio aeróbico no sólo puede mejorar la resistencia física de los jugadores de baloncesto, sino también su estado físico general, ayudándoles a conseguir buenos resultados en las competiciones. Nivel de evidencia II; Estudios terapéuticos - investigación de los resultados del tratamiento.

Impact of tenofovir antiviral treatment on survival of chronic hepatitis B related hepatocellular carcinoma after hepatectomy in Chinese individuals from Qingdao municipality.

The impact of different antiviral regimen on prognosis of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains to be explored.A total of 479 CHB-related HCC patients after curative liver resection were enrolled receiving tenofovir (TDF, TDF group) or lamivudine, telbivudine, and entecavir (non-TDF group). Both the overall survival and diseases-free survival were analyzed and compared.A total of 242 patients received TDF treatment and 237 patients received other antiviral regimen. Child-Pugh score, serum α-fetoprotein (AFP) level, total bilirubin level, status of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg), and cirrhosis were compared between groups. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that patients with TDF treatment had significantly longer overall survival than those of patients with other regimen (P = .015). Similarly, compared with patients with non-TDF treatment, disease-free survival time was longer (P = .042) in those with TDF treatment. Multivariate analysis showed that TDF treatment (P = .04), AFP level (P = .03) were significant independent factors associated with overall survival of CHB-related HCC patients. While TDF treatment (P = .04) and serum AFP level (P = .03) were independent factors associated with disease-free survival.Anti-virus treatment with TDF benefits for both overall survival and disease-free survival of CHB-related patients than other Nucleos(t)ide analogues.

Fructose-Bisphosphate Aldolase A Regulates Hypoxic Adaptation in Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Involved with Tumor Malignancy.

BACKGROUND: Hypoxia is an important factor in malignant tumors, and glycolysis is a major metabolic contributor in their development. Glycolytic enzymes have gained increasing attention as potential therapeutic targets because they are associated with cancer-specific metabolism. Fructose-bisphosphate aldolase A (ALDOA), a key glycolytic enzyme, reportedly is associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, its role in pathogenesis and its clinical significance in HCC remain largely unknown. AIM: To explore the increased expression of ALDOA in HCC in correlation with tumor malignancy, and to investigate the potential regulatory role ALDOA plays in HCC progression through its regulation in hypoxia adaptation. METHODS AND RESULTS: To better understand ALDOA and its correlation with clinicopathological features of HCC, we analyzed 100 HCC clinical specimens using immunohistochemistry analysis. The results show that the ALDOA expression level is significantly higher in advanced HCC and in HCC with venous invasion. Using in vitro knockdown assays, we showed that higher ALDOA expression was positively associated with cell proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis, and invasion under both normoxic and hypoxic conditions. Evidence shows that the underlying mechanism is due to the regulatory function of ALDOA in glycolysis, the cell cycle, matrix metalloproteinase-mediated extracellular matrix degradation, and epithelial-mesenchymal transformation. CONCLUSIONS: Data indicated that ALDOA is significantly upregulated in HCC tissue and is closely related to HCC malignancy. ALDOA is likely to regulate HCC progression by regulating HCC tumor cell proliferation, apoptosis, and invasion in both normoxic and hypoxic condition.

Downregulation of tumor suppressor RACK1 by Helicobacter pylori infection promotes gastric carcinogenesis through the integrin ß-1/NF-κB signaling pathway.

Receptor of activated protein kinase C 1 (RACK1) is downregulated in gastric cancer and is involved in modulating NF-κB signaling pathway activity. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms regulating RACK1 expression are unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that downregulated expression of RACK1 was observed in gastric cancer tissue compared to adjacent normal tissue and was correlated with poor prognosis in patients. Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection downregulated RACK1 expression in concert with canonical NF-κB signaling pathway activation in vivo and in vitro. RACK1 overexpression suppressed NF-κB signaling pathway activation as well as the release of downstream proinflammatory cytokines. In addition, RACK1 downregulation increased integrin ß-1 expression, while integrin ß-1 silencing decreased NF-κB signaling activation. Moreover, H. pylori infection downregulated RACK1 but upregulated integrin ß-1 expression at the precancerous lesion stages in human subjects. Our data indicate that H. pylori infection promotes the upregulation of integrin ß-1 expression via downregulation of RACK1 expression, which subsequently leads to the elevated activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway, an essential step in H. pylori-induced carcinogenesis.

Diagnosis and treatment of Helicobacter pylori infections in children and elderly populations.

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is associated with various gastric and extra-gastric diseases. Importantly, this infection is the strongest known risk factor for gastric cancer (GC). H. pylori eradication can effectively prevent H. pylori infection-associated diseases in H. pylori-positive patients, including children and elderly subjects. However, a limited selection of antibiotics, a higher reinfection rate, and certain spontaneous clearance rates, to some extent, restrict the choice of H. pylori treatments in pediatrics. In addition, it is imperative to perform an accurate diagnosis of H. pylori infection in children by determining the presence of the H. pylori infection and the underlying cause of symptoms. In elderly patients, poor tolerance to drugs and higher sensitivity to adverse effects are major concerns during H. pylori therapy. Recent studies have demonstrated that H. pylori eradication could significantly lower the GC risk in the elderly population. The benefit and risk of H. pylori eradication in elderly patients should be comprehensively considered and balanced. If available, susceptibility-based tailored therapies may be preferable in eradicating H. pylori. In addition, to increase the eradication rate and reduce adverse effects, new therapeutic strategies (e.g., probiotic supplementation, berberine supplementation, dual therapy) for H. pylori infection are being extensively investigated. The impact of H. pylori eradication with antibiotics on the microbiota in children has been explored, but further high-quality studies are crucial to delineate the extent of H. pylori eradication affecting the microbial community in children. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of H. pylori diagnosis and treatment in children and the elderly population and aim to provide insights into the efficient management and treatment implementation in these populations.

Acidic pH promotes oxidation-induced dissociation of C-reactive protein.

BACKGROUND: Circulating levels of the systemic inflammation marker C-reactive protein (CRP) have been associated with increased risk and poor outcomes of many diseases, such as cardiovascular events and cancer. Accumulating evidence has indicated that the conformational rearrangement of human pentameric CRP (pCRP) to monomeric CRP (mCRP) is a prerequisite for participation in the pathogenesis. Therefore, determining the mechanism of the dissociation of pCRP into pro-inflammatory mCRP under physiological/pathological circumstances has been intriguing. METHODS: The effects of oxidative and acidic stress occurring in inflammation on pCRP were examined by electrophoresis, electron microscopy, protein fluorescence, neoepitope expression and endothelial cell responses. RESULTS: Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by the copper-hydrogen peroxide system could rapidly induce the dissociation of CRP at mild acidic pH within four hours, but not at physiological pH of 7.4. Meanwhile, mannitol, a ROS scavenger, could not protect against dissociation, which implied that local ROS from accessible histidine residues may be crucially beneficial to the formation of mCRP in a redox-balanced microenvironment. Furthermore, mCRP generated by ROS could be reduced by DTT, which indicated the exposure of functional motif aa35-47, and showed potent proinflammatory actions on endothelial cells, comparable to mCRP generated by urea. CONCLUSION: dissociation of pCRP to mCRP could be rapidly induced by ROS from copper- hydrogen peroxide system in dependence on mildly acidic stress regardless of a redox-balanced microenvironment.

Identification of Biomarkers for Early Diagnosis of Acute Myocardial Infarction.

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a common disease with serious consequences in mortality and cost. Here we aim to screen the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) as biomarkers for early diagnosis of AMI. The microarray data of AMI was downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), including two independent types of research GSE66360 and GSE62646. The DEGs between control and processed samples were screened out by using limma package. Meanwhile, we performed functional analysis of GO terms and/or KEGG pathways to observe the enriched pathways of the DEGs. Finally, regression analysis of raw data was performed by using packet affyPLM in R language. Dataset GSE62646 contained 53 DEGs (FC log2>1 and P value <0.05) between first-day samples from 28 STEMI patients and control samples from 14 patients without myocardial infarction history. There were 12 up-regulated and 41 down-regulated genes, 35 DEGs annotated. In GSE66360, a total of 3034 DEGs between 32 AMI patients and 38 healthy persons were obtained, including 1861 up-regulated and 1173 down-regulated DEGs. The comparison of the DEGs in two datasets revealed four common up-regulated genes (EGR1, STAB1, SOCS3, TMEM176A). In enrichment analysis, STAB1, SOCS3, EGR1 involved in metabolic regulation and signaling pathways related to coronary artery disease with a characteristic change (P < 0.05). The DEGs, especially the four up-regulated common genes, could serve as biomarkers for early diagnosis of AMI. Additionally, the relative biological pathways these DEGs enriched in might provide a good reference to explore the molecular expression mechanism of AMI. J. Cell. Biochem. 119: 650-658, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Long-term efficacy of radiofrequency ablation compared to surgical resection for the treatment of small hepatocellular carcinoma.

PURPOSE: To compare the clinical efficacy of surgical resection (SR) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for the treatment of small hepatocellular carcinoma (SHC; ≥ 5 cm in diameter). METHODS: The clinical and follow-up data for 88 patients with SHC, including 42 cases of SR and 46 cases of RFA, were analyzed. RESULTS: The mean follow-up time was 34.36 ± 16.93 (range 6-72) months. The 1-, 3- and 5-year tumor-free survival rates were 85.4, 40.9, and 29.2% for the SR group and 82.6, 27.7, and 16.4% for the RFA group (p=0.51). The mean tumor-free survival for the SR and RFA groups was 32.78 and 29.39 months (p=0.51), respectively. The cumulative survival rates were 100. 63.7, and 50.4% for the SR group and 100, 66.3 and 37.4% for the RFA group (p=0.67). The average survival time was 50.78 and 47.62 months (p=0.67) for the SR and RFA groups, respectively. We divided the tumors into a ≤ 3 cm diameter group and a 3-5 cm diameter group and found that the data for both groups were not statistically different. Cox multivariate analysis indicated that the number of tumors significantly affected overall survival (p=0.02) after the effects of various factors were excluded. The overall tumor-free survival and overall survival of the SR and RFA groups were not statistically different. CONCLUSIONS: RFA is safe and effective for the treatment of SHC, with a long-term efficacy similar to that achieved by SR. Therefore, RFA is a preferred treatment method for SHC.

Molecular mechanism of activating protein-4 regulated growth of hepatocellular carcinoma.

The molecular regulation of growth of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is yet to be fully clarified. Here we found a significantly higher ratio of phosphorylated ß-catenin (phos-ß-cat) to ß-catenin (ß-cat) as an indicator of an activated Wnt signaling, with significantly higher levels of c-myc and transcription factor activating protein-4 (AP-4) and a significantly lower level of p21 in the resected HCC, compared to the paired adjacent healthy hepatic tissue from the patients. Moreover, strong correlations were detected between phos-ß-cat/ß-cat ratio and c-myc level, between c-myc and AP-4 levels, and between AP-4 and p21 levels. These data support the presence of a Wnt/c-myc/AP-4/p21 regulation cascade in HCC as has been reported in colorectal cancer. To prove it, we overexpressed c-myc in two HCC lines, which significantly increased AP-4 level, inhibited p21 level, and then increased cell growth. Meanwhile, c-myc inhibition in these two HCC lines significantly decreased AP-4 level, increased p21 level, and then decreased cell growth. Moreover, AP-4 inhibition in c-myc-overexpressing HCC lines abolished the inhibitory effect on p21 and abolished the increase in cell growth. In line with these findings, overexpression of AP-4 in these two HCC lines significantly decreased p21 level, and then increased cell growth, while AP-4 inhibition significantly increased p21 level, and then decreased cell growth. Our results on HCC are thus consistent with the model detected in colorectal carcinoma, suggesting that Wnt signaling activated c-myc may increase HCC growth through direct inhibitory effect of AP-4 on p21. Our study thus highlights AP-4 as a novel therapeutic target for HCC.