Meta-analysis of the efficacy of glycyrrhizin for postoperative liver preservation in patients with liver cancer.

Objective: This meta-analysis comprehensively summarizes the current clinical research on compound glycyrrhizin (CG) treatment for liver cancer and protecting liver function to guide clinical treatment. Methods: Eighteen English-language articles were retrieved from PubMed, SinoMed, Cochrane, Embase, Web of Science, and three Chinese databases: The Wan Fang database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and the VIP database. Results: CG treatment improved the patient's alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level (in the metastatic liver cancer group: mean deviation (MD) = -13.78, 95% confidence interval (CI) = [-17.29, 10.27]; in the primary liver cancer group: MD = -32.15, 95% CI = [-35.48, 28.81]); aspartate aminotransferase (AST) level (in the primary liver cancer group: MD = -21.63, 95% CI = [-24.29, 18.96]; in the metastatic liver cancer group: MD = -15.64, 95% CI = [-19.08, -12.20]); serum total bilirubin (TBIL) level (MD = -1.61, 95% CI = [-2.71, -0.51]); and serum albumin (ALB) level (MD = 2.80, 95% CI = [1.85, 3.74]). CG treatment was efficient than the control (relative risk [RR] = 1.66, 95% CI = [1.35, 2.04]). Although adverse reactions, including fever, were higher than in the control group (RR = 1.13, 95% CI = [0.89, 1.43]), they were controllable. Conclusion: CG affects liver preservation in treating liver cancer, which can reduce ALT, AST, and TBIL levels in patients; increase the ALB level; and protect liver cells. The CG-treated group showed improvement compared with the control group; although adverse reactions occurred in the treated group, the duration was shortened.

A Label-Free Electrochemical Immunosensor for CEA Detection on a Novel Signal Amplification Platform of Cu2S/Pd/CuO Nanocomposites.

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is regarded as one of the crucial tumor markers for colorectal cancer. In this study, we developed the snowflake Cu2S/Pd/CuO nanocomposite to construct an original label-free electrochemical immunosensor for the ultrasensitive detection of CEA levels. The nanocomposite of cuprous sulfide (Cu2S) with Pd nanoparticles (Pd NPs) was synthesized through an in situ formation of Pd NPs on the Cu2S. Cuprous sulfide (Cu2S) and CuO can not only be used as a carrier to increase the reaction area but also catalyze the substrate to generate current signal. Palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs) have excellent catalytic properties and good biocompatibility, as well as the ability of excellent electron transfer. The immunosensor was designed using 5 mmol/L H2O2 as the active substrate by optimizing the conditions with a detection range from 100 fg/ml to 100 ng/ml and a minimum detection limit of 33.11 fg/ml. The human serum was detected by electrochemical immunoassay, and the results were consistent with those of the commercial electrochemical immunosensor. Therefore, the electrochemical immunosensor can be used for the detection of human serum samples and have potential value for clinical application.

Clinical value of CT three-dimensional imaging in diagnosing gastrointestinal tract diseases.

AIM: To discuss the clinical value of CT three-dimensional (3-D) imaging in diagnosing gastrointestinal tract diseases. METHODS: Three-D imaging findings of 52 patients were retrospectively analyzed. Three-D imaging methods included shaded surface display (SSD), volume rendering (VR), virtual endoscopy (VE) and multiplanar reformatting (MPR). The diagnosis results of CT 3-D were evaluated by comparison with those of endoscopy and/or surgical finding. RESULTS: Fifty-two patients with gastrointestinal tract diseases were diagnosed by CT 3-D imaging, of whom 50 cases were correctly diagnosed and 2 were misdiagnosed. There were 33 cases of gastric diseases (27 with carcinoma, 5 with peptic ulcer and 1 with leiomyoma) and 19 large intestinal diseases (10 with colon carcinoma, 2 with carcinoma of the rectum, 5 with colon polypus and 2 with tuberculosis of the ileocecal junction). Twenty-two cases with prominent lesions (9 with subsequent hollow lesions), 20 with stenosis of cavity (8 with concomitant prominent lesions) and 10 with hollow lesions (5 with concomitant prominent lesions) were shown in 3-D images. The minimal lesion shown was 1.0 cm x 0.8 cm x 0.5 cm. CONCLUSION: CT 3-D imaging, a non-invasive examination without pain, can display clearly and directly the lesions of gastrointestinal tract with accurate location and high diagnosis accuracy. It is an important complementary technique to endoscopy.