A novel small molecule glycolysis inhibitor WZ35 exerts anti-cancer effect via metabolic reprogramming.

BACKGROUND: Liver cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer death worldwide, but early diagnosis and treatment of liver cancer remains a clinical challenge. How to screen and diagnose liver cancer early and prolong the survival rate is still the focus of researchers. METHODS: Cell experiments were used to detect the effect of WZ35 on the colony formation ability and proliferation activity of hepatoma cells, nude mouse experiment to observe the in vivo anticancer activity and toxic side effects of WZ35; metabolomics analysis, glucose metabolism experiment and Seahorse analysis of liver cancer cells treated with WZ35; cell experiments combined with bioinformatics analysis to explore the mechanism of WZ35-mediated metabolic reprogramming to exert anticancer activity; tissue microarray and case analysis to evaluate the clinical significance of biomarkers for early diagnosis, treatment and prognosis evaluation of liver cancer. RESULTS: WZ35 inhibited the proliferation activity of various cell lines of liver cancer, and showed good therapeutic effect in nude mice model of hepatocellular carcinoma without obvious toxic and side effects; WZ35 inhibited the absorption of glucose in hepatoma cells, and the drug effect glycolysis, phosphorylation and purine metabolism are relatively seriously damaged; WZ35 mainly inhibits YAP from entering the nucleus as a transcription factor activator by activating oxidative stress in liver cancer cells, reducing the transcription of GLUT1, and finally reducing its GLUT1. Tissue microarray and case analysis showed that GLUT1 and YAP were highly expressed and correlated in liver cancer patients, and were associated with poor patient prognosis. The GLUT1-YAP risk model had a high score in predicting prognosis. CONCLUSION: The study confirms that WZ35 is a small molecule glycolysis inhibitor, and through its properties, it mediates metabolic reprogramming dominated by impaired glycolysis, oxidative phosphorylation and purine metabolism to inhibit the proliferation activity of liver cancer cells. Our findings present novel insights into the pathology of liver cancer and potential targets for new therapeutic strategies. GLUT1-YAP has important reference significance for predicting the stages of disease progression in liver cancer patients and have the potential to serve as novel biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of liver cancer.

Multiple magnetic foreign body ingestion in pediatric patients: a single-center retrospective review.

OBJECTIVE: Foreign body (FB) ingestion is increasingly common in children, and ingestion of multiple magnetic FBs can cause serious injuries. This study aimed to identify the clinical features and management options of such cases. METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted of 35 pediatric patients diagnosed as having ingested multiple magnetic FBs. RESULTS: The main clinical manifestations were abdominal pain, vomiting, and fever. Of the 35 patients, 6 (17.1%) were conservatively treated and the remaining 29 (82.9%) were surgically treated. Of those who were surgically treated, 26 underwent exploratory laparotomy and 3 underwent laparoscopic surgery that was switched to open surgery. Intestinal structure and function were restored without complications in patients who underwent successful perforation repair following removal of multiple magnetic FBs. CONCLUSIONS: Ingestion of multiple magnetic FBs can lead to intestinal perforations, bowel strangulation, and necrosis. Accordingly, timely diagnosis and effective management of multiple magnetic FB ingestions in pediatric patients are of paramount importance to reduce further complications.

CCAT2 contributes to hepatocellular carcinoma progression via inhibiting miR-145 maturation to induce MDM2 expression.

Long noncoding RNA colon cancer-associated transcript 2 (CCAT2) has been recently found to function as an oncogene in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the mechanisms of CCAT2 in HCC development remain to be further explored. In the present study, we found that CCAT2 was abnormally upregulated in HCC cells and tissue specimens, exhibiting an inverse correlation with microRNA (miR)-145 expression. Mechanistic investigation showed that CCAT2 selectively blocked miR-145 processing, leading to decreased mature miR-145 presence. Both the in vitro and in vivo effects of CCAT2 knockdown on the proliferation and metastasis of HCC cells were reversed by miR-145 inhibitor, indicating that miR-145 modulation accounts for CCAT2-meditated HCC progression. Furthermore, miR-145 mimic dramatically suppressed HCC cells' proliferation and metastasis, revealing a tumor suppressor role of miR-145 in HCC. Mechanistically, MDM2 was predicted to be a potential target of miR-145. The luciferase and western blot assay demonstrated that miR-145 mimic largely inhibited MDM2 3'-untranslated region luciferase activity and MDM2 expression, followed by the upregulation of p53/p21 expression. Finally, the coexpression of MDM2 in miR-145 mimic-transfected HCC cells was able to largely compromise the inhibitory effects of miR-145 mimic on HCC cells' proliferation and metastasis in vitro and tumor formation in a xenograft model, confirming MDM2 is the critical mediator of miR-145 in HCC. In summary, our findings indicated that CCAT2 selectively blocks the miR-145 maturation process and plays an oncogene in HCC. Furthermore, a novel CCAT2/miR-145/MDM2 axis was revealed in HCC development and might provide a new target in the molecular treatment of HCC.

Injuries due to foreign body ingestion and insertion in children: 10 years of experience at a single institution.

AIM: Foreign body (FB) injuries represent a severe public health problem during childhood. The aim of this study was to report our experience with patients with injuries due to FB ingestion and insertion who were treated surgically at our institution. METHODS: A total of 78 paediatric patients who were hospitalised for FB injuries were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: The series was composed of 27 males and 51 females, with a median age of 3.6 years. The cases included 35 cases of FB ingestion and 43 cases of FB insertion, including 40 cases with a vaginal insertion, 2 cases with a rectal insertion and 1 case with a urethra insertion. Intestinal perforation (n = 26) was a more common complication than intestinal obstruction (n = 9) in patients who had ingested a FB. The main clinical symptom was persistent vaginal discharge, followed by vaginal bleeding for patients with a vaginal FB insertion. Exploratory laparotomy was performed on 36 patients, while a laparoscopic approach was employed in 1 patient. Forty patients underwent hysteroscopy and one patient underwent cystotomy to remove the FB. All FBs were successfully removed. Of the 78 FBs recovered, 26 were food objects, while non-food objects were found in 52 patients. All patients recovered well, except one patient with an intestinal obstruction from adhesions that occurred approximately 1 month after discharge. CONCLUSIONS: Early recognition of FB injuries and appropriate management can significantly reduce complications. Surgical removal of a FB can be safe and effective, and relatively better outcomes can be achieved.

Effect of unilateral testicular torsion on contralateral testis in a rat model.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the function of the contralateral testis after unilateral testicular torsion (UTT) and its possible mechanism. METHODS: 56 rats were randomly divided into four groups: Group A: Sham operation, Group B: Testicular torsion (TT)+normal saline (NS), Group C: Testicular torsion (TT)+cyclosporine, Group D: Testicular torsion (TT)+NG-Monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA). The right testes were removed 1 week and 8 weeks after surgery, respectively. Biochemistry and histopathologic evaluations were used to evaluate the germ cell damage. RESULTS: Compared with Group A, the levels of malondialchehyche (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO)/nitricoxide synthase (NOS) were increased remarkably in Group B. Significant differences were shown between histopathological damages and density and motility of sperm in two groups. Compared with Group B, the levels of MDA and NO/NOS in Group D decreased significantly while mean seminiferous tubule diameter (MSTD) and mean testicular biopsy scoring (MTBS) maintained in a better condition. The levels of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) peptide-tetramer complex in Group C and Group D decreased significantly than Group B, while sperm density and motility were significantly higher than Group B. It was also known that the histopathological damages in Group C and Group D were less than those in Group B in the 8 weeks after operation. CONCLUSION: UTT can cause impairment of contralateral testicular function and decrease of spermatogenic function. The mechanism may be related to ischemia-reperfusion (IR) in early stage and autoimmune response in late stage.

The treatment of congenital pyriform sinus fistula: a single-center experience.

PURPOSE: Congenital pyriform sinus fistula (CPSF) often presents diagnosis and treatment challenges. This study aimed to explore the treatment principles and to evaluate the effectiveness of the hypothermia plasma cauterization with suspension laryngoscopy for CPSF. METHODS: The medical records of 56 patients with CPSF from January 2000 to December 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: Of the 56 cases, the lesions were predominantly located on the left side (95%), and the accuracy of the first diagnosis was 30%. Ultrasound showed an abnormal rate of 86%, while CT or MRI displayed an abnormal anatomic lesion of 92%. The 3D visual reconstruction enabled the analysis of morphological characteristics of CPSF. The positive predictive value of barium esophagography was 89%, whereas the positive rate of the internal opening in CPSF under local anesthesia laryngoscopy was 33%. Nine cases of sinus type underwent open resection, and the recurrence rate was 33%. Interestingly, ten patients with sinus type underwent hypothermia plasma cauterization with suspension laryngoscopy, leading to a success rate of 100% without apparent complications. CONCLUSIONS: Hypothermia plasma cauterization with suspension laryngoscopy alongside 3D imaging is both minimally invasive and repeatable with neglectable complications, which has the potential to serve as the first-line treatment for CPSF in the future.

Prepubertal testicular tumors in China: a 10-year experience with 67 cases.

AIM: Prepubertal testicular tumors are rare in children. We aim to present clinical and histological features of prepubertal testicular tumors through the analysis of the long-term experiences of a single medical center of China. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 67 children (≤ 14 years) treated for testicular tumor at our institution from 2005 to 2015 were retrospectively reviewed. Data relating the clinical characteristics, histopathology findings, serum tumor markers, treatment method, and outcome were collected. RESULTS: The patients' median age at diagnosis was 18 months (range 3-168 months), and 49 cases (73.1%) were diagnosed at age younger than 3 years. The most common clinical presentation was a painless scrotal mass or swelling. Regarding histology, 32 (47.8%) were teratomas and only one of these tumors presents immature teratomas, 20 (29.9%) were yolk sac tumors, 9 (13.4%) were epidermoid cyst, 1 (1.5%) was a Leydig cell tumor, 1 (1.5%) was a mixed malignant germ cell tumor, and 4 (8.3%) were paratesticular tumors. For germ cell tumors, the mean preoperative serum α-fetoprotein (AFP) level was significantly higher in patients with yolk sac tumor than in those with teratomas (2,078 ng/mL vs 5.7 ng/mL). Of all these patients, 37 (55.2%) were treated with radical inguinal orchiectomy and testis-sparing surgery was planned and achieved in 30 (44.8%). Surveillance was performed in 60 patients. None of the patients developed recurrence or testicular atrophy after appropriate treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of our cases were benign, with the most common histopathological subtype being teratoma. A testis-sparing procedure should be performed in children with a palpable testicular mass and negative tumor markers. This study shows a better outlook for prepuberty patient with testicular tumors than their adult counterparts.

Intestinal perforation secondary to ingested foreign bodies: a single-center experience with 38 cases.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to report our experience with patients with intestinal perforation secondary to ingested foreign bodies (FBs) who were treated surgically at our institution. METHODS: Between 2001 and 2015, a total of 38 pediatric patients with the diagnosis of intestinal perforation secondary to FBs were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: The series comprised 22 males and 16 females. The average age of the patients was 1.9 years. A definitive preoperative history of the ingestion of FBs was obtained for only eight patients. Crying and abdominal pain were the main clinical manifestations. Perforation repair was performed in 29 patients (76.3%), while enterostomy was utilized in five patients (13.2%) and enterectomy in four patients (10.5%). Five perforations occurred in the large intestine, and 33 perforations occurred in the small intestine with the most common site being the distal ileum. Of the 38 FBs recovered, 26 were food objects, while non-food objects were found in 12 patients. All patients recovered well, except one patient with an intestinal obstruction from adhesions that occurred approximately 1 month after discharge. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical performance of intestinal perforation secondary to FBs in children is atypical. Most perforations occur in the small intestine. Primary perforation repair is safe and effective, and better outcomes can be achieved.

Clinical characteristics of intussusception secondary to pathologic lead points in children: a single-center experience with 65 cases.

OBJECTIVE: Intussusception secondary to pathologic lead points (PLPs) is a challenging condition for pediatric surgeons, and few studies have been published on this subject. The aim of this study was to review and analyze clinical data on the diagnosis and management of intussusception secondary to PLPs in children. METHODS: Between 2002 and 2016, a total of 65 pediatric patients with a diagnosis of intussusception secondary to PLPs were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: The series comprised 47 males and 18 females. The average age of the patients was 4.9 years old. All patients had typical clinical manifestations, and intussusception was proven by ultrasound. Fifty-one patients had recurrent intussusception, of whom 21 had one, 14 had two, 10 had three, and 6 had more than three. There were 20 episodes of recurrence within 24 h (39.2%), 15 episodes were found between 24 and 72 h (29.4%), and the remaining 31.4% (16/51) of recurrences occurred after 72 h. All patients received surgical intussusception reduction. Meanwhile, enterectomy was the procedure of choice in 55 patients, polypectomy in 5 patients, and cystectomy in 3 patients. The types of intussusception secondary to PLPs included small intestinal (n = 25), ileocolic (n = 19), ileocecal (n = 11), ileo-ileocolic (n = 9) and cecalcolic (n = 1). The types of PLPs included Meckel diverticulum (n = 32), intestinal duplication (n = 14), benign polyps (n = 5), malignant lymphoma (n = 4), Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (n = 3), mesenteric cyst (n = 3), intestinal wall hematoma of hemophilia (n = 2), allergic purpura (n = 1), and hamartoma (n = 1). All patients recovered well with no relapse during follow-up, except for one patient who had an intestinal obstruction from adhesions that occurred approximately 3 months after discharge and who was curable after conservative treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Intussusception secondary to PLPs tends to exhibit recurrence. There are various types of intussusception secondary to PLPs. It is necessary to improve auxiliary examinations to identify the etiology and avoid intraoperative omission. Surgical reduction of intussusception secondary to PLPs is the preferred clinical management.

Association between MTHFR C677T polymorphism and diabetic nephropathy in the Chinese population: An updated meta-analysis and review.

To clarify the effects of MTHFR C677T polymorphism on the risk of diabetic nephropathy (DN) in the Chinese population, an updated meta-analysis was performed. Related studies were identified from PubMed, Springer Link, Ovid and Chinese Databases up to 24 February 2015. A total of 15 studies including 1227 DN cases, 586 healthy controls and 1277 diabetes mellitus (DM) controls were involved in this meta-analysis. Overall, a significantly elevated risk of DN was associated with all variants of MTHFR C677T when compared with the healthy group (T vs C, odds ratio (OR) = 2.22, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.88-2.61; TT vs CC, OR = 4.22, 95% CI = 3.02-5.90; TT + CT vs CC, OR = 2.62, 95% CI = 2.07-3.31; TT vs CC + CT, OR = 2.81, 95% CI = 2.08-3.81) or DM (T vs C, OR = 1.78, 95% CI = 1.59-2.00; TT vs CC, OR = 2.95, 95% CI = 2.33-3.73; TT + CT vs CC, OR = 1.93, 95% CI = 1.63-2.29; TT vs CC + CT, OR = 2.31, 95% CI = 1.87-2.84). In subgroup analyses stratified by ethnicity and geographic areas, it revealed the significant results in Chinese Han, in North and South China. The risk conferred by MTHFR C677T polymorphism is higher in North China than in South China. This meta-analysis showed that the MTHFR C677T variants may influence DN risk in Chinese, and further studies with gene-gene and gene-environment interactions are required for definite conclusions.

Predicting the impact of climate change and land use change on the potential distribution of two economic forest trees in Northeastern China.

Young shoots of Aralia elata and young leaves of Eleutherococcus senticosus are two major non-timber forest products in northeastern China. However, human activities and climate change have resulted in serious threats to the habitats of two trees, which greatly limits resource conservation and exploitation of economic forest trees. We used the MaxEnt model to predict the suitable habitats of the two economic trees and analyzed the dominant factors affecting their distribution. The results showed that the suitable habitat areas of A. elata and E. senticosus in the current period were 159950 km2 and 123449 km2, respectively, and the suitable habitats of both economic forest trees were located in the eastern part of the northeast region. Climate factors (Annual precipitation, Precipitation Seasonality) and land use factors are important variables influencing changes in suitable habitat for both trees. With the change of climate and land use in the future, the overall trend of suitable habitat for both economic forest trees shows a northward and then a southward migration. These results may provide assistance in developing strategies for resource conservation and sustainable use of A. elata and E. senticosus, and we suggest that stable and suitable habitats should be selected as areas for in situ conservation and breeding of the two economic forest trees.

Epididymal cysts in children: frequency, clinical characteristics, and management strategies.

Background: Epididymal cysts (ECs) are uncommon in the pediatric population. The objective of this study was to evaluate the frequency, clinical characteristics, and management strategies of ECs in children. Methods: We performed a retrospective review of pediatric scrotal ultrasounds between January 2014 and August 2022 to identify children with ECs. Results: One hundred and forty-three children boys were found to have ECs, with 95 being pre-pubertal and 48 post-pubertal. The age of the patients ranged from 1 day to 18 years, with a mean age of 10.64 ± 4.55 years. The size of the cysts varied from 2 mm to 35 mm. The most common comorbidities observed were hydrocele, testicular microlithiasis and varicocele. The majority of ECs were detected through routine physical examination. Conservative management was employed for all patients, except for one who required surgical excision. Resolution of ECs occurred in 12 patients, while a reduction in cyst size was observed in 6 cases. Conversely, 2 patients experienced an increase in cyst size, and 6 patients exhibited an increase in cyst number during the follow-up period. Conclusion: Conservative management is the preferred approach for the majority of cases, with surgical intervention reserved for specific instances.

Testicular tumor arising from an intra-abdominal undescended testis in a 1-year-old child: a case report and literature review.

Objectives: Testicular tumors in the intra-abdominal undescended testis are rare in children, and their management remains challenging. The aim was to present a case report and review of the literature about diagnosis and treatment of testicular tumors arising from undescended intra-abdominal testis in children. Methods: In this study, we retrospectively analyzed the clinical records of a 1-year-old male patient admitted to pediatric surgery in March 2022 with a testicular tumor originating in the intra-abdominal undescended testis. Furthermore, medical literature published in English during the last three decades was systematically searched through the databases of Medline, PubMed, and Google Scholar. Results: The patient underwent laparoscopic orchiopexy and tumor excision. The operation was uneventful, and the patient recovered well without complications. An 8-month follow-up showed no recurrence of the teratoma after postoperative pathology. The literature search resulted in the retrieval of 16 non-duplicate articles, and 16 patients were included in this review. The cases included six cases of left cryptorchidism and 10 cases of right cryptorchidism, with an average age of 15.3 months. The largest transverse diameter of the tumors ranged from 1.8 to 12.5 cm, with an average tumor length of 6.7 cm. All patients underwent surgical treatment, including three cases of laparoscopic orchiectomy, a sole case of a conversion of inguinal incision to laparotomy and orchiectomy, and 12 cases of laparotomy and orchiectomy. Postoperative pathology revealed 12 cases of mature teratoma, two cases of immature teratoma, one case of yolk sac tumor, and a single case of embryonic carcinoma combined with yolk sac tumor. 11 patients were followed up, and one of them recurred. Conclusion: Abdominal ultrasound (US) or abdominal computer tomography (CT) should be performed in cases of undescended testis suspected to have testicular tumors on clinical findings. The most common type of intra-abdominal testicular tumor is mature teratomas. Early diagnosis and prompt surgical intervention resulted in an excellent outcome.

Water demand in watershed forecasting using a hybrid model based on autoregressive moving average and deep neural networks.

Increasing water demand is exacerbating water shortages in water-scarce regions (such as India, China, and Iran). Effective water demand forecasting is essential for the sustainable management of water supply systems in watersheds. To alleviate the contradiction between water supply and demand in the basin, with water demand for economic growth as the main target, a hybrid moving autoregressive and deep neural network model (ARMA-DNN) was developed in this study, and four commonly used statistical indicators (MAE, RMSE, MSE, and R2) were selected to evaluate the performance of the model. Finally, the validity and practicality of the model were verified by taking the Minjiang River basin in China as an example. The results show that (a) the model can predict future water demand more accurately under the conditions of actual water consumption changes, (b) the ideal agricultural production in the Minjiang River Basin is predicted to be reached 2.26 × 109t in 2021, and (c) the highest industrial economic efficiency in Chengdu is 1.51 × 109yuan, while water satisfaction reaches 102%. This means that effective water demand forecasting can alleviate water demand conflicts under climate change conditions to a certain extent. At the same time, watershed managers can develop different water allocation schemes based on the prediction results of the hybrid ARMA-DNN model.

Prediction of histopathologic grades of myxofibrosarcoma with radiomics based on magnetic resonance imaging.

PURPOSE: To develop a radiomics-based model from preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for predicting the histopathological grades of myxofibrosarcoma. METHODS: This retrospective study included 54 patients. The tumors were classified into high-grade and low-grade myxofibrosarcoma. The tumor size, signal intensity heterogeneity, margin, and surrounding tissue were evaluated on MRI. Using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) algorithms, 1037 radiomics features were obtained from fat-suppressed T2-weighted images (T2WI), and a radiomics signature was established. Using multivariable logistic regression analysis, three models were built to predict the histopathologic grade of myxofibrosarcoma. A radiomics nomogram represents the integrative model. The three models' performance was evaluated using the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) and calibration curves. RESULTS: The high-grade myxofibrosarcoma had greater depth (P = 0.027), more frequent heterogeneous signal intensity at T2WI (P = 0.015), and tail sign (P = 0.014) than the low-grade tumor. The area under curve (AUC) of these conventional MRI features models was 0.648, 0.656, and 0.668, respectively. Seven radiomic features were selected by LASSO to construct the radiomics signature model, with an AUC of 0.791. The AUC of the integrative model based on radiomics signature and conventional MRI features was 0.875. The integrative model's calibration curve and insignificant Hosmer-Lemeshow test statistic (P = 0.606) revealed good calibration. CONCLUSION: An integrative model using radiomics signature and three conventional MRI features can preoperatively predict low- or high-grade myxofibrosarcoma.

Identification of three metabolic subtypes in gastric cancer and the construction of a metabolic pathway-based risk model that predicts the overall survival of GC patients.

Gastric cancer (GC) is highly heterogeneous and GC patients have low overall survival rates. It is also challenging to predict the prognosis of GC patients. This is partly because little is known about the prognosis-related metabolic pathways in this disease. Hence, our objective was to identify GC subtypes and genes related to prognosis, based on changes in the activity of core metabolic pathways in GC tumor samples. Differences in the activity of metabolic pathways in GC patients were analyzed using Gene Set Variation Analysis (GSVA), leading to the identification of three clinical subtypes by non-negative matrix factorization (NMF). Based on our analysis, subtype 1 showed the best prognosis while subtype 3 exhibited the worst prognosis. Interestingly, we observed marked differences in gene expression between the three subtypes, through which we identified a new evolutionary driver gene, CNBD1. Furthermore, we used 11 metabolism-associated genes identified by LASSO and random forest algorithms to construct a prognostic model and verified our results using qRT-PCR (five matched clinical tissues of GC patients). This model was found to be both effective and robust in the GSE84437 and GSE26253 cohorts, and the results from multivariate Cox regression analyses confirmed that the 11-gene signature was an independent prognostic predictor (p < 0.0001, HR = 2.8, 95% CI 2.1-3.7). The signature was found to be relevant to the infiltration of tumor-associated immune cells. In conclusion, our work identified significant GC prognosis-related metabolic pathways in different GC subtypes and provided new insights into GC-subtype prognostic assessment.

Evaluation of cloned cells, animal model, and ATRA sensitivity of human testicular yolk sac tumor.

The testicular yolk sac tumor (TYST) is the most common neoplasm originated from germ cells differentiated abnormally, a major part of pediatric malignant testicular tumors. The present study aimed at developing and validating the in vitro and vivo models of TYST and evaluating the sensitivity of TYST to treatments, by cloning human TYST cells and investigating the histology, ultra-structure, growth kinetics and expression of specific proteins of cloned cells. We found biological characteristics of cloned TYST cells were similar to the yolk sac tumor and differentiated from the columnar to glandular-like or goblet cells-like cells. Chromosomes for tumor identification in each passage met nature of the primary tumor. TYST cells were more sensitive to all-trans-retinoic acid which had significantly inhibitory effects on cell proliferation. Cisplatin induced apoptosis of TYST cells through the activation of p53 expression and down-regulation of Bcl- expression. Thus, we believe that cloned TYST cells and the animal model developed here are useful to understand the molecular mechanism of TYST cells and develop potential therapies for human TYST.

Foreign bodies in children's lower urinary tract: A case series and literature review.

Background: Children with foreign bodies (FBs) in the lower urinary tract have rarely been reported, and their management remains challenging. This study aimed to describe the characteristics and treatment of FBs in children's lower urinary tract. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data on lower urinary tract FBs that were removed in our hospital from August 2017 to August 2022, including demographics, location, symptoms, imaging examinations, and treatment. Results: Four male patients were enrolled, whose ages ranged from 9 to 13 years, with a mean age of 11 years. The course of the disease ranged from 3 h to 2 weeks. Their imaging characteristics were reviewed and analyzed, and two FBs were located in the bladder and two in the urethra. Mosquito forceps were used to remove an acne needle through the urethra in one case. Cystoscopy was first attempted in three cases, in only one of which was the FB removed successfully under endoscopic minimally invasive surgery. In the remaining two cases, removal via transurethral cystoscopy failed, whereby leading to cystotomy being performed. The FBs comprise a skipping rope, hairpin, magnetic bead, and acne needle. The postoperative recovery was uneventful, and no complications occurred during the follow-up period of 3 to 6 months. Conclusion: It is rare for children to have FBs in the lower urinary tract. An early diagnosis, as well as appropriate management of lower urinary tract FBs, can significantly reduce complications. Surgical removal of lower urinary tract FBs can be safe and effective, and relatively better outcomes can be achieved.

Haemostatic indexes for predicting intestinal necrosis in children with intussusception.

BACKGROUND: To determine risk factors for intestinal necrosis in intussusception cases among children with failed non-surgical reduction for intussusception. METHODS: Totally, 540 hospitalized individuals with unsuccessful air-enema reduction in our hospital between November 2010 and November 2020 were assessed in this retrospective study. The 540 intussusception cases were divided into the intestinal necrosis and non-intestinal necrosis groups. Haemostatic parameters, demographic and clinical features were assessed. Predictors of intestinal necrosis were examined by univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: Of the 540 patients included, 113 showed intestinal necrosis. This intestinal necrosis group had a longer duration of symptom or length of illness, younger ages, higher platelet counts, fibrinogen amounts and d-dimer levels (all P = 0.000) compared with the non-intestinal necrosis group. Multivariable analysis revealed that duration of symptom (odds ratio (OR) 1.12; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.16-1.23, P = 0.000), fibrinogen (OR 1.26; 95% CI 1.10-1.31, P = 0.010) and d-dimer (OR 2.07; 95% CI 1.91-2.28, P = 0.000) independently predicted intestinal necrosis in individuals undergoing surgical reduction for intussusception. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that d-dimer amounts had the largest area under the curve for predicting intestinal necrosis. CONCLUSION: On admission, long duration of symptom, high fibrinogen and d-dimer levels are critical risk factors for intestinal necrosis development in children with unsuccessful non-surgical reduction. d-Dimer levels have the best predictive value for intestinal necrosis.

Assembly pattern of multicomponent supramolecular oleogel composed of ceramide and lecithin in sunflower oil: self-assembly or self-sorting?

Ceramide (CER) is a novel food-grade organogelator with beneficial health effects. Lecithin (LEC) is not an effective gelator; however, it may alter the crystal morphology of the host gelator in a multicomponent system. In this paper, LEC and CER were mixed at various molar ratios in sunflower oil leading to different gelation behaviors. It was interesting since in this multicomponent system, gels formed when there was more less-effective gelator (LEC), while gels hardly formed when there was more effective gelator (CER). This drew our attention since there might not be only one kind of assembly mode between the LEC and the CER. A comprehensive rheological investigation was conducted. It was found that at specific ratios (6L4C and 5L5C), strong gels (G' > 1.0 × 105 Pa) formed with superior oil binding capacity (up to 99.84%). Meanwhile, these gels exhibited higher tolerance level to permanent deformation than the monocomponent gel. However, weak gels were observed off the optimal ratio (8L2C, 7L3C, 4L6C and 3L7C). The crystal morphology of gels drastically changed with change in gelator proportion. Short needle-like crystals and small rosette crystals were observed in 6L4C and 5L5C, respectively, while other samples exhibited spherulite-shaped crystals (8L2C, 7L3C, 4L6C, and 3L7C), which differed from any of the monocomponent gel structures (10L0C and 0L10C). Results from differential scanning calorimetry and polarized light microscopy suggested that the macroscopic properties are determined by the morphology and distribution of crystals rather than the crystallinity of the matrix. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results indicated the presence of van der Waals forces and the formation of hydrogen bonding between the phosphate of the LEC and the amide group of the CER. The above results indicated that the LEC and CER co-assembled at approximately equal molar ratio, and the redundant LEC or CER at other ratios self-sorted to combine with the co-assembled fibers by lateral association, leading to potentially different underlying microstructures. These multicomponent supramolecular oleogels with high tunability may further broaden their applicability in various healthy lipid-based product formats.