Roles of eIF3m in the tumorigenesis of triple negative breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Without targets, triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) has the worst prognosis in all subtypes of breast cancer (BC). Recently, eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3 m (eIF3m) has been declared to be involved in the malignant progression of various neoplasms. The aim of this study is to explore biological functions of eIF3m in TNBC. METHODS: Multiple databases, including Oncomine, KM-plotter and so on, were performed to analyze prognosis and function of eIF3m in TNBC. After transfection of eIF3m-shRNA lentivirus, CCK-8, colony formation assay, cell cycle analysis, wound healing assay, transwell assays, mitochondrial membrane potential assay and cell apoptosis analysis were performed to explore the roles of eIF3m in TNBC cell bio-behaviors. In addition, western blotting was conducted to analyze the potential molecular mechanisms of eIF3m. RESULTS: In multiple databases, up-regulated eIF3m had lower overall survival, relapse-free survival and post progression survival in BC. EIF3m expression in TNBC was obviously higher than in non-TNBC or normal breast tissues. Its expression in TNBC was positively related to differentiation, lymph node invasion and distant metastasis. After knockdown of eIF3m, cell proliferation, migration, invasion and levels of mitochondrial membrane potential of MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-436 were all significantly suppressed, while apoptosis rates of them were obviously increased. In addition, eIF3m could regulate cell-cycle, epithelial-mesenchymal transition and apoptosis-related proteins. Combined with public databases and RT-qPCR, 14 genes were identified to be modulated by eIF3m in the development of TNBC. CONCLUSIONS: eIF3m is an unfavorable indicator of TNBC, and plays a vital role in the process of TNBC tumorigenesis.

MicroRNA-31 triggers G2/M cell cycle arrest, enhances the chemosensitivity and inhibits migration and invasion of human gastric cancer cells by downregulating the expression of zeste homolog 2 (ZH2).

Gastric cancer is the second most leading cause of cancer related mortality across the world over. Although the incidence of GC has declined to some extent but it is still the fourth highly diagnosed cancer across the world. GC generally remains undiagnosed till advanced stages due to unavailability of biomarkers and when diagnosed it becomes difficult to manage due to the lack of therapeutic targets and efficient chemotherapy. There are concrete evidences suggesting that miRNAs may prove important therapeutic targets for the treatment of devastating diseases such as cancer. The study was designed to investigate the tumor suppressive role of miR-31 via regulation of zeste homolog 2 (ZH2). It was found that miR-31 is significantly downregulated in GC cell lines. Overexpression of miR-31 causes significant (P < 0.05) decrease in the viability and colony formation via initiation of G2/M cell cycle arrest of the AGS cancer cells. Moreover, miR-31 overexpression also enhanced the chemosensitivity of miR-31 to the anticancer drug 5-fluorouracil. In silico analysis together with dual luciferase reporter assay indicated zeste homolog 2 (ZH2) to be the potential target of miR-31 in AGS cells. Investigation of ZH2 expression in GC cell lines showed it to be significantly (P < 0.05) upregulated. Nonetheless, overexpression of miR-31 in AGS cells resulted in the suppression of ZH2 expression. Additionally, silencing of ZH2 in the AGS cells also caused inhibition of AGS cell proliferation and colony formation via G2/M arrest. Moreover, overexpression of ZH2 could at least partially reverse the tumor suppressive effects of miR-31 indicating direct involvement of ZH2 in the miR-31 mediated inhibitory effects on AGS cell proliferation. Finally, miR-31 overexpression caused significant (P < 0.05) inhibition of the migration and invasion of the AGS gastric cancer cells. The overexpression of miR-31 also caused downregulation of mesenchymal markers (Vimentin and N-cadherin) and upregulation of epithelial marker (E-cadherin) protein expression was in AGS cells. It is therefore concluded that miR-31 acts as a tumor suppressor and may prove essential in the treatment of GC.

Small bowel metastasis from pulmonary rhabdomyosarcoma causing intussusception: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), especially primary pulmonary RMS, is an extremely rare type of soft tissue sarcoma in adults. Small bowel is an uncommon site for metastases. CASE PRESENTATION: This report described an unusual case of jejunum metastasis from primary pulmonary RMS causing intussusception in a 75-year-old man. The patient consulted for 2 weeks of continuous dyspnea. Chest computed tomography (CT) demonstrated a large mass involving the left lower lobe. Transthoracic biopsy confirmed the existence of pleomorphic RMS. Immunohistochemical studies showed positive findings about desmin and MyoD1. The results of gastroscopy, colonoscopy and abdominal CT were all negative. Positron emission tomography/CT demonstrated a fluorodeoxyglucose-reactive large lesion in the left lower lobe without metastatic lesions. The patient received synchronous chemoradiotherapy. After 9 months, the patient presented with intermittent upper abdominal pain with nausea and vomiting. CT showed small bowel dilatation secondary to intussusception. The patient subsequently received laparotomy, and the intussuscepted small bowel segment was resected. Histological examination revealed pleomorphic RMS involving the mucosa, submucosa, and muscular tissues. CONCLUSIONS: RMS is highly aggressive and metastatic. The metastatic disease can rapidly progress to cause subsequent complications. The possibility of small bowel metastasis should be considered, although it is extremely rare.

Identification of lncRNA and mRNA regulatory networks associated with gastric cancer progression.

Gastric cancer is a tumor type characterized by lymph node metastasis and the invasion of local tissues. There is thus a critical need to clarify the molecular mechanisms governing gastric cancer onset and progression to guide the treatment of this disease. Long non-coding RNAs and mRNA expression profiles associated with early and local advanced gastric cancer were examined through microarray analyses, with GO and KEGG analyses being employed as a means of exploring the functional roles of those long non-coding RNAs and mRNAs that were differentially expressed in gastric cancer. In total, 1005 and 1831 lncRNAs and mRNAs, respectively, were found to be differentially expressed between early and local advanced gastric cancer. GO and KEGG analyses revealed several pathways and processes that were dysregulated, including the RNA transport, ECM-receptor interaction, and mRNA splicing pathways. In co-expression networks, E2F1, E2F4, and STAT2 were identified as key transcriptional regulators of these processes. Moreover, thrombospondin-2 was confirmed as being expressed at high levels in more advanced gastric cancer by both the GEO and TCGA databases. RNA-sequencing analyses of SGC-790 cells transfected to express thrombospondin-2 further revealed this gene to enhance NF-kB and TNF pathway signaling activity. These results offer insight into gastric cancer-related regulatory networks and suggest thrombospondin-2 to be an important oncogene that drives the progression of this deadly cancer type.

Conversion of control and genetically-modified poplar into multi-scale products using integrated pretreatments.

In this work, a green and robust pretreatment which integrated acetic acid-catalyzed hydrothermal and wet mechanical pretreatment, was developed to efficiently produce high yield (up to 40.12%) of xylooligosaccharides and digestible substrates from Caffeoyl Shikimate Esterase down-regulated and control poplar wood. Subsequently, superhigh yield (more than 95%) of glucose and residual lignin were obtained after a moderate enzymatic hydrolysis. The residual lignin fraction exhibited a well-preserved ß-O-4 linkages (42.06/100Ar) and high S/G ratio (6.42). Subsequently, lignin-derived porous carbon was successfully synthesized, and it exhibited a high specific capacitance of 273.8 F g-1 at 1.0 A g-1 and long cycling stability (remained 98.5% after 10,000 cycles at 5.0 A g-1) compared to control poplar wood, demonstrating that special advantage of this genetically-modified poplar in this integrated process. This work developed an energy-saving and eco-friendly pretreatment technology as a waste-free route for converting different lignocellulosic biomass to multiple products.

Unveiling the Migration and Transformation Mechanism of Lignin in Eucalyptus During Deep Eutectic Solvent Pretreatment.

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have unique advantages in biomass conversion. However, the migration and transformation mechanism of lignin in the cell wall during the DES pretreatment is still elusive. In this work, Eucalyptus blocks were pretreated in choline chloride/lactic acid DES to reveal the lignin migration. Meanwhile, the remaining lignin in the pretreated residue, the regenerated DES lignin, and the solubilized degraded lignin in the recovered DES were investigated to decipher the lignin transformation. Results showed that the DES pretreatment resulted in the penetration of DES from the cell lumen to the cell wall, and lignin in the secondary wall was more easily dissolved than that in the cell corner middle lamella. The syringyl unit of lignin was better stabilized in the DES than the guaiacyl unit of lignin. The condensed lignin fraction mainly remained in the pretreated residue, while the solubilized degraded lignin fraction was monomeric aromatic ketone compounds. This study elucidates the fate of lignin during the DES pretreatment, which could also promote the development of a modern lignocellulosic pretreatment technique.

Integrated Profiling Revealed Potential Regulatory Networks Among Long Noncoding RNAs and mRNAs in Mucosal Gastric Cancer.

Gastric cancer is one of the most commonly occurring cancers worldwide. Investigation of long noncoding RNAs is of increasing interest, particularly in relation to their contribution to progression and prognosis of gastric cancers; however, insufficient studies been performed investigating the part of long noncoding RNAs play in gastric cancer carcinogenesis. Patterns of dysregulated long noncoding RNA and messenger RNA between mucosa gastric cancer and adjacent normal tissues were identified using long noncoding RNAs microarray analysis. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was conducted as a means to verify the obtained data. Both Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes  (KEGG) pathway analyses were subsequently used to investigate the function of dysregulated long noncoding RNAs and messenger RNAs. Cis and trans action was used to predict the possible targets of long noncoding RNAs, and a coexpression network was created to simulate the complex intergenic interactions. Ninety-five dysregulated long noncoding RNAs and 123 messenger RNAs were identified, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to validate 6 filtered long noncoding RNAs. Gene Ontology and KEGG pathway analyses identified several remarkably biological processes and signaling pathways, including spliceosome, RNA transport, and ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis. The transcriptional factors MYC, GABPA, and E2F1 were found to play a central function in the long noncoding RNAs process, as indicated by the coexpression network. This study revealed the dysregulated long noncoding RNA profiles of mucosal gastric cancer. The results shed light on the biological function of long noncoding RNAs in gastric cancer pathogenesis. This provides useful information for exploring potential early screening biomarkers in gastric cancer.

Valorization of Technical Lignin for the Production of Desirable Resins with High Substitution Rate and Controllable Viscosity.

The valorization of lignin to replace phenol is significant in the production of phenolic resins. However, a great challenge is to produce lignin-based resin (LR) with a suitable viscosity and high substitution rate of lignin to phenol. In this study, LRs were produced using hardwood technical lignin derived from the pulping industry. Structural analysis of the LRs indicated that the unsubstituted para and ortho carbon atoms of the aromatic ring influenced the curing temperature and activation energy of the resins. The curing kinetics and thermal decomposition study implied that urea and methylene groups in cured LRs were significant factors that affected the thermal stability negatively. The prepared LRs showed desirable features if used as adhesives to make plywood. This is the first approach in which a substitution rate of up to 65 % is achieved for low-reactive-site hardwood lignin, which provides a solution to the challenge of the simultaneous realization of the high addition of lignin and the adaptive viscosity of resins.

Novel recyclable deep eutectic solvent boost biomass pretreatment for enzymatic hydrolysis.

Deep eutectic solvent (DES) with protonic acid shows the great potential for biomass valorization. However, the acid corrosion and recycling are still severe challenges in biorefinery. Herein, a novel DES by coordinating FeCl3 in choline chloride/glycerol DES was designed for effective and recyclable pretreatment. As compared to DESs with FeCl2, ZnCl2, AlCl3 and CuCl2, DES with FeCl3 approvingly retained most of cellulose in pretreated Hybrid Pennisetum (95.2%). Meanwhile, the cellulose saccharification significantly increased to 99.5%, which was six-fold higher than that of raw biomass. The excellent pretreatment performance was mainly attributed to the high removal of lignin (78.88 wt%) and hemicelluloses (93.63 wt%) under the synergistic effect of Lewis acid and proper hydrogen-bond interaction of DES with FeCl3. Furthermore, almost all cellulose still can be converted into glucose after five recycling process. Overall, the process demonstrated designed pretreatment was great potential for the low-cost biorefinery and boost the biofuel development.

[Predictors of mortality in critically multiple trauma patients after damage control surgery].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficiency of damage control surgery (DCS) and predictors of mortality in critically multiple trauma patients. METHODS: From May 1998 to February 2007, DCS were carried out in 27 patients with critically multiple trauma. Of the patients 15 cases survived (survival group) and 12 cases died (dead group). The surgical complications, causes of death, demographic, physiologic and medical parameters were collected and compared between the two groups. Multiple logistic regression analysis were performed to identify possible predictors of mortality. RESULTS: The incidence of surgical complications was 37.0 percent, and the intra-abdominal infections was the most frequent (18.5%). The overall mortality rate was 44.4 percent. The most common causes of death was multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (50.0%). With respect to predicting mortality, statistically significant differences was found in parameters as age, injury severity score (ISS), initial temperature and base excess (BE), estimated blood loss, initial ICU temperature and length of hospital stay. Older age, increased absolute value of initial BE and lower initial ICU temperature were determined as independent predictors of mortality on multiple logistic regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: There is a comparable high morbidity and mortality rate in severely injured patients managed with DCS. Increased age, a larger absolute value of initial BE and lower initial ICU temperature could independently predict death of the patients.

miR-557 inhibits the proliferation and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells by targeting EGFR.

Deregulation of microRNA has been suggested as a critical event in pancreatic cancer development and progression. Thus far, very little is known about the role of miR-557; therefore, the goal of this study was to investigate the potential role of miR-557 in pancreatic cancer. In the present study, we discovered that miR-557 expression was lowered in cancerous pancreatic tissue samples relative to non-cancerous adjacent controls, and when miR-557 was overexpressed we found that this promoted the apoptotic death of pancreatic cancer cells, suppressing their proliferation, invasion, and migration. Using western blotting and luciferase reporter assays, we further found evidence that this miRNA may directly suppress expression of the epidermal growth factor receptor via suppressing its translation through 3'-UTR binding. When EGFR was overexpressed in our pancreatic cancer cells, this was sufficient to reverse the effects of miR-557 inhibition. In summary, miR-557 acts as a tumor suppressor in pancreatic cancer cells, impairing their ability to grow and invade surrounding tissues due at least in part to EGFR inhibition. Harnessing this targeting of EGFR via this miRNA may therefore be a viable strategy useful for patient suffering from this deadly disease.

Orphanin FQ and glutamate connection in the regulation of gonadotropin-releasing hormone secretion in the preoptic area of conscious male rats.

Utilizing the method of push-pull perfusion and radioimmunoassay (RIA), the secretory profile of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) in the preoptic area (POA) and serum-luteinizing hormone (LH) levels were examined in conscious male rats after administration of [Nphe(1)]NC(1-13)NH(2), a competitive antagonists of the opioid receptor-like 1 receptor (ORL1 receptor) which is endogenous receptor for Orphanin FQ (OFQ). Glutamate release in the POA was also measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) after perfusion of [Nphe(1)]NC(1-13)NH(2), i.e. NC13. The results showed that GnRH secretion from the POA and serum LH levels was increased significantly 40 min and 60 min, respectively after perfusion of 2 and 20 mmol/L NC13 in freely moving male rats (p<0.05). Pretreatment with a glutamate, N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist (MK-801, s.c., 0.2 mg/kg) abolished the increase of GnRH release in the POA induced by 2 mmol/L NC13. Additionally, 20 mmol/L NC13 significantly enhanced glutamate release in the POA at 40 min post-perfusion in a dose-dependent manner. These findings suggest that hypothalamic OFQ/ORL1 receptor system plays a role in the physiological inhibitory control of GnRH secretion in the POA of male rats, and provide evidence for involvement of an OFQ and glutamate pathway in the control of GnRH secretion.

Lignocellulose fractionation into furfural and glucose by AlCl3-catalyzed DES/MIBK biphasic pretreatment.

Herein, an efficient DES/MIBK biphasic pretreatment system for preparation of furfural and fermentable glucose from lignocellulose was developed with AlCl3 as catalysis. The low-cost and renewable DES (Choline chloride-Oxalic acid) served not only as a Brønsted acid catalyst, but also as a pretreatment solvent in present work, and MIBK as an extracting reagent which can increase the yield of furfural in DES phase. The effects of this biphasic pretreatment on the furfural yield and saccharification of the lignocellulose before and after pretreatment were explored using HPLC, HAPEC, FT-IR, XRD and SEM. Under the best pretreatment condition (at 140 °C for 90 min), furfural could be obtained in 70.3% yield and 80.8% of the pretreated lignocellulose was saccharified, which was 8.4 times higher than that of the raw lignocellulose without pretreatment. In a word, this pretreatment system can be considered as a potential technique for efficient valorization of lignocellulose for production of furfural and fermentable glucose.

A facile sodium alginate-based approach to improve the mechanical properties of recycled fibers.

The application of recycled fibers is steadily increasing in various paper products recently. It is necessary to improve the mechanical properties of paper products made from these fibers. An eco-friendly polymeric additive, sodium alginate (SA), was prepared from waste seaweeds and developed as functional additives. The properties of SA were characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermal gravity analysis, gel permeation chromatography, and compared with the commercial SA. Coupled with polyamideamine-epichlorohydrin (PAE), the extracted SA was used to enhance the mechanical properties of paper from recycled fibers. The surface and cross-section morphology of the paper were measured by scanning electron microscopy and discussed. Compared with the single addition of PAE, the SA-PAE binary system significantly improved the mechanical properties of paper sheets.

[Effects of nitrogen and irrigation water application on yield, water and nitrogen utilization and soil nitrate nitrogen accumulation in summer cotton]. / 水氮供应对夏棉产量、水氮利用及土壤硝态氮累积的影响.

A field experiment was carried out to study the effects of nitrogen and irrigation water application on growth, yield, and water and nitrogen use efficiency of summer cotton, and to develop the optimal water and nitrogen management model for suitable yield and less nitrogen loss in summer cotton field in the Huang-Huai region. Two experimental factors were arranged in a split plot design. The main plots were used for arranging nitrogen factor which consisted of five nitrogen fertilizer le-vels(0, 60, 120, 180, 240 kg·hm-2, referred as N0, N1, N2, N3, N4), and the subplots for irrigation factor which consisted of three irrigation quota levels (30, 22.5, 15 mm, referred as I1, I2, I3). There were 15 treatments with three replications. Water was applied with drip irrigation system. Experimental results showed that both irrigation and nitrogen fertilization promoted cotton growth and yield obviously, but nitrogen fertilizer showed more important effects than irrigation and was the main factor of regulating growth and yield of summer cotton in the experimental region. With the increase of nitrogen fertilization rate and irrigation amount, the dry mater accumulation of reproductive organs, the above-ground biomass at the flowering-bolling stage and seed cotton yield increased gradually, reached peak values at nitrogen fertilization rate of 180 kg·hm-2 and decreased slowly with the nitrogen fertilization rate further increased. The maximum yield of 4016 kg·hm-2 was observed in the treatment of N3I1. Increasing nitrogen fertilizer amount would improve significantly total N absorption of shoots and N content of stem and leaf, but decrease nitrogen partial factor productivity. The maximum irrigation-water use efficiency of 5.40 kg·m-3 and field water use efficiency of 1.24 kg·m-3 were found in the treatments of N3I3 and N3I1, respectively. With increasing nitrogen fertilization amount, soil NO3--N content increased and the main soil NO3--N accumulation layer moved downward. By comprehensively considering above-ground biomass, seed cotton yield, water and nitrogen uptake and utilization, and soil NO3--N accumulation in the soil profile, the treatment N3I1 could be recommended as the optimal water and nitrogen application pattern for summer cotton production in the experimental region.

Evaluation of organosolv pretreatment on the structural characteristics of lignin polymers and follow-up enzymatic hydrolysis of the substrates from Eucalyptus wood.

In the present study, Eucalyptus was subjected to organosolv pretreatment processes with aqueous 2-propanol at 200-220°C to obtain lignin with benign characters for its valorization and digestible substrates for bioethanol production. Results showed that different delignification ratios (64.00%-81.26%) and molecular weights (Mw=610-2680g/mol) of lignin fractions were dissociated from various pretreatment conditions, and the glucose yields of all the pretreated substrates significantly increased to 54.65-88.59% as compared to that of raw material (9.20%). Additionally, the amounts of ß-O-4, ß-ß, and ß-5 substructures were regularly decreased with the increased temperature and time. By contrast, the structural characteristics of the lignin fractions obtained with 70% 2-PrOH/water were less-altered than those with 50% 2-PrOH/water pretreatment. Remarkably, lignin with the lowest molecular weight (Mw=610g/mol) and less-altered chemical structure was achieved at 200°C for 120min, which is beneficial to subsequent catalytic degradation of lignin.

Fiber-modified hexon-chimeric oncolytic adenovirus targeting cancer associated fibroblasts inhibits tumor growth in gastric carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of fiber-modified hexon-chimeric recombinant oncolytic adenovirus targeting cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) on the gastric CAFs and the transplantation tumor mice model of gastric carcinoma (GC). RESULTS: Compared with BJ cells and GPFs, the reproduction and infectivity of P9, P9-4C or GP adenoviruses were markedly higher in gastric CAFs. In addition, P9, P9-4C or GP had a significantly relatively more killing effect on gastric CAFs compared with GPFs, and have less oncolytic effect in BJ cells. Furthermore, in transplantation tumor mice model of GC we found significantly higher hexon protein expression in tumor tissues, more decreasing tumor growth and increasing inhibitory rates after treatment of P9, P9-4C or GP adenoviruses compared with Ad adenovirus. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Based on the construction of the recombinant oncolytic adenoviruses pRCAdHVR48-SDF1p-Ad/EGFP (Ad, as control) with the E1A gene transcription regulated by stromal-derived factor 1 (SDF1) promoter and the hexon replaced by hexon-chimeric (H5HVR48) gene, three fiber-modified hexon-chimeric oncolytic adenovirus through the modification fiber protein by insertion of different short peptides specifically binding to fibroblast activation protein (FAP), including pRCAdHVR48-SDF1p-FAP-P9/EGFP (P9), pRCAdHVR48-SDF1p-FAP-P9-4C/EGFP (P9-4C), pRCAdHVR48-SDF1p-FAP-GP/EGFP (GP), and their corresponding replication-defective adenovirus in parallel were reconstructed. Then the reproduction, infectivity and killing ability of the four above recombinant adenoviruses were evaluated in gastric CAFs compared with gastric para-mucosa fibroblasts (GPFs) and neonatal human foreskin fibroblasts (BJ). Furthermore, transplantation tumor mice model of GC was established, and then treated by the four above recombinant adenoviruses. Tumor size and tumor growth inhibitory rates were calculated, and histomorphology by HE staining and hexon expressions by immunohistochemistry were evaluated in tumor tissues. CONCLUSIONS: The fiber-modified hexon-chimeric recombinant oncolytic adenovirus targeting CAFs can relatively specifically kill gastric CAFs and inhibit GC cells growth in vivo.

[Experimental study on the Sanxiansinli capsule against fatigue and viability of mice].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of the Sanxianxinli capsule against fatigue and viability of mice. METHOD: The mouse shinning, burden swimming, heat-resistant, cold resistant and tolerating anoxia were detected by experiment. RESULT: The results showed that the Sanxansinli capsule have function of improveing the stamina, cold resistant, heat-resistant and tolerating anoxia,and prolonging were the survival time in cold, high temperature and anoxia. CONCLUSION: The Sanxianxinli capsule have function against fatigue and can also improve the resistibility of body.

Effects of aluminum chloride-catalyzed hydrothermal pretreatment on the structural characteristics of lignin and enzymatic hydrolysis.

In this study, Eucalyptus camaldulensis was pretreated with 0.02 M aluminum chloride (AlCl3) at 140-180 °C to obtain digestible substrates for glucose and lignin. The effects of AlCl3-catalyzed hydrothermal pretreatment on the degradation of carbohydrates, structural changes of lignin, crystallinity, morphologic changes, and cellulose conversion of the pretreated biomass have been investigated by HAPEC, HPLC, FT-IR, XRD, CP/MAS NMR, SEM, and 2D-HSQC NMR. Results showed that the pretreatment significantly removed hemicelluloses and cleaved ß-O-4 linkages of lignin at high temperatures. Under an optimum condition (at 170 °C for 1 h), almost all of hemicelluloses were removed and most of ß-O-4 linkages in lignin were cleaved, and 77.8% cellulose conversion of the pretreated biomass was achieved, which was 7.3-fold higher than that of the original biomass. In short, this process was regarded as a promising approach to achieve an efficient conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to fermentable glucose and residual lignin.

Long-Term outcomes and experience of laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding: one center's results in China.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB), as one major bariatric surgery for treatment of obesity, results in ineffective long-term weight loss and a high reoperation rate. The objective of this study was to evaluate the long-term effects of LAGB on the weight loss outcomes and reoperation rates of obese patients with different body mass index (BMI) levels in China. METHODS: A retrospective study was performed to review the follow-up data of obese patients who underwent LAGB at Shanghai Changhai Hospital between November 2003 and May 2013. The main outcomes included weight loss, percentage excess weight loss (%EWL), reoperation rate, and reasons for reoperation. RESULTS: A total of 254 LAGB procedures were performed in our hospital. By the end of May 2013, 145 Chinese patients (57.8%) were followed up, 99 patients with BMI ≥ 35 kg/m(2) (high BMI group) and 46 patients with BMI < 35 kg/m(2) (low BMI group). In the high BMI group, the mean %EWL was > 25% within 5 years postoperatively, but it decreased to less than 25% after 5 years. However, in the low BMI group, the mean %EWL at each time point was over 50%. The reoperation rate was 33.1%; it was 17.4% in the low BMI group and 34.3% in the high BMI group. CONCLUSION: LAGB is more effective with a lower reoperation rate for obese patients with a BMI < 35 kg/m(2) compared to BMI ≥ 35 kg/m(2) in our population.