Epsilon-aminocaproic acid improves postrecirculation hemodynamics by reducing intraliver activated protein C consumption in orthotopic liver transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Activated protein C (APC) is related to regulating the inflammatory response and hemodynamic stability upon reperfusion in cardiac operations and orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). Epsilon-aminocaproic acid (EACA) is frequently used to treat fibrinolysis during OLT. It also has inhibitory effects related to the inflammatory response. However, it remains to be determined whether EACA can attenuate intraliver APC consumption and improve hemodynamic stability after reperfusion during OLT. METHODS: Fifty-nine recipients were randomized to receive either EACA (150 mg kg(-1) given intravenously prior to incision, followed by 15 mg kg(-1) h(-1) infusion until 2 h after the graft reperfusion) or the same volume of saline. Blood samples to assess plasma APC and protein C were obtained immediately before and after reperfusion from the inferior caval effluent or the portal veins for calculation of transliver differences (Δ). Hemodynamics and vasoactive medication use during the reperfusion period were observed in both groups. RESULTS: No transhepatic changes in protein C were found in either group. Immediately after reperfusion, a marked intraliver consumption of APC was noted in all recipients (P < 0.001), and intraliver consumption of APC in the control group was greater than that in the EACA-treated group (P < 0.05). Fewer requirements for vasoactive medication use after reperfusion and better initial graft function were noted in the EACA-treated group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: EACA can attenuate intraliver APC consumption and improve hemodynamic stability after reperfusion and initial graft function during OLT.

Major complications of epidural anesthesia: a prospective study of 5083 cases at a single hospital.

BACKGROUND: We undertook a prospective study of non-obstetric epidurals placed in surgical inpatients at a single teaching hospital to evaluate the incidence of and potential risk factors for major complications of continuous epidural anesthesia. METHODS: Demographic information, details of the epidural procedure, and complications (from the pre-anesthetic period through resolution) were recorded for more than 5000 surgical inpatients who underwent continuous epidural anesthesia in our institution between March 2009 and April 2011. The incidence of and risk factors for major complications were evaluated. RESULTS: During the study period, 5083 patients were interviewed and their details were recorded (98% capture rate). Sixty-nine (1.36%) experienced major complications: epidural hematoma in 1 patient (0.02%), post-operative neurologic deficits in 57 patients (1.12%), post-dural puncture headache in 7 patients (0.14%), and systemic local anesthetic toxicity in 4 patients (0.08%). Only one patient had permanent sequelae: unilateral lower limb paresthesia. Identified risk factors for neurologic deficits were as follows: American Society of Anesthesiologists status II-III, siting in the lumbar region, orthopedic and urologic surgery, multiple attempts to site an epidural, paresthesia during insertion, a history of neuraxial anesthesia, and use of patient-controlled epidural analgesia. CONCLUSIONS: Serious complications were very rare; only one patient had permanent sequelae, and a single epidural hematoma was diagnosed. Post-operative neurologic deficits were more common, but most complications resolved spontaneously within 3 months and they rarely required intervention.

[Different methods in predicting mortality of pediatric intensive care units sepsis in Southwest China].

Objective: To investigate the value of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), pediatric sequential organ failure assessment (pSOFA) and pediatric critical illness score (PCIS) in predicting mortality of pediatric sepsis in pediatric intensive care units (PICU) from Southwest China. Methods: This was a prospective multicenter observational study. A total of 447 children with sepsis admitted to 12 PICU in Southwest China from April 2022 to March 2023 were enrolled. Based on the prognosis, the patients were divided into survival group and non-survival group. The physiological parameters of SIRS, pSOFA and PCIS were recorded and scored within 24 h after PICU admission. The general clinical data and some laboratory results were recorded. The area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic curve was used to compare the predictive value of SIRS, pSOFA and PCIS in mortality of pediatric sepsis. Results: Amongst 447 children with sepsis, 260 patients were male and 187 patients were female, aged 2.5 (0.8, 7.0) years, 405 patients were in the survival group and 42 patients were in the non-survival group. 418 patients (93.5%) met the criteria of SIRS, and 440 patients (98.4%) met the criteria of pSOFA≥2. There was no significant difference in the number of items meeting the SIRS criteria between the survival group and the non-survival group (3(2, 4) vs. 3(3, 4) points, Z=1.30, P=0.192). The pSOFA score of the non-survival group was significantly higher than that of the survival group (9(6, 12) vs. 4(3, 7) points, Z=6.56, P<0.001), and the PCIS score was significantly lower than that of the survival group (72(68, 81) vs. 82(76, 88) points, Z=5.90, P<0.001). The predictive value of pSOFA (AUC=0.82) and PCIS (AUC=0.78) for sepsis mortality was significantly higher than that of SIRS (AUC=0.56) (Z=6.59, 4.23, both P<0.001). There was no significant difference between pSOFA and PCIS (Z=1.35, P=0.176). Platelet count, procalcitonin, lactic acid, albumin, creatinine, total bilirubin, activated partial thromboplastin time, prothrombin time and international normalized ratio were all able to predict mortality of sepsis to a certain degree (AUC=0.64, 0.68, 0.80, 0.64, 0.68, 0.60, 0.77, 0.75, 0.76, all P<0.05). Conclusion: Compared with SIRS, both pSOFA and PCIS had better predictive value in the mortality of pediatric sepsis in PICU.

High NH(4)(+)-N concentration wastewater treatment by shortcut nitrification-denitrification using a system of A/O inner loop fluidized bed biofilm reactors.

In this experiment, a rapid mass-transfer inner loop fluidized bed biofilm reactor (ILFBBR) was employed to treat synthetic high ammonia nitrogen-containing (NH(4)(+)-N) wastewater by shortcut nitrification-denitrification. The reactor operation was stable after a short start-up period. Ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) were predominant and 65% nitrite (NO(2)(-)-N/NO(x)(-)-N) levels were achieved. During the nitrification-denitrification period, the removal rates of NH(4)(+)-N and total nitrogen (TN) reached 94 and 82%, respectively. From the material balance, it was indicated that 87% of NH(4)(+)-N was removed by shortcut nitrification. The features of ILFBBR and the benefits of shortcut nitrification were combined in this experiment, and showed an excellent removal of NH(4)(+)-N from high-concentration NH(4)(+)-N wastewater.

[Association between physical exercise and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in people infected with hepatitis B virus].

Objective: To investigate the association between physical exercise and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in people infected with HBV. Methods: The information about the 3 813 participants infected with HBV, including the prevalence of NAFLD, prevalence of physical exercise and other covariates, were collected from the National Science and Technology Major Project of China during 2016-2020. The logistic regression model was used to evaluate the association between physical exercise and NAFLD in HBV infected patients, and subgroup analysis was performed to identify the effect modifiers. Results: A total of 2 259 HBV infected participants were included in the final analysis and 454 (20.10%) had NAFLD. After adjusting for covariates, we found that moderate physical exercise was a protective factor for NAFLD (OR=0.66, 95%CI: 0.46-0.94). Subgroup analysis suggested that the protective effect of moderate physical exercise on NAFLD might be stronger in women (OR=0.61, 95%CI: 0.36-1.01), those <45 years old (OR=0.24, 95%CI: 0.06-0.80), those who had low education level (OR=0.16, 95%CI: 0.04-0.49), those who had low annual income (OR=0.39, 95%CI: 0.16-0.89 for <30 000 yuan RMB; OR=0.64, 95%CI: 0.40-1.00 for 30 000-80 000 yuan RMB), those who had hypertension (OR=0.45, 95%CI: 0.21-0.88), those with BMI ≥24.0 kg/m2 (OR=0.66, 95%CI: 0.43-1.01), those who had more daily fruit or vegetable intake (OR=0.61, 95%CI: 0.38-0.97), those who had more daily meat intake (OR=0.49, 95%CI: 0.23-0.97), and those who had no smoking history (OR=0.66, 95%CI: 0.45-0.95) or passive smoking exposure (OR=0.61, 95%CI: 0.37-0.97). Conclusions: Among HBV infected patients, moderate physical exercise was negatively associated with the prevalence of NAFLD. Women, young people, those who had low education level, those who had low annual income, those with hypertension, those with high BMI, those who had more daily fruit or vegetable and meat intakes, and those who had no smoking history or passive smoking exposure might be more sensitive to the protective effect.

A cascade of anoxic and oxic fluidized bed biofilm reactors for treatment of synthetic municipal wastewater.

In this study, a cascade of anoxic and oxic fluidized bed biofilm reactors system was carried out to treat synthetic municipal wastewater. The parameters of the influent flow rates and C/N ratios were discussed. System performance was acceptable for chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia, and total nitrogen removal. A decrease of ammonia and total nitrogen removal efficiencies, however, was observed when the influent flow rates increased to 5.04 and 6.12 1 h(-1). Total nitrogen removal decreased at the influent C/N ratio of 3:1. The measured ratios of COD reduction in the anoxic column to nitrogen removal through nitrification-denitrification were 3.7, 3.5, 3.3, and 3.1 g COD/g(-1) N on average when the influent C/N ratios changed from 6:1 to 3:1. The observed sludge yield (Yobs) was 0.169 g VSS g COD(-1) because of perfect denitrification in the anoxic column and the relatively long solids retention time.

MicroRNA-185 inhibits cell proliferation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in hepatocellular carcinoma by targeting Six2.

The article "MicroRNA-185 inhibits cell proliferation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in hepatocellular carcinoma by targeting Six2, by S.-M. Zhu, C.-M. Chen, Z.-Y. Jiang, B. Yuan, M. Ji, F.-H. Wu, J. Jin, published in Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2016; 20 (9): 1712-1719-PMID: 27212161" has been withdrawn from the authors due to some technical reasons. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. https://www.europeanreview.org/article/10739.

Sevoflurane protects against acute kidney injury in a small-size liver transplantation model.

BACKGROUND: Living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) patients run the risk of developing acute kidney injury (AKI) and subsequent chronic kidney disease, affecting morbidity and mortality. Sevoflurane has anti-inflammation properties, and renal ischemia/reperfusion under sevoflurane anesthesia resulted in drastic improvements in renal function. Extrahepatic metabolism of sevoflurane has been reported in patients undergoing liver transplantation, and might lead to nephrotoxicity. However, whether sevoflurane anesthesia is safe with regard to renal function in small-size liver transplantation needs further investigation. As neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) is an early predictive biomarker of AKI, we looked at the renal effects of sevoflurane in a rat liver transplantation model using small-for-size grafts to investigate the changes of NGAL level and kidney histology. METHODS: Sixty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 2 groups after 50% size liver transplantation. Rats were anesthetized with chloral hydrate or with sevoflurane and subjected to liver transplantation. Twelve rats in each group were used for the survival study and 6 rats were used for the hemodynamic study. Six rats in each group were sacrificed 2 or 24 h after reperfusion. We harvested kidneys and serum for further analysis, including histological and functional parameters; TNF-α, IL-6 and NGAL immunoassay; expressions of myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity; and NF-κB in renal tissues. RESULTS: Rats in the sevoflurane group had significantly lower Scr 24 h after reperfusion compared with those in the chloral hydrate group. Rats in the sevoflurane group demonstrated significantly reduced NGAL concentrations compared with rats in the chloral hydrate group 2 h after reperfusion. Epithelial necrosis in the chloral hydrate group (3.2 ± 0.8) was greater than that in the sevoflurane group (1.5 ± 1.1; p < 0.05). Sevoflurane anesthesia resulted in significantly lower plasma TNF-α and IL-6 concentrations and reduced MPO concentrations 2 h after reperfusion (p < 0.05). NF-κB protein levels 2 h after reperfusion increased by at least 110% in the chloral hydrate group relative to the sevoflurane group 2 h after reperfusion (p < 0.05). However, the urine inorganic fluoride concentrations increased significantly (p < 0.001) 2 h after reperfusion in the sevoflurane group (6.1 ± 1.5 µmol·l⁻¹) compared with the chloral hydrate group. CONCLUSIONS: Sevoflurane anesthesia can attenuate renal injury and modulate inflammatory cascades in small-size liver transplantation using rat models.

Sensitivity and specificity of bispectral index for classification of overt hepatic encephalopathy: a multicentre, observer blinded, validation study.

BACKGROUND: The severity of hepatic encephalopathy is currently graded clinically using West Haven criteria and psychometric tests. OBJECTIVE: To assess the discriminative power of the bispectral index (BIS) monitor to classify the degree and progression of hepatic encephalopathy. DESIGN: A consecutive, multicentre, observer blinded validation study. SETTING: Medical University of Graz (Graz, Austria), Zhejiang University First Affiliated Hospital (Hang Zhou, China), and Cairo University (Cairo, Egypt). PATIENTS: 28 consecutive patients with hepatic encephalopathy were first enrolled at Medical University of Graz as a test set. The estimated BIS cut off values were subsequently tested in a validation set of 31 patients at Zhejiang University First Affiliated Hospital and 26 patients at Cairo University; 18 patients were reassessed later in a longitudinal study. Fifteen of 85 patients (18%) were excluded from the final analysis (11 became too agitated with high electromyographic activity; four fell asleep during the recording). RESULTS: Applying the Austrian BIS cut off values of 85, 70, and 55 for discriminating West Haven grades 1 to 4 yielded agreement between BIS classification and West Haven grades in 40 of the 46 validation patients (87%), and in 16 of the 18 follow up patients (89%). Mean (SD) BIS values differed significantly between patients with West Haven grade 1 (90.2 (2.5)), grade 2 (78.4 (6.6)), grade 3 (63.2 (4.8)), and grade 4 (45.4 (5.0)). CONCLUSIONS: BIS is a useful measure for grading and monitoring the degree of involvement of the central nervous system in patients with chronic liver disease.

Family-based association studies of CAPON and schizophrenia in the Chinese Han population.

Although there is evidence pointing to CAPON as a susceptible gene for schizophrenia, the results of independent association studies have so far been inconsistent. A recent case-control study by Zheng et al. supported CAPON as a susceptible site for the disease in the Chinese Han population. In their study both the single polymorphism (rs348624) and individual haplotypes showed significant association with schizophrenia. Our study further investigates this relationship this time using a family-based association. We selected 5 SNPs including rs348624 and performed a Transmission Disequilibrium Test (TDT) in 319 Chinese Han trios. Our results identified no single marker nor haplotype associated with schizophrenia, which did not suggest that CAPON was a susceptible site in the Chinese Han population, or it appeared unlikely that the CAPON played a major role in the aetiology of schizophrenia. Since there is consistent evidence pointing to 1q21-22 as a positional candidate region for schizophrenia, we suggest that further research should focus on other genes located in this region.

Quality assessment of Chinese liquor with different ages and prediction analysis based on gas chromatography and electronic nose.

The economic value of Chinese liquor is closely related with its age. Results from gas chromatograph (GC) analysis indicated that 8 dominant compounds were decreased with the increase of liquor age (0 to 5 years) while ethyl lactate was found to be the most stable dominant compound as no significant change was observed in it during the aging process. Liquor groups with different ages were well-discriminated by principal component analysis (PCA) based on electronic nose signals. High-accurate identification of liquor ages was realized using linear discriminant analysis (LDA) with the accuracy of 98.3% of the total 120 samples from six age groups. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) exhibited satisfying ability for liquor age prediction (R2: 0.9732 in calibration set and 0.9101 in validation set). The feasibility of volatile compounds prediction using PLSR combined with electronic nose was also verified by this research. However, the accuracies of PLSR models can be further promoted in future researches, perhaps by using more suitable sensors or modeling approaches.

Anesthetic management of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy for noncardiac surgery.

Anesthetic management of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a challenge to the anesthesiologist, due to poor left systolic function, ventricular enlargement, risk of malignant arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. Therefore, preoperative assessment and appropriate anesthetic management are important in patients with DCM. This review describes the preoperative evaluation and anesthesia considerations of patients with DCM undergoing non-cardiac surgery. Patient pathophysiology and clinical status, such as ventricular function, degree of myocardial fibrosis, resting heart rate and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein can affect survival rates. Advanced monitoring devices, such as transesophageal echocardiography and cardiac resynchronization therapy can be used to assess ventricular function and myocardial fibrosis. Thoracic epidural blockade can improve ventricular function. In summary, the optimal anesthetic management of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy requires good preoperative assessment, close perioperative monitoring, suitable anesthetic, optimization fluid management, and stable hemodynamic status.

Characterization of Chinese liquor aroma components during aging process and liquor age discrimination using gas chromatography combined with multivariable statistics.

Chinese liquor aroma components were characterized during the aging process using gas chromatography (GC). Principal component and cluster analysis (PCA, CA) were used to discriminate the Chinese liquor age which has a great economic value. Of a total of 21 major aroma components identified and quantified, 13 components which included several acids, alcohols, esters, aldehydes and furans decreased significantly in the first year of aging, maintained the same levels (p > 0.05) for next three years and decreased again (p < 0.05) in the fifth year. On the contrary, a significant increase was observed in propionic acid, furfural and phenylethanol. Ethyl lactate was found to be the most stable aroma component during aging process. Results of PCA and CA demonstrated that young liquor (fresh) and aged liquors were well separated from each other, which is in consistent with the evolution of aroma components along with the aging process. These findings provide a quantitative basis for discriminating the Chinese liquor age and a scientific basis for further research on elucidating the liquor aging process, and a possible tool to guard against counterfeit and defective products.

Effects of vitamin D or its analogues on the mortality of patients with chronic kidney disease: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis.

The objective of this study was to assess whether vitamin D (VD) treatment alters the overall all-cause and cardiovascular mortalities in a chronic kidney disease (CKD) population. We systematically searched PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials without language restriction, until the publication date of 22 February 2016. All related literatures that compared VD treatment with non-VD treatment and reported the mortality of patients with CKD (including those undergoing dialysis) were identified. Pooled risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated by using the random- and fixed-effects models. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that used the intention-to-treat principle and observational studies (OSs) were analysed separately. For this study, 38 studies involving 223 429 patients (17 RCTs, n=1819 and 21 OSs, n=221610) were included. In the OSs, VD treatment was significantly associated with reductions in both all-cause and cardiovascular mortalities; however, such significant association was not found in the RCTs. The existing RCTs do not provide sufficient or precise evidence that VD supplementation affects the mortality of patients with CKD, although subsets of patients that could potentially benefit from VD treatment can be identified by using the existing data from the RCTs. Nevertheless, large-size RCTs are needed in the future to assess any potential differences in survival prospectively.

p53 mutation and protein accumulation during multistage human esophageal carcinogenesis.

Preinvasive lesions of squamous cell carcinoma are well defined morphologically and provide a model for multistage carcinogenesis. Since alterations in the p53 tumor suppressor gene occur frequently in invasive esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, we examined a set of preinvasive lesions to investigate the timing of p53 mutation. Surgically resected tissues from nine patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma contained precursor lesions which had not yet invaded normal tissues. Immunohistochemistry showed high levels of p53 protein in both preinvasive lesions and invasive carcinomas in six cases; sequence analysis of all invasive tumors identified p53 missense mutations in two cases. Preinvasive lesions from both tumors with mutations plus one wild-type tumor were microdissected and sequenced. In one patient there were different mutations in the invasive carcinoma (codon 282, CGGarg > TGGtrp) and a preinvasive lesion (codon 272, GTGval > T/GTGleu/val). In a second case, an invasive carcinoma had a mutation in codon 175 (CGCarg > CAChis), and adjacent preinvasive lesions contained a wild-type sequence. A carcinoma and preinvasive lesion from the third case contained high levels of protein and a wild-type DNA sequence. Therefore, p53 mutation may precede invasion in esophageal carcinogenesis, and multifocal esophageal neoplasms may arise from independent clones of transformed cells. The timing of p53 protein accumulation is favorable for an intermediate biomarker in multistage esophageal carcinogenesis.

Circulating anti-p53 antibodies in esophageal cancer patients are found predominantly in individuals with p53 core domain mutations in their tumors.

Serum antibodies reacting with the tumor suppressor protein p53 have been detected previously in cancer patients with a variety of neoplasms. Two initial (although insufficient) prerequisites for a B-cell response to occur have been proposed: p53 protein accumulation in the tumor or a mutant p53 gene, or both. We have examined 65 esophageal cancer cases (42 from Guangzhou and Shenyang, People's Republic of China, and 23 from Paris, France) to obtain a prevalence estimate of anti-p53 antibodies for this type of cancer and to define the relationship of p53 tumor status to B-cell immune response. Sera were analyzed in a triplicate assay (enzyme-linked immunoassay, immunoprecipitation, and immunoblot) for anti-p53 antibodies. Tumor DNA was screened for mutations in exons 5-8, and tumor tissue was examined by immunohistochemistry for abnormal p53 protein accumulation. p53 mutations were found in 36 (58%) of 62 cases analyzed. Sixteen patients (25%) had circulating antibodies to the tumor suppressor protein. All but two (88%) of the tumors from seropositive cases had a mutation in the DNA binding region of the p53 gene, and with one exception, these tumors also showed nuclear accumulation of the p53 protein. In contrast, tumor mutations were found in just 22 (46%) of the 48 individuals in whom we did not detect anti-p53 antibodies. Among the 22 seronegative cases for which we found no tumor mutations, 11 revealed p53 protein accumulation by immunohistochemical analysis. Thus, circulating anti-p53 antibodies may be present in one-fourth of esophageal cancer patients, most of whom also would be expected to have a p53 gene mutation in their tumors. Patients without such mutations appear considerably less likely to mount a B-cell response to the p53 tumor suppressor protein than those that do (P < 0.01).

The effects of inverse ratio ventilation on cardiopulmonary function and inflammatory cytokine of bronchoaveolar lavage in obese patients undergoing gynecological laparoscopy.

BACKGROUND: High peak airway pressure (Ppeak) and high end-tidal carbon dioxide tension (PETCO2) are the common problems encountered in the obese patients undergoing gynecological laparoscopy with conventional volume-controlled ventilation. This study was designed to investigate whether volume-controlled inverse ratio ventilation (IRV) with inspiratory to expiratory (I:E) ratio of 2:1 could reduce Ppeak or the plateau pressure (Pplat), improve oxygenation, and alleviate lung injury in patients with normal lungs. METHODS: Sixty obese patients undergoing gynecological laparoscopy were enrolled in this study. After tracheal intubation, the patients were randomly divided into the IRV group (n = 30) and control group (n = 30). They were ventilated with an actual tidal volume of 8 mL/kg, respiratory rate of 12 breaths/min, zero positive end-expiratory pressure and I:E of 1:2 or 2:1. Arterial blood samples, hemodynamic parameters, and respiratory mechanics were recorded before and during pneumoperitoneum. The concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukins 6 and 8 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were measured immediately before and 60 minutes after onset of CO2 pneumoperitoneum. RESULTS: IRV significantly increased arterial partial pressure of oxygen, mean airway pressure, and dynamic compliance of respiratory system with concomitant significant decreases in Ppeak and Pplat compared to conventional ventilation with I:E of 1:2 (p < 0.05). Additionally, the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukins 6 and 8 were significantly lower than those in control group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Volume-controlled IRV not only reduces Ppeak, Pplat, and the release of inflammatory cytokines, but also increases mean airway pressure, and improves oxygenation and dynamic compliance of respiratory system in obese patients undergoing gynecologic laparoscopy without adverse respiratory and hemodynamic effects. It is superior to conventional ratio ventilation in terms of oxygenation, respiratory mechanics and inflammatory cytokine in obese patients undergoing gynecologic laparoscopy.

Effect of high pressure treatment on the aging characteristics of Chinese liquor as evaluated by electronic nose and chemical analysis.

Several high pressure (HP) treatments (100-400 MPa; 15 and 30 min) were applied to Chinese "Junchang" liquor, and aging characteristics of the liquor were evaluated. Results from the principal component analysis and the discriminant factor analysis of E-Nose demonstrated that HP treatment at 300 and 400 MPa resulted in significant (p < 0.05) changes in aroma components of the liquor. An increase in total ester content and a decrease in total acid content were observed for all treated samples (p < 0.05), which was verified by gas chromatography analysis. In addition, a slight decrease in alcohol content was found for HP treatment at 400 MPa for 30 min. These changes and trends were in accordance with the natural aging process of Chinese liquor. However, HP treatment caused a slight increase in solid content, which might be somewhat undesirable. Sensory evaluation results confirmed that favorable changes in color and flavor of Chinese liquor were induced by HP treatment; however, overall gaps still existed between the quality of treated and six-year aged samples. HP treatment demonstrated a potential to accelerate the natural aging process for Chinese liquor, but long term studies may be needed further to realize the full potential.

MicroRNA-185 inhibits cell proliferation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in hepatocellular carcinoma by targeting Six2.

OBJECTIVE: Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays an important role in the malignant transformation of cancer. MicroRNAs are a group of small non-coding RNA molecules that down-regulate the expression of genes involved in tumorigenesis. Although microRNA-185 (miR-185) participates in the pathogenesis of several types of cancer, its relationship with EMT in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has not been investigated. The present study aims to elucidate the regulatory effects of miR-185 on EMT in HCC cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MTT and an in vitro wound-healing assay were performed to determine cell growth and metastasis potential, respectively. Real-time PCR was used to measure the mRNA expression of miR-185 and Six2. In addition, protein expression levels of Six2 and EMT-related markers were determined by western blot. RESULTS: Our study showed that miR-185 was significantly down-regulated in HCC cells. Also, a luciferase reporter gene assay confirmed Six2 as a direct target of miR-185. Functional analyses indicated that miR-185 up-regulation remarkably suppressed cell growth and the metastatic potential of HCC cells. We also found that ectopic expression of miR-185 reversed EMT via the up-regulation of E-cadherin and down-regulation of vimentin in epithelial and mesenchymal HCC cells. CONCLUSIONS: miR-185 suppresses cell growth and EMT progression by targeting Six2, providing a novel target for the molecular treatment of liver malignancies.

Combined promoting effects of low-Pd-containing and Cu-doped LaCoO3 perovskite supported on cordierite for the catalytic combustion of benzene.

The catalytic activities for benzene oxidation and resistance to SO2 poisoning were tested for a series of Pd/La-Cu-Co-O/cordierite catalysts, which were prepared using a multiple-step impregnation method. The XRD, SEM, and IR characterization techniques were performed to investigate the relationship between the catalytic performance and its physicochemical properties. When Pd/La-Cu-Co-O/cordierite catalysts with Pd loadings of 0.06 and 0.08 % were prepared at a calcination temperature of 500 °C for 5 h, they exhibited similar catalytic activity and sulfur resistance. When the concentration of benzene was 1500 ppm and the GHSV was 20000 h(-1), the benzene conversion was above 95 % at a reaction temperature of 350 °C in SO2 existing at 100 ppm. These results were mainly attributed to the cooperation between La-Cu-Co-O perovskite and the noble metal Pd. Specifically, the addition of copper can strengthen the catalytic activity of La-Co-O/cordierite catalysts by decreasing the crystalline size of the active ingredients. A moderate Pd addition can drastically improve the sulfur resistance and further improve the catalytic activity of the La-Cu-Co-O/cordierite catalyst.