Clinical implications of micro lymph node metastasis for patients with gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Lymph node size is considered as a criterion for possible lymph node metastasis in imageology. Micro lymph nodes are easily overlooked by surgeons and pathologists. This study investigated the influencing factors and prognosis of micro lymph node metastasis in gastric cancer. METHODS: 191 eligible gastric cancer patients who underwent D2 lymphadenectomy from June 2016 to June 2017 in the Third Surgery Department at the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University were retrospectively analyzed. Specimens were resected en bloc and the postoperative retrieval of micro lymph nodes was carried out by the operating surgeon for each lymph node station. Micro lymph nodes were submitted for pathological examination separately. According to the results of pathological results, patients were divided into the "micro-LNM (micro lymph node metastasis)" group (N = 85) and the "non micro-LNM" group (N = 106). RESULTS: The total number of lymph nodes retrieved was 10,954, of which 2998 (27.37%) were micro lymph nodes. A total of 85 (44.50%) gastric cancer patients had been proven to have micro lymph node metastasis. The mean number of micro lymph nodes retrieved was 15.7. The rate of micro lymph node metastasis was 8.1% (242/2998). Undifferentiated carcinoma (90.6% vs. 56.6%, P = 0.034) and more advanced Pathological N category (P < 0.001) were significantly related to micro lymph node metastasis. The patients with micro lymph node metastasis had a poor prognosis (HR for OS of 2.199, 95% CI = 1.335-3.622, P = 0.002). For the stage III patients, micro lymph node metastasis was associated with shorter 5-year OS (15.6% vs. 43.6%, P = 0.0004). CONCLUSIONS: Micro lymph node metastasis is an independent risk factor for poor prognosis in gastric cancer patients. Micro lymph node metastasis appears to be a supplement to N category in order to obtain more accurate pathological staging.

[Study on dynamics of hydrogen sulfide and carbonyl sulfide emission fluxes from Suaeda salsa marsh in the Yellow River estuary].

The H2S and COS emission fluxes from Suaeda salsa marsh in the Yellow River estuary were measured using the static chamber and Chromatogram method during the growth season (May to October), the results showed that the seasonal and diurnal variations of H2S and COS emission fluxes were obvious, and Suaeda salsa marsh in the Yellow River estuary was the sources for both H2S and COS during the growth time, and the mean H2S and COS emission fluxes from Suaeda salsa marsh were 4.97 microg x (m2 x h)(-1) and 0.92 microg x (m2 x h)(-1), respectively. Different environmental factors had different effects on the emission fluxes of H2S and COS from Suaeda salsa marsh, in which the SO4(2-) content and water content in the soil were the main factors that affected the H2S and COS emission fluxes, respectively. Sulfur gases emissions from Suaeda salsa marsh may be affected by many factors, such as plant, tide status and so on, so that should be further studied.