Prognostic role of preoperative lymphocyte/C-reactive protein associated with upper gastrointestinal cancer: a meta-analysis.

Purpose: The lymphocyte/C-reactive protein (LCR) is a novel immunoinflammatory score and prognostic marker, but the relationship between lymphocyte/C-reactive proteins and clinical outcomes in patients with upper gastrointestinal cancers remains controversial. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between LCR and the prognosis of upper gastrointestinal cancer by systematic evaluation and meta-analysis. Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, and Web of Science databases to obtain related studies on the relationship between LCR and esophageal cancer (EC), gastric cancer (GC), and esophagogastric junction cancers (EGJ), and used hazard ratio (HR), 95% confidence interval (95%CI) to evaluate the prognostic value of LCR. Outcome measures included overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). Results: Eight retrospective cohort studies with 2838 patients were included. Meta-analysis showed that patients with low LCR cancers had poor overall survival OS and disease-free survival DFS (HR=2.18, 95%CI=1.87-2.55; HR=1.88, 95%CI=1.56-2.26). Subgroup analysis based on cancer type, treatment modality, gender, T stage, TNM stage, country, and LCR threshold showed that lower LCR levels were all associated with worse OS and DFS (P<0.05). Conclusion: The LCR can be used as a prognostic marker for patients with upper gastrointestinal cancers, and patients with a lower LCR may have a poor prognosis. Due to the limited number of studies included and mostly retrospective studies, the above findings require validation by more high-quality studies. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk, identifier CRD42023392433.

Small intestinal angiosarcoma on clinical presentation, diagnosis, management and prognosis: A case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Angiosarcoma is a highly malignant soft-tissue sarcoma derived from vascular endothelial cells that mainly occurs in the skin and subcutaneous tissues. Small-intestinal angiosarcomas are rare, and the prognosis is poor. CASE SUMMARY: We reported a case of primary multifocal ileal angiosarcoma and analyze previously reported cases to improve our understanding of small intestinal angiosarcoma. Small intestinal angiosarcoma is more common in elderly and male patients. Gastrointestinal bleeding, anemia, abdominal pain, weakness, and weight loss were the common symptoms. CD31, CD34, factor VIII-related antigen, ETS-related gene, friend leukemia integration 1, and von Willebrand factor are valuable immunohistochemical markers for the diagnosis of small-intestinal angiosarcoma. Small-intestinal angiosarcoma most commonly occurs in the jejunum, followed by the ileum and duodenum. Radiation and toxicant exposure are risk factors for angiosarcoma. After a definite diagnosis, the mean and median survival time was 8 mo and 3 mo, respectively. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that age, infiltration depth, chemotherapy, and the number of small intestinal segments invaded by tumor lesions were prognostic factors for small intestinal angiosarcoma. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that chemotherapy and surgery significantly improved patient prognosis. CONCLUSION: Angiosarcoma should be considered for unexplained melena and abdominal pain, especially in older men and patients with a history of radiation exposure. Prompt treatment, including surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy, is essential to prolonging patient survival.

Clinical effect of minimally invasive technique of internal fixation device removal in patients with healed long tubular bone fractures.

Objective: To investigate the clinical effect of minimally invasive technique applied to internal fixation removal in patients with healed long tubular bone fractures. Methods: The records of patients with internal fixation of long tubular bone fracture who underwent the removal of the internal fixation device after fracture healing in The Second Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical College from May 2020 to December 2021 were reviewed. According to the different operation methods of taking out the internal fixation device, patients were divided into minimally invasive group (n=40) and traditional group (n=45). The perioperative indexes, levels of inflammatory factors tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), C-reactive protein (CRP), Karnofsky Performance Score (KPS), visual analog scale (VAS) pain score and complications were compared between the two groups. Results: The drainage volume, bleeding volume, incision length and hospital stay in the minimally invasive group were significantly lower than those in the traditional group (P<0.05). The KPS score of minimally invasive group was significantly higher than that of traditional group at one week and one month after the operation, and the VAS score of minimally invasive group was significantly lower than that of traditional group at one day and one week after the operation (P<0.05). The levels of TNF-α and CRP in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group(P<0.05). There was one case of infection in the minimally invasive group, one case of secondary fracture and two cases of infection in the traditional group(P>0.05). Conclusions: Minimally invasive surgery for the removal of the internal fixation device in patients with healed long tubular bone fractures with internal fixation is associated with significantly improved clinical effect, relieved symptoms, reduced inflammatory response, and improved functional recovery of patients.

Development and validation of an ECM-related prognostic signature to predict the immune landscape of human hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The global burden of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is increasing, negatively impacting social health and economies. The discovery of novel and valuable biomarkers for the early diagnosis and therapeutic guidance of HCC is urgently needed. METHODS: Extracellular matrix (ECM)-related gene sets, transcriptome data and mutation profiles were downloaded from the Matrisome Project and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)-LIHC datasets. Coexpression analysis was initially performed with the aim of identifying ECM-related lncRNAs (r > 0.4, p < 0.001). The screened lncRNAs were subjected to univariate analysis to obtain a series of prognosis-related lncRNA sets, which were incorporated into least absolute selection and shrinkage operator (LASSO) regression for signature establishment. Following the grouping of LIHC samples according to risk score, the correlations between the signature and clinicopathological, tumour immune infiltration, and mutational characteristics as well as therapeutic response were also analysed. lncRNA expression levels used for modelling were finally examined at the cellular and tissue levels by real-time PCR. All analyses were based on R software. RESULTS: AL031985.3 and MKLN1-AS were ultimately identified as signature-related lncRNAs, and both were significantly upregulated in HCC tissue samples and cell lines. The prognostic value of the signature reflected by the AUC value was superior to that of age, sex, grade and stage. Correlation analysis results demonstrated that high-risk groups exhibited significant enrichment of immune cells (DCs, macrophages and Tregs) and increased expression levels of all immune checkpoint genes. Prominent differences in clinicopathological profiles, immune functions, tumour mutation burden (TMB) and drug sensitivity were noted between the two risk groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our signature represents a valuable predictive tool in the prognostic management of HCC patients. Further validation of the mechanisms involved is needed.

Identification of N7-methylguanosine-related IncRNA signature as a potential predictive biomarker for colon adenocarcinoma.

N7-Methylguanosine (m7G) is an RNA modification serving as a key part of colon cancer development. Thus, a comprehensive analysis was executed to explore prognostic roles and associations with the immune status of the m7G-related lncRNA (m7G-RNAs) in colon adenocarcinoma (COAD). Identification of m7G-RNAs was achieved via Pearson's correlation analysis of lncRNAs in the TCGA-COAD dataset and m7G regulators. A prognostic signature was developed via LASSO analyses. ESTIMATE, CIBERSORT, and ssGSEA algorithms were utilized to assess immune infiltration between different risk groups. Survival analysis suggested the high-risk group possesses poor outcomes compared with the low-risk group. According to the ROC curves, the m7G-RNAs signature exhibited a reliable capability of prediction (AUCs at 1, 3, and 5 years were 0.770, 0.766, and 0.849, respectively). Multivariate hazard analysis proved that the signature was an independent predictive indicator for OS. Moreover, the risk score was related to infiltration levels of naïve B cells, CD4+ memory T cells, and resting NK cells. The result revealed the prognostic value of m7G modification in COAD and provided a novel perspective on personalized immunotherapy strategies.

In silico development and validation of a novel glucose and lipid metabolism-related gene signature in gastric cancer.

Background: Abnormal glucose and lipid metabolism plays a critical role in gastric carcinogenesis and development. Hence, we presented a systematic analysis of glucose and lipid metabolism-related genes to explore their function and prognostic value in gastric cancer (GC). Methods: The consensus clustering algorithm was used to identify the molecular subtypes based on glucose and lipid metabolism-related genes. Subsequently, cox regression analysis and lasso regression analysis were utilized to establish a risk prediction model. A clinical nomogram was constructed to assist prognosis assessment. In addition, ESTIMATE and single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) algorithms were performed to evaluate the immune infiltration of the metabolic model, and GSEA was used for enrichment analysis of the metabolic signature. Finally, we explored the association between the risk model and anti-cancer therapy for the purpose of clinical application for GC treatment. Results: GC samples were divided into 2 subtypes based on glucose and lipid metabolism-related genes, patients in cluster 2 had a better overall survival (OS) than those in cluster 1. Fifty-two genes were identified by univariable regression analysis. Finally, a 13-gene metabolic signature (CACNA1H, CHST1, IGFBP3, NASP, STC1, VCAN, NUP205, NUP43, PGM2L1, CAV1, ELOVL4, PRKAA2, TNFAIP8L3) was successfully constructed that demonstrated good performance in different datasets, as well as an independent hazardous factor for prognosis. In addition, the nomogram constructed with the clinical variables showed higher predictive efficacy for predicting the 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS. The 13-gene metabolic signature was significantly associated with immune scores and immune cell infiltration in high-risk group. Moreover, GSEA analysis revealed that cancer- and immune-related pathways were enriched in the high-risk group. Finally, our results indicated that there might exist an immunosuppressive status in the high-risk groups. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that glucose and lipid metabolism-related genes were significantly associated with prognosis. Meanwhile, it will provide novel insights into exploring the immunoregulation roles of these genes.

A Novel Matrisomal-Related LncRNA Signature Associated With Survival Outcome and Immune Evasion in Patients With Gastric Cancer.

Background: Different matrisomal patterns are shared across carcinomas. However, little is known about whether there exists a unique tumor matrisome that modulates GC progression and immune regulation. Methods: We conducted a genome-wide analysis based on matrisomal-related lncRNAs (MRLs) in 375 patients with GC from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Patients were split into the training set and validation set at a ratio of 1:1 using the R package cart. Pearson correlation analysis (PCA) was performed to identify lncRNAs that correlated with matrisome based on differential expression genes. Subsequently, we performed univariate Cox regression analyses and lasso Cox analysis on these lncRNAs to construct a risk model. Considering the primary effect of GRASLND on the GC prognosis, we chose it for further validation in an experimental setting. Results: We identified a 15-MRL signature to predict overall survival and immune cell infiltration of patients with GC. The AUC values to predict 5-year outcome in three sets were 0.89, 0.65, and 0.78, respectively. Further analyses suggested that the high-risk group showed more obvious immune cell infiltration, and demonstrated an immunologically "cold" profile. In vitro, knockdown of GRASLND could inhibit the invasion capability of GC cells, and downregulate the protein expression of crucial matrisomal-related gene MMP9. Conclusions: The 15-MRL gene signature might serve as a relatively good predictive tool to manage patients with GC.

Comprehensive analysis to identify DNA damage response-related lncRNA pairs as a prognostic and therapeutic biomarker in gastric cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Gastric cancer (GC) is the fifth most common malignancy and the fourth leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. The identification of valuable predictive signatures to improve the prognosis of patients with GC is becoming a realistic prospect. DNA damage response-related long noncoding ribonucleic acids (drlncRNAs) play an important role in the development of cancers. However, their prognostic and therapeutic values remain sparse in gastric cancer (GC). METHODS: We obtained the transcriptome data and clinical information from The Cancer Genome Atlas Stomach Adenocarcinoma (TCGA-STAD) cohort. Co-expression network analyses were performed to discover functional modules using the igaph package. Subsequently, lncRNA pairs were identified by bioinformation analysis, and prognostic pairs were determined by univariate analysis, respectively. In addition, we utilized least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) cox regression analysis to construct the risk model based on lncRNA pairs. Then, we distinguished between the high- or low- risk groups from patients with GC based on the optimal model. Finally, we reevaluated the association between risk score and overall survival, tumor immune microenvironment, specific tumor-infiltrating immune cells related biomarkers, and the sensitivity of chemotherapeutic agents. RESULTS: 32 drlncRNA pairs were obtained, and a 17-drlncRNA pairs signature was constructed to predict the overall survival of patients with GC. The ROC was 0.797, 0.812 and 0.821 at 1, 2, 3 years, respectively. After reclassifying these patients into different risk-groups, we could differentiate between them based on negative overall survival outcome, specialized tumor immune infiltration status, higher expressed immune cell related biomarkers, and a lower chemotherapeutics sensitivity. Compared with previous models, our model showed better performance with a higher ROC value. CONCLUSION: The prognostic and therapeutic signature established by novel lncRNA pairs could provide promising prediction value, and guide individual treatment strategies in the future.

Family with sequence similarity 153 member B as a potential prognostic biomarker of gastric cancer.

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common digestive tumors in Northwest China. Previous sequencing analysis revealed that family with sequence similarity 153 member B (FAM153B) might be the primary driver gene of GC. In this study, we aim to explore the potential roles of FAM153B in GC. Microarray data were firstly obtained from public databases with the aim to evaluate the genetic expression of FAM153B between GC and normal tissues. The results were verified in immunohistochemistry (IHC). We also performed the co-expression network analysis and enrichment analysis to identify underlying mechanisms. A correlation analysis of FAM153B expression and immune infiltration was performed then. Furthermore, two GC cell lines were used to evaluate the effect of FAM153B on gastric cell proliferation by employing MTT and Edu assays. Our findings suggest that FAM153B is downregulated in tumoral tissue, and positively associated with unfavorable survival. The enrichment pathways of FAM153B were regulation of signaling receptor activity, DNA replication, cell cycle transition, chromosomal regulation, and so on. Besides, from the perspective of bioinformatics, the protein expression level of FAM153B is related to the degree of immune cell infiltration. In vitro, overexpression of FAM153B inhibit the proliferation of two cell lines. In summary, this study demonstrates that FAM153B might serve as an effective prognostic and therapeutic biomarker in GC.

Comprehensive Analysis to Identify the Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition-Related Immune Signatures as a Prognostic and Therapeutic Biomarkers in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly heterogeneous disease with the high rates of the morbidity and mortality due to the lack of the effective prognostic model for prediction. Aim: To construct a risk model composed of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related immune genes for the assessment of the prognosis, immune infiltration status, and chemosensitivity. Methods: We obtained the transcriptome and clinical data of the HCC samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and The International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) databases. The Pearson correlation analysis was applied to identify the differentially expressed EMT-related immune genes (DE-EMTri-genes). Subsequently, the univariate Cox regression was introduced to screen out the prognostic gene sets and a risk model was constructed based on the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator-penalized Cox regression. Additionally, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted to compare the prognostic value of the newly established model compared with the previous model. Furthermore, the correlation between the risk model and survival probability, immune characteristic, and efficacy of the chemotherapeutics were analyzed by the bioinformatics methods. Results: Six DE-EMTri-genes were ultimately selected to construct the prognostic model. The area under the curve (AUC) values for 1-, 2-, and 3- year were 0.773, 0.721, and 0.673, respectively. Stratified survival analysis suggested that the prognosis of the low-score group was superior to the high-score group. Moreover, the univariate and multivariate analysis indicated that risk score [hazard ratio (HR) 5.071, 95% CI 3.050, 8.432; HR 4.396, 95% CI 2.624, 7.366; p < 0.001] and stage (HR 2.500, 95% CI 1.721, 3.632; HR 2.111, 95% CI 1.443, 3.089; p < 0.001) served as an independent predictive factors in HCC. In addition, the macrophages, natural killer (NK) cells, and regulatory T (Treg) cells were significantly enriched in the high-risk group. Finally, the patients with the high-risk score might be more sensitive to cisplatin, doxorubicin, etoposide, gemcitabine, and mitomycin C. Conclusion: We established a reliable EMTri-genes-based prognostic signature, which may hold promise for the clinical prediction.

Angiogenesis-Related Immune Signatures Correlate With Prognosis, Tumor Microenvironment, and Therapeutic Sensitivity in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the highly heterogeneous cancers that lacks an effective risk model for prognosis prediction. Therefore, we searched for angiogenesis-related immune genes that affected the prognosis of HCC to construct a risk model and studied the role of this model in HCC. Methods: In this study, we collected the transcriptome data of HCC from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) database. Pearson correlation analysis was performed to identify the association between immune genes and angiogenesis-related genes. Consensus clustering was applied to divide patients into clusters A and B. Subsequently, we studied the differentially expressed angiogenesis-related immune genes (DEari-genes) that affected the prognosis of HCC. The most significant features were identified by least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression, and a risk model was constructed. The reliability of the risk model was evaluated in the TCGA discovery cohort and the ICGC validation cohort. In addition, we compared the novel risk model to the previous models based on ROC analysis. ssGSEA analysis was used for function evaluation, and pRRophetic was utilized to predict the sensitivity of administering chemotherapeutic agents. Results: Cluster A patients had favorable survival rates. A total of 23 DEari-genes were correlated with the prognosis of HCC. A five-gene (including BIRC5, KITLG, PGF, SPP1, and SHC1) signature-based risk model was constructed. After regrouping the HCC patients by the median score, we could effectively discriminate between them based on the adverse survival outcome, the unique tumor immune microenvironment, and low chemosensitivity. Conclusion: The five-gene signature-based risk score established by ari-genes showed a promising clinical prediction value.

Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis: Comparative Efficacy and Safety of Biosimilars, Biologics and JAK1 Inhibitors for Active Crohn Disease.

Background: Crohn disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects quality of life. There are several drugs available for the treatment of CD, but their relative efficacy is unknown due to a lack of high-quality head-to-head randomized controlled trials. Aim: To perform a mixed comparison of the efficacy and safety of biosimilars, biologics and JAK1 inhibitors for CD. Methods: We searched PubMed, Web of Science, embase and the Cochrane Library for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) up to Dec. 28, 2020. Only RCTs that compared the efficacy or safety of biosimilars, biologics and JAK1 inhibitors with placebo or another active agent for CD were included in the comparative analysis. Efficacy outcomes were the induction of remission, maintenance of remission and steroid-free remission, and safety outcomes were serious adverse events (AEs) and infections. The Bayesian method was utilized to compare the treatments. The registration number is CRD42020187807. Results: Twenty-eight studies and 29 RCTs were identified in our systematic review. The network meta-analysis demonstrated that infliximab and adalimumab were superior to certolizumab pegol (OR 2.44, 95% CI 1.35-4.97; OR 2.96, 95% CI 1.57-5.40, respectively) and tofacitinib (OR 2.55, 95% CI 1.27-5.97; OR 3.10, 95% CI 1.47-6.52, respectively) and revealed the superiority of CT-P13 compared with placebo (OR 2.90, 95% CI 1.31-7.59) for the induction of remission. Infliximab (OR 7.49, 95% CI 1.85-34.77), adalimumab (OR 10.76, 95% CI 2.61-52.35), certolizumab pegol (OR 4.41, 95% CI 1.10-21.08), vedolizumab (OR 4.99, 95% CI 1.19-25.54) and CT-P13 (OR 10.93, 95% CI 2.10-64.37) were superior to filgotinib for the maintenance of remission. Moreover, infliximab (OR 3.80, 95% CI 1.49-10.23), adalimumab (OR 4.86, 95% CI 1.43-16.95), vedolizumab (OR 2.48, 95% CI 1.21-6.52) and CT-P13 (OR 5.15, 95% CI 1.05-27.58) were superior to placebo for steroid-free remission. Among all treatments, adalimumab ranked highest for the induction of remission, and CT-P13 ranked highest for the maintenance of remission and steroid-free remission. Conclusion: CT-P13 was more efficacious than numerous biological agents and JAK1 inhibitors and should be recommended for the treatment of CD. Further head-to-head RCTs are warranted to compare these drugs.

Diagnostic value of linked color imaging based on endoscopy for gastric intestinal metaplasia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The diagnostic value of linked color imaging based on endoscopy for gastric intestinal metaplasia has shown variable results. Therefore, this meta-analysis sought to systematically evaluate the value of linked color imaging (LCI) based on the blue laser endoscopy system for the diagnosis of gastric intestinal metaplasia (GIM). METHODS: Literature searches were conducted of electronic databases including PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science to screen diagnostic tests of LCI. The random-effects model was adopted to calculate the diagnostic efficacy of LCI for GIM. Meta-DiSc 1.40 software was applied for the calculation of sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratios; symmetric receiver operator characteristic (SROC) curves were drawn, and the areas under the SROC curves (AUCs) were computed. Quality of the included studies was chosen to assess using the quality assessment of diagnostic accuracy studies-2 (QUADAS-2) tool. RESULTS: Six original studies involving 700 participants were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, and negative likelihood ratio of LCI for diagnosing GIM were 0.87 (0.83-0.91), 0.86 (0.82-0.89), 5.72 (3.63-8.99), and 0.17 (0.08-0.36), respectively. SROC curve analysis showed that the AUC value was 0.9283. DISCUSSION: Our study shows that LCI can be used for the accurate diagnosis of GIM. Considering weaknesses of available studies in terms of design, further studies with rigorous design are in need for further validating the findings of this meta-analysis.

Comprehensive analysis of gene regulation network and immune signatures of prognostic biomarker YAP1 in pancreatic cancer.

Background: Pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the most common digestive malignancy, with severe cancer-related death and disease burden. Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1) has been reported to be involved in the tumorigenesis and progression of several cancers, thus leading to poor prognosis of patients. However, the relationship between YAP1 and immune microenvironment in PC deserve more scrutiny. Methods: GEPIA, OncoLnc, PROGgeneV2 and HPA database were utilized to analyze the expression (transcriptome and protein levels) and overall survival of YAP1 in PC. Then, we evaluated the risk factors associated with overall survival based on public data from TCGA-PAAD via Cox regression. Besides, LinkedOmics was utilized to identify co-expression genes and the potential regulation network of YAP1. Furthermore, we explored the relationship between YAP1 and immune infiltration using CIBERSORT algorithm and GEPIA database. Results: The age, lymph node metastasis status and up-regulated YAP1 expression have been proved to be independent prognostic factors for poor prognosis. The functions of YAP1 and co-expression genes were mainly involved in the angiogenesis, immune response-regulating signaling pathway, regulation of actin cytoskeleton, NOD-like receptor signaling pathway and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction. Specifically, increased YAP1 expression was significantly correlated with immune infiltrating levels of resting CD4+T cells. Conclusions: Our findings provide evidence of the immune regulatory role of YAP1 in PC and help elucidate the role of YAP1 in carcinogenesis as well.

An Immune-Related Gene Panel for Preoperative Lymph Node Status Evaluation in Advanced Gastric Cancer.

Background and Aim: Gastric cancer (GC) is the common leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Immune-related genes (IRGs) may potentially predict lymph node metastasis (LNM). We aimed to develop a preoperative model to predict LNM based on these IRGs. Methods: In this paper, we compared and evaluated three machine learning models to predict LNM based on publicly available gene expression data from TCGA-STAD. The Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC) method was utilized to feature selection according to its relationships with LN status. The performance of the model was assessed using the area under the curve (AUC) and F1 score. Results: The Naive Bayesian model showed better performance and was constructed based on 26 selected gene features, with AUCs of 0.741 in the training set and 0.688 in the test set. The F1 score in the training set and test set was 0.652 and 0.597, respectively. Furthermore, Naive Bayesian model based on 26 IRGs is the first diagnostic tool for the identification of LNM in advanced GC. Conclusion: These results indicate that our new methods have the value of auxiliary diagnosis with promising clinical potential.

Methanol/Oxygen Enzymatic Biofuel Cell Using Laccase and NAD+-Dependent Dehydrogenase Cascades as Biocatalysts on Carbon Nanodots Electrodes.

The efficient immobilization of enzymes on favorable supporting materials to design enzyme electrodes endowed with specific catalysis performances such as deep oxidation of biofuels, and direct electron transfer (DET)-type bioelectrocatalysis is highly desired for fabricating enzymatic biofuel cells (BFCs). In this study, carbon nanodots (CNDs) have been used as the immobilizing matrixes and electron relays of enzymes to construct (NAD+)-dependent dehydrogenase cascades-based bioanode for the deep oxidation of methanol and DET-type laccase-based biocathode for oxygen reduction to water. At the bioanode, multiplex enzymes including alcohol dehydrogenase, aldehyde dehydrogenase, and formate dehydrogenase are coimmobilized on CNDs electrode which is previously coated with in situ polymerized methylene blue as the electrocatalyst for oxidizing NADH to NAD+. At the biocathode, fungal laccase is directly cast on CNDs and facilitated DET reaction is allowed. As a result, a novel membrane-less methanol/O2 BFC has been assembled and displays a high open-circuit voltage of 0.71(±0.02) V and a maximum power density of 68.7 (±0.4) µW cm-2. These investigated features imply that CNDs may act as new conductive architectures to elaborate enzyme electrodes for further bioelectrochemical applications.

[Clinical study on negative pressure closed drainage combined with vancomycin loaded calcium sulfate and autogenous bone in the treatment of chronic osteomyelitis].

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical effects of negative pressure closed drainage combined with vancomycin loaded calcium sulfate and autogenous bone in the treatment of chronic osteomyelitis. METHODS: From June 2013 to December 2016, there were 35 cases of chronic osteomyelitis patients in our department, including 23 males and 12 females, ranging in age from 11 to 65 years old, with an average of 34 years old. The course of disease ranged from 8 to 46 months, with an average of 26 months. All patients were chronic osteomyelitis caused by open wounds. The lesions had recurrent redness and swelling and purulent skin perforation. Thirty-two patients had positive results in bacterial culture of sinus secretions, and 3 patients had negative results. Imaging examination showed the lesions of bone destruction, bone defects, surrounded by bone hyperplasia sclerosis. At the first stage, complete debridement was performed to remove necrotic tissues and inflammatory tissues; and the dressing of negative pressure closed drainage was used to completely cover the wound so as to promote the repair of the wound. At the second stage, the vancomycin loaded, calcium sulfate and autogenous iliac cancellous bone were mixed into the bone graft complex to evenly fill the lesions. The healing of the wound was observed and X-ray examination of the lesion was carried out to observe the absorption of calcium sulfate and the growth of new bone. RESULTS: Twenty-six patients underwent debridement and negative pressure closed drainage on time, 6 patients 2 times, and 3 patients 3 times. Thirty-two patients had incisions healed with grade A; 2 patients had incisions healed with grade B, and got completely healing after anti-infection, and wound dressing treatment; 1 patient had an incision healed with grade C, and got normal healing after re-debridement at the 4th week after operation. All patients did not have skin redness and ulceration again. X-ray imaging showed that the implanted calcium sulphate was absorbed gradually around 4 weeks, new bone was formed at 8 weeks, and bone defects in the lesions area were healed completely at 6 months to 2 years. CONCLUSIONS: Negative pressure closed drainage combined with vancomycin loaded calcium sulfate and autogenous bone in the treatment of chronic osteomyelitis is a good and reliable method, worthy of clinical promotion.

Simultaneous determination of dopamine, sertonin and ascorbic acid at a glassy carbon electrode modified with carbon-spheres.

A novel glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified with carbon-spheres has been fabricated through a simple casting procedure. The modified GCE displays high selectivity and excellent electrochemical catalytic activities towards dopamine (DA), serotonin (5-HT), and ascorbic acid (AA). In the co-existence system, the peak separations between AA and DA, DA and 5-HT, and AA and 5-HT are large up to 230, 180, and 410 mV, respectively. Differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) has been employed to simultaneously detect DA, 5-HT, and AA, and the linear calibration curves for DA, 5-HT, and AA are obtained in the range of 20.0-150.0 µM, 40.0-750.0 µM and 300.0-2,000.0 µM with detection limits (S/N = 3) of 2.0 µM, 0.7 µM and 0.6 µM, respectively. The proposed electrode has been applied to detect DA, 5-HT, and AA in real samples using standard addition method with satisfactory results.