[Repair of skin and soft tissue defects in shoulder and elbow with rotator scapular artery perforator flap, lateral thoracic perforator flap, or medial brachial artery perforator flap].

From January 2014 to June 2018, 12 patients with skin and soft tissue defects in shoulder and elbow were admitted to General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University with skin and soft tissue defect size of 6 cm×5 cm to 11 cm×8 cm, including 9 males and 3 females aged 15-56 years. Wounds of 5 patients were repaired with rotator scapular artery perforator flap (flap area of 8 cm×7 cm to 12 cm×6 cm), and the donor flap area was sutured directly. Wounds of 3 patients were repaired with lateral thoracic perforator flap (flap area of 8 cm×7 cm to 13 cm×9 cm). The donor flap area of two patients was sutured directly, the majority of the donor flap area of one patient was sutured directly, and a small part was covered by split-thickness skin graft from ipsilateral thigh. Wounds of 4 patients were repaired with medial brachial artery perforator flap (flap area of 6 cm×5 cm to 12 cm×10 cm). The donor flap area of two patients was sutured directly, and two patients were covered with split-thickness skin graft from left chest wall. The flaps of 11 patients survived after surgery. Blood flow disorder at the distal end of the flap was observed in one patient. After treatment, the distal end of the flap presented 3 cm×2 cm necrosis, and the skin graft survived after second skin grafting and debridement. During the follow-up of 6 to 24 months post surgery, all patients had good texture of flap, with light scar hyperplasia in the donor flap area, and good recovery of elbow and shoulder joint function. The rotator scapular artery perforator flap, lateral thoracic perforator flap, and medial brachial artery perforator flap with the advantages being of relatively simple operation, high survival rate, and good surgical outcome, are good choices for repairing the skin and soft tissue defects in shoulder and elbow.

[Fatty acid synthase interacts with signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 to promote migration and invasion in liver cancer cells].

Objective: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumor worldwide. Metastasis is a marker of cancer deterioration in patients with liver cancer and a major cause of death. In order to develop effective therapeutic strategies, it is urgent to study the molecular basis of liver cancer metastasis. Methods: Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of fatty acid synthase (FASN) in HCC. Wound healing and transwell cell invasion assays was used to confirm the role of FASN in liver cancer migration and invasion. Proteins that interacted with FASN were identified using iTRAQ (isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantification). Co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) and cellular immunofluorescence analysis were used to assess the interaction between FASN and signal transduction and transcription activator 3 (STAT3). The expression of STAT3, p-STAT3, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 was detected after FASN knockdown using Western blot method. Statistical analysis was performed using the t-test. Results: Immunohistochemistry showed that the expression of FASN in HCC tissue was higher than that in adjacent tissues. iTRAQ, Co-IP and immunofluorescence analysis revealed that FASN interacted with STAT3. Western blot analysis showed that the expression of p-STAT3, MMP-2 and MMP-9 decreased after FASN knockdown. Conclusion: FASN may promote the metastasis of liver cancer by interacting with STAT3 and affecting the expression of MMP-2/MMP-9.

[Combination of CT mulitplane 3D reconstruction, radial endobronchial ultrasound and rapid on-site evaluation for diagnosing peripheral solitary pulmonary nodules].

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of combination of CT multiplane 3D reconstruction (CT-3DR), radial endobronchial ultrasound (R-EBUS), and rapid on-site evaluation (ROSE) for peripheral solitary pulmonary nodules (SPN). Methods: A total of 176 patients with peripheral solitary pulmonary nodule were included from the Nanjing Chest Hospital from March 2016 to March 2017. According to different methods, all the patients were divided into four groups: EG (i.e. R-EBUS+Guiding sheath (GS))group, CTE (i.e. CT-3DR+R-EBUS) group, RE (i.e. ROSE+R-EBUS) group, and triad (i.e. CT-3DR+ROSE+R-EBUS) group. Sampling was performed by transbronchial lung biopsy. The diagnostic yield and complications, procedure time and influencing factors in these four groups were retrospectively analyzed. The value of ROSE and combination of CT-3DR+ROSE+R-EBUS in diagnosis for SPN also was evaluated. Results: The diagnostic yield for total SPNs among four groups were 70.5% in EG group, 70.0% in CTE group, 69.0% in RE group and 74.0% in triad group, respectively. There was no significant difference among four groups (all P>0.05). The procedure time of EG group, CTE group, RE group and triad group were (34.0±6.3), (26.6±6.8), (27.2±7.8) and (19.4±5.4) min, respectively. The procedure time was the shortest in triad group compared with the other three groups (all P<0.001) and the time of CTE and RE groups were significantly shorter than the EG group (both P<0.001). The coincidence rates of CT-3DR navigation position with target bronchus were 87.5% in CTE group and 90.0% in triad group with no significant difference between these two groups (P>0.05). The diagnostic yield was higher for SPNs with their major diameter ≥2 cm than those with their major diameter<2 cm in all four groups (all P<0.05). The positive diagnostic yield was higher with ultrasonic probe located within SPN lesion than the probe adjacent to or deviated the lesion in all four groups (all P<0.05). In EG and RE groups, for those SPNs with the distance between the lesion and pleura≥2 cm, the diagnostic yield were higher than those withe the distance<2 cm (P<0.05) but no similar phenomenon was observed in CTE and triad groups. No significant correlation was detected between the diagnostic yield and the density of SPN lesions among four groups (all P>0.05). ROSE was used in RE and triad groups. The coincidence rate of ROSE with histopathology was 82.6% and the value of Kappa was 0.608. The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of ROSE were 0.818, 0.846, 0.931 and 0.647, respectively. Conclusions: CT-3DR navigation and ROSE help to improve the diagnostic efficiency of R-EBUS for SPN. Combination of CT-3DR, R-EBUS and ROSE is of diagnostic value for peripheral SPN and with significant shortening of procedure time.

[Dihydrotestosterone inhibits foam cell formation via a lectin-like ox-low-density lipoprotein receptor mediated mechanism in J774.1 cell line].

Objective: To investigate the effect of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) on lectin-like ox- low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor(LOX-1)expression and foam cell formation in the female macrophage cell line J774.1. Methods: In cultured J774.1 cells, after pretreated with DHT at concentrations of 1×10-9 mol/L and 1×10-8 mol/L, ox-LDL-induced LOX-1 expression and foam cell formation were investigated by quantitative real-time PCR, Western blotting, and oil-red O staining. Results: DHT at concentrations of 1×10-9 mol/L and 1×10-8 mol/L inhibited ox-LDL-induced LOX-1 mRNA (2.81±0.46 and 2.29±0.21 vs 4.71±0.31, both P<0.01) and protein expression (1.35±0.06 and 1.09±0.04 vs 1.75±0.11, both P<0.05). The effect was partly reversed by the androgen receptor (AR) blocker flutamide (87.6%, P=0.004). Oil-red O staining also revealed that DHT at concentrations of 1×10-9 mol/L and 1×10-8 mol/L suppressed ox-LDL-induced foam cell formation as quantified by the number of foam cells per high-power field (HPF) (36.0±3.0 and 29.1±1.3 vs 45.9±3.7, both P<0.05) and by the area of oil-red O stained particles per HPF (7 983±1 035 and 4 060±390 vs 14 750±2 489, both P<0.05). Conclusion: DHT at concentrations of 1×10-9 mol/L and 1×10-8 mol/L decreases LOX-1 expression and foam cell formation via AR.

[Role of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in hepatitis B virus replication and its possible mechanism of action].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) in hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication and its possible mechanism of action. METHODS: Tissue microarray, quantitative real-time PCR, and Western blot were performed to analyze the differences in G6PD expression levels in the HBV-positive and HBV-negative liver tissues, HepG2.2.15 cells, and HepG2 cells. The siRNA transfection technique was used to knock down G6PD gene in HepG2.2.15 cells for 48 hours. Chemiluminescence was used for HBsAg and HBeAg quantification in supernatant, and quantitative real-time PCR was used to measure HBV DNA, type I interferon (IFN), and downstream IFN-stimulated genes. The t-test was used for comparison between groups. RESULTS: G6PD expression was significantly upregulated in the HBV-positive liver tissues and cells compared with HBV-negative liver tissues and cells, and the stain intensity and immunohistochemical scores were 89.69±54.92 and 31.90±18.62, respectively (P < 0.05). After G6PD expression in HepG2.2.15 cells was interfered by siRNA, the quantitative levels of HBV DNA, HBsAg, and HBeAg in supernatant were reduced significantly, and the mRNA expression levels of IFNα1, IFNß1, and five downstream IFN-stimulated genes (OAS1, ISG15, OAS3, EIF2α, and PKR) increased significantly (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: G6PD plays a vital role in HBV replication, and its mechanism of action in regulating HBV replication may be related to type I IFN signaling pathway.

Siglec-7 Defines a Highly Functional Natural Killer Cell Subset and Inhibits Cell-Mediated Activities.

Sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like lectin-7 (Siglec-7) is an inhibitory receptor expressed on natural killer (NK) cells. In this study, we investigated the relationship between Siglec-7 expression and NK cell functions. Siglec-7 was highly expressed on NK cells and was preferentially expressed by mature NK cells from peripheral blood of healthy adults. Siglec-7(+) NK cells displayed higher levels of activating receptors CD38, CD16, DNAM1, NKp30 and NKp46, but lower levels of inhibitory receptors such as NKG2A and CD158b, compared with Siglec-7(-) NK cells. Functional tests showed that Siglec-7(+) NK cells displayed more CD107a degranulation and IFN-γ production than Siglec-7(-) NK cells. Siglec-7 inhibited NK cell functions when interacting with specific antibodies. These data suggest that Siglec-7 defines a highly functional NK cell subset and suppresses NK cell-mediated functions when cross-linked with specific antibodies.

Systematic review with meta-analysis: development of hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic hepatitis B patients with hepatitis B surface antigen seroclearance.

BACKGROUND: The seroclearance of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is considered to be associated with favourable clinical outcomes. However, previous studies with inconsistent findings reported that hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) could still develop in those patients. AIM: To establish the proportion of HCC occurrence in CHB patients after HBsAg seroclearance, a systematic review and meta-analysis was performed. METHODS: Databases of Medline, Web of Science and Embase were searched from inception to July 2015. The proportion of patients who developed HCC after HBsAg seroclearance was pooled by a random-effects model. RESULTS: Twenty-eight studies were finally included, involving 34 952 patients with HBsAg seroclearance. The overall pooled proportion suggested that 2.29% (95% CI: 1.19-4.37%) CHB patients would develop HCC despite HBsAg seroclearance. In HBsAg seroclearance patients without cirrhosis and HCV co-infection, the pooled proportion of HCC development was 1.55% (95% CI: 0.92-2.61%). Moreover, patients with cirrhosis or age greater than 50 years at the time of HBsAg seroclearance were at significantly higher risk for HCC development. Nonetheless, the seroclearance of HBsAg was significantly associated with a reduced risk for HCC compared with persistently positive HBsAg (RR = 0.34, 95% CI: 0.20-0.56, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Despite that HBsAg seroclearance can significantly reduce the risk for HCC, HCC can still develop in a proportion of CHB patient after HBsAg seroclearance. Closer attention should be paid to those patients with established cirrhosis or older age than 50 years at the time of HBsAg seroclearance.

Prognostic value of the new International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer/American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society classification in stage IB lung adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Patients with pathological stage IB lung adenocarcinoma have a variable prognosis, even if received the same treatment. This study investigated the prognostic value of the new International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, American Thoracic Society, and European Respiratory Society (IASLC/ATS/ERS) lung adenocarcinoma classification in resected stage IB lung adenocarcinoma. METHODS: We identified 276 patients with pathological stage IB adenocarcinoma who had undergone surgical resection at the Nanjing Chest Hospital between 2005 and 2010. The histological subtypes of all patients were classified according to the 2011 IASLC/ATS/ERS international multidisciplinary lung adenocarcinoma classification. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses were used to analyze the correlation between the IASLC/ATS/ERS classification and patients' prognosis. RESULTS: Two hundred and seventy-six patients with pathological stage IB adenocarcinoma had an 86.2% 5-year overall survival (OS) and 80.4% 5-year disease-free survival (DFS). Patients with micropapillary and solid predominant tumors had a significantly worse OS and DFS as compared to those with other subtypes predominant tumors (p = 0.003 and 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that the new classification was an independent prognostic factor for both OS and DFS of pathological stage IB adenocarcinoma (p = 0.009 and 0.003). CONCLUSION: Our study revealed that the new IASLC/ATS/ERS classification was an independent prognostic factor of pathological stage IB adenocarcinoma. This new classification is valuable of screening out high risk patients to receive postoperative adjuvant therapy.

Gene therapy with CX3CL1/Fractalkine induces antitumor immunity to regress effectively mouse hepatocellular carcinoma.

CX3CL1/Fractalkine(FK), a chemokine existing in both secreted and membrane anchored form, was reported to induce suppressive activities in tumor models. Here, we demonstrate for the first time the antitumor effects of FK in murine hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by constructing a FK eukaryotic expression vector (pIRES-FK) and transferring it into such tumor cells. Tumor rejection experiments were performed by injecting FK gene-modified murine HCC cell line (MM45T.Li) into immunocompetent mice, which significantly inhibited tumorigenicity or growth of MM45T.Li-FK cells. Immunohistochemistry examination and fluorescence-activated cell sorting analyses revealed both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells infiltration within the tumor together with a marked increase of these cells in the peripheral blood. Splenic lymphocyte from mice treated with MM45T.Li-FK were effective in the induction of tumor-specific cytotoxic T cells. We also observed an increased production of IL-2 and IFN-gamma in MM45T.Li-FK tumor tissue. Our results suggest that transfer of the FK gene into tumor cells could elicit a specific antitumor immunity capable of inhibiting tumor growth which lead to increased survival of tumor-bearing hosts. FK should be considered as a chemokine suitable for cancer immunoprevention or gene therapy.

[Three new serotypes of Salmonella II].

Eight cultures isolated from intestinal contents of reptiles were belonged to 3 new serotypes of Salmonella. They were all ducitol fermented, malonate utilized, but not attack lactose and salicin, no growth in KCN broth, ONPG negative. Therefore, they would be included in Salmonella II. They were all attacked by Felix phage O-I. Three represented strains were selected for antigen analysis. Their antigenic formula were identified as follows: S3194 Salmonella II 6,7:1,v:e,n,z15 S3196 Salmonella II 6, 7:y: e, n, z(1)5 S3195 Salmonella II 6, 8: e, h: 1,2 Among them, S3196 was indole positive belonging to a rare biotype. In addition, there were two other cultures as well as the formula of S3194, and three other cultures as well as the formula of S3196 (one of indole positive, two of indole negative).