Poly(A)-specific ribonuclease protein promotes the proliferation, invasion and migration of esophageal cancer cells.

BACKGROUND: Bioinformatics analysis showed that the expression of the poly(A)-specific ribonuclease (PARN) gene in gastric cancer, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, melanoma, cervical cancer and lung squamous cell carcinoma tissues was significantly higher than that in normal tissues and was associated with high stage and poor prognosis. The expression of the PARN gene in esophageal cancer (EC) tissue is also significantly higher than that in normal tissues, but the effect of PARN on the proliferation, migration and invasion of EC cells remains unclear. AIM: To investigate the relationship between PARN and the proliferation, migration and invasion of EC cells. METHODS: The EC tissues of 91 patients after EC surgery and 63 paired precancerous healthy tissues were collected. PARN mRNA levels were measured using a tissue microarray, and the PARN expression level was evaluated using immunohistochemistry to analyze the relationship between PARN expression and clinicopathologic features as well as the survival and prognosis of patients. In addition, the effects of PARN gene knockout on tumor cell proliferation, invasion and migration were studied by using shRNA during the in vitro culture of EC cell lines Eca-109 and TE-1, and the effects of the PARN gene on tumor growth in vivo were verified by a xenotransplantation nude mice model. RESULTS: The expression of PARN in EC tissues was higher than that in adjacent normal tissues, and the level of PARN expression was significantly positively correlated with lymphatic metastasis. Patients with high PARN levels had poor overall survival. BIM, IGFBP-5 and p21 levels were significantly increased in the PARN knockout group, while the expression levels of the antiapoptotic proteins Survivin and sTNF-R1 were significantly decreased in the apoptotic antibody array data. In addition, the expression levels of Akt, p-Akt, PIK3CA and CCND1 in the downstream signaling pathway regulating EC progression were significantly decreased. The culture of EC cell lines confirmed that the apoptosis rate of EC cells was significantly increased, the growth and proliferation of tumor cells were significantly inhibited, and the invasion and migration ability of tumor cells were significantly decreased after PARN gene knockout. In vivo experiments of BALB/c nude mice transfected with Eca-109 cells expressing control shRNA (sh-NC) and PARN shRNA (sh-PARN) showed that the tumor volume and weight of nude mice treated with sh-PARN were significantly decreased compared with those of nude mice treated with sh-NC, indicating that PARN knockdown significantly inhibited tumor growth in vivo. CONCLUSION: PARN has antiapoptotic effects on EC cells and promotes their proliferation, invasion and migration, which is associated with the development of EC and poor patient prognosis. PARN may become a potential target for the diagnosis, prognosis prediction and treatment of EC.

[Effects of minimally invasive versus open esophagectomy on circulating tumor cells in patients with esophageal cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) and open esophagectomy (OE) on the level of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in patients with esophageal cancer (EC). METHODS: A total of 73 patients with EC undergoing MIE (n=38) or OE (n=35) in our department between October, 2015 and October, 2017 were enrolled, with 10 patients with benign esophagus disease and 10 healthy volunteers as controls. The levels of CTCs in the peripheral blood of the participants were detected using CanPatrolTM technique and analyzed for their association with the operation methods and perioperative complications. RESULTS: CTCs were detected in 60.3% (44/73) of the EC patients but in none of the control subjects. CTC level after the surgery was significantly higher than that during the surgery, and CTC level during the surgery was significantly higher than that before surgery (P<0.001). The preoperative and intra-operative CTC levels were not significantly different between MIE and OE groups (P>0.05), but the postoperative CTC level was significantly lower in MIE group than in OE group, and postoperative increment of CTC level (from the preoperative level) was significantly lower in MIE group than in OE group (P<0.001). The total incidence of postoperative complications was significantly lower in MIE group than in OE group (28.9% vs 54.3%, P=0.023), and in both groups, CTC levels in patients with complications were significantly higher than those in patients without complications (P=0.001 and P=0.005 in MIE and OE groups, respectively). CONCLUSION: MIE may help to reduce the number of peripheral blood CTCs early after the operation, and dynamic monitoring CTCs level assists in evaluation of the prognosis of EC patients. CTC level may serve as an indicator for monitoring the prognosis of EC.

ω-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Postconditioning Protects the Isolated Perfused Rat Heart from Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury.

AIMS: This study aimed to evaluate the cardioprotective effects of ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) postconditioning against ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. METHODS: Sixty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 4 groups (n = 15 for each) and used to generate the Langendorff isolated perfused rat heart model. The sham group received a continuous perfusion of 150 min. The remaining three I/R-treated groups sequentially received a 30-min perfusion, a 30-min cardioplegia, and a 90-min reperfusion. The I/R-ischemic preconditioning (IP) group additionally received three cycles of 20-s reperfusion and 20-s coronary reocclusion preceded the 90 min of reperfusion. The I/R-ω group were perfused with ω-3 PUFAs for 15 min before the 90 min of reperfusion. The myocardial infarct size, the degree of mitochondrial damage, the antioxidant capacity of the myocardium, and the cardiac functions during reperfusion were compared among groups. RESULTS: Compared with the I/R group, the I/R-ω group had significantly reduced myocardial infarct size, reduced levels of lactate dehydrogenase and malondialdehyde, elevated superoxide dismutase level, and elevated rising (+dp/dtmax) and descending (-dp/dtmax) rate of left ventricular pressure. The I/R-ω group had a significantly lower rate of mitochondrial damage in myocardial tissue compared with the I/R and I/R-IP groups. CONCLUSION: ω-3 PUFA postconditioning possesses good cardioprotective effects and may be developed into a therapeutic strategy for myocardial I/R injury.

[Relationship between early spontaneous cardioversion of atrial fibrillation and thyroid hormone metabolism after mitral replacement in patients with rheumatic heart disease].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the relationship between early spontaneous cardioversion of atrial fibrillation (AF) and thyroid hormone metabolism after mitral replacement in patients with rheumatic heart disease, and explore the treatment strategy of early spontaneous cardioversion after mitral valve replacement. METHODS: According to the occurrence of cardioversion, 138 patients with mitral valve replacement were divided into conversion group and non-conversion group, and based on the duration of sinus rhythm, the patients in conversion group were divided into < 3 days group and > 3 days group. Triiodothyronine (T3) was detected by radioimmunoassay in all the patients. RESULTS: T3 metabolism decreased significantly after the operation in all the patients. Early spontaneous cardioversion of AF occurred 2 h after the operation in 52 cases (37.7%), and 28 (20.3%) of the cases had a duration of sinus rhythm longer than 3 days. T3 was significantly decreased in conversion group and non-conversion group by 44.5% and 58.7% at 2 h, by 40.0% and 52.4% at 24 h and by 28.6% and 37.7% at 72 h after the operation, respectively. The levels of T3 in conversion group was significantly higher than the levels in non-conversion group, and showed no significant variation with the duration of sinus rhythm. CONCLUSION: Enhancement of T3 levels after mitral valve replacement may increase the probability of early spontaneous cardioversion of AF, but can not affect the duration of sinus rhythm. This finding supports the supplementation of T3 perioperatively in patients undergoing cardiac surgeries.

[Hemocompatibility evaluation in vitro of small-caliber expanded polytetrafluoroethylene vessel with silk fibroin coating sulfonated by low temperature plasma].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the hemocompatibility of a small-caliber expanded polytetrafluoroethylene vessel with silk fibroin coating sulfonated by low temperature plasma treatment. METHODS: The composite blood vessel was prepared by first coating the small-caliber expanded polytetrafluoroethylene vessel with silk fibroin followed by sulfonation by low temperature plasma treatment. After hemolysis test in vitro, dynamic coagulation time test, blood platelet adhesion test, and recalcification time test were performed to evaluate the hemocompatibility of the composite blood vessel. RESULTS: Scanning electronic microscopy revealed obvious platelets adhesion on the conventional artificial (control) vessel, which seldom occurred on the composite vessel. The curve of absorbance-clotting time of the composite vessel declined more slowly than that of the control vessel. The recalcification time of the composite blood vessel averaged 603 s, significantly longer than that of the control vessel (480 s, P = 0.000). CONCLUSION: The composite blood vessel has good antithrombotic activity and hemocompatibility as a promising vascular prosthesis.

[Expression of special AT-rich sequence-binding protein mRNA and its clinicopathological significance in non-small cell lung cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To detect the expression of AT-rich sequence-binding protein (SATB1) mRNA in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and explore the role of SATB1 in the development of NSCLC. METHODS: The total RNA was extracted from NSCLC tissues and normal lung tissues and reverse transcribed into cDNA. Real-time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR was performed for detecting the expression of SATB1 mRNA these tissues. RESULTS: The expression of SATB1 mRNA was 13-fold higher in NSCLC tissues than in normal lung tissues (P<0.001), and in metastatic and nonmetastatic NSCLC, the expression was 23.63 and 5.57 folds that in normal lung tissues, respectively. CONCLUSION: SATB1 mRNA expression might be associated with the development and lymph node metastasis of NSCLC and may potentially used as an indicator for predicting the prognosis of NSCLC.

Application of jejunum with vascular pedicle in reconstruction of the digestive tract.

OBJECTIVE: To reconstruct the digestive tract using the jejunum with vascular pedicle after esophagectomy or gastrectomy, and observe the therapeutic effects and the patients' quality of life after the operation. METHODS: This study included a total of 25 patients, 10 of whom received proximal subtotal gastrectomy followed by reconstruction of the digestive tract with P-shaped jejunum for anastomosis of the esophagus and the residual stomach, 15 had total gastrectomy and anastomosis of the P-shaped jejunum with the esophagus inferior to the arch of aorta, with another 2 having total gastrectomy and the anastomosis superior to the arch of aorta. The pH value of the esophagus was tested, barium meal and gastroscopy were carried out 3 months after the operations, and the patients' quality of life assessed. RESULTS: Anastomotic leakage or infections in the thoracic or abdominal cavity occurred in none of the patients. All the patients had no postoperative difficulty in eating cooked rice, and were free of reflux esophagitis and burning sensation in the chest. The pH value of the esophagus was 5.5-6.6. Eight patients survived for more than 5 years. CONCLUSIONS: The effects of digestive tract reconstruction using the jejunum with vascular pedicle after esophagectomy or gastrectomy are satisfactory, especially in patients with esophageal cancer in the lower section or cardia cancer. This operation gives rise to low rate of operative complications, and insures good quality of life of the patients.

[Experience with coronary artery bypass grafting and concomitant procedures in 21 cases].

OBJECTIVE: To review our experience with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and its concomitant procedures. METHODS: From December, 1998 to December, 2002, 21 patients underwent CABG and their clinical data were analyzed. RESULTS: Nineteen patients were discharged uneventfully after the procedure. Early death occurred in 2 patients who received emergency operation after acute myocardial infarction. Among the 18 patients followed up, angina was eliminated in all but one patient. CONCLUSION: Although the concomitant procedures such as valve replacement may prolong the operation time for CABG, good clinical outcome of the patients can still be expected by implementation of intensive perioperative management and complete myocardial revascularization.

[Minimally invasive closure of atrial septal defect without extracorporeal circulation: report of 5 cases].

OBJECTIVE: To review our experience with a new surgical approach for closure of atrial septal defect (ASD) through a minimally invasive method without extracorporeal circulation. METHODS: Five female patients (age range, 7-38 years) with secondary atrial septal defect ranging from 1.8 to 3.4 cm, underwent minimally invasive closure under ultrasonic cardiography guidance. RESULTS: The ASD was closed successfully in all of the 5 cases without residual shunt or displacement of occluder. The mean hospital stay was 7 days. CONCLUSION: This minimally invasive surgical approach is an easy and safe voay for clinical application.