Optimized Design of Irrigation Water-Heating System and Its Effect on Lettuce Cultivation in a Chinese Solar Greenhouse.

In cold regions, the low irrigation water temperature is an important factor of low-temperature stress for greenhouse crops. In this paper, an irrigation water-heating system (IWHS) is proposed to increase the water temperature by utilizing the excess heat in the solar greenhouse. The heat-collection capacity of the system was analyzed by screening the IWHS process parameters in a Chinese solar greenhouse, and a warm-water irrigation experiment for lettuce was conducted. The results demonstrated that the water temperature increased with the increase in wind speed, and the increase in daily average water temperature reached the maximum value of 8.6 °C at 4.5 m/s wind speed. When the heat exchanger was installed at a height of 3.0 m, the collector capacity increased by 17.8% and 6.0% compared with the heating capacity at 0 m and 1.5 m, respectively, and the operation termination water temperature was 22.0-32.2 °C and its coefficient of performance (COP) was optimal. Surface darkening of the heat exchanger did not affect the heat-collection capacity of the system. Using the IWHS effectively improved the temperature of lettuce irrigation water in the Chinese solar greenhouse. The increased frequency of warm-water irrigation significantly promoted lettuce growth and increased the average yield per plant by 15.9%. Therefore, IWHS effectively increased the irrigation water temperature in a Chinese solar greenhouse in winter. Improving the system would enhance its economic and application value.

Laparoscopic and open liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma with type 2 diabetes mellitus: multicenter propensity score-matched study.

PURPOSE: This study aimed at analyzing and comparing the perioperative results and long-term oncological outcomes of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) treated with laparoscopic (LLR) versus open liver resection (OLR). METHODS: Clinicopathological data of HCC patients with T2DM who underwent LLR or OLR as initial treatment from four medical centers were retrospectively reviewed. The survival outcomes of patients who underwent laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) were compared with those of patients who underwent open liver resection (OLR). Using the Kaplan-Meier method, survival curves for the two groups of patients were generated, and the log-rank test was used to compare survival differences. Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was used to match patients of the LLR and OLR groups in a 1:1 ratio. RESULTS: 230 HCC patients with T2DM were enrolled, including 101 patients in the LLR group and 129 patients in the OLR group. After PSM, 90 patients were matched in each of the study group. Compared with the OLR group, the LLR group had less blood loss, a shorter hospitalization and fewer postoperative complications. The LLR group had a significantly better overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) than the OLR group before and after PSM. Subgroup analysis demonstrated that HCC patients with T2DM had survival benefits from LLR regardless of the course of T2DM. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic liver resection for HCC patients with T2DM can be safely performed with favorable perioperative and long-term oncological outcomes at high-volume liver cancer centers, regardless of the course of T2DM.

A new and rare type of hepatocellular carcinoma: Survival and gene analysis of portal vein tumour thrombus-type hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Portal vein tumour thrombus (PVTT) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is known as a major complication associated with poor survival. We clinically defined a new and rare type of HCC, PVTT-type HCC (PVTT-HCC), in a small group of HCC patients with HCC presenting only as PVTT without a demonstrable parenchyma tumour. The clinicopathological and biological features of PVTT-HCC are not clear. METHODS: The data for patients who had PVTT-HCC with histologically confirmed HCC from January 2004 to December 2012 at the Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital were retrospectively analysed. The survival outcomes of patients with PVTT-HCC were compared with those of HCC patients with PVTT (HCC-PVTT). Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was performed to match patients at a ratio of 1:3. Then, we performed RNA-Seq analysis of liver samples from PVTT-HCC and HCC-PVTT patients to identify and compare differentially expressed genes and biological pathways between the two groups. RESULTS: We observed and collected 10 rare cases of PVTT-HCC and performed a prospective cohort study to compare overall survival (OS) between PVTT-HCC and HCC-PVTT. PVTT invaded the main portal vein in 10 PVTT-HCC patients. Univariate and multivariate analyses demonstrated that ChildPugh (A/B), different treatments (LR/non-LR), and different groups were independent risk factors for OS. The median OS was 10.3 months (95 % CI = 6.7-13.8) in the HCC-PVTT group and 7.5 months (95 % CI = 2.8-12.1) in the PVTT-HCC group (P = 0.042). From RNA-Seq, 1630 differentially expressed genes were obtained, of which 731 were upregulated and 899 downregulated in PVTT-HCC compared with HCC-PVTT. CONCLUSIONS: The survival outcomes of patients with PVTT-HCC were worse than those of patients with HCC-PVTT. RNA-Seq demonstrated differential gene expression between PVTT-HCC and HCC-PVTT, indicating that the former may have distinguishing biological characteristics and be a new and rare type of HCC.

The role of Tripartite motif containing 59 (TRIM59) in the proliferation and prognosis of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

Tripartite motif containing 59 (TRIM59) is a crucial gene that is involved in the process of various types of cancer，including breast cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer,and so on. Its abnormal expression can affect tumor cell proliferation, metastasis, or apoptosis. In liver cancer, the incidence of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is increasing. However, However, it has not been clearly reported on TRIM59 affects the progress of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma cells.Firstly, we review the expression of TRIM59 in different cancers and the corresponding normal tissues，and the results preliminarily showed that TRIM59 may be abnormally expressed in many cancers. The author focuses on whether TRIM59 plays a crucial biological role in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. Therefore, we have confirmed through online websites that TRIM59 is highly expressed in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma tissues. Furthermore we further found that TRIM59 can be used as an effective prognostic marker for the prognostic guidance of patient survival time. Next, we explore whether the expression level of TRIM59 in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma is related to proliferation through the CCK-8 and EDU assay in two ICC cell lines. To further explore how TRIM59 affected the molecular mechanism involved in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma cell growth, we found that STAT3 promotes TRIM59 transcription and TRIM59 can affect tumor progression by regulating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway through luciferase reporter assay and Western blot experiments. In summary, we first found that TRIM59 has great research value in ICC through bioinformatic analysis, then its expression level is closely related to the prognosis through the analysis of clinicopathological indicators of patients with ICC, and the biological mechanism of TRIM59 in ICC provides precise research or therapeutic targets for future cancer treatment. The findings improve our understanding of the potential of TRIM59 in biological functions in ICC and may hold promise as markers for the diagnosis,treatment, and prognosis of ICC. DATA AVAILABILITY: The raw data of this study are derived from the TCGA database, which are publicly available databases.

Perioperative and long-term survival outcomes of laparoscopic versus laparotomic hepatectomy for BCLC stages 0-A hepatocellular carcinoma patients associated with or without microvascular invasion: a multicenter, propensity score matching analysis.

PURPOSE: To analyze the long-term oncological outcomes of Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stages 0-A hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients associated with or without microvascular invasion (MVI) treated with laparoscopic versus laparotomic liver resection. METHODS: Clinicopathological data of HCC patients with BCLC stages 0-A from four medical centers were retrospectively reviewed. The survival outcomes of patients who underwent laparoscopic hepatectomy were compared with those who underwent laparotomic hepatectomy. Subgroup analyses in terms of MVI were further performed to explore the effect of surgical approaches on the long-term survival outcomes. Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was used to match patients between the laparoscopic and laparotomic resection groups in a 1:1 ratio. RESULTS: 495 HCC patients at BCLC stages 0-A were enrolled, including 243 in the laparoscopic resection group and 252 in the laparotomic resection group. Laparoscopic resection group had a shorter operation time, less blood loss, a lower frequency of blood transfusion and postoperative complication rates. The laparoscopic resection group had a significantly better overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) than the laparotomic resection group before and after PSM. Subgroup analysis demonstrated that OS and RFS of patients without MVI were remarkably better in the laparoscopic resection group compared with the laparotomic resection group. However, no significant differences in OS and RFS between the two groups were found in patients with MVI after PSM. CONCLUSIONS: Pure laparoscopic hepatectomy for patients with BCLC stages 0-A HCC can be performed safely with favorable perioperative and long-term oncological outcomes at high-volume liver cancer centers, regardless of the presence of MVI.

Understanding the P-Loop Conformation in the Determination of Inhibitor Selectivity Toward the Hepatocellular Carcinoma-Associated Dark Kinase STK17B.

As a member of the death-associated protein kinase family of serine/threonine kinases, the STK17B has been associated with diverse diseases such as hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the conformational dynamics of the phosphate-binding loop (P-loop) in the determination of inhibitor selectivity profile to the STK17B are less understood. Here, a multi-microsecond length molecular dynamics (MD) simulation of STK17B in the three different states (ligand-free, ADP-bound, and ligand-bound states) was carried out to uncover the conformational plasticity of the P-loop. Together with the analyses of principal component analysis, cross-correlation and generalized correlation motions, secondary structural analysis, and community network analysis, the conformational dynamics of the P-loop in the different states were revealed, in which the P-loop flipped into the ADP-binding site upon the inhibitor binding and interacted with the inhibitor and the C-lobe, strengthened the communication between the N- and C-lobes. These resulting interactions contributed to inhibitor selectivity profile to the STK17B. Our results may advance our understanding of kinase inhibitor selectivity and offer possible implications for the design of highly selective inhibitors for other protein kinases.

Prognostic Comparison Between Liver Resection and Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients With Bile Duct Tumor Thrombus: A Propensity-Score Matching Analysis.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with bile duct tumor thrombus (BDTT) is rare. The aim of this study is to evaluate the long-term prognosis of liver resection (LR) versus transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) in these patients. Methods: Data from HCC patients with BDTT who underwent liver resection and TACE were analyzed respectively. Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was performed in these patients. Results: A total of 145 HCC patients with BDTT were divided into two groups: the LR group (n = 105) and the TACE group (n = 40). The median OS in the LR group was 8.0 months longer than that in the TACE group before PSM (21.0 vs. 13.0 months, P <0.001) and 9.0 months longer after PSM (20.0 vs. 11.0 months, P <0.001). The median DFS in the LR group was 3.5 months longer than that in the TACE group before PSM (7.0 vs. 3.5 months, P = 0.007) and 5 months longer after PSM (7.0 vs. 2.0 months, P = 0.007). Conclusion: If surgery is technically feasible, liver resection provides better prognosis for HCC patients with BDTT compared with TACE.

Impact of type 2 diabetes mellitus on the prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma after laparoscopic liver resection: A multicenter retrospective study.

Background: The effect of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) on survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) has not been reported. This study aimed to explore the relationship between preoperative T2DM and long-term prognosis in HCC patients undergoing LLR. Methods: HCC patients receiving LLR as initial treatment at four cancer centers were retrospectively included in this study. Clinicopathological factors associated with the prognosis of HCC patients were identified using univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) curves between different cohorts of patients were generated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the log-rank test. Results: Of 402 HCC patients included, 62 patients had T2DM and 340 patients did not have T2DM. The OS and RFS of patients with T2DM were significantly worse compared to those without T2DM (P = 0.001 and 0.032, respectively). In Cox multivariate analysis, T2DM was identified as an independent risk factors for OS (HR = 2.31, 95% CI = 1.38-3.85, P = 0.001) and RFS (HR = 1.66, 95% CI = 1.08-2.55, P = 0.020). Conclusions: Following laparoscopic surgical approach, HCC patients with T2DM had poorer prognoses than those without T2DM. Preoperative T2DM was an independent risk factor for HCC patients. Thus, patients with concurrent HCC and T2DM should be closely monitored after LLR.

[Responses of Plankton Microeukaryotic Community to Increasing Temperatures Created by Power Plant Thermal Discharges].

Plankton microeukaryotes are primary producers, bacterial grazers and parasites in the ocean, thus contributing essential roles in marine ecosystem stability. For this reason, understanding how the microeukaryotic community responds to increasing temperature created by thermal discharges is key to evaluating the ecological and environmental consequences of a power plant. In this study, using an Illumina sequencing based analysis of eukaryotic 18S rDNA gene, we investigated the compositions of microeukaryotic community along a thermal gradient caused by the discharge from the Wusha Mountain power plant in Xiangshan Bay. The plankton microeukaryotic communities were dominated by Protalveolata, Ciliophora, Dinoflagellata and Cercozoa. A multivariate regression tree revealed that mircoeukaryotic diversity was primarily controlled by dissolved oxygen (DO), followed by nitrate and temperature. Thermal discharge significantly altered the compositions of microeukaryotic community, evidenced by an analysis of similarity (Global RANOSIM=0.422, P<0.001). A forward selection procedure showed that the variations of microeukaryotic community were primarily shaped by geographic distance, DO, chlorophyll a, and temperature. The spatial distribution of microeukaryotic community followed a distance-decay for similarity relationship, with a turnover of 0.002. In addition, 15 sensitive eukaryotic families were screened, the relative abundances of which were significantly associated with the discharge-induced temperature gradient. For a given eukaryotic family, the pattern of enrichment or decline was consistent with its known ecological function, which could be served as bio-indicators for temperature anomalies. Collectively, this study demonstrates the spatial pattern of microeukaryotic community in responses to increasing temperature, and provides sensitive bio-indicators for evaluating the ecological consequences of thermal discharge.