Pulsed laser deposition of a Ga2O3 thin film for an optoelectronic synaptic device.

With the rapid development of information era, the traditional von Neumann architecture faces the computing bottleneck, and integration of memory and perception is regarded as a potential solution. Herein, a Ga2O3/Si heterojunction based multi-modulated optoelectronic synaptic device is fabricated and demonstrated. As stimulated by ultraviolet (UV) optical spikes, the heterojunction device reveals typical synaptic functions of excitatory-postsynaptic current (EPSC), paired-pulse facilitation (PPF), spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP), and switch between short-term memory (STM) and long-term memory (LTM). In addition, stronger stimulations like higher reading voltage, stronger optical stimulated intensity, and longer pulse duration time can significantly prolong the attenuation of EPSC, which contributes to the improvement of the forgetting process. Our work provides a potential strategy for future neuromorphic computation through a UV light driven stimulation.

Expression of serum connective tissue growth factor, glyoxalase Ⅰ, pyruvate kinase M2 in endometrial carcinoma and its relationship with clinicopathological features / 中国医师进修杂志

Objective:To explore the expression of serum connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), glyoxalase Ⅰ (GLO-I) and pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) in endometrial cancer and their relationship with clinicopathological characteristics.Methods:A total of 96 endometrial cancer patients in Yuechi County People's Hospital from February 2015 to February 2017 were selected as the research group, 48 patients with endometrial hyperplasia during the same period were selected as the benign control group, and 48 patients with healthy physical examination during the same period were selected as the healthy control group. The serum levels of CTGF, GLO-Ⅰ, and PKM2 in the three groups were analyzed. The correlation between serum levels of CTGF, GLO-Ⅰ and PKM2 in the research group was analyzed, and the relationship between each serum index and clinicopathological characteristics was analyzed.Results:The levels of serum CTGF, GLO-Ⅰ and PKM2 in the research group were higher than those in the benign control group and healthy control group: (184.31 ± 37.14) μg/L vs. (110.45 ± 20.59), (17.28 ± 0.42) μg/L; (95.17 ± 16.56) pmol/L vs. (56.29 ± 10.14), (9.08 ± 0.66) pmol/L; (20.25 ± 6.13) μg/L vs. (13.11 ± 4.58), (9.05 ± 2.74) μg/L; and the levels of serum CTGF, GLO-Ⅰ and PKM2 in the benign control group were higher than those in the healthy control group, there were statistical differences ( P<0.05). The results of Pearson correlation analysis showed that the level of CTGF had positive correlation with GLO-Ⅰ and PKM2 ( r = 0.713, 0.741, P<0.05), and the level of GLO-Ⅰ had positive correlation with PKM2 ( r = 0.823, P<0.05). The results of Spearman correlation analysis showed that the levels of CTGF, GLO-Ⅰ, PKM2 had positive correlation with FIGO stage ( r = 0.609, 0.704, 0.721; P<0.05), myometrial invasion depth ( r = 0.753, 0.695, 0.719; P<0.05), lymph node metastasis ( r = 0.776, 0.744, 0.640; P<0.05); had negative correlation with the degree of differentiation ( r = - 0.711, - 0.720, - 0.668; P<0.05). Conclusions:Serum CTGF, GLO-I, PKM2 expression levels are abnormally elevated in patients with endometrial cancer, which are significantly related to multiple clinicopathological characteristics.

Nimbolide targeting SIRT1 mitigates intervertebral disc degeneration by reprogramming cholesterol metabolism and inhibiting inflammatory signaling

Inflammation, abnormal cholesterol metabolism, and macrophage infiltration are involved in the destruction of the extracellular matrix of the nucleus pulposus (NP), culminating in intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD). Whether nimbolide (Nim), a natural extract, can alleviate IDD is unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that Nim promotes cholesterol efflux and inhibits the activation of the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways by activating sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) in nucleus pulposus cells (NPCs) during inflammation. Thus, Nim balanced matrix anabolism and catabolism of NPCs. However, the inhibition of SIRT1 significantly attenuated the effects of Nim. We also found that Nim promoted the expression of SIRT1 in RAW 264.7, which enhanced the proportion of M2 macrophages by facilitating cholesterol homeostasis reprogramming and impeded M1-like macrophages polarization by blocking the activation of inflammatory signaling. Based on these results, Nim can improve the microenvironment and facilitate matrix metabolism equilibrium in NPCs. Furthermore, in vivo treatment with Nim delayed IDD progression by boosting SIRT1 expression, modulating macrophage polarization and preserving the extracellular matrix. In conclusion, Nim may represent a novel therapeutic strategy for treating IDD.

Fontan-associated liver disease current status and transplantation consideration / 中华肝脏病杂志

Fontan-associated liver disease (FALD) is one of the main complications after the Fontan procedure, manifesting mostly as liver fibrosis and even cirrhosis, with a high incidence rate and a lack of typical clinical symptoms that seriously affect patient prognosis. The specific cause is unknown, although it is considered to be associated with long-term elevated central venous pressure, impaired hepatic artery blood flow, and other relevant factors. The absence of association between laboratory tests, imaging data, and the severity of liver fibrosis makes clinical diagnosis and monitoring difficult. A liver biopsy is the gold standard for diagnosing and staging liver fibrosis. The most important risk factor for FALD is time following the Fontan procedure; therefore, it is recommended to do a liver biopsy 10 years after the Fontan procedure and to be cautious for the presence of hepatocellular carcinoma. Combined heart-liver transplantation is a recommended choice with favorable outcomes for patients with Fontan circulatory failure and severe hepatic fibrosis.

A multicategory logit model detecting temporal changes in antimicrobial resistance.

Monitoring and investigating temporal trends in antimicrobial data is a high priority for human and animal health authorities. Timely detection of temporal changes in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) can rely not only on monitoring and analyzing the proportion of resistant isolates based on the use of a clinical or epidemiological cut-off value, but also on more subtle changes and trends in the full distribution of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values. The nature of the MIC distribution is categorical and ordinal (discrete). In this contribution, we developed a particular family of multicategory logit models for estimating and modelling MIC distributions over time. It allows the detection of a multitude of temporal trends in the full discrete distribution, without any assumption on the underlying continuous distribution for the MIC values. The experimental ranges of the serial dilution experiments may vary across laboratories and over time. The proposed categorical model allows to estimate the MIC distribution over the maximal range of the observed experiments, and allows the observed ranges to vary across labs and over time. The use and performance of the model is illustrated with two datasets on AMR in Salmonella.

Xylem-Inspired Hydrous Manganese Dioxide/Aluminum Oxide/Polyethersulfone Mixed Matrix Membrane for Oily Wastewater Treatment.

Ultrafiltration membrane has been widely used for oily wastewater treatment application attributed to its cost-efficiency, ease of operation, and high separation performance. To achieve high membrane flux, the pores of the membrane need to be wetted, which can be attained by using hydrophilic membrane. Nevertheless, conventional hydrophilic membrane suffered from inhomogeneous dispersion of nanofillers, causing a bottleneck in the membrane flux performance. This called for the need to enhance the dispersion of nanofillers within the polymeric matrix. In this work, in-house-fabricated hydrous manganese dioxide-aluminum oxide (HMO-Al2O3) was added into polyethersulfone (PES) dope solution to enhance the membrane flux through a xylem-inspired water transport mechanism on capillary action aided by cohesion force. Binary fillers HMO-Al2O3 loading was optimized at 0.5:0.5 in achieving 169 nm membrane mean pore size. Membrane morphology confirmed the formation of macro-void in membrane structure, and this was probably caused by the hydrophilic nanofiller interfacial stress released in PES matrix during the phase inversion process. The superhydrophilic properties of PES 3 in achieving 0° water contact angle was supported by the energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, where it achieved high O element, Mn element, and Al elements of 39.68%, 0.94%, and 5.35%, respectively, indicating that the nanofillers were more homogeneously dispersed in PES matrix. The superhydrophilic property of PES 3 was further supported by high pure water flux at 245.95 L/m2.h.bar, which was 3428.70% higher than the pristine PES membrane, 197.1% higher than PES 1 incorporated with HMO nanofiller, and 854.00% higher than PES 5 incorporated with Al2O3 nanofillers. Moreover, the excellent membrane separation performance of PES 3 was achieved without compromising the oil rejection capability (98.27% rejection) with 12 g/L (12,000 ppm) oily wastewater.

Establishment of a patient-derived organoid model and living biobank for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Background: Recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) remains a major challenge for clinicians and scientists. Tumor organoid is a revelational disease model that highly resembled the heterogeneity and histopathological characteristics of original tumors. This study aimed to optimize the modeling process of patient-derived NPC organoids (NPCOs), and establish a living-biobank of NPCs to study the mechanism and explore the more effective treatment of the disease. Methods: Sixty-two fresh NPC tissue samples and 15 normal mucosa samples were collected for 3-dimensional (3D) organoid culture. The organoids were confirmed using hematoxylin and eosin assays. The expression levels of CD133, CD44, BMI-1, and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-encoded small RNAs (EBERs) were detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and in situ hybridization (ISH). Recurrent NPCOs were frozen in liquid nitrogen for 6 months and then resuscitated and passaged. Results: We identified a novel two-step enzymatic strategy for the treatment of NPC and nasal mucosa specimens and an optimal medium for culturing NPCOs and nasal mucosa organoids (NMOs). Organoid cultures were generated from 34 primary NPC samples, 28 recurrent NPC samples, and 15 normal mucosa samples. The success rates for primary NPCO, recurrent NPCO, and NMO formation were 47.06%, 81.25%, and 86.5%, respectively. All the NPCOs were EBER positive and CK7 negative. Recurrent NPCOs had higher expressions of stem cell markers, including BMI-1, CD44, and CD133. Additionally, recurrent NPCOs could be cultured to passage 4 and frozen and revived repeatedly, while primary NPCOs were challenging to culture. Conclusions: In summary, we successfully established a living biobank using the NPCO model, which has enormous potential in basic and clinical research on NPC.

Social responsibility perspective in public response to the COVID-19 pandemic: a grounded theory approach.

BACKGROUND: Combating viral outbreaks extends beyond biomedical and clinical approaches; thus, public health prevention measures are equally important. Public engagement in preventive efforts can be viewed as the social responsibility of individuals in controlling an infectious disease and are subjected to change due to human behaviour. Understanding individuals' perception of social responsibility is crucial and is not yet explored extensively in the academic literature. We adopted the grounded theory method to develop an explanatory substantive theory to illustrate the process of how individual responded to the outbreak from a social responsibility perspective. METHODS: In-depth interviews were conducted among 23 Malaysians either through telephone or face-to-face depending on the participant's preference. Both purposive and theoretical sampling were used. Participants were invited to share their understanding, perceptions and activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. They were further probed about their perceptions on complying with the public health interventions imposed by the authorities. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data was analysed via open coding, focus coding and theoretical coding, facilitated by memoing, sketching and modelling. RESULTS: Study findings showed that, social responsibility is perceived within its role, the perceived societal role responsibility. In a particular context, an individual assumed only one of the many expected social roles with their perceived circle of responsibility. Individuals negotiated their actions from this perspective, after considering the perceived risk during the outbreak. The four types of behaviour depicted in the matrix diagram facilitate the understanding of the abstract concept of negotiation in the human decision-making process, and provide the spectrum of different behaviour in relation to public response to the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: Our study adopted the grounded theory approach to develop a theoretical model that illustrates how individual response to COVID-19 preventive measures is determined by the negotiation between perceived societal role responsibility and perceived infection risk. This substantive theoretical model is abstract, thus has relevance for adoption within similar context of an outbreak.

Prognostic Value of Coronary Sinus Flow Quantification by Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction.

Background This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of hyperemic coronary sinus flow (h-CSF) and global coronary flow reserve (g-CFR) obtained by phase-contrast cine-magnetic resonance imaging in patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI). Methods and Results This retrospective study analyzed patients with acute MI (n=523) who underwent primary (ST-segment-elevation MI) or urgent (non-ST-segment-elevation MI) percutaneous coronary intervention. Absolute coronary sinus blood flow (CSF) at rest and during vasodilator stress hyperemia was quantified at 30 days (24-36 days) after the index infarct-related lesion percutaneous coronary intervention and revascularization of functionally significant non-infarct-related lesions. We used Cox proportional hazards regression modeling to examine the association between h-CSF, g-CFR, and major adverse cardiac events defined as all-cause death, nonfatal MI, hospitalization for congestive heart failure, and stroke. Finally, 325 patients with ST-segment-elevation MI (62.1%) and 198 patients with non-ST-segment-elevation MI (37.9%) were studied over a median follow-up of 2.5 years. The rest CSF, h-CSF, and g-CFR were 0.94 (0.68-1.26) mL/min per g, 2.05 (1.42-2.73) mL/min per g, and 2.17 (1.54-3.03), respectively. Major adverse cardiac events occurred in 62 patients, and Cox proportional hazards analysis showed that h-CSF and g-CFR were independent predictors of major adverse cardiac events (h-CSF: hazard ratio [HR], 0.64; 95% CI, 0.47-0.88; P=0.005; g-CFR: HR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.47-0.82; P=0.001). When stratified by h-CSF and g-CFR, cardiac event-free survival was the worst in patients with concordantly impaired h-CSF (<1.6 mL/min per g) and g-CFR (<1.7) (P<0.001). Conclusions Global coronary sinus flow quantification using phase-contrast cine-magnetic resonance imaging provided significant prognostic information independent of infarction size and conventional risk factors in patients with acute MI undergoing revascularization.

Elevated basal serum levels of calcitonin and simultaneous surgery of MEN2A-specific tumors.

Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2A (MEN2A) is a rare syndrome caused almost by germline RET mutation, and characterized by medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), in combination or not with pheochromocytoma (PHEO), hyperparathyroidism (HPTH), cutaneous lichen amyloidosis (CLA), and Hirschsprung's disease (HD). The basal serum calcitonin (Ctn)/carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels are significantly correlated with the MTC stage. Metachronous surgery of MEN2A-specific tumors is a routine procedure. We aimed to explore the clinical significance of pro-gastrin-releasing peptide (proGRP) in MTC with elevated Ctn and simultaneous surgery of MEN2A-specific tumors. We retrospectively investigated 8 RET mutation carriers of 2 Chinese pedigrees with MEN2A. Clinical profiles, imaging examinations, preoperative and postoperative biochemical data, surgical procedures, and follow-up records were evaluated. Three patients showed levels of elevated Ctn but normal proGRP. Among them, one patient (FAIII-6) in Family A (one for RET C634R mutation), diagnosed with bilateral MTC, left PHEO, bilateral HPTH, and CLA, classified as MEN2A-related CLA subtype, underwent successfully simultaneous adrenal-sparing surgery (ASS), total thyroidectomy (TT), and parathyroidectomy, while TT of the other two patients (FBII-3 and FBIII-7) diagnosed with bilateral MTC in Family B (all for RET C618R mutation) were performed. Unexpectedly, the absence of neck lymph node MTC metastasis was indicated by histopathological examination. Postoperatively, all had consistently "undetectable" or normal levels of Ctn/CEA during follow-up. Patients with normal proGRP, despite high levels of Ctn, might have no regional lymph node MTC metastasis, and neck dissection should be avoided. Moreover, simultaneous surgery for coexistent PHEO and either MTC or HPTH is an approach of choice to use as an alternative treatment pattern. Recognition of MEN2A-related CLA and subsequently early screening of RET mutation may be favorable for timely management of MEN2A-specific tumors.

Current situation of treatment and research progress of fetal congenital heart disease / 中华胸心血管外科杂志

Congenital heart disease is one of the most common birth defects, and its structural changes often require surgical or non-surgical intervention after delivery. Some scholars believe that because early primary intrauterine heart abnormalities may hinder the normal development of the heart and cause irreversible secondary structural changes, the current treatment of congenital heart disease focuses on prenatal diagnosis and fetal intervention. Since the first successful fetal surgery in 1984, and with the development and progress of diagnostic techniques such as fetal cardiac ultrasound, the treatment of congenital heart disease has gradually become the focus of research. This article will focus on the intrauterine cardiac intervention of a specific type of congenital heart disease, fetal cardiac surgery guided by fetal scope, the impact of cardiopulmonary bypass on the fetus or the mother, intrauterine cardiac surgery and targeted therapy of fetal congenital heart disease are summarized in this article.

Analysis and evaluation of risk factors associated with poor prognoses of children with tetralogy of Fallot during perioperative period / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#Objective    To quest the risk factors of poor prognoses in children with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) during perioperative period and evaluate its clinical application values. Methods    A retrospective analysis of the clinical data of 119 children who underwent one-stage correction of TOF in Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital from September 2016 to January 2019. The cohort includes 75 males and 44 females, with ages ranging from 3.2-137.1 (13.2±1.4) months and weights ranging from 4.6-21.0 (8.3±0.2) kg. Perioperative poor prognosis was defined as duration of mechanically assisted ventilation >48 h or secondary intubation, vasoactive-inotropic score (VIS) within 48 h >40, postoperative length of stay >14 d, and the occurrence of the major adverse events. Major adverse events were defined as early death, malignant arrhythmia, low cardiac output syndrome, non-fatal cardiac arrest, postoperative reintervention, diaphragm paralysis, and other clinical complications. Univariate and multivariate logistic analyses were used to analyze the correlation between risk factors and poor prognoses. Results    There was 1 perioperative death, and 9 with major adverse events. Variables selected by Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) included 2 preoperative variables (McGoon index, aortic root diameter index) and 4 intra-operative variables [left-right direction of bicuspid pulmonary valve, total length of right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) incision index, pulmonary valve with commissurotomy, and minimum temperature in cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB)]. Univariate and multivariate logistic analyses were used to the above factors, respectively. The variables with statistical significance (P≤0.05) were McGoon index, aortic root diameter index, left-right direction of bicuspid pulmonary valve, and minimum temperature in CPB. A nomogram was established based on the above factors, and the results showed that the left-right direction of bicuspid pulmonary valve was more risky than the tricuspid pulmonary valve and the anterior-posterior direction of bicuspid pulmonary valve. The lower the McGoon index, the higher aortic root diameter, and the lower temperature in CPB, the higher risk of poor prognostic events in children with TOF. Conclusion    The left-right direction of the pulmonary bicuspid valve has a higher risk of poor prognosis than the tricuspid pulmonary valve and the anterior-posterior direction of bicuspid pulmonary valve. With the smaller McGoon index and the larger aortic root diameter, the risk of poor prognoses in children with TOF is higher. The temperature in CPB being lower than medium-low temperature obviously relates to the high incidence of poor prognostic events, which can be used as an auxiliary reference standard for decision-making in pediatric TOF surgery in the future.

Modified single-patch technique for children with complete atrioventricular septal defect in a single center / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#Objective    To sum up the experience of the primary modified single-patch (MSP) technique applied in our hospital for children with complete atrioventricular septal defect (CAVSD). Methods    The clinical data of 141 children who underwent primary MSP technique for CAVSD between June 2009 and December 2017 were retrospectively analyzed, including 62 males and 79 females with a median age of 6 (3, 11) months and a median weight of 5.8 (4.5, 7.0) kg. According to Rastelli classification, there were 116 patients in type A, 14 in type B and 11 in type C. Among them, 15 patients were diagnosed with Down’s syndrome. Cardiopulmonary bypass time, aortic cross clamp time, atrioventricular valve regurgitation and other clinical data were recorded during and after operation. Results    Postoperatively, 17 patients suffered from severe left atrioventricular valve regurgitation (LAVVR) and 6 patients severe right atrioventricular valve regurgitation (RAVVR). In the follow-up period, 5 patients suffered from severe LAVVR and 1 patient severe RAVVR. Left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (LVOTO) appeared in 1 patient during follow-up period and none at the end of follow-up. There were 5 early deaths and 2 late deaths. Twelve patients underwent reoperation with a median interval time of 268 (8, 1 270) days. Conclusion    MSP technique is a wise surgical strategy for CAVSD children with good outcomes, improved postoperative mortality and decreased atrioventricular valve regurgitation.

Analysis of dosimetry and clinical efficacy of intracavitary/interstitial brachytherapy in locally advanced cervical cancer / 中华放射肿瘤学杂志

Objective:To study the dosimetric differences and short-term efficacy between intracavitary/interstitial brachytherapy (IC/ISBT) and conventional intracavitary brachytherapy (ICBT).Methods:Forty-five patients with locally advanced cervical cancer were treated with IC/ISBT and ICBT. Points A (A 1, A 2), D 90%, D 100%, organs at risk, and the doses of bladder, colon, rectum and small intestine were calculated and the short-term efficacy was observed between two groups. Results:Point A dose was significantly improved in IC/ISBT compared with ICBT ( P<0.05). The D 90% and D 100% in IC/ISBT were significantly higher than those in ICBT (both P<0.05). After brachytherapy, IC/ISBT could obtain a significantly larger increase in target dose when residual tumor diameter was ≥3 cm compared with ICBT ( P<0.05). The D 2cm 3 and D 0.1cm 3 of bladder, rectum, colon and small intestine did not significantly differ between IC/ISBT and ICBT (all P>0.05). The 1-, 3-and 6-month clinical efficacy did not significantly differ between two technologies (all P>0.05). Conclusion:During brachytherapy for locally advanced cervical cancer (residual tumor diameter ≥3 cm), IC/ISBT significantly increases the doses of target area and point A without increasing the dose of organs at risk or lowering the short-term clinical efficacy, which has significant dosimetric advantages.

Analysis of protective mechanism of silk protein based cryoprotectants / 生物医学工程学杂志

Dimethyl sulfoxide (Me SO) supplemented with fetal bovine serum (FBS) is a widely used cryoprotectant combination. However, high concentration of Me SO is toxic to cells, and FBS presents problems related to diseases such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy and viral infections. Silk protein is a kind of natural macromolecule fiber protein with good biocompatibility and hydrophilicity. The aim of this paper is to analyze the cryoprotective mechanism of silk protein as cryoprotectant. Firstly, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to measure the thermal hysteresis activity (THA) of silk protein. The THA of 10 mg/mL sericin protein was 0.96°C, and the THA of 10% (V/V) fibroin protein was 1.15°C. Then the ice recrystallization inhibition (IRI) of silk protein-PBS solution was observed with cryomicroscope. The cold stage was set at - 7°C, after 40 minutes' incubation, the mean grain size rate (MGSR) of sericin protein and fibroin protein were 28.99% and 3.18%, respectively, which were calculated relative to phosphate buffer saline (PBS) control. It is indicated that sericin and silk fibroin have certain effects of inhibiting recrystallization of ice crystals. Finally, the structure and physicochemical properties of silk protein were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The results showed that the content of the random coil was 75.62% and the β-sheet structure was 24.38% in the secondary of sericin protein. The content of the β-sheet structure was 56.68%, followed by random coil structure 22.38%, and α-helix 16.84% in the secondary of fibroin protein. The above analysis demonstrates the feasibility of silk fibroin as a cryoprotectant, and provides a new idea for the selection of cryoprotectants in the future.

Long non-coding RNA ANRIL promotes tumorgenesis through regulation of FGFR1 expression by sponging miR-125a-3p in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

ANRIL (CDKN2B antisense RNA 1, CDKN2B-AS1) is involved in the progression of various cancers. However, its role in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remains unclear. In this study, we found that ANRIL expression was upregulated in HNSCC and correlated with tumor progression. Further functional analysis showed that knockdown of ANRIL significantly inhibited proliferation in vivo and in vitro. ANRIL functioned as a ceRNA (competing endogenous RNAs) for miR-125a-3p and upregulated FGFR1 (fibroblast growth factor receptor-1), which could promote tumor growth. Moreover, we confirmed that ANRIL promoted HNSCC activity via FGFR1 with a FGFR1 inhibitor in vivo and in vitro. Thus, it could be concluded that ANRIL promoted the progression of HNSCC via miR-125a-3p/FGFR1/MAPK signaling, which might provide a new target for the diagnosis and treatment of HNSCC.

3D printing technology-based diagnosis and therapeutic pattern in complex congenital heart disease: single center experience in 40 patients / 中华胸心血管外科杂志

Objective To evaluate the value of three-dimensional(3 D) printing technique in the diagnosis and treatment of complex congenital heart disease(CHD).Methods From March 2016 to February 2018,40 patients with complex CHD underwent heart CT scanning.The CT images were imported to Standard Template Library(STL) files after 3D reconstruction and then exported for 3D printing.The 3D printed models were then used for decision making and navigation during surgery.Results Thirty patients were indicated for surgical operation.Three patients underwent single ventricular repair,and biventricular repair were operated on 27 patients.The 3D printed models were quite in accordance with the actual anatomical findings in all the patients.And all the procedures carried on were exactly same as planned based on 3D printed model.Conclusion The 3D printing may help improve the diagnosis and treatment level in complex CHD.

Short-term efficacy of iodine-125 radioactive seed implantation therapy for hypoxic tumors / 中华放射肿瘤学杂志

Objective To study the short-term efficacy of computed tomography (CT)-guided iodine-125(125I) radioactive seed implantation in the treatment of hypoxic tumors.Methods Twenty-two patients treated with 125I radioactive seed implantation in our department from 2014 to 2016 were divided into hypovascular tumor group (hypoxic group,n =12) and hypervascular tumor group (non-hypoxic group,n=10) based on the hemodynamics of solid tumor evaluated by color Doppler ultrasound.The enhanced CT images were loaded to the three-dimensional particle implantation planning system for preoperative planning.After 125I radioactive seed implantation,the D90 for target volume was verified to be 106-128 cGy.Treatment outcomes were evaluated according to the World Health Organization criteria at 1-3 months after surgery.Results In all the patients,the overall response rate was 82％ at 3 months after surgery.There were no significant differences in response (complete response + partial response) rates at 1,2,or 3 months after surgery between the hypoxic group and the non-hypoxic group (P=0.840,0.696,0.840).Conclusions In the treatment of solid malignant tumor,125I radioactive seed implantation can overcome the resistance of hypoxic tumor to radiotherapy in vitro and achieve satisfactory short-term efficacy.

Downregulation of SAFB Sustains the NF-κB Pathway by Targeting TAK1 during the Progression of Colorectal Cancer.

Purpose: To investigate the role and the underlying mechanism of scaffold attachment factor B (SAFB) in the progression of colorectal cancer (CRC).Experimental Design: SAFB expression was analyzed in the Cancer Outlier Profile Analysis of Oncomine and in 175 paraffin-embedded archived CRC tissues. Gene Ontology analyses were performed to explore the mechanism of SAFB in CRC progression. Western blot, RT-PCR, luciferase assay, and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) were used to detect the regulation of transforming growth factor-ß-activated kinase 1 (TAK1) and NF-κB signaling by SAFB The role of SAFB in invasion, metastasis, and angiogenesis was investigated using in vitro and in vivo assays. The relationship between SAFB and TAK1 was analyzed in CRC tissues.Results: SAFB was downregulated in CRC tissues, and low expression of SAFB was significantly associated with an aggressive phenotype and poorer survival of CRC patients. The downregulation of SAFB activated NF-κB signaling by targeting the TAK1 promoter. Ectopic expression of SAFB inhibited the development of aggressive features and metastasis of CRC cells both in vitro and in vivo The overexpression of TAK1 could rescue the aggressive features in SAFB-overexpressed cells. Furthermore, the expression of SAFB in CRC tissues was negatively correlated with the expression of TAK1- and NF-κB-related genes.Conclusions: Our results show that SAFB regulated the activity of NF-κB signaling in CRC by targeting TAK1 This novel mechanism provides a comprehensive understanding of both SAFB and the NF-κB signaling pathway in the progression of CRC and indicates that the SAFB-TAK1-NF-κB axis is a potential target for early therapeutic intervention in CRC progression. Clin Cancer Res; 23(22); 7108-18. ©2017 AACR.