The influence of low-temperature resistant lactic acid bacteria on the enhancement of quality and the microbial community in winter Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) silage on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.), an emerging "food and fodder" economic crop on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. To tackle problems such as incomplete fermentation and nutrient loss occurring during the low-temperature ensilage of Jerusalem Artichokes in the plateau's winter, this study inoculated two strains of low-temperature resistant lactic acid bacteria, Lactobacillus plantarum (GN02) and Lactobacillus brevis (XN25), along with their mixed components, into Jerusalem Artichoke silage material. We investigated how low-temperature resistant lactic acid bacteria enhance the quality of low-temperature silage fermentation for Jerusalem Artichokes and clarify its mutual feedback effect with microorganisms. Results indicated that inoculating low-temperature resistant lactic acid bacteria significantly reduces the potential of hydrogen and water-soluble carbohydrates content of silage, while increasing lactic acid and acetic acid levels, reducing propionic acid, and preserving additional dry matter. Inoculating the L. plantarum group during fermentation lowers pH and propionic acid levels, increases lactic acid content, and maintains a dry matter content similar to the original material. Bacterial community diversity exhibited more pronounced changes than fungal diversity, with inoculation having a minor effect on fungal community diversity. Within the bacteria, Lactobacillus remains consistently abundant (>85%) in the inoculated L. plantarum group. At the fungal phylum and genus levels, no significant changes were observed following fermentation, and dominant fungal genera in all groups did not differ significantly from those in the raw material. L. plantarum exhibited a positive correlation with lactic acid and negative correlations with pH and propionic acid. In summary, the inoculation of L. plantarum GN02 facilitated the fermentation process, preserved an acidic silage environment, and ensured high fermentation quality; it is a suitable inoculant for low-temperature silage in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Diffusion spectrum imaging based semi-automatic optic radiation tractography for vision preservation in SEEG-guided radiofrequency thermocoagulation.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy and safety of stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG)-guided radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RFTC), using diffusion spectrum imaging (DSI) tractography to preoperatively delineate the optic radiation (OR) and reduce the risk of visual field defects (VFDs) where the epileptogenic zones (EZs) are located in or close to the eloquent visual areas. METHODS: We prospectively followed up twenty-four consecutive patients (12 males and 12 females) who underwent SEEG-guided RFTC in or near the OR pathway. A distance of ≥ 3.5 mm away from the OR on the targeted electrodes contacts that exhibited relevant ictal onset patterns, IEDs and EES during SEEG recordings, was required as our selection criterion prior to performing RFTC, enough to theoretically prevent VFDs. Using default tracking parameters, the optic radiation was tracked semi-automatically in DSI-studio. RESULTS: There were 12 male and 12 female patients ranging in age from 6 to 57 years, with follow-up period ranging from 6 to 37 months. Nineteen patients responded to RFTC (R+, 79.16 %), and 5 patients did not benefit from RFTC (R-, 20.83 %). The preoperative application of DSI semi-automatic based OR tractography was successful in the protection of the OR in all 24 patients. Three patients experienced a neurologic deficit following RFTC, and five patients had a partial quadrant visual field deficit prior to surgery that did not worsen, and none of the remaining nineteen patients had a quadrant visual field deficit. CONCLUSION: Our study validates the safety and efficacy of SEEG-RFTC as a viable therapeutic approach for epileptic foci situated in or adjacent to the visual eloquent regions. We demonstrate that DSI-based tractography offers superior precision in delineating the OR compared to DTI. We establish that implementing a criterion of a minimum distance of ≥ 3.5 mm in radius from the OR on the targeted electrode contacts prior to conducting RFTC can effectively mitigate the risk of VFDs.

Comparison of Different Blood Transfusion Methods in Patients Undergoing Cesarean Section.

Purpose: To compare the effect of allogeneic transfusion and acute normovolemic hemodilution (ANH) autologous transfusion in patients undergoing cesarean section. Methods: Patients who underwent cesarean section and received blood transfusion therapy from February 2019 to July 2021 in our hospital were observed and divided into the allogeneic group (n = 55) who received allogeneic transfusion therapy and the autologous group (n = 55) who received ANH autologous transfusion therapy according to the mode of transfusion. Observations included vital signs [heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), stroke volume variation (SVV)], blood routine [red blood cells (RBC), platelets (PLT), hematocrit (HCT), hemoglobin (Hb)], T-cell subsets (CD4+, CD8+, CD4+/CD8+), immunoglobulins (IgA, IgM, IgG), inflammatory factors [C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6], and adverse effects were counted in both groups. Results: There was no statistical significance in the intra-group and inter-group comparisons of HR, MAP, and SVV between the two groups before transfusion and transfusion for 10 min (P > 0.05). 5d after operation, the RBC, PLT, HCT, and Hb of the allogeneic group were lower than those before operation, and the autologous group was higher than that of the allogeneic group (P < 0.05). 5d after operation, the CRP, TNF-α, and IL-6 of the allogeneic group were higher than those before operation, and the autologous group was lower than that of the allogeneic group (P < 0.05). 5d after operation, the CD4+, CD4+/CD8+ of the allogeneic group were lower than before operation, and the CD8+ was higher than before operation. The CD4+ and CD4+/CD8+ of the autologous group were higher than that of the allogeneic group, and CD8+ was lower than that of the allogeneic group (P < 0.05). 5d after operation, the IgA, IgG, and IgM of the allogeneic group were lower than those before operation, and the autologous group was higher than that of the allogeneic group (P < 0.05). During blood transfusion, there was no significant difference in the adverse reaction rate between the two groups (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Both allogeneic transfusion and ANH autologous transfusion have little effect on the vital signs of patients undergoing cesarean section, but ANH autologous transfusion is more helpful to the stability of blood routine, T-cell subsets, immunoglobulin, and inflammation levels after surgery, which is a safe and effective way of blood transfusion.

CircRNA PLOD2 enhances ovarian cancer propagation by controlling miR-378.

It has been confirmed that circular RNA participates in tumorgenesis through a variety of ways, so it may be used as a molecular marker for tumor diagnosis and treatment. In this study, the expression of circ-LOPD2 in ovarian cancer tissues and cell lines was detected by qRT-PCR and Western blot. The dual luciferase report was used to verify the target of circ-LOPD2, and the silencing and overexpression of circ-CSPP1 in cell lines was used to explore its relationship with miRNA-378. The cell proliferation was detected by CCK8 method, and the expression level of miRNA-378 was detected by qRT-PCR. The results showed that circ-LOPD2 was highly expressed in ovarian cancer (OC) tissues, circ-LOPD2 expression levels were higher in OVCAR3 and A2780, and circ-LOPD2 expression levels in CAOV3 were lower. After silencing circ-LOPD2, the growth ability of OVCAR3 and A2780 cells decreased, while overexpression of circ-LOPD2 led to the opposite result. We also found that miR-378 is a target of circ-LOPD2. Silencing circ-LOPD2 will increase the expression of miR-378, and overexpression of circ-LOPD2 will decrease the expression of miR-378. In summary, our results show that circ-LOPD2 as a miR-378 sponge promotes the proliferation of ovarian cancer cells, which may in turn promote the development of OC.

Effect of Massive Transfusion Protocol on Coagulation Function in Elderly Patients with Multiple Injuries.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of massive transfusion protocol on coagulation function in elderly patients with multiple injuries. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, clinical data were collected from a total of 94 elderly patients with multiple injuries, including 44 cases who received routine transfusion protocol (control group) and 50 cases who concurrently received massive transfusion protocol in our hospital (research group). The changes in platelet parameters, coagulation function, and organ dysfunction scores at admission and 24 h after transfusion were compared between the two groups. The 24-hour plasma and red blood cell transfusion volume, length of stay, complications, and mortality of the two groups were analyzed statistically. RESULTS: Twenty-four hours after blood transfusion, the hematocrit, platelets, and hemoglobin in the research group were higher than those in the control group, while the activated partial thromboplastin time, prothrombin time, thrombin time, fibrinogen, and scores of Marshall scoring system and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment were lower than those in the control group (P < 0.01). The 24-hour plasma transfusion volume was higher, and the length of intensive care unit (ICU) stay and total length of stay were lower in the research group compared with the control group (P < 0.01). No significant difference was found in the mortality rate between the research group and the control group (10.00% vs. 13.64%, P > 0.05). The incidence of complications in the research group was lower than that in the control group (12.00% vs. 31.82%, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Massive transfusion protocol for elderly patients with multiple injuries can improve their coagulation function and platelet parameters, alleviate organ dysfunction, shorten length of ICU stay, and decrease the incidence of complications, which is conducive to improving the prognosis of patients.

Laplacian-Regularized Mean Apparent Propagator-MRI in Evaluating Corticospinal Tract Injury in Patients with Brain Glioma.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the application of laplacian-regularized mean apparent propagator (MAPL)-MRI to brain glioma-induced corticospinal tract (CST) injury. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 20 patients with glioma adjacent to the CST pathway who had undergone structural and diffusion MRI. The entire CSTs of the affected and healthy sides were reconstructed, and the peritumoral CSTs were manually segmented. The morphological characteristics of the CST (track number, average length, volume, displacement of the affected CST) were examined and the diffusion parameter values, including fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD), radial diffusivity (RD), mean squared displacement (MSD), q-space inverse variance (QIV), return-to-origin probability (RTOP), return-to-axis probabilities (RTAP), and return-to-plane probabilities (RTPP) along the entire and peritumoral CSTs, were calculated. The entire and peritumoral CST characteristics of the affected and healthy sides as well as those relative CST characteristics of the patients with motor weakness and normal motor function were compared. RESULTS: The track number, volume, MD, RD, MSD, QIV, RTAP, RTOP, and RTPP of the entire and peritumoral CSTs changed significantly for the affected side, whereas the AD and FA changed significantly only in the peritumoral CST (p < 0.05). In patients with motor weakness, the relative MSD of the entire CST, QIV of the entire and peritumoral CSTs, and the AD, MD, RD of the peritumoral CST were significantly higher, whereas the RTPP of the entire and peritumoral CSTs and the RTOP of the peritumoral CST were significantly lower than those in patients with normal motor function (p < 0.05 for all). In contrast, no significant changes were found in the CST morphological characteristics, FA, or RTAP (p > 0.05 for all). CONCLUSION: MAPL-MRI is an effective approach for evaluating microstructural changes after CST injury. Its sensitivity may improve when using the peritumoral CST features.

Detection value of glycosylated hemoglobin in the diagnosis of diabetic microangiopathy.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the detection value of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in the diagnosis of diabetic microangiopathy. METHODS: A total of 45 diabetic patients with microangiopathy treated in our hospital from January 2017 to December 2017 were enrolled in the study group, and 45 diabetic patients without microangiopathy in the same period were enrolled in the control group. The levels of HbA1c, fasting blood glucose, D-dimer and antithrombin III (AT-III) of patients were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the study group had significantly higher fasting blood glucose (7.42±0.54 mmol/L vs. 11.36±0.83 mmol/L) and glycosylated hemoglobin (7.62±0.32% vs. 10.65±0.72), but significantly lower D-dimer (842.96±195.74 µg/L vs. 511.36±110.25 µg/L) and AT-III levels (73.52±23.69% vs. 73.52±23.69%; all P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Glycosylated hemoglobin level can not only clearly show the specific conditions of microangiopathy, but also help to diagnose, prevent and treat diabetic microangiopathy, which is worthy of promotion in clinic.

Efficient killing of radioresistant breast cancer cells by cytokine-induced killer cells.

Recurrence of breast cancer after radiotherapy may be partly explained by the presence of radioresistant cells. Thus, it would be desirable to develop an effective therapy against radioresistant cells. In this study, we demonstrated the intense antitumor activity of cytokine-induced killer cells against MCF-7 and radioresistant MCF-7 cells, as revealed by cytokine-induced killer-mediated cytotoxicity, tumor cell proliferation, and tumor invasion. Radioresistant MCF-7 cells were more susceptible to cytokine-induced killer cell killing. The stronger cytotoxicity of cytokine-induced killer cells against radioresistant MCF-7 cells was dependent on the expression of major histocompatibility complex class I polypeptide-related sequence A/B on radioresistant MCF-7 cells after exposure of cytokine-induced killer cells to sensitized targets. In addition, we demonstrated that cytokine-induced killer cell treatment sensitized breast cancer cells to chemotherapy via the downregulation of TK1, TYMS, and MDR1. These results indicate that cytokine-induced killer cell treatment in combination with radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy may induce synergistic antitumor activities and represent a novel strategy for breast cancer.

Dendritic cell immunotherapy combined with cytokine-induced killer cells promotes skewing toward Th2 cytokine profile in patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer.

Dendritic cell (DC) vaccination and cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cell therapy (DC/CIK) have shown limited success in the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). To investigate the reason for this limited success, the effects of DC/CIK cell therapy on the immune responses of tumor-bearing patients and patients with resected NSCLC were evaluated. In the total 50 patients studied, the serum concentrations of the Th2 cytokines (IL-4 and IL-10) in tumor-bearing patients were significantly higher than those with resected NSCLC before immunotherapy. The post-therapy Th1 cytokine (IFN-γ) level in patients with resected NSCLC significantly increased from the pre-therapy level. In contrast, significantly enhanced post-therapy Th2 cytokine (IL-4 and IL-10) levels were found in tumor-bearing patients. The intracellular staining assay revealed that DC/CIK cell therapy increased the IFN-γ-producing T lymphocyte (CD8(+)IFN-γ(+)) frequency in patients with resected NSCLC, but these lymphocytes were not found in tumor-bearing patients. Furthermore, overproduction of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in tumor-bearing patients showed a statistically positive correlation with IL-4, suggesting that VEGF might be responsible for the predominance of serum Th2 cytokines. In a word, tumor-bearing patients developed a Th2-dominant status that could not be reversed toward Th1 following immunotherapy. A combined regiment of DC vaccination and CIK cell therapy with other treatments to overcome systemic Th2-dominant immune response might improve the current clinical benefit.

Efficacy of multiple low-dose photodynamic TMPYP4 therapy on cervical cancer tumour growth in nude mice.

OBJECTIVE: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an emerging therapeutic procedure suitable for the treatment of cervical cancer. However, the side effects of PDT are severe, including skin ulceration, so we designed an experiment to examine the effects of multiple low- dose photodynamic therapy of 5, 10, 15, 20-tetrakis(1- methylpyridinium-4-yl) porphyrin (Tmpyp4) on tumour growth by utilizing a model in nude mice implanted with Hela cervical cancer cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Female BALB/c nude mice (aged 5-6 weeks, weighing 18-20 g) were used. Hela cervical cancer cells were injected subcutaneously (1 x 10(7) cells/200 µL). Ten days after injection, the mice were divided into three groups (n=6), the A group of controls without any treatment, the B group receiving a single-treatment with Tmpyp4 (10 mg/kg, intratumor injection) and irradiation (blue laser, 108 J/cm(2)), and the C group given three-treatments with Tmpyp4 (10 mg/ kg, intratumor injection) and irradiation at intervals of two days. After starting treatment, tumours were measured every two days, to assess growth. At 2 weeks after the last treatment of C group, tumour tissue and organs were collected from each mouse to evaluate tumor histology and organ damage. RESULTS: Tumour growth in C group was significantly inhibited compared with A and B groups (P <0.05), without any injury to the skin and internal organs. CONCLUSION: Our novel findings demonstrated that multiple low-dose photodynamic therapy of Tmpyp4 could inhibit cervical cancer growth significantly with no apparent side effects.

Synergistic anticancer activity of 5-aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy in combination with low-dose cisplatin on Hela cells.

OBJECTIVE: Photodynamic therapy (PDT ) is a promising modality for the treatment of various tumors. In order to assist in optimizing treatment, we applied 5-ALA/PDT in combination with low-dose cisplatin to evaluate cytotoxicity in Hela cells. METHODS: Antiproliferative effects of 5-ALA/PDT and cisplatin, alone and in combination, were assessed using MTT assay. To examine levels of apoptosis, Hela cells treated with 5-ALA/PDT, and combination treatment were assessed with Annexin-V/PI by flow cytometry. To investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying alterations in cell proliferation and apoptosis, Western blot analysis was conducted to determine the expression of p53, p21, Bax and Bcl-2 proteins. RESULTS: MTT assays indicated that combination treatment obviously decreased the viability of Hela cells compared to individual drug treatment. In addition, it was confirmed that exposure of Hela cells to 5-ALA/PDT in combination with low-dose cisplatin resulted in more apoptosis in vitro. Synergistic anticancer activity was related to upregulation p53 expression and alteration in expression of p21, Bcl-2 and Bax. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that administration of 5-ALA/PDT in combination with the low-dose cisplatin may be an effective and feasible therapy for cervical cancer.