[Related factors and prognosis analysis of esophagorespiratory fistula after esophageal cancer surgery].

Objective: To explore the factors associated with the development of esophagorespiratory fistula (ERF) after esophageal cancer surgery and its relationship with patient survival. Methods: A total of 241 patients with esophageal cancer after surgery, who received postoperative sputum suction through bronchoscope from West China Hospital of Sichuan University between January and December 2021 were included. The clinical data and airway features under bronchoscope of these patients were collected. Of the 241 patients, 203 were males (84.2%) and 38 were females (15.8%), aged (63.63±8.05) years. The related factors of ERF were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression analysis, and Kaplan-meier was used to analyze the relationship between bronchoscopic specific manifestations, treatment modality and patient survival. Results: Of the 241 postoperative patients with esophageal cancer, 21 (8.7%) developed ERF. There were 39 (16.2%) patients with bronchoscopic specific manifestations, including 16 cases (6.6%) of hyperemia, 13 cases (5.4%) of congestion, and 15 cases (6.2%) of erosion. Bronchoscopic specific manifestations of tracheal mucosa (OR=13.734, 95%CI: 3.535-29.074, P<0.001) and thoracotomy (OR=9.121, 95%CI 1.843-44.237, P=0.007) were independent risk factors for the development of ERF, and preoperative chemotherapy (OR=0.128, 95%CI: 0.052-0.607, P=0.006) was a protective factor in the occurrence of ERF. The median survival time was 224 (95%CI: 95-353)d in the stent-treated group (14 patients) after the onset of ERF, and the median survival time of patients in the supportive care group (7 patients) was 29 (95%CI: 8-50)d, and the survival difference was statistically significant (χ2=5.69, P=0.017). Conclusions: Bronchoscopic specific manifestations are independent risk factors for the development of ERF in postoperative patients with esophageal cancer and are useful in assessing the risk of developing ERF. After the occurrence of postoperative ERF, timely intervention by insertion of tracheal stents to seal the fistula may prolong the survival time of the patients.

[Alveolar echinococcosis metastatic to the brain: a case report].

This paper reports a case with alveolar echinococcosis metastatic to the brain. This case underwent 10-year antiechinococcosis treatment and operations of the liver, right kidney and brain. Following multiple operations and oral administration of albendazole, the case still had recurrence and distant metastasis of hepatic echinococcosis. It is suggested that early prevention, early diagnosis, early regular treatment and surgical radical treatment are critical to the treatment of alveolar echinococcosis.

Coexistence of Reflection Asymmetric and Symmetric Shapes in

Level structures in the neutron-rich ^{144}Ba nucleus have been reinvestigated by measuring prompt γ rays in the spontaneous fission of ^{252}Cf. The previous s=+1 octupole band structure with reflection asymmetric shape has been expanded, and a side quadrupole band structure based on a 3^{+} state with reflection symmetric shape is identified. Thus, the results show the coexistence of reflection asymmetric and symmetric shapes in ^{144}Ba. This is a first identification of such a shape coexistence structure in a nuclear structure. The other structural characteristics are discussed.

Correction: Protein kinase Mζ in medial prefrontal cortex mediates depressive-like behavior and antidepressant response.

Following publication of this article, the authors noted that the bands of Na-K ATPase in Figure S1B were mislabelled when selecting representative blots, and were erroneously duplicated from GluA2. However, the data analysis was still made with the correct immunoblots. The Supplementary Information file has now been updated to include the corrected Figure S1 with the correct western blot bands of Na-K ATPase.The authors would like to apologise for this error and the inconvenience this may have caused. This has been corrected in both the PDF and HTML versions of the article.

Decreased expression of SorCS1 in colorectal cancer: An independent predictor of poor prognosis.

Previously, we identified that sortilin related VPS10 domain containing receptor 1 (SorCS1) was hypermethylated in colorectal cancer (CRC) tissues. Here, we aimed to investigate the association between CRC and SorCS1. DNA methylation was determined by methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MSP) or quantitative real-time methylation analysis (MethyLight). Colorectal cancer tissue specimens from 239 patients that had undergone surgical treatment were evaluated using immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis for the expression of SorCS1 and correlated with clinicopathological variables and prognosis. We found that SorCS1 was hypermethylated in CRC cell lines and 67.5% (27/40) CRC tumor tissues. The loss of SorCS1 mRNA (p<0.001) and protein expression (p=0.033) were highly correlated with promoter methylation. In addition, SorCS1 expression was significantly increased in younger patients (p=0.006), low CEA level (p<0.001) and pT1-2 stage (p=0.005). Survival analysis revealed that decreased expression of SorCS1 was an independent factor for predicting the increased risk of recurrence (p=0.024) and poor overall survival (p=0.006). Subgroup analysis for CEA level, pT and pN classifications showed that SorCS1 retained its stratified significance only in patients with low CEA level, pT3-4 tumors and pN1-2 lymph node status. Our findings suggest that SorCS1 is epigenetically inactivated in a substantial fraction of CRC, and its expression may be a promising prognostic factor in CRC patients.

[The status analysis of diagnosis and treatment of synchronous peritoneal carcinomatosis from colorectal cancer in China: a report of 1 003 cases in 16 domestic medical centers].

Objective: To analyze the status of domestic surgical treatment of synchronous peritoneal carcinomatosis from colorectal cancer in China. Methods: Clinicopathological data of patients who underwent surgery from October 2003 to October 2018 in 16 domestic medical centers was retrospectively analyzed. Excel database was created which covered 77 fields of 7 parts: baseline information of patients, laboratory tests, imaging tests, chemoradiotherapy information, intra-operative findings, postoperative pathology and follow-up data. The Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used for comparison of the measurement data between groups. The χ(2) test was used for comparison of the categorical data between groups. The survival curve was calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: Of the 1 003 patients, there were 575 male and 428 female patients with the age of (58.5±14.1) years (range: 18 to 92 years). In a total of 920 patients, the carcinoma of sigmoid colon was performed in 292 cases (31.8%) with the highest ratio. The proportion of patients with liver metastasis and lung metastasis were 27.9% (219/784) and 8.3% (64/769). Preoperative detection of carcino-embryonic antigen level was the most common method in China (87.74%, 880/1 003), and the positive rate was 64.5% (568/880). The correct rate of preoperative imaging tests was 40.7% (280/688). The ratio of peritoneal carcinomatosis index (PCI) scores between 0 and 10 was the highest (59.6%, 170/285). Two hundred and sixty-two (27.0%) patients were performed by totally laparoscopic operation in 971 patients. The resection of primary tumor was performed in 588 of the 817 patients (72.0%). In a total of 457 cases, 253 (55.4%) patients were performed cytoreduction which group scored completeness of cytoreduction (CCR) 0. The postoperative hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy was implemented in 70 of the 334 cases (21.0%). Among 1 003 cases, 562 cases (56.03%) had complete follow-up data and the median overall survival was 15 months. The primary tumor resection and the CCR scores were affected by the PCI scores. The patients underwent primary tumor resection (187/205 vs. 26/80, χ(2)=105.085, P=0.000) and the patients were performed cytoreduction which scored CCR 0 or CCR 1 (162/204 vs. 8/78, Z=-10.465, P=0.000) had significant difference between the groups of PCI<20 and ≥20. There was a close correlation between the surgical method and the CCR scores (Z=-3.246,P=0.001).When the maximum degree of tumor reduction was planned, most surgeons would choose laparotomy. The overall survival time was longer in patients with primary tumor resection (P=0.000). The median survival time was 18.6 months in the group of primary tumor resection. Conclusions: It is difficult to diagnose the synchronous peritoneal carcinomatosis from colorectal cancer before the operation. Primary tumor resection has an obvious effect to prolong the survival time. It is necessary to standardize the treatment of peritoneal metastasis.

IGF-1 regulates Ang II and VEGF signaling pathways in retinal neovascularization.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 on regulating the occurrence of retinal neovascularization and the expression mechanism of Angiotensin II (Ang II) and vascular endothelial factor (VEGF). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 40 C57BL/6J healthy mice of either gender were selected, and randomly divided into 4 groups: control group, model group, IGF-1 overexpression carrier intervention group and IGF-1 siRNA intervention group (10 in each group). Mice in control group were fed in the air without any further processing. The mice in other 3 groups were used to build high oxygen-induced retinal neovascularization model. The vitreous cavity of mice in the model group was injected with the equal amount of normal saline, while the mice in the IGF-1 overexpression carrier intervention group were injected with 1 µl IGF-1 liposomes mixture. At the same time, IGF-1 siRNA intervention group mice were continuously injected with 1 µl IGF-1 siRNA liposomes mixture for 3d. Stretched preparation of retina was used to observe the neovascularization form; HE staining tissue section were prepared to observe the amount of vascular endothelial nuclei out of the retina boundary; IGF-1, Ang II and VEGF expression levels of retinal tissue were detected by RT-PCR and Western blot. RESULTS: A large area of non-perfusion and tortuous expansion form of the blood vessel was found in the optic nerve surroundings of retinal serial sections in model group, while neovascularization plexus and fluorescence leakage were observed between perfusion and non-perfusion area. Non-perfusion and neovascularization have experienced a decrease in IGF-1 overexpression group but an increase in IGF-1 siRNA group. The number of neovascularization endothelial nuclei out of the internal limiting membrane in model group was remarkably higher than that in control group. This number in IGF-1 over-expression group decreases while in IGF-1 siRNA group it increases, with a significant statistical difference (p < 0.05). Histone IGF-1 expression level in the model group was lower than that in the control group, but Ang II and VEGF expression level were higher. IGF-1 in over-expression group was higher but with a lower expression level of Ang II and VEGF; however, the results in siRNA group were opposite. The difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The occurrence of retinal neovascularization is related to the reduction of IGF-1 expression and the increase of Ang II and VEGF.

[The effects of macrophages with high expression of TL1A on activation and proliferation of hepatic stellate cells in vitro].

Objective: To explore the effects of macrophages with high expression of TL1A on the activation and proliferation of HSCs in vitro. Methods: The Bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMMs) and peritoneal macrophages (PMs) from wild type (WT) and myeloid-overexpressed TL1A transgenic mice were isolated, differentiated and activated. HSCs were harvested from activated macrophages culture supernatant (CM). HSCs were detected by immunofluorescence and real-time Q-PCR. And the proliferation was detected by CCK-8 and BrdU assay kit. The levels of IL-1ß and PDGF-BB in macrophage culture supernatants were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: BMMs-derived CM-intervention HSCs were used to detect the expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) on the 2nd, 4th and 6th day respectively by immunofluorescence method. There was no significant difference between the two groups on the 2 nd and the 6th day, P > 0.05; On day 4, the CM/Tg group was significantly higher than that of CM/WT group, P < 0.01; the results of CMs derived from PMs were consistent with the above trend. The expression of α-SMA mRNA on the 2nd, 4th and 6th day was detected by real-time Q-PCR method using BM-derived CMs. No significant difference was found between the groups on the 2nd day (P > 0.05).α-SMA mRNA increased further on the 4th and 6th day, and the level of CM/Tg in CM/Tg group was significantly higher than that in CM/WT group (P < 0.05). The detection results of CMs derived from PMs were consistent with the above trend. The results of CCK-8 assay and BrdU assay showed that the proliferation rate of HSCs in CM Tg group was significantly higher than that in CM/WT group (P < 0.01). The CMs derived from PMs were used to interfere with HSCs. And the results were consistent with the above trend. For BMMs, the levels of IL-1ß and PDGF-BB in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) + IFNγ/Tg culture supernatant were significantly higher than those in the LPS+IFNγ/WT group (P < 0.01). For the culture supernatants of PMs Liquid test results consistent with the above trend. Conclusion: Macrophages with high expression of TL1A could enhance the activation and proliferation of HSCs by increasing the secretion of IL-1ß and PDGF-BB.

Protein kinase Mζ in medial prefrontal cortex mediates depressive-like behavior and antidepressant response.

Neuronal atrophy and alterations of synaptic structure and function in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of depression, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are largely unknown. The protein kinase Mζ (PKMζ), a brain-specific atypical protein kinase C isoform, is important for maintaining long-term potentiation and storing memory. In the present study, we explored the role of PKMζ in mPFC in two rat models of depression, chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) and learned helplessness. The involvement of PKMζ in the antidepressant effects of conventional antidepressants and ketamine were also investigated. We found that chronic stress decreased the expression of PKMζ in the mPFC and hippocampus but not in the orbitofrontal cortex. Overexpression of PKMζ in mPFC prevented the depressive-like and anxiety-like behaviors induced by CUS, and reversed helplessness behaviors. Inhibition of PKMζ in mPFC by expressing a PKMζ dominant-negative mutant induced depressive-like behaviors after subthreshold unpredictable stress and increased learned helplessness behavior. Furthermore, stress-induced deficits in synaptic proteins and decreases in dendritic density and the frequency of miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents in the mPFC were prevented by PKMζ overexpression and potentiated by PKMζ inhibition in subthreshold stress rats. The antidepressants fluoxetine, desipramine and ketamine increased PKMζ expression in mPFC and PKMζ mediated the antidepressant effects of ketamine. These findings identify PKMζ in mPFC as a critical mediator of depressive-like behavior and antidepressant response, providing a potential therapeutic target in developing novel antidepressants.

[Antiretroviral treatment discontinuation and its influencing factors among HIV-infected patients who initiated ART from 2012 to 2015 in Wenshan prefecture, Yunnan Province].

Objective: To understand the antiretroviral treatment (ART) discontinuation rate and its influencing factors among HIV infected patients who initiated ART between 2012 and 2015 in Wenshan prefecture, Yunnan province. Methods: Demographic characteristics, baseline informations of ART, initial treatment regimens and follow-up status of a total of 4 354 patients who initiated ART from 2012 to 2015 in Wenshan prefecture were collected. A historical cohort study was used to describe the discontinuation incidence rate of ART. Life table was used to estimate cumulative retention rate and Cox proportional hazard model was used to determine the influencing factors of ART discontinuation. Results: The percentage and incidence rate of discontinuation were 25.1% (1 092/4 354) and 14.53 per 100 person-years among patients who initiated ART from 2012 to 2015 in Wenshan prefecture. ART retention rates were 88%, 83%, 78%, 74% at 6(th) month, 12(th) month, 18(th) month, 24(th) month, respectively. The multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression model showed that male patients were at a higher risk of discontinuation (HR=1.24, 95%CI: 1.09-1.41) than female patients, patients aged ≥50 years were at a higher risk of discontinuation (HR=1.27, 95%CI: 1.06-1.53) than patients aged<30 years, discontinuation hazard among patients who were unmarried or divorced or widowed was 1.30 times (HR:1.30, 95%CI: 1.14-1.48) as patients who were married or cohabitation, discontinuation hazard among patients infected with HIV through injection drug use (IDU) was 1.49 times (HR:1.49, 95%CI: 1.23-1.82) as those infected through heterosexual transmission, patients with a baseline CD4 cell count<350/µl (HR=1.34, 95%CI: 1.13-1.58) or ≥500/µl (HR=1.36, 95%CI: 1.09-1.71) were at a higher risk of discontinuation than those with a baseline CD4 cell count from 350/µl to 500/µl, patients initiating ART in 2014 (HR=1.25, 95%CI: 1.04-1.50) or in 2015 (HR=1.26, 95%CI: 1.02-1.55) were at a higher risk of discontinuation than those initiating ART in 2012. Conclusion: There is an uptrend for ART discontinuation rate in Wenshan prefecture. Male, 50 years or older, unmarried or divorced or widowed, transmission route as IDU, baseline CD4 count <350/µl or ≥500/µl are risk factors of ART discontinuation.

[The role of cytochrome P450 in nonalcoholic fatty liver induced by high-fat diet: a gene expression profile analysis].

Objective: To clarify the role of cytochrome P450 in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) by RNA-Seq and bioinformatics analysis. Methods: A total of 20 male C57BL/6 mice were used. Ten mice were fed with high-fat diet (D12492, 60% kcal fat) for 16 weeks to establish a mouse model of NAFLD, and the other 10 mice were fed with low-fat diet (D12450B, 10% kcal fat) as control group. At the end of the experiment, the body weight, liver weight, and hepatic triglyceride (TG) content were measured. Meanwhile, HE staining and RNA-Seq analysis were performed for the liver tissues. The differentially expressed genes were screened out and subjected to bioinformatics analysis, including KEGG and GO BP enrichment analyses and interaction network analysis. Comparison of means between the two groups was made using t-test. Results: Compared with the control group, the mice in the model group were obviously obese, with significantly increased body weight (41.41 ± 6.01 g vs 28.78 ± 1.79 g, t = 6.04, P < 0.01) and liver weight (1.38 ± 0.30 g vs 1.08 ± 0.10 g, t = 2.89, P < 0.01). The mice in the model group showed obvious steatosis, accompanied by a small amount of inflammatory cell infiltration, but with no obvious fibrosis, according to the results of HE staining. In addition, the hepatic TG content in the model group was significantly increased compared with that in the control group (0.64 ± 0.01 mg/mg vs 0.29 ± 0.06 mg/mg, t = 10.11, P = 0.04). Compared with the control group, a total of 367 differentially expressed genes, including 211 down-regulated and 156 up-regulated ones, were identified in the model group according to the RNA-seq results. Meanwhile, 19 CYP450 subtypes, accounting for 5% of the differentially expressed genes, were identified, and CYP2E1, CYP2C70, CYP3A11, CYP3A25, CYP2D26, CYP4A10, CYP17A1, CYP2B10, and CYP2C38 were involved in oxidative stress, steroid hormone metabolism, fatty acid metabolism, arachidonic acid metabolism, and the PPAR signaling pathway. An interaction network was constructed with 30 nodes, and CYP2E1 and CYP2C70 were identified as key nodes. RT-PCR validation results showed that the expression changes of CYP450 subtypes and lipid metabolism-related genes were consistent with the findings of sequencing. Conclusion: The CYP450 family plays a vital role in the pathogenesis of fatty liver by regulating lipid metabolism-related pathways, including oxidative stress, arachidonic acid metabolism, steroid hormone metabolism , and fatty acid metabolism.

[The relationship between oxygen saturation and related respiratory events in patients with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome].

Objective:To explore the relationship between variation of hemoglobin saturation and related respiratory events in patients with obstructive sleep apnea and hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS).Method:According to the SaO2, the respiratory events were divided into two groups, followed or not followed the second events (SRE and N-SRE). Four features were extracted from SaO2 and compared within groups under SRE versus N-SRE, and comparisons were also developed between moderate patients and severe patients.Result:ΔSaO2, max, the duration and Dvmax was significantly higher in SRE than N-SRE (P< 0.01), while Nadir was significantly lower in SRE than N-SRE (P< 0.01). There was also significant difference in the blood oxygen index between moderate and severe patients. The change of SaO2 is correlated with the ventilation restoration. The results also suggest that the severity of the patient's condition will affect the change of SaO2 related indicators. Conclusion:This study provides information on the further study of ventilation restoration. Moreover, this study may provide a possible solution for the treatment of OSAHS.

Association between 1p13.3 genomic markers and coronary artery disease: a meta-analysis involving patients and controls.

Recently, genome-wide association studies on cardio-vascular disease identified a series of associated single nucleotide polymorphisms in an intergenic region of chromosome 1p13.3. We investigated the association of this locus with cardiovascular disease in 13 case-control studies and undertook a meta-analysis for effect size, heterogeneity, publication bias, and strength of evidence. English and Chinese language articles were screened for the association of 1p13.3 single nucleotide polymorphisms with coronary heart/artery disease or myocardial infarction as primary outcomes. The included articles provided race, numbers of participants, and the data necessary to compute an odds ratio. Articles were excluded if other outcomes were reported or 1p13.3 single nucleotide polymorphisms were not included. Thirty-five articles were initially identified and 12 were eventually included in the meta-analysis. rs599839 and rs646776, representing the 1p13.3 locus, were genotyped in 13 case-control studies involving a total of 17,766 patients and 20,272 controls. For rs599839 (11 data sets), using a random-effect model, the summary odds ratio was 1.17 (95% confidence interval = 1.07-1.28, P = 0.0001). For rs646776 (4 data sets), using a fixed-effects model, the summary odds ratio was 1.13 (95% confidence interval = 1.06-1.21, P = 0.0001). This broad replication provided unprecedented evidence for an association between genetic variants at chromosome 1p13.3 and the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Comparative proteomic analysis reveals mite (Varroa destructor) resistance-related proteins in Eastern honeybees (Apis cerana).

The mite (Varroa destructor) has become the greatest threat to apiculture worldwide. As the original host of the mite, Apis cerana can effectively resist the mite. An increased understanding of the resistance mechanisms of Eastern honeybees against V. destructor may help researchers to protect other species against these parasites. In this study, the proteomes of 4 Apis cerana colonies were analyzed using an isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantitation technology. We determined the differences in gene and protein expression between susceptible and resistant colonies that were either unchallenged or challenged by V. destructor. The results showed that a total of 1532 proteins were identified. Gene Ontology enrichment analysis suggested that the transcription factors and basic metabolic and respiratory processes were efficient and feasible factors controlling this resistance, and 12 differentially expressed proteins were identified in Venn analysis. The results were validated by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. This study may provide insight into the genetic mechanisms underlying the resistance of honeybee to mites.

Study of the obp5 gene in Apis mellifera ligustica and Apis cerana cerana.

Apis mellifera ligustica and A. cerana cerana exhibit differences in olfactory sensitivity to odors from nectariferous plants and diseased broods. It is presumed that the differences in odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) between these 2 species contribute to their olfactory sensitivity. We compared the sequences, temporal expression pattern, and binding properties of the 2 OBP-encoding genes. We cloned the Amobp5 and Acobp5 genes. Among the ligands tested, phenethyl acetate was the most variable, with AcOBP5 showing high affinity and AmOBP5 having no apparent affinity for this ligand. While AmOBP5 had high affinity to both benzyl alcohol and 2-phenylethanol, the binding affinity of AcOBP5 to these compounds was moderate. However, the fluorescence intensity of these compounds was not decreased below 50%; thus, the dissociation constants could not be calculated. The Amobp5 gene showed significantly higher expression in 10- and 15-day-old workers than in other stages, while the Acobp5 gene had the highest expression in 30-day-old workers. Both the Amobp5 and Acobp5 genes had the lowest expression level in 1-day-old workers. These results suggest that the binding properties and temporal expression patterns of the obp5 genes in A. mellifera and A. cerana play a critical role in the olfactory sensitivity of workers.

Avoiding perioperative dexamethasone may improve the outcome of patients with rectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Perioperative administration of dexamethasone may augment recurrence and mortality after tumor resection possibly by immunosuppression, which, unfortunately, has never been noted. We therefore carried out a retrospective study in rectal cancer to validate the hypothesis. METHODS: Five hundreds and fifteen patients with stage I to III rectal cancers who underwent a curative resection from June 2007 and June 2011 were enrolled in the current study. Patients who had been given intravenous (IV) dexamethasone (4-10 mg) postoperatively and/or intraoperatively were assigned to dexamethasone group. The outcome of dexamethasone group and non-dexamethasone group were compared. The primary outcome was disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: dexamethasone group had significant lower three-year DFS (62.3% vs 71.8%, P = 0.026) and OS (74.1% vs 82.9%, P = 0.031) rate in comparison to non-dexamethasone group, the hazard ratios (HRs) of which were 1.59 (95% CI 1.05-2.39, P = 0.028) and 1.77 (95% CI 1.05-3.01, P = 0.034), respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that administration of systemic dexamethasone were independently associated with DFS [adjusted HR 1.60 (95% CI 1.03-2.49, p = 0.039)], but for OS, dexamethasone didn't remain significant in this model. In the analyses of a subgroup of 428 patients (55/428 in dexamethasone group) without perioperative blood transfusion, dexamethasone had independently impact on both DFS and OS. CONCLUSION: Patients not given dexamethasone had better three-year survival outcomes compared with patients given dexamethasone perioperatively. Our results indicate that rectal cancer patients treated with curative surgery may get survival benefit from avoiding low-dose perioperative dexamethasone.

In vitro embryo rescue culture of F1 progenies from crosses between different ploidy grapes.

Crossing different ploidy grapes is an effective way to obtain new seedless cultivars. Although embryo rescue has been extensively applied in breeding seedless and triploid grapes, only a few improved cultivars have been developed. Based on preliminary studies, we set five crosses between tetraploid and diploid grape varieties to obtain new hybrid triploid germplasms. Additionally, we compared two different methods of performing in vitro embryo rescue and sowing in the development of hybrid triploid grape plants. The results showed that the germination rate of hybrid seeds was much lower (0-22.8%) than that of the self-pollinated seeds (50.9-61.2%) obtained though the same method of in vitro culture. Meanwhile, the seed germination rates of all crosses obtain through in vitro culture (0-61.2%) were higher than those obtained through sowing (0-42.0%). Identification of ploidy level confirmed that three lines obtained from the crosses of 'Ruby Seedless (2x) x Black Olympia (4x)' and 'Big black (2x) x Kyoho (4x)' were triploid, and one line from the cross of 'Big black (2x) x Kyoho (4x)' was haploid, and the others were diploid, tetraploid, or aneuploidy plants. Moreover, 4 haploid and 42 triploid surviving grape seedlings were planted in a vineyard after propagation. Therefore, an efficient system of breeding triploid seedless grapes using embryo rescue was established and 42 hybrid triploid germplasms were obtained for use in future studies.

Aberrant methylation of genes in stool samples as diagnostic biomarkers for colorectal cancer or adenomas: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: An increasing number of hypermethylated genes in stool samples have been reported as biomarkers for the detection of colorectal cancer (CRC) or adenomas. We aimed to comprehensively review and compare the evidence for feasibility of using these biomarkers for the detection of colorectal neoplasia. METHODS: We searched Medline, the Web of Science and OVID for studies that used hypermethylated genes as biomarkers for the detection of CRC or adenomas. A meta-analysis was carried out using the random-effect model with diagnostic odd ratios (DOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) as effect measurements. RESULTS: A total of 19 studies including 2,356 patients were eligible for final analysis. The sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio and DOR for the detection of CRC or adenomas were 0.62 (95% CI: 0.51-0.71), 0.89 (95% CI: 0.86-0.92), 5.66 (95% CI: 4.68-6.83), 0.43 (95% CI: 0.34-0.55) and 13.15 (95% CI: 9.82-17.60) respectively. Of these, the sensitivity and specificity for the detection of adenoma were 0.54 (95% CI: 0.39-0.68) and 0.88 (95% CI: 0.83-0.92) respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Hypermethylated gene panels are not currently accurate enough to be used alone for colorectal neoplasia screening. The discovery and evaluation of additional biomarkers with improved sensitivity and specificity is necessary.

[Variation of neurotrophic factors expression in spinal cord and muscle after root avulsion of brachial plexus].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the variation of neurotrophic factors expression in spinal cord and muscle after root avulsion of brachial plexus. METHODS: Forty-eight Wistar rats were involved in this study and according to the observing time in 1st day, 1st week, 4th week, 8th week, and 12th week after avulsion, and the control, were divided into 6 groups. By immunohistochemical and hybridization in situ assays, the expression of nerve growth factor (NGF) on muscle, basic fibroblast growth factor(bFGF) and its mRNA on the neurons of corresponding spinal cord was detected. Computer image analysis system was used to calculate the result. RESULTS: After the root avulsion of brachial plexus occurred, expression of NGF increased and reached to the peak at the 1st day. It subsided subsequently but was still higher than normal control until the 12th week. While expression of bFGF and its mRNA increased in the neurons of spinal cord and reached to the peak at the 1st week. Then it dropped down and at the 12th week it turned lower than normal control. CONCLUSION: After root avulsion of brachial plexus, neurotrophic factors expression increase on target muscle and neurons of corresponding spinal cord. It maybe the autoregulation and may protect neuron and improve nerve regeneration.