Efficacy and safety of first-line chemotherapies for patients with advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a lethal disease, often diagnosed at an advanced stage. Systemic chemotherapy is the primary treatment, but direct comparisons of different regimens are limited. This study conducted a systematic review and network meta-analysis (NMA) to compare the efficacy and safety of various chemotherapy regimens, with the unique advantage of only including Phase III randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Methods: NMA was conducted regarding the searched phase III RCTs by comparing overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), and adverse events (AEs) of different chemotherapy protocols. Results: The analysis included 24 studies with 11470 patients across 25 treatment modalities. Among the chemotherapy regimens evaluated, FOLFIRINOX (fluorouracil, leucovorin, irinotecan, and oxaliplatin) demonstrated the highest OS and PFS, with a risk ratio (logHR) of 4.5 (95 % confidence interval 4.32-4.68) compared to gemcitabine monotherapy. The PEFG regimen (cisplatin, epirubicin, 5-fluorouracil, and gemcitabine) exhibited the highest ORR, with an odds ratio (OR) of 6.67 (2.08-20) compared to gemcitabine monotherapy. Notably, gemcitabine plus sorafenib was associated with the lowest hematological toxicity, with an odds ratio (OR) of 0.1 (0.02-0.48). Conclusion: Combination therapies may offer greater benefits but also cause more toxic effects. However, combinations with targeted agents seem to have fewer adverse reactions.

Optimization and mechanism of the novel eco-friendly additives for solidification and stabilization of dredged sediment.

Solidification/stabilization technology is commonly used in the rehabilitation of dredged sediment due to its cost-effectiveness. However, traditional solidification/stabilization technology relies on cement, which increases the risk of soil alkalization and leads to increased CO2 emissions during cement production. To address this issue, this study proposed an innovative approach by incorporating bentonite and citrus peel powder as additives in the solidifying agent, with the aim of reducing cement usage in the dredged sediment solidification process. The research results showed that there is a significant interaction among cement, bentonite, and citrus peel powder. After response surface methodology (RSM) optimization, the optimal ratio of the cementitious mixture was determined to be 14.86 g/kg for cement, 5.85 g/kg for bentonite, and 9.31 g/kg for citrus peel powder. The unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of the solidified sediments reached 3144.84 kPa. The reaction products of the solidification materials, when mixed with sediment, facilitated adsorption, gelation, and network structure connection. Simultaneously, the leaching concentration of heavy metals was significantly decreased with five heavy metals (Zn, As, Cd, Hg, and Pb) leaching concentrations decreasing by more than 50%, which met the prescribed thresholds for green planting. This study demonstrated the ecological benefits of employing bentonite and citrus peel powder in the solidification process of dredged sediment, providing an effective solution for sediment solidification.

Cerebral Small Vessel Disease Is Associated with Motor, Cognitive, and Emotional Dysfunction in Multiple System Atrophy.

BACKGROUND: Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) has not been systematically studied in patients with multiple system atrophy (MSA). OBJECTIVE: We sought to explore whether MSA patients suffer from a heavier CSVD burden relative to healthy individuals and whether CSVD has a relationship with motor, cognitive, and emotional dysfunction in patients with MSA. METHODS: This study consecutively recruited 190 MSA patients and 190 matched healthy controls whose overall CSVD burden and single CSVD imaging markers (including white matter hyperintensity (WMH), microbleeds, lacunes, and enlarged perivascular spaces (EPVS)) were measured. Of the MSA patients, 118 completed multi-dimensional outcome assessments. Spearman's correlations and multivariable linear regressions were performed. RESULTS: We observed a greater burden of overall CSVD, WMH, and EPVS in MSA patients compared with controls, but not for microbleeds and lacunes. Motor dysfunction and cognitive impairment were significantly worse in subjects with severe CSVD than those with none-to-mild CSVD. In patients with MSA, the severity of CSVD burden was positively associated with motor impairments as measured by the Unified Multiple System Atrophy Rating Scale-II (ß= 2.430, p = 0.039) and Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (ß= 1.882, p = 0.015). Of CSVD imaging markers, different associations with MSA outcomes were displayed. WMH was associated with motor, cognitive, and emotional deficits, while the EPVS in the centrum semiovale, basal ganglia, and hippocampus regions was correlated only with motor severity, anxiety, and cognition, respectively. Similar findings were noted in MSA-cerebellar and MSA-parkinsonian patients. CONCLUSIONS: Concomitant CSVD may be correlated with worse multi-dimensional dysfunction in patients with MSA.

Towards bio-utilization and energy recovery potential exploration of membrane foulant from membrane bioreactor by using microbial fuel cell-centered technology.

The utilization of membrane foulant is expected to push forward the developments of membrane bioreactor (MBR). In this study, the combination of microbial fuel cell (MFC) with bio-electrochemical enhanced hydrolysis process was proposed, and three systems were conducted to utilize the membrane foulant and simultaneously harvest electricity. Polysaccharides (PS), proteins (PN) and humic acid (HA) concentration variations and the fluorescent compound changes in different chambers revealed the biodegradability of membrane foulant. Optimized HRT improved the hydrolysis of membrane foulant while allowing MFC to utilize the biodegradable components efficiently. MFC-MFC system had the highest voltage and satisfactory effluent quality at HRT of 1 d. Microbial community structure analysis indicated that Proteobacteria, Planctomycetes and Bacteroidetes were the majority phyla and network analysis further revealed that Proteobacteria played a key role in membrane foulant utilization. This study suggests that MFC hybrid systems has potential application for synchronous membrane foulant reuse and energy recovery.

Detection of the intraoperative bile leakage in laparoscopic cholecystectomy using indocyanine green fluorescence imaging: A case report.

Herein, we report two cases of successful application of indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence imaging for detecting intraoperative bile leakage during laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). Bile leakage was detected rapidly and accurately using fluorescence guidance. Based on our findings, we recommend using ICG fluorescence imaging during LC because it is effective and feasible for detecting intraoperative bile leakage.

Evaluation of career planning group counseling and its effectiveness for intern male nursing students.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of group counselling on the career planning and career maturity of male nursing students. METHOD: Sixty male nursing students were randomly selected from a specific-level first-class hospital in Hunan Province from July to August 2020 by using the convenience sampling method and were subsequently divided into the control group and the experimental group using the random number table method. The control group received routine pre-job training, including aspects concerning the hospital profile, nurse etiquette, nursing core systems, professional ethics, nursing emergency treatment and career prospects and planning. In the experimental group, career planning group counselling was added after the regular pre-service training (once a week) with each session lasting 2 h for a total of six training sessions. At six weeks and three months after the intervention, the career status evaluation scale and the college students' career maturity scale were used to compare the career planning and career maturity status of the two groups of male nursing students. RESULTS: After six weeks and three months of intervention, all the dimensions and total scores of both the career status evaluation scale and the career maturity scale in the experimental group were superior to those in the control group with statistically significant differences (all P < 0.05). The repeated measures of variance analysis indicated that the differences in the total score for career planning and the four dimensions in terms of intergroup effect, time effect and interaction effect between the two groups were statistically significant (P < 0.05). The intergroup effect, time effect and interaction effect of the total score for vocational maturity, career goal, career confidence, career value, career freedom and career reference of the two groups were statistically significant (P < 0.05), while the time effect of the relative dependency dimension was also statistically significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Group counselling can significantly improve the career planning and career maturity status of male nursing students and has a certain long-term effect.

Region, vintage, and grape maturity co-shaped the ionomic signatures of the Cabernet Sauvignon wines.

The ionic elements in wine and in vineyards are gaining attention due to characterization of the wine traits, wine origin tracing, and vine nutrient judging. In this experiment, 19 elements were detected by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in 69 wine samples from 4 regions, 3 vintages, and 3 grape maturity levels. Furthermore, the elements related to vine development, such as N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Cu, Fe, Zn and Cu in the vineyard soil and petioles were determined. Two orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (O2PLS-DA) showed that K, Mn, Co, Sr, B, Si, Pb, Ni, Cu, and Zn were important elements in distinguishing the regions. High-temperature vintages can bring wines with high levels of Sr in wine. Na, Ca, K, Mg, Rb, Al, Rb, Pb and Fe can be used as signature elements to distinguish wines made from 2 grape maturities. And Cu, Zn, and Mn were the key elements used to differentiate the petioles in the 4 regions. Partial square regression (PLSR) analysis showed that soil pH was positively correlated with Al, B, Ba, K, Pb, Mn, Sr and Rb in wine, and K in wine was significantly positively correlated with element K in the soil. In conclusion, the elemental contents in wine are shaped by the combination of origin, vintage and grape maturity, while some key elements can be used as indicators of origin traceability.

Arabidopsis Sec14 proteins (SFH5 and SFH7) mediate interorganelle transport of phosphatidic acid and regulate chloroplast development.

Lipids establish the specialized thylakoid membrane of chloroplast in eukaryotic photosynthetic organisms, while the molecular basis of lipid transfer from other organelles to chloroplast remains further elucidation. Here we revealed the structural basis of Arabidopsis Sec14 homology proteins AtSFH5 and AtSFH7 in transferring phosphatidic acid (PA) from endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to chloroplast, and whose function in regulating the lipid composition of chloroplast and thylakoid development. AtSFH5 and AtSFH7 localize at both ER and chloroplast, whose deficiency resulted in an abnormal chloroplast structure and a decreased thickness of stacked thylakoid membranes. We demonstrated that AtSFH5, but not yeast and human Sec14 proteins, could specifically recognize and transfer PA in vitro. Crystal structures of the AtSFH5-Sec14 domain in complex with L-α-phosphatidic acid (L-α-PA) and 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphate (DPPA) revealed that two PA ligands nestled in the central cavity with different configurations, elucidating the specific binding mode of PA to AtSFH5, different from the reported phosphatidylethanolamine (PE)/phosphatidylcholine (PC)/phosphatidylinositol (PI) binding modes. Quantitative lipidomic analysis of chloroplast lipids showed that PA and monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG), particularly the C18 fatty acids at sn-2 position in MGDG were significantly decreased, indicating a disrupted ER-to-plastid (chloroplast) lipid transfer, under deficiency of AtSFH5 and AtSFH7. Our studies identified the role and elucidated the structural basis of plant SFH proteins in transferring PA between organelles, and suggested a model for ER-chloroplast interorganelle phospholipid transport from inherent ER to chloroplast derived from endosymbiosis of a cyanobacteriumproviding a mechanism involved in the adaptive evolution of cellular plastids.

Spring Viremia of Carp Virus N Protein Negatively Regulates IFN Induction through Autophagy-Lysosome-Dependent Degradation of STING.

Fish possess a powerful IFN system to defend against aquatic virus infections. Nevertheless, spring viremia of carp virus (SVCV) causes large-scale mortality in common carp and significant economic losses to aquaculture. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the strategies used by SVCV to escape the IFN response. In this study, we show that the SVCV nucleoprotein (N protein) negatively regulates cellular IFN production by degrading stimulator of IFN genes (STING) via the autophagy-lysosome-dependent pathway. First, overexpression of N protein inhibited the IFN promoter activation induced by polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid and STING. Second, the N protein associated with STING and experiments using a dominant-negative STING mutant demonstrated that the N-terminal transmembrane domains of STING were indispensable for this interaction. Then, the N protein degraded STING in a dose-dependent and autophagy-lysosome-dependent manner. Intriguingly, in the absence of STING, individual N proteins could not elicit host autophagic flow. Furthermore, the autophagy factor Beclin1 was found to interact with the N protein to attenuate N protein-mediated STING degradation after beclin1 knockdown. Finally, the N protein remarkably weakened STING-enhanced cellular antiviral responses. These findings reveal that SVCV uses the host autophagic process to achieve immune escape, thus broadening our understanding of aquatic virus pathogenesis.

Causal gene identification and desirable trait recreation in goldfish.

Goldfish (Carassius auratus) have long fascinated evolutionary biologists and geneticists because of their diverse morphological and color variations. Recent genome-wide association studies have provided a clue to uncover genomic basis underlying these phenotypic variations, but the causality between phenotypic and genotypic variations have not yet been confirmed. Here, we edited proposed candidate genes to recreate phenotypic traits and developed a rapid biotechnology approach which combines gene editing with high-efficiency breeding, artificial gynogenesis, and temperature-induced sex reversal to establish homozygous mutants within two generations (approximately eight months). We first verified that low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 2B (lrp2aB) is the causal gene for the dragon-eye variation and recreated the dragon-eye phenotype in side-view Pleated-skirt Lion-head goldfish. Subsequently, we demonstrated that the albino phenotype was determined by both homeologs of oculocutaneous albinism type II (oca2), which has subfunctionalized to differentially govern melanogenesis in the goldfish body surface and pupils. Overall, we determined two causal genes for dragon-eye and albino phenotypes, and created four stable homozygous strains and more appealing goldfish with desirable traits. The developed biotechnology approach facilitates precise genetic breeding, which will accelerate re-domestication and recreation of phenotypically desirable goldfish.

Investigation of the Negative Emotions Exhibited in Patients with Coronary Heart Disease After PCI and Any Influencing Factors.

Purpose: To understand existing negative emotions in patients with coronary heart disease after percutaneous coronary stent implantation (PCI) and analyse its influencing factors. Methods: Patients with coronary heart disease after PCI in three tertiary hospitals in Changsha City from April to September 2018 were selected as the research subjects. The self-designed general information questionnaire assessed irritability, depression and anxiety (IDA) on a self-rating scale. It was used to examine patients' existing negative emotions with coronary heart disease after PCI and analyse the influencing factors. Results: 203 questionnaires were distributed, and 202 valid questionnaires were recovered, with an effective recovery rate of 99.5%. The IDA score of patients with coronary heart disease after PCI was 17.01±7.60 points, the incidence of negative emotions was 63.8%, and the incidences of depression, anxiety and irritability were 39.6%, 8.4% and 15.8%, respectively. Negative emotion was taken as the dependent variable and a patient's general data, such as lifestyle and disease, as the independent variables. A univariate analysis was conducted to obtain gender, age, educational level, marital status, work status, per capita monthly household income, sleep status, etc. Seven factors were identified as the influencing factors of negative emotions in patients with coronary heart disease after PCI, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion: Most patients with coronary heart disease after PCI tend to exhibit negative emotions such as anxiety and depression. Medical staff should attach great importance to evaluating any negative feelings in this group and take timely targeted intervention measures to prevent and mitigate the occurrence and development of these adverse emotions in patients with coronary heart disease after PCI.

[Leaf spreading duration and its influencing factors for two Pottiaceae species in hilly Loess Plateau, Northwest China]. / é»„åœŸä¸˜é™µåŒºä¸¤ç§ä¸›è—“ç§‘æ¤ç‰©å±•å¶æ—¶é•¿åŠå ³é”®å½±å“å› å­.

Mosses are poikilohydric plants. The duration of leaf spreading time is a key factor affecting their growth and development in the field. The dynamics of field growth and development and influencing factors of mosses in arid and semi-arid areas are largely unknown. In the study, we examined leaf spreading situation under natural conditions from September 5th to November 25th for Didymodon vinealis and Barbula unguiculata, two common species in hilly Loess Plateau. The results showed that the leaves of both species showed a regular diurnal dynamic change of 'spreading-closing-spreading' from September to October, and that the average leaf closing time of D. vinealis in the morning was 0.68 hours earlier than that of B. unguiculata, while leaf spreading time was delayed by 1.79 hours in the afternoon. Both species spread their leaves for longer time in the rainy season. The average leaf spreading duration of D. vinealis was 251 min, which was 30.4% lower than B. unguiculata of 361 min. The relative humidity near the surface was the key factor affecting leaf spreading duration. The morphological structure of moss species would affect leaf spreading duration. Compared with D. vinealis, B. unguiculata was relatively short, with a large proportion of costa in leaves, and the mosaic structure of stem cortex cells was more prominent. The humidity threshold during leaf spreading of B. unguiculata (54.3%) was lower than that of D. vinealis (60.1%). The leaf spreading duration was mainly affected by humidity. B. unguiculata was more adaptable to the environment than D. vinealis.

Untargeted serum metabolomics reveals potential biomarkers and metabolic pathways associated with esophageal cancer.

Metabolomics has been reported as an efficient tool to screen biomarkers that are related to esophageal cancer. However, the metabolic biomarkers identifying malignant degrees and therapeutic efficacy are still largely unknown in the disease. Here, GC-MS-based metabolomics was used to understand metabolic alteration in 137 serum specimens from patients with esophageal cancer, which is approximately two- to fivefold as many plasma specimens as the previous reports. The elevated amino acid metabolism is in sharp contrast to the reduced carbohydrate as a characteristic feature of esophageal cancer. Comparative metabolomics showed that most metabolic differences were determined between the early stage (0-II) and the late stage (III and IV) among the 0-IV stages of esophageal cancer and between patients who received treatment and those who did not receive treatment. Glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism and glycine were identified as the potentially overlapped metabolic pathway and metabolite, respectively, in both disease progress and treatment effect. Glycine, fructose, ornithine, and threonine can be a potential array for the evaluation of disease prognosis and therapy in esophageal cancer. These results highlight the means of identifying previously unknown biomarkers related to esophageal cancer by a metabolomics approach.

Castleman disease of the pancreas mimicking pancreatic malignancy on 68Ga-DOTATATE and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Castleman disease is an uncommon nonclonal lymphoproliferative disorder, which frequently mimics both benign and malignant abnormalities in several regions. Depending on the number of lymph nodes or regions involved, Castleman disease (CD) varies in diagnosis, treatment and prognosis. It rarely occurs in the pancreas alone without any distinct clinical feature and tends to be confused with pancreatic paraganglioma (PGL), neuroendocrine tumors (NETs), and primary tumors, thus impeding proper diagnosis and treatment. CASE SUMMARY: A 28-year-old woman presented with a lesion on the neck of the pancreas, detected by ultrasound during a health examination. Physical examination and laboratory findings were normal. The mass showed hypervascularity on enhanced computed tomography (CT), significantly increased 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake on positron emission tomography (PET)/CT, and slightly increased somatostatin receptor (SSTR) expression on 68Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT, suggesting no distant metastases and subdiagnoses such as pancreatic PGL, NET, or primary tumor. Intraoperative pathology suggested lymphatic hyperplasia, and only simple tumor resection was performed. The patient was diagnosed with the hyaline vascular variant of CD, which was confirmed by postoperative immunohistochemistry. The patient was discharged successfully, and no recurrence was observed on regular review. CONCLUSION: High glucose uptake and slightly elevated SSTR expression are potentially new diagnostic features of CD of the pancreas.

Clinical benefits of direct-acting antivirals therapy in hepatitis C virus patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) therapy on the clinical outcomes of hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: We searched multiple electronic databases from database inception to June 14, 2021. Meta-analyses were performed separately for HCC recurrence and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: A total of 23 studies were identified for the primary analysis. Compared with no intervention, pooled data showed significant benefit from DAAs therapy in reducing recurrence (adjusted HR = 0.55, 95% CI 0.41-0.74, P < 0.001; I2  = 66.6%, P < 0.001) and improving OS (adjusted HR = 0.36, 95% CI 0.16-0.83, P = 0.017; I2  = 90.7%, P < 0.001) of HCV-related HCC patients. Compared with non-responders, patients with sustained virologic response (SVR) had greater benefit from DAAs therapy in reducing recurrence (HR = 0.37, 95% CI 0.16-0.84, P = 0.017; I2  = 58.8%, P = 0.088) and improving OS (HR = 0.17; 95% CI 0.06-0.50; P = 0.001; I2  = 56.4%, P = 0.130). Though DAAs did not show significant advantages over IFN in reducing recurrence (adjusted HR = 0.96, 95% CI 0.72-1.28, P = 0.784; I2  = 0.0%, P = 0.805), there seems to be a trend toward OS benefit from DAAs therapy (adjusted HR = 0.11, 95% CI 0.01-1.19, P = 0.059). CONCLUSION: DAAs therapy can prevent recurrence and improve OS of HCV-related HCC patients, especially for patients with SVR. Further prospective randomized controlled trial is warranted to validate these results.

Bio-electrocatalytic degradation of tetracycline by stainless-steel mesh based molybdenum carbide electrode.

In order to treat antibiotic wastewater with high efficiency and low energy consumption, this study proposed the coupling of electrocatalytic degradation and biodegradation, and explored a new modified electrocatalytic material in the coupling system. The stainless-steel mesh based molybdenum carbide (SS-Mo2C) was prepared by a low-cost impregnation method and showed superior electrocatalytic degradation ability for tetracycline (TC) when used as the anode in the electrocatalytic system. The degradation rate of TC with SS-Mo2C anode was 17 times higher than that of stainless-steel (SS) anode, and TC removal efficiency was 77% higher than that of SS anode. The electrocatalytic system prior to the biological reactor was proven to be the optimal coupling method. The external coupling system achieved a significantly higher TC removal (87.0%) than that of the internal coupling system (65.3%) and SS-Mo2C showed an excellent repeatable and stable performance. The fewer and smaller molecular weight intermediates products were observed in bio-electrocatalytic system, especially in the external coupling system. Alpha diversity analysis further confirmed that bio-electrocatalytic system increased the diversity of the microbial community. The stainless-steel mesh based molybdenum carbide (SS-Mo2C), which was prepared by a simple and low-cost impregnation method, significantly improved the electrocatalytic activity of anode, thus contributing to tetracycline removal in the bio-electrocatalytic system, especially in the external coupling system.

[Combination of Ecological Ditch and Bioretention Pond to Control Rural Runoff Pollution].

Ecological ditches and bioretention ponds have received widespread attention and application due to their runoff pollution control capabilities and ecological benefits. However, a single ecological ditch or bioretention pond often has problems, such as unstable nitrogen and phosphorus removal and substrate clogging in rural runoff pollution control. Thus, we connected the two facilities in a series to construct a combined system, using the ecological ditch to pretreat, therefore reducing the pollution load of the bioretention pond and mitigating substrate clogging. At the same time, the submerged area was set and an external natural carrier carbon source was added in the bioretention pond to improve the nitrogen removal. The effects of the carrier carbon source, rainfall intensity, and alternating wet and dry conditions on the control of rural runoff pollution by the combined system were explored. The results showed that adding straw and sawdust as carrier carbon sources could increase the TN removal of the bioretention pond by 19.9% and 20.4%, respectively. When the simulated rainfall intensity increased from light rain to heavy rain, the removal efficiencies of COD, NH4+-N, TN, and TP in the combined system with external carbon source decreased by 17.0%, 16.8%, 20.4%, and 17.2% on average, respectively. The contribution of the ecological ditch to the removal of the four pollutants decreased by 16.3%, 13.0%, 24.2%, and 22.1% on average. Alternating dry and wet operation can improve the pollutant removal. Compared with continuous inflow, the average TN removal of the sawdust group increased by 12.3% after three weeks of drought. The results of microbial community analysis showed that the α-diversity of the bioretention pond in the sawdust group and the straw group was higher than that in control group. The abundance of Thiobacillus was significantly higher in the submerged area of bioretention ponds with carbon sources than that in the control group. These research results are expected to provide technical support for the practical application of the combined system.

Cholesterol Metabolic Markers for Differential Evaluation of Patients with Hyperlipidemia and Familial Hypercholesterolemia.

The cholesterol metabolism in humans can be indirectly reflected by measuring cholesterol metabolism marker levels. We aimed to investigate the association of cholesterol homeostasis markers on standard lipid profiling components in familial hypercholesteremia and hyperlipidemia patients. A total of 69 hyperlipidemia patients, 25 familial hypercholesteremia (FHC) patients, and 64 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. We performed routine testing of blood lipid water. Gas chromatography was used to determine the changes in the concentration of cholesterol synthesis (squalene, desmosterol, and lathosterol) and absorption markers (campesterol, sitosterol, and stigmasterol) in the blood. Baseline hyperlipidemia patients displayed significantly higher total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels in comparison to the control group, which was reflected in the increased levels of squalene, desmosterol, campesterol, and sitosterol observed (P < 0.05) in the hyperlipidemia patients. The desmosterol, lathosterol, campesterol, stigmasterol, and sitosterol were statistically different in the FHC group than the hyperlipidemic group (P < 0.05). The proportions of squalene/cholesterol, lathosterol/cholesterol, stigmasterol/cholesterol, and sitosterol/cholesterol in the FHC group were lower than those in the hyperlipidemic group; only desmosterol/cholesterol was higher than that in the hyperlipidemic group. Correlation studies between lipid metabolic factors showed that the proportion of moderate and strong correlations was much higher in the FHC group than in the other two groups (76.92% vs. 32.50% and 31.25%). Logistic regression analysis showed that the concentrations of glucose, LDL-C, lactosterol, and sitosterol were all independent risk factors for developing hyperlipidemia. This result was further confirmed by the ROC curve. These results indicated that the study of cholesterol synthesis and decomposition markers can serve as a reference index for related diseases caused by changes in its concentration.

Partial hepatectomy vs. transcatheter arterial chemoembolization for multiple hepatocellular carcinomas of BCLC-B stage: A meta-analysis of high-quality studies.

BACKGROUND/AIM: The Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) recommends that transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) are indicated in patients with multiple hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) of BCLC-B stage. However, partial hepatectomy (PH) has increasely performed in these patients. The purpose of this meta-analyses is to illustrate the comparative survival benefits of PH and TACE for patients with multiple HCCs of BCLC-B stage. METHOD: Electronic databases were systematically searched for eligible studies that compared PH and TACE performed in patients with multiple HCCs of BCLC-B stage. Studies that met the inclusion criteria were reviewed systematically. The reported data were aggregated statistically using the RevMan5.3 software. Primary endpoint was overall survival (OS), and secondary endpoint were the 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates, postoperative 30-day mortality and postoperative complications. RESULTS: A total of seven high-quality studies (one randomized controlled trial [RCT], six propensity-score matching (PSM) nonrandomized comparative trials [non-RCTs] that met the inclusion criteria, which comprised of 2487 patients (1245 PH and 1242 TACE) in the meta-analysis. When compared with the TACE group, the PH group had a significantly higher OS (HR, 1.65; 95% CI, 1.48-1.84; P = 0.26; I2 = 22%) and 1-, 3-, 5-year survival rates (OR, 1.96; 95% CI, 1.59-2.41; P = 0.0005; I2 = 75%; P < 0.00001; OR, 2.92; 95% CI, 1.94-4.42; P = 0.0001; I2 = 78%; P < 0.00001; OR, 2.60; 95% CI, 2.17-3.11; P = 0.13; I2 = 44%; P < 0.00001; respectively). Survival benefits persisted across sensitivity and subgroup analyses; High heterogeneity remained after sensitivity and subgroup analyses for 3-year survival rates. CONCLUSION: PH can provide more survival benefit for patients with multiple HCCs of BCLC-B stage compared with TACE.

Crosstalk between CpG Methylation and Polymorphisms (CpG-SNPs) in the Promotor Region of DIO2 in Kashin-Beck Disease.

Objective This study was designed to determine the methylation profile of four CpGs and the genotypes of two CpG-SNPs located in promoter region of DIO2 in patients with Kashin-Beck disease (KBD). We also analyzed the interaction between the CpGs methylations and CpG-SNPs. Methods Whole blood specimens were collected from 16 KBD patients and 16 healthy subjects. Four CpGs and two CpG-SNPs in the promoter regions of DIO2 were detected using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). The CpGs methylation levels were compared between samples from KBD patients and healthy subjects. The methylation levels were also analyzed in KBD patients with different CpG-SNP genotypes. Results The mRNA expression of DIO2 in whole blood of KBD patients was significnatly lower than in healthy controls (P <0.05). The methylation levels of DIO2-1_CpG_3 in KBD patients were significantly higher than those in healthy controls (P <0.05). The methylation levels of four CpGs were not significantly different between KBD patients and healthy controls. The methylation level of DIO2-1_CpG_3 in the promoter region of DIO2 in KBD patients with GA/AA genotype was significantly higher than that of KBD patients with GG genotype (P <0.05). Conclusion The methylation level of DIO2 increases in KBD patients. Similar trends exist in KBD carriers of variant genotypes of CpG-SNPs DIO2 rs955849187.