Thoracic spinal cord injury and paraplegia caused by intradural cement leakage after percutaneous kyphoplasty: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) is a pivotal intervention for osteoporotic fractures, pathological vertebral compression fractures, and vertebral bone tumors. Despite its efficacy, the procedure presents challenges, notably complications arising from intradural cement leakage. Timely and accurate diagnosis, coupled with emergent intervention is imperative to improve patient prognosis. This case report illuminates the intricacies and potential complications associated with PKP, emphasizing the critical need for vigilant monitoring, prompt diagnosis, and immediate intervention to mitigate adverse outcomes. CASE SUMMARY: A 58-year-old male patient, experiencing a T7 osteoporosis-related pathological compression fracture, underwent PKP at a local hospital. Two weeks post-procedure, the patient developed paraplegic and dysuric symptoms, necessitating emergency decompression surgery. Gradual improvement was achieved, marked by the restoration of muscle strength, sensation, and mobility. CONCLUSION: PKP Intradural cement leakage following PKP is unusual and potentially fatal. Prompt imaging examinations, urgent evaluation, and the decompression surgery are essential, which help alleviate symptoms associated with spinal damage, markedly improving the overall prognosis.

Treatment of Abdominal Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumor Induces Acute Myeloid Leukemia-M5: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT) is a rare and highly aggressive malignancy. Most patients are diagnosed at a late stage with poor prognosis. The treatment usually includes combined intensive chemotherapy, cytoreductive surgery, radiotherapy, and targeted therapy. Due to the low incidence rate and dismal survival, there is currently a lack of case reports on DSRCT with concurrent leukemia. We report a case of a young patient who achieved disease stabilization for 14 months after receiving 6 cycles of chemotherapy and whole abdominal radiation therapy (WART), followed by consolidation treatment with anlotinib. However, the treatment was terminated due to the development of Acute Myeloid Leukemia-M5 (AML-M5). Multimodal therapy may provide a survival benefit for rare tumors that lack standard treatment. However, intensive chemotherapy and extensive radiotherapy carry a risk of inducing secondary malignancies. This is the first reported case of concurrent DSRCT and AML-M5 with short intervals between onset.

Fast Li Replenishment Channels-Assisted Recycling of Degraded Layered Cathodes with Enhanced Cycling Performance and Thermal Stability.

The direct recycling of cathode materials in lithium-ion batteries is important for environmental protection and resource conservation. The key regeneration processes are composition replenishment and atom rearrangement, both of which depend on the migration and diffusion of atoms. However, for the direct recycling of degraded LiNi0.5 Co0.2 Mn0.3 O2 (D-NCM523) cathode, the irreversible phase transitions that accumulate during the long-term cycles block the Li diffusion channels with a high diffusion energy barrier, making it difficult to fully repair the layered structure and resulting in rapid capacity decay. To address the challenge, fast Li replenishment channels are rebuilt to regulate the surface phase and effectively assist the regeneration process with a reduced energy barrier. This method reduces the amount of Li supplement by >75% and shortens the sintering time (only 2 h) to fully regenerate D-NCM523, compared to general direct recycling methods. The regenerated NCM523 (LCMB-NCM523) exhibits a satisfactory repaired specific capacity of 160 mAh g-1 and excellent cycling stability, retaining 78% of its capacity after 300 cycles. In addition, LCMB-NCM523 is recycled with improved thermal decomposition peak temperature and enables 200 cycles even at 60 °C, greatly improving safety. This work proposes a promising way for the large-scale direct regeneration of layered cathodes.

Tyrosine-phosphorylated DNER sensitizes insulin signaling in hepatic gluconeogenesis by inducing proteasomal degradation of TRB3.

OBJECTIVE: Hepatic insulin resistance, which leads to increased hepatic gluconeogenesis, is a major contributor to fasting hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, the mechanism of impaired insulin-dependent suppression of hepatic gluconeogenesis remains elusive. Delta/Notch-like epidermal growth factor (EGF)-related receptor (DNER), firstly described as a neuron-specific Notch ligand, has been recently identified as a susceptibility gene for T2DM through genome-wide association studies. We herein investigated whether DNER regulates hepatic gluconeogenesis and whether this is mediated by enhanced insulin signaling. METHODS: The association between DNER, tribbles homolog 3 (TRB3) and Akt signaling was evaluated in C57BL/6J, ob/ob and db/db mice by western blot analysis. DNER loss-of-function and gain-of-function in hepatic gluconeogenesis were analyzed by western blot analysis, quantitative real-time PCR, glucose uptake and output assay in AML-12 cells and partially validated in primary mouse hepatocytes. Hepatic DNER knockdown mice were generated by tail vein injection of adenovirus to confirm the effects of DNER in vivo. The interaction between DNER and TRB3 was investigated by rescue experiments, cycloheximide chase analysis, co-immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence. The potential insulin-stimulated phosphorylation sites of DNER were determined by co-immunoprecipitation, LC-MS/MS analysis and site-specific mutagenesis. RESULTS: Here we show that DNER enhanced hepatic insulin signaling in gluconeogenesis by inhibiting TRB3, an endogenous Akt inhibitor, through the ubiquitin-proteasome degradation pathway. In AML-12 hepatocytes, insulin-stimulated activation of Akt and suppression of gluconeogenesis are attenuated by DNER knockdown, but potentiated by DNER over-expression. In C57BL/6J mice, hepatic DNER knockdown is accompanied by impaired glucose and pyruvate tolerance. Furthermore, the in vitro effects of DNER knockdown or over-expression on both Akt activity and hepatic gluconeogenesis can be rescued by TRB3 knockdown or over-expression, respectively. In response to insulin stimulation, DNER interacted directly with insulin receptor and was phosphorylated at Tyr677. This site-specific phosphorylation is essential for DNER to upregulate Akt activity and then downregulate G6Pase and PEPCK expression, by interacting with TRB3 directly and inducing TRB3 proteasome-dependent degradation. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, the crosstalk between insulin-Akt and DNER-TRB3 pathways represents a previously unrecognized mechanism by which insulin regulates hepatic gluconeogenesis.

Predictors of portal vein thrombosis after splenectomy in patients with cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND: Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) is a commonthsn complication after splenectomy in patients with cirrhosis. However, the predictors of postoperative PVT are not known. AIM: To investigate the predictors of PVT after splenectomy in patient with cirrhosis. METHODS: A total of 45 patients with cirrhosis who underwent splenectomy were consecutively enrolled from January 2017 to December 2018. The incidence of PVT at 1 months, 3 months, and 12 months after splenectomy in patients with cirrhosis was observed. The hematological indicators, biochemical and coagulation parameters, and imaging features were recorded at baseline and at each observation point. The univariable, multivariable, receiver operating characteristic curve and time-dependent curve analyses were performed. RESULTS: The cumulative incidence of PVT was 40.0%, 46.6%, and 48.9% at 1 months, 3 months, and 12 months after splenectomy. Multivariable analysis showed that portal vein diameter (PVD) ≥ 14.5 mm and monthsdel end-stage liver disease (MELD) score > 10 were independent predictors of PVT at 1 months, 3 months, and 12 months after splenectomy (P < 0.05). Time-dependent curve showed that the cumulative incidence of PVT was significantly different between patients with MELD score ≤ 10 and > 10 (P < 0.05). In addition, the cumulative incidence of PVT in the PVD ≥ 14.5 mm group was significantly higher than that in the PVD < 14.5 mm group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Wider PVD and MELD score > 10 were independent predictors of PVT at 1 months, 3 months, and 12 months after splenectomy in patient with cirrhosis.

Heat and mass transfer simulation of the microwave-assisted toluene desorption for activated carbons regeneration.

The low cost and high efficiency of microwave-assisted regeneration render it a viable alternative to conventional regeneration methods. To enhance the regeneration performance, we developed a coupled electromagnetic, heat, and mass transfer model to investigate the heat and mass transfer mechanisms of activated carbon during microwave-assisted regeneration. Simulation results demonstrated that the toluene desorption process is governed by temperature distribution. Changing the input power and flow rate can promote the intensity of hot spots and adjust their distribution, respectively, thereby accelerating toluene desorption, inhibiting readsorption, and promoting regeneration efficiency. Ultimately, controlling the input power and flow rate can flexibly adjust toluene emissions to satisfy the processing demands of desorbed toluene. Taken together, this study provides a comprehensive understanding of the heat and mass transfer mechanisms of microwave-assisted regeneration and insights into adsorbent regeneration.

Production Characteristics of Volatiles from Anthracite Cracking via Microwave-Induced Discharge.

The ignition of anthracite with arc plasma has not been applied due to its low chemical effect and volatile content in anthracite. The nonequilibrium plasma generated by a microwave-induced discharge has the ability to break branch chains and aromatic ring structures by kinetic effects, which has the potential for anthracite cracking and ignition. This work investigated anthracite cracking by microwave-induced discharges under an Ar/N2 atmosphere. Results showed that the maximum levels of CO production, total gas production, and total gas generation rate occur in 20% argon content due to an increase in the number of electrons and a decrease in the total electronic states excitation rate constant with an increase in the argon content. The total gas production in plasma cracking is larger than that by pyrolysis, indicating the crack of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon by plasma. In addition, we attempted anthracite combustion under an 80% N2 and 20% O2 atmosphere.

Visible and NIR microscopic hyperspectrum reconstruction from RGB images with deep convolutional neural networks.

We investigate the microscopic hyperspectral reconstruction from RGB images with a deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) in this paper. Based on the microscopic hyperspectral imaging system, a homemade dataset consisted of microscopic hyperspectral and RGB image pairs is constructed. For considering the importance of spectral correlation between neighbor spectral bands in microscopic hyperspectrum reconstruction, the 2D convolution is replaced by 3D convolution in the DCNN framework, and a metric (weight factor) used to evaluate the performance reconstructed hyperspectrum is also introduced into the loss function used in training. The effects of the dimension of convolution kernel and the weight factor in the loss function on the performance of the reconstruction model are studied. The overall results indicate that our model can show better performance than the traditional models applied to reconstruct the hyperspectral images based on DCNN for the public and the homemade microscopic datasets. In addition, we furthermore explore the microscopic hyperspectrum reconstruction from RGB images in infrared region, and the results show that the model proposed in this paper has great potential to expand the reconstructed hyperspectrum wavelength range from the visible to near infrared bands.

Impact of body composition on the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma patients treated with transarterial chemoembolization: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: To summarize current evidence about the influence of body composition on the prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) treatment. Methods: Public databases were systematically searched to identify relevant studies published from the inception of the database up to May 2023. Studies that evaluated the association between body composition and clinical outcomes in HCC patients who underwent TACE were included. A pre-designed table was applied to summarize relevant information. Meta-analysis was performed to estimate the association of body composition with overall survival. Results: Fourteen studies were included in this review, including 3631 patients (sample size range: 56-908, median 186). All body composition measurements (including skeletal muscle area, visceral and subcutaneous adipose area, and bone mineral density) were based on computer tomography. The commonly used parameter was skeletal muscle index at 3rd lumbar vertebra level (8/14). Three studies evaluated the correlations of body composition changes with the prognosis after TACE. Most studies (12/14) identified body composition parameters as an independent indicator for overall survival, progression-free survival, and treatment response rate. The hazard ratio of different body composition parameters ranged from 1.01 to 2.88, and hazard ratio of body composition changes ranged from 1.88 to 5.93. The pooled hazard ratio of sarcopenia for overall survival was 1.38 (95 %CI: 1.20-1.58). Conclusions: Body composition seems to be an important prognostic factor for a poorer clinical outcome after TACE treatment in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Future prospective studies with a larger sample size are required to confirm these findings. Registration study: This study has been prospectively registered at the PROSPERO platform (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/) with the registration No. CRD42022345602.

Construction of MnO2-Mn3O4 heterostructures to facilitate high-performance aqueous magnesium ion energy storage.

MnO2-Mn3O4 heterostructure materials are applied in aqueous magnesium ion energy storage for the first time. The heterostructure yields an exceptionally high pseudocapacitance contribution, resulting in a specific capacitance of 313.5 F g-1 at 1 A g-1, which contrasts with that of MnO2 (108.8 F g-1) and Mn3O4 (123.5 F g-1). Additionally, it shows potential for practical applications as a cathode for magnesium ion hybrid supercapacitors (MHS).

A chromosome-level genome assembly of Agave hybrid NO.11648 provides insights into the CAM photosynthesis.

The subfamily Agavoideae comprises crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM), C3, and C4 plants with a young age of speciation and slower mutation accumulation, making it a model crop for studying CAM evolution. However, the genetic mechanism underlying CAM evolution remains unclear because of lacking genomic information. This study assembled the genome of Agave hybrid NO.11648, a constitutive CAM plant belonging to subfamily Agavoideae, at the chromosome level using data generated from high-throughput chromosome conformation capture, Nanopore, and Illumina techniques, resulting in 30 pseudo-chromosomes with a size of 4.87 Gb and scaffold N50 of 186.42 Mb. The genome annotation revealed 58 841 protein-coding genes and 76.91% repetitive sequences, with the dominant repetitive sequences being the I-type repeats (Copia and Gypsy accounting for 18.34% and 13.5% of the genome, respectively). Our findings also provide support for a whole genome duplication event in the lineage leading to A. hybrid, which occurred after its divergence from subfamily Asparagoideae. Moreover, we identified a gene duplication event in the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase kinase (PEPCK) gene family and revealed that three PEPCK genes (PEPCK3, PEPCK5, and PEPCK12) were involved in the CAM pathway. More importantly, we identified transcription factors enriched in the circadian rhythm, MAPK signaling, and plant hormone signal pathway that regulate the PEPCK3 expression by analysing the transcriptome and using yeast one-hybrid assays. Our results shed light on CAM evolution and offer an essential resource for the molecular breeding program of Agave spp.

Role of IFITM2 in osteogenic differentiation of C3H10T1/2 mesenchymal stem cells.

Interferon-inducible transmembrane (IFITM) are a family of small proteins localized to plasma and endolysosomal membranes. Their functions beyond restricting viral entry and replication have been revealed in recent years. IFITM5 is involved in bone mineralization and is an osteogenic cell surface marker. IFITM1 and 3 interact with desmin and myosin, and are involved in myogenic differentiation. This study found upregulation of Ifitm2 during osteogenic differentiation of C3H10T1/2 cells. This positively correlated to the expression of osteogenic differentiation markers Col1a1, Alp, Runx2, and Ocn. Knockdown of Ifitm2 by siRNAs inhibited osteogenic differentiation, calcium deposition, and osteogenic marker expression of C3H10T1/2 cells. The osteoblast transcriptome revealed that knocking down Ifitm2 affected the expression Wnt signaling pathway-related genes, including Wnt family members, their receptors Lrp, Frizzled, and Lgr, and transmembrane molecule Rnf43 that suppresses the Wnt signaling pathway. Luciferase assays indicated enhancement of canonical Wnt signaling pathways by Ifitm2 overexpression. Furthermore, IFITM2 was colocalized in the metaphyseal bone and growth plate of the mouse tibial bone with SP7, a transcription factor essential for osteoblast differentiation and bone formation. These findings reveal a possible novel function and potential mechanisms of Ifitm2 in osteogenic differentiation.

Neuroimaging features in a patient with non-ketotic hyperglycaemic seizures: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Non-ketotic hyperglycaemic (NKH) seizures are a rare neurological complication of diabetes caused by hyperglycaemia in non-ketotic and non-hyperosmotic states. The clinical characteristics of NKH seizures are atypical and lack unified diagnostic criteria, leading to potential misdiagnoses in the early stages of the disease. CASE SUMMARY: This report presents a rare case of NKH seizures in a 52-year-old male patient with a history of type 2 diabetes mellitus. We performed comprehensive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies at admission, 12 d post-admission, and 20 d post-discharge. The imaging techniques included contrast-enhanced head MRI, T2-weighted imaging (T2WI), fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR), diffusion-weighted imaging, susceptibility-weighted imaging, magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), and magnetic resonance venography. At the time of admission, T2WI and FLAIR of the cranial MRI showed that the left parieto-occipital cortex had gyrus-like swelling and high signal, and subcortical stripes had low signal. MRS showed a reduced N-acetylaspartate peak and increased creatine and choline peaks in the affected areas. A follow-up MRI 20 d later showed that the swelling and high signal of the left parieto-occipital cortex had disappeared, and the low signal of the subcortex had disappeared. CONCLUSION: This case study provides valuable insights into the potential pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of NKH seizures. The comprehensive MRI findings highlight the potential utility of various MRI sequences in diagnosing and characterizing NKH seizures.

Effect of CHRDL1 on angiogenesis and metastasis of colorectal cancer cells via TGF-ß/VEGF pathway.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common digestive tract tumor with the third incidence and death in the world. There is still an urgent need for effective therapeutic targets and prognostic markers for CRC. Herein, we report a novel potential target and marker, Chordin like-1 (CHRDL1). The function of CHRDL1 has been reported in gastric cancer, breast cancer, and oral squamous cell carcinoma. However, the biological effect of CHRDL1 in CRC remains unrevealed. Transwell and tube formation experiments were used to determine the biological function of CHRDL1. Western blot and rescue experiments were used to determine the specific mechanisms of CHRDL1. Results showed CHRDL1 is significantly downregulated in CRC cell lines and tissues. In vitro, experiments confirmed that CHRDL1 can inhibit cell growth, migration, invasion, angiogenesis and reverse epithelial-mesenchymal transformation. In vivo, experiments proved that it can inhibit tumor growth and metastasis. Mechanistically, we newly find that CHRDL1 exerts biological functions through the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-ß)/vascular endothelial growth factor signaling axis in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, we concluded that CHRDL1 reduces the growth, migration, and angiogenesis of CRC cells by downregulating TGF-ß signaling. Our new findings on CHRDL1 may provide a basis for clinical antiangiogenesis therapy and the prognosis of CRC.

Elucidating the impact of oxygen functional groups on the catalytic activity of M-N4-C catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction: a density functional theory and machine learning approach.

Efforts to enhance the efficiency of electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in energy conversion and storage devices present formidable challenges. In this endeavor, M-N4-C single-atom catalysts (MN4) have emerged as promising candidates due to their precise atomic structure and adaptable electronic properties. However, MN4 catalysts inherently introduce oxygen functional groups (OGs), intricately influencing the catalytic process and complicating the identification of active sites. This study employs advanced density functional theory (DFT) calculations to investigate the profound influence of OGs on ORR catalysis within MN4 catalysts (referred to as OGs@MN4, where M represents Fe or Co). We established the following activity order for the 2eORR: for OGs@CoN4: OH@CoN4 > CoN4 > CHO@CoN4 > C-O-C@CoN4 > COC@CoN4 > COOH@CoN4 > CO@CoN4; for OGs@FeN4: COC@FeN4 > CO@FeN4 > OH@FeN4 > FeN4 > COOH@FeN4 > CHO@FeN4 > C-O-C@FeN4. Multiple oxygen combinations were constructed and found to be the true origin of MN4 activity (for instance, the overpotential of 2OH@CoN4 as low as 0.07 V). Furthermore, we explored the performance of the OGs@MN4 system through charge and d-band center analysis, revealing the limitations of previous electron-withdrawing/donating strategies. Machine learning analysis, including GBR, GPR, and LINER models, effectively guides the prediction of catalyst performance (with an R2 value of 0.93 for predicting ΔG*OOH_vac in the GBR model). The Eg descriptor was identified as the primary factor characterizing ΔG*OOH_vac (accounting for 62.8%; OGs@CoN4: R2 = 0.9077, OGs@FeN4: R2 = 0.7781). This study unveils the significant impact of OGs on MN4 catalysts and pioneers design and synthesis criteria rooted in Eg. These innovative findings provide valuable insights into understanding the origins of catalytic activity and guiding the design of carbon-based single-atom catalysts, appealing to a broad audience interested in energy conversion technologies and materials science.

Sodium Alginate Aerogel as a Carrier of Organogelators for Effective Oil Spill Solidification and Recovery.

Marine oil spills pose a serious threat to the marine ecological environment. Phase-selective organogelators (PSOGs) are ideal candidates for oil spill gelation when used in combination with a mechanical recovery method. However, the toxicity of an organic solvent carrier has become a key problem when it is applied in the remediation of marine oil pollution. In this study, through an inexpensive and nontoxic ionic cross-linking and freeze-drying method, we successfully developed composite oil gelling agents that used a biomass sodium alginate aerogel as the carrier of 12-hydroxystearic acid (12-HSA). Simultaneously, carboxylated cellulose nanofibers (CNF-C) with large specific surface area and graphene oxide (GO) with excellent mechanical properties as reinforcing fillers were combined with an alginate matrix. 12-HSA, as a green and inexpensive organic gelator, was uniformly loaded on the aerogels by vacuum impregnation. The sodium alginate aerogel was capable of absorbing and storing oil due to its three-dimensional network skeleton and high porosity. Rheological studies have demonstrated that the organic gelator 12-HSA can be released from the aerogel substrate and self-assemble to form an oleogel with the absorbed oil quickly. The synergistic effect between absorption and congelation endows the composite oil gelling agent with efficient oil spill recovery capability. Based on eco-friendly, biodegradable, and simple synthesis methods, this composite oil gelling agent shows great potential for application in marine oil spill recovery.

Hederagenin suppresses ovarian cancer via targeting mitochondrial fission through dynamin-related protein 1.

A triterpenoid isolated from the plant Hedera helix, hederagenin was discovered to have anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-depressant and anti-fibrosis properties both in vivo and in vitro. In this study, the relationship between mitochondrial fission and hederagenin-induced apoptosis in ovarian cancer (OC) was investigated and the underlying mechanisms were deciphered. Hederagenin's cytotoxicity on OC cells was analyzed using colony formation and CCK-8 assays. The effect of hederagenin on OC cells was also verified by a mouse xenograft tumor model. Flow cytometric analysis was conducted to examine hederagenin's effects on mitochondrial membrane potential, apoptosis, and cell cycle OC cells. MitoTracker Red (CMXRos) staining was performed to observe the mitochondrial morphology. The protein levels of Bak, Bcl-2, Caspase 3, Caspase 9, Cyclin D1 and Bax were measured by Western blot. This study found that hederagenin could suppress the in vivo and in vitro SKOV3 and A2780 cell proliferation in an effective manner. Besides, hederagenin altered the mitochondrial membrane potential, induced S-phase and G0/G1-phase arrest, mitochondrial morphology changes, and apoptosis in OC cells. Additionally, our findings further demonstrated that hederagenin changed the mitochondrial morphology by suppressing dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1), a crucial mitochondrial division factor. Moreover, Drp1 overexpression could reverse hederagenin-induced apoptosis, whereas the Drp1 knockdown had the opposite effect. Furthermore, hederagenin may trigger BAX mitochondrial translocation and apoptosis in OC cells. These results provided a novel perspective on the relationship between the modulation of mitochondrial morphology and the suppression of ovarian cancer by hederagenin.

Tumor suppressor CLCA1 inhibits angiogenesis via TGFB1/SMAD/VEGF cascade and sensitizes hepatocellular carcinoma cells to Sorafenib.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly vascularized tumor with a poor prognosis. Novel vascular-related therapeutic targets and prognostic markers remain urgently needed. AIMS: To investigate the role and mechanism of CLCA1 in hepatocellular carcinoma. METHODS: Immunofluorescence, Co-immunoprecipitation and rescue experiment were used to determine the specific mechanisms of CLCA1. Chemosensitivity assay was used to measure the impact of CLCA1 on Sorafenib. RESULTS: CLCA1 was dramatically downregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines and tissues. Ectopic expression of CLCA1 induced cell apoptosis and G0/G1 phase arrest while suppressed cell growth, inhibited migration and invasion, reversal of epithelial mesenchymal transition in vitro and reduced xenograft tumor growth in vivo. Mechanistically, CLCA1 could co-localize and interact with TGFB1, thereby suppressing HCC angiogenesis through the TGFB1/SMAD/VEGF signaling cascade in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, CLCA1 also enhanced the sensitivity of HCC cells to the first-line targeted therapy, Sorafenib. CONCLUSION: CLCA1 sensitizes HCC cells to Sorafenib and suppresses hepatocellular carcinoma angiogenesis through downregulating TGFB1 signaling cascade. This newly identified CLCA1 signaling pathway may help guide the anti-angiogenesis therapies for hepatocellular carcinoma. We also support the possibility of CLCA1 being a prognostic biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Colony and bacterial LAMP: Simple alternative methods for bacterial determination.

In this study, we developed colony and bacterial LAMP, which directly use bacterial colony and bacterial culture as the templates without DNA extraction for rapid and simple detection of bacteria. The end-point readouts were determined by naked eye under ultraviolet light, and real-time fluorescence curve was also used to confirm that the sensitivity of this method to Salmonella typhimurium and Bacillus cereus was 102 and 103 CFU/reaction, respectively. Results presented here provide alternative methods for colony and bacterial PCR that can greatly contribute to reliable and cost-effective diagnosis in resource-poor settings.

Application of Dexmedetomidine in Epidural Labor Analgesia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on Randomized Controlled Trials.

OBJECTIVES: To summarize and appraise the use of dexmedetomidine in epidural labor analgesia, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). METHODS: We conducted the literature search about the RCTs of epidural labor analgesia with or without dexmedetomidine from inception until November 1, 2022, in the following databases: PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase. The primary outcome was visual analog scale (VAS) within 2 hours after epidural intubation. The secondary outcomes included the duration of the first and second labor stages, Apgar score, umbilical blood pH, dosage of analgesics, and side effects. RESULTS: Eight RCTs including 846 parturients were included. The VAS score of the dexmedetomidine group was significantly lower than that of the control group at the time of 15 minutes (mean difference [MD] -1.41, 95% confidence interval [CI] -2.23, -0.59), 30 minutes (MD -1.02, 95% CI -1.70, -0.33), 60 minutes (MD -0.90, 95% CI -1.36, -0.44), and 90 minutes (MD -0.70, 95% CI -1.16, -0.23). The incidence of pruritus in the dexmedetomidine group was lower than that of the control group （MD 0.28, 95% CI 0.11, 0.74), but the incidence of maternal bradycardia was higher (MD 6.41, 95% CI 1.64, 25.04). There were no significant difference in other outcomes. DISCUSSION: Dexmedetomidine combined with local anesthetic for epidural labor analgesia can improve the VAS score of parturients. Except for the increased incidence of maternal bradycardia, it seems to be safe for the parturients and fetuses.