Gene set correlation enrichment analysis for interpreting and annotating gene expression profiles.

Pathway analysis, including nontopology-based (non-TB) and topology-based (TB) methods, is widely used to interpret the biological phenomena underlying differences in expression data between two phenotypes. By considering dependencies and interactions between genes, TB methods usually perform better than non-TB methods in identifying pathways that include closely relevant or directly causative genes for a given phenotype. However, most TB methods may be limited by incomplete pathway data used as the reference network or by difficulties in selecting appropriate reference networks for different research topics. Here, we propose a gene set correlation enrichment analysis method, Gscore, based on an expression dataset-derived coexpression network to examine whether a differentially expressed gene (DEG) list (or each of its DEGs) is associated with a known gene set. Gscore is better able to identify target pathways in 89 human disease expression datasets than eight other state-of-the-art methods and offers insight into how disease-wide and pathway-wide associations reflect clinical outcomes. When applied to RNA-seq data from COVID-19-related cells and patient samples, Gscore provided a means for studying how DEGs are implicated in COVID-19-related pathways. In summary, Gscore offers a powerful analytical approach for annotating individual DEGs, DEG lists, and genome-wide expression profiles based on existing biological knowledge.

Pyrene-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks with Coordination-Enhanced Electrochemiluminescence for Fabricating a Biosensing Platform.

Enhancing the electrochemiluminescence (ECL) properties of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is a significant topic in the ECL field. Herein, we elaborately chose PAH derivative luminophore 1,3,6,8-tetrakis(p-benzoic acid)pyrene (H4TBAPy) as the organic ligand to synthesize a new Ru-complex-free ECL-active metal-organic framework Dy-TBAPy. Interestingly, Dy-TBAPy exhibited a more brilliant ECL emission and higher ECL efficiency than H4TBAPy aggregates. On the one hand, TBAPy luminophores were assembled into rigid MOF skeleton via coordination bonds, which not only enlarged the distance between pyrene cores to eliminate the aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) effect but also obstructed the intramolecular motions of TBAPy to diminish the nonradiative relaxation, thus realizing a remarkable coordination-enhanced ECL. On the other hand, the ultrahigh porosity of Dy-TBAPy was beneficial to the diffusion of electrons, ions, and coreactant (S2O82-) in the skeleton, which efficiently boosted the excitation of interior TBAPy luminophores and led to a high utilization ratio of TBAPy, further improving ECL properties. More intriguingly, the ECL intensity of the Dy-TBAPy/S2O82- system was about 4.1, 87.0-fold higher than those of classic Ru(bpy)32+/TPrA and Ru(bpy)32+/S2O82- systems. Considering the aforementioned fabulous ECL performance, Dy-TBAPy was used as an ECL probe to construct a supersensitive ECL biosensor for microRNA-21 detection, which showed an ultralow detection limit of 7.55 aM. Overall, our study manifests that coordinatively assembling PAHs into MOFs is a simple and practicable way to improve ECL properties, which solves the ACQ issue of PAHs and proposes new ideas for developing highly efficient Ru-complex-free ECL materials, therefore providing promising opportunities to fabricate high-sensitivity ECL biosensors.

[Research progress on chemical constituents and pharmacological effects of Ajania plants].

Ajania belonging to the subtribe Artemisiinae of Anthemideae(Asteraceae) is a genus of semi-shrubs closely related to Chrysanthemum. There are 24 species of Ajania in northwestern China, most of which are folk herbal medicines with strong stress tolerance. Modern medical studies have demonstrated that the chemical constituents of Ajania mainly include terpenoids, flavonoids, phenylpropanoids, alkynes, and essential oils. These compounds endow the plants with antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, antimalarial, antioxidant, and insecticide effects. In this study, we reviewed the research progress in the chemical constituents and pharmacological activities of Ajania, aiming to provide reference for the further research and development of Ajania.

Ruthenium(II) Complex-Grafted Hollow Hierarchical Metal-Organic Frameworks with Superior Electrochemiluminescence Performance for Sensitive Assay of Thrombin.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with porous structures exhibit favorable promise in synthesizing high-performance electrochemiluminescence (ECL) materials, yet their micropores and narrow channels not only restrict the loading capacity of ECL luminophores but also constrain the diffusion of coreactants, ions, and electrons. Hence, we developed a new and simple hydrothermal etching strategy for the fabrication of a hollow hierarchical MOF (HH-UiO-66-NH2) with a hierarchical-pore shell, which was employed as a carrier to graft Ru(bpy)2(mcpbpy)2+ (bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine, mcpbpy = 4-(4'-methyl-[2,2'-bipyridin]-4-yl) butanoic acid) onto the coordinatively unsaturated Zr6 nodes of HH-UiO-66-NH2, creating the Ru-complex-grafted HH-UiO-66-NH2 (abbreviated as HH-Ru-UiO-66-NH2). Impressively, the HH-Ru-UiO-66-NH2 presented brilliant ECL emission. On the one hand, the HH-UiO-66-NH2 with a hierarchical-pore shell and hollow cavity was conducive to immobilize the Ru(bpy)2(mcpbpy)2+ of large steric hindrance into the interior of the MOF, markedly improving the load number of luminophores. On the other hand, the hierarchical-pore shell of HH-UiO-66-NH2 permitted fast diffusion of coreactants, ions, and electrons that facilitated the excitation of more grafted luminophores and greatly enhanced the utilization ratio of ECL luminophores. Inspired by the superior ECL performance of HH-Ru-UiO-66-NH2, an ECL sensing platform was constructed on the basis of HH-Ru-UiO-66-NH2 as an ECL beacon combining catalytic hairpin assembly as a signal amplification strategy, showing excellent selectivity and high sensitivity for thrombin determination. This proof-of-concept work proposed a simple and feasible hydrothermal etching strategy to construct hollow hierarchical MOFs that served as carrier materials to immobilize ECL luminophores, providing significant inspiration to develop highly efficient ECL materials and endowing hollow hierarchical MOFs with ECL sensing applications for the first time.

H2S improves renal fibrosis in STZ-induced diabetic rats by ameliorating TGF-ß1 expression.

Nephropathy develops in many patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). However, the specific mechanisms and therapies remain unclear. For this purpose we investigated the effects of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) on renal fibrosis in streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic rats and its underlying mechanisms. Experimental rats were randomly divided into four groups: Control group (normal rats), DM group (diabetes rats), DM + NaHS group [diabetes rats treated with sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS)], and NaHS group (normal rats treated with NaHS). The diabetic models were established by intraperitoneal injection of STZ. The NaHS-treated rats were injected with NaHS as an exogenous donor of H2S. At the same time, control group and DM group were administrated with equal doses of normal saline (NS). After eight weeks, the rats' urine samples were collected to measure the renal hydroxyproline content by basic hydrolysis method with a hydroxyproline detection kit. Collagen I and III content was detected by immunohistochemical method, and the pathology morphology of kidney was analyzed by Masson staining. Protein expressions of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-ß1), ERK1/2, TIMP1, TIMP2, MMP-2, MMP-7, MMP-8, MMP-11, and MMP-14 were assessed by western blotting. The results showed that significant fibrosis occurred in the kidney of diabetes rats. NaHS treatment downregulated TGF-ß1, ERK1/2, TIMP1, TIMP2, MMP-2, MMP-7, MMP-8, MMP-11, and MMP-14 expressions in the kidney of these diabetes rats (p<.01). This result suggests that NaHS treatment could attenuate renal fibrosis by TGF-ß1 signaling, and its mechanisms may be correlated with ERK1/2 expression and modulation of MMPs/TIMPs expression. Therefore, H2S may provide a promising option for defensing against diabetic renal fibrosis through TGF-ß1 signaling, equilibrating the balance between profibrotic and antifibrotic mediators.

[Study on differences of Ainsliaea fragrans from different sources based on UFLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS and PCA analysis].

A rapid and accurate method of UFLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS combined with multivariate statistical analysis was established for the identification of Ainsliaea fragrans from different origins in this study. The A. fragrans from different producing areas of Jiangxi, Yunnan, Henan and Jiangsu were determined by UFLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS in the negative ion mode. And the data of the study were analyzed by the Markerview and other software for the PCA and OPLS-DA cluster analysis as well as t test. The results of the principal component analysis(PCA)showed that the main components from different origins were well distinguished. And the results of multivariate statistical showed the differences and similarities between different producing areas. Besides, 40 different compounds were identified in the negative ion mode. This method for identifying A. fragrans from different producing areas has the advantages of rapid accuracy and simplicity, which laid the foundation for the evaluation of the quality of the A. fragrans.

Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae-Assessing the influence of herbal processing methods and improved effects on functional dyspepsia.

Background: The unique pharmaceutical methods for the processing of botanical drugs according to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) affect clinical syndrome differentiation and treatment. The objective of this study was to comprehensively elucidate the principles and mechanisms of an herbal processing method by investigating the alterations in the metabolites of Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae (AMR) processed by Aurantii Fructus Immaturus (AFI) decoction and to determine how these changes enhance the efficacy of aqueous extracts in treating functional dyspepsia (FD). Methods: A qualitative analysis of AMR before and after processing was conducted using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS, and HPLC was employed for quantitative analysis. A predictive analysis was then conducted using a network analysis strategy to establish a botanical drug-metabolite-target-disease (BMTD) network and a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, and the predictions were validated using an FD rat model. Results: A total of 127 metabolites were identified in the processed AMR (PAMR), and substantial changes were observed in 8 metabolites of PAMR after processing, as revealed by the quantitative analysis. The enhanced aqueous extracts of processed AMR (PAMR) demonstrate improved efficacy in treating FD, which indicates that this processing method enhances the anti-inflammatory properties and promotes gastric motility by modulating DRD2, SCF, and c-kit. However, this enhancement comes at the cost of attenuating the regulation of motilin (MTL), gastrin (GAS), acetylcholine (Ach), and acetylcholinesterase (AchE). Conclusion: Through this series of investigations, we aimed to unravel the factors influencing the efficacy of this herbal formulation in improving FD in clinical settings.

[Column chromatography purification and analysis of biodiesel by transesterification].

In the present paper, crude biodiesel prepared with sorbifolia oil as raw material by transesterification was purified by column chromatography, then the composition of biodiesel was analyzed by gas chromatography, FTIR, GC-MS and 1H NMR. Column chromatography can separate the crude biodiesel into two fractions: petroleum ether eluted fraction (A1) and methanol eluted fraction (A2). Petroleum ether eluted fraction was mainly biodiesel fraction, which was produced from sorbifolia oil by transesterification, including methyl linoleate, methyl cis-9-octadecenoate and so on; methanol eluted fraction was mainly glycerol fraction, which came from the side reaction of transesterification. The results show that the purity of refined biodiesel increased from 77.51% to 93.872, and the product recovery rate reached up to 91.04% after the purification by column chromatography. The results obtained by FTIR and 1H NMR further showed that the column chromatography can effectively improve the purity of biodiesel. This paper provides a basis for industrialization of purification of biodiesel.

Electrochemiluminescence enhanced by isolating ACQphores in pyrene-based porous organic polymer: A novel ECL emitter for the construction of biosensing platform.

In this work, a pyrene-based porous organic polymer (Py-POP) with strong electrochemiluminescence (ECL) emission was synthesized and used to fabricate an ECL sensor for the extra-sensitive detection of microRNA-155. The ECL intensity of the Py-POP prepared by tetra(p-aminophenyl)methane (TAPM) and 1,3,6,8-tetrakis(4-formylphenyl)pyrene (TFPPy) was about 3.1 times that of TFPPy aggregates, which was primarily ascribed to the elimination of the effect of aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) by increasing the distance between ACQ luminophores (pyrene cores) in Py-POP. Meanwhile, the strong covalent connections between 1,3,6,8-tetraphenylpyrene (TPPy) and tetraphenylmethane (TPM) units in the rigid framework of Py-POP could partly block the intramolecular motion of TPPy and TPM, which reduced the non-radiative decay and thus further improved the ECL emission. Furthermore, the hydrophobic porous structure of Py-POP was beneficial to the enrichment of lipophilic tripropylamine (TPrA) coreactants in pores of Py-POP, which greatly shortened the electron migration distance between TPrA coreactants and pyrene luminophores on the pore walls of Py-POP, thereby also enhancing the ECL intensity. By using the Py-POP as a new ECL tag and with the help of the strand displacement processes and target recycling, the fabricated ECL biosensor had a sensitive response for microRNA-155 from 1 fM to 1 nM and a detection limit of 0.326 fM. Overall, this work provided a new and feasible strategy to surmount the ACQ effect for enhancing ECL emission, which not only paved a new way to exploit high-performance ECL materials for fabricating extra-sensitive sensors but also broadened the application of POPs in bioanalysis and ECL fields.

[Study on of deferrization mechanism of apoferritin and the effect of spectra variation with holoferritin].

The deferrization mechanism of apoferritin was established, and the spectra variation of apoferritin was compared with that of holoferritin. Sodium hyposulfite is a strong reducing agent, therefore, was applied to deoxidize holoferritin to release iron ion, and connection of iron of buffer was measured by the 2,2-dipyridyl. Apoferritin was detected by ICP-MS. Holoferritin was found to have no absorption compared with apoferritin by UV analysis, and have no fluorescence emission spectra in contrast with apoferritin by fluorescence analysis.

Overcoming Aggregation-Induced Quenching by Metal-Organic Framework for Electrochemiluminescence (ECL) Enhancement: Zn-PTC as a New ECL Emitter for Ultrasensitive MicroRNAs Detection.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as traditional electrochemiluminescence (ECL) luminophores have been widely applied in the analysis field. However, their ECL intensity and efficiency are still limited due to the aggregation-induced quenching (ACQ) effect of PAHs. Hence, to overcome this limitation, we put forward a new strategy to increase the ECL intensity and efficiency by eliminating the ACQ effect of PAHs through the coordinative immobilization of PAHs within metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). As anticipated, the proof-of-concept experiment indicated that the coordinative immobilization of perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylate (PTC) into a Zn-PTC MOF could distinctly increase the ECL intensity and efficiency compared with H4PTC aggregates and H4PTC monomers. The reason for the ECL enhancement of Zn-PTC was that the immobilization of PTC within the MOF effectively amplified the distance between perylene rings of PTC ligands and thus eliminated the ACQ effect. Furthermore, the PTC into Zn-PTC was stacked in an edge-to-edge mode to form J-aggregation, which was also conducive to ECL enhancement. On the basis of the excellent ECL performance, we utilized Zn-PTC as a new ECL emitter combined with exonuclease III-stimulated target cycling and DNAzyme-assisted cycling dual amplification strategies to construct an ECL sensor for microRNA-21 detection, which had a wide signal response (100 aM to 100 pM) with a detection limit of 29.5 aM. Overall, this work represents a new and convenient method to overcome the ACQ effect of PAHs and boost the ECL performance, which opens a new horizon for developing high-performance ECL materials, thus offering more opportunities for building highly sensitive ECL biosensors.

Preliminary results on anal cancer by applying intensity modulated radiotherapy and synchronous capecitabine chemotherapy simultaneously.

BACKGROUND: Anal cancer is a rare clinical disease with the incidence rate of 1-2/10 million. The present study aims to assess the feasibility, safety and short-term outcome of the simultaneous integrated boost intensity-modulated radiotherapy (SIB-IMRT) schedule with oral capecitabine in patients with anal cancer. METHODS: From September 2009 to February 2014, a total of 10 patients with anal carcinoma were treated with SIB-IMRT in 32 daily fractions of 1.8 Gy to the primary tumor and macroscopically involved lymph nodes and 32 fractions of 1.55 Gy electively to the bilateral iliac and inguinal lymph node areas with concurrent capecitabine 625 mg/m2 twice daily 5 days/week. Two patients received a sequential radiation boost dose of 2×1.8 Gy on macroscopic residual tumor in week 5 of treatment. Acute and late toxicity was assessed according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 4.0. RESULTS: All patients completed chemoradiation without any treatment break. Grade 3 acute skin toxicity was observed in 4 patients (40%). No grade 4 toxicity was observed. Mean follow-up was 20 months (range: 6-60 months). The 2-year-local control, colostomy-free survival, distant metastases-free survival and overall survival (OS) rates were 100% (10/10), 90% (9/10), 90% (9/10), and 90% (9/10), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: SIB-IMRT with concomitant capecitabine 625 mg/m2 b.i.d. on irradiation days resulted in an acceptable safety profile, and proved to be a tolerable and effective treatment regimen for locally advanced anal cancer. However, a larger number of patients and a longer follow-up are required to assess its potential superiority.

[Spatiotemporal variability characteristics and driving forces of land use in the Pan-Pearl River Basin, China]. / æ³›ç æ±ŸæµåŸŸåœŸåœ°åˆ©ç”¨æ—¶ç©ºå˜åŒ–ç‰¹å¾åŠé©±åŠ¨å› å­.

The Pan-Pearl River Basin is a bridgehead for China's reform and opening-up and the construction of the Belt and Road at Sea, with vital strategic significance in Chinese overall development. Land use data and climate and socio-economic indicators were integrated to probe the spatiotemporal change and its driving forces of land use in the Pan-Pearl River basin with ArcGIS spatial analysis tool and SPSS factor analysis tool. Results showed that land use in the Pan-Pearl River Basin significantly changed between 1990 and 2015, with decreases of the area of paddy field and woodland and rapid increases of urban land and other construction land. Outflow of grassland occurred in the northwestern part of the basin. Reduction of cultivated field was mainly concentrated in the central part of the basin and coastal areas. Increases in urban and rural land, industrial and mining land, and residential land were centrally distributed in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Marco Greater Bay Area. The prominent change areas were Guangdong-Hong Kong-Marco Greater Bay Area : central and southeast of Guangxi Province : northern Hainan Province. Land use changes during 1990-2000 were most obvious in the basin. The main driving factor of spatiotemporal variation of land use was the rapid development of social economy and industry and the improvement of residents' consumption level.

An AIEgen-based 2D ultrathin metal-organic layer as an electrochemiluminescence platform for ultrasensitive biosensing of carcinoembryonic antigen.

In this work, a novel two-dimensional (2D) ultrathin metal-organic layer (MOL) based on the aggregation-induced emission (AIE) ligand H4ETTC (H4ETTC = 4',4''',4''''',4'''''''-(ethene-1,1,2,2-tetrayl)tetrakis(([1,1'-biphenyl]-4-carboxylic acid))) was developed and used to construct a novel electrochemiluminescence (ECL) aptasensor for ultrasensitive detection of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). The newly synthesized AIE luminogen (AIEgen)-based MOL (Hf-ETTC-MOL) yielded a higher ECL intensity and efficiency than did H4ETTC monomers, H4ETTC aggregates and 3D bulk Hf-ETTC-MOF. This improvement occurred not only because the ETTC ligands were coordinatively immobilized in a rigid MOL matrix, which restricted the intramolecular free rotation and vibration of these ligands and then reduced the non-radiative transition, but also because the porous ultrathin 2D MOL greatly shortened the transport distances of ions, electrons, coreactant (triethylamine, TEA) and coreactant intermediates (TEA˙ and TEA˙+), which made more ETTC luminophores able to be excited and yielded a high ECL efficiency. On the basis of using the Hf-ETTC-MOL as a novel ECL emitter and rolling circle amplification (RCA) as a signal amplification strategy, the constructed ECL aptasensor exhibited a linear range from 1 fg mL-1 to 1 ng mL-1 with a detection limit of 0.63 fg mL-1. This work has opened up new prospects for developing novel ECL materials and is expected to lead to increased interest in using AIEgen-based MOLs for ECL sensing.

Role of the brain-gut axis in gastrointestinal cancer.

Several studies have largely focused on the significant role of the nervous and immune systems in the process of tumorigenesis, including tumor growth, proliferation, apoptosis, and metastasis. The brain-gut-axis is a new paradigm in neuroscience, which describes the biochemical signaling between the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and the central nervous system. This axis may play a critical role in the tumorigenesis and development of GI cancers. Mechanistically, the bidirectional signal transmission of the brain-gut-axis is complex and remains to be elucidated. In this article, we review the current findings concerning the relationship between the brain-gut axis and GI cancer cells, focusing on the significant role of the brain-gut axis in the processes of tumor proliferation, invasion, apoptosis, autophagy, and metastasis. It appears that the brain might modulate GI cancer by two pathways: the anatomical nerve pathway and the neuroendocrine route. The simulation and inactivation of the central nervous, sympathetic, and parasympathetic nervous systems, or changes in the innervation of the GI tract might contribute to a higher incidence of GI cancers. In addition, neurotransmitters and neurotrophic factors can produce stimulatory or inhibitory effects in the progression of GI cancers. Insights into these mechanisms may lead to the discovery of potential prognostic and therapeutic targets.

Study on anti-hyperuricemia effects and active ingredients of traditional Tibetan medicine TongFengTangSan (TFTS) by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

TongFengTangSan (TFTS), a traditional Tibetan medicine comprising of Tinospora sinensis (TS), Terminalia chebula Retz (TC) and Trogopterori faeces (TF), is used to treat joint diseases like gout, gout arthritis, swelling, pain etc. Despite the significant therapeutic effects of TFTS, its pharmacological components have not been analyzed so far. Therefore, the chemical composition of the effective part of TFTS was analyzed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS). The results show that the ethanol extract (EE) of TFTS was more effective in reducing the serum uric acid (SUA) and XOD (Serum and Liver) levels in a hyperuricemic rats model compared to the TFTS raw powder (RP). UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS identified a total of 106 compounds in the positive and negative ion mode, of which 87 were from TC, 13 from TS and 6 from TF. In addition, 106 compounds contained 57 tannins, 6 triterpenoids, 10 alkaloids, 7 flavonoids, 22 organic acids and 4 phenylpropanoids. The preliminary results indicate that the EE of TFTS includes the active anti hyperuricemic substances. The present study first investigated the efficacy and the active components of TFTS in hyperuricemic treatment, and further summarized the diagnostic ion and neutral loss patterns of MS/MS cracking of tannic compounds. These findings lay the foundation for the further study and clinical application of TFTS.

Exosomes derived from HBV-associated liver cancer promote chemoresistance by upregulating chaperone-mediated autophagy.

Liver cancer, which is the second leading cause of tumor-associated mortality, is of great concern worldwide due to its resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs. Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) has previously been used as a treatment for unresectable liver tumors in China; however, the response to TACE treatment differs between patients. It has been reported that hepatitis B virus (HBV)-as sociated tumors are less sensitive to TACE treatment compared with non-HBV-associated liver cancer. Previous studies have demonstrated that exosomes serve a crucial role in hepatic carcinoma chemoresistance. We therefore hypothesized that HBV may modulate chemosensitivity via exosomes. The aim of the present study was to investigate how exosomes affect chemoresistance by assessing their role in chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA)-dependent chemoresistance in HBV-associated liver cancer. Iconography data from HBV-positive and HBV-negative patients with hepatic carcinoma receiving TACE treatment were assessed, and it was revealed that the tumor volume was decreased in the patients with non-HBV-associated liver cancer compared with that in the patients with HBV-associated tumors following TACE therapy. Furthermore, it was revealed that exosomes from HBV-infected liver cancer cells were able to downregulate cell apoptosis when treated with oxaliplatin compared with exosomes from normal HepG2 cells. Furthermore, the results demonstrated that HBV-associated exosomes modulate cell death via activating the CMA pathway, and its key molecule, lysosome-associated membrane protein (Lamp2a), was also upregulated. Lamp2a-knockdown was also found to reverse anti-apoptotic effects in liver cancer. Taken together, the results of the present study suggest that chemoresistance in patients with HBV-associated hepatic tumors may be mediated by exosomes, and thus may provide a basis for the development of novel treatment strategies for chemoresistant liver cancer.

Evaluation of Cu in hepatocellular carcinoma by particle induced X-ray emission.

copper, zinc, iron, and other nine trace elements (TEs) in 30 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were determined from the HCC itself and the surrounding liver parenchyma (SLP) using particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE). The result showed that the level of Zn, Fe, Co, Ca, Mn, Rb, and Cl in HCC significantly differed from that in the SLP (P<0.01), while no notable change has been observed in content of Cu (P=0.9). However, in relation to tumor size, an imbalance Cu distribution was observed. The content of Cu present in small HCC (<35mm in average diameter) was greater than that in SLP (P<0.4), and when HCC progressed to large one (>35mm in average diameter), hepatic Cu was no longer accumulated. Other elements such as Zn and Fe, showed no change in concentration relative to tumor size. The significance of the critical HCC size where a change from accumulation to loss in Cu contents is seen is also discussed.

Hepatectomy combined with microwave ablation of the spleen for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma complicated with splenomegaly: A retrospective study.

The present retrospective study aimed to investigate the mid-term safety and efficacy of hepatectomy combined with microwave ablation of the partial spleen for treatment of liver cancer complicated with hypersplenism. A retrospective analysis was performed on 23 patients who underwent hepatectomy combined with microwave ablation of the partial spleen for liver cancer, complicated with hypersplenism that was secondary to cirrhosis. The splenic and ablated volumes were calculated according to a contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan prior to and 2 weeks after the operation. Complete blood count and liver function tests were examined prior to and following the surgery, and complications and changes in the blood tests were monitored for 6 months. Over this period of investigation, the splenic volume was reduced by a mean value of 34.0%. The levels of serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase were increased on the first day after the operation (P<0.05), although they recovered to the normal level within 1 week (P<0.05). The total level of bilirubin increased slightly, along with moderately decreased levels of albumin and cholinesterase on the first day, although these changes were not significant compared with the baseline (P>0.05). The white blood cell count was persistently significantly higher compared with the baseline over the course of the 6 months (P>0.05). The platelet count did not increase significantly for the first week after the operation (P>0.05); however, it was revealed to be significantly increased 1 month after the surgery (P<0.05). No significant complications were occurred during the follow-up period. In conclusion, hepatectomy combined with microwave ablation of the spleen was demonstrated to be a safe and effective procedure for patients with liver cancer and hypersplenism in the mid-term.