[Preliminary study on implementation of modified tubular gastric side-overlap anastomosis in laparoscopic proximal gastrectomy]

Objective: To investigate the feasibility and safety of implementing modified tubular gastric side-overlap anastomosis in laparoscopic proximal gastrectomy. Methods: In this retrospective, descriptive case series, we analyzed clinical data of seven patients who had undergone laparoscopic proximal gastrectomy and gastrointestinal reconstruction with modified tubular gastric side-overlap anastomosis from October 2022 to March 2023 in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University. The study patients comprised five men and two women aged 57-72 years and of body mass index 18.5-25.7 kg/m2. All seven patients had preoperative gastroscopic and pathological evidence of esophagogastric junction cancer and all were found by preoperative enhanced computed tomography and/or endoscopic ultrasonography to have stage CT1-2N0M0 tumors. The main steps in the reconstruction of a modified tubular gastric side-overlap anastomosis are as follows: (1) mobilizing the lower esophagus and opening the left pleura to expand the space; (2) severing the esophagus with a linear cutter stapler; (3) creating a 3-cm-wide tubular stomach along the greater curvature; (4) creating a 5-cm guide line on the lesser curvature of the anterior wall of the tubular stomach and a small opening below the guide line; (5) rotating the esophageal stump 90° counterclockwise and making a small opening on the right posterior wall of the esophageal stump, along with using a 45-mm linear cutter stapler for esophagogastric side-to-side anastomosis under the guidance of the gastric tube and guide line ; (6) closing the common opening using barbed sutures; (7) embedding the cut edge of the esophageal stump such as to closely oppose it to the esophagus; (8) using barbed sutures to continuously suture the lower esophagus bilaterally to the anterior wall of the tubular stomach; and (9) closing the opened esophageal hiatus and pleura. The main outcome measures were intraoperative (operation time, digestive tract reconstruction time, closing the common opening time, intraoperative blood loss, and number of dissected lymph nodes), postoperative (time to passage of flatus , time to liquid diet, time to ambulation, length of postoperative hospital stay, and postoperative complications), pathological (maximum diameter of the tumor and pathological stage) and findings on follow-up. Results: Laparoscopic proximal gastrectomy with reconstruction of a modified tubular gastric side-overlap anastomosis was successfully completed in all seven patients; no conversion to laparotomy was required and there were no postoperative complications. The operation time, digestive tract reconstruction time, and closing of common opening time were 187-229, 61-79, and 7-9 minutes, respectively. Intraoperative blood loss was 15-23 ml and the number of dissected lymph nodes was 14-46 per case. Time to passage of flatus, time to liquid diet, time to ambulation, and postoperative hospital stay were 1-2, 2-3, 3-4, and 6-7 days, respectively. Postoperative pathological examination showed that the maximum tumor diameters were 1.6-3.3 cm in four patients with stage IA disease and three patients with stage IB. The seven patients were followed up for 6-11 months, during which none required routine use of proton pump inhibitors or gastric mucosal protective agents and there were no deaths or tumor recurrence/metastasis. No patients had anemia or hypoproteinemia 3 and 6 months after surgery. Six months after surgery, NRS2002 and GERDQ scores were 1-2 and 2-3, respectively. Gastroscopy showed narrow anastomoses in 6 patients with Los Angeles grade A and one patient with grade B disease. No evidence of significant bile reflux was found and no anastomotic stenosis or reflux was detected on upper gastrointestinal angiography. Conclusion: It is safe and feasible to implement modified tubular gastric side-overlap anastomosis for digestive tract reconstruction in laparoscopic proximal gastrectomy.

Antibacterial efficacy of phenyllactic acid against Pseudomonas lundensis and Brochothrix thermosphacta and its synergistic application on modified atmosphere/air-packaged fresh pork loins

Microbial contamination is a crucial problem that is difficult to solve for the meat industry. Therefore, this study explored the antibacterial efficacy of phenyllactic acid (PLA) against Pseudomonas lundensis (PL) and Brochothrix thermosphacta (BT) solely and in combination (PL + BT). It also provided insights into its synergistic preservation effect during inoculation in chilled (4 °C) fresh pork loins under air (AP) and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP). The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of PLA was 10 mg/mL. Growth kinetics, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), zeta potential, and cell viability investigations showed that PLA treatment exhibited reduced bacterial growth, aided morphological alterations, and leakage in cell membrane integrity in vitro. Nonetheless, PLA and MAP (70 %N2/30 %CO2) showed an excellent synergistic antibacterial ability against spoilage indicators(total glucose, pH, TVB-N, and TBARS), bacterial counts than AP, without impairing organoleptic acceptability. These results demonstrate the broad antibacterial efficacy of PLA as a biopreservative for the meat industry.

The Application of Ultraviolet Treatment to Prolong the Shelf Life of Chilled Beef

This study simulated the storage conditions of chilled beef at retail or at home, and the sterilization and preservation effects of short-time ultraviolet irradiation were studied. The conditions of different irradiation distances (6 cm, 9 cm, and 12 cm) and irradiation times (6 s, 10 s, and 14 s) of ultraviolet (UV) sterilization in chilled beef were optimized, so as to maximally reduce the initial bacterial count, but not affect the quality of the chilled beef. Then, the preservation effect on the chilled beef after the optimized UV sterilization treatment during 0 ± 0.2 °C storage was investigated. The results showed that UV irradiation with parameters of 6 cm and 14 s formed the optimal UV sterilization conditions for the chilled beef, maximally reducing the number of microorganisms by 0.8 log CFU/g without affecting lipid oxidation or color change. The 6 cm and 14 s UV sterilization treatment of the chilled beef was able to reduce the initial microbial count, control the bacterial growth, and delay the increase in the TVB-N values during storage. Compared with the control group, the total bacterial count decreased by 0.56-1.51 log CFU/g and the TVB-N value decreased by 0.20-5.02 mg N/100 g in the UV-treated group. It was found that the TBARS value of the UV treatment group increased during late storage; on days 9-15 of storage, the TBARS values of the treatment group were 0.063-0.12 mg MDA/kg higher than those of the control group. However, UV treatment had no adverse impact on the pH, color, or sensory quality of chilled beef. These results prove that UV treatment can effectively reduce the microbial count on the surface of beef and improve its microbial safety, thus maintaining the quality of beef and prolonging its shelf life. This study could provide a theoretical basis for the preservation technology of chilled beef in small-space storage equipment.

[Phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of Escherichia coli causing bloodstream and abdominal co-infection]

Objective: To analyze the phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of Escherichia coli causing bloodstream and abdominal co-infection (CoECO), and provide clues for empirical antibiotics treatment. Methods: The strains of Escherichia coli isolated from blood and abdominal samples in the Department of Laboratory Medicine of the First Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital from 2010 to 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Mass spectrometer was used to identify all of the strains and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) were detected by VITEK 2 Compact. All isolates were sequenced by 2×150 bp double terminal sequencing strategy on the HiSeq X Ten sequencer (Illumina). After the genome sequence was spliced, the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis of the strain sequence was performed using kSNP3 software to clarify the homologous relationship between strains. If the strains isolated from two different parts had high homology, they were regarded as the same strain and the case was with CoECO infection. Meanwhile, the multilocus sequence type (MLST) was determined using PubMLST website and resistant genes were screened by CARD website. Results: A total of 70 cases of CoECO infection were screened, including 45 males and 25 females, and aged (59.2±16.3) years old. The 70 CoECO isolates belonged to 35 sequence types (STs). The most prevalent STs included ST38 (n=6), ST 405 (n=6), ST 1193 (n=6) and ST131 (n=5), and other ST types contained less than 5 strains. The homologous relationship among strains was relatively scattered, presenting a sporadic trend as a whole, and only a few strains had a small-scale outbreak. The CoECO isolates showed significantly resistance to ampicillin (91.4%, 64/70), ampicillin/sulbactam (74.3%, 5 2/70), ceftriaxone (72.9%, 51/70), ciprofloxacin (71.4%, 50/70) and levofloxacin (71.4%, 50/70), and high-sensitivity to piperacillin/tazobactam, carbapenems and amikacin. The most prevalent resistant gene was tet (A/B) (70%, 49/70), followed by bla_TEM (58.6%, 41/70), sul1 (55.7%, 40/70), sul2 (54.3%, 38/70), bla_CTX-M-14(25.7%, 18/70), bla_CTX-M-15(17.1%, 13/70), bla_CTX-M-55(15.7%, 11/70), bla_CTX-M-64/65(5.7%, 4/70), bla_CTX-M-27(4.3%, 3/70), mcr-1 (4.3%, 3/70), bla_NDM-5(2.9%, 2/70). Conclusions: CoECO is distributed dispersedly and has no obvious advantage clone. No genotype with obvious advantages was found. Although the strain has a high resistance rate to some antibacterial drugs, the proportion of carrying resistant genes is low, and it has a high sensitivity to some first-line antibacterial drugs.

Effect of temperature fluctuation during superchilling storage on the microstructure and quality of raw pork

The effect of different temperature fluctuations on the microstructure and quality of pork loins during superchilling storage was investigated. Based on the dynamic monitoring of ice crystal formation and melting in pork through cryomicroscope, the changes of ice crystals in pork were observed at different temperature points, and there was no obvious phase transition in pork at -3 °C for a short period of time, but the freeze-thaw cycles were obviously found in the samples of -3 ± 3 °C and -3 ± 5 °C groups. Results of microstructure observation showed that temperature fluctuations resulted in muscle fiber fracture and the decrease of water holding capacity of superchilling pork, where stronger temperature fluctuation showed more significant changes. The temperature fluctuation groups exhibited higher thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) values after 20 days of storage, and contributed to the reduction of immobilized water and the increase of free water in raw pork, and had more serious drip loss. These indicated that increased temperature fluctuation promoted lipid oxidation and drip loss of pork during storage. This study provided supports to precise temperature control in cold chain logistics of raw meat.

Effect of Different Degrees of Deep Freezing on the Quality of Snowflake Beef during Storage

In order to elucidate whether deep freezing could maintain the quality of snowflake beef, three different deep freezing temperatures (−18 °C, −40 °C, and −60 °C) were used in order to evaluate the changes in tissue structures, quality characteristics and spoilage indexes, and their comparative effects on the quality of snowflake beef. Compared to samples frozen at −18 °C, those stored at −40 °C and −60 °C took a shorter time to exceed the maximum ice crystallization zone (significantly reduced by 2–6 h). In terms of short-term storage, samples frozen at −40 °C and −60 °C had better tissue structure and lower drip loss rate than those frozen at −18 °C; significant differences between groups in drip loss were observed between −18 °C and −60 °C. Moreover, a better bright red color and lower shear force were maintained at −40 °C and −60 °C, with significant differences in shear force between the −18 °C group and the other two groups on day 60. Although there were significant effects on the inhibition of lipid and protein oxidation at −40 °C and −60 °C; no significant variation was observed between these two groups throughout storage. A similar phenomenon was found in flavor, with 1-pentanol identified as an important potential indicator of flavor change in snowflake beef during storage. This study demonstrated that −40 °C and −60 °C had favorable impacts on the quality maintenance of snowflake beef compared to −18 °C. These findings provide a theoretical basis for effective stability of snowflake beef quality during frozen storage.

TMT-Based Quantitative Proteomic Analysis of Intestinal Organoids Infected by Listeria monocytogenes Strains with Different Virulence

L. monocytogenes, consisting of 13 serotypes, is an opportunistic food-borne pathogen that causes different host reactions depending on its serotypes. In this study, highly toxic L. monocytogenes 10403s resulted in more severe infections and lower survival rates. Additionally, to investigate the remodeling of the host proteome by strains exhibiting differential toxicity, the cellular protein responses of intestinal organoids were analyzed using tandem mass tag (TMT) labeling and high-performance liquid chromatography−mass spectrometry. The virulent strain 10403s caused 102 up-regulated and 52 down-regulated proteins, while the low virulent strain M7 caused 188 up-regulated and 25 down-regulated proteins. Based on the analysis of gene ontology (GO) and KEGG databases, the expressions of differential proteins in organoids infected by L. monocytogenes 10403s (virulent strain) or M7 (low virulent strain) were involved in regulating essential processes such as the biological metabolism, the energy metabolism, and immune system processes. The results showed that the immune system process, as the primary host defense response to L. monocytogenes, comprised five pathways, including ECM−receptor interaction, the complement and coagulation cascades, HIF-1, ferroptosis, and NOD-like receptor signaling pathways. As for the L. monocytogenes 10403s vs. M7 group, the expression of differential proteins was involved in two pathways: systemic lupus erythematosus and transcriptional mis-regulation in cancer. All in all, these results revealed that L. monocytogenes strains with different toxicity induced similar biological functions and immune responses while having different regulations on differential proteins in the pathway.

Expansion of Intestinal Secretory Cell Population Induced by Listeria monocytogenes Infection: Accompanied With the Inhibition of NOTCH Pathway

Listeria monocytogenes, as a model organism, is a causative agent of enteric pathogen that causes systemic infection. However, the interaction of L. monocytogenes and small intestinal epithelium has not been fully elucidated yet. In this study, mice and intestinal organoids were chosen as the models to investigate the influence of L. monocytogenes infection on the intestinal secretory cells and its differentiation-related pathways. Results confirmed the phenomenon of intestinal damage that L. monocytogenes infection could lead to villi damage in mice, which was accompanied by the increase of TNF-α production in jejunum as well as lipopolysaccharide (LPS) secretion in serum. Moreover, it was demonstrated that L. monocytogenes infection increased the number of goblet and Paneth cells in mice and intestinal organoids and upregulated the expression of Muc2 and Lyz. Furthermore, L. monocytogenes decreased the relative expression of Notch pathway-related genes (Jag1, Dll4, Notch1, and Hes1) while upregulating the relative expression of Math1 gene in mice and intestinal organoids. This indicated that L. monocytogenes infection caused the inhibition of Notch pathway, which may be the reason for the increased number of goblet and Paneth cells in the intestine. Collectively, these results are expected to provide more information on the mechanism of L. monocytogenes infection in the intestine.

Involvement of CCN1 Protein and TLR2/4 Signaling Pathways in Intestinal Epithelial Cells Response to Listeria monocytogenes

CCN1 is well studied in terms of its functions in injury repair, cell adhesion survival and apoptosis, bacterial clearance and mediation of inflammation-related pathways, such as the TLR2/4 pathways. However, the role of CCN1 protein and its interaction with TLR2/4 pathways in intestinal epithelial cells was not elucidated after Listeria monocytogenes infection. The results of this study confirm that L. monocytogenes infection induced intestinal inflammation and increased the protein expression of CCN1, TLR2, TLR4 and p38, which followed a similar tendency in the expression of genes related to the TLR2/4 pathways. In addition, organoids infected by L. monocytogenes showed a significant increase in the expression of CCN1 and the activation of TLR2/4 pathways. Furthermore, pre-treatment with CCN1 protein to organoids infected by L. monocytogenes could increase the related genes of TLR2/4 pathways and up-regulate the expression of TNF, and increase the count of pathogens in organoids, which indicates that the interaction between the CCN1 protein and TLR2/4 signaling pathways in intestinal epithelial cells occurred after L. monocytogenes infection. This study will provide a novel insight of the role of CCN1 protein after L. monocytogenes infection in the intestine.

Genome-wide analysis of mitochondrial DNA copy number reveals loci implicated in nucleotide metabolism, platelet activation, and megakaryocyte proliferation

Mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNA-CN) measured from blood specimens is a minimally invasive marker of mitochondrial function that exhibits both inter-individual and intercellular variation. To identify genes involved in regulating mitochondrial function, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in 465,809 White individuals from the Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE) consortium and the UK Biobank (UKB). We identified 133 SNPs with statistically significant, independent effects associated with mtDNA-CN across 100 loci. A combination of fine-mapping, variant annotation, and co-localization analyses was used to prioritize genes within each of the 133 independent sites. Putative causal genes were enriched for known mitochondrial DNA depletion syndromes (p = 3.09 × 10-15) and the gene ontology (GO) terms for mtDNA metabolism (p = 1.43 × 10-8) and mtDNA replication (p = 1.2 × 10-7). A clustering approach leveraged pleiotropy between mtDNA-CN associated SNPs and 41 mtDNA-CN associated phenotypes to identify functional domains, revealing three distinct groups, including platelet activation, megakaryocyte proliferation, and mtDNA metabolism. Finally, using mitochondrial SNPs, we establish causal relationships between mitochondrial function and a variety of blood cell-related traits, kidney function, liver function and overall (p = 0.044) and non-cancer mortality (p = 6.56 × 10-4).

Investigation of the effect of pork compositions on freezing points in different pork cuts by measuring thermal properties and water mobility and distribution

This work was to compare the difference of freezing point in the four pork cuts (chuck roll, picnic shoulder, loin, and topside) and evaluate the effect of pork compositions on the freezing points. Loin exhibited lower freezing points and accompanied by higher content of unfreezable water, lower relaxation times, and higher proportions of bound water, compared with other pork cuts. Low freezing points of pork may be attributed to high sarcoplasmic protein solubility, due to high sarcoplasmic protein solubility related to increase of bound water proportion and decrease of NMR T₂ relaxometry. In addition, correlation analysis revealed that sarcoplasmic protein solubility and ash content were negatively related to the freezing point, which was verified by a quadratic polynomial correlation between the sarcoplasmic protein solubility and the freezing point in vitro. These results could help to better understand the freezing point of pork and provide more theories for improving superchilled storage.

Genetically predicted circulating levels of copper and zinc are associated with osteoarthritis but not with rheumatoid arthritis

OBJECTIVE

Osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are both debilitating diseases that cause significant morbidity and disability globally. This study aims to investigate the causal effects of varying blood levels of five minerals -- iron, zinc, copper, calcium, and magnesium, on OA and RA.

DESIGN

We performed two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses to assess the associations of five circulating minerals with OA and RA. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) serving as genetic instruments for the circulating mineral levels were selected from large genome-wide association studies of European-descent individuals. The associations of these SNPs with OA and RA were evaluated in UK Biobank participants. Multiple sensitivity analyses were applied to detect and correct for the presence of pleiotropy.

RESULTS

Genetically determined copper and zinc status were associated with OA, but not with RA. Per standard deviation (SD) increment in copper increases the risk of OA (OR = 1.07, 95% CI: 1.02-1.13) and one of its subtypes, localized OA (OR = 1.08, 95% CI: 1.03-1.15). Per SD increment in zinc is positively associated with risks of OA (OR = 1.07, 95% CI: 1.01-1.13), generalized OA (OR = 1.18, 95% CI: 1.05-1.31), and unspecified OA (OR = 1.21, 95% CI: 1.11-1.31). Additionally, per SD increment in calcium decreases the risk of localized OA (OR = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.69-0.98).

CONCLUSIONS

Genetically high zinc and copper status were positively associated with OA, but not with RA. Given the modifiable nature of circulating mineral status, these findings warrant further investigation for OA prevention strategies.

Effects of gellan gum and inulin on mixed-gel properties and molecular structure of gelatin

Gellan gum (GG) is often added to gelatin (GL) to improve the gel property. GG-based or inulin (IL)-based hydrogels were developed. Rigid and brittle gels or smooth and delicate gels were prepared with GG and IL, respectively. This study aimed to explore the properties and interaction mechanisms of the mixed-gel system containing GL, GG, and IL, in which different ratios of GG-IL (0.4%) (10:0, 8:2, 6:4, 5:5, 4:6, 2:8, and 0:10) were added to GL (6%). Texture profiles, rheological properties, water mobility, intermolecular forces, circular dichroism (CD) spectra, and microstructures were analyzed. The results showed that addition of GG-IL could improve the hardness, chewiness, and cohesiveness of mixed-gel, besides maintaining appropriate springiness. Water mobility of the mixed-gel decreased while viscoelasticity increased upon the addition GG. At GG:IL = 2:8, the melting temperature of mixed-gel was far higher than that of GL gel itself. The GL-GG-IL gel showed decrease in nonspecific bonding and increase in hydrogen bonding compared with the GL gel. CD spectra indicated the promotion of GL unfolding by GG, hence suggesting the binding of GG to GL; binding ability was better at GG:IL >5:5. Cryo-SEM provided evidence for the formation of cross-linked network within GL-GG-IL. Overall, we concluded that addition of GG-IL to GL system would be most suitable for improving the properties of mixed-gel. This finding may be potentially applicable in the further development of gel food products, such as meat jellies and gummy jellies.

Effect of Listeria monocytogenes on intestinal stem cells in the co-culture model of small intestinal organoids

Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen that causes systemic infections by crossing the intestinal barrier. However, in vitro analysis of the interaction of L. monocytogenes and small intestinal epithelium has yet to be fully elucidated. To study host responses from intestinal epithelium during L. monocytogenes infection, we used the co-culture model of small intestinal organoids and L. monocytogenes. Results showed that L. monocytogenes mediated damage to intestinal epithelium, especially intestinal stem cells. L. monocytogenes was found to reduce budding rate and increase mortality of organoids. Moreover, it affected the proliferation of epithelial cells and numbers of secretory cells. In addition, it was demonstrated that L. monocytogenes stimulated a reduction in the number of Lgr5+ stem cells. Furthermore, L. monocytogenes affected the expression of Hes1, Math1 and Sox9 to interfere with the differentiation of intestinal stem cells. Collectively, our findings reveal the effects of L. monocytogenes infection on intestinal stem cells and demonstrate that small intestinal organoid is a suitable experimental model for studying intestinal epithelium-pathogen interactions.

Cellular viability and death biomarkers enables the evaluation of ocular irritation using the bovine corneal opacity and permeability assay

The BCOP assay is used in the identification of chemicals that cause no ocular irritation or serious damage. However, this method has not been found to adequately discriminate between mild from moderate ocular irritation (category 2A/2B), based upon the animal data. In this study, we aimed to establish methods for discerning ocular irritation by chemicals. We used the BCOP assay and the fluorescence staining methods based on biomarkers for cellular viability and death. The potential for ocular irritation by 12 chemicals from different UN GHS categories was assessed by the BCOP assay. Cryosections of bovine corneas were obtained. The necrotic nucleus was TUNEL labeled, cytoplasmic f-actin was stained by phalloidin while the nucleus was stained by DAPI. The depth of injury (DOI) was then measured. According to BCOP assay, in vivo data of Draize eye test and DOI, the results showed that category NC irritants caused ≤ 10 % epithelial DOI, irritants of category 2B caused >10 % epithelial DOI and showed no stromal damage, while category 2A showed damage to the stroma. Based on these results, the GHS prediction model could distinguish between GHS 2A and 2B. Authenticating the viability of BCOP by DOI measurements can provide a more reliable basis for classifying ocular irritants.

The effects of thermal treatment on the bacterial community and quality characteristics of meatballs during storage

Thermal treatment is a widely applied food processing technology in the meat industry due to its convenience. However, the interpretation of the changes in the bacterial community and quality properties in the thermal processed meat products have not been well established. Therefore, the effects of thermal treatment on the quality characteristics and bacterial communities in meatballs during storage at 4°C were investigated, which will provide a more comprehensive understanding of the influence of thermal treatment on the meat quality. Thermal treatment (121°C, 15 min) decreased the initial total viable bacterial counts by 2.1 log CFU/g and the diversity of the initial bacterial communities in meatballs. Compared with the thermal treatment group, a significantly more rapidly increasing trend of total volatile basic nitrogen and a decreasing trend of pH were observed in the control group. At the end of storage, the bacterial community was dominated by Streptococcus, Acinetobacter and Pseudomonas in the thermal treatment meatballs, whereas Pseudomonas, Pantoea, and Serratia. dominated the bacterial community of the control group. Besides, the predicted metabolic pathways revealed high levels of carbohydrate, amino acid, and lipid metabolism in the control group. This finding could contribute to a deep understanding of the influence of thermal treatment on the meat quality. Moreover, these results could provide a theoretical foundation for the development of alternative and novel nonthermal processing technologies for use in the meat industry.

Ultra-low-dose CT reconstructed with ASiR-V using SmartmA for pulmonary nodule detection and Lung-RADS classifications compared with low-dose CT

AIM

To evaluate the accuracy of ultra-low-dose computed tomography (ULDCT) with ASiR-V using a noise index (SmartmA) for pulmonary nodule detection and Lung CT Screening Reporting And Data System (Lung-RADS) classifications compared with low-dose CT (LDCT).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Two-hundred and ten patients referred for lung cancer screening underwent conventional chest LDCT (0.80 ± 0.28 mSv) followed immediately by ULDCT (0.16 ± 0.03 mSv). ULDCT was scanned using 120 kV/SmartmA with a noise index of 28 HU and reconstructed with ASiR-V70%. The types and diameters of all nodules were recorded. The attenuation of pure ground-glass nodules (pGGNs) was measured on LDCT. All nodules were further classified using Lung-RADS. Sensitivities of nodule detection on ULDCT were analysed using LDCT as the reference standard. Logistic regression was used to establish a prediction model for the sensitivity of nodules.

RESULTS

LDCT revealed 362 nodules and the overall sensitivity on ULDCT was 90.1%. The sensitivity for solid nodules (SNs) of ≥1 mm diameter was 96.6% (228/236) and 100% (26/26) for SNs of ≥6 mm diameter. For pGGNs of ≥6 mm, the overall sensitivity was 93% (40/43) and 100% (29/29) for nodules with a attenuation value -700 HU or more. The agreement of Lung-RADS classification between two scans was good. On logistic regression, diameter was the only independent predictor for sensitivity of SNs (p<0.05). Diameter and attenuation value were predictors for pGGNs (p<0.05).

CONCLUSION

ULDCT with ASiR-V using SmartmA is suitable for lung-cancer screening in people with a BMI ≤35 kg/m² as it has a low radiation dose of 0.16 mSv, high sensitivity for nodule detection and good performance of Lung-RADS classifications.

Principal component analysis of MALDI-TOF MS of whole-cell foodborne pathogenic bacteria

The rapid and accurate identification of foodborne pathogenic bacteria is of great importance for human health. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) can be used to rapidly and sensitively identify microorganisms but is limited by the expensive protein databases available. In this study, we established a whole-cell method for the identification of foodborne pathogenic bacteria, using MALDI-TOF MS and principal component analysis (PCA), which did not use protein extractions or expensive protein databases. Thirty strains comprising six common foodborne pathogenic bacteria, namely, Shigella flexneri, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enteritidis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Listeria monocytogenes were analyzed using MALDI-TOF MS. The culture time, matrix, and spotting method were optimized based on peak intensity and deviation. A PCA was performed to analyze the mass spectrometry results of six samples and proved capable of identifying significant changes in those samples. It was found that directly applying MALDI-TOF MS analysis to whole-cell bacteria, without protein extraction, exhibited rich peak contents and a high level of reproducibility. MALDI-TOF MS combined with PCA is a promising method of rapidly identifying pathogens in food products.

[Effect of pretreatment serum LDH and ALP levels on the prognosis of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma]

Objective:To investigate the effects of serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels on the prognosis of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) before treatment.Method:Three hundred and thirty nine NPC cases, who were firstly treated in our hospital from April 2006 to October 2008, were enrolled in our study. Association of overall survival (OS) rate and disease-free survival (DFS) rate with clinical characteristics (age, gender, Tclassification, Nclassification, clinicalstage, radio therapy methods, radio therapy dose, the levels of pretreatment serum LDH) were evaluated using univariate and multivariate analysis methods.Result:Univariate analysis showed that age, clinical stage, pretreatment LDH level were significantly associated with OS and DFS of NPC. And multivariate analysis revealed that age, clinical stage and pretreatment LDH level were independent factors for OS and DFS.Conclusion:Age, clinical stage and the levels of pretreatment LDH level may be independent prognostic factorsto predict recurrence and death of NPC.

Near-Term Decrease in Brain Volume following Mild Traumatic Injury Is Detectible in the Context of Preinjury Volumetric Stability: Neurobiologic Insights from Analysis of Historical Imaging Examinations

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Neurodegeneration after mild traumatic brain injury may manifest as decreasing regional brain volume that evolves from months to years following mild traumatic brain injury and is associated with worse clinical outcomes. We hypothesized that quantitative brain volume derived from CT of the head, performed for clinical indications during routine care, would change with time and provide insights into the putative neuroinflammatory response to mild traumatic brain injury.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We searched the electronic medical record of our institution for NCCTs of the head performed in patients with mild traumatic brain injury and included those who also underwent NCCTs of the head 1 month to 1 year before and after mild traumatic brain injury for an indication unrelated to trauma. Controls underwent 3 sequential NCCTs of the head with indications unrelated to trauma. The whole-brain and intracranial volume groups were computed using ITK-SNAP. Brain volumes normalized to intracranial volumes were compared across time points using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test.

RESULTS

We identified 48 patients from 2005 to 2015 who underwent NCCTs of the head in the emergency department for mild traumatic brain injury and had NCCTs of the head performed both before and after mild traumatic brain injury. Median normalized brain volumes significantly decreased on the follow-up study post-mild traumatic brain injury (0.86 versus 0.84, P < .001) and were similar compared with pre-mild traumatic brain injury studies (0.87 versus 0.86, P = .927). There was no significant difference between normalized brain volumes in the 48 controls.

CONCLUSIONS

A decrease in brain volume following mild traumatic brain injury is detectable on CT and is not seen in similar patients with non-mild traumatic brain injury during a similar timeframe. Given the stability of brain volume before mild traumatic brain injury, CT volume loss may represent the subtle effects of neurodegeneration.

Autism-associated Dyrk1a truncation mutants impair neuronal dendritic and spine growth and interfere with postnatal cortical development

Autism is a prevailing neurodevelopmental disorder with a large genetic/genomic component. Recently, the dual-specificity tyrosine-(Y)-phosphorylation-regulated kinase 1 A (DYRK1A) gene was implicated as a risk factor for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We identified five DYRK1A variants in ASD patients and found that the dose of DYRK1A protein has a crucial role in various aspects of postnatal neural development. Dyrk1a loss of function and gain of function led to defects in dendritic growth, dendritic spine development and radial migration during cortical development. Importantly, two autism-associated truncations, R205X and E239X, were shown to be Dyrk1a loss-of-function mutants. Studies of the truncated Dyrk1a mutants may provide new insights into the role of Dyrk1a in brain development, as well as the role of Dyrk1a loss of function in the pathophysiology of autism.

Outcomes of Pharmacomechanical Catheter-directed Thrombolysis for Acute and Subacute Inferior Vena Cava Thrombosis: A Retrospective Evaluation in a Single Institution

OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND

The objective was to assess the mid-term results of pharmacomechanical catheter-directed thrombolysis (PCDT) for symptomatic acute and subacute inferior vena cava (IVC) thrombosis; the risk factors of early thrombosis recurrence and iliocaval patency were also evaluated.

METHODS

From January 2010 to December 2015, 54 patients (33 men; mean age 47.1 years) with symptomatic acute and subacute IVC thrombosis were treated with PCDT. Primary technical success (clot lysis ≥ 50% after PCDT), stent-assisted technical success (residual stenosis < 30% after stenting), clinical success (freedom from thrombosis recurrence within 30 days), complications, frequency of post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS; Villalta score ≥ 5), and iliocaval patency were recorded at follow-up evaluation. A multivariate regression model was used to determine predictors of early thrombosis reoccurrence and iliocaval patency.

RESULTS

The primary technical success and the stent-assisted technical success were 63% (n = 34/54) and 100% (n = 54/54) respectively. There were 11 patients (20%) with immediate recurrent thrombosis requiring repeat PCDT. Minor bleeding complications occurred in seven patients, and one patient with major bleeding needed a blood transfusion. The occurrence of PTS at a mean of 26 months (range 1-60 months) was 13% (7/54). The 3-year primary and secondary iliocaval patency was 63% and 81%, respectively. On multivariate analysis, active malignancy was predictive of immediate IVC thrombosis recurrence (hazard ratio [HR] 5.8, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.7-19.8; p = .01), whereas the pre-existing filter played a protective role against iliocaval re-occlusion (HR 0.3, 95% CI 0.1-0.8; p = .01).

CONCLUSIONS

PCDT is safe and effective in managing symptomatic acute and subacute IVC thrombosis. Active malignancy is predictor of thrombosis re-occurrence, whereas the presence of a filter is associated with a higher rate of iliocaval patency at mid-term follow-up.

Beef, Chicken, and Soy Proteins in Diets Induce Different Gut Microbiota and Metabolites in Rats

Previous studies have paid much attention to the associations between high intake of meat and host health. Our previous study showed that the intake of meat proteins can maintain a more balanced composition of gut bacteria as compared to soy protein diet. However, the associations between dietary protein source, gut bacteria, and host health were still unclear. In this study, we collected colonic contents from the growing rats fed with casein, beef, chicken or soy proteins for 90 days, and analyzed the compositions of gut microbiota and metabolites. Compared to the casein group (control), the chicken protein group showed the highest relative abundance of Lactobacillus and the highest levels of organic acids, including lactate, which can in turn promote the growth of Lactobacillus. The soy protein group had the highest relative abundance of Ruminococcus but the lowest relative abundance of Lactobacillus. Long-term intake of soy protein led to the up-regulation of transcription factor CD14 receptor and lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP) in liver, an indicator for elevated bacterial endotoxins. In addition, the intake of soy protein also increased the levels of glutathione S-transferases in liver, which implicates elevated defense and stress responses. These results confirmed that meat protein intake may maintain a more balanced composition of gut bacteria and reduce the antigen load and inflammatory response from gut bacteria to the host.

Mathematical modelling of growth of Listeria monocytogenes in raw chilled pork

The aim of this study was to analyse the growth kinetics of Listeria monocytogenes in naturally contaminated chilled pork. A cocktail of 26 meat-borne L. monocytogenes was inoculated to raw or sterile chilled pork to observe its growth at 4, 10, 16, 22 and 28°C respectively. The growth data were fitted by the Baranyi model and Ratkowsky square-root model. Results showed that the Baranyi model and Ratkowsky square-root model could describe the growth characteristics of L. monocytogenes at different temperatures reasonably well in raw chilled pork (1·0 ≤ Bf ≤ Af ≤ 1·1). Compared with the growth of L. monocytogenes in sterile chilled pork, the background microflora had no impact on the growth parameters of L. monocytogenes, except for the lag phase at low temperature storage. The microbial predictive models developed in this study can be used to predict the growth of L. monocytogenes during natural spoilage, and construct quantitative risk assessments in chilled pork.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

This study simulated the actual growth of Listeria monocytogenes in chilled pork to the maximum extent, and described its growth characteristics of L. monocytogenes during natural spoilage. This study showed that the background microflora had no impact on the growth parameters of L. monocytogenes, except for the lag phase at low temperature storage. The models developed in this study can be used to predict the growth of L. monocytogenes during refrigerated storage.

Microbial analysis of MAP pot-stewed duck wings under different conditions during 15 °C storage

This study was to investigate the changes of microbial community and counts of MAP pot-stewed duck wing (PSDW) under different packaging films and spices ratio during 15 °C storage, using the traditional bacterial cultivation and PCR-DGGE. Results of microbial counting showed that the shelf-life of PDSW during 15 °C storage for recommendation was within six days, and the packaging films and spices ratio didn't affect the change of microbial numbers in PSDW during storage. PCR-DGGE analysis revealed that Staphylococcus equorum, Weissella sp., Leuconostoc mesenteroides became the dominating bacteria of PSDW at the end of storage, and high barrier cover film, general barrier base film and spice ratio 1:1, had a better inhibition effect on bacteria in PSDW products, which could be used as the condition for PSDW storage. This study will help PSDW processing enterprises visualize the biodiversity of PSDW during storage, and choose the best condition for the subsequent processing.

High-Salt Diet Has a Certain Impact on Protein Digestion and Gut Microbiota: A Sequencing and Proteome Combined Study

High-salt diet has been considered to cause health problems, but it is still less known how high-salt diet affects gut microbiota, protein digestion, and passage in the digestive tract. In this study, C57BL/6J mice were fed low- or high-salt diets (0.25 vs. 3.15% NaCl) for 8 weeks, and then gut contents and feces were collected. Fecal microbiota was identified by sequencing the V4 region of 16S ribosomal RNA gene. Proteins and digested products of duodenal, jejunal, cecal, and colonic contents were identified by LC-MS-MS. The results indicated that the high-salt diet increased Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio, the abundances of genera Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcus (P < 0.05), but decreased the abundance of Lactobacillus (P < 0.05). LC-MS-MS revealed a dynamic change of proteins from the diet, host, and gut microbiota alongside the digestive tract. For dietary proteins, high-salt diet seemed not influence its protein digestion and absorption. For host proteins, 20 proteins of lower abundance were identified in the high-salt diet group in duodenal contents, which were involved in digestive enzymes and pancreatic secretion. However, no significant differentially expressed proteins were detected in jejunal, cecal, and colonic contents. For bacterial proteins, proteins secreted by gut microbiota were involved in energy metabolism, sodium transport, and protein folding. Five proteins (cytidylate kinase, trigger factor, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, transporter, and undecaprenyl-diphosphatase) had a higher abundance in the high-salt diet group than those in the low-salt group, while two proteins (acetylglutamate kinase and PBSX phage manganese-containing catalase) were over-expressed in the low-salt diet group than in the high-salt group. Consequently, high-salt diet may alter the composition of gut microbiota and has a certain impact on protein digestion.

Apocynin Attenuates Cerebral Infarction after Transient Focal Ischaemia in Rats

This study investigated whether inhibition of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase attenuates cerebral infarction after transient focal ischaemia in rats. Focal ischaemia (1.5 h) was produced in male Sprague-Dawley rats (250 − 280 g) by middle cerebral artery occlusion. Some rats also received treatment with 50 mg/kg apocynin, a NADPH oxidase inhibitor, by intraperitoneal injection 30 min prior to reperfusion. Two hours after reperfusion, brains were harvested to measure NADPH oxidase activity and superoxide levels. After 24 h, the remaining brains were harvested to investigate infarct size. NADPH oxidase activity and superoxide level were all augmented 2 h after reperfusion compared with controls. Apocynin treatment significantly reduced NADPH oxidase activity and superoxide levels. Cerebral infarct size was significantly smaller in the apocynin-treated group compared with those undergoing ischaemia/reperfusion alone. These results indicate that inhibition of NADPH oxidase attenuates cerebral infarction after transient focal ischaemia in rats, suggesting that inhibition of NADPH oxidase may provide a therapeutic strategy for ischaemic stroke.

Detecting dispersed duplications in high-throughput sequencing data using a database-free approach

MOTIVATION

Dispersed duplications (DDs) such as transposon element insertions and copy number variations are ubiquitous in the human genome. They have attracted the interest of biologists as well as medical researchers due to their role in both evolution and disease. The efforts of discovering DDs in high-throughput sequencing data are currently dominated by database-oriented approaches that require pre-existing knowledge of the DD elements to be detected.

RESULTS

We present DD_DETECTION, a database-free approach to finding DD events in high-throughput sequencing data. DD_DETECTION is able to detect DDs purely from paired-end read alignments. We show in a comparative study that this method is able to compete with database-oriented approaches in recovering validated transposon insertion events. We also experimentally validate the predictions of DD_DETECTION on a human DNA sample, showing that it can find not only duplicated elements present in common databases but also DDs of novel type.

AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION

The software presented in this article is open source and available from https://bitbucket.org/mkroon/dd_detection.

Microbial changes in vacuum-packed chilled pork during storage

Microbial composition in vacuum-packed chilled pork was investigated. The number of microbial counts increased during the period of 21 day storage with the deterioration of meat. A total of 28,216 bacterial sequences were obtained for the assessment of microbial diversity from vacuum packed pork during chilled storage. More than 200 bacterial genera belonging to eighteen phyla were observed, and most of them are likely to be associated with contamination via fecal, air and/or water during slaughtering and subsequent meat handling. Microbial populations changed greatly during storage, of which the seventh day was a critical time point for microbial diversity. Micrococcaceae, Flavobacteriaceae, Enterobacteriaceae, Lactobacillaceae and Carnobacteriaceae were the major components that may be associated with the spoilage of meat. Although the potential impact of detected microbes on meat hygiene and/or safety is unknown, effective decontamination of the whole chain is always important for meat industry to guarantee meat safety and to improve shelf-life of fresh meat.