High-entropy oxides: an emerging anode material for lithium-ion batteries

High entropy oxides (HEOs) have gained significant attention in multiple research fields, particularly in reversible energy storage. HEOs with rock-salt and spinel structures have shown excellent reversible capacity and longer cycle spans compared to traditional conversion-type anodes. However, research on HEOs and their electrochemical performance remains at an early stage. In this highlight, we review recent progress on HEO materials in the field of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Firstly, we introduce the synthesis methods of HEOs and some factors that affect the morphology and electrochemical properties of the synthesized materials. We then elaborate on the structural evolution of HEOs with rock-salt and spinel structures in lithium energy storage and summarize the relationship between morphology, pseudocapacitance effect, oxygen vacancy, and electrochemical performance. In the end, we give the challenges of HEO anodes for LIBs and present our opinions on how to guide the further development of HEOs for advanced anodes.

Two-dimensional shear wave elastography utilized in patients with ascites: a more reliable method than transient elastography for noninvasively detecting the liver stiffness-an original study with 170 patients

Background

Two dimensional shear wave elastography (2D-SWE) is an ultrasound elastography technique based on shear waves implemented on a diagnostic ultrasound system. Transient elastography (TE) uses an ultrasound displacement M-mode and A-mode image produced by the system. So, TE mechanically induced impulse at tissue surface and difficultly across water. This paper compared the reliability and reproducibility of 2D-SWE with that of TE in patients with chronic hepatic disease. Comparisons were made in terms of the success rate, reliability, reproducibility, operation time, and influence of operator experience.

Methods

A total of 170 patients were included in this study. Participants underwent 2D-SWE and TE performed by 2 different operators (a novice and veteran) on the same day. Nonparametric statistical tests were used to compare the technical success rate and reliable measurement rate, and inter-operator reproducibility was evaluated using intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs).

Results

The 2D-SWE technique showed a higher technical success rate than TE. Either 2D-SWE or TE can be utilized in patients with ascites lamella of less than 10 mm or ascites lamella plus skin-capsular distance of less than 25 mm. However, although the reliability rate of liver stiffness measurement with 2D-SWE did not significantly differ between the novice and veteran operators, for TE, there was a significant difference when body mass index (BMI) ≤25 kg/m². When performed by the novice and veteran operators, 2D-SWE and TE both showed excellent inter-operator agreement, with ICCs of 0.968 and 0.973, respectively. Both 2D-SWE and TE displayed reliable measurement and excellent reproducibility in patients with chronic liver disease, were minimally influenced by operator experience.

Conclusions

2D-SWE may be a more reliable method for clinical application in noninvasive detecting the liver stiffness.

An immune, stroma, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition-related signature for predicting recurrence and chemotherapy benefit in stage II-III colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND

Debates exist on the treatment decision of the stage II/III colorectal cancer (CRC) due to the insufficiency of the current TNM stage-based risk stratification system. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and tumor microenvironment (TME) have both been linked to CRC progression in recent studies. We propose to improve the prognosis prediction of CRC by integrating TME and EMT.

METHODS

In total, 2382 CRC patients from seven datasets and one in-house cohort were collected, and 1640 stage II/III CRC patients with complete survival information and gene expression profiles were retained and divided into a training cohort and three independent validation cohorts. Integrated analysis of 398 immune, stroma, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (ISE)-related genes identified an ISE signature independently associated with the recurrence of CRC. The underlying biological mechanism of the ISE signature and its influence on adjuvant chemotherapy was further explored.

RESULTS

We constructed a 26-gene signature which was significantly associated with poor outcome in Training cohort (p < 0.001, HR [95%CI] = 4.42 [3.25-6.01]) and three independent validation cohorts (Validation cohort-1: p < 0.01, HR [95%CI] = 1.70 [1.15-2.51]; Validation cohort-2: p < 0.001, HR [95% CI] = 2.30 [1.67-3.16]; Validation cohort-3: p < 0.01, HR [95% CI] = 2.42 [1.25-4.70]). After adjusting for known clinicopathological factors, multivariate cox analysis confirmed the ISE signature's independent prognostic value. Subgroup analysis found that stage III patients with low ISE score might benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy (p < 0.001, HR [95%CI] = 0.15 [0.04-0.55]). Hypergeometric test and enrichment analysis revealed that low-risk group was enriched in thr immune pathway while high-risk group was associated with the EMT pathway and CMS4 subtype.

CONCLUSION

We proposed an ISE signature for robustly predicting the recurrence of stage II/III CRC and help treatment decision by identifying patients who will not benefit from current standard treatment.

Predicting prognosis and immunotherapy response among colorectal cancer patients based on a tumor immune microenvironment-related lncRNA signature

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) remodel the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) by regulating the functions of tumor-infiltrating immune cells. It remains uncertain the way that TIME-related lncRNAs (TRLs) influence the prognosis and immunotherapy response of colorectal cancer (CRC). Aiming at providing survival and immunotherapy response predictions, a CRC TIME-related lncRNA signature (TRLs signature) was developed and the related potential regulatory mechanisms were explored with a comprehensive analysis on gene expression profiles from 97 immune cell lines, 61 CRC cell lines and 1807 CRC patients. Stratifying CRC patients with the TRLs signature, prolonged survival was observed in the low-risk group, while the patients in the high-risk group had significantly higher pro-tumor immune cells infiltration and higher immunotherapy response rate. Through the complex TRLs-mRNA regulation network, immunoregulation pathways and immunotherapy response pathways were found to be differently activated between the groups. In conclusion, the CRC TRLs signature is capable of making prognosis and immunotherapy response predictions, which may find application in stratifying patients for immunotherapy in the bedside.

A Transcription Factor Signature Can Identify the CMS4 Subtype and Stratify the Prognostic Risk of Colorectal Cancer

Background

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a heterogeneous disease, and current classification systems are insufficient for stratifying patients with different risks. This study aims to develop a generalized, individualized prognostic consensus molecular subtype (CMS)-transcription factors (TFs)-based signature that can predict the prognosis of CRC.

Methods

We obtained differentially expressed TF signature and target genes between the CMS4 and other CMS subtypes of CRC from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. A multi-dimensional network inference integrative analysis was conducted to identify the master genes and establish a CMS4-TFs-based signature. For validation, an in-house clinical cohort (n = 351) and another independent public CRC cohort (n = 565) were applied. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and prediction of immune cell infiltration were performed to interpret the biological significance of the model.

Results

A CMS4-TFs-based signature termed TF-9 that includes nine TF master genes was developed. Patients in the TF-9 high-risk group have significantly worse survival, regardless of clinical characteristics. The TF-9 achieved the highest mean C-index (0.65) compared to all other signatures reported (0.51 to 0.57). Immune infiltration revealed that the microenvironment in the high-risk group was highly immune suppressed, as evidenced by the overexpression of TIM3, CD39, and CD40, suggesting that high-risk patients may not directly benefit from the immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Conclusions

The TF-9 signature allows a more precise categorization of patients with relevant clinical and biological implications, which may be a valuable tool for improving the tailoring of therapeutic interventions in CRC patients.

A tumor immune microenvironment-related lncRNA signature for the prognosis and immunotherapeutic sensitivity prediction in colorectal cancer

3543

Background: As important molecules in the CRC tumor microenvironment (TME), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) regulate the functions of tumor infiltrating immune cells and sculpt the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME), resulting in difference in survival and response to immunotherapy among CRC patients. However, challenges remain in selecting TIME related lncRNAs (TIME-lncRNAs) of prognosis value and stratifying CRC patients for immunotherapy. Here, the aim of our study was to develop a CRC TIME-lncRNAs signature to provide survival and immunotherapy response predictions. Methods: Gene expression profiles and clinical information of CRC cases (n = 1807) were collected from 7 datasets and divided into training cohort (n = 519) and two testing cohorts (n = 595 and 693, respectively). Utilizing gene expression data of 97 immune cell lines and 61 CRC cell lines, differential expression analysis was used to identify TIME-lncRNAs. Univariate Cox regression and LASSO regression analysis were used to establish a TIME-lncRNAs signature to predict the prognosis of CRC patients. To further investigate the model, multivariate Cox regression, lncRNA-mRNA regulation analysis, gene enrichment analysis and immune infiltration analysis were carried out. The immunotherapy response predicting ability of the model was verified with an independent immunotherapy dataset. Results: Integrating the expression profiles of 10 TIME-lncRNAs, the model stratified CRC patients into low and high-score groups. Patients of the low score group had significantly prolonged survival in both training (hazard ratio (HR) = 2.63, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.9-3.63, P < 0.001) and testing cohorts (testing cohort 1: HR = 1.6, 95% CI = 1.19-2.16, P = 0.002; testing cohort 2: HR = 1.64, 95% CI = 1.19-2.26, P = 0.002), while higher tumor purity and less pro-tumor immune cells infiltration were also observed in the low score group. Further investigation showed that both genes differentially expressed between different groups and mRNAs regulated by 10 lncRNAs of the signature were enriched in immune-related and immunotherapy-related pathways. Multivariate Cox regression indicated that the TIME-lncRNAs signature was an independent prognosis factor. Validated with external immunotherapy dataset, the signature provided distinct predictions for patients’ responses to PD-L1 inhibitor therapy, suggesting cases of high score group could benefit more from immunotherapy. Conclusions: Based on the expression of 10 lncRNAs in the TIME, the signature makes predictions for patients’ survival and immunotherapy responses, which could help in stratifying CRC patients for immunotherapy at the bedside.

Multi-Size Deep Learning Based Preoperative Computed Tomography Signature for Prognosis Prediction of Colorectal Cancer

Background: Preoperative and postoperative evaluation of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients is crucial for subsequent treatment guidance. Our study aims to provide a timely and rapid assessment of the prognosis of CRC patients with deep learning according to non-invasive preoperative computed tomography (CT) and explore the underlying biological explanations.

Methods: A total of 808 CRC patients with preoperative CT (development cohort: n = 426, validation cohort: n = 382) were enrolled in our study. We proposed a novel end-to-end Multi-Size Convolutional Neural Network (MSCNN) to predict the risk of CRC recurrence with CT images (CT signature). The prognostic performance of CT signature was evaluated by Kaplan-Meier curve. An integrated nomogram was constructed to improve the clinical utility of CT signature by combining with other clinicopathologic factors. Further visualization and correlation analysis for CT deep features with paired gene expression profiles were performed to reveal the molecular characteristics of CRC tumors learned by MSCNN in radiographic imaging.

Results: The Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that CT signature was a significant prognostic factor for CRC disease-free survival (DFS) prediction [development cohort: hazard ratio (HR): 50.7, 95% CI: 28.4–90.6, p &lt; 0.001; validation cohort: HR: 2.04, 95% CI: 1.44–2.89, p &lt; 0.001]. Multivariable analysis confirmed the independence prognostic value of CT signature (development cohort: HR: 30.7, 95% CI: 19.8–69.3, p &lt; 0.001; validation cohort: HR: 1.83, 95% CI: 1.19–2.83, p = 0.006). Dimension reduction and visualization of CT deep features demonstrated a high correlation with the prognosis of CRC patients. Functional pathway analysis further indicated that CRC patients with high CT signature presented down-regulation of several immunology pathways. Correlation analysis found that CT deep features were mainly associated with activation of metabolic and proliferative pathways.

Conclusions: Our deep learning based preoperative CT signature can effectively predict prognosis of CRC patients. Integration analysis of multi-omic data revealed that some molecular characteristics of CRC tumor can be captured by deep learning in CT images.

DNA Repair–Related Gene Signature in Predicting Prognosis of Colorectal Cancer Patients

Background: Increasing evidence have depicted that DNA repair–related genes (DRGs) are associated with the prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of DNA repair–related gene signature (DRGS) in predicting the prognosis of CRC patients.

Method: In this study, we retrospectively analyzed the gene expression profiles from six CRC cohorts. A total of 1,768 CRC patients with complete prognostic information were divided into the training cohort (n = 566) and two validation cohorts (n = 624 and 578, respectively). The LASSO Cox model was applied to construct a prediction model. To further validate the clinical significance of the model, we also validated the model with Genomics of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer (GDSC) and an advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) immunotherapy data set.

Results: We constructed a prognostic DRGS consisting of 11 different genes to stratify patients into high- and low-risk groups. Patients in the high-risk groups had significantly worse disease-free survival (DFS) than those in the low-risk groups in all cohorts [training cohort: hazard ratio (HR) = 2.40, p < 0.001, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.67–3.44; validation-1: HR = 2.20, p < 0.001, 95% CI = 1.38–3.49 and validation-2 cohort: HR = 2.12, p < 0.001, 95% CI = 1.40–3.21). By validating the model with GDSC, we could see that among the chemotherapeutic drugs such as oxaliplatin, 5-fluorouracil, and irinotecan, the IC50 of the cell line in the low-risk group was lower. By validating the model with the ccRCC immunotherapy data set, we can clearly see that the overall survival (OS) of the objective response rate (ORR) with complete response (CR) and partial response (PR) in the low-risk group was the best.

Conclusions: DRGS is a favorable prediction model for patients with CRC, and our model can predict the response of cell lines to chemotherapeutic agents and potentially predict the response of patients to immunotherapy.

TRIM32 Deficiency Impairs the Generation of Pyramidal Neurons in Developing Cerebral Cortex

Excitatory-inhibitory imbalance (E/I) is a fundamental mechanism underlying autism spectrum disorders (ASD). TRIM32 is a risk gene genetically associated with ASD. The absence of TRIM32 causes impaired generation of inhibitory GABAergic interneurons, neural network hyperexcitability, and autism-like behavior in mice, emphasizing the role of TRIM32 in maintaining E/I balance, but despite the description of TRIM32 in regulating proliferation and differentiation of cultured mouse neural progenitor cells (NPCs), the role of TRIM32 in cerebral cortical development, particularly in the production of excitatory pyramidal neurons, remains unknown. The present study observed that TRIM32 deficiency resulted in decreased numbers of distinct layer-specific cortical neurons and decreased radial glial cell (RGC) and intermediate progenitor cell (IPC) pool size. We further demonstrated that TRIM32 deficiency impairs self-renewal of RGCs and IPCs as indicated by decreased proliferation and mitosis. A TRIM32 deficiency also affects or influences the formation of cortical neurons. As a result, TRIM32-deficient mice showed smaller brain size. At the molecular level, RNAseq analysis indicated reduced Notch signalling in TRIM32-deficient mice. Therefore, the present study indicates a role for TRIM32 in pyramidal neuron generation. Impaired generation of excitatory pyramidal neurons may explain the hyperexcitability observed in TRIM32-deficient mice.

Clinical significance of long noncoding RNA MNX1-AS1 in human cancers: a meta-analysis of cohort studies and bioinformatics analysis based on TCGA datasets

MNX1-AS1 expression has been proposed to be abnormally upregulated in multiple human malignancies and be linked with the survival outcome of patients. However, relevant conclusions were yielded based on the limited samples. Therefore, we herein implemented a meta-analysis of the published cohort studies to further decipher the relationship of MNX1-AS1 level to prognosis and clinicopathological features in various cancers. Additionally, using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets we carried out a bioinformatics analysis to make a further evaluation on the prognostic value of MNX1-AS1 expression. The results of meta-analysis indicated elevated MNX1-AS1 level closely correlated with poorer overall survival (OS) (HR = 1.97, 95% CI, 1.73-2.24; P < 0.00001), and disease-free survival (DFS) (HR = 2.24, 95% CI, 1.48-3.38; P = 0.0001) in cancers, which was confirmed by the bioinformatics analysis. Besides, it was observed the upregulated MNX1-AS1 level was significantly related to invasion depth, disease stage, tumor metastasis, and differentiation. Collectively, high MNX1-AS1 level correlated with poor survival outcome and aggressive clinicopathological characteristics in various cancers, suggesting that MNX1-AS1 may be applied as a prognostic marker and even a therapeutic target. Nevertheless, more high-quality studies designed with a large sample size should be conducted to further determine the clinical role of MNX1-AS1 in specific cancer types.

A model combing an immune-related genes signature and an extracellular matrix-related genes signature in predicting prognosis of left- and right-sided colon cancer

3533

Background: Primary tumor sidedness has been found to be prognostic in colorectal cancer (CRC), with right-sided colon cancer (RCC) having a worse survival than left-sided tumors (LCC), even after controlling for known negative prognostic factors. Our previous proteomic study identified differences in protein profiles between LCC and RCC. Immune-related proteins were found to be up-regulated in LCC while the differentially expressed proteins in RCC were mainly enriched in extracellular matrix-related proteins. Herein we aim to construct a prognostic prediction model for LCC and RCC patients by using immune-related genes (IRGs) and extracellular matrix-related genes (ECMGs). Methods: A total of 1,868 CRC patients with complete follow-up data from 1 training cohort (n = 562) and 3 independent validation cohorts (n = 622, n = 403, n = 281, respectively) were enrolled in our study. Tumors located in the splenic flexure, descending colon, sigmoid colon, and rectum are defined as LCC. In contrast, tumors located in the region from the hepatic flexure to the cecum are defined as RCC. The Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) algorithm was used to construct the multi-gene signatures. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to test the prognostic value of these models. Results: Our biomarker discovery effort identified a 9-gene IRGs signature that significantly associated with poor DFS for LCC (HR = 3.46, 95%CI = 2.38-5.01, P < 0.001) and a 21-gene ECMGs signature associated with prognosis for RCC (HR = 4.53, 95%CI = 2.84-7.22, P < 0.001). For LCC, the IRGs signature was significantly correlated with worse prognosis in three independent validation cohort (Validation-1 cohort: HR = 2.08, 95%CI = 1.41-3.09, P < 0.001; Validation-2 cohort: HR = 2.19, 95%CI = 1.26-3.81, P = 0.004; Validation-3 cohort: HR = 2.94, 95%CI = 1.53-5.63, P < 0.001). Similarly, the ECMGs signature also robustly predicted survival for RCC in three independent validation (Validation-1 cohort: HR = 1.86, 95%CI = 1.22-2.83, P = 0.003; Validation-2 cohort: HR = 1.96, 95%CI = 1.18-3.26, P = 0.008; Validation-3 cohort: HR = 2.8, 95%CI = 1.27-6.17, P = 0.007). When compared with Oncotype DX, we found IRGs achieved an improved survival correlation in LCC (C-index, validation-3 cohort: 0.75 vs 0.64) and ECMGs got a better survival correlation in RCC (C-index, validation-3 cohort: 0.74 vs 0.58). Conclusions: Combing a 9-gene IRGs signature for LCC and a 21-gene ECMGs signature for RCC, we established a prognostic model that can robustly stratify CRC patients into high- and low- risk groups of tumor recurrence and predict prognosis.

Deep learning to identify a gene signature associated with molecular subtypes that predicts prognosis in colorectal cancer

e15520

Background: Identifying robust prognostic risk groups of colorectal cancer (CRC) will significantly improve patients’ outcomes. However, CRC has been demonstrated to be molecularly heterogeneous which affected clinical decision-making. Recently, a comprehensive study proposed four consensus molecular subtypes (CMSs) of CRC with a comprehensive biological and clinical characterization, but a cost-effective clinical assay for prognosis is lacking. To fill this gap, we present a supervised framework using deep learning to identify CMS associated gene signature for prognosis. Methods: A total of 1,729 CRC patients with complete follow-up data were included in this study. We first applied a supervised deep learning-based framework in the training cohort ( n = 624) to extract the CMS-associated deep features and then identified a gene panel highly correlated to these deep features. Subsequently, the prognostic power of this gene signature was evaluated on 6 independent CRC datasets. Results: We identified a 21-gene signature associated CMS subtypes and a trained risk model significantly predicted patients’ disease-free survival (DFS) on six independent CRC datasets ( n = 1,729): Training cohort ( n = 624, HR = 2.53, 95% CI: 1.53-4.18, P < 0.001), Validation 1 cohort ( n = 557, HR = 1.77, 95%CI: 1.27 – 2.47, P < 0.001) and Validation 2 cohort merged by other four datasets ( n = 548, HR = 2.10, 95%CI: 1.50 – 2.93, P < 0.001). Especially, this 21-gene signature can also stratify stage 2 and 3 patients into distinct survival groups: Training cohort ( n = 338, HR = 2.14, 95%CI: 1.18-3.85, P < 0.01), Validation 1 cohort ( n = 457, HR = 1.63, 95%CI: 1.12 – 2.37, P < 0.01) and Validation 2 cohort ( n = 437, HR = 1.73, 95%CI: 1.37 – 2.82, P < 0.001), outperformed Oncotype DX on the same cohorts. Conclusions: To summarize, using our DL-based framework, we successfully developed a CMS-associated gene signature for robust prognostic prediction in CRC. Compared with genome-wide expression profile-based CMS classification system, the 21-gene panel can be easily deployed in clinical practice to facilitate decision making.

Identifying an immune-related gene-pair for prognosis prediction of metastatic colorectal cancer

e15565

Background: Few robust predictive biomarkers have been applied in clinical practice due to the heterogeneity of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) . Using the gene pair method, the absolute expression value of genes can be converted into the relative order of genes, which can minimize the influence of the sequencing platform difference and batch effects, and improve the robustness of the model. The main objective of this study was to establish an immune-related gene pairs signature (IRGPs) and evaluate the impact of the IRGPs in predicting the prognosis in mCRC. Methods: A total of 205 mCRC patients containing overall survival (OS) information from the training cohort ( n = 119) and validation cohort ( n = 86) were enrolled in this study. LASSO algorithm was used to select prognosis related gene pairs. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to validate the prognostic value of the IRGPs. Gene sets enrichment analysis (GSEA) and immune infiltration analysis were used to explore the underlying biological mechanism. Results: An IRGPs signature containing 22 gene pairs was constructed, which could significantly separate patients of the training cohort ( n = 119) and validation cohort ( n = 86) into the low-risk and high-risk group with different outcomes. Multivariate analysis with clinical factors confirmed the independent prognostic value of IRGPs that higher IRGPs was associated with worse prognosis (training cohort: hazard ratio (HR) = 10.54[4.99-22.32], P < 0.001; validation cohort: HR = 3.53[1.24-10.08], P = 0.012). GSEA showed that several metastasis and immune-related pathway including angiogenesis, TGF-β-signaling, epithelial-mesenchymal transition and inflammatory response were enriched in the high-risk group. Through further analysis of the immune factors, we found that the proportions of CD4+ memory T cell, regulatory T cell, and Myeloid dendritic cell were significantly higher in the low-risk group, while the infiltrations of the Macrophage (M0) and Neutrophil were significantly higher in the high-risk group. Conclusions: The IRGPs signature could predict the prognosis of mCRC patients. Further prospective validations are needed to confirm the clinical utility of IRGPs in the treatment decision.

Transplantation of GABAergic Interneuron Progenitor Attenuates Cognitive Deficits of Alzheimer's Disease Model Mice

Excitatory (E) and inhibitory (I) balance of neural network activity is essential for normal brain function and of particular importance to memory. Disturbance of E/I balance contributes to various neurological disorders. The appearance of neural hyperexcitability in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is even suggested as one of predictors of accelerated cognitive decline. In this study, we found that GAD67+, Parvalbumin+, Calretinin+, and Neuropeptide Y+ interneurons were progressively lost in the brain of APP/PS1 mice. Transplanted embryonic medial ganglionic eminence derived interneuron progenitors (IPs) survived, migrated, and differentiated into GABAergic interneuron subtypes successfully at 2 months after transplantation. Transplantation of IPs hippocampally rescued impaired synaptic plasticity and cognitive deficits of APP/PS1 transgenic mice, concomitant with a suppression of neural hyperexcitability, whereas transplantation of IPs failed to attenuate amyloid-β accumulation, neuroinflammation, and synaptic loss of APP/PS1 transgenic mice. These observations indicate that transplantation of IPs improves learning and memory of APP/PS1 transgenic mice via suppressing neural hyperexcitability. This study highlights a causal contribution of GABAergic dysfunction to AD pathogenesis and the potentiality of IP transplantation in AD therapy.

A Metabolism-Related Radiomics Signature for Predicting the Prognosis of Colorectal Cancer

Background: Radiomics refers to the extraction of a large amount of image information from medical images, which can provide decision support for clinicians. In this study, we developed and validated a radiomics-based nomogram to predict the prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC).

Methods: A total of 381 patients with colorectal cancer (primary cohort: n = 242; validation cohort: n = 139) were enrolled and radiomic features were extracted from the vein phase of preoperative computed tomography (CT). The radiomics score was generated by using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator algorithm (LASSO). A nomogram was constructed by combining the radiomics score with clinicopathological risk factors for predicting the prognosis of CRC patients. The performance of the nomogram was evaluated by the calibration curve, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and C-index statistics. Functional analysis and correlation analysis were used to explore the underlying association between radiomic feature and the gene-expression patterns.

Results: Five radiomic features were selected to calculate the radiomics score by using the LASSO regression model. The Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that radiomics score was significantly associated with disease-free survival (DFS) [primary cohort: hazard ratio (HR): 5.65, 95% CI: 2.26–14.13, P < 0.001; validation cohort: HR: 8.49, 95% CI: 2.05–35.17, P < 0.001]. Multivariable analysis confirmed the independent prognostic value of radiomics score (primary cohort: HR: 5.35, 95% CI: 2.14–13.39, P < 0.001; validation cohort: HR: 5.19, 95% CI: 1.22–22.00, P = 0.026). We incorporated radiomics signature with the TNM stage to build a nomogram, which performed better than TNM stage alone. The C-index of the nomogram achieved 0.74 (0.69–0.80) in the primary cohort and 0.82 (0.77–0.87) in the validation cohort. Functional analysis and correlation analysis found that the radiomic signatures were mainly associated with metabolism related pathways.

Conclusions: The radiomics score derived from the preoperative CT image was an independent prognostic factor and could be a complement to the current staging strategies of colorectal cancer.

[Research on mental health status of medical staff during COVID-19 epidemic]

Objective: To explore the psychological status of medical staff during COVID-19 epidemic, so as to provide reference and scientific basis for carrying out further psychological intervention and ensuring the mental health of medical staff. Methods: By using convenient sampling method and the Stresss-Anxiety ubscale of Depression Anxiety Stress (DASS-21) , the mental health status of 615 medical staff was investigated by the way of questionnaire star from February 4 to 16, 2020. A total of 615 questionnaires were distributed and collected, and 615 were valid, with an effective recovery rate of 100%. Results: The detection rates of psychological stress and anxiety of medical staff were 13.82% (85/615) and 25.37% (156/615) , respectively. 31-40 years old and working in key departments were risk factors for psychological stress of medical staff (OR=1.779, 2.127) ; Women, frequently washing hands with soap/hand sanitizer/disinfectant were protective factors for psychological stress (OR=0.520, 0.528) . Medical staff working in designated hospitals and key departments were more likely to have anxiety (OR=2.042, 2.702) ; The high fit of the mask to the face and bridge of the nose was a protective factor for the psychological anxiety of medical staff (OR=0.500) . Conclusion: Medical staff show higher stress and anxiety during the epidemic of COVID-19. Psychological intervention should be carried out early, focusing on men, age 31 to 40, medical staff working in designated hospitals and key departments.

[Efficacy and safety of domestic dasatinib as second-line treatment for chronic myeloid leukemia patients in the chronic phase]

目的

探讨国产酪氨酸激酶抑制剂（TKI）达沙替尼（商品名：依尼舒）二线治疗慢性髓性白血病慢性期（CML-CP）患者的疗效及安全性。

方法

回顾性分析2016年3月至2018年7月湖北省CML协作组成员医院收治的二线服用国产达沙替尼的CML-CP患者的病例资料，统计患者治疗3、6和12个月时最佳反应率、累积完全细胞遗传学反应（CCyR）率、累积主要分子学反应（MMR）率、无进展生存（PFS）、无事件生存（EFS）情况及不良反应情况。

结果

共纳入83例CML-CP患者，中位随访时间为23（4~45）个月，达沙替尼治疗3、6、12个月最佳反应率分别为77.5%（54/71）、72.6%（61/75）、60.7%（51/69）。至随访截止，累积CCyR率、MMR率分别为65.5%（55/80）、57.1%（48/73），达CCyR和MMR的中位时间均为3个月。随访时间内，PFS率为94.0%（79/83），EFS率为77.4%（65/83）。国产达沙替尼最常见非血液学不良反应为水肿（32.5%），其次为皮疹瘙痒（18.1%）、乏力（13.3%），血液学不良反应主要有血小板减少（31.3%）、白细胞减少（19.3%）和贫血（6.0%）。

结论

国产达沙替尼二线治疗CML-CP患者具有较好的疗效及安全性，可作为CML-CP患者的治疗选择。

[First bite syndrome after parapharyngeal space tumor surgery:two cases report]

Ten patients with parapharyngeal space tumor, all underwent surgery, which of two cases concurrent FBS，analyze its clinical characteristics and review the related literatures. Two cases complicated with FBS, both with primary healing of incision, the pathological diagnosis are pleomorphic adenoma and schwannoglioma respectively, both give non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, paregoric and anticonvulsants, followed up for nine months and 16 months respectively, both two cases partial relief. FBS is one of surgical complications of parapharyngeal space，which should not be neglected by physicians. Additional investigations of FBS are needed to gain a better understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms of this condition.

The prognostic value of decreased NDRG1 expression in patients with digestive system cancers: A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Digestive system cancers are recognized as associated with high morbidity and mortality. It is generally accepted that N-myc downstream-regulated gene 1 (NDRG1) is aberrantly overexpressed or downregulated in digestive system cancers, and its prognostic value remains controversial. Accordingly, we herein conducted a meta-analysis to explore whether NDRG1 expression is correlated with overall survival (OS) and clinicopathological characteristics of patients with digestive system cancers.

METHODS

We systematically searched PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science for eligible studies up to June 6, 2017. In all, 19 publications with 21 studies, were included.

RESULTS

The pooled results showed that low NDRG1 expression was significantly associated with worse OS in colorectal cancer (pooled HR = 1.67, 95% CI: 1.22-2.28, P < .001) and pancreatic cancer (pooled HR = 1.87, 95% CI: 1-3.5, P < .0001). Moreover, the relationships between low NDRG1 expression and higher OS ratio of patients with liver cancer (pooled HR = 0.44, 95% CI: 0.32-0.62, P = .009) and gallbladder cancer (pooled HR = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.23-1.38, P = .01) were observed. Nevertheless, no significant association was observed between low NDRG1 expression and OS in gastric cancer (pooled HR = 0.81, 95% CI: 0.45-1.43, P = .46) or esophageal cancer (pooled HR = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.26-2.24, P = .62).

CONCLUSION

The prognostic significance of NDRG1 expression varies according to cancer type in patients with DSCs. Considering that several limitations existed in this meta-analysis, more studies are required to further assess the prognostic value of NDRG1 expression in patients with DSCs and relevant mechanisms.

[Application of liver three-dimensional visualization technologies in the treatment planning of hepatic malignant tumor]

Objective: To discuss the application of three dimentional(3D)visualization technologies in treatment plan of hepatic malignant tumor. Methods: The clinical data of 300 patients with liver malignant tumor who received treatment from January 2016 to January 2017 in the Third Department of Hepatic Surgery of Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital was retrospectively analyzed in this study, including 221 male and 79 female patients aged from 7 to 76 years with median age of 54 years. The median height was 168 cm (115-183 cm), the median weight was 65 kg (20-105 kg) and the median tumor volume was 142 ml (23-2 493 ml). Three-dimensional visualization technology was used in all patients to reconstruct liver three-dimensional graphics. Also, two and three-dimensional methods were taken respectively to evaluate patients and develop treatment strategy. The change of treatment strategy caused by 3D evaluation, actual surgical plan, operation time, time of hepatic vascular occlusion, intraoperative blood loss, volumes of blood transfusion and postoperative complications was observed. Results: After three-dimensional visualization technology was applied, 75(25%) of 300 patients' treatment strategies had been changed. The range of hepatectomy was extended in 25 patients. And 7 of them were due to hepatic venous variation, which resulted in increasing drainage area. In other 4 patients, liver resections were extended due to lack of perfusion of the liver parenchyma after the removal of portal vein. And hepatectomy was expanded in 14 patients in order to increase the surgical margin. The range of hepatectomy was reduced in 8 patients, 4 of which were due to hepatic venous variation, such as hepatic vein of segment 4 or lower right posterior hepatic vein. The remaining 4 cases were because of insufficient residual liver volume.The surgical resection was performed in 278 cases, 257 of which received operation directly. Left hepatectomy was performed in 24 patients and right hepatectomy was performed in 33 patients. Left trisectionectomy was carried out in 12 patients and right trisectionectomy was carried out in 11 patients. Caudate lobectomy was applied in 10 patients. There were 18 cases of left lateral sectionectomy, 7 cases of right anterior sectionectomy, 25 cases of right posterior sectionectomy and 18 cases of mesohepatectomy. Single or multi segment resection was performed in 99 patients. The treatment strategy of thirty-six patients was converted to staged hepatectomy (ALPPS 11 cases and portal vein embolization 25 cases). The median operation time was 130 minutes (90-360 minutes) and the median inflow blood occlusion time was 20 minutes (0-75 minutes). Median blood loss volume was 200 ml (20-1 600 ml). Thirty-seven of 278 patients received transfusions, and the average red blood transfusion volume was (4.4±1.7)units (0-8 units). Median hepatic resection volume was 530 ml(30-2 600 ml). There were 117 cases of pleural effusion after operation, including 3 patients needing invasive therapy. Ascites occurred in 23 patients, 6 of whom needed invasive therapy. Biliary leakage was observed in 30 patients. Eight patients occurred hepatic cutting surface hemorrhage, 6 of whom received blood transfusion, and 4 of whom underwent laparotomy to stop bleeding. Three patients had pulmonary infection after surgery and 3 patients appeared biliary obstruction. Deep vein thrombosis took place in 2 patients and portal vein thrombosis was observed in 4 patients. No postoperative liver failure and death ever happened in our study group. Conclusion: Three-dimensional visualization technique can optimize the treatment strategy of patients with liver malignant tumor, improve surgical safety.

Non-invasive assessment of liver fibrosis using two-dimensional shear wave elastography in patients with autoimmune liver diseases

AIM

To determine the diagnostic accuracy of two-dimensional shear wave elastography (2D-SWE) for the non-invasive assessment of liver fibrosis in patients with autoimmune liver diseases (AILD) using liver biopsy as the reference standard.

METHODS

Patients with AILD who underwent liver biopsy and 2D-SWE were consecutively enrolled. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed to assess the overall accuracy and to identify optimal cut-off values.

RESULTS

The characteristics of the diagnostic performance were determined for 114 patients with AILD. The areas under the ROC curves for significant fibrosis, severe fibrosis, and cirrhosis were 0.85, 0.85, and 0.86, respectively, and the optimal cut-off values associated with significant fibrosis (≥ F2), severe fibrosis (≥ F3), and cirrhosis (F4) were 9.7 kPa, 13.2 kPa and 16.3 kPa, respectively. 2D-SWE showed sensitivity values of 81.7% for significant fibrosis, 83.0% for severe fibrosis, and 87.0% for cirrhosis, and the respective specificity values were 81.3%, 74.6%, and 80.2%. The overall concordance rate of the liver stiffness measurements obtained using 2D-SWE vs fibrosis stages was 53.5%.

CONCLUSION

2D-SWE showed promising diagnostic performance for assessing liver fibrosis stages and exhibited high cut-off values in patients with AILD. Low overall concordance rate was observed in the liver stiffness measurements obtained using 2D-SWE vs fibrosis stages.

Equipping the American Joint Committee on Cancer staging for resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma with tumor grade: a recursive partitioning analysis

Previous studies of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) have demonstrated that the addition of tumor grade to the 7th American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging can provide improved prognostication and that the recently proposed 8th edition AJCC staging exhibited superior reproducibility to the 7th edition in resectable PDAC. Thus, we aimed to combine tumor grade and 8th AJCC stage to develop a refined staging scheme for resectable PDAC. We analyzed 7719 patients with resectable PDAC from the 2004–2012 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. We performed recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) to objectively incorporate tumor grade with 8th AJCC stage into a novel staging system. The performance of the proposed RPA staging was assessed against the 8th AJCC staging in terms of discriminatory ability and prognostic homogeneity. For each 8th AJCC stage, survival was significantly worse for high-grade versus low-grade tumors. RPA divided resectable PDAC into five stages: RPA-IA (low-grade T1N0), RPA-IB (high-grade T1N0 or low-grade T2N0), RPA-IIA (high-grade T2N0 or low-grade T3N0/T1–T3N1), RPA-IIB (high-grade T3N0/T1–T3N1 or low-grade T1–T3N2), and RPA-III (high-grade T1–T3N2; median survival: 42, 26, 19, 15, and 12 months, respectively; P < 0.001). The RPA staging outperformed the 8th AJCC classifications in terms of discrimination (concordance index, 0.585 versus 0.565; P < 0.001) and prognostic homogeneity. Tumor grade can provide additional prognostic information to the 8th AJCC staging. The proposed RPA staging is a superior risk-stratified tool to the 8th AJCC staging and is not substantially more complex.

Assessment of radiofrequency ablation margin by MRI-MRI image fusion in hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM: To investigate the feasibility and clinical value of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-MRI image fusion in assessing the ablative margin (AM) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

METHODS: A newly developed ultrasound workstation for MRI-MRI image fusion was used to evaluate the AM of 62 tumors in 52 HCC patients after radiofrequency ablation (RFA). The lesions were divided into two groups: group A, in which the tumor was completely ablated and 5 mm AM was achieved (n = 32); and group B, in which the tumor was completely ablated but 5 mm AM was not achieved (n = 29). To detect local tumor progression (LTP), all patients were followed every two months by contrast-enhanced ultrasound, contrast-enhanced MRI or computed tomography (CT) in the first year after RFA. Then, the follow-up interval was prolonged to every three months after the first year.

RESULTS: Of the 62 tumors, MRI-MRI image fusion was successful in 61 (98.4%); the remaining case had significant deformation of the liver and massive ascites after RFA. The time required for creating image fusion and AM evaluation was 15.5 ± 5.5 min (range: 8-22 min) and 9.6 ± 3.2 min (range: 6-14 min), respectively. The follow-up period ranged from 1-23 mo (14.2 ± 5.4 mo). In group A, no LTP was detected in 32 lesions, whereas in group B, LTP was detected in 4 of 29 tumors, which occurred at 2, 7, 9, and 15 mo after RFA. The frequency of LTP in group B (13.8%; 4/29) was significantly higher than that in group A (0/32, P = 0.046). All of the LTPs occurred in the area in which the 5 mm AM was not achieved.

CONCLUSION: The MRI-MRI image fusion using an ultrasound workstation is feasible and useful for evaluating the AM after RFA for HCC.

Study of detection times for liver stiffness evaluation by shear wave elastography

AIM: To investigate enough valid measurements (VMs) to assess liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B patients (CHB).

METHODS: One hundred and twelve CHB patients (25 women, 87 men) with a mean age of 38.43 years received liver stiffness evaluations using real-time shear wave elastography for 10 VMs. All patients underwent liver biopsy. Based on the biopsy pathology, the liver stiffness data obtained from different VMs (1, 2, 3, 5 and 10 times) were compared for the evaluation of liver fibrosis. The correlation between the elastic modulus means of the liver obtained from different VMs of detection at each pathological stage was analysed. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was employed to determine the diagnostic performance of different VMs of detection, and the areas under the ROC curve of different groups were compared.

RESULTS: The liver stiffness values obtained from 1 VM, 2 VMs, 3 VMs, 5 VMs and all 10 VMs for stage F0 were 6.95 ± 2.01 kPa, 6.87 ± 1.83 kPa, 6.90 ± 1.88 kPa, 6.95 ± 1.93 kPa and 7.15 ± 1.89 kPa, respectively (F = 0.043, P = 0.996). For stage F1, these values were 7.12 ± 1.72 kPa, 7.24 ± 1.72 kPa, 7.21 ± 1.74 kPa, 7.10 ± 1.78 kPa and 7.04 ± 1.70 kPa, respectively (F = 0.075, P = 0.990). For stage F2, they were 9.37 ± 3.87 kPa, 9.18 ± 3.68 kPa, 9.19 ± 3.81 kPa, 9.18 ± 3.81 kPa and 9.19 ± 3.53 kPa, respectively (F = 0.012, P = 1.000). For stage F3, these were 11.91 ± 3.88 kPa, 11.78 ± 4.04 kPa, 11.83 ± 4.07 kPa, 11.94 ± 4.17 kPa and 12.00 ± 4.02 kPa, respectively (F = 0.010, P = 1.000). For stage F4, the readings were 19.30 ± 7.63 kPa, 19.40 ± 7.36 kPa, 19.54 ± 7.43 kPa, 19.73 ± 7.21 kPa and 20.25 ± 7.22 kPa, respectively (F = 0.054, P = 0.995). There were no significant differences between these groups. Intraclass correlation coefficients among different pathological stages (F0-F4) with different detection VMs were 0.995, 0.993, 0.996, 0.994 and 0.996, respectively. The mean elasticity values from 1 VM, 2 VMs, 3 VMs, 5 VMs and 10 VMs can accurately distinguish fibrosis stages (F0 vs F1234, F01 vs F234, F012 vs F34 and F0123 vs F4) with no significant differences in the five groups (P > 0.05 for all).

CONCLUSION: One VM may be sufficient to assess liver fibrosis by using SWE without any significant loss of accuracy in patients with CHB. However, future studies of larger patient samples are necessary for the validation of this method.

Influence of measurement depth on the stiffness assessment of healthy liver with real-time shear wave elastography

The purpose of this study was to determine the measurement depth range within which liver stiffness can be reliably assessed using real-time shear wave elastography (SWE) technology. Measurements were performed on phantoms and healthy volunteers. In the first group of patients, measurements were performed at depths of 2-8 cm from the probe surface. In the second group of patients, measurements were conducted 0-7 cm below the liver capsule. Success rate of measurements (SRoM), success rate of patients (SRoS) and coefficients of variation (CVs) of repeated measurements were compared. The SRoMs at 3-7 cm and the CVs at 2-5 cm from the probe surface were significantly higher and lower than those at other depths (p < 0.001), respectively. SRoS was zero 0-1 cm below the liver capsule. Furthermore, the features of 2-D stiffness mapping images were also found to change with depth. According to our results, the depth range for the most reliable liver stiffness assessment using SWE should be 3-5 cm from the probe surface and simultaneously 1-2 cm below the liver capsule.

Metal-assisted electrochemical etching of silicon

In this paper the metal-assisted electrochemical etching of silicon is introduced. By electrochemical measurement and sequent simulation, it is revealed that the potential of the valence band maximum at the silicon/metal interface is more negative than that of the silicon/electrolyte interface. Accordingly, holes injected from the back contact are driven preferentially to the silicon/metal interface. Consequently, silicon below metal is electrochemically etched much faster than a naked silicon surface without metal coverage. Metals such as Ag and Cu have been utilized to catalyze the electrochemical etching. Feature sizes as small as 30 nm can be achieved by metal-assisted electrochemical etching. Meanwhile, the metal-assisted electrochemical etching method enables convenient control over the etching direction of non-(100) substrates, and facilitates the fabrication of orientation-modulated silicon nanostructures.

Uterine expression of implantation serine proteinase 2 during the implantation period and in vivo inhibitory effect of its antibody on embryo implantation in mice

The aim of the present study was to examine the uterine expression pattern of implantation serine proteinase 2 (ISP2) protein during early pregnancy in mice and the effects of anti-ISP2 antibody on embryo implantation. Expression of ISP2 protein was found to be specifically up-regulated in mouse uterine endometrial glands following the initiation of embryo implantation. Similarly, ISP2 protein expression was observed during pseudopregnancy, indicating that its expression is not embryo dependent. In other experiments, rabbit anti-ISP2 IgG was infused into the mouse uterine lumen on Day 3 or 4 of pregnancy to examine its effects on embryo implantation, whereas vehicle (saline) or unspecific rabbit IgG served as controls. The mean number of implanted embryos from anti-ISP2-IgG-treated mice was significantly lower than that from control mice. These results suggest that ISP2 may play an important role during embryo implantation.

A novel Bacillus thuringiensis strain LLB6, isolated from bryophytes, and its new cry2Ac-type gene

AIMS

To isolate and characterize the novel Bacillus thuringiensis strains from bryophytes collected from Wuyi Mountain, Fujian Province of China, and identify new B. thuringiensis strains and toxins active against mosquitoes.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Twelve novel B. thuringiensis strains were isolated from 76 bryophyte samples. According to the results of this preliminary screening, LLB6 was the most toxic to Aedes albopictus. Then phase-contrast as well as scanning electron microscopy, bioassays, cloning, sequencing and expression were performed to characterize the novel isolate LLB6 and its new gene cry2Ac5.

CONCLUSIONS

Bacillus thuringiensis occurred naturally on bryophytes. LLB6 isolated from Physcomitrium japonicum was toxic to A. albopictus. A new cry2Ac5 gene of LLB6 was detected, cloned and expressed successfully. Bioassays on A. albopictus showed that the expressed Cry2Ac5 was also toxic to the third instar larvae.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

This is the first report of B. thuringiensis strains isolated from bryophytes. It represents a specific source of new B. thuringiensis strains and is of great importance for the knowledge of the ecology of B. thuringiensis. Novel LLB6 harboring the new gene cry2Ac5 and its expressed Cry2Ac5 protein revealed activity against A. albopictus and became a new member of B. thuringiensis toxins.

[Induced-differentiation and cytotoxicity of isoverbascoside on HL-60 cells]

HL-60 cells were treated by isoverbascoside with different time and different concentrations in vitro. The differentiation of HL-60 cells was evaluated by light and electron microscopy to observe morphological changes, by chemiluminence to detect phagocytosis and by tumorigenesis in nude mice to determine malignancy. The cytotoxical effect of isoverbascoside on HL-60 cells was examined by trypan blue excluding staining and electron microscopy. The influence of isoverbascoside on cell cycle was measured by flow cytometry. Granular differentiation of HL-60 cells was induced by isoverbascoside at 20-25 mumol/L within 1-3 days as the results of morphological changes, enhancement of phagocytosis and decreasing of tumorigenesis. Strong cytotoxicity was evidenced in HL-60 cells treated by isoverbascoside at 30-35 mumol/L. HL-60 cells treated by isoverbascoside at 20 mumol/L were delayed at G1 phase at 12 hours and G2/M phase at 72 hours.

Synthesis of large arrays of well-aligned carbon nanotubes on glass

Free-standing aligned carbon nanotubes have previously been grown above 700 degreesC on mesoporous silica embedded with iron nanoparticles. Here, carbon nanotubes aligned over areas up to several square centimeters were grown on nickel-coated glass below 666 degreesC by plasma-enhanced hot filament chemical vapor deposition. Acetylene gas was used as the carbon source and ammonia gas was used as a catalyst and dilution gas. Nanotubes with controllable diameters from 20 to 400 nanometers and lengths from 0. 1 to 50 micrometers were obtained. Using this method, large panels of aligned carbon nanotubes can be made under conditions that are suitable for device fabrication.

An enzymic digestion and solid-phase extraction procedure for the screening for acidic, neutral, and basic drugs in liver using gas chromatography for analysis

Analysis of liver specimens is an important issue in forensic toxicology, but suitable workup and extraction methods for general screening purposes have been lacking until now. A workup and extraction scheme based on a recently developed procedure for the screening of biological fluids was developed that can be used for the screening of acidic, neutral, and basic drugs in liver. This method uses a single solid-phase extraction (SPE) column and gas chromatography-flame ionization detection (GC-FID) for the final analysis. First, the homogenized liver sample is sonicated and centrifuged; the resulting supernatant is applied to the SPE column. Elution of acidic, neutral, and some weakly basic drugs is then performed with acetone-chloroform and analyzed by GC-FID. Next, the pellet of tissue material obtained from the centrifugation is enzymically digested by subtilisin Carlsberg. This frees the drugs bound to the liver tissue. The resulting clear liquid is brought to the reconditioned SPE column. A wash step is introduced to remove acidic and neutral interferences and the basic drugs can then be eluted with ammoniated ethyl acetate. Using 100-mg wet liver samples spiked with 2 micrograms of amounts of various drugs, recoveries were 70-102% with relative standard deviations less than 9%. The resulting GC-FID chromatograms were virtually free of endogenous interferences. GC-nitrogen-phosphorous detection detected smaller amounts of nitrogen-containing drugs, again without endogenous interferences. With the SPE columns currently used, which contain a bed mass of 130 mg, the liver samples should be smaller than 200 mg because the endogenous compounds obtained after the digestion of the tissue will overload the column, which results in a lower recovery of the drugs of interest. Drugs that decompose under the digestion conditions (pH 10.5 at 60 degrees C for 1 h) may be lost in the present procedure. This phenomenon is being investigated further.

[Effect of radix Angelicae sinensis on serum gastrin levels in patients with cirrhosis]

Acute and chronic effect of Radix Angelicae Sinensis (RAS) on serum gastrin levels in patients with cirrhosis were investigated. The results showed that after intravenous perfusion of RAS, serum gastrin levels of inferior vana cava, hepatic and peripheral veins were significantly decreased. After long-term administration of the agent, the level fell nearly to that of control subjects. It is suggested that the effect of reducing serum gastrin level by RAS may improve portal hemodynamics and be beneficial for portal hypertensive gastroduodenal mucosal lesions in cirrhosis.

[An experimental study of gentamycin delivery into cornea and aqueous humor from the collagen corneal shield]

Collagen corneal shields immersed in 13.33 mg/ml gentamycin solution for 5 minutes were placed in rabbit eyes and the gentamycin concentrations in the cornea and aqueous humor were determined with radioimmunoassay. The results were compared with those achieved by soft contact lens, subconjunctival injection, and frequent instillations. It was found that (1) 1 and 3 hours after application, the collagen corneal shield produced significantly higher concentration of gentamycin in the aqueous than did the other methods, and in the cornea than did the contact lens or instillations; and (2) 6 hours after application, the antibiotic level in the cornea dropped lower than that by subconjunctival injection, but still 15-30 times higher than the bactericidal concentration.

[A quantitative diagnosis of chronic gastritis]

To explore a definite diagnostic criterion of chronic gastritis, we undertook a quantitative study of the gastric biopsy specimens taken from 131 subjects. Seven stages were classified from normal gastric mucosa to mild, moderate and severe superficial and atrophic gastritis. The results shown the number of inflammatory cell was much greater in the mild superficial gastritis (128 +/- 84.37/HP) than in normal gastric mucosa (22 +/- 10.54HP, P less than 0.001). In these stages, the numbers of pyloric and fundic gland progressively decreased, the size of the gastric gland gradually enlarged and the percentage of intestinal metaplasia by degrees increased. According to these, we establish the quantitative diagnostic criterion of chronic gastritis.

[Relationship between urinary hydroxyproline creatine ratio and growth rates in boys of age 13 to 16]

A total number of 241 boys aged 13 to 16 were studied longitudinally for 8 months from April 1986 to December 1986. The linear correlation analysis showed that urinary HP/Cr was highly correlated with height growth rate (r = 0.83) and moderately with weight growth rate (r = 0.63). The multiple correlation coefficients between urinary HP/Cr and height growth rates were much bigger than those between urinary HP/Cr and weight growth rates, only the former were statistically significant. It is suggested that the urinary HP/Cr is mainly correlated with height growth rate. The multiple regression analysis was employed with urinary HP/Cr, age as independent variables and height growth rate as dependent variable. The equation is very significant, 95% confidence limit is y +/- 1.38%. It is suggested that the prediction of height growth rate is rather precise, so urinary HP/Cr is a valuable index in the evaluation of growth of children.

Nuclear pore complex in spermatogenesis of Beijing domestic duck. Electron microscope observation of freeze-etching

The nuclear pore complex in spermatogenesis of Beijing domestic duck has been studied by means of electron microscopic observation of freeze-etching. The structure of the pore observed proves to be in accord with the model of the nuclear pore complex proposed respectively by Franke (1970) and Roberts et al. (1970). But its central granule may be present (1-3 granules) or absent. The granules are considered to be material in transit. The size and frequency of the pore vary with different types of reproductive cells, which is believed to be related to the cells' function. The pores concentrate on the side of nucleus near Golgi zone in primary spermatocyte and near the proacrosome of spermatid, and this shows the functional variety of parts in the nucleus.