Abstract A rapid gas chromatographic ( GC ) method was established for the determination of short-chain fatty acids ( SCFAs ) in human feces. Feces samples were directly extracted by 1% HCl-75% ethanol solution, and then centrifuged at high speed for GC analysis. The chromatographic separation was performed on a DB-FFAP capillary column ( 30 m í 0 . 25 mm í 0 . 25 μm ) with a temperature program ( initial temperature at 50℃ held for 1 min, ramped to 190℃ at 10℃/min ) . The injection port temperature was 250℃ with split ratio at 50:1 . The carrier gas was high purity nitrogen with a constant linear velocity at 1. 0 mL/min. A flame ionization detector was employed to quantify SCFAs. The proposed method had been certified by systematic method validation, and used to determine feces samples. Subsequently, the health volunteer and colorectal cancer patient groups could be distinguished successfully by multivariate statistical analysis. Compared with health volunteers, the acetic acid and butyric acid of feces from colorectal cancer patients were reduced obviously, indicating that SCFAs particularly butyric acid could be considered as candidate markers for colorectal cancer diagnosis. In summary, this study provides a rapid method for the determination of SCFAs in feces form health volunteers and colorectal cancer patients. The method had a prospect for screening and diagnosing colorectal cancer rapidly.

Objective To knock down angiopoietin-1 expression in human gastric cancer cell line BGC-823 and to observe its effect of reversing tumor invasion. Methods siRNA sequence fragments was designed to target angiopoietin-1 and transferred into human gastric cancer cell line BGC-823. RT-PCR was used to assess the transcription level of angio-poietin-1 mRNA, then western blot and immunofluorescence were used to examine the expression level of three invasion-as-sociated proteins include integrinβ1, CD44V6 and Ang-1. Cell adhesion ability was evaluated by cell adhesion assay and cell invation was determined by matrigel and transwell plastic dual-chamber culture system. Results Ang-1 mRNA was knocked down by siRNA showed by RT-PCR. The expression of integrinβ1, CD44V6 and Ang-1 were significantly lower than control group(P<0.05), so did the cellular adhesion and invasion abilities(P<0.05). Conclusion Knocking down angiopoietin-1 by siRNA can reverse invasion of human gastric cancer cell line BGC-823 and may provide new ideas and reference for gene therapy of gastric cancer in the future.

Objective To retrospectively analyze the effect of interventional embolization for hepatocelluar carcinoma (HCC) associated with arteriovenous shunting (AVS), and to discuss the factors influencing the therapeutic results. Methods The clinical data of 62 cases with HCC associated with AVS , who were treated with interventional chemoembolization , were retrospectively analyzed. Based on the type and extent of AVS identified by angiographic manifestations, appropriate obstruction of the shunt and Lipiodol chemoembolization of HCC were conducted. The curative effect of the shunt embolization was assessed by DSA at one or two months after the treatment. The relevant factors influencing the prognosis of embolization were analyzed by using univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis methods. Results Of the 62 patients, arterioportal shunting (APS) was detected in 44, hepatic arterio-venous shunting (HAVS) in 11, APS together with HAVS in 4, and hepatic artery-pulmonary artery shunting (HAPAS) in 3. Re-examination with DSA was carried out in 53 patients at 1 - 2 months after the treatment , which showed that the shunting disappeared in 18 cases, obvious reduction of the shunt flow was seen in 19 cases, the lesion remained stable in 9 cases and the disease became worse in 7 cases. Univariate analysis indicated that the kind of embolic material and the presence of tumor thrombus could affect the obstructive result of the shunt , while multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that portal tumoral thrombus was an independent risk factor. The embolization effect of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) particles and Lipiodol-ethanol mixture, used as the embolic agents, was better than that of gelatin sponge particles. Conclusion To ensure a successful interventional chemoembolization for HCC combined with AVS the procedure should be individualized according to the type and extent of the arteriovenous shunting. The type of embolic materials used for embolization can affect the results to a certain degree.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the technical feasibility of animal model of avascular necrosis of femoral head (ANFH)with transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE).MethodsTwenty experimental pigs were randomly divided into experimental group and control group (each n= 10).Experimental group:A 5F Cobra catheter was inserted into left femoral artery,and the feeding arteries of femoral head were superselectively inserted.The feeding arteries were embolismed through transcatheter arterial injecting the segments of silk measuring about 500μm.Control group:The arterial embolization was not performed,and the other treatment was identical to experimental group.The articulation of hip in all pigs underwent plain X-ray examination,CT and MR scanning 2 weeks and 4 weeks after treatment,respectively.Histological examination was made in 4 weeks to evaluate volume of bone trabecula (TBV) and percentage of bone lacuna (PBL) at unit area under microscope.The data were compared between the two groups.Results In experimental group,CT and MRI showed swolling in hip soft tissue and high T1 in hip joint cavity,while no obvious abnormalities were found in plain X-ray film 2 weeks after feeding arteries were embolized.Four weeks after feeding arteries embolization,plain X-ray film,CT and MR showed typical necrosis of femoral head in the experimental group,while no obvious abnormalities were found in control group.The histology examination revealed there were obvious karyopyknosis and anachromasis in the bone cells.The quantity of bone cells decreased obviously or disappeared.PBL increased and TBV decreased significantly compared with those of control group (P＜0.05).ConclusionThe animal model of ANFH in pigs can be induced by TAE.It can preferably mimic the pathological situation of ANFH.

Objective:To discuss the effect of sarcopenia (Sa) on the prognosis of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) in patients with portal hypertension (PHT).Methods:Totally 131 PHT patients treated with TIPS were retrospectively collected from August 2013 to December 2017 in the First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, and were divided into the Sa group [maximum transverse diameter of the psoas major muscle/height (TPMT/H) ≤16.8 mm/m, n=60] and the control group (TPMT/H>16.8 mm/m, n=71). The patients were followed up with a median time of 42 months. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the incidence of hepatic encephalopathy, recurrence rate of PHT-related complications and survival rate of PHT patients after TIPS, and the differences were compared by Log-rank test. Results:The incidences of hepatic encephalopathy within 6 months after TIPS and severe hepatic encephalopathy requiring hospitalization in the Sa group [36.7% (95%CI 24.5%-48.8%) and 15.0% (95%CI 6.0%-24.0%)] were higher than those of the control group [15.7% (95%CI 7.3%-24.1%) and 2.8% (95%CI 0-6.7%)], with statistically significant differences (χ2=7.843, 16.442, P=0.005, 0.001). The 5-year overall recurrence rate of PHT-related complications of the Sa group after TIPS [15.8% (95%CI 6.4%-25.2%)] was higher than that of the control group [5.7% (95%CI 0.2%-11.2%)], with a statistically significant difference (χ2=4.431, P =0.035. The 1, 3 and 5-year survival rates in the Sa group were 88.3% (95%CI 80.3%-96.3%), 86.7% (95%CI 78.1%-95.3%) and 77.8% (95%CI 65.1%-90.5%) respectively, which were all lower than those of the control group [97.2% (95%CI 93.3%-100%), 95.8% (95%CI 91.1%-100.0%) and 93.7% (95%CI 87.6%-99.87%) respectively], and the difference was statistically significant (χ2=5.055, P=0.025). Conclusion:Sa has a higher incidence in PHT patients, which can increase the incidence of hepatic encephalopathy and recurrence rate of PHT-related complications, and can decrease the survival rate in PHT patients after TIPS. Hence, the Sa is an indicator of the poor prognosis in PHT patients with TIPS.

The matrix metalloproteinases family (MMPs) are proteins related to tumor formation and metastasis that have attracted the attention of scholars in recent years. Tumor cells can secrete MMPs during malignant transformation, and the expression of MMPs in different malignant tumors is diverse, and different members of MMPs do not have exactly the same biological properties. Matrix metalloproteinase-19 (MMP-19) is a new member of MMPs whose secretion increases rapidly during the malignant transformation of cells and is released into the extracellular space to participate in biological processes such as proliferation, adhesion, invasion, migration, and angiogenesis of tumor cells. In this paper, the progress of research on the biological properties of MMP-19 in tumors was reviewed to provide a theoretical basis for exploring the development of tumors, especially for studying the invasion and metastasis of tumor cells.

Objective: To investigate the inhibitory effect of Triptolide on vasculogenesis of human cervical microvascular endothelial cells, and to explore the mechanism. Methods: Human cervical microvascular endothelial cells (HCerMECs) were used as research subject, and treated with different concentrations of Triptolide (0, 5, 10, 20 and 40 ng/ml) i n v i t r o . The effect of Triptolide on cell proliferation was determined by CCK-8, the cell migration ability was detected by Transwell assay while the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was examined by western blotting. Results: Triptolide inhibited the proliferation and migration of HCerMECs in a dose-dependent manner ( P <0.05). In addition, Triptolide could inhibit the expression of VEGF in HCerMECs in a concentration-dependent manner. Conclusions: Triptolide could inhibit the proliferation and migration activity of HCerMECs which is related with the suppression of VEGF expression.

Tubeimoside-1 (TBMS1) is a triterpene saponins active components with large content in Cucurbitaceae plant Fritillaria, which is water-soluble and stable. It has a broad inhibitory effect on lung cancer, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, gastric cancer and other tumors. The mechanism is mainly related to the inhibition of tumor cell growth, induction of tumor cell apoptosis, inhibition of tumor cell invasion and metastasis, induction of cell autophagy, and inhibition of tumor angiogenesis.

Objective To analyze the clinical efficacy of microwave ablation in the colorectal cancer with simultaneously multiple liver metastases that was initially evaluated as potentially resectable.Methods The patients with potentially resectable colorectal cancer with simultaneous multiple liver metastases treated in the De-partment of General Surgery of the First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North University,the Center of Minimally Invasive Therapy in Oncology of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine in Dongzhimen Hospital of Beijing U-niversity of Chinese Medicine,and the Second Department of General Surgery in the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University from October 1,2018 to October 1,2020 were selected in this study.The general data,pathological features,treatment methods,and clinical efficacy of the patients were collected.According to the treatment methods,the patients were assigned into a surgical resection group(conversion therapy + laparoscopic primary resection +hepatectomy)and a microwave ablation group(conversion therapy +laparoscopic primary re-section +microwave ablation).The surgical indicators(operation duration,time to first postoperative anal ex-haust,hospital stay,etc.)and postoperative complications(anastomotic stenosis,anastomotic hemorrhage,incision infection,etc.)were compared between the two groups.The survival period was followed up,including the overall survival period and disease-free survival period,and the survival curves were drawn to analyze the clinical efficacy of the two treatment regimens.Results A total of 198 patients with potentially resectable color-ectal cancer with simultaneous multiple liver metastases were included in this study.Sixty-six patients were cured by neoadjuvant chemotherapy(FOLFOX or FOLFIRI),including 30 patients in the surgical resection group and 36 patients in the microwave ablation group(with 57 tumors ablated).After the first ablation,54(94.74%)tumors achieved complete ablation,and all of them reached no evidence of disease status after re-ablation.The microwave ablation group had shorter operation duration,less intraoperative blood loss,shorter time to first post-operative anal exhaust,shorter time of taking a liquid diet,shorter hospital stay,and lower hospitalization cost than the surgical resection group(all P<0.001).In addition,the microwave ablation group had lower visual analogue scale score(P<0.001)than the surgical resection group.The incidences of complications such as inci-sion infection(P =0.740),anastomotic fistula(P =1.000),and anastomotic stenosis(P =1.000),the over-all survival period(P =0.191),and the disease-free survival period(P =0.934)showed no significant differ-ences between the two groups.Conclusions For patients with colorectal cancer with simultaneous multiple liver metastases initially assessed as potentially resectable,laparoscopic primary resection +surgical resection/microwave ablation after conversion therapy was safe,effective,and had similar survival outcomes.Microwave ablation outper-formed surgical resection in postoperative recovery,economy,and tolerability,being worthy of clinical promotion.

Objective To investigate the efficacy of implantation of radioactive iodine-125 (125I) seeds combined with chemotherapy in treatment of stage Ⅲb and Ⅳ non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).Methods Ninety patients with stage Ⅲb and Ⅳ NSCLC were divided into two groups.The combined group (n=43) received chemotherapy with TP (paclitaxe plus cispla tin) or GP (gemcitabine plus cisplatin) 3 days after 125I particles implantation,and the control group (n=47) only received TP or GP chemotherapy.The effective rate,1-year and 2-year survival rate,the median survival time were compared between the 2 groups.Results The total effective rates of the combined group and the control group of stage Ⅲ b NSCLC were 84.00％ and 48.28％,and the effective rates of stage Ⅵ NSCLC were 72.22％ and 33.33％ (both P＜0.05).The 1-year and 2-year survival rate of the combined group and control group of stage Ⅲb NSCLC were 67.80％,36.00％ and 37.90％,13.83％,respectively (both P＜0.05).The median survival time was 15.7 months and 8.6 months.However,the survival rates of the combined group and the control group of stage Ⅳ NSCLC were 44.44％,16.70％ and 22.22％,11.10％,respectively,while the difference was not statistically significant (P＞0.05).The median survival time was 8.9 and 6.0 months.Conclusion The implantation of radioactive 125I seeds combined with chemotherapy can obtain a significant efficacy in the treatment of stage Ⅲb and stage Ⅳ NSCLC.For patients with stage Ⅲb NSCLC,combined therapy can improve the survival rate.