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To investigate the effects of oxymatrine injection (OI) combined with low-dose paclitaxel on expressions of mRNAs and proteins of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) in human gastric carcinoma SGC-7901 cells.

Objective: To explore the value of gadolinium-ethoxybenzyl-diethylenetriamine (Gd-EOB-DTPA) enhanced MRI T₁ mapping in diagnosing and distinguishing dysplastic nodule (DN) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with different degrees of differentiation. Methods: A retrospective study in the first affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University from September 2015 to December 2017 was conducted. Seventy-one patients with HCC or DN (a total of 79 lesions) that confirmed by biopsy or surgical pathology findings. Seventy-nine lesions were divided into DN (n=10), well differentiated HCC (n=15), moderately differentiated HCC (n=36) and poorly differentiated HCC (n=18) according to histopathology. All the patients underwent plain MRI scan and Gd-EOB-DTPA-MRI T₁ mapping before surgery or needle biopsy. The T₁ values of each lesion and non-tumorous liver parenchyma were measured on 20 min hepatobiliary phase (HBP) T₁ mapping after Gd-EOB-DTPA administration, respectively. The increment rate of T₁ value in lesions relative to non-tumorous liver parenchyma were calculated. One-way ANOVA was used to compare the differences of T₁ value and the increment rate of T₁ value of DN and 3 groups of HCC with different degrees of differentiation. Spearman correlation was used to evaluate the correlation between T₁ mapping parameters and the malignancy degree of DN and HCC. Area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to evaluate the efficacy of T₁ mapping parameters in the differential diagnosis of DN and HCC with different degree of differentiation. Results: Significant differences were found in T₁ value and increase rate of T₁ value of DN and HCC with different degrees of differentiation (P< 0.05). The T₁ value and increase rate of T₁ value showed an increasing trend from DN to poorly differentiated HCC after enhancement. The T₁ value and increase rate of T₁ value were positively correlated with the malignancy of DN and HCC (r=0.418 and 0.634, P<0.01). There were significant differences in the increase rate of T₁ value between well-differentiated HCC and moderately-differentiated, well-differentiated HCC and poorly-differentiated HCC, respectively (P<0.05). The area under ROC curve of T₁ value and the increase rate of T₁ value for differentiating DN from well-differentiated, moderately differentiated and poorly differentiated HCC was 0.933, 0.928, 0.939 and 0.867, 0.961, 0.961, respectively. The area under ROC curve of the increase rate of T₁ value for differentiating well-differentiated HCC from moderately-differentiated, well-differentiated HCC from poorly-differentiated HCC was 0.770 and 0.844, respectively. Conclusions Gd-EOB-DTPA enhanced MRI combined with T₁ mapping can provide valuable diagnostic information for identifying DN and HCC with different degrees of differentiation.

Objective To assess the diagnostic value of saline infusion test ( SIT) and its optimal cutoff in the diagnosis of primary aldosteronism ( PA ), and to analyze whether the dietary salt intake affects the SIT accuracy. Methods This is a prospective study. All 236 patients with a high risk for PA underwent the screening test, SIT and the fludrocortisone suppression test (FST) in separate days. The diagnosis of PA was established according to the FST criteria. According to the 24 h urinary sodium level, the patients were divided into low salt, normal salt, and high salt groups respectively, and the effect of salt intake on SIT was analyzed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to compare the diagnostic accuracies. Results Finally, in 236 patients with high risk for PA, 134 patients with PA and 102 patients with essential hypertension ( EH) were diagnosed. Using post-test plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) for diagnosis, the area under the ROC curve (AUCROC) of the SIT was 0.974 (0.957, 0.991), which was significantly higher than that of the post-test plasma aldosterone to renin ratio (ARR) [0.900 ( 0. 862, 0. 938)] and that of the PAC suppression percentage [ 0. 752 ( 0. 690, 0. 813)] ( both P<0.01). Considering both sensitivity and specificity, an optimal cutoff of PAC post-SIT was set at 8 ng/dl, resulting in a sensitivity of 88. 1% and a specificity of 95. 1%. The PAC post-SIT, whether in PA or EH patients, had no statistically significant differences among low salt, normal salt, and high salt groups (P>0.05). Conclusion SIT is reliable for the diagnosis of PA. PAC post-SIT more than 8.0 ng/dl is recommended to confirm PA.

Objective:To explore the short-term and long-term prognostic outcomes of anatomical liver resection(AR)for patients with perihilar cholangio-carcinoma. Methods:This is a retrospective study.All data were obtained from 4 centers,including The First Affiliated Hospital of Army Medical University,Eastern Hepatobiliary Hospital of Naval Medical University,Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital and Affiliated Hospital of Qinghai University,of a multi-center database.A total of 305 consecutive perihilar cholangiocarcinoma patients receiving radical resection between January 2013 and June 2021 were included in this study.According to the method of liver resection,all patients were divided into the AR group(n=205)and the non-anatomical liver resection(NAR)group(n=100).The baseline characteristics,short-term prognosis and long-term prognosis of the 2 groups were compared. Results:The perioperative transfusion rate and the 30-day complication rate were significantly lower in the AR group than those in the NAR group(P＜0.05).There was no statistically significant difference in the survival rates between the AR and the NAR groups(P＞0.05). Conclusion:The 2 hepatic resection modalities had no obvious effect on the long-term prognosis of perihilar cholangiocarcinoma patients after radical resection,but choosing AR tends to achieve a better short-term prognosis and is worth promoting in clinical practice.

Objective:To investigate the influencing factors of textbook outcomes in liver surgery (TOLS) after radical resection of gallbladder carcinoma.Methods:The retrospective case-control study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 530 patients who underwent radical resection of gallbladder carcinoma in 15 medical centers, including the First Affiliated Hospital of Army Medical University et al, from January 2014 to January 2020 were collected. There were 209 males and 321 females, aged (61±10)years. Patients underwent radical resection of gallbladder carcinoma, including cholecystectomy, hepatectomy, invasive bile duct resection, and lymph node dissection. Observation indicators: (1) situations of TOLS; (2) influencing factors of TOLS. Measure-ment data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and comparison between groups was conducted using the independent sample t test. Measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M( Q1, Q3), and comparison between groups was conducted using the Mann-Whitney U test. Count data were described as absolute numbers or percentages, and comparison between groups was conducted using the chi-square test. Comparison of ordinal data between groups was conducted using the Mann-Whitney U test. The univariate analysis was conducted using the corresponding statistical methods based on data type, and variables with P<0.10 were included in multivariate analysis. Multivariate analysis was conducted using the Logistic stepwise regression model. Results:(1) Situations of TOLS. All 530 patients underwent radical resection of gallbladder carcinoma, and there were 498 cases achieving R 0 resection, 508 cases without ≥grade 2 intra-operative adverse events, 456 cases without postoperative grade B and grade C biliary leakage, 513 cases without postoperative grade B and grade C liver failure, 395 cases without severe com-plications within postoperative 90 days, 501 cases did not being re-admission caused by severe com-plications within postoperative 90 days. Of the 530 patients, 54.53%(289/530) of patients achieved postoperative TOLS, while 45.47%(241/530) of patients did not achieve postoperative TOLS. (2) Influencing factors of TOLS. Results of multivariate analysis showed that American Society of Anesthesiologists classification >grade Ⅱ, preoperative jaundice, T staging as T3?T4 stage, N staging as N2 stage, liver resection as right hemi-hepatectomy, and neoadjuvant therapy were independent factors influencing TOLS in patients undergoing radical resection of gallbladder carcinoma ( odds ratio=2.65, 1.87, 5.67, 5.65, 2.55, 3.34, 95% confidence interval as 1.22?5.72, 1.18?2.95, 2.51?12.82, 2.83?11.27, 1.41?4.63, 1.88?5.92, P<0.05). Conclusion:American Society of Anesthesiologists classification >grade Ⅱ, preoperative jaundice, T staging as T3?T4 stage, N staging as N2 stage, liver resection as right hemi-hepatectomy, and neoadjuvant therapy are independent factors influencing TOLS in patients undergoing radical resection of gallbladder carcinoma.

Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-based therapy has emerged as a promising treatment for spinal cord injury (SCI), but improving the neurogenic potential of MSCs remains a challenge. Mixed lineage leukemia 1 (MLL1), an H3K4me3 methyltransferases, plays a critical role in regulating lineage-specific gene expression and influences neurogenesis. In this study, we investigated the role and mechanism of MLL1 in the neurogenesis of stem cells from apical papilla (SCAPs). We examined the expression of neural markers, and the nerve repair and regeneration ability of SCAPs using dynamic changes in neuron-like cells, immunofluorescence staining, and a SCI model. We employed a coimmunoprecipitation (Co-IP) assay, real-time RT-PCR, microarray analysis, and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay to investigate the molecular mechanism. The results showed that MLL1 knock-down increased the expression of neural markers, including neurogenic differentiation factor (NeuroD), neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM), tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), βIII-tubulin and Nestin, and promoted neuron-like cell formation in SCAPs. In vivo, a transplantation experiment showed that depletion of MLL 1 in SCAPs can restore motor function in a rat SCI model. MLL1 can combine with WD repeat domain 5 (WDR5) and WDR5 inhibit the expression of neural markers in SCAPs. MLL1 regulates Hairy and enhancer of split 1 (HES1) expression by directly binds to HES1 promoters via regulating H3K4me3 methylation by interacting with WDR5. Additionally, HES1 enhances the expression of neural markers in SCAPs. Our findings demonstrate that MLL1 inhibits the neurogenic potential of SCAPs by interacting with WDR5 and repressing HES1. These results provide a potential therapeutic target for promoting the recovery of motor function in SCI patients.
Animals ; Humans ; Rats ; Cell Differentiation ; Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins/therapeutic use* ; Leukemia/metabolism* ; Mesenchymal Stem Cells ; Neurogenesis ; Stem Cells ; Transcription Factor HES-1/metabolism*