Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a differentiation process of epithelial cells into mesenchymals,which is widespread in the invasion and metastasis of malignant tumor.Studies show that EMT is influenced by a variety of factors such as cytokines,signaling pathways and transcription factors.Studies also show that intracellular and extracellular signal transmission could induce EMT.Signal transduction is a process which involves ligand-receptor binding in the extracellular,going into the cell and activating different nuclear transduction factor through intracellular signal transduction pathway.

Objective To determine the perioperative risks of partial hepatectomy by determining the preoperative liver functional reserve in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC),and to compare the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score with the Child-Pugh classification in predicting prognosis.Methods We reviewed the clinical data of 202 patients with HCC who underwent partial hepatectomy.The MELD score and the Child-Pugh classification were determined preoperatively.Results The incidence of postoperative liver dysfunction happened in 44.0％ of Child A patients,50％ in Child B patients,41.6％in patients with a MELD score below 14,and 91.7％ in patients with a MELD score of ＞ 14.The difference between the rates of postoperative liver dysfunction in patients with a preoperative MELD score above 14 and below 14 was significant (P ＜ 0.05),while that between patients with Child-Pugh A and B was insignificant (P ＞ 0.05).The incidences of postoperative liver dysfunction in patient with a MELD ＜ 8,8 ≤ MELD ≤ 14,MELD ＞ 14 were 38.2％,57.6％ and 91.7％,respectively,indicating that there was a positive co-relationship between the MELD score and the incidences of liver dysfunction.The Spearman rank correlation test showed the MELD score was significant correlated with the Child-Pugh score (r =0.404 ; P ＜ 0.05).The areas under the ROC curves of the MELD score and the Child-Pugh score were 0.703 and 0.587 (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions The MELD score predicted postoperative liver dysfunction more accurately than the Child-Pugh classification.HCC patients undergoing partial hepatectomy with a preoperative MELD score ＞ 14 had a high perioperative risk.To ensure the safety of partial hepatectomy,HCC patients with a preoperative MELD score ＞ 14 requires active preoperative preparation,bringing the score near to or less than 14.

Objective To analyze the clinicopathological characteristics and the prognostic survival factors of young patients who have undergone hepatectomy for primary hepatic carcinoma.Methods Clinicopathological da-ta and treatment outcomes in 79 young (≤40 years old)and 67 elderly (≥65 years old)patients who underwent hep-atectomy for primary hepatic carcinoma between 2008 and 2012 were retrospectively collected and compared using various parameters.Then the survival rate and prognostic factors of the younger patients were analyzed using Kap-lan-Meier and COX multivariate proportional hazards model.Results The positive rate of HBs-antigen and alpha-fetoprotein level were significantly higher in the younger patients than in the elderly patients (P<0.05).However, the positive rate of Anti-HCV-Ab was markedly lower in the younger patients (P<0 .0 5 ).The two groups did not significantly differ in gender,clinical symptoms,intraoperative parameters or pathological features (P>0.05).The overall survival rate was similar between the two groups.COX multivariate proportional hazards model analysis showed that the independent prognostic factors of overall survival were pre-operative albumin level <3 5 g/L and maximum tumor diameter ≥5 cm.Conclusion Hepatectomy is a safe and feasible treatment for young and elderly patients with primary hepatic carcinoma.The independent prognostic factors of survival for young patients are pre-operative albumin level <3 5 g/L and the maximum tumor diameter ≥5 cm.

Objective To investigate the feasibility of combined laparoscopic and thoracoscopic esophagectomy for esophageal carcinoma and gastro-esophageal anastomosis in right thoracic cavity.Methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 38 patients who underwent esophagectomy for esophageal carcinoma and gastro-esophageal anastomosis in right thoracic cavity from October 2011 to August 2012.To remove the stomach in laparoscopic and the esophagus in thoracoscopy.The main portion of a gastric conduit is created using three to four firings of a linear stapler(Ethicon Endo-surgery,Cincinati,OH) and jejunum stoma.Gastric conduit was pulled into the chest cavity and anastomosed to the esophagus.Results The average operative time was 280 minutes,the mean operative blood loss was 120 ml.No patient required laparotomy.No pulmonary complications or anastomotic leaks occurred.One had gastric retention,another one had chylous hydrothorax.All patients were cured,no one dead in hospital.Conclusion Combined laparoscopic and thoracoscopic esophagectomy for esophageal carcinoma and gastro-esophageal anastomosis in right thoracic cavity is technically feasible and safe,minimized trauma,less operative blood loss and quick recovery.

Terpene synthase (TPS) plays important roles in the synthesis of terpenoids which are the main fragrances in Rhododendron flowers. To understand the function of TPS genes in terpenoid metabolism in relation to flower aroma formation, we identified all TPS gene family members in Rhododendron by analyzing its genome database. We then used a transcriptomic approach to analyze the differential gene expression patterns of TPS gene family members in the scented flower Rhododendron fortunei compared to the non-scented flower Rhododendron 'Nova Zembla'. The contents of terpenoid compounds in petals of the above two Rhododendron species at different developmental stages were also measured by using qRT-PCR and head space-solid phase micro-extraction combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Our results showed that a total of 47 RsTPS members, with individual lengths ranged from 591 to 2 634 bp, were identified in the Rhododendron genome. The number of exons in RsTPS gene ranged from 3 to 12, while the length of each protein encoded ranged from 196 to 877 amino acids. Members of the RsTPS family are mainly distributed in the chloroplast and cytoplasm. Phylogenetic analysis showed that RsTPS genes can be clustered into 5 subgroups. Seven gene family members can be functionally annotated as TPS gene family since they were temporally and spatially expressed as shown in the transcriptome data. Notably, TPS1, TPS10, TPS12 and TPS13 in Rhododendron fortunei were expressed highly in flower buds reached the peak in the full blossoming. Correlation analysis between gene expression levels and terpenoid content indicates that the expression levels of TPS1, TPS4, TPS9, TPS10, TPS12 and TPS13 were positively correlated with the content of terpenoids in the petals of R. fortunei at all flower developmental stages, suggesting that these six genes might be involved in the aroma formation in R. fortunei.
Rhododendron/metabolism* ; Phylogeny ; Terpenes/metabolism* ; Family ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant

The capacity for thermal tolerance is critical for industrial enzyme. In the past decade, great efforts have been made to endow wild-type enzymes with higher catalytic activity or thermostability using gene engineering and protein engineering strategies. In this study, a recently developed SpyTag/SpyCatcher system, mediated by isopeptide bond-ligation, was used to modify a rumen microbiota-derived xylanase XYN11-6 as cyclized and stable enzyme C-XYN11-6. After incubation at 60, 70 or 80 ℃ for 10 min, the residual activities of C-XYN11-6 were 81.53%, 73.98% or 64.41%, which were 1.48, 2.92 or 3.98-fold of linear enzyme L-XYN11-6, respectively. After exposure to 60-90°C for 10 min, the C-XYN11-6 remained as soluble in suspension, while L-XYN11-6 showed severely aggregation. Intrinsic and 8-anilino-1-naphthalenesulfonic acid (ANS)-binding fluorescence analysis revealed that C-XYN11-6 was more capable of maintaining its conformation during heat challenge, compared with L-XYN11-6. Interestingly, molecular cyclization also conferred C-XYN11-6 with improved resilience to 0.1-50 mmol/L Ca²⁺ or 0.1 mmol/L Cu²⁺ treatment. In summary, we generated a thermal- and ion-stable cyclized enzyme using SpyTag/SpyCatcher system, which will be of particular interest in engineering of enzymes for industrial application.
Animals ; Cyclization ; Endo-1,4-beta Xylanases ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Enzyme Stability ; Industrial Microbiology ; methods ; Microbiota ; Protein Engineering ; Rumen ; enzymology ; microbiology ; Temperature

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism of action of Sini powder in the treatment of liver cancer based on network pharmacology and molecular docking. MethodsTraditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform was used to obtain the compound and target of Sini powder, and the corresponding gene Symbol was obtained through Uniprot. The disease genes of liver cancer were obtained from Human Genome Database, and the genes with intersection with the target genes of Sini powder were screened out. Cytoscape3.7.1 software was used to draw the map of “traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)-compound-target” network. STRING was used to construct a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, R studio software was used to conduct gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses on therapeutic targets, and then the results were visualized. The active component with the highest number of targets was selected as the ligand, and the target with the highest degree in the PPI network was selected as the receptor, so as to predict the structure of receptor-ligand complex and the amino acid residues that bind to each other. ResultsIn this study, 91 core targets and 141 relevant active components of Sini powder were screened out, among which quercetin and kaempferol were the main active components in the treatment of liver cancer. TP53 and HSP90AA1 were the main therapeutic targets. The GO enrichment analysis obtained 1007 items which met the screening criteria, which were mainly involved in the biological processes of antioxidation reaction, activity regulation of protein serine and threonine kinase, and cellular stress response. The KEGG enrichment analysis obtained 102 pathways, which mainly regulated the hepatitis B pathway and the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway in the prevention and treatment of liver cancer. The results of molecular docking showed a synergistic antitumor effect between the crystal structure domains VAL147, CYS220, GLU221, and PRO222 of quercetin-TP53. ConclusionThis study reveals the mechanism of action of Sini powder in the treatment of liver cancer by acting on multiple targets and signaling pathways, which provides a theoretical basis for biological experiments.

Objective:To investigate the epidemiology of pathogens of acute respiratory tract infection (ARTI) in children in Guangzhou area.Methods:A total of 13 610 hospitalized children with ARTI in Guangzhou Women and Children′s Medical Center from January 2018 to December 2021 were enrolled. Throat swab specimens were collected, and fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed to detect 11 respiratory pathogens, including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), adenovirus (ADV), parainfluenza virus (PIV), human rhinovirus (HRV), human bocavirus (HBoV), human metapneumovirus (HMPV), enterovirus (EV), influenza A virus (IFA), influenza B virus (IFB), Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) and Chlamydia pneumoniae (CP). Grouping according to age (< one year group, one to < three years group, three to < six years group, six to 14 years group) and season. Chi-square test was used for statistical analysis. Results:At least one pathogen was detected in 6 331 cases among 13 610 patients, and the overall positive rate was 46.52%. The detection rates from high to low were as follows: RSV (13.75%(1 872/13 610)), ADV (4.82%(656/13 610)), PIV (4.82%(656/13 610)), MP (4.54%(618/13 610)), HRV (3.39%(462/13 610)), HBoV (2.64%(359/13 610)), HMPV (2.59%(352/13 610)), EV (1.76%(239/13 610)), IFA (1.29%(176/13 610)), IFB (0.90%(122/13 610)) and CP (0.30%(41/13 610)). The positive rate of viral detection showed significant differences among different age groups ( χ2=49.91, P<0.001), and the highest positive rate was in the age group of one to

Objective Reliability and validity of the Chinese version of disability attitude scales(DAS-CN)toward disabled persons were created and tested to provide an assessment instrument for measuring the attitude of medical staff toward disabled persons in China.Methods Authorised by the author of DAS in August 2020,based on BRISLIN translation model,the English version of DAS was translated into Chinese followed by back translation,cultural debugging and then put it into pre-experiment in September 2020.The reliability and validity of the finalised DAS-CN were further tested in a survey with 400 randomly selected medical staff in rehabilitation from 8 general hospitals in Jinzhou,Panjin,Yingkou and Fushun in Liaoning Province,China by using the convenience sampling method in March 2021.Results A total of 357 surveyees completed the survey.The localised DSA-CN was composed of 4 dimensions with a total of 20 items,including 4 items in clinical knowledge and skills,4 in clinical responsibility,8 in clinical behaviour and 4 in emotional response.The Cronbach α coefficient of the scales was 0.943,with the split-half reliability and test-retest reliability at 0.824 and 0.899,respectively.The Cronbach α coefficient of each dimension was 0.843～0.944,and the split half reliability was 0.854～0.904.The test-retest reliability ranged from 0.701 to 0.913.The KMO value of exploratory factor analysis was 0.921.The Bartrett spherical test value was 5534.981(P<0.01).The total explanatory rate of variation was 73.050%.Conclusion The Chinese version of Disability Attitude Scales(DSA-CN)has good reliability and validity.Therefore,DSA-CN can be used as an instrument in investigation of the current status about the attitudes towards the disabled persons among the medical staff in China.

Objective:To investigate the factors affecting the accuracy of electronic portal imaging device (EPID)-based in vivo dose verification in radiotherapy for patients with lung and esophageal cancers, and to recommend the workflow and specifications for the application of the in vivo dose verification. Methods:This study randomly selected 32 patients who received radiotherapy for esophageal and lung cancers at the Department of Radiation Oncology, Jinhua Municipal Central Hospital from May to August 2022, including 14 lung cancer cases and 18 esophageal cancer cases. Using a uRT-linac 506c linear accelerator, these patients were treated according to the dynamic intensity-modulated radiotherapy (dIMRT) and EPID-based In vivo dose verification ( In vivo EPID) plans developed with the uRT-TPOIS planning system. The In vivo dose verification performed during the treatment included 238 fractions of In vivo EPID and 80 fractions of image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) for the lung cancer cases, as well as 414 fractions of In vivo EPID and 105 fractions of IGRT for the esophageal cancer cases. The 2D γ passing rate for each irradiation field was obtained according to the set threshold value. Furthermore, fractioned irradiation fields with γ-passing rates below the threshold value were analyzed, and primary factors decreasing the γ-passing rate were further analyzed by combining the online CT images and 3D reconstruction-derived dose. Results:For lung and esophageal cancers, the mean γ-passing rates were 95.1% ± 5.7% and 96.5% ± 4.5%, respectively at 3 mm/5%; 91.5% ± 8.4% and 92.2% ± 4.9%, respectively at 3 mm/3%, and 79.1% ± 14.7% and 83.7% ± 8.2%, respectively at 2 mm/2%, indicating no statistically significant differences between two cancers ( P > 0.05). The average γ passing rate for beam orientations near 0°/180° (Group A) was higher than those near 90°/270° (Group B) 3 mm/5%: Z = -25.4, P < 0.05; 3 mm/3%: Z = -26.8, P < 0.05). The IGRT correction of setup errors significantly improved the γ passing rates (96.3% ± 5.1% and 96.4% ± 4.9%, respectively at 3 mm/5%, Z = -5.50, P < 0.05; 92.3% ± 8.0% and 91.3% ± 7.7%, respectively at 3 mm/3%, Z = -9.54, P < 0.05). The results of In vivo dose verification were affected by changes in the volumes and motion of tumors and normal tissues, radiotherapy positioning, and adequacy of pre-treatment preparation. Conclusions:EPID-based In vivo dose verification during radiotherapy can avoid incorrect irradiation. However, it is necessary to standardize the workflow of the EPID-based In vivo dose verification to avoid the decrease in the γ passing rate caused by artificial factors.