Objective:To investigate the predictive ability of Glypican-3 (GPC3) positive hepatocellular carcinoma based on the hepatobiliary specific contrast agent gadoxetate disodium enhancement of the liver imaging reporting and data system version 2018 (LI-RADS v2018) imaging features, and to assess the relevant clinical imaging features for postoperative recurrence in GPC3 positive HCC patients.Methods:This study was a cohort study. A total of 122 hepatocellular carcinoma patients who underwent gadoxetate disodium enhanced MRI examination with hepatic tumor resection in Henan Provincial People′s Hospital from January 2017 to December 2021 were retrospectively collected, including 96 GPC3 positive and 26 GPC3 negative patients. The imaging features defined by LI-RADS v2018 of HCC lesions were analyzed. Patients were followed up for 40 months to determine recurrence free survival (RFS). The logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors of GPC3 positivity. An imaging model, and a clinical-imaging model which combined the patient′s alpha-fetoprotein levels were constructed. The efficacy of the model for predicting GPC3 positivity was assessed using receiver operating characteristic curves. Kaplan-Meier method was used to draw the survival curve, and the log-rank test was used to compare the RFS between GPC3 positive and negative patients. Risk factors affecting the recurrence of GPC3 positive HCC were assessed by Cox regression.Results:The results of logistic multivariate regression analysis confirmed that rim enhancement ( OR=5.685, 95% CI 1.229-26.287, P=0.026) and irregular tumor margin at hepatobiliary phase ( OR=4.431, 95% CI 1.684-11.663, P=0.003) were independent risk factors for GPC3 positive HCC. The area under the curve for predicting GPC3 positivity was 0.745 (95% CI 0.636-0.854) for the imaging model and 0.776 (95% CI 0.677-0.876) for the clinical-imaging model. The mean RFS in the GPC3 positive group was 22 months, and it was 32 months in the negative group. There was a statistically significant difference in RFS between the two groups ( χ2=5.15, P=0.023). The multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the arterial rim enhancement ( HR=5.460, 95% CI 1.966-15.162, P=0.001), microvascular invasion ( HR=2.402, 95% CI 1.210-4.769, P=0.012), portal vein tumor thrombus ( HR=3.226, 95% CI 1.114-9.344, P=0.031) were independent risk factors for recurrence after hepatic tumor resection for GPC3-positive HCC. Conclusions:A model based on the LI-RADS v2018 imaging features of hepatobiliary specific contrast agent gadoxetate disodium enhancement can effectively predict GPC3 positive HCC. The arterial rim enhancement, microvascular invasion and portal vein tumor thrombus are independent risk factors for postoperative recurrence of GPC3 positive HCC.

Objective To explore the intrinsic steady-state electrophysiological properties of mouse heart under physiological conditions by high-resolution quantitative analysis.Methods Twenty-two young adult C57BL/6 mice with a 1:1 male-to-female ratio were used.The limbs of the mice were fixed without anesthesia,and electrocardiographic waveforms,including characteristic P-waves,R-waves,and ST-waves,were recorded using a sensitive 12-lead electrophysiological recorder(ECGsqa)under spontaneous breathing.LabScribe software was used to extract and quantify high-resolution time course and amplitude parameters within a single cardiac cycle from the V3 precordial lead.Pearson correlation test combined with simple linear regression was used to generate a scatter plot of ECG parameter fitting.The common and unique correlation parameters were separately identified by joint associations for profiling the quantitative association network.Results ECGsqa analysis identified and quantified 14 characteristic ECG parameters,28.6%of which showed statistical differences between the groups.Compared to male mice,female mice exhibited higher amplitudes and velocities of R and ST waves.Among the 51 association pairs identified in primary association analysis,47.1%were positively correlated,including shared(29.2%),male-specific(29.2%),and female-specific(41.7%)association groups.Second-order clustering of the association pairs revealed that the amplitude-rate association pairs of each waveform voltage in both male and female mouse hearts were strongly correlated.The male mice showed an atrioventricular interconnection pattern,while the female mice showed a unique atrial conduction system quality dependence.The distribution network characteristics of the association groups showed that sex-specific and common correlation sets formed a certain series pattern.Conclusion We discovered a novel intrinsic correlation network of cardiac electrophysiological traits in male and female mice,which reveals the key internal quantitative characteristics and gender difference of both atrial and ventricular conduction systems.

Objective To explore the intrinsic steady-state electrophysiological properties of mouse heart under physiological conditions by high-resolution quantitative analysis.Methods Twenty-two young adult C57BL/6 mice with a 1:1 male-to-female ratio were used.The limbs of the mice were fixed without anesthesia,and electrocardiographic waveforms,including characteristic P-waves,R-waves,and ST-waves,were recorded using a sensitive 12-lead electrophysiological recorder(ECGsqa)under spontaneous breathing.LabScribe software was used to extract and quantify high-resolution time course and amplitude parameters within a single cardiac cycle from the V3 precordial lead.Pearson correlation test combined with simple linear regression was used to generate a scatter plot of ECG parameter fitting.The common and unique correlation parameters were separately identified by joint associations for profiling the quantitative association network.Results ECGsqa analysis identified and quantified 14 characteristic ECG parameters,28.6%of which showed statistical differences between the groups.Compared to male mice,female mice exhibited higher amplitudes and velocities of R and ST waves.Among the 51 association pairs identified in primary association analysis,47.1%were positively correlated,including shared(29.2%),male-specific(29.2%),and female-specific(41.7%)association groups.Second-order clustering of the association pairs revealed that the amplitude-rate association pairs of each waveform voltage in both male and female mouse hearts were strongly correlated.The male mice showed an atrioventricular interconnection pattern,while the female mice showed a unique atrial conduction system quality dependence.The distribution network characteristics of the association groups showed that sex-specific and common correlation sets formed a certain series pattern.Conclusion We discovered a novel intrinsic correlation network of cardiac electrophysiological traits in male and female mice,which reveals the key internal quantitative characteristics and gender difference of both atrial and ventricular conduction systems.

Trihelix transcription factors play important roles in plant light responses, growth and development, and stress responses. However, Trihelix has not yet been reported in Eucommia ulmoides. In this study, bioinformatics methods were used to comprehensively identify and analyze the expression patterns of the Trihelix gene family in E. ulmoides, aiming to provide a basis for further functional studies of EuGTs genes. A total of 9 Trihelix gene family members were identified in E. ulmoides, encoding proteins with 339 to 883 amino acids, with isoelectric points ranging from 5.13 to 9.39 and relative molecular weights between 36 992.06 and 97 871.61. Subcellular localization results showed that only EuGT-2 was localized in chloroplasts, while the others were located in the nucleus. The Trihelix gene family was categorized into six subfamilies: GT-1, GT-2, SH4, SIP1, GTγ, and GTδ. EuGTs were distributed among three subfamilies: SH4, GT-1, and GT-2, containing 1, 6, and 2 Trihelix proteins, respectively, with 2 to 17 exons. The promoters of EuGTs contained various cis-acting elements related to hormones, stress, photoperiod, and growth and development. Collinearity analysis revealed 5 collinear gene pairs between E. ulmoides and Arabidopsis thaliana, and 14 collinear gene pairs between E. ulmoides and Populus. Expression pattern analysis showed that EuGTs exhibited tissue-specific expression: EuGT-1, EuGT-2 had the highest expression levels in leaves, EuGT-4, EuGT-6, EuGT-9 had the highest transcriptional levels in marginal peel, and EuGT-5、EuGT-8 were predominantly expressed in the xylem. As leaves developed, EuGTs showed a trend of asynchronous changes. No significant differences in EuGTs expression were observed between male and female flowers, with high expression levels mainly during the induction stage of flowering. The qRT-PCR analysis indicated that most EuGTs genes were most highly expressed in the leaves of E. ulmoides, while EuGT-5 was highly expressed in the stems. Under 200 mmol·L~(-1) NaCl treatment, most EuGTs genes exhibited an initial increase followed by a decrease in expression, significantly responding to salt stress. This study provides important genetic resources for further exploration of EuGTs gene functions and germplasm innovation in E. ulmoides.
Plant Proteins/metabolism* ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Eucommiaceae/chemistry* ; Phylogeny ; Multigene Family/genetics* ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Transcription Factors/metabolism* ; Genome, Plant/genetics*

Objective    To compare the outcomes following emergency surgery or conservative treatment for patients with acute type A aortic intramural hematoma (IMH). Methods    Clinical data of consecutive patients diagnosed with acute type A aortic IMH in our hospital from September 2014 to December 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients who met our surgical indications received surgery (an operation group) and other patients received strict conservative treatment (a conservative treatment group). Results    Finally 127 patients were enrolled, including 112 males and 15 females with an average age of 53.6±13.0 years. Of 127 patients, 85 (66.9%) patients accepted emergency surgery and 42 (33.1%) patients accepted strict conservative treatment. There was no difference between the two groups in early mortality or complications (P>0.05). The 5-year survival rate was 90.4% in the operation group and 74.3% in the conservative treatment group (P=0.010). A maximum aortic diameter in the ascending aorta and aortic arch≥45 mm and maximum thickness of IMH in the same section≥8 mm were risk factors for IMH-related death in patients undergoing conservative treatment (P<0.001). Conclusion    The mortality associated with emergency surgery for patients with acute type A aortic IMH is satisfactory. In clinical centers with well-established surgical techniques and postoperative management, emergency surgical treatment may provide a better outcome than conservative treatment for patients with acute type A aortic IMH.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy and safety of radium-223 in combination with new-generation hormonal agents in patients with bone metastases of prostate cancer.Methods:The clinical data of 17 patients (12 from the First Affiliated Hospital of Airforce Military Medical University and 5 from Xi'an International Medical Center Hospital) with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer(mCRPC) treated by radium-223 combined with new-generation hormonal agents from January 2021 to June 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. In all cases, the average age was (73.3±8.5) years old. Before treatment, the median prostate-specific antigen (PSA) was 15.7 (3.2, 36.5) ng/ml, the median alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was 131.5 (79.0, 430.7) U/L. All patients had ≥ 2 bone metastases but no visceral or lymph node metastases. The median number of bone scan lesions was 10(8, 15). Bone pain symptom was present in 16(94.1%) patients. There were 9 cases (52.9%) with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) score of ≥2, 1 case (5.9%) with ECOG score of 1 and 6 cases (35.2%) with ECOG score of 0. All patients were treated with radium-223 (55 kBq/kg, injected every 4 weeks for a maximum of 6 cycles), of which 5 patients were combined with enzalutamide, 8 patients combined with apatamide and 4 patients combined with bicalutamide. PSA response (PSA decreased by ≥30% from baseline and maintained for at least 1 month), ALP response (ALP decreased by ≥30% from baseline and maintained for at least 1 month) and pain relief rates were analyzed. Imaging evaluation was performed before and after treatment to calculate the objective response rate of metastases. The incidence of treatment-related adverse effects and skeletal related event (SRE) were also recorded.Results:Eleven patients completed 6 courses, 3 patients completed 5 courses and 3 patients completed ≥4 courses. The median ALP after 1 month of last treatment was 83.2 (51.5, 126.5) U/L, which was significantly decreased than baseline. 12 patients (70.6%) showed an ALP response and the other 5 (29.4%) showed varying degrees of ALP elevation. PSA response was observed in 4 patients (23.5%), of which 2 (11.8%) had a continuous decrease and 2 (11.8%) had a late-stage increase in PSA. Pain relief was relieved in 15 cases (88.2%) during treatment, 1 case (5.9%) had worsening pain due to disease progression and 1 case (5.9%) had no change during treatment. The ECOG score decreased in 15 (88.2%) patients. The median number of bone metastases in patients decreased to 5 (4, 9). One patient (5.9%) had complete remission during treatment, 11 patients (64.7%) had a partial response, 4 patients (23.5%) were stable, and 1 (5.9%) showed imaging progression after 4 months of treatment. The overall objective remission response rate was 70.5% (12/17). Treatment-related hematologic adverse effects included anemia (1 case, 5.9%, grade 3), thrombocytopenia (1 case, 5.9%, grade 3) and leukopenia (1 case, 5.9%, grade 2). Non-hematologic adverse effects included fatigue (3 cases, 17.6%, 2 cases in grade 1, 1 case in grade 2), gastrointestinal bleeding (1 case, 5.9%, grade 3), diarrhea (1 case, 5.9%, grade 2) and fever (1 case, 5.9%, grade 1). Patients with grades 1 to 2 relieved with symptomatic management. Three cases (17.6%) were discontinued due to intolerance of grade 3 adverse reactions and 1 case (5.9%) terminated on its own. There was no SRE during treatment and follow-up.Conclusions:Radium-223 combined with New-generation hormonal agents has a high objective remission rate in patients with mCRPC, which could provide pain relief and improve quality of life. The incidence of adverse reactions was low and well tolerated.

Objective:To evaluate the short-term efficacy of split liver transplantation (SLT) in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF).Methods:The clinical data of 9 ACLF patients receiving SLT in our center from Mar 2021 to May 2022 were retrospectively analyzed to evaluate its safety and efficacy.Results:The preoperative APASL ACLF Research consortium (AARC) score of the 9 ACLF patients was 8 points in 1 case, 9 points in 3 cases, 10 points in 3 cases, 11 points in 1 case and 12 points in 1 case, 7 cases were in AARC-ACLF grade 2, and 2 cases in grade 3.In-situ liver splitting was performed in 9 deceased donors, including 4 classical split cases, 5 full size split cases. Among these 9 ACLF patients, 2 received left half liver transplantation, 3 received right half liver transplantation, and 4 received extended right lobe liver transplantation. After transplantation, all 9 recipients were discharged fully recovered, 1 case developed Clavien grade Ⅳa complication and 2 cases developed Clavien grade Ⅲb complication.After SLT treatment the median postoperative hospital stay was 27 days, the 1-year survival rate was 100%, and the organ survival rate was 88.9%.Conclusion:Split liver transplantation is a safe and feasible treatment method for ACLF patients.

Objective:To evaluate the value of quantitative analysis of the relative signal intensity (SI) of liver gadolinium disodium enhanced MRI in the grading of liver fibrosis.Methods:From January 2018 to October 2020, the relevant data of 131 patients who underwent gadoxetate disodium enhanced MRI examination were retrospectively analyzed in Henan Provincial People′s Hospital. All patients had histopathological results. According to the Laennec grading system of liver fibrosis, the patients were classified in F0-F1 (27 cases), F2 (19 cases), F3 (17 cases) and F4 (68 cases). The signal intensity of the liver, erector spinae and spleen were measured before and after the enhancement; and 5 post-contrast relative SI parameters were calculated, including the relative enhancement (RE), liver-to-muscle contrast ratio (LMC), liver-to-spleen contrast ratio (LSC), LMC increase rate, LSC increase rate. The differences of 5 post-contrast relative SI parameters among the different fibrosis grades were compared using one-way analysis of variance. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were drawn to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of 5 post-contrast relative SI parameters in the diagnosis of clinically significant liver fibrosis (F2-F4), advanced liver fibrosis (F3-F4) and liver cirrhosis (F4).Results:The differences of RE, LMC, LSC, LMC increase rate, LSC increase rate among different liver fibrosis grades were statistically significant (all P<0.001). With the increasing of the degree of liver fibrosis, the RE, LMC increase rate and LSC increase rate showed decreased. ROC results showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of RE, LMC increase rate, LSC increase rate in diagnosing liver fibrosis in all levels were greater than those of LMC and LSC. The AUC values of RE, LMC increase rate, LSC increase rate in the diagnosis of significant fibrosis (F2-F4) were 0.89, 0.86, 0.83, with the sensitivity as 81.7%, 71.2%, 81.7%, and the specificity as 96.3%, 85.2%, and 74.1%, respectively. The AUC values of RE, LMC increase rate, LSC increase rate in the diagnosis of advanced liver fibrosis (F3-F4) were 0.93, 0.88, 0.86, with the sensitivity as 84.7%, 72.9%, 91.8%, and the specificity as 91.3%, 87.0 %, 71.7%; and the AUC values for diagnosing liver cirrhosis (F4) were 0.92, 0.86, 0.85, with the sensitivity as 82.4%, 76.5%, 92.7%, and the specificity as 88.9%, 81.0%, 65.1%, respectively. Conclusion:Gadoxetate disodium enhanced MRI relative SI parameters including RE, LMC increase rate and LSC increase rate might be used as a useful imaging marker in liver fibrosis grading.

Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics, surgical methods and prognosis of patients with acute type A aortic dissection combining coronary artery involvement.Methods:415 patients diagnosed with acute type A aortic dissection from October 2016 to September 2019 were included in the study.Among them, 358 were males and 57 were females; aged(51.2±10.7) years old.According to the results of intraoperative coronary probes, 342 patients in the group were without coronary involvement, and the other 73 were with coronary involvement.Data on the coronary involvement classification, site, and treatment methods of the coronary involvement group were collected by consulting the ward medical record system.Meanwhile, preoperative baseline data, surgical data and prognostic results were retrospectively collected between the two groups. The data of the two groups were compared by chi- square test, t-test and Mann- Whitney U test. Results:Coronary involvement group: Among 73 (17.6%, 73/415) patients with coronary involvement, 8 (11.0%) in the left coronary, 48 in the right (65.8%), and 17 (23.3%)cases with involvement of both left and right coronary arteries. Classification of coronary artery(90) involvement: Neri A in 47(52.2%, 47/90), 33 with Neri B (36.7%, 33/90), and 10 with type Neri C (11.1%, 10/90). Type Neri B/C coronary artery involvement was mostly treated with artificial vascular coronary artery replacement or coronary artery bypass grafting. Comparison between the two groups show, patients in the coronary involvement group had higher preoperative levels of CK-MB, D-dimer and more severe aortic valve regurgitation compared to the coronary non-involvement group. The comparison of surgical data suggests that the coronary involvement group had a higher proportion of aortic root treatment, longer operation time, cardiopulmonary bypass time and aortic clamping time. A higher percentage of intimal tear located in the ascending aorta or aortic root was found in the coronary involvement group. The mortality rate in the coronary involvement group was significantly higher than that of the non-involvement group (12% versus 4%), and it was more likely to combine heart failure (5% versus 1%) and renal failure (26% versus 13%).Conclusion:Compared with pure type A dissection, patients with coronary artery involvement are more common in patients whose primary intimal tear were found at the proximal aorta, and are more prone to severe aortic valve regurgitation. Coronary artery treatment procedures include direct suture and fixation, coronary artery replacement, and coronary artery bypass grafting. Among them, Neri A coronary involvement can mostly be fixed with direct suture and stabilization, while the Neri B / C type mostly requires artificial vascular replacement of the affected coronary artery or coronary artery bypass. Patients with coronary artery involvement have a higher proportion of deaths and confer relatively higher risk of post-operative renal/cardiac failure.