Radical gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy has been widely performed as the standard surgery for patients with gastric cancer in major medical centers in China and abroad. However, the exact extent of lymph node dissection is still controversial. In the latest version of the Japanese Gastric Cancer Treatment Guidelines, No. 14v lymph nodes (along the root of the superior mesenteric vein) are again defined as loco-regional lymph nodes, and it is clarified that distal gastric cancer presenting with infra-pyloric regional lymph node (No.6) metastasis is recommended for D2+ superior mesenteric vein (No. 14v) lymph node dissection. To explore the relevance and clinical significance of No.6 and No.14v lymphadenectomy in radical gastric cancer surgery, a review of the national and international literature revealed that No.6 lymph node metastasis was associated with No.14v lymph node metastasis, that No.6 lymph node status was a valid predictor of No.14v lymph node negative status and false negative rate, and that for gastric cancer patients with No. 14v lymph node negative and No.6 lymph node positive, the dissection of No.14v lymph node may also have some significance. The addition of No. 14v lymph node dissection in radical gastrectomy is safe, but it is more important to distinguish the patients who can benefit from it. Professor Liang Han of Tianjin Medical University Cancer Hospital is currently leading a multicenter, large-sample, prospective clinical trial (NCT02272894) in China, which is expected to provide higher level evidence for the clinical significance of lymph node dissection in No.14v.
Humans ; Stomach Neoplasms/pathology* ; Lymphatic Metastasis/pathology* ; Prospective Studies ; Retrospective Studies ; Lymph Nodes/pathology* ; Lymph Node Excision ; Gastrectomy ; Multicenter Studies as Topic

Humans ; Colon, Descending ; Dendritic Cell Sarcoma, Follicular

Objective: This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the association of neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) with the presence of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) among adult patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Methods: A systematic search of articles was performed in various databases. Studies must have fulfilled the following criteria for inclusion: 1) Randomized controlled trial or observational study; 2) Included adults diagnosed with T2DM; 3) Reported data associating NLR or PLR with the presence of DKD; and 4) Controlled for confounders using logistic regression. Data analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.4 software. The estimates were derived using the generic inverse variance method and pooled using the random effects model. Results were presented as odds ratios (OR) and standard errors (SE) with 95% confidence intervals (CI), and graphically shown as forest plots. The I2 value and Chi-square test were used to assess heterogeneity across studies.

Results: Seven studies were included in the review, totaling 1,486 patients. All were cross-sectional studies and had satisfactory methodological quality as evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale. Pooled analysis from six studies showed a statistically significant association between increased NLR and the presence of DKD, defined as either the presence of albuminuria (95% CI, OR 1.68 [1.28, 2.19], p<0.01); or an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 mL/min/1.73m2 (95% CI, OR 1.56 [1.09, 2.23], p=0.01). In both analyses, there was no significant heterogeneity across studies (I2=0%, Chi2=3.54; and I2=28%, Chi2=2.76 respectively). On the other hand, pooled analysis from two studies did not show a statistically significant association between PLR and albuminuria (95% CI, OR 1.75 [0.85, 3.60], p=0.13), although both studies were homogeneous (I2=0%, Chi2=0.57).

Conclusion: We found a statistically significant association between increased NLR and the presence of DKD. However, a similar association was not found with PLR. Larger studies with more robust designs are recommended.

Cross-Sectional Studies ; Depression/epidemiology* ; Humans ; Job Satisfaction ; Occupational Stress/epidemiology* ; Oil and Gas Fields ; Stress, Psychological ; Surveys and Questionnaires

As a serine hydrolase, monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) is principally responsible for the metabolism of 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) in the central nervous system (CNS), leading to the formation of arachidonic acid (AA). Dysfunction of MAGL has been associated with multiple CNS disorders and symptoms, including neuroinflammation, cognitive impairment, epileptogenesis, nociception and neurodegenerative diseases. Inhibition of MAGL provides a promising therapeutic direction for the treatment of these conditions, and a MAGL positron emission tomography (PET) probe would greatly facilitate preclinical and clinical development of MAGL inhibitors. Herein, we design and synthesize a small library of fluoropyridyl-containing MAGL inhibitor candidates. Pharmacological evaluation of these candidates by activity-based protein profiling identified

The concept of “precision medicine” has been a mainstay in discourses about the future of medicine, although it was not until the completion of the Human Genome Project that genetic associations to Mendelian diseases have risen dramatically. Since genetic variations in most (85%) monogenic or oligogenic diseases reside in exons, whole-exome sequencing (WES) serves as a pivotal tool in the identification of causative variants in genodermatoses and other diseases, leading to efficient and timely diagnosis. Here, we share our current diagnosis protocol for genodermatoses using WES as a first-tier solution. Two cases are presented to demonstrate the process of identifying germline variants and one case for a somatic variant. In the first case, a germline missense mutation in COL7A1 (exon73:c.G6127A) was identified for a patient that presented with clinical symptoms of dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB). Immunofluorescence study revealed decreased collagen VII expression in the dermal-epidermal junction. In case 2, we detected a germline missense mutation in KRT16 (exon1:c.374A>G) in a patient with palmoplantar keratoderma (PPK) and congenital pachyonychia. Sanger sequencing and segregation analysis confirmed the variant detected in WES. For case 3, a patient with linear nevus comedonicus was found to have a somatic missense mutation in NEK9 (exon4:c.500T>C), which was only detected in the lesional DNA sample. Thus, WES shows great potential as a diagnostic tool for monogenic or oligogenic genodermatoses. Since omics is a technology-driven tool, we expect that reaching precision medicine is ever closer.
Precision Medicine

OBJECTIVE: To compare the visual, refractive, and patient-reported outcomes of eyes implanted with one of 3 trifocal intraocular lenses (IOLs). METHODS: This is a cross-sectional, comparative, non-interventional study wherein subjects implanted with FineVision Micro F, AT LISA tri 839MP or AcrySof IQ PanOptix trifocal IOL after phacoemulsification were recruited. Manifest refraction, uncorrected and corrected visual acuity (VA) at distance, intermediate and near vision, contrast sensitivity, modulated transfer function (MTF) values and questionnaire answers were compared among the 3 groups using analysis of variance (ANOVA). RESULTS: Fifty-seven (57) eyes were included in the study: 21 eyes with FineVision (group A), 21 eyes with LISA tri (group B), and 15 eyes with PanOptix IOL (group C). The post-operative mean manifest spherical equivalent was -0.01D, -0.07D, and 0.05D, respectively (p=0.083). Uncorrected distance VA and best-corrected distance VA were similar among the groups. Groups A and C had better uncorrected and corrected intermediate VA at 80 cm and at 60 cm compared to group B. Group A had significantly better uncorrected near visual acuity than groups B and C (p=0.032). Mesopic contrast sensitivity testing showed group C had higher contrast sensitivities without glare in at the spatial frequency of 6 CPD (p=0.038) and with glare at 3 CPD (p=0.039) and at 12 CPD (p=0.009). MTF average height analysis showed that the group A had significantly superior resolution in far targets compared to groups B and C (p=0.001). At near targets, groups A and C had better resolutions compared to group B (p=0.017). There was no significant difference in patient satisfaction for far, intermediate and near VA among the groups. CONCLUSION: Eyes implanted with any of the 3 trifocal IOL designs achieved excellent uncorrected and bestcorrected distance, intermediate and near vision. FineVision and PanOptix provided significantly better intermediate vision than LISA tri at both 80 cm and 60 cm testing distance. FineVision had better near visual outcomes than PanOptix and LISA tri. Patient satisfaction was high in all 3 trifocal IOLS
Lenses, Intraocular ; Vision, Ocular

Next-generation sequencing has yielded a vast amount of cattle genomic data for global characterization of population genetic diversity and identification of genomic regions under natural and artificial selection. However, efficient storage, querying, and visualization of such large datasets remain challenging. Here, we developed a comprehensive database, the Bovine Genome Variation Database (BGVD). It provides six main functionalities:gene search, variation search, genomic sig-nature search, Genome Browser, alignment search tools, and the genome coordinate conversion tool. BGVD contains information on genomic variations comprising ～60.44 M SNPs, ～6.86 M indels, 76,634 CNV regions, and signatures of selective sweeps in 432 samples from modern cattle worldwide. Users can quickly retrieve distribution patterns of these variations for 54 cattle breeds through an interactive source of breed origin map, using a given gene symbol or genomic region for any of the three versions of the bovine reference genomes (ARS-UCD1.2, UMD3.1.1, and Btau 5.0.1). Signals of selection sweep are displayed as Manhattan plots and Genome Browser tracks. To further investigate and visualize the relationships between variants and signatures of selection, the Genome Browser integrates all variations, selection data, and resources, from NCBI, the UCSC Genome Browser, and Animal QTLdb. Collectively, all these features make the BGVD a useful archive for in-depth data mining and analyses of cattle biology and cattle breeding on a global scale. BGVD is publicly available at http://animal.nwsuaf.edu.cn/BosVar.

Background: A rise in the number of immunocompromised patients has increased the risk of opportunistic fungal infections. Identifying novel sources of antifungal agents from commonly discarded materials (i.e. potato peelings) can provide a cheaper alternative for antifungal drugs.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to determine the antifungal activity of crude glycoalkaloid extract from Solanum tuberosum L. (white potato) peelings against opportunistic fungi Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus fumigatus, and Aspergillus flavus.

Methods: The glycoalkaloid content from dried potato peelings were extracted using ethanol and confirmed using colorimetric tests.The extract had a concentration 833.33 microgram/mL. Determination of the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of the extract via two-fold broth dilution was performed for the five fungi with amphotericin B and fluconazole as the reference antifungal drugs.

Results: MICs of the crude extract for C. albicans, C. glabrata, A. fumigatus, and A. niger were not found within the concentration range of the studies and would thus need further experiments using a broader range of glycoalkaloid concentrations. The extract was found to have a MIC of 104.17microgram/mL for A. flavus, thereby verifying the antifungal effect of glycoalkaloid against A. flavus at said concentration.

Conclusion: Glycoalkaloids from Solanum tuberosum are a potential source of antifungals against certain opportunistic fungi.