Objective:To investigate the clinicopathological features and molecular genetic characteristics of esophageal carcinoma with ductal differentiation, and to summarize the experiences in its diagnosis and treatment.Methods:A total of 17 cases of esophageal carcinoma with ductal differentiation diagnosed in Ningbo Clinical Pathological Diagnosis Center, Ningbo, China from June 2011 to December 2022 were collected. The clinical information and pathological diagnosis was reviewed. The tumor histological features and immunohistochemical results were analyzed. The next-generation sequencing was performed to detect and analyze the gene mutations in tumor samples.Results:The 17 patients included in this study were 54-77 years old, with a median age of 66 years. There were 16 males and 1 female. Among them, 9 cases were mainly carcinoma with ductal differentiation. The squamous epithelium on the tumor′s surface was accompanied by high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia. The tumor and atypical squamous epithelium were transitional, and the focus was accompanied by various proportions of squamous cell carcinoma component (less than 10%). The other 8 cases were mostly squamous cell carcinoma, basaloid squamous cell carcinoma or sarcomatoid carcinoma with various degrees of tumor specific differentiation and focal area of carcinoma with ductal differentiation (less than 10%). The tumor cells in the area with ductal differentiation were mainly arranged in small tubes, while the tubes showed a double-layer structure, including the inner cells and outer cells of the lumen. Immunohistochemical results showed that the outer cells of the tumorous tubules expressed p63, p40, CK5/6 and CK34βE12, while the inner cells expressed CK7. Compared with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma reported in the literature, the frequency of gene mutations such as MYC ( P=0.002), TP63 ( P=0.002), CDKN1C ( P=0.002) and NFE2L2 ( P=0.045) was significantly lower in this group of cases. At the signaling pathway level, the mutation frequency of NOTCH signaling pathway ( P=0.041) was significantly higher, while the mutation frequencies of NRF2 pathway ( P=0.013) and PI3K pathway ( P=0.009) were significantly lower than that of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Conclusion:Esophageal carcinoma with ductal differentiation is a type of esophageal carcinoma with unique morphology, and its molecular changes are also significantly different from those of conventional esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

This article reported a case of neurodevelopmental disorder accompanied by spastic diplegia and visual impairment with the manifestation of small fetal head circumference. Prenatal ultrasonography performed at 33 +5 weeks of pregnancy revealed small fetal head circumference (-2.61SD) and oligohydramnios. Whole-exome sequencing identified a heterozygous frameshift variation of c.1623_1624insA (p.R542Tfs*30) in the CTNNB1 gene (NM_001904.4) of the fetus. No phenotypic abnormalities or corresponding gene variations were detected in the parents, suggesting it was a de novo variation. Based on the clinical manifestations, the fetus was diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental disorder accompanied by spastic diplegia and visual defects. Following genetic counseling, the pregnant woman chose to terminate the pregnancy.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to determine the effects of low-level laser (LLL) on the expression of interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, osteoprotegerin (OPG), and receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL) in human periodontal ligament cells (HPDLCs) stimulated by high glucose; and identify the molecular mechanism of LLL therapy in the regulation of periodontal inflammation and bone remodeling during orthodontic treatment in diabetic patients. METHODS: HPDLCs were cultured in vitro to simulate orthodontic after loading and irradiated with LLL therapy. The cultured cells were randomly divided into four groups: low glucose Dulbecco's modification of Eagle's medium (DMEM)+stress stimulation (group A), high glucose DMEM+stress stimulation (group B), hypoglycemic DMEM+LLL therapy+stress stimulation (group C), and hyperglycemic DMEM+LLL therapy+stress stimulation (group D). Groups C and D were further divided into C1 and D1 (energy density: 3.75 J/cm²) and C2 and D2 (energy density: 5.625 J/cm²). Cells in groups A, B, C, and D were irradiated by LLL before irradiation. At 0, 12, 24, 48, and 72 h, the supernatants of the cell cultures were extracted at regular intervals, and the protein expression levels of IL-6, TNF-α, OPG, and RANKL were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: 1) The levels of IL-6 and TNF-α secreted by HPDLCs increased gradually with time under static pressure stimulation. After 12 h, the levels of IL-6 and TNF-α secreted by HPDLCs in group A were significantly higher than those in groups B, C1, and C2 (P<0.05), which in group B were significantly higher than those in groups D1, and D2 (P<0.01). 2) The OPG protein concentration showed an upward trend before 24 h and a downward trend thereafter. The RANKL protein concentration increased, whereas the OPG/RANKL ratio decreased with time. Significant differen-ces in OPG, RANKL, and OPG/RANKL ratio were found among group A and groups B, C1, C2 as well as group B and groups D1, D2 (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS 1) In the high glucose+stress stimulation environment, the concentrations of IL-6 and TNF-α secreted by HPDLCs increased with time, the expression of OPG decreased, the expression of RANKL increased, and the ratio of OPG/RANKL decreased. As such, high glucose environment can promote bone resorption. After LLL therapy, the levels of IL-6 and TNF-α decreased, indicating that LLL therapy could antagonize the increase in the levels of inflammatory factors induced by high glucose environment and upregulate the expression of OPG in human HPDLCs, downregulation of RANKL expression in HPDLCs resulted in the upregulation of the ratio of OPG/RANKL and reversed the imbalance of bone metabolism induced by high glucose levels. 2) The decrease in inflammatory factors and the regulation of bone metabolism in HPDLCs were enhanced with increasing laser energy density within 3.75-5.625 J/cm². Hence, the ability of LLL therapy to modulate bone remodeling increases with increasing dose.
Humans ; Osteoprotegerin ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism* ; Interleukin-6/pharmacology* ; RANK Ligand/pharmacology* ; Periodontal Ligament/metabolism* ; Lasers ; Glucose/pharmacology*

AIM: To investigate the regulatory mechanism of Angelica polysaccharide on hepatic endoplasmic reticulum stress in diabetic KK-Ay mice. MEHTODS: Forty diabetic KK-Ay mice were randomly divided into model group, metformin group, and angelica polysaccharide high, medium, and low dose groups, with 8 mice in each group. 8 C57BL/6J mice were used as blank control group. The mice were gavaged with 400 mg/kg, 200 mg/ kg and 100 mg/kg of angelica polysaccharide in the high, medium and low dose groups, respectively, and 200 mg/kg of metformin hydrochloride in the metformin group, while the normal and model groups were gavaged with equal volume of saline, and fasting blood glucose and body weight were measured weekly. After 4 weeks of gavage, triglyceride (TG), cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels were measured in mice serum; RT-PCR was performed to observe the expression of glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78), phosphorylated pancreatic endoplasmic reticulum kinase (p-PERK) and phosphorylated α-subunit eukaryotic initiation factor 2 (p-Eif2α) in liver tissues. mRNA expression; Western blot, immunohistochemistry to detect the protein expression of GRP78, p-PERK, p-Eif2α in mouse liver tissues. HE staining: to observe the histopathological changes in the liver. RESULT: Compared with the blank group, the levels of TC, TG and LDL-C were significantly increased (P<0.01) and the levels of HDL-C were significantly decreased (P<0.01) in the model group; compared with the model group, the levels of TC, TG and LDL-C were significantly decreased (P <0.05, P<0.01) and the levels of HDL-C were significantly increased in the metformin group, angelica polysaccharide high and medium dose groups. Compared with the blank group, the expression of GRP78, p-PERK and p-Eif2α in the model group was significantly upregulated (P<0.01), and the expression of GRP78, p-PERK and p-Eif2α in the angelica polysaccharide high, medium and low dose groups was significantly downregulated (P<0.05, P<0.01), and the high dose group had the best effect compared with the model group. Compared with the model group, the mice in the angelica polysaccharide group showed dense liver tissue, reduced vacuole-like degeneration, reduced liver steatosis, gradually aligned hepatocytes, and clear hepatic sinusoidal structure, and the effect was dose-dependent. CONCLUSION: Angelica polysaccharide significantly improved liver injury in diabetic KK-Ay mice, and its mechanism of action may be related to the inhibition of endoplasmic reticulum stress-related proteins and factors GRP78, p-PERK and p-Eif2α expression by Angelica polysaccharide and improvement of endoplasmic reticulum stress.

The liver has a complex cellular composition and a remarkable regenerative capacity. The primary cell types in the liver are two parenchymal cell populations, hepatocytes and cholangiocytes, that perform most of the functions of the liver and that are helped through interactions with non-parenchymal cell types comprising stellate cells, endothelia and various hemopoietic cell populations. The regulation of the cells in the liver is mediated by an insoluble complex of proteins and carbohydrates, the extracellular matrix, working synergistically with soluble paracrine and systemic signals. In recent years, with the rapid development of genetic sequencing technologies, research on the liver's cellular composition and its regulatory mechanisms during various conditions has been extensively explored. Meanwhile breakthroughs in strategies for cell transplantation are enabling a future in which there can be a rescue of patients with end-stage liver diseases, offering potential solutions to the chronic shortage of livers and alternatives to liver transplantation. This review will focus on the cellular mechanisms of liver homeostasis and how to select ideal sources of cells to be transplanted to achieve liver regeneration and repair. Recent advances are summarized for promoting the treatment of end-stage liver diseases by forms of cell transplantation that now include grafting strategies.
Humans ; Liver/surgery* ; Hepatocytes/transplantation* ; Stem Cells/metabolism* ; Liver Diseases/surgery*

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of Angelica sinensis polysaccharide on the apoptosis of cardiomyocytes in diabetic KK-Ay mice. METHODS KK-Ay mice were randomly divided into model group， metformin group （200 mg/kg） and A. sinensis polysaccharide high-dose， medium-dose and low-dose groups （400， 200 and 100 mg/kg）； C57BL/6J mice were included in blank group， with 8 mice in each group. Each group was given relevant medicine intragastrically or normal saline， once a day， for consecutive 4 weeks. After the final administration， the levels of fasting glucose， total cholesterol （TC）， low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C） and insulin （INS） were detected； the protein expressions of B-cell lymphoma 2 （Bcl-2）， cleaved- caspase-3， apoptosis signal-regulated kinase 1 （ASK1）， phosphorylated c-Jun N-terminal kinase （p-JNK）， phosphorylated inositol- requiring enzyme 1α （p-IRE1α） in myocardium， and apoptosis in cardiomyocytes were also detected. RESULTS Compared with model group， the fasting glucose， TC and LDL-C content， apoptotic rate of cardiomyocyte， protein expressions of p-JNK and p- IRE1α， ASK1， cleaved-caspase-3 were significantly lower in the metformin group and A. sinensis polysaccharide medium-dose， high-dose groups； INS level and relative expression of Bcl-2 protein were significantly increased （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. CONCLUSIONS A. sinensis polysaccharide can improve the levels of blood glucose and blood lipid and inhibit cardiomyocyte apoptosis in diabetic KK-Ay mice， and the mechanism may be related to the inhibition of IRE1/ASK1/JNK signaling pathway.

Objectve:To study the effect of gabexate mesylate (GM) on acute lung injury (ALI) in septic rats based on metabonomics.Methods:Fifty-seven SD rats were randomly(random number) divided into three groups: sham operation group (SC group), cecal ligation puncture induced septic ALI group (CLP group), and intraperitoneal administration of GM at 1 h after CLP (CLP-GM group). Twenty-four h after the experiment, the survival of rats in the SC, CLP and CLP-GM groups was observed, the lung tissue was collected for HE staining to observe the pathological changes, and the plasma was collected for metabonomics detection to analyze the characteristics of metabolites.Results:Compared with the SC group, the infiltration of inflammatory cells in the lung tissue of rats in the CLP groupincreased significantly, and the metabolic profile of plasma changed significantly. However, the pathological and metabonomic characteristics of the CLP-GM group showed that the above changes were reversed after the application of GM. Twelve major differential metabolites were found in plasma. The metabolic pathways involved in the disorder included biosynthesis of phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan, phenylalanine metabolism and sphingolipid metabolism.Conclusions:GM may improve septic ALI by regulating amino acid metabolism, sphingolipid metabolism and other metabolic pathways.

Background: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) has become the preferred treatment of early colorectal cancer. PDCD4 and autophagy have important clinical significance in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer. Aims: To explore the expressions and significance of apoptosis factor PDCD4 and autophagy factors LC3Ⅱ and p62 in colorectal cancer. Methods: Fifty-four early colorectal adenocarcinoma patients treated by ESD from Jan. 2015 to Nov. 2020 at Binzhou Medical University Hospital were collected. The expressions of PDCD4, LC3Ⅱ and p62 were detected by immunohistochemistry, and the correlations with clinicopathological factors were analyzed. The differential expression of PDCD4 in pan-cancer was analyzed by bioinformatics analysis. Results: Expression of PDCD4 was associated with the long-diameter of paracancer adenoma (P<0.05), and expressions of LC3Ⅱ and p62 were associated with the long-diameters of adenocarcinoma and paracancer adenoma (P<0.05). The positive expression of PDCD4 in P-NIMM was located in the nucleus, while the positive expression in adenocarcinoma was located in cytoplasm. The nucleus/cytoplasm ratio of PDCD4 was significantly higher in P-NIMM than in P-LGIN, P-HGIN and adenocarcinoma (P<0.05), and the nucleus/cytoplasm ratio of PDCD4 was significantly higher in P-LGIN, P-HGIN than in adenocarcinoma (P<0.05). The positive expression rates of LC3Ⅱ and p62 were significantly higher in adenocarcinoma than in P-NIMM and P-LGIN (P<0.05). In P-LGIN, P-HGIN and adenocarcinoma, the expression of PDCD4 was negatively correlated with the expressions of LC3Ⅱ and p62 (P<0.05). The bioinformatics analysis showed that expression of PDCD4 was significantly reduced in a variety of malignant tumors including colorectal cancer (P<0.05). Conclusions: The inhibition of apoptosis and activation of autophagy may promote the occurrence of colorectal cancer, and its mechanism may be related to the intracellular transposition of PDCD4 that inhibits cell apoptosis and enhances autophagy, and activating cellular autophagy may further accelerate the degradation of PDCD4 and thus reducing its cancer inhibiting effect.

A multiplex PCR method was developed to detect the main pathogens of Qinghai Tibetan sheep endometritis. First, the genomes of five standard bacterial strains were extracted and specific primers were selected; the multiplex PCR method was established by using the genome of the standard strain as a template. The samples were collected by sterile cotton swab from Tibetan sheep uterus, and then placed in LB medium and numbered. After 48 h, the genomes of cultured bacteria were extracted and detected by single PCR method, then the positive samples were recorded. The positive samples detected by single PCR were selected for multiplex PCR detection and recorded again. The coincidence rate between these two methods was calculated to measure the accuracy of multiplex PCR. In order to identify the species of the pathogen, 30 positive samples verified by single and multiplex PCR were randomly selected for bacterial isolation and identification. In the 600 samples, the infected ratio of Streptococcus agalactiae (GBS) was 47.33%, Escherichia coli 34.83%, Staphylococcus aureus 6.5%, Salmonella and Trueperella pyogenes were negatively detected. Among the positive samples detected by multiplex PCR, the positive ratio of GBS was 45.50%, E. coli 33.50%, S. aureus 6.5%. Comparison of two detection results, Multiplex PCR detection coincidence rate is more than 95%. The isolated pathogens were identified as E. coli, GBS and S. aureus, which was consistent with the results of two methods. The multiplex PCR method was successfully established and the main pathogens of endometritis in Qinghai Tibetan sheep were GBS, E. coli and S. aureus.
Animals ; Bacteria ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Bacteriological Techniques ; methods ; Endometritis ; microbiology ; veterinary ; Female ; Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction ; standards ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; veterinary ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Sheep ; Sheep Diseases ; microbiology ; Tibet

Diarrhea is a common digestive symptom. Here, we reported a case of young patient admitted with diarrhea caused by lead poisoning and cytomegalovirus infection. Through informative medical history and multi-disciplinary team discussion, Satoyoshi syndrome was finally diagnosed.