Summary
Background
Liver resection (LRE) and microwave ablation (MWA) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have been widely compared.
Aims
To compare the therapeutic outcomes of percutaneous MWA and ...LRE for HCC in ideal candidates for ablation according to Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging
Methods
Between August 2013 and November 2020, 483 consecutive patients meeting criteria for “ideal candidates for ablation” per the BCLC staging initially treated with MWA (n = 168) or LRE (n = 315) were included. Patients were further divided into BCLC‐0 (n = 116) and BCLC‐A (n = 367) groups. Overall survival (OS), recurrence‐free survival (RFS) and post‐procedure‐related complication rates were compared before and after propensity score matching (PSM) and inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) in the overall population and subgroups. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was performed to determine whether the treatment modality was an independent prognostic factor.
Results
LRE had a better RFS and similar OS and post‐procedure‐related complication rates compared to MWA in the overall population and in the BCLC‐A subgroup both before and after PSM and IPTW. However, the OS, RFS and post‐procedure‐related complication rates were equivalent between the two groups before and after PSM and IPTW in patients with BCLC‐0 disease. The multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that LRE was associated with better RFS over MWA in overall population (p = 0.003; HR = 0.67; 95% CI: 0.51–0.87) and BCLC‐A disease (p = 0.046; HR = 0.74; 95% CI: 0.56–0.99), while it did not differ in OS.
Conclusion
An ‘ideal candidate for ablation’ according to the BCLC staging system may not be an ideal candidate for MWA. However, patients with BCLC‐0 may be the optimal population for MWA.
The LRE has a better RFS and equivalent OS compared to MWA in “ideal candidates for ablation” per BCLC staging before matching. After PSM and IPTW analysis, the results are similar.
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BFBNIB, DOBA, FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Insect antennae have a primary function of perceiving and discerning odorant molecules including sex pheromones and host plant volatiles. The assumption that genes highly expressed in the antennae ...may have an olfactory‐related role associated with signal transduction. Here, one delta subfamily glutathione S‐transferase (GST) gene (GmolGSTD1) was obtained from an antennal transcriptome of Grapholita molesta. Quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction results revealed that GmolGSTD1 was mainly expressed in antennae and the expression levels were significantly higher in female antennae than in male antennae. The recombinant GmolGSTD1 (rGmolGSTD1) showed glutathione‐conjugating activity toward 1‐chloro‐2,4‐dinitrobenzene (CDNB) as substrates. The pH range for optimal rGmolGSTD1 enzyme activity was 6.0–6.5, and rGmolGSTD1 enzyme activity had maximal peaks at 35–40°C. Spectrophotometric analysis indicated that insecticides had weak inhibitory effects on the activity of rGmolGSTD1 with the inhibitory rates of 28.82% for chlorpyrifos, 22.27% for lambda‐cyhalothrin, 18.07% for bifenthrin, 20.42% for acetamiprid, 17.57% for thiamethoxam, 25.67% for metaflumizone, 27.43% for abamectin, and 7.24% for chlorbenzuron. rGmolGSTD1 exhibited high degradation activity to the sex pheromone component (Z)‐8‐dodecenyl alcohol and the host plant volatile butyl hexanoate with the degradation efficiency of 75.01% and 48.54%, respectively. We speculate that GmolGSTD1 works in inactivating odorant molecules and maintaining sensitivity to olfactory communication of G. molesta.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Coptisine is a natural small‐molecular compound extracted from Coptis chinensis (CC) with a history of using for thousands of years. This work aimed at summarizing coptisine's activity and providing ...advice for its clinical use. We analysed the online papers in the database of SciFinder, Web of Science, PubMed, Google scholar and CNKI by setting keywords as ‘coptisine’ in combination of ‘each pivotal pathway target’. Based on the existing literatures, we find (a) coptisine exerted potential to be an anti‐cancer, anti‐inflammatory, CAD ameliorating or anti‐bacterial drug through regulating the signalling transduction of pathways such as NF‐κB, MAPK, PI3K/Akt, NLRP3 inflammasome, RANKL/RANK and Beclin 1/Sirt1. However, we also (b) observe that the plasma concentration of coptisine demonstrates obvious non‐liner relationship with dosage, and even the highest dosage used in animal study actually cannot reach the minimum concentration level used in cell experiments owing to the poor absorption and low availability of coptisine. We conclude (a) further investigations can focus on coptisine's effect on caspase‐1‐involved inflammasome assembling and pyroptosis activation, as well as autophagy. (b) Under circumstance of promoting coptisine availability by pursuing nano‐ or microrods strategies or applying salt‐forming process to coptisine, can it be introduced to clinical trial.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
The molecular pathology of multi-organ injuries in COVID-19 patients remains unclear, preventing effective therapeutics development. Here, we report a proteomic analysis of 144 autopsy samples from ...seven organs in 19 COVID-19 patients. We quantified 11,394 proteins in these samples, in which 5,336 were perturbed in the COVID-19 patients compared to controls. Our data showed that cathepsin L1, rather than ACE2, was significantly upregulated in the lung from the COVID-19 patients. Systemic hyperinflammation and dysregulation of glucose and fatty acid metabolism were detected in multiple organs. We also observed dysregulation of key factors involved in hypoxia, angiogenesis, blood coagulation, and fibrosis in multiple organs from the COVID-19 patients. Evidence for testicular injuries includes reduced Leydig cells, suppressed cholesterol biosynthesis, and sperm mobility. In summary, this study depicts a multi-organ proteomic landscape of COVID-19 autopsies that furthers our understanding of the biological basis of COVID-19 pathology.
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•11,394 proteins are quantified in autopsy samples from 7 organs in 19 COVID-19 patients•Elevated expression of cathepsin L1 is detected in the COVID-19 lung tissue•Dysregulation of angiogenesis, coagulation, and fibrosis is detected in multiple organs•Systemic metabolic dysregulation is detected in multiple organs
A proteomics analysis of 144 autopsy samples from seven organs in 19 COVID-19 patients shows elevated expression of cathepsin L1, rather than ACE2, in the lung tissue and highlights dysregulation of angiogenesis, coagulation, and fibrosis in multiple organs, in addition to systemic hyperinflammation.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Understanding the behaviors of a single active chain in complex environments is not only an interesting topic in non-equilibrium physics but also has applicative implications in biological/medical ...engineering. In this work, by using molecular simulations, we systematically study the dynamical and conformational behaviors of an active polymer in crowded environments,
i.e.
, a single active chain confined in 2D space with randomly arranged obstacles. We found that the competition between the chain's activity and rigidity in the presence of obstacles leads to many interesting dynamical and conformational states, such as the diffusive expanded state, the diffusive collapsed state, and the localized collapsed state. Importantly, we found a counter-intuitive phenomenon,
i.e.
, crowded environments facilitate the diffusion of the active polymer within a large parameter space. As the crowdedness (packing fraction of obstacles) increases, the parameter space in which crowding-enhanced diffusion occurs still remains. This abnormal dynamics is attributed to a structural reason that the obstacles prevent active chains from collapsing. Our findings capture some generic features of active polymers in complex environments and provide insights into the design of novel drug delivery systems.
Active polymers diffuse more rapidly in crowded environments than in free space because of the swollen of conformation.
Threats of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to human health are on the rise worldwide. Airborne fine particulate matter (PM
), especially those emitted from hospitals, could serve as a substantial yet ...lesser-known environmental medium of inhalable antibiotic resistomes. A genome-centric understanding of the hosting bacterial taxa, mobility potential, and consequent risks of the resistomes is needed to reveal the health relevance of PM
-associated AMR from clinical settings.
Compared to urban ambient air PM
, the hospital samples harbored nearly twice the abundance of antibiotic resistantance genes (ARGs, ~ 0.2 log
(ARGs/16S rRNA gene)) in the summer and winter sampled. The profiled resistome was closely correlated with the human-source-influenced (~ 30% of the contribution) bacterial community (Procrustes test, P < 0.001), reflecting the potential antibiotic-resistant bacteria (PARB), such as the human commensals Staphylococcus spp. and Corynebacterium spp. Despite the reduced abundance and diversity of the assembled metagenomes from summer to winter, the high horizontal transfer potential of ARGs, such as the clinically relevant bla
and bacA, in the human virulent PARB remained unaffected in the hospital air PM samples. The occurring patterns of β-lactam resistance genes and their hosting genomes in the studied hospital-emitting PM
were closely related to the in-ward β-lactam-resistant infections (SEM, std = 0.62, P < 0.01). Featured with more abundant potentially virulent PARB (2.89 genome copies/m
-air), the hospital samples had significantly higher resistome risk index scores than the urban ambient air samples, indicating that daily human exposure to virulent PARB via the inhalation of PM
was ten times greater than from the ingestion of drinking water.
The significance of AMR in the studied hospital-emitting PM
was highlighted by the greater abundance of ARGs, the prevalence of potentially virulent PARB, and the close association with hospital in-ward β-lactam infections. A larger-scale multi-source comparison of genome-resolved antibiotic resistomes is needed to provide a more holistic understanding to evaluate the importance of airborne AMR from the "One-Health" perspective. Video Abstract.
During the Mesozoic–Cenozoic, northward Neotethyan subduction and subsequent India–Asia collision gave rise to the extensive Transhimalayan magmatism that stretches from Burma and western Yunnan ...through southern Tibet to the Ladakh and Kohistan complexes. To understand the age distribution and petrogenesis of the Gangdese batholith, the largest intrusive exposure along the Transhimalayan magmatic belt, fifty granitic samples were selected for
in situ zircon U–Pb and Hf isotopic analyses. The U–Pb data suggest four discrete stages of magmatic activity, i.e., ~
205–152, ~
109–80, ~
65–41 and ~
33–13 Ma, respectively, with the 65–41 Ma stage being the most prominent. The Hf isotopic data indicate that the Gangdese batholith is overwhelmed by positive
ε
Hf(
t) values, which are comparable to those of the Kohistan–Ladakh batholiths in the west but differ markedly from those of the Chayu–Burma batholiths in the east. Most of the Gangdese granites show similar and young Hf model ages (1000–300 Ma), indicating their derivation from juvenile crust. However, those formed in the 65–41 Ma stage exhibit more heterogeneous Hf isotopic ratios, with negative
ε
Hf(
t) values being observed in some granites younger than 50 Ma, suggesting the involvement of old Indian continental crust in their petrogenesis. This age may thus mark the onset of the India–Asia collision. The newly established zircon U–Pb age and Hf isotope database of the Gangdese batholith can be used as a powerful tracer or “fingerprint” when studying the source-to-sink relation of the sediments eroded from the southern Tibetan Plateau.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
Grapholita molesta is one of the most destructive fruit pests distributed worldwide. Odorant receptors (ORs) located on the dendritic membrane of chemosensory neurons are deemed to be key molecules ...for sensing exogenous chemical signals. In this study, GmolOR9, a general OR from G. molesta, was functionally characterized. Quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction revealed that GmolOR9 was more highly expressed in adults than in other stages, including eggs, larvae, and pupae. GmolOR9 expression was highly significantly more in the antennae of females than in those of males, and the highest level occurred in the antennae of 3‐day‐old female adults. GmolOR9 was broadly tuned to eight of 47 odorant components tested, including (Z)‐3‐hexenyl acetate, butyl propionate, ethyl hexanoate, ethyl heptanoate, 1‐hexanol, (Z)‐3‐hexenol, 2‐ethyl‐1‐hexanol, and linalool, by in vitro heterologous expression. Furthermore, electroantennogram responses indicated that the effects of dsOR9‐injected females to (Z)‐3‐hexenyl acetate dramatically decreased. These results suggested that GmolOR9 might be involved in detecting host‐plant volatiles. Moreover, (Z)‐3‐hexenyl acetate might serve as a potential attractant for the biological control of G. molesta.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
In order to avoid the property degradation resulting from high‐temperature joining process, nano‐infiltrated transient eutectoid (NITE) phase with the Al2O3‐Ho2O3 as the joining adhesives was adopted ...to join silicon carbide (SiC) ceramics with the attempts to lower down the joining temperature. The liquid‐phase‐sintered silicon carbide (LPS‐SiC) specimens were joined at 1500‐1800°C by spark plasma sintering (SPS) under the pressure of 20 MPa. The results of the shear test and microstructure observation showed that the joining process could be finished at a relatively lower temperature (1700°C) compared to other NITE‐phase joining. In contrast to the shear strength of 186.4 MPa derived from the SiC substrate, the joint exhibited the shear strength of 157.8 MPa with the fully densified interlayer.
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BFBNIB, DOBA, FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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