SUMMARY
This study aims to investigate advantages of robot-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy (RAMIE) over video-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy (VAMIE) in treating esophageal ...squamous cell carcinoma by applying propensity score-matched analysis. From April 2016 to January 2018, consecutive patients undergoing a McKeown RAMIE or VAMIE for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma were prospectively included for analysis. Baseline data, pathological findings, and short-term outcomes of the two groups (RAMIE group and VAMIE group) were collected and compared. Propensity score-matched analysis was applied to generate matched pairs for further comparison. Finally, we included a total of 151 patients (RAMIE group: 79 patients, VAMIE group: 72 patients) for analysis. In the analysis of unmatched cohort, RAMIE yielded a significantly larger number of total dissected lymph nodes (mean: 20.6 ± 8.8 vs. 17.9 ± 7.7; P = 0.048) and abdominal lymph nodes (mean: 9.5 ± 6.8 vs. 7.4 ± 5.1; P = 0.039) than VAMIE. However, there was no significantly different risk of major complications between the two groups. In the analysis of matched cohort, RAMIE still yielded a significantly larger number of total dissected lymph nodes (P = 0.006) and abdominal lymph nodes (P = 0.042) than VAMIE. There was still no increased risk of postoperative major complications in the RAMIE group compared to the VAMIE group. Moreover, RAMIE was found to yield significantly more left recurrent laryngeal nerve lymph nodes (mean: 1.0 ± 1.8 vs. 0.4 ± 0.8; P = 0.033) than VAMIE without increasing the risk of recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis. Therefore, RAMIE may have the advantage of lymphadenectomy over VAMIE without increasing any risk of postoperative major complications. Further well-conducted studies, however, are needed to confirm our conclusions.
Surgical resection, stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) have seldom been compared for small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We explored the treatment outcomes of ...SBRT for small HCC by conducting a network meta-analysis (NMA). We compared the efficacy and safety of surgical resection, RFA and SBRT for liver-confined small HCC (three or fewer lesions with a diameter ≤5 cm). The study endpoint included the odds ratios of the 1-, 3- and 5-year progression/recurrence/disease-free survival (disease progression-free survival; DPFS) and overall survival rates, as well as severe complications. Forty-five studies included 21 468 patients. In the NMA with comparable data, SBRT had comparable 1-, 3- and 5-year DPFS but significantly worse pooled long-term overall survival (3- and 5-year overall survival) than surgical resection (odds ratio 1.39, 95% confidential interval 1.3–1.89; odds ratio 1.33, 95% confidence interval 1.06–1.69, respectively). SBRT was associated with significantly better pooled 1-year DPFS compared with RFA (odds ratio 0.39, 95% confidence interval 0.15–0.97), with the remaining outcomes being comparable. SBRT had significantly less incidence of severe complications compared with surgical resection (odds ratio 0.62, 95% confidence interval 0.42–0.88) and RFA (odds ratio 0.2, 95% confidence interval 0.03–0.94). In conclusion, for small HCCs (≤5 cm) with one to three nodules, SBRT may be favourable to reduce the risks of severe complications. In terms of DPFS, SBRT may be recommended as an alternative first-line therapy for RFA and surgical resection. The results regarding overall survival should be interpreted with caution, considering the potentially uneliminated bias. There is a clear need for well-designed randomised trials to conclusively identify real differences in efficacy between these treatments, especially SBRT and surgical resection.
The exclusive process e+e−→ΛΛ¯, with Λ→pπ− and Λ¯→p¯π+, has been studied at s=2.396 GeV for measurement of the timelike Λ electric and magnetic form factors, GE and GM. A data sample, corresponding ...to an integrated luminosity of 66.9 pb−1, was collected with the BESIII detector for this purpose. A multidimensional analysis with a complete decomposition of the spin structure of the reaction enables a determination of the modulus of the ratio R=|GE/GM| and, for the first time for any baryon, the relative phase ΔΦ=ΦE−ΦM. The resulting values are R=0.96±0.14(stat)±0.02(syst) and ΔΦ=37°±12°(stat)±6°(syst), respectively. These are obtained using the recently established and most precise value of the asymmetry parameter αΛ=0.750±0.010 measured by BESIII. In addition, the cross section is measured with unprecedented precision to be σ=118.7±5.3(stat)±5.1(syst) pb, which corresponds to an effective form factor of |G|=0.123±0.003(stat)±0.003(syst). The contribution from two-photon exchange is found to be negligible. Our result enables the first complete determination of baryon timelike electromagnetic form factors.
Members of the 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (17β-HSD) superfamily perform distinct multiple catalyses by the same enzyme, apparently contradictory to the long-held beliefs regarding the high ...specificity of enzymes. Surprisingly, these multi-catalyses can combine synergistically in vitro and in vivo and their dysfunction may result in the stimulation of breast or prostate cancer. 17β-HSD1 possesses high estrogen activation activity, while its androgen inactivation is significant for decreasing the week concentration of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in breast cancer cells, an important factor for cell proliferation. 17β-HSD5 can also carry out multiple catalyses in hormone-dependent cancer cells. In addition to 17β-HSDs 1 and 5 some other family members possess such dual-activity as well, and their inhibition decreases hormone- dependent cancer proliferation. The multi-specificity of 17β-HSD1 is structurally based on the pseudo-symmetric androgens that can accommodate the narrow enzyme substrate tunnel by both normal and alternative binding. The atypical family member 17β-HSD5 possesses a spacious binding site, which is accessible to several substrates. Expression of 17β- HSD1 can also control other estrogen-responsive elements such as pS2, and can regulate steroid-hormone receptors. The fundamental involvement of 17β-HSD1 in catalysis and gene regulation underlies its close relationship to breast cancer, attributable to its long evolutionary process. These observations stimulated detailed study of steroid-converting enzyme inhibition. The most significant efforts in designing 17β-HSD1 inhibitors in decades have progressed through structure activity relationship studies supported by the availability of both small and protein molecule structures, with the elimination of residual estrogenic activity in the inhibitors. The first non-estrogenic inhibitors of 17β-HSD1 to show activity in vivo (breast cancer animal model) are now reported.
The process e+e- → Λ Λ ¯ is studied using data samples at √s = 2.2324, 2.400, 2.800 and 3.080 GeV collected with the BESIII detector operating at the BEPCII collider. The Born cross section is ...measured at √s=2.2324 GeV, which is 1.0 MeV above the Λ Λ ¯ mass threshold, to be 305±$45_{-36}^{+66}$ pb, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. The substantial cross section near threshold is significantly larger than that expected from theory, which predicts the cross section to vanish at threshold. The Born cross sections at √s=2.400, 2.800 and 3.080 GeV are measured and found to be consistent with previous experimental results, but with improved precision. Finally, the corresponding effective electromagnetic form factors of Λ are deduced.
Abnormal proliferation, apoptosis repression and differentiation blockage of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells have been characterized to be the main reasons leading to acute myeloid leukemia ...(AML). Previous studies showed that miR-29a and miR-29b could function as tumor suppressors in leukemogenesis. However, a comprehensive investigation of the function and mechanism of miR-29 family in AML development and their potentiality in AML therapy still need to be elucidated. Herein, we reported that the family members, miR-29a, -29b and -29c, were commonly downregulated in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and bone marrow (BM) CD34+ cells derived from AML patients as compared with the healthy donors. Overexpression of each miR-29 member in THP1 and NB4 cells markedly inhibited cell proliferation and promoted cell apoptosis. AKT2 and CCND2 mRNAs were demonstrated to be targets of the miR-29 members, and the role of miR-29 family was attributed to the decrease of Akt2 and CCND2, two key signaling molecules. Significantly increased Akt2, CCND2 and c-Myc levels in the AML cases were detected, which were correlated with the decreased miR-29 expression in AML blasts. Furthermore, a feed-back loop comprising of c-Myc, miR-29 family and Akt2 were found in myeloid leukemogenesis. Reintroduction of each miR-29 member partially corrected abnormal cell proliferation and apoptosis repression and myeloid differentiation arrest in AML BM blasts. An intravenous injection of miR-29a, -29b and -29c in the AML model mice relieved leukemic symptoms significantly. Taken together, our finding revealed a pivotal role of miR-29 family in AML development and rescue of miR-29 family expression in AML patients could provide a new therapeutic strategy.
Whether the robot-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy (RAMIE) has any advantages over the video-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy (VAMIE) remains controversial. In this study, we tried ...to compare the short-term outcomes of RAMIE with that of VAMIE in treating middle thoracic esophageal cancer from a single medical center. Consecutive patients undergoing RAMIE or VAMIE for middle thoracic esophageal cancer from April 2016 to April 2017 were prospectively included for analysis. Baseline data and pathological findings as well as short-term outcomes of these two group (RAMIE group and VAMIE group) patients were collected and compared. A total of 84 patients (RAMIE group: 42 patients; VAMIE group: 42 patients) were included for analysis. The baseline characteristics between the two groups were comparable. RAMIE yielded significantly larger numbers of total dissected lymph nodes (21.9 and 17.8, respectively; P = 0.042) and the right recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) lymph nodes (2.1 and 1.2, respectively; P = 0.033) as well as abdominal lymph nodes (10.8 and 7.7, respectively; P = 0.041) than VAMIE. Even though RAMIE may consume more overall operation time, it could significantly decrease total blood loss compared to VAMIE (97 and 161 mL, respectively; P = 0.015). Postoperatively, no difference of the risk of major complications or hospital stay was observed between the two groups. In conclusion, RAMIE had significant advantage of lymphadenectomy especially for dissecting RLN lymph nodes over VAMIE with a comparable rate of postoperative complications. Further randomized controlled trials are badly needed to confirm and update our conclusions.
Using a total of 11.0 fb^{-1} of e^{+}e^{-} collision data with center-of-mass energies between 4.009 and 4.6 GeV and collected with the BESIII detector at BEPCII, we measure fifteen exclusive cross ...sections and effective form factors for the process e^{+}e^{-}→Ξ^{-}Ξover ¯^{+} by means of a single baryon-tag method. After performing a fit to the dressed cross section of e^{+}e^{-}→Ξ^{-}Ξover ¯^{+}, no significant ψ(4230) or ψ(4260) resonance is observed in the Ξ^{-}Ξover ¯^{+} final states, and upper limits at the 90% confidence level on Γ_{ee}B for the processes ψ(4230)/ψ(4260)→Ξ^{-}Ξover ¯^{+} are determined. In addition, an excited Ξ baryon at 1820 MeV/c^{2} is observed with a statistical significance of 6.2-6.5σ by including the systematic uncertainty, and the mass and width are measured to be M=(1825.5±4.7±4.7) MeV/c^{2} and Γ=(17.0±15.0±7.9) MeV, which confirms the existence of the J^{P}=3/2^{-} state Ξ(1820).
We present the first measurements of the electric and magnetic form factors of the neutron in the timelike (positive q^{2}) region as function of four-momentum transfer. We explored the differential ...cross sections of the reaction e^{+}e^{-}→nover ¯n with data collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII accelerator, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 354.6 pb^{-1} in total at twelve center-of-mass energies between sqrts=2.0-2.95 GeV. A relative uncertainty of 18% and 12% for the electric and magnetic form factors, respectively, is achieved at sqrts=2.3935 GeV. Our results are comparable in accuracy to those from electron scattering in the comparable spacelike region of four-momentum transfer. The electromagnetic form factor ratio R_{em}≡|G_{E}|/|G_{M}| is within the uncertainties close to unity. We compare our result on |G_{E}| and |G_{M}| to recent model predictions, and the measurements in the spacelike region to test the analyticity of electromagnetic form factors.
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