Comparison of bile salt/phosphatidylcholine mixed micelles in solubilization to sterols and stability.

Androst-3β,5α,6β-triol (Triol) is a promising neuroprotective agent, but its poor solubility restricts its development into parenteral preparations. In this study, Triol is significantly solubilized by bile salt/phosphatidylcholine mixed micelles (BS/PC-MM). All BS/PC-MM systems are tested to remarkably improve the drug solubility with various stabilities after drug loading.

Three-field lymph node dissection in treating the esophageal cancer.

There are many controversies in lymphadenectomy for thoracic esophageal cancer, and whether 3-field lymphadenectomy or 2-field lymphadenectomy is better have still been in doubt. The aim of this article is to review the role of the lymph node dissection by introducing the merits and demerits in 3-field lymphadenectomy, and the development in lymphadenectomy's selection, treatment and diagnosis. All the literatures related to esophageal lymphadenectomy and minimally invasive surgery (MIE) were searched in PubMed database and the cross references were added and reviewed to complete the reference list.

Prospective Evaluation of Continence Following Radical Cystectomy and Orthotopic Urinary Diversion Using a Validated Questionnaire.

Purpose: We evaluated continence outcomes in male patients undergoing orthotopic neobladder diversion after radical cystectomy using a validated questionnaire.

Materials And Methods: Using our institutional review board approved bladder cancer database we identified 1,269 patients who underwent open radical cystectomy from 2002 to 2015. Orthotopic neobladder was constructed in 935 (74%) patients, of whom 798 (85%) were male.

AC220 and AraC cause differential inhibitory dynamics in patient-derived M5-AML with FLT3-ITD and, thus, ultimately distinct therapeutic outcomes.

Engrafting the bone marrow cells of a patient with M5 acute myeloid leukemia into immunocompromised mice (AM7577) resulted in serially transferrable stable AML and eventual mortality. The disease starts in the bone marrow and then expands to peripheral areas, which is typical of M5 leukemogenesis, where high leukemic burden in blood is coincident with symptoms/mortality. The leukemic cells in the mice had myeloid morphology, phenotypes, and genotypes (including the internal tandem duplication of FMS-like tyrosine kinase receptor 3 gene [FLT3-ITD]) similar to those of the original patient.

Prostate Cancer Detection with Multiparametric Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System Version 1 versus Version 2.

Background: Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS) is a globally acceptable standardization for multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mp-MRI) in prostate cancer (PCa) diagnosis. The American College of Radiology revised the PI-RADS to address the limitations of version 1 in December 2014. This study aimed to determine whether the PI-RADS version 2 (PI-RADS v2) scoring system improves the diagnostic accuracy of mp-MRI of the prostate compared with PI-RADS v1.

90-Day complication rate in patients undergoing radical cystectomy with enhanced recovery protocol: a prospective cohort study.

Purpose: To report 90-day complication rates following radical cystectomy (RC) with enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol.

Methods: All consecutive patients who underwent open RC with ERAS protocol from 2012 to 2014 were included. The protocol includes no bowel preparation or NGT, early feeding, predominantly non-narcotic pain management and μ-opioid antagonists.

Paraoxonase 3 inhibits cell proliferation and serves as a prognostic predictor in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Paraoxonase 3 (PON3) exerts prominent anti-inflammation and anti-oxidation properties mainly at the cellular level, and is primarily expressed in the liver. However, its role in HCC remains unexplored. Here, we investigated the expression pattern, clinical significance, and function of PON3 in HCC.

Psc-AFP from Psoralea corylifolia L. overexpressed in Pichia pastoris increases antimicrobial activity and enhances disease resistance of transgenic tobacco.

Psc-AFP, isolated from the seeds of Psoralea corylifolia L., is an antimicrobial protein with trypsin inhibitor activity. Its encoding gene was cloned by 3'- rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) combined with Y-shaped adaptor-dependent extension (YADE) method.

Tough and Cell-Compatible Chitosan Physical Hydrogels for Mouse Bone Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Vitro.

Most hydrogels involve synthetic polymers and organic cross-linkers that cannot simultaneously fulfill the mechanical and cell-compatibility requirements of biomedical applications. We prepared a new type of chitosan physical hydrogel with various degrees of deacetylation (DDs) via the heterogeneous deacetylation of nanoporous chitin hydrogels under mild conditions. The DD of the chitosan physical hydrogels ranged from 56 to 99%, and the hydrogels were transparent and mechanically strong because of the extra intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions between the amino and hydroxyl groups on the nearby chitosan nanofibrils.

Study on the Influence of Tea Extract on Probiotics in Skim Milk: From Probiotics Propagation to Metabolite.

In this study, the influence of tea extract (TE) on the growth of probiotics in skim milk was examined. Lactobacillus plantarum ST-III, Bifidobacterium bifidum Bb02, Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM, and Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG were used in this study. The introduction of TE in milk significantly stimulated the propagation and acidification of L.

A single amino acid substitution in a chitinase of the legume Medicago truncatula is sufficient to gain Nod-factor hydrolase activity.

The symbiotic interaction between nitrogen-fixing rhizobia and legumes depends on lipo-chitooligosaccharidic Nod-factors (NFs). The NF hydrolase MtNFH1 of Medicago truncatula is a symbiotic enzyme that hydrolytically inactivates NFs with a C16 : 2 acyl chain produced by the microsymbiont Sinorhizobium meliloti 1021. MtNFH1 is related to class V chitinases (glycoside hydrolase family 18) but lacks chitinase activity.

Molecular Pathology of Patient Tumors, Patient-Derived Xenografts, and Cancer Cell Lines.

The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project has generated abundant genomic data for human cancers of various histopathology types and enabled exploring cancer molecular pathology per big data approach. We developed a new algorithm based on most differentially expressed genes (DEG) per pairwise comparisons to calculate correlation coefficients to be used to quantify similarity within and between cancer types. We systematically compared TCGA cancers, demonstrating high correlation within types and low correlation between types, thus establishing molecular specificity of cancer types and an alternative diagnostic method largely equivalent to histopathology.

Micro-Nanostructured Polyaniline Assembled in Cellulose Matrix via Interfacial Polymerization for Applications in Nerve Regeneration.

Conducting polymers have emerged as frontrunners to be alternatives for nerve regeneration, showing a possibility of the application of polyaniline (PANI) as the nerve guidance conduit. In the present work, the cellulose hydrogel was used as template to in situ synthesize PANI via the limited interfacial polymerization method, leading to one conductive side in the polymer. PANI sub-micrometer dendritic particles with mean diameter of ∼300 nm consisting of the PANI nanofibers and nanoparticles were uniformly assembled into the cellulose matrix.

High-Flexibility, High-Toughness Double-Cross-Linked Chitin Hydrogels by Sequential Chemical and Physical Cross-Linkings.

High-flexibility, high-toughness double-cross-linked (DC) chitin hydrogels are prepared through a sequential chemical and physical cross-linkings strategy. The incorporation of chemically and physically cross-linked domains imbues the DC chitin hydrogels with relatively high stiffness, high toughness, and toughness recoverability.

Incisional and Parastomal Hernia following Radical Cystectomy and Urinary Diversion: The University of Southern California Experience.

Purpose: Hernia is a common complication following radical cystectomy and urinary diversion. We investigated the clinical and radiological evidence for parastomal and incisional hernias, and their risk factors in a large cohort.

Materials And Methods: Using an institutional review board approved prospective database we reviewed the records of 1,101 patients who underwent radical cystectomy from 2003 to 2013.

Cost Analysis of the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Protocol in Patients Undergoing Radical Cystectomy for Bladder Cancer.

Background: Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols for radical cystectomy (RC) aim to improve patient care, reduce complications, and shorten hospital stay while potentially reducing health care expenditure.

Objective: Evaluate the ERAS protocol for 30-d global costs relative to standard management in the era immediately preceding the initiation of ERAS for RC.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Overall, 201 consecutive patients (99 with standard management, 102 with an ERAS protocol) who met inclusion criteria and who underwent open RC at a single institution were evaluated.

Five New Alkaloids from Cephalotaxus lanceolata and C. fortunei var. alpina.

Five new alkaloids (1-5) were isolated from the leaves and twigs of Cephalotaxus lanceolata and C. fortunei var. alpina along with 24 known alkaloids.

Reinforced Mechanical Properties and Tunable Biodegradability in Nanoporous Cellulose Gels: Poly(L-lactide-co-caprolactone) Nanocomposites.

Incorporation of nanofillers into aliphatic polyesters is a convenient approach to create new nanomaterials with significantly reinforced mechanical properties compared to the neat polymers or conventional composites. Nanoporous cellulose gels (NCG) prepared from aqueous alkali hydroxide/urea solutions can act as alternative reinforcement nanomaterials for polymers with improved mechanical properties. We report a simple and versatile process for the fabrication of NCG/poly(L-lactide-co-caprolactone) (NCG/P(LLA-co-CL) nanocomposites through in situ ring-opening polymerization of L-lactide (LLA) and ε-caprolactone (ε-CL) monomers in the NCG.

Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor, Excision-Repair Cross-Complementation Group 1 Protein, and Thymidylate Synthase Expression in Penile Cancer.

Objective: To describe the expression of tissue epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), excision-repair cross-complementation group 1 protein (ERCC1), and thymidylate synthase (TS) in patients with penile cancer and explore their association with stage and outcome.

Methods: A total of 52 patients with penile squamous cell cancer who were treated at the University of Southern California from 1995 to 2010 were identified. Paraffin-embedded tissue underwent mRNA quantitation and immunohistochemistry for expression of EGFR, ERCC1, and TS.

miR-155-5p inhibition promotes the transition of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells to gastric cancer tissue derived MSC-like cells via NF-κB p65 activation.

Gastric cancer tissue-derived MSC-like cells (GC-MSC) share similar characteristics to bone marrow MSC (BM-MSC); however, the phenotypical and functional differences and the molecular mechanism of transition between the two cell types remain unclear. Compared to BM-MSC, GC-MSC exhibited the classic phenotype of reactive stroma cells, a stronger gastric cancer promoting capacity and lower expression of miR-155-5p. Inhibition of miR-155-5p by transfecting miRNA inhibitor induced a phenotypical and functional transition of BM-MSC into GC-MSC-like cells, and the reverse experiment deprived GC-MSC of tumor-promoting phenotype and function.

Identification of GlcNAcylated alpha-1-antichymotrypsin as an early biomarker in human non-small-cell lung cancer by quantitative proteomic analysis with two lectins.

Background: Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the main type of lung cancer with high mortality rates in worldwide. There is a need to identify better biomarkers to detect NSCLC at an early stage as this will improve therapeutic effect and patient survival rates.

Methods: Two lectins (AAL/AAGL and AAL2/AANL), which specifically bind to tumour-related glycan antigens, were first used to enrich serum glycoproteins from the serum of early NSCLC patients, benign lung diseases subjects and healthy individuals.

NSCLC harboring EGFR exon-20 insertions after the regulatory C-helix of kinase domain responds poorly to known EGFR inhibitors.

Anecdote clinical observations hint that non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with exon-20 insertions might respond poorly to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), contrasting to those with classic mutations. Lack of patient-derived experimental models has been a major hurdle for the discovery of new treatment for the diseases. We established two NSCLC-PDXs harboring two different exon-20 insertions, LU0387-adenocarcinoma (ADC) with a nine-base insertion at 2319 (H773-V774insNPH) and LU3075-squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) with a nine-base insertion at 2316 (P772-H773insDNP).

Well-aligned cellulose nanofiber-reinforced polyvinyl alcohol composite film: Mechanical and optical properties.

Uniaxially aligned cellulose nanofibers (CNFs), which are fabricated by electrospinning of cellulose acetate derived from bamboo cellulose (B-CA) followed by deacetylation, were used as reinforcements to make optically transparent composite films. We examined the effects of B-CA concentration and electrospinning parameters (e.g.