Prognostic nomogram for patients with advanced unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma treated with TAE combined with HAIC.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver cancer and often arises in the context of chronic liver disease, such as hepatitis B or C infection, and cirrhosis. Advanced unresectable HCC (uHCC) presents significant treatment challenges due to its advanced stage and inoperability. One efficient treatment method for advanced uHCC is the use of hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) combined with transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE).

Dictionary learning LASSO for feature selection with application to hepatocellular carcinoma grading using contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging.

Introduction: The successful use of machine learning (ML) for medical diagnostic purposes has prompted myriad applications in cancer image analysis. Particularly for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) grading, there has been a surge of interest in ML-based selection of the discriminative features from high-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) radiomics data. As one of the most commonly used ML-based selection methods, the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) has high discriminative power of the essential feature based on linear representation between input features and output labels.

The Co-Expression of Melanoma-Antigen Family a Proteins and New York Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma-1 in Breast Cancer: A Pilot Study.

Objective: The aim of this study was to quantify the expression of melanoma-antigen family A proteins (MAGE-A) and New York esophageal squamous cell carcinoma-1 (NY-ESO-1) in breast cancer and establish the prognosis of breast cancer patients with MAGE-A and NY-ESO-1 co-expression.

Methods: A total of 122 patients with breast cancer were recruited for this study. Their clinicopathological data were collected retrospectively, and the MAGE-A and NY-ESO-1 expressions in paraffin-embedded specimens from the 122 patients were evaluated using immunohistochemical analysis.

Advances in genome-wide association studies for important traits in sheep and goats.

Genome-wide association study (GWAS), an effective strategy to identify genetic variants associated with complex traits, has been used to study candidate genes of economical traits in animals. With the recent completion of sheep and goat genomes, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chips of different densities are developed and commercialized. All these advances have enlarged the collection of molecular markers and also shed new light on the genetics of traits of interest in sheep and goats.

Visual detection of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor based on a molecular translator and isothermal strand-displacement polymerization reaction.

Background: Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) is a small protein that potently promotes the survival of many types of neurons. Detection of GDNF is vital to monitoring the survival of sympathetic and sensory neurons. However, the specific method for GDNF detection is also un-discovered.

[Inhibitory effects of human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells on proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from spondyloarthritis patients].

Objective: To explore the inhibitory effects of human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUCMSC) on the proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from spondyloarthritis (SpA) patients.

Methods: A total of 12 SpA patients at Chinese PLA General Hospital were recruited from May 2012 to October 2012. Information on demographic characteristics, disease and functional activity was collected.

[Influence of environmental factors on DNA methylation].

DNA methylation is catalyzed by a family of DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) that transfer a methyl group from S-adenyl methionine (SAM) to the fifth carbon of a cytosine residue to form 5mC. DNA methylation affects the interaction between the histone and DNA, which changes the chromosome structure and has reverse relationship with gene expression in general. Up to now, more and more studies have confirmed that environmental factors can alter epigenetic modifications, which do not involve in changing DNA sequence.

[Inhibitory effect of human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells on interleukin-17 production in peripheral blood T cells from spondyloarthritis patients].

In this study, the inhibitory effect of human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUCMSC) on interleukin-17 (IL-17) production in peripheral blood T cells from patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA) were investigated, in order to explore the therapeutic potential of hUCMSC in the SpA. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNC) were isolated from patients with SpA (n = 12) and healthy subjects (n = 6). PBMNC were cultured in vitro with hUCMSC or alone.

[Animal gene pyramiding in cross populations].

Gene pyramiding aims at producing individuals with one superior economic trait according to the optimal breeding scheme involving selection of favorable target alleles or linked markers after crossing basal populations and pyramiding them into a single individual. In consideration of animal traditional cross program along with the features of animal segregating population, four types of cross programs and two types of selection strategies for gene pyramiding are performed from practice perspective of view, two population cross for pyramiding two genes (denoted II), three populations cascading cross for pyramiding three genes (denoted III), four population symmetrical (denoted IV-S) and cascading cross for pyramiding four genes (denoted IV-C), and various schemes (denoted cross program-A-E) were designed for each cross program with different levels of initial favorable allele frequencies, basal population sizes, and trait heritabilities. The process of gene pyramiding for various schemes were simulated and compared based on the population hamming distance, average superior genotype frequencies, and average phenotypic values.

[Differential expression analysis of proteins in neutrophils between clinical mastitis and healthy dairy cows].

Neutrophils provide the first line of defense against invading pathogens and have been reported to play a key role in bovine mammary immune. To examine the differential expression of proteins in neutrophils between clinical mastitis and healthy dairy cows, a 2-dimensional electrophoresis gel map with high repeatability was constructed for bovine neutrophils. From this map, seven differentially expressed proteins were identified by MALDI-TOF MS which are believed to be involved in pathways such as cell metabolism, oxidative stress, and inflammatory reaction.

[Diagnostic value of MRI in testicular tumor].

Objective: To study the MRI manifestation of testicular tumor and the value of MRI in the diagnosis of the disease.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 23 cases of pathologically confirmed testicular tumor, and observed the morphological characteristics, signals and surrounding conditions of the tumor using plain and enhanced MRI scanning.

Results: Of the 23 cases, seminoma was identified in 7, mixed germinoma in 3, teratoma in 3, endodermal sinus tumor in 2, epidermoid in 1, Leydig cell tumor in 1, leucoma in 1, nonspecific inflammatory mass in 3, and tuberculosis in 2.

Xuhuai goat H-FABP gene clone, subcellular localization of expression products and the preparation of transgenic mice.

The aim of this study was to clone the heart-type fatty acid binding protein (H-FABP) gene of Xuhuai goat, to explore it bioinformatically, and analyze the subcellular localization using enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP). The results showed that the coding sequence (CDS) length of Xuhuai goat H-FABP gene was 402 bp, encoding 133 amino acids (GenBank accession number AY466498.1).

[Value of magnetic resonance imaging in displaying the parotid gland segments of the facial nerve].

Objective: To evaluate the value of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in displaying the parotid gland segments of the facial nerve.

Methods: Sixteen volunteers (9 males and 7 females) and 132 surgically confirmed patients with parotid tumors locating in the deep or shallow lobe of the parotid gland (including 89 with benign and 43 with malignant tumors) underwent MRI using T1WI and T2WI. The transverse images were obtained with the plane tilted 35 degrees to the foot, and the coronal images were acquired using conventional scanning.

[Magnetic resonance imaging for diagnosis of parotid malignant tumors and the pathological basis].

Objective: To investigate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of parotid malignant tumors and study their pathological basis.

Methods: Forty-seven patients with parotid malignant tumors confirmed by surgery (41 patients) or biopsy (6 patients) were enrolled in this study. A comparative analysis was conducted of the pathological and MRI findings in 30 patients with the entire lesions available.

[Cloning and characterization of CAST transcript 2 and 4 in sheep].

As an endogenous inhibitor of the calpain system activated by Ca2+, calpastatin (CAST) plays a regulatory role in muscle proteolysis. Based on the bovine mRNA sequences, part of cDNA fragments of sheep CAST transcript 2 and 4 were obtained by RT-PCR. Bioinformatic analysis showed that sheep CAST transcript 2 was 4 358 bp in length with an open reading frame (ORF) 2 361 bp long and encoded 786 amino acids, while sheep CAST transcript 4 was 1 467 bp in length with 1 317 bp ORF encoding 438 amino acids.

[Optimizing the expression of Mx gene in Escherichia coli based on rare codon and mRNA structure].

Rare codon and mRNA secondary structure of translation initiation region were analyzed. Four bioengineered bacterium BL21(DE3)/pET-Mx, Rosseta (DE3)/pET-Mx, BL21(DE3)/pGEX-Mx, and Rosseta (DE3)/pGEX-Mx were obtained. Through optimizing the rare codon and mRNA secondary structure of translation initiation region, Mx protein was expressed in Rosseta (DE3)/pET-Mx, and Rosseta (DE3)/pGEX-Mx.

Directed differentiation of chick embryonic germ cells into neural cells using retinoic acid induction in vitro.

Embryonic germ cells (EG) are undifferentiated stem cells isolated from cultured primordial germ cells (PGC). Like embryonic stem cells (ES), EG are also capable of proliferation and self-renewal and have the capacity to differentiate in vitro into all cell types. To date, it has been proven that ES are capable of directed differentiation into neural precursors and progenies in mammals.

[Identification of SNPs located in putative microRNA tar-get region of six functional genes in chickens through bioinformatic analysis].

GDF-8, IGF-I, IGF-III, IGF2R, IGFBP2, and GHR are candidate genes affecting important economic trait in chicken. The putative microRNA target sites of 3' untranslated region of these genes were identified by means of specialized algorithms (miRanda and TargetScan), and the candidate SNPs located in the microRNA target region were also identified. Approximately 125 candidate SNPs were found throughout the 26 putative microRNA target regions in six gene 3'-UTR.

[Progress on the research of microRNAs and its function in humans and animals].

MicroRNAs, a class of noncoding RNA of approximately 22 nucleotides, can regulate gene expression by binding to the region of 3' UTR of the target mRNAs. To date, it has been demonstrated for organism that miRNAs play an important role in growth, development,and occurrence of disease. This paper introduces the character and the active mechanism of miRNAs, and the newest progress in the research on the function of microRNA, the identification of microRNA gene and the prediction of target gene also are summarized here.

[Components and assembly of RNA-induced silencing complex].

Degradation of homologous RNA in RNA interference is carried out by functional RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC). RISC contains Dicer, Argonaute proein, siRNA and other components. Researching structures and functions of these components is primary important for understanding assembly and functional mechanism of RISC, as well as the whole RNAi pathway.

[Biological characteristics of the 5' regulatory region of FSHR gene in sheep].

The 5' transcriptional promoter regulation region of FSHR gene was cloned and analyzed in Little-tailed Han sheep, Tan sheep and Australian Merino sheep. Comparison of 15 transcriptional regulatory elements in the FSHR gene showed no difference in the regulatory region of FSHR gene among the three breeds. The results showed no association between sheep breeds and 5' transcriptional promoter regulation region and eliminated the possibility that the mutation of transcriptional regulation region can affect the transcription of FSHR gene in sheep.

[Relationship between Pvu II polymorphisms at estrogen receptor gene and litter size in swine].

Estrogen receptor (ESR) can regulate the synthesis of oestrogen and affect the reproduction of swine. The relationship between PvuII polymorphisms at estrogen receptor gene and litter size was analyzed in Laiwu breed and Landrace breed by candidate gene method. The results were shown that 56 bp of PvuII polymorphisms was the same as the beginning sequence of 3.

[Optimizing the reaction system of DDRT-PCR by positive-cross test].

The method of mRNA Differential display PCR (DDRT-PCR) is used to identify differentially expressed genes widely. To improve further the efficiency and reproducibility of the method, the positive-cross test were performed to find the optional conditions of DDRT-PCR by analyzing the six critical parameters of dNTPs, MgCl2, arbitrary primer, anchor primer, Taq enzyme, and template systematically. The experimental findings delineated the best possible DDRT-PCR conditions for a more reliable assessment of differential gene expression.

[Advances on localization and molecular mechanism of FecB gene].

FecB gene, litter size in Booroola sheep, increases ovulation rate and is inherited as a single autosomal locus. FecB has been mapped to sheep chromosome 6q23-q31, and major gene on ovulation rate of Booroola sheep has been found. In this paper, exact localization and molecular mechanism are reviewed.

[Identification and analysis of a novel microsatellite marker flanking porcine myostatin gene (MSTN)].

In animal breeding, microsatellite marker plays an important role in constructing genetic maps, QTL mapping and function analysis of structural genes. Myostatin, also known as GDF8, is a negative regulator of skeletal muscle mass and, in swine, it is evidenced to be related to birth weight and average daily gain from 60 kg to 100 kg of body weight. In present study, by subcloning and sequencing,we identified a novel microsatellite marker which is useful for fine QTL mapping for meat traits.