miRNA-432 and SLC38A1 as Predictors of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Complicated with Alcoholic Steatohepatitis.

Alcoholic steatohepatitis (ASH) is asymptomatic in the early stages and is typically advanced at the time of diagnosis. With the global rise in alcohol abuse, ASH is currently among the most detrimental diseases around the world. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the final outcomes of numerous liver diseases.

Long-term kappa-carrageenan consumption leads to moderate metabolic disorder by blocking insulin binding.

Carrageenan (CGN) is a common food additive, and questions have been raised regarding its safety for human consumption. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of κ-CGN on glucose intolerance and insulin resistance from the perspective that κ-CGN may interfere with insulin receptor function and affect insulin sensitivity and signaling, thereby leading to body weight loss. The health effects of κ-CGN on C57BL/6 mice were assessed over a 90-d period by monitoring changes in body weight, glucose tolerance, insulin tolerance, fasting glucose and insulin levels, and expression of insulin-pathway-related proteins.

Integrated genomics analysis highlights important SNPs and genes implicated in moderate-to-severe asthma based on GWAS and eQTL datasets.

Background: Severe asthma is a chronic disease contributing to disproportionate disease morbidity and mortality. From the year of 2007, many genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have documented a large number of asthma-associated genetic variants and related genes. Nevertheless, the molecular mechanism of these identified variants involved in asthma or severe asthma risk remains largely unknown.

Sex differences in subclinical hypothyroidism and associations with metabolic risk factors: a health examination-based study in mainland China.

Background: The association between subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) and metabolic risk factors in the general health examination-based population has been widely explored. However, the results have been inconclusive. Additionally, the sex differences in the prevalence of SCH and the association of SCH with metabolic risk factors remain unknown.

Safety assessment of astaxanthin from Haematococcus pluvialis: Acute toxicity, genotoxicity, distribution and repeat-dose toxicity studies in gestation mice.

Natural astaxanthin is the strongest antioxidant ever discovered, with many biological functions, and it is widely used in the fields of health food and biomedical research. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the plasma concentration, distribution and safety of astaxanthin from Haematococcus pluvialis in pregnant mice. In the acute studies, the oral LD of astaxanthin was greater than 20 g/kg·bw.

Male sex is associated with aggressive behaviour and poor prognosis in Chinese papillary thyroid carcinoma.

The differences in prognosis of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) by sex have been investigated in several previous studies, but the results have not been consistent. In addition, the impact of sex on the clinical and pathological characteristics, especially on central lymph node metastasis (CLNM), still remains unknown. To the best of our knowledge, the impact of sex on PTC has not been investigated in the Chinese PTC population.

High Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index Predicts Poor Survival in Patients with Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-2 Positive Breast Cancer Receiving Adjuvant Trastuzumab.

Purpose: Neutrophils and platelets have been described as tumor-promoting factors, but lymphocytes have been described as tumor-inhibiting factors. The prognostic values of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) have been explored in human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER2)-positive breast cancer, however, the value of the systemic immune- inflammation index (SII) has not been studied in this molecular subtype. Our study aimed to compare the prognostic values of these inflammation-based indexes in Chinese HER2-positive breast cancer patients who received adjuvant trastuzumab.

Comprehensive and integrative analysis identifies as a critical methylation-driven gene in breast invasive carcinoma.

Background: Aberrant DNA methylation plays a crucial part in cancer progression through the silencing of gene expression. The purpose of this article was to investigate the DNA methylation-driven genes in breast invasive carcinoma (BRCA) by using integrated bioinformatics analysis and experiments.

Methods: The methylation and expression profile data of BRCA patients were downloaded from the TCGA database.

Adherence to Guidelines on Nutritional Support by Medical Residents in an Intensive Care Unit in China: A Prospective Observational Study.

BACKGROUND The use of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines improves the quality of patient medical care. Although the implementation of clinical guidelines can be a challenge, nutritional support is important for critically ill patients. This prospective observational study aimed to investigate the attention to and implementation of guidelines for nutritional support in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in China and to identify factors that determine attention to these guidelines.

Expression of autophagy-related factor p62 for lung cancer diagnosis and prognosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

p62/SQSTM1 is the scaffold protein implicated in selective autophagy, which is induced by cellular stress. Research has shown that p62 is highly expressed in cancer. Moreover, p62 can easily promote tumor metastasis.

Synergistic effects of culture supernatant and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells on the development of alcoholic steatohepatitis in mice.

The gut microbiota has been shown to play an important role in chronic liver disease. It has been found that both and its culture supernatant have the potential to mitigate alcoholic steatohepatitis. However, the exact mechanism is still not fully understood.

Predictors for malignancy risk in subcentimeter thyroid nodules categorized as atypia/follicular lesion of undetermined significance by fine needle aspiration.

Little work has been done on the prediction of malignancy risk in patients with subcentimeter thyroid nodule (TN) categorized as atypia/follicular lesion of undetermined significance (AUS/FLUS). We performed a retrospective analysis on the medical records of subcentimeter TNs whose initial fine-needle aspiration (FNA) diagnosis was AUS/FLUS at our center between November 2013 and August 2018. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to select independent factors associated with malignancy.

Predictive value of intraoperative factors for complications after oesophagectomy.

Objectives: Oesophagectomy for malignancy is a highly complex and difficult procedure associated with considerable postoperative complications. In this study, we aimed to identify the ability of an intraoperative factor (IPFs)-based classifier to predict complications after oesophagectomy.

Methods: This retrospective review included 251 patients who underwent radical oesophagectomy from October 2015 to December 2017.

Analgesic effect of the ultrasound-guided subcostal approach to transmuscular quadratus lumborum block in patients undergoing laparoscopic nephrectomy: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Quadratus lumborum block (QLB) is an effective analgesia that lowers opioid consumption after lower abdominal and hip surgeries. The subcostal approach to transmuscular QLB is a novel technique that can provide postoperative analgesia by blocking more dermatomes. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and viability of subcostal approach to QLB after laparoscopic nephrectomy.

LncRNA AK077216 is downregulated in diabetic retinopathy and inhibited the apoptosis of retinal pigment epithelial cells by downregulating miR-383.

LncRNA AK077216 is a novel lncRNA with critical role in osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption. Our preliminary RNA-seq data suggested its downregulated expression pattern in diabetic retinopathy (DR). We therefore further investigated the function of AK077216 in DR.

Clinical Features and Contributing Factors of Excessive Daytime Sleepiness in Chinese Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patients: The Role of Comorbid Symptoms and Polysomnographic Variables.

Background: The occurrence and severity of excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) vary considerably among obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients. This study was designed to investigate the characteristics of EDS and identify its contributing factors in OSA patients.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study from a tertiary medical center in China.

Long noncoding RNA ADPGK-AS1 promotes cell proliferation, migration, and EMT process through regulating miR-3196/OTX1 axis in breast cancer.

Emerging evidences exposed that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in various tumor progression including breast cancer (BC). However, the role of lncRNA ADP-dependent glucokinase antisense RNA 1 (ADPGK-AS1) in BC progression remains undiscovered. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the role of ADPGK-AS1 in BC.

Challenges in diagnosing community-acquired carbapenem-susceptible Acinetobacter baumannii enterogenic sepsis: A case report.

Introduction: Community-acquired (CA) carbapenem-susceptible Acinetobacter baumannii (CSAB) enterogenic sepsis is very rare but has a high mortality. Although CA A. baumannii bloodstream infections have been known to develop from respiratory tract, urinary tract, and intravenous device-related infections, CA A.

Surgical management of a cervical intramedullary hemangioblastoma presenting with intracystic hemorrhage by hemi-semi-laminectomy via a posterior approach.

Background And Importance: Cervical spinal cord hemangioblastoma with intracystic hemorrhage is a rare entity and presents a challenge for clinicians with regard to its timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

Case Presentation: A 35-year-old man presented with sudden-onset acute and progressive neck pain and severe radicular pain in his left upper limb. Motor weakness and numbness in the left upper and lower limbs with gait ataxia followed 2 days later.

Long non-coding RNA MIF-AS1 promotes breast cancer cell proliferation, migration and EMT process through regulating miR-1249-3p/HOXB8 axis.

Breast cancer (BC) is one of the leading cause of cancer-related death among females worldwide. Mounting evidences indicate that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) were involved in tumor progression by acting as either oncogenes or tumor suppressors in multiple cancers. In this study, we focused on the function and mechanism of lncRNA Migration Inhibitory Factor Antisense RNA 1 (MIF-AS1) in BC.

LINC01433/miR-2116-3p/MYC Feedback Loop Promotes Cell Proliferation, Migration, and the Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Breast Cancer.

It is reported that long noncoding RNAs play an important role in human cancers, including breast cancer (BC). However, the effect of long intergenic non-protein coding RNA 1433 (LINC01433) on BC development remains elusive. The expression level of LINC01433 in BC cells and a normal breast epithelial cell (MCF-10A) was determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR).

Ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy of thyroid nodules <10 mm in the maximum diameter: does size matter?

Objective: Ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy (US-FNAB) is a safe and effective method of screening malignant thyroid nodules such as papillary thyroid carcinoma. However, not much data are available regarding the diagnostic efficacy of US-FNAB for papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (≤10 mm in diameter). We aim to compare the diagnostic efficacy of US-FNAB on thyroid nodules between two groups divided by a diameter of 10 mm by correlating the cytological results of US-FNAB with the histopathologic diagnoses in selected patients.

Ulinastatin inhibits apoptosis induced by serum deprivation in mesenchymal stem cells.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have exhibited great potential in the therapy of cardiovascular disease. However, the application of MSCs is hampered by apoptosis, which reduces the number of cells in the host cardiac microenvironment. Ulinastatin (UTI), a broad‑spectrum protease inhibitor that can be purified from human urine, has attracted attention for its protective effects through its immunomodulatory and anti‑inflammatory properties.

Association between body mass index and fatty liver risk: A dose-response analysis.

Body mass index (BMI) is associated with fatty liver risk, however, the dose-response relationship between continuous BMI changes and fatty liver risk has not been clearly defined. In this study, a cross-sectional study was conducted and a total of 3202 individuals were included. Unconditional logistic regression and restricted cubic spline model were used to analyze the dose-response association of BMI with fatty liver risk.

A nomogram for predicting lymph node metastasis in surgically resected T1 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: Endoscopic therapies for T1 esophageal carcinoma have been increasingly used around the world. However, the procedures are limited by without lymph nodes harvested. The risk of lymph node metastasis (LNM) should been established.