Optimal Extent of Transhiatal Gastrectomy and Lymphadenectomy for the Stomach-Predominant Adenocarcinoma of Esophagogastric Junction: Retrospective Single-Institution Study in China

Background: The optimal extent of gastrectomy and lymphadenectomy for esophagogastric junction (EGJ) cancer is controversial. Our study aimed to compare the long-term survival of transhiatal proximal gastrectomy with extended periproximal lymphadenectomy (THPG with EPL) and transhiatal total gastrectomy with complete perigastric lymphadenectomy (THTG with CPL) for patients with the stomach-predominant EGJ cancer.Methods: Between January 2004, and August 2015, 306 patients with Siewert II tumors were divided into the THTG group (n = 148) and the THPG group (n = 158). Their long-term survival was compared according to Nishi's classification. The Kaplan–Meier method and Cox proportional hazards models were used for survival analysis.Results: There were no significant differences between the two groups in the distribution of age, gender, tumor size or Nishi's type (P > 0.05). However, a significant difference was observed in terms of pathological tumor stage (P < 0.05). The 5-year overall survival rates were 62.0% in the THPG group and 59.5% in the THTG group. The hazard ratio for death was 0.455 (95% CI, 0.337 to 0.613; log-rank P < 0.001). Type GE/E = G showed a worse prognosis compared with Type G (P < 0.05). Subgroup analysis stratified by Nishi's classification, Stage IA-IIB and IIIA, and tumor size ≤ 30 mm indicated significant survival advantages for the THPG group (P < 0.05). However, this analysis failed to show a survival benefit in Stage IIIB (P > 0.05).Conclusions: Nishi's classification is an effective method to clarify the subdivision of Siewert II tumors with a diameter ≤ 40 mm above or below the EGJ. THPG with EPL is an optimal procedure for the patients with the stomach-predominant EGJ tumors ≤30 mm in diameter and in Stage IA-IIIA. For more advanced and larger EGJ tumors, further studies are required to confirm the necessity of THTG with CPL

The early origin of feathers

Feathers have long been regarded as the innovation that drove the success of birds. However, feathers have been reported from close dinosaurian relatives of birds, and now from ornithischian dinosaurs and pterosaurs, the cousins of dinosaurs. Incomplete preservation makes these reports controversial. If true, these findings shift the origin of feathers back 80 million years before the origin of birds. Gene regulatory networks show the deep homology of scales, feathers, and hairs. Hair and feathers likely evolved in the Early Triassic ancestors of mammals and birds, at a time when synapsids and archosaurs show independent evidence of higher metabolic rates (erect gait and endothermy), as part of a major resetting of terrestrial ecosystems following the devastating end-Permian mass extinction

Textural and biochemical changes of scallop Patinopecten yessoensis adductor muscle during low-temperature long-time (LTLT) processing

In this study, the effects of low-temperature long-time (LTLT) processing on the quality of Patinopecten yessoensis adductor muscle (PYAM) were investigated at 55°C. The texture of processed PYAM was characterized by textural profile analysis (TPA), and significant increases of cook loss, hardness, and shear force with time during LTLT processing were observed. The degradation of structural proteins was analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), and fragments with molecular weights of 208 kDa (myosin heavy chain, MHC), 97 kDa (paramyosin) and 35–40 kDa, respectively, were among the main products. Chemical characterization revealed elevated levels of activity in cathepsin L and caspase-3 and oxidation of proteins and lipids. Electron spin resonance spin trapping indicated reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in the PYAM during LTLT processing. Based on these results, it is proposed that the sequence of events in PYAM during LTLT processing includes ROS→ endogenous enzyme (involving caspase-3 and cathepsin L) activation →protein degradation→quality changes (texture and color). This revelation helps to further our understanding of the LTLT processing of PYAM, which would lead to better quality control for PYAM products

Experimental investigation of insect deposition in lentic environments and implications for formation of Konservat Lagerstätten

Terrestrial insects are often remarkably well preserved in lacustrine Konservat Lagerstätten. However, the assumption that carcasses should sink fast through the water column seems contradictory as this scenario is unlikely due to excessive buoyancy and surface tension. The mechanisms that promote rapid and permanent emplacement onto the sediment surface (RPESS) of such terrestrial animal remains are not fully understood. Here we use taphonomic experiments to show that floating in water, growth of microbial biofilms and reception of rapid sediment load promote RPESS of terrestrial insect remains in lentic water bodies. Our results show that the optimum conditions for RPESS occur when terrestrial insects enter a lentic water body in articulation, experience brief decay in association with growth of microbes, then are buried rapidly by airborne volcanic ash. These results provide a model for preservation of articulated terrestrial insects and emphasize the importance of microbial activity and volcanism for insect preservation in lacustrine Konservat Lagerstätten

Postmortem biochemical and textural changes in the Patinopecten yessoensis adductor muscle (PYAM) during iced storage

Postmortem characteristics of Patinopecten yessoensis adductor muscle (PYAM) were evaluated by biochemical, chemical and textural changes during iced storage for 14 days. Triphosphate (ATP) and its breakdown products, K-value, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), pH, water-holding capacity (WHC), color, texture, protein degradation and cathepsin activities were monitored. K-value increased linearly from 5.9 ± 0.9% at day 0 to 28.1 ± 2.4% at day 2 and 70.2 ± 1.8% at day 12. Spoilage indicator TVB-N (mg/100 g) increased from 10.0 ± 0.6 to 34.6 ± 3.1 at day 12. Textural parameters (e.g., hardness, chewiness, springiness, adhesiveness, and shear force) followed a declining trend over the storage. The WHC decreased from 85.1 ± 3.1% at day 0 to 70.5 ± 1.8% at day 12. SDS-PAGE result indicated that proteolysis occurred in actin and myosin heavy chain (MHC) at day 14. Both cathepsin B and L increased throughout the iced storage, peaking at 1.47-fold and 1.08-fold, respectively, suggesting that cathepsin B and L played important roles in the deterioration of PYAM quality. The overall results indicated that PYAM was suitable to be consumed raw within the first 2 days, and to be processed in no more than 11 days

Palaeoenvironmental reconstruction and biostratinomic analysis of the Jurassic Yanliao Lagerstätte in northeastern China

The Middle-Upper Jurassic Yanliao Lagerstätte contains numerous exceptionally preserved fossils of aquatic and land organisms, including insects, salamanders, dinosaurs, pterosaurs and mammaliaforms. Despite extensive study of the diversity and evolutionary implications of the biota, the palaeoenvironmental setting and taphonomy of the fossils remain poorly understood. We reconstruct both the palaeoenvironment of the Daohugou area (one of the most famous Yanliao fossil areas), and the biostratinomy of the fossils. We use high-resolution stratigraphic data from field investigation and excavations to document in detail the stratigraphic succession, lithofacies, facies associations, and biostratinomic features of the Lagerstätte. Our results show that frequent volcanic eruptions generated an extensive volcaniclastic apron and lake(s) in the studied area. The frequent alternation of thin lacustrine deposits and thick volcaniclastic apron deposits indicates either that the studied area was located in the marginal regions of a single lake, where the frequent influx of volcaniclastic apron material caused substantial fluctuations in lake area and thus the frequent lateral alternation of the two facies, or that many short-lived lakes developed on the volcaniclastic apron. Most terrestrial insects were preserved in the laminated, normally graded siltstone, claystone and tuff facies that form many thin intervals with deposits of graded sandstone, siltstone and tuff in between. Within each interval the terrestrial insects occur in many laminae associated with abundant aquatic organisms, but are particularly abundant in some laminae that directly underlie tuff of fallout origin. Most of these terrestrial insects are interpreted to have been killed in the area adjacent to the studied palaeolake(s) during volcanic eruptions. Their carcasses were transported by influxes of fresh volcaniclastic material, primarily meteoric runoff and possibly minor distal pyroclastic flow into the palaeolake(s), and were buried in palaeolake deposits prior to extended decay probably due to a combination of rapid vertical settling, ash fall and water turbulence

A cyclic peptidic serine protease inhibitor:increasing affinity by increasing peptide flexibility

Peptides are attracting increasing interest as protease inhibitors. Here, we demonstrate a new inhibitory mechanism and a new type of exosite interactions for a phage-displayed peptide library-derived competitive inhibitor, mupain-1 (CPAYSRYLDC), of the serine protease murine urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA). We used X-ray crystal structure analysis, site-directed mutagenesis, liquid state NMR, surface plasmon resonance analysis, and isothermal titration calorimetry and wild type and engineered variants of murine and human uPA. We demonstrate that Arg6 inserts into the S1 specificity pocket, its carbonyl group aligning improperly relative to Ser195 and the oxyanion hole, explaining why the peptide is an inhibitor rather than a substrate. Substitution of the P1 Arg with novel unnatural Arg analogues with aliphatic or aromatic ring structures led to an increased affinity, depending on changes in both P1 - S1 and exosite interactions. Site-directed mutagenesis showed that exosite interactions, while still supporting high affinity binding, differed substantially between different uPA variants. Surprisingly, high affinity binding was facilitated by Ala-substitution of Asp9 of the peptide, in spite of a less favorable binding entropy and loss of a polar interaction. We conclude that increased flexibility of the peptide allows more favorable exosite interactions, which, in combination with the use of novel Arg analogues as P1 residues, can be used to manipulate the affinity and specificity of this peptidic inhibitor, a concept different from conventional attempts at improving inhibitor affinity by reducing the entropic burden

Pterosaur integumentary structures with complex feather-like branching

Pterosaurs were the first vertebrates to achieve true flapping flight, but in the absence of living representatives, many questions concerning their biology and lifestyle remain unresolved. Pycnofibres—the integumentary coverings of pterosaurs—are particularly enigmatic: although many reconstructions depict fur-like coverings composed of pycnofibres, their affinities and function are not fully understood. Here, we report the preservation in two anurognathid pterosaur specimens of morphologically diverse pycnofibres that show diagnostic features of feathers, including non-vaned grouped filaments and bilaterally branched filaments, hitherto considered unique to maniraptoran dinosaurs, and preserved melanosomes with diverse geometries. These findings could imply that feathers had deep evolutionary origins in ancestral archosaurs, or that these structures arose independently in pterosaurs. The presence of feather-like structures suggests that anurognathids, and potentially other pterosaurs, possessed a dense filamentous covering that probably functioned in thermoregulation, tactile sensing, signalling and aerodynamics

Consumption of sugar sweetened beverages, artificially sweetened beverages and fruit juices and risk of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and mortality: A meta-analysis

Introduction: Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) intake is associated with an increased risk of cardiometabolic diseases. However, evidence regarding associations of artificially sweetened beverages (ASBs) and fruit juices with cardiometabolic diseases is mixed. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association between the SSB, ASB and fruit juice consumption with the incidence of cardiometabolic conditions and mortality. Methods: Relevant prospective studies were identified by searching PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library until December 2022 without language restrictions. The pooled relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated for the association of SSBs, ASBs, and fruit juices with the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D), cardiovascular disease (CVD), and mortality by using random-effect models. Results: A total of 72 articles were included in this meta-analysis study. Significantly positive associations were observed between the consumption of individual beverages and T2D risk (RR: 1.27; 95% CI: 1.17, 1.38 for SSBs; RR: 1.32; 95% CI: 1.11, 1.56 for ASBs; and RR:0.98; 95% CI: 0.93, 1.03 for fruit juices). Moreover, our findings showed that intakes of SSBs and ASBs were significantly associated with risk of hypertension, stroke, and all-cause mortality (RR ranging from 1.08 to 1.54; all p < 0.05). A dose-response meta-analysis showed monotonic associations between SSB intake and hypertension, T2D, coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke and mortality, and the linear association was only significant between ASB consumption and hypertension risk. Higher SSB and ASB consumptions were associated with a greater risk of developing cardiometabolic diseases and mortality. Fruit juice intake was associated with a higher risk of T2D. Conclusion: Therefore, our findings suggest that neither ASBs nor fruit juices could be considered as healthier beverages alternative to SSBs for achieving improved health. Systematic Review Registration: [PROSPERO], identifier [No. CRD42022307003]