Analysis of miRNAs and their target genes associated with lipid metabolism in duck liver

Citation: He, J. et al. Analysis of miRNAs and their target genes associated with lipid metabolism in duck liver. Sci. Rep. 6, 27418; doi: 10.1038/srep27418 (2016).Fat character is an important index in duck culture that linked to local flavor, feed cost and fat intake for costumers. Since the regulation networks in duck lipid metabolism had not been reported very clearly, we aimed to explore the potential miRNA-mRNA pairs and their regulatory roles in duck lipid metabolism. Here, Cherry-Valley ducks were selected and treated with/without 5% oil added in feed for 2 weeks, and then fat content determination was performed on. The data showed that the fat contents and the fatty acid ratios of C17:1 and C18:2 were up-regulated in livers of oil-added ducks, while the C12:0 ratio was down-regulated. Then 21 differential miRNAs, including 10 novel miRNAs, were obtain from the livers by sequencing, and 73 target genes involved in lipid metabolic processes of these miRNAs were found, which constituted 316 miRNA-mRNA pairs. Two miRNA-mRNA pairs including one novel miRNA and one known miRNA, N-miR-16020-FASN and gga-miR-144-ELOVL6, were selected to validate the miRNA-mRNA negative relation. And the results showed that N-mir-16020 and gga-miR-144 could respectively bind the 3?-UTRs of FASN and ELOVL6 to control their expressions. This study provides new sights and useful information for future research on regulation network in duck lipid metabolism

Imaging and Pathological Features of Percutaneous Cryosurgery on Normal Lung Evaluated in a Porcine Model

Background and objective Lung cancer is one of the most commonly occurring malignancies and frequent causes of death in the world. Cryoablation is a safe and alternative treatment for unresectable lung cancer. Due to the lung being gas-containing organ and different from solid organs such as liver and pancreas, it is difficult to achieve the freezing range of beyond the tumor edge 1 cm safety border. The aim of this study is to examine the effect of different numbers of freeze cycles on the effectiveness of cryoablation on normal lung tissue and to create an operation guideline that gives the best effect. Methods Six healthy Tibetan miniature pigs were given a CT scan and histological investigation after percutaneous cryosurgery. Cryoablation was performed as 2 cycles of 10 min of active freezing in the left lung; each freeze followed by a 5 min thaw. In the right lung, we performed the same 2 cycles of 5 min of freezing followed by 5 min of thawing. However, for the right lung, we included a third cycle of consisting of 10 min of freezing followed by 5 min of thawing. Three cryoprobes were inserted into the left lung and three cryoprobes in the right lung per animal, one in the upper and two in the lower lobe, so as to be well away from each other. Comparison under the same experimental condition was necessary. During the experiment, observations were made regarding the imaging change of ice-ball. The lungs were removed postoperatively at 3 intervals: 4 h, 3 d of postoperation and 7 d of postoperation, respectively, to view microscopic and pathological change. Results The ice-ball grew gradually in relation to the increase in time, and the increase in number of cycles. The size of the cryolesion (hypothesis necrotic area) in specimens, over time, became larger in size than the size of the ice-ball during operation, regardless of whether 2 or 3 freeze-thaw cycles were performed. The area of necrosis was gradually increased over the course of time. The hypothesis necrotic area was equal to necrosis area 3 d after cryosurgery. Conclusion Percutaneous cryoablation of the lung can achieve complete ablation of target tissue. The freezing technique may be different depending on the individual circumstances of each tumor. In technology, 3 freeze-thaw cycles are recommended, and the range of cryoablation’s effective diameter may be not necessarily beyond the tumor edge at least 1 cm safe border during cryosurgery

Adaptive artificial neural network for uncertainty propagation

Uncertainty propagation (UP) is a crucial aspect for assessing the influence of input uncertainty on structural responses, holding substantial significance in engineering applications. However, achieving accurate and efficient UP remains challenging, particularly for structures characterized by high nonlinearity and multiple outputs. This study addresses this challenge by proposing a novel adaptive UP method based on the artificial neural network (ANN). In the proposed method, the mean of outputs is analytically derived using the ANN, enabling direct computation of the mean through the weight and bias vectors of the network. An innovative approach is established for solving the standard deviation of outputs, employing several univariate integrals instead of multivariate integrals. The established analytical and univariate integral techniques effectively mitigate post-processing errors commonly encountered when using numerical simulation techniques to estimate the statistical moments of outputs within the ANN context. Furthermore, an adaptive framework is presented, incorporating input space division and an adjustable multi-point addition strategy to enhance computational accuracy in structural UP. Various applications, including highly nonlinear scenarios, multiple outputs, and cases involving finite element models, are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The results indicate that the proposed method not only provides accurate estimations of statistical moments but also offers effective estimations of the probability density function of structural outputs

Meigs syndrome was misdiagnosed as a malignant ovarian tumor: a case report

BackgroundMeigs syndrome is characterized by the association of a benign ovarian tumor, typically an ovarian fibroma, with pleural effusion and ascites.Case summaryThis report presents a case of a 54-year-old woman who was misdiagnosed with malignant ovarian neoplasm due to the presence of significant abdominal distension and elevated CA125 levels. Initial imaging at multiple external facilities suggested a left-sided malignant ovarian tumor, leading to unnecessary delays in treatment. Upon admission to our institution in April 2024, imaging confirmed a large pelvic mass, and subsequent diagnostic procedures indicated a likely fibroma. Surgical intervention revealed a left ovarian thecoma, and post-operative pathology confirmed the diagnosis. Notably, CA125 levels decreased from 335.1 U/ml to 164.6U/ml following surgery, and the patient showed significant clinical improvement.ConclusionThis case underscores the importance of considering Meigs syndrome in patients presenting with ovarian masses, pleural effusions, and elevated CA125, to prevent misdiagnosis and ensure timely management

Circulating Tumor DNA as a Sensitive Marker in Patients Undergoing Irreversible Electroporation for Pancreatic Cancer

Background/Aims: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is often diagnosed at an advanced stage, resulting in extremely poor 5-year survival. Late diagnosis of PDAC is mainly due to lack of a reliable method of early detection. Carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19-9 is often used as a tumor biomarker in PDAC; however, the test lacks sensitivity and specificity. Therefore, new sensitive and minimally invasive diagnostic tools are required to detect pancreatic cancer. Methods: Here, we investigated circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) which contained KRAS-mutated as a potential diagnostic tool for PDAC patients who underwent irreversible electroporation (IRE). We used droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) to detect the expression of KRAS-mutated genes in plasma samples of 65 PDAC patients who underwent IRE. Results: In these 65 cases, ctDNA was detected in 20 (29.2%) samples. The median overall survival (OS) was 11.4 months with ctDNA+ patients and 14.3 months for ctDNA- patients. ctDNA+ patients had a obviously poorer prognosis associated to overall survival (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Our results suggested that the existence of ctDNA was a predictor of survival for PDAC patients. Therefore, ctDNA may be a new sensitive biomarker for monitoring treatment outcome in PDAC

Expression of CD44v6 and integrin-β1 for the prognosis evaluation of pancreatic cancer patients after cryosurgery

Abstract Background Many previous studies demonstrated that cell adhesion molecules CD44v6 and integrin-β1 had been extensively investigated as potential prognostic markers of various cancers. However, data in PC are scarce. Methods We now investigate CD44v6 and integrin-β1 mRNA expression in PBMC by a triplex real-time RT-PCR assay and protein expression in plasma by ELISA. All specimens were collected from 54 PC patients who received the treatment of cryosurgery as well as 20 healthy individuals (control). Results The mRNA and protein expression levels of CD44v6 and integrin-β1 in patients were significantly increased compared with control group (P&lt;0.05). The high CD44v6 mRNA and protein expression were significantly correlated with clinical stage, tumor differentiation, LNM, liver metastasis and decreased median DFS (P&lt;0.05), while the high integrin-β1 mRNA and protein expression were significantly correlated with clinical stage, LNM, liver metastasis and decreased median DFS (P&lt;0.05). Clinical stage, LNM, liver metastasis, CD44v6 mRNA and protein expression were the independent predictors of survival in PC patients (P&lt;0.05). Moreover, CD44v6 and integrin-β1 mRNA and protein expression levels were significantly decreased in patients in 3 months after cryosurgery (P&lt;0.05). No significant difference was found in CD44v6 mRNA and protein expression between patients in 3 months after cryosurgery and control group (P&gt;0.05). Conclusion CD44v6 and integrin-β1 mRNA and protein expression in blood may serve as biomarkers for the development and metastasis of PC, and as prognostic indicators for PC. They may become useful predictors in assessing outcome of PC patients after cryosurgery. Virtual slides The virtual slides for this article can be found here: http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/4035308681009006 </jats:sec

Allogenic Natural Killer Cell Immunotherapy Combined with Irreversible Electroporation for Stage IV Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Survival Outcome

Background/Aims: We evaluated the clinical effectiveness of irreversible electroporation (IRE) in combination with immunotherapy using allogenic natural killer cells (NK) for stage IV hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: The study involved 40 patients with stage IV HCC who were divided equally into two groups: 1) simple IRE; and 2) IRE plus allogenic NK cells (IRE-NK); we mainly assessed the overall survival (OS). Results: The effect of the IRE-NK treatment was synergistic, i.e., not only did it enhance immune function, it also decreased alpha-fetoprotein expression and showed significantly good clinical effectiveness. At the median 7.6-month follow-up (range, 3.8–12.1 months), median OS was higher in the IRE-NK group (10.1 months) than in the IRE group (8.9 months, P = 0.0078). Conclusion: IRE combined with allogeneic NK cell immunotherapy significantly increases the median OS of patients with stage IV HCC