Detection and identification of NAP-2 as a biomarker in hepatitis B-related hepatocellular carcinoma by proteomic approach

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><b>A </b>lack of sensitive and specific biomarkers is a major reason for the high rate of Primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)-related mortality. The aim of this study was to investigate potential proteomic biomarkers specific for HCC.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>81 patients with hepatitis B-related HCC and 33 healthy controls were randomly divided into a training set (33 HCC, 33 controls) and a testing set (48 HCC, 33 controls). Serum proteomic profiles were measured using Surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass spectroscopy (SELDI-TOF-MS).) A classification tree was established by Biomarker Pattern Software (BPS). Candidate SELDI peaks were isolated by tricine-SDS-PAGE, identified by HPLC-MS/MS and validated by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in liver tissues.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 6 proteomic peaks (3157.33 m/z, 4177.02 m/z, 4284.79 m/z, 4300.80 m/z, 7789.87 m/z, and 7984.14 m/z) were chosen by BPS to establish a classification tree with the highest discriminatory power in the training set. The sensitivity and specificity of this classification tree were 95.92%, and 100% respectively in the testing set. A candidate marker of about 7984 m/z was isolated and identified as neutrophil-activating peptide 2 (NAP-2). IHC staining showed that NAP-2 signals were positive in HCC tissues but negative in adjacent tissues.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The NAP-2 may be a specific proteomic biomarker of hepatitis B-related HCC.</p

Role of perioperative nutritional status and enteral nutrition in predicting and preventing post-operative complications in patients with Crohn’s disease

BackgroundPerioperative immune-nutritional status is correlated with post-operative outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate whether pre-operative nutritional status could predict post-operative complications in patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) and whether pre-operative enteral nutrition (EN) can prevent post-operative complications.MethodsThis retrospective cohort study analyzed the electronic health records of 173 patients diagnosed with CD in Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai, China, between August 2015 and May 2021: 122 patients had pre-operative nutritional support while 51 patients underwent surgery without pre-operative nutritional support. The pre-operative nutritional status, disease activity index, disease-related data, frequency of multiple surgery, operative data, and post-operative characters in each group were compared to determine whether the nutritional support and status could significantly affect post-operative outcome. One-to-one propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to limit demographic inequalities between the two groups.ResultsAfter PSM, no statistically significant differences were found in pre-operative patient basic characteristics between the two groups of 47 patients (98 patients in all) included in this study. Overall, 21 patients developed 26 post-operative complications. In terms of pre-operative nutritional status, the level of serum albumin (ALB), pre-albumin (pre-ALB), and hemoglobin (Hb) in the nutrition group were statistically higher than that in the control group. We also observed a statistically significant decrease in post-operative complications, need for emergency surgery, and staged operations, while the rate of laparoscopic surgery was higher in the nutrition group compared to the non-nutritional group. Post-operative complications were related to pre-operative nutritional condition, which indicated that EN may improve the nutritional status and reduced the rate of post-operative complications.ConclusionPre-operative nutritional status is correlated with post-operative outcomes while EN plays a positive role in preventing the post-operative complications. EN is useful for improving the pre-operative nutritional status and reducing the post-operative adverse events for CD patients undergoing surgery

Lithofacies Characteristics and Sweet Spot Distribution of Lacustrine Shale Oil: A Case Study from the Dongying Depression, Bohai Bay Basin, China

AbstractLacustrine shale is characterized by rapid lithofacies transformation and compositional heterogeneity, which present challenges in shale oil sweet spot evaluation and distribution prediction and should be systematically studied. Field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), low-pressure adsorption isotherm analysis, mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP), and triaxial compression testing were employed to comprehensively analyze the oil-bearing capacity, reservoir properties, fluidity, and frackability of different lithofacies. Via analyses of mineral composition, total organic carbon (TOC) content, and sedimentary structure, seven lithofacies were identified: organic-rich calcareous shale (L1), organic-rich laminated calcareous mudstone (L2), organic-rich laminated carbonate-bearing mudstone (L3), intermediate-organic laminated calcareous mudstone (L4), organic-poor laminated calcareous mudstone (L5), organic-poor thin-bedded calcareous mudstone (L6), and organic-rich laminated silty mudstone (L7). Considered together, the oil-bearing capacity, reservoir properties, fluidity, and frackability suggested that the L1 and L7 lithofacies were high-quality sweet spots, with satisfactory oil-bearing capacity (TOC&gt;3.5%; S1&gt;10 mgHC/grock), well-developed pores and microfractures, notable fluidity (as indicated by a high oil saturation index value), and suitable brittleness. The sweet spot distribution was predicted according to multiresolution graph-based clustering analysis of well logs. The results indicate that comprehensive research of the key factors for shale oil and lithofacies prediction can promote sweet spot prediction and enhance shale oil exploration

Investigation of the regulatory effects of water and nitrogen supply on nitrogen transport and distribution in wolfberry fields

Resource-based water shortages, uncoordinated irrigation, and fertilization are prevalent challenges in agricultural production. The scientific selection of appropriate water and fertilizer management methods is important for improving the utilization efficiency of agricultural resources and alleviating agricultural non-point source pollution. This study focused on wolfberry and compared the effects of four irrigation levels [full irrigation (W0, 75%–85% θf), slight water deficit (W1, 65%–75% θf), moderate water deficit (W2, 55%–65% θf), and severe water deficit (W3, 45%–55% θf)] and four nitrogen application levels [no nitrogen application (N0, 0 kg·ha−1), low nitrogen application (N1, 150 kg·ha−1), medium nitrogen application (N2, 300 kg·ha−1), and high nitrogen application (N3, 450 kg·ha−1)] on soil nitrate nitrogen (NO3−–N) transport, plant nitrogen allocation, and soil nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions during the harvest period of wolfberry. And this study used CRITIC-entropy weights-TOPSIS model to evaluate 16 water and nitrogen regulation models comprehensively. The results revealed the following: (1) The NO3−–N content of the soil decreased with increasing horizontal distance from the wolfberry. It initially decreased, then increased, and finally decreased with an increase in soil depth. The average NO3−–N content in the 0–100 cm soil layer ranged from 3.95–13.29 mg·kg−1, indicating that W0 &gt; W1, W2, W3, and N3 &gt; N2 &gt; N1 &gt; N0. (2) The soil NO3−–N accumulation ranged from 64.45–215.27 kg·ha−1 under varying water and nitrogen levels, demonstrating a decreasing trend with increasing horizontal distance. The NO3−–N accumulation at each horizontal distance increased with increasing irrigation and nitrogen application. The NO3−–N accumulation of W0N3 treatment increased by 5.55%–57.60% compared with the other treatments. (3) The total nitrogen content and nitrogen uptake in all wolfberry organs were W1 &gt; W0 &gt; W2 &gt; W3, and N2 &gt; N3 &gt; N1 &gt; N0. The maximum total nitrogen content and nitrogen uptake in W1N2 treatment were 3.25% and 27.82 kg·ha−1 in the roots, 3.30% and 57.19 kg·ha−1 in the stems, 3.91% and 11.88 kg·ha−1 in the leaves, and 2.42% and 63.56 kg·ha−1 in the fruits, respectively. (4) The emission flux and total emission of N2O increased with increasing irrigation and nitrogen application. The emission flux exhibited a transient peak (116.39–177.91 ug·m−2·h−1) after irrigation. The intensity of N2O emissions initially decreased and then increased with an increase in the irrigation amount. It also initially increased with increasing nitrogen application amount, then decreased, and finally increased again. The maximum emission intensity was observed under the W3N3 treatment (0.23 kg·kg−1). The N2O emission coefficients ranged from 0.17%–0.39%, in the order of W0 &gt; W1 &gt; W2 &gt; W3 (except for N1) and N1 &gt; N2 &gt; N3. (5) Under varying water and nitrogen concentrations, N2O emission flux showed a positive linear correlation with soil pore water content and NO3−–N content and a negative linear correlation with soil temperature. The comprehensive evaluation revealed that a slight water deficit (65%–75% θf) combined with medium nitrogen application (300 kg·ha−1) decreased soil NO3−–N leaching, increased nitrogen uptake, and reduced N2O emission. These findings can serve as a reference for improving the efficiency and reducing emissions of wolfberry in the Yellow River irrigation region of Gansu Province and in similar climate zones

Perioperative Toripalimab Plus Chemotherapy for Patients With Resectable Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: The Neotorch Randomized Clinical Trial

IMPORTANCE: Adjuvant and neoadjuvant immunotherapy have improved clinical outcomes for patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the optimal combination of checkpoint inhibition with chemotherapy remains unknown. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether toripalimab in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy will improve event-free survival and major pathological response in patients with stage II or III resectable NSCLC compared with chemotherapy alone. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This randomized clinical trial enrolled patients with stage II or III resectable NSCLC (without EGFR or ALK alterations for nonsquamous NSCLC) from March 12, 2020, to June 19, 2023, at 50 participating hospitals in China. The data cutoff date for this interim analysis was November 30, 2022. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive 240 mg of toripalimab or placebo once every 3 weeks combined with platinum-based chemotherapy for 3 cycles before surgery and 1 cycle after surgery, followed by toripalimab only (240 mg) or placebo once every 3 weeks for up to 13 cycles. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcomes were event-free survival (assessed by the investigators) and the major pathological response rate (assessed by blinded, independent pathological review). The secondary outcomes included the pathological complete response rate (assessed by blinded, independent pathological review) and adverse events. RESULTS: Of the 501 patients randomized, 404 had stage III NSCLC (202 in the toripalimab + chemotherapy group and 202 in the placebo + chemotherapy group) and 97 had stage II NSCLC and were excluded from this interim analysis. The median age was 62 years (IQR, 56-65 years), 92% of patients were male, and the median follow-up was 18.3 months (IQR, 12.7-22.5 months). For the primary outcome of event-free survival, the median length was not estimable (95% CI, 24.4 months-not estimable) in the toripalimab group compared with 15.1 months (95% CI, 10.6-21.9 months) in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 0.40 [95% CI, 0.28-0.57], P \u3c .001). The major pathological response rate (another primary outcome) was 48.5% (95% CI, 41.4%-55.6%) in the toripalimab group compared with 8.4% (95% CI, 5.0%-13.1%) in the placebo group (between-group difference, 40.2% [95% CI, 32.2%-48.1%], P \u3c .001). The pathological complete response rate (secondary outcome) was 24.8% (95% CI, 19.0%-31.3%) in the toripalimab group compared with 1.0% (95% CI, 0.1%-3.5%) in the placebo group (between-group difference, 23.7% [95% CI, 17.6%-29.8%]). The incidence of immune-related adverse events occurred more frequently in the toripalimab group. No unexpected treatment-related toxic effects were identified. The incidence of grade 3 or higher adverse events, fatal adverse events, and adverse events leading to discontinuation of treatment were comparable between the groups. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The addition of toripalimab to perioperative chemotherapy led to a significant improvement in event-free survival for patients with resectable stage III NSCLC and this treatment strategy had a manageable safety profile. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04158440

Symmetric, asymmetric charge transfer process of substituted stilbene or its analogues and the one-photon-/two-photons-excited emission

The luminescence behaviors of a series of symmetrically and asymmetrically substituted stilbene or its analogues on one-photon excitation (OPE) and two-photons excitation (TPE) have been investigated and compared. To understand the influence of intramolecular charge transfer upon the fluorescence properties, steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectra on one-photon-/two-photons-excitation, the solvent effect and the linear absorption spectra as well as the relative fluorescence quantum yields were examined. Based on the quantum chemical calculations of the charge density and the twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) model, the luminescence properties have been interpreted. The results obtained have shown that the OPE and the TPE fluorescence behaviors are both strongly influenced by the intramolecular charge transfer process and by the planarity of effective fluorophore under the excited state. On the other hand, for a given dye, its luminescence behaviors on one-photon- and two-photons-excitation are very much alike, which means that the knowledge of two-photon fluorescence properties can be obtained by understanding the one-photon fluorescence behaviors

Optimization Strategies of Preparation of Biomass-Derived Carbon Electrocatalyst for Boosting Oxygen Reduction Reaction: A Minireview

Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) has attracted considerable attention for clean energy conversion technologies to reduce traditional fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Although platinum (Pt) metal is currently used as an electrocatalyst to accelerate sluggish ORR kinetics, the scarce resource and high cost still restrict its further scale-up applications. In this regard, biomass-derived carbon electrocatalysts have been widely adopted for ORR electrocatalysis in recent years owing to their tunable physical/chemical properties and cost-effective precursors. In this minireview, recent advances of the optimization strategies in biomass-derived carbon electrocatalysts towards ORR have been summarized, mainly focusing on the optimization of pore structure and active site. Besides, some current challenges and future perspectives of biomass-derived carbon as high-performance electrocatalysts for ORR have been also discussed in detail. Hopefully, this minireview will afford a guideline for better design of biomass-derived carbon electrocatalysts for ORR-related applications