Primary retroperitoneal carcinosarcoma in a child: a case report

Carcinosarcoma is a rare biphasic malignancy consisting of intermixed epithelial and mesenchymal elements. Carcinosarcoma is particularly rare among children. We accepted a 7 year old patient with retroperitoneal carcinosarcoma. The tumor was totally resected and no recurrence is found 11 months after operation. Literatures has been reviewed and there are few reports of primary retroperitoneal carcinosarcoma in children up to date. So we report the patient's clinical character, surgical resection, pathological and immunohistochemical analysis

Research on Online Word-of-mouth Sentiment Analysis and Attribute Extraction Based on Deep Learning

Online word-of-mouth content mining is of great significance to product, service improvement and demand prediction of online marketing enterprises. However, most studies have focused on the identification of the sentiment tendency of online word-of-mouth, and lack of text content mining for online word-of-mouth, especially negative word-of-mouth. This paper introduces deep learning into online word-of-mouth sentiment tendency analysis and negative word-of-mouth word attribute feature extraction, and builds an online word-of-mouth sentiment tendency analysis and attribute extraction model based on LSTM deep learning algorithm. The model was trained and tested through online word-of-mouth data of a fashion apparel e-commerce company. The results show that the LSTM model has a good effect on sentiment analysis and negative word-of-mouth attribute feature extraction. Through comparative experiments, it is shown that the model has a better effect than the traditional machine learning methods (SVM, Naive Bayes) in the analysis of sentiment tendency

Surgical outcome of hepatocellular carcinoma patients with biliary tumor thrombi

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To investigate the surgical outcome of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with biliary tumor thrombi (BTT).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Surgical outcome of 27 HCC patients with BTT (group I) were compared with randomly selected HCC patients without BTT (group II; n = 270).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>One patient in group I died of hepatic failure within 30 days after resection. The 1-, 3- and 5-year cumulative survival rates of group I were 70.3%, 25.9%, and 7.4%, respectively; these were significantly lower than those of group II (90.6%, 54.0%, and 37.7%) (<it>P <</it>0.001). The rates of early recurrence (≤ 1 year) after resection were significantly higher in group I than group II (70.3% vs. 34.8%) (<it>P </it>< 0.001).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>HCC patients with BTT had a worse prognosis after resection than those without BTT. Resection should be considered for these tumors given the lack of effective alternative therapies.</p

Repeat hepatectomy for recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma: a local experience and a systematic review

Background: This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of repeat hepatectomy for recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: Thirty-seven patients who underwent a curative repeat hepatectomy in our hospital were retrospectively studied. An extensive database literature search was performed to obtain for all relevant studies. Results: In our series, there were no perioperative deaths during repeat hepatectomy for recurrent HCC. Patients survival after repeat hepatectomy were similar to 429 patients undergoing initial hepatectomy. A computerized search of the Medline and PubMed databases found 29 retrospective studies providing relevant data in 1149 patients were included for appraisal and data extraction. After the repeat hepatectomy, postoperative morbidity ranged from 6.2% to 68.2% with a median per cohort of 23.5 per cent. There were 7 perioperative deaths (0.7 per cent of 993 for whom mortality data were provided). The overall median survival ranged from 21 to 61.5 months, with 1 -, 3 -, and 5-year survival of 69.0% to 100%, 21.0% to 87.0%, and 25.0% to 87.0%, respectively. Conclusions: Repeat hepatectomy can be performed safely and is associated with long-term survival in a subset of patients with recurrent HCC. However, the findings have to be carefully interpreted due to the lower level of evidence. A randomized controlled study is needed to compare repeat hepatectomy and other modalities for recurrent HCC

Comparing marine ecosystems of Laizhou and Haizhou Bays, China, using ecological indicators estimated from food web models

Abstract(#br)Two Ecopath mass-balance models are built to describe the structural and functional ecosystems of Laizhou Bay (LZB) for 2014–2015 and Haizhou Bay (HZB) for 2011–2012. This is the first comparative study to analyze the similarities and differences between these two bays using ecological indicators estimated from a food web model. A comparison between the two models highlights similar characteristics in trophic functioning: zooplankton and shrimps as the structuring groups are important organisms enabling the pelagic-benthic coupling in the two ecosystems; and top-down effects are the main mechanism of control within the two ecosystems. Analysis of differences between the two ecosystems indicates that: (1) the ecological size (total system throughput, TST), total exports/TST and ecosystem efficiencies are bigger in LZB; (2) the bottom-up controls from the benthos, shrimps and zooplankton are enhanced in LZB; and (3) the ecosystem state is less mature but more stable in LZB. These differences can be attributed, at least in part, to the effects of sea ranching of low trophic-level species, such as shellfish and the holothurian Stichopus japonicus , in LZB. Analysis of similarities and differences may benefit the ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management in different ecosystems

Controllable ingestion and release of guest components driven by interfacial molecular orientation of host liquid crystal droplets

Controllable construction and manipulation of artificial multi-compartmental structures are crucial in understanding and imitating smart molecular elements such as biological cells and on-demand delivery systems. Here, we report a liquid crystal droplet (LCD) based three-dimensional system for controllable and reversible ingestion and release of guest aqueous droplets (GADs). Induced by interfacial thermodynamic fluctuation and internal topological defect, microscale LCDs with perpendicular anchoring condition at the interface would spontaneously ingest external components from the surroundings and transform them as radially assembled tiny GADs inside LCDs. Landau–de Gennes free-energy model is applied to describe and explain the assembly dynamics and morphologies of these tiny GADs, which presents a good agreement with experimental observations. Furthermore, the release of these ingested GADs can be actively triggered by changing the anchoring conditions at the interface of LCDs. Since those ingestion and release processes are controllable and happen very gently at room temperature and neutral pH environment without extra energy input, these microscale LCDs are very prospective to provide a unique and viable route for constructing hierarchical 3D structures with tunable components and compartments

Assessing the spatial heterogeneity of tuberculosis in a population with internal migration in China: a retrospective population-based study

BackgroundInternal migrants pose a critical threat to eliminating Tuberculosis (TB) in many high-burden countries. Understanding the influential pattern of the internal migrant population in the incidence of tuberculosis is crucial for controlling and preventing the disease. We used epidemiological and spatial data to analyze the spatial distribution of tuberculosis and identify potential risk factors for spatial heterogeneity.MethodsWe conducted a population-based, retrospective study and identified all incident bacterially-positive TB cases between January 1st, 2009, and December 31st, 2016, in Shanghai, China. We used Getis-Ord Gi* statistics and spatial relative risk methods to explore spatial heterogeneity and identify regions with spatial clusters of TB cases, and then used logistic regression method to estimate individual-level risk factors for notified migrant TB and spatial clusters. A hierarchical Bayesian spatial model was used to identify the attributable location-specific factors.ResultsOverall, 27,383 bacterially-positive tuberculosis patients were notified for analysis, with 42.54% (11,649) of them being migrants. The age-adjusted notification rate of TB among migrants was much higher than among residents. Migrants (aOR, 1.85; 95%CI, 1.65-2.08) and active screening (aOR, 3.13; 95%CI, 2.60-3.77) contributed significantly to the formation of TB high-spatial clusters. With the hierarchical Bayesian modeling, the presence of industrial parks (RR, 1.420; 95%CI, 1.023-1.974) and migrants (RR, 1.121; 95%CI, 1.007-1.247) were the risk factors for increased TB disease at the county level.ConclusionWe identified a significant spatial heterogeneity of tuberculosis in Shanghai, one of the typical megacities with massive migration. Internal migrants play an essential role in the disease burden and the spatial heterogeneity of TB in urban settings. Optimized disease control and prevention strategies, including targeted interventions based on the current epidemiological heterogeneity, warrant further evaluation to fuel the TB eradication process in urban China

Effect of Extreme Acid Combined with Heat Induction on Structure and Properties of Soybean Protein Isolate Microgel

Soybean protein isolate microgel (SPIM) was prepare by extreme acid combined with heat induction. The structural changes and molecular interactions of the protein, and the microstructure and gel properties of the microgel were explored by fluorescence spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy, and the effects of different heat induction temperatures (25, 45, 55, 65, 75 and 85 ℃) on the structure and properties of the microgel were evaluated. The results showed that the relative content of β-sheet increased during the formation of SPIM, and electrostatic interaction, hydrophobic interaction and hydrogen bonding were involved in the self-assembly of microgels. In addition, with increasing temperature, the surface hydrophobicity index of SPIM increased first and then decreased, and that the thermal stability gradually increased. Compared with extreme acid, the specific surface area, emulsifying activity, emulsion stability and water-holding capacity of the microgel formed by extreme acid combined with heat induction at 75 ℃ were significantly increased (P < 0.05). Overall, extreme acid combined with heat induction is an effective method to regulate the structure and properties of protein microgels, and the quality of microgels can be improved by precise temperature control

Impaired function of dendritic cells within the tumor microenvironment

Dendritic cells (DCs), a class of professional antigen-presenting cells, are considered key factors in the initiation and maintenance of anti-tumor immunity due to their powerful ability to present antigen and stimulate T-cell responses. The important role of DCs in controlling tumor growth and mediating potent anti-tumor immunity has been demonstrated in various cancer models. Accordingly, the infiltration of stimulatory DCs positively correlates with the prognosis and response to immunotherapy in a variety of solid tumors. However, accumulating evidence indicates that DCs exhibit a significantly dysfunctional state, ultimately leading to an impaired anti-tumor immune response due to the effects of the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Currently, numerous preclinical and clinical studies are exploring immunotherapeutic strategies to better control tumors by restoring or enhancing the activity of DCs in tumors, such as the popular DC-based vaccines. In this review, an overview of the role of DCs in controlling tumor progression is provided, followed by a summary of the current advances in understanding the mechanisms by which the TME affects the normal function of DCs, and concluding with a brief discussion of current strategies for DC-based tumor immunotherapy

Baseline of Pollution of Heavy Metals and Physico-chemical Parameters in Surface Sediments from Quanzhou Bay, China, in 2006-2007

According to the monitoring results of the near-shore sediments of Quanzhou Bay in 2006-2007, we analyzed the near-shore depositional environmental quality of Quanzhou Bay and assessed it by the single-factor evaluation on the basis of corresponding standards of local marine functional areas. The results showed that the sediments from the inner part of Quanzhou Bay were polluted more seriously than that of the open part, which might be due to the increasing human activities in coastal areas. The main exceeding standard items are petroleum, Cu, Zn and Pb. In additions, the pollutions caused by sulfide and Cr are different in different regions. The contents of Hg and As are basically in according with the sedimentary quality standards of the corresponding marine functional areas. According the evaluating results, we also provided the corresponding measures to control the pollutions in sedimentary environment of Quanzhou Bay. (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier B.V. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of National University of Singapore