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Purpose Inflammation is closely associated with prognosis in gastric cancer (GC). We aimed to assess the predictive value of existing inflammatory and tumor markers in GC, to establish a systemic score based on valuable predictors for early risk stratification of patients, and to create a nomogram for individual risk prediction. Patients and Methods We retrospectively analyzed 401 GC patients who underwent curative gastrectomy from 2007 to 2016. Results Through univariate and multivariate survival analysis, age (>60 years), depth of invasion (pT3-4), lymph node invasion (pN1-3), histologic classification (poor), adjuvant chemotherapy (no), albumin fibrinogen ratio (AFR) ( 27 U/mL) independently indicated inferior disease-free survival (DFS). In addition, depth of invasion, lymph node invasion, histologic classification, adjuvant chemotherapy, AFR, and CA19-9 were incorporated in the prediction of cancer-specific survival (CSS). A combined AFR and CA19-9 prognostic score (CACPS) was established. Lower AFR ( 27 U/mL) were allocated 1 point each in the CACPS (range, 0-2). CACPS can be used as an independent predictor for DFS and CSS in multivariate analysis (for DFS: CACPS 1: HR=2.039, 95% CI: 1.357-3.065, P=0.001; CACPS 2: HR=2.419, 95% CI: 1.397-4.186, P=0.002; for CSS: CACPS 1: HR=2.035, 95% CI: 1.292-3.205, P=0.002; CACPS 2: HR=2.255, 95% CI: 1.252-4.059, P=0.007), with a higher CACPS indicating poor survival according to Kaplan-Meier curves (both P

This paper presents a novel deep-learning approach to analyze the fish feeding intensity based on the images of fish tanks during the fish feeding process. The grade of the fish feeding intensity is an important indicator of fish appetite. On the design of a smart feeding system in aquaculture, this information is of great significance for guiding feeding and optimizing the fish production. However, conventional fish appetite assessment methods are inefficient and subjective. To solve these problems, in this study, based on a space-time two-stream 3D CNN, a deep learning approach for grading fish feeding intensity is proposed to evaluate fish appetite. The flow of the approach is implemented as follows. First, a fixed RGB camera is setup to capture the videos from the fish tanks during the feeding processes. This also constructs a dataset for training the two-stream neural network, and the fish appetite levels are graded using the trained neural network model. Finally, the performance of the method is evaluated and compared with other CNN-based deep learning approaches. The results show that the grading accuracy reached 91.18%, which outperforms the compared CNN-based approaches. Thus, the model can be used to detect and evaluate fish appetite to guide production practices.

Background: The mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein has recently been identified as a key downstream component of tumor necrosis factor–induced necroptosis, which is an important pathway of cancer cell death. The goal of the current study is to explore the expression of mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein in colon cancer tissues and evaluate the prognostic value in patients with colon cancer. Methods: We collected normal and cancer colon tissues from 135 patients diagnosed with colon cancer after radical operation during July 2007 to April 2009 at The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University. Immunohistochemistry analysis was scored using an established scoring system. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were generated for recurrence-free survival and overall survival for all patients and 2 subsets of patients. The relationship between mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein expression and prognosis parameter (recurrence-free survival, overall survival) was analyzed by univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses. Results: The median age of all patients was 67 years and 56.3% were male. Low expression of mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein was associated with decreased overall survival (78.6 vs 81.2 months; P = .011) in all patients. In the subset of 79 patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy, low expression of mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein was associated with decreased recurrence-free survival (60.4 vs 72.8 months; P = .032) and decreased overall survival (66.3 vs 72.9 months; P = .005). Low expression of mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein was associated with decreased overall survival (74.9 vs 79.8 months; P = .006) and recurrence-free survival (69.6 vs 78.8 months; P = .005) among patients with Tumor Node Metastasis (TNM) stage II colon cancer. Conclusions: Low expression of mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein was associated with decreased overall survival in all patient-group with resected colon cancer. It is associated with decreased recurrence-free survival and overall survival in the subset of patients who receive adjuvant chemotherapy and patients who were TNM stage II. Mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein may provide important prognostic information in patients with colon cancer.

Exosomes are small secretory vesicles that are involved in intercellular communication. Exosomes are secreted by many types of cells and exert important functions in plasma-membrane exchange as well as the transport of bioactive substances, such as proteins, messenger ribonucleic acids (mRNAs), micro ribonucleic acids (miRNAs) and organelles. Exosomes may regulate physiological processes by altering gene regulatory networks or epigenetic recombination. Recent studies have shown that exosomes secreted by stem cells can effectively transport proteins, mRNAs and miRNAs and play important roles in the regulation of tissue regeneration. This report reviews current progress in exosome studies as well as their emerging roles in stem cell research and potential clinical use.

The combustion process of CFBB is a system with time-varying, nonlinear, large inertia and time delay. Therefore the control effects of traditional PID control system in the CFBB plant are not satisfactory , especially the overshoot of the main steam pressure control system is very big, and the adjustment time is too long. To improve the performance of the main steam pressure control system, ADRC technology was used . The disturbed signal was added in the different operating conditions, the testing results indicated that the ADRC main steam pressure control system had more excellent performance than the convention PID method.

Keloids are fibroproliferative dermal lesions characterized by the proliferation of fibroblasts and the formation of excess scar tissue, for which no effective treatment exists. We transfected a replication-incompetent adenovirus vector expressing green fluorescent protein and interleukin-24 gene (Ad-GFP/IL-24) into keloid fibroblasts (KF) and normal dermal fibroblasts (NDF) in vitro to investigate the suppression effects by observation on cell lines growth, apoptosis, mitosis cycle, etc. The expression of GFP and IL-24 mRNA confirmed that Ad-GFP/IL-24 was transfected into KF and NDF successfully. The expression level of secreting IL-24 protein detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in Ad-GFP/IL-24-treated KF and PBS-treated NDF was higher than controls; treatment with Ad-GFP/IL-24 in KF induced growth suppression (71.83% ± 6.67%, P < 0.05 to 9.79% ± 3.34%, P < 0.01), apoptosis (24.2% ± 3.08% to 66.51% ± 5.29%, P < 0.01) and increased the percentage of the G2/M phase (42.26% ± 6.44%, P < 0.01) in KF but not in NDF. The data showed that the exogenous IL-24 gene could selectively inhibit human KF proliferation and induce significant apoptosis.

This is a report on 1216 patients (1353 lower limbs) from 24 hospitals in China who were operated on by formation of a “substitute valve.” Reflux of the deep venous system in lower limbs is the indication for this operation. Most of the diseased limbs had primary valvular incompetence of the deep venous system. After a long follow-up, it was found that good postoperative results were obtained and the operation may become widely popular because of its easy performance. In particular it is the operation of first choice for treating lower limbs with severe reflux of the deep veins. Through experimental and clinical study, progress has been gained in creating substitutes of the muscular loop with autogenous materials.

The authors advocate percutaneous transpopliteal venography as a new and reliable method of evaluating the function of the valves in the deep veins, espe cially those in the femoropopliteal vein, of the lower extremity. At the popliteal fossa, the popliteal vein is punctured and a catheter is inserted proximally for venographic study of the valves. By this method, not only is the iliofemoropopli teal vein clearly visualized, but also the function of the valves in this venous segment may be accurately tested one by one, making up for the shortcomings of ascending and descending venography. It has been found, through this venog raphy, that even if the highest valve of the superficial femoral vein is competent, the distal valves in the femoral and popliteal veins may become incompetent, also resulting in primary valvular incompetence of the deep veins in the lower extremity.

Having succeeded in salvaging severely ischemic canine hindlimbs by staged arteriovenous reversal, the authors then successfully treated, from January, 1984, to June, 1986, 33 patients with a total of 39 lower extremities by this approach, except for 1 limb. According to the different levels of the extensive and diffuse arterial occlusion, the arteriovenous reversal was formed on three different sites: (1) high-deep reversal, produced between the external iliac, com mon femoral, or superficial femoral artery and the superficial femoral vein; (2) low-deep reversal, made between the distal popliteal artery and the tibiopero neal venous trunk; and (3) superficial reversal, established between the distal popliteal artery and the distal portion of the long saphenous vein. As of April, 1988, these limbs have been followed up for twenty-three to fifty-five months. Except for 1, the postoperative results of the patients in this series are excellent or good. The authors suggest that the staged arteriovenous reversal is a new and ef fective approach in the treatment of extensive arterial occlusive disease of the limb.

Anatomic and histologic studies of vein valves were made on 50 adult cadav ers (100 lower extremities). In the deep and superficial venous trunks, big valves were found mostly with two cuspids. At the inlets of their branches, small valves monocuspid in shape were commonly found. There was no valve in the common iliac vein, and the percentages of the other veins containing valves were: external iliac 42%, common femoral 51%, deep femoral 88%, superficial femoral 100%, popliteal 93%, tibioperoneal trunk 26%, and all the deep veins in the lower leg, including tibial and peroneal 100%. The valves in the deep venous trunk are much stronger than those in the long saphenous vein. They can resist a retrograde pressure of 180 to 420 and 100 to 260 mmHg respectively. The clinical value of this study concerning the staged arteriovenous reversal in the treatment of severely ischemic limbs and the etiology of the primary incompetence of the deep veins of the lower extremity are discussed.

Through clinical and venographic study of 353 diseased limbs, the authors advocate a new classification for the postthrombotic syndrome of the deep veins of the lower extremity. The postthrombotic lower extremities may be divided into two types: (1) lesions of the whole lower extremity, consisting of the completely obstructed, partially recanalized, and completely recanalized types; (2) local lesions, such as segmental obstruction of the iliac, iliofemoral, superficial femoral, femoropopliteal veins, and the tibioperoneal venous trunk and the venous plexus in calf muscles. Each type has its characteristics related to the duration of symptoms and clinical features, and their management is not the same at all. The authors suggest that clinically this new classification may be of great help in estimating the status of the diseased limb and in selecting proper method of treatment.

Sixty patients (62 limbs) with chronic incompetence of the deep veins of the lower extremity underwent the "substitute value" operation on the popliteal vein. The results after this operation were assessed clinically, phlebographically, and objectively, by venous pressure measurements, before, and three weeks and one and two years after, operation. The two-year follow-up of the 60 operated patients demonstrated clinical improvement associated with significant reduc tion in the ambulatory venous pressure (AVP) and prolongation of the refilling time (RT). The patients selected for this operation had had either a primary incompetence or a postthrombotic valve incompetence with completely recana lized deep veins. On the basis of their experience and the excellent results, the authors consider this operation the method of choice for eliminating deep ve nous insufficiency.