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Background:Recently, intracavitary electrocardiogram technology has been applied to peripherally inserted central catheter placement and demonstrates many potential advantages. However, the tip positioning accuracy of intracavitary electrocardiogram technology compared to conventional X-ray method is unknown.Objective:We did a meta-analysis to compare the tip positioning accuracy between intracavitary electrocardiogram technology and conventional X-ray method.Data sources:We searched several databases, including Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of science, and Embase. Additional studies were identified through hand searches of bibliographies and Internet searches. All human studies published in full text, abstract, or poster form were eligible for inclusion. Search terms included peripherally inserted central catheter, PICC, intracavitary electrocardiogram, IC-ECG, EKG, ECG, and catheter tip location.Study eligibility criteria:Only randomized controlled trials of using intracavitary electrocardiogram technology versus X-ray method for peripherally inserted central catheter placement were included. All studies included adult patients aged at least 18 years.Study appraisal and synthesis methods:Independent extraction of articles by two authors using predefined data fields, including study quality indicators. Of the 178 citations identified, 5 studies that included 1672 patients met the eligibility criteria. It was found that statistical heterogeneity existed among the various studies (I2 = 16%, p Limitations:Only five randomized trial met inclusion criteria, and the lack of an incomplete search led to the publication bias seen in these results.Conclusion:The intracavitary electrocardiogram method had a more favorable positioning accuracy versus traditional X-ray method for peripherally inserted central catheter placement in adult patients. The intracavitary electrocardiogram can be a promising technique to guide tip positioning of peripherally inserted central catheter.

Metal-organic nanomaterials have emerged as promising therapeutic agents to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) under ultrasound (US) or light irradiation for tumor treatments. However, their relatively large sizes (ranging from tens to hundreds of nanometers) usually lead to low ROS utilization and body metabolism, thus enlarging their long-term toxicity and low therapeutic effect. To solve these shortcomings, herein the ultrasmall Gd

Activatable nanoscale drug delivery systems (NDDSs) are promising in maximizing cancer specificity and anticancer efficacy, and a multifunctional metal-organic nanomaterial is one of the new star NDDSs which requires further exploration. Herein, a novel DOX@MnCPs/PEG NDDSs were constructed by first synthesizing Mn

Enzyme-loaded nanosystems with multimodal therapeutic functions have received increasing attention in the treatment of malignant tumors. Herein, we designed and prepared cascaded dual-enzyme-augmented Fe-hemoporfin framework nanosonosensitizers for synergistic sonodynamic-starvation therapy of tumors. Amorphous Fe-hemoporfin frameworks (FeHF) with an average size of ∼85 nm were synthesized by assembling the clinical drug hemoporfin with Fe3+ ions. Then, FeHF was used to load dual enzymes (glucose oxidase (GOx) and catalase (CAT)) and modified by PEGylated folic acid-conjugated lipids. The dual-enzyme loaded FeHF (FeHF-GOx/CAT) exhibited higher efficiency not only for glucose depletion but also for ultrasound (US)-triggered 1O2 generation than that of pure FeHF, resulting from the cascaded catalytic reaction from the dual-enzyme system. As observed by magnetic resonance imaging, the intravenously injected FeHF-GOx/CAT was accumulated within tumors. The FeHF-GOx/CAT + US exhibited the highest inhibition effect compared to the FeHF-CAT + US (only SDT) or FeHF-GOx/CAT (only starvation therapy), due to the synergistic effects of SDT and starvation therapy. Therefore, the cascaded dual-enzyme loading strategy can increase the SDT efficiency of FeHF, which may guide further works in the development of efficient nanosonosensitizers.

In the process of art education and teaching, the improvement of students' aesthetic quality and creative ability is the main goal of art teaching. At the same time, it is also the fundamental basis and direction of teaching. In art teaching, aesthetic education is not only reflected by art skills and teaching basis, but also can not separate aesthetic education from basic knowledge and skills of art education. The cultivation of students' artistic quality and creative ability is the main content of the current development of art education and teaching. Colleges and universities should effectively improve and optimize the teaching courses and teaching contents from the aspects of teaching methods, teaching environment, teaching resources, so as to realize the effective cultivation of students' aesthetic quality and creativity. This paper mainly expounds the significance of cultivating students' aesthetic quality and creative ability, and effectively expounds the methods of improvement, aiming to promote the continuous development and reform of art education in colleges and universities, and improve the level of art education.

The superior properties of metal organic frameworks (MOF) can provide great opportunities for merging functional nanoparticles to construct smart and versatile cancer theranostic agents. In this study, on the basis of non-mesoporous nanoparticles (molybdenum disulfide, MoS2), the structure of the MOF shell layer with an adjustable structure can be constructed through the natural coordination interaction between polydopamine (PDA) and iron ion, and the tumor cell target ligand was modified on the surface of the nanocomposite after loading the anticancer drug doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) to form a multifunctional cancer theranostics nanoplatform (DOX@MoS2-PMA). Benefiting from the excellent properties of MoS2 and MOF, the favorable photothermal properties and pH/near-infrared (NIR) laser-triggered DOX release behavior of composite nanoparticles were demonstrated. Its well-defined nanostructure, adequate colloidal stability, and satisfactory biocompatibility were further evidenced. Furthermore, the selective tumor cell targeting ability of DOX@MoS2-PMA can improve the cellular uptake efficacy and the photothermal-chemotherapy combination therapy can significantly enhance the killing effect on cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo. In addition, fluorescence imaging results show that nanoparticles can efficiently accumulate inside tumors. The photoacoustic (PA) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging capabilities derived from different components of nanoparticles can perform better imaging effects. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to merge the performance of MoS2 with MOF for PA/MR dual-modality imaging-guided photothermal-chemotherapy combination therapy. Our work presented herein proves that MOF can be combined with non-mesoporous nanoparticles and exhibits excellent performance, thus opening a new avenue for endowing non-mesoporous nanoparticles with an efficient drug loading capacity and practical applications of MOFs in nanomedicine.

Pancreatic cancer is a malignant tumor of the digestive tract with the worst prognosis and a serious threat to patients’ life. Traditional treatment alone cannot meet the survival needs of pancreatic cancer patients. In recent years, practitioners have focused on the molecular signal transduction pathway of delve into its occurrence and development mechanism, but the occurrence and development of pancreatic cancer is involved in multiple genes, signaling pathways, and complex multistep processes. Thus, searching potential molecular targets and exploring the effects on the progression of pancreatic cancer helps reveal the important pathways in the process of multiple targeted drugs. Molecular-targeted therapy, a therapy that target a gene or gene expression product (such as protein) possessed by the tumor cell, it can reverse the malignant biological behavior of the tumor (such as proliferation and differentiation, recurrence and metastasis, chemotherapy Drug resistance, radiation resistance, apoptosis, neovascularization, etc.), to achieve the purpose of preventing and curing tumors. Molecular-targeted therapy targets the difference between tumor cells and normal cells, only attacks tumor cells, and has very little effect on normal cells, which improve the quality of life of patients and prolong life. It will be light of hope for pancreatic cancer patients

The clinical management of advanced pancreatic cancer is slow efficacy and has a very poor prognosis, the underlying cause of which is a high risk of metastasis and spread, with serious and lethal complications. Based on the characteristics of advanced pancreatic cancer, exploring the quality and duration of survival of patients, we propose a comprehensive pancreatic cancer intervention strategy combining intra-arterial continuous chemotherapy perfusion, iodine-125 particle implantation, radiofrequency microwave therapy, etc., according to tumor molecular typing, tumor size, morphological site, adjacent organs and complications, and define each treatment plan to achieve many clinical breakthroughs and innovations. Comparing intravenous chemotherapy and physiotherapy, The effectiveness has been significantly improved.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the common malignant tumors in human digestive system, and it is one of the leading 10 causes of death in the world. The biological characteristics of early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer are difficult to detect due to its special anatomical location. The common methods of pancreatic cancer treatment include surgical treatment, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and biological therapy and so on. Radical surgery is still the only effective method to cure pancreatic cancer, but the operation is complicated, the wound area is large, and it is easy to cause complications. Surgical treatment is a local treatment, often can’t resect the cancer completely, prone to recurrence and metastasis. Radiation and chemotherapy are the use of powerful external radiation or toxic drugs to achieve the purpose of killing tumor cells in the body, but they also kill normal cells (including immune cells) and cause symptoms such as low immunity. Biological therapy utilizes the interaction between the body’s own immune system and tumor cells to inhibit or eliminate tumor growth by increasing the former’s resistance to the latter. However, with the development of biological therapy, many problems have been exposed one after another. For example, the low efficiency of gene transduction, poor specificity and the efficacy of late tumors is limited.

Although pancreatic cancer chemotherapy is not the preferred treatment method, it can assist and improve the efficacy of surgery and interventional therapy. Its main program is mostly gemcitabine, and combined with other drugs, it can extend survival and improve a patient’ quality of life. The combination of intravenous chemotherapy and interventional therapy for pancreatic cancer will reduce the metastasis and recurrence of the tumor, reduce the treatment cost of patients and improve their quality of survival.

Pancreatic secretion disorders include external secretion and endocrine disorders. This section of pancreatic secretion abnormality mainly refers to islet cell abnormalities caused by the islet secretion of hypoglycemia metabolic diseases and pancreatic secretion insufficiency, while pancreatic endocrine disorders mainly refers to pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasm, pNEN), also known as islet cell tumors (ICT), about 3% of primary pancreatic tumors.

With the advance of imaging and puncture technology, the number of minimally invasive interventional treatments for pancreatic cancer is increasing. In this chapter, the adaptation certificate, operation technique, complications, and efficacy of various minimally invasive interventional treatments related to pancreatic cancer pain are introduced accordingly. Pain is the most common and serious clinical symptom of advanced pancreatic cancer, and most patients suffer from severe abdominal pain caused by cancer, including autonomic nerves, causing severe abdominal and back pain, which seriously affects the patient’s diet and sleep, accelerate physical consumption, and result in a series of adverse prognoses, where treatment is more difficult. The treatment of pancreatic cancer pain minimally invasive interventional treatment is an important part of pancreatic cancer treatment, which can improve the quality of life of patients and prolong survival.

The pancreatic cystic lesion is divided into congenital pancreatic cyst, retention pancreatic cyst and pseudocyst. Among them, pancreatic pseudocyst (PPC) is the most common, accounting for more than 75% of all pancreatic cystic lesions. The main reason is that the pancreatic duct injury or rupture caused by acute, chronic pancreatitis, or trauma leads to the extravasation of the pancreas secreting fluid. When the fluid caused by acute pancreatitis is for more than 4–6 weeks, it can form obvious fibrous granulation tissue wall around. About two-thirds of the patients had traffic between the pancreatic cyst and the pancreatic duct, and the rest could be blocked by the inflammatory response. Traumatic pancreatic pseudocyst is usually caused by severe duct injury and extravasation of pancreatic juice. However, the process of pancreatic pseudocyst caused by chronic pancreatitis is relatively complex, but all have chronic pancreatitis acute and/or main branches of the pancreatic duct for protein bolt, stones or local fibrosis caused by block two basic processes. All eventually lead to the pathological process of fluid in the pancreas and/or peripancreatic abnormally gathered, and the fibrous tissue into the lumen of the parcel form, which often contain pancreatic juice, pancreatic enzyme, granulation tissue, fibrous tissue, and pancreatic necrotic tissue composition, because of the lack of epithelial layer on capsule wall, mainly by the peritoneum, omentum or inflammatory fibrous tissue, so called a pancreatic pseudocyst. When the pancreatic duct is pressed due to various factors such as tumor compression, or such as congestion, inflammatory strictures, it caused far section of pancreatic duct and cystic follicles expansion and pancreatic juice retention, called the retention of pancreatic cyst, accounts for about 10%–20% of pancreatic cyst. Congenital pancreatic cyst is the most rare, which is caused by congenital malformation of pancreatic exocrine gland. Pancreatic body and tail are multiple, which can be divided into single true cyst, pancreatic polycystic disease, enterogenous cyst, and dermoid cyst.

Background Diabetes is associated with the dysfunction of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), characterized as impaired angiogenesis, a phenomenon thought to be involved in the development of diabetic foot. lncRNA plays an essential role in microvascular dysfunction and signaling pathways in patients with diabetes. lncRNA taurine upregulated gene 1 (TUG1) participates in angiogenesis in various cells. However, the mechanisms of TUG1 activity in EPCs have not been elucidated. Methods We isolated and then characterized EPCs from the peripheral blood of mice using immunofluorescence and flow cytometry. Western blot detected the wnt/β-catenin pathway in high glucose-treated EPCs. Bioinformatics analysis predicted a putative binding site for TUG1 on miR-29c-3p. The interactions among TUG1, platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB), and miR-29c-3p were analyzed by luciferase assays. In vivo, diabetic mouse ischemic limb was treated with normal saline or TUG1 overexpression lentiviruses. Results We found that EPC migration, invasion, and tube formation declined after treatment with high glucose, but improved with TUG1 overexpression. Mechanically, wnt/β-catenin pathway and autophagy were involved in the function of TUG1 overexpression in high glucose-treated EPCs. Moreover, TUG1 regulates the PDGF-BB/wnt pathway and function of high glucose-treated EPCs via miR-29c-3p. In vivo, injection of TUG1 lentivirus in a diabetic mouse ischemic limb model stimulated angiogenesis. Conclusions Our findings suggest that TUG1 restores high glucose-treated EPC function by regulating miR-29c-3p/PDGF-BB/Wnt signaling.

Background Patients with advanced body/tail pancreatic cancer have poor quality of life and low overall survival rate. In recent years, interventional diagnosis and treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer have become increasingly widespread. This retrospective cohort study investigated the efficacy of routine intravenous chemotherapy (the control group), transcatheter arterial infusion (TAI) chemotherapy, and TAI combined with radioactive particles as therapeutic methods for advanced body/tail cancer pancreatic by assessing the short-term and overall survival rates. Methods We screened our prospective database for patients with advanced body/tail pancreatic cancer, which tumor deemed unresectable and no other confirmed malignant tumors, patients were assigned into three groups according to their treatment. Analyses with regard to the clinical responses, the 6, 12, and 18-month survival rates and overall survival rates were performed. Results The median survival time was 6 months in the control group, 10 months in the TAI group and 13 months in the TAI combined group. The Kaplan–Meier estimates of the OS among the three groups, indicating that there is significant difference among three groups (P༜0.000). The clinical remission rates were 17.5% in the control group, 41.5% in the TAI group, and 48.0% in the TAI combined group. Covariates analyzed showed that different treatment methods and times affected the results significantly (P༜0.002). Conclusions In the treatment of advanced body/tail pancreatic cancer, TAI and TAI combined with radioactive particles significantly improved the clinical outcomes in patients compared with routine intravenous chemotherapy.

Natural melanin has been demonstrated to be a biocompatible and efficient nanoagent for the photothermal ablation of tumors, but their practical applications are limited due to their lack of typical imaging functions (CT, MRI, etc.). Thus, to achieve multifunctional melanin-based nanoagents for imaging-guided therapy, for the first time, herein, we report the in situ growth of Au nanoparticles on natural melanin as a model through a simple and safe method. The as-synthesized samples are composed of melanin nanoparticles (diameter: ∼120 nm) whose surface are decorated by small Au nanoparticles with an adjustable size ranging from ∼10 to ∼40 nm. These Au-decorated melanin (Au-M) nanocomposites exhibit satisfactory near infrared (NIR) photoabsorption and high photothermal conversion efficiency of 42.3%. Furthermore, the Au-M nanocomposites have a high X-ray attenuation coefficient and exhibit excellent biocompatibility. When the Au-M solutions were injected into the tumor of a mouse, the tumor could be detected by X-ray computed tomography (CT), photoacoustic (PA) and thermal imaging, and then be thermally ablated under the illumination of an 808 nm laser. Therefore, these Au-M nanocomposites have great potential as a novel multifunctional and biocompatible nanoagent for imaging-guided photothermal tumor ablation.

All-in-one nanoagents with a single-component and all-required functions have attracted increasing attention for the imaging-guided therapy of tumors, but the design and preparation of such nanoagents remain a challenge. Herein, we report the introduction of oxygen vacancies to traditional semiconductors with heavy-metal elements for tuning photoabsorption in the near infrared (NIR) region, by using Bi2WO6 (band-gap: ∼2.7 eV) as a model. Bi2WO6-x nanodots with sizes of ∼3 or ∼8 nm have been prepared by a facile coprecipitation-solvothermal method assisted by citric acid (CA, 0.1-1.5 g) as the reduction agent. CA confers the removal of O atoms from the [Bi2O2]2+ layer during the solvothermal process, resulting in the formation of plenty of oxygen vacancies in the Bi2WO6-x crystal. As a result, NIR photoabsorption of Bi2WO6-x nanodots can be remarkably enhanced with the increase of the CA amount from 0 to 1.0 g. Under irradiation of a single-wavelength (808 nm, 1.0 W cm-2) NIR laser, black Bi2WO6-x-CA1.0 nanodots can not only efficiently produce a sufficient amount of heat with a photothermal conversion efficiency of 45.1% for photothermal therapy, but also generate singlet oxygen (1O2) for photodynamic therapy. Furthermore, due to the presence of heavy-metal (Bi and W) elements, Bi2WO6-x-CA1.0 nanodots have high X-ray attenuation ability for CT imaging. After the Bi2WO6-x-CA1.0 nanodot dispersion is injected into the tumor-bearing mice, the tumor can be imaged by using CT and an IR thermal camera. After irradiation with a single-wavelength (808 nm, 1.0 W cm-2, 10 min) NIR laser, the tumor can be completely suppressed by the synergic photothermal and photodynamic effects of Bi2WO6-x-CA1.0 nanodots, without recurrence and treatment-induced toxicity. Therefore, Bi2WO6-x nanodots have great potential as a novel all-in-one nanoagent for the imaging and phototherapy of tumors.

A traditional CuWO4 semiconductor (Eg = 2.25 eV) shows photoabsorption in the visible range with an edge at ∼550 nm, limiting its application in near-infrared (NIR) laser-induced photothermal ablation therapy (PAT). To tune the NIR photoabsorption of CuWO4, we report a trisodium citrate-induced strategy for generating oxygen vacancies. CuWO4 and CuWO4−x nanoparticles are prepared by a facile coprecipitation–solvothermal method in the absence or presence of trisodium citrate (0.2–0.5 g) as the reducing agent. Without trisodium citrate, CuWO4 consists of aggregated particles, and its dispersion has a typical yellow-green color without NIR photoabsorption. With the addition of trisodium citrate from 0.2 to 0.5 g, CuWO4−x samples are composed of monodisperse nanodots with increased sizes from ∼2 to ∼6 nm, and the color of these dispersions becomes darker with increased NIR photoabsorption, that is, from 0.178 to 0.685 at 808 nm. As a result, the aqueous dispersion of CuWO4−x-0.5 nanodots prepared with 0.5 g trisodium citrate exhibits a high photothermal efficiency of 47.6% under 808 nm laser irradiation. Simultaneously, CuWO4−x-0.5 nanodots have high X-ray attenuation as a CT imaging agent due to the presence of a heavy metal element (W). When the CuWO4−x-0.5 dispersion is injected into the tumors of mice, the tumors can be observed by CT and thermal imaging. After 808 nm laser irradiation (1.0 W cm−2, 10 min), cancer cells in vivo can be efficiently ablated by the photothermal effects of CuWO4−x, without obvious toxicity and side effects. Therefore, CuWO4−x can act as a novel all-in-one agent for CT imaging-guided photothermal therapy of tumors.

BackgroundIncreasing evidence has shown that circular RNAs (circRNAs) are involved tumourigenesis and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); however, progression about its function in HCC is relatively slow. Here, we aimed to investigate whether plasma circRNAs could reflect the tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in HCC tumour tissues and serve as prognosis biomarker for HCC.MethodsTissue samples of patients with HCC were subjected to immunohistochemistry staining against CD8 to examine the TILs. Then, we investigated the expression profile of circRNAs by microarray between plasma of patients with HCC with high TILs and low TILs, and the differentially expressed circRNAs were validated with qRT-PCR. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS software and GraphPad Prism.ResultsWe have demonstrated that patients with HCC with high TILs exhibit a significant better overall survival, suggesting clinical outcome could be predicted by TILs. Global circRNA microarray between plasma of patients with HCC with high TILs and low TILs successfully identified six differentially expressed novel circRNAs. Among them, the expression ofhsa_circ_0064428was significantly reduced in patients with HCC with high TILs but increased in patients with low TILs. Moreover,hsa_circ_0064428was negatively correlated with patient’s survival, tumour size and metastasis.ConclusionThese findings together imply thathsa_circ_0064428could be considered as a potential HCC prognosis biomarker. Future in-depth research is required to further illustrate the involvement ofhsa_circ_0064428in HCC tumourigenesis and metastasis.

Diabetic ischemic ulcer is an intractable diabetic complication. Angiogenesis is a critical factor for wound healing in patients with diabetic foot wounds. Sustained gene delivery could be notably necessary in modulating gene expression in chronic ulcer healing and might be a promising approach for diabetic foot ulcers. In the present study, Sprague-Dawley rats were used to establish diabetic foot ulcer models by streptozotocin and skin biopsy punch. The plasmids expressing VEGF-A and PDGF-B were prepared and then incorporated with polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) nanospheres to upregulate genes expression. The aim of this study was to explore whether the engineered VEGF-A and PDGF-B based plasmid-loaded nanospheres could be upregulated in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats and improve the wound healing. The cultured fibroblasts could be effectively transfected by means of nanosphere/plasmid in vitro. In vivo, the expression of VEGF-A and PDGF-B was significantly upregulated at full-thickness foot dorsal skin wounds and the area of ulceration was progressively and significantly reduced following treatment with nanosphere/plasmid. These results indicated that combined gene transfer of VEGF-A and PDGF-B could improve reparative processes in the wounded skin of diabetic rats and nanosphere may be a potential non-viral vector for gene therapy of the diabetic foot ulcer.

Background & Aims Placement of an irradiation stent has been demonstrated to offer longer patency and survival than an uncovered self-expandable metallic stent (SEMS) in patients with unresectable malignant biliary obstruction (MBO). We aim to further assess the efficacy of an irradiation stent compared to an uncovered SEMS in those patients. Methods We performed a randomized, open-label trial of participants with unresectable MBO at 20 centers in China. A total of 328 participants were allocated in parallel to the irradiation stent group (ISG) or the uncovered SEMS group (USG). Endpoints included stent patency (primary), technical success, relief of jaundice, overall survival, and complications. Results The first quartile stent patency time (when 25% of the patients experienced stent restenosis) was 212 days for the ISG and 104 days for the USG. Irradiation stents were significantly associated with a decrease in the rate of stent restenosis (9% vs. 15% at 90 days; 16% vs. 27% at 180 days; 21% vs. 33% at 360 days; p = 0.010). Patients in the ISG obtained longer survival time (median 202 days vs. 140 days; p = 0.020). No significant results were observed in technical success rate (93% vs. 95%; p = 0.499), relief of jaundice (85% vs. 80%; p = 0.308), and the incidence of grade 3 and 4 complications (8.5% vs. 7.9%; p = 0.841). Conclusions Insertion of irradiation stents instead of uncovered SEMS could improve patency and overall survival in patients with unresectable MBO. Lay summary For patients with unresectable malignant biliary obstruction (MBO), placement of a self-expandable metallic stent (SEMS) is a recommended palliative modality to relieve pruritus, cholangitis, pain, and jaundice. However, restenosis is a main pitfall after stent placement. Data from this first multicenter randomized controlled trial showed that insertion of an irradiation stent provided longer patency and better survival than a conventional metal stent. ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT02001779.

Endothelial malfunctions in patients with diabetes are known to result in vascular diseases, and endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are indispensable for the functional preservation of the vascular endothelium. MicroRNA-31 (miR-31) has been found to be able to modulate the differentiation of stem cells. However, it is still unclear how miR-31 functions in diabetic EPCs. The aim of this study was to investigate how miR-31 regulates diabetic EPC function. In the current study, miR-31 expression was compared between normal and diabetic EPCs. Satb2 was recognized as a functionally related target of miR-31 in EPCs according to computational prediction. We also explored the role of miR-31 in terms of its anti-apoptotic effects. A remarkable elevation in miR-31 expression was found in diabetic EPCs, and this elevated expression resulted in suppressed cell proliferation under high glucose. It was also found that miR-31 targets Satb2, leading to the anti-apoptotic effect and maintenance of the functions of EPCs. Furthermore, knockdown of Satb2 exhibited an inhibitory effect on proliferation and migration of EPCs in both healthy and diabetic subjects, which showed the same trend as miR-31 overexpression. Conversely, overexpression of Satb2 showed the opposite effect. Moreover, overexpression of Satb2 attenuated the miR-31-induced migration and colony-forming ability reduction and apoptosis induction of EPCs in both healthy and diabetic subjects. In diabetic EPCs, elevated glucose level was found to up-regulate miR-31 expression, which in turn enhanced the malfunction and death of EPCs. In conclusion, our results indicate that up-regulation of miR-31 may underlie endothelial dysfunction in diabetes by targeting Satb2.

Objective: To investigate the incidence, management, and outcome of a liver abscess after transarterial embolization/chemoembolization (TAE/TACE) therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Materials and Methods: From May 2007 to May 2014, all patients complicated with liver abscess following TAE/TACE for HCC were identified and analyzed at four medical centers. Results: During the study period, a total of 6984 TAE/TACE procedures were performed among 3129 patients, and a total of 23 patients developed liver abscess with the incidence of 0.33% (23/6984) per procedure. There were 21 males and 2 females, and mean age of 52.1 ± 12.1 years. The mean interval from last TAE/TACE procedure to the diagnosis of liver abscess was 12.9 ± 6.6 days. All the patients received intravenous antibiotics, with ten patients had a percutaneous drain, one each for percutaneous aspiration and surgery. Complications related to the liver abscess were hepatorrhexis and pleural effusion (n = 1), pleural effusion (n = 1), and obstructive jaundice (n = 1), all of which were resolved after conservative treatments. The serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels were significantly reduced at 6 months after treatment (P < 0.01) in 15 patients whose AFP > 400 ng/mL preprocedure. Complete or partial tumor response at 6 months after TAE/TACE was achieved in three and twenty patients, respectively; and 6 months survival was 100%. Conclusions: The incidence of a liver abscess after TAE/TACE is low; antibiotics therapy along was successful in about half patients, and percutaneous abscess aspiration/drainage were necessary in large size abscess and severely symptomatic patients; the outcomes are benign without worsening of the progression of underlying HCC.

The host polymer β-cyclodextrin-poly[(2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethylmethacrylate)- co -oligo(ethylene glycol) methacrylate] [β-CD-P(MEO 2 MA- co -OEGMA)] was prepared by click chemistry and atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), and the guest polymer poly(e-caprolactone)-SS-poly(ethylene glycol) with azobenzene (Azo) group at one end (Azo-PCL-SS-PEG) was synthesized by the combination of ring-opening polymerization (ROP) and esterification reaction. Based on the inclusion complexation between β-CD and Azo groups, the supramolecular polymer β-CD-P(MEO 2 MA- co -OEGMA)/Azo-PCL-SS-PEG was successfully obtained. Benefitting from the amphiphilicity, the supramolecular polymer could self-assemble into spherical micelles in aqueous solution, and the supramolecular micelles presented obvious UV light-, thermo- and redox-responsive properties. Alternating irradiation of the solution with UV or visible light could induce the reversible supramolecular self-assembly and disassembly of the micelles. When the temperature of the solution increased above the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of P(MEO 2 MA- co -OEGMA) chains, the micelles became smaller and aggregated with each other. Moreover, after adding DTT into the micellar solution, the spherical micelles changed into irregular aggregates.

Numerous nanosized photocatalysts have been demonstrated to treat antibiotic solutions efficiently in beakers, but plenty of antibiotics have been discharged to the flowing rivers. For photocatalytically degrading the flowing antibiotic wastewater, the prerequisite is to develop flexible large-scale filter-membrane with high photocatalytic activity. To solve this issue, with carbon fiber (CF) cloth as a flexible porous substrate, herein we have reported the in-situ growth of BiOBr/Ag

Plenty of power-shaped semiconductor nanomaterials have been used to photocatalytically degrade various pollutant wastewater in beakers, but they are difficult to be applied in the practical wastewater that is flowing in river or pipeline. Thus, the key to photocatalytically degrading the flowing wastewater is to develop flexible large-scale filter-membrane with high photocatalytic activity. To address the issue, with carbon fiber cloth (CFC) as the porous substrate and TiO

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to conduct a network meta-analysis of treatments for small vessels coronary artery disease between drug-eluting balloon (DEB) and drug-eluting stent (DES).METHOD: A meta-analysis comparing DEB and DES outcomes was performed using the Medline, Embase, and Cochrane databases. The primary outcome was target lesion revascularization (TLR) or target vessel revascularization (TVR), and myocardial infarction (MI), death and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) were secondary outcomes. A total of six studies on 1813 patients were included.RESULTS: There was no significant difference in rates of TLR or TVR in the patients treated with the DEB strategy compares with the DES strategy [odds ratio (OR) = 0.96, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.57-1.61, P = 0.89] within a follow-up period of 9-24 months. There was a significant reduction in rates of MI and death in the patients treated with a DCB strategy compared with those treated with a DES strategy (3.7%, 17 of 460 vs 6.1%, 36 of 595; 2.4%, 11 of 460 vs 6.1%, 36 of 595, respectively), and this difference was statistically significant (OR = 0.53, 95% CI 0.29-0.96, P = 0.04; OR = 0.44, 95% CI 0.22-0.88, P = 0.02, respectively). There was no difference between DEB and DES strategies in rates of MACE (OR = 0.94, 95% CI 0.66-1.33, P = 0.73).CONCLUSION: In summary, this study demonstrates that treatment of small vessel (diameter ≤ 3 mm) coronary artery disease (CAD) with DEB may lead to improving outcomes compared with the use of DES within a follow-up period of 9-24 months. Further large clinical trials are needed to verify this conclusion.

A traditional CuWO

All-in-one nanoagents with a single-component and all-required functions have attracted increasing attention for the imaging-guided therapy of tumors, but the design and preparation of such nanoagents remain a challenge. Herein, we report the introduction of oxygen vacancies to traditional semiconductors with heavy-metal elements for tuning photoabsorption in the near infrared (NIR) region, by using Bi2WO6 (band-gap: ∼2.7 eV) as a model. Bi2WO6-x nanodots with sizes of ∼3 or ∼8 nm have been prepared by a facile coprecipitation-solvothermal method assisted by citric acid (CA, 0.1-1.5 g) as the reduction agent. CA confers the removal of O atoms from the [Bi2O2]2+ layer during the solvothermal process, resulting in the formation of plenty of oxygen vacancies in the Bi2WO6-x crystal. As a result, NIR photoabsorption of Bi2WO6-x nanodots can be remarkably enhanced with the increase of the CA amount from 0 to 1.0 g. Under irradiation of a single-wavelength (808 nm, 1.0 W cm-2) NIR laser, black Bi2WO6-x-CA1.0 nanodots can not only efficiently produce a sufficient amount of heat with a photothermal conversion efficiency of 45.1% for photothermal therapy, but also generate singlet oxygen (1O2) for photodynamic therapy. Furthermore, due to the presence of heavy-metal (Bi and W) elements, Bi2WO6-x-CA1.0 nanodots have high X-ray attenuation ability for CT imaging. After the Bi2WO6-x-CA1.0 nanodot dispersion is injected into the tumor-bearing mice, the tumor can be imaged by using CT and an IR thermal camera. After irradiation with a single-wavelength (808 nm, 1.0 W cm-2, 10 min) NIR laser, the tumor can be completely suppressed by the synergic photothermal and photodynamic effects of Bi2WO6-x-CA1.0 nanodots, without recurrence and treatment-induced toxicity. Therefore, Bi2WO6-x nanodots have great potential as a novel all-in-one nanoagent for the imaging and phototherapy of tumors.

Metal-organic nanomaterials have emerged as promising therapeutic agents to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) under ultrasound (US) or light irradiation for tumor treatments. However, their relatively large sizes (ranging from tens to hundreds of nanometers) usually lead to low ROS utilization and body metabolism, thus enlarging their long-term toxicity and low therapeutic effect. To solve these shortcomings, herein the ultrasmall Gd3+ -hemoporfin framework nanodots (GdHF-NDs， ≈5 nm) is reported as efficient nano-sonosensitizers. Compared with GdHF aggregation (GdHF-A, ≈400 nm), the ultrasmall GdHF-NDs generate 2.3-fold toxic ROS amount under similar conditions, due to shorter diffusion path and larger relative specific surface area. When the GdHF-NDs dispersion is introvenously injected into tumor-bearing mouse, they are accumulated within tumors to provide high magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast. Under US irradiation, the GdHF-NDs achieve a better sonodynamic therapeutic efficacy for tumors, compared with that from GdHF-A. More importantly, owing to ultrasmall size, most of GdHF-NDs can be rapidly cleared through the renal pathway. Therefore, GdHF-NDs can be used as a biosafety and high-performance sonodynamic agent for cancer theranostics.

A glucose-, thermo-, and pH-triple responsive copolymer, poly(2-phenylboronic esters-1,3-dioxane-5-ethyl) methylacrylate-b-poly(2-(N,N-dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PPBDEMA-b-PDMAEMA), was synthesized through atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). Benefiting from its amphiphilicity, PPBDEMA-b-PDMAEMA could self-assemble in water into micelles with the PPBDEMA core and the PDMAEMA shell. Glucose would react with PPBDEMA, leading to the expansion of the micelles. Because of the thermo-responsive PDMAEMA segment, increasing temperature would cause the PDMAEMA shell to shrink and the micelles to aggregate. Both PPBDEMA and PDMAEMA segments were found to have pH-responsive properties, but PDMAEMA responded faster than PPBDEMA upon pH stimulus. When the pH value was high (>8), the original copolymer micelles would disassemble and new micelles with the PPBDEMA shell and the PDMAEMA core would form after 48 h. PPBDEMA-b-PDMAEMA copolymer micelles could be used as smart carriers to achieve the multi-controlled release of insulin and Nile red fluorescent dye molecules by adjusting the temperature, the pH value, and the glucose concentration. The release rate of insulin from the micelles at high glucose concentrations was much faster than that at lower glucose concentrations at the physiological pH value and could be further accelerated by heating. Meanwhile, increasing the temperature, the pH value, and the glucose concentration would increase the release rate of Nile red from the micelles.

A well-dispersed chemosensor based on cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) with porphyrin pendants (CNC-SA-COOC6TPP) was facilely synthesized by the combination of carboxylation, extended esterification and dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC) reaction. The CNC-SA-COOC6TPP nanomaterials promoted the solubility of porphyrin groups in water and the nanomaterials could be easily separated from water by filtering. The structure of CNC-SA-COOC6TPP nanomaterials could be verified by FT-IR, 1H NMR and XPS characterization. The TEM images showed that CNC-SA-COOC6TPP nanomaterials presented needle-like morphologies. The unique properties of high sensitivity and selectivity for Hg2+ of porphyrin-modified CNCs were investigated separately via fluorescence emission spectroscopy under characteristic excitation wavelengths of porphyrin moieties. Further investigation revealed that CNC-SA-COOC6TPP nanomaterials (0.01 wt% in H2O) could specifically detect Hg2+ with a detection limit for Hg2+ of ca. 5.0 × 10−8 mol L−1 (50 nM). In addition, Hg2+ was specifically detected with interference from other metal ions, which was attributed to the specific formation of the Hg2+–porphyrin complex with an interaction stoichiometry of one Hg2+ per porphyrin moiety. The concentration of all other metal ions could be qualitatively detected based on the relationship between fluorescence intensity and concentration. As a result, the good dispersion of cellulose nanocrystals and the high selectively and sensitivity of porphyrin pendants resulted in the highly efficient detection of Hg2+ in water, which makes CNC-SA-COOC6TPP a promising fluorescence chemosensor.

Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive malignancy. The median survival rate remains low, indicating that the identification of novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets is critical. Here, we examined the role of microRNA-182 (miR-182) in pancreatic cancer development. Analysis of human pancreatic cancer specimens and cell lines showed that miR-182 is overexpressed in pancreatic cancer and promotes tumor proliferation and invasion. β-TrCP2 was confirmed as a direct target of miR-182. Silencing of β-TrCP2 increased the levels of β-catenin, which is similar to miR-182 overexpression. Ectopic expression of β-TrCP2 inhibited the miR-182-induced activation of β-catenin signaling. The oncogenic effect of miR-182 and its reversal by β-TrCP2 were confirmed in vivo This study suggests that β-TrCP and miR-182 may be possible biomarkers and targets for early detection and treatment of pancreatic cancer.

Atherosclerosis is a disease resulting from impaired endothelial function, often caused by oxidant injury or inflammation. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) play a critical role in repairing damaged endothelium and protecting against atherosclerosis. Quercitrin, a plant-derived flavonoid compound, displays antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. In this study, we showed that quercitrin treatment reduced the apoptosis of EPCs caused by oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) in a dose-dependent manner. Quercitrin improved tube formation, migration and adhesion of ox-LDL-treated EPCs. To determine the effect of quercitrin in vivo, EPCs treated with or without ox-LDL and quercitrin were locally injected into the ischemic hind limb muscle of nude mice. Those injected with EPCs treated with ox-LDL and quercitrin showed significantly increased local accumulation of EPCs, blood flow recovery and capillary density compared with the control and ox-LDL only groups. Furthermore, we showed that quercitrin enhanced autophagy and upregulated mitogen-activated protein kinase and ERK phosphorylation in a dose-dependent manner in vitro. Autophagy inhibitors, chloroquine and 3-methyladenine, abrogated quercitrin-enhanced autophagy caused by ox-LDL as evidenced by decreased numbers of branch points, migratory cells and adherent cells, and increased numbers of apoptotic cells. The ERK inhibitor PD98059 abrogated quercitrin-enhanced autophagy, as identified by decreased autophagosome formation and downregulated ERK phosphorylation. The inhibition of ERK did not affect the expression of Rac1, but enhanced phosphorylation of Akt. Quercitrin treatment also increased the expression of E-cadherin, and PD98059 abrogated the upregulation of E-cadherin induced by quercitrin. Our findings suggested that autophagy is a protective mechanism in EPCs exposed to oxidative damage. Quercitrin can promote autophagy through the activation of ERK and the ERK signaling pathway is therefore thought to play a pivotal role in mediating the protective effects on EPCs.

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a lethal disease with extremely high mortality. Although surgical resection is the optimal therapeutic approach for PC, about 30%-40% of those patients are not candidates for surgical resection when diagnosed. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy also could not claim a desirable effect on PC. The application of interventional radiology approaches is limited by unavoidable damage to the surrounding vessels or organs. By the superiority of mechanism and technology, IRE could ablate the tumor by creating irreversible pores on the membrane of PC cells with other tissues like vessels and pancreatic ducts untouched. This consensus gathers the theoretical basis and clinical experience from multiple Chinese medical centers, to provide the application principles and experience from Chinese experts in the IRE field.

Ultrasound-driven sonodynamic therapy (SDT) catches numerous attentions for destroying deep-seated tumors, but its applications suffer from unsatisfactory therapeutic effects and metabolism. Furthermore, SDT is usually weakened by the complex tumor microenvironment, such as the overexpression of glutathione (GSH). To address these issues, Mn(III)-hemoporfin frameworks (Mn(III)-HFs) are reported as nanosonosensitizers by using biocompatible hematoporphyrin monomethyl-ether (HMME) to coordinate with Mn(III) ions. Mn(III)-HFs/PEG can react with GSH to produce Mn(II) ions and oxidized glutathione (GSSG), resulting in three fascinating features: 1) the redox reaction facilitates the decomposition of Mn(III)-HFs/PEG and then collapse of nanostructures, improving the biodegradability; 2) Mn(II) ions with five unpaired 3d-electrons exhibit better magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) ability compared to Mn(III) ions with four electrons; 3) both the depletion of endogenous GSH and the dissociated HMME boost 1 O2 generation ability under US irradiation. As a result, when Mn(III)-HFs/PEG dispersion is intravenously administered into mice, it exhibits high-contrast T1 /T2 dual-modal MRI and significant suppression for the growth rate of the deep-seated tumor. Furthermore, Mn(III)-HFs/PEG can be efficiently metabolized from the mice. Therefore, Mn(III)-HFs/PEG exhibit GSH-enhanced degradation, MRI, and SDT effects, which provide some insights on the developments of other responsive nanosonosensitizers.

Integrated theranostic nanoplatforms with imaging and photothermal/drug-delivering functions have great advantages in cancer therapy, but the design and preparation of the simple efficient nanoplatforms are still of great urgency. Herein, we report the construction of novel core-shell CuS@Fe-based metal-organic-framework (Fe-MOF) nanoplatforms by the co-precipitation/assembling growth of Fe-MOF shell on the surface of CuS nanoplate. The resulting CuS@Fe-MOF nanoparticles (NPs) consist of hexagonal-shaped CuS nanoplate core with an average size of ~85 nm and amorphous Fe-MOF shells with an average thickness of 16 nm. CuS@Fe-MOF NPs are then surface-modified with lipids, and they exhibit the increased NIR photoabsorption and photothermal conversion efficiency (39.7%), resulting from localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect of CuS. The presence of Fe-MOF shell confers the efficient loading (27.5%) of doxorubicin (DOX), pH-responsive releasing ability, and strong magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) ability. Especially, the photothermal effect of CuS and the released DOX from CuS@Fe-MOF-DOX result in the most efficient death of cancer cells in vitro. When CuS@Fe-MOF-DOX dispersion was injected into the tumor, the tumor-bearing mice could be monitored by MR and thermal imaging. Furthermore, the tumors could be inhibited and destroyed due to the synergistic photothermal-chemo therapy, remarkably better than that from photothermal ablation therapy or chemotherapy alone. Simultaneously, no noticeable side-effects can be found for mice. Therefore, the present CuS@Fe-MOF-DOX can act as a biocompatible multifunctional nanoplatform for MRI-guided synergistic photothermal-chemo therapy of tumors.

Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) utilizing semiconductors or organic sonosensitizers has attracted increasing attention as a noninvasive treatment for deep-seated tumors, but its practical applications are still limited due to unsatisfactory therapeutical effects. To address the issue, we reported a metal-organic nanosonosensitizer by assembling clinical drug hematoporphyrin monomethyl ether (HMME) with Fe(III) ions through covalently coordination. The Fe-HMME coordination particles (FeCPs) had the average size of ~70 nm, and they were surface-modified with phospholipids to confer high hydrophilicity and stability. Upon ultrasound irradiation, they efficiently produced 1O2 to destroy cancer cells coated without or with tissue-barriers (1–3 cm). Importantly, the porous structure of FeCPs facilitated high loading capacity (31.3%) of anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX), and the DOX@FeCPs exhibited pH-sensitive and ultrasound-enhanced releasing behavior that was favorable to the acidic microenvironment of tumors. When the lipids-coated FeCPs were intravenously injected into tumor-bearing mouse, they could passively accumulate within tumors, leading to the magnetic resonance imaging of tumors. Importantly, as deep-seated tumor model, tumors covered with barrier were exposed to ultrasound and thereafter their growth was significantly inhibited by SDT of FeCPs. The inhibition effects could be further enhanced by DOX@FeCPs due to the SDT-chemo combined therapy. Therefore, the DOX@FeCPs have achieved good therapeutical performances on deep-seated tumor and would supply some insights on the design of other metal-organic nanoplatforms.

BACKGROUND: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs) are the main treatments used for atrial fibrillation (AF). In recent years, a number of articles comparing the 2 treatments have begun to emerge. Though, the influence of follow-up time in the meta-analysis was not considered in these articles. However, more recently, large-scale clinical trial articles have included follow-up with the patients up to 5 years after treatment. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the impact of variable follow-up times on the recurrence of AF by observing both the short-term and long-term efficacy and safety of catheter ablation and AADs for the treatment of AF. METHODS AND RESULTS: The primary investigators of eligible randomized controlled trials were invited to contribute standardized outcome data. Random effect summary estimates were calculated as standardized mean differences and odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals for continuous and binary outcomes. In this study, 9 randomized controlled trials (n = 1542 patients) were included. The rate of recurrence of AF with no limit on follow-up time, >12 months, >18 months, >24 months, >30 months, and approximately 36 months was compared. Furthermore, the gap between the RFA and AAD groups in the recurrence rate of AF was found to decrease inversely to follow-up time. When the follow-up time reached 24 months, the difference between RFA and AAD was relatively stable with an odds ratio of 0.45 (95% confidence interval: 0.32-0.62). Overall, RFA decreased adverse events in the remaining trials; however, AAD performed better in terms of safety and had fewer adverse events with RFA usually causing more serious complications. CONCLUSION: RFA is more advantageous in terms of recurrence rate of AF than drug therapy. In addition, the analysis suggests that this effect persists during long-term follow-up; however, these benefits appear to decrease with longer follow-up time. Finally, AAD performed better in terms of safety and had fewer adverse events. Scopus

Drug-eluting microspheres are the most commonly used particulate embolic agents for transarterial chemoembolization of liver tumors. However, drug loading of degradable embolic particles is often insufficient. In the current study, microspheres prepared from poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) were investigated as a biodegradable embolic agent for arterial embolization applications. Through modified solvent evaporation and liquid-induced phase separation, high drug loading (as high as 32%) and low solvent residue (as low as 0.03%) was achieved. Degradation performance,1H NMR, and the nonsolvent's influence on solvent residue content were assessed. These drug-loading microspheres with biodegradability hold promise for embolization therapies. 50. - 2018 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. This work was supported by NSFC (Grant No. 81771417), and National Science & Technology Pillar Program(Grant No. 2012BAI15B06) Scopus

Introduction: Ultrasound-guided venipuncture and tip location by intracavitary electrocardiogram have many advantages during the insertion of peripherally inserted central catheters, both in terms of safety and cost-effectiveness. Recently, a new tip-conductive peripherally inserted central catheters and new Doppler ultrasound device integrated with intracavitary electrocardiogram have been introduced into clinical practice in China. A randomized multicenter study (clinical trial no. NCT03230357) was performed to verify the feasibility and accuracy of intracavitary electrocardiogram, as performed with this new peripherally inserted central catheters and device. Methods: Our study enrolled a total of 2250 adult patients in 10 different Chinese hospitals. The patients were randomly assigned to either the study group (intracavitary electrocardiogram) or the control group (anatomical landmark guidance) in a 2:1 allocation. Ultrasound was used in both groups for venipuncture and tip navigation. All patients underwent chest X-ray after the procedure to verify the position of the catheter tip. Results: No insertion-related complications were reported in either group. In the study group, first-attempt successful tip location was 91.7% (95% confidence interval: 90.3%–93.1%), significantly higher than 78.9% (95% confidence interval: 76.0%–81.9%) observed in the control group (p Conclusion: These results indicated that during peripherally inserted central catheters insertion in adult patients, tip location with intracavitary electrocardiogram guidance, as carried out by a new tip-conductive peripherally inserted central catheters and intracavitary electrocardiogram integrated ultrasound device, was more effective and more accurate than tip location using anatomical landmarks.

The photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline (TC) in water has received much attention, but its practical application in the river has been limited by a lack of efficient and recyclable visible-light-driven photocatalysts. To solve this problem, with flexible carbon fiber (CF) bundles as substrate, we have reported the in-situ growth of g-C3N4/BiOBr heterojunctions as weaveable photocatalyst. g-C3N4 nanosheets (thickness: ~30 nm, diameter: 0.4–1 μm) and BiOBr layer (thickness: ~25 nm, diameter: 200–500 nm) were grown on CFs successively. CFs/g-C3N4/BiOBr bundles could be woven into cloth (area: 5 × 5 cm2, weight: 0.15 g), and the cloth exhibited remarkably enhanced photodegradation efficiency (86.1%) for degrading TC-HCl in 120 min. In addition, h+, O2− and OH were demonstrated as the reactive species contributing to the elimination of TC-HCl. Especially, two possible pathways of degrading TC-HCl were proposed based on the intermediate products. Thus, CFs/g-C3N4/BiOBr could serve as a flexible, weaveable and recyclable photocatalyst for antibiotic elimination in an aqueous environment.

Xiaoxiao Hu,1,* Weishuai Lian,1,* Xiaojun Zhang,2,* Xue Yang,3,* Jinxia Jiang,4 Maoquan Li11Department of Interventional Vascular Surgery, The Tenth People’s Hospital affiliated to Tongji University, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200072, China; 2Department of Interventional Catheter, The Tenth People’s Hospital affiliated to Tongji University, Shanghai, 200072, China; 3Department of Anesthesiology, Eastern Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University, Shanghai, 200120, China; 4Department of Emergency, The Tenth People’s Hospital affiliated to Tongji University, Shanghai, 200072, China *These authors contributed equally to this work Background: Diabetes mellitus, one of the most prevalent chronic metabolic diseases, causes many complications. Among the complications, one of the most common chronic complications is diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs).Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the efficacy of negative pressure wound therapy using vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) combined with photon therapy for the management of DFUs.Patients and methods: The study included a total of 69 patients with DFUs during the period from January 2014 to December 2015. All patients were diagnosed with DFUs with Wagner’s stage 2 or 3 and were divided into two groups – the VAC group in which patients received only VAC and the combined group in which patients received both VAC and photon therapy. Data on duration of the treatment, pre- and postoperative wound surface areas, dressing changing times, pain conditions assessed using visual analog scale scores, recurrence rate and amputation rate were collected.Results: Among all patients, 35 patients were divided into the VAC group and 34 patients into the combined group. Areas of foot ulcers for all patients ranged from 5 to 100 cm2. The treatment duration, dressing changing times and the peak value of visual analog scale scores were all significantly lower in the combined group compared with the VAC group (P

Introduction: Leadless cardiac pacemaker (LCP) implantation using a transcatheter was recently developed to avoid pocket- and lead-related complications. Although a LCP has an active fixation mechanism using tines or a helix, LCP and lead dislodgement issues remain a major safety concern for patients. This article reviews the literature to determine the incidence of lead and LCP dislodgement. Methods and results: A total of 18 studies which included 17,321 patients undergoing conventional single- or dual-chamber pacemaker implantation and three studies which included 2,116 patients undergoing LCP device implantation were reviewed. The incidence of lead dislodgement ranged from 1% to 2.69% in individual studies with a mean of 1.63%, weighted mean of 1.71%, and median of 1.60 %. There was a relatively higher lead dislodgement rate between atrial and ventricular electrodes (odds ratio [OR], 3.56; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.9–6.70; P = 0.6; I2 = 0%), and between magnetic resonance imaging conditional and conventional leads (OR, 2.79; 95% CI, 1.30–5.99; P = 0.16; I2 = 46%). The use of active fixation leads (OR, 1.06; 95% CI, 0.66–1.70; P = 0.29; I2= 20%) showed no significant difference in dislodgement risk compared to passive fixation leads. The incidence of LCP device dislodgement was 0%, 0.13%, and 1% in three leadless pacemaker studies. Conclusions: The incidence rates of conventional pacemaker lead dislodgement vary in individual studies with an overall high incidence. Use of the currently available LCP systems appears to result in a lower rate of device dislodgement. This may reflect the effectiveness of this novel technology and the fixation design of LCP devices.

The incidence of Klebsiella pneumoniae liver abscess (KPLA) has increased in a number of Asian countries over the past 30 years. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a risk factor for KPLA. The prevalence and clinical features of KPLA in patients with and without DM have been well described; however, the underlying molecular mechanism responsible for the increased incidence of KPLA in patients with DM remains unclear. In the present study, a mouse model of DM was constructed and mice were infected with K. pneumoniae. Tissues were harvested for immunohistochemical and inflammatory factor expression analyses. The results revealed that the number of liver abscesses in mice with DM was greater than that observed in normal mice. The expression of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-2, IL-6, macrophage inflammatory protein-1α and tumor necrosis factor-α in the liver tissues of mice with DM was significantly higher compared with normal mice. Western blotting results revealed that the expression of phosphorylated (p)-inhibitor of nuclear factor κB (NFκB) kinase subunit β, p-NFκB and p-inhibitor of NFκB was significantly increased in the liver tissue of mice with DM compared with that of normal mice. These results suggest that activation of the NFκB signaling pathways has a regulatory effect on the pathogenesis of K. pneumoniae bacteria liver abscesses and that high glucose conditions may promote the activation of NFκB signaling.

Increasing evidence has shown that circular RNAs (circRNAs) are involved tumourigenesis and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); however, progression about its function in HCC is relatively slow. Here, we aimed to investigate whether plasma circRNAs could reflect the tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in HCC tumour tissues and serve as prognosis biomarker for HCC.Tissue samples of patients with HCC were subjected to immunohistochemistry staining against CD8 to examine the TILs. Then, we investigated the expression profile of circRNAs by microarray between plasma of patients with HCC with high TILs and low TILs, and the differentially expressed circRNAs were validated with qRT-PCR. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS software and GraphPad Prism.We have demonstrated that patients with HCC with high TILs exhibit a significant better overall survival, suggesting clinical outcome could be predicted by TILs. Global circRNA microarray between plasma of patients with HCC with high TILs and low TILs successfully identified six differentially expressed novel circRNAs. Among them, the expression ofThese findings together imply that

The aim of the present study was to investigate the relative regulation of human circular RNA‑0054633 (hsa_circ_0054633), microRNA‑218 (miR‑218), roundabout 1 (ROBO1) and heme oxygenase‑1 (HO‑1) in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in high glucose conditions. Initially, the expression of hsa_circ_0054633 in HUVECs was detected in high glucose conditions by reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Next, a small interfering RNA against hsa_circ_0054633 was constructed to investigate the function of jsa_circ_0054633 in HUVECs by transwell migration, cell counting kit‑8, flow cytometry and tube formation assays. In addition, the effect of hsa_circ_0054633 on the expression levels of ROBO1, HO‑1 and vascular endothelial growth factor were examined. The regulation effects of hsa_circ_0054633 on high glucose‑induced HUVEC proliferation, migration, and angiopoiesis were also analyzed. Bioinformatics analysis and dual‑luciferase assay were then used to confirm the direct or specific regulation of hsa_circ_0054633, miR‑218, ROBO1 and HO‑1. It was observed that high glucose levels increased the expression of hsa_circ_0054633, while downregulation of hsa_circRNA‑0054633 increased the high glucose‑induced endothelial cell dysfunction, including proliferation, migration and angiopoiesis suppression. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that the expression of circRNA‑0054633 was able to inhibit miR‑218 expression, which was clarified by the dual‑luciferase assay. It was also demonstrated that downregulating the expression of miR‑218 inhibited the high glucose‑induced endothelial cell dysfunction by promoting the expression of ROBO1 and HO‑1. These results suggest that the expression of hsa_circRNA‑0054633 has a protective effect against high glucose‑induced endothelial cell dysfunction by targeting ROBO1 and HO‑1.