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Juan Zhang,1,&ast; Yinqiao Li,1,2,&ast; Jinju Xia,1 Xingpeng Pan,1 Lun Lu,1 Jiazhao Fu,3 Ningyang Jia1 1Department of Radiology, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China; 2School of Health Science and Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, China; 3Department of Organ Transplantation, Changhai Hospital, First Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Jiazhao Fu; Ningyang Jia, Email fujiazhao@126.com; ningyangjia@163.comObjective: This study aims to investigate the predictive value of Gadobenate dimeglumine (Gd-BOPTA) enhanced MRI features on microvascular invasion (MVI) and recurrence in patients with Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) category 5 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Methods: A total of 132 patients with LI-RADS category 5 HCC who underwent curative resection and Gd-BOPTA enhanced MRI at our hospital between January 2016 and December 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. Qualitative evaluation based on LI-RADS v2018 imaging features was performed. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess the predictive significance of these features for MVI, and the Cox proportional hazards model was used to identify postoperative risk factors of recurrence. The recurrence-free survival (RFS) was analyzed by using the Kaplan–Meier curve and Log rank test.Results: Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified that corona enhancement (odds ratio [OR] = 3.217; p < 0.001), internal arteries (OR = 4.147; p = 0.004), and peritumoral hypointensity on hepatobiliary phase (HBP) (OR = 5.165; p < 0.001) were significantly associated with MVI. Among the 132 patients with LR-5 HCC, 62 patients experienced postoperative recurrence. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that mosaic architecture (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.982; p = 0.014), corona enhancement (HR = 1.783; p = 0.039), and peritumoral hypointensity on HBP (HR = 2.130; p = 0.009) were risk factors for poor RFS.Conclusion: MRI features based on Gd-BOPTA can be noninvasively and effectively predict MVI and recurrence of LR-5 HCC patients.Keywords: hepatocellular carcinoma, magnetic resonance imaging, microvascular invasion, prognosis

Nan Jia, Zhe Song, Baosheng Chen, Jinsheng Cheng, Wenyong Zhou Department of General Surgery, CangZhou General Hospital, CangZhou, Hebei, 061001, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Nan JiaDepartment of General Surgery, CangZhou General Hospital, No. 16 Xinhua West Road, CangZhou, Hebei, 061001, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86-18031792208Email jianan201612@sina.comIntroduction: Aberrant circular RNA (circRNA) expression has been extensively discovered for its involvement in both the initiation and progression of various cancers. Through screening circRNA profile, we identified a novel circRNA has_circ_0001806, which is termed as circCSPP1 in liver cancer. In the present study, we aim to investigate the role of circCSPP1 in the progression of liver cancer.Methods: Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was used to detect the location of circCSPP1. Function studies including MTT, colony formation assay, transwell assay and flow cytometry were carried out to detect the malignant behaviour of circCSPP1 on liver cancer cells. Luciferase assay and RNA pull down were used to detect the interaction between miR-1182 and circCSPP1 as well as RAB15. Quantitative realtime (qPCR) and Western blot were performed to evaluate the RNA and protein expression, respectively.Results: CircCSPP1 knockdown inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion while promoted apoptosis of liver cancer cells. Mechanically, we predicted and verified the target miR of circCSPP1 which is miR-1182. miR-1182 was capable of reversing the effect of circCSPP1 on liver cancer cells. Moreover, miR-1182 was found to also target RAB15 to participate in the regulation of cell phenotype.Discussion: Taken together, circCSPP1 promoted progression of liver cancer cells via sponging miR-1182 which may serve as a novel prognostic and therapeutic target for liver cancer.Keywords: circRNA, circCSPP1, liver cancer, miR-1182, RAB15

Economic transitions in countries that move from state planning and redistribution to market exchange create business opportunities but also uncertainty, because many interdependent factors—modes of exchange, types of products, and forms of organizations—are in flux. Uncertainty is even greater when the country’s political institutions remain authoritarian because the rule of law is weak and state bureaucrats retain power over the economy. This study of listed firms in China, which has recently seen economic transition but persistent authoritarianism, shows that in such contexts, firms can reduce uncertainty by developing relationships with state bureaucrats, which help firms learn how state bureaucracies operate and engender trust between firms and bureaucrats. Together, knowledge and trust stabilize operations and help persuade bureaucrats to lighten regulatory burdens, grant firms access to state-controlled resources, and improve government oversight. Our results show that as economic transitions proceed and uncertainty increases, business–state ties increasingly improve firm performance. We also investigate two likely contingencies, industry and firm size, and two important causal mechanisms, access to bank loans and protection from related-party loans, and show that the value of business–state relations varies over time, depending on the trajectory of both economic and political institutions.

The strength−ductility tradeoff and composition homogeneity have been the obstacles to obtaining advanced structural alloys. To overcome the limitations, we develop a novel coherently eutectic high-entropy alloy, i.e. Fe30Cr15V15Ni20Al20. By introducing a BCC phase with a low lattice misfit (0.13%) and constructing the BCC/B2 eutectic-phase interfaces, the alloy shows high mechanical stability. The low lattice mismatch contributes to the good stability of the phase interfaces and inhibits crack initiation. Thus, the as-cast Fe30Cr15V15Ni20Al20 alloy shows an excellent tensile yield strength of 929 MPa and a high yield compressive strength of 2423 MPa. In addition, it shows an excellent compressive strain of 22.3%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Diagnosing knee osteoarthritis (KOA) often relies on limited routine methods. This study investigates the efficacy of T2 mapping and Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) values in MRI for enhanced assessment of cartilage damage in KOA, focusing on their correlation with pain severity. Materials and Methods: A total of 52 KOA patients (74 knee joints) and 50 healthy individuals (100 knee joints) were assessed from May 2022 to June 2023. Both groups underwent MRI with Diffusion Weighted Imaging (DWI) sequence and T2 mapping to analyze ADC and T2 mapping values across femoral condyle, tibial plateau, and patellar joint surfaces, and their correlation with pain levels. Results: The KOA group showed significantly higher ADC and T2 mapping values in all examined areas compared to the control group (P<0.05). These values were also higher in advanced stages of cartilage degeneration and correlated positively with increased pain scores (P<0.05). Conclusion: MRI utilizing DWI and T2 mapping provides a quantitative reflection of knee joint cartilage degeneration in KOA. These methods show a positive correlation with pain severity, suggesting their potential for more accurate KOA diagnostics and assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zhe Song,1 Nan Jia,1 Wei Li,1 Xiao-Yu Zhang2 1Second Department of General Surgery, Cangzhou Central Hospital, Cangzhou, Hebei Province, Mainland China; 2Department of Thyroid and Breast III, Cangzhou Central Hospital, Cangzhou, Hebei Province, Mainland ChinaCorrespondence: Xiao-Yu ZhangDepartment of Thyroid and Breast III, Cangzhou Central Hospital, Cangzhou, Hebei Province, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail zhangxiaoyu9321@163.comBackground: Chemotherapy resistance has long been recognized as a major obstacle to cancer treatment. Therefore, elucidating the underlying mechanisms of chemotherapy resistance is conducive to developing new strategies to improve patients’ response to chemotherapy drugs.Materials and Methods: Real-time quantitative PCR (QPCR) was applied to measure the expression levels of lncRNAs. LINC01572 was down-regulated or up-regulated in GC cells transfected with either LINC01572 shRNA or overexpression vectors. In vitro and in vivo experiments were conducted to investigate the role of LINC01572 in autophagy-related chemotherapy resistance.Results: Compared with the parental cells, drug-resistant GC cells had a higher level of LINC01572. Silencing of LINC01572 inhibited chemotherapy-induced autophagy, while its knockout sensitized GC cells against chemotherapy drugs. As a competitive endogenous RNA of miR-497-5p, LINC01572 weakened the inhibitory effect of miR-497-5p on ATG14, leading to chemically induced autophagy and chemotherapy resistance in GC cells.Conclusion: A new mechanism of GC autophagy-related chemotherapy resistance regulated by lncRNA was explored in this study, providing a new perspective for understanding chemotherapy resistance.Keywords: LINC01572, miR-497-5p, gastric cancer, drug resistance