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This retrospective study was conducted to examine the development and current status of pediatric liver transplantation (LT) in western China. Clinical, demographic, morbidity, and mortality data were collected to analyze. It included 260 consecutive pediatric LTs performed at three centers in western China between January 2000 and May 2019. Kaplan‐Meier graft survival rates at 1, 3, 5, and 10 years were 82.1%, 77.2%, 76.6%, and 76.6%, respectively; corresponding patient survival rates were 84.7%, 80.7%, 80.0%, and 80.0%, respectively. More patients underwent living donor liver transplantation (LDLT; n = 188 (73.4%)) than deceased‐donor liver transplantation (DDLT; n = 68 (26.6%)). Survival was better after LDLT (91.5%, 86.6%, and 80.6% at 1, 3, and 5 years, respectively) than after DDLT (80.9%, 72.4%, and 63.9%, respectively; P <.05). Biliary atresia was the leading LT indication (n = 141 (55.1%)), followed by metabolic disease (n = 36 (14.1%)), which was associated with the best recipient survival (88.5% at 5 years). The transplant era and graft‐to‐recipient body weight ratio (GRWR) also significantly predicted overall survival. Survival rates at 5 years were worst in 2000‐2005 (54.5%) and best for GRWRs of 0.8%‐4% (80.4%). The development of pediatric LT in western China began slowly, but the quantity and quality of pediatric LT has progressed in recent years. This procedure is now a promising and reliable treatment for children with end‐stage liver disease in western China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To summarize and analyze the technique and experience of laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) in children. Methods: From Dec 2015 to Dec 2018, surgical outcomes were evaluated in 30 pediatric patients with liver tumors. LLR was performed in 21 patients, including 15 males and 6 females with a mean age of 7.6 ± 3.8 years (range, 2-13 years) and a mean liver tumor diameter of 7.2 ± 2.0 cm (range, 4-10 cm). During the same period, 9 cases of traditional open liver resection were selected as controls, including 6 males and 3 females with a mean age of 7.0 ± 3.7 years (range, 2-13 years) and a mean liver tumor diameter of 7.5 ± 2.2 cm (range, 4.4-10.0 cm). Results: The mean operation time and mean hepatic inflow occlusion time were longer in the laparoscopic group, with values of 182.3 ± 66.1 minutes and 83.2 ± 38.2 minutes, respectively, than in the open group, with values of 120.0 ± 54.3 minutes and 49.6 ± 26.5 minutes, respectively. There were no significant differences between the two groups in blood loss (164.4 ± 107.4 mL versus 133.8 ± 87.1 mL), blood transfusion volume (102.2 ± 100.2 mL versus 69.2 ± 81.8 mL), and alanine aminotransferase levels 24 hours after surgery (212.0 ± 101.4 IU/L versus 173.3 ± 97.2 IU/L) and 72 hours after surgery (74.0 ± 32.5 IU/L versus 81.7 ± 57.3 IU/L). The average hospital stay in the laparoscopic group (6.2 ± 1.6 days) was significantly shorter than that in the open group (8.2 ± 2.0 days). The children in both groups recovered well after surgery without serious complications. Conclusion: LLR contributes to improved recovery of patients after surgery without increasing the incidence of complication, therefore, LLR is a safe option for liver tumors in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Catalpa sawdust, a promising biofuel production biomass, was pretreated by microwave-water, -NaOH, and -Ca(OH) 2 to enhance enzymatic digestibility. After 48 h enzymatic hydrolysis, microwave-Ca(OH) 2 pretreated sample showed the highest reducing sugar yield. The content of hemicellulose and lignin in catalpa sawdust decreased after microwave-alkali pretreatment. SEM observation showed that the catalpa sawdust surface with microwave-Ca(OH) 2 pretreatment suffered the most serious erosion. Crystallinity index of catalpa sawdust increased after all three kinds of pretreatment. The optimum conditions of microwave-Ca(OH) 2 pretreatment were particle size of 40 mesh, Ca(OH) 2 dosage of 2.25% (w/v), microwave power of 400 W, pretreatment time of 6 min, enzyme loading of 175 FPU/g, and hydrolysis time of 96 h, and the reducing sugar yield of microwave-Ca(OH) 2 pretreated catalpa sawdust reached 402.73 mg/g, which increased by 682.15% compared with that of raw catalpa sawdust. The catalpa sawdust with microwave-Ca(OH) 2 pretreatment is promising for biofuel production with great potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the adverse effect of dibutyl phthalate (DBP) on Leydig cells and its mechanism related to gap junction, Leydig cells isolated from adult rats were treated with 0.1% dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), 50 mg/L DBP, 50 mg/L DBP + 10 μM prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and 40 μM flutamide respectively. Radioimmunoassay, semi-quantitative RT-PCR, immunofluorescence and Western blot were applied to determine the expression of testosterone and Connexin 43 (Cx43) in Leydig cells. The expression of testosterone and Cx43 were both decreased in DBP group ( P < 0.05). While Cx43 was up-regulated after administered to PGE2, there was no significant change in testosterone. However, testosterone was down-regulated with a significant decrease of Cx43 in flutamide group. The results indicated that the inhibitory effect of DBP on testosterone production was not through the down-regulation of Cx43. On the contrary, the change of testosterone can influence the expression of Cx43 in Leydig cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the reducing sugar production from catalpa sawdust, thermo-chemical pretreatments were examined and the chemicals used including NaOH, Ca(OH) 2 , H 2 SO 4 , and HCl. The hemicellulose solubilization and cellulose crystallinity index (CrI) were significantly increased after thermo-alkaline pretreatments, and the thermo-Ca(OH) 2 pretreatment showed the best improvement for reducing sugar production comparing to other three pretreatments. The conditions of thermo-Ca(OH) 2 pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis were systematically optimized. Under the optimal conditions, the reducing sugar yield increased by 1185.7% comparing to the control. This study indicates that the thermo-Ca(OH) 2 pretreatment is ideal for the saccharification of catalpa sawdust and that catalpa sawdust is a promising raw material for biofuel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-pressure homogenization (HPH) and alkaline-heat were both used to pretreat grass clipping in order to improve the efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis and biogas production. Results showed that both methods were very effective. HPH and alkaline-heat pretreated grass clipping yielded 230.39 and 415.93 mg g −1 reducing sugar with enzymatic hydrolysis, showing 37.82% and 148.81% increase respectively. HPH and alkaline-heat pretreated grass clipping produced 418 and 405 ml biogas in anaerobic digestion respectively, both around 2.5 times higher than that of the control. Furthermore, both pretreated samples produced biogas immediately while the control had a two-day delay. HPH could produce more biogas in a shorter time and it could be operated in room temperature and needs no chemical, implying that HPH could be an effective pretreatment of biomass for biogas production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grass clipping, corn straw, catalpa sawdust and pine sawdust were pretreated with high-pressure homogenization (HPH) to enhance the enzymatic digestibility. With a working pressure of 10 MPa, all the four lignocellulosic biomass were significantly changed, such as decrease in particle size, structure destruction, and crystallinity change. Results showed that lignocellulosic biomass pretreated with HPH yielded more reducing sugar, which was suitable for subsequent biofuel production. After 48-h enzymatic hydrolysis, the maximum reducing sugar yield of 229.42 mg/g was achieved for grass clipping. For corn straw, the enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency increased by 68.37% at most. However, reducing sugar yield of catalpa sawdust and pine sawdust was relatively lower. Low lignin content and crystallinity might make grass clipping the most suitable material for HPH pretreatment, thus leading to high hydrolysis efficiency. HPH pretreatment could increase biofuel output in a mild condition without adding any chemicals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To summarize experiences and discuss the reasons for postlaparoscopic indirect inguinal hernia recurrence in children. Patients and Methods: From June 2008 to June 2013, 6120 laparoscopic inguinal hernia repairs were performed in our hospital involving 5382 males and 738 females. The average age was 3.1 years. When pneumoperitoneum was established, the laparoscopic lens and a clamp were placed into the upper and lower edges of the umbilicus, respectively. Then on the surface projection of the unclosed internal ring, a sled-like needle with suture was circled and tightened on the internal ring at the extraperitoneum. Results: Patients were followed up for between 6 months to 5 years. A total of 21 cases developed recurrent hernia (0.3%). Three main surgical causes of recurrence were concluded: (1) the internal inguinal ring was weak and significantly expanded, especially underneath the internal ring, which led to the peritoneum nearby the internal ring sliding through; (2) a sled-like needle repeatedly perforated the peritoneum, or some of the peritoneum left was unsutured, usually causing a hydrocele; and (3) there was an unexpected release of the ligature around the hernial ring. The majority of recurrent hernias could be cured laparoscopically ( n=18), but a small number needed an open repair ( n=3). Conclusions: Recurrent hernia still appeared postlaparoscopic inguinal hernia in a small number of patients. The main preventive measures were removal of risk factors for hernia and an appropriate surgical approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: ΔNp63α and c‐Myc are key transcription factors controlling proliferation and senescence in epithelial cells. We previously reported that the c‐Myc modulator MM1 and its E3 ligase, HERC3, together with the transcription factor ΔNp63α, compose a feedback loop, which regulates proliferative senescence in MCF‐10A mammary epithelial cells. However, it is unknown whether this loop is involved in skin ageing. On the other hand, ultraviolet B (UVB) rays are assumed to be the main culprits for photoageing of the epidermis, but the underlying mechanisms are obscure. Aims: To investigate whether MM1/ΔNp63α axis is involved in UVB‐induced photoageing of the epidermis. Materials and Methods: HaCaT human immortalized keratinocytes overexpressed with MM1, knocked down with c‐Myc or irradiated with UVB, were subjected to MTT assays to measure cell proliferation, as well as RT‐qPCR or immunoblot to detect the members of MM1/ΔNp63α loop and the cellular senescence markers. Meanwhile, primary normal human keratinocytes (NHKs) or mice were irradiated with UVB, followed by immunoblot analysis, SA‐β‐gal, haematoxylin‐eosin or immunohistochemistry staining. Results: Overexpression of MM1 down‐regulated ΔNp63α and induced proliferative senescence in the HaCaT cells. In the HaCaT cells, NHKs and the mouse epidermis, UVB irradiation increased MM1 mRNA level and led to a down‐regulation of ΔNp63α, HERC3 and c‐Myc, concomitant with cellular senescence or photoageing. Additionally, knock‐down of c‐Myc induced proliferative senescence in the HaCaT cells and abrogated UVB‐induced cellular senescence. Conclusions: UVB up‐regulates MM1 and consequently modulates ΔNp63α and c‐Myc, which may account for the proliferative senescence of keratinocytes and photoageing of the epidermis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) has significant male reproductive toxicity, and the Sertoli cells are the target cells of DBP. This study was to investigate the injury effect induced by DBP on rat testicular Sertoli cells in vitro. MTT results showed that DBP can significantly reduce the survival rate of Sertoli cells; Hoechst staining results showed that the Sertoli cells treated with DBP emerged with typical morphological characteristics of apoptosis, nuclear condensation and chromatin condensation; flow cytometry results showed that DBP significantly increased the apoptotic rate of Sertoli cells, and dose-dependent; Western blotting showed that the expression of PTEN protein in Sertoli cells was significantly higher than that in the control group after treated with different concentrations of DBP for 24 h, while the expression of p-PI3K1, p-AKT, p70S6K and 4E-BP1 protein in the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signal pathway were significantly decreased. It is speculated that PTEN/PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway plays an important role in DBP-induced apoptosis of testicular Sertoli cells in rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) defined a new category of pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms named G3 pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (p-NETs), whose surgical outcomes, long-term survivals and staging systems have not been well documented. Methods: Data from eligible patients with G3 p-NETs defined using the WHO 2017 grading classification at our institute were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Our study enrolled 80 patients with WHO G3 p-NETs, including 50 women and 30 men. The accumulative 5-year overall survival (OS) of G3 p-NETs was 29.7%. The current staging system by the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) failed to discriminate the survival difference between Stage II and Stage III (p = 0.172), while notable differences with regard to the OS were statistically offered between each stage using the modified tumor–node–metastasis (mTNM) staging system (all p < 0.05). The OS of patients receiving surgical resection was significantly better than those with palliative operation (p < 0.05). Both the current AJCC system and proposed mTNM system were independent predictors for the OS of G3 p-NETs (p = 0.017 and p = 0.032, respectively). The 95% confidence intervals of the proposed mTNM staging system were smaller than that of the current AJCC system (0.626–8.217 and 0.329–10.013, respectively), indicating a relatively more accurate predictive ability. Conclusion: Our demonstration revealed that surgical resection was an independent predictor for the favorable prognosis of patients with G3 p-NETs. Moreover, the new mTNM staging system was more suitable and practical than the current AJCC system for stratifying G3 p-NETs into prognostic groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Laparoscopic Kasai portoenterostomy (LKPE) has been shown to be a safe and feasible procedure in patients with biliary atresia (BA). The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of modified LKPE (MLKPE) in the treatment of BA. Methods: Data of 58 BA patients undertaken MLPKE from July 2014 to December 2015 were retrospectively analyzed (group B), and compared with that of 43 BA patients received open Kasai portoenterostomy (OKPE) during the same period (group C). In addition, 195 BA patients who had undergone LKPE during May 2009 to June 2014 were also included (group A). Results: All 296 patients enrolled in this study were non-syndromic type III BA. Compared with group A, group B had shorter operative time (ORT) (P < 0.01) and fewer intraoperative blood transfusion (IOBT) (P < 0.05). The conversion rate and cholangitis rate were also significantly lower in group B than that in group A (P < 0.05). The postoperative oral intake resumed (POOR), any postoperative complications (APOC), clearance of jaundice (CJ), 1-year and 3-year survival rate with native liver (SNL) were not significantly different between group A and group B (P > 0.05). The ORT, IOBT, POOR, APOC, CJ, 1-year and 3-year SNL in group B were much better than that of group C (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The MLKPE was associated with good perioperative with ORT, IOBT, POOR, and APOC. The short-term outcomes in MLKPE were no worse than that of OKPE and LKPE. MLKPE can be regarded as a treatment option for BA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grass clipping, a cellulose-rich raw material, has great potential to produce biofuels, but must be firstly hydrolyzed to liberate fermentable sugars. In this study, grass clipping was pretreated with ultrasound (US), Ca(OH) 2 , NaOH, US-Ca(OH) 2 and US-NaOH at relatively low temperature to enhance its enzymatic hydrolysis. The solubilization of hemicellulose and lignin, and crystallinity index of cellulose increased after US-alkaline pretreatment, leading to a significant increase of enzyme accessibility to cellulose. Compared with another four pretreatments, US-Ca(OH) 2 pretreatment of grass clipping showed the best improvement for reducing sugar yield. X-ray diffraction (XRD) determination and scanning electron microscope (SEM) observation showed that the crystallinity index of grass clipping increased and the grass clipping surface suffered from serious erosion after US-Ca(OH) 2 pretreatment. Then, the operating conditions of US-Ca(OH) 2 pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis were systematically optimized, and the suitable operating conditions were as follows: US power density of 0.65 W/ml, US pretreatment time of 30 min, Ca(OH) 2 concentration of 0.75%, pretreatment temperature of 75 °C, enzyme loading of 125 FPU/g, and hydrolysis time of 72 h. The reducing sugar yield of grass clipping pretreated by US-Ca(OH) 2 reached 414 mg/g, increasing by 3.5 times compared with that of raw grass clipping. The US-Ca(OH) 2 pretreatment of grass clipping at low temperature significantly enhanced the potential of grass clipping as a promising raw material to produce biofuels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, physical method reinforced chemical pretreatments of Triarrhena lutarioriparia (TL) were compared to explore the higher reducing sugar yield in subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis. Four different pretreatments, namely hydrothermal pretreatment (HTP), dilute acid pretreatment (HCl-P), ultrasound assisted acid pretreatment (HCl + U) and microwave assisted acid pretreatment (HCl + M) were conducted on TL. The structural features of TL after different pretreatments were investigated by Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transformed infrared (FT-IR) techniques. The fractal-like theory was introduced to study the enzymatic hydrolysis kinetics of TL. Results showed that the reducing sugar yield of HCl-P reached 100.14 mg/g, showing 1.34 times higher than that of the raw. Due to the hemicellulose and lignin removal and lignocellulosic structure destruction, ultrasound and microwave irradiation strengthened the HCl-P, leading to a great enhancement of enzymatic hydrolysis of TL, especially the microwave irradiation. Moreover, the fractal-like theory was confirmed to be satisfactory for studying the enzymatic hydrolysis kinetics of lignocellulosic biomass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different solid contents of corn stover were pretreated with rumen fluid to enhance its hydrolysis and acidification, with whole pretreatment time of 72 h. Results showed that rumen fluid pretreatment effectively enhanced the hydrolysis of corn stover. The concentration of soluble COD for 10% ( w/v ) corn stover was about 2–6.4 times and 1.5–2.5 times of that for 3% and 5% ( w/v ), respectively. The highest reducing sugar concentration for 10% ( w/v ) corn stover was about 20 folds and 5.7 folds of that for 3% and 5% ( w/v ) at 2 h, respectively. Higher solid content of corn stover produced more VFAs, however, VFAs accumulation happened during the 10% ( w/v ) corn stover pretreatment, leading to the higher VFAs concentration for 5% ( w/v ) corn stover than that for 10% ( w/v ) during the 16–36 h. After the pretreatment, the structure of corn stover changed, such as the increase of specific surface area and decrease of crystallinity. Due to the removal of hemicellulose, the relative amount of lignin increased in the treated solids illustrated by the FTIR spectra. The changes of enzymatic activities showed that the enzymes secreted by the rumen microorganisms were quickly adsorbed by the corn stover, participating in the hydrolysis, which resulted in the sharp decrease of enzymatic activities in the fluid at the first 4 h. Though the enzymatic activities increased a little during the pretreatment, they could not restore the original level. This might be caused by the pH decrease and VFAs accumulation. The practical application prospect of this study was also conducted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7) is a promising marker for identification of biliary atresia. We assessed the accuracy and clinical value of MMP-7 for diagnosis of biliary atresia in infants. We searched MEDLINE, Embase, ISI Web of Knowledge, and the Cochrane Library, from inception to December 30, 2020. We included articles written in English, Chinese, or French that investigated MMP-7 for differentiation of biliary atresia infants from those with other form of cholestasis. Two review authors independently assessed eligibility for inclusion, evaluated the methodological quality of included studies, and extracted data to estimate diagnostic accuracy. We calculated individual and pooled sensitivities and specificities. We used I2 to test heterogeneity and investigated the source of heterogeneity. Our search identified 4 studies (593 infants). Risk of bias in the included studies was generally low. Bivariate analysis yielded a mean sensitivity of 0.96 (95% CI: 0.93–0.98) and specificity of 0.91 (95% CI: 0.85–0.95). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.97 (95% CI: 0.95–0.98). A moderate heterogeneity was found among the included studies as the I2 values for sensitivity and specificity were 8.6% (95% CI: 1.5–19.04) and 56.7% (95% CI: 28.91–70.07), respectively. After a sensitivity analysis, there was no change in sensitivity and MMP-7 specificity ranged from 0.91 to 0.93. The serum MMP-7 is a helpful biomarker for diagnosis of biliary atresia in cholestasis infants. Nevertheless, it cannot be recommended as the single definitive test for biliary atresia diagnosis; further primary clinical research is mandatory.Trial registration: prospero230839 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this study is to develop novel types of polyion complex micelles for the drug delivery to brain tumor. Methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) (mPEG)-grafted chitosan (CP) was synthesized in order to make polymeric micelles encapsulating all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) based on polyion complex formation. Polyion complex micelles were found to have spherical shapes with sizes of about 50 ∼ 200 nm. The loading efficiency of micelle was higher than 80% (w/w) for all formulations. 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra confirmed the formation of polymeric micelles. The CP graft copolymer and ATRA have distinguishing peaks in their 1H NMR spectra. The specific peaks of ATRA disappeared in D2O or DMSO while it appeared at mixtures of D2O/DMSO, indicating that ATRA and chitosan formed ion complex inner-core. In the cell cytotoxicity study using U87MG cells in vitro, polyion complex micelles showed similar cytotoxicity to that of free ATRA. A migration test was performed to investigate the inhibition of tumor cell invasion in vitro. The results suggested that the polyion complex micelles was more effective at inhibiting tumor cell migration than free ATRA. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 95:2348–2360, 2006 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]