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Yang Lv,1,* Qing-Yang Feng,1,* Song-Bin Lin,2,* Yi-Hao Mao,1,* Yu-Qiu Xu,1 Peng Zheng,1 Liang-Liang Yang,1 Guo-Dong He,1 Jian-Min Xu11Department of General Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of General Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital Xiamen Branch, Fudan University, Xiamen city, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workAim: Lymph node ratio (LNR) seems to be more precise than classic N stage in classifying cancer stage. Thus, we aim to construct a modified classification system based on LNR for colon cancer without distant metastasis.Methods: This study enrolled two independent cohorts of patients. The primary cohort enrolled 2,152 patients from 2008 to 2013 in Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University. The validation cohort consisted of 77,406 patients from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registry from 2004 to 2014. The inclusion criteria were: pathologically confirmed colon cancer, and American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage I/II/III. The exclusion criteria included: incomplete follow-up information, rectal cancer, and multiple primary sites. The prognostic value of LNR for overall survival was evaluated. The cutoff value of LNR was determined by the X-tile. Predictive performance of modified classification was determined by the concordance index.Results: After analysis, 0.05 and 0.50 were determined as the best threshold values of LNR. A value of 0.50 was reclassified as the mN0, mN1 and mN2 stage. A modified classification based on mN0, mN1, and mN2 was further constructed for stage I/II/III colon cancer. C-index of the modified classification was statistically more precise than AJCC classification (0.687 versus 0.605, P

Aim Lymph node ratio (LNR) seems to be more precise than classic N stage in classifying cancer stage. Thus, we aim to construct a modified classification system based on LNR for colon cancer without distant metastasis. Methods This study enrolled two independent cohorts of patients. The primary cohort enrolled 2,152 patients from 2008 to 2013 in Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University. The validation cohort consisted of 77,406 patients from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registry from 2004 to 2014. The inclusion criteria were: pathologically confirmed colon cancer, and American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage I/II/III. The exclusion criteria included: incomplete follow-up information, rectal cancer, and multiple primary sites. The prognostic value of LNR for overall survival was evaluated. The cutoff value of LNR was determined by the X-tile. Predictive performance of modified classification was determined by the concordance index. Results After analysis, 0.05 and 0.50 were determined as the best threshold values of LNR. A value of 0.50 was reclassified as the mN0, mN1 and mN2 stage. A modified classification based on mN0, mN1, and mN2 was further constructed for stage I/II/III colon cancer. C-index of the modified classification was statistically more precise than AJCC classification (0.687 versus 0.605, P

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES This study aimed to find the advantages of robotic natural orifice specimen extraction surgery (NOSES) for middle and low rectal cancer, compared with traditional laparoscopic low anterior resection (LAR). METHODS Patients receiving robotic NOSES or traditional laparoscopic LAR were retrospectively enrolled from 2013-10 to 2019-06, with middle and low rectal cancer, maximum diameter ≤ 5 cm, pT1-3 or ypT1-3 stage, no distant metastases. The baseline of the two groups was balanced using the propensity score matching method. Surgical quality, postoperative recovery, and long-term oncological outcomes were compared. RESULTS Totally 137 eligible patients with robotic NOSES and 137 matched patients with traditional laparoscopic LAR were enrolled. Robotic NOSES had a significantly lower open conversion rate (0 vs. 4.4%, p = .030), less intraoperative hemorrhage (50 ml vs. 80 ml, p

Background: In this paper, we aim to explore clinical value of skeletal muscle index (SMI) and prognostic nutrition index (PNI) on resected colorectal cancer liver metastasis (CRLM). Results: Among the 539 patients, 355 were males. Baseline lower SMI was associated with smaller BMI, smaller PNI, smaller pre-albumin and longer hospitalization days (P

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Our recent studies show that the reduced activity of epithelial sodium channels (ENaC) in endothelial cells accounts for the adaptation of vasculature to salt in Sprague–Dawley rats. The present study examines a hypothesis that enhanced ENaC activity mediates the loss of vasorelaxation in Dahl salt‐sensitive (SS) rats. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: We used the cell‐attached patch‐clamp technique to record ENaC activity in split‐open mesenteric arteries. Western blot and immunofluorescence staining were used to evaluate the levels of aldosterone, ENaC, eNOS and NO. Blood pressure was measured with the tail‐cuff method and the artery relaxation was measured with the wire myograph assay. KEY RESULTS: High‐salt (HS) diet significantly increased plasma aldosterone and ENaC activity in the endothelial cells of Dahl SS rats. The endothelium‐dependent artery relaxation was blunted by HS challenge in these rats. Amiloride, a potent blocker of ENaC, increased both phosphorylated eNOS and NO and therefore prevented the HS‐induced loss of vasorelaxation. As, in SS rats, endogenous aldosterone was already elevated by HS challenge, exogenous aldosterone did not further elevate ENaC activity in the rats fed with HS. Eplerenone, a mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist, attenuated the effects of HS on both ENaC activity and artery relaxation. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: These data suggest that HS diet blunts artery relaxation and causes hypertension via a pathway associated with aldosterone‐dependent activation of ENaC in endothelial cells. This pathway provides one of the mechanisms by which HS causes hypertension in Dahl SS rats. LINKED ARTICLES: This article is part of a themed section on Spotlight on Small Molecules in Cardiovascular Diseases. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v175.8/issuetoc

Misfit dislocations at the interface and a high density of threading dislocations initiated from the interface were observed in CuInSe2 epitaxial films grwon on (001) GaAs substrates at 475°C by a molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) technique. An epitaxial temperature as low as 300°C was realized by photo-assisted MBE or atomic layer epitaxy technique. Microtwins were found in the films grown by low-temperature processes. The difference in defect types in the films grown at different temperatures is attributed to the temperature dependence on the release of misfit strain in the films. A lattice-matched CuIn 0.3 Ga 0.7 Se 2 GaAs heterostructure grown at 520°C eliminates dislocations and microtwins. High-resolution lattice images show a contrast change at about 3 nm in thickness at the interface. By comparing the lattice image with a simulated one, we conclude that interdiffusion occurs during film growth.

Thin films of CuInSe2 and CuGaSe2 were grown by molecular‐beam epitaxy. Domain structures in these films were examined by transmission electron microscopy. We demonstrate that orientation domains may not form by the use of (001)GaAs substrate while antiphase domains can be eliminated by annealing the films in the presence of a Se beam. The annealing temperatures were 400 °C for CuInSe2 and 450 °C for CuGaSe2. Photoluminescence measurements on an annealed CuInSe2 film exhibited a decrease in intensity of optical emissions associated with antisite defects and an enhancement in near‐band‐edge emission intensity.

The chalcopyrite phase of CuInSe materials has a phase stability region which extends several atomic percent from the stoichiometric composition. In this work, we apply thermal treatment to the film in the presence of a Se-beam flux immediately after film deposition. The duration for the treatment is long enough for chemical equilibrium to be reached. For In-rich films, an annealing at 400°C for 60 min is adequate. For Cu-rich films, caution should be taken to keep the compositions within the phase stability region in order to inhibit the formation of second phases. The Cu and In contents in the films did not significantly change after heat treatment. Photoluminescence (PL) measurements showed that a slightly In-rich film annealed in the Se-beam flux may reduce the PL transitions caused by antisite defects and greatly enhance the conduction band (CB) to V Cu transitions.

A method for three-dimensional shape analysis of left ventricle (LV) is presented in this article. The method uses three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) as the source to derive the 3D wire-frame model and the related shape descriptors. The shape descriptors developed in this article include regional surface changing (RSC), global surface curvature (GSC), surface distance (SD), normalized surface distance (ND), and effective radius (ER) of the endocardial surface. Based on these shape descriptors, the shape of LV could be sketched in both static and dynamic manner. The results show that the new approach provides a robust but easy method to quantify regional and global LV shape from 2D and 3D echocardiograms.

Domain-free epitaxial layer of CuInSe2 has been successfully grown on (lOO) GaAs at the substrate temperature above 470°C. Both TEM and X-ray analyses were performed to verify this result. The CuInSe2/GaAs interface was examined by high resolution TEM. For films high in indium, InSe was identifed by X-ray diffraction. TEM observations showed that the InSe precipitates were rectangular in shape and the habit plane was determined to be (110). Photo-assisted MBE technique had also been used for the growth of CuInSe2 films with high crystalline quality. The epitaxial temperature was significantly reduced to 300°C.

The growth of CuInSe2 film in the presence of an Sb beam results in a great improvement in surface morphology and grain structure. It is attributed to the surfactant modified growth caused by the Sb atoms. A p-type CuInSe2 film with a resistivity of about 0.05 Ω- cm was obtained, which is comparable with the resistivity of a Cu-rich film grown without Sb. Photoluminescence measurements also show that the luminescence intensity of the films grown with Sb is much higher than that of the films grown without Sb having similar compositions. It is probably due to the improvement in the grain structure as well as the crystallinity within the grains.