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Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a pancreatic inflammatory disease that varies greatly in course and severity. To further the understanding of the pathology of AP, we carried out data-independent acquisition-based proteomic analyses using proteins extracted from the plasma of patients with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) (experimental group) and healthy volunteers (control group). Compared to the control group, there were 35 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in the plasma of patients with SAP. Of those, the expression levels for 6 proteins were significantly increased, and 29 proteins were significantly decreased. Moreover, six candidate biomarkers—VWF, ORM2, CD5L, CAT, IGLV3-10, and LTF—were matched as candidate biomarkers of the disease severity of AP. The area under the receiver operating characteristic of 0.903 (95% CI: 0.839, 0.967) indicated that this combination of these six candidate biomarkers had a good prediction accuracy for predicting the severity of AP. Our study provides specific DEPs that may be useful in the diagnosis and prognosis of SAP, which suggests new theoretical bases for the occurrence and development of SAP and offers potential novel treatment strategies for SAP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different opinions exist on the relationship between the C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio (CAR) and the prognosis of colon cancer. This study is aimed at evaluating the relationship between CAR and prognosis of stage II–III colon cancer and establishing a clinical prognosis model. Patients were randomised to a training set (566 cases) and validation set (110 cases). The relationship between CAR and clinicopathological variables was calculated, and the Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyse the overall survival (OS) rate of colon cancer. In the training set, colon cancer independent risk factors were included in the prognosis model and then tested in the validation set. The accuracy and discrimination of the model were assessed using the C-index and calibration curves. Compared with patients with low CAR, patients with high CAR showed significantly poorer survival (P = 0.020). In the multivariate analysis, CAR, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), lymph node metastasis, operation mode, and perineural invasion were identified as independent prognostic indicators and adopted to establish the prediction model. The C-index of the nomogram for predicting OS reached 0.751 in the training set and 0.719 in the validation set. The calibration curve exhibited good consistency. In the present study, the CAR may be an independent prognostic factor for stage II–III colon cancer, and the nomogram has a certain predictive value. However, further prospective large-sample research needs to be conducted to validate our findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spin-transfer torque magnetic random access memory (STT-MRAM) offers nonvolatility, good scalability, high speed, and low-power benefits. Multilevel cell (MLC) is an efficient technology to boost the storage density of the STT-MRAM. However, the conventional MLC structure is not suitable for more than 2-b storage due to inefficient multistep read/write operations. In this article, combining the emerging spin-orbit torque (SOT) and STT mechanisms, we propose a novel STT/SOT hybrid triple-level cell (TLC) MRAM cell structure. Corresponding write and read schemes are designed for this hybrid bit-cell to achieve low-cost operations. Unlike the regular stacked TLC, 3-b data can be written in two steps in the proposed cell structure, and be read in parallel with the assistance of SOT. Simulation results show that the proposed structure achieves 32% and 43% savings on write delay and energy consumption, respectively. Monte Carlo statistic simulation results indicate 1.4 × improvement in sensing margin as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2007, ligation of the intersphincteric fistula tract (LIFT) for the management of anal fistula was all introduced with initial success and excitement. It remains controversial which surgical procedure is suitable for transsphincteric fistula, especially to complex anal fistula. This retrospective study was designed to evaluate the results in patients with recurrent anal fistula by LIFT. A retrospective study of 55 complex fistula patients who underwent LIFT procedure in a single medical center was analyzed. Patients and fistula characteristics, complications, and recurrences were reviewed. All 55 patients underwent the procedure with a median follow-up of 16 months. Median operative time was 44 (range 23–88) minutes. Of the 55 patients, 33 (60%) healed completely and did not require any further surgical treatment at end of follow-up. Twenty-two (40%) recurrences and six complications were observed. Compared with patients who had undergone more than two surgical procedures, LIFT was more suitable for patients who had undergone one to two surgical procedures, and significant difference was observed in number of operations before LIFT (p=0.002). Clinicians can consider the use of LIFT for the treatment of recurrent anal fistulas. A larger number of patients and prospective study are needed to be performed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The aim of this analysis was to compare the advantages of the anal fistula plug ( AFP) with the mucosa advancement flap ( MAF) for complex anal fistulas. Methods Comparative studies of the efficacy of AFP and MAF were included. Two independent reviewers selected articles for inclusion. After information collection, a meta-analysis was performed using data on overall healing rates, complications, incontinences and recurrences. The quality of postoperative life and cost were also included with the clinical results. Results Ten studies included 778 patients who were divided into AFP and MAF groups in this meta-analysis. During the follow-up period, no significant difference in healing rates, complications and recurrences were found ( P = 0.55, P = 0.78 and P = 0.23, respectively). The incontinence rate of AFP was lower than that of MAF ( P = 0.04). The postoperative quality of life of AFP patients was superior to that of MAF patients. The AFP patients had less persistent pain of a shorter duration and shortened healing time and hospital stay. The treatment cost of AFP patient was lower than that of MAF. Conclusion Compared to the MAF procedure, the AFP procedure has some advantages for complex anal fistulas, but more and large randomized clinical trials comparing the two procedures for fistula management need to be conducted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We evaluated the efficacy of fistulectomy compared to fistulotomy, and which procedure was the best procedure for patients with low anal fistula. Methods: The literature search included PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane library, Google original studies and a manual search of reference on the topic of fistulectomy compared to fistulotomy for anal fistula that had a deadline for publication by June 2016. Randomized controlled trials studies were included in the review. The outcome variables were analyzed which including operative time, healing time, postoperative complications, recurrence and incontinence. Results: Six randomized controlled trials (fistulectomy = 280, fistulotomy = 285) were considered suitable for the meta-analysis, with a total of 565 patients. The result of meta-analysis indicated no statistically significant difference in operative time [OR 4.74, 95 % CI −2.74, 12.23, p = 0.21] and healing time [OR −3.32, 95 % CI −19.86, 13.23, p = 0.69] between the fistulectomy and fistulotomy procedures. Three main postoperative complications were included, and the combined result indicated no statistically significant difference in overall complications [OR 1.39, 95 % CI 0.51, 3.78, p = 0.52] and subgroup complication. At the end of follow up, two kinds of surgical methods have the same low recurrence rate and faecal incontinence. The result revealed that there was no significant difference in rate of fistula recurrence between the fistulectomy and the fistulotomy [OR 1.39, 95 % CI 0.70, 2.73, p = 0.34]. Conclusion: The meta-analysis indicates that there is no conclusive evidence if fistulectomy or fistulotomy procedure is better in the treatment of low anal fistula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The condition of plane polynomial curve to be a line in well-known Abhyankar–Moh Theorem is replaced by weaker ones. A Criterion of Embedded Line is obtained from this strong theorem: Two polynomials can generate the entire polynomial ring iff their derivatives can be generated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

As one of the most important parts of deep space exploration missions, the sampling technologies of extraterrestrial celestial bodies (ECBs) have attracted the attention and interest of many researchers. As a relatively efficient and convenient sampling technique, drill samplers have been applied in different ECBs exploration missions. Different from the previous drill apparatus, this paper introduces a novel automatic assisted drill system (AADS), which is used to sample the deep layer regolith of ECBs. This drilling system can sample the deep regolith layer under manual assistance or unmanned automatic operation mode. The sampler has improved and designed a segmented detachable coring pipe, drilling pipe and casing pipe. It can largely maintain the layer information in the depth direction of the ECBs regolith and can also automatically change the drill sampling process through the driller change system to improve the sampling efficiency. Finally, an automatic test apparatus was designed, and an experimental platform was established to conduct a drill sampling test for the AADS sampler. The experimental results show that the AADS sampling system can successfully obtain at least 2.4 m depth and 1.1 kg weight simulated regolith samples. • The AADS design details are provided. • The AADS sampling strategy are analyzed. • An automatic test apparatus and experimental platform are introduced. • Preliminary filed test results are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epidermal growth factor receptor kinase substrate 8 (EPS8) plays critical roles in a variety of solid tumors. However, the biologic functions and clinical significance of EPS8-like 3 (EPS8L3), an EPS8-related protein, in liver cancer remain unclear. To measure EPS8L3 expression in liver cancer cell lines, reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and western blot analyses were performed. The correlation between 338 patients with liver cancer and various clinicopathological factors obtained from the Oncomine database were evaluated using the χ2 test. Survival of patients with different expression of EPS8L3 was determined using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis with a log rank test, and Cox regression analysis was performed to estimate the prognostic significance of EPS8L3 expression. Additionally, cell proliferation and migration were determined using Cell Counting Kit-8 and wound healing assays. The results revealed that EPS8L3 expression was significantly upregulated in liver cancer tissues and cell lines (P<0.01), and that the expression of EPS8L3 was closely associated with grade (P=0.024) and mortality (P=0.011). Furthermore, survival analysis suggested patients with high EPS8L3 expression exhibited shorter survival compared with those with low EPS8L3 expression. Cox regression analysis indicated that EPS8L3 could be regarded as a prognostic biomarker in patients with liver cancer (hazard ratio, 1.58; 95% confidence interval, 1.085–2.301; P=0.017). Additionally, in vitro assays revealed that EPS8L3 depletion significantly inhibited liver cancer cell proliferation and migration, and reduced the levels of phosphorylated PI3K and AKT in the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Collectively, the results of the present study, for the first time to the best of our knowledge, demonstrated that EPS8L3 serves as an oncogene in liver cancer development; therefore, EPS8L3 may be a valuable prognostic predictor for patients with liver cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long non-coding RNA LINC00657 has a critical role in multiple cancers. The aim of the present study was to investigate the regulatory effect of LINC00657 in pancreatic cancer (PC) and reveal its molecular mechanism of function. The expression levels of LINC00657 and microRNA (miR)-520h were detected by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR in PC tissues and cell lines. MTT, wound healing and Transwell assays were used to detect cell viability, migration and invasion, respectively. Dual-luciferase reporter assay was utilized to examine the relationship between LINC00657 and miR-520h and that between miR-520h and cyclin-dependent kinases regulatory subunit 1 (CKS1B). Western blotting was performed to detect CKS1B expression. The expression levels of LINC00657 and CKS1B were enhanced and miR-520h expression level was reduced in PC tissues and cell lines compared with adjacent normal tissues or HPDE6 cells. LINC00657 knockdown decreased the viability, migration and invasion of PC cells. Additionally, LINC00657 targeted miR-520h and negatively modulated miR-520h expression. Furthermore, miR-520h overexpression inhibited the viability, migration and invasion of PC cells. In addition, miR-520h targeted CKS1B and reversely regulated CKS1B expression. miR-520h inhibition and CKS1B overexpression alleviated the inhibition effect of LINC00657 knockdown on the viability, migration and invasion of PACA-2 PC cells. In conclusion, the results of the present study demonstrated that LINC00657 knockdown repressed the viability, migration and invasion of PC cells via targeting the miR-520h/CKS1B axis, which may offer a future target for PC therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hesperidin (HDN) has been reported to have hydrogen radical- and hydrogen peroxide-removal activities and to serve an antioxidant role in biological systems. However, whether HDN protects hepatocytes (HCs) against hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R)-induced injury remains unknown. The present study aimed to explore the role of HDN in H/R-induced injury. HCs were isolated and cultured under H/R conditions with or without HDN treatment. HC damage was markedly induced under H/R, as indicated by cell viability, supernatant lactate dehydrogenase levels and alanine aminotransferase levels; however, HDN treatment significantly reversed HC injury. Oxidative stress markers (malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase, glutathioneand reactive oxygen species) were increased markedly during H/R in HCs; however, this effect was significantly attenuated after exposure to HDN. Compared with those of the control group, the mRNA expression levels of IL-6 and TNF-α in HCs and the concentrations of IL-6 and TNF-α in the supernatants increased significantly following H/R, and HDN significantly ameliorated these effects. Western blotting demonstrated that microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3α (MAP1LC3A, also known as LC3) and Beclin-1 protein expression levels increased, while sequestosome 1 levels decreased during H/R following exposure to HDN. The number of GFP-LC3 puncta in HCs following exposure to HDN was increased compared with that observed in HCs without HDN exposure under the H/R conditions after bafilomycin A1 treatment. In summary, the present study demonstrated that HDN attenuated HC oxidative stress and inflammatory responses while enhancing autophagy during H/R. HDN may have a potential protective effect on HCs during H/R-induced injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]