Design of Ultraearly Strength of Shotcrete via Microstructure Optimization: Synergistic Effects of Chelating Acids and Nano C-S-H Seeds.

The ultraearly strength of Portland cement-based shotcrete used in tunnels is crucial for engineering safety and construction efficiency. To address the critical demand for ultrarapid structural stability in shotcrete applications, this study proposes a dual-strategy approach to achieve ultraearly strength by leveraging the synergistic effects of chelating acids and nano C-S-H seeds. The hydration process, pore structure characterization, and mechanical properties of accelerated cementitious materials were systematically investigated.

Androgen receptor promotes arachidonic acid metabolism and angiogenic microenvironment in AFP-negative hepatocellular carcinoma.

Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is a classic biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). AFP-positive HCC (AFP HCC) has been intensively investigated; however, the genomic, transcriptomic and microenvironmental characteristics of AFP-negative HCC (AFP HCC) remain to be deciphered. Here we show that tumors display mild differences in genetic alterations between AFP HCC and AFP HCC patients, while AFP HCC exhibits hyperactive arachidonic acid metabolism.

Th17 Cells Secrete TWEAK to Trigger Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition and Promote Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastasis.

Unlabelled: Liver metastasis is the leading cause of mortality in patients with colorectal cancer. Given the significance of both epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of tumor cells and the immune microenvironment in colorectal cancer liver metastasis (CRLM), the interplay between them could hold the key for developing improved treatment options. We employed multiomics analysis of 130 samples from 18 patients with synchronous CRLM integrated with external datasets to comprehensively evaluate the interaction between immune cells and EMT of tumor cells in liver metastasis.

Mechanical confinement promotes heat resistance of hepatocellular carcinoma via SP1/IL4I1/AHR axis.

Mechanical stress can modulate the fate of cells in both physiological and extreme conditions. Recurrence of tumors after thermal ablation, a radical therapy for many cancers, indicates that some tumor cells can endure temperatures far beyond physiological ones. This unusual heat resistance with unknown mechanisms remains a key obstacle to fully realizing the clinical potential of thermal ablation.

Visceral adipose volume is correlated with surgical tissue fibrosis in Crohn's disease of the small bowel.

Background: This study explored the diagnostic performance of visceral adiposity to predict the degree of intestinal inflammation and fibrosis.

Methods: The patients with Crohn's disease (CD) who underwent surgical small bowel resection at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University (Guangzhou, China) between January 2007 and December 2017 were enrolled. We evaluated the intestinal imaging features of computed tomography enterography (CTE), including mesenteric inflammatory fat stranding, the target sign, mesenteric hypervascularity, bowel wall thickening, lymphadenopathy, stricture diameter, and maximal upstream diameter.

Non-invasive diagnosis strategy of hepatocellular carcinoma in low-risk population.

Aims: With prevalence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in low-risk population (LRP), establishing a non-invasive diagnostic strategy becomes increasingly urgent to spare unnecessary biopsies in this population. The purposes of this study were to find characterisics of HCC and to establish a proper non-invasive method to diagnose HCC in LRP.

Methods: A total of 681 patients in LRP (defined as the population without cirrhosis, chronic HBV infection or HCC history) were collected from 2 institutions.

Alterations in Bile Acid Metabolism Associated With Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic relapsing inflammatory disorder closely related to gut dysbiosis, which is associated with alterations in an important bacterial metabolite, bile acids (BAs). Although certain findings pertinent to BA changes in IBD vary among studies owing to the differences in sample type, quantitated BA species, study methodology, and patient characteristics, a specific trend concerning variations of BAs in IBD has been identified. In elaborating on this observation, it was noted that primary BAs and conjugated BAs are augmented in fecal samples but there is a reduction in secondary BAs in fecal samples.

The presence of microvascular invasion guides treatment strategy in recurrent HBV-related HCC.

Objectives: We used the status of microvascular invasion (MVI) at primary resection to help treatment selection for hepatitis B virus-positive (HBV+) recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (rHCC) patients in Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage B-C.

Methods: From 2009 to 2017, we enrolled 221 consecutive HBV+ rHCC patients at BCLC stage B-C who underwent re-resection (RR), radiofrequency ablation (RFA), or transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). Post recurrence survival (PRS) and overall survival (OS) were compared between RR/RFA and TACE according to MVI status.

[Association of the ALOX5AP gene SG13S114 A/T polymorphism with atherosclerosis].

Objective: To investigate the relationship between the polymorphism of SG13S114 A/T in the 5-lipoxygenase-activating protein (ALOX5AP) gene and the stability of carotid atherosclerosis.

Methods: Polymorphism of SG13S114 A/T in the ALOX5AP gene was analyzed in 152 cases of acute infarction with stable plaque, and 132 cases of acute infarction with vulnerable plaques, by using polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism. Carotid artery plaque was analyzed by carotid artery color ultrasound.