Diagnosis and Treatment of Xanthogranulomatous Cholecystitis: A Report of 39 Cases

This study focuses on providing diagnosis and treatment for xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis (XGC). Clinical data from 39 patients diagnosed with XGC by pathological examination between 2002 and 2010 were analyzed retrospectively. As a result, in this group of patients, the male to female ratio was 30:9 and the average age of XGC onset was 62.2?years. Clinical manifestation of the disease was similar to general cholecystitis and preoperative CT examination showed that there were only 4 XGC cases, while the others were possibly misdiagnosed. Intraoperative observations showed that all the patients had gallbladder wall thickening. This was associated with gallbladder stones in 37 patients (94.9?%), choledocholith in 11 patients (28.2?%), and Mirizzi syndrome in 5 patients (12.8?%). In this study, intraoperative frozen section pathology was conducted in 14 patients and no gallbladder cancer was found. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy was performed on 7 patients, of which two were transferred to laparotomy. Of the remaining 32 cases, 25 were subjected to open cholecystectomy, 3 to partial cholecystectomy, and 4 to the cholecystectomy and partial liver wedge resection. It was concluded that XGC is a unique type of cholecystitis with atypical clinical manifestations and is often difficult to diagnose preoperatively. Pathological examination is a key to diagnose XGC and cholecystectomy is the primary surgical treatment. In patients with choledochectasia or jaundice, for whom we cannot exclude calculus of common bile duct, common bile duct exploration should be considered. The prognosis of XGC appears to be good with the above approaches.     

Obesity Affects the Biopsy-Mediated Detection of Prostate Cancer,Particularly High-Grade Prostate Cancer: A Dose-Response Meta-Analysis of 29,464 Patients

Background and Objectives

In previous studies, obesity (measured according to the body mass index) has correlated inconsistently with the risk of biopsy-measured prostate cancer, and specifically high-grade prostate cancer. This meta-analysis aimed to clarify these correlations.

Methods

A comprehensive literature search of the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases was conducted for relevant studies published through January 2014. The pooled estimates of odds ratios (OR) and confidence intervals (CI) were computed, and the meta-analysis was performed with the STATA software according to a random effects approach.

Results

A total of 11 studies that included 29,464 individuals were identified. A 5-kg/m² increase in body mass index was associated with a 15% (OR, 1.15; 95% CI, 0.98–1.34) higher risk of prostate cancer detection and a 37% (OR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.19–1.57) higher risk of high-grade prostate cancer detection at biopsy. There were no differences among the results of studies conducted in the USA, Europe or Asia. We also found that studies that had adjusted for prostate-specific antigen levels, digital rectal examination results, and prostate volumes obtained positive significant outcomes (OR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.12–1.44), whereas studies that did not adjust for the above-mentioned confounding variables obtained negative results (OR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.68–1.25). Moreover, the positive correlation between body mass index and the detection of both prostate cancer and high-grade diseases tended to be stronger as the number of biopsy cores increased.

Conclusion

The present meta-analysis demonstrated that a high body mass index correlated positively with prostate cancer detection, especially high-grade prostate cancer detection. The adoption of a modified and possibly more aggressive biopsy strategy was suggested for obese populations.     

稀土离子钇促进一株栓菌产漆酶及相关蛋白质组学分析

研究了稀土离子钇（Y³⁺）对栓菌Trametes sp. 菌株LS-10C发酵产漆酶的影响。结果表明,钇元素对该菌株发酵产漆酶有显著的促进作用,当培养基中Y³⁺浓度达到12mmol/L时,漆酶活力达到最高为70.25U/mL,是不添加Y³⁺发酵产漆酶活力的5.3倍。蛋白质组学研究结果表明,Y³⁺促进了细胞膜组分相关蛋白的表达上调,上调蛋白数占细胞组分富集上调蛋白总数的70.5%。此外在碳水化合物代谢,草酸代谢过程上调蛋白也有明显的富集。该研究明确了稀土元素Y³⁺对栓菌产漆酶的促进作用,并初步分析了稀土元素Y³⁺作用下栓菌Trametes sp. LS-10C的蛋白质组的变化规律,为研究稀土元素促进栓菌产漆酶的分子机理奠定了基础。     

黑曲霉硫氧还蛋白的克隆表达纯化及其酶活位点特征分析

首次从黑曲霉Aspergillus niger全基因组中克隆出黑曲霉硫氧还原蛋白基因AnTrx,并对其编码蛋白的第33-37位保守区的活性位点实施定点突变C34S、C37S及C34S-C37S,获得相应的3个定点突变基因。将野生型AnTrx及其突变子分别在大肠杆菌Escherichia coli中诱导表达,比浊法测定纯化的各表达产物还原牛胰岛素α与β链之间二硫键的活性。结果表明,AnTrx的3个突变体都不表现明显催化活性。当突变型与野生型AnTrx等量混合后,发现突变型AnTrx-C34S可显著提高野生型AnTrx的催化效率,而突变型AnTrx-C37S却无此功能。由此证明,AnTrx活性结构域的第37位Cys残基上的巯基能参与攻击硫氧还蛋白和底物蛋白所形成的二硫键而释放被还原的底物蛋白,而第34位Cys残基同其他微生物的同一活性域一样参与硫氧化还蛋白与底物的结合。这一结果有助于认识真菌硫氧还蛋白第37位活性位点的作用。     

Novel blastospore-based transformation system for integration of phosphinothricin resistance and green fluorescence protein genes into Beauveria bassiana

A novel system was developed for efficient transformation of the fungal biocontrol agent Beauveria bassiana. Competent blastospores were prepared and stored in LiAc- and glycerol-inclusive suspension at −76 °C for sequential use in transformation. The system was successfully applied to integrating phosphinothricin resistance gene bar and enhanced green fluorescence protein gene egfp into B. bassiana via blastospore absorption of a plasmid vectoring bar and egfp. A frequency of 24 transformants per microgram of DNA was achieved. The blastospore-based transformation system has proven to be very convenient and would be highly potential for use in genetic manipulation of B. bassiana and other filamentous species.     

Hydrophobicity-Related Protein Contents and Surface Areas of Aerial Conidia are Useful Traits for Formulation Design of Fungal Biocontrol Agents

To clarify the potential use of hydrophobicity-related traits of aerial conidia in formulation design of fungal biocontrol agents, hydrophobicity rates (H _r) and surface areas (S _a) of aerial conidia were assessed with 48 strains of Beauveria bassiana, Isaria fumosorosea and Metarhizium spp. Inter- or intra-specific variation was large in H _r (59.7–92.2%) and S _a (7.9–25.3 μm² conidium⁻¹) measurements, which were significantly correlated (r ² = 0.55). Six isolates of the three fungi with distinguished H _r and S _a were further studied. Conidial wall proteins of these isolates were sequentially extracted with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), formic acid (FA) and trifluoroacetic acid (TFA). Their H _r values were significantly correlated to the contents (P _c) of TFA-soluble, but FA-insoluble, proteins (2.7–44.8 μg per 10⁷ conidia; r ² = 0.79) and reduced drastically by the FA/TFA treatments, which eliminated the hydrophobin-based rodlet layers of conidial surfaces. However, the SDS treatments had no effect on either H _r or rodlet layers. The dispersancy of a tested emulsifier to oil formulations of the six isolates in water was adversely correlated to their H _r (r ² = 0.94). The results indicate that both P _c and S _a are inherent hydrophobicity-related traits and can be utilized to select fungal biocontrol candidates for improved formulation and application.