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Pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (pNENs) are relatively rare epithelial malignancies originating from pancreatic neuroendocrine cells, pathologically classified into well-differentiated pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs) and poorly-differentiated pancreatic neuroendocrine carcinoma (pNECs). Although they also fall under the category of pNENs, the almost entirely distinct biological characteristics and survival prognosis have caused debate among surgeons when it comes to the development of surgical intervention options, particularly for locally advanced G3 pNETs and pNECs. We present a case of 66-year-old male with nonfunctional G3 pNET, invasion of five nearby pancreatic organs and type II liver metastases. The patient achieved good outcomes after undergoing multivisceral resection and postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. This finding helps surgeons better understand locally advanced pNENs, formulate treatment decisions systematically and confidently, and balance patient benefits and risks of surgery.

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Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has a poor prognosis because of its limited drug responses in clinical trials. Therefore, it is crucial to clarify the molecular mechanisms of HCC progression to identify new diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets. Here, we report that brachyury, which regulates the gene encoding the non-SMC condensin II complex subunit G2 (NCAPG2), promotes tumorigenesis in HCC. Knockdown of brachyury led to inhibition of cancer progression in vitro and in vivo. Chromatin immunoprecipitation-sequencing data indicated that the oncogene NCAPG2 is a direct target of brachyury. Furthermore, NCAPG2 knockdown inhibited the proliferation and migration of HCC cells and attenuated brachyury-induced tumorigenesis. Overexpression and decreased DNA methylation of NCAPG2 were associated with a poor prognosis, and NCAPG2 was positively correlated with various immune cell infiltrates, cancer-associated fibroblasts, and immune checkpoint molecule expression levels in the tumor microenvironment. Moreover, the effectiveness of immune checkpoint blockade was decreased in the high NCAPG2 expression group. Together, these findings demonstrated a coregulatory effect of the brachyury/NCAPG2 axis during HCC progression.

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PURPOSE: To determine (i) the etiology, epidemiology, mechanism of injury, and risk factors associated with open globe injuries (OGIs) in children and (ii) visual outcomes of pediatric patients with post-traumatic endophthalmitis following 23-gauge pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) combined with silicone oil tamponade (SOT). METHODS: A total of 107 consecutive patients, <15 years of age, who had been diagnosed with post-traumatic endophthalmitis between September 2009 and October 2015, were included in this 6-year retrospective study. All patients had undergone a combined PPV and SOT procedure. We reviewed records and analyzed several parameters, including age, gender, wound anatomy, intraocular foreign body characteristics, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), and anatomic re-attachment of the vitreous. Visual acuity (VA) was evaluated by comparing the Ocular Trauma Scores (OTS) system with BCVA (as assessed by Fisher's exact test). RESULTS: Patients included 70 (65.42%) boys and 37 (34.58%) girls (mean, 7.84 ± 2.31 years). Mean follow-up time was 13.31 ± 3.15 months. Zone-1 injuries accounted for 15 of 107 (14.02%) cases, while Zones-2 and -3 accounted for 69 of 107 (64.49%), and 23 of 107 (21.50%) cases, respectively. Lens trauma was noted in 53 of 107 (49.53%) eyes. Our analysis showed that the 6-month BCVA, as assessed by OTS, differed significantly between groups OTS-1 (p = 0.001) and OTS-2 (p = 0.012). No significant difference was observed in group OST-3 (p = 1.000). Total retinal attachment was achieved in 99 of 107 eyes (92.52%). CONCLUSIONS: Following combined PPV/SOT for post-traumatic endophthalmitis, VAs were not only favorable, but also often better than those predicted by OTS. Increased awareness of the very serious nature of endophthalmitis is expected to help in the development of a comprehensive strategy designed to educate both parents and children, and to minimize the number of preventable pediatric OGIs.

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AIM: To determine the optimal concentration for inducing the differentiation of human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) into neuron-like cells, although it is understood that all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) regulates cell proliferation in the nervous system by modulating the balance between mitosis and apoptosis. METHODS: The abilities of ATRA to promote apoptosis as well as neural differentiation were assessed in cultured hUC-MSCs by morphological observation, MTT assay, annexin V-FITC/PI flow cytometry and immunocytochemistry. RESULTS: The data showed that low concentrations of ATRA (0.5 µmol, 0.25 µmol) had no effect on the number of cells. However, treatment with 1.0 µmol or 2.0 µmol ATRA induced a 24.16% and 52.67% reduction in cell number, respectively, compared with vehicle-treated cultures. Further, 4.0 µmol ATRA had a potent effect on cell number, with almost no adherent cells recovered after 24h. We further showed that 0.5 µmol ATRA caused these cells to express characteristic markers of neuronal progenitor cells. CONCLUSION: Taken together, we conclude that ATRA has a dose-dependent influence on the neural differentiation and apoptosis of hUC-MSCs. These findings have implications on the use of ATRA-differentiated hUC-MSCs for the study of neural degeneration diseases.

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BACKGROUND: [corrected] To indentify surgical risk factors for delayed suprachoroidal haemorrhage (DSCH) and to report the outcomes of an effective intervention in a consecutive of patients. METHODS: The clinical data of ten patients diagnosed with DSCH in our hospital between July 2007 and December 2012 were extracted from hospital records and analyzed, including ophthalmologic examination, ophthalmologic ultrasonography, surgical procedures, and outcome measures including visual acuity and intraocular pressure. RESULTS: Ten eyes of ten patients including six men and four women with mean age of 56.6 ± 17.67 years, with DSCH, were enrolled. After diagnosis, drainage or/and pars plana vitrectomy were performed for eight patients; another two received conservative treatment. All the patients were followed up for 15.2 ± 4.3 months. Intraocular pressure decreased significantly (p < 0.001); the mean final visual acuity improved significantly after intervention (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: We emphasized other great risk factors such as intraoperative mitomycin-C use, systemic anticoagulation or thrombolysis, and chronic kidney disease. It seems that earlier surgical intervention after the diagnosis of DSCH will be beneficial to patients by improving their final visual acuity.

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OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of intraprostatic injection of botulinum toxin A (BTX-A) on benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) in rats. METHODS: Models of BPH were established in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats by injection of testosterone propionate, and then divided into three BTX-A groups, injected with BTX-A into the ventral prostate at the doses of 5 U, 10 U and 20 U, a negative control group, injected with saline only, and a sham operation group, with 12 in each. The prostates of the animals were harvested at 2 or 4 weeks after the injection, their volumes and weights measured, histological changes examined by HE staining, and glandular and interstitial areas semi-quantified by the image analysis system. RESULTS: Two rats died in the 20 U group within 3 days after BTX-A injection. Compared with the saline group, the 5 U, 10 U and 20 U BTX-A groups showed significant decreases in prostatic volume (P < 0.01, 0.01 and 0.05), weight, and glandular and interstitial areas as well as atrophic epithelia in the glandular tube at 2 weeks. These changes were lessened at 4 weeks, especially in the 5 U group. CONCLUSION: Intraprostatic injection of BTX-A induces obvious atrophy and histological changes of the prostate, but meanwhile may potentially result in death at a large dose.

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