A Novel Blood Index-Based Model to Predict Hepatitis B Virus-Associated Hepatocellular Carcinoma Recurrence After Curative Hepatectomy: Guidance on Adjuvant Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization Choice

BackgroundPostoperative recurrence is a significant obstacle in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment. This study aimed to construct a blood index-based model to predict hepatitis B virus-associated HCC (HBV-HCC) recurrence after curative hepatectomy.MethodsA total of 370 patients who received initially curative hepatectomy for HBV-HCC were included in this study. A novel blood index signature (BIS) was identified and systematically analyzed for its recurrence predictive value. Following this, multivariate Cox regression analysis was performed to build a blood index-based nomogram.ResultsA BIS based on the aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index and a systemic inflammatory response index was used to construct a nomogram. The model showed good clinical applicability and reliability. Notably, the patients in the high recurrence risk group tended to benefit from adjuvant transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE).ConclusionA reliable model was constructed to predict the HBV-HCC recurrence after curative hepatectomy. This model can guide the surgeons in selecting patients with high recurrence risk patients who may benefit from adjuvant TACE.

Effect of Different Types of Oil Intake on the Blood Index and the Intestinal Flora of Rats

The effect of different oil-based diets on the blood index and the gut microbiota of rats was investigated. Rats in sample treatment groups were fed with stewed lard, refined lard, fish oil and soybean oil at a normal dose of 16.9% for 6 weeks. Compared with refined lard group, stewed lard treatment group showed reduced fasting blood sugar and blood lipid levels and improved nutrient absorption capacity of the intestine. The blood indexes of glucose (Glu), total cholesterol (TC) and total triglyceride (TG) in fish oil treatment group were relatively low. The abundance of Bacteroidetes in the fat-free group decreased, and the abundance of Firmicutes increased. The Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio of the fish oil group was relatively low, and the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio of the stewed lard group and the soybean oil group was lower than that of the refined lard group. The abundance of Bacteroidaceae in the stewed pork fat group was increased. Research results show that fat-free diets will increase the risk of obesity to a certain extent; compared with refined lard, stewed lard, soybean oil and fish oil can reduce the risk of obesity to a certain extent; the addition and types of dietary fat will affect the abundance and diversity of rat intestinal flora.

Bloodmeal sources and feeding behavior of anopheline mosquitoes in Bure district, northwestern Ethiopia

Background Mosquito bloodmeal sources determine the feeding rates, adult survival, fecundity, hatching rates, and developmental times. Only the female Anopheles mosquito takes bloodmeals from humans, birds, mammals, and other vertebrates for egg development. Studies of the host preference patterns in blood-feeding anopheline mosquitoes are crucial to determine malaria vectors. However, the human blood index, foraging ratio, and host preference index of anopheline mosquitoes are not known so far in Bure district, Ethiopia. Methods The origins of bloodmeals from all freshly fed and a few half-gravid exophagic and endophagic females collected using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention light traps were identified as human and bovine using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The human blood index, forage ratio, and host feeding index were calculated. Results A total of 617 specimens belonging to An. arabiensis (n = 209), An. funestus (n = 217), An. coustani (n = 123), An. squamosus (n = 54), and An. cinereus (n = 14) were only analyzed using blood ELISA. Five hundred seventy-five of the specimens were positive for blood antigens of the host bloods. All anopheline mosquitoes assayed for a bloodmeal source had mixed- rather than single-source bloodmeals. The FR for humans was slightly > 1.0 compared to bovines for all Anopheles species. HFI for each pair of vertebrate hosts revealed that humans were the slightly preferred bloodmeal source compared to bovines for all species (except An. squamosus), but there was no marked host selection. Conclusions All anopheline mosquitoes assayed for bloodmeal ELISA had mixed feeds, which tends to diminish the density of gametocytes in the mosquito stomach, thereby reducing the chance of fertilization of the female gamete and reducing the chances of a malaria vector becoming infected. Moreover, An. coustani was the only species that had only human bloodmeals, meaning that this species has the potential to transmit the disease. Therefore, combination zooprophylaxis should be reinforced as a means of vector control because the study sites are mixed dwellings.

Anopheles arabiensis hotspots along intermittent rivers drive malaria dynamics in semi-arid areas of Central Ethiopia

Background Understanding malaria vector’s population dynamics and their spatial distribution is important to define when and where the largest infection risks occur and implement appropriate control strategies. In this study, the seasonal spatio-temporal dynamics of the malaria vector population and transmission intensity along intermittent rivers in a semi-arid area of central Ethiopia were investigated. Methods Mosquitoes were collected monthly from five clusters, 2 close to a river and 3 away from a river, using pyrethrum spray catches from November 2014 to July 2016. Mosquito abundance was analysed by the mixed Poisson regression model. The human blood index and sporozoite rate was compared between seasons by a logistic regression model. Results A total of 2784 adult female Anopheles gambiae sensu lato (s.l.) were collected during the data collection period. All tested mosquitoes (n = 696) were identified as Anopheles arabiensis by polymerase chain reaction. The average daily household count was significantly higher (P = 0.037) in the clusters close to the river at 5.35 (95% CI 2.41–11.85) compared to the clusters away from the river at 0.033 (95% CI 0.02–0.05). Comparing the effect of vicinity of the river by season, a significant effect of closeness to the river was found during the dry season (P = 0.027) and transition from dry to wet season (P = 0.032). Overall, An. arabiensis had higher bovine blood index (62.8%) as compared to human blood index (23.8%), ovine blood index (9.2%) and canine blood index (0.1%). The overall sporozoite rate was 3.9% and 0% for clusters close to and away from the river, respectively. The overall Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax entomologic inoculation rates for An. arabiensis in clusters close to the river were 0.8 and 2.2 infective bites per person/year, respectively. Conclusion Mosquito abundance and malaria transmission intensity in clusters close to the river were higher which could be attributed to the riverine breeding sites. Thus, vector control interventions including targeted larval source management should be implemented to reduce the risk of malaria infection in the area.

Blood Meal Sources and Feeding Behavior of Anophelines Mosquitoes in Bure District, Northwestern Ethiopia

Background: Mosquito blood meal sources determine their own feeding rates, adult survival, fecundity, hatching rates, and developmental times. The only female Anopheles mosquito takes blood meals from humans, birds, mammals, or other vertebrate animals for egg development. Studies of host preference patterns in blood-feeding anopheline mosquitoes are crucial to incriminating malaria vectors. However, the human blood index, foraging ration, and host preference index of anophelines mosquitoes were not known so far in Bure district Ethiopia.Methods: The origin of blood meals from all freshly fed and a few half-gravid exophagic and endophagic females collected using the center for disease control and prevention light trap catches were identified as human and bovine using Enzyme Linked Immune Sorbent Assay. Human blood index, forage ratio, and host feeding index were calculated.Results: A total of 617 specimens belonging to An. arabiensis (n = 209), An. funestus (n= 217), An. coustani (n= 123), An. squamosus (n= 54) and An. cinereus (n= 14) were only analyzed for blood ELISA. 577 of the overall specimens were positives for blood antigens of the host bloods. All anopheline mosquitoes assayed for blood meal sources had extremity mixed blood meals sources than single blood meals. The FR for a human was slightly > 1.0 than bovine for all Anopheles species. HFI for each pair of vertebrate hosts revealed that humans was a bit preferred blood meal source to bovine for all species (except An. squamosus), but did not exhibit a marked host selection.Conclusions: All assayed anopheline mosquitoes for blood meal ELISA had a mixed feed which tends to diminish the density of gametocytes in the mosquito stomach, thereby reducing the chance of fertilization of the female gamete and reduce the chances of malaria vector becoming infected. Moreover, An. coustani was the only species that had only human blood meal alone mean that this species has a potential to transmit the disease. Therefore, combination zooprophylaxis should be reinforced as a means of vector control because the study sites are mixed dwelling.

ИЗУЧЕНИЕ МЕХАНИЗМОВ РАСШИРЕНИЯ СПЕКТРА ЦИТОТОКСИЧНОСТИ ПЕГИЛИРОВАННЫХ ЛИПОСОМАЛЬНЫХ СИСТЕМ ДОСТАВКИ ПРОТИВООПУХОЛЕВЫХ ПРЕПАРАТОВ МЕТОДОМ СПИНОВЫХ ЗОНДОВ

Pegylated liposomal anticancer drugs, in particular, doxorubicin have an expansion of the spectrum of toxicity. To study the mechanisms of influence of polyethylene glycol (PEG) on the structure of cell membranes, the sensitive biophysical method of spin probes was used. Using the spin probe method, it has been shown that in the presence of an increased prothrombin blood index, increased blood viscosity and a high density of red blood cells and other blood components, large and long fragments of PEG molecules located on the surface of pegylated liposomal delivery systems can effectively interact with the membranes of neighboring cells. The list of even these possible effects, which were determined and described by us in experiments for bovine serum albumin, liposomes, erythrocytes and skin tissue, suggests that the expansion of the spectrum of the specific toxicity of pegylated liposomes may be directly or indirectly associated with the mechanisms of action of PEG on proteins and cell membranes.