The study examines gender differences in the reciprocal relations between parental physical aggression and child externalizing problem behavior in China. Four hundred fifty-four Chinese elementary school-age children reported on three forms of their parents' physical aggression toward them (i.e., mild corporal punishment, severe corporal punishment, and physical abuse) and their externalizing problem behavior at two time points, 6 months apart. Structural equation modeling revealed that the three types of parental physical aggression predicted child externalizing problem behavior for girls but not boys, whereas child externalizing problem behavior predicted severe corporal punishment and physical abuse for boys but not girls; child externalizing problem behavior did not predict mild corporal punishment for either gender. The findings suggest that the intervention for and prevention of child externalizing problem behavior may be somewhat different for boys and girls in China.

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ObjectiveTo summarize the experience with salvage liver transplantation (SLT) for patients with recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after primary hepatic resection in a single center.MethodsA total of 376 adult patients with HCC underwent orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) at Organ Transplantation Center, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, between 2004 and 2008. Among these patients, 36 underwent SLT after primary liver curative resection due to intrahepatic recurrence. During the same period, one hundred and forty-seven patients with HCC within Milan criteria underwent primary OLT (PLTW group), the intra-operative and post-operative parameters were compared between these two groups. Furthermore, we compared tumor recurrence and patient survival of patients with SLT to 156 patients with HCC beyond Milan criteria (PLTB group). Cox Hazard regression was made to identify the risk factors for tumor recurrence.ResultsThe median interval between initial liver resection and SLT was 35 months (1–63 months). The intraoperative blood loss (P<0.05) and transfusion volume (P<0.05) were larger in the SLT group than in the PLTW group. The operation time was longer in the SLT group (P<0.05). The post-operative complications incidence, tumor recurrence rate, patients' survival rate, and tumor-free survival rate were comparable between these two groups (all P>0.05). When compared to those patients with HCC beyond Milan criteria undergoing primary OLT, patients undergoing SLT achieved a better survival and a lower tumor recurrence. Cox Proportional Hazards model showed that vascular invasion, including macrovascular and microvascular invasion, as well as AFP level >400 IU/L were risk factors for tumor recurrence after LT.ConclusionsIn comparison with primary OLT, although SLT is associated with increased operation difficulties, it provides a good option for patients with HCC recurrence after curative resection.

Gamma-glutamyltransferase (γ-GGT) is a membrane-bound enzyme that is involved in biotransformation, nucleic acid metabolism, and tumourigenesis. Elevated serum γ-GGT levels are related to an increased cancer risk and worse prognosis in many cancers. In the present study, we evaluated the prognostic value of preoperative serum γ-GGT in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who underwent liver transplantation (LT). A total of 130 HCC patients after LT were included in the study. The optimal cut-off value of γ-GGT was 128U/L by receiver operating characteristic analysis, with a sensitivity and specificity of 60.0% and 72.9%, respectively. Elevated preoperative serum γ-GGT was significantly associated with high alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), large tumor size, and macro- and micro-vascular invasion. The 1-, 3-, 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) rates of HCC patients in the γ-GGT > 128U/L group were poorer than those in the γ-GGT ≤ 128U/L group. Stratification analysis revealed that γ-GGT exhibited a greater predictive value for DFS and OS in HCC patients beyond the Milan criteria and no macro-vascular invasion. In conclusion, elevated preoperative serum γ-GGT was significantly associated with advanced tumor stage and aggressive tumor behaviors, and serum γ-GGT can be considered as a prognostic factor for HCC patients after LT, especially for patients beyond the Milan criteria or without macro-vascular invasion.

ObjectivesTo clarify the key role of circulating interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and to improve the clinical efficacy of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation (MSCT) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).MethodsStudy of wild-type or IFN-γR-/- MSCT was first evaluated in a murine model of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) following which a phase 1/2 randomised controlled study was conducted in 63 patients with RA who responded poorly to regular clinical treatments. Subjects were randomly assigned to an MSCT monotherapy group (n=32) or an MSCT plus recombinant human IFN-γ treatment group (n=31), with 1 year of follow-up. The primary end points consisted of efficacy as assessed as good or moderate EULAR response rates and the proportion of patients at 3 months attaining American College of Rheumatology 20 (ACR20) response rates.ResultsIn the murine studies, wild-type MSCT significantly improved the clinical severity of CIA, while IFN-γR-/- MSCT aggravated synovitis, and joint and cartilage damage. Transitioning from the murine to the clinical study, the 3-month follow-up results showed that the efficacy and ACR20 response rates were attained in 53.3% patients with MSCT monotherapy and in 93.3% patients with MSCT combined with IFN-γ treatment (p<0.05). No new or unexpected safety issues were encountered in 1-year follow-up for either treatment group.ConclusionsThe results of this study show that IFN-γ is a key factor in determining the efficacy of MSCT in the treatment of RA, and that an MSC plus IFN-γ combination therapeutic strategy can greatly improve the clinical efficacy of MSC-based therapy in RA patients.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the role of microRNA-34a (miR-34a) in regulating liver regeneration (LR) and the development of liver cancer in rats by targeting Notch signaling pathway.MethodsThirty male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly assigned into partial hepatectomy (PH) group and sham hepatectomy (SH) group. Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining was used to observe the histological change in liver tissues. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure the serum tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels. Dual-luciferase reporter gene assay was performed to examine whether miR-34a targeted Notch1 gene. Human liver cancer Huh7 cells were transfected and divided into blank, negative control (NC), miR-34a mimics and miR-34a inhibitors groups. MTT and flow cytometry were used to detect cell growth, and cell cycle and apoptosis, respectively. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was applied detect to the expressions of miR-34a and Notch receptor mRNA. Western blotting was performed to detect the protein expressions of Notch receptors, P21, Bax, Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL. Tumor xenograft in nude mice was done to observe tumor formation in different groups.ResultsCompared to the SH group, miR-34a expression in liver tissues in the PH group decreased first and then increased to the normal level during LR. In early stage of LR, the expressions of Notch receptors and miR-34a were negatively correlated. Compared to the blank and NC groups, the cell growth was inhibited, cell cycle was mainly arrested in the G2/M phase and cell apoptosis rate increased in the miR-34a mimics group. Moreover, the expressions of miR-34a, P21 and Bax were up-regulated, while the expressions of Notch receptors, and Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL were down-regulated in this group. Additionally, the tumor growth in the miR-34a mimics group was reduced. The miR-34a inhibitors group showed contrary tendencies.ConclusionOur study demonstrates that miR-34a regulated LR and the development of liver cancer by inhibiting Notch signaling pathway.

Background Genome sequencing has been widely used in plant research to construct reference genomes and provide evolutionary insights. However, few plant species have had their whole genome sequenced, thus restraining the utility of these data. We collected 1,093 samples of vascular plant species growing in the Ruili Botanical Garden, located in southwest China. Of these, we sequenced 761 samples and collected voucher specimens stored in the Herbarium of China National GeneBank. Results The 761 sequenced samples represented 689 vascular plant species from 137 families belonging to 49 orders. Of these, 257 samples were identified to the species level and 504 to the family level, using specimen and chloroplast sequences. In total, we generated 54 Tb of sequencing data, with an average sequencing depth of 60X per species, as estimated from genome sizes. A reference phylogeny was reconstructed with 78 chloroplast genes for molecular identification and other possible applications. Conclusions The large dataset of vascular plant genomes generated in this study, which includes both high-depth whole-genome sequencing data and associated voucher specimens, is valuable for plant genome research and other applications. This project also provides insight into the feasibility and technical requirements for “planetary-scale” projects such as the 10,000 Plant Genomes Project and the Earth BioGenome Project.