Background/Aims: Acute pancreatitis contributes to high mortality in pancreatitis patients, and miRNAs play a vital role in the development of acute pancreatitis (AP), however, its precise biological role remains largely elusive. Methods: To clarify the potential mechanisms of miRNAs in AP, we built mouse models of mild acute pancreatitis (MAP) and moderate/ severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). MiRNA microarray analysis and Real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) were used to analyze the expression of miRNA in MAP/SAP. TargetScan software, dual-luciferase gene reporter assays and Western blotting were used to assess the target genes of miR-155-5p in AP. Results: miR-155-5p was significantly decreased in MAP/SAP mice compared to controls. In pancreatic acinar AR42J cells transfected with miR-155-5p mimic, the expression of Rela and Traf3 notably decreased in both the caerulein- and TLC-S-induced groups compared with the negative control (NC); however, the expression of Rela and Traf3 notably increased after transfection with miR-155-5p inhibitor. Combined analysis using the TargetScan software and dual-luciferase gene reporter assays indicated that Rela and Traf3 were both targeted by miR-155-5p. Meanwhile, the expression of Ptgs2 also decreased after transfection of the AR42J cells with miR-155-5p mimic. The opposite results were found when miR-155-5p inhibitor was transfected into the AR42J cells. In addition, we treated caerulein- and TLC-S-induced AR42J cells with the Rela inhibitor helenalin and found that the expression of Rela, Traf3 and Ptgs2 decreased compared with the NC, while the expression of miR-155-5p did not show any significant difference. Furthermore, we found that miR-155-5p was significantly down-regulated in pancreatitis patients. Conclusion: miR-155-5p inversely regulated AP development through the Rela/Traf3/Ptgs2 signaling pathway.

Background: The extent of pancreatoduodenectomy for pancreatic head cancer remains controversial, and more high-level clinical evidence is needed. This study aimed to evaluate the outcome of extended pancreatoduodenectomy (EPD) with retroperitoneal nerve resection in pancreatic head cancer. Methods: This multicenter randomized trial was performed at 6 Chinese highvolume hospitals that enrolled patients between October 3, 2012, and September 21, 2017. Four hundred patients with stage I or II pancreatic head cancer and without specific pancreatic cancer treatments (preoperative chemotherapy or chemoradiation) within three months were randomly assigned to undergo standard pancreatoduodenectomy (SPD) or EPD, with the latter followed by dissection of additional lymph nodes (LNs), nerves and soft tissues 270 • on the right side surrounding the superior mesenteric artery and celiac axis. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS) by intention-to-treat (ITT). The secondary endpoints were disease-free survival (DFS), mortality, morbidity, and postoperative pain intensity. Results:The R1 rate was slightly lower with EPD (8.46%) than with SPD (12.56%). The morbidity and mortality rates were similar between the two groups. The median OS was similar in the EPD and SPD groups by ITT in the whole study cohort (23.0 vs. 20.2 months, P = 0.100), while the median DFS was superior in the EPD group (16.1 vs. 13.2 months, P = 0.031). Patients with preoperative CA19-9 < 200.0 U/mL had significantly improved OS and DFS with EPD (EPD vs. SPD, 30.8 vs. 20.9 months, P = 0.009; 23.4 vs. 13.5 months, P < 0.001). The EPD group exhibited significantly lower locoregional (16.48% vs. 35.20%, P < 0.001) and mesenteric LN recurrence rates (3.98% vs. 10.06%, P = 0.022). The EPD group exhibited less back pain 6 months postoperation than the SPD group. Conclusions: EPD for pancreatic head cancer did not significantly improve OS, but patients with EPD treatment had significantly improved DFS. In the subgroup analysis, improvements in both OS and DFS in the EPD arm were observed in patients with preoperative CA19-9 < 200.0 U/mL. EPD could be used as an effective surgical procedure for patients with pancreatic head cancer, especially those with preoperative CA19-9 < 200.0 U/mL.

With increasing penetration of distributed generation, surplus energy at some critical buses in distribution network will extremely challenge the stable operation of conventional power system. Energy routers (ERs) can be placed at the critical buses so as to achieve flexible management of power flow in active distribution network. It will offer more flexibility to realize the interaction between source and load. In this paper, energy routers are mainly catalogued as source-type and load-type, and then a novel distributed source-load interaction strategy for energy router based active distribution network is proposed, which only requires information exchange between neighbor routers. The interaction strategy includes three parts: the strategy for source-type ERs, the strategy for load-type ERs and the cooperation strategy for multiple sourcetype and load-type ERs. Moreover, a novel calculating method of power loss is proposed to make strategies applicable considering reverse and forward power flow. Finally, the correctness and effectiveness of the proposed strategies are verified by comparison with optimal routing paths derived by the typical centralized Dijkstra algorithm in the case study.

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