Raman study of silicon telluride nanoplates and their degradation

Silicon telluride (Si₂Te₃) has emerged as one of the many contenders for 2D materials ideal for the fabrication of atomically thin devices. Despite the progress which has been made in the electric and optical properties of silicon telluride, much work is still needed to better understand this material. We report here on the Raman study of Si₂Te₃degradation under both annealing andin situheating with a laser. Both processes caused pristine Si₂Te₃to degrade into tellurium and silicon oxide in air in the absence of a protective coating. A previously unreported Raman peak at ∼140 cm^-1was observed from the degraded samples and is found to be associated with pure tellurium. This peak was previously unresolved with the peak at 144 cm^-1for pristine Si₂Te₃in the literature and has been erroneously assigned as a signature Raman peak of pure Si₂Te₃, which has caused incorrect interpretations of experimental data. Our study has led to a fundamental understanding of the Raman peaks in Si₂Te₃, and helps resolve the inconsistent issues in the literature. This study is not only important for fundamental understanding but also vital for material characterization and applications.

Machine Learning in Differentiating Gliomas from Primary CNS Lymphomas: A Systematic Review, Reporting Quality, and Risk of Bias Assessment

BACKGROUND

Differentiating gliomas and primary CNS lymphoma represents a diagnostic challenge with important therapeutic ramifications. Biopsy is the preferred method of diagnosis, while MR imaging in conjunction with machine learning has shown promising results in differentiating these tumors.

PURPOSE

Our aim was to evaluate the quality of reporting and risk of bias, assess data bases with which the machine learning classification algorithms were developed, the algorithms themselves, and their performance.

DATA SOURCES

Ovid EMBASE, Ovid MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and the Web of Science Core Collection were searched according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines.

STUDY SELECTION

From 11,727 studies, 23 peer-reviewed studies used machine learning to differentiate primary CNS lymphoma from gliomas in 2276 patients.

DATA ANALYSIS

Characteristics of data sets and machine learning algorithms were extracted. A meta-analysis on a subset of studies was performed. Reporting quality and risk of bias were assessed using the Transparent Reporting of a multivariable prediction model for Individual Prognosis Or Diagnosis (TRIPOD) and Prediction Model Study Risk Of Bias Assessment Tool.

DATA SYNTHESIS

The highest area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (0.961) and accuracy (91.2%) in external validation were achieved by logistic regression and support vector machines models using conventional radiomic features. Meta-analysis of machine learning classifiers using these features yielded a mean area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.944 (95% CI, 0.898-0.99). The median TRIPOD score was 51.7%. The risk of bias was high for 16 studies.

LIMITATIONS

Exclusion of abstracts decreased the sensitivity in evaluating all published studies. Meta-analysis had high heterogeneity.

CONCLUSIONS

Machine learning-based methods of differentiating primary CNS lymphoma from gliomas have shown great potential, but most studies lack large, balanced data sets and external validation. Assessment of the studies identified multiple deficiencies in reporting quality and risk of bias. These factors reduce the generalizability and reproducibility of the findings.

[Contrastive analysis about the postoperative clinical characteristics of elderly patients with colorectal cancer in different age groups]

Objective: To explore the postoperative clinical characteristics of elderly patients with colorectal cancer at different ages. Methods: Retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 720 elderly patients with Colorectal Cancer in Beijing Hospitals from January 2012 to December 2019. There were 411 males and 309 females with a median age of 74 years. We divided the patients into young-old, old-old, oldest-old colorectal cancer patient groups and used chi-square comparative analysis of different groups of patients with clinical disease characteristics. Results: The oldest-old colorectal cancer patients tended to have normal body mass index (BMI), and the site of the disease shifted to the right. The incidence of concomitant diseases such as heart disease and hypertension increases gradually with age, and the incidence of diabetes is highest in old-old colorectal cancer patients. The proportion of open surgery was higher in the oldest-old group, but the operation time was shorter than the other two groups. In addition, the incidence of postoperative complications in elderly patients with colorectal cancer gradually increases with age, especially cardiac complications and other complications such as pneumonia, deep venous thrombosis of lower limbs, urinary retention, urinary tract infection, renal failure, cerebral hemorrhage, cerebral infarction, and so on. Conclusions: The BMI of the oldest-old patients tended to be normal, and the site of the disease shifted to the right. The incidence of heart disease, hypertension, and other concomitant diseases and postoperative complications in elderly patients with colorectal cancer gradually increase with age. Thus, the choice of treatment should be more individualized for elderly patients with colorectal cancer, and more attention should be paid to perioperative management.

Criticality analysis for safety-critical software in nuclear power plant distributed control system

Software criticality analysis examines the degree of contribution that each individual failure mode of a software component has on the reliability of software. Higher safety integrity levels are assigned to software modules whose failures cause an unacceptable impact on the operation of the system, and these levels require the implementation of more rigorous software quality assurance measures as defined in IEEE Std 1012 and in the customer’s system requirements specification. In this paper, a novel software criticality analysis method is proposed, the results of which can be used to guide the development of newly developed software and the procurement of Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) software. The software structure is first analyzed and the software is divided into modules according to their functions. Then the criticality levels of software components are preliminarily classified by means of a safety criticality preliminary analysis tree, followed by their verification through the software hazard and operability analysis (HAZOP). Finally, the target Safety Integrity Level (SIL) of each software module is determined based on its criticality level and the overall safety objective (i. e., SIL) of the system it resides in. As an example, this proposed method is applied to a nuclear power plant safety-critical system to demonstrate the detail application process and to verify the feasibility of the method. Compared with the existing software criticality analysis methods, this method has better operability and verifiability, and can be utilized as a technical guidance for the software criticality analysis of nuclear power plant digital control systems.

Relationship between onset of eclampsia and AGTR1 gene polymorphisms

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to study the correlations of angiotensin II receptor type 1 (AGTR1) gene polymorphisms with the occurrence and development of eclampsia.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A total of 200 pregnant women with eclampsia admitted to our hospital from January 1, 2017 to September 30, 2019 were collected as observation group and 200 normal pregnant women during the same period were recruited in the control group. Genome sequencing was performed to detect the AGTR1 gene polymorphisms in the two groups. Expression level of AGTR1 in both groups was detected. The influences of AGTR1 on clinical data of pregnant women with eclampsia were analyzed.

RESULTS

There were no significant differences in age (p=0.545), height (p=0.738), weight (p=0.695) and hypertension (p=0.372) between observation group and control group. However, significant differences were found in the distributions of alleles at AGTR1 rs1799870 (p=0.002) and AGTR1 rs52936049 (p=0.047) between groups. The frequencies of T allele at rs1799870 and rs52936044 in observation group were higher than those in the control group. In addition, the distributions of AGTR1 gene genotypes at rs1799870 (p=0.012), rs144520513 (p=0.008) and rs529360494 (p p =0.036) in observation group differed from those in control group. Observation group had higher frequencies of TT genotype at rs1799870, GG genotype at rs144520513 and TG genotype at rs529360494 than those in control group. Besides, the frequency of CGG haplotype (p=0.008) of AGTR1 gene in observation group was notably lower than that in the control group, while the frequency of TGT haplotype (p=0.012) of AGTR1 gene in the former was remarkably higher than that in the latter. Moreover, the linkage disequilibrium between rs529360494 and rs144520513 of AGTR1 gene was relatively high (D'=0.623). AGTR1 gene polymorphism rs529360494 showed an evident relationship with the expression of AGTR1 gene, and the expression of AGTR1 in pregnant women with eclampsia who carried TG genotype was markedly reduced (p<0.05). Furthermore, AGTR1 gene polymorphism rs1799870 was associated with prothrombin time (PT) in pregnant women with eclampsia (p=0.046), and PT in those carrying genotype TC was shorter. Rs144520513 was related to the levels of triglyceride (TG) (p<0.001) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) (p<0.001) in pregnant women with eclampsia, and TG and LDL levels were significantly lower.

CONCLUSIONS

AGTR1 gene polymorphisms are closely associated with the onset and progression of eclampsia.

Thermally-assisted milling and hydrogenolysis for synthesizing ultrafine MgH2with destabilized thermodynamics

A novel process has been developed to synthesize MgH₂nanoparticles by combining ball milling and thermal hydrogenolysis of di-n-butylmagnesium (C₄H₉)₂Mg, denoted as MgBu₂. With the aid of mechanical impact, the hydrogenolysis temperature of MgBu₂in heptane and cyclohexane solution was considerably lowered down to 100 °C, and the MgH₂nanoparticles with an average particle size ofca.8.9 nm were obtained without scaffolds. The nano-size effect of the MgH₂nanoparticles causes a notable decrease in the onset dehydrogenation temperature of 225 °C and enthalpy of 69.78 kJ mol^-1 · H₂. This thermally-assisted milling and hydrogenolysis process may also be extended for synthesizing other nanomaterials.

[Chaihu Guizhi decoction produces antidepressant-like effects via sirt1-p53 signaling pathway]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the mechanism of the antidepressant-like effects of Chaihu Guizhi decoction (CGD).

OBJECTIVE

Chaihu Guizhi decoction at the daily dose of 17 g/kg and solvent vehicle were administered by gavage in 12 and 14 male C57BL/6J mice for 7 consecutive days, respectively. Forced swimming test (FST), elevated plus maze (EPM) test, open field test (OFT) and novelty-suppressed feeding test (NSF) were performed to assess the depression- and anxiety-like behaviors and motor ability of the mice. We further used chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) and social interaction test to evaluate the antidepressant-like effects of CGD in comparison with the solvent vehicle. Western blotting and RT-qPCR were performed to detect the expressions of sirt1, p53, acetylated p53, and the neuron plasticity-related genes including synapsin I (Syn1), Rab4B, SNAP25 and tubulin beta4b in the hippocampus of the mice.

OBJECTIVE

In FST, the immobility time of CGDtreated mice was decreased significantly (P < 0.05); no significant differences were found in the performances in EPM, NSF and OFT tests between the two groups. In social interaction test, the mouse models of CSDS treated with CGD showed significantly increased time in the interaction zone (P < 0.05). Compared with those in the vehicle group, the CGD-treated mouse models exhibited significantly increased protein level of SIRT1 and decreased p53 acetylation (P < 0.05) with up-regulated synapsin I mRNA expression in the hippocampus (P < 0.05); no significant difference were found in Rab (P=0.813), SNAP (P=0.820), or Tubb mRNA expressions (P=0.864) between the two groups.

OBJECTIVE

CGD produces antidepressant-like effects in mice possibly through the sirt1-p53 signaling pathway and synaptic plasticity.

Pulsed Microfluid Force-Based On-Chip Modular Fabrication for Liver Lobule-Like 3D Cellular Models

In vitro three-dimensional (3D) cellular models with native tissue-like architectures and functions have potential as alternatives to human tissues in regenerative medicine and drug discovery. However, it is difficult to replicate liver constructs that mimic in vivo microenvironments using current approaches in tissue engineering because of the vessel-embedded 3D structure and complex cell distribution of the liver. This paper reports a pulsed microflow-based on-chip 3D assembly method to construct 3D liver lobule-like models that replicate the spatial structure and functions of the liver lobule. The heterogeneous cell-laden assembly units with hierarchical cell distribution are fabricated through multistep photopatterning of different cell-laden hydrogels. Through fluid force interaction by pulsed microflow, the hierarchical assembly units are driven to a stack, layer by layer, and thus spatially assemble into 3D cellular models in the closed liquid chamber of the assembly chip. The 3D models with liver lobule-like hexagonal morphology and radial cell distribution allow the dynamic perfusion culture to maintain high cell viability and functional expression during long-term culture in vitro. These results demonstrate that the fabricated 3D liver lobule-like models are promising for drug testing and the study of individual diagnoses and treatments.

High expression of LINC0163 promotes progression of papillary thyroid cancer by regulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition MITF

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to detect the expression of long non-coding ribonucleic acid 00163 (LINC00163) in human papillary thyroid cancer (PTC), and to observe the influence of downregulated LINC00163 on the proliferative and metastatic capacities of human PTC cells.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Quantitative Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) assay was applied to measure the expression level of LINC00163 in PTC tissues and para-carcinoma tissues, as well as that in normal human thyroid cells (Nthy-ori3-1) and PTC cells. After the expression of LINC00163 in PTC cells was interfered, qRT-PCR assay was performed to determine the interference efficiency, and colony formation and Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assays were conducted to study the impacts of small interfering (si)-LINC00163 on the proliferative capacity of PTC cells. Moreover, wound healing and transwell assays were adopted to investigate the changes in the migratory and invasive abilities of PTC cells after the interference in the expression of LINC00163 in PTC cells. Finally, the changes in expressions of molecular markers in downstream signaling pathways after interference in LINC00163 expression were examined via Western blotting assay.

RESULTS

In 51 cases of PTC tissues and corresponding para-carcinoma tissues, 41 cases exhibited an up-regulated expression of LINC00163, and qRT-PCR results indicated that PTC cells also had an up-regulated expression of LINC00163 compared with normal human thyroid cells. After the expression of LINC00163 in PTC cells was interfered, the results of colony formation and CCK-8 assays manifested that the proliferative capacity of the cells declined. It was also shown in wound-healing and transwell assay results that the migratory and invasive abilities of the cells were weakened. In addition, the results of Western blotting assay revealed expression changes in the molecular markers of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT).

CONCLUSIONS

The expression of LINC00163 in NSCLC tissues and cells is upregulated, and highly expressed LINC00163 can promote PTC cell proliferation and metastasis by regulating the EMT.

A triple-classification radiomics model for the differentiation of pleomorphic adenoma, Warthin tumour, and malignant salivary gland tumours on the basis of diffusion-weighted imaging

AIM

To develop and validate a triple-classification radiomics model for the preoperative differentiation of pleomorphic adenoma (PA), Warthin tumour (WT), and malignant salivary gland tumour (MSGT) based on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Data from 217 patients with histopathologically confirmed salivary gland tumours (100 PAs, 68 WTs, and 49 MSGTs) from January 2015 to March 2019 were analysed retrospectively and divided into a training set (n=173), and a validation set (n=44). A total of 396 radiomic features were extracted from the DWI of all patients. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression were used to select radiomic features, which were then constructed using three classification models, namely, logistic regression method (LR), support vector machine (SVM), and K-nearest neighbor (KNN). The diagnostic performance of the radiomics model was quantified by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and area under the ROC curve (AUC) of the training and validation data sets.

RESULTS

The 20 most valuable features were investigated based on the LASSO regression. LR and SVM methods exhibited better diagnostic ability than KNN for multiclass classification. LR and SVM had the best performance and yielded the AUC values of 0.857 and 0.824, respectively, in the training data set and the AUC values of 0.932 and 0.912, respectively, in the validation data set of MSGT diagnosis.

CONCLUSION

DWI-based triple-classification radiomics model has predictive value in distinguishing PA, WT, and MSGT, which can be used for preoperative auxiliary diagnosis in clinical practice.

3,5-Dimethoxy-4-hydroxy myricanol attenuated oxidative stress-induced toxicity on cardiomyoblast cells

Myocardial ischemia is the main reason for ischemic heart diseases. Antioxidant treatment is considered as a possible approach to prevent myocardial ischemia injury, because oxidative stress is a key factor triggering it. This study was to investigate the protective effects of 3,5-dimethoxy-4-hydroxy myricanol (DHM) against oxidative stress-induced cytotoxicity on H9c2 cells and further explore its mechanisms. The oxidative stress and inflammatory response markers were detected by H2DCFDA fluorescent measurement, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), real-time PCR and Western blot. Results showed DHM exerted inhibitory effects against H9c2 cell damage. Furthermore, DHM decreased oxidative stress in H9c2 cells through up-regulating protein expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2). Moreover, DHM inhibited inflammatory responses through down-regulating the protein expression of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB). DHM exerted protective activities against oxidative stress-induced cell damage, at least through decreasing oxidative stress and inhibiting inflammatory responses, indicating that DHM have the potential to be developed as therapeutic agents for the treatment of myocardial ischemia.

EZH2-mediated H3K27me3 enrichment on the lncRNA MEG3 promoter regulates the growth and metastasis of glioma cells by regulating miR-21-3p

OBJECTIVE

Glioma is one of the most common and invasive brain tumors worldwide. Long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs) play an important role in the development of glioma. However, the regulatory mechanism of LncRNAs in glioma has not been fully elucidated. This study aimed to explore the interaction of lncRNA maternally expressed gene 3 (MEG3) and aberrant histone modification in glioma.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The expression levels of MEG3 and miR-21-3p in glioma cells were measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). EZH2 (enhancer of zeste homolog 2) and H3K27me3 expression in glioma cells were detected by Western Blot (WB). The binding site of the promoter of MEG3 by H3K27me3 was confirmed by ChIP-Real-time PCR. The direct target of MEG3 and miR-21-3p in glioma cells was measured by a luciferase reporter assay. Cell proliferation was detected by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8), and cell invasion and migration were measured by Transwell assays.

RESULTS

EZH2 and miR-21-3p were upregulated and MEG3 was downregulated in glioma cells. Silencing of EZH2 inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in U87 and U251 cells. Meanwhile, the expression of H3K27me3 could be significantly inhibited by EZH2 interference. H3K27me3 protein can bind to MEG3 promoter directly. EZH2 inhibition and MEG3 down-expression in U87 cells reversed the effects of silencing of EZH2 on glioma cell growth and metastasis. However, EZH2 inhibition and MEG3 overexpression in U251 cells restricted cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Furthermore, miR-21-3p was verified to interact with MEG3 by direct binding. Inhibition of MEG3 promoted U87 cell growth and metastasis, which was further strengthened following the co-transfection of si-MEG3 and miR-21-3p. Overexpressed MEG3 inhibited U251 cell growth and metastasis and a complete reversal of the results observed in the co-transfection of LV-MEG3 and miR-21-3p.

CONCLUSIONS

EZH2 was highly expressed in glioma cells and EZH2-mediated H3K27me3 enrichment on the MEG3 promoter regulated the growth and metastasis of glioma cells by targeting miR-21-3p. It potentially provided a new therapeutic marker targeting glioma.

Cell wall thickness and the molecular mechanism of heterogeneous vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus

Methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) with reduced sensitivity to vancomycin (VAN) has caused many clinical cases of VAN treatment failure, but the molecular mechanism underlying the reduced sensitivity to VAN is still unclear. We isolated a heterogeneous VAN‐intermediate Staphylococcus aureus (hVISA), which was also a MRSA strain with reduced sensitivity to VAN. To investigate the molecular mechanism underlying the reduced sensitivity to VAN exhibited by the hVISA strain, we compared the hVISA strain with a VAN‐sensitive MRSA strain, known as the N315 strain. The images captured by transmission electron microscopy showed that the cell wall of the hVISA strain was significantly thicker than that of the N315 strain (36·72 ± 1·04 nm vs 28·15 ± 1·25 nm, P < 0·05), and the results of real‐time quantitative PCR analysis suggested that the expression levels of the cell wall thickness related genes (glmS, vraR/S, sgtB, murZ and PBP4) of the hVISA strain were significantly higher than those of the N315 strain (P < 0·05). In conclusion, this study indicated that the upregulation of the expression of the genes related to cell wall synthesis might be the molecular mechanism underlying the cell wall thickening of the hVISA strain and might be related to its resistance to VAN.

[Clinical characteristics and related factors of acute tubular necrosis in patients with minimal change disease]

Objective: To investigate the clinical characteristics and related factors of acute tubular necrosis (ATN) in patients with minimal change disease (MCD). Methods: Patients from Chinese PLA General Hospital who were pathologically diagnosed with MCD and had clinical manifestations of nephrotic syndrome from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2019 were included. The clinical and pathological data of patients were retrospectively analyzed. Meanwhile, the incidence and clinical characteristics of ATN in different age groups were compared. The risk factors for ATN were assessed using binary logistic regression. Results: A total of 525 patients were included, with a gender ratio of 1.56∶1 (male: female), aged 33 (21, 48) years old. ATN occurred in 49 (9.3%) of 525 patients, of which 34 were male and 15 were female. The incidence of ATN increased with age in MCD patients of different age groups (χ(2)=31.442, P<0.001). The incidence of ATN in groups of age≤20 years, 21-40 years, 41-60 years, and >60 years was 2.4% (3/123), 5.2% (10/192), 13.2% (20/152) and 27.6% (16/58), respectively. Elevations of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) and serum IgE occurred in 92 patients (17.5%), 53 patients (10.1%), 99 patients (18.9%), and 303 patients (57.7%), respectively. There were significant differences in age, ALT, serum creatinine, serum urea nitrogen, history of diabetes and history of hypertension between non-ATN group and ATN group (all P<0.05). The results of logistic regression analysis showed that>40 years old (OR=6.283, 95% CI: 2.695-14.649, P<0.001) and serum albumin (OR=0.924, 95% CI: 0.857-0.997, P=0.040) was independently associated with ATN in MCD patients. Conclusion: Age>40 years is an independent risk factor and serum albumin is a protective factor for ATN in MCD patients.

[Intraobserver reproducibility of Ki-67 assessment of breast cancers based on digital slide]

Objective: To investigate the intra-observer reproducibility of Ki-67　　　assessment in breast cancers using three methods based on digital slide. Methods: Thirty cases of invasive breast cancer tissues were immunostained for Ki-67 by automatic stainer, and then scanned into digital pathological slides. Ki-67 positive index was measured individually by three pathologists using size-set visual assessment of hot spot (SSVAHS), size-set semi-automatic counting of hot spot(SSSACHS), and size-set automatic counting of hot spot (SSACHS), respectively, and repeated for 10 times. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of each assessment method was calculated, and the intraobserver reliability was classified as excellent, good, fair and poor according to ICC. Results: The ICC by 3 pathologists using SSVAHS was 0.832, 0.843 and 0.826, respectively, The ICC using SSSACHS was 0.926,0.938,0.929, and the ICC using SSACHS was 0.964, 0.971 and 0.968.The intraobserver reliability level of all three methods was excellent. Conclusion: The three methods of Ki-67 assessment achieve satisfactory intraobserver reproducibility, and the order of reproducibility from high to low is SSACHS, SSSACHS, and SSVAHS.

[Transthoracic implantation of dual-chamber pacemaker for synchronous treatment of cardiac dysfunction due to idiopathic complete left bundle branch block in children]

Objective: To investigate the efficacy and feasibility of transthoracic implantation of permanent left atrial and left ventricular dual-chamber pacemaker for synchronous treatment of cardiac dysfunction due to idiopathic complete left bundle branch block (CLBBB) in children. Methods: The clinical data of five children with cardiac dysfunction due to idiopathic CLBBB and accepting implantation of permanent left atrial and left ventricular epicardial dual chamber pacemaker from January 2015 to July 2019 at the Pediatric Cardiologic Department of the First Hospital of Tsinghua University were analyzed retrospectively. The effects of pacemaker implantation on patients' cardiac function and cardiac synchrony were evaluated by echocardiogram. Results: Among 5 patients, 2 were males and 3 females. At the time of pacemaker implantation, the age of these patients was 0.5-5.7 years, the left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) was 29%-46%, the left ventricle end stage of diastolic diameter was 30-53 mm and the mean Z score was 4.0-34.0. Pacemaker was successfully implanted for all the patients. After the implantation, medications that can suppress atrioventricular node conduction were used and sensed atrioventricular delay (SAV) parameters were modulated until patients' QRS duration became shortest and the percentage of left ventricular pacing increased to and maintained at 97% to 100%. Patients' QRS duration was 120-160 ms before implantation and 90-120 ms after implantation. Patients' cardiac function began to improve 1 day to 1 month after implantation. Patients' cardiac function normalized after a mean of 1-12 months. LVEF increased from 29%-46% to 55%-67%. During the follow-up, interventricular mechanical delay, septal-to-posterior wall motion delay, and left ventricular systolic dyssynchrony index decreased significantly: IVMD decreased from 31-62 ms to 26-50 ms; SPWMD decreased from 40-63 ms to 10-50 ms and Ts-SD decreased from 34.3-50.3 ms to 16.3-31.4 ms. The global longitudinal strain of left ventricle decreased from -7.7%--13.8% to -13.5%--20.3%. Conclusion: Cardiac dysfunction due to CLBBB in children can be treated with transthoracic implantation of permanent epicardial left atrial and left ventricular dual chamber pacemaker which can substitute three chamber pacemaker to achieve the effects of synchronous therapy that lead to reversion and normalization of cardiac function.

CT and MRI features of giant cell tumours with prominent aneurysmal bone cysts in the extremities: a comparison with primary aneurysmal bone cysts

AIM

To test the hypothesis that computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could help distinguish between giant cell tumours with prominent aneurysmal bone cysts (GABCs) and primary aneurysmal bone cysts (PABCs) of the extremities.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

CT and MRI features of 13 patients with GABCs and 13 patients with PABCs in the extremities were analysed retrospectively. The ages and sex of the patients were also recorded. Independent-samples t-tests were used for continuous variables and Fisher's exact tests were used for categorical variables to compare the differences between the two groups. Diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, and interobserver agreement were calculated.

RESULTS

The average age of patients with GABCs (38.2±15.8 years) was higher than that of patients with PABCs (19.3±12.7 years; p=0.003). The transverse/longitudinal diameter ratio was different between GABCs (0.8±0.3) and PABCs (0.6±0.2; p=0.007). Subchondral bone involvement (92.3% versus 30.8%, p=0.004) and deep lobulation (38.5% versus 0%, p=0.039) were more likely to be noted in patients with GABCs. Surrounding blood vessels were identified in six cases of PABCs (6/13), but not in GABCs (p=0.015). The following characteristics were suggestive of GABCs, older patient age, higher transverse/longitudinal diameter ratio, subchondral bone involvement, and deep lobulation indicated a sensitivity of 84.6%, 76.9%, 75%, and 100%, and a specificity of 84.6%, 69.2%, 90%, and 61.9%, respectively. Conversely, surrounding blood vessels were suggestive of PABCs, with a sensitivity of 46.2% and specificity of 100%. The concordance between the two readers was moderate to nearly perfect.

CONCLUSION

Age, subchondral bone involvement, lobulation, transverse/longitudinal diameter ratio, and surrounding blood vessels can be used to distinguish GABCs from PABCs.

Oncogene miR-934 promotes ovarian cancer cell proliferation and inhibits cell apoptosis through targeting BRMS1L

OBJECTIVE

Ovarian cancer is a common malignant cancer among women. Increasing studies have demonstrated that microRNAs function as important regulation factors in the progression of ovarian cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Human ovarian cancer cell lines HO8910 and OVCAR-3 were transfected with miR-934 inhibitor and corresponding negative control (inhibitor control). Cell proliferation and apoptosis were detected by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and TUNEL assay, respectively. The expression levels of proliferation/apoptosis-related genes and BRMS1L were measured by quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting. Furthermore, the association between miR-934 and BRMS1L was investigated through luciferase reporter assays.

RESULTS

MiR-934 was significantly increased in ovarian cancer cell lines, whereas BRMS1L was significantly decreased. Downregulated miR-934 remarkably inhibited cell proliferation and induced cell apoptosis. Meanwhile, miR-934 could influence the expression levels of Ki67, Cyclin D1, Caspase3, and Bcl-2. In addition, BRMS1L was identified as a target gene of miR-934.

CONCLUSIONS

Oncogene miR-934 promotes ovarian cancer cell proliferation and inhibits cell apoptosis through targeting BRMS1L. MiR-934 and BRMS1L may be novel biomarkers or therapeutic targets for ovarian cancer in the future.

MiR-99a suppressed cell proliferation and invasion by directly targeting HOXA1 through regulation of the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway and EMT in ovarian cancer

OBJECTIVE

Ovarian cancer (OC) is the third frequently tumor worldwide. MicroRNA-99a (miR-99a), acting as a tumor suppressor, has been reported to be downregulated in multiple tumors. We aimed at exploring the significant roles of miR-99a in ovarian cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Quantitative Real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting were applied to calculate the mRNA and protein levels of miR-99a and its target genes. Kaplan-Meier method was conducted to evaluate the overall survival of ovarian cancer patients. CCK8 and transwell assays were performed to measure the proliferative and invasive abilities.

RESULTS

miR-99a, acting as a prognosis predictor, was downregulated in ovarian cancer tissues and cell lines. miR-99a mediated the expression of homeobox A1 (HOXA1) through directly targeting to the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of its mRNA in ovarian cancer cell lines. miR-99a inhibited the proliferation of ovarian cancer by AKT/mTOR pathway in vitro and in vivo, and it suppressed the invasion-mediated epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) through direct targeting to the 3'-UTR of HOXA1 mRNA.

CONCLUSIONS

miR-99a suppressed the proliferation through AKT/mTOR signaling pathway and the invasion-mediated EMT in ovarian cancer. The newly identified miR-99a/HOXA1/AKT/mTOR axis provides novel insight into the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer.