Identification and validation of key immune-related genes with promising diagnostic and predictive value in systemic sclerosis

AIMS

To screen and confirm key immune-related genes (IRGs) with diagnostic and predictive value in systemic sclerosis (SSc) and provide potential therapeutic targets for patients with SSc.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In Gene Expression Omnibus database (GEO), four datasets of gene expression profiling related to SSc were downloaded and used for the analysis in this study. After differential analysis of SSc cases and controls in GSE130955, the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were overlapped with IRGs to obtain the immune-related differentially expressed genes (IR-DEGs) in SSc. In addition, functional annotation and pathway enrichment of IR-DEGs were conducted. The protein-protein interaction network (PPI) was constructed to identify key IR-DEGs. Using GSE58095, GSE181549 and GSE130953, the diagnostic and predictive abilities for the key IR-DEGs in SSc were validated. Finally, the screened key genes were confirmed in skin derived bleomycin (BLM)-induced SSc mice by Real-time PCR.

KEY FINDINGS

NGFR, TNFSF13B, FCER1G, GIMAP5, TYROBP and CSF1R may have important or very high diagnostic value for SSc. TYROBP and TNFSF13B had moderate and mild predictive value respectively in SSc patients after treatment. Real-time PCR assay further confirmed that the expressions of Ngfr, Tyrobp, Csf1r, Fcer1g and Gimap5 were significantly higher in skin of BLM-induced SSc mice than that in controls.

SIGNIFICANCE

The key IR-DEGs, including NGFR, TNFSF13B, TYROBP, CSF1R, FCER1G and GIMAP5, may become auxiliary diagnostic indicators and potential biomarkers for SSc. Moreover, TNFSF13B and TYROBP could have good prospects as predictive indicators in SSc patients that accepted cyclophosphamide or transplantation therapy.

[Effects and mechanism of water-soluble chitosan hydrogel on infected full-thickness skin defect wounds in diabetic mice]

Objective: To explore the effects and mechanism of water-soluble chitosan hydrogel on infected full-thickness skin defect wounds in diabetic mice. Methods: The experimental research method was adopted. The control hydrogel composed of polyvinyl alcohol and gelatin, and the water-soluble chitosan hydrogel composed of the aforementioned two materials and water-soluble chitosan were prepared by the cyclic freeze-thaw method. The fluidity of the two dressings in test tube before and after the first freeze-thawing was generally observed, and the difference in appearance of the final state of two dressings in 12-well plates were compared. According to random number table (the same grouping method below), the cell strains of L929 and HaCaT were both divided into water-soluble chitosan hydrogel group and control hydrogel group, respectively. After adding corresponding dressings and culturing for 24 h, the cell proliferation activity was measured using cell counting kit 8. Rabbit blood erythrocyte suspensions were divided into normal saline group, polyethylene glycol octyl phenyl ether (Triton X-100) group, water-soluble chitosan hydrogel group, and control hydrogel group, which were treated accordingly and incubated for 1 hour, and then the hemolysis degree of erythrocyte was detected by a microplate reader. Twenty-four female db/db mice aged 11-14 weeks were selected, and full-thickness skin defect wounds on their backs were inflicted and inoculated with the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), 72 h later, the mice were divided into blank control group, sulfadiazine silver hydrogel group, control hydrogel group, and water-soluble chitosan hydrogel group, which were treated accordingly. On post injury day (PID) 0 (immediately), 7, 14, and 21, the healing of the wound was observed. On PID 14 and 21, the wound healing rate was calculated. On PID 14, MRSA concentration in wounds was determined. On PID 21, the wounds were histologically analyzed by hematoxylin and eosin staining; the expression of CD31 in the wounds was detected by immunofluorescence method, and its positive percentage was calculated. Raw264.7 cells were taken and divided into interleukin-4 (IL-4) group, blank control group, control hydrogel group, and water-soluble chitosan hydrogel group, which were treated accordingly. At 48 h of culture, the percentages of CD206 positive cells were detected by flow cytometry. The number of samples was all 3. Data were statistically analyzed with independent sample t test, one-way analysis of variance, analysis of variance for repeated measurement, least significant difference test, and Dunnett T3 test. Results: Two dressings in test tube had certain fluidity before freeze-thawing and formed semi-solid gels after freeze-thawing for once. The final forms of two dressings in 12-well plates were basically stable and translucent sheets, with little difference in transparency. At 24 h of culture, the cell proliferation activities of L929 and HaCaT in water-soluble chitosan hydrogel group were significantly higher than those in control hydrogel group (with t values of 6.37 and 7.50, respectively, P<0.01). At 1 h of incubation, the hemolysis degree of erythrocyte in water-soluble chitosan hydrogel group was significantly lower than that in Triton X-100 group (P<0.01), but similar to that in normal saline group and control hydrogel group (P>0.05). On PID 0, the traumatic conditions of mice in the 4 groups were similar. On PID 7, more yellowish exudates were observed inside the wound in blank control group and control hydrogel group, while a small amount of exudates were observed in the wound in sulfadiazine silver hydrogel group and water-soluble chitosan hydrogel group. On PID 14, the wounds in blank control group and control hydrogel group were dry and crusted without obvious epithelial coverage; in sulfadiazine silver hydrogel group, the scabs fell off and purulent exudate was visible on the wound; in water-soluble chitosan hydrogel group, the base of wound was light red and obvious epithelial coverage could be observed on the wound. On PID 14, the wound healing rate in water-soluble chitosan hydrogel group was significantly higher than that in the other 3 groups (all P<0.01). On PID 21, the wound in water-soluble chitosan hydrogel group was completely closed, while the wounds in the other 3 groups were not completely healed; the wound healing rate in water-soluble chitosan hydrogel group was significantly higher than that in the other 3 groups (all P<0.01). On PID 14, the concentration of MRSA in the wound in water-soluble chitosan hydrogel group was significantly lower than that in blank control group (P<0.01), but similar to that in control hydrogel group and sulfadiazine silver hydrogel group (P>0.05). On PID 21, the new epidermis was severely damaged in blank control group; the epidermis on the wound in control hydrogel group also had a large area of defect; complete new epidermis had not yet being formed on the wound in sulfadiazine silver hydrogel group; the wound in water-soluble chitosan hydrogel group was not only completely covered by the new epidermis, the basal cells of the new epidermis were also regularly aligned. On PID 21, the percentage of CD31 positivity in the wound in water-soluble chitosan hydrogel group was (2.19±0.35)%, which was significantly higher than (0.18±0.05)% in blank control group, (0.23±0.06)% in control hydrogel group, and (0.62±0.25)% in sulfadiazine silver hydrogel group, all P<0.01. At 48 h of culture, the percentage of CD206 positive Raw264.7 cells in water-soluble chitosan hydrogel group was lower than that in IL-4 group (P>0.01) but significantly higher than that in blank control group and control hydrogel group (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Conclusions: The water-soluble chitosan hydrogel has good biosafety and can induce higher level of macrophage M2 polarization than control hydrogel without water-soluble chitosan, so it can enhance the repair effect of MRSA-infected full-thickness skin defect wounds in diabetic mice and promote rapid wound healing.

Hierarchical hollow superstructure cobalt selenide bird nests for high-performance lithium storage

The inferior cycling performance caused by large volume variation is the main problem that restricts the application of cobalt selenides in lithium-ion batteries. Herein, we synthesize raspberry-like Co-ethylene glycol precursor. It is further selenized into the hierarchical hollow superstructure CoSe₂/CoSe bird nests that are assembled by the hollow nanosphere units of CoSe₂ and CoSe nanocrystalline. CoSe₂/CoSe bird nests achieve excellent cycling performance, high reversible capacity and satisfactory rate capability (1361 mAh/g at 1 A/g after 1000 cycles, 579 mAh/g at 2 A/g after 2000 cycles, 315 mAh/g at 5 A/g after 1000 cycles). Electrochemical kinetics analyses and ex-situ material characterization reveal that the surface capacitive behavior controls the electrochemical reaction, and the composite has low reaction impedance, fast and stable Li⁺ diffusion, and superior structural stability. The superior lithium storage performance is attributed to the unique superstructure bird nest. Large specific surface area, abundant hierarchical pores and the opening mouth result in high electrochemical activity, which induces high reversible capacity. The small hollow nanosphere units, the sufficiently thick hierarchical porous superstructure shell and the large hollow interior bring about the strong synergistic effect to improve cycling performance. The intimately coupling of CoSe₂/CoSe nanocrystalline and the hollow nanosphere units guarantees high conductivity. This work has greatly enriched the understanding of structure design of high-performance cobalt selenide anodes.

P-382 Decrease of serum estradiol prior to human chorionic gonadotrophin administration have an impact on live birth in IVF/ICSI cycles

Study question

Whether decrease of serum estradiol prior to human chorionic gonadotrophin administration have an impact on live birth in IVF/ICSI cycles?

Summary answer

The E2 change before the day of hCG administration had significant correlation with live birth. The live birth rate decreased with decreasing serum E2 level.

What is known already

The objective of this study was to assess the effects of a decrease of estradiol (E2) levels on the day of human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) administration on in vitro fertilization /intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) outcomes, including cycles with long, antagonist and micro stimulus protocols.

Study design, size, duration

In this retrospective cohort study, 1303 patients who received IVF/ICSI non-donor treatment were identified. Patients were divided into two groups according to live birth and the characteristics of IVF/ICSI cycles were compared between groups, including baseline infertility parameters, ovarian stimulation characteristics and embryo laboratory manipulation parameters.

Participants/materials, setting, methods

In this retrospective cohort study, 1303 patients who received IVF/ICSI non-donor treatment were identified. Patients were divided into two groups according to live birth and the characteristics of IVF/ICSI cycles were compared between groups, including baseline infertility parameters, ovarian stimulation characteristics and embryo laboratory manipulation parameters. The multivariate logistic regression model was performed to adjust potential confounders and assess correlation between E2 dynamics before hCG administration and live birth.

Main results and the role of chance

Our results revealed that patients without live birth had higher age (32.13 ± 4.33 vs. 30.21 ± 3.71, P &lt; 0.001) and pervious miscarriages (0.57 ± 0.95 vs. 0.46 ± 0.83, P = 0.0295), while had lower number of oocytes retrieved (8.95 ± 4.69 vs. 12.36 ± 5.54, P &lt; 0.001), day of hCG E2 (8269.53 ± 4104.22 vs. 9580.71 ± 3534.11, P &lt; 0.001) and endometrium thickness (10.37 ± 3.66 vs. 11.50 ± 3.40, P &lt; 0.001) compared with patients with live birth. Additionally, the multivariate logistic regression analysis displayed significant impact of serum E2 change on the live birth, and the achievement of live birth [OR (95%CI) 0.81 (0.71, 0.92), P = 0.001] decreased with the decreasing level of serum E2 before hCG trigger day. Estradiol stratification analyses displayed the OR and 95% CI for the association between △E2 and live birth among patients with different levels of estradiol decline (&lt;25%, 25%–50%, 50%–75%, &gt;75%). Compared with the &lt;25% decline and 25%–50% decline groups, the ORs of 50%–75% and &gt;75% decline groups were 1.66 (95% CI: 1.12-2.45, P = 0.012) and 2.00 (95% CI: 1.39-2.89, P &lt; 0.001), respectively, after adjusting potential confounders.

Limitations, reasons for caution

There was concealment of randomization and blinding of outcome assessments reducing the risk of selection and measurement bias.

Wider implications of the findings

In summary, the E2 change before the day of hCG administration had significant correlation with live birth, and the live birth decreased with the decreasing level of serum E2 before hCG trigger day. The patients with a greater decline in the E2 level more likely to had poor clinical outcomes.

Trial registration number

Chi CTR1900026088

Biodecolorization and Ecotoxicity Abatement of Disperse Dye-Production Wastewater Treatment with Pycnoporus Laccase

The biological treatment efficiency of dye wastewater using activated sludge (AS) is largely limited to the chromaticity and ecotoxicity of dyestuff. To alleviate this limitation, eleven industrial-grade disperse dyes were obtained from a fiber-dyeing factory, and for the first time, we studied the decolorization and detoxification effects of using the Pycnoporus laccase enzyme. Efficient decolorization was achieved with the following conditions: dye concentration 50 mg/L, 1-hydroxybenzotriazole (HBT) 0.15 mM, temperature 65 °C, pH 4, and laccase 0.33 U/mL. The decolorization rate of disperse dyes, ranging from 51 to 96% in this investigation, was highly dependent on the dye type, concentration, laccase loading, and HBT. The ecotoxicity of dyes was evaluated by studying the germination/growth of wheat seed as well as the respiratory rate of aerobic AS. Laccase treatment mitigated the phytotoxicity of dyes because of the higher wheat germination (e.g., increase of 38% for Black ECT 200%) and growth rate (e.g., increase of 91% for Blue 2BLN 200%). The reduced ecotoxicity of decolorized dye solution towards microorganisms was also confirmed by the finding that the oxygen uptake by aerobic AS was increased relative to that of the untreated samples (e.g., increase of 14 folds for Blue HGL 200%). In addition, the chemical oxygen demand (COD) of decolorized dye solution was slightly lower than that without decolorization during the respiratory test. The experimental results suggest that enzymatic decolorization and detoxification can be potentially used as a pretreatment method for disperse dye wastewater followed by AS treatment.

[Isobavachalcone induces cell death through multiple pathways in human breast cancer MCF-7 cells]

OBJECTIVE

To explore the effects of isobavachalcone (IBC) on cell death of human breast cancer MCF-7 cells and explore the possible mechanism.

METHODS

MCF-7 cells were treated with different concentrations of IBC, and the changes in cell proliferation were assessed using MTT assay. Apoptosis of MCF-7 cells following treatment with 10, 20, and 40 μmol/L IBC was analyzed using flow cytometry with annexin V-FITC/PI double staining and fluorescence microscopy, and the expressions of apoptosis- and autophagy-related proteins (Bax, Bcl-2, Akt, p-Akt, p62, and LC3) were detected with Western blotting. Electron microscopy was used to observe the changes in submicrostructure of the cells following treatment with 40 μmol/L IBC. JC-1 assay kit, ATP assay kit, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) kit were used to determine the effect of IBC on mitochondrial function of the cells.

RESULTS

MTT assay showed that IBC significantly inhibited the proliferation of MCF-7 cells in a concentration- and time-dependent manner, with IC₅₀ values of 38.46, 31.31, and 28.26 μmol/L at 24, 48, and 72 h, respectively. IBC also concentration-dependently induced apoptosis of MCF-7 cells. IBC-induced cell death was inhibited by z-VAD-fmk, a caspase inhibitor (P < 0.05), but not by the necroptosis inhibitor necrostatin-1 (Nec-1). Western blotting showed that IBC-induced MCF-7 cell apoptosis by increasing Bax expression and down-regulating the expressions of Bcl-2, Akt and p-Akt-473 (all P < 0.05). With the increase of IBC concentration, the expression of autophagy-related protein p62 and the LC3-II/I ratio increased progressively. Electron microscopy revealed the presence of autophagic bodies in IBC-treated MCF-7 cells. IBC treatment also resulted in decreased mitochondrial membrane potential and intracellular ATP level and increased ROS accumulation in MCF-7 cells (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

IBC is capable of inducing both apoptosis and autophagy in MCF-7 cells, suggesting the potential value of IBC as a lead compound in the development of anti-breast cancer agents.

[Low-dose helical CT projection data restoration using noise estimation]

OBJECTIVE

To build a helical CT projection data restoration model at random low-dose levels.

METHODS

We used a noise estimation module to achieve noise estimation and obtained a low-dose projection noise variance map, which was used to guide projection data recovery by the projection data restoration module. A filtering back-projection algorithm (FBP) was finally used to reconstruct the images. The 3D wavelet group residual dense network (3DWGRDN) was adopted to build the network architecture of the noise estimation and projection data restoration module using asymmetric loss and total variational regularization. For validation of the model, 1/10 and 1/15 of normal dose helical CT images were restored using the proposed model and 3 other restoration models (IRLNet, REDCNN and MWResNet), and the results were visually and quantitatively compared.

RESULTS

Quantitative comparisons of the restored images showed that the proposed helical CT projection data restoration model increased the structural similarity index by 5.79% to 17.46% compared with the other restoration algorithms (P < 0.05). The image quality scores of the proposed method rated by clinical radiologists ranged from 7.19% to 17.38%, significantly higher than the other restoration algorithms (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The proposed method can effectively suppress noises and reduce artifacts in the projection data at different low-dose levels while preserving the integrity of the edges and fine details of the reconstructed CT images.

[An adaptive CT metal artifact reduction algorithm that combines projection interpolation and physical correction]

OBJECTIVE

To propose an adaptive weighted CT metal artifact reduce algorithm that combines projection interpolation and physical correction.

METHODS

A normalized metal projection interpolation algorithm was used to obtain the initial corrected projection data. A metal physical correction model was then introduced to obtain the physically corrected projection data. To verify the effectiveness of the method, we conducted experiments using simulation data and clinical data. For the simulation data, the quantitative indicators PSNR and SSIM were used for evaluation, while for the clinical data, the resultant images were evaluated by imaging experts to compare the artifact-reducing performance of different methods.

RESULTS

For the simulation data, the proposed method improved the PSNR value by at least 0.2 dB and resulted in the highest SSIM value among the methods for comparison. The experiment with the clinical data showed that the imaging experts gave the highest scores of 3.616±0.338 (in a 5-point scale) to the images processed using the proposed method, which had significant better artifact-reducing performance than the other methods (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The metal artifact reduction algorithm proposed herein can effectively reduce metal artifacts while preserving the tissue structure information and reducing the generation of new artifacts.

[Potential transmission risk of key parasitic diseases and responses to the risk during the construction of an ecological city in Shanghai Municipality]

A blueprint on Shanghai's ecological space design between 2021 and 2035 was released in 2021, aiming to build an ecological city and improve the development of ecological civilization. The transmission of parasitic diseases is strongly associated with climate and ecological environments. Currently, the prevalence of parasitic diseases has been maintained at extremely low-transmission levels, and there are almost no local cases; however, the alteration of ecological environments may results in a potential transmission risk of parasitic diseases. Hereby, the current status of key parasitic diseases in Shanghai Municipality was described, and the potential transmission risk of parasitic diseases and responses to this risk were analyzed during the construction of an ecological city in Shanghai Municipality. In addition, the suggestions pertaining to surveillance and management of parasitic diseases were proposed during the mid- and long-term construction of an ecological city in Shanghai Municipality.

[Relationship between body mass index and sexual development in Chinese children]

Objective: To investigate the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and sexual development in Chinese children. Methods: A nationwide multicenter and population-based large cross-sectional study was conducted in 13 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities of China from January 2017 to December 2018. Data on sex, age, height, weight were collected, BMI was calculated and sexual characteristics were analyzed. The subjects were divided into four groups based on age, including ages 3-<6 years, 6-<10 years, 10-<15 years and 15-<18 years. Multiple Logistic regression models were used for evaluating the associations of BMI with sexual development in children. Dichotomous Logistic regression was used to compare the differences in the distribution of early and non-early puberty among normal weight, overweight and obese groups. Curves were drawn to analyze the relationship between the percentage of early puberty and BMI distribution in girls and boys at different Tanner stages. Results: A total of 208 179 healthy children (96 471 girls and 111 708 boys) were enrolled in this study. The OR values of B2, B3 and B4+ in overweight girls were 1.72 (95%CI: 1.56-1.89), 3.19 (95%CI: 2.86-3.57), 7.14 (95%CI: 6.33-8.05) and in obese girls were 2.05 (95%CI: 1.88-2.24), 4.98 (95%CI: 4.49-5.53), 11.21 (95%CI: 9.98-12.59), respectively; while the OR values of G2, G3, G4+ in overweight boys were 1.27 (95%CI: 1.17-1.38), 1.52 (95%CI: 1.36-1.70), 1.88 (95%CI: 1.66-2.14) and in obese boys were 1.27 (95%CI: 1.17-1.37), 1.59 (95%CI: 1.43-1.78), and 1.93 (95%CI: 1.70-2.18) (compared with normal weight Tanner 1 group,all P<0.01). Analysis in different age groups found that OR values of obese girls at B2 stage and boys at G2 stage were 2.02 (95%CI: 1.06-3.86) and 2.32 (95%CI:1.05-5.12) in preschool children aged 3-<6 years, respectively (both P<0.05). And in the age group of 6-10 years, overweight girls had a 5.45-fold risk and obese girls had a 12.54-fold risk of B3 stage compared to girls with normal BMI. Compared with normal weight children, the risk of early puberty was 2.67 times higher in overweight girls, 3.63 times higher in obese girls, and 1.22 times higher in overweight boys, 1.35 times higher in obese boys (all P<0.01). Among the children at each Tanner stages, the percentage of early puberty increased with the increase of BMI, from 5.7% (80/1 397), 16.1% (48/299), 13.8% (27/195) to 25.7% (198/769), 65.1% (209/321), 65.4% (157/240) in girls aged 8-<9, 10-<11 and 11-<12 years, and 6.6% (34/513), 18.7% (51/273), 21.6% (57/264) to 13.3% (96/722), 46.4% (140/302), 47.5% (105/221) in boys aged 9-<10, 12-<13 and 13-<14 years, respectively. Conclusions: BMI is positively correlated with sexual development in both Chinese boys and girls, and the correlation is stronger in girls. Obesity is a risk factor for precocious puberty in preschool children aged 3-<6 years, and 6-<10 years of age is a high risk period for early development in obese girls.

Environmental effects of stratospheric ozone depletion, UV radiation, and interactions with climate change: UNEP Environmental Effects Assessment Panel, Update 2021

The Environmental Effects Assessment Panel of the Montreal Protocol under the United Nations Environment Programme evaluates effects on the environment and human health that arise from changes in the stratospheric ozone layer and concomitant variations in ultraviolet (UV) radiation at the Earth’s surface. The current update is based on scientific advances that have accumulated since our last assessment (Photochem and Photobiol Sci 20(1):1–67, 2021). We also discuss how climate change affects stratospheric ozone depletion and ultraviolet radiation, and how stratospheric ozone depletion affects climate change. The resulting interlinking effects of stratospheric ozone depletion, UV radiation, and climate change are assessed in terms of air quality, carbon sinks, ecosystems, human health, and natural and synthetic materials. We further highlight potential impacts on the biosphere from extreme climate events that are occurring with increasing frequency as a consequence of climate change. These and other interactive effects are examined with respect to the benefits that the Montreal Protocol and its Amendments are providing to life on Earth by controlling the production of various substances that contribute to both stratospheric ozone depletion and climate change.

Charge density waves and Fermi surface reconstruction in the clean overdoped cuprate superconductor Tl2Ba2CuO6+δ

Hall effect and quantum oscillation measurements on high temperature cuprate superconductors show that underdoped compositions have small Fermi surface pockets whereas when heavily overdoped, a single much larger pocket is found. The origin of this change in electronic structure has been unclear, but may be related to the high temperature superconductivity. Here we show that the clean overdoped single-layer cuprate Tl₂Ba₂CuO_6+δ (Tl2201) displays CDW order with a remarkably long correlation length ξ ≈ 200 Å which disappears above a hole doping of p_CDW ≈ 0.265. We show that the evolution of the electronic properties of Tl2201 as the doping is lowered may be explained by a Fermi surface reconstruction which accompanies the emergence of the CDW below p_CDW. Our results demonstrate importance of CDW correlations in understanding the electronic properties of overdoped cuprates.

The origin of the Fermi surface reconstruction that occurs in cuprate superconductors as hole doping increases remains unclear. Here, the authors observe long range charge density wave (CDW) order in the overdoped single-layer cuprate Tl₂Ba₂CuO_6+δ, which then disappears above a hole concentration 0.265, suggesting a correlation between Fermi surface reconstruction and the emergence of the CDW.

Predictive Value of Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index in Older Adult Cancer Patients

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

To compare the association of geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) and controlling nutritional status (CONUT) scores with malnutrition, and to study their association with clinical outcomes in older adult cancer patients.

METHODS

This retrospective analysis was conducted on 854 older adult cancer patients collected from 34 hospitals in 18 cities in China between June and September 2014. Anthropometric and hematological examination results at admission were collected, and subjective global assessment was used. Clinical outcomes, such as complications, length of hospital stays, and hospital costs, were recorded. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to evaluate the accuracy of the two nutritional assessment tools for malnutrition. The association between GNRI and CONUT score and clinical outcomes was analyzed using the chi-square test, t-test, or rank sum test.

RESULTS

Among 854 patients with cancer, the prevalence of malnutrition was 42.7%. Compared with subjective global assessment, the GNRI had a significantly higher accuracy than the CONUT score in predicting malnutrition (area under the curve 0.704, 95% confidence interval, 0.658 - 0.750, P < 0.001). The GNRI was significantly associated with the occurrence of complications (χ2 = 4.985, P = 0.026), and low GNRI (≤98) was associated with a longer length of hospital stay (t = -2.179, P = 0.030).

CONCLUSIONS

The GNRI may be used to assess malnutrition in older adult cancer patients and can predict poor clinical outcomes in these patients.

Sex-specific plasticity in CRF regulation of inhibitory control in central amygdala CRF1 neurons after chronic voluntary alcohol drinking

Despite strong preclinical evidence for the ability of corticotropin releasing factor 1 (CRF1) antagonists to regulate alcohol consumption, clinical trials have not yet demonstrated therapeutic effects of these compounds in alcohol use disorder (AUD) patients. Several confounding factors may limit the translation of preclinical CRF1 research to patients, including reliance on experimenter-administered alcohol instead of voluntary consumption, a preponderance of evidence collected in male subjects only and an inability to assess the effects of alcohol on specific brain circuits. A population of particular interest is the CRF1-containing neurons of the central amygdala (CeA). CRF1 CeA neurons are sensitive to ethanol, but the effects of alcohol drinking on CRF signalling within this population are unknown. In the present study, we assessed the effects of voluntary alcohol drinking on inhibitory control of CRF1+ CeA neurons from male and female CRF1:GFP mice using ex vivo electrophysiology and determined the contributions of CRF1 signalling to inhibitory control and voluntary alcohol drinking. Chronic alcohol drinking produced neuroadaptations in CRF1+ neurons that increased the sensitivity of GABA_A receptor-mediated sIPSCs to the acute effects of alcohol, CRF and the CRF1 antagonist R121919, but these adaptations were more pronounced in male versus female mice. The CRF1 antagonist CP-154,526 reduced voluntary alcohol drinking in both sexes and abolished sex differences in alcohol drinking. The lack of alcohol-induced adaptation in the female CRF1 system may be related to the elevated alcohol intake exhibited by female mice and could contribute to the ineffectiveness of CRF1 antagonists in female AUD patients.

[Prevalence of Clonorchis sinensis infections in freshwater fish in mainland China: A meta-analysis]

OBJECTIVE

To understand the real prevalence of Clonorchis sinensis infections in the freshwater fish in mainland China, so as to provide insights into clonorchiasis control and detection of freshwater fish.

METHODS

All literatures reporting the prevalence of C. sinensis infections in the freshwater fish, the second intermediate host of the parasite, were jointly retrieved in Chinese and English electronic databases from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2020, including Wanfang Data, CNKI, PubMed, Web of Science, Embase and Cochrane Library. All studies were screened based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, and the quality of all enrolled literatures was evaluated. The pooled prevalence of C. sinensis infections in freshwater fish and its 95% confidence interval (CI) were estimated using the software Stata version 15.0, and subgroup analyses were performed to investigate the region-, season- and sample source-specific pooled prevalence of C. sinensis infections in freshwater fish. In addition, the sensitivity and publication bias of all included studies were analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 40 eligible literatures were included in this study, including 37 Chinese literatures and 3 English literatures, and there were 10 high-quality literatures, 27 moderate-quality literatures and 3 low-quality literatures. A total of 53 species containing 37 959 freshwater fish were reported in these 40 studies, and 73.58% (39/53) of freshwater fish species were identified with C. sinensis infections. Meta-analysis showed 23.5% [95% CI: (0.19, 0.28)] pooled prevalence of C. sinensis infections in freshwater fish in mainland China, and subgroup analyses higher prevalence of C. sinensis infections in freshwater fish in northeastern China [35.7%, 95% CI: (0.22, 0.50)] than in central [25.9%, 95% CI: (0.04, 0.48)] and southern China [20.6%, 95% CI: (0.09, 0.32)], higher prevalence of C. sinensis infections in freshwater fish sampled in spring [44.1%, 95% CI: (0.35, 0.53)] than in autumn [6.7%, 95% CI: (0.05, 0.08)] and summer [3.3%, 95% CI: (-0.01, 0.07)], and higher prevalence of C. sinensis infections in freshwater fish sampled from natural water [25.2%, 95% CI: (0.17, 0.33)] than from retail trades [22.2%, 95% CI: (0.17, 0.28)] and breeding chain [12.3%, 95% CI: (0.03, 0.22)]. However, all included studies had a publication bias with a low sensitivity.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of C. sinensis infections is high in freshwater fish in mainland China, and there are still challenges for clonorchiasis control. Reinforcement of health education, diagnostics development and food safety supervision is recommended in future clonorchiasis control programs.

Characterization of genetic fundamentals for piglet mortality at birth in Yorkshire, Landrace, and Duroc sows

Piglet mortality is an economically important complex trait that impacts sow prolificacy. Genetic analyses for piglet mortality at weaning have been reported in dozens of studies, but not for piglet mortality at birth. In this study, we used multi-breed data sets from Yorkshire, Landrace, and Duroc sows to characterize the genetic fundamentals of piglet mortality at birth. The heritabilities from parity I to III were estimated to be 0.0630, 0.1031, and 0.1140 respectively. By using a combined strategy, a total of 21 SNPs were detected in three parities, of which six were observed in parity I, five in parity II and 10 in parity III. Genome annotation revealed that these SNPs were harbored within or close to 19 candidate genes. The candidate genes were found to associate with the reproductive system and embryonic development in the tissue expression database, which are reasonably related to piglet mortality. These findings are expected to provide much information for understanding the genetic and genomic fundamentals of farrowing mortality.

Integrating genome-wide association and transcriptome prediction model identifies novel target genes for osteoporosis

In this study, we integrated large-scale GWAS summary data and used the predicted transcriptome-wide association study method to discover novel genes associated with osteoporosis. We identified 204 candidate genes, which provide novel clues for understanding the genetic mechanism of osteoporosis and indicate potential therapeutic targets.

INTRODUCTION

Osteoporosis is a highly polygenetic disease characterized by low bone mass and deterioration of the bone microarchitecture. Our objective was to discover novel candidate genes associated with osteoporosis.

METHODS

To identify potential causal genes of the associated loci, we investigated trait-gene expression associations using the transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) method. This method directly imputes gene expression effects from genome-wide association study (GWAS) data using a statistical prediction model trained on GTEx reference transcriptome data. We then performed a colocalization analysis to evaluate the posterior probability of biological patterns: associations characterized by a single causal variant or multiple distinct causal variants. Finally, a functional enrichment analysis of gene sets was performed using the VarElect and CluePedia tools, which assess the causal relationships between genes and a disease and search for potential gene's functional pathways. The osteoporosis-associated genes were further confirmed based on the differentially expressed genes profiled from mRNA expression data of bone tissue.

RESULTS

Our analysis identified 204 candidate genes, including 154 genes that have been previously associated with osteoporosis, 50 genes that have not been previously discovered. A biological function analysis found that 20 of the candidate genes were directly associated with osteoporosis. Further analysis of multiple gene expression profiles showed that 15 genes were differentially expressed in patients with osteoporosis. Among these, SLC11A2, MAP2K5, NFATC4, and HSP90B1 were enriched in four pathways, namely, mineral absorption pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, Wnt signaling pathway, and PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, which indicates a causal relationship with the occurrence of osteoporosis.

CONCLUSIONS

We demonstrated that transcriptome fine-mapping identifies more osteoporosis-related genes and provides key insight into the development of novel targeted therapeutics for the treatment of osteoporosis.

The dUTPase of caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus negatively regulates interferon signaling pathway

Background

Deoxyuracil triphosphate nucleotide (dUTP) pyrophosphatase (dUTPase, DU) is an enzyme of caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus (CAEV) that minimizes incorporation of dUTP into the DNA. Caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus relies partly on its ability to escape from innate immunity to cause persistent infections. Interferon β (IFN-β) is an important marker for evaluating the innate immune system, and it has a broad spectrum of antiviral activity.

Aims

This study was conducted to investigate the details of the IFN-β response to CAEV infection.

Methods

The expression of IFN-β and the proliferation of Sendai virus (SeV) and vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) were determined by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The effect of DU on the IFN signaling pathway was evaluated using luciferase reporter assays.

Results

In our study, the expression of IFN-β was significantly inhibited and the proliferation of SeV and VSV was promoted in cells overexpressing CAEV-DU. DU affected interferon stimulated response element (ISRE) and IFN-β promoter activities induced by RIG-I/MDA5/MAVS/TBK1 pathway, while did not affect them induced by interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3-5D).

Conclusion

DU protein downregulated the production of IFN-β by inhibiting the activity of the signal transduction molecules upstream of IRF3, thereby, helping CAEV escape innate immunity. Findings of this work provide an evidence to understand the persistent infection and multiple system inflammation of CAEV.