[Sensitivity and specificity of nucleic acid testing in close contacts of COVID-19 cases in Guangzhou]

Objective: To analyze the sensitivity and specificity of SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid testing in 20 348 close contacts of COVID-19 cases in different prevention and control stages in Guangzhou and to provide scientific evidence for optimizing epidemic response strategies. Methods: A total of 20 348 close contacts of COVID-19 cases in Guangzhou were traced between February 21 and September 22,2020. All the close contacts were tested for the nucleic acid of SARS-CoV-2. The sensitivity and specificity of nucleic acid testing and diagnosis in the different prevention and control stages were compared. Results: In 20 348 close contacts, 12 462 were males (61.24%), the median (P₂₅,P₇₅) of age of them was 31.0 years (23.0,43.0), the median number (P₂₅,P₇₅) of nucleic acid testing for them was 2.0 (1.0,3.0), and the median (P₂₅,P₇₅) of their quarantine days was 12.0 (8.0,13.0) days, respectively. A total of 256 COVID-19 cases were confirmed in the close contacts after seven nucleic acid tests. In the 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd and 7^th nucleic acid testing, the sensitivity and specificity were 69.14% and 99.99% (177 cases confirmed), 89.84% and 99.99% (230 cases confirmed), 97.27% and 99.99% (249 cases confirmed), and 100.00% and 99.98%, respectively. In the three stages of COVID-19 prevention and control in China: domestic case stage, imported case stage, and imported case associated local epidemic stage, the sensitivity of the 1^st nucleic acid testing was 70.68%, 68.00% and 67.35%, and the specificity was 99.98%, 100.00% and 100.00%, respectively. Conclusions: The sensitivity of nucleic acid testing in the close contacts at the different stages were consistent with slight decrease, which might be related to the increased proportion of asymptomatic infections in the late stage of epidemic prevention and control with COVID-19 in Guangzhou. It is suggested to give three nucleic acid tests to improve the sensitivity and reduce false negative risk.

[Choices of emergency treatment and surgical method for ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms]

Objective: To investigate the emergency management process of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (RAAA), and analyze the perioperative mortality factors of different surgical methods. Methods: The emergency data and hospitalization data of 91 patients with ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm in Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from June 2010 to June 2019 were retrospectively analyzed.Twelve of the patients died preoperatively due to excessive blood loss, and the remaining 79 patients were hospitalized for open surgery (OSR) or endovascular repair (EVAR).The differences in age, time to hospital arrival, emergency preparation time, first creatinine value, emergency infusion volume, preoperative drop in blood pressure, preoperative use of vasoactive drugs and iliac artery involvement were compared between preoperative death group (n=12) and preoperative survival group (n=79), OSR group (n=50) and EVAR group (n=29), postoperative death group (n=23) and postoperative survival group (n=56). Results: Seventy-nine patients received open surgery or endovascular repair, and 23 died after operation. Age, time to hospital arrival, first creatinine value and emergency infusion volume were (77±11) years, (18±5)h, (469±150) μmol/L, (4 140±1 743) ml in the preoperative death group and (70±10) years, (12±8) h, (228±174) μmol/L, (1 358±1 211) ml in the preoperative survival group, respectively, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). There were no significant differences in preoperative data, intraoperative treatment and postoperative perioperative mortality between the open surgery group and the endovascular repair group (all P>0.05). The intraoperative blood loss, operation time and aortic occlusion rate in the endovascular repair group were 100 (50, 175) ml, (3.2±0.9) h, 13.8%, respectively, which were better than that in the open surgery group 1700 (600, 3425) ml, (5.2±1.1) h, 100%. The differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). Age, emergency preparation time, first creatinine value, emergency infusion volume, blood pressure decline rate and vasoactive drug utilization rate in the death group were (77±8) years, (4.1±1.7) h, (456±172) μmol/L, (2 024±1 687) ml, 100%, 100%, respectively, and (68±10) years, (2.7±2.2) h, (135±26) μmol/L, (1 085±825) ml, 21.4%, 12.5% in the survival group, respectively. The differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). Conclusions: Age, emergency preparation time, first creatinine value, emergency infusion volume, decreased blood pressure and use of vasoactive drugs are all associated with perioperative death in patients with ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm. EVAR surgery is a better choice if conditions exist.

[A multicenter randomized controlled study of bismuth-containing quadruple therapy followed by Jing-Hua-Wei-Kang in the treatment of patients newly diagnosed with Helicobacter pylori infection and dyspepsia]

Objective: To investigate the Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication rate and improvement of dyspepsia in patients who were newly diagnosed with H. pylori infection and dyspepsia and treated by bismuth-containing quadruple therapy followed by Jing-Hua-Wei-Kang(JHWK). Methods: Patients who were newly diagnosed with dyspepsia and H. pylori infection and treated in 16 medical centers in China between December 1, 2017 and September 30, 2019 were randomly divided into two groups. The experimental group received bismuth-containing quadruple therapy (esomeprazole+amoxicillin+furazolidone+colloidal bismuth pectin capsule, 14 days), followed by JHWK (30 days), and the course of treatment was 44 days in total. In the control group, the administration regimen was bismuth-containing quadruple therapy (esomeprazole+amoxicillin+furazolidone+colloidal bismuth pectin capsule, 14 days). The main outcome measure was H. pylori eradication rate, while the secondary outcome measures were dyspepsia symptom changes and adverse events during the treatment and the 1st month after treatment. Results: A total of 1 054 patients were included in the study. There were 522 cases enrolled in the experimental group, including 224(42.91%) men and 298(57.09%) women, and the age was 53(26, 73) years old; 532 cases enrolled in the control group, including 221(41.54%) men and 311(58.46%) women, and the age was 46(22, 71) years old. Based on PP analysis, it was found that the H. pylori eradication rate in the experimental group was significantly higher than those in the control group (93.85% vs 87.88%, P=0.001). In the group of all enrolled patients, the symptom dyspepsia after H. pylori eradication was significantly improved compared with that before treatment [4(4, 7) vs 15(10, 22), P<0.001], so was the superior and middle abdominal pain [1(1, 4) vs 4(1, 8), P<0.001], the postprandial fullness [1(1, 4) vs 4(4, 9), P<0.001], the early satiety [1(1, 1) vs 4(1, 4), P<0.001], and the heartburn [1(1, 1) vs 1(1, 4), P<0.001]. The symptom dyspepsia after treatment was significantly improved compared with that before treatment in the experimental, the control groups, the successful and the unsuccessful H. pylori eradication groups. The superior and middle abdominal pain after treatment was signifcantly improved than that before treatment [1(1, 2) vs 1(1, 4), P<0.001], so were the postprandial fullness [1(1, 3) vs 1(1, 4), P=0.002] and the dyspepsia[4(4, 7) VS 7(4, 10), P<0.001]. There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of adverse events between the experimental group and the control group (1.34% vs 0.38%, P=0.09). Conclusions: Compared with bismuth-containing quadruple therapy, bismuth-containing quadruple therapy followed by JHWK significantly improves the H. pylori eradication rate without increasing the incidence of adverse events. H. pylori eradication therapy can improve symptoms of patients with H. pylori infection and dyspepsia.

LncRNA SNHG8 promotes cell migration and invasion in breast cancer cell through miR-634/ZBTB20 axis

OBJECTIVE

Small nucleolus RNA Host Gene 8 (SNHG8) belongs to a subgroup of long non-coding RNAs. SNHG8 is upregulated in many cancers, such as gastric cancer, liver cancer, and esophageal squamous cell cancer. However, whether SNHG8 is abnormally expressed in breast cancer and its biological functions remain unclear. Therefore, our research intended to determine the expression status of SNHG8 in breast cancer, explore the effects of SNHG8 on the development of breast cancer, and investigate the potential molecular mechanisms in cancer progression.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The expression levels of SNHG8 were detected in tissue samples and cell lines via qRT-PCR. The effects of SNHG8 on viability of breast cancer cells were detected via CCK-8, EdU, transwell, and flow cytometry analyses.

RESULTS

qRT-PCR results showed that the expression level of SNHG8 was significantly upregulated in tumor tissues and cell lines. Gene functional studies showed that the downregulation of the expression level of SNHG8 significantly inhibited the breast cancer cells migration and invasion, and induced apoptosis. Meanwhile, we found that SNHG8 served as an inhibitor of miR-634 in tumor tissues. SNHG8 may participate in the malignancy of breast cancer by sponging the miR-634 to increase the expression level of ZBTB20.

CONCLUSIONS

The SNHG8-miR-634-ZBTB20 pathway may be a potential target for the treatment of breast cancers.

Cardiometabolic index: a new tool for screening the metabolically obese normal weight phenotype

PURPOSE

People with the metabolically obese normal weight (MONW) phenotype are considered as an extremely high-risk group for unfavorable health consequences, but they are frequently undetected due to deceptive body mass index (BMI) and complex assessment. This study aimed to explore the clinical usefulness of cardiometabolic index (CMI) in identifying MONW individuals.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study involved a total of 47,683 normal-weight subjects aged ≥ 18 years. Participants underwent anthropometrics, routine biochemical tests, and questionnaires for a full evaluation of the metabolic profile. The odds ratio (OR) of CMI and MONW phenotype was determined by the Logistic regression models and the diagnostic accuracy of CMI was evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis.

RESULTS

The prevalence of MONW phenotype was 11.0%. After multivariate adjustment, the ORs for MONW in the highest compared with the lowest quartile of CMI was 71.20 (95% CI 55.19-91.86), and 1-SD increment of CMI brought a 54% additional risk. In ROC analysis, compared with BMI and waist circumference, CMI showed superior performance for identifying MONW individuals with an AUC of 0.853 (95% CI 0.847-0.860) in men and 0.912 (95% CI 0.906-0.918) in women, respectively. Moreover, CMI exhibited the highest diagnostic accuracy in younger age groups (aged 18-34 for men; aged 18-34 and 35-44 for women), in which AUCs surpassed 0.9 in both sexes.

CONCLUSIONS

CMI could be served as a valuable indicator to identify MONW phenotype of Chinese adults, particularly for young people.

Measurement of the Cosmic Ray Helium Energy Spectrum from 70 GeV to 80 TeV with the DAMPE Space Mission

The measurement of the energy spectrum of cosmic ray helium nuclei from 70 GeV to 80 TeV using 4.5 years of data recorded by the Dark Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE) is reported in this work. A hardening of the spectrum is observed at an energy of about 1.3 TeV, similar to previous observations. In addition, a spectral softening at about 34 TeV is revealed for the first time with large statistics and well controlled systematic uncertainties, with an overall significance of 4.3σ. The DAMPE spectral measurements of both cosmic protons and helium nuclei suggest a particle charge dependent softening energy, although with current uncertainties a dependence on the number of nucleons cannot be ruled out.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors and cellular treatment for lymphoma immunotherapy

Malignant lymphoma (ML) is a common hematological malignancy with many subtypes. Patients with ML usually undergo traditional treatment failure and become relapsed or refractory (R/R) cases. Recently, immunotherapy, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and cellular treatment, has gradually emerged and used in clinical trials with encouraging achievements for ML treatment, which exerts anti-tumor activity by blocking the immune evasion of tumor cells and enhancing the attack ability of immune cells. Targets of immune checkpoints include programmed cell death-1 (PD-1), programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4), T cell immunoglobulin and ITIM domain (TIGIT), T cell immunoglobulin-3 (TIM-3) and lymphocyte activation gene 3 (LAG-3). Examples of cellular treatment are chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells, cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells and natural killer (NK) cells. This review aimed to present the current progress and future prospects of immunotherapy in lymphoma, with the focus upon ICIs and cellular treatment.

MIIP inhibits malignant progression of hepatocellular carcinoma through regulating AKT

OBJECTIVE

This study was aimed to investigate the expression characteristics of MIIP in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and to further explore whether it can inhibit the malignant progression of this disease via regulating AKT expression.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) was performed to examine the expression of MIIP in tumor and paracancerous tissue specimens of 39 patients with HCC, and to analyze the interplay between MIIP expression and clinical indicators and prognosis of HCC patients. At the same time, in HCC cell lines, the expression of MIIP was further verified using qRT-PCR. In addition, MIIP overexpression and knockdown models were constructed using lentivirus in HCC cell lines (Bel-7402 and Hep3B), and the influence of MIIP on the biological function of HCC cells was analyzed through CCK-8 and transwell migration assays. Finally, luciferase reporting assay and cell reverse experiments were applied to further explore the potential molecular mechanism and the interaction between MIIP and AKT.

RESULTS

The results of qRT-PCR showed that the expression level of MIIP in HCC tissue samples was remarkably lower than that in adjacent ones, with a statistically significant difference. Compared with patients with high expression of MIIP, patients with low MIIP expression had a higher occurrence of distant metastasis and a lower overall survival rate. Similarly, compared with control group, the proliferation and migration ability of HCC cells in MIIP knockdown group (sh-MIIP) was remarkably enhanced, while the opposite result was observed in MIIP overexpression group. In addition, qRT-PCR results also revealed that AKT and MIIP were negatively correlated in HCC tissues. At the same time, the results of luciferase reporter gene assay demonstrated that MIIP can be targeted by AKT through certain binding site. Additionally, cell reverse experiment found that there might exist a mutual regulation between MIIP and AKT, thereby jointly regulating the malignant progression of HCC.

CONCLUSIONS

MIIP expression is remarkably decreased both in HCC tissues and cell lines; meanwhile, the low expression of MIIP is positively correlated with the occurrence of distant metastasis and poor prognosis of patients with HCC. In addition, MIIP may be able to inhibit the malignant progression of HCC by modulating AKT expression.

CFD simulation of subcooled boiling flow in PWR 5 ⨯ 5 rod bundle

This paper describes the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methodology to simulate the boiling flow in a typical Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) 5 ⨯ 5 rod bundle. The method includes the Eulerian-Eulerian two-fluid model coupled with the improved wall heat partitioning model. The NUPEC PWR Subchannel and Bundle Test (PSBT) International Benchmark are used for validation. The simulated surface averaged void fraction agree well with the experimental data, which indicate the promising application of the present method for modeling the boiling flow in the fuel rod bundle. The main emphasis of current research has been given to the analysis of the phase distribution around and downstream the spacer grid, the effect of the spacer grid structure, including the mixing vanes, the springs and the dimples on the void fraction distribution is investigated. The findings can contribute to a better understanding of three dimensional flow boiling characteristics and can be used to assist in optimizing the spacer grid.

LncRNA GIHCG regulates microRNA-1281 and promotes malignant progression of breast cancer

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate the expression characteristics of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) GIHCG in breast cancer (BCa), and further investigate its role in BCa and its relationship with clinical characteristics and prognosis.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed to examine GIHCG expression in 53 pairs of BCa tumor tissues and adjacent tissues. The interaction between the level of GIHCG and the clinical indicators of BCa and the prognosis of patients was then analyzed. Lentivirus was transfected into BCa cell lines to construct the GIHCG knockdown model. The cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), cell cloning, and 5-Ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) assays were performed to analyze the influence of GIHCG on the biological function of BCa cells, as well as to explore whether it could play a role via modulating microRNA-1281.

RESULTS

QRT-PCR results showed that the GIHCG level was remarkably higher in the BCa tumor tissue than in adjacent ones. Compared with patients with low expression of GIHCG, patients with high expression of GIHCG had higher pathological grades and a lower overall survival. Besides, the proliferation ability of BCa cells in GIHCG knockdown group was significantly decreased compared with NC group. QRT-PCR results indicated that silencing GIHCG increased the expression of miR-1281, thereby promoting the malignant progression of BCa. Also, the silence of miR-1281 reversed the effect of GIHCG on the proliferative capacity of BCa, thus increasing the cell anti-apoptotic ability.

CONCLUSIONS

GIHCG levels were remarkably increased in both BCa tissues and cells, which was related to the pathological stage and poor prognosis of BCa patients. Besides, GIHCG might promote the malignant progression of BCa by inhibiting microRNA-1281.

[C-reactive protein and direct bilirubin as the early diagnostic indicators of primary hepatocellular carcinoma combined with macrovascular invasion]

Objective: To explore the early clinical diagnostic indicators in patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) combined with macrovascular invasion. Methods: The clinical data of 180 cases of HCC diagnosed by histopathology examination in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from 2012 to 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. The factors influencing the development of macrovascular invasion in HCC patients were analyzed. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve) was used to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity. Results: Serum C-reactive protein (CRP) level was significantly correlated with various clinical characteristics of HCC patients, including the maximum tumor diameter, tumor number, and macrovascular invasion. Further analysis of the risk factors showed that serum direct bilirubin and CRP were independent risk factors for macrovascular invasion in HCC patients, with odds ratios of 1.747 (95% CI 1.119-2.728, P = 0.014) and 2.376 (95% CI 1.495-3.775, P < 0.001). ROC curve analysis showed that serum CRP, direct bilirubin, and the combination of the both had certain diagnostic value for hepatocellular carcinoma combined with macrovascular invasion. The area under the curve, sensitivity and specificity was 0.724, 0.668, 0.743, 79.1%, 70.1%, 79.1%, and 61.9%, 62.8%, 67.3%, respectively. Conclusion: The combination of CRP with direct bilirubin can be used as an important clinical diagnostic indicator for early diagnosis and prevention of hepatocellular carcinoma combined with macrovascular invasion.

Dust mite-derived Enterobacterial fimbriae H protein enforces the allergen specific immunotherapy in asthma mice

BACKGROUND

The mite alimentary canal contains plenty of microbiota. It is accepted that some of the microbial products function as adjuvants to speed up immune responses.

OBJECTIVES

We identified five bacterial proteins from dust mite, and Enterobacterial fimbriae H (FimH) was one of them. This study aims to test a hypothesis that the FimH protein enforces immunotherapy in asthmatic mice.

METHODS

Asthmatic mice were treated by allergen specific immunotherapy (ASIT) with rDer f1/f2 or rDer f1/f2 plus FimH. Changes in inflammatory cell infiltration, airway hyperreactivity, frequency of Tregs, splenic CD4⁺IFN-γ⁺ cells, and serum levels of TGF-β, IL-10, IL-13 and IL-17A of asthmatic mice were checked.

RESULTS

ASIT with rDer f1/f2 plus FimH reduced inflammatory cell infiltration, airway hyperreactivity (AHR), and levels of IgE and IgG1 compared to ASIT with rDer f1/f2 alone, but the levels of IgG2a increased. Asthmatic mice that underwent ASIT with rDer f1/f2 plus FimH showed increased frequency of Tregs, splenic CD4⁺IFN-γ⁺ cells, serum levels of TGF-β and IL-10; and deceased splenic CD4⁺IL-4⁺ cells, and serum levels of IL-13 and IL-17A. In vitro study showed FimH triggered IL-10 expression in a concentration dependent manner and facilitated the differentiation of Tregs.

CONCLUSION

Used as an adjuvant, FimH enforces the effect of ASIT in asthmatic mice via augmenting Tregs.

Histone deacetylase HDA19 interacts with histone methyltransferase SUVH5 to regulate seed dormancy in Arabidopsis

Seed dormancy controls the timing of germination and plays a significant role in adaptation and evolution of seed plants. In this study, a yeast two-hybrid, pull-down assay and co-immunoprecipitation assay were used to ascertain the protein relationship of SUVH5 and HDA19. Both qRT-PCR and ChIP-qPCR were used to examine the molecular mechanism of how HDA19 and SUVH5 regulate seed dormancy. The results demonstrated that histone methyltransferase SUVH5 interacted with histone deacetylase HDA19 in vivo and in vitro. In addition, they showed that mutants of HDA19 could deepen seed dormancy, and that SUVH5 had the same effect. The hda19 suvh5 double mutant displayed a higher level of seed dormancy than the single mutants hda19 or suvh5. Moreover, the expression of seed dormancy-related genes increased in hda19, suvh5 and in hda19 suvh5 double mutant plants, which was associated with increased histone H3 acetylation (H3ac), but decreased histone H3 Lys 9 dimethylation (H3K9me2). ChIP assays proved that HDA19 could directly integrate into the chromatin of genes regulating seed dormancy. Taken together, our results show that HDA19 and SUVH5 work together and have a negative role in seed dormancy.

Considerations for Antiplatelet Management of Carotid Stenting in the Setting of Mechanical Thrombectomy: A Delphi Consensus Statement

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

There are only few data and lack of consensus regarding antiplatelet management for carotid stent placement in the setting of endovascular stroke treatment. We aimed to develop a consensus-based algorithm for antiplatelet management in acute ischemic stroke patients undergoing endovascular treatment and simultaneous emergent carotid stent placement.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We performed a literature search and a modified Delphi approach used Web-based questionnaires that were sent in several iterations to an international multidisciplinary panel of 19 neurointerventionalists from 7 countries. The first round included open-ended questions and formed the basis for subsequent rounds, in which closed-ended questions were used. Participants continuously received feedback on the results from previous rounds. Consensus was defined as agreement of ≥70% for binary questions and agreement of ≥50% for questions with >2 answer options. The results of the Delphi process were then summarized in a draft manuscript that was circulated among the panel members for feedback.

RESULTS

A total of 5 Delphi rounds were performed. Panel members preferred a single intravenous aspirin bolus or, in jurisdictions in which intravenous aspirin is not available, a glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor inhibitor as intraprocedural antiplatelet regimen and a combination therapy of oral aspirin and a P2Y12 inhibitor in the postprocedural period. There was no consensus on the role of platelet function testing in the postprocedural period.

CONCLUSIONS

More and better data on antiplatelet management for carotid stent placement in the setting of endovascular treatment are urgently needed. Panel members preferred intravenous aspirin or, alternatively, a glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor inhibitor as an intraprocedural antiplatelet agent, followed by a dual oral regimen of aspirin and a P2Y12 inhibitor in the postprocedural period.

[Comparison of percutaneous pedicle screw placement under O-arm navigation with traditional percutaneous pedicle screw placement in patients with thoracolumbar fractures without neurological symptoms]

Objective: To investigate the accuracy and clinical efficacy of percutaneous pedicle screw placement under O-arm navigation and traditional fluoroscopy in patients with thoracolumbar fractures without neurological symptoms. Methods: From July 2016 to July 2018, 72 patients with thoracolumbar fractures in Peking University International Hospital without neurological symptoms were divided into two groups, group A and group B. In group A, 36 patients underwent the surgery of percutaneous pedicle screw implantation under traditional fluoroscopy and 168 pedicle screws were inserted. In group B, 36 patients underwent the surgery of percutaneous pedicle screw implantation under O-arm guided fluoroscopy and 164 pedicle screws were inserted by the same surgeon. The general condition, operation condition, radiation dose, fluoroscopy time of single screw, screw placement time and accuracy, visual analogue score (VAS) score, Oswestry dysfunction index (ODI), kyphosis Cobb's angle, anterior edge height of 1 week and 6 months after surgery were compared. The data were compared with paired t test between the two groups. Results: There was no significant differences between the two groups in general condition, intraoperative blood loss, length of hospital stay, VAS, ODI, kyphosis Cobb's angle, and anterior edge height of the injured vertebra (all P>0.05). The operation time was (99±14) min in group A and (75±10) min in group B, the average screw setting time was (15.8±2.6) min in group A and (11.8±3.3) min in group B, the fluoroscopy time of each screw was (38.0±2.0) s in group A and (28.5±2.8) s in group B, the radiation dose of each surgery was (563±163) cGy/cm(2) in group A and (378±70) cGy/cm(2) in group B; the above-mentioned data of group A were all superior to those in group B and the differences between the two groups were all statistically significant (t=8.48, 5.73, 16.30, 6.25, all P<0.05). Rampersaud grading in group A was better than group B, and the differences between the two groups was statistically significant(χ(2)=12.2, P<0.05). Conclusion: The O-arm navigation system could not only provide high-definition navigation images and achieve high-precision navigation operations, which is more accurate than traditional pedicle screws placement, but also contribute to the reconstruction of spinal stability and reduce radiation dose, pedicle screws placement and operating time.

Overexpression of miR-150 alleviates mechanical stress-accelerated the apoptosis of chondrocytes via targeting GRP94

OBJECTIVE

A previous study reported that glucose-regulated protein 94 (GRP94) is involved in mechanical stress-induced chondrocyte apoptosis; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unknown. The present study aimed to investigate the post-transcriptional regulatory mechanism of microRNAs (miRs) in mechanical stress-induced chondrocyte apoptosis by targeting GRP94.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate/propidium iodide (PI) staining was conducted to evaluate the apoptosis of chondrocytes. The mRNA and protein expression levels were measured by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting, respectively. The targeted genes were predicted using a bioinformatics tool and further investigated via a luciferase reporter assay.

RESULTS

The results demonstrated that cyclic loading led to significant increases in GRP94 expression in chondrocytes; however, the expression levels of miR-150 were downregulated. Bioinformatics analysis and a luciferase reporter assay indicated that GRP94 was a direct target of miR-150, as the expression of GRP94 was dysregulated following transfection with miR-150 mimics or inhibitors. In addition, mechanical stress-induced chondrocyte apoptosis was suppressed by transfection with miR-150 mimics, while the protective effects of miR-150 mimics in this process were inhibited by GRP94 overexpression.

CONCLUSIONS

MiR-150 upregulation suppressed mechanical stress-induced chondrocyte apoptosis; the underlying molecular mechanism may be mediated, at least partially, via the inhibition of GRP94 expression.

Mechanism of lncRNA FEZF1-AS1 in promoting the occurrence and development of oral squamous cell carcinoma through targeting miR-196a

OBJECTIVE

Previous studies have demonstrated that long non-coding ribonucleic acid (lncRNA) FEZF1-AS1 acts as a cancer-promoting gene. However, no reports have investigated the role of FEZF1-AS1 in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) yet. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore whether FEZF1-AS1 promoted the expression characteristics of OSCC by targeting miR-196a and to further elucidate the underlying mechanism of FEZF1-AS1 in promoting the metastasis of OSCC.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The expression levels of FEZF1-AS1 and miR-196a in 42 pairs of OSCC tissues and para-carcinoma tissues were detected via quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). The correlation of FEZF1-AS1 expression with clinical indexes and prognosis of OSCC patients was analyzed. Moreover, the expression levels of FEZF1-AS1 and miR-196a in OSCC cells were detected via qRT-PCR. FEZF1-AS1 knockdown and miR-196a over-expression models were established using lentivirus transfection in OSCC cell lines (CAL-27 and Tca8113). Subsequently, the influences of FEZF1-AS1 and miR-196a on the biological functions of OSCC cells were analyzed via Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, colony formation assay and 5-Ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) assay, respectively. Furthermore, the potential mechanism was explored using the Luciferase reporter gene and recovery assays.

RESULTS

The results of qRT-PCR proved that the expression level of FEZF1-AS1 in OSCC tissues was significantly higher than that of para-carcinoma tissues, and the difference was statistically significant. The pathological stage was significantly higher in patients with high-expression FEZF1-AS1 than those with low-expression FEZF1-AS1, while the overall survival rate was remarkably lower. The proliferation ability of cells in FEZF1-AS1 silencing group declined significantly when compared with the NC group. Similarly, qRT-PCR results verified that the expression of miR-196a in OSCC cell lines and tissues was significantly reduced as well. Meanwhile, the miR-196a expression was negatively correlated with FEZF1-AS1. Subsequent Luciferase reporter gene assay confirmed that overexpression of miR-196a could markedly reduce the activity of Luciferase containing wild-type FEZF1-AS1 vector rather than decrease the activity of Luciferase containing mutant-type vector or empty vector. These findings further indicated that FEZF1-AS1 could be targeted by miR-196a through this binding site. In addition, recovery assay demonstrates that there was a mutual regulatory effect between FEZF1-AS1 and miR-196a, jointly affecting the malignant progression of OSCC.

CONCLUSIONS

The expression of lncRNA FEZF1-AS1 was markedly up-regulated in OSCC, which was significantly correlated with pathological stage and poor prognosis of OSCC patients. Therefore, it was believed that FEZF1-AS1 might promote the malignant progression of OSCC by regulating miR-196a.

Overexpression of miR-150 alleviates mechanical stress-accelerated the apoptosis of chondrocytes via targeting GRP94

The article "Overexpression of miR-150 alleviates mechanical stress-accelerated the apoptosis of chondrocytes via targeting GRP94, by Z.-Q. Zhang, C.-S. Wang, P. Yang, K.-Z. Wang, published in Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2019; 23 (18): 7775-7785-DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_201909_18987-PMID: 31599403" has been withdrawn from the authors. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. https://www.europeanreview.org/article/18987.

Integrated omics analysis of sweat reveals an aberrant amino acid metabolism pathway in Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease

Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease is an autoimmune disease leading to visual impairment. Its pathogenic mechanisms remain poorly understood. Our purpose was to investigate the distinctive protein and metabolic profiles of sweat in patients with VKH disease. In the present study, proteomics and metabolomics analysis was performed on 60 sweat samples (30 VKH patients and 30 normal controls) using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) analysis was used to validate the results of our omics analysis. In total, we were able to detect 716 proteins and 175 metabolites. Among them, 116 proteins (99 decreased and 17 increased) were observed to be significantly different in VKH patients when compared to controls. Twenty-one differentially expressed metabolites were identified in VKH patients, of which 18 included choline, L-tryptophan, betaine and L-serine were reduced, while the rest were increased. Our multi-omics strategy reveals an important role for the amino acid metabolic pathway in the pathogenesis of VKH disease. Significant differences in proteins and metabolites were identified in the sweat of VKH patients and, to some extent, an aberrant amino acid metabolism pathway may be a pathogenic factor in the pathogenesis of VKH disease.

[Application of the moving epidemic method in the development of epidemic thresholds and tiered warning alert approachs for influenza prevention in Beijing]

Objective: To calculate both the epidemic and intensity thresholds for different levels in Beijing and to establish a tiered alert system in the 2018-2019 influenza season as well as to evaluate the performance of calculated thresholds. Method: Weekly count of influenza-like illness and percentage of influenza-like illness (ILI%) of the last five influenza seasons were modeled by 'moving epidemic method' (MEM) to calculate the influenza epidemic and intensity thresholds at different levels. A cross-validation procedure was used to evaluate the performance. Indicators of Matthew correlation coefficient, Youden's index, sensitivity and specificity were calculated. Results: For weekly count of influenza-like illness, data showed that the epidemic threshold for 2018-2019 influenza season was 12 984 and the medium, high and very high intensity thresholds were 22 503, 37 589, 47 157, respectively. Matthew correlation coefficient of the epidemic threshold was 62% and youden's index as 60% , sensitivity as 69%, specificity as 91%. Data on weekly ILI%, the epidemic threshold for 2018-2019 influenza season was 1.66%, with medium, high and very high intensity thresholds as 2.46%, 3.84% and 4.66%, respectively. The overall Matthew correlation coefficient of the epidemic threshold was 59%, with 54% for the Youden's index, sensitivity as 60% and specificity as 94%. Conclusions: MEM produced a good specific signal for detecting the influenza epidemics and the accuracy of the method was acceptable. The early warning performance regarding the application of weekly count on influenza-like illness was slightly better than ILI%. This method could be applied in the practical influenza epidemic alert "work in Beijing" .

Cosmetic approach selection in parotidectomy for benign parotid gland tumour according to its location

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and aesthetic results when comparing two cosmetic approaches that were employed in parotidectomy according to the tumour location with the traditional Blair approach.

DESIGN

Retrospective study.

SETTING

Tertiary Referral Centre.

PATIENTS

Seventy-six patients were included in the study.

RESULTS

The degree of satisfaction with the cosmetic incision approach was significantly higher than that with the traditional Blair approach. The incidence of transient facial paralysis and salivary fistula were not statistically significant when compared with those in the traditional incision in 6-month follow-up post-operatively.

DISCUSSION

Conventional parotidectomy using the traditional Blair incision (or its modification) usually leaves a visible scar in this region, which can have major adverse impacts on the social or psychological well-being of an individual. To achieve better aesthetic results, according to the location of the benign parotid tumour, two formal cosmetic approach incisions could be performed in parotidectomy, which was superior to the traditional Blair incision. The authors propose that these two cosmetic approaches for parotidectomy can be both technically feasible and safe.

KLF8 promotes cancer stem cell-like phenotypes in osteosarcoma through miR-429-SOX2 signaling

Krüppel-like factor 8 (KLF8) regulates critical gene transcription associated with different types of cancer. A novel paradigm in tumor biology suggests that the initiation and progression of osteosarcoma (OS) are driven by osteosarcoma stem cell-like cells (OSCs), but the role and underlying mechanisms of KLF8 in OSCs are poorly elucidated. In this study, an obviously increased level of KLF8 is shown in 9 out of 10 primary OS tissues and is associated with the poor progression-free interval. Significantly, KLF8 expression in CD133+ OSCs is higher than that in CD133- counterparts. By knocking down KLF8 in CD133+ OSCs, we show that si-KLF8-OSCs can hardly form compact spheres. In the meantime, infection with si-KLF8 in CD133+ OSCs results in the downregulation of OCT4 and SOX2; increased adriamycin (ADM) sensitivity; and decreased tumorigenic potential in vivo. Mechanisms study demonstrates that KLF8 directly binds the miR-429 promoter region and regulates its expression transcriptionally. Furthermore, we indicate that miR-429 directly targets SOX2 to mediate cancer stem cell-like features in CD133+ OSCs. In the clinic, miR-429 levels are negatively associated with KLF8 levels in OS, suggesting that an elevated KLF8/miR-429 ratio may have clinical value as a predictive biomarker. In conclusion, targeting the KLF8-miR-429-SOX2 signaling pathway may provide an effective therapeutic approach to suppress the initiation and progression of OS.

Effects of nalmefene hydrochloride on TLR4 signaling pathway in rats with lung ischemia-reperfusion injury

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effect of nalmefene hydrochloride on TLR4 signaling pathway in rats with lung ischemia-reperfusion injury.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Altogether 64 pure inbred male SD rats were divided into groups A, B, C, and D according to the principle of body weight similarity, with 24 rats in each group. Four groups of rats were respectively twisted on the left testis to establish unilateral testicular torsion rats. Group A was the control group, treated with normal saline, group B was the nalmefene hydrochloride high-dose group, treated with 20 μg/kg of nalmefene hydrochloride, group C was the nalmefene hydrochloride low-dose group, treated with 10 μg/kg of nalmefene hydrochloride, and group D was the sham operation group. Lung tissue was collected 60 h later. Western blotting was used to detect the expression levels of HMGB1, TLR4, CD14, and NF-κB protein, qPCR was used to detect the mRNA expression level, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the expression levels of inflammatory factors IL-17, IL-6, and ICAM-1.

RESULTS

The expression levels of HMGB1, TLR4, CD14, NF-κB protein, mRNA, IL-17, IL-6, and ICAM-1 in group A were significantly higher than those in groups B, C, and D (p<0.05), while were significantly lower in group D than in groups B and C (p<0.05), and were significantly lower in group B than in group C (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Nalmefene hydrochloride can effectively inhibit the signal pathway of TLR4, and can effectively reduce the injury caused by lung ischemia-reperfusion. The large dose is closely related to the good effect, which is worthy of promotion.

Classification of Thyroid Nodules with Stacked Denoising Sparse Autoencoder

PURPOSE

Several commercial tests have been used for the classification of indeterminate thyroid nodules in cytology. However, the geographic inconvenience and high cost confine their widespread use. This study aims to develop a classifier for conveniently clinical utility.

METHODS

Gene expression data of thyroid nodule tissues were collected from three public databases. Immune-related genes were used to construct the classifier with stacked denoising sparse autoencoder.

RESULTS

The classifier performed well in discriminating malignant and benign thyroid nodules, with an area under the curve of 0.785 [0.638-0.931], accuracy of 92.9% [92.7-93.0%], sensitivity of 98.6% [95.9-101.3%], specificity of 58.3% [30.4-86.2%], positive likelihood ratio of 2.367 [1.211-4.625], and negative likelihood ratio of 0.024 [0.003-0.177]. In the cancer prevalence range of 20-40% for indeterminate thyroid nodules in cytology, the range of negative predictive value of this classifier was 37-61%, and the range of positive predictive value was 98-99%.

CONCLUSION

The classifier developed in this study has the superb discriminative ability for thyroid nodules. However, it needs validation in cytologically indeterminate thyroid nodules before clinical use.

The Effect of Inflammation on the Formation of Thyroid Nodules

BACKGROUND

Some studies have demonstrated that inflammation is highly associated with the prevalence of thyroid nodules (TNs). However, more confounders, such as metabolic diseases, should be adjusted.

METHODS

A clinical study collecting 2722 subjects was conducted to confirm the association between inflammation and TNs. The underlying mechanism was investigated in combination with bioinformatics analysis.

RESULTS

In the clinical study, propensity score matching was used to match metabolic parameters and other confounders, and it is observed that subjects with high inflammation had a higher prevalence of TNs and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) than those with low inflammation. After further matching TNs, it is found that inflammation was positively associated with TSH, which was also demonstrated in a population without TNs. In bioinformatics study, inflammation did not promote TNs formation directly. Instead, it inhibited the synthesis of thyroid hormone, which might be the cause of the elevated TSH coexisting with inflammation.

CONCLUSION

Inflammation promotes the development of TNs disease, probably due to its indirect effect through inhibiting the synthesis of thyroid hormone, which results in the elevation of TSH.

Molecular dynamics discovery of an extraordinary ionic migration mechanism in dislocation-containing TlBr crystals

MD simulation of dislocation migration under an electrical field.

Characterization of in vivo autophagy during avian spermatogenesis1

Spermatogenesis is a complex cellular process that includes many subcellular events that are essential for the production of healthy spermatozoa. Autophagy is a physiological process that plays a significant role in the process of spermatogenesis; however, autophagy during avian spermatogenesis has not yet been reported. In the current study, we characterized in vivo autophagy throughout the process of domestic fowl spermatogenesis. Autophagy-specific markers, including microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 (LC3), sequestosome 1 (p62), and autophagy-related 7 (Atg7), were used to confirm the occurrence of autophagy in testicular germ cells. The protein expression of Atg7, LC3, and p62 in domestic fowl testes was confirmed by Western blotting. The immunohistochemical staining indicated a strong localization of LC3 and Atg7 within spermiogenic cells (intermediate and late spermatids) and primary spermatocytes. However, poorly expressed in cells (spermatogonia) that were located near the basement membrane. The immunofluorescence staining results showed the opposite tendency for LC3 and p62. LC3 was more strongly localized within the elongated spermatids, while p62 was strongly localized within the early spermatids. Moreover, the ultrastructural components of autophagy were revealed by transmission electron microscopy. Well-developed autophagosomes and multivesicular bodies were found to be prominent in primary spermatocytes (zygotene and pachytene) and spermiogenic cells. Furthermore, other vesicular structures, such as early endosomes and amphisomes, were also observed during spermatogenesis. The above findings collectively suggest that autophagy is active during spermatogenesis and that the level of autophagy increases from the basal to the luminal regions of the seminiferous tubules of domestic fowl testes. We propose that autophagic pathways may be involved in multiple functions to sustain spermatogenesis.

Monitoring of optical emissions in laser cladding of 316L stainless steel

Laser cladding is so complex that small disturbances may cause defects. Developing on-line monitoring technology for laser cladding is thus a priority task. Compared with expensive spectrometers and high-speed cameras, an economical optical sensing system based on two different photodiodes was established to optimize laser parameters and help monitor abnormal working conditions. In order to find optimal parameters, a series of experiments was carried out under different operating parameters such as laser power, scanning speed, and powder feeding rate. A practical rule is summarized to optimize process parameters by analyzing the time domain characteristics of the optical signal. Several experiments under different working conditions were performed to detect abnormal working conditions. Not only can an abnormal situation be recognized, but its type can also be distinguished by analyzing optical signals in the time and frequency domains. The optical sensing system provides a better understanding and accurate evaluation of laser cladding.

LncRNATCF7 up-regulates DNMT1 mediated by HPV-18 E6 and regulates biological behavior of cervical cancer cells by inhibiting miR-155

OBJECTIVE

This work aimed to study the mechanism of lncRNATCF7 upregulating DNMT1 mediated by HPV-18 E6 and regulating the biological behavior of cervical cancer cells by inhibiting miR-155.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

HPV-16 E6 enhanced DNMT1 expression in cervical cancer cells, which was detected by Western blotting. The expression of miR-155 in cervical cancer was detected by qPCR, the interaction between TCF-7 and miR-155 by Dual-luciferase reporter gene. The changes in invasion ability of cervical cancer cells and the effect of miR-155 on the invasion ability of cervical cancer cells after inhibiting TCF-7 were detected by the transwell invasion assay, while changes in migration ability of cervical cancer cells and the effect of miR-155 on migration ability of cervical cancer cells after inhibiting TCF-7 were observed by the scratch assay. The effect of inhibiting TCF-7 on the tumor size and volume of cervical cancer was detected by the subcutaneous tumor formation in nude mice.

RESULTS

E6 expression was significantly inhibited by E6 siRNA. The knockdown of endogenous HPV-16 E6 markedly inhibited the expression of DNMT1; TCF-7 specifically bound to the 3' UTR of miR-155; inhibition of TCF-7 can inhibit invasion and migration of cervical cancer cells; enhanced miR-155 after the inhibition of TCF-7 can promote the invasion and migration of cervical cancer cells; compared with NC group, the tumor volume and weight of TCF-7-siRNA group tumor-bearing was significantly reduced.

CONCLUSIONS

TCF-7 plays an important role in the development of cervical cancer. TCF-7 can target miR-155 to regulate the invasion and migration of cervical cancer cells.