[Evaluation of severity and prognosis of acute pancreatitis by CT severity index and modified CT severity index]

Objectives: To explore the role of computed tomography (CT) severity index (CTSI) and modified CT severity index (MCTSI) in assessing the severity of acute pancreatitis (AP) under the revised Atlanta classification (RAC) and predicting the clinical prognosis. Methods: Based on the prospectively entered AP database, the clinical data of consecutive adult AP inpatients admitted to the Department of Gastroenterology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University from January 2012 to December 2020 were retrospectively screened. The imaging data were independently evaluated by two radiologists and entered to the database to calculate the CTSI and MCTSI scores. Their relationship with the difference of RAC severity grade and clinical prognosis was analyzed. Compared with Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Assessment Ⅱ (APACHE Ⅱ) score, the receiver operating characteristic curve was used to evaluate the predictive value of CTSI and MCTSI scores for persistent organ failure and infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN). Results: A total of 2 612 patients with AP, aged (50±15) years, were included in the study, including 1 547 males (59.2%) and 1 065 females (40.8%). According to RAC standard, AP was divided into 699 cases (26.8%) of mild pancreatitis (MAP), 1 098 cases (42.0%) of moderately severe pancreatitis (MSAP), and 815 cases (31.2%) of severe pancreatitis (SAP). MCTSI judged AP severity similarly to RAC, with 668 cases of MAP (25.6%), 1 207 cases of MSAP (46.2%) and 737 cases of SAP (28.2%), while CTSI judged SAP patients less(400 cases, 15.3%). The severity of AP determined by CTSI and MCTSI scores was significantly correlated with clinical prognosis (r=0.06-0.43, all P<0.05). Compared with APACHE Ⅱ score, CTSI had the highest area under the curve (AUC) for predicting IPN (AUC=0.85, 95%CI: 0.83-0.87), followed by MCTSI (AUC=0.82, 95%CI: 0.80-0.85). APACHE Ⅱ was more accurate in predicting persistent organ failure than CTSI and MCTSI scores,with AUC of 0.73 (95%CI: 0.71-0.75), 0.72 (95%CI: 0.70-0.74) and 0.72 (95%CI: 0.70-0.74), respectively. Conclusions: AP severity judged by MCTSI is consistent with RAC, and SAP patients judged by CTSI are less than RAC. CTSI and MCTSI are significantly correlated with clinical prognosis. CTSI and MCTSI have higher accuracy in predicting IPN, but lower accuracy in predicting persistent organ failure than APACHE Ⅱ.

Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering Cross Section at High Bjorken x_{B}

We report high-precision measurements of the deeply virtual Compton scattering (DVCS) cross section at high values of the Bjorken variable x_{B}. DVCS is sensitive to the generalized parton distributions of the nucleon, which provide a three-dimensional description of its internal constituents. Using the exact analytic expression of the DVCS cross section for all possible polarization states of the initial and final electron and nucleon, and final state photon, we present the first experimental extraction of all four helicity-conserving Compton form factors (CFFs) of the nucleon as a function of x_{B}, while systematically including helicity flip amplitudes. In particular, the high accuracy of the present data demonstrates sensitivity to some very poorly known CFFs.

[Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 particapates in ozone-induced lung inflammation and airway remodeling in mice]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the roles of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in ozone-induced pulmonary inflammation and airway remodeling in mice.

METHODS

Sixteen wild-type (WT) C57BL/6J mice and 16 ACE2 knock-out (KO) mice were exposed to either filtered air or ozone (0.8 ppm) for 3 h per day for 5 consecutive days. Masson's staining and HE staining were used to observe lung pathologies. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was collected and the total cell count was determined. The total proteins and cytokines in BALF were determined by BCA and ELISA method. The transcription levels of airway remodeling-related indicators in the lung tissues were detected using real-time quantitative PCR. The airway resistance of the mice was measured using a small animal ventilator with methacholine stimulation.

RESULTS

Following ozoneexposure ACE2 KO mice had significantly higher lung pathological scores than WT mice (P < 0.05). Masson staining results showed that compared with ozone-exposed WT mice, ozone-exposed ACE2 KO mice presented with significantly larger area of collagen deposition in the bronchi [(19.62±3.16)% vs (6.49±1.34)%, P < 0.05] and alveoli [(21.63±3.78)% vs (4.44±0.99)%, P < 0.05]. The total cell count and total protein contents in the BALF were both higher in ozone-exposed ACE2 KO mice than in WT mice, but these differences were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). The concentrations of IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α, CXCL1/KC and MCP-1 in the BALF were all higher in ozone-exposed ACE2 KO mice than in ozone-exposed WT mice, but only the difference in IL-1β was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The transcription levels of MMP-9, MMP-13, TIMP 4, COL1A1, and TGF-β in the lung tissues were all significantly higher in ozone-exposed ACE2 KO mice (P < 0.01). No significant difference was found in airway resistance between ozone-exposed ACE KO mice and WT mice after challenge with 0, 10, 25, or 100 mg/mL of methacholine.

CONCLUSION

ACE2 participates in ozone-induced lung inflammation and airway remodeling in mice.

The effect of salvianolate on cardiomyocyte remodeling improvement after myocardial infarction through calcineurin/nuclear factor C3 of the activated T cell/B-myosin heavy chain pathway regulation

Enormous evidences in clinic and experimental studies have demonstrated that salvianolate (Sal) could treat cardiovascular diseases such as myocardial infarction (MI), but the underlying mechanism was still needed to be explored. This study aims to investigate the effect of Sal on cardiomyocyte remodeling after MI in rats and explore whether the possible mechanism was related to decreasing the β-myosin heavy chain (β-MHC) expression in cardiomyocytes via the calcineurin (CaN)/nuclear factor C3 of the activated T cell (NFATc3) pathway. Both MI model and angiotensin II induced primary myocardial cells obtained from rats were used in this study. After treatment with Sal, the cardiac function was assessed by color Doppler echocardiography, while MI area, myocardial cell area and heart mass index (HMI) were analyzed via Masson and hematoxylin and eosin staining (HE) stain, respectively. Additionally, CaN activity, and CaN, NFATc3, β-MHC mRNA and protein expressions in myocardial tissue and myocardial cells were tested via corresponding methods, mainly including real-time fluorescence-based quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), Western blot (WB), immunohistochemistry and fluorescence staining analysis. As a result we obtained the high dose of Sal in vivo could perform beneficial effects on cardiomyocyte remodeling of MI rats, mainly manifesting as improving fractional shortening and ejection fraction rates, reducing the MI area, myocardial cross-sectional area and HMI (P<0.05, 0.01), inhibiting the activity of CaN in myocardial tissue, down-regulating b-MHC mRNA and protein expressions, and decreasing the nuclear translocation of NFATc3 (P<0.05). In the in vitro experiments, 10 μmol/L of Sal could inhibit the increase of the myocardial cell area and CaN activity, down-regulate the mRNA and protein of CaN A subunit, β-MHC; and inhibit the nuclear translocation of NFATc3 (P<0.05, 0.01). In conclusion: use of Sal can improve cardiomyocyte remodeling and down-regulate the expression of β-MHC in cardiomyocytes, of which the mechanism might be related to the reduction of the nuclear translocation of NFATc3 as well as the down-regulation of CaNA subunit expression and/or the inhibition of CaN activity. The results will provide a laboratory basis for the clinical application of Sal.

[Impact of prolonging dual antiplatelet therapy on long-term prognosis of elderly patients with coronary heart disease complicated with diabetes mellitus undergoing drug-eluting stent implantation]

Objective: To explore and compare the effect of standard or prolonged dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) on the long-term prognosis of elderly patients with coronary heart disease complicated with diabetes mellitus after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation. Methods: Consecutive patients with diabetes mellitus, ≥65 years old, underwent DES implantation, and had no adverse events within 1 year after operation underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) from January to December 2013 in Fuwai Hospital were enrolled in this prospective cohort study. These patients were divided into three groups according to DAPT duration: standard DAPT duration group (11 ≤ DAPT duration≤ 13 months) and prolonged DAPT duration group (13<DAPT duration≤ 24 months; DAPT duration>24 months). All the patients were followed up at 1, 6 months, 1, 2 and 5 years in order to collect the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE), and type 2 to 5 bleeding events defined by the Federation of Bleeding Academic Research (BARC). MACCE were consisted of all cause death, myocardial infarction, target vessel revascularization or stroke. The incidence of clinical adverse events were compared among 3 different DAPT duration groups, and Cox regression model were used to analyze the effect of different DAPT duration on 5-year long-term prognosis. Results: A total of 1 562 patients were enrolled, aged (70.8±4.5) years, with 398 female (25.5%). There were 467 cases in standard DAPT duration group, 684 cases in 13<DAPT duration≤ 24 months group and 411 cases in DAPT duration>24 months group. The patients in standard DAPT duration group and the prolonged DAPT duration groups accounted for 29.9% (467/1 562) and 70.1% (1 095/1 562), respectively. The 5-year follow-up results showed that the incidence of all-cause death in 13<DAPT duration≤ 24 months group (4.8%(33/684) vs. 8.6%(40/467),P=0.011) and DAPT duration>24 month group(4.1%(17/411) vs. 8.6%(40/467),P=0.008) were significantly lower than in standard DAPT group. The incidence of myocardial infarction in 13<DAPT duration≤ 24 months group was lower than in standard DAPT duration group (1.9%(13/684) vs. 5.1%(24/467),P=0.002). The incidence of MACCE in 13<DAPT duration≤ 24 months group was the lowest (standard DAPT duration group, 13<DAPT duration≤ 24 months group and DAPT duration>24 month group were 19.3% (90/467), 12.3% (84/684), 20.2% (83/411), respectively, P<0.001). There was no significant difference in the incidence of stroke and bleeding events among the three groups (all P>0.05). Multivariate Cox analysis showed that compared with the standard DAPT group, prolonged DAPT to 13-24 months was negatively correlated with MACCE (HR=0.601, 95%CI 0.446-0.811, P=0.001), all-cause death (HR=0.568, 95%CI 0.357-0.903, P=0.017) and myocardial infarction (HR=0.353, 95%CI 0.179-0.695, P=0.003). DAPT>24 months was negatively correlated with all-cause death (HR=0.687, 95%CI 0.516-0.913, P=0.010) and positively correlated with revascularization (HR=1.404, 95%CI 1.116-1.765, P=0.004). There was no correlation between prolonged DAPT and bleeding events. Conclusions: For elderly patients with coronary heart disease complicated with diabetes mellitus underwent DES implantation, and had no MACCE and bleeding events within 1 year after operation, appropriately prolonging of the DAPT duration is related to the reduction of the risk of cardiovascular adverse events. Patients may benefit the most from the DAPT between 13 to 24 months. In addition, prolonging DAPT duration does not increase the incidence of bleeding events in this patient cohort.

Serum untargeted lipidomics by UHPLC-ESI-HRMS aids the biomarker discovery of colorectal adenoma

BACKGROUND

Colorectal adenoma (CA) is an important precancerous lesion and early screening target of colorectal cancer (CRC). Lipids with numerous physiological functions are proved to be involved in the development of CRC. However, there is no lipidomic study with large-scale serum samples on diagnostic biomarkers for CA.

METHODS

The serum lipidomics of CA patients (n = 50) and normal control (NR) (n = 50) was performed by ultra high performance liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry with electrospray ionization (UHPLC-ESI-HRMS). Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses were utilized to screen the differential lipids between groups, and combining the constituent ratio analysis and diagnostic efficiency evaluation by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve disclosed the potential mechanism and biomarkers for CA.

RESULTS

There were obvious differences in serum lipid profiles between CA and NR groups. Totally, 79 differential lipids were selected by criterion of P < 0.05 and fold change > 1.5 or < 0.67. Triacylglycerols (TAGs) and phosphatidylcholines (PCs) were the major differential lipids with ratio > 60%, indicating these two lipid metabolic pathways showed evident disequilibrium, which could contribute to CA formation. Of them, 12 differential lipids had good diagnostic ability as candidate biomarkers for CA (AUC ≥ 0.900) by ROC analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

To our knowledge, this is the first attempt to profile serum lipidomics and explore lipid biomarkers of CA to help early screening of CRC. 12 differential lipids are obtained to act as potential diagnostic markers of CA. PCs and fatty acids were the main dysregulated biomarkers for CA in serum.

Form Factors and Two-Photon Exchange in High-Energy Elastic Electron-Proton Scattering

We present new precision measurements of the elastic electron-proton scattering cross section for momentum transfer (Q^{2}) up to 15.75  (GeV/c)^{2}. Combined with existing data, these provide an improved extraction of the proton magnetic form factor at high Q^{2} and double the range over which a longitudinal or transverse separation of the cross section can be performed. The difference between our results and polarization data agrees with that observed at lower Q^{2} and attributed to hard two-photon exchange (TPE) effects, extending to 8  (GeV/c)^{2} the range of Q^{2} for which a discrepancy is established at >95% confidence. We use the discrepancy to quantify the size of TPE contributions needed to explain the cross section at high Q^{2}.

Serum Untargeted UHPLC-HRMS-Based Lipidomics to Discover the Potential Biomarker of Colorectal Advanced Adenoma

Background

As a key precancerous lesion, colorectal advanced adenoma (CAA) is closely related to the occurrence and development of colorectal cancer (CRC). Effective identification of CAA-related biomarkers can prevent CRC morbidity and mortality. Lipids, as an important endogenous substance, have been proved to be involved in the occurrence and development of CRC. Lipidomics is an advanced technique that studies lipid metabolism and biomarkers of diseases. However, there are no lipidomics studies based on large serum samples to explore diagnostic biomarkers for CAA.

Methods

An integrated serum lipid profile from 50 normal (NR) and 46 CAA subjects was performed using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS). Lipidomic data were acquired for negative and positive ionization modes, respectively. Differential lipids were selected by univariate and multivariate statistics analyses. A receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC) analysis was conducted to evaluate the diagnostic performance of differential lipids.

Results

A total of 53 differential lipids were obtained by combining univariate and multivariate statistical analyses (P < 0.05 and VIP > 1). In addition, 12 differential lipids showed good diagnostic performance (AUC > 0.90) for the discrimination of NR and CAA by receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis. Of them, the performance of PC 44:5 and PC 35:6e presented the outstanding performance (AUC = 1.00, (95% CI, 1.00–1.00)). Moreover, triglyceride (TAG) had the highest proportion (37.74%) as the major dysregulated lipids in the CAA.

Conclusion

This is the first study that profiled serum lipidomics and explored lipid biomarkers with good diagnostic ability of CAA to contribute to the early prevention of CRC. Twelve differential lipids that effectively discriminate between NR and CAA serve as the potential diagnostic markers of CAA. An obvious perturbation of TAG metabolism could be involved in the CAA formation.

Deep Exclusive Electroproduction of π^{0} at High Q^{2} in the Quark Valence Regime

We report measurements of the exclusive neutral pion electroproduction cross section off protons at large values of x_{B} (0.36, 0.48, and 0.60) and Q^{2} (3.1 to 8.4  GeV^{2}) obtained from Jefferson Lab Hall A experiment E12-06-014. The corresponding structure functions dσ_{T}/dt+εdσ_{L}/dt, dσ_{TT}/dt, dσ_{LT}/dt, and dσ_{LT^{'}}/dt are extracted as a function of the proton momentum transfer t-t_{min}. The results suggest the amplitude for transversely polarized virtual photons continues to dominate the cross section throughout this kinematic range. The data are well described by calculations based on transversity generalized parton distributions coupled to a helicity flip distribution amplitude of the pion, thus providing a unique way to probe the structure of the nucleon.

Changes of the intestinal microbiota along the gut of Japanese Eel (Anguilla japonica)

Fish intestine contains different types of microbiomes, and bacteria are the dominant microbiota in fishes. Studies have identified various core gut bacteria in fishes. However, little is known about the composition and their relative functions of gut microbial community along the intestine. To explore this, the current study investigated the microbial community distribution along the gut in Anguilla japonica. By 16S rRNA gene sequencing, we profiled the gut microbiota in eel along the three regions (anterior intestine (AI), the middle intestine (MI) and the posterior intestine (PI)). Results suggested that the three regions did not have significant differences on the observed species and diversities. The cluster tree analysis showed that the bacteria community in MI was closer to PI than the AI. The dominant bacteria in AI were the Proteobacteria, in which the majority was graduated replaced by Bacteroidetes along the gut to PI region. Through PICRUSt analysis, shifts in the bacterial community along the gut were found to affect the genetic information processing pathways. Higher levels of translation and transcriptional pathway activities were found in MI and PI than in AI. The dominant bacterial species were different among the regions and contributed to various biological functions along the gut.

Integrative analysis of the characteristics of lipid metabolism-related genes as prognostic prediction markers for hepatocellular carcinoma

OBJECTIVE

Dysregulated lipid metabolism has been reported in the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In the present study, we investigated the molecular characteristics of lipid-metabolism-related genes (IMRGs) as prognostic markers for HCC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Multi-dimensional bioinformatics analyses were performed to comprehensively analyze IMRGs, and to construct prognostic prediction signatures.

RESULTS

Data of 770 HCC patients and their corresponding 776 IMRGs were downloaded from three databases. Patients were classified into 2 molecular clusters that were associated with overall survival, clinical characteristics, and immune cells. The biological functions of the IMRGs differentially expressed between the 2 clusters were associated with tumor-related metabolic pathways. A 6 IMRG signature (6-IS), consisting of FMO3, SLC11A1, RNF10, KCNH2, ME1, and ZIC2, was established as an independent prognostic factor for HCC. The performance of the signature of 6-IS prognostic was verified in a validation set and compared to an external data set. It was revealed that the 6-IS could effectively predict the prognosis of patients with HCC.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides new insights into the role of IMRGs in the pathogenesis of HCC, and presents a novel signature (6-IS) to predict the prognosis of HCC.

[Effect of long non-coding RNA MBNL1-AS1 expression on prognosis of acute myeloid leukemia patients]

Objective: To explore the prognosis effect of the expression of long-chain non-coding RNA (lncRNA) MBNL1-AS1 on acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. Methods: One hundred and twenty-five AML patients of the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) from November 2001 to March 2010 were involved, including 70 patients who received chemotherapy only and other 55 patients treated with allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) in addition to chemotherapy. According to the median expression of lncRNA MBNL1-AS1, patients of chemotherapy group were divided into high expression sub-group(n=35) and low expression sub-group (n=35), and patients of allo-HSCT group were also divided into high expression sub-group (n=28) and low expression sub-group (n=27) for prognosis analysis. Clinical characteristics at diagnosis, including peripheral white blood cell counts (WBC), blast percentages in peripheral blood and bone marrow (BM), French-American-British (FAB) subtypes and the frequencies of common genetic mutations in AML were described. The event-free survival (EFS) rate and overall survival (OS) rate of patients in different groups were analyzed, and the influence of the clinical characteristics of patients on the prognosis of AML was analyzed by COX multivariate analysis. Results: In the chemotherapy group, patients with low lncRNA-MBNL1-AS1 expression had significantly lower EFS and OS (60.0%, 8.6%) than patients with high lncRNA-MBNL1-AS1 expression (68.6%, 34.3%) (χ²=7.817, 10.880, all P<0.01). However, in the alloHSCT group, no significant differences were observed in EFS and OS of patients between high and low expression groups of lncRNA-MBNL1-AS1 (all P>0.05). COX multivariate analysis confirmed that age≥60 years old (EFS: HR (95%CI): 6.934 (1.918-25.075),P=0.003;OS: HR (95%CI): 4.119 (1.812-9.364), P=0.001), and low expression of lncRNA MBNL1-AS1 (EFS: HR (95%CI): 0.354 (0.126-0.941), P=0.038; OS: HR (95%CI): 0.424 (0.231-0.778), P=0.006)were independent risk factors for EFS and OS in the chemotherapy group. Conclusion: The long-chain non-coding RNA MBNL1-AS1 is related to the prognosis of AML, and its low expression is an independent poor prognostic factor in AML patients.

[A cohort study of maternal pregnancy-related anxiety at different trimesters and infants' neurobehavioral development]

Objective: To investigate the influence and critical period of pregnancy-related anxiety during pregnancy on the neurobehavioral development of infants. Methods: The subjects of this study were derived from the Ma'anshan Birth Corhot. From May 2013 to September 2014, a total of 3 474 pregnant women who registered in Ma 'anshan Maternal and Child Health Care Center were enrolled in the study. A total of 2 242 mother-infant pairs who completed three times assessments of maternal anxiety and at least once assessment of infants' neurobehavioral development were included in the final analysis. Maternal pregnancy-related anxiety was assessed by the Pregnancy-Related Anxiety Questionnaire during the first, second and third trimesters of pregnancy. When their children were at 6 and 18 months, their neurobehavioral development was evaluated using the Ages & Stages Questionnaire-China. The influence of maternal pregnancy-related anxiety on the neurobehavioral development of infants was analyzed by bi-nominal logistic regression. Results: The age of 2 242 pregnant women was (26.62±3.65) years, and the proportion of boys, low birth weight and exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months was 50% (1 120/2 242), 1.7% (38/2 242) and 11.5% (252/2 191), respectively. The detection rates of pregnancy-related anxiety during the first, second and third trimester were 24.9% (558), 28.6% (642) and 30.3% (674), respectively. After controlling confounding variables and other two trimester's anxiety, only pregnancy-related anxiety during the third trimester (not first or second trimester) significantly increased the risk of developmental delay in the domain of communication (relative risk, RR = 3.52, 95% confidence interval, CI: 1.89-6.58) and personal-social (RR=2.46, 95%CI: 1.10-5.49) at the 6 months of age, as well as in the domain of fine motor (RR=2.07, 95%CI: 1.11-3.85), problem-solving domains (RR=2.31, 95%CI: 1.24-4.31). Conclusion: Maternal pregnancy-related anxiety was associated with the risk of neurobehavioral development of infants, and the third trimester may be the critical period.

Gene polymorphisms of pro-inflammatory cytokines may affect the risk of Graves' disease: a meta-analysis

PURPOSE

Gene polymorphisms of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1 (IL-1) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) may influence the risk of Graves' disease, but the results of so far published studies remain inconclusive. Therefore, the authors conducted this meta-analysis to assess relationships between TNF-α/IL-1/IL-6 polymorphisms and the risk of Graves' disease by pooling the findings of all relevant studies.

METHODS

A comprehensive literature searching of Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science and CNKI was conducted by the authors, and twenty-eight studies were found to be eligible for pooled analyses.

RESULTS

The pooled meta-analyses results showed that genotypic frequencies of TNF-α rs1800629, IL-1A rs1800587, IL-6 rs1800795 and IL-6 rs1800796 polymorphisms among patients with Graves' disease and control subjects differed significantly. Moreover, we found that genotypic frequencies of TNF-α rs1800629 and IL-6 rs1800795 polymorphisms among patients with Graves' disease and control subjects in Caucasians differed significantly, and genotypic frequencies of IL-1A rs1800587, IL-1B rs16944, IL-6 rs1800795 and IL-6 rs1800796 polymorphisms among patients with Graves' disease and control subjects in Asians also differed significantly. Nevertheless, we did not detect such genotypic frequencies differences for TNF-α rs361525 and IL-1B rs1143627 polymorphisms.

CONCLUSIONS

This meta-analysis suggests that TNF-α rs1800629, IL-1A rs1800587, IL-6 rs1800795 and IL-6 rs1800796 polymorphisms may influence the risk of Graves' disease in overall population. Moreover, TNF-α rs1800629 and IL-6 rs1800795 polymorphisms may influence the risk of Graves' disease in Caucasians, while IL-1A rs1800587, IL-1B rs16944, IL-6 rs1800795 and IL-6 rs1800796 polymorphisms may influence the risk of Graves' disease in Asians.

[Evaluation of infrahepatic inferior vena cava clamping in robot-assisted laparoscopic liver resection]

Objective: To evalutate the safety and efficacy of infrahepatic inferior vena cava clamping robot-assisted laparoscopic liver resection. Methods: All data about 24 patients with robotic liver resection at Hepatic Surgery Center,Tongji Hospital,Tongji Medical College,Huazhong University of Science and Technology between February 2015 and December 2017 were collected and analyzed. These patients were divided into two groups based on different methods to decrease central venous pressure. Eight patients(6 males and 2 females,aged 49 years(range:50 to 56 years)) were applied with infrahepatic inferior vena cava clamping,and the other 16 matched cases (15 males and 1 female,aged 53 years(range:38 to 69 years)) were categorized into lowering central venous pressure group. Intraoperative blood loss,blood transfusion,intraoperative hemodynamic parameters,postoperative complications,and renal function were compared by t-test,non-parametric test,χ² test,or Fisher exact test. Results: There was significantly difference in the intraoperative blood loss between the infrahepatic vena cava clamping group and the lowering central venous group(200(220) ml (range:100 to 400 ml) vs. 750(800) ml (range:100 to 2 000 ml),Z=‒2.169,P=0.030). The clamping time of portal triad and infrahepatic inferior vena cava were 24 (18) minutes and 29 (20) minutes in the infrahepatic inferior vena cava clamping group, and portal triad clamping time was 23 (23) minutes in the low central venous group. There was no significant difference between the two groups (Z=‒0.323, P=0.747). There was no intraoperative blood transfusion in the infrahepatic inferior vena cava clamping group, and 5 cases in the low central venous group, with a transfusion volume of 1.5(1.5)U. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (Z=‒3.353, P=0.001). However, the mean arterial pressure in the infrahepatic vena cava clamping group decreased from (88.6±4.9) mmHg to (67.4±3.8) mmHg(1 mmHg=0.133 kPa), which was lower than that of lowering central venous group (72.4±3.3) mmHg (t=2.315,P=0.003). And there were no significant differences related to postoperative complications rate or hepatic and renal function in both groups. Conclusion: The infrahepatic inferior vena cava technology is safe and feasible to decrease central venous pressure during robotic liver resections,which will not affect the recovery of hepatic and renal functions.

JAB1 Promotes High Glucose-Induced Inflammation and Extracellular Matrix Deposition in Glomerular Mesangial Cells by Regulating Angiopoietin-Like Protein 2

Diabetic or hyperglycaemic conditions stimulate the inflammatory response, excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix, and result in glomerulosclerosis, a scarring process of diabetic nephropathy. c-Jun activation domain-binding protein 1 (JAB1) functions as a regulator of pathways involved in cellular apoptosis and proliferation. The role of JAB1 in diabetic nephropathy was investigated in this study. Firstly, glomerular mesangial cells (GMCs) were treated with high glucose, and high glucose conditions induced up-regulation of JAB1 in the GMCs. Moreover, IL-6, TNF-α, MCP-1, and IL-1β were also elevated in high glucose-induced GMCs. Secondly, silencing of JAB1 reduced the levels of IL-6, TNF-α, MCP-1, and IL-1β in high glucose-induced GMCs. In addition, silencing of JAB1 attenuated the high glucose-induced decrease of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the increase of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA). The increased TGF-β1, collagen I, collagen IV, and fibronectin levels in high glucose-induced GMCs were restored by knockdown of JAB1. Thirdly, angiopoietin-like protein 2 (ANGPTL2) expression was reduced by JAB1. Over-expression of ANGPTL2 weakened the JAB1 silence-induced decrease of IL-6, TNF-α, MCP-1, IL-1β, TGF-β1, collagen I, collagen IV, and fibronectin. In conclusion, silencing of JAB1 reduced extracellular matrix deposition and suppressed inflammation in high glucose-induced GMCs through down-regulation of ANGPTL2.

Evaluation of two classical contrast-induced nephropathy definitions for predicting long-term mortality in patients undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention

Background

Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is a frequent complication after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), and is associated with poor outcome. However, the optimal definition of CIN has been debated because of its different incidence and influence on prognosis. At present, there are limited data regarding th impact of different CIN definitions on long-term mortality in patients undergoing elective PCI.

Purpose

To explore the influence of two classical CIN definitions on long-term mortality and identify which definition was more suitable for predicting long-term mortality in patients undergoing elective PCI..

Methods

We prospectively observed 5600 consenting patients undergoing PCI from January 2012 to December 2018. Two classical CIN definitions include those defined by ESUR[Contrast-media-induced nephrotoxicity (CMN)] and AKIN[contrast induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI)]. CMN was defined as an increase in serum creatinine (SCr) ≥25% or 0.5 mg/dLabove thebaseline level within 3 days,while CI-AKI wasdefined as an increase in SCr ≥50% or 0.3 mg/dL within 48hs after contrast medium exposure.The association of CIN with long-term mortality was investigated by Cox regression analysis.Interaction analyses were performed for long-term mortality across subgroups.

Results

The incidence of CIN according to ESUR (CMN) and AKIN (CI-AKI) definition were18.3% (n=1023) and 6.1% (n=342), respectively. During a median follow-up of 2 years, after adjusting other potential risk factors, multivariable cox regression analysis revealed CIN was a risk factor for long-term mortality [hazard ratio (HR): 2.021, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.389–2.938, P&lt;0.0001] according to AKIN definition, but not for ESUR definition (HR: 1.344, 95% CI: 0.982–1.838, P&gt;0.05). Further interaction analysis showed that there was a significant interaction between age &gt;75ys and CMN for long-term mortality (P=0.042) while no such association was observed between age &gt;75ys and CI-AKI (P=0.806).

Conclusions

CIN defined by AKIN may be more suitable for predicting long-term mortality in patients undergoing elective PCI. However, in elderly patients, CIN defined by ESUR could also be used for predicting long-term mortality.

Association Between CIN and mortality

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding source: None

[Effects of comorbid gestational diabetes mellitus and depression on glucose metabolism during pregnancy and neonatal morphological outcome]

Objective: To estimate the effect of comorbid gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and depression on glucose metabolism and neonatal morphology. Methods: From March 2015 to October 2018, recruited 18 to 28 weeks pregnant women who met the criteria in the Hefei First People's Hospital or First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University or Anhui Maternal and Child Health Hospital, including a total of 4 380 study subjects, of which the birth outcome information of 3 827 newborns were collected. The self-made questionnaire "Maternal Health Questionnaire for Hefei City" and Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale were used to obtain basic demographic characteristics and emotional state of depression. Data from the 75-g oral-glucose-tolerance test were obtained at 24-28 weeks of gestation. After delivery, delivery outcome information were collected from the hospital medical records. Covariance analysis was used to analyze the differences in glucose metabolism indicators and neonatal outcome indicators in pregnant women with different GDM and depression status. Multiple logistic regression model was used to analyze the correlation between GDM and depression, with different groups of GDM and depression status (no GDM and depression, simple depression, simple GDM, comorbid GDM and depression)as independent variables and whether they were large for gestational age as dependent variables. The interaction between GDM and depression was also analyzed. Results: The 4 380 pregnant women were (28.8±4.2) years old. The incidence of GDM was 19.5% (852/4 380), and the detection rates of depression in the second and third trimesters were 12.1% (526/4 380) and 12.3% (536/4 367). PG-1h and AUC in the comorbid GDM and depression group were significantly higher than those in the group with no GDM and depression (P<0.05) and the single GDM group (P<0.05). After adjusting for factors such as the childbirth age, education level, family's main economic income, BMI before pregnancy, parity, number of physical activities, and weight gain during pregnancy, compared with the group with no GDM and depression, the RR(95%CI) of LGA occurred in the single depression group, the single GDM group and the comorbid group were 1.31(0.89-1.91), 1.51(1.14-2.00) and 2.43(1.29-4.57), respectively. Further analysis showed that the association between GDM pregnant women with depression and newborn LGA ［RR (95%CI): 2.12 (1.01-4.49)］ was stronger than that between GDM pregnant women without depression and newborn LGA ［RR (95%CI): 1.50 (1.12-1.99)］, the P interaction value was<0.05. Conclusion: The status of comorbid GDM and depression can impair glucose metabolism and increase the risk of LGA.

MiR-125b Improves acute myocardial infarction in rats by regulating P38/Sirtl/P53 signaling pathway

The aim of this study was to investigate the differential expression of micro ribonucleic acid (miR)- 125b in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) cases, and to explore the mechanism by which it affects cardiac function. Sprague-Dawley rats were used for AMI modeling, and the expression of miR-125b in the myocardial tissues of AMI rats was detected via fluorescence quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Thereafter, the target genes of miR-125b were collected and uploaded to WenGestalt for gene ontology (GO) and pathway enrichment analyses. In-vitro experiments were then applied to determine the p38-sirtuin 1 (Sirt1)-p53 expression change and cardiomyocyte apoptosis under down-regulation of miR-125b. Next, the interaction between miR-125b and its target genes was verified by luciferase reporter gene assay. The expression of miR-125b in the cardiac tissues was decreased in theAMI group compared with that in the Sham group (p<0.05). The luciferase reporter gene assay confirmed that p38 was the target gene of miR-125b. Furthermore, the down-regulated expression of miR-125b in H9C2 cells up-regulated the protein expressions of p38 and phosphorylated p38, thus activating the Sirt1-p53 signaling pathway. Moreover, the down-regulation of miR-125b expression in H9C2 cells gave rise to the elevated apoptosis rate, and the down-regulated expression of miR-125b induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis through activating the p38-Sirt1-p53 signaling pathway.

[Association of antenatal anxiety with preterm birth and low birth weight: evidence from a birth cohort study]

Objective: To investigate the impacts of antenatal anxiety on preterm birth and low birth weight. Methods: Women in early pregnancy were recruited for follow-up, antenatal anxiety in three trimesters was screened using Self-Rating Anxiety Scale and the score ≥50 was regarded as anxiety. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the associations of the anxiety in three trimesters, new onset anxiety in the second and third trimesters with infant birth outcomes, such as preterm birth and low birth weight. Results: The rates of anxiety in the first, second and third trimesters of pregnancy were 12.5%, 3.7%, and 7.4% respectively. We found that there was no statistical association between anxiety in the first and second trimester and preterm birth. The anxiety in the third trimester was associated with increased odds for preterm birth (OR=3.55, 95%CI: 1.62-7.82). Associations between anxiety in all three trimesters and low birth weight were not significant. New onset anxiety in the third trimester was associated with significant increased risk of premature delivery (OR=5.20, 95%CI: 1.84-14.70) and low birth weight (OR=6.93, 95%CI: 2.42-19.88). Conclusions: Our study showed that anxiety in the third trimester is an important risk factor for premature delivery, new onset anxiety symptoms in the third trimester can significantly increase the incidence of premature birth and low birth weight of infant.

[The relationship between maternal pregnancy-related anxiety and executive function in preschool children: a cohort study]

Objective: To investigate the relationship between pregnancy-related anxiety and executive function in preschool children. Methods: From October 2008 to October 2010, pregnant women and live births were enrolled in the study. The expectant pregnant women and their live singleton fetuses were recruited from the antenatal care clinic of Ma'anshan maternal and Child Health Care Hospital. The cohort was followed up from April 2014 to June 2015. A total of 3 556 pairs of maternal and child were included in the final analysis. The questionnaire was used to collect the relevant information of pregnant women and the follow-up data of children. Pregnancy-related anxiety was assessed by using the Pregnancy-Related Anxiety Questionnaire, and the executive function of preschool children was assessed by using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Preschool (BRIEF) (Parent Version). Bi-nominal logistic regression was used to analyze the effect of pregnancy-related anxiety on executive function in preschool children. Results: The average age of 3 556 pregnant women was (26.78±3.42) years old, and the average age of preschool children was (4.32±0.46) years old. The proportion of primipara, only child and urban children was 94.96% (3 375/3 556), 91.37% (3 249/3 556) and 88.98% (3 164/3 556), respectively. The prevalence of pregnancy-related anxiety in the 1(st) and 3(rd) trimester was 17.60% (626/3 556) and 6.30% (224/3 556) respectively. The prevalence of abnormal global executive composite was 8.54% (304/3 556). The prevalence of anxiety in both trimesters was 7.68% (273/3 556). After controlling for confounding factors such as monthly family income, education years of parents, maternal age, pre-pregnancy weight, previous adverse pregnant outcomes, number of pregnancy, pregnant complications, the main residence of the children in the past six months, and Z score of birth weight, compared with the group without pregnancy-related anxiety in either 1(st) or 3(rd) trimester, pregnancy-related anxiety in the 1(st) trimester increased the risk of preschool children's abnormality in inhibition, working memory, planning/organization and global executive composite, and the OR (95%CI) value was 1.52 (1.08-2.13), 1.41 (1.14-1.74), 1.62 (1.13-2.33), and 1.60 (1.18- 2.17), respectively. Anxiety in the 3(rd) trimester increased the risk of children's abnormality in inhibition and global executive composite, and the OR (95%CI) value was 1.90 (1.15-3.12) and 1.69(1.05-2.71). Pregnancy-related anxiety in both trimesters increased the risk of abnormality in inhibition, working memory, planning/organization, and global executive composite in preschool children, and the OR (95% CI) value was 2.41 (1.61-3.62), 2.19 (1.66-2.88), 1.80 (1.11-2.92), and 2.41 (1.65-3.52), respectively. Conclusion: The exposure to pregnancy-related anxiety during pregnancy increases the risk of executive dysfunction in preschool children.

Correlation of lipid peroxidation and ATP enzyme on erythrocyte membrane with fetal distress in the uterus in patients with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy

OBJECTIVE

This paper aims to investigate the correlation of lipid peroxide in erythrocytes and ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) enzyme activity of erythrocyte membrane with fetal distress in patients with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Forty-three patients with ICP treated at Jining No. 1 People's Hospital were enrolled as a study group, and another forty healthy parturient women in the same period were enrolled as a control group, to extract their elbow venous blood and fetal umbilical cord blood. Thiobarbituric acid (TBA) was used to detect superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity of erythrocytes, malondialdehyde (MDA) activity in plasma, Na+-K+-ATP enzyme activity and Ca2+-Mg2+-ATP enzyme activity of erythrocytes, which were compared between the study and control groups. The correlation of MDA, Na+-K+-ATP enzyme and Ca2+-Mg2+-ATP enzyme activities with fetal distress in the study group was analyzed, and the correlation of MDA with Na+-K+-ATP enzyme activity was investigated.

RESULTS

SOD and MDA activities of erythrocytes in maternal blood of the study group were significantly higher than those in the control group (p<0.05, p<0.001, respectively), but MDA activity in umbilical cord blood of the study group was markedly higher than that in the control group (p<0.001). Na+-K+-ATP enzyme and Ca2+-Mg2+-ATP enzyme activities of maternal and fetal erythrocytes of the study group were remarkably lower than those of the control group (p<0.001). MDA in the fetal distress group was significantly higher than that in the no fetal distress group in the study group (p<0.001). Na+-K+-ATP enzyme activity was negatively correlated with MDA concentration in maternal and fetal erythrocytes of patients with ICP (both p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Lipid peroxidation in patients with ICP will affect ATP enzyme activity of erythrocyte membrane, and the down-regulation of ATP enzyme activity in umbilical cord blood of patients with ICP may cause fetal distress in the uterus.

Correlation study between long non-coding RNA MALAT1 and radiotherapy efficiency on cervical carcinoma and generation of radiotherapy resistant model of cancer

The article "Correlation study between long non-coding RNA MALAT1 and radiotherapy efficiency on cervical carcinoma and generation of radiotherapy resistant model of cancer, by P. Zhu, F.-Q. Wang, Q.-R. Li, published in Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2018; 22 (16): 5140-5148-DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_201808_15709-PMID: 30178834" has been withdrawn from the authors. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. https://www.europeanreview.org/article/15709.