High cyclic tensile stress disrupts the extracellular matrix in human chondrocyte by F-actin cytoskeletal polymerization and reactive oxygen species production

This study aims to explore the mechanism of cyclic tensile stress (CTS) on human chondrocytes (CHs) relating to the reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and extracellular matrix (ECM) stability in vitro. A well-established CTS model with 5%, 10%, or 20% elongation was performed for CHs stretching. After CTS, the cell viability, total ROS level, main ECM components, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP), F-actin density, and some anti-oxidative enzymes were analyzed. Additionally, the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and cytochalasin D were used to suppress the ROS production and F-actin polymerization when the CHs underwent CTS, respectively. The treatment of 20% elongation-CST significantly decreased the CH viability and the expressions of collagen II, aggrecan, anti-oxidative enzymes and TIMP3/4, however, it increased the ROS accumulation, F-actin polymerization, and the expression of collagen I and MMP3/13. In contrast, the application of NAC and cytochalasin D could partly rescue the CHs from the injury caused by the high CTS. Therefore, high CTS disrupts the ECM by remodeling the F-actin cytoskeleton and promoting ROS production. Cytochalasin D and NAC are effective in rejecting F-actin cytoskeleton polymerization, and ROS accumulation through a potential synergetic process, which alleviates the ECM injury caused by High CTS.

Application of artificial intelligence in diagnosis of osteoporosis using medical images: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a potentially reliable assistant in the diagnosis of osteoporosis. This meta-analysis aims to assess the diagnostic accuracy of the AI-based systems using medical images. We searched PubMed and Web of Science from inception to June 15, 2020, for eligible articles that applied AI approaches to diagnosing osteoporosis using medical images. Quality and bias of the included studies were evaluated with the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2) tool. The main outcome was the sensitivity and specificity of the performance of the AI-based systems. The data analysis utilized the R Foundation packages of "meta" for univariate analysis and Stata for bivariate analysis. Random effects model was utilized. Seven studies with 3186 patients were included in the meta-analysis. The overall risk of bias of the included studies was assessed as low. The pooled sensitivity was 0.96 (95% CI 0.93-1.00), and the pooled specificity was 0.95 (95% CI 0.91-0.99). However, high heterogeneity was found in this meta-analysis. The results supported that the AI-based systems had good accuracy in diagnosing osteoporosis. However, the high risk of bias in patient selection and high heterogeneity in the meta-analysis made the conclusion less convincing. The application of AI-based systems in osteoporosis diagnosis needs to be further confirmed by more prospective studies in multi-centers including more random samples from complete patient types.

[Establishment of a 3D ultrasound imaging system based on pulse-triggered image acquisition]

OBJECTIVE

To establish a 3D ultrasound imaging system based on pulse-triggered image acquisition using the linear probe on the Verasonics^TM vantage 128 platform and evaluate its performance in scanning standard phantom and human carotid artery.

OBJECTIVE

The 3D ultrasound imaging system included 3 modules for probe motion control, image acquisition and storage, and 3D image reconstruction and display. To improve the precision of image acquisition, we used fixed frequency pulses to control the external trigger function combined with mechanical scanning. Voxel-based 3D reconstruction was used for image reconstruction and display. The user interface was designed to allow direct operations of the platform. We carried out scanning tests of standard ultrasound phantom and human carotid artery to evaluate the performance of this imaging system.

OBJECTIVE

We successfully constructed a 3D ultrasound imaging system based on pulse-triggered image acquisition. The results of standard phantom and human carotid scanning tests showed that each module of the system was fully functional. The self-designed user interface of this ultrasound imaging system allowed full control of the system functions for original image acquisition, 3D image reconstruction, and display of cross-sections in 3 different views.

OBJECTIVE

This 3D ultrasound imaging system achieves high-quality 3D ultrasound imaging and provides the basis for further study and clinical application of 3D ultrasound imaging.

Tongxin formula protects H9c2 cardiomyocytes from cobalt chloride-induced hypoxic injury via inhibition of apoptosis

In this study, the effect of the Tongxin formula (TXF) on the apoptosis of H9c2 cardiomyocytes induced by cobalt chloride (CoCl₂) was investigated, and the potential mechanism was explored. A hypoxic injury model of H9c2 cardiomyocytes was established using CoCl₂. The cell viability was measured using a Cell Counting Kit-8 assay. The lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release and caspase-3 activity were measured using spectrophotometry. The apoptosis was measured via Annexin V-FITC/PI staining and flow cytometry. The changes in the mitochondrial membrane potential were examined using immunofluorescence microscopy following the loading of JC-1 probes. The expressions of apoptosis-related proteins and key proteins in the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt) pathway were examined via immunoblotting. The different TXF concentrations studied significantly improved the percentage of viability of cardiomyocytes with hypoxic injury, and the LDH release, apoptotic rate, caspase-3 activity, and levels of cleaved caspase-3 protein were reduced in the injured cells. Additionally, the TXF group had increased mitochondrial membrane potential, upregulated expression of Bcl-2 and p-Akt proteins, and significantly reduced expression of cleaved caspase-3 protein in the cells with hypoxic injury. Moreover, in the TXF group, the treatment significantly reduced the BAX protein expression, but the difference was not statistically significant compared with the CoCl2 group. In this study, TXF regulated the expression of apoptosis-related proteins, inhibited apoptosis, increased the mitochondrial membrane potential, and alleviated damage to the mitochondrial membrane, thereby protecting the cardiomyocytes from hypoxic injury. The underlying mechanism could be related to activation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and upregulation of the Bcl-2 protein.

The clinical value of the combined detection of sEGFR, CA125 and HE4 for epithelial ovarian cancer diagnosis

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to investigate the clinical value of combined detection of serum soluble epidermal growth factor receptor (sEGFR), cancer antigen 125 (CA125), and human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) in the diagnosis of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

From December 2017 to October 2018, the serum samples were obtained from the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, with 30 patients as EOC group, 30 patients with benign ovarian neoplasms as benign group, and 17 healthy subjects as healthy group. Besides, among 30 EOC patients, 9 serum samples were obtained from pre-operative and post-operative EOC patients. The levels of serum sEGFR were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), while CA125 and HE4 were detected by enhanced chemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA). The diagnostic value was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis.

RESULTS

The levels of serum sEGFR, CA125, and HE4 in EOC group were significantly higher than those in benign group (p<0.05) and healthy group (p<0.05). When using a single tumor marker, the CA125 shows the highest sensitivity (93.30%) and HE4 shows the highest specificity (97.87%). The specificity of combined detection of serum sEGFR, CA125, and HE4 was 100%, which was significantly higher than that using a single tumor marker. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of combined detection of serum sEGFR, CA125, and HE4 (0.965) was much higher than that of the single detection and higher than that of combined detection of CA125 and HE4 (0.940). Moreover, the level of serum sEGFR in post-operative EOC group was significantly lower than that in the corresponding pre-operative EOC group (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Our study shows that combined detection of serum sEGFR, CA125, and HE4 increases the specificity and efficiency in EOC diagnosis, indicating that sEGFR could be a potential biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of EOC.

[The effect of episiotomy on pelvic floor muscle function within six months after first childbirth through electromyography and questionnaires assessment]

Objective: To compare the impact of mediolateral episiotomy on pelvic floor muscle (PFM) function through surface electromyography (sEMG) and quality of life questionnaire assessment. Methods: From January 2018 to June 2019, 1 250 eligible primiparous women were enrolled in Beijing Hospital and the First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province. Participants were divided into episiotomy group (n=676)and non-episiotomy group (n=574). Both groups underwent clinical pelvic examination, sEMG assessment, and quality of life (QOL) questionnaire assessment at two fixed time points: 6-8 weeks, 6 months after vaginal delivery. Follow-up of sEMG amplitudes and their correlation with QOL questionnaire scores were evaluated. Results: Among the women delivered with episiotomy, the peak amplitude of phasic contraction (PPC) was (17.7±5.3) μV at 6-8 weeks after childbirth and (29.6±8.7) μV at 6 months after childbirth. The mean amplitude of tonic contraction (MTC) was (14.8±7.4) μV and (22.2±8.9) μV, respectively. In the non-episiotomy group, PPC was (20.0±7.9) μV and (35.4±10.7) μV at 6-8 weeks and 6 months, and MTC was (17.8±9.0) μV and (27.5±8.9) μV, respectively. Compared with EMG amplitudes at 6-8 weeks, both PPC and MTC significantly improved at 6 months in both groups (all P<0.01). Moreover, episiotomy was related with significantly lower PPC and MTC at both fixed checkups. Besides, both IIQ-7 and PFIQ-7 questionnaire scores improved at 6 months compared with those at 6-8 weeks in both groups (all P<0.001). There was consistently significant difference in QOL scores between episiotomy and non-episiotomy group at two checkups (all P<0.05). A negative correlation was observed between PFM contractile amplitudes and QOL scores at both time points after childbirth (all P<0.05), and the correlation weakened with time. Conclusion: Episiotomy has a negative impact on the postpartum PFM contractile function within 6 months after childbirth. The negative correlation between the sEMG and QOL scores indicates that sEMG is a candidate assessment for PFM function follow-up after childbirth.

Caprin1 targeted by circular circ_0000885 in the tumor progression of osteosarcoma

Since this article has been suspected of research misconduct and the corresponding authors did not respond to our request to prove originality of data and figures, "Caprin1 targeted by circular circ_0000885 in the tumor progression of osteosarcoma, by X.-Y. Liu, M. Li, B. Dong, Q. Feng, published in Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2020; 24 (9): 4665-4670-DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_202005_21152-PMID: 32432729" has been withdrawn. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. https://www.europeanreview.org/article/21152.

[A preliminary study on the evaluation of diaphragm function by ultrasound in patients with invasive mechanical ventilation]

Objectives: To study the feasibility of using ultrasound to evaluate diaphragm function in patients with invasive mechanical ventilation. Methods: From March to December 2017, 40 adult patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome who were admitted to the Department of Critical Care Medicine, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University for more than 48 hours were included. Diaphragmatic excursion and thickness of bilateral anterior, middle and posterior parts were measured by ultrasound for 5 consecutive days. Results: (1) Compared with the diaphragmatic excursion of the right [anterior: (11.05±3.04) mm; middle: (12.08±2.71) mm; posterior: (11.51±3.33) mm] and left [anterior: (13.63±7.52) mm; middle: (15.44±7.52) mm; posterior: (14.76±6.93) mm] sides on day 1, the diaphragmatic excursion of the right [anterior: (8.90±3.65) mm; middle: (10.02±4.24) mm; posterior: (10.25±4.38) mm] and left [anterior: (9.82±1.96) mm; middle: (11.60±1.13) mm; posterior: (11.52±1.98) mm] sides decreased significantly on day 3 (P<0.05). Bilateral anterior, middle and posterior diaphragmatic excursion recovered on day 5, and was higher than the baseline levels on day 1, with the left middle and posterior diaphragmatic excursion changing most significantly. (2) Compared with day 1, 2, 3, the thickening fraction of bilateral anterior, middle and posterior diaphragm were significantly decreased on day 4, with the left middle part [day 1: (33.87±14.34)%; day 2: (37.26±13.91)%; day 3: (30.56±14.27)%; day 4: (15.53±5.68)%] and the left posterior part [day 1: (35.50±15.69)%; day 2: (39.84±15.32)%; day 3: (29.06±14.96)%; day 4: (13.30±5.79)%] changing most significantly (P<0.05). The thickening fractions of left anterior, middle and posterior diaphragm recovered on day 5 compared with that on day 4, but still lower than those on day 1 (P<0.05). Conclusions: It is feasible to evaluate the diaphragm function in patients with invasive mechanical ventilation by ultrasound, which can provide guidance for preventing diaphragmatic atrophy and withdrawing from mechanical ventilation.

The physiology of drought stress in grapevine: towards an integrative definition of drought tolerance

Water availability is arguably the most important environmental factor limiting crop growth and productivity. Erratic precipitation patterns and increased temperatures resulting from climate change will likely make drought events more frequent in many regions, increasing the demand on freshwater resources and creating major challenges for agriculture. Addressing these challenges through increased irrigation is not always a sustainable solution so there is a growing need to identify and/or breed drought-tolerant crop varieties in order to maintain sustainability in the context of climate change. Grapevine (Vitis vinifera), a major fruit crop of economic importance, has emerged as a model perennial fruit crop for the study of drought tolerance. This review synthesizes the most recent results on grapevine drought responses, the impact of water deficit on fruit yield and composition, and the identification of drought-tolerant varieties. Given the existing gaps in our knowledge of the mechanisms underlying grapevine drought responses, we aim to answer the following question: how can we move towards a more integrative definition of grapevine drought tolerance?

[Progress in diagnosis and treatment of rectal neuroendocrine neoplasms]

Neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) are relatively rare heterogeneous tumors that originate from peptidergic neurons and neuroendocrine cells and have been referred to as "carcinoids" in the past. Although this type of tumor had been previously considered to be indolent tumor with a low degree of malignancy, with the development of medicine and clinical study, researchers found that NENs had the potential to metastasize. They can occur in any part of the body where neuroendocrine cells are distributed and gastro-entero-pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (GEP-NENs) are the most common type of NENs.Due to the improvement of techniques such as endoscopy and imaging, the incidence of rectal neuroendocrine tumors(R-NENs) and the number of related clinical researches have both increased significantly in recent years. Although researches in Chinese and foreign medical centers are mostly retrospective studies of small samples and the efficacies of different treatment methods are still under debating and lack of sufficient medical evidence to support, the diagnosis and treatment of this disease is gradually becoming standardized according to the proposal of corresponding guidelines. The recent advances in the epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment of rectal neuroendocrine neoplasms are reviewed in this paper.

Oropharyngeal Secretion as Alternative for SARS-CoV-2 Detection

This study aimed to determine if sampling of oropharyngeal secretions (OSs) helps improves detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA by nucleic acid amplification testing of potential patients with COVID-19. The first prospective study consisted of 75 patients with COVID-19 who were ready for discharge and who had 2 consecutive negative results per nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT) of viral samples retrieved with nasopharyngeal swabs (NPSs). Because of detection of potential false negatives in that cohort, the NAAT results of paired OS and NPS samples from 50 additional recruits with COVID-19 during their recovery stage were used in a second prospective study to compare the diagnostic values of the 2 viral RNA sampling methods. For identification of the frequency of inconsistency between the sampling methods, the McNemar's test was used for difference analysis and the kappa statistic for consistency analysis. OSs obtained from 2 of the 75 participants in the first study yielded positive results for SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid. Both were male and aged >60 y. Subsequent chemiluminescence enzyme immunoassays indicated that they were positive for the SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG antibodies. For parallel NAAT of OS and NPS samples in the second study, McNemar's test indicated that the difference between the frequencies of inconsistent parts of OS and NPS was statistically significant (P = 0.021). Cohen's kappa coefficient for OS and NPS was 0.244, which is indicative of fair consistency. The NPS test has a risk of sending home more patients (59%) who still have the infection, while the OS test will make such an error in fewer patients (14%). Although OS sampling improves the accuracy of SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid testing, it has to be emphasized that this conclusion is based on a very small sample size. Detection of viral RNA from a patient's secretions is not confirmative of viral infectivity.

Caprin1 targeted by circular circ_0000885 in the tumor progression of osteosarcoma

OBJECTIVE

Recent studies have revealed that circular RNAs (circRNAs) participate in the progression and development of many human diseases. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to uncover the role of circ_0000885 in the development of osteosarcoma and to explore the possible underlying mechanism.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Circ_0000885 expression in osteosarcoma tissues and cells was detected by Real Time-quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR). The knockdown of circ_0000885 was conducted in osteosarcoma cells. Subsequently, its function in the progression of osteosarcoma was determined by cell proliferation assay, colony formation assay, and cell cycle assay, respectively. Furthermore, the underlying mechanism was explored by RT-qPCR and Western blot.

RESULTS

Circ_0000885 was highly expressed in osteosarcoma tissues than that of adjacent tissues. Cell growth was significantly suppressed, and the distribution of cell cycle was regulated after circ_0000885 knock-down in vitro. Besides, both the mRNA and protein expressions of Caprin1 were significantly downregulated via silence of circ_0000885. Furthermore, Caprin1 was positively correlated with circ_0000885 in osteosarcoma tissues.

CONCLUSIONS

Circ_0000885 could enhance osteosarcoma cell proliferation and regulate cell cycle by upregulating Caprin1, which might contribute to the therapy for osteosarcoma.

20-Hydroxyecdysone receptor-activated Bombyx mori CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein gamma regulates the expression of BmCBP and subsequent histone H3 lysine 27 acetylation in Bo. mori

Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) response element binding protein (CREB)-binding protein (CBP or CREBBP) plays important roles in regulating gene transcription and animal development. However, the process by which CBP is up-regulated to impact insect development is unknown. In this study, the regulatory mechanism of Bombyx mori CBP (BmCBP) expression induced by 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) was investigated. In the Bo. mori cell line, DZNU-Bm-12, 20E enhanced BmCBP transcription and histone H3K27 acetylation. BmCBP RNA interference (RNAi) resulted in decreased histone H3K27 acetylation. Additionally, the luciferase activity analysis revealed that the transcription factor, Bo. mori CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein gamma (BmC/EBPg), activated BmCBP transcription, which was suppressed by BmC/EBPg RNAi and promoted by BmC/EBPg overexpression. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation results demonstrated that BmC/EBPg could bind to the C/EBP cis-regulatory elements in two positions of the BmCBP promoter. Moreover, BmC/EBPg transcription was enhanced by the 20E receptor (BmEcR), which bound to the BmC/EBPg promoter. BmEcR RNAi significantly inhibited the transcriptional levels of BmC/EBPg and BmCBP in the presence of 20E. Furthermore, the BmEcR-BmC/EBPg pathway regulated the acetylation levels of histone H3K27. Altogether, these results indicate that BmEcR enhances the expression of BmC/EBPg, which binds to the BmCBP promoter, activates BmCBP expression and leads to histone H3K27 acetylation.

Survival comparision of three-dimensional radiotherapy alone with concurrent chemoradiotherapy for non-surgical esophageal carcinoma

PURPOSE

Radiotherapy is the main treatment method for patients with locally advanced, unresectable esophageal cancer. The aim of this study is to compare overall survival (OS) using 3D radiotherapy (3DRT) alone with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) in 296 non-surgical esophageal carcinoma patients.

PATENTS AND METHODS

Over 10 years, of the 480 patients with esophageal carcinoma treated with 3DRT with or without chemotherapy, 148 patients each comprised 3DRT and CCRT groups after propensity score matching.

RESULTS

The 5- and 10-year OS (P=0.337) and PFS (P=0.715) rates for 3DRT alone were 22.0%, 14.4% and 26.1%, 23.2%, respectively, compared with 28.8%, 18.6% and 34.7%, 29.1% for CCRT, respectively. CCRT did not improve 5-year and 10-year OS or PFS in 60-70Gy group (OS: 27.5% and 25.2%; 17.9% and 17.0%, P=0.938; PFS: 38.3% and 31.8%; 31.9% and 27.8%, P=0.890) nor reduce 10-year hematogenous metastasis (31.7% and 28.3%, P=0.698). CCRT improved 5-year OS and PFS of 50.0-59.9Gy group (OS: 33.3% and 12.0%, P=0.029; PFS: 33.1% and 10.6%, P=0.081). For 3DRT, the 5-year OS and PFS rates were significantly better in the 60-70Gy group (P=0.017) compared with 50.0-59.9Gy group (P=0.002). For CCRT group, 5-year OS and PFS favored the 50.0-59.9Gy group, but the difference was insignificant. Major toxicities were greater with CCRT compared with 3DRT.

CONCLUSION

For non-surgical esophageal carcinoma patients, 3DRT combined with CCRT was effective in prolonging both OS and PFS.

Correction: Self-assembled fibrillar networks comprised of a naturally-occurring cyclic peptide—LOB3

Correction for ‘Self-assembled fibrillar networks comprised of a naturally-occurring cyclic peptide—LOB3’ by M. A. Rogers et al., RSC Adv., 2016, 6, 40765–40776.

[Clinical analysis of laparoscopic remedial surgery for endoscopic lesions in early colorectal cancer]

Objective: To investigate the safety and feasibility of laparoscopic remedial surgery in patients who didn't reach the cure criterion of early colorectal cancer after endoscopic resection. Methods: The clinical and follow-up data of 12 patients who didn't reach the cure criterion of early colorectal cancer and then underwent endoscopic resection was collected. The clinicalpathological features and remedial indications were analyzed to evaluate the effects of laparoscopic remedial surgery. Results: The average number of lymph nodes in the lymph node dissection was 15 during remedial surgery, and 3 of them had lymph node metastasis. Among the 3 patients with residual cancer, two cases were poorly differentiated, 1 case was moderately differentiated, 1 case was positive for basal margin, and 1 case had vascular invasion. No lymph node metastasis occurred in the 9 patients who had no residual cancer. Among these, 8 cases were moderately differentiated, 1 case was poorly differentiated and 2 cases had positive basal margin. The average follow-up duration was 40 months and all 12 patients were in a state of survival at the last follow-up. During the follow-up of the 3 patients with residual cancer, 1 patient received adjuvant chemotherapy with unknown prognosis; 1 patient received postoperative adjuvant radiochemotherapy, and lung metastasis occurred; 1 patient did not receive any treatment after surgery and survived for 33 months. Conclusions: Laparoscopic remedial surgery is a safe and feasible remedy for patients who didn't reach the cure criterion of early colorectal cancer after endoscopic resection. However, the choice of remedial strategy for colorectal carcinoma needs further investigation for patients with no vascular invasion, high degree of differentiation, and negative basal margin.