An innovative application of follicular unit extraction technique in the treatment of bromhidrosis

BACKGROUND

Surgery is the most effective way to treat bromhidrosis, but postoperative complications are still the biggest obstacles for patients to choose surgical treatment.

OBJECTIVES

To introduce an innovative application of follicular unit extraction (FUE) in the treatment of bromhidrosis.

METHODS

We conducted a case series study on 20 patients who received FUE technique for the treatment of bromhidrosis. The axillary hair follicles were extracted with a one-millimetre punch. The released hair follicles were collected for histological examination. After the operation, the wounds were wrapped with moderate pressure. The dressing was removed 24 h after the FUE operation. The postoperative complications were collected, and the improvement of malodour was evaluated by the 10-point visual analogue scale.

RESULTS

Immediately postoperation, many needle-shaped holes appeared in the armpits. The holes healed 7 days after the operation, with no scar or pinpoint-like scars. Except for a female who complained of mild pain in the left armpit, no other patients had any discomfort. The malodour level varied between 0 and 4 during the follow-up period. The tissue examination showed that more than 90% of the completely plucked hair follicles were accompanied by apocrine glands, and many blocked and dilated apocrine glands were observed. The lumens of the blocked glands were filled with decapitation products, which were positive for K5, Brst-2 and CEA.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with bromhidrosis have a positive response to FUE technique. The FUE technique is well-tolerated, with only a few postoperative complications, which deserves to be widely promoted.

LINC00240 sponges miR-4465 to promote proliferation, migration, and invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma cells via HGF/c-MET signaling pathway

OBJECTIVE

LINC00240, as a novel long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), has never been studied in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This research reported the expression and function of LINC00240 in HCC.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

LINC00240 expression in 180 HCC patients was downloaded from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. HCC patients' survival was analyzed via Kaplan‑Meier analysis. The expression of LINC00240, miR-4465 and HGF in Hep3B and Huh7 cells were regulated by transfection. Cell viability was determined by MTT assay. Transwell experiment was used for the detection of cells migration and invasion abilities. The interaction between LINC00240, miR-4465 and HGF was reflected by Luciferase reporter assay. LINC00240, miR-4465, HGF and p-c-MET expression in HCC cells were researched by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and Western blot.

RESULTS

TCGA data showed that high LINC00240 expression was markedly associated with lower survival of HCC patients (p = 0.036). LINC00240 expression was aberrantly upregulated in HCC cells. Silencing of LINC00240 significantly reduced HCC cells viability, migration and invasion. miR-4465 was a target gene of LINC00240. Silencing of LINC00240 reduced HCC cells viability, migration and invasion via directly promoting miR-4465 expression. HGF was target gene of miR-4465. miR-4465 up-regulation obviously suppressed HGF and p-c-MET expression. According to rescue experiment, LINC00240 silencing inhibited HCC cells viability, migration and invasion by suppressing HGF/c-MET signaling pathway via targeting miR-4465.

CONCLUSIONS

LINC00240 sponges miR-4465 to promote HCC cells proliferation, migration and invasion via HGF/c-MET signaling pathway.

Application of ultrasound-based radiomics technology in fetal-lung-texture analysis in pregnancies complicated by gestational diabetes and/or pre-eclampsia

OBJECTIVES

To analyze and compare, using ultrasound-based radiomics technology, fetal-lung texture in pregnancies affected by gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and/or pre-eclampsia (PE) and in normal pregnancies, overall and at different gestational ages.

METHODS

In this retrospective study, 430 high-throughput features per fetal-lung image were extracted from 548 fetal-lung ultrasound images (obtained at the level of the four-chamber view of the heart) in 548 pregnant women who delivered between July 2018 and August 2019 at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University. Images had been obtained during ultrasound examinations between 28 and 41 weeks of gestation. The data were divided randomly into training set (80% of fetal-lung images) and independent test set (20% of images), and 20% of the images in the training set were then selected as the validation set. A standard machine-learning model based on ultrasound-based radiomics technology was created using features of fetal-lung texture extracted from the images, and a regression model was used to evaluate the relationship between lung-texture features, GDM and/or PE and gestational age.

RESULTS

Of the 548 pregnancies included, 108 were affected by GDM alone, 71 by PE alone and 25 by both GDM and PE, and 344 were normal. The overall performance of the GDM and PE prediction model was superior to that of the gestational-age prediction model, with an area under the receiver-operating-characteristics curve of 0.95-0.99, sensitivity of 78.8-97.1% in the validation set and 74.5-91.3% in the independent test set, specificity of 79.8-94.3% in the validation set and 75.7-88.4% in the independent test set and accuracy of 81.0-95.3% in the validation set and 80.6-86.4% in the independent test set.

CONCLUSIONS

Using ultrasound-based radiomics technology, fetal lungs from pregnancies grouped according to whether they were affected by GDM and/or PE could be distinguished from each other and from fetal lungs of normal pregnancies, and lungs from pregnancies at different gestational ages could be distinguished. These findings support further research to explore the use of this non-invasive technology to predict neonatal respiratory complications in women with PE, GDM or their combination. © 2020 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

An Acylase from Shewanella Putrefaciens Presents a Vibrio Parahaemolyticus Acylhomoserine Lactone-Degrading Activity and Exhibits Temperature-, Ph- and Metal-Dependences

Shewanella putrefaciens supernatant was found to increase the virulence factors of Vibrio parahaemolyticus by efficiently degrading its acylhomoserine lactone (AHL). To further reveal the regulation mechanism and its key degrading enzyme, a potential AHL-degrading enzyme acylase (Aac) from S. putrefaciens was cloned, and the influences of temperature, pH, protein modifiers, and metals on Aac were tested. Aac was significantly influenced by temperature and pH, and exhibited the highest AHL-degrading activity at temperatures of 37 °C and pH of 8. Mg2+ and Fe2+ can further increase the AHL-degrading activity. 10 mM EDTA inhibited its activity possibly by chelating the co-factors (metals) required for Aac activity. Tryptophan and arginine were identified as key components for Aac activity that are critical to its AHL-degrading activity. This study provides useful information on Aac and for V. parahaemolyticus control.

Mindfulness-based stress reduction alters brain activity for breast cancer survivors with chronic neuropathic pain: preliminary evidence from resting-state fMRI

PURPOSE

Breast cancer continues to be the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Canadian women, with as many as 25-60% of women suffering from chronic neuropathic pain (CNP) as a pervasive consequence of treatment. While pharmacological interventions have shown limited efficacy for the management of CNP to date, psychological interventions, such as mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), may be a promising alterative for improving pain-related problems. The purpose of this study was to use brain imaging methods to investigate this potential.

METHODS

Resting-state fMRI was used in female breast cancer survivors with CNP before and after an 8-week MBSR course (n = 13) and compared with a waitlist control group (n = 10).

RESULTS

Focusing on the default mode network, the most significant results show greater posterior cingulate connectivity with medial prefrontal regions post-MBSR intervention. Moreover, this change in connectivity correlated with reduced pain severity for the MBSR group.

CONCLUSIONS

These results provide empirical evidence of a change in the brain following MBSR intervention associated with changes in the subjective experience of pain.

IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS

This study gives hope for a non-invasive method of easing the struggle of CNP in women following breast cancer treatment.

An Exceptional Avulsion Fracture Above the Medial Malleolus: A Retrospective Case Series

The Lauge-Hansen classification does not cover all types of ankle injuries. The present report details three cases of exceptional fragment of the medial tibia that differed from the traditional Lauge-Hansen supination-external rotation and pronation-external rotation fracture patterns. The information obtained from this study will be helpful for conducting basic research of this condition and determining appropriate surgical approaches.

Phononic Helical Nodal Lines with PT Protection in MoB_{2}

While condensed matter systems host both fermionic and bosonic quasiparticles, reliably predicting and empirically verifying topological states is only mature for Fermionic electronic structures, leaving topological Bosonic excitations sporadically explored. This is unfortunate, as Bosonic systems such as phonons offer the opportunity to assess spinless band structures where nodal lines can be realized without invoking special additional symetries to protect against spin-orbit coupling. Here we combine first-principles calculations and meV-resolution inelastic x-ray scattering to demonstrate the first realization of parity-time reversal symmetry protected helical nodal lines in the phonon spectrum of MoB_{2}. This structure is unique to phononic systems as the spin-orbit coupling present in electronic systems tends to lift the degeneracy away from high-symmetry locations. Our study establishes a protocol to accurately identify topological Bosonic excitations, opening a new route to explore exotic topological states in crystalline materials.

MiRNA-616 aggravates the progression of bladder cancer by regulating cell proliferation, migration and apoptosis through downregulating SOX7

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the regulatory effect of microRNA-616 (miRNA-616) on cellular behaviors of bladder cancer and the potential mechanism.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The expressions of miRNA-616 and SOX7 in bladder cancer tissues and cell lines were examined by quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). The relationship between miRNA-616 and SOX7 was assessed through Dual-Luciferase Reporter Gene Assay. The regulatory effects of miRNA-616 and SOX7 on cellular behaviors of bladder cancer were evaluated through cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), colony formation, transwell migration assay, and flow cytometry.

RESULTS

MiRNA-616 was upregulated, whereas SOX7 was downregulated in bladder cancer tissues and cell lines. The silence of miRNA-616 attenuated the proliferative and migratory abilities, arrested cell cycle progression in the G2 phase, and stimulated apoptosis in UMUC3 and T24 cells. SOX7 was the target gene of miRNA-616, and its level was negatively regulated by miRNA-616. The knockdown of SOX7 enhanced the proliferative and migratory abilities, and attenuated apoptosis of bladder cancer cells.

CONCLUSIONS

MiRNA-616 accelerates bladder cancer cells to proliferate and migrate and inhibits apoptosis by downregulating SOX7. MiRNA-616/SOX7 may be potential therapeutic targets for bladder cancer.

Protective effect of resveratrol on kidney in rats with diabetic nephropathy and its effect on endoplasmic reticulum stress

OBJECTIVE

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) can cause chronic renal insufficiency and significantly reduce the life quality of patients with diabetes mellitus, and may eventually lead to death. The study investigated the expression of endoplasmic reticulum stress-related factors, which have important roles in the progress of DN and to explore effects of resveratrol on DN and the possible mechanism.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Specific pathogen free (SPF) grade healthy male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were divided into different groups for different treatments. The diabetic rat model was established by intraperitoneal injection of low-dose streptozotocin (STZ) (40 mg/kg). The normal rats and diabetes model rats were divided into four groups including normal control group (N), normal control + resveratrol (N+R), model group (M), and model + resveratrol group (M+R) for different treatments. The changes of renal histology were observed by immunohistochemistry. Glucose oxidase/peroxidase method was used to measure FPG, UP 24 h content was measured by bicinchoninic acid (BCA) assay, BUN, Scr and Cys C content were measured by automatic biochemical analyzer. The expressions of 78 kDa glucose-regulated protein (GRP78), protein kinase RNA-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK), and activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) and C/EBP-homologous protein (CHOP) were analyzed by Western blot.

RESULTS

Resveratrol treatment significantly reduced the fasting blood glucose level, urinary protein level and renal pathological damage. The phosphorylation of PERK in the kidney of rats with diabetes was up-regulated, while resveratrol treatment reduced this change. The expression of p- PERK, GRP78, ATF4, and CHOP was significantly increased in rats with diabetes, while resveratrol treatment can reduce the increased level of those endoplasmic reticulum stress related factors.

CONCLUSIONS

Resveratrol has a good therapeutic effect on DN in rats without side effect. The mechanism may be related to the regulation of endoplasmic reticulum stress response.

Chinese Consensus on Insertional Achilles Tendinopathy

Background:

Insertional Achilles tendinopathy (IAT) is a common finding in the clinic. However, consensus on its mechanism, pathological process, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation is lacking. Thus, the Chinese Society of Sports Medicine organized and invited experts representing the fields of ankle disease and tendinopathy to jointly develop an expert consensus on IAT.

Study Design:

A consensus statement of the Chinese Society of Sports Medicine.

Methods:

A total of 34 experts in the field of sports medicine and orthopaedics were invited to participate in the compilation of a consensus statement regarding IAT. Consensus was achieved according to the Delphi method. First, 10 working groups composed of 34 experts were established to compile draft statements about clinical problems related to IAT by reviewing and analyzing the available literature. An expert consensus meeting to discuss drafts was then arranged. Each statement was individually presented and discussed, followed by a secret vote. Consensus was reached when more than 50% of the experts voted in its favor. The strength of the proposed recommendation was classified based on the proportion of favorable votes: consensus, 51% to 74%; strong consensus, 75% to 99%; unanimity, 100%.

Results:

Of the 10 expert consensus statements on the clinical diagnosis and treatment of IAT, there was strong consensus for 8 statements and unanimity for 2 statements.

Conclusion:

This expert consensus focused on the concepts, causes, pathological process, clinical diagnosis, and treatment of IAT. Accepted recommendations in these areas which will assist clinicians in carrying out standardized management of related diseases.

Transfer of abductor hallucis tendon combined with scarf osteotomy versus single scarf osteotomy in moderate to severe hallux valgus deformity: a comparative retrospective cohort study

Background

Scarf osteotomy (SO) was broadly applied in moderate to severe hallux valgus (MSHV), and the results were satisfactory. However, due to the complicated pathologic changes in hallux valgus, the ideal surgical treatment is still controversial. Transfer of the abductor hallucis tendon combined with Scarf osteotomy (TAHTCSO) was an innovative alternative technique. This retrospective cohort study aimed to define if TAHTCSO mode resulted in improved outcomes as compared with the single SO in MSHV.

Methods

Of 73 patients (92 ft) with MSHV, 36 (45 ft) were treated through TAHTCSO and 37 ones (47 ft) through SO. The patients were assessed clinically and radiographically with a 24-month follow-up. They were assessed pre-operatively and post-operatively with intermetatarsal angle (IMA), hallux valgus angle (HVA), distal metatarsal articular angle (DMAA), first metatarsophalangeal joint range of motion (1#MTP ROM), as well as American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) forefoot scores and postoperative complications of surgery.

Results

Both cohorts had the same baseline feathures. All patients were followed up from 24 to 40 months, with a mean of 28.3 months. Patients in the TAHTCSO cohort had significantly decreased HVA at 6 months (p < 0.0001), 12 months (p < 0.0001), and 24 months (p < 0.0001) after surgery. 1#MTP had been increased slightly with non-statistic sense (p>0.05). IMA, DMAA and AOFAS also had not significantly difference at all followed time after surgery as compared with the SO cohort. The healing of osteotomies was observed within 8 weeks in the two cohorts. Two cases of hallus varus had been found in SO cohort and there were no cases of delayed healing and bone non-union in both cohorts.

Conclusion

In this retrospective cohort study, TAHTCSO had sufficient maintenance of the correction and improved functional performance thereby was a good alternative for MSHV, though it did not display a better result for MSHV compared to SO.

CircERCC2 ameliorated intervertebral disc degeneration by regulating mitophagy and apoptosis through miR-182-5p/SIRT1 axis

The molecular mechanism of intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the role of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in the pathogenesis of IVDD. We sued nucleus pulposus (NP) tissues of patients, tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) stimulated NP cells (NPCs), and IVDD rat model to explore the interaction between circERCC2 and miR-182-5p/SIRT1 axis. The results showed that downregulation of circERCC2 increased the level of miR-182-5p and decreased the level of SIRT1 in degenerative NP tissues in vivo as well as in TBHP-stimulated NPCs in vitro. Treatment of SIRT1-si activated apoptosis and inhibited mitophagy. Moreover, miR-182-5p-si could regulate the mitophagy and the apoptosis of NPCs by targeting SIRT1. The effects of circERCC2 on NPCs and IVDD rat model were mediated by miR-182-5p/SIRT1 axis. In conclusion, this study provides the first evidence that circERCC2 could ameliorate IVDD through miR-182-5p/SIRT1 axis by activating mitophagy and inhibiting apoptosis, and suggests that circERCC2 is a potentially effective therapeutic target for IVDD.

B-09 Cerebral Grey Matter After Out-Of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest In Good Outcome Survivors

Objective

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) on cognitive functioning and brain volumes, in good outcome survivors.

Method

Participants were medically stable OHCA survivors. Two control groups were also recruited: patients who experienced myocardial infarction (MI), and healthy controls (HC) with no history of cardiovascular disease. Neuropsychological assessment was conducted using the Neuropsychological Assessment Battery (NAB). Imaging was performed on a 3T Siemens Trio MRI scanner. Cerebral grey matter volume (GM; measured by voxel-based morphometry in SPM12) results are presented.

Results

Participants (nOHCA = 9, nMI = 19, nHC = 13) ranged in age from 30 to 85 years. When controlling for age, whole-brain analyses revealed decreased GM in anterior cingulate cortex, bilateral hippocampus in the OHCA and in the MI group compared to the HC group. In addition, the MI group had decreased GM compared to the HC in the thalamus and the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (p < .001). No significant differences in GM were observed between the MI and OHCA groups. The hippocampus was selected as a region-of-interest for further analyses. The Total NAB Index was correlated with hippocampal GM in the OHCA group but not in the MI group (rOHCA = .78, p = .014).

Conclusions

Results revealed select areas of GM reduction in OHCA and MI groups, suggesting a contribution of cardiovascular disease to observed atrophy. Reductions are related to cognitive performance only in the cardiac arrest group which may suggest that these volume losses represent clinically meaningful changes.

Magnetic-Competition-Induced Colossal Magnetoresistance in n-Type HgCr_{2}Se_{4} under High Pressure

The n-type HgCr_{2}Se_{4} exhibits a sharp semiconductor-to-metal transition (SMT) in resistivity accompanying the ferromagnetic order at T_{C}=106  K. Here, we investigate the effects of pressure and magnetic field on the concomitant SMT and ferromagnetic order by measuring resistivity, dc and ac magnetic susceptibility, as well as single-crystal neutron diffraction under various pressures up to 8 GPa and magnetic fields up to 8 T. Our results demonstrate that the ferromagnetic metallic ground state of n-type HgCr_{2}Se_{4} is destabilized and gradually replaced by an antiferromagnetic, most likely a spiral magnetic, and insulating ground state upon the application of high pressure. On the other hand, the application of external magnetic fields can restore the ferromagnetic metallic state again at high pressures, resulting in a colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) as high as ∼ 3×10^{11}% under 5 T and 2 K at 4 GPa. The present study demonstrates that n-type HgCr_{2}Se_{4} is located at a peculiar critical point where the balance of competition between ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic interactions can be easily tipped by external stimuli, providing a new platform for achieving CMR in a single-valent system.

Hypermethylation of Frizzled1 is associated with Wnt/β-catenin signaling inactivation in mesenchymal stem cells of patients with steroid-associated osteonecrosis

The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway is associated with the pathogenesis of steroid-induced osteonecrosis. Our investigation studied whether aberrant CpG island hypermethylation of the FZD1 gene was present in patients with osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH), which results in Wnt/β-catenin signaling inactivation and subsequent cell dysfunction. Bone marrow was collected from the proximal femurs of patients with steroid-associated ONFH (n = 21) and patients with new femoral neck fractures (n = 22), and then mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were isolated. We investigated cell viability, the transcription and translation levels of Wnt/β-catenin signaling-related genes, the extent of methylation at CpG islands of the FZD1 promoter, and the osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation abilities of MSCs from the control group and from the ONFH group treated with or without 5′-Aza-dC. According to the results, MSCs from the ONFH group showed a reduced proliferation ability, low transcription and translation levels of FZD1, inhibition of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, weakened osteogenesis and enhanced adipogenesis ability. Aberrant CpG island hypermethylation of FZD1 was observed in the ONFH group. Treatment with 5’-Aza-dC resulted in de novo FZD1 expression, reactivation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and promotion of osteogenesis. Taken together, our study not only provides novel insights into the regulation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in this disease but also reveals potential for the use of demethylating agents for the treatment of GC-associated ONFH.

Studies of genetic and molecular signaling processes in the bone disease osteonecrosis, when it is associated with steroid use, reveal insights into disease development and suggest new approaches for treatment. Steroid drugs increase the risk of osteonecrosis, in which bone tissue dies due to insufficient blood supply, but the mechanism of this effect is unclear. Researchers in China, led by Zhibo Sun at Wuhan University, investigated a link between the aberrant addition of methyl groups (CH₃) to the DNA of a specific gene and the onset of the disease. They identified an important molecular signaling pathway in cultured bone marrow cells from patients that is inhibited by the gene methylation. Treating these cells with a drug that inhibits methylation led to reactivation of the gene and the associated signalling pathway that promotes healthy bone formation.

p53 mediated IFN-β signaling to affect viral replication upon TGEV infection

TGEV can induce IFN-β production, which in turn plays a vital role in host antiviral immune responses. Our previous studies showed that TGEV infection activated p53 signaling to induce host cell apoptosis, which might influence virus replication. However, whether there be an interaction between p53 and IFN-β signaling in the process of TGEV infection is unknown. In the present study, we used low dose of TGEV to infect p53 wild-type PK-15 cells (WT PK-15 cells) and p53 deficient cells (p53-/- PK-15 cells), to investigate the modulation of IFN signaling and virus replication by p53. The results showed that the IFN-β expression and production were notably inhibited in p53-/- PK-15 cells compared with that in WT PK-15 cells at early stage of TGEV infection. In addition, TGEV-induced the changes in mRNA levels of TRIF, TRAM, MDA5, RIG-I, IPS-1, IRF9, IRF3, ISG15 and ISG20 were notably hindered in p53-/- PK-15 cells before 36 h post infection (p.i.). Moreover, TGEV genomic RNA and sub genomic mRNA (N gene and ORF7) levels showed significant increase in p53-/- PK-15 cells compared with WT PK-15 cells after TGEV infection. And viral titers were observably enhanced in p53-/- PK-15 cells. Furthermore, exogenous IFN-β and polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly (I:C)) treatment markedly inhibited the mRNA levels of TGEV gRNA, N and ORF7 in WT PK-15 cells and p53-/- PK-15 cells compared to control. Taken together, these results demonstrated that p53 may mediate IFN-β signaling to inhibit viral replication early after TGEV infection.