DNA polymerase β may be involved in protecting human bronchial epithelial cells from the toxic effects induced by methyl tert-butyl ether exposure

Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), a widely used gasoline additive and a ubiquitous environmental pollutant in many countries and regions, can cause various kinds of toxic effects on human health. However, the molecular mechanism underlying its toxic effects remains elusive. The present study aimed to explore the cytotoxicity, DNA damage and oxidative damage effects of MTBE on human bronchial epithelial cells (16HBE) and the possible role of DNA polymerase β (pol-β) in this process. RNA interference (RNAi) was used to obtain pol-β gene knocked-down cells (pol-β^-). CCK-8 assay was adopted to analyze the cell viability. Alkaline single-cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) was performed to detect the DNA damage effects of MTBE. The enzyme activity of GSH-Px, SOD, CAT and the level of MDA were assessed. The data indicated that when treated with MTBE at the concentration exceeding 50 μmol/L and for the time exceeding 24 h, the pol-β^- exhibited significantly decreased cell viability and increased DNA damage effects, as compared to the control (P < 0.05). Furthermore, there was significant difference in the levels of GSH-pX, SOD, CAT and MDA between the pol-β^- and the control (P < 0.05). Our investigation suggests that MTBE can cause obvious cytotoxicity, DNA damage and oxidative damage effects on 16HBE cells. DNA polymerase β may be involved in protecting 16HBE cells from the toxic effects induced by MTBE exposure. These findings provide a novel insight into the molecular mechanism underlying the toxic effects of MTBE on human cells.

Design and implementation of a portable diagnostic system for Thomson scattering and optical emission spectroscopy measurements

A diagnostic system, which has a design goal of high-portability, has been designed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). This project aims at providing measurements of key plasma parameters (n_e, T_e, n_i, T_i) for fusion-relevant devices, utilizing Thomson scattering (TS) and optical emission spectroscopy (OES). The innovative design employs mostly commercial off-the-shelf instrumentation and a traveling team of researchers to conduct measurements at various magnetic-confinement plasma devices. The TS diagnostic uses a Quantel Q-smart 1500 Nd:YAG laser with a 2ω harmonic generator to produce up to 850 mJ of 532 nm laser pulses at 10 Hz. Collection optics placed at the detection port consists of an 11 × 3 optical fiber bundle, where the TS diagnostic uses an 11 × 1 subset array of the fibers, the OES diagnostic uses another 11 fibers, and the remaining fibers are available to the host institution. The detection system is comprised of two separate IsoPlane-320 spectrometers with triple-grating turrets of various line spacing and two PI-MAX 4 intensified CCD detectors, used simultaneously to measure a broad range of ion, impurity, and electron parameters. The self-contained diagnostic package also includes a data processing and storage system. The design and initial implementation of the TS-OES diagnostic system are described. The experiments from the proof-of-principle operation of the portable package on a high density (∼2.5 × 10²² m^-3) and low-temperature (∼5 eV) electrothermal arc source at ORNL are also discussed.

Metagenomic analysis revealed the individualized shift in ileal microbiome of neonatal calves in response to delaying the first colostrum feeding

The aim of this study was to explore the effect of colostrum feeding time on the ileal microbiome of neonatal calves. In this study, 22 male Holstein calves were randomly assigned to different colostrum feeding time treatments: after birth (at 45 min, n = 7); at 6 h after birth (n = 8); and at 12 h after birth (TRT12h; n = 7). At 51 h after birth, calves were killed and ileum digesta was collected for microbiome analysis using shotgun metagenomic sequencing. Bacteria, archaea, eukaryotes, and viruses were identified from the ileum microbiome. For the bacteriome, Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were the predominant phyla, and Escherichia, Streptococcus, Lactobacillus were the 3 most abundant genera. For the archaeal community, Euryarchaeota and Crenarchaeota were the 2 major phyla, and Methanosarcina, Methanobrevibacter, and Methanocorpusculum were the 3 most abundant genera. In total, 116 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways were identified from the ileal microbiome, with "biosynthesis of vancomycin group antibiotics," "biosynthesis of ansamycins," "valine, leucine, and isoleucine biosynthesis," "ribosome," and "d-alanine metabolism" as the top 5 functions. When the ileal microbiomes were compared among the 3 treatments, the relative abundance of Enterococcus was higher in TRT12h calves, suggesting that calves may have a higher abundance of opportunistic pathogens when the feeding of colostrum is delayed for 12 h. Moreover, among all KEGG pathways, the enriched "taurine and hypotaurine metabolism" (KO00430) pathway was identified in the ileal microbiome of TRT12h calves; however, future studies are needed to understand the effect on the host. Additionally, 2 distinct ileal microbial profiles were identified across all samples, indicating that that host factors may play a significant role in driving varied microbiome changes in response to colostrum feeding time. Whether such microbiome shifts affect long-term gut function and calf performance warrants future studies.

1800 MHz Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Field Impairs Neurite Outgrowth Through Inhibiting EPHA5 Signaling

The increasing intensity of environmental radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) has increased public concern about its health effects. Of particular concern are the influences of RF-EMF exposure on the development of the brain. The mechanisms of how RF-EMF acts on the developing brain are not fully understood. Here, based on high-throughput RNA sequencing techniques, we revealed that transcripts related to neurite development were significantly influenced by 1800 MHz RF-EMF exposure during neuronal differentiation. Exposure to RF-EMF remarkably decreased the total length of neurite and the number of branch points in neural stem cells-derived neurons and retinoic acid-induced Neuro-2A cells. The expression of Eph receptors 5 (EPHA5), which is required for neurite outgrowth, was inhibited remarkably after RF-EMF exposure. Enhancing EPHA5 signaling rescued the inhibitory effects of RF-EMF on neurite outgrowth. Besides, we identified that cAMP-response element-binding protein (CREB) and RhoA were critical downstream factors of EPHA5 signaling in mediating the inhibitory effects of RF-EMF on neurite outgrowth. Together, our finding revealed that RF-EMF exposure impaired neurite outgrowth through EPHA5 signaling. This finding explored the effects and key mechanisms of how RF-EMF exposure impaired neurite outgrowth and also provided a new clue to understanding the influences of RF-EMF on brain development.

Indoor heat exposure in Baltimore: does outdoor temperature matter?

Heat exposure of a population is often estimated by applying temperatures from outdoor monitoring stations. However, this can lead to exposure misclassification if residents do not live close to the monitoring station and temperature varies over small spatial scales due to land use/built environment variability, or if residents generally spend more time indoors than outdoors. Here, we compare summertime temperatures measured inside 145 homes in low-income households in Baltimore city with temperatures from the National Weather Service weather station in Baltimore. There is a large variation in indoor temperatures, with daily-mean indoor temperatures varying from 10 °C lower to 10 °C higher than outdoor temperatures. Furthermore, there is only a weak association between the indoor and outdoor temperatures across all houses, indicating that the outdoor temperature is not a good predictor of the indoor temperature for the residences sampled. It is shown that much of the variation is due to differences in the availability of air conditioning (AC). Houses with central AC are generally cooler than outdoors (median difference of - 3.4 °C) while those with no AC are generally warmer (median difference of 1.4 °C). For the collection of houses with central or room AC, there is essentially no relationship between indoor and outdoor temperatures, but for the subset of houses with no AC, there is a weak relationship (correlation coefficient of 0.36). The results presented here suggest future epidemiological studies of indoor exposure to heat would benefit from information on the availability of AC within the population.

First report of the genus emRhicnogryllus/em Chopard, 1925 (Orthoptera: Trigonidiidae; Trigonidiinae) in China with description of a new species

A new species, Rhicnogryllus nanlingensis sp. n., was reported from Guangdong, China. This was the first time of Rhicnogryllus was recorded from China. Description and illustrations for the new species were provided.

Crickets of the subfamily Itarinae Shiraki, 1930 (Orthoptera: Gryllidae) from China with description of a new species and distribution and critical notes on other species

The Itarinae includes two genera and 60 species world-wide. Ten species are recorded from China. All Chinese species were reviewed in this study. Females of the most species were described and illustrated. Keys based on characters of male and female for Chinese species were provided respectively. As well as, a new species and revised species distribution of Itara Walker, 1869 were reported. Two types of coloration (dark and light colors) of Parapentacentrus fuscus Gorochov, 1988 were discovered and taxonomic problem of the genus Parapentacentrus Shiraki, 1930 were discussed.

Taxonomy of scaly crickets (Orthoptera: Mogoplistidae: Mogoplistinae) from China: five new species groups and three new species of the genus Ornebius Guérin-Méneville, 1844

The genus Ornebius Guérin-Méneville, 1844 was divided into five species groups based on the structure of the male genitalia. Three new species of Ornebius were described from the Chinese provinces of Hainan, Guangxi and Guangdong. Type specimens are deposited at the Museum of Flora and Fauna of Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China (SNNU).

Absence of heterozygosity detected by single-nucleotide polymorphism array in prenatal diagnosis

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the general occurrence and clinical significance of absence of heterozygosity (AOH), detected by single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array on prenatal diagnosis.

METHODS

We recruited pregnancies undergoing invasive prenatal diagnosis at our fetal medicine center over a 6-year period. All fetuses underwent SNP array using the Affymetrix CytoScan HD array platform. AOH was defined as a chromosomal homozygosity segment with neutral copy number. Cases with AOH over 10 Mb in size or with suspected pathogenicity were further analyzed, and the clinical features and outcome were reviewed.

RESULTS

Of 10 294 recruited fetuses, 100 (0.97%) with AOH were identified; in 81 (81.0%) of these, AOH occurred in a single chromosome, while 19 (19.0%) patients had multiple AOHs in different chromosomes. AOH was observed in all chromosomes, chromosomes X, 2 and 16 being the most frequently involved. The length of AOH ranged from partial chromosome (9.002-80.222 Mb) to the entire chromosome. Similar AOH regions displayed varied clinical manifestations. In total, 55 patients presented with concomitant ultrasound abnormalities, the most common being multiple abnormalities (14/55 (25.5%)), genitourinary malformations (8/55 (14.5%)), skeletal malformations (5/55 (9.1%)) and small-for-gestational age (5/55 (9.1%)). Notably, the rate of adverse perinatal outcome (including termination of pregnancy, neonatal death, fetal death, selective reduction and miscarriage) in fetuses with AOH and ultrasound abnormalities (30/48 (62.5%)) was higher than in those without ultrasound abnormalities (6/40 (15.0%)) (P < 0.001). Further non-invasive prenatal testing using cell-free fetal DNA from maternal blood indicated chromosomal copy number abnormalities in 11 patients; however, they were confirmed as AOH by SNP array of the amniotic fluid.

CONCLUSIONS

Genetic counseling regarding a prenatal diagnosis of AOH remains challenging. To evaluate comprehensively its significance, we propose a management strategy involving further serial ultrasound examinations, parental verification, whole-exome sequencing, placental study and effective follow-up. Copyright © 2019 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Gut T cell-independent IgA responses to commensal bacteria require engagement of the TACI receptor on B cells

The gut mounts secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) responses to commensal bacteria through nonredundant T cell-dependent (TD) and T cell-independent (TI) pathways that promote the establishment of mutualistic host-microbiota interactions. SIgAs from the TD pathway target penetrant bacteria, and their induction requires engagement of CD40 on B cells by CD40 ligand on T follicular helper cells. In contrast, SIgAs from the TI pathway bind a larger spectrum of bacteria, but the mechanism underpinning their production remains elusive. Here, we show that the intestinal TI pathway required CD40-independent B cell-activating signals from TACI, a receptor for the innate CD40 ligand-like factors BAFF and APRIL. TACI-induced SIgA responses targeted a fraction of the gut microbiota without shaping its overall composition. Of note, TACI was dispensable for TD induction of IgA in gut-associated lymphoid organs. Thus, BAFF/APRIL signals acting on TACI orchestrate commensal bacteria-specific SIgA responses through an intestinal TI program.

[Novel insight into the role of gut microbiome in colorectal surgery]

Colorectal surgery is a major therapeutic approach for various colorectal diseases. Surgery and perioperative management, such as fasting, mechanical bowel preparation, and antibiotics use, have an impact on the composition and function of gut microbiome. Abnormal microbiome reconstruction may lead to multiple complications, including infection, gastrointestinal dysfunction, anastomotic leak and disease recurrence. The aim of this review is to elucidate the roles and mechanisms of perioperative interventions of colorectal surgery on gut microbiome, which may provide a novel insight into the microbe-based therapies in the perioperative period of colorectal surgery.

Chromosomal abnormalities detected by karyotyping and microarray analysis in twins with structural anomalies

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the incidence and types of chromosomal abnormalities detected in twins with structural anomalies and compare their distribution according to chorionicity and amnionicity and by structural-anomaly type. The added value of chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) over conventional karyotyping in twins was also estimated.

METHODS

This was a single-center, retrospective analysis of 534 twin pregnancies seen over an 11-year period, in which one or both fetuses were diagnosed with congenital structural anomalies on ultrasound. The ultrasound findings and invasive prenatal diagnostic results were reviewed. Twin pregnancies were categorized as monochorionic monoamniotic (MCMA), monochorionic diamniotic (MCDA) or dichorionic diamniotic (DCDA). Chromosomal abnormalities detected by G-banding karyotyping and/or CMA were analyzed by chorionicity and amnionicity and by structural-anomaly type.

RESULTS

The 534 twin pairs analyzed comprised 25 pairs of MCMA, 112 pairs of MCDA and 397 pairs of DCDA twins. Of the 549 fetuses affected by structural anomalies, 432 (78.7%) underwent invasive prenatal testing and cytogenetic results were obtained. The incidence of overall chromosomal abnormalities in the DCDA fetuses (25.4%) was higher than that in the MCMA (3.7%) and MCDA (15.3%) fetuses. The incidence of aneuploidy was significantly higher in the DCDA group (22.8%) than in the MCMA (0.0%) and MCDA (12.4%) groups. The incidence of chromosomal abnormalities detected in fetuses, with anomalies of the cardiovascular, faciocervical, musculoskeletal, genitourinary and gastrointestinal systems, was higher in the DCDA group than in the MCDA group. In both the DCDA and MCDA groups, hydrops fetalis was associated with the highest incidence of chromosomal abnormality; of these fetuses, 67.6% had Turner syndrome (45,X). Pathogenic copy-number variations (CNVs) undetectable by karyotyping were identified by CMA in five (2.0%; 95% CI, 0.3-3.7%) DCDA fetuses. No pathogenic CNVs were found in MCMA and MCDA twins.

CONCLUSIONS

Dichorionic twins with structural anomalies have a higher risk of chromosomal abnormalities, especially aneuploidies, than do monochorionic twins. The incremental diagnostic yield of CMA over karyotyping seems to be lower (2.0%) in twins than that reported in singleton pregnancy. Copyright © 2019 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Rapid remission with calcipotriol betamethasone in refractory Fox-Fordyce disease

Fox-Fordyce disease (FFD) is a rare pruritic dermatosis whose etiology has not been fully explored. It is mostly seen in women and presents as pruritic follicular papules at the apocrine (gland-bearing) regions, including the axilla, groins, perineum, and areola mammae, as well as the umbilicus. Treatment for FFD is extremely challenging in that there is no curative treatment for it. We report the case of a 26-year-old woman who was refractory to many treatments but who responded to calcipotriol betamethasone with rapid remission of her symptoms.

Intracellular activity of antimicrobial compounds used for Staphylococcus aureus nasal decolonization

Background

Staphylococcus aureus is able to invade mammalian cells during infection and was recently observed inside nasal mucosa of healthy carriers.

Objectives

To determine the intracellular activity of antimicrobial compounds used for decolonization procedures using a cell model mimicking S. aureus nasal epithelium invasion.

Patients and methods

HaCaT cells and human nasal epithelial cells (HNECs) recovered from nasal swabs of S. aureus carriers were visualized by confocal laser scanning microscopy to detect intracellular S. aureus cells. An HaCaT cell model, mimicking S. aureus internalization observed ex vivo in HNECs, was used to assess the intracellular activity against S. aureus of 21 antimicrobial compounds used for nasal decolonization, including mupirocin and chlorhexidine.

Results

HaCaT cells and HNECs were found to internalize S. aureus with the same focal pattern. Most antimicrobial compounds tested on HaCaT cells were shown to have weak activity against intracellular S. aureus. Some systemic antimicrobials, including fusidic acid, clindamycin, linezolid, minocycline, ciprofloxacin, moxifloxacin, rifampicin and levofloxacin, reduced S. aureus intracellular loads by 0.43-1.66 log cfu/106 cells compared with the control (P < 0.001). By contrast, mupirocin and chlorhexidine reduced the S. aureus intracellular load by 0.19 and 0.23 log cfu/106 cells, respectively.

Conclusions

These data indicate that most of the antimicrobial compounds used for nasal decolonization, including mupirocin and chlorhexidine, exhibit weak activity against intracellular S. aureus using the HaCaT cell model. This work emphasizes the need to better understand the role of the S. aureus intracellular reservoir during nasal colonization in order to improve decolonization procedures.

Comparison of microRNAs in adipose and muscle tissue from seven indigenous Chinese breeds and Yorkshire pigs

Elucidation of the pig microRNAome is essential for interpreting functional elements of the genome and understanding the genetic architecture of complex traits. Here, we extracted small RNAs from skeletal muscle and adipose tissue, and we compared their expression levels between one Western breed (Yorkshire) and seven indigenous Chinese breeds. We detected the expression of 172 known porcine microRNAs (miRNAs) and 181 novel miRNAs. Differential expression analysis found 92 and 12 differentially expressed miRNAs in adipose and muscle tissue respectively. We found that different Chinese breeds shared common directional miRNA expression changes compared to Yorkshire pigs. Some miRNAs differentially expressed across multiple Chinese breeds, including ssc-miR-129-5p, ssc-miR-30 and ssc-miR-150, are involved in adipose tissue function. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that the target genes of the differentially expressed miRNAs are associated mainly with signaling pathways rather than metabolic and biosynthetic processes. The miRNA-target gene and miRNA-phenotypic traits networks identified many hub miRNAs that regulate a large number of target genes or phenotypic traits. Specifically, we found that intramuscular fat content is regulated by the greatest number of miRNAs in muscle tissue. This study provides valuable new candidate miRNAs that will aid in the improvement of meat quality and production.

Response of AMP-activated protein kinase and lactate metabolism of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) under acute hypoxic stress

To study adaptation of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) to hypoxic stress, we investigated physiological responses and lactate metabolism of the fish under acute hypoxia. The objectives of this study were to (a) observe changes in glucose, glycogen, and lactate content; (b) detect the activity of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in serum, brain, heart, and liver tissues; and (c) quantify the dynamic gene expression of AMP activated protein kinase alpha (AMPKα), hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α), monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT1), monocarboxylate transporter 4 (MCT4), and lactate dehydrogenase-a (LDHa) following exposure to hypoxia. The fish were subjected to two hypoxia stresses (dissolved oxygen [DO] 1.20 ± 0.2 mg/L and 3.50 ± 0.3 mg/L, respectively) for 24 h. Our results showed that hypoxic stress significantly increased the decomposition of liver glycogen and significantly increased the concentration of blood glucose; however, the muscle glycogen content was not significantly decreased, which indicates that liver glycogen was the main energy source under acute hypoxia. Moreover, hypoxia led to accumulation of a large amount of lactic acid in tissues, possibly due to the activity of lactic acid dehydrogenase, but this process was delayed in the heart and brain relative to the liver. Additionally, hypoxia induced the expression of AMPKα, HIF-1α, MCT1, MCT4, and LDHa, suggesting that glycometabolism had switched from aerobic to anaerobic. Our results contribute to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of the response to hypoxia in largemouth bass.

Cortical bone resorption of fibular bone after maxillary reconstruction with a vascularized fibula free flap: a computed tomography imaging study

This study was performed to evaluate the cortical bone resorption of fibular bone after maxillary reconstruction with a fibula free flap. A total of 35 patients with maxillary defects that were repaired using a fibula flap (62 fibula segments) between January 2011 and January 2016 were enrolled. Computed tomography (CT) images taken 1 week and 1 year postoperative were used to evaluate cortical bone resorption. The 62 fibula segments were measured on four different surfaces in the CT images. At 1 week, the thickness of the cortical bone was 2.57 ± 0.58 mm, 2.72 ± 0.46 mm, 3.84 ± 0.98 mm, and 4.36 ± 0.90 mm for the exterior, interior, superior, and inferior sides, respectively. At approximately 1 year, the cortical bone thickness was significantly reduced to 2.00 ± 0.65 mm (P <  0.01), 2.25 ± 0.60 mm (P <  0.01), 3.37 ± 0.90 mm (P <  0.01), and 2.96 ± 0.84 mm (P <  0.01) for the exterior, interior, superior, and inferior sides, respectively. The cortical bone thickness of fibular bone is significantly reduced 1 year after the restoration of maxillary defects with a fibula free flap, most significantly on the inferior side.

[A study on the status and problem countermeasures of key occupational disease monitoring in Shandong, China, from 2015 to 2017]

Objective: To analyze the completion status, monitoring results, and existing problems of key occupational disease monitoring in Shandong, China, from 2015 to 2017, and to provide reference materials for improving monitoring quality and carrying out occupational disease prevention and control. Methods: The monitoring situation including project coverage, data collection, monitoring results, and monitoring quality of key occupational diseases in Shandong from 2015 to 2017 were described and comparatively analyzed. Results: In the past three years, the uncoverage rate of monitored counties (38.69% in 2015, 10.95% in 2016, and 5.11% in 2017) , the non-work rate of occupational health examination institutions (41.67% in 2015, 18.02% in 2016, and 8.72% in 2017) , and the non-work rate of occupational disease diagnosis institutions (42.31% in 2015, 38.46% in 2016, and 38.46% in 2017) in Shandong decreased year by year. The number of institutions with key occupational hazard factors reported to the safety supervision and management department increased year by year (it was 24140 in 2017, with an increase of 40.50% compared with 2016 and an increase of 114.62% compared with 2015) ; the key occupational hazard factors in enterprises were mainly noise (72.76%) , followed by benzene, silica dust, and coal dust. The number of workers exposed to key occupational hazard factors reported to the safety supervision and management department increased year by year; in 2017, it was 729245, with an increase of 39.78% compared with 2016 and an increase of 84.81% compared with 2015. The ratio of people exposed to key occupational hazard factors identified by the medical examination to the total people in the safety supervision system in a year decreased year by year (40.87% in 2015, 23.86% in 2016, and 17.95% in 2017) . Conclusion: In Shandong, the supervision of enterprises with key occupational hazard factors and the responsibility of enterprise protection should be strengthened. The occupational health examination rate of workers should be improved. It is suggested that we should carry out the special investigations and occupational health risk assessment for key enterprises and key populations.

Enhancing the Energy Density of Tricritical Ferroelectrics for Energy Storage Applications

Recently, tricritical ferroelectrics have been drawn tremendous attention, owing to their ultrahigh dielectric permittivities of up to ε_r > 5 × 10⁴, and their consideration for prototype materials in the development of high-performance energy storage devices. Nevertheless, such a materials system suffers from the disadvantage of low breakdown strength, which makes its energy density far from the satisfactory level for practical application. In this paper, a material-modification approach has been reported, for improving the dielectric strength for tricritical ferroelectric materials Ba(Ti_1-xSn_x)O₃ (BTS) through doping with Bi_1.5ZnNb_1.5O₇ (BZN) additives. The results suggest that the electric strength has been largely improved in the modified tricritical ferroelectric material (BTS_x-yBZN), and the associated energy density reaches U_e = 1.15 J/cm³. Further microstructure investigation indicates that the modified tricritical ferroelectric material exhibits homogenous fine grains with perovskite structure in crystal symmetry, and the BZN may help to form a special structure that could enhance the breakdown strength. The findings may advance the material design and development of high-energy storage materials.

Parathyroid hormone-stimulation of Runx2 during osteoblast differentiation via the regulation of lnc-SUPT3H-1:16 (RUNX2-AS1:32) and miR-6797-5p

Parathyroid hormone (PTH) acts as a regulator of calcium homeostasis and bone remodeling. Runx2, an essential transcription factor in bone, is required for osteoblast differentiation. Noncoding RNAs such as long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) play crucial roles in regulating gene expression in osteoblasts. In this study, we investigated the effects of PTH on osteoblast differentiation via Runx2, lncRNA, and miRNA expression in human bone marrow stromal cells (hBMSCs) and human osteoblastic cells (MG63). PTH-treatment of hBMSCs for 24 h, 7 days, and 14 days stimulated Runx2 mRNA expression. Using bioinformatics tools, we identified 17 lncRNAs originating from human Runx2 gene. Among these, lnc-SUPT3H-1:16 (RUNX2-AS1:32) expression was highly up-regulated by the 7 d PTH-treatment in hBMSCs. We also identified miR-6797-5p as the putative target of lnc-SUPT3H-1:16 and Runx2 using bioinformatics tools. PTH-treatment increased the expression of miR-6797-5p in hBMSCs, and overexpression of miR-6797-5p decreased osteoblast differentiation in MG63 cells, suggesting a role for lnc-SUPT3H-1:16 as sponge molecule. A luciferase gene reporter assay identified direct targeting of miR-6797-5p with lnc-SUPT3H-1:16 and 3'UTR Runx2 in MG63 cells. Thus, PTH stimulated the expression of lnc-SUPT3H-1:16, miR-6797-5p and Runx2, and due to the sponging mechanism of lnc- SUPT3H-1:16 towards miR-6797-5p, Runx2 was protected, resulting in the promotion of osteoblast differentiation.

Benefits of Etoposide Maintenance Therapy for Patients With Extensive SCLC Who Experienced PR/CR/SD After 4-6 Cycles of First-Line Chemotherapy With Etoposide Plus Cisplatin/Carboplatin

Background: The clinical remission period of small cell lung cancer was shorter after the first-line treatment. Aim: To observe whether oral etoposide maintenance therapy can improve the progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with lung cancer who experienced complete remission (CR), partial remission (PR), and disease stabilization (SD) after 4-6 cycles of first-line chemotherapy with etoposide plus cisplatin/carboplatin. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on patients with ED-SCLC who were treated with etoposide (100 mg/d, iv.gtt days 1-5 with a cycle length of every 21 days) plus 4-6 cycles of cisplatin/carboplatin chemotherapy during the period from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2016 at the Cancer Hospital affiliated with Zhengzhou University. All the patients were divided into 2 groups based on the criteria whether they had gone through maintenance therapy with etoposide: nonmaintained treatment group (NT), and maintenance treatment group (TH). The maintenance treatment group was further subdivided into the 25 mg subgroup (group A) and the 50 mg subgroup (group B) according to the maintenance dose. Analysis of 1-year progression-free survival (PFS) was conducted using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards model. PFS1 was defined as the first day of first-line treatment until the disease progressed or the last follow-up time. PFS2 was defined as the first day of etoposide capsule treatment until disease progression or the last follow-up time. Results: A total of 85 patients were enrolled in this study; there were 50 patients in the NT group (58.8%) and 35 patients in the TH group (41.2%). In the TH group, there were 10 (28.6%) in the 25 mg subgroup (group A) and 25 (71.4%) in the 50 mg subgroup (group B). Detailed patient information and tumor-related parameters are shown in Table 1. For all patients, the median PFS1 in the first-line regimen with either the cisplatin or carboplatin group was 6.5 months (95% CI: 5.870-7.130) and 6.4 months (95% CI: 5.970-6.970) respectively ( P = 0.0551). Median progression-free survival for all patients and the median PFS for patients of the TH group were 6.5 months (95% CI: 6.138-6.861) and 7.2 months (95% CI: 6.702-7.698) respectively; the median PFS for the NT group, subgroup A, and subgroup B were 5.7 months (95% CI: 4.862-6.478), 6.7 months (95% CI: 6.390-7.010), and 7.4 months (95% CI: 6.386-8.474), respectively ( P = 0.0043). Median PFS2 was 2.400 months for maintenance treatment patients; the median PFS2 in the 25 mg and 50 mg groups was 2.100 months (95% CI 1.690-2.510 months) and 3.030 months (95% CI 1.937-4.123 months), respectively ( P = 0.0309). Conclusion: Use of etoposide capsules to maintain chemotherapy can significantly prolong the progression-free survival (PFS) of CR, PR, and SD in patients with extensive SCLC and improve 1-year survival; a 50-mg dose is better than 25 mg.