Value of chest imaging in the newborn with suspected COVID-19

OBJECTIVE

This paper presents a newborn (G2P2, gestational age of 39+6 weeks, birth weight of 3,200 g, with normal fetal amniotic fluid) with suspected coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) admitted to our hospital on February 10, 2020, at the birth age of 16 hours and 34 minutes. The Apgar scores at 1 and 5 min were 9 and 10 points, respectively.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The mother of the newborn was exposed to a patient with COVID-19 five days before delivery. The newborn had nausea and vomiting after birth, with feeding intolerance, and full enteral feeding was given on the 6th day after birth. The newborn was in good general condition during the period of hospitalization.

RESULTS

The two 2019-nCoV nucleic acid tests of the newborn were negative on the 5th and 7th days after birth. On the 1st and 8th days after birth, typical pulmonary lesions were detected in the newborn by chest CT. Our study supports that chest imaging examination should be actively performed in the newborn even with a negative 2019-nCoV nucleic acid test in cases where a pregnant woman is exposed to a patient with COVID-19 or is confirmed with 2019-nCoV infection.

CONCLUSIONS

For newborns with typical pulmonary lesions, strict quarantine measures are suggested if the possibility of COVID-19 cannot be excluded.

LncRNA SND1-IT1 accelerates the proliferation and migration of osteosarcoma via sponging miRNA-665 to upregulate POU2F1

OBJECTIVE

To clarify the role of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) SND1-IT1 in accelerating the proliferative and migratory abilities of osteosarcoma (OS) via sponging miRNA-665 to upregulate POU2F1.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The relative level of SND1-IT1 in OS tissues was determined by quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). The target gene of SND1-IT1 was predicted by bioinformatics and verified by Dual-Luciferase reporter gene assay. Similarly, the target gene of miRNA-665 was identified. Correlation among SND1-IT1, miRNA-665 and POU2F1 was evaluated through linear regression test. Regulatory effects of SND1-IT1/miRNA-665/POU2F1 on cellular behaviors of MG63 and U2OS cells were evaluated.

RESULTS

SND1-IT1 was upregulated in OS, knockdown of which attenuated proliferative and migratory abilities of OS cells. MiRNA-665 was the target gene of SND1-IT1, which was negatively correlated to SND1-IT1 in OS. POU2F1 was the target gene of miRNA-665. Its level was negatively regulated by miRNA-665 and positively regulated by SND1-IT1. Inhibited proliferative and migratory abilities of OS cells with SND1-IT1 knockdown were partially elevated by transfection of miRNA-665 inhibitor, and further downregulated by POU2F1 knockdown.

CONCLUSIONS

LncRNA SND1-IT1 accelerates proliferative and migratory abilities of OS via sponging miRNA-665 to upregulate POU2F1, thus stimulating the progression of OS.

10-Year Molecular Surveillance of Listeria monocytogenes Using Whole-Genome Sequencing in Shanghai, China, 2009-2019

Listeria monocytogenes is an etiologic agent of listeriosis, and has emerged as an important foodborne pathogen worldwide. In this study, the molecular characteristics of 155 L. monocytogenes isolates from seven food groups in Shanghai, the biggest city in China, were identified using whole-genome sequencing (WGS). Most L. monocytogenes isolates (79.3%) were obtained between May and October from 2009 to 2019. The serogroups and clonal complexes (CCs) of L. monocytogenes were found useful for identifying potential health risks linked to foods. Differences in distributions of serogroups and CCs among different food groups were analyzed using t-test. The results showed that the IIa and IVb serogroups were identified among most of food groups. However, the prevalence of serogroup IIb was significantly higher in ready-to-eat (RTE) food and raw seafood than in other food groups, similar to group IIc in raw meat and raw poultry than others. Meanwhile, the prevalence of CC9 in raw meat and raw poultry, CC8 in raw poultry, and CC87 in raw seafood significantly exceeded that of in other food groups. Specially, CC87 was the predominant CC in foodborne and clinical isolates in China, indicating that raw seafood may induce a high-risk to food safety. Also, hypervirulence pathogenicity islands LIPI-3 and LIPI-4 were found in CC3, CC1, and CC87, respectively. The clonal group CC619 carried LIPI-3 and LIPI-4, as previously reported in China. Core genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST) analysis suggested that CC87 isolates from the same food groups in different years had no allelic differences, indicating that L. monocytogenes could persist over years. These 10-year results in Shanghai underscore the significance of molecular epidemiological surveillance of L. monocytogenes in foodborne products in assessing the potential risk of this pathogen, and further address food safety issues in China.

Effects of probiotic and Bidens pilosa on the performance and gut health of chicken during induced Eimeria tenella infection

AIM

In this study, we have examined the individual and combined protective mechanism of probiotic and Bidens pilosa on the performance and gut health of chickens during Eimeria tenella infection over a 29-day experimental trial.

METHODS AND RESULTS

A total of one hundred and fifty 1-day-old chickens were equally distributed into five treatment groups with three biological replicates: two groups were allocated as control groups (control group untreated unchallenged, CG and control positive untreated challenged, CPG) and three groups were fed diets with probiotic (PG), B. pilosa (BPG) and probiotic + B. pilosa (PG + BPG) and challenged with E. tenella. Birds of all groups were assessed for pre and post-infection body weights, oocysts shedding, caecal lesion scores and mRNA expression levels of apoptosis related proteins (Bcl-2, Bax and caspase-3), antioxidant enzymes (CAT and SOD 1), pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and IL-8) and tight junction proteins (CLDN 1 and ZO 1). Our results revealed that during infection (day 21-29), E. tenella challenged chickens significantly decreased the body weight compared with uninfected control chickens; however, there was no significant effect on body weight of chickens fed with probiotic, B. pilosa and probiotic + B. pilosa was observed. Eimeria tenella challenged untreated birds increased (P < 0·05) oocysts shedding, destructive ratio of caeca and mortality as compared to treated challenged birds. CPG group up-regulated the mRNA expression levels of anti-apoptosis protein Bcl-2 while down-regulated the pro-apoptosis protein Bax relative to PG, BPG and PG + BPG groups. Moreover chickens fed probiotic, B. pilosa and probiotic + B. pilosa diets enhanced the activities of antioxidant enzymes, pro-inflammatory cytokines and tight junction proteins with the comparison of control positive untreated challenged chickens.

CONCLUSION

These findings elaborated that feed supplementation of probiotic and B. pilosa (individually or in combination) appeared to be effective in inhibiting the occurrence of disease and decreasing the severity of Eimeria infection in chickens.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

This study explained the underlying anti-coccidial mechanism in which probiotic and B. pilosa (individually and/or in combination) improve the performance of chicken and protect against gut inflammatory responses caused by E. tenella.

microRNAs expression profiles in Schistosoma japonicum of different sex 14 and 28 days post-infection

Different miRNAs are involved in the life cycles of Schistosoma japonicum. The aim of this study was to examine the expression profile of miRNAs in individual S. japonicum of different sex before and after pairing (18 and 24 dpi). The majority of differential expressed miRNAs were highly abundant at 14 dpi, except for sja-miR-125b and sja-miR-3505, in both male and female. Moreover, it was estimated that sja-miR-125b and sja-miR-3505 might be related to laying eggs. sja-miR-2a-5p and sja-miR-3484-5p were expressed at 14 dpi in males and were significantly clustered in DNA topoisomerase III, Rap guanine nucleotide exchange factor 1 and L-serine/L-threonine ammonia-lyase. Target genes of sja-miR-2d-5p, sja-miR-31- 5p and sja-miR-125a, which were expressed at 14 dpi in males but particularly females, were clustered in kelch-like protein 12, fructose-bisphosphate aldolase, class I, and heat shock protein 90 kDa beta. Predicted target genes of sja-miR-3483-3p (expressed at 28 dpi in females but not in males) were clustered in 26S proteasome regulatory subunit N1, ATPdependent RNA helicase DDX17. Predicted target genes of sja-miR-219-5p, which were differentially expressed at 28 dpi in females but particularly males, were clustered in DNA excision repair protein ERCC-6, protein phosphatase 1D, and ATPase family AAA domaincontaining protein 3A/B. Moreover, at 28 dpi, eight miRNAs were significantly up-regulated in females compared to males. The predicted target genes of these miRNAs were significantly clustered in heat shock protein 90 kDa beta, 26S proteasome regulatory subunit N1, and protein arginine N-methyltransferase 1. To sum up, differentially expressed miRNAs may have an essential role and provide necessary information on clarifying this trematode's growth, development, maturation, and infection ability to mammalian hosts in its complex life cycle, and may be helpful for developing new drug targets and vaccine candidates for schistosomiasis.

A diagnostic test that uses isothermal amplification and lateral flow detection sdaA can detect tuberculosis in 60 min

AIMS

Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), is now the leading cause of death from infectious disease, thus rapid diagnostic and screening techniques for TB are urgently needed.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Here, a detection of MTB using multiple cross displacement amplification coupling with nanoparticles-based lateral flow device (MCDA-LFD) was developed and validated, targeting the specific sdaA gene. The whole detection procedure, including rapid genomic DNA extraction (15 min), amplification (30 min) and result reporting (2 min), was completed within 50 min. No cross-reaction with non-mycobacteria and non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) strains was observed. The sensitivity of sdaA-MCDA-LFD, Xpert MTB/RIF assay and culture results was 81·6, 48·3 and 37·9%, respectively, in TB patients. Among positive culture samples, the sensitivity of sdaA-MCDA-LFD and Xpert MTB/RIF assay was 93·9% (31/33) and 81·8% (27/33), respectively. Among culture-negative samples, the sensitivity of sdaA-MCDA-LFD and Xpert MTB/RIF assay was 74·1% (40/54) and 27·8% (15/54), respectively. The specificity of sdaA-MCDA-LFD and Xpert MTB/RIF was 95·4% (62/65) and 100% (65/65) in clinical samples from non-TB patients.

CONCLUSION

The sdaA-MCDA-LFD assay was a rapid, simple, specific and sensitive TB diagnostic test.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

The sdaA-MCDA-LFD assay holds promise for application as a useful point-of-care test to detect MTB, and will play an important role in controlling and preventing TB.

Efficacy of utidelone plus capecitabine versus capecitabine for heavily pretreated, anthracycline- and taxane-refractory metastatic breast cancer: final analysis of overall survival in a phase III randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Primary analysis of the phase III trial BG01-1323L demonstrated that utidelone plus capecitabine significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS) and overall response rate (ORR) versus capecitabine alone in heavily-pretreated patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Here, we report the final overall survival (OS) analysis and updates of other endpoints.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In total, 405 patients were randomised 2:1 to receive utidelone (30 mg/m² IV daily, days 1-5, over 90 min) plus capecitabine (1000 mg/m² orally b.i.d., days 1-14) or capecitabine alone (1250 mg/m² orally b.i.d., days 1-14) every 21 days. The secondary endpoint, OS, was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier product-limit approach at a two-sided alpha level of 0.05 after the prespecified 310 death events had been reached. Exploratory analyses of the primary endpoint, PFS, and the secondary endpoint, ORR, were also done. Safety was analysed in patients who had at least one dose of study drug.

RESULTS

At the final OS analysis, the median duration of follow-up was 19.6 months in the utidelone plus capecitabine group and 15.4 months in the capecitabine alone group. In the intention-to-treat population, 313 deaths had occurred at data cut-off, 203 of 270 patients in the combination group and 110 of 135 in the monotherapy group. Median OS in the combination group was 19.8 months compared with 16.0 months in the monotherapy group [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.75, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 0.59-0.94, P = 0.0142]. The updated analysis of PFS and ORR showed that the combination therapy remained superior to monotherapy. Safety results were similar to those previously reported with respect to incidence, severity and specificity. No late-emerging toxicities or new safety concerns occurred.

CONCLUSIONS

For heavily-pretreated, anthracycline- and taxane-resistant MBC patients, utidelone plus capecitabine significantly improved OS versus capecitabine alone. These results support the use of utidelone plus capecitabine as a novel therapeutic regimen for patients with MBC.

Understanding the electric and nonelectric field components of the cation effect on the electrochemical CO reduction reaction

Electrolyte cations affect the activity of surface-mediated electrocatalytic reactions; however, understanding the modes of interaction between cations and reaction intermediates remains lacking. We show that larger alkali metal cations (excluding the thickness of the hydration shell) promote the electrochemical CO reduction reaction on polycrystalline Cu surfaces in alkaline electrolytes. Combined reactivity and in situ surface-enhanced spectroscopic investigations show that changes to the interfacial electric field strength cannot solely explain the reactivity trend with cation size, suggesting the presence of a nonelectric field strength component in the cation effect. Spectroscopic investigations with cation chelating agents and organic molecules show that the electric and nonelectric field components of the cation effect could be affected by both cation identity and composition of the electrochemical interface. The interdependent nature of interfacial species indicates that the cation effect should be considered an integral part of the broader effect of composition and structure of the electrochemical interface on electrode-mediated reactions.

Contemporary predictors of readmission outcomes in patients with infective endocarditis: analysis from a national readmission database

Background/Introduction

Infective endocarditis (IE) remains a serious illness that is associated with remarkable morbidity and mortality in the United States (US). There are limited studies that investigated predictors of 30-day readmission risk in this population.

Purpose

We aimed to perform a contemporary analysis to investigate predictors of 30-day readmission in IE patients in the US.

Methods

We used the 2017 national readmission database to identify index admissions among adults (age ≥18) with the diagnosis of IE. Appropriate International Statistical Classification (ICD-10) codes were used to identify patients with IE. Primary outcome of interest was 30-day readmission, and hospital cost was the secondary outcome.

Results

Out of 49,692 admissions for IE, 5,743 (11.6%) patients were readmitted within 30 days. Patients who had 30-day readmission were younger (55±20 vs 61±19 years, P&lt;0.001), 44.8% were females (P=0.08), 27.9% had diabetes mellitus (DM), 56.8% had hypertension, 37.9% had heart failure (HF), 31.3% had chronic kidney disease (CKD), 12.2% had end stage renal disease, and 47.8% had Medicare insurance. Patients who had readmissions within 30 days were more likely to have non-elective index admission (96.9% vs 93.4%, P&lt;0.001), more likely to have hepatitis C (19.5% vs 12.2%, P&lt;0.001), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (1.7% vs 1.2%, P&lt;0.001), substance abuse (8.6% vs 5.4%, P&lt;0.001), opioid abuse (24% vs 14.7%, P&lt;0.001), and cocaine use (7.4% vs 4.3%, P&lt;0.001). Overall, 5,393 (10.9%) patients died during index admission. Median cost for readmissions within 30 days was $83,217 [$41,457-$165,487], compared to the index admission cost of $90,257 [$41,945- $208,851] (P&lt;0.001). After adjusting for age, DM, HF, and CKD, substance abuse (odds ratio (OR): 1.19 [1.07–1.33]; P 0.001), opioid abuse (OR: 1.37, [1.26- 1.48]; P&lt;0.001), cocaine use (OR: 1.33 [1.18- 1.48]; P&lt;0.001), HIV (OR: 1.25 [1.01–1.56]; P=0.04), and hepatitis C (OR: 1.34 [1.24–1.45]; P&lt;0.001) correlated with higher odds of readmissions within 30 days (Figure 1).

Conclusion

Approximately 1 in 4 patients admitted for IE in the US had a history of opioid abuse and almost one fifth had hepatitis C. The 30-day readmission rate remains significant in IE with high financial burden on the health system. Both opioid abuse and hepatitis C were among the highest predictors of readmission within 30 days. Identifying modifiable predictors of readmission in this population may reduce readmission risk and healthcare cost.

Figure 1

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding source: None

Earlier surgery improves long-term survival compared to class I surgical indications and infective endocarditis surgery for isolated severe tricuspid regurgitation

Background

Isolated tricuspid surgery has markedly higher mortality rates (9–10%) in contemporary national registries compared to other single-valve operations. The optimal timing and indications remain controversial, and earlier surgery before developing ESC guidelines class 1 indications may improve the survival for isolated severe tricuspid regurgitation.

Purpose

We aimed to compare the characteristics and outcomes of isolated tricuspid regurgitation (TR) surgery by indication.

Methods

Consecutive patients undergoing isolated tricuspid valve surgery for TR without other concomitant valve surgery at Cleveland Clinic from 2004 to 2019 were studied. Indications were divided into group 1: ESC guidelines class 1 (severe symptomatic TR), group 2: infective endocarditis, and group 3: non-class 1 (asymptomatic severe TR with or without right ventricular dilation and/or dysfunction) and no endocarditis, for comparative analyses of characteristics and outcomes.

Results

The study included 207 patients (group 1: 115, group 2: 48 and group 3: 44) with mean age 54.1±17.8 years, 116 (56.0% females and 151. Tricuspid repair was performed in 72.9% (73.0%, 66.7% and 79.5% for Groups 1–3, P=0.381). Group 3 patients were younger, had higher prevalence of primary TR, lower prevalence of heart failure, atrial fibrillation, chronic lung disease, cirrhosis, renal impairment, right ventricular and left ventricular dysfunction than Group 1. Overall operative mortality rates were 4.9% ( group 1: 7.0%, group 2: 4.2% and group 3: 0.0%), while mortality during follow-up of 3.3±4.0 years was lower for group 3 than for groups 1 or 2 (Figure 1). Independent predictors of long-term mortality were Group 1 compared to Group 3 and reduced estimated glomerular filtration rate.

Conclusion

Patients without class I or endocarditis indications had superior unadjusted and adjusted survival compared to those with these indications. The high mortality rate of isolated TR surgery may be reduced by both earlier surgery and being performed at an experienced cardiac surgery center.

Figure 1. Kaplan-Meier survival curves

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding source: Foundation. Main funding source(s): National Heart Foundation of New Zealand - Overseas Clinical and Research Fellowship

Benefits and risks of longer-than-1-year dual antiplatelet therapy in TWLIGHT-like patients with high risk of ischemic or bleeding events after drug-eluting stents implantation

Background

Dual-antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) exceeding 1 year may increase a bleeding risk despite reducing the risk of ischemic events. The benefits and harms of prolonging DAPT with aspirin and clopidogrel beyond 1 year after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation for TWLIGHT-like patients with high-risk for bleeding or an ischemic event remain unknown.

Method

Between January 2013 and December 2013, all consecutive patients undergoing PCI were prospectively included in the China Fuwai PCI Registry. We evaluated 7521 patients who were at high risk for ischemic or hemorrhagic complications and were events free (no death, myocardial infarction [MI], stroke, stent thrombosis [ST], any revascularization, or major bleeding) at 1 year after the index procedure. Subjects were divided into 2 groups: DAPT&gt;1-year group (n=5252) and DAPT≤1-year group (n=2269). Patients at high-risk for ischemic or bleeding events were defined as having at least one additional clinical feature and one angiographic feature according to TWILIGHT trial criteria. The clinical criteria for high risk were age≥65 years, female sex, troponin-positive ACS, established vascular disease, diabetes mellitus that was being treated with medication, and CKD. Angiographic criteria included multivessel coronary artery disease, total stent lengthd≥30 mm, a thrombotic target lesion, a bifurcation lesion treated with two stents, an obstructive left main or proximal left anterior descending lesion, and a calcified target lesion treated with atherectomy. The primary outcome was major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events [MACCE] (a composite of all-cause death, MI, or stroke).

Results

During a median follow-up of 30 months after the index procedure, DAPT&gt;1-year was associated with a reduction in risk for MACCE compared with DAPT≤1-year (1.5% vs. 3.8%; adjusted hazard ratio [HR]: 0.36; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.27–0.50; P&lt;0.001) after multivariable adjustment. This difference was largely driven by a lower risk of all-cause mortality. In contrast, the risk of BARC type 2, 3 or 5 bleeding was statistically similar between the 2 groups (1.0% vs. 1.1%; adjusted HR: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.50–1.30; P=0.373). After propensity score matching, incidence of MACCE was still lower in the DAPT&gt;1-year group than the DAPT≤1-year group (1.6% versus 4.5%; HR, 0.34; 95% CI, 0.22–0.52; P&lt;0.001) and the rates of BARC type 2, 3 or 5 bleeding was not different between the 2 groups (1.1% versus 0.9%; adjusted HR, 1.12; 95% CI, 0.57–2.18; P=0.744). In subgroup analysis, the treatment effect of prolonged DAPT was consistent across subgroups regardless of ACS, DAPT score, or type of used DES.

Conclusions

DAPT continuation with aspirin and clopidogrel beyond 1-year after DES implantation resulted in a significantly lower rate of MACCE, with no higher risk of clinically relevant bleeding in TWLIGHT-like patients who were at high-risk for ischemic or bleeding events.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding source: Foundation. Main funding source(s): Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences; National Natural Science Foundation of China

PCI complexity and cardiovascular risk in relation to high bleeding risk among patients receiving drug-eluting Stents: insight from China Fuwai PCI registry

Background

The relation between complex percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), high bleeding risk (HBR), and adverse events after coronary artery implantation of drug-eluting stents has been incompletely characterized. This study sought to investigate the ischemic and bleeding events after complex PCI including a stratification according to HBR estimated by PARIS bleeding risk score.

Methods

Between January 2013 and December 2013, 10,167 consecutive patients undergoing PCI were prospectively enrolled in Fuwai PCI Registry. Complex PCI was defined when having at least one of the following characteristics: 3 vessels treated, ≥3 stents implanted, ≥3 lesions treated, bifurcation with 2 stents implanted, total stent length &gt;60 mm, treatment of chronic total occlusion, unprotected left main PCI, in-stent restenosis target lesion, and severely calcified lesion requiring a rotablator system. The primary ischemic endpoint was major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) [composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, and definite/probable stent thrombosis], and primary bleeding endpoint was Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) type 2, 3, or 5 bleeding.

Results

The median duration of follow-up was 30 months. In adjusted Cox regression analysis, patients having complex PCI procedures experienced higher risks of MACE (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.63, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.38–1.92; P&lt;0.001), compared with non-complex PCI. In contrast, the risk of clinically relevant bleeding was statistically similar between the 2 groups (HR: 0.86 [0.66–1.11]; P=0.238). There was no statistical interaction between HBR (PARIS bleeding score ≥8 or &lt;8) and complex PCI in regard to MACE (adjusted Pinteraction=0.388) and clinically relevant bleeding (adjusted Pinteraction=0.279).

Conclusions

Patients who had undergone complex PCI resulted in substantially more ischemic events, without an increase in clinically relevant bleeding risk; and these associations did not seem to be modified by HBR status. More intensified antiplatelet therapy may be beneficial for patients with complex percutaneous coronary revascularization procedures.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding source: Foundation. Main funding source(s): Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences;National Natural Science Foundation of China

Clinical characteristics and prognosis in patients with premature coronary artery disease of different genders after intervention

Objective

To investigate the clinical characteristics and long-term prognosis of coronary intervention in patients with premature coronary artery disease (PCAD) between different genders.

Methods

From January 2013 to December 2013, 4 744 patients diagnosed as PCAD with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in our hospital were enrolled. The general clinical data, laboratory results and interventional treatment data of all patients were collected, and the occurrence of major adverse cardio-cerebrovascular events (MACCE) within 2 years after PCI was followed up.

Results

Of the 4 744 patients undergoing PCI, 3 390 (71.5%) were males and 1 354 (28.5%) were females. The 2-year follow-up results showed that the incidence of BARC grade 1 hemorrhage in female patients was significantly higher than that in male patients (6.9% vs. 3.7%; P&lt;0.001); however, there was no significant difference in the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE), all-cause death, cardiac death, recurrent myocardial infarction, revascularization (target vessel revascularization and target lesion revascularization), stent thrombosis, stroke and BARC grade 2–5 hemorrhage between the two groups (P&gt;0.05). Multivariate COX regression analysis showed that gender was an independent risk factor for BARC grade 1 bleeding events in PCAD patients (HR=2.180, 95% CI: 1.392–3.416, P&lt;0.001), but it was not an independent risk factor for MACCE and BARC grade 2–5 bleeding. Hyperlipidemia, preoperative SYNTAX score, multivessel lesions and NSTE-ACS were the independent risk factors for MACCE in PCAD patients with PCI (HR=1.289, 95% CI: 1.052–1.580, P=0.014; HR=1.030, 95% CI: 1.019–1.042, P&lt;0.001; HR=1.758, 95% CI: 1.365–2.264, P&lt;0.001; HR=1.264, 95% CI: 1.040–1.537, P=0.019); gender, hyperlipidemia, anticoagulant drugs like low molecular weight heparin or sulfonate were the independent risk factors for bleeding events (HR=1.579,95% CI 1.085–2. 297, P=0.017; HR=1.305, 95% CI 1.005–1.695, P=0.046; HR=1.321, 95% CI 1.002–1.741, P=0.048; HR=1.659, 95% CI 1.198–2.298, P=0.002).

Conclusion

The incidence of minor bleeding in women with PCAD is significantly higher than that in men; After adjusting for various risk factors, gender is an independent risk factor for minor bleeding events, but not an independent risk factor for MACCE in patients with PCAD.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding source: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): National Science and Technology Support Program of China

[Related factors and the long-term outcome after percutaneous coronary intervention of premature acute myocardial infarction]

Objective: To explore the related factors of premature acute myocardial infarction(AMI), and to compare the the long-term outcomes in patients with and without premature AMI after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods: This study was a prospective cohort study.From January 2013 to December 2013, 10 724 consecutive patients with coronary heart disease undergoing PCI in Fuwai Hospital were enrolled. Among them 1 920 patients with the diagnosis of AMI were divided into two groups: premature AMI (man≤50 years old, woman≤60 years old) and non-premature AMI. The baseline characteristics were collected, and multivariate logistic regression was uesed to analysis the related factors of premature AMI. The clinical outcomes, including the major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events(MACCE) which was the composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, revascularization, stroke and stent thrombosis, as well as bleeding events, during hospitalization, at 2 years and 5 years follow-up were analyzed. Results: A total of 1 920 AMI patiens were included(age was (56.5±11.3) years old)，with 1 612(84.0%) males. There were statistically significant differences between the two groups in gender, body mass index, blood lipid, complications, inflammatory markers, etc (all P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed body mass index(OR=1.06, 95%CI 1.01-1.10, P<0.01), triglyceride(OR=1.47, 95%CI 1.14-1.90, P<0.01), serum uric acid level(OR=1.02, 95%CI 1.01-1.04, P<0.01), high density lipoprotein cholesterol level(OR=0.33, 95%CI 0.14-0.78, P=0.01) and history of hypertension(OR=0.72, 95%CI 0.56-0.93, P=0.01) were independent related factors of premature AMI. The incidence of all-cause death and cardiac death were lower during hospitalization, at 2 years and 5 years follow-up in the premature AMI group than in non-premature AMI group(all P<0.05). In the premature AMI group, the incidence of MACCE and stroke was lower, with more bleeding events in 5 years follow-up(all P<0.05). Conclusions: Metabolic abnormalities, including high BMI, high triglyceride level and high serum uric acid, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level are the related factor of premature AMI. The incidence of ischemic events in patients with premature AMI is lower, while the incidence of bleeding events is higher than non-premature AMI patients.

Effect of platelet-rich fibrin on the control of alveolar osteitis, pain, trismus, soft tissue healing, and swelling following mandibular third molar surgery: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis

The purpose of this study was to estimate the effect of platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) on the control of alveolar osteitis (AO), pain, trismus, soft tissue healing, and swelling following mandibular third molar surgery. A comprehensive search of the literature was conducted through PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library up to May 2019. Randomized controlled studies conforming to the inclusion criteria were included. The record screening and data extraction were conducted by two authors independently. The risk of bias assessment was performed according to the guidelines recommended by the Cochrane Collaboration. The quantitative analysis was performed using RevMan version 5.3. Nineteen studies were included in the systematic review and 17 studies were eligible for the meta-analysis. The use of PRF significantly reduced the incidence of AO and postoperative pain when compared to the controls (AO: relative risk 0.43, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.28 to 0.65, Z=3.90, P<0.0001 (I²=0%); pain: day 1, standardized mean difference (SMD) -1.12, 95% CI -1.87 to -0.37, Z=2.93, P=0.003 (I²=95%); day 3, SMD -0.93, 95% CI -1.48 to -0.38, Z=3.30, P=0.001 (I²=92%); day 7, SMD -1.84, 95% CI -2.98 to -0.71, Z=3.19, P=0.001 (I²=97%)). Additionally, the result showed a better soft tissue healing when PRF was used (mean difference -0.63, 95% CI -1.08 to -0.18, Z=2.76, P=0.006 (I²=90%)). The use of PRF reduced the incidence of AO and postoperative pain following third molar surgery. Furthermore, PRF may also improve the postoperative soft tissue healing.

Value of quantitative sound touch elastography of tissues around breast lesions in the evaluation of malignancy

AIM

To assess the value of quantitative analysis of sound touch elastography of tissues around breast lesions to facilitate the evaluation of malignancy of the lesions.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

With the permission of the Ethics Committee, every patient signed informed consent forms before the study. One hundred and eighty-two solid breast lesions were analysed retrospectively. Postoperative histopathology proved that 63 lesions were malignant and 119 were benign. All lesions were examined by two-dimensional ultrasonography, colour Doppler ultrasonography and ultrasound elastography including sound touch elastography (STE) and strain elastography. Using pathological diagnosis as the reference, the correlation between each ultrasound marker and the malignancy of the solid breast masses was evaluated by chi-square test, and the logistic regression model was constructed to determine the best diagnostic model with multiple markers.

RESULTS

The areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUCs) of various elastography markers were compared and the markers with the largest AUC values, including quantitative, semi-quantitative, and distance markers were identified. Logistic regression analysis showed that the combination of accuracy of Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) classification + age + maximum elasticity value of the tissue around the lesion (EMax_shell) in predicting malignant lesions was higher than that of the other combinations. The prediction model verified that the sensitivity of diagnosis of the mammary lump was 94.12% and the specificity was 84.13%.

CONCLUSIONS

EMax_shell in the elasticity is the most valuable marker for the diagnosis of breast cancer, and age combined with EMax_shell can effectively improve the diagnostic efficacy of the BI-RADS classification in breast cancer.

[Analysis on post-marketing effectiveness and immunogenicity of enterovirus-A71 vaccine]

Objective: To analyze the effectiveness and immunogenicity of enterovirus-A71(EV-A71) vaccine in immunization program. Methods: A cohort study was conducted in immunization clinics in Jing'an district in Shanghai from October to December 2017. Children who received EV-A71 vaccine based on a 2-dose schedule (on day 0 and day 30) were enrolled as vaccine group and those who received no EV-A71 vaccine were enrolled as control group. After 1-year follow-up, the effectiveness and neutralizing antibody level and the positive results of antibody immunogenicity in vaccine group were analyzed. Results: A total of 3 018 children aged 8-20 months were enrolled, in whom 1 211 were in vaccine group and 1 807 were in control group. The vaccine effectiveness was 100% against EV-A71-associated hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) indicated by 1 year follow-up (95%CI: -66.99%-100.00%). The geometric mean titer of neutralizing antibody (GMT) was 41.76 (95%CI: 35.60-49.34) at day 60 and 28.44(95%CI: 23.59-34.54) at day 365 in 124 children in vaccine group. Conclusions: In children, EV-A71 vaccine elicited EV-A71-specific immune response. Less EV-A71-associated HFMD cases have been observed, further observation is needed.

A study of regulatory effects of TLR4 and NF-κB on primary biliary cholangitis

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the regulatory effects of the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and the nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of the activated B cells (NF-κB) on primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and to analyze the possible mechanisms.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 24 C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into M group (n=12, intraperitoneally injected with polyinosinic acid-polycytidine acid (PolyI:C) for 12 consecutive weeks, 2 times/week) and C group (n=12, intraperitoneally injected with the same volume of normal saline). After 12 weeks, the mice were sacrificed to collect liver tissues. Then, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit was used to detect the content of interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in liver tissues. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining assay was performed to observe the pathological changes of liver tissues, and measure the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in peripheral blood of mice. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate-biotin nick end-labeling (TUNEL) staining was applied to determine cell apoptosis in liver tissues. The relative messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression levels of TLR4 and NF-κB in liver tissues were detected by quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR). Western blotting was adopted to measure the protein expressions of TLR4, NF-κB, myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88), B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2)/Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax), and Caspase-3.

RESULTS

Compared with that in C group, the content of IL-6 and TNF-α in liver tissues in M group was significantly increased (p<0.01), but the level of IL-10 was statistically downregulated (p<0.01). According to HE staining, liver damage of mice in M group was evidently severer than that in C group, and the levels of ALT and AST in M group were significantly higher than those in C group (p<0.01). The amount of TUNEL-positive cells in liver tissues in M group was significantly greater than that in C group (p<0.01). The levels of TLR4 and NF-κB mRNA in liver tissues from M group were significantly elevated in comparison with the C group (p<0.01). Compared with those in C group, the expressions of TLR4, NF-κB, MyD88, and Caspase-3 proteins in M group showed statistical increases in liver tissues (p<0.01), whereas that of Bcl-2/Bax was significantly declined (p<0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

PBC activates the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway, induces the release of inflammatory factors and produces a large number of apoptotic proteins, which results in liver damage and cell apoptosis in mice.

The investigation of hepatitis A virus and hepatitis E virus co-infection in humans and animals in China

The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of co-infection of hepatitis A and hepatitis E virus (HAV/HEV) in patients with acute hepatitis as well as in different animal species. A total of 46 serum samples from patients diagnosed as hepatitis A or hepatitis E and 675 fecal samples of 11 animal species were collected. The IgM class antibodies to HEV and HAV, respectively, were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. HEV and HAV RNAs were extracted from serum and fecal samples for the nested reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. At least 10.9% (5/46) of the patients were co-infected with both HAV and HEV. Fifteen percent (18/120) of rabbit fecal samples and 17.5% (7/40) of swine fecal samples were positive for HEV RNA, but only 1% (2/200) of ferret fecal samples were positive for HAV RNA. Our study showed that co-infection with both HAV and HEV in patients and animals is infrequent. At least in our study, we showed that ferrets may represent the potential HAV hosts. Keywords: hepatitis A virus; hepatitis E virus; co-infection; zoonosis; prevalence.

Puerarin alleviates the progression of non-small cell lung cancer by regulating the miR-342/CCND1 axis

Puerarin has recently been demonstrated to play anti-cancer roles in a series of human cancers, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), possibly through regulation of cancer-related microRNAs (miRNAs). The purpose of the present study was to further investigate the detailed role and underlying mechanism of puerarin on NSCLC progression. Cell viability and apoptosis were assessed using the Cell Counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and flow cytometry, respectively. Transwell assays were performed to determine cell migration and invasion abilities. The qRT-PCR assay was employed to detect the expression of miR-342 and cyclin D1 (CCND1) mRNA, and CCND1 protein expression was evaluated by western blotting. The targeted interaction between miR-342 and CCND1 was verified by dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay. We found that our data demonstrated that puerarin repressed cell viability, migration, invasion, and cell cycle progression, and enhanced the apoptosis of NSCLC cells. miR-342 overexpression hindered the migration, invasion and cell cycle progression, and accelerated the apoptosis of NSCLC cells. miR-342 inhibited CCND1 expression by directly binding to the 3'-UTR of CCND1. Moreover, miR-342 overexpression-mediated anti-migration, anti-invasion, anti-cell cycle progression, and pro-apoptotic effects were abated by co-transfection of pcDNA-CCND1. More importantly, puerarin inhibited CCND1 expression by upregulating miR-342. Additionally, puerarin hampered NSCLC cell progression in vitro and tumor growth in vivo by upregulating miR-342. In conclusion, our study suggested that puerarin hampered NSCLC progression in vitro and in vivo at least partly through regulating miR-342/CCND1 axis, highlighting a novel mechanism of puerarin exerting anti-cancer property in NSCLC.

[The impact of metabolic syndrome and its individual components on long-term prognosis of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention]

Objective: To investigate the impact of metabolic syndrome (MS) and its individual components on long-term prognosis of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI). Methods: Patients who underwent PCI in Fuwai Hospital in 2013 were enrolled and divided to two groups: with MS and without MS. The primary endpoint of 2-year follow-up was major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), including death, myocardial infarction, and repeat revascularization. Results: Of the 10 422 PCI patients, there were 5 656 (54.27%) without MS and 4 766 (45.73%) with MS. Patients in the MS group were younger, tended to be male and had more comorbidities. There were no significant differences between the two groups in the proportion of drug-coated stents and the success rate of interventional therapy. The 2-year follow-up showed that the incidence of MACE in the MS group was significantly higher than that in the MS-free group (12.0% vs 10.0%, P<0.001), which was mainly due to the significantly higher revascularization rate in the MS group than in the non-MS group (9.5% vs 7.9%, P=0.003). Cox's regression analysis showed that MS was an independent risk factor for MACE. In MS component analysis, abnormal glucose metabolism was an independent risk factor for MACE events. Conclusions: Among the patients undergoing PCI, the incidence of MACE in patients with MS is significantly higher than that in patients without MS, and MS was an independent risk factor for MACE. In addition, hyperglycemia is an independent predictor for MACE.

[Application of pump-controlled retrograde trial off in weaning from veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in adult patients]

Objective: To Summarize the experience of pump-controlled retrograde trial off (PCRTO) in the process of veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) withdrawal in adult patients. Methods: Adult patients who received ECMO assistance in Intensive Care Unit for Cardiac Surgery from March to July 2019 were collected. According to our strategies, PCRTO was used if the patients can wean from VA-ECMO and hemodynamic indexes were recorded during the process. The statistics data was collected, including the 48 hours survival rate, ECMO re-assistance rate, thrombus complications, Intensive Care Unit (ICU) stay time and hospital stay time after weaning from VA-ECMO. The patients who failed in the test were continued to be assisted by ECMO. Results: There were 46 patients assisted by VA-ECMO in our center. In total, 21 adults who met the offline test standard underwent 26 PCRTOs, including 10 male adults (47.6%), with an age of 65 (55, 68) years old. Eighteen adults passed the withdrawal test. No new thrombus was found in the arteriovenous ultrasound of the lower extremity after weaning from ECMO, and no pulmonary embolism was found in the chest X-ray. The success rate of weaning from ECMO was 69.23%(18/26). The D-dimer decreased [584(348,2 107)μg/L vs 1 440(631,2 916)μg/L, P=0.014] and the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) increased (51.4%±8.5% vs 46.9%±10.6%, P=0.013) on the next day after weaning. There were significant differences in heart rate (HR), central venous pressure (CVP), oxygenation index and lactate (Lac) during the PCRTO in the group which involved the cases of the 8 failed experiments (all P<0.05). Compared with the failure group, there were significant differences in age, blood flow rate, CVP before the test, HR, pulse oxygen saturation(SpO(2)), CVP, Lac and oxygenation index after the test, and the variations of SpO(2), CVP and Lac. Conclusion: PCRTO is a simple, reversible, safe and effective weaning method. It can be used in the process of VA-ECMO withdrawal in adult patients.

Dietary Fat Intake and Cognitive Function among Older Populations: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

OBJECTIVE

The associations between dietary fat intake and cognitive function are inconsistent and inconclusive. This study aimed to provide a quantitative synthesis of prospective cohort studies on the relationship between dietary fat intake and cognitive function among older adults.

METHODS

PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO and Web of Science databases were searched for prospective cohort studies published in English before March 2018 reporting cognitive outcomes in relation to dietary fat intake. Four binary incident outcomes included were mild cognitive impairment (MCI), dementia, Alzheimer disease (AD) and cognitive impairment. The categories of dietary fat intake were based on fat consumption or the percentage of energy from fat consumption, including dichotomies, tertiles, quartiles and quintiles. The relative risk (RR) with the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) was pooled using a random effects model.

RESULTS

Nine studies covering a total of 23,402 participants were included. Compared with the lowest category of consumption, the highest category of saturated fat intake was associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment (RR = 1.40; 95% CI: 1.02-1.91) and AD (RR: 1.87, 95% CI: 1.09-3.20). The total and unsaturated fat intake was not statistically associated with cognitive outcomes with significant between-study heterogeneity.

CONCLUSION

This study reported a detrimental association between saturated fat intake and cognitive impairment and mixed results between unsaturated fat intake and selected cognitive outcomes. Given the substantial heterogeneity in the sample size and methodology used across studies, the evidence presented here should be interpreted with caution.

Functional divergence and adaptive selection of KNOX gene family in plants

KNOTTED-like homeodomain (KNOX) genes are transcriptional regulators that play an important role in morphogenesis. In the present study, a comparative analysis was performed to investigate the molecular evolution of the characteristics of the KNOX gene family in 10 different plant species. We identified 129 KNOX gene family members, which were categorized into two subfamilies based on multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic tree reconstruction. Several segmental duplication pairs were found, indicating that different species share a common expansion model. Functional divergence analysis identified the 15 and 52 amino acid sites with significant changes in evolutionary rates and amino acid physicochemical properties as functional divergence sites. Additional selection analysis showed that 14 amino acid sites underwent positive selection during evolution, and two groups of co-evolutionary amino acid sites were identified by Coevolution Analysis using Protein Sequences software. These sites could play critical roles in the molecular evolution of the KNOX gene family in these species. In addition, the expression profiles of KNOX duplicated genes demonstrated functional divergence. Taken together, these results provide novel insights into the structural and functional evolution of the KNOX gene family.

[Identification and functional study of the Schistosoma japonicum epidermal growth factor receptor gene]

OBJECTIVE

To characterize the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene in Schistosoma japonicum (SjEGFR gene) and investigate the role of the EGFR gene in regulating the growth, reproductive system, maturation and fecundity of S. japonicum.

METHODS

Rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) was performed to obtain the full length of the SjEGFR gene, and the SjEGFR gene expression was quantified in different developmental stages of S. japonicum using a quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assay. The tissue localization of the SjEGFR gene was detected in 22-day parasite using whole-mount in situ hybridization (WISH). Following RNA interference (RNAi)-induced knockdown of the SjEGFR gene, the worm length, pairing rate and worm burden of S. japonicum were measured, and the worm morphology was observed using optical microscopy and confocal microscopy.

RESULTS

The SjEGFR gene was identified with a conserved tyrosine-kinase active site, and the SjEGFR gene expression was detected at various developmental stages in male and female parasites. WISH showed that the transcript of the SjEGFR gene was localized on the tegument and in the digestive organs of S. japonicum. RNAi-induced SjEGFR knockdown resulted in marked suppression of the worm growth, smaller size of male testicles that contained more immature spermatocytes, and apparent impairment of ovary and vitelline gland development. In addition, no eggs were found in the uterus of SjEGFR knocked-down female parasites, indicating the interruption of egg production.

CONCLUSIONS

Inhibition of SjEGFR expression may remarkably suppress the growth and maturation of S. japonicum, and interrupt the egg production.

[Health status and healthcare service utilization among children born to women with maternal syphilis in Shanghai]

Objective: To assess the health status and health service utilization of children born to syphilis infected mothers during pregnancy, in order to prevent mother-to-child transmission of syphilis to the newborns. Methods: Women with maternal syphilis were studied by trained researchers via phone calls, in Shanghai during 2014-2015. Data related to demographics, status of infection and health care, utilization by both mothers and their children were collected through specifically designed questionnaires. Non-parametric tests including chi-square were used to assess the health status and health service utilization of children born to mothers with different demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Results: A total of 495 children born to mothers with maternal syphilis were recruited from 1 000 syphilis infected parturient women. A total of 61 out of the 495 children were diagnosed as having congenital syphilis (57 children were diagnosed at birth and another 4 were diagnosed during the follow-up period). Children born to women who received syphilis treatment during pregnancy were at lower risk on congenital syphilis (χ(2)=7.214, P=0.027). 37.8% of the children were reported to have had different illnesses in the past three months, mainly involving upper respiratory infections (32.3%) or diarrhea (3.6%). Children diagnosed with congenital syphilis showed a higher prevalence of different kinds of diseases, compared to those without congenital syphilis (47.5% vs. 36.6%). 81.6% of the children had received regular child health care services. Subjects with the following factors as: being immigrant, with lower education, unemployed, unmarried and multipara, were related to the less use of regular child healthcare services. Only 39.7% of the parents would inform the care-takers about the risk of congenital syphilis infection of their own children at the child health care centers. Mothers with residency of Shanghai, having higher education level and employed, were less willing to inform doctors about the risk of congenital syphilis infection of their children. Conclusions: Loss to follow-up among children born to syphilis infected pregnant women remained a serious problem. Few parents would be willing to inform the healthcare takers that their children are at risk of syphilis, when receiving child health care services at the centers. It was necessary to integrate the congenital syphilis follow-up programs into the routine child care services so as to timely diagnose and treat the patients with congenital syphilis.

[Investigation on demands for antenatal care services among 2 002 pregnant women during the epidemic of COVID-19 in Shanghai]

Objective: To identify problems and demands for antenatal care (ANC) among pregnant women in different trimesters of pregnancy in Shanghai for optimizing ANC service during the epidemic of COVID-19. Method: s Organized by maternal and child health care institute in the 16 districts of Shanghai, a cross sectional study was conducted among pregnant women who came to pregnancy registration in the community health centers or attended ANC in midwifery hospitals from February 7 to February 12, 2020. Consented participating women completed a semi-structured online questionnaire voluntarily. Data was analyzed using frequency,chi-square test and scoring. Result: s A total of 2 002 valid questionnaires were collected from 183 community health centers and 67 midwifery hospitals. About 94.6%(1 894/2 002) of the pregnant women worried about being infected during the COVID-19 epidemic, and 14.7% (294/2 002) demanded for psychological consultation. Time-lapse appointments for ANC were requested by 87.7% (1 756/2 002) of the participants for avoiding presenting themselves in people-density places. Compared with other pregnancy trimesters, pregnant women in the second trimester were more willing to reduce the frequency of ANC (35.2% versus 39.5% versus 48.1%, P<0.01). Compared with multiparas, primiparas were more willing to have online consultation and guidance (49.2% versus 63.8%, P<0.01). Regarding the needs for health knowledge on COVID-19, personal protection against 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) was the most concerned for pregnant women, and 71.0% (1 421/2 002) of them preferred to obtain knowledge through health applications, official Weibo and WeChat. Conclusions: Pregnant women in Shanghai critically concern about the risk of 2019-nCoV infections, and highly demand knowledge and measures on prevention and protection from COVID-19. They ask for having time-lapse appointments for ANC and online access to health information and services. Maternal and child care institutes should understand the demands of pregnant women, optimize the means of ANC service, and provide tailored and accessible health education and service for the safety of mother and child.

[Long-term prognostic value of mean platelet volume in patients with stable coronary artery disease undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention]

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between admission mean platelet volume (MPV) and 2-year cardiac mortality in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), and explored the consistence of this relationship in diabetes mellitus (DM) and non-DM subgroups. Method: A total of 4 293 patients who underwent PCI in Fuwai Hospital in 2013 were enrolled and divided into two groups according to MPV as follows: lower MPV (n=2 219, MPV≤10.5fL) and higher MPV (n=2 074, MPV>10.5fL). Result: Patients with high MPV had a higher rate of DM (30.4%(674/2 219) vs 34.5%(715/2 074)), smoking (53.3%(1 183/2219) vs 57.0%(1 182/2 074)), and previous coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) (4.0%(88/2 219) vs 5.4%(112/2 074)), while left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (64±7 vs 63±7), and glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (92±14 vs 91±15) were lower compared with patients in the low MPV group (all P<0.05). In the laboratory examination, patients with high MPV had higher glycosylated hemoglobin, and lower platelet count (all P<0.05). In coronary angiography, there was no significant difference in SYNTAX scores, left main/three-vessel lesions, stent type, success rate of operation, and total stent length (all P>0.05). Compared with low MPV group, patients with high MPV had ahigher cardiac mortality [18 (0.9%) vs 5 (0.2%), P=0.004]. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that compared to low MPV group, cardiac mortality in high MPV group was significantly higher (Log-rank P=0.004). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that high MPV was independently associated with 2-year cardiac mortality (HR 4.127, 95%CI 1.373 to 12.405, P=0.012). Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis also showed that MPV had a good diagnostic value in predicting 2-year cardiac mortality (area under the curve=0.624, 95%CI: 0.511-0.738, P=0.04). Subgroup analysis showed that in patients with DM (HR 2.090, 95%CI 1.217-3.589, P=0.008) and male (HR 1.561, 95%CI 1.007-2.421, P=0.047), MPV was significantly related with cardiac mortality. Conclusion: In patients with stable CAD who underwent elective PCI, high MPV was independently associated with an increase in 2-year cardiac mortality, especially in patients with DM and male gender.

MicroRNA-142-3p suppresses cell proliferation and migration in bladder cancer via Rac1

Expression of microRNA(miR)-142-3p has been implicated to be associated with several cancers, whereas its function in bladder cancer (BC) remains unknown. The present study aimed to explore the correlation between the expression of miR-142-3p and the proliferation, migration and invasion of bladder cancer cells by activating Rac1. qRT-PCR was used to measure the expression of miR-142- 3p in bladder cancer tissues and cell lines. RNA transfection was used to silence and accelerate the expression of miR-142-3p in bladder cancer cells. CCK-8 and trans-well assays were used to detect the proliferation, migration and invasion of cells before and after RNA transfection. The direct interaction between Rac1 and miR-142-3p was demonstrated by a dual luciferase reporter assay. qRT-PCR and Western blot assays were used to detect the expression changes in Rac1 before and after transfection. The results showed that miR-142-3p in bladder cancer tissues was significantly lower than that in adjacent tissues and lower than that in HT1376 and T-24 cells but higher than that in T5637 and BIU- 87 cells. Additionally, upregulating miR-142-3p expression not only inhibits the proliferation of SV-HUC-1 and BIU-87 cells but also inhibits migration and invasion, and downregulating miR-142-3p expression showed the opposite results. The expression of Rac1 was promoted after stimulating miR- 142-3p expression, but was inhibited after silencing miR-142-3p expression. In conclusion, miR-142-3p affects the proliferation, migration and invasion of bladder cancer cells by regulating Rac1.

[Association between plasma HDL-C levels and coronary artery severity and impact on outcomes of patients underwent percutaneous coronary intervention]

Objective: To analyze the association between plasma high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels and the severity of coronary artery disease, and to evaluate the impact of HDL-C levels on long-term outcomes in patients underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods: A total of 10 458 consecutive patients underwent PCI from January 2013 to December 2013 at Fuwai hospital were enrolled in this study. Patients were divided into three groups according to HDL-C tertiles: low HDL-C group (HDL-C≤0.89 mmol/L, n=3 525), median HDL-C group (HDL-C>0.89-1.11 mmol/L, n=3 570) and high HDL-C group (HDL-C>1.11 mmol/L, n=3 363). SYNTAX score was used to evaluate the severity of coronary artery disease, linear regression was used to analyze the relationship of HDL-C and SYNTAX score. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to compare the outcomes among the three groups. Multivariate Cox regression was used to define the potential associations of HDL-C and outcomes. Results: The HDL-C level was (1.03±0.28) mmol/L and the SYNTAX score was 11.7±8.1. Patients were older, proportion of female, stable angina pectoris, successful PCI and left ventricular eject fraction value were higher, while incidence of diabetes mellitus was lower, hyperlipidemia, old myocardial infraction, smoking history and left main and three vessels disease were lower in high HDL-C group (all P<0.05). Patients in high HDL-C group also had the lowest SYNTAX score (12.2±8.4 vs. 11.7±8.1 vs. 11.2±7.8, P<0.001). Both univariate and multivariate linear regression analysis showed that HDL-C was negatively associated with SYNTAX score, e.g. Univariate analysis: β=-0.046, P<0.001; Multivariate analysis: β=-0.058, P=0.001. And 10 400 (99.4%) patients completed 2-year follow up. At 2-year follow-up, there were no difference in all-cause death, cardiac death, myocardial infarction, revascularization, stroke, major adverse cardiovascular and cerebral events (MACCE) and stent thrombosis among three groups (P for trend>0.05), while patient in high HDL-C group experienced the highest BARC type 2 bleeding events (P for trend=0.018). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that HDL-C level was not an independent risk factor of 2-year adverse ischemia events (P>0.05) and 2-year bleeding events (P>0.05). Conclusion: In patients underwent PCI, plasma HDL-C level is negatively associated with SYNTAX score, but not an independent risk factor of ischemic and bleeding events post PCI.

[Long-term outcomes of patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction undergoing early versus late delayed percutaneous coronary intervention using drug-eluting stents]

Objective: To compare the long-term outcomes in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients who underwent early or late delayed percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) using drug-eluting stents (DES). Methods: This study was a retrospective, observational and single-center study. Consecutive STEMI patients (n=977), who admitted to Fuwai Hospital in 2013 and underwent successful selective PCI using drug-eluting stents (DES) within 3 to 35 days after symptom onset were enrolled and divided into the early delayed PCI (3-14 d) group (n=495) and the late delayed PCI (15-35 d) group (n=482). General clinical data of the patients and related data of coronary angiography and interventional therapy were collected, and the endpoint events were followed up. The primary endpoint was 2-year major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) including cardiac death, recurrent myocardial infarction, definite or probable stent thrombosis and ischemic stroke. The secondary endpoint was 2-year ischemia-driven target vessel revascularization. The incidence of endpoint events of the two groups was compared, and it was compared again after the primary baseline characteristics such as age and gender were matched by the propensity scoring method at a 1∶1 ratio. Results: A total of 910 (93.1%) patients who underwent delayed PCI were transferred from other hospitals, and 292 (29.9%) patients received thrombolysis before PCI. The time interval before PCI was 14 (10, 20) days. The incidence of 2-year MACCE (3.0%(15/495) vs. 2.3%(11/482), P=0.468) and ischemia-driven target vessel revascularization (3.8%(19/495) vs. 5.0%(24/482), P=0.385) were similar between the two groups. The incidence of 2-year MACCE (3.3%(15/453 vs. 2.4%(11/453), P=0.426) and ischemia-driven target vessel revascularization (4.2% (19/453) vs. 4.9%(22/453), P=0.632) were also similar between the two groups after matching propensity score. Conclusion: The long-term clinical outcomes after early delayed PCI using DES is statistically equivalent to those of late delayed PCI using DES for STEMI patients who missed the time window for emergency PCI.

Effect of Placental Growth Factor on Trophoblast-Endothelial Cell Interactions In Vitro

Placental growth factor (PlGF) is an important angiogenic factor which has an emerging role in the clinical management of suspected preeclampsia. The role of PlGF in normal placental development is not completely understood and it is uncertain whether PlGF influences trophoblast and endothelial cell interactions central to uterine spiral artery remodelling, especially in variable oxygen conditions. A two-cell model of endovascular invasion was used. Tissue culture plates were coated with Matrigel™, on which fluorescent-labelled uterine microvascular endothelial cells (1 × 10⁵/well) and HTR8/SVNeo cells were co-cultured (1 × 10⁵/well) for 20 h. Co-cultures were treated with recombinant human PlGF (rhPlGF) (10 or 100 ng/mL) and incubated at either 21% O₂ or 2% O₂. Images were captured by fluorescence microscopy and analysed using ImageJ (n = 7). Data was analysed using SPSSv24. Treatment with rhPlGF did not improve integration in co-cultures irrespective of oxygen conditions but increased proliferation in 2% O₂ of both trophoblast and endothelial cells. Expression of angiogenic factors VEGF, sFLT-1, PlGF and CXCL12 in both co-cultures and in isolated trophoblast cells was not altered by rhPlGF treatment. Expression of TLR-3 mRNA in co-cultures was increased by rhPlGF 100 ng/mL at 21% O₂ (p = 0.03). PlGF contributes to trophoblast and endothelial cell proliferation in the setting of physiological hypoxia but does not influence trophoblast and endothelial cell interactions in an in vitro model of spiral artery remodelling. Upregulation of TLR-3 expression in co-cultures may indicate a role for PlGF in the placental inflammatory response.

Optical Signature of a Crossover from Mott- to Slater-Type Gap in Sr_{2}Ir_{1-x}Rh_{x}O_{4}

With optical spectroscopy we provide evidence that the insulator-metal transition in Sr_{2}Ir_{1-x}Rh_{x}O_{4} occurs close to a crossover from the Mott- to the Slater-type. The Mott gap at x=0 persists to high temperature and evolves without an anomaly across the Néel temperature, T_{N}. Upon Rh doping, it collapses rather rapidly and vanishes around x=0.055. Notably, just as the Mott gap vanishes yet another gap appears that is of the Slater-type and develops right below T_{N}. This Slater gap is only partial and is accompanied by a reduced scattering rate of the remaining free carriers, similar as in the parent compounds of the iron arsenide superconductors.

Up-regulation of long non-coding RNA SNHG6 predicts poor prognosis in renal cell carcinoma

OBJECTIVE

We aim to investigate the expression of long non-coding RNA SNHG6 and analyze its clinicopathological significance in renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A total of 81 cases of RCC tissues were collected and enrolled. Total RNA was extracted using the TRIzol method followed by qRT-PCR detection of the mRNA level of SNHG6. The x2-test was used to analyze the correlation between SNHG6 expression and clinicopathological variables, including age, gender, TNM stage, Fuhrman grade, tumor size, and overall prognosis. Kaplan-Meier survival curve was plotted to analyze the association between SNHG6 expression and overall survival. Univariate and multivariate analysis were carried out with the Cox proportional hazard analysis.

RESULTS

SNHG6 was shown to be markedly upregulated in RCC tissues as compared with normal controls. Elevated SNHG6 was found to significantly correlate with clinical stage, lymph node metastasis, Fuhrman grade, and tumor size (p<0.05). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis exhibited that elevated SNHG6 was remarkably associated with poor overall survival (p<0.001). Moreover, multivariate analysis revealed that SNHG6 expression was an independent prognostic factor in RCC.

CONCLUSIONS

We showed that up-regulated SNHG6 was significantly associated with tumor progression and was an independent prognostic factor in RCC, suggesting that SNHG6 can work as a promising prognostic predictor in RCC.