Mechanisms of regulating NIS transport to the cell membrane and redifferentiation therapy in thyroid cancer

Iodine is an essential constituent of thyroid hormone. Active iodide accumulation in the thyroid is mediated by the sodium iodide symporter (NIS), comprising the first step in thyroid hormone biosynthesis, which relies on the functional expression of NIS on the cell membrane. The retention of NIS expressed in differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) cells allows further treatment with post-operative radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy. However, compared with normal thyroid tissue, differentiated thyroid tumors usually show a decrease in the active iodide conveyance and NIS is generally retained within the cells, indicating that posttranslational protein transfer to the plasma membrane is abnormal. In recent years, through in vitro studies and studies of patients with DTC, various methods have been tested to increase the transport rate of NIS to the cell membrane and increase the absorption of iodine. An in-depth understanding of the mechanism of NIS transport to the plasma membrane could lead to improvements in RAI therapy. Therefore, in this review, we discuss the current knowledge concerning the post-translational mechanisms that regulate NIS transport to the cell membrane and the current status of redifferentiation therapy for patients with RAI-refractory (RAIR)-DTC.

Adult skin acute stress responses to short-term environmental and internal aggression from exposome factors

Exposome factors that lead to stressed skin can be defined as any disturbance to homeostasis from environmental (meteorological factors, solar radiation, pollution or tobacco smoke) and/or internal exposure (unhealthy diet, hormonal variations, lack of sleep, psychosocial stress). The clinical and biological impact of chronic exposome effects on skin functions has been extensively reviewed, whereas there is a paucity of information on the impact of short‐term acute exposure. Acute stress, which would typically last minutes to hours (and generally no more than a week), provokes a transient but robust neuroendocrine‐immune and tissue remodelling response in the skin and can alter the skin barrier. Firstly, we provide an overview of the biological effects of various acute stressors on six key skin functions, namely the skin physical barrier, pigmentation, defences (antioxidant, immune cell‐mediated, microbial and microbiome maintenance), structure (extracellular matrix and appendages), neuroendocrine and thermoregulation functions. Secondly, we describe the biological and clinical effects on adult skin from individual exposome factors that elicit an acute stress response and their consequences in skin health maintenance. Clinical manifestations of acutely stressed skin may include dry skin that might accentuate fine lines, oily skin, sensitive skin, pruritus, erythema, pale skin, sweating, oedema and flares of inflammatory skin conditions such as acne, rosacea, atopic dermatitis, pigmentation disorders and skin superinfection such as viral reactivation. Acute stresses can also induce scalp sensitivity, telogen effluvium and worsen alopecia.

A review of the Turned-down Onto Pericapsular-tissue Hemisectioned Amputated Toe (TOPHAT) flap for wound coverage during ray amputations of the toes

INTRODUCTION

Exposure of the adjacent Metatarsal-Phalangeal Joint (MTPJ) commonly occurs after application of Topical Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (TNPWT) for a ray amputation wound. This is due to mechanical soft tissue erosion or trauma to the adjacent digital artery from direct pressure effect. This results in toe gangrene requiring a ray amputation and ultimately a larger wound bed. We describe the use of the Turned-down Onto Pericapsular-tissue Hemisectioned Amputated Toe (TOPHAT) flap - a filleted toe flap to protect the adjacent MTPJ capsule combined with a novel Negative Pressure Wound Therapy with instillation and dwell-time (NPWTi-d) dressing technique. The flap protects the adjacent joint capsule and reduces the wound burden whilst allowing the wound to benefit from TNPWT, thereby accelerating wound healing.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A retrospective review was conducted of patients with toe gangrene requiring ray amputation that underwent the TOPHAT flap on in our institution from 2019 and 2020. Complications such as wound dehiscence, hematoma, flap necrosis and secondary infection were recorded. Other outcomes recorded were time taken to final skin grafting and time taken for complete wound epithelialization.

RESULTS

9 patients underwent treatment with the TOPHAT flap. 2 patients had flap necrosis. 7 patients progressed to definitive skin coverage with skin grafting. One patient subsequently had progressive arterial disease despite successful skin grafting and required above knee amputation. The mean time to final skin grafting and complete wound epithelialization was 49.5 days and 107.5 days respectively. All patients were satisfied with the outcomes and were able to return to their pre-morbid function.

CONCLUSIONS

The TOPHAT flap has a consistent vascular supply that provides durable soft tissue coverage. It is a robust and easily reproducible technique to accelerate wound healing after ray amputations even in patients with peripheral vascular disease.

Circ-ABCB10 promotes proliferation and invasion of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells by modulating microRNA-670-3p

OBJECTIVE

Circ-ABCB10 is a non-coding RNA newly discovered in recent years. It has been observed to serve as an oncogene in a variety of tumors, but its biological function in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is still unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the circ-ABCB10 expression in ESCC and its possible molecular mechanism.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Circ-ABCB10 expression in ESCC tissue samples and cell lines was detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The impacts of circ-ABCB10 on the biological functions of ESCC cells were examined by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and transwell assays. Moreover, bioinformatics analysis was used to determine the binding sites between miRNAs and circ-ABCB10, and the binding relationship was verified by qRT-PCR and Luciferase assay.

RESULTS

QRT-PCR analysis revealed that circ-ABCB10 expression in both ESCC tissues and cell lines was higher than that in the normal control group. Patients in high TNM stage exhibited a higher expression of circ-ABCB10 than those in low stage, and this high expression predicted a poor prognosis of ESCC patients. Inhibiting circ-ABCB10 expression remarkably inhibited the growth and metastasis of ESCC cells. In addition, it was demonstrated that circ-ABCB10 could bind to microRNA-670-3p and inhibit its expression. Downregulation of microRNA-670-3p partially reversed the inhibitory impact of low-expressing circ-ABCB10 on cell growth and migration rate.

CONCLUSIONS

Circ-ABCB10 accelerates the metastasis and proliferation of ESCC cells by binding to microRNA-670-3p. This circ-ABCB10 / microRNA-670-3p axis may become a potential therapeutic target for ESCC therapy.

Gut-derived acetate promotes B10 cells with antiinflammatory effects

Autoimmune diseases are characterized by a breakdown of immune tolerance partly due to environmental factors. The short-chain fatty acid acetate, derived mostly from gut microbial fermentation of dietary fiber, promotes antiinflammatory Tregs and protects mice from type 1 diabetes, colitis, and allergies. Here, we show that the effects of acetate extend to another important immune subset involved in tolerance, the IL-10-producing regulatory B cells (B10 cells). Acetate directly promoted B10 cell differentiation from mouse B1a cells both in vivo and in vitro. These effects were linked to metabolic changes through the increased production of acetyl-coenzyme A, which fueled the TCA cycle and promoted posttranslational lysine acetylation. Acetate also promoted B10 cells from human blood cells through similar mechanisms. Finally, we identified that dietary fiber supplementation in healthy individuals was associated with increased blood-derived B10 cells. Direct delivery of acetate or indirect delivery via diets or bacteria that produce acetate might be a promising approach to restore B10 cells in noncommunicable diseases.

How can we help? Medical students' views on their role in the COVID-19 pandemic

Background

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a sharp rise in demand for healthcare workers worldwide. This has been coupled with reduced numbers of available medical professionals due to confirmed or suspected infections with SARS-CoV-2. To counteract these shortages, governments of several countries have considered the enrolment of medical students into the workforce in order to help to tackle the ongoing crisis.

Methods

Questionnaire-based study assessing the perceived role of medical students in assisting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The primary aim was to determine factors contributing to the willingness of medical students to actively assist in the pandemic. The secondary aim was to evaluate their perspectives regarding the associated changes in medical education.

Results

Out of 760 responses, 71.18% of medical students were willing to assist the medical workforce during the pandemic. Clinical year students were more likely to help in a medical capacity than pre-clinical students (OR = 0.384, 95%CI [0.167, 0.883, P < 0.05)]. Respondents concerned about their own well-being were less likely to engage in clinical work (OR = 0.680, 95%CI [0.491, 0.941], P < 0.020). Students who agreed that online lectures will negatively impact their education were inclined to think that the academic year should be extended (95%CI [0.065, 0.271], P = 0.001).

Conclusions

Most students are willing to help in both a medical and non-medical capacity. Their primary concerns when working in a medical setting are the risk of infecting their relatives and patients, lack of protective equipment and necessary knowledge as well as legal uncertainty whilst working without a medical qualification.

Convergent Validity of Suffering and Quality of Life as Measured by The Hidradenitis Suppurativa Quality of Life

BACKGROUND

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a painful chronic, recurrent inflammatory skin disease with great impact on health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Recently, Hidradenitis SuppuraTiva cORe outcomes set International Collaboration (HISTORIC) established HRQOL as a core domain set for HS clinical trials and developed the Hidradenitis Suppurativa Quality of Life (HiSQOL) as a validated outcome measurement instrument.

OBJECTIVES

To provide further convergent validity of HiSQOL by comparing it to Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and Pictorial Representation of Illness and Self Measure-Revised 2 (PRISM-R2).

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, 103 participants completed HiSQOL, PRISM-R2 and DLQI. PRISM-R2 is an instrument designed to measure suffering and reports the two measures, Illness Perception Measure (IPM) and Self-Illness Separation (SIS). Correlation analyses were performed including a sub-analysis for a subgroup of patients with high scores in the HS-specific domains of HiSQOL.

RESULTS

A very strong correlation was found between HiSQOL and DLQI (ρ = 0.93, P < 2.2 × 10^-16 , (95% CI: 0.89;0.95)), and moderately strong correlations were found between HiSQOL and SIS (ρ = -0.73, P < 2.2 × 10^-16 , (95% CI: -0.81; -0.62)) and DLQI and SIS (ρ = -0.70, P < 2.2 × 10^-16 , (95% CI: -0.79; -0.59)). IPM was positively associated with HiSQOL and DLQI and negatively with SIS.

CONCLUSIONS

HiSQOL is a valid measure of quality of life for HS patients, and we suggest that HiSQOL can be used as a measure of suffering as well.

Identifying and appraising patient-reported outcome measures on treatment satisfaction in acne: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

After dermatitis, acne is the next skin disease to contribute most to the burden of skin diseases worldwide. Recently, seven core outcome domains have been identified, which together form an Acne Core Outcome Set (ACORN). One of these was satisfaction with acne treatment.

OBJECTIVES

To identify studies that described the development of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMS), evaluated one or more measurement properties of a PROM, or evaluated the interpretability of a PROM in patients with acne regarding treatment satisfaction.

METHODS

The COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) search strategy for identifying PROMS on acne treatment satisfaction was used. We searched PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, LILACS, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Emcare, PsycINFO and Academic Search premier (June 2020). Study selection, data extraction and assessment of methodological quality according to COSMIN guidance were carried out independently by two authors.

RESULTS

Only one study could be included, describing the development of a treatment satisfaction measure in patients with acne. The development was assessed as inadequate and data on measurement properties were lacking. Additionally, we found 188 studies reporting treatment satisfaction solely as an outcome, using a wide variety of methods, none of them standardized or validated.

CONCLUSIONS

We could not find a PROM on treatment satisfaction to recommend for a core outcome set in acne. There is an unmet need for a PROM on treatment satisfaction in acne that is robustly developed, designed and validated.

Gastric cancer nodal tumour-stroma ratios influence prognosis

This study showed that nodal tumour-stroma ratio (NTSR) is an independent prognostic factor for overall and disease-free survival of patients with gastric cancer. Both relative stroma-rich primary tumour-stroma ratio (PTSR) and NTSR were independent negative prognostic factors for overall survival in gastric cancer. This study supports assessment of tumour-stroma ratio in the routine pathological diagnosis of gastric cancer. validated in node-positive disease.

Long noncoding RNA LINC00052 suppressed the proliferation, migration and invasion of glioma cells by upregulating KLF6

OBJECTIVE

Recent studies have discovered a class of dysregulated long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) related to carcinogenesis. This study aims to uncover the molecular functions of lncRNA LINC00052 in the tumorigenesis of glioma.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Quantitative Real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed to detect LINC00052 expression in 40 glioma samples and 4 glioma cell lines. Besides, regulatory effects of LINC00052 on the in vitro behaviors of glioma cells were evaluated by the proliferation assay, transwell assay and wound healing assay. Furthermore, the interaction between LINC00052 and kruppel-like factor 6 (KLF6) in mediating the progression of glioma was studied by performing qRT-PCR and Western blot.

RESULTS

LINC00052 expression was remarkably downregulated in glioma samples compared with that in adjacent samples. Moreover, cell proliferation, invasion, and migration of glioma were inhibited after overexpression of LINC00052 in vitro. Besides, LINC00052 overexpression upregulated mRNA and protein level of KLF6. Besides, the expression of KLF6 in tumor tissues was positively correlated to the expression of LINC00052.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggested that LINC00052 could repress cell migration, invasion and proliferation in glioma through upregulating KLF6, which may offer a new therapeutic intervention for glioma patients.