Measurement of the Nuclear Modification Factor and Prompt Charged Particle Production in p-Pb and pp Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5 TeV

The production of prompt charged particles in proton-lead collisions and in proton-proton collisions at the nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy sqrt[s_{NN}]=5  TeV is studied at LHCb as a function of pseudorapidity (η) and transverse momentum (p_{T}) with respect to the proton beam direction. The nuclear modification factor for charged particles is determined as a function of η between -4.8<η<-2.5 (backward region) and 2.0<η<4.8 (forward region), and p_{T} between 0.2<p_{T}<8.0  GeV/c. The results show a suppression of charged particle production in proton-lead collisions relative to proton-proton collisions in the forward region and an enhancement in the backward region for p_{T} larger than 1.5  GeV/c. This measurement constrains nuclear PDFs and saturation models at previously unexplored values of the parton momentum fraction down to 10^{-6}.

[Numerical simulation modeling of middle ear-eustachian tube ventilation based on Chinese digital visual human body]

Objective: To establish a three-dimensional model of middle ear-eustachian tube based on Chinese digital visual human dataset, and the deformation and pressure changes of the middle ear-eustachian tube system after eustachian tube opening are simulated by computer numerical simulation. Methods: The first female Chinese Digital Visual Human data was adopted. The images were imported by Amira image processing software, and the images were segmented by Geomagic software to form a three-dimensional model of middle ear-eustachian tube system, including eustachian tube, tympanum, tympanic membrane, auditory ossicles, and mastoid air cells system. The 3D model was imported into Hypermesh software for meshing and analysis. The structural mechanics calculation was carried out by Abaqus, and gas flow was simulated by Xflow. The tissue deformation and middle ear pressure changes during eustachian tube opening were numerically simulated by fluid-solid coupling algorithm. Several pressure monitoring points including tympanum, mastoid, tympanic isthmus, and external auditory canal were set up in the model, and the pressure changes of each monitoring point were recorded and compared. Results: In this study, a three-dimensional model of middle ear-eustachian tube and a numerical simulation model of middle ear ventilation were established, including eustachian tube, tympanum, mastoid air cells, tympanic membrane, and auditory ossicles. The dynamic changes of the model after ventilation could be divided into five stages according to the pressure. In addition, the pressure changes of tympanum and tympanic isthmus were basically synchronous, and the pressure changes of mastoid air cells system were later than that of tympanum and tympanic isthmus, which verified the pressure buffering effect of mastoid. The extracted pressure curve of the external auditory canal was basically consistent with that of tympanometry in terms of value and trend, which verified the effectiveness of the model. Conclusions: The numerical simulation model of middle ear-eustachian tube ventilation established in this paper can simulate the tissue deformation and middle ear pressure changes after eustachian tube opening, and its accuracy and effectiveness are also verified. This not only lays a foundation for further research, but also provides a new research method for the study of middle ear ventilation.

Reduced Counts of Various Subsets of Peripheral Blood T Lymphocytes in Patients with Severe Course of COVID-19

This study was intended to define T lymphocyte subsets in different clinical groups of COVID-19-infected patients to explore the interaction between T cell-mediated immune response and the severity of COVID-19 course. Lymphopenia in patients with severe COVID-19 was found. In patients with severe COVID-19 course, the absolute counts of CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+ T lymphocytes at admission were lower than on day 14 after discharge. Further analysis showed that the older were the patients with COVID-19, the more likely they developed severe infection. The results confirmed the significance of T lymphocytes in the clearance of the COVID-19.

Effect of different dosage of sodium butyrate and niacin on growth, fecal microbiota and vitamin B metabolism in weaned piglets

AIMS

Our study aimed to evaluate the effects of different dosages of sodium butyrate and niacin on the growth performance, fecal vitamin B and microbiota in weaned piglets.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Seventy-two weaned piglets (Duroc×Landrace×Yorkshire, age of 21d) were randomly assigned to 1 of 6 treatments (12 pigs / treatment): the control (CT) group was administered a basal diet. The groups which concentration ratio of sodium butyrate to niacin were 100: 1, 100: 2, 100: 4, 100: 8 and 100: 16 (BN1, BN2, BN4, BN8, BN16) were administered a basal diet supplemented with 2000 mg·kg^-1 sodium butyrate and 20 mg·kg^-1 , 40 mg·kg^-1 , 80 mg·kg^-1 , 160 mg·kg^-1 or 320 mg·kg^-1 niacin. After 14-d treatment, the samples were collected. The results showed that feed conversion rate (FCR) was reduced and average daily gain (ADG) was increased in BN2 (P < 0.05). The diarrhea index of pigs decreased with the low supplement. Additionally, compared with CT group, other groups significantly increased (P < 0.05) the abundance of Firmicutes (BN4, phylum), Lactobacillaceae (BN8, family), Megasphaera (BN8, genus), and Lactobacillus (BN8, genus). Furthermore, the sodium butyrate and niacin supplementation influence vitamin B1, vitamin B2, pyridoxine, niacin, nicotinamide, and vitamin B12 (P < 0.05). Correlation analysis of the association of microorganisms with vitamin B indicated that changes of vitamin B metabolism have potential correlation with alterations of fecal microbiota in weaned piglets.

CONCLUSIONS

The results indicated that adding of sodium butyrate and niacin in the diet could promote the performance and improve the fecal microbiota and vitamin B metabolism in weaned piglets.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

Our study might provide clues to the research of correlations between fecal bacteria and fecal vitamin B, and these findings will contribute to the direction of future research in weaned piglets.

[Spindle cell hemangioma: a clinicopathological and molecular analysis of eight cases]

Objective: To investigate the clinicopathological and genetic characteristics of spindle cell hemangioma (SCH). Methods: The clinical, morphological and immunohistochemical features of 8 SCHs diagnosed from January 2013 to September 2021 in West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China were retrospectively analyzed. Hotspot mutations for IDH1 codon 132 and IDH2 codon 172 were tested in 4 SCHs and 29 other non-SCH lesions using Sanger sequencing. Results: The 8 cases occurred in patients with a wide age range, from neonate to 46 years (mean 28 years, median 32 years). Both genders were equally affected. The course of the disease spanned from half a year to 31 years. Two SCHs were recurrent tumors. All tumors involved the distal extremities (4 of foot, 2 of ankle and 2 of hand). Six cases were presented as a single lesion and 2 cases as multiple lesions. The tumor diameters were 1-5 cm. All the 8 SCHs were typically composed of cavernous vascular space and solid components consisting of slit-like vessels, spindle cells and epithelioid endothelial cells which often exhibited cytoplasmic vacuolation. These two alternating components and the vacuolated epithelioid endothelial cells were the distinctive diagnostic clues for SCH. Vascular endothelial cells including epithelioid cells in the solid areas expressed CD31 (8/8), ERG (4/4), CD34 (5/8) and D2-40 (2/3). The spindle cells expressed SMA (8/8). Neither endothelial cells nor spindle cells expressed HHV8 (0/7), Desmin (0/5) or S-100 (0/3). Mutations were revealed in 2 SCHs, with IDH1 mutation (p.R132C) and IDH2 mutation (p.R172G), respectively. The IDH1/2 gene hotspot mutations were not found in the remaining 2 SCHs or the other 29 non-SCH lesions. Simple excisions were performed for 7 cases, and partial resection for 1 case. Follow-up information was obtained in 6 cases, with follow-up time ranging from 5 to 90 months (average, 46 months). No metastasis occurred in the 6 cases. No recurrence occurred in cases treated with simple excision. The residual lesions of the patient who received partial resection were stable. Conclusions: SCH is rare and should be differentiated from a variety of benign and malignant vascular lesions. An accurate diagnosis of SCH is clinically important and can be achieved by combining clinical information and typical pathological presentation. IDH1/2 gene hotspot mutations are specific to SCH in vascular lesions. Genetic detection is helpful in the diagnosis of challenging cases.

Study of Z Bosons Produced in Association with Charm in the Forward Region

Events containing a Z boson and a charm jet are studied for the first time in the forward region of proton-proton collisions. The data sample used corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 6  fb^{-1} collected at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV with the LHCb detector. In events with a Z boson and a jet, the fraction of charm jets is determined in intervals of Z-boson rapidity in the range 2.0<y(Z)<4.5. A sizable enhancement is observed in the forwardmost y(Z) interval, which could be indicative of a valencelike intrinsic-charm component in the proton wave function.

Evidence for a New Structure in the J/ψp and J/ψp[over ¯] Systems in B_{s}^{0}→J/ψpp[over ¯] Decays

An amplitude analysis of flavor-untagged B_{s}^{0}→J/ψpp[over ¯] decays is performed using a sample of 797±31 decays reconstructed with the LHCb detector. The data, collected in proton-proton collisions between 2011 and 2018, correspond to an integrated luminosity of 9  fb^{-1}. Evidence for a new structure in the J/ψp and J/ψp[over ¯] systems with a mass of 4337_{-4}^{+7} _{-2}^{+2}  MeV and a width of 29_{-12}^{+26} _{-14}^{+14}  MeV is found, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic, with a significance in the range of 3.1 to 3.7σ, depending on the assigned J^{P} hypothesis.

Analysis of Neutral B-Meson Decays into Two Muons

Branching fraction and effective lifetime measurements of the rare decay B_{s}^{0}→μ^{+}μ^{-} and searches for the decays B^{0}→μ^{+}μ^{-} and B_{s}^{0}→μ^{+}μ^{-}γ are reported using proton-proton collision data collected with the LHCb detector at center-of-mass energies of 7, 8, and 13 TeV, corresponding to a luminosity of 9  fb^{-1}. The branching fraction B(B_{s}^{0}→μ^{+}μ^{-})=(3.09_{-0.43-0.11}^{+0.46+0.15})×10^{-9} and the effective lifetime τ(B_{s}^{0}→μ^{+}μ^{-})=2.07±0.29±0.03  ps are measured, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. No significant signal for B^{0}→μ^{+}μ^{-} and B_{s}^{0}→μ^{+}μ^{-}γ decays is found and upper limits B(B^{0}→μ^{+}μ^{-})<2.6×10^{-10} and B(B_{s}^{0}→μ^{+}μ^{-}γ)<2.0×10^{-9} at the 95% C.L. are determined, where the latter is limited to the range m_{μμ}>4.9  GeV/c^{2}. The results are in agreement with the standard model expectations.

H. pylori Pattern Gastritis with Negative Helicobacter Immunohistochemical Stain: Does A Specific Comment in Pathology Report Impact Clinical Management?

Introduction/Objective

The clinical significance of H. pylori (HP) pattern of gastritis with a negative Helicobacter IHC stain on gastric biopsy is unclear. Some pathologists report this pattern in cases that are highly suggestive of HP infection with a comment raising the possibility of HP infection; however, the subsequent clinical management of these patients has not been well described.

Methods/Case Report

We conducted a retrospective comparison study of patients with gastric biopsy between 2016 and 2019. Group 1 included patients with chronic active or chronic inactive gastritis and negative HP IHC with a comment stating the gastritis pattern is suggestive of HP. Group 2 included patients with chronic active or chronic inactive gastritis and negative HP IHC with no comment about HP pattern.

Results (if a Case Study enter NA)

We identified 60 patients in Group 1 which were compared to 63 patients in Group 2. Group 1 more frequently had history of HP (48.3% vs. 29.1%, p&lt;0.05). After diagnosis, Group 1 more frequently received treatment (51.7% vs. 20.6%, p&lt;0.001). Of those who received treatment, Group 1 more frequently received HP treatment (triple or quadruple therapy; 21.7% vs. 1.6%, p&lt;0.001). History of HP did not affect whether a patient was treated (p&gt;0.05). Following post-biopsy HP treatment, more patients in Group 1 received fecal antigen test (23.7% vs. 5.5%, p&lt;0.01). Age, gender, NSAID and PPI use did not differ between groups.

Conclusion

Adding the diagnostic comment raising the possibility of HP for patients with HP pattern gastritis with negative HP IHC changes clinical management and it is independent of patients’ prior HP history.

Activated Epithelial FGF8 Signaling Induces Fused Supernumerary Incisors

FGF8, which is specifically expressed in the dental epithelium prior to the E12.5 bud stage, is a key player during odontogenesis, being responsible for the initiation of tooth development. Here, to investigate the impact of persistent FGF8 signaling on tooth development, we forcibly activated FGF8 signaling in the dental epithelium after the bud stage by generating K14-Cre;R26R-Fg8 mice. We found that a unique type of fused supernumerary incisors is formed, although morphologically resembling the features of type II dens invaginatus in humans. Further analysis revealed that ectopically activated epithelial FGF8 alters the cell fate of the incisor lingual outer enamel epithelium, endowing it with odontogenic potential by the activation of several key tooth genes, including Pitx2, Sox2, Lef-1, p38, and Erk1/2, and induces de novo formation of an extra incisor crown lingually in parallel to the original one, leading to the formation of an extra incisor crown and fused with the original incisor eventually. Meanwhile, the overdosed epithelial FGF8 signaling dramatically downregulates the expression of mesenchymal Bmp4, leading to severely impaired enamel mineralization. Based on the location of the extra incisors, we propose that they are likely to be rescued replacement teeth. Our results further demonstrate the essential role of FGF8 signaling for tooth initiation and the establishment of progenitor cells of dental epithelial stem cells during development.

[Multi-level scanning of environmental factors of body mass index of children and adolescents aged 7-17 years in China]

Objective: To investigate the influence of environmental factors on body mass index of children and adolescents in China. Methods: Using data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey, the research object to 7 - 17 years old children and adolescents who participated in 2000, 2006, 2011, and 2015 round of survey with complete data, a total of 6 626 children and adolescents (male 3 473, female 3 153) were investigated under univariate analysis for each environmental factor variable before using Partial Least Square Regression fitting a linear model for further screening. Finally, we fitted a three-level linear mixed-effects model distinct by urban and rural area for analysis. Results: The three-level null model, log likelihood=-17 034.68, χ²=483.06, P<0.001. Intern-class correlation coefficient (ICC) showed that community-level was 9.97%, and both community and individual were 39.38%. The three-level model also showed that urban model's urbanization index (β=-0.05, 95%CI: -0.09--0.01, P<0.05), the park location (β=-0.88, 95%CI: -1.72 - -0.04, P<0.05), 15 - 17 age group (β=-1.04, 95%CI:-1.78 - -0.30, P<0.05) were negatively correlated with BMI. The distance to the gym (β=0.12, 95%CI: 0.02 - 0.22, P<0.05), the number of home TV sets (β=0.50, 95%CI: 0.08 - 0.92, P<0.05) and the frequency of parents' alarm of fiction TV program contents (β=1.85, 95%CI: 0.70 - 3.00, P<0.05) were correlated with BMI. Rural urbanization index (β=-0.04, 95%CI:-0.07 - -0.01, P<0.05). Rural per capita income (β=-7.29e^-4, 95%CI:-1.00e^-3 - -6.77e^-5, P<0.05), parents' restricted frequency of watching TV (β=-1.29, 95%CI:-2.36 - -0.21, P<0.05), adipo-energy ratio (β=-0.03, 95%CI:-0.06 - -1.00e^-3, P<0.05) were negatively correlated with the BMI. Factors as the frequency of parents' alarm of fiction TV program contents (β=3.01, 95%CI: 0.03 - 6.00, P<0.05), the survey time was 2015 (β=4.83, 95%CI: 1.96 - 7.69, P<0.05) were correlated with BMI. Conclusions: Environmental factors could indirectly influence the change of BMI of children and adolescents to different degrees and various aspects. Urbanization index and rural per capita income had a slight protective effect on increasing BMI of children and adolescents. At the community level, attention should be paid to the setting of activity places around the living environment of children and adolescents. Family members should also guide their children and adolescents to develop nice behavior in watching TV.

Branching Fraction Measurements of the Rare B_{s}^{0}→ϕμ^{+}μ^{-} and B_{s}^{0}→f_{2}^{'}(1525)μ^{+}μ^{-} Decays

The branching fraction of the rare B_{s}^{0}→ϕμ^{+}μ^{-} decay is measured using data collected by the LHCb experiment at center-of-mass energies of 7, 8, and 13 TeV, corresponding to integrated luminosities of 1, 2, and 6  fb^{-1}, respectively. The branching fraction is reported in intervals of q^{2}, the square of the dimuon invariant mass. In the q^{2} region between 1.1 and 6.0  GeV^{2}/c^{4}, the measurement is found to lie 3.6 standard deviations below a standard model prediction based on a combination of light cone sum rule and lattice QCD calculations. In addition, the first observation of the rare B_{s}^{0}→f_{2}^{'}(1525)μ^{+}μ^{-} decay is reported with a statistical significance of 9 standard deviations and its branching fraction is determined.

[Da Vinci robot-assisted pylorus and vagus nerve-preserving partial gastrectomy for gastric cancer]

Objective: To investigate the safety and feasibility of Da Vinci robot-assisted pylorus and vagus nerve-preserving partial gastrectomy for gastric cancer. Methods: In this study, descriptive case series method was used to retrospectively analyze the data of 3 patients with gastric cancer who underwent Da Vinci robot-assisted pylorus and vagus nerve-preserving partial gastrectomy in the First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University from December 2020 to February 2021. The linear layout was adopted for the setting of trocar, and the co-axial direction was the line connecting the umbilicus and splenic hilum. The inferior pyloric arteries and veins need to be preserved. The center was the bifurcation of the right gastroepiploic vessel and the inferior pyloric vessel. Dissection and exposure were performed from the upper, lower, right and left sides, and ventral and dorsal sides to complete the dissection of the inferior pyloric lymph nodes. The superior border of the pancreas was treated by the right diaphragmatic crus approach, the left retroperitoneal approach and the esophageal approach to determine the distribution of the posterior vagal trunk and its branches, and to determine the anatomical relationship with the left gastric artery. The left gastric artery was cut off while the celiac branch of vagus nerve and cardia branch of left gastric artery were preserved. Lymph node dissection was performed on the lateral side of nerve fibers around the blood vessels. Result: All the 3 patients successfully completed the robotic surgery without conversion to laparoscopy or laparotomy. The operation time was (340.0±26.4) (300-390) minutes, the intraoperative blood loss was (13.3±3.3) (10-20) ml, the number of dissected lymph nodes was 26.7±3.9 (19-32), the length of pylorus canal preserved was (3.3±0.3) (3-4) cm, the distal margin was (2.3±0.3) (2-3) cm, and the proximal margin was (3.0±0.6) (2-4) cm. No postoperative complications occurred in all the 3 patients. The first flatus time was 2-3 days after operation, and the postoperative hospital stay was 6-7 days. The operation cost of the 3 patients was (40±7) (33-53) thousand yuan. Conclusion: Da Vinci robot-assisted pylorus and vagus nerve-preserving partial gastrectomy is safe and feasible.

Observation of the Mass Difference between Neutral Charm-Meson Eigenstates

A measurement of mixing and CP violation in neutral charm mesons is performed using data reconstructed in proton-proton collisions collected by the LHCb experiment from 2016 to 2018, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.4  fb^{-1}. A total of 30.6 million D^{0}→K_{S}^{0}π^{+}π^{-} decays are analyzed using a method optimized for the measurement of the mass difference between neutral charm-meson eigenstates. Allowing for CP violation in mixing and in the interference between mixing and decay, the mass and decay-width differences are measured to be x_{CP}=[3.97±0.46(stat)±0.29(syst)]×10^{-3} and y_{CP}=[4.59±1.20(stat)±0.85(syst)]×10^{-3}, respectively. The CP-violating parameters are measured as Δx=[-0.27±0.18(stat)±0.01(syst)]×10^{-3} and Δy=[0.20±0.36(stat)±0.13(syst)]×10^{-3}. This is the first observation of a nonzero mass difference in the D^{0} meson system, with a significance exceeding seven standard deviations. The data are consistent with CP symmetry and improve existing constraints on the associated parameters.

P–246 Oocyte degeneration after ICSI is not an indicator of live birth in young women

Study question

To investigate whether oocyte degeneration after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is an indicator for predicting the cumulative live birth rate.

Summary answer

The presence of oocyte degeneration after ICSI is not an indicator for predicting the cumulative live birth rate per OPU cycle in young women.

What is known already

Oocyte degeneration may be associated with decreased embryo quality for embryo development kinetics was disturbed. No differences in clinical outcomes such as implantation rate or clinical pregnancy rate were found in fresh embryo transfer cycles in retrospective studies.

Study design, size, duration

This was a retrospective cohort study, including all the oocyte retrieval cycles from young women who underwent ICSI from January 2018 to December 2019 at the Reproductive Medicine Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University.

Participants/materials, setting, methods

The inclusion criteria were as follows: female age was younger than 35 years; the first or second oocyte retrieval cycles ;the number of oocyte retrieval was between 8 and 20; all the cycles performed fresh embryo transfer on day 3 after insemination. Cycles with at least one oocyte degenerated after ICSI were defined as the oocyte degeneration group (OD group), and cycles with no oocyte degenerated after ICSI were defined as the non-OD group

Main results and the role of chance

There were no significant differences with regards to implantation rate (38.5% vs 35.1%, P = 0.302), clinical pregnancy rate (54.9% vs 50.3%, P = 0.340), and live birth rate per OPU cycle (47.0% vs 42.9%, P = 0.395) between OD and non-OD groups. Initial gonadotropin dosage, E2 level on hCG day and the number of matured oocytes appeared to be independent risk factors for OD, after adjustment for female age, female BMI, duration of gonadotropin administration, FORT, number of retrieved oocytes and different technicians. The adjusted odds ratio of live birth rate per OPU cycle were similar in subgroups with different oocyte degeneration rates. The ongoing pregnancy/live birth rate per transfer in FET cycles was not significantly different between OD group and non-OD groups (38.8% vs 43.9%, P = 0.439). The cumulative live birth rate per OPU cycle was also comparable between the OD group and non-OD group (63.4% vs 64.8%, P = 0.760).

Limitations, reasons for caution

The time interval for the follow-up was not long enough for all the frozen embryos to be transferred. Moreover, the retrospective nature of the study introduces the potential to include confounding variables that may bias our results, although we performed multiple logistic regression analysis to minimize these effects.

Wider implications of the findings: The presence of oocyte degeneration is not an indicator for predicting the cumulative live birth rate per OPU cycle in young women. Initial gonadotropin dosage, E2 level on hCG day and the number of matured oocytes appeared to be independent risk factors for oocyte degeneration.

Trial registration number

none

DPP4 gene silencing inhibits proliferation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition of papillary thyroid carcinoma cells through suppression of the MAPK pathway

PURPOSE

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is characterized by epithelial malignancy and is the most prevalent thyroid neoplasm with the best overall prognosis. Notably, recently published studies have indicated remarkably high expression of dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4) in PTC. However, the underlying molecular mechanism and regulatory factors of PTC progression remain unknown. Therefore, the current study aimed to elucidate the effects of DPP4 gene silencing on PTC and further investigated whether the mechanism of PTC progression is related to the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway.

METHODS

Herein, microarray-based gene expression profiling of PTC was conducted to identify the differentially expressed genes between tumor thyroid tissue and normal thyroid tissue as well as the underlying signaling pathway involved in PTC pathogenesis. Moreover, protein quantification was performed to assess the protein expression of DPP4 in PTC tissues collected from 65 patients. In addition, DPP4 was silenced in PTC cell lines (GLAG-66 and TPC-1) through siRNA-mediated DPP4 knockdown or sitagliptin (inhibitor of DPP4)-mediated inhibition to assess the effects of DPP4 on the MAPK pathway and cellular processes, including proliferation, apoptosis, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT).

RESULTS

Intriguingly, our data revealed markedly high expression of DPP4 in PTC tissues. However, in GLAG-66 and TPC-1 cells, the silencing of DPP4 resulted in significantly reduced expression of ERK1/2, JNK1, P38 MAPK, VEGF, FGFR-1, TGF-β1, Snail, HIF-1α, N-cadherin, and Bcl-2 along with reduced phosphorylation of ERK1/2, JNK1, and P38 MAPK, whereas the expression of E-cadherin and Bax was increased. Furthermore, DPP4 silencing was found to hinder cell proliferation and potentiate cell apoptosis.

CONCLUSION

Collectively, the present study demonstrated that DPP4 gene silencing inhibits PTC cell proliferation and EMT and promotes cell apoptosis via suppression of the MAPK pathway, thus highlighting a possible regulatory pathway in PTC progression.

Autophagy induction regulates aquaporin 3-mediated skin fibroblasts aging

BACKGROUND

Long- and short-term ultraviolet (UV) exposure have distinct biological effects on human fibroblasts.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of the biological effects of UV exposure on human skin fibroblasts.

METHOD

We subjected human skin fibroblast cells with or without AQP3, DEDD, or Beclin1 manipulation to UVA treatment and evaluated autophagy and senescence/aging in them.

RESULTS

Short-term UVA irradiation induced autophagy and upregulated AQP3 but not senescence, whereas long-term UVA irradiation inhibited autophagy, AQP3, and senescence/aging in vitro and in vivo. Silencing AQP3 abolished short-term UVA irradiation-induced autophagy and led to cellular senescence, whereas AQP3 overexpression partially rescued the senescence and autophagy inhibition induced by long-term UVA exposure in vitro. Mechanistically, the transcription factor JUN was found to bind to the AQP3 promoter to activate its transcription following short-term UVA exposure. Subsequently, AQP3 interacted with DEDD to induce its ubiquitination-mediated degradation and promote autophagy, and bound to Beclin1 to directly activate autophagy. Finally, autophagy induced by AQP3 overexpression robustly prevented UVA-induced senescence/aging in vitro and in vivo.

CONCLUSIONS

Thus, our study indicates that AQP3 controls skin fibroblasts photoaging by regulating autophagy and represents a potential target for future interventions against skin aging.

POS0348 GENETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY VARIANTS FOR RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS ARE NOT ASSOCIATED WITH EARLY REMISSION; A MULTI-COHORT STUDY

Background:

Patients who achieve remission promptly could have a specific genetic risk profile that supports regaining immune tolerance. The identification of these genes could provide novel drug targets.

Objectives:

To test the association between RA genetic risk variants with achieving remission at 6 months.

Methods:

We computed genetic risk scores (GRS) comprising of the RA susceptibility variants1 and HLA-SE status separately in 4425 patients across eight datasets from inception cohorts. Remission was defined as DAS28CRP<2.6 at 6 months. Missing DAS28CRP values in patients were imputed using predictive mean matching by MICE. We first tested whether baseline DAS28CRP changed with increasing GRS using linear regression. Next, we calculated odds ratios for GRS and HLA-SE on remission using logistic regression. Heterogeneity of the outcome between datasets was mitigated by running inverse variance meta-analysis.

Results:

Evaluation of the complete dataset, baseline clinical variables did not differ between patients achieving remission and those who did not (Table 1). Distribution of GRS was consistent between datasets. Neither GRS nor HLA-SE was associated with baseline DAS2DAS (OR1.01; 95% CI 0.99-1.04). A fixed effect meta-analysis (Figure 1.) showed no significant effect of the GRS (OR 0.99; 95% CI 0.94-1.03) or HLA-SE (OR 0.8CRP87; 95% CI 0.75-1.01) on remission at 6 months.

Table 1.

Summary of the data separated by disease activity after 6 months.

allRemission at 6 monthsNo remission at 6 monthsN4425*15582430Age, mean (sd)55.38 (13.87)5517 (14.09)55.62 (13.59)Female %68.98%65.43%70.73%ACPA+ %61.94%63.53%61.67%Baseline DAS28, mean (sd)4.76 (1.22)4.47 (1.23)5.1 (1.15)

*not all patients had 6 months data

Conclusion:

In these combined cohorts, RA genetics risk variants are not associated with early disease remission. At baseline there was no difference in genetic risk between patients achieving remission or not. Studies encompassing other genetic variants are needed to elucidate the genetics of RA remission.

References:

[1]Knevel R et al. Sci Transl Med. 2020;12(545):eaay1548.

Acknowledgements:

This project has received funding from the Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking under grant agreement No 777357, RTCure.

This project has received funding from Pfizer Inc.

Disclosure of Interests:

Samantha Jurado Zapata: None declared, Marc Maurits: None declared, Yann Abraham Employee of: Pfizer, Erik van den Akker: None declared, Anne Barton: None declared, Philip Brown: None declared, Andrew Cope: None declared, Isidoro González-Álvaro: None declared, Carl Goodyear: None declared, Annette van der Helm - van Mil: None declared, Xinli Hu Employee of: Pfizer, Thomas Huizinga: None declared, Martina Johannesson: None declared, Lars Klareskog: None declared, Dennis Lendrem: None declared, Iain McInnes: None declared, Fraser Morton: None declared, Caron Paterson: None declared, Duncan Porter: None declared, Arthur Pratt: None declared, Luis Rodriguez Rodriguez: None declared, Daniela Sieghart: None declared, Paul Studenic: None declared, Suzanne Verstappen: None declared, Leonid Padyukov: None declared, Aaron Winkler Employee of: Pfizer, John D Isaacs: None declared, Rachel Knevel Grant/research support from: Pfizer

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

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

Epidemiology of resistance of carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae to ceftazidime-avibactam in a Chinese hospital

AIMS

Klebsiella pneumoniae has been reported to develop increased antibiotic resistance. Ceftazidime-avibactam (CZA) is a novel antibiotic with activity against serine-lactamase. Here, we investigated the sensitivity of carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae (CRKP) to CZA and the mechanisms of drug resistance in our hospital.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Patient characteristics were obtained from medical records. K. pneumoniae and its antibiotic susceptibility were determined using the Vitek-2 Compact instrument. The antibiotic resistance genes KPC, NDM, OXA-48, VIM, IMP, CIM, SPM, TMB, SMB, SIM, AIM and DIM were detected using real-time PCR. Multilocus sequence typing was used for genetic RELATEDNESS analysis. In total, 121 CRKP strains were isolated from patients in the intensive care unit (51·2%), senior ward (12·4%) and neurosurgery department (10%). With an average age of 72·5 years, most patients were in care for respiratory (34·7%), brain (20·7%), digestive tract (13·2%) and cardiovascular (8·3%) diseases. Specimens were predominantly obtained from sputum (39·67%), urine (29·75%) and blood (6·61%).

CONCLUSION

Of 23 CZA-resistant CRKP strains (19·01%), ST11 being the most common at 56·52%, 11 NDM-1-positive (47·83%) and four NDM-5-positive (17·39%) strains were detected.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

Our study indicates that CZA resistance occurs in ~19·01% CRKP strains and that bla_NDM-1 and bla_NDM-5 might be critical for resistance.

High pressure homogenization inactivation of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus in phosphate buffered saline, milk and apple juice

High pressure homogenization (HPH) offers new opportunities for food pasteurization/sterilization. Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus suspended in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) buffer, milk and apple juice at initial concentration of ~10⁶ log₁₀ CFU per ml were subjected to HPH treatments up to 200 MPa with inlet temperatures at 4-40°C. After HPH at 200 MPa with the inlet temperature at 40°C, the count of E. coli suspended in PBS, milk and apple juice reduced by 3·42, 3·67 and 3·19 log₁₀ CFU per ml respectively while the count of S. aureus decreased by 2·21, 1·02 and 2·33 log₁₀ CFU per ml respectively suggesting that S. aureus was more resistant. The inactivation data were well fitted by the polynomial equation. Milk could provide a protective effect for S. aureus against HPH. After HPH at 200 MPa with the inlet temperature at 20°C, the cell structure of E. coli was destroyed, while no obvious damages were found for S. aureus.

Collision between soliton and polarization domain walls in fiber lasers

We report on the experimental observation of coexistence of solitons and polarization domains, as well as features of soliton collision with polarization domain walls (or kink solitons) in a single mode fiber laser. Depending on the sign of cavity dispersion, either bright or dark solitons have been formed in our fiber laser. Under suitable laser operation conditions, they could even coexist with polarization domains and collide with the domain walls. We show experimental evidence of both the elastic and inelastic soliton collisions with the domain wall solitons. Some interesting features of soliton interaction with polarization domains in a fiber laser are also firstly revealed.

THE EFFECT OF ADIPONECTIN VIA REGULATING THE BONE MICROENVIRONMENT OXIDATIVE STRESS ON OSTEOGENESIS IN TYPE 2 DIABETIC RATS

OBJECTIVE

To observe the effect of adiponectin on osteogenesis in type 2 diabetic rats.

METHODS

The 4th-week-old male SD rats were divided into normal control group (n=18) and diabetic model group (n = 42). Type 2 diabetes was induced by high-fat and high-sugar diet and intraperitoneal injection of a low dose of streptozotocin (STZ). The successfully-induced diabetic rats were divided into diabetic group (DM=18) and adiponectin intervention group (APN=18). APN group was injected with APN 10 μg/kg*d. The rats were separately sacrificed at the 4^th, 8^th and 12^th week after the intervention. Bone microstructure and adipose tissue were observed via HE staining. Bone marrow was extracted from one side of the femur, and the supernatant was achieved by centrifugation. After BMD assessed by DXA, the other side of the femur was for further HE staining. Runx-2 expression in the bone marrow cells was detected by RT-PCR. BALP and AOPPs in bone marrow supernatant were assayed by ELISA. AGEs were detected by immunohistochemical staining.

RESULTS

With the feeding time over, blood glucose, AOPP, and AGEs were increased, and Runx-2 mRNA, BALP, BMD were decreased in diabetic rat group(P<0.05). Oxidative stress (OS) maker (AOPP) was decreased and osteogenesis makers (Runx2 mRNA, BALP) were increased after intervention with exogenous adiponectin (P<0.05). At the 8^th and 12^th week, the trabecular bone became thinner and broken, and the fat cell number increased in all 3 groups, especially in the DM group. The adiponectin intervention group showed that the trabecular bone structure was moderately restored.

CONCLUSIONS

OS is obvious in bone micro-environment in diabetic rats. OS may have an inhibitory effect on regulation of osteogenic differentiation factor Runx2, causing down regulation of osteoblast differentiation and bone formation. Adiponectin may improve OS response and protect the bone structure.

The value of a dual-energy spectral CT quantitative analysis technique in acute pancreatitis

AIM

To explore the value of dual-energy spectral computed tomography (DESCT) in evaluating the clinical severity of acute pancreatitis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Seventy patients with acute pancreatitis (AP) confirmed by clinical examination were included in this study. All patients underwent unenhanced/double-phase enhanced CT in spectral imaging mode. Iodine concentration and normalised iodine concentration (NIC) were measured retrospectively with a spectral imaging viewer (GSI Viewer). All data were analysed by analysis of variance. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed to determine the optimal threshold for predicting the clinical severity of AP.

RESULTS

Seventy patients were included in the study comprising 30 mild, 22 moderate, and 18 severe cases of AP. The CT attenuation value, iodine concentration, and NIC were decreased with increasing clinical severity. Moreover, there were significant differences between the mild group and the severe group (p<0.05), as well as between the moderate group and the severe group (p<0.05). The area under the ROC curve AUC of each value was larger in arterial phase than in portal venous phase. The most sensitive value between the mild and severe groups in AP was the NIC (arterial phase: 0.19 ± 0.06; portal venous phase: 0.45 ± 0.09).

CONCLUSION

DESCT can provide multiple parameters to determine the severity of AP.