Involvement of nitrogen in storage root growth and related gene expression in sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas)

Nitrogen (N) could affect storage root growth and development of sweet potato. To manage external N concentration fluctuations, plants have developed a wide range of strategies, such as growth changes and gene expression. Five sweet potato cultivars were used to analyse the functions of N in regulating storage root growth. Growth responses and physiological indicators were measured to determine the physiological changes regulated by different N concentrations. Expression profiles of related genes were analysed via microarray hybridization data and qRT-PCR analysis to reveal the molecular mechanisms of storage root growth regulated by different N concentrations. The growth responses and physiological indicators of the five cultivars were changed by N concentration. The root fresh weight of two of the sweet potato cultivars, SS19 and GS87, was higher under low N concentrations compared with the other cultivars. SS19 and GS87 were found to be having greater tolerance to low N concentration. The expression of N metabolism and storage root growth related genes was regulated by N concentration in sweet potato. These results reveal that N significantly regulated storage root growth. SS19 and GS87 were more tolerant to low N concentration and produced greater storage root yield (at 30 days). Furthermore, several N response genes were involved in both N metabolism and storage root growth.

Evaluation of a Collagen-Reactive Monomer with Advanced Bonding Durability

This study evaluated the use of a new collagen-reactive monomer (CRM), isocyanate-terminated urethane methacrylate precursor, which has covalent affinity to dental collagen, in the formation of dentin-resin bonds and compared it with 2 other dental adhesives. Dentin specimens were bonded with either the CRM-based adhesive (CBA), One-Step (OS; Bisco, Inc.), or a negative adhesive (NA) control and subjected to 24-h storage in water, thermocycling to simulate 1-y clinical function, or a matrix metalloproteinase-mediated aging process. We tested the microtensile bond strength (µTBS), characterized the bonding interface with an atomic force microscope, conducted micro-Raman analysis, and performed leakage tests and in situ zymography. CBA and OS exhibited comparable bonding strength after 24 h (P > 0.05); however, there was a sharp decrease in µTBS after aging for all except CBA (P < 0.001). Raman spectra results indicated increased collagen crosslinking and chemical reaction between the adhesive and collagen in the CBA group. CBA achieved high-quality hybridization with collagen, improving mechanical properties and integrity, and decreased the enzyme-mediated degradation of the bonding interface by inhibiting collagenolytic activity. With the promising bonding durability of coapplied CBA, CRM may be the first dental adhesive to provide strong and long-lasting resin-dental collagen bonding without the additional conditioning step. The use of CBA results in high-quality hybrid layers that protect the resin-dentin interface from harmful biological and chemical activities commonly occurring in the oral environment.

Rapid and visual detection of 2019 novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) by a reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate a reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay for detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and compare it with RT-PCR.

METHODS

We designed primers specific to the orf1ab and S genes of SARS-CoV-2. Total viral RNA was extracted using the QIAamp Viral RNA Mini Kit. We optimized the RT-LAMP assay, and evaluated it for its sensitivity and specificity of detection using real-time turbidity monitoring and visual observation.

RESULTS

The primer sets orf1ab-4 and S-123 amplified the genes in the shortest times, the mean (±SD) times were 18 ± 1.32 min and 20 ± 1.80 min, respectively, and 63°C was the optimum reaction temperature. The sensitivities were 2 × 10¹ copies and 2 × 10² copies per reaction with primer sets orf1ab-4 and S-123, respectively. This assay showed no cross-reactivity with 60 other respiratory pathogens. To describe the availability of this method in clinical diagnosis, we collected 130 specimens from patients with clinically suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection. Among them, 58 were confirmed to be positive and 72 were negative by RT-LAMP. The sensitivity was 100% (95% CI 92.3%-100%), specificity 100% (95% CI 93.7%-100%). This assay detected SARS-CoV-2 in a mean (±SD) time of 26.28 ± 4.48 min and the results can be identified with visual observation.

CONCLUSION

These results demonstrate that we developed a rapid, simple, specific and sensitive RT-LAMP assay for SARS-CoV-2 detection among clinical samples. It will be a powerful tool for SARS-CoV-2 identification, and for monitoring suspected patients, close contacts and high-risk groups.

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

OBJECTIVES

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

METHODS

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

RESULTS

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

CONCLUSIONS

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

Depressive costs: medical expenditures on depression and depressive symptoms among rural elderly in China

OBJECTIVES

To provide an evaluation of medical expenditures induced by depression and depressive symptoms among rural elderly in China.

STUDY DESIGN

The panel dataset used for this study is taken from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) data for the years 2012 and 2016. We examined the case of rural elderly who were 60 years old or older at the time of the 2012 survey and 64 years old or older at the time of the 2016 survey and then created a panel dataset that includes 2938 rural elderly for both years to estimate the influence of depressive symptoms/depression on medical cost.

METHODS

Both two part model and four part model were used to estimate the influence of depressive symptoms and depression on medical expenditure. Then a counter-factual method was used to calculate the cost of depressive symptoms and depression among rural elderly in China.

RESULTS

Mental health status has significant effects on individual medical expenses, and they aggregately contribute to 47.26% of total personal expected medical expenditures. Specifically, the rural group, the female group, the widowed group, and the poorly educated group have higher medical expenditures because of depressive status than the other groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Mental health status significantly increased both the chance of undergoing medical care and the degree of medical expenditure among rural elderly in China. This situation is more serious in some vulnerable groups. Therefore, the Chinese government needs to reform its mental health of rural elderly and insurance institutions to eliminate the policy-caused barriers to mental health resources, especially for vulnerable groups.

[Preliminary efficacy analysis of Cheng's Giraffe reconstruction after proximal gastrectomy in adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction]

Objective: To investigate the safety and feasibility of proximal partial gastrectomy with Cheng's Giraffe esophagogastric reconstruction for the treatment of early Siewert II adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction (AEG). Methods: Indication of Cheng's Giraffe esophagogastric reconstruction: (1) Siewert II AEG or Siewert III AEG with diameter < 4 cm; (2) preoperative staging as cT1-2N0M0. A descriptive case series study was carried out. Clinical data of 34 patients with Siewert II AEG undergoing proximal partial gastrectomy and Cheng's Giraffe esophagogastric reconstruction at Department of Abdominal Surgery of Zhejiang Cancer Hospital and Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from February to July 2018 were retrospectively collected and analyzed, including 14 cases in IA stage, 11 cases in IIA stage and 8 cases in IIB stage. Brief procedure of Cheng's Giraffe esophagogastric reconstruction was as follows: Firstly, 12 cm long tubular stomach was formed by longitudinal incision 4 cm away from the great curvature of the stomach. Secondly, the gastric fundus and His angle were formed. Finally, the distance from His angle to esophagal-tubular gastric anastomosis should be more than 5 cm. The reflux disease questionare (RDQ) scores, radionuclide gastric emptying scintigraphy, and 24-hour multichannel intraluminal (MII)-pH monitoring technology were used to evaluate postoperative gastric emptying and gastroesophageal reflux. Result: All 34 patients successfully completed proximal partial gastrectomy with Cheng's Giraffe esophagogastric reconstruction, including 13 cases by open surgery and 21 cases by laparoscopic surgery. The operation time was (144.6±39.8) minutes, the blood loss during operation was (35.4±17.2) ml. No laparoscopic case was converted to open surgery and no postoperative complication was observed. The postoperative hospital stay was (8.4±2.5) days. The postoperative RDQ score was 4.4±3.1 one month after operation, and 3.3±2.5 six months after operation. Gastric-half emptying time was (67.0±21.5) minutes, and the residual ratio was (52.2±7.7)% in 1 hour, (36.4±3.1)% in 2 hours and (28.8±3.6)% in 3 hours at postoperative 1-month. The 24-hour MII-pH monitoring at postoperative 2-month revealed the frequency of acid reflux was (12.6±7.9) times, frequency of non-acid reflux was (19.6±9.7) times, DeMeester score was 5.8±2.9. Conclusion: Cheng's Giraffe esophagogastric reconstruction is safe and feasible in the treatment of Siewert type II AEG, and has good dynamic and anti-reflux effects.

Neuroprotective effects of notoginsenoside R1 by upregulating Trx-1 on acrylamide-induced neurotoxicity in PC12

Acrylamide (ACR) is a water-soluble chemical that is commonly used in chemical and cosmetic manufacture. Many studies have been carried out to investigate the neurotoxicity mechanisms of ACR, resulting in oxidative stress and nerve damages. One of the commonly used traditional Chinese medicines is notoginsenoside R1 (NR1). However, its mitochondrial-mediated apoptotic effect caused in ACR-induced neurotoxicity has not been reported. Our results have shown that NR1 resisted the neurotoxicity induced by ACR by upregulating the levels of thioredoxin-1 (Trx-1) in Rat adrenal chromaffin cell tumor (PC12) cells. NR1 inhibited the increase in levels of Bax, caspase-9, and caspase-3, which was instigated by ACR. Moreover, NR1 inhibited the decrease in levels of B-cell lymphoma 2 and Trx-1 induced by ACR. The downregulation of Trx-1 aggravated the mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis and increased the expression of the above molecules, which was induced by ACR. In contrast, overexpression of Trx-1 attenuated the mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis and inhibited the expression of the mentioned molecules induced by ACR. Our results suggested that NR1 protected ACR-induced mitochondrial apoptosis by upregulating Trx-1.

Impaired bone microarchitecture in distal interphalangeal joints in patients with primary hypertrophic osteoarthropathy assessed by high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography

This study aimed to investigate the bone impairment in finger joints in PHO patients by HR-pQCT. Results showed distinguished differences in bone architecture and biomechanics parameters at DIPs between PHO patients and healthy controls using HR-pQCT assessment. Besides, serum PGE2, hsCRP and ESR levels were found negatively correlated with total vBMD.

INTRODUCTION

This study aimed to investigate the bone impairment in finger joints in primary hypertrophic osteoarthropathy (PHO) patients firstly by high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT).

METHODS

Fifteen PHO patients and 15 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. Bone erosions in hands at distal interphalangeal joints (DIPs) in both PHO patients and controls were evaluated by X-ray. Bone geometry, vBMD, microstructure parameters, and size of individual bone erosion were also measured at the 3rd DIP by HR-pQCT as well. Blood biochemistry levels between the two groups were also compared.

RESULTS

Compared to X-ray, HR-pQCT assessment were more sensitive for detection of bone erosions, with 14 PHO patients by HR-pQCT versus ten PHO patients by X-ray judged at the 3rd DIP. The average depth, width, and volume of erosions size in PHO patients were 1.38 ± 0.80 mm, 0.79 ± 0.27 mm, and 1.71 ± 0.52 mm³, respectively. The bone cross-areas including total area (+ 25.3%, p ≤ 0.05), trabecular area (+ 56.2%, p ≤ 0.05), and cortical perimeter (+ 10.7%, p ≤ 0.05) at the defined region of interest of 3rd DIP was significantly larger than controls. Total vBMD was 11.9% lower in PHO patients compared with the controls (p ≤ 0.05). Biochemical test results showed the increased levels of inflammatory cytokines, bone resorption markers, and joint degeneration markers in PHO patients. Serum prostaglandin PGE2, high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) levels were found negatively correlated with total vBMD.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated higher sensitivity of the HR-pQCT measurement at DIPs by showing the differences in architecture and biomechanics parameters at DIPs between the PHO patients and healthy controls, which would be of interest clinically to investigate bone deterioration in PHO patients.

Autophagy triggered by MAVS inhibits Coxsackievirus A16 replication

Mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein (MAVS), a crucial adaptor protein localized on mitochondria, plays vital roles in various biological processes. Autophagy and apoptosis are two independent and closely linked cell death pathways. But whether MAVS could induce apoptosis and autophagy in rhabdomyosarcoma cells (RD cells) and what is the relationship between autophagy and apoptosis still remains elusive. Here, we reveal that overexpression of MAVS could trigger both apoptosis and autophagy in RD cells. Interestingly, MAVS-induced apoptosis was dependent on the activation of the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling pathway and inhibition of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathway. Also, it was found that inhibition of autophagy by 3-methyladenine (3-MA) enhanced MAVS-induced apoptosis resulting in increased cleavage of caspase-3 and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). Meanwhile, autophagy induction by rapamycin resulted in decreased MAVS-induced apoptosis. In addition, we found that MAVS expression was inhibited upon Coxsackievirus A16 (CA16) infection and overexpression of MAVS could inhibit CA16 replication. Collectively, our study provides novel insights into the link between apoptosis and autophagy induced by MAVS overexpression in RD cells and gains a greater understanding of MAVS-induced antiviral functions, which provide new targets for CA16 treatment. Keywords: CA16; MAVS; apoptosis; autophagy.

MiR-378a-5p inhibits angiogenesis of oral squamous cell carcinoma by targeting KLK4

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is still a leading cause of cancer death owing to distant metastasis, which is largely facilitated by tumor angiogenesis. MicroRNA (miR)-378a-5p and Kallikrein-related peptidase 4 (KLK4) participate in tumorigenesis and tumor metastasis according to previous studies, yet the exact role they play in tumor angiogenesis remains poorly understood. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of miR-378a-5p and KLK4 on angiogenesis of OSCC. MTT assay showed that the expression level of miR-378a-5p was negatively correlated with the proliferation of OSCC cells. ELISA and Western blot assay showed that down-regulation of miR-378a-5p promotes VEGF expression. Tube formation and in vivo chicken chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay showed that inhibition of miR-378a-5p reduced tube formation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and newly formed microvessel. On the contrary, over-expression of KLK4 enhanced angiogenesis of OSCC cells with increased VEGF expression, tube formation activity of HUVECs and newly formed microvessel. Moreover, the dual-luciferase assay validated that KLK4 was a target gene of miR-378a-5p. MiR-378a-5p silencing induced tube formation was suppressed by the downregulation of KLK4. Besides, the activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in miR-378a-5p antagomir transfected cells was also blocked by the KLK4 shRNA. To sum up, our study suggests that miR-378a-5p suppressed angiogenesis of OSCC at least partly by the regulation of KLK4.

Decreased expression of SorCS1 in colorectal cancer: An independent predictor of poor prognosis

Previously, we identified that sortilin related VPS10 domain containing receptor 1 (SorCS1) was hypermethylated in colorectal cancer (CRC) tissues. Here, we aimed to investigate the association between CRC and SorCS1. DNA methylation was determined by methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MSP) or quantitative real-time methylation analysis (MethyLight). Colorectal cancer tissue specimens from 239 patients that had undergone surgical treatment were evaluated using immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis for the expression of SorCS1 and correlated with clinicopathological variables and prognosis. We found that SorCS1 was hypermethylated in CRC cell lines and 67.5% (27/40) CRC tumor tissues. The loss of SorCS1 mRNA (p<0.001) and protein expression (p=0.033) were highly correlated with promoter methylation. In addition, SorCS1 expression was significantly increased in younger patients (p=0.006), low CEA level (p<0.001) and pT1-2 stage (p=0.005). Survival analysis revealed that decreased expression of SorCS1 was an independent factor for predicting the increased risk of recurrence (p=0.024) and poor overall survival (p=0.006). Subgroup analysis for CEA level, pT and pN classifications showed that SorCS1 retained its stratified significance only in patients with low CEA level, pT3-4 tumors and pN1-2 lymph node status. Our findings suggest that SorCS1 is epigenetically inactivated in a substantial fraction of CRC, and its expression may be a promising prognostic factor in CRC patients.

[A multicenter cross-sectional study on chronic critical illness and surgery-related chronic critical illness in China]

Objective: To understand the prevalence, diagnosis and treatment of chronic critical illness (CCI) in China. Methods: The clinical data of 472 adult patients admitted to ICU in 53 hospitals, including basic information, disease-related data, nutrition program, etc., were collected on May 10, 2019, by means of multi-center cross-sectional study. If surgical intervention was needed or the occurrence of the disease was directly related to the surgery, ICU patients were regarded as surgical ICU cases (n=211). In this study, the diagnostic criteria for CCI were: (1) admission to ICU >14 days;(2) combined with persistent organ dysfunction. The prevalence,distribution and treatment of CCI and surgery-related CCI were recorded and analyzed. The Mann-Whitney U test, chi-square test or Fisher exact test were used for comparative analysis. Results: Among the 472 ICU patients from 53 hospitals, 326 were male (69.1%) and 146 were female (30.9%). The prevalence of CCI was 30.7% (145/472). Among 211 surgery-related ICU patients, 57 developed CCI with a prevalence of 27.0%. As compared to non-CCI patients, higher APACHE II score [median (IQR) 13.5 (10.0, 18.3) vs. 11.0 (7.0, 16.0), U=2970.000, P=0.007], higher Charlson comorbidity index [median (IQR) 4.0 (2.0, 7.0) vs. 3.0 (1.0, 5.0), U= 3570.000, P=0.036] and higher ratio of breath dysfunction [68.4% (39/57) vs. 48.1% (74/154), χ(2)=6.939, P=0.008] and renal dysfunction [42.1% (24/57) vs. 18.2% (28/154), χ(2)=12.821, P<0.001] were found in surgery-related CCI patients. While SOFA score, Glasgow coma score and other visceral function were not significantly different between surgery-related CCI and non-CCI patients (all P>0.05). NUTRIC score showed that surgery-related CCI patients had higher nutritional risk [43.9% (25/57) vs. 26.6%(41/154), U=5.750, P=0.016] and higher ratio of mechanical ventilation [66.7% (38/57) vs. 52.3% (79/154), χ(2)=3.977, P=0.046] than non-CCI patients. On the survey day, the daily caloric requirements of 50.2% (106/211) of surgery-related ICU patients were calculated according to the standard adult caloric intake index (104.6 to 125.5 kJ·kg(-1)·d(-1), 1 kJ=0.239 kcal), and the daily caloric requirements of 46.4% (98/211) of patients were calculated by physicians according to the severity of the patient's condition. 60.2% (127/211) of nutritional support therapy was enteral nutrition (including a combination of enteral and parenteral nutrition), while the remaining patients received parenteral nutrition (24.6%, 52/211), simple glucose infusion (9.0%, 19/211), or oral diet (6.2%, 13/211). The target calorie of CCI group was 104.6 (87.9, 125.5) kJ·kg(-1)·d(-1), and the actual calorie intake accounted for 0.98 (0.80, 1.00) of the target calory. In the non-CCI group, the target calorie was 104.6 (87.9, 125.5) kJ·kg(-1)·d(-1), and the actual calorie consumed accounted for 0.91 (0.66, 1.00) of the target calorie. There was no statistically significant difference between two groups (P=0.248, P=0.150). Conclusion: The prevalence of CCI and surgery-related CCI in ICU is high, along with severe complications, respiratory and renal dysfunction and mechanical ventilation. Surgical patients admitted to ICU are at high nutritional risk, and active and correct nutritional support is essential for such patients.

Determination of Glucosamine in Raw Materials and Dietary Supplements Containing Glucosamine Sulfate and/or Glucosamine Hydrochloride by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with FMOC-Su Derivatization: Collaborative Study

A collaborative study was conducted for determination of glucosamine in raw materials and dietary supplements containing glucosamine sulfate and/or glucosamine hydrochloride by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with N-(9-fluorenyl-methoxycarbonyloxy) succinimide (FMOC-Su) derivatization. Thirteen blind materials, one pair of which were duplicates, were tested by 12 collaborating laboratories. The test samples consisted of various commercial products, including tablets, capsules, drink mix, and liquids as well as raw materials, blanks, and those for spike recovery analyses. The tests with blank products and products spiked with glucosamine showed good specificity of the method. The average recoveries at spike levels of 100 and 150% of the declared amount were 99.0% with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 2.1%, and 101% with an RSD of 2.3%, respectively. The test results between laboratories on each commercial product were reproducible with RSD values of no more than 4.0%, and the results were repeatable in the same laboratory with an average RSD of 0.7%. HorRat values ranged from 0.5 to 1.7 on both tests of spike recovery and reproducibility between laboratories on commercial products. The average determination coefficient of the calibration curves from the laboratories was 0.9995 with an RSD of 0.03%. All of the 12 collaborating laboratories succeeded in the study and none of their reported test results were outliers, partly indicating the robustness of the method. It is recommended that the method be accepted by AOAC INTERNATIONAL as Official First Action.

Long-term N fertilization imbalances potential N acquisition and transformations by soil microbes

Nitrogen (N) fertilization in agricultural soils has been receiving worldwide attention due to its detrimental effects on ecosystem services, particularly on microbial N transformation. However, few studies provide a complete picture of N-fertilization effects on the N transformation cycle within a single agricultural ecosystem. Here, we explored the main steps of the microbial N cycle, using targeted gene abundances as proxies, in relation to soil properties, following 35 years of N-fertilization at increasing rates (0, 202 and 269 kg N/ha) in continuous corn (Zea mays L.) and corn-soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] rotations. We used real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) for the quantification of phylogenetic groups and functional gene screening of the soil microbial communities, including genes encoding critical enzymes of the microbial N cycle: nifH (N₂ fixation), amoA (first step of nitrification), nirK and nirS (first step of denitrification), and nosZ (last step of denitrification). Our results showed that long term N-fertilization increased the abundance of fungal communities likely related to decreases in pH, and an enrichment of Al³⁺ and Fe³⁺ in exchange sites at the expense of critical macro and micronutrients. At the same time, long term N-fertilization damaged potential biological N₂ fixation by significantly reducing the abundance of nifH genes in both continuous and rotated corn systems, while accelerating potential nitrification activities under continuous corn by increasing the abundance of bacterial amoA. Fertilization did not affect the abundance of denitrifying groups. Altogether, these results suggest that N fertilization in corn crops potentially decreases N₂ acquisition by free-living soil microbes and stimulates nitrification activities, thus creating a vicious loop that makes the overall agricultural system even more dependent on external N inputs.

[The clinical significance of transcranial Doppler in early diagnosis of sepsis-associated encephalopathy]

Objective: To investigate the clinical significance of transcranial Doppler (TCD) in early diagnosis of sepsis-associated encephalopathy(SAE). Methods: Septic patients admitted to the intensive care unit(ICU) were recruited at Xiangya Hospital, Central South University from July 2015 to March 2016. Clinical data and TCD parameters during 24 hours after admission were collected. All patients were screened for delirium using the confusion assessment method for the intensive care unit (CAM-ICU) twice a day. The gold standard of the diagnosis of SAE was positive CAM-ICU evaluation. Patients were divided into SAE group and the non-SAE group. TCD data including systolic velocity (Vs), diastolic velocity (Vd), mean velocity (Vm), pulsatility index (PI) and resistant index (RI) were analyzed to determine the optimal diagnostic cut-off value. Results: A total of 43 patients were enrolled including 12 in SAE group and 31 in non-SAE group. Vm and Vd were lower in SAE group [Vm: (53.50±12.22) cm/s vs. (61.68±9.63) cm/s, P<0.05; Vd: (33.42±10.87) cm/s vs. (43.16±7.84) cm/s, P<0.01] but PI and RI were significant higher in SAE group[PI:(1.16±0.2) vs. (0.90±0.15), P<0.01;RI:(0.65±0.08) vs. (0.56±0.06), P<0.01] than in non-SAE group. The cut-off values of Vs, Vm, Vd, PI and RI for the diagnosis of SAE were 112cm/s, 55.50cm/s, 34.50cm/s, 1.16, 0.65, respectively, with the relevant sensitivities of 19.4%, 83.9%, 93.5%, 58.3%, 58.3% and the specificities of 100.0%, 50.0%, 58.3%, 96.8%, 96.8%, respectively. The diagnostic AUC of Vd, PI and RI were 0.741, 0.808 and 0.808 respectively. Conclusions: The parameter changes of TCD suggest that the pathogenesis of SAE is related to cerebral hypoperfusion, TCD is a helpful method for the early diagnosis of SAE.

The effect of DC+CIK combined therapy on rat liver cancer model and its modulatory effect on immune functions

OBJECTIVE

Primary liver cancer is a sort of the most common solid tumors occurred in the digestive system. The incidence and mortality rate maintain at a high level, thus leading to heavy economic and psychological burdens for patients. Next-generation biological therapy, such as cellular immune treatment, improves the medicine efficacy. Cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells can effectively clear residual tumor lesion and inhibit metastasis or recurrence. Dendritic cells (DCs) can specifically eliminate tumor cells via modulating cellular immune function of the host. This study aimed to investigate the function of DC+CIK combined treatment on rat liver model and its effect on immune functions.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

RH-35 tumor cell was used to prepare live cancer model on Wistar rats, which were further divided into control, CIK and DC+CIK groups, in which rats received autograft CIK and DCs. Tumor size was later measured along with liver function index. The secretions of IFN-γ, IL-4, and TNF-α were measured by Real-time PCR and Western blotting.

RESULTS

Both CIK and DC+CIK treatment significantly reduced tumor size and improved liver function, increased secretion of IFN-γ, IL-4, and TNF-α, decreased Bcl-2 expression and enhanced Bax expression (p < 0.05 compared to control group). DC+CIK combined therapy presented significantly better efficacy than CIK did.

CONCLUSIONS

DC+CIK combined therapy can protect the host against tumors invasion via modulating body immune or liver function, regulating apoptosis/anti-apoptosis balance, which shows better efficacy than CIK alone, and can work as a novel biological therapeutic strategy for liver cancer.

P1691Impact of dose and duration of dietary salt reduction on blood pressure levels: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised trials

Background

Authoritative medical and public health agencies in most countries advise to reduce population dietary salt intake to under 5–6 g/day as a strategy for preventing high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. However, there is still dispute about whether salt reduction should be adopted by all populations. In addition, the effect of duration of dietary salt reduction has not been sufficiently investigated.

Purpose

To understand the effect of dietary salt reduction on blood pressure and the impact of intervention duration.

Methods

A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted. Randomized controlled trials that allocated participants to low and high salt intake, without confounding from unequal concomitant interventions, were included. We excluded studies done in individuals younger than 18 years, pregnant women, individuals with renal disease or heart failure, and studies with sodium excretion estimated from spot urine. Random effect meta-analysis was used to generate pooled estimates of the effect on 24-hour urinary sodium excretion, systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Multivariate meta-regression was used to quantify the dose response effect of dietary salt on blood pressure change and to understand the impact of the intervention duration.

Results

125 studies were included with 162 data points extracted. Ninety-nine data points (61%) had interventions under 4 weeks. Overall, 24-hour urinary sodium excretion changed by −141 mmol (95% CI: −156; −126), systolic blood pressure changed by −4.4 mm Hg (95% CI: −5.2; −3.7) and diastolic blood pressure changed by −2.4 mm Hg (95% CI: −2.9; −1.9). Sodium reduction resulted in a significant decrease of systolic blood pressure in all subgroups except in participants with low baseline sodium intake (<109 mmol) (Figure 1). Each 100 mmol reduction of sodium was associated with 2.7 mm Hg (95% CI: 1.0; 4.4; p=0.002) reduction of systolic blood pressure and 1.2 mm Hg (95% CI: 0.0; 2.4; p=0.046) reduction of diastolic blood pressure after adjusting for intervention duration, age, sex, race, baseline blood pressure, baseline sodium intake and interaction between age and baseline blood pressure. For the same amount of salt reduction, a 10 mm Hg higher baseline systolic blood pressure would result in 2.5 mm Hg greater reduction of systolic blood pressure. There is not enough evidence to show the impact of intervention duration.

Figure 1

Conclusions

Our meta-analysis showed that sodium reduction could reduce blood pressure in all adult populations regardless of age, sex and race. The effect of salt reduction on systolic blood pressure increases with higher baseline blood pressure. Further studies, designed to investigate the impact of intervention duration, are needed to understand the significance of the duration.

Acknowledgement/Funding

None

VEGFR2 and VEGF-C Suppresses the Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition Via YAP in Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells

BACKGROUND

Whereas retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells are known to secrete VEGF-A and VEGFR2, the functions of the autocrine VEGF signaling remain unclear. Meanwhile, anti-VEGF therapies have been applied routinely to treat ocular vascular diseases.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to determine the functions of the VEGF signaling in RPE cells and evaluate the consequences of its interruption.

METHODS

The genes involved in the VEGF and Hippo signal pathways were knocked down with siRNAs in both ARPE-19 cell line and human primary RPE cells via transient transfection whereas overexpression of VEGFR2 was mediated via adenovirus transduction. Expression of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers and the downstream genes of YAP were determined by real-time PCR and Western Blot analysis. Immunofluorescence staining was utilized to determine gene expression in tissue and mouse samples.

RESULTS

Knockdown of VEGFR2 results in epithelial-mesenchymal transition in vitro and in vivo. Overexpression of VEGFR2 suppresses TGF β-mediated EMT in RPE cells. Loss of VEGF-C rather than VEGF-A induces EMT. Mechanistically, the VEGFR2 ablation-induced EMT in RPE cells is mediated by activation of YAP, an effector of the Hippo pathway. Finally, the immunohistochemical analysis of VEGFR2 and YAP in human proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) membranes indicates a tendency of an inverse correlation between VEGFR2-positive and YAP-positive cells.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results disclose unexpected novel roles of VEGFR2 and VEGF-C in the process of EMT of RPE cells and in the Hippo pathway. The data shown here demonstrated that VEGFR2 and VEGF-C are important to maintain the normal physiological state of RPE cells.

Orbital-Selective Kondo Entanglement and Antiferromagnetic Order in USb_{2}

In heavy-fermion compounds, the dual character of f electrons underlies their rich and often exotic properties like fragile heavy quasiparticles, a variety of magnetic orders and unconventional superconductivity. 5f-electron actinide materials provide a rich setting to elucidate the larger and outstanding issue of the competition between magnetic order and Kondo entanglement and, more generally, the interplay among different channels of interactions in correlated electron systems. Here, by using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we present the detailed electronic structure of USb_{2} and observe two different kinds of nearly flat bands in the antiferromagnetic state of USb_{2}. Polarization-dependent measurements show that these electronic states are derived from 5f orbitals with different characters; in addition, further temperature-dependent measurements reveal that one of them is driven by the Kondo correlations between the 5f electrons and conduction electrons, while the other reflects the dominant role of the magnetic order. Our results on the low-energy electronic excitations of USb_{2} implicate orbital selectivity as an important new ingredient for the competition between Kondo correlations and magnetic order and, by extension, in the rich landscape of quantum phases for strongly correlated f electron systems.

[Mortality and influencing factors on injecting drug users with HIV/AIDS in Guizhou province, 1996-2015]

Objective: To understand the mortality and influencing factors on injecting drug users (IDUs) with HIV/AIDS, in Guizhou province, 1996-2015. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on IDUs with HIV/AIDS that were reported through national comprehensive HIV/AIDS information system, in Guizhou province during 1996-2015. Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to analyze the influencing factors on the mortality of HIV/AIDS. Results: A total of 3 958 cases of IDUs with HIV/AIDS were recruited in this study, with all-cause mortality rate of 44.01% (1 742/3 958) and total mortality rate of 7.80/100 person-years, respectively. The median survival time between diagnosis and death was 8.08 years. Mortality rate was 3.57/100 person-years in the group receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART). The mortality appeared to be 4.08/100 person-years in the group who were on methadone maintenance treatment (MMT). Data from the multiple regression analysis indicated that factors of gender, ethnicity, age when HIV/AIDS diagnosis was made, CD(4)(+)T lymphocyte (CD(4)) count at the first testing, ART and MMT were significantly associated with deaths among these people. The risk of death in females was 0.82 times (95%CI: 0.69-0.98) higher than that in males. The risk of deaths among the ethnic minority subjects was 1.39 times (95%CI: 1.21-1.60) higher than that of the Hans. The risk of death appeared to be 2.44 times higher (95%CI: 1.07-5.56) in the over-50-year of age group than in the <20 year-old group, when HIV/AIDS was diagnosed for the first time. The risk of death in CD(4) ≥500/μl group in the first time was 0.27 times (95%CI: 0.22-0.32) more than CD(4) <200/μl group in the firs time. The risk of death in cases who were treated with ART or MMT was 2.83 times (95%CI: 2.45-3.26) and 1.35 times (95%CI: 1.15-1.59) higher than those who did not receive any treatment, respectively. Conclusion: Higher risks on death seemed to be related to the following factors: being male, older age at the time of diagnosis, lower CD(4) at diagnosis, not on ART or MMT among the IDUs with HIV/AIDS in Guizhou province, between 1996-2015.

[The inhibition effect of miR-29c on lung fibroblasts transdifferentiation induced by SiO(2)]

Objective: To investigate the regulatory effect of miR-29c on the trans-differentiation of pulmonary fibroblasts into myofibroblasts induced by silica dust. Methods: Fibroblasts obtained from SD rat lung tissue and pulmonary macrophages (NR8383) were co-cultured to establish the silicosis cell model in vitro. And real time-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and Western Blot assays were performed to detect the altered expression level of miR-29c and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) . After that, the in vitro cell model was transfected with corresponding viruses to establish miR-29c overexpression and inhibition cell models, and the mRNA and protein expression levels of α-SMA were detected simultaneously. Results: Compared with control group, the expression level of miR-29c in the silicosis cell model in vitro was down-regulated significantly after 12 or 18 h exposed to SiO(2), and both of the mRNA and protein expression levels of α-SMA were up-regulated instead (P<0.05) . When transfected with corresponding viruses, the mRNA and protein expression levels of α-SMA in the pulmonary fibroblasts were significantly up-regulated in miR-29c inhibition group and down-regulated in miR-29c overexpression group (P<0.05) . Conclusion: Based on the findings, it could be safely infered that the development of pulmonary fibrosis could be impeded by inhibiting transdifferentiation process of pulmonary fibroblasts into myofibroblasts regulated by miR-29c, miR-29c could be an potential therapeutic target to lung fibrosis induced by silica.

[Transanal lateral lymph node dissection surgery for 5 cases of mid-low rectal cancer]

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and safety of transanal lateral lymph node dissection for mid-low rectal cancer. Methods: A descriptive case series research method was used. Clinical and pathological data of 5 mid-low rectal cancer patients who underwent transanal lateral lymph node dissection at Department of Colorectal Surgery, the Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from November 2018 to May 2019 were retrospectively collected and analyzed. Of 5 cases, 4 were male and 1 was female with mean age of (43.2±13.2) years and mean body mass index of (21.2±2.6) kg/m(2); the mean diameter of tumor was (3.2±2.4) cm; the mean distance between tumor and anus was (6.3±2.5) cm; 3 received preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy. In preoperative TNM staging, 2 cases were T3N1M0, 1 was T3cN2aM0, 1 was T3cN2bM0, and 1 was T2N1M0. All the patients had no intestinal obstruction before operation. Surgical methods: (1) total mesorectal excision: using general transanal and transabdominal methods to mobilize and resect total mesorectum, and dissect No.252, No.253 lymph nodes; (2) transanal lateral lymph node dissection: dissect the adipose lymphoid tissue on the surface of the iliococcygeal muscle, the coccygeal muscle, and the obturator muscle (the No.283 lymph nodes) upward, and dissect No.263d and No.263p lymph nodes with fat tissue sequentially till the bifurcation of the internal and external iliac artery; (3) take out the specimen from anus, and make anastomosis between proximal colon and anal canal. Intraoperative and postoperative variables was observed. Results: All the 5 patients completed surgery successfully, and no patient needed to convert to open approach. The mean operative time was (295.6±97.7) minutes, and the median intraoperative blood loss was 70 (50-500) ml. The mean length of specimen was (12.9±3.0) cm, and the mean number of harvested lymph node was 30.4±9.9. The positive lateral lymph nodes were founder in 4 patients. The median distance between tumor and distal resection margin was 1.5 (1.2-8.0) cm. The resection margin in all the patients was negative. The mean time to postoperative flatus was (4.2±1.6) days, the mean postoperative spontaneous urination was (3.0±1.9) days, time to drainage tube removal was (5.6±1.9) days, and the mean postoperative hospital stay was (9.4±2.1) days. The postoperative TNM staging by pathology was 1 case with T1N0M0, 1 with T2N1M0, 1 with T3N2bM0, and 2 with T3N2M0. Five patients were moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma. Only 1 patient developed postoperative abdominal bleeding, who was healed after conservative treatment. The other 4 patients did not develop any perioperative complications, such as incision infection, presacral abscess, pelvic abscess, anastomotic leakage, or anastomotic stricture. Four patients underwent postoperative chemotherapy. All the patients were followed up for 2 to 28 weeks after surgery and they all felt well. The patients with stoma had fluent bowel. Conclusions: Transanal lateral lymph node dissection is feasible and safe in the treatment of mid-low rectal cancer, which can achieve the purpose of extended radical resection of mid-low movement rectal cancer. Moreover, this procedure is a new method to treat rectal cancer patients with lateral lymph node metastasis.

Discovery of Aberrant Alteration of Genome in Colorectal Cancer by Exome Sequencing

BACKGROUND

This study analyzed multiple parameters including somatic single nucleotide variations (SNVs), Insertion/Deletions, significantly mutated genes (SMGs), copy number variations and frequently altered pathways aims to discover novel aberrances in the tumorigenesis of colorectal cancer (CRC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Exome sequencing was performed on an Illumina platform to identify novel potential somatic variances in 34 paired tumor and adjacent normal tissues from 17 CRC patients. Results were compared with databases (dbSNP138, 1000 genomes SNP, Hapmap, Catalogue of Somatic Mutation of Cancer and ESP6500) and analyzed. MuSic software was used to identify SMGs.

RESULTS

In total, 1,637 somatic SNVs in 17 analyzed tumors were identified. Only 7 SNVs were shared by more than 1 tumor, suggesting that over 99% of the analyzed SNVs were independent events. Mutation of KRAS p. G12D and ZNF717 p. L39V were the most common SNVs. Moreover, 10 SMGs namely KRAS, TP53, SMAD4, ZNF717, FBXW7, APC, ZNF493, CDR1, the Armadillo repeat containing 4 (ARMC4) and sulfate-modifying factor 2 (SUMF2) were found. Among those, ZNF717, ZNF493, CDR1, ARMC4 and SUMF2 were novel frequent genes in CRC. For copy number variations analysis, gains in 10q25.3, 1p31.1, 1q44, 10q23.33, 11p15.4 and 20q13.33, and loss of 3q21.3 and 3q29 were frequent aberrations identified in our results.

CONCLUSIONS

We frequently found novel genes ZNF717, ZNF493, CDR1, ARMC4 and SUMF2 and gains in 10q25.3, which may be functional mutation in CRC. The high-frequency private events such as SNVs confirm the highly heterogeneous mutations found in CRCs. The mutated genes sites in different patients may vary significantly, which may also be more challenging for clinical treatment.

Blood Flow Regulates Zebrafish Caudal Vein Plexus Angiogenesis by ERK5-klf2a-nos2b Signaling

BACKGROUND

Vascular network formation induced by angiogenesis plays an important role in many physiological and pathological processes. However, the role of blood flow and underlying mechanisms in vascular network formation, for example for the development of the caudal vein plexus (CVP), is poorly understood.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to explore the role of ERK5-klf2a-nos2b signaling in the CVP angiogenesis.

METHOD AND RESULTS

In this study on tnnt2a-MO injection and chemical blood flow modulator treatment in zebrafish embryos, we demonstrated that decreased blood flow disrupted CVP formation. The hemodynamic force was quantitatively analyzed. Furthermore, CVP angiogenesis in zebrafish embryos was inhibited by disruption of the blood flow downstream effectors ERK5, klf2a, and nos2b in response to treatment with the ERK5 specific inhibitor and to injection of klf2a-MO, nos2b-MO. Overexpression of klf2a mRNA or nos2b mRNA restored vascular defects in tnnt2a or klf2a morphants. The data suggest that flow-induced ERK5-klf2a-nos2b signaling is involved in CVP angiogenesis in zebrafish embryos.

CONCLUSION

We have demonstrated that blood flow is essential for vascular network formation, specifically for CVP angiogenesis in zebrafish. A novel genetic and mechanical mechanism was discovered in which ERK5 facilitates the integration of blood flow with the downstream klf2a-nos2b signaling for CVP angiogenesis.

[Combining relative alpha variability and electroencephalogram reactivity to predict the prognosis of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy in adult patients]

Objective: To evaluate the role of combining relative alpha variability and electroencephalogram (EEG) reactivity to predict the prognosis of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy(HIE) in adult patients. Methods: A total of 28 adult patients with HIE admitted to general intensive care unit at Xiangya Hospital in Central South University were enrolled in this observational study from January2016 to April 2017. These patients with body temperature over 35℃ after 72-hour admission could be continuously monitored at least 12 hours byEEG.At the same time,each patient was assessed for EEG reactivity.Then we analyzed the correlation between EEG reactivity, relative alpha variability and clinical prognosis. Results: EEG reactivity was elicited in 15/28 patients, among whom 12 patients had a good outcome. While in the other 13 patients, EEG reactivity was not elicited, among whom only 3 patients had a good outcome. As to the results ofrelative alpha variability,11/13 patients with degree 3-4were of good prognosis; while only 3/15 patients with degree 1-2 were of good prognosis. Glasgow coma scale(GCS), EEG reactivity, and relative alpha variability were correlated with clinical outcome(χ(2)=5.073,9.073,-3.626, respectively,all P<0.05). The sensitivity of GCS, EEG reactivity, and relative alpha variability to predict the poor prognosis were 69.2%, 76.9%, 84.6%, respectively. The specificity were 73.3%, 80.0%, 73.3%, respectively. The consistency rates were 71.4%, 78.6%, 78.6%, respectively. The positive predictive values were 69.2%, 76.9%, 73.3%, respectively. The negative predictive values were 73.3%, 80.0%, 84.6%, respectively. More importantly, the accuracy of the relative alpha variability combined with EEG reactivity for the prediction of poor prognosis was much higher with the positive predictive value of 90.0%,the specificity of 93.3%, the sensitivity of 69.2%, the consistency rate of 82.1%,and the negative predictive values of 77.8%. Conclusions: The combination of relative alpha variability and EEG reactivityis reliable to predict clinical outcome of patients with HIE.

Expression pattern of estrogen receptor β and its correlation with multidrug resistance in non-small cell lung cancer

The aim of this work was to determine the expression of the ERβ (estrogen receptor β) and multidrug resistance, namely MDR1 (P-glycoprotein, P-gp), in 152 samples of non-small cell lung cancer. The expression pattern of ERβ and MDR1 were assessed by the quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry. We also analyzed the correlation between ERβ and MDR1 with clinical and pathological data. The co-expression pattern of ERβ and individual MDR1 proteins was assessed by correspondence analysis and chi-squared tests. In the present study, we found that patients with tumor stage I-II showed higher ERβ mRNA expression levels and decreased expression of ERβ protein with increasing tumor grade, which is opposite to MDR1 expression. In addition, an opposite co-expression pattern of ERβ and individual MDR1 proteins was also observed. In conclusion, the results can be used to better understand the expression control of MDR1 and may allow for the establishment of new cancer chemistry strategies that will control P-gp expression in NSCLC.

[Clinical analysis of 8 cases with anti-GQ1b antibody syndrome]

Objective: To investigate the clinical characterization, treatment and prognosis of anti-GQ1b antibody syndrome. Methods: The clinical data of 8 patients with positive serum anti-GQ1b antibody from the Department of Neurology of Nanjing Brain Hospital between June 2016 and July 2018 were analyzed retrospectively. Their serums were tested by immunoblotting. Relevant literatures were reviewed to investigate possible pathogenesis. Results: Of the 8 cases, 4 cases were male, 4 cases were female; their age ranged from 16 to 76 (47±21) years old. Seven of them were with acute onset, the time course of the disease ranged from 2 to 15 (7±4) days. Six cases had a history of influenza prior to the onset of the presenting symptoms. In terms of the clinical manifestations of the eight patients, two were affected with Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), two with Cavernous sinus syndrome, one with Miller Fisher syndrome, one with both GBS and spinal cord demyelination, one with Bulbar paralysis, and one with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP). The anti-GQ1b antibody IgG in serum was positive in 6 patients, two of whom were combined with positive IgG of anti-GD1b antibody in serum. The anti-GQ1b antibody IgM in serum was positive in 1 patient, and the anti-GQ1b antibody IgM and anti-GT1b antibody IgM in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were both positive in the other patient. In terms of the treatment, 3 patients (3/8) received vitamin B treatment only, 2 patients (2/8) received steroid plus vitamin B treatment, 2 patients (2/8) received intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) plus vitamin B treatment, and 1 patient (1/8) received steroid plus IVIG treatment. During the 8-33 months' follow-up after discharge, 6 patients were significantly improved in their symptoms, one with mild diplopia, one with limbs weakness, numbness and difficulty in walking. The symptoms of one patient (case 3) fluctuated twice and recovered again after treatment. Conclusions: The disease spectrum of anti-GQ1b antibodies syndrome is broad, and main symptom is ophtalmoplegia. Immunotherapy with IVIG and steroid would be beneficial to prognosis.

Efficacy and safety of Rhizoma curcumea longae with respect to improving the glucose metabolism of patients at risk for cardiovascular disease: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

BACKGROUND

Clinical evidence suggests that curcuminoids, as a natural polyphenol, can provide support for cardioprotection and glucose metabolism. This meta-analysis assessed the efficacy and safety of curcumin with respect to improving glucose metabolism in patients with cardiovascular risk factors.

METHODS

Four databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and Embase) were searched up to June 2018. The inclusion criteria included (i) randomised controlled trials (RCT) and (ii) subjects with risk factors for cardiovascular disease supplemented with curcumin and curcuminoids. A random-effects model and a standardised mean difference with a 95% confidence interval were used to perform quantitative data synthesis. Sensitivity and subgroup analyses were conducted to assess the effects.

RESULTS

Fourteen eligible RCT with 1277 subjects were included. In the overall analyses, curcumin led to significant decreases in fasting blood glucose (FBG), glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). The subgroup analyses suggested that curcumin or combined curcuminoids were more effective at reducing FBG and HbA1c in type 2 diabetes patients than in individuals with metabolic syndrome. Supplementation with curcuminoids at doses ≥300 mg day^-1 showed significant decreases in FBG, HbA1c and HOMA-IR. The effects of supplementation on FBG, HbA1c and HOMA-IR were more significant over long periods (≥12 weeks) than short periods. Curcumin and curcuminoids were well tolerated, with no serious adverse events.

CONCLUSIONS

Curcumin or combined curcuminoids could exert cardioprotective effects in patients at risk for cardiovascular disease by improving glucose metabolism. However, further high-quality studies and larger sample sizes are required to confirm these results.

[Progression of diagnosis and treatment of medullary thyroid carcinoma]

Objective: To review and summarize recent update on preoperative diagnostic criteria, treatment and postoperative follow-up for medullary thyroid carcinoma. Methods: The relevant literatures and guidelines about medullary thyroid carcinoma were analyzed and summarized. Results: In the early stages of the disease radical surgery still dominated. Ultrasound results suggested that prophylactic lateral neck dissection was required for patients with high risk factors or high levels of carcinoembryonic antigen and calcitonin need prophylactic. Early hereditary medullary carcinoma could receive prophylactic thyroidectomy based on RET gene test results. Advanced progressive medullary thyroid carcinoma could be treated with palliative surgery,molecular targeted drugs and chemotherapy. Conclusions: The prognosis of medullary thyroid carcinoma is poor and lymph node metastasis is easy to occur early. The extent of initial operation should be enough. Locally advanced or distant metastatic medullary thyroid carcinoma can be treated with palliative surgery,molecular targeted drugs and chemotherapy.