Measurement of e^{+}e^{-} Momentum and Angular Distributions from Linearly Polarized Photon Collisions

The Breit-Wheeler process which produces matter and antimatter from photon collisions is experimentally investigated through the observation of 6085 exclusive electron-positron pairs in ultraperipheral Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV. The measurements reveal a large fourth-order angular modulation of cos4Δϕ=(16.8±2.5)% and smooth invariant mass distribution absent of vector mesons (ϕ, ω, and ρ) at the experimental limit of ≤0.2% of the observed yields. The differential cross section as a function of e^{+}e^{-} pair transverse momentum P_{⊥} peaks at low value with sqrt[⟨P_{⊥}^{2}⟩]=38.1±0.9  MeV and displays a significant centrality dependence. These features are consistent with QED calculations for the collision of linearly polarized photons quantized from the extremely strong electromagnetic fields generated by the highly charged Au nuclei at ultrarelativistic speed. The experimental results have implications for vacuum birefringence and for mapping the magnetic field which is important for emergent QCD phenomena.

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.

Characterization of apolipoprotein E-deficient rats as novel model for atherosclerosis imaging

Funding Acknowledgements

Type of funding sources: None.

Background

The apolipoprotein E-deficient (apoE-/-) mouse is a well-established atherosclerotic model with impaired lipoprotein clearance and development of vessel plaques. However, the small size of the mouse limits its use as an animal model in longitudinal positron emission tomography (PET) imaging studies of atherosclerosis. Recently, apoE-/- rats have become available. This study addresses the suitability of the apoE-/- rat as model for atherosclerotic PET imaging.

Methods

Ten male apoE-/- rats and ten male control rats (apoE+/+) (age 10+/-1 weeks), each fed with a Western diet, were injected at baseline week 4, 12, 26 and 51, with 60 MBq of [18F]2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose. Plasma cholesterol, body weight and fat were measured. 3h after injection, a computed tomography (CT) and a 20-min PET scan were made. After the final scan, aortic tissue was collected for histological staining.

Results

Cholesterol levels started to increase after 4 weeks in the apoE-/- rats, whereas in the apoE+/+ rats levels stayed stable. Body weight and body fat increased more rapidly in the apoE-/- rats but were similar in both strains at the end of the study. SUVmean and max in the aortic arch and abdominal aorta were significantly higher (p < 0.001) in apoE-/- versus apoE+/+ rats at weeks 12, 26 and 51. Oil red O staining showed lesions in 20.0 % of the surface of the aortic arch in the apoE-/- rats. Hardly no fatty streaks were detected in the apoE+/+ rats (2.29%). More histology data is being analyzed.

Conclusion

Plasma cholesterol levels were elevated in apoE-/- rats. PET imaging demonstrated differences in [18F]-FDG uptake in the aortic arch and abdominal aorta after 12, 26 and 51 weeks. Combined, these data demonstrate that apoE-/- rats represent a useful preclinical model for the non-invasive assessment of atherosclerosis in longitudinal studies.

[Single-center experience of robot-assisted laparoscopic nephron-sparing surgery for giant renal hamartoma]

The clinical data of 22 patients with giant renal hamartoma in Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital who underwent robot-assisted laparoscopic nephron-sparing surgery from October 2014 to January 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. All the patients successfully completed the operation. The operation time and renal artery occlusion time was (179±34) min and (19.8±2.5) min, respectively. The intraoperative blood loss was (117±62) ml, and the postoperative hospital stay was (9.0±1.5) d. All cases were confirmed as renal angiomyolipoma by postoperative pathology. No urine leakage, postoperative bleeding and other complications occurred. Postoperative telephone follow-up was performed for 6 to 52 months, and no tumor recurrence on the surgical side was reported.

Robust Topological Nodal-Line Semimetals from Periodic Vacancies in Two-Dimensional Materials

A nodal-line semimetal (NLSM) is suppressed in the presence of spin-orbit coupling unless it is protected by a nonsymmorphic symmetry. We show that two-dimensional (2D) materials can realize robust NLSMs when vacancies are introduced on the lattice. As a case study we investigate borophene, a boron honeycomb-like sheet. While the Dirac cones of pristine borophene are shown to be gapped out by spin-orbit coupling and by magnetic exchange, robust nodal lines (NLs) emerge in the spectrum when selected atoms are removed. We propose an effective 2D model and a symmetry analysis to demonstrate that these NLs are topological and protected by a nonsymmorphic glide plane. Our findings offer a paradigm shift to the design of NLSMs: instead of searching for nonsymmorphic materials, robust NLSMs may be realized simply by removing atoms from ordinary symmorphic crystals.

[Analysis of bloodstream infections in children with acute myeloid leukemia during induction chemotherapies]

Objective: To explore the clinical features of bloodstream infections (BSI) in children with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) during the first induction chemotherapy. Methods: The clinical data, pathogen of BSI, antibiotic susceptibility in vitro, complications and prognosis of 204 newly diagnosed AML children admitted to Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from August 2009 to December 2015 were analyzed retrospectively. χ² test was used for the comparison between groups and Logistic regression was used for BSI risk factor analysis. Results: Among 204 patients, 116 were males and 88 were females. The age was 8 (ranged from 1 to 14) years. Among them, 170 patients received MAE chemotherapies (etoposide, mitoxantrone and cytarabine) and 25 received IAE chemotherapies (etoposide, idarubicin and cytarabine). The other 9 patients used granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF)-priming regimen (aclacinomycin or homoharringtonine, cytarabine and G-CSF) for induction treatments. A total of 28 patients experienced BSI and the incidence rate was 13.7% (28/204), 26 of them developed BSI once and 2 patients developed twice. Gram-positive bacteria were predominant pathogens accounting for 53.3% (16/30) while gram-negative bacteria accounting for 40.0% (12/30) and fungal accounted for 6.7% (2/30). The most common detected pathogens were Coagulase negative Staphylococcus (CoNS, 26.7% (8/30)), followed by Streptococcus spp. (13.3% (4/30)) and Escherichia coli (13.3% (4/30)). Among Gram-negative bacteria (GNB), 3 cases showed carbapenem resistance and 2 cases were Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. BSI-related mortality was 28.6% (8/28). Infections caused by drug-resistant GNB or fungi resulted in 6 fatal cases. The incidence rate of BSI in group with severe neutropenia was higher than in group without it (16.6% (25/151) vs. 5.7% (3/53), χ²=3.933, P=0.047). Multivariable analysis showed severe neutropenia at the onset of fever was independent risk factor of BSI (OR=4.258,95%CI 1.097-16.524,P=0.036). Conclusions: During the first induction chemotherapy courses, Gram-positive bacteria cause most of the BSI. Drug-resistant bacteria related infection often result in fatal outcomes. Severe neutropenia is a significant risk factor.

POS1062 ULTRASOUND ASSESSMENT OF SUB-CLINICAL HAND JOINT SYNOVITIS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY BETWEEN PSORIATIC AND RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

Background:

Ultrasound (US) detected subclinical synovitis can be present in early psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and also in patients fulfilling clinical remission criteria[1-2]. Numerous evidences support that the persistence of subclinical synovitis detected by US is associated with a high risk of disease progression [2-3].

Objectives:

To evaluate sub-clinical synovitis of PsA and RA at the level of small joints of the hand and wrist by B-mode and Power Doppler US.

Methods:

21 patients of early PsA and 25 patients of early RA (no clinical evidence of hand joint involvement, PsA disease duration <2 years, and RA disease duration <1 year) were recruited. DAS28 and DAPSA score used for assessment of articular disease activity for RA and PsA, respectively. US [grey scale (GS) and power Doppler (PD)] was performed to assess synovitis of bilateral wrists, metacarpophalangeal joints, proximal and distal interphalangeal joints, altogether 30 joints. A GS score ≥2 and/or a PD score ≥1 were used to identify US detected synovitis.

Results:

A total of 25 patients were included in the RA group, including 5 males and 20 females. A total of 21 patients were included in the PsA group, including 7 males and 14 females. There were no significant differences in gender composition, age, and duration of disease between the two groups (P>0.05) (Table 1). 14 (66.67%) PsA patients and 12 (48%) RA patients had sub-clinical hand joint synovitis. Among 630 hand joints scanned in PsA group, 49 (7.78%) joints showed evidence of sub-clinical synovitis. Wrist joint was most commonly involved (24.49%), followed by MCP3 (14.29%), MCP1 (12.24%) and DIP3 (10.20%). Among 750 hand joints scanned in RA group, 110 (14.67%) joints showed evidence of sub-clinical synovitis. Wrist joint was most commonly involved (60.00%), followed by MCP3 (8.24%), MCP1 (8.24%) and MCP2 (7.06%). No correlation noted between numbers of joints with subclinical synovitis with DAPSA and DAS28 score. There was no correlation between number of joints with sub-clinical synovitis and disease activity indices.

Conclusion:

Almost two-thirds patients with PsA and half patients with RA had US evidence of sub-clinical synovitis in wrist and hand joints, most commonly in wrist. There are some similarities in the joint involvement of sub-clinical synovitis between RA and PsA, physicians should take this into account in clinical work.

Table 1.

Demographic characteristics of RA and PsA patients

RA (n=25)PsA (n=21)PFemale, n(%)20 (80.00%)14 (66.67%)0.305Age, years, mean±SD56.32±12.1854.31±15.820.637Disease duration, years, mean±SD1.06±0.590.90±0.580.363

References:

[1]Freeston JE, Coates LC, Nam JL, Moverley AR, Hensor EM, Wakefield RJ, et al. Is there subclinical synovitis in early psoriatic arthritis? A clinical comparison with gray-scale and power Doppler ultrasound. Arthritis care & research 2014, 66:432-439.

[2]Kawashiri SY, Suzuki T, Nakashima Y, Horai Y, Okada A, Iwamoto N, et al. Ultrasonographic examination of rheumatoid arthritis patients who are free of physical synovitis: Power doppler subclinical synovitis is associated with bone erosion. Rheumatology (Oxford), 2014, 53:562-569.

[3]Vreju FA, Filippucci E, Gutierrez M, Di Geso L, Ciapetti A, Ciurea ME, et al. Subclinical ultrasound synovitis in a particular joint is associated with ultrasound evidence of bone erosions in that same joint in rheumatoid patients in clinical remission. Clinical and experimental rheumatology, 2016, 34:673-678.

Acknowledgements:

This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 82071930 and 81571684).

Disclosure of Interests:

None declared.

Association between serum estradiol levels prior to progesterone administration in artificial frozen-thawed blastocyst transfer cycles and live birth rate: a retrospective study

OBJECTIVE

To study whether serum estradiol (E2) levels prior to progesterone administration in the artificial endometrial preparation (AEP) of frozen-thawed blastocyst transfer affect the live birth rate.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study.

SETTING

Tertiary-care academic medical centre.

POPULATION

A total of 3857 frozen-thawed blastocyst transfer cycles were divided into three groups: <200 pg/ml (n = 1676); 200-399 pg/ml (n = 1296); and ≥400 pg/ml (n = 885), based on the 25th (182.3 pg/ml) and 75th percentile (390.2 pg/ml) of serum E2 level prior to progesterone administration.

METHODS

Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The primary outcome of the study was the live birth rate and the secondary outcomes included clinical pregnancy rate, pregnancy loss rate, neonatal birthweight, Z-score, and small for gestational age (SGA).

RESULTS

Compared with the reference group, accounting for major covariates, the live birth rate significantly decreased in the '≥400 pg/ml' group (adjusted OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.59-0.85). Compared with the reference group, there was an association between the E2 level in the '≥400 pg/ml' group and a decrease in the clinical pregnancy rate (adjusted OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.61-0.89). Compared with the reference group, the pregnancy loss rate significantly increased in the '≥400 pg/ml' group (adjusted OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.08-1.93). The E2 levels did not affect neonatal birthweight, Z-score, and SGA among singletons.

CONCLUSIONS

High serum E2 levels prior to progesterone administration in AEP are associated with a decreased live birth rate after frozen-thawed blastocyst transfer.

TWEETABLE ABSTRACT

High serum E2 levels prior to progesterone administration in artificial FET are associated with a decreased live birth rate after frozen-thawed blastocyst transfer.

[The clinical predictors for the prognosis of patients with osteosarcoma]

Osteosarcoma is a kind of primary malignant tumor of bone originated from mesenchymal tissue, which mainly occurs in children and adolescents, and presents the characteristics of high malignancy, rapid growth, early metastasis and poor prognosis. Currently, most of the studies at home and abroad mainly focused on therapeutic procedures. However, reliable prediction indices or evaluation systems are also pivotal for monitoring disease change, guiding treatment and evaluating prognosis. Multiple clinical predictors have been reported to be related to the prognosis of osteosarcoma, which can be roughly divided into 9 categories according to their characteristics. Each kind of predictor owns its inherent advantage and disadvantage, and full understanding of them and their characteristics can be helpful to improve the prognosis of osteosarcoma.

[Sepsis and acute kidney injury]

Sepsis is a life-threatening multiple organ dysfunction syndrome caused by infection, and kidney is one of the most organs susceptible to injury in sepsis. Critical ill patients with sepsis often suffer from acute kidney injury (AKI) of varying degrees with a high mortality. There are more and more researches on the early identification, pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of acute kidney injury in sepsis. In order to improve the understanding and reduce the mortality of acute kidney injury, this review briefly discussed the early identification, physio-pathologic mechanism, treatment, prognosis and follow up.

Quality assessment of guidelines for the management of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in children

OBJECTIVE: The quality of paediatric clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for the management of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection is unclear. We aimed to comprehensively assess the quality of these CPGs and identify areas requiring improvement.DESIGN: CPGs were systematically searched and identified before being appraised by independent reviewers using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II) and Reporting Items for Practice Guidelines in HealThcare (RIGHT) tools. Inter-rater reliability was assessed using intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC).RESULTS: Twenty-five CPGs were evaluated. All CPG agreements among four reviewers were good (ICC 0.753-0.939). The mean CPG score was 50.5% (23.5-78.4%), and seven CPGs were recommended for use. The mean scores of three domains were low: 38% for stakeholder involvement (5.6-93.1%), 38.4% for rigour of development (1-97.4%) and 36.3% for applicability (12.5-64.6%). The mean reporting rate of Reporting Items for Practice Guidelines in HealThcare fields was 41.8%, and the evidence field had the highest reporting rate (63.1%), while the review and quality assurance field had the lowest rate (15.4%) for CPGs that include methods.CONCLUSION: The methodological and reporting quality of the CPGs was variable and poor, respectively. More effort is needed in stakeholder involvement, rigour of development, applicability domains and reporting to produce higher-quality CPGs.

Trimethylamine-N-oxide is present in human follicular fluid and is a negative predictor of embryo quality

STUDY QUESTION

Are levels of trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) in human follicular fluid (FF) related to IVF outcomes?

SUMMARY ANSWER

Higher levels of TMAO are a negative predictor of oocyte fertilization and embryo quality.

WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY

TMAO is a metabolic product of dietary choline and l-carnitine produced via subsequent enzymatic modifications by the intestinal microbiota and hepatocytes. TMAO promotes inflammatory and oxidative stress pathways and has been characterized as a causative biomarker for the development of cardiometabolic disease.

STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION

For the present cross-sectional study, samples (FF and plasma) from 431 modified natural cycle (MNC)-IVF cycles of 132 patients were collected prospectively between October 2014 and March 2018 in a single academic medical center.

PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS

TMAO and its precursors (choline, l-carnitine and gamma-butyrobetaine) were measured by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry in (i) matched FF and plasma from 63 MNC-IVF cycles, in order to compare metabolite levels in the two matrices and (ii) FF from 232 MNC-IVF cycles in which only one oocyte was retrieved at follicular puncture. The association between metabolite levels and oocyte fertilization, embryo fragmentation percentage, embryo quality and the occurrence of pregnancy was analyzed using multilevel generalized estimating equations with adjustment for patient and cycle characteristics.

MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE

The level of choline was higher in FF as compared to matched plasma (P < 0.001). Conversely, the levels of TMAO and gamma-butyrobetaine were lower in FF as compared to plasma (P = 0.001 and P = 0.075, respectively). For all metabolites, there was a positive correlation between FF and plasma levels. Finally, levels of TMAO and its gut-derived precursor gamma-butyrobetaine were lower in FF from oocytes that underwent normal fertilization (TMAO: odds ratio [OR] 0.66 [0.49–0.90], P = 0.008 per 1.0-μmol/L increase; gamma-butyrobetaine: OR 0.77 [0.60–1.00], P = 0.047 per 0.1-μmol/L increase) and developed into top-quality embryos (TMAO: OR 0.56 [0.42–0.76], P < 0.001 per 1.0-μmol/L increase; gamma-butyrobetaine: OR 0.79 [0.62–1.00], P = 0.050 per 0.1-μmol/L increase) than in FF from oocytes of suboptimal development.

LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION

The individual contributions of diet, gut bacteria and liver to the metabolite pools have not been quantified in this analysis.

WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS

More research on the contribution of diet and the effect of gut bacteria on FF TMAO is warranted. Since TMAO integrates diet, microbiota and genetic setup of the person, our results indicate potential important clinical implications for its use as biomarker for lifestyle interventions to improve fertility.

STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S)

No external funding was received for this project. The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the University Medical Center Groningen received an unrestricted educational grant of Ferring Pharmaceutical BV, the Netherlands. The authors have no other conflicts of interest.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

Netherlands Trial Register number NTR4409.

[Research progress of different bowel reconstructions for postoperative functional protection during low anterior resections of rectal cancer]

Straight coloanal anastomosis (SCA), colonic J-pouch anastomosis (CJP), transverse coloplasty pouch anastomosis (TCP), and side-to-end anastomosis (SEA) are the most commonly used procedures of bowel reconstructions in the low anterior resections (LAR) of rectal cancer. Different bowel reconstruction procedures greatly affect postoperative bowel function, urinary function and sexual function. SCA is the most traditional procedure. CJP has been studied extensively and well-developed reconstruction method; however, recent studies have shown that CJP has the highest morbidity of complications, so the clinical application of CJP is limited. SEA is not inferior to CJP and SCA in the short-term and long-term defecation function, urination function, and sexual function, with reliable operational safety, so it is expected to become an alternative to SCA and CJP. The research on TCP is lacking, but there are some related clinical trials currently underway, and the results are worth expecting. The improvement and innovation of bowel reconstructions provide a bright prospect for better functional prognosis in patients with rectal cancer.

Global Polarization of Ξ and Ω Hyperons in Au+Au Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV

Global polarization of Ξ and Ω hyperons has been measured for the first time in Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV. The measurements of the Ξ^{-} and Ξ[over ¯]^{+} hyperon polarization have been performed by two independent methods, via analysis of the angular distribution of the daughter particles in the parity violating weak decay Ξ→Λ+π, as well as by measuring the polarization of the daughter Λ hyperon, polarized via polarization transfer from its parent. The polarization, obtained by combining the results from the two methods and averaged over Ξ^{-} and Ξ[over ¯]^{+}, is measured to be ⟨P_{Ξ}⟩=0.47±0.10(stat)±0.23(syst)% for the collision centrality 20%-80%. The ⟨P_{Ξ}⟩ is found to be slightly larger than the inclusive Λ polarization and in reasonable agreement with a multiphase transport model. The ⟨P_{Ξ}⟩ is found to follow the centrality dependence of the vorticity predicted in the model, increasing toward more peripheral collisions. The global polarization of Ω, ⟨P_{Ω}⟩=1.11±0.87(stat)±1.97(syst)% was obtained by measuring the polarization of daughter Λ in the decay Ω→Λ+K, assuming the polarization transfer factor C_{ΩΛ}=1.

Potential association between elevated serum human epididymis protein 4 and chronic kidney disease in female patients

Serum levels of human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) are elevated in a large number of women with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, it remains unclear whether HE4 can be used as a potential biomarker for the diagnosis of CKD. This study aims to determine whether serum HE4 is a potential biomarker for CKD in Han Chinese female patients. A total of 347 Han Chinese female patients aged 19 to 89 were included in the present study. Among these patients, 154 were healthy control individuals, while 193 were hospitalized patients with CKD. Their demographic characteristics were obtained, and the levels of serum creatinine (Scr), beta2-microglobulin (B2M), and cystatin C (CysC) (to assess renal function) were measured. Serum HE4 concentration was determined by electrochemiluminescence. Serum HE4 levels in patients with CKD were significantly higher than those in the control group (P < 0.001). Meanwhile, there were significant differences in HE4 levels among the four CKD subgroups (P < 0.001) via multiple comparisons. In addition, the diagnostic value of HE4 was significantly higher than other indicators by ROC curve analysis. HE4 may not only serve as a potential biomarker to predict CKD but also have an important reference value for CKD staging.

Long-term results of a randomized partial irradiation trial compared to whole breast irradiation in the early stage and low-risk breast cancer patients after conservative surgery

PURPOSE

To report long-term results of a randomized trial comparing accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) to whole-breast irradiation (WBI) in terms of efficacy, toxicity, and cosmesis.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

WBI group was treated with 3D conformal external irradiation, 2 Gy daily/fraction, 5 fractions/week, to a total dose of 50 Gy. APBI group was treated with 3D conformal external irradiation 3.75 Gy/fraction, twice a day, 5 fractions/week, to a total dose of 37.5 Gy in the APBI group. Patients were followed up every 6 months up to 5 years and yearly thereafter. During follow-up visits, the clinician evaluated chronic toxicity and scored cosmetic results with a four-scale system.

RESULTS

After a median follow-up of 10.3 years, 43 patients in each group (84%) are alive without disease. One patient died after disease progression in the APBI arm, and there was no death in the WBI arm. The rest of the patients died from another disease different than breast cancer, similarly between groups. There was greater fibrosis in the APBI group (9 patients grade 1 and one grade 2) compared to WBI (3 patients grade 1 and one grade 2); p = 0.18. Regarding cosmesis, in APBI group, 19 and 21 (43.2 and 47%) patients had excellent or good results, similar to the WBI group with 18 patients (40.9%) in each cosmesis outcome. The WBI group did not have any patient with poor cosmesis but the APBI had 3 (6.8%; p = 0.24).

CONCLUSION

After a follow-up of 10 years, there were no differences in efficacy between the 2 treatment arms. Despite slight greater toxicity in the APBI group, the cosmesis was similar and satisfactory in both groups.

Functional studies of left atrium and BNP in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and the prediction of recurrence after CPVA

OBJECTIVE

This study was aimed to observe the significance of the left atrium (LA) functional index combined with B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) level in predicting recurrence in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) after circumferential pulmonary vein ablation (CPVA). Real-time three-dimensional echocardiography (RT-3DE) was used to observe the structural and functional changes of LA in patients with PAF after CPVA. BNP is a hemodynamic indicator of myocardial stretching increase in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

243 patients with PAF who intended to undergo CPVA were selected in the study, and the following clinical data of the patients were collected. Firstly, the blood BNP levels measured before CPVA. Secondly, the measurements of routine echocardiography before CPVA. RT-3DE was used to obtain the time-volume curve of LA. Then, multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the factors affecting PAF recurrence after CPVA. Finally, we obtained the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of PAF recurrence predicted by the independent risk factors.

RESULTS

A total of 233 AF patients with an average age of 63.1 ± 9.3 years (range, 39-75 years; male: female =195: 38) underwent CPVA. 42 patients had AF recurrence (18.0%) during 3-6months follow-up after an operation blanking period of 3 months, BNP in the Recurrence Group was higher than that in Sinus Rhythm Group (p≤0.001). The preoperative left minimum volume index (LAVImin), left atrial volume index before contraction (LAVIpre-a) were higher in Recurrence Group than in Sinus Rhythm Group (p≤0.001). Expansion index, Diastolic emptying index (DEI), Passive emptying index (PEI), Active emptying index (AEI) were lower in the Recurrence Group than in the Sinus Rhythm Group (p≤0.001). Logistic regression analyses showed that BNP and DEI were independent predictors for PAF recurrence (OR=1.004, 95% CI: 1.01-1.07, p=0.001; OR=0.655, 95% CI: 0.57-0.75, p=0.001). The AUC of BNP, DEI and combined index for recurrence of CPVA were higher than LAVImax (p range: 0.001-0.013).

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with PAF treated with CPVA, the impaired DEI of LA reservoir function and increased BNP may be useful predictors of PAF recurrence.

Nonmonotonic Energy Dependence of Net-Proton Number Fluctuations

Nonmonotonic variation with collision energy (sqrt[s_{NN}]) of the moments of the net-baryon number distribution in heavy-ion collisions, related to the correlation length and the susceptibilities of the system, is suggested as a signature for the quantum chromodynamics critical point. We report the first evidence of a nonmonotonic variation in the kurtosis times variance of the net-proton number (proxy for net-baryon number) distribution as a function of sqrt[s_{NN}] with 3.1  σ significance for head-on (central) gold-on-gold (Au+Au) collisions measured solenoidal tracker at Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. Data in noncentral Au+Au collisions and models of heavy-ion collisions without a critical point show a monotonic variation as a function of sqrt[s_{NN}].

[Application of deep learning-based chest CT auxiliary diagnosis system in emergency trauma patients]

Objective: To investigate the diagnostic efficacy and potential application value of deep learning-based chest CT auxiliary diagnosis system in emergency trauma patients. Methods: A total of 403 patients, including 254 males and 149 females aged from 16 to 100 (50±19) years, who received emergency treatment for trauma and chest CT examination in the Eastern Theater General Hospital from September 2019 to November 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Dr. Wise Lung Analyzer's chest CT auxiliary diagnosis system was applied to detect 5 types of injuries, including pneumothorax, pleural effusion/hemothorax, pulmonary contusion (shown as consolidation and ground glass opacity), rib fractures, and other fractures (including thoracic vertebrae, sternum, scapula and clavicle, etc.) and 6 other abnormalities (bullae, emphysema, pulmonary nodules, stripe, reticulation, pleural thickening). The diagnostic reference standards were labeled by two radiologists independently. The sensitivity and specificity of the auxiliary diagnosis system were evaluated. The imaging diagnostic reports were compared with the results of the auxiliary diagnosis system, and the diagnostic consistency between the two was calculated by using the Kappa test. Results: According to the reference standards, among the 403 patients, 29 were pneumothorax, 75 were pleural effusion/hemothorax, 131 were pulmonary contusion, 124 were rib fractures, and 63 were other fractures. The sensitivity and specificity of the auxiliary diagnosis system for detection of pneumothorax, pleural effusion/hemothorax, rib fractures, and other fractures were 96.6%, 97.6%, 80.0%, 99.7%, 99.2%, 83.9%, 84.1%, and 99.7%, respectively. The sensitivity of detecting lung contusion was 97.7%. There was a high consistency between the auxiliary diagnosis system and imaging diagnosis in the diagnosis of injuries, in which the kappa values of pneumothorax, pleural effusion, rib fracture and other fractures were 0.783, 0.821, 0.706 and 0.813, respectively (all P<0.001). Two cases of pneumothorax, three cases of pleural effusion/hemothorax, nine cases of rib fractures, and six cases of other fractures missed by imaging diagnosis were all detected by the auxiliary diagnosis system. The detection sensitivity of the auxiliary diagnosis system was higher for emphysema, pulmonary nodules and stripe (all>85%), but lower for bullae, reticulation and pleural thickening. Conclusions: The deep learning-based chest CT auxiliary diagnosis system could effectively assist chest CT to detect injuries in emergency trauma patients, which was expected to optimize the clinical workflow.

[Analyses of triggers for recurrent cardiac events in 38 patients with symptomatic long QT syndrome]

Objective: To evaluate the main triggers of recurrent cardiac events in patients with symptomatic congenital long QT syndrome (cLQTS). Methods: In this retrospective case analysis study, clinical characteristics were reviewed from 38 patients with recurrent cardiac events after first visit out of 66 symptomatic cLQTS patients. General clinical data such as gender, age, clinical presentation, family history and treatment were collected, auxiliary examination results such as electrocardiogram and gene detection were analyzed. LQTS-related cardiac events were defined as arrhythmogenic syncope, implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) shock, inappropriate ICD shock, aborted cardiac arrest, sudden cardiac death or ventricular tachycardia. Results: A total of 38 patients with recurrent symptoms were enrolled in this study, including 30 females (79%) and 14 children (37%). The average age of onset was (15.6±14.6) years, and the recurrence time was (3.6±3.5) years. Subtype analysis showed that there were 11 cases (29%) of LQT1 (including 2 cases of jervel-Lange Nielson syndrome), 19 cases (50%) of LQT2, 5 cases (13%) of LQT3 and 3 cases (8%) of other rare subtypes (1 LQT5, 1 LQT7 and 1 LQT11) in this patient cohort. LQT1 patients experienced recurrent cardiac event due to drug withdrawal (6 (55%)), specific triggers (exercise and emotional excitement) (4 (36%)) and medication adjustment (1 (9%)). For LQT2 patients, main triggers for cardiac events were drug withdrawal (16 (84%)), specific triggers (shock, sound stimulation, waking up (6 (32%)). One patient (5%) had recurrent syncope after pregnancy. One patient (20%) had inappropriate ICD shock. For LQT3 patients, 4 (80%) patients developed syncope during resting state, and 1 (20%) developed ventricular tachycardia during exercise test. One LQT5 patients experienced syncope and ICD shock under specific triggers (emotional excitement). One LQT11 patient had repeated ICD shocks under specific inducement (fatigue). One LQT7 patient experienced inappropriate ICD shock. Left cardiac sympathetic denervation (LCSD) significantly alleviated the symptoms in 2 children with Jervell-Lange Nielson syndrome (JLNS) post ineffective β-blocker medication. Nadolol succeeded in eliminating cardiac events in one patient with LQT2 post ineffective metoprolol medication. Mexiletine significantly improved symptoms in 2 patients with LQT2 post ineffective β-blocker medication. Conclusions: Medication withdrawal is an important trigger of the recurrence of cardiac events among patients with symptomatic congenital long QT syndrome.

CircPSMC3 inhibits cell proliferation and induces cell apoptosis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma by downregulating ROCK1

OBJECTIVE

Currently, the importance of circular RNAs in malignant tumors has attracted much attention. However, the role of circPSMC3 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the function of circPSMC3 in the proliferation and apoptosis of NPC and to explore its possible underlying mechanism.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Real Time-quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR) was utilized to determine the level of circPSMC3 in NPC tissues and cell lines. The association between circPSMC3 expression and patients' prognosis was analyzed. CircPSMC3 lentivirus was constructed and transfected into NPC cells. Cell growth ability and apoptosis were detected through Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, colony formation assay, and flow cytometry, respectively. Western blot was performed to analyze the target protein of circPSMC3. Furthermore, the function of circPSMC3 was explored in nude mice.

RESULTS

CircPSMC3 was lowly expressed in NPC tissues compared with adjacent normal tissues. Low circPSMC3 expression was associated with poor prognosis of NPC patients. Meanwhile, the expression of circPSMC3 was significantly down-regulated in NPC cell lines as well. The growth ability of NPC cells was markedly inhibited after circPSMC3 was overexpressed. Overexpression of circPSMC3 significantly promoted the apoptosis of NPC cells in vitro. ROCK1 expression decreased markedly via overexpression of circPSMC3. Furthermore, tumor formation was inhibited after the up-regulation of circPSMC3 in vivo.

CONCLUSIONS

CircPSMC3 could suppress cell growth and promote cell apoptosis in NPC by downregulating ROCK1.

[Clinical effects of autologous platelet rich plasma gel combined with vacuum sealing drainage techno-logy in repairing refractory wounds]

Objective: To investigate the clinical effects of autologous platelet rich plasma (PRP) gel in combination with vacuum sealing drainage (VSD) technology in repairing refractory wounds. Methods: From March 2011 to January 2015, 44 patients with refractory wounds meeting the inclusion criteria were recruited into VSD alone group, who were admitted to the Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery of the Yidu Central Hospital of Weifang and received intermittent VSD treatment. From February 2015 to September 2019, 43 patients with refractory wounds meeting the inclusion criteria were recruited into PRP+ VSD group, who were admitted to the same unit as above-mentioned and received PRP combined with intermittent VSD treatment. The retrospective cohort study was conducted. There were 24 males and 20 females with age of (37.5±2.2) years in VSD alone group, and there were 25 males and 18 females with age of (37.0±2.5) years in PRP+ VSD group. The wound exudate of patients in the two groups before and 7 and 14 d after the first treatment were collected for bacterial culture, and the positive rate of bacterial culture was calculated. The wound healing of patients in the two groups was observed on 7, 14, and 21 d after the first treatment, and the wound healing rate was calculated. The complete wound healing time of patients in the two groups was recorded. The degree of wound pain of patients in the two groups was evaluated by the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) before and 14 d after the first treatment. The scar hyperplasia of patients in the two groups was evaluated by the Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) in 1 and 2 months after the wound healed completely. The occurrence of adverse reactions of patients in the two groups during the whole period of treatment was observed and the incidence of adverse reactions was calculated. Data were statistically analyzed with analysis of variance for repeated measurement, chi-square test, paired t test, and Bonferroni correction. Results: The positive rates of bacterial culture in wound exudate of patients in PRP+ VSD on 7 and 14 d after the first treatment were 37.2% (16/43) and 11.6% (5/43), which were significantly lower than 56.8% (25/44) and 29.5% (13/44) in VSD alone group, χ(2)=4.212, 4.255, P<0.05. The wound healing rates of patients in PRP+ VSD group on 7 and 14, and 21 d after the first treatment were respectively (58±14)%, (70±13)%, (89±12)%, which were significantly higher than (41±11)%, (60±11)%, (74±12)% in VSD alone group, t=6.323, 3.820, 5.751, P<0.01. The complete wound healing time of patients in PRP+ VSD group was (30±6) d, which was significantly shorter than (61±8) d in VSD alone group, t=20.890, P<0.05. The VAS score of patients in PRP+ VSD group was significantly lower than that in VSD alone group on 14 d after the first treatment (t=13.904, P<0.01). The VSS score of patients in PRP+ VSD group was significantly lower than that in VSD alone group in 1 and 2 months after the wound healed completely (t=3.307, 3.637, P<0.01). The incidence of adverse reactions of patients in PRP+ VSD group during the whole period of treatment was 7.0% (3/43), which was significantly lower than 22.7% (10/44) in VSD alone group, χ(2)=4.245, P<0.05. Conclusions: Autologous PRP gel combined with VSD technology in repairing refractory wounds not only has good bacteriostatic effect, but also can increase wound healing rate, shorten wound healing time, alleviate wound pain, reduce scar hyperplasia, with less adverse reaction, which is worthy of promotion.

NLRP6-caspase 4 inflammasome activation in response to cariogenic bacterial lipoteichoic acid in human dental pulp inflammation

AIM

To explore the presence and function of NLRP6-caspase 4 inflammasome in human pulp tissue and human dental pulp cells (HDPCs).

METHODOLOGY

Pulp tissue was collected from freshly extracted human caries-free third molars and third molars with irreversible pulpitis. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blot were performed to assess the expression of NLRP6-caspase 4 inflammasome. HDPCs were prepared from normal human pulp tissues and challenged with Porphyromonas gingivalis LPS. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and qRT-PCR were performed to assess if LPS can upregulate NLRP6 and caspase-4. HDPCs were further challenged with LPS followed with cytosolic Streptococcus mutans lipoteichoic acid (LTA). SiRNA targeting NLRP6 and Casp4 and pharmacology inhibitor Ac-FLTD-CMK and MCC950 were used to assess if Streptococcus mutans LTA can activate the NLRP6 but not the NLRP3 inflammasome. Western blot and ELISA were performed to evaluate inflammasome activation. The Student's t-test and one-way anova were used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS

NLRP6-caspase 4 inflammasome was upregulated and activated in inflamed human dental pulp tissue. In HDPCs, Porphyromonas gingivalis LPS upregulated the expression of NLRP6, CASP1 and CASP4 in a type I interferon dependent manner. After LPS priming, cytosolic Streptococcus mutans LTA triggered NLRP6-caspase 4 inflammasome activation. Knockdown of NLRP6 or CASP4 using siRNA or using pharmacology inhibitor Ac-FLTD-CMK but not MCC950 efficiently suppressed inflammasome activation by cytosolic LTA.

CONCLUSIONS

NLRP6-caspase 4 inflammasome may play an important role in pulp inflammation and immune defence. Inflammatory caspases represent a pharmacological target to restrain pulpal inflammation.

Treatment of secondary lower limb lymphedema after gynecologic cancer with complex decongestive therapy

Secondary lower extremity lymphedema is a common complication of treatment for gynecological cancers. Conservative therapy plays an important role in the treatment of patients with secondary lower extremity lymphedema; in particular, complex decongestive therapy (CDT) has been recognized as an effective nonoperative technique for these patients. But CDT therapy for secondary lower extremity lymphedema remains a problem in China because this technique and its effectiveness have not achieved widespread use and popularity. Our goal was to assess effects of CDT in patients with secondary lower limb lymphedema after treatment for gynecological cancers. The retrospective study consisted of 60 patients who were treated with 20 sessions of CDT. Assessments included objective changes in limb circumference, degree of LE, imaging features, and incidence of erysipelas before and after CDT treatment. We found that CDT can effectively improve lymph stasis and promote backflow, and decrease circumference, interstitial fluid content, and incidence of erysipelas of lymphedematous lower limb. Our results demonstrate that CDT is an effective treatment method for patients with secondary lower limb lymphedema following treatment for gynecologic cancers. This technique should be more widely utilized and popularized in China to improve the quality of life of millions of patients with secondary lower limb lymphedema.

[Efficacy and prognostic factors of the chemotherapy regimen of CCLG-ALL-2008 on pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia with ETV6-RUNX1 rearrangement]

Objective: To evaluate the predictive role of ETV6-RUNX1 fusion gene in protocol CCLG-ALL-2008 as well as identify the prognostic factors that influence the outcome of ALL with ETV6-RUNX1 fusion gene. Methods: One hundred and seventy-eight patients newly diagnosed with pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia with ETV6-RUNX1 rearrangement from April 2008 to April 2015 were enrolled in CCLG-ALL-2008. The follow up period ended in July 2018; we performed retrospective analyses of their data to determine the efficacy of the regimen and the prognostic factors. Results: The median age of the study population (178 pediatric patients) , including 100 boys and 78 girls was 4 (1-13) y, and the median white blood cell count at diagnosis was 9.46 (1.25-239.83) ×10(9)/L. Three patients died, and 1 was lost to follow up by the end of the first induction chemotherapy, resulting in an induced remission rate of 97.8% (174/178) . The cumulative incidence of relapse was 15.9% with a median follow up of 73.5 mon. Total 83.3% of the relapse cases were those of isolated bone marrow relapse, while 79.2% of the cases were those of late relapse. The median interval time between relapse and first complete remission was 35.5 mon (range, 1-62 months) . One of the 5 patients with early recurrence and 7 of the 19 with late recurrence cases survived. The 5-year-OS and 5-year-EFS of ETV6-RUNX1 positive children was (89.4±2.4) % and (82.1±6.9) %, respectively. The estimated 10-year-OS and 10-year-EFS of ETV6-RUNX1 positive children was (88.6±2.5) % and (77.3±4.0) %, respectively. The Kaplan-Meier method and Log-rank test were used to estimate and compare the survival. Univariate statistical analysis showed that poor prognostic factors that influenced survival included central nervous system state 2 at diagnosis, poor prednisone response, high risk, gene positivity after induction chemotherapy, as well as MRD positivity and gene positivity at the 12(th) week. In the multivariate analysis, only the central nervous system state 2 at diagnosis and MRD positivity at the 12(th) week were associated with the outcome. Conclusion: ETV6-RUNX1-positive ALL is a subgroup with a favorable prognosis as per the CCLG-ALL-2008 protocol. Patients with ETV6-RUNX1 should be given more intensive therapy, including hematopoietic stem cell transplantation when they are CNS2 at diagnosis or have high level of MRD at the 12(th) week after treatment.

Leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptor A3 is increased in IBD patients and functions as an anti-inflammatory modulator

Growing evidence shows that a homozygous 6·7-kb deletion of the novel anti-inflammatory molecule leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptor A3 (LILRA3) is associated with many autoimmune disorders. However, its effects on pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have yet not been clarified. LILRA3 is mainly expressed in monocytes, whereas its effects on biological behaviors of monocytes have not been systematically reported. In our study, to investigate the association between LILRA3 polymorphism and IBD susceptibility, LILRA3 polymorphism was assessed in 378 IBD patients and 509 healthy controls. Quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR), Western blot and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were employed to detect the LILRA3 expression in IBD patient blood and intestinal samples. The human U937 monocyte cell line was employed to establish LILRA3 over-expressing cells and the effects of LILRA3 on the biological behaviors of U937 cells were systematically explored. Although no association of the polymorphism with IBD development was found, LILRA3 expression was markedly increased in IBD patients compared with healthy controls. Over-expression of LILRA3 in monocytes led to significant decreases in secretion of interferon (IFN)-γ, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-6. Additionally, LILRA3 abated monocyte migration by reducing the expression of several chemokines and enhanced monocyte phagocytosis by increasing CD36 expression. Furthermore, LILRA3 promoted monocyte proliferation through a combination of Akt and extracellular receptor kinase/mitogen-activated protein kinase (Erk/MEK) signaling pathways. We report for the first time, to our knowledge, that LILRA3 is related to IBD and functions as an anti-inflammatory modulator in U937 cells.

[The study on the detection method for mercury in blood with direct mercury analyzer]

Objective: To establish a method for determining mercury in blood with direct mercury analyzer. Methods: After the whole blood sample was extracted by solvent and removed by nitric acid, it was then measured by direct mercury analyzer. Results: After optimizing the conditions of the instrument, the linear range was 0.3-60.0 μg/L and the curve correlation coefficient was higher than 0.999. The lower limit of quantitations was 0.3 μg/L and the minimum quantitative concentration was 3.0 μg/L. The recovery and relative standard deviations (RSD) was 95.2%-97.6% and 1.4%-3.3%. Conclusion: The method is stable, reliable, easy to operate and has high sensitive. It can be used to determine mercury in blood.

[Clinical analysis of selective laryngeal reinnervation using upper root of phrenic nerve and hypoglossal nerve branch in the treatment of bilateral vocal fold paralysis]

Objective: To evaluate the airway and voice quality improvement in patients with bilateral vocal fold paralysis (BVFP) who underwent selective laryngeal reinnervation surgery. Methods: From January 2012 to December 2016, a retrospective study was conducted in 39 patients with BVFP who underwent selective laryngeal reinnervation surgery in Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Navy Medical University. All patients were examined by videostroboscopy, vocal function assessment, laryngeal electromyography and pulmonary function test before and after the surgery, and followed up for at least 2 years to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the surgery.Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to analyze the G score and VHI-10 score data. Paired t-test was used to analyze acoustic parameters, MPT values and pulmonary function parameters. Results: Postoperative infection and hemorrhage occurred in one patient separately.Videostroboscopic videos showed that at 4-8 months postoperatively, vocal folds in 35 patients achieved moderate or severe abduction during inspiration, 2 patients only achieved mild abduction, 2 patients showed no abduction,while all patients achieved adduction in bilateral vocal cords during phonation. The recovery rate of moderate-to-severe abduction was 89.7% (35/39), and these patients were decannulated successfully. At 12 months after operation, G score and VHI-10 score were significantly lower than those before operation (P<0.05), and the acoustic parameters jitter, shimmer, HNR and MPT were significantly improved (P<0.05). Most of the parameters of the pulmonary function test at 3 months postoperatively returned to the normal reference level, while the maximum inspiratory pressure (PImax) at 12 months after operation was still slightly lower than the normal level, but it was significantly improved compared with preoperative value (P<0.05). The EMG data at 12 months postoperatively showed full interference potentials in 37 patients in bilateral posterior cricoarytenoid muscles during inspiration, and full interference potentials in bilateralthyroarytenoid muscles during phonation. Obvious misdirected regeneration electric activitieswere found in two of them. Potentials in posterior cricoarytenoid muscle were weak in 2 cases with poor abduction. During long-term follow-up, only one case showed decreased abduction, but did not affect respiratory function. Conclusions: The selective laryngeal reinnervation procedure applied in the present study can restore physiological motion of vocal cords. The success rate was high, the curative effect was stable, and the complications were rare. It is worth of promotion.

CircPSMC3 inhibits cell proliferation and induces cell apoptosis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma by downregulating ROCK1

Since this article has been suspected of research misconduct and the corresponding authors did not respond to our request to prove originality of data and figures, "CircPSMC3 inhibits cell proliferation and induces cell apoptosis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma by downregulating ROCK1, by D.-Q. Guo, F. Liu, L. Zhang, N.-N. Bian, L.-Y. Liu, L.-X. Kong, Z.-G. Wang, published in Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2020; 24 (3): 1219-1225-DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_202002_20174-PMID: 32096151" has been withdrawn. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. https://www.europeanreview.org/article/20174.

Inhibitory effect of the Notch pathway-inhibitor DAPT on invasion and metastasis of tongue cancer via lncRNA-KAT14 regulation

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to identify a reliable biomarker for tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC), the most common oral cancer with no established biomarkers, to predict prognosis and to select the optimal treatment.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

To investigate whether DAPT exhibited antitumor functions, CAL-27 and SCC-9 cells were treated with DAPT (5 µM or 10 µM) for different times. Further, qRT-PCR was used to determine the mRNA expression levels of lncRNA-KAT14 after treatment with DAPT or si-KAT14 and both combined. Moreover, the treated cells were cultured for different times to investigate their antitumor function. The Wound-healing and Transwell assay were carried out to evaluate the migration and invasion viability of cancer cells, respectively. Finally, the Western blots were performed to determine the expression of EMT-related proteins after transfection with si-KAT14 or treatment with DAPT to investigate the effects of DAPT on EMT-related proteins.

RESULTS

Proliferation was inhibited after treatment with DAPT, and the expression of lncRNA-KAT14 was upregulated. To investigate the correlation of DAPT and lncRNA-KAT14 on the metastasis and invasion in tongue cancer, the following cellular processes were assessed: proliferation, invasion, and migration ability. The Western blots were used to determine the expression of E-cadherin, N-cadherin, Vimentin, and Snail, showing that DAPT or lncRNA-KAT14 suppressed all these processes, inducing a decreased expression of N-cadherin, Vimentin, and Snail, and increased expression of E-cadherin, compared with the control group. Once transfection with si-KAT14 occurred, the evaluated cellular processes were enhanced, being this attenuated by the treatment with DAPT.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that DAPT suppresses invasion and metastasis of tongue cancer by regulating lncRNA-KAT14.

[Efficacy and safety of generic azacitidine in Chinese patients with higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes: a multicenter, prospective, single-arm study]

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics of the generic azacitidine in Chinese patients with higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes(MDS). Methods: Between October 2013 and 2016, 72 patients were eligible for enrollment at 9 sites from China received generic subcutaneous azacitidine 75 mg·m(-2)·d(-1) for 7 days per 28-day cycle, for ≥6 cycles. Pharmacokinetic blood samples were collected on day 1 of a single-dose. Results: For each patient at cycle 6 or at the time of study discontinuation, whichever came first, the overall response rate, which included complete remission (CR)and partial remission(PR), was 6.9%(5/72), the rate of patients who had the best effect with CR or PR during the treatment was 12.5%(9/72). Patients who were dependent on red-blood-cell transfusions and platelet transfusions at baseline became transfusion independent were 46.3%(19/41)and 41.2% (7/17), respectively. The median time of treatment was 6 cycles, and the median OS was 16.1 months (95%CI 10.9-20.6 months). For 36 patients(50%)received treatment at ≥6 cycles, and the median OS was 22.3 months(95%CI 16.1- not evaluative). Most common grade Ⅲ-Ⅳ hematologic treatment-emergent adverse events were neutropenia(55%), leukopenia(47%), and thrombocytopenia(61%). Pharmacokinetic profiles were similar for generic and original azacitidine in Chinese patients. Conclusion: Generic azacitidine treatment was favorable and safe and can be used as a standard treatment for patients with higher-risk MDS.

Correlations of LTα and NQO1 gene polymorphisms with childhood asthma

OBJECTIVE

To explore the correlation of the lymphotoxin alpha (LTα) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) gene polymorphisms with childhood asthma.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A total of 102 asthma children (observation group) and 80 healthy children (control group) were enrolled. The information was collected via questionnaires and the polymorphisms of LTα rs2844484 and NQO1 rs2917666 were examined with the TaqMan-MGB probe.

RESULTS

Observation group had higher constituent ratios of contact with animal furs, personal history of infection, personal history of allergy, familial infection history and familial allergic history than those of control group (p<0.05). However, there were no differences in age, sex, passive smoking, purchase of new furniture and mask wearing between the two groups (p>0.05). The frequency of LTα rs2844484 genotype AA was significantly higher than that of genotype AG and GG (p<0.01), and NQO1 rs2917666 genotype CC showed notably higher frequency than that of genotype CG and GG (p<0.05). The frequency of LTα rs2844484 A allele was significantly higher than that of G allele (p<0.01), while NQO1 rs2917666 C allele had remarkably higher frequency than G allele (p<0.05). The comparisons of the recessive and additive modes revealed differences between the two groups (p<0.05). However, we did not observe significant difference in dominant mode between the two groups (p>0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The risk factors for childhood asthma include the contact with animal furs, personal history of infection, personal history of allergy, familial infection history and familial allergic history. Polymorphisms of LTα and NQO1 genes are correlated with childhood asthma.

Soaking up the oil: Biological impacts of dispersants and crude oil on the sponge Halichondria panicea

Used during an oil spill to minimise the formation of an oil slick, dispersants have negative biological effects on marine model organisms. However, no study has investigated the impacts of dispersants on adult sponge individuals. Here, we examine the effects of water accommodated oil fraction (WAF - oil in seawater), chemically enhanced WAF (CEWAF - oil and dispersant in seawater) and Benzo[A]Pyrene on sponge Halichondria panicea at physiological and molecular levels. Sponge clearance rate decreased sharply when exposed to WAF and CEWAF but the oil loading at which the clearance rate was reduced by 50% (ED50) was 39-fold lower in CEWAF than in WAF. Transcriptomic analysis revealed a homogenous molecular response with the greatest number of differentially expressed genes identified in CEWAF samples (1,461 genes). Specifically, genes involved in stress responses were up-regulated. This study presents evidence that the use of dispersants should be considered carefully in areas where sponges are present.