Dynamic Anti-Counterfeiting Labels with Enhanced Multi-Level Information Encryption

Information encryption is an important means to improve the security of anti-counterfeiting labels. At present, it is still challenging to realize an anti-counterfeiting label with multi-function, high security factor, low production cost, and easy detection and identification. Herein, using inkjet and screen printing technology, we construct a multi-dimensional and multi-level dynamic optical anti-counterfeiting label based on instantaneously luminescent quantum dots and long afterglow phosphor, whose color and luminous intensity varied in response to time. Self-assembled quantum dot patterns with intrinsic fingerprint information endow the label with physical unclonable functions (PUFs), and the information encryption level of the label is significantly improved in view of the information variation in the temporal dimension. Furthermore, the convolutional residual neural networks are used to decode the massive information of PUFs, enabling fast and accurate identification of the anti-counterfeit labels.

Comprehensive characterization of endoplasmic reticulum stress in bladder cancer revealing the association with tumor immune microenvironment and prognosis

Background: This study constructs a molecular subtype and prognostic model of bladder cancer (BLCA) through endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) related genes, thus helping to clinically guide accurate treatment and prognostic assessment. Methods: The Bladder Cancer (BLCA) gene expression data was downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. We clustered by ERS-related genes which obtained through GeneCards database, results in the establishment of a new molecular typing of bladder cancer. Further, we explored the characteristics of each typology in terms of immune microenvironment, mutations, and drug screening. By analyzing the ERS-related genes with univariate Cox, LASSO and multivariate Cox analyses, we also developed the four-gene signature, while validating the prognostic effect of the model in GSE32894 and GSE13507 cohorts. Finally, we evaluated the prognostic value of the clinical data in the high and low ERS score groups and constructed a prognostic score line graph by Nomogram. Results: We constructed four molecular subtypes (C1- C4) of bladder cancer, in which patients with C2 had a poor prognosis and those with C3 had a better prognosis. The C2 had a high degree of TP53 mutation, significant immune cell infiltration and high immune score. In contrast, C3 had a high degree of FGFR3 mutation, insignificant immune cell infiltration, and reduced immune checkpoint expression. After that, we built ERS-related risk signature to calculate ERS score, including ATP2A3, STIM2, VWF and P4HB. In the GSE32894 and GSE13507, the signature also had good predictive value for prognosis. In addition, ERS scores were shown to correlate well with various clinical features. Finally, we correlated the ERS clusters and ERS score. Patients with high ERS score were more likely to have the C2 phenotype, while patients with low ERS score were C3. Conclusion: In summary, we identified four novel molecular subtypes of BLCA by ERS-related genes which could provide some new insights into precision medicine. Prognostic models constructed from ERS-related genes can be used to predict clinical outcomes. Our study contributes to the study of personalized treatment and mechanisms of BLCA.

The Role of Sarcopenia in Overactive Bladder in Adults in the United States: Retrospective Analysis of NHANES 2011-2018

PURPOSE

To investigate the association between sarcopenia and overactive bladder (OAB) in a United States adult population from 2011 to 2018, and whether sarcopenia can predict the risk of OAB.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We analyzed data from the 2011-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in a cross-sectional study(NHANES) of 8746 participants, of whom 1213 were diagnosed with OAB, we analyzed correlations by sex, age, race, education level, marital status, household income-to-poverty ratio, hypertension, diabetes, strenuous work activity, moderate work activity, strenuous recreational activity, moderate recreational activity, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, and uric acid levels using restricted cubic spline plots of dose-response curves, univariate and multivariate Logistic regression. Models based on sex, age, education, household income to poverty ratio, hypertension, diabetes, sarcopenia index, and cotinine were developed and evaluated using Nomogram, calibration curves, receiver operating characteristic curves, and clinical decision curves.

RESULTS

Of the 1213 OAB patients, 388 (32.0%) were male and 825 (68.0%) were female. Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that sarcopenia index was negatively correlated with the prevalence of OAB (OR=0.084, 95% CI, 0.056 - 0.130, P <0.001;OR=0.456, 95%CI, 0.215-0.968, P= 0.0041). Dose curve analysis of the sarcopenia index and prevalence of OAB showed that the prevalence of OAB decreased significantly with increasing sarcopenia index. Sarcopenia was positively correlated with OAB (OR=2.400, 95%CI, 2.000 - 2.800, P <0.001;OR=1.46, 95%CI, 1.096 -1.953, P = 0.010). In addition, our model shows that sarcopenia can predict the prevalence of OAB (AUC = 0.750) and has some clinical decision-making implications.

CONCLUSION

Sarcopenia is positively associated with the risk of OAB in United States adults and can be used as a predictor of OAB prevalence.

Enhancing urinary tract infection diagnosis for negative culture patients with metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS)

Background

Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) is a promising technology that allows unbiased pathogen detection and is increasingly being used for clinical diagnoses. However, its application in urinary tract infection (UTI) is still scarce.

Methods

The medical records of 33 patients with suspected UTI who were admitted to the Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University from March 2021 to July 2022 and received urine mNGS were retrospectively analyzed. The performance of mNGS and conventional urine culture in diagnosing infection and identifying causative organisms was compared, and the treatment effects were evaluated in terms of changes in urinalyses and urinary symptoms.

Results

In the detection of bacteria and fungi, mNGS detected at least one pathogen in 29 (87.9%) cases, including 19 (57.6%) with positive mNGS but negative culture results and 10 (30.3%) with both mNGS and culture positive results. The remaining 4 (12.1%) patients were negative by both tests. Overall, mNGS performed better than culture (87.9% vs. 30.3%, P < 0.001). Within the 10 double-positive patients, mNGS matched culture results exactly in 5 cases, partially in 4 cases, and not at all in 1 case. In addition, mNGS detected a broader pathogen spectrum, detecting 26 species compared to only 5 species found in culture. The most abundant bacteria detected by mNGS was Escherichia coli, detected in 9 (27.2%) patients. All anaerobic bacteria, Mycobacterium Tuberculosis and all mixed pathogens were detected by mNGS. The final clinical diagnosis of UTI was made in 25 cases, and the sensitivity of mNGS was significantly higher than culture (100.0% vs 40.0%; P < 0.001) when using the diagnosis as a reference standard; the positive predictive value, negative predictive value and specificity were 86.2%, 100% and 50.0%, respectively. Importantly, targeted antibiotic therapy based on mNGS resulted in significant improvement in urinalyses and urinary symptoms in patients.

Conclusions

mNGS is a technology that has shown clear advantages over culture, particularly in the context of mixed infections and UTIs that are difficult to diagnose and treat. It helps to improve the detection of pathogens, guide changes in treatment strategies, and is an effective complement to urine culture.

circSOBP Inhibits Bladder Cancer Proliferation and Metastasis by Regulating the miR-200a-3p/PTEN Axis and Participating in the Immune Response

A growing body of evidence shows that circular RNAs (circRNAs) participate in tumor growth and metastasis and also play crucial roles in the treatment and prognosis of various cancers. In this article, we identified a novel circRNA, circSOBP (has_circ_0001633), based on the results of high-throughput RNA sequencing, and its expression was subsequently validated via quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction in bladder cancer (BCa) tissues and cell lines. The association between circSOBP expression and the clinicopathologic features and prognosis of 56 recruited BCa patients was then analyzed, and the biological roles of circSOBP were assessed by in vitro cloning formation, wound healing, transwell, CCK-8, and in vivo xenograft mouse models. Next, the competitive endogenous RNA mechanism was explored through fluorescence in situ hybridization, RNA pull-down, luciferase reporter, bioinformatics analysis, and rescue experiments. Western blot and immunohistochemistry detected the expression of downstream mRNA, and we were able to determine that circSOBP was downregulated in BCa tissues and cell lines and that lower circSOBP expression was associated with more advanced pathological stage, larger tumor size, and poorer overall survival with BCa patients. Overexpressed circSOBP suppressed cell proliferation, migration, and invasion both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, competitive interactions between circSOBP and miR-200a-3p enhanced target gene PTEN expression. In addition, we found a significant correlation between higher expression of circSOBP in BCa patients after immunotherapy than before and a better treatment outcome, indicating that circSOBP might regulate the programmed death 1/programmed death ligand 1 pathway. Overall, circSOBP inhibits BCa tumorigenesis and metastasis by a novel miR-200a-3p/PTEN axis, which makes it an excellent biomarker and therapeutic target for treating BCa.

Associations of Body-Roundness Index and Sarcopenia with Cardiovascular Disease among Middle-Aged and Older Adults: Findings from CHARLS

OBJECTIVES

Sarcopenia and obesity may contribute to chronic disease. However, little is known about the association between sarcopenia, body roundness index (BRI), and cardiovascular disease (CVD). The aim of this study was to investigate the association of sarcopenia and BRI with CVD in middle-aged and older Chinese population.

DESIGN

Cohort study with an 8-year follow-up.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

Data were derived from 4 waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, and 6152 participants aged 45 or above were included in the study.

METHODS

Sarcopenia was defined according to the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia 2019 criteria. CVD was defined as the presence of physician-diagnosed heart disease, diabetes and/or stroke. The associations of BRI and sarcopenia with CVD risk were explored using Cox proportional hazards regression models.

RESULTS

The mean age of the participants was 58.3 (8.9) years, and 2936 (47.7%) were males. During the 8 years follow-up, 2385 cases (38.8%) with incident CVD were identified. Longitudinal results demonstrated that compared to neither sarcopenia or high BRI, both sarcopenia and high BRI (HR: 1.49, 95%CI: 1.08, 2.07) were associated with higher risk of CVD. In the subgroup analysis, individuals with both sarcopenia and high BRI were more likely to have new onset stroke (HR: 1.93, 95%CI: 1.12, 3.32) and increased risk of multimorbidity (HR: 2.15, 95% CI: 1.14, 4.04).

CONCLUSIONS

Coexistence of sarcopenia and high BRI was associated with higher risk of CVD. Early identification and intervention for sarcopenia and BRI not only allows the implementation of therapeutic strategies, but also provides an opportunity to mitigate the risk of developing CVD.

The efficacy and safety of first-line treatment in cisplatin-ineligible advanced upper tract urothelial carcinoma patients: a comparison of PD-1 inhibitor and carboplatin plus gemcitabine chemotherapy

Although several programmed cell death (PD)-1 inhibitors are approved for the first-line treatment of advanced urothelial carcinoma, their efficacy remains unknown in cisplatin-ineligible patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) compared with gemcitabine plus carboplatin. Data for patients with UTUC were retrospectively retrieved from the electronic medical records of nine institutions between 2018 and 2021. Patients considered ineligible for cisplatin who received either PD-1 inhibitors (n = 70) or gemcitabine plus carboplatin (n = 53) were included. Efficacy was assessed using Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors. Median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method. The objective response rate (ORR) was comparable between the PD-1 inhibitor and carboplatin–gemcitabine groups (38.6% versus 41.5%). Median PFS was 5.0 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.0–8.0) in the PD-1 inhibitor group, versus 7.0 months (95% CI: 5.8–8.2) in the carboplatin–gemcitabine group (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.741, 95% CI: 0.485–1.132, p = .166). Median OS was 18 months (95% CI: 4.1–31.9) in the PD-1 inhibitor group, compared with 14 months (95% CI: 12.1–15.9) in the carboplatin–gemcitabine group (HR = 0.731, 95% CI: 0.426–1.256, p = .257). The duration of response was significantly longer in the PD-1 inhibitor group than in the carboplatin–gemcitabine group (not reached vs. 9 months, p < .001). Treatment-related adverse events were less frequent in the PD-1 inhibitor group than in the carboplatin–gemcitabine group (57.1% vs. 77.3%). In conclusion, PD-1 inhibitors displayed promising efficacy with less toxicity and longer DOR in the first-line treatment of UTUC in patients ineligible for cisplatin-based chemotherapy.

Identification of Specific Pathogen-Infected sRNA-Mediated Interactions between Turnip Yellows Virus and Arabidopsis thaliana

Virus infestation can seriously harm the host plant's growth and development. Turnip yellows virus (TuYV) infestation of host plants can cause symptoms, such as yellowing and curling of leaves and root chlorosis. However, the regulatory mechanisms by which TuYV affects host growth and development are unclear. Hence, it is essential to mine small RNA (sRNA) and explore the regulation of sRNAs on plant hosts for disease control. In this study, we analyzed high-throughput data before and after TuYV infestation in Arabidopsis using combined genetics, statistics, and machine learning to identify 108 specifically expressed and critical functional sRNAs after TuYV infection. First, comparing the expression levels of sRNAs before and after infestation, 508 specific sRNAs were significantly up-regulated in Arabidopsis after infestation. In addition, the results show that AI models, including SVM, RF, XGBoost, and CNN using two-dimensional convolution, have robust classification features at the sequence level, with a prediction accuracy of about 96.8%. A comparison of specific sRNAs with genome sequences revealed that 247 matched precisely with the TuYV genome sequence but not with the Arabidopsis genome, suggesting that TuYV viruses may be their source. The 247 sRNAs predicted target genes and enrichment analysis, which identified 206 Arabidopsis genes involved in nine biological processes and three KEGG pathways associated with plant growth and viral stress tolerance, corresponding to 108 sRNAs. These findings provide a reference for studying sRNA-mediated interactions in pathogen infection and are essential for establishing a vital resource of regulation network for the virus infecting plants and deepening the understanding of TuYV virus infection patterns. However, further validation of these sRNAs is needed to gain a new understanding.

Association of metabolic syndrome and its components with the risk of kidney cancer: A cohort-based case-control study

BACKGROUND

Metabolic syndrome increases the risk of developing several types of cancer in humans; however, its effect on the development of kidney cancer is not uniform.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the association between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components and the risk of developing kidney cancer.

METHODS

We conducted a cohort-based case-control study. The case group included 217 patients with new kidney cancer in the Kailuan cohort. A total of 868 subjects who were matched for age and sex with those in the case group age (± 1 year) at 1:4 as the control group were selected from baseline survey participants without malignant tumours at the same time as the case group. Biennial baseline survey data of the cases and controls were collected, and the baseline data nearest to the onset time of cases were used for statistical analyses. Logistic proportional risk regression models were used to analyse the association between MetS and its components and the risk of developing kidney cancer.

RESULTS

The proportion of MetS patients in the case group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P< 0.01). The risk of developing kidney cancer was significantly higher in the MetS group than in the non-MetS group [odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval, CI) = 1.63 (1.20-2.21)], and the risk of kidney cancer increased as the number of MetS components increased compared with subjects without any MetS components (p𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑑< 0.01). Elevated blood pressure and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were associated with the risk of kidney cancer [OR (95% CI) = 1.49 (1.02-2.17) and 1.55 (1.13-2.13), respectively].

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that the risk of developing kidney cancer is correlated with MetS.

Nanoscale pulverization effect in double-layered MOF-derived hierarchical G/Co@C composites for boosting electromagnetic wave dissipation

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have drawn a lot of interest as prospective starting points for highly effective electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorbers. However, the inevitable shrinkage and probable densification that occur during pyrolysis significantly reduce the microwave-loss capacity. A dual-layer MOF, ZIF-8@ZIF-67, is created and effectively decorated on graphene sheets as a solution to this problem. The shrinkage and densification were then suppressed by the subsequent pulverization effect between the two MOFs. Due to suitable compositions and specialized microstructures, G/Co@C exhibits excellent impedance matching and dissipates EMW by combining magnetic and dielectric loss. The maximum reflection loss of G/Co@C-7/paraffin is -55.0 dB at 5.8 GHz with just 7% filler. Therefore, the preparation of high-efficiency MOF-derived microwave absorbers by the pulverization effect is demonstrated to be an efficient strategy.

Early detection of immune checkpoint inhibitor-related subclinical cardiotoxicity: A pilot study by using speckle tracking imaging and three-dimensional echocardiography

Background

Early detection of subclinical cardiotoxicity of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy can be challenging.

Objective

To evaluate subclinical cardiac dysfunction using two-dimensional speckle tracking imaging (2D-STI) and three-dimensional echocardiography in Chinese patients.

Methods

Fifty-five consecutive patients with malignant tumors treated by immunotherapy were included. They were examined by echocardiography before immunotherapy and after immunotherapy. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was calculated in three-dimensional imaging. Moreover, left ventricular global longitudinal peak systolic strain (LVGLS), left ventricular global circumferential peak systolic strain (LVGCS), right ventricular global longitudinal systolic strain (RVGLS), right ventricular free wall longitudinal peak systolic strain (RVFWLS), and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) were evaluated. Clinical and laboratory parameters were recorded. Cardiac toxicity events were defined as the presence of heart failure symptoms, LVEF reduction, and increase in troponin. Subclinical cardiac toxicity was defined as cardiac dysfunction associated with ICI treatment, with absent or delayed ICI-associated cardiotoxicity clinical symptoms.

Results

Compared with baseline, the LVGLS, TAPSE, and RVGLS significantly deteriorated after ICI treatment [(-18.63 ± 2.53)% vs. (-17.35 ± 2.58)%, P = 0.000; 18.29 ± 6.23 vs. 14.57 ± 3.81, P = 0.0001; and (-18.45 ± 4.65)% vs. (-14.98 ± 3.85)%, P = 0.0001, respectively]. LVGLS (-17.35 ± 2.58, P = 0.000), TAPSE (14.57 ± 3.81, P = 0.0001), and RVGLS [(-14.98 ± 3.85)%, P = 0.0001] were decreased after ICI immunotherapy. Kaplan-Meier curve analysis showed that LVGLS was more sensitive than the cardiac toxicity events to assess ICI-related subclinical cardiac dysfunction (log-rank P = 0.205). The ROC curve showed that the cutoff value of ΔLVGLS was -13%.

Conclusion

Subclinical cardiac dysfunction can be detected using two-dimensional speckle-tracking imaging. LVGLS, RVGLS, and TAPSE are more sensitive indices for detection.

Clinical trial registration

[https://www.chictr.org.cn/showprojen.aspx?proj=27498], identifier [ChiCTR1800016216].

[Clinical and endoscopic characteristics of gastrointestinal mantle cell lymphoma]

Objective: To study the clinical and endoscopic features of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). Methods: The clinical data and endoscopic characteristics of 20 patients with gastrointestinal MCL treated in the Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University and the Digestive Endoscopy Center of Guizhou Medical University from January 2011 to January 2021 were collected, and the histological and immunohistochemical characteristics of the tumor were observed. Meanwhile, 44 cases of non-gastrointestinal MCL in the above two hospitals in the same period were also enrolled. The clinical and endoscopic differences between the two groups were compared. Results: Among the 20 patients with gastrointestinal MCL, the male to female ratio was 4∶1 (16/4), the average age was (60.3±9.7) years, and 11 patients (55.0%, 11/20) were over 60 years old. The main clinical manifestations of 20 patients at the onset of the disease were bloody stool or black stool in 9 cases (45.0%), abdominal pain in 8 cases (40.0%). Moreover, 5.0% (1/20) had B symptoms (fever, night sweat and weight loss). The most frequently involved site was colorectum (50.0%). Endoscopic findings showed mucosal polypoid lesions in 13 cases (65.0%, 13/20), involving multiple intestinal segments, with polyp diameter of 0.2-3.5 cm. Two cases (10%) were in stage Ⅲ and 18 cases (90%) were in stage Ⅳ according to Ann Arbor staging. Seven cases (35.0%, 7/20) had the involvement of the peritoneal and retroperitoneal lymph nodes, 9 cases (45.0%, 9/20) had the involvement of the superficial lymph nodes in 45.0% (9/20), and 4 cases (20%, 4/20) had other extranodal invasion. Splenomegaly accounted for 35.0% (7/20). CD20, Bcl-2 and CD5 were positive or strongly positive in all gastrointestinal MCL tumor cells in 20 cases. Cyclin D1 was positive or strongly positive, accounting for 90.0% (18/20). The sex-determining region of Y chromosome-related high-mobility-group box 11 (SOX11) was positive or strongly positive, accounting for 65.0% (13/20). The positive index of Ki-67 was 5%-80%. Twenty cases (100%, 20/20) were followed up. The median follow-up was 41.2 months (1-74 months). There was no significant difference in the 3-year overall survival rate between the gastrointestinal MCL patients (70.0%) and non-gastrointestinal MCL patients (72.7%) (χ²=0.051, P=0.822). Conclusions: Abdominal discomfort is the main symptom of gastrointestinal MCL, which often occurs in the colorectum and often presents with multiple polypoid lesions. There are relatively few cases with B symptoms and extranodal invasion, and the prognosis is not different from that of patients with non-gastrointestinal MCL.

Association between insulin-like growth factor-1 and cardiovascular events: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of cohort studies

BACKGROUND

Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) has increasingly been reported as linked to cardiovascular (CV) events; however, reported results have been inconsistent, and no meta-analysis has been undertaken to quantitatively assess this association.

METHODS

We searched PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases for cohort articles published up to December 1, 2020. Fixed or random-effects models were used to estimate the summary relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of CV events in relation to IGF-1. Restricted cubic splines were used to model the dose-response association.

RESULTS

We identified 11 articles (thirteen cohort studies) covering a total of 22,995 participants and 3040 CV events in this meta-analysis. The risk of overall CV events reduced by 16% from the highest to the lowest IGF-1 levels (RR 0.83, 95% CI 0.72-0.95), while the occurrence of CV events reduced by 28% (RR 0.72, 95% CI 0.56-0.92), but not for CV deaths, however (RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.65-1.55). We also found linear associations between IGF-1 levels and CV events. With each per 45 μg/mL IGF-1 increase, the pooled RRs were 0.91 (95% CI 0.86-0.96), 0.91 (95% CI 0.85-0.97) and 0.91 (95% CI 0.84-0.98) for overall CV events, for the occurrence of CV events, and for CV deaths, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings based on cohort studies support the contention that any increase in IGF-1 is helpful in reducing the overall risk of CV events. As an important biomarker for assessing the likelihood of CV events, IGF-1 appears to offer a promising prognostic approach for aiding prevention.

Dual-function perovskite light-emitting/sensing devices for optical interactive display

Interactive display devices integrating multiple functions have become a development trend of display technology. The excellent luminescence properties of perovskite quantum dots (PQDs) make it an ideal luminescent material for the next generation of wide-color gamut displays. Here we design and fabricate dual-function light-sensing/displaying light-emitting devices based on PQDs. The devices can display information as an output port, and simultaneously sense outside light signals as an input port and modulate the display information in a non-contact mode. The dual functions were attributed to the device designs: (1) the hole transport layer in the devices also acts as the light-sensing layer to absorb outside light signals; (2) the introduced hole trapping layer interface can trap holes originating from the light-sensing layer, and thus tune the charge transport properties and the light-emitting intensities. The sensing and display behavior of the device can be further modulated by light signals with different time and space information. This fusion of sensing and display functions has broad prospects in non-contact interactive screens and communication ports.

Identification of a dysregulated CircRNA-associated gene signature for predicting prognosis, immune landscape, and drug candidates in bladder cancer

Increasing evidences have demonstrated that circular RNA (circRNAs) plays a an essential regulatory role in initiation, progression and immunotherapy resistance of various cancers. However, circRNAs have rarely been studied in bladder cancer (BCa). The purpose of this research is to explore new circRNAs and their potential mechanisms in BCa. A novel ceRNA-regulated network, including 87 differentially expressed circRNAs (DE-circRNAs), 126 DE-miRNAs, and 217 DE-mRNAs was constructed to better understanding the biological processes using Cytoscape 3.7.1 based on our previously high-throughput circRNA sequencing and five GEO datasets. Subsequently, five randomly selected circRNAs (upregulated circ_0001681; downregulated circ_0000643, circ_0001798, circ_0006117 and circ_0067900) in 20 pairs of BCa and paracancerous tissues were confirmed using qRT-PCR. Functional analysis results determined that 772 GO functions and 32 KEGG pathways were enriched in the ceRNA network. Ten genes (PFKFB4, EDNRA, GSN, GAS1, PAPPA, DTL, TGFBI, PRSS8, RGS1 and TCF4) were selected for signature construction among the ceRNA network. The Human Protein Atlas (HPA) expression of these genes were consistent with the above sequencing data. Notably, the model was validated in multiple external datasets (GSE13507, GSE31684, GSE48075, IMvigor210 and GSE32894). The immune-infiltration was evaluated by 7 published algorithms (i.e., TIMER, CIBERSORT, CIBERSORT-ABS, QUANTISEQ, MCPCOUNTER, XCELL and EPIC). Next, Correlations between riskscore or risk groups and clinicopathological data, overall survival, recognized immunoregulatory cells or common chemotherapeutic agents of BCa patients were performed using wilcox rank test, chi-square test, cox regression and spearman’s correlation analysis; and, these results are significant. According to R package “GSVA” and “clusterProfiler”, the most significantly enriched HALLMARK and KEGG pathway was separately the ‘Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition’ and ‘Ecm Receptor Interaction’ in the high- vs. low-risk group. Additionally, the functional experiments in vitro also revealed that the overexpression of has_circ_0067900 significantly impaired the proliferation, migration, and invasion capacities of BCa cells. Collectively, the results of the current study provide a novel landscape of circRNA-associated ceRNA-regulated network in BCa. The ceRNA-associated gene model which was constructed presented a high predictive performance for the prognosis, immunotherapeutic responsiveness, and chemotherapeutic sensitivity of BCa. And, has_circ_0067900 was originally proposed as tumor suppressor for patients with BCa.

Regulatory role of phosphoproteins in the development of bovine small intestine during early life

The small intestine is the primary site of nutrient digestion and absorption, which plays a key role in the survival of neonatal calves. A comprehensive assessment of the phosphoproteomic changes in the small intestine of neonatal calves is unavailable; therefore, we used phosphopeptide enrichment coupled with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to investigate the changes in the phosphoproteome profile in the bovine small intestine during the first 36 h of life. Twelve neonatal male calves were assigned to one of the following groups: (1) calves not fed colostrum and slaughtered approximately 2 h postpartum (n = 3), (2) calves fed colostrum at 1 to 2 h and slaughtered 8 h postpartum (n = 3), (3) calves fed 2 colostrum meals (at 1-2 and 10-12 h) and slaughtered 24 h postpartum (n = 3), (4) calves fed 3 colostrum meals (at 1-2, 10-12, and 22-24 h) and slaughtered 36 h postpartum (n = 3). Mid-duodenal, jejunal, and ileal samples of the calves were collected after slaughter. We identified 1,678 phosphoproteins with approximately 3,080 phosphosites, which were mainly Ser (89.9%), Thr (9.8%), and Tyr (0.3%) residues; they belonged to the prodirected (52.9%), basic (20.4%), acidic (16.6%), and Tyr-directed (1.7%) motif categories. The regional differentially expressed phosphoproteins included zonula occludens 2, sorting nexin 12, and protein kinase C, which are mainly associated with developmental processes, intracellular transport, vesicle-mediated transport, and immune system process. They are enriched in the endocytosis, tight junction, insulin signaling, and focal adhesion pathways. The temporal differentially expressed phosphoproteins included occludin, epsin 1, and bridging integrator 1, which were mainly associated with macromolecule metabolic process, cell adhesion, and growth. They were enriched in the spliceosomes, adherens junctions, and tight junctions. The observed changes in the phosphoproteins in the tissues of small intestine suggest the protein phosphorylation plays an important role in nutrient transport and immune response of calves during early life, which needs to be confirmed in a larger study.

Probiotics protect against hepatic steatosis in tris (2-chloroethyl) phosphate-induced metabolic disorder of mice via FXR signaling

Tris (2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP), the most widely useful and most frequently detective organophosphate flame retardants in environment, has been shown potential relationship with adolescent weight. Probiotics is an effective therapy for metabolic diseases such as obesity and NAFLD with gut microbiota dysregulation. This study aims to explore the protective effects of probiotics against lipid metabolic disorder induced by chronic TCEP exposure and demonstrate the mechanism of this event. The data showed that dietary complex probiotics supplement attenuated TCEP-induced obesity, hyperlipidemia, liver dysfunction, and hepatic steatosis. In addition, dietary complex probiotics suppressed TCEP-promoted ileal FXR signaling, and upregulated hepatic FXR/SHP pathway inhibited by TCEP. Moreover, dietary complex probiotics stimulated PPARα-mediated lipid oxidation and suppressed SREBP1c/PPARγ-mediated lipid synthesis via regulation of FXR signaling. Therefore, this study indicates that dietary complex probiotics could protect against hepatic steatosis via FXR-mediated signaling pathway in TCEP-induced metabolism disorder in mice, resulting in attenuation of systemic lipid accumulation.

[Correlation of muscle strength with cognitive function and medial temporal lobe atrophy in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease]

Objective: To analyze the correlation of muscle strength with cognitive function and medial temporal lobe atrophy (MTA) in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD). Methods: General information, sarcopenia-related indicators, neuropsychological tests and MTA score were collected in 80 confirmed AD patients (41 mild and 39 moderate patients) and 43 normal controls (NC) from the Memory Disorders Clinic of Department Of Neurology in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University between January and December 2021. Appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (ASMI), grip strength and 5-times sit-to-stand time and 6-m gait speed were used for assessing muscle mass, muscle strength and physical function, respectively. Cognitive function was assessed by Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment scale (MoCA), Memory and Executive Screening Scale (MES), Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST), Digital Span Test (DST) and Verbal Fluency Task (VFT), respectively. DST included Forward Digit Span Test (FDST) and Backward Digit Span Test (BDST). All the subjects underwent 3.0T coronal three-dimensional gradient echo sequence MRI. MTA scale was performed to evaluate the degree of medial temporal lobe atrophy. The differences in the sarcopenia-related indicators, cognitive score and MTA score were analyzed among the three groups, and the partial correlation analysis was performed between the inter-groups. Results: Eighty AD patients (24 males and 56 females) were included, aged (72±7) years old, with 41 mild and 39 moderate patients. Meanwhile, 43 NC included 19 males and 24 females, with a mean age of (70±6) years old. The disease duration in moderate AD patients was longer than that of mild AD patients [34.0 (25.0, 43.5) months vs 24.0 (11.0, 34.0) months, P<0.001]. The differences of sarcopenia-related indicators and MTA score among the three groups were statistically significant (all P<0.001), including 5-times sit-to-stand time [(13.6±1.8) s vs (11.5±1.7) s vs (10.3±1.9) s, P<0.001] and MTA score [2.0 (2.0, 3.0) vs 1.0 (1.0, 2.0) vs 0 (0, 0), P<0.001]. In neuropsychological tests, compared to the NC group, MMSE, MoCA, MES and VFT scores in mild and moderate AD groups were lower (all P<0.001); meanwhile, compared to the mild AD group, the moderate group had lower MMSE, MoCA, MES, DSST and VFT scores (all P<0.001). In sarcopenia-related indicators, muscle strength in particular was correlated with widespread cognitive functioning domains and MTA score in AD patients. Grip strength was positively correlated with MMSE, MoCA , MES, FDST (r=0.387, 0.418, 0.522 and 0.484, respectively, all P<0.001), DSST (r=0.327, P=0.006) and VFT score (r=0.354, P=0.003), and negatively correlated with MTA score (r=-0.631, P<0.001). 5-times sit-to-stand time was negatively correlated with MMSE, MoCA, MES, DSST, FDST, VFT score (r=-0.583, -0.587, -0.814, -0.591, -0.552 and -0.485, respectively, all P<0.001), and BDST (r=-0.355, P=0.003) strongly positively correlated with MTA score (r=0.836, P<0.001). ASMI was positively correlated with MMSE, MoCA, MES, DSST, FDST score (r=0.257, 0.238, 0.428, 0.282 and 0.364, respectively, all P<0.05), and negatively correlated with MTA score (r=-0.377, P=0.001). 6-m gait speed was positively correlated with MMSE, MoCA, MES, DSST, FDST score (r=0.419, 0.486, 0.699, 0.559 and 0.500, respectively, all P<0.001), BDST and VFT score (r=0.384、0.377, respectively, both P=0.001), and strongly negatively correlated with MTA score (r=-0.803, P<0.001). Conclusions: Patients with mild to moderate AD have widespread cognitive impairment. Muscle mass, muscle strength and physical function are all significantly impaired. Compared to muscle mass and physical function, decreased muscle strength is significantly associated with widespread cognitive decline and increased degree of medial temporal lobe atrophy.

P11.75.B Survival benefit of radiotherapy and surgery in patients with lung cancer brain metastases with poor prognosis factors

Background

Radiotherapy and surgery are the standard treatments for lung cancer brain metastases (BMs). However, limitted studies focused on the treatments for patients with lung cancer BMs with poor prognosis factors. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of radiotherapy and surgery in patients with lung cancer BMs with poor prognosis factors, providing reference for clinical strategies.

Material and Methods

We analyzed retrospectively 714 patients with lung cancer BMs. A 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to balance potential confounders. Analyses of overall survival (OS) and risk factors for OS were assessed by log-rank test and Cox proportional hazard model.

Results

Age ≥65 years, Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) score ≤70, anaplastic large-cell lymphoma kinase (ALK)/epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) wild type, extracranial metastases, non-surgery and non-radiotherapy led to poor prognosis. Patients were stratified according to these factors. Radiotherapy and surgery showed no survival benefit in patients with aged ≥65 years or pretreatment KPS score ≤70 before and after PSM. Before PSM, whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) improved the OS and predicted good prognosis in patients with ALK/EGFR wild type or extracranial metastases. WBRT also predicted good prognosis in patients with non-surgery. Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) improved the OS and predicted good prognosis in patients with ALK/EGFR wild type or non-surgery. WBRT plus SRS improved the OS and predicted good prognosis in patients with extracranial metastases or non-surgery. WBRT plus SRS also predicted good prognosis in patients with ALK/EGFR wild type. Surgery improved the OS and predicted good prognosis in patients with non-radiotherapy. After PSM, SRS improved the OS and predicted good prognosis in patients with non-surgery. WBRT plus SRS improved the OS and predicted good prognosis in patients with non-surgery or extracranial metastases. WBRT plus SRS also predicted good prognosis in patients with ALK/EGFR wild type. Surgery improved the OS of patients with non-radiotherapy. We defined that the treatment would provide significant survival benefit if it both prolonged the OS and predicted good prognosis. Meanwhile, the results after PSM were more convincing than the results before PSM.

Conclusion

Radiotherapy has significant survival benefit in patients with lung cancer BMs with poor prognosis factors, including patients with ALK/EGFR wild type or extracranial metastases or non-surgery. Surgery only has significant survival benefit in patients with non-radiotherapy.

[Diethylhexyl phthalate induces anxiety-like behavior and learning and memory impairment in mice probably by damaging blood-brain barrier]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effects of diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) exposure on anxiety-like behaviors and learning and memory ability in mice and explore the underlying mechanism.

METHODS

Forty male ICR mice were randomized equally into control group (0 mg/kg) and 10, 50 and 100 mg/kg DEHP exposure groups, in which the mice were exposed to DEHP at the indicated doses by gavage for 4 weeks. After the treatments, the mice were assessed for behavioral changes using open filed test, elevated plus-maze and Morris water maze test. Brain tissues were collected from the mice for determination of malondialdehyde (MDA) content, pathologies and expressions of ZO-1 and occludin in the hippocampus.

RESULTS

Compared with the control group, the mice with DEHP exposure for 4 weeks exhibited no significant body weight change (P>0.05) but presented with obvious behavioral changes, manifested by reduced movement distance (P < 0.05) and time spent in the center of the open field (P < 0.05), reduced movement distance (P < 0.05) and time spent in the open arm of the elevated maze (P < 0.05), significantly increased latency of searching for the platform (P < 0.05), and decreased frequency of crossing the platform (P < 0.05). HE staining showed obvious vertebral cell death in the hippocampal CA1 to CA3 regions of the mice with DEHP exposure. The exposed mice showed significantly increased MDA content and decreased expressions of ZO-1 and occludin at both the mRNA and protein levels in the hippocampus (P < 0.05 or 0.01). Multivariate linear regression analysis suggested a close correlation between anxiety-like behaviors and learning and memory abilities in DEHP-exposed mice.

CONCLUSION

DEHP exposure may cause damages of the blood-brain barrier and the pyramidal cells in the hippocampus of mice, thereby inducing anxiety-like behaviors and learning and memory impairment.

Defining a nitrogen efficiency index in Holstein cows and assessing its potential effect on the breeding program of bulls

The purposes of this study were (1) to explore the relationship between 3 milk mid-infrared predicted features including nitrogen intake (NINT), milk true protein N (MTPN), and milk urea-N yield (MUNY); (2) to integrate these 3 features into an N efficiency index (NEI) and analyses approximate genetic correlations between the NEI and 37 traits (indices) of interest; and (3) to assess the potential effect of including the NEI into breeding programs of bulls. The edited data were 1,043,171 test-day records on 342,847 cows in 1,931 herds and 143,595 test-day records on 53,660 cows in 766 herds used for estimating breeding values (EBV) and variance components, respectively. The used records were within 5 to 50 d in milk. The records were grouped into primiparous and multiparous. The genetic parameters for the included mid-infrared features and EBV of the animals included in the pedigree were estimated using a multiple-trait repeatability animal model. Then, the EBV of the NINT, MTPN, MUNY were integrated into the NEI using a selection index assuming weights based on the N partitioning. The approximate genetic correlations between the NEI and 37 traits of interest were estimated using the EBV of the selected bulls. The bulls born from 2011 to 2014 with NEI were selected and the NEI distribution of these bulls having EBV for the 8 selected traits (indices) was checked. The heritability and repeatability estimates for NINT, MTPN, and MUNY ranged from 0.09 to 0.13, and 0.37 to 0.65, respectively. The genetic and phenotypic correlations between NINT, MTPN, and MUNY ranged from -0.31 to 0.87, and -0.02 to 0.42, respectively. The NEI ranged from -13.13 to 12.55 kg/d. In total, 736 bulls with reliability ≥0.50 for all included traits (NEI and 37 traits) and at least 10 daughters distributed in at least 10 herds were selected to investigate genetic aspects of the NEI. The NEI had positive genetic correlations with production yield traits (0.08-0.46), and negative genetic correlations with the investigated functional traits and indices (-0.71 to -0.07), except for the production economic index and functional type economic index. The daughters of bulls with higher NEI had lower NINT and MUNY, and higher MTPN. Furthermore, 26% of the bulls (n = 50) with NEI born between 2011 to 2014 had higher NEI and global economic index than the average in the selected bulls. Finally, the developed NEI has the advantage of large-scale prediction and therefore has the potential for routine application in dairy cattle breeding in the future.