MPC1 deficiency accelerates lung adenocarcinoma progression through the STAT3 pathway

Mitochondrial pyruvate carrier 1 (MPC1), a key factor that controls pyruvate transportation in the mitochondria, is known to be frequently dysregulated in tumor initiation and progression. However, the clinical relevance and potential molecular mechanisms of MPC1 in lung adenocarcinoma (LAC) progression remain to be illustrated. Herein, MPC1 was lowly expressed in LAC tissues and significantly associated with favorable survival of patients with LAC. Functionally, MPC1 markedly suppressed stemness, invasion, and migration in vitro and spreading growth of LAC cells in vivo. Further study revealed that MPC1 could interact with mitochondrial signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (mito-STAT3), disrupting the distribution of STAT3 and reducing cytoplasmic signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (cyto-STAT3) as well as its phosphorylation, while the activation of cyto-STAT3 by IL-6 reversed the attenuated malignant progression in MPC1-overexpression LAC cells. Collectively, we reveal that MPC1/STAT3 axis plays an important role in the progression of LAC, and our work may promote the development of new therapeutic strategies for LAC.

Contamination assessment, source apportionment and health risk assessment of heavy metals in paddy soils of Jiulong River Basin, Southeast China

To trace the sources and evaluate the health risks of heavy metals in paddy soils of Jiulong River Basin, seventy-one samples of paddy soils were collected in July 2017. The heavy metals contents were determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and atomic fluorescence spectrophotometry (AFS). The geo-accumulation index (I_geo) and potential ecological risk index (RI) methods were applied to evaluate the contamination of heavy metals, principal component analysis (PCA) and absolute principal component scores-multiple linear regression (APCS-MLR) were applied to trace the sources, and dose–response model was applied to assess the health risks to the human body. The results indicated that the paddy soils were moderately to heavily polluted by Cd and slightly polluted by Hg, Pb, As and Zn. Heavy metals in paddy soils presented considerable to high potential ecological risk, mostly contributed by Cd and Hg with contribution rates of 59.4% and 26.2%, respectively. The heavy metals contaminating paddy soils were derived from natural sources, agricultural activities, industrial discharge, coal combustion and unidentified sources, with source contribution rates of 31.37%, 24.87%, 19.65%, 18.05% and 6.06%, respectively. The heavy metals in paddy soils presented carcinogenic risks which humans can tolerate and no non-carcinogenic risks. The total non-carcinogenic risks mainly derived from agricultural activities and coal combustion, with contribution rates of 62.16% and 20.21%, respectively, while the total carcinogenic risks mainly derived from natural sources and industrial discharge, with contribution rates of 51.17% and 18.98%, respectively.

APCS-MLR and dose–response model were combined to identify the sources and human health risks of heavy metals in paddy soils.

Evidence of a Coulomb-Interaction-Induced Lifshitz Transition and Robust Hybrid Weyl Semimetal in T_{d}-MoTe_{2}

Using soft x-ray angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy we probed the bulk electronic structure of T_{d}-MoTe_{2}. We found that on-site Coulomb interaction leads to a Lifshitz transition, which is essential for a precise description of the electronic structure. A hybrid Weyl semimetal state with a pair of energy bands touching at both type-I and type-II Weyl nodes is indicated by comparing the experimental data with theoretical calculations. Unveiling the importance of Coulomb interaction opens up a new route to comprehend the unique properties of MoTe_{2}, and is significant for understanding the interplay between correlation effects, strong spin-orbit coupling and superconductivity in this van der Waals material.

Spectral Evidence for Emergent Order in Ba_{1-x}Na_{x}Fe_{2}As_{2}

We report an angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy study of the iron-based superconductor family, Ba_{1-x}Na_{x}Fe_{2}As_{2}. This system harbors the recently discovered double-Q magnetic order appearing in a reentrant C_{4} phase deep within the underdoped regime of the phase diagram that is otherwise dominated by the coupled nematic phase and collinear antiferromagnetic order. From a detailed temperature-dependence study, we identify the electronic response to the nematic phase in an orbital-dependent band shift that strictly follows the rotational symmetry of the lattice and disappears when the system restores C_{4} symmetry in the low temperature phase. In addition, we report the observation of a distinct electronic reconstruction that cannot be explained by the known electronic orders in the system.

[Correlation between laryngopharyngeal reflux and otitis media with effusion in adults patients]

Objective:Using the pepsin A concentration to investigate the relationship among gastroesophageal Reflux/laryngopharyngeal reflux and otitis media with effusion in adults patients.Method: Adults with OME underwent myringotomy with tube placement or eardrum puncturing suction were collected in the study group and the patients with coclear implatation were collected as control group. A standard sandwich Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) method was applied to measure pepsin A concentration in the middle ear fluid.RSI and GERD-Q were used for the patients in study group.Result: Pepsin A concentration was (23.72±26.64; 2.00-84.47 ng/ml) in study group.The positive rates of pepsin A in the patients and samples were 21.69%(18/83) and 17.27%(19/110) respectively.In the control group, no pepsin A was detected in 26 samples. In the study group, 5 (6.02%) were diagnozid with GERD and 19 out of 83 patients (22.89%,19/83) were diagnosed with LPRD.LPRD, 8 out of 18 patients (44.44%) in the pepsin A positive group, was much higher than that in the pepsin A negative group (16.92%)(P<0.01).Conclusion: Laryngopharyngeal reflux was an important pathogeny of OME in adults patients, although those patients maybe have no any symptoms of GERD. The fat maybe be one of a indirect risk factor of OME in adults.

SOX5 interacts with YAP1 to drive malignant potential of non-small cell lung cancer cells

The dysregulation of transcription factors plays a vital role in tumor initiation and progression. Sex determining region Y-box 5 (SOX5) encodes a member of the SRY-related HMG-box family of transcription factors involved in the determination of the cell fate and the regulation of embryonic development. However, its functional roles in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remain unclear. Herein, we report that SOX5 sustains stem-like traits and enhances the malignant phenotype of NSCLC cells. We determine that SOX5 is preferentially expressed by cancer stem-like cells (CSLCs) of human NSCLC. In vitro gain- and loss-of-function studies demonstrate that SOX5 promotes self-renewal, invasion and migration in NSCLC cells. Importantly, knockdown of SOX5 potently inhibits tumor growth in a xenograft mouse model. Mechanistically, YAP1 can act as an interacting protein of SOX5 to drive the malignant potential of NSCLC cells. Silencing of YAP1 attenuates the malignant processes in NSCLC cells, which is consistent with the function of SOX5 loss. SOX5 overexpression reverses the attenuated malignant progression in YAP1 knockdown cancer cells. Taken together, these findings identify that SOX5 acts as an oncogenic factor by interacting with YAP1 in NSCLC cells and may be a potential therapeutic target for NSCLC patients.

Hypoxia induces production of citrullinated proteins in human fibroblast-like synoviocytes through regulating HIF1α

Hypoxia is a prominent microenvironment feature in a range of disorders including cancer, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), atherosclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), infection and obesity. Hypoxia promotes biological functions of fibroblast-like synoviocytes via regulating hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF1α). Dysregulated protein citrullination in RA drives the production of antibodies to citrullinated proteins, a highly specific biomarker of RA. However, the mechanisms promoting citrullination in RA are not yet fully elucidated. In this study, we investigated whether pathophysiological hypoxia as found in the rheumatoid synovium modulates the citrullination in human fibroblast-like synoviocytes (HFLS). Here, we found that peptidylarginine deiminase 2 (PAD2) and citrullinated proteins were increased in HFLS after exposure to hypoxia. Moreover, knocking down HIF1α by HIF1α siRNA ameliorated the expression of PAD2 and citrullinated proteins. Collectively, this study provides a new mechanism involved in generating citrullinated proteins: hypoxia promotes citrullination and PAD production in HFLS. Concurrently, we also proposed a novel hypoxia involved mechanism in RA pathogenesis. This study deepens our understanding of the role of hypoxia in the pathogenesis of RA and provides a potential therapeutic strategy for RA.

Turbulent diffusion of chemically reacting flows: Theory and numerical simulations

The theory of turbulent diffusion of chemically reacting gaseous admixtures developed previously [T. Elperin et al., Phys. Rev. E 90, 053001 (2014)PLEEE81539-375510.1103/PhysRevE.90.053001] is generalized for large yet finite Reynolds numbers and the dependence of turbulent diffusion coefficient on two parameters, the Reynolds number and Damköhler number (which characterizes a ratio of turbulent and reaction time scales), is obtained. Three-dimensional direct numerical simulations (DNSs) of a finite-thickness reaction wave for the first-order chemical reactions propagating in forced, homogeneous, isotropic, and incompressible turbulence are performed to validate the theoretically predicted effect of chemical reactions on turbulent diffusion. It is shown that the obtained DNS results are in good agreement with the developed theory.

Decline and Peripheral Redistribution of Fat Mass in Old Age - A Four-Year Prospective Study in 3018 Older Community-Living Adults

BACKGROUND

It is widely recognized that fat will accumulate with ageing and is more prominent centrally. However, there were studies reported that fat might not gain either centrally or generally with ageing.

METHODS

The baseline, 2-year and 4-year total body fat mas, trunk fat mass and percentage fat mass, were measured by DXA in 3018 community-living Chinese older than 65 years. The respective 4-year trajectories of adiposity were analyzed by repeated measure ANOVA p-for-trend test.

RESULTS

There was a trend of increase in total body fat mass in men and a decreasing trend in women but neither reached statistical significance. However, there was a significant increase in percent fat mass in both genders. Fat mass was relatively stable in the 2 young-old groups but it declined in the oldest group, aged 75 years or above. (men, p=0.017; women, p<0.001). On the contrary, a corresponding rise of percent fat mass was observed, which was steeper in the 2 younger age groups but did not change in the oldest group. For trunk fat mass, there was a statistically significant decreasing trend in women (p < 0.001) but it remained static in men (p = 0.092). The fat mass in upper limbs of both genders did not change but for the lower limbs, there was a statistically significant increase in both men (p < 0.001) and women (p < 0.02).

CONCLUSION

Absolute total body fat mass does not accumulate in old age and in the contrary, in the oldest old group (75 years or above), it declined instead. With ageing, fat will redistribute from the central region to the lower limbs.

Variability in Repeated Blood Pressure Measurements as a Marker of Frailty

OBJECTIVES

Variation in repeated blood pressure measurements may represent a decline in homeostatic mechanisms in blood pressure regulation in response to various internal or external stressors, indicating a frail state. We tested this hypothesis by examining the association between variability in repeated blood pressure measurements (BPV) and frailty status, adjusting for other confounding factors.

DESIGN

A longitudinal cohort study.

SETTING

Community centres in all three regions of Hong Kong.

PARTICIPANTS

1156 community-living older adults aged 60 years and over participated in a community geriatric screening program with blood pressure measurements three times a week over one year. Participants were divided into three groups based on variability of repeated blood pressure measurements (low, medium, high) using machine learning methods.

MEASUREMENTS

Frailty status was assessed using the FRAIL scale. Logistic regression was used to examine cross sectional association between frailty status and BPV adjusting for confounding factors, and also frailty transition with BPV.

RESULTS

In multi-variate models adjusting for co-variates, high BPV was associated with frailty (OR 1.57; 95% CI 1.05-2.37) among all participants; however, this was only significant in women in subgroup analysis. Similar findings were observed when transition to a more frail state was examined over a twelve month period.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of this study support the concept of physiological dysregulation underlying the frail state, and that BPV calculated using machine learning methods may be used as a biomarker of such dysregulation.

Distribution and source of rare earth elements in PM2.5 in Xiamen, China

Particulate matter with diameter ≤2.5 µm (PM_2.5 ) is a serious atmospheric pollutant. Composition and source analyses are essential for controlling PM_2.5 . Rare earth elements (REEs) have received little attention as a component of PM_2.5 . In the present study, PM_2.5 samples were collected in urban and suburban areas in Xiamen and analyzed for REEs. The concentration range of total REEs (∑REE) is 12.07 to 98.45 mg/kg, with a mean of 38.53 mg/kg, in urban PM_2.5 and 16.44 to 160.62 mg/kg, with a mean of 42.94 mg/kg, in suburban PM_2.5 . Light REE concentrations are higher in suburban PM_2.5 , whereas heavy REE concentrations are higher in urban PM_2.5 , implying distinct sources of REEs in urban and suburban PM_2.5 . The scatter plots of δEu-∑REE and La-Ce-Sm suggest that REEs in urban PM_2.5 originate from gasoline- and diesel-vehicle exhaust, whereas those in suburban PM_2.5 are mainly influenced by gasoline-vehicle exhaust. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:3217-3222. © 2017 SETAC.

Prevalence of chronic kidney disease in patients with chronic hepatitis B: A cross-sectional survey

Renal safety is a major concern during long-term antiviral treatment for chronic hepatitis B (CHB). This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in patients with CHB that had been treated with antiviral therapy. This was a single-centre, cross-sectional study in a real-life cohort in which all patients received antiviral treatment. Serum creatinine-based equations from the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) were used to estimate the glomerular filtration rate (GFR). CKD was defined as an eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m² or a urinary albumin to creatinine ratio ≥ 3 mg/mmol (defined as albuminuria). Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to determine the risk factors of CKD. A total of 1985 patients were included in the analysis from February 2015 to December 2015. The mean age and median duration of antiviral treatment was 42.20 years and 17.05 months, respectively. The overall prevalence of CKD was 7.9% (157/1985), with 44 patients experiencing decreased renal function (eGFR less than 60 mL/min/1.73 m²) and 129 patients with albuminuria. Patients with cirrhosis had a higher prevalence of a decreased GFR (4.3% vs 1.6%, P<.001) and albuminuria (11.1% vs 5.2%, P<.001) than those without cirrhosis. In the multivariate analysis, hypertension (Odds Ratio [OR] 4.564, P<.001), diabetes mellitus (OR 2.688, P<.001) and cirrhosis (OR 1.918, P<.001) were independent factors associated with the presence of CKD. CKD was a clinically significant comorbidity in patients with CHB. Special attention should be paid to cirrhotic patients and patients with the metabolic syndrome.

[Effects of voice therapy and psychological intervention on anxious and depressive in patients with voice disorders]

Objective:To investigatethe effect of voice therapy on anxious and depressive in patients with voice disorders.Method:The patients who received voicee therapy in our department from May 2014 to July 2016 were enrolled in our study and evaluated by self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) and self rating depression scale (SDS), before and after voice therapy.result:Before voicee therapy, the score of SAS and SDS were 47.52±11.15 and 48.63±8.70 respectively, which were higher than domestic norm (37.23±12.59 and 41.88±10.57 for SAS and SDS, respecative) with P< 0.05. After voice therapy, the score of SAS and SDS were 38.03±6.95 and 42.21±7.71, which were lower than the score of before voice therapy (P< 0.05). And compared with the domestic norm, the difference was not statistically significant (P> 0.05).Conclusion:The anxiety and depression scores of patients with voice disorders are higher than those of ordinary people. The voice therapy can effectively relieve anxiety and depression of patients with voice disease.

Tanshinone IIA ameliorates chronic arthritis in mice by modulating neutrophil activities

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic immune inflammatory disease mediated by the influx of immune cells into the synovial joint space. As Tanshinone IIA (TIIA) has potent anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, we used the adjuvant-induced arthritis (AA) murine model of RA to investigate the impact of TIIA on RA and immune cell activation. The anti-arthritic activity of TIIA was investigated in an adjuvant-induced arthritis model of RA in mice. Myeloperoxidase and neutrophil elastase expression levels were assessed in ankle joints by immunohistochemistry analysis. Immune cell infiltration was evaluated in air pouch experiments. Proinflammatory cytokines expression levels were determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) were assessed by immunostaining and confocal microscopy. Treatment with TIIA alleviated cartilage erosion and neutrophil infiltration in the ankle joints of AA mice and reduced proinflammatory cytokine expression levels in sera. TIIA suppressed interleukin-6 and tumour necrosis factor-α expression and release in neutrophils and promoted neutrophil apoptosis. TIIA also inhibited the NET formation of neutrophils. Our findings demonstrated that TIIA can ameliorate RA effectively by targeting neutrophils, indicating that TIIA may act as a potential therapeutic for RA.