Efficacy of annual zoledronic acid in initial percutaneous kyphoplasty patients with osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures: a 3-year follow-up study

This study investigated the efficacy of annual zoledronic acid (ZOL) administration against previously treated recompression vertebral fractures (RVF) and new vertebral fractures (NVF) in initial percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) patients with osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF) over a 3-year follow-up period.

INTRODUCTION

Although PKP achieves a satisfactory outcome, previously treated RVF and NVF can limit its effectiveness. The annual infusion of ZOL over 3 years can improve fracture protection, particularly in the vertebrae. We hypothesized that ZOL can reduce the incidence of RVFs and/or NVFs, and improve the clinical outcomes of PKP.

METHODS

This was a placebo-controlled, double-blind prospective trial of 154 PKP patients (mean age: 70 years) with OVCFs. Patients were randomly assigned to receive a single infusion of ZOL (5 mg) or placebo (78 ZOL vs. 76 placebo) at 1 week, 12 months, and 24 months after surgery. Patients were followed-up for 36 months.

RESULTS

ZOL treatment lowered the risk of RVF by ~ 65% over the 36-month period when compared to placebo controls (6.41% in ZOL vs. 18.42% in placebo groups; relative risk, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.13 to 0.92). ZOL also reduced the risk of NVF by ~ 73% (3.85% in ZOL vs. 14.47% in placebo groups; relative risk, 0.27; 95% CI, 0.08 to 0.92). ZOL also significantly reduced the vertebral height lost rate (HLR) at 12, 24, and 36 months. ZOL also improved the visual analog scale (VAS), Oswestry disability index (ODI) scores, and bone mineral density (BMD).

CONCLUSION

Annual ZOL administration significantly lowers the risk of RVFs and NVFs, improving the clinical outcome of initial PKP in patients with OVCFs over a 3-year follow-up period.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ChiCTR2000029307.

Knockdown of lncRNA HCG11 suppresses cell progression in ovarian cancer by modulating miR-144-3p/PBX3

OBJECTIVE

LncRNA HCG11 has been confirmed to act as a crucial role in several human cancers. Nevertheless, to our knowledge, the function of HCG11 on the progression of ovarian cancer (OC) has not been studied. This article is designed to explore the mechanism and role of HCG11 in the tumorigenesis and development of OC.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

RT-qPCR analysis was applied to detect the expression of HCG11, miR-144-3p and PBX3 in OC tissues and cell lines. MTT assay and transwell assay were opted to measure the cell viability of OC cells. The protein expression level of PBX3 was measured by Western blot assay. Dual-Luciferase reporter assay was carried out to assess the correlation between HCG11, miR-144-3p and PBX3.

RESULTS

The upregulated of HCG11 was observed in OC tissues and OC cell lines. Moreover, miR-144-3p was down expressed in OC tissues and cell lines. Functionally, the knockdown of HCG11 prevented cell viability of SKOV3 cells, while miR-144-3p inhibitor abrogated the suppressor on cell progression. Furthermore, PBX3 was verified to be a target gene of miR-144-3p. In addition, PBX3 knockdown prevented the cell progression of SKOV3 cells.

CONCLUSIONS

These data displayed that the knockdown of HCG11 prevented cell progression in OC by sponging miR-144-3p and downregulating PBX3. All results revealed that HCG11 can be a potential therapeutic target for OC therapy.

[Clinical and genetic studies on 76 patients with hydrocephalus caused by methylmalonic acidemia combined with homocysteinuria]

Objective: To analyze the clinical features, genetic characteristics, treatment and follow-up results of patients with hydrocephalus caused by methylmalonic acidemia combined with homocysteinuria, and to discuss the optimal strategies for assessing and treating such patients. Methods: From January 1998 to December 2020, 76 patients with hydrocephalus due to methylmalonic acidemia combined with homocysteinuria in the Department of Pediatrics in 11 hospitals including Peking University First Hospital were diagnosed by biochemical, genetic analysis and brain imaging examination. The patients were divided into operation-group and non-operation-group according to whether they underwent ventriculoperitoneal shunt. The clinical features, laboratory examinations, genotype, and follow-up data were retrospectively analyzed. Data were compared between the two groups using rank sum test, and categorical data were compared using χ² test. Results: Among the 76 patients (51 male, 25 female), 5 were detected by newborn screening, while 71 were diagnosed after clinical onset, 68 cases (96%) had early-onset, 3 cases (4%) had late-onset. The most common clinical manifestations of 74 cases with complete data were psychomotor retardation in 74 cases (100%), visual impairment in 74 cases (100%), epilepsy in 44 cases (59%), anemia in 31 cases (42%), hypotonia or hypertonia in 21 cases (28%), feeding difficulties in 19 cases (26%) and disturbance of consciousness in 17 cases (23%). Genetic analysis was performed in 76 cases, all of whom had MMACHC gene variations, including 30 homozygous variations of MMACHC c.609G>A. The most common variations were c.609G>A (94, 62.7%), followed by c.658_660del (18, 12.0%), c.567dupT (9, 6.0%) and c.217C>T (8, 5.3%). Therapy including cobalamin intramuscular injection, L-carnitine and betaine were initiated immediately after diagnosis. A ventriculoperitoneal shunt operation was performed in 41 cases (operation group), and 31 patients improved after metabolic intervention (non-operation group). There was no significant difference in the age of onset, the age of diagnosis, the blood total homocysteine, methionine, and urinary methylmalonic acid concentration between the two groups (all P>0.05). The symptoms of psychomotor development, epilepsy, and visual impairments improved gradually after a long-term follow-up in the operation group. Conclusions: Hydrocephalus is a severe complication of methylmalonic acidemia combined with homocysteinuria. The most common clinical manifestations are psychomotor retardation, visual impairment, and epilepsy. It usually occurs in early-onset patients. Early diagnosis and etiological treatment are very important. Hydrocephalus may improve after metabolic intervention in some patients. For patients with severe ventricular dilatation, prompt surgical intervention can improve the prognosis.

POS0788 CIRCULATING EXOSOMES PROMOTE LUPUS NEPHRITIS IN MRL-LPR MICE

Background:

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a prototypic autoimmune disease that characterized by the loss of self-tolerance and the production of autoantibodies (autoAbs) [1, 2]. Lupus nephritis (LN), the severe organ-threatening manifestations of SLE, could cause massive damage to patients[3, 4]. Currently, some exosomal microRNAs (miRNAs) are considered as potential biomarkers in SLE. However, the role of exosomal miRNAs in Lupus Nephritis (LN) remains unclear.

Objectives:

The purpose of this study was to investigate molecular mechanism of plasma exosomal miRNAs in the development of Lupus Nephritis.

Methods:

Circulating exosomes were isolated from plasma of patients with LN, SLE without LN (NLN). Plasma exosomes were authenticated by Western Blot, Nanosight Tracking Analysis (NTA) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Fluorescence microscopy of co-cultured plasma exosomes and podocytes demonstrated that exosomes were uptaken into podocytes. Moreover, cell apoptosis and the inflammation factors was assessed using Western Blot. We analyzed the expression profiles of miRNAs in LN and NLN exosomes and the expression profiles of mRNAs of podocytes stimulated with LN and NLN exosomes with the help of next generation sequencing (NGS).

Results:

We demonstrate that exosomes derived from LN plasma could be taken by neighboring podocytes and promote the apoptosis of podocytes and the expression of inflammation factors. In addition, the sequencing found that miRNAs were differentially expressed in LN and NLN exosomes and mRNAs were differentially expressed in podocytes stimulated with LN and NLN exosomes.

Conclusion:

LN plasma exosomes have a potency to stimulate the apoptosis of podocytes and the expression of inflammation factors. Moreover, differentially expressed miRNAs in exosomes play a potential role in the development of LN.

References:

[1]T. Colasanti, A. Maselli, F. Conti, M. Sanchez, C. Alessandri, C. Barbati, D. Vacirca, A. Tinari, F. Chiarotti, A. Giovannetti, F. Franconi, G. Valesini, W. Malorni, M. Pierdominici, E. Ortona, Autoantibodies to estrogen receptor α interfere with T lymphocyte homeostasis and are associated with disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus, Arthritis and rheumatism, 64 (2012) 778-787.

[2]H.A. Al-Shobaili, A.A. Al Robaee, A.A. Alzolibani, Z. Rasheed, Antibodies against 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal modified epitopes recognized chromatin and its oxidized forms: role of chromatin, oxidized forms of chromatin and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal modified epitopes in the etiopathogenesis of SLE, Disease markers, 33 (2012) 19-34.

[3]A. Kaul, C. Gordon, M.K. Crow, Z. Touma, M.B. Urowitz, R. van Vollenhoven, G. Ruiz-Irastorza, G. Hughes, Systemic lupus erythematosus, Nat Rev Dis Primers, 2 (2016) 16039.

[4]M.G. Tektonidou, A. Dasgupta, M.M. Ward, Risk of End-Stage Renal Disease in Patients With Lupus Nephritis, 1971-2015: A Systematic Review and Bayesian Meta-Analysis, Arthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.), 68 (2016) 1432-1441.

Disclosure of Interests:

None declared

AB0343 THE CHARACTERISTICS OF T CELLS IN SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS PATIENTS WITH ANXIETY BASED ON MACHINE LEARNING

Background:

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease, the immune system of patients to be disordered, especially in T cell subsets1. They were prone to mental diseases, anxiety particularly, which lead to suicide2. The recent study had reported that CD4+ T cells in the peripheral blood played the key role in like anxiety behavior of mice3. Although there showed that the level of serum TNF-α in SLE patients with anxiety was higher than without anxiety4, finding the important special mediators especially in T cell subsets was still necessary for the prevention of anxiety in SLE patients.

Objectives:

In total, 108 SLE patients, which met the diagnostic criteria of the American Society of rheumatology (v1997), were enrolled in this study from Affilliated Hospital of Nantong University, China. Exclusion criteria included other autoimmune diseases and active infection (including hepatitis B or C virus, Epstein-Barr virus, human immunodeficiency virus or Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection).

Methods:

We surveyed the abundance of 74 immune cell subpopulations from 108 SLE patients using flow cytometry, and investigated their differences between patients with and without anxiety (24 versus 84). Moreover, machine learning including Lasso regression, Random forest (RF) and Sparsity partial least squares discriminant analysis (sPLS-DA) was employed to build models and futher selected important features for the classification of SLE patients with anxiety.

Results:

SLE patients with anxiety showed higher body mass index (BMI) and lower quality of life. In their peripheral blood, the proportion of internal cell subsets composition of Th cell and Treg cells changed. By machine learning, we finally found that BMI and PD1-CD28- Treg played important rules to developing lupus anxiety.

Conclusion:

In this study, machine learning was applied to build models to select the most important T cell subset in SLE patients with anxiety. These findings suggested that BMI and imbalance of PD1-CD28- Treg containing effector memory Treg cells and effector Treg cells mostly played important roles in the development of SLE anxiety.

Disclosure of Interests:

None declared

POS0401 THE APPLICATION OF MTX-LOADING DNA TETRAHEDRON IN TREATING COLLAGEN-INDUCED ARTHRITIS MICE VIA REGULATING MACROPHAGE

Background:

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease which mainly affect joints. [1]. Macrophages often infiltrate in the inflammatory joints. Activated macrophages release TNF-α, IL-1β to accelerate tissue damage, is one of the most important targets for RA intervention. The traditional drugs currently used commonly have some disadvantages cannot be bypassed[2], while DNA nanostructure is a new type of drugs have precise design, and likewise takes biological effect together[3]. We synthesized a DNA tetrahedron loaded with MTX and conjugated with HA which targeted to macrophage.

Objectives:

To verify whether MTX-loading DNA tetrahedron can regulate the apoptosis and polarization of macrophage and finally improve the condition of CIA model mice by while decrease the side effect of MTX.

Methods:

DNA TET was synthesized by mixing signal strand DNA in TM buffer and heated to 95 °C for 10 min, then cooling to 4 °C. Electrophoresis was applied to confirm the formation of TET. The absorbance of MTX solution was detected by microplate reader to analyze the loading efficiency of MTX into TET. Fluorescence microscope was used to observe the intake of TET into cells. CCK8 experiment was applied to measure the vitality of cells. Flow cytometry was used to detect the apoptosis and polarization. CIA model was established based on DBA/1 mice. Mice were randomly divided into five groups: normal group injected with NS; after established CIA model, CIA group injected with NS, MTX group injected with MTX solution, MTX-TET group injected with MTX-TET NP.

Results:

We synthesized DNA tetrahedron(A) and used 8% PAGE electrophoresis to confirmed the successfully synthesis(B). Then We found that when TET concentration fixed, the loading MTX concentration gradually increased and saturated at 190μM(C). While completely loading needed at least 4 hours(D). Fluorescence showed that single DNA strand cannot be taken by RAW, while TET can be easily taken by RAW(E). CCK8 showed that empty TET had no obvious effect on cells, while MTX and MTX-TET with equivalent concentration can obviously suppress the vitality(F). Similarly, the apoptosis trial showed that TET can slightly decrease the apoptosis of RAW, MTX and MTX-TET can significantly promote the apoptosis(G). Flow cytometry showed that the MTX-TET can decrease the expression of M1 marker CD80 (H).

At last, we treat mice with NS, TET, MTX and MTX-TET once a week after CIA model established, and found that TET have no significantly effect on mice, while MTX and MTX-TET can alleviate the inflammation symptom of paws(I).

Conclusion:

Conclusions: We synthesized MTX-loading DNA tetrahedron conjugated with HA, and found that the MTX-TET NP have the excellent ability of promote RAW apoptosis and relieve proinflammatory M1 polarization. while also can alleviate the symptom of CIA mice.

References:

[1]Aletaha D, Smolen JS: Diagnosis and Management of Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Review. JAMA 2018, 320(13):1360-1372.

[2]Smolen JS, Aletaha D, McInnes IB: Rheumatoid arthritis. Lancet 2016, 388(10055):2023-2038.

[3]Hu Q, Li H, Wang L, Gu H, Fan C: DNA Nanotechnology-Enabled Drug Delivery Systems. Chem Rev 2019, 119(10):6459-6506.

Figure 1.

Disclosure of Interests:

None declared

POS0798 GIANT CELL ARTERITIS TREATMENT PATTERNS AND RATES OF SERIOUS INFECTIONS

Background:

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) afflicts older adults, who may have age- and comorbidity-related risks for infection, and is treated with glucocorticoids and other immunosuppressants that might increase the risk of serious infections.

Objectives:

To examine GCA treatment patterns and rates of serious infections in two real-world cohorts in the U.S.

Methods:

Using claims data from two U.S. health insurance databases, Medicare (public, 2007-2017) and MarketScan (commercial, 2015-2019), we selected a cohort of patients with GCA based on a validated claims-based algorithm requiring ≥2 diagnosis codes for GCA plus dispensing of high-dose oral glucocorticoid (PPV 84.8%) [1]. The Medicare cohort included Medicare enrollees aged ≥65 years with GCA who were treated at a large Massachusetts-based healthcare system; the MarketScan cohort included a nationwide sample of GCA patients aged ≥50 years. GCA index date was the date of 1st glucocorticoid prescription. We assessed baseline comorbidities in the year prior to index date. Immunosuppressants and prophylactic antibiotics dispensed within 30 days of index date were recorded. Influenza vaccine administration in the year after index date was identified. We calculated the incidence rate of serious infections, defined as infections requiring hospitalization, after index date through end of cohort follow-up (12/31/17 in Medicare; 12/31/2019 in MarketScan), disenrollment, or death.

Results:

The Medicare cohort included 734 patients, 28% male, mean age 77.1 (SD 7.4); the MarketScan cohort included 1022 patients, 30% male, mean age 68.4 (SD 10.9). The most common comorbidity was hypertension (80% Medicare; 72% MarketScan) followed by hyperlipidemia, cancer, coronary artery disease, and diabetes (Table 1). High-dose prednisone was the most common initial treatment; a small percentage received tocilizumab within 30 days of index date. Prophylaxis against pneumocystis pneumonia was similar in Medicare (13%) and MarketScan cohorts (10%). Influenza vaccination was more common in the Medicare (56%) than MarketScan (22%) cohort in the year after GCA index date. During the mean follow-up time of 2.6 (SD 2.5) years in Medicare and 1.5 (SD 0.9) years in MarketScan, 27.9% of the Medicare and 7.2% of MarketScan patients developed serious infections: incidence rate per 100 person-years = 10.7 (95% CI 9.3, 12.2) in Medicare and 6.3 (95% CI 5.0, 7.9) in MarketScan.

Conclusion:

In these 2 real-world GCA cohorts in the US, over 25% of Medicare and 7% of MarketScan patients developed serious infection during follow-up. The incidence rate of serious infection was similar to ANCA-associated vasculitis [2]. Use of prophylactic antibiotics and influenza vaccination was suboptimal among GCA patients.

References:

[1]Lee H, et al. ACR Open Rheum 2020 (in press).

[2]Rathmann J, et al. Rheumatology 2020; doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/keaa699.

Table 1.

Comorbidities, medication use, and infection rates in GCA cohorts

Medicare cohort (n=734)MarketScan cohort (n=1022)Baseline comorbiditiesHypertension80%72%Hyperlipidemia71%61%Cancer38%24%Coronary artery disease34%25%Diabetes34%31%No. rheumatology visits, mean (SD)1.4 (2.2)0.8 (1.7)Medications within 30 days of index datePrednisone maximum dose ≥60mg daily87%91%Tocilizumab IV or SC<2%5%Methotrexate3%4%Bactrim, atovaquone, or dapsone13%10%Vaccines in the year after index dateInfluenza vaccine56%22%Serious infection incidence rate (95% CI) per 100 person-years10.7 (9.3, 12.2)6.3 (5.0, 7.9)

Disclosure of Interests:

Sara Tedeschi: None declared, Yinzhu Jin: None declared, Seanna Vine: None declared, Hemin Lee: None declared, Attila Pethoe-Schramm Employee of: F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Vincent Yau Employee of: F. Hoffmann-La Roche/Genentech, Seoyoung Kim Grant/research support from: Roche, Pfizer, AbbVie and Bristol-Myers Squibb

TRPP2 promotes the proliferation of nasopharyngeal carcinoma through upregulating Skp2/c-Myc

OBJECTIVE

To elucidate the promotive role of TRPP2 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) proliferation by targeting Skp2/c-Myc, thus accelerating the malignant progression.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

TRPP2 levels in NPC patients with different T stages were detected. Correlation between TRPP2 level and clinical features of NPC patients was analyzed. Kaplan-Meier curves were depicted for assessing the prognostic value of TRPP2 in NPC. Subsequently, regulatory effects of TRPP2 on viability and 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU)-positive ratio were determined by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and EdU assay, respectively. Relative levels of Skp2 and c-Myc in NPC cells transfected with si-TRPP2 were examined. At last, the involvement of c-Myc in TRPP2-regulated proliferative ability of NPC was evaluated by performing rescue experiments.

RESULTS

TRPP2 was upregulated in NPC tissues. TRPP2 level was higher in NPC patients with T3+T4 than those with T1+T2. Worse survival was observed in NPC patients expressing high level of TRPP2. TRPP2 level was correlated to T stage, N stage, M stage, and locoregional failure of NPC patients. Knockdown of TRPP2 reduced viability and EdU-positive ratio in NPC cells. In addition, relative levels of Skp2 and c-Myc in NPC cells transfected with si-TRPP2 were downregulated. Overexpression of c-Myc could partially reverse the regulatory effects of TRPP2 on NPC proliferation.

CONCLUSIONS

TRPP2 stimulates NPC cells to proliferate by upregulating expressions of Skp2/c-Myc, thus deteriorating the development of NPC.

Test of Lepton-Flavor Universality in B→K^{*}ℓ^{+}ℓ^{-} Decays at Belle

We present a measurement of R_{K^{*}}, the branching fraction ratio B(B→K^{*}μ^{+}μ^{-})/B(B→K^{*}e^{+}e^{-}), for both charged and neutral B mesons. The ratio for the charged case R_{K^{*+}} is the first measurement ever performed. In addition, we report absolute branching fractions for the individual modes in bins of the squared dilepton invariant mass q^{2}. The analysis is based on a data sample of 711  fb^{-1}, containing 772×10^{6}  BB[over ¯] events, recorded at the ϒ(4S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e^{+}e^{-} collider. The obtained results are consistent with standard model expectations.

Evidence for X(3872)→J/ψπ^{+}π^{-} Produced in Single-Tag Two-Photon Interactions

We report the first evidence for X(3872) production in two-photon interactions by tagging either the electron or the positron in the final state, exploring the highly virtual photon region. The search is performed in e^{+}e^{-}→e^{+}e^{-}J/ψπ^{+}π^{-}, using 825  fb^{-1} of data collected by the Belle detector operated at the KEKB e^{+}e^{-} collider. We observe three X(3872) candidates, where the expected background is 0.11±0.10 events, with a significance of 3.2σ. We obtain an estimated value for Γ[over ˜]_{γγ}B(X(3872)→J/ψπ^{+}π^{-}) assuming the Q^{2} dependence predicted by a cc[over ¯] meson model, where -Q^{2} is the invariant mass squared of the virtual photon. No X(3915)→J/ψπ^{+}π^{-} candidates are found.

Observation of a Near-Threshold Structure in the K^{+} Recoil-Mass Spectra in e^{+}e^{-}→K^{+}(D_{s}^{-}D^{*0}+D_{s}^{*-}D^{0})

We report a study of the processes of e^{+}e^{-}→K^{+}D_{s}^{-}D^{*0} and K^{+}D_{s}^{*-}D^{0} based on e^{+}e^{-} annihilation samples collected with the BESIII detector operating at BEPCII at five center-of-mass energies ranging from 4.628 to 4.698 GeV with a total integrated luminosity of 3.7  fb^{-1}. An excess of events over the known contributions of the conventional charmed mesons is observed near the D_{s}^{-}D^{*0} and D_{s}^{*-}D^{0} mass thresholds in the K^{+} recoil-mass spectrum for events collected at sqrt[s]=4.681  GeV. The structure matches a mass-dependent-width Breit-Wigner line shape, whose pole mass and width are determined as (3982.5_{-2.6}^{+1.8}±2.1)  MeV/c^{2} and (12.8_{-4.4}^{+5.3}±3.0)  MeV, respectively. The first uncertainties are statistical and the second are systematic. The significance of the resonance hypothesis is estimated to be 5.3  σ over the contributions only from the conventional charmed mesons. This is the first candidate for a charged hidden-charm tetraquark with strangeness, decaying into D_{s}^{-}D^{*0} and D_{s}^{*-}D^{0}. However, the properties of the excess need further exploration with more statistics.

Model-Independent Determination of the Spin of the Ω^{-} and Its Polarization Alignment in ψ(3686)→Ω^{-}Ω[over ¯]^{+}

We present an analysis of the process ψ(3686)→Ω^{-}Ω[over ¯]^{+} (Ω^{-}→K^{-}Λ, Ω[over ¯]^{+}→K^{+}Λ[over ¯], Λ→pπ^{-}, Λ[over ¯]→p[over ¯]π^{+}) based on a dataset of 448×10^{6}  ψ(3686) decays collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII electron-positron collider. The helicity amplitudes for the process ψ(3686)→Ω^{-}Ω[over ¯]^{+} and the decay parameters of the subsequent decay Ω^{-}→K^{-}Λ (Ω[over ¯]^{+}→K^{+}Λ[over ¯]) are measured for the first time by a fit to the angular distribution of the complete decay chain, and the spin of the Ω^{-} is determined to be 3/2 for the first time since its discovery more than 50 years ago.

Effect of fenofibrate on proliferation of SMMC-7721 cells via regulating cell cycle

Liver cancer is a malignant cancer with great harmfulness. Fenofibrate is a peroxisome proliferation activated receptor (PPARα) agonist widely used in the treatment of dyslipidemia. Previous studies have shown that fenofibrate may promote cell proliferation, but the underlying mechanism has not been fully characterized. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of PPARα agonist fenofibrate in cell proliferation of SMMC-7721 cells compared with that of THLE-2 cells. SMMC-7721 and THLE-2 cells were treated with different concentrations of fenofibrate. Cell proliferation was analyzed by MTT, using flow cytometry for cell cycle analysis, and CyclinD1, Cyclin-dependent kinases2 (CDK2) and Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen (PCNA) were analyzed by Western blotting. RT-qPCR method was used to assess CDK2, CyclinD1 and PCNA mRNA levels. The results showed that 10^-9-10^-4 mol/L fenofibrate could induce cell growth and 10^-4, 10^-5, 10^-6 mol/L fenofibrate could reduce the number of G0/G1 phase cells and increased in the number of cells in S and G2/M phase of cell cycle in SMMC-7721 cells. Furthermore, fenofibrate could significantly increase the expression of cell cycle related protein (CyclinD1, CDK2)and cell proliferation related proteins (PCNA). The use of PPARα inhibitor MT886 inhibited cell cycle progression and promote tumor cell apoptosis. But fenofibrate had no obvious effect on THLE-2 cells. These results revealed the effect of fenofibrate on the cell cycle of liver cancer cells, and provided a reasonable explanation for studying how fenofibrate promotes cell proliferation.

Association of Frailty Status with Risk of Fall among Middle-Aged and Older Adults in China: A Nationally Representative Cohort Study

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the association between frailty status and risk of fall among middle-aged and older Chinese people.

DESIGN

A nationally representative prospective cohort study.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

The study included 13,877 community-dwelling participants aged 45 years and above from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study.

METHODS

Frailty status was identified by the frailty index of health deficit accumulation. 34 variables at baseline were selected to calculate the frailty index. We excluded participants with incomplete information in construction of the frailty index at baseline. Falls were measured based on the respondents' self-report. We used a logistic regression model to estimate the associations between the frailty status and risk of fall, and subgroup analyses and sensitivity analyses were further conducted.

RESULTS

Of 13,877 participants, 2310 (16.6%) had falls during the observation period. 9027 (65.0%) participants were classified as robust, 4019 (29.0%) participants were classified as pre-frail, and 831 (6.0%) participants were classified as frail. Our results indicated per 0.01 increment in the frailty index was significantly associated with an increased risk of fall among middle-aged and older participants (OR: 1.52, 95%CI: 1.45-1.60). Such association was stronger when frailty was presented as a categorical variable, with an OR of 1.75 (95%CI: 1.59-1.93) for pre-frail and 3.04 (95%CI: 2.60-3.56) for frail. The area under the curve of the logistic model was 0.612 (95%CI: 0.600-0.625). Each 0.01 increment of the frailty index was association with a higher risk of fall among middle-aged (45-59years) participants (OR: 1.44, 95%CI: 1.29-1.60) than among older (≥60 years) participants (OR: 1.28, 95%CI: 1.16-1.41) at baseline (p=0.015 for interaction).

CONCLUSION

Frailty was significantly associated with an increased risk of fall among community-dwelling middle-aged and older people in China. It is necessary to screen and recognize frailty status to prevent falls among middle-aged and older adults.

[Analysis of pathogen spectrum and antimicrobial resistance of pathogens associated with hospital-acquired infections collected from 11 teaching hospitals in 2018]

Objective: To investigate the spectrum and antimicrobial resistance of major pathogens causing nosocomial infections in China, 2018. Methods: Non-duplicated nosocomial cases as well as pathogens causing bloodstream infections (BSI), hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) and intra-abdominal infections (IAI) from 11 teaching hospitals across China were collected. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of clinically significant strains were determined by agar dilution method or broth microdilution method. The Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) M100-S29 criteria were used for interpretation, and the WHONET-5.6 software was used in data analysis. Results: A total of 1 590 cases were collected, including 831 cases from BSI, 450 cases from HAP and 309 cases from IAI. The most prevalent pathogens causing BSI were Escherichia coli (29.2%, 243/831), Klebsiella pneumoniae (16.2%, 135/831) and Staphylococcus aureus (10.1%, 84/831); the most prevalent pathogens causing IAI were E. coli (26.2%, 81/309), Enterococcus faecium (15.5%, 48/309) and K. pneumoniae (13.3%, 41/309); while Acinetobacter baumanii (24.7%, 111/450), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (20.7%, 93/450) and K. pneumoniae (16.2%, 73/450) were dominated in HAP. All S. aureus were susceptible to tigecycline, linezolid, daptomycin and glycopeptides; 77.8% (105/135) of S. aureus strains were susceptible to ceftaroline. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) accounted for 29.6% (40/135) of all the S. aureus, and was lower than the accounted rate of methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (MRCNS) (83.7%, 41/49). One E. faecium strain (1.1%, 1/95) resistant to vacomycin and teicoplanin and one E. faecalis strain (2.3%, 1/43) resistant to linezolid was found. The prevalence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) was 56.1% (193/344) in E. coli and 22.1% (55/249) in K. pneumonia; the rate of carbapenem resistant E. coli and K. pneumonia was 4.1% (14/344) and 22.9% (57/249), respectively; the percentage of ceftazidime/avibactam resistant E. coli and K. pneumonia was 2.3% (8/344) and 2.0% (5/249), respectively; the percentage of colistin resistant E. coli and K. pneumonia was 1.5% (5/344) and 7.6% (19/249), respectively; no E. coli and K. pneumonia strains were found resistant to tigecycline. The rate of carbapenem resistant A. baumanii and P. aeruginosa were 78.9% (146/185) and 36.7% (66/180), respectively. A. baumanii showed low susceptibility to the antimicrobial agents except colistin (99.5%, 184/185) and tigecycline (91.4%, 169/185). Colistin, amikacin and ceftazidime/avibactam demonstrated high antibacterial activity against P. aeruginosa with susceptility rate of 100% (180/180), 93.3% (168/180) and 85.6% (154/180), respectively. Conclusions: Nosocomial Gram-negative pathogens show high susceptibilities to tigecycline, colistin and ceftazidime/avibactam in vitro. Antimicrobial resistance in A. baumannii is a serious problem. The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae has increased, which should be monitored continuously in China.

LncRNA CASC15 functions as an oncogene by sponging miR-130b-3p in bladder cancer

OBJECTIVE

Recent studies have revealed that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are dysregulated in malignant tumors and participates in carcinogenesis. The purpose of our study was to uncover the mechanisms underlying lncRNA CASC15 in bladder cancer (BLCA).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In this research, Real Time-quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR) was performed to detect cancer susceptibility candidate 15 (CASC15) expression in BLCA samples and cells. Besides, the wound healing assay and transwell assay were performed in BLCA cells after CASC15 was knocked down. Furthermore, the bioinformatics analysis and dual-luciferase reporter assay were conducted to explore the target miRNA of CASC15, which was further verified through rescue experiments in BLCA cells.

RESULTS

CASC15 expression was upregulated in BLCA tissue samples. Moreover, CASC15 downregulated the miR-130b-3p expression and promoted cell migration and invasion in BLCA in vitro. The rescue experiments also revealed that the inhibitory effects by the silence of CASC15 could be reversed through the inhibition of miR-130b-3p.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study suggested a vital regulatory mechanism of CASC15 in BLCA, and the CASC15/miR-130b-3p axis might serve as a new therapeutic interventional target for BLCA patients.

[Analysis of the feasibility and prognostic value of circulating tumor DNA in detecting gene mutations in small cell lung cancer]

Objective: To investigate the feasibility of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in detecting small cell lung cancer (SCLC) gene mutations and its prognostic value in chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy for SCLC patients. Methods: A total of 77 SCLC patients who were admitted to the Department of Thoracic Medical Oncology and the Department of Thoracic Radiation Oncology of Zhejiang Cancer Hospital from July 2016 to November 2019 were included. There were 66 males and 11 females, with a median age of 60 years. Among them, 42 cases were in limited stage (LS) and 35 cases were in extensive stage (ES). Next-generation sequencing (NGS) of patients' plasma ctDNA was performed before treatment. The differences of mutated genes and signaling pathways between LS and ES patients were analyzed and compared. Blood-based tumor mutation burden (bTMB) was calculated according to detected somatic cell mutations. Patients were divided into the high bTMB and the low bTMB groups according to the optimal threshold calculated by R software. Log-rank tests were used to compare progression-free survival (PFS) between the high bTMB and the low bTMB groups. Results: Among the 77 patients, 76 patients had gene mutations detected in their plasma, and the positive rate of ctDNA test was 98%. Among the 76 patients, the genes with the highest mutation frequency were TP53 (89%), RB1 (70%), LRP1B (34%), CREBBP (21%), MLL3 (21%), MLL2 (16%), NOTCH1 (13%), ROS1 (13%), BRCA2 (12%), and PTPRD (12%). The most common mutated genes in LS patients were TP53 (90%), RB1 (68%), LRP1B (24%), MLL2 (22%), and BRCA2 (17%); the most common mutated genes in ES patients were TP53 (89%), RB1 (71%), LRP1B (46%), CREBBP (31%), and MLL3 (29%). The mutation rates of NOTCH1 and CREBBP genes were significantly higher in ES patients (31.4% and 22.9%) than those in LS patients (11.9% and 4.8%) (both P<0.05). Signaling pathway analysis showed that there were more NOTCH pathway gene variations in ES patients. Among LS patients, patients in the high bTMB group (≥ 6.96 mutations/Mb) had a longer PFS than that in the low bTMB group (<6.96 mutations/Mb) (P=0.033); but no such difference was noted in ES patients. Conclusion: Plasma ctDNA sequencing detected SCLC gene mutation profiles similar to those reported in previous literature, thus ctDNA could be used as a tool to study SCLC genomics; the mutation spectra of ES-SCLC and LS-SCLC were different. bTMB has potential prognostic value in LS-SCLCs treated with chemoradiotherapy.

[Clinicopathological characterization of primary pulmonary and tracheal glomus tumors]

Objective: To investigate the clinical pathological features of primary pulmonary and tracheal glomus tumors. Methods: The clinical and pathological features of 11 cases (4 cases from Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, China and 7 cases from Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, China) of respiratory glomus tumor diagnosed from 2010 to 2019 were analyzed, and reviewed in light of the relevant literature. Results: In the 11 cases, there were 5 males and 6 females, with the onset ages of 29‒66 years (median age of 43). Six tumors were located in the lung, and 5 in the trachea. The tumor diameters ranged 1.0‒7.5 cm, with the average diameter of 2.6 cm. At low magnification, the tumors were diffuse or lobulated in shape. The tumor cells composed of sheets of oval to short spindle cells, with sharply defined cell border and prominent branching thin-walled vessels. Among the 4 benign glomus tumors, one was classified as benign symplastic glomus tumor owing to the hyperchromatic or degeneration nuclei. Two cases were classified as glomus tumors of uncertain malignant potential, on the account of cellular atypia and rare atypical mitotic figures. Five cases were classified as malignant glomus tumors, owing to the tumor necrosis, vascular invasion, marked nuclear atypia, prominent nucleoli and brisk mitoses (2-20/10HPF) including pathological mitotic figures. The tumor cells showed strong immunostaining for SMA, vimentin, type Ⅳ collagen and caldesmon to different extents, while CD34, cytokeratin and S-100 stains were negative. One of the cases was positive for desmin, and one case positive for synaptophysin. Follow-up information was available in 8 patients with the duration ranging from 6 to 95 months. At the end of the follow-up, 6 patients were alive without recurrence or metastasis, and two of the patients with malignant glomus tumors died. Conclusions: Primary pulmonary and tracheal glomus tumors is rare. Among the reported cases, malignant glomus tumor is the most frequent, followed by benign glomus tumors and uncertain malignant potential glomus tumors. Glomus tumors show sheet-like growth pattern and clusters of round epithelioid cells with numerous vascular spaces. They can be easily misdiagnosed as carcinoid tumor. The final diagnosis should be combined with immunohistochemical staining, such as SMA, caldesmon and vimentin.

[Evaluation and analysis of anxiety, depression and quality of life in vasomotor rhinitis]

Objective: To evaluate the mental state and quality of life in patients with vasomotor rhinitis (VMR) before and after treatment, and to provide guidance for improving the overall health of VMR patients. Methods: Two hundred and twenty VMR patients (VMR group, 118 males, 102 females; aged from 18 to 72 years old), three hundred and twenty allergic rhinitis (AR) patients (AR group, 178 males, 142 females; aged from 18 to 79 years old) from January 2016 to September 2019 were selected in the otolaryngology clinic of Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, four hundred and twenty-three healthy people (control group, 243 males, 180 females; aged from 19 to 70 years old) were selected in physical examination center at the same time by continuous enrollment method, symptom check list (SCL-90), self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) and self-rating depression scale (SDS) were used to evaluate the mental state of VMR patients before and after treatment, and 12-item short form health survey version 2.0 (SF-12v2) was used to evaluate their quality of life, statistical data were collected and analyzed by ANOVA and t-test. Results: The scores of eight factors (physical function, role physical function, general health, vitality, role-emotional, mental health) of SF-12v2 in VMR patients before treatment were lower than that of posttreatment, that of AR patients and the control group, the differences were significant (all P<0.05), the scores of somatization, obsession, depression, anxiety and psychosis in SCL-90 in VMR patients before treatment were significantly higher than that of posttreatment, that of AR patients and the control group (all P<0.05), the SAS and SDS in VMR patients before treatment (51.28±16.32; 53.28±18.55) were significantly higher than that of posttreatment (38.53±13.21; 39.35±13.34), that of AR patients (42.23±14.32; 43.32±13.78) and the control group (29.78±10.07;33.46±10.55; t(SAS) were 9.007, 6.813 and 20.59; t(SDS) were 9.043, 7.154 and 17.260, all P<0.05). Conclusion: VMR patients generally suffer from psychological damage, which seriously affects the quality of life of the patients. On the basis of routine treatment, we should attach more importance to the negative psychology of VMR patients and intervene when necessary.

Creation and Characterization of Matter-Wave Breathers

We report the creation of quasi-1D excited matter-wave solitons, "breathers," by quenching the strength of the interactions in a Bose-Einstein condensate with attractive interactions. We characterize the resulting breathing dynamics and quantify the effects of the aspect ratio of the confining potential, the strength of the quench, and the proximity of the 1D-3D crossover for the two-soliton breather. Furthermore, we demonstrate the complex dynamics of a three-soliton breather created by a stronger interaction quench. Our experimental results, which compare well with numerical simulations, provide a pathway for utilizing matter-wave breathers to explore quantum effects in large many-body systems.

Search for Axionlike Particles Produced in e^{+}e^{-} Collisions at Belle II

We present a search for the direct production of a light pseudoscalar a decaying into two photons with the Belle II detector at the SuperKEKB collider. We search for the process e^{+}e^{-}→γa, a→γγ in the mass range 0.2<m_{a}<9.7  GeV/c^{2} using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of (445±3)  pb^{-1}. Light pseudoscalars interacting predominantly with standard model gauge bosons (so-called axionlike particles or ALPs) are frequently postulated in extensions of the standard model. We find no evidence for ALPs and set 95% confidence level upper limits on the coupling strength g_{aγγ} of ALPs to photons at the level of 10^{-3}  GeV^{-1}. The limits are the most restrictive to date for 0.2<m_{a}<1  GeV/c^{2}.

Observation of the Doubly Cabibbo-Suppressed Decay D^{+}→K^{+}π^{+}π^{-}π^{0} and Evidence for D^{+}→K^{+}ω

Using 2.93  fb^{-1} of e^{+}e^{-} collision data collected at a center-of-mass energy of 3.773 GeV with the BESIII detector, the first observation of the doubly Cabibbo-suppressed decay D^{+}→K^{+}π^{+}π^{-}π^{0} is reported. After removing decays that contain narrow intermediate resonances, including D^{+}→K^{+}η, D^{+}→K^{+}ω, and D^{+}→K^{+}ϕ, the branching fraction of the decay D^{+}→K^{+}π^{+}π^{-}π^{0} is measured to be (1.13±0.08_{stat}±0.03_{syst})×10^{-3}. The ratio of branching fractions of D^{+}→K^{+}π^{+}π^{-}π^{0} over D^{+}→K^{-}π^{+}π^{+}π^{0} is found to be (1.81±0.15)%, which corresponds to (6.28±0.52)tan^{4}θ_{C}, where θ_{C} is the Cabibbo mixing angle. This ratio is significantly larger than the corresponding ratios for other doubly Cabibbo-suppressed decays. The asymmetry of the branching fractions of charge-conjugated decays D^{±}→K^{±}π^{±}π^{∓}π^{0} is also determined, and no evidence for CP violation is found. In addition, the first evidence for the D^{+}→K^{+}ω decay, with a statistical significance of 3.3σ, is presented and the branching fraction is measured to be B(D^{+}→K^{+}ω)=(5.7_{-2.1}^{+2.5}_{stat}±0.2_{syst})×10^{-5}.

First Germanium-Based Constraints on Sub-MeV Dark Matter with the EDELWEISS Experiment

We present the first Ge-based constraints on sub-MeV/c^{2} dark matter (DM) particles interacting with electrons using a 33.4 g Ge cryogenic detector with a 0.53 electron-hole pair (rms) resolution, operated underground at the Laboratoire Souterrain de Modane. Competitive constraints are set on the DM-electron scattering cross section, as well as on the kinetic mixing parameter of dark photons down to 1  eV/c^{2}. In particular, the most stringent limits are set for dark photon DM in the 6 to 9  eV/c^{2} range. These results demonstrate the high relevance of Ge cryogenic detectors for the search of DM-induced eV-scale electron signals.

MiR-373 promotes proliferation and metastasis of oral squamous cell carcinoma by targeting SPOP

OBJECTIVE

To explore the biological function of microRNA-373 (miR-373) in regulating the progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and the related mechanism.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

50 patients who were diagnosed as OSCC in the Department of Stomatology of the Stomatological Hospital of Chongqing Medical University were enrolled as the cancer group. 20 healthy oral mucosa specimens were obtained as the control group. The miR-373 level in both OSCC clinical samples and cell lines was detected by quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). The binding relationship between speckle-type POZ protein (SPOP) and miR-373 was detected through online prediction software and luciferase reporter assay.

RESULTS

MiR-373 was upregulated in OSCC samples and cell lines. It could negatively regulate the protein expression of SPOP. However, it did not affect the mRNA expression of SPOP. The up-regulation of miR-373 promoted proliferation, invasion, and migration ability of the OSCC cells. However, the effects of miR-373 were abolished by the over-expression of SPOP in cells.

CONCLUSIONS

Up-regulated miR-373 promotes proliferation, invasion, and migration of OSCC by targeting SPOP. MiR-373/SPOP axis could be a potential therapeutic target for OSCC.

Progress in international collaboration on EXFOR library

The EXFOR library has served as the unique repository of experimental cross section and other nuclear reaction data for 50 years. The Nuclear Reaction Data Centres (NRDC) have compiled data sets from more than 22000 experimental works for the EXFOR library. Our collaboration and effort on improvement of EXFOR coverage are described in this paper, as well as tools for digitization of numerical data from graph images developed by us for EXFOR compilation.

Downregulation of miRNA-429 and upregulation of SOX2 were unfavorable to the prognosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to uncover the correlations of expression levels of microRNA-429 (miRNA-429) and SOX2 with clinical parameters and prognosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients (n=95) and nasopharyngitis patients (n=95) in the same period were enrolled. The relative levels of miRNA-429 and SOX2 in nasopharyngeal tissues collected from these patients were detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Then, the potential correlation between miRNA-429 and SOX2 was analyzed by Pearson correlation test. Next, the influences of miRNA-429 and SOX2 levels on clinical parameters of nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients were assessed. At last, the factors influencing the prognosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma were determined using the Cox regression model.

RESULTS

It was found that downregulated miRNA-429 and upregulated SOX2 were observed in nasopharyngeal tissues collected from nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients. MiRNA-429 level was negatively correlated with that of SOX2 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissues. In addition, miRNA-429 and SOX2 levels were related to age, tumor differentiation, T stage, N stage, and clinical grade of nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients. Moreover, worse prognosis was seen in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients expressing low level of miRNA-429 or high level of SOX2. Furthermore, Cox regression analysis showed that T3-T4 stage, moderate to high differentiation, and high level of SOX2 were risk factors, while high level of miRNA-429 was the protective factor for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

CONCLUSIONS

Downregulation of miRNA-429 and upregulation of SOX2 are unfavorable to the prognosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

HBV-specific CD8 T cells present higher TNF-α expression but lower cytotoxicity in hepatocellular carcinoma

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α is largely regarded as a proinflammatory cytokine, but several recent researches have demonstrated that TNF-α could possess immunoregulatory roles with potential to suppress anti-tumor immunity. Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major risk factor of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and HBV-specific CD8 T cells could exert anti-tumor roles in HCC patients. Here, we found that HBV-specific CD8 T cells, both in the peripheral blood and in the tumor microenvironment, were more enriched with TNF-α-expressing cells than interferon (IFN)-γ-expressing cells. Compared to IFN-γ-expressing HBV-specific CD8 T cells, TNF-α-expressing HBV-specific CD8 T cells presented lower expression of inhibitory checkpoint molecules, including programmed cell death (PD)-1, T cell immunoglobulin mucin-3 (TIM-3) and cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen (CTLA)-4. HBV-specific CD8 T cells could mediate the lysis of autologous primary tumor cells, and the inhibition of TNF-α could further elevate their cytotoxic capacity. Subsequently, we demonstrated that TNF-α inhibition in HBV-specific CD8 T cells could significantly increase granzyme B (GZMB) and perforin 1 (PRF1) expression while having no effect towards granzyme A (GZMA) expression. The addition of exogenous TNF-α at low levels had no consistent effect on the expression of GZMA, GZMB and PRF1, but at higher levels, exogenous TNF-α significantly reduced GZMA, GZMB and PRF1 expression. Overall, these results suggested that TNF-α-expressing cells probably presented a deleterious role in HCC but were enriched in HBV-specific CD8 T cells.

The effect of miR-224 down-regulation on SW80 cell proliferation and apoptosis and weakening of ADM drug resistance

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, "The effect of miR-224 down-regulation on SW80 cell proliferation and apoptosis and weakening of ADM drug resistance, by C.-Q. Liang, Y.-M. Fu, Z.-Y. Liu, B.-R. Xing, Y. Jin, J.-L. Huang, published in Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2017; 21 (21): 5008-5016-PMID: 29164556" has been withdrawn. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. https://www.europeanreview.org/article/13747.

Σ^{+} and Σ[over ¯]^{-} Polarization in the J/ψ and ψ(3686) Decays

From 1310.6×10^{6}  J/ψ and 448.1×10^{6}  ψ(3686) events collected with the BESIII experiment, we report the first observation of Σ^{+} and Σ[over ¯]^{-} spin polarization in e^{+}e^{-}→J/ψ[ψ(3686)]→Σ^{+}Σ[over ¯]^{-} decays. The relative phases of the form factors ΔΦ have been measured to be (-15.5±0.7±0.5)° and (21.7±4.0±0.8)° with J/ψ and ψ(3686) data, respectively. The nonzero value of ΔΦ allows for a direct and simultaneous measurement of the decay asymmetry parameters of Σ^{+}→pπ^{0}(α_{0}=-0.998±0.037±0.009) and Σ[over ¯]^{-}→p[over ¯]π^{0}(α[over ¯]_{0}=0.990±0.037±0.011), the latter value being determined for the first time. The average decay asymmetry, (α_{0}-α[over ¯]_{0})/2, is calculated to be -0.994±0.004±0.002. The CP asymmetry A_{CP,Σ}=(α_{0}+α[over ¯]_{0})/(α_{0}-α[over ¯]_{0})=-0.004±0.037±0.010 is extracted for the first time, and is found to be consistent with CP conservation.

Advances in Saponin Diversity of Panax ginseng

Ginsenosides are the major bioactive constituents of Panax ginseng, which have pharmacological effects. Although there are several reviews in regards to ginsenosides, new ginsenosides have been detected continually in recent years. This review updates the ginsenoside list from P. ginseng to 170 by the end of 2019, and aims to highlight the diversity of ginsenosides in multiple dimensions, including chemical structure, tissue spatial distribution, time, and isomeride. Protopanaxadiol, protopanaxatriol and C17 side-chain varied (C17SCV) manners are the major types of ginsenosides, and the constitute of ginsenosides varied significantly among different parts. Only 16 ginsenosides commonly exist in all parts of a ginseng plant. Protopanaxadiol-type ginsenoside is dominant in root, rhizome, leaf, stem, and fruit, whereas malonyl- and C17SCV-type ginsenosides occupy a greater proportion in the flower and flower bud compared with other parts. In respects of isomeride, there are 69 molecular formulas corresponding to 170 ginsenosides, and the median of isomers is 2. This is the first review on diversity of ginsenosides, providing information for reasonable utilization of whole ginseng plant, and the perspective on studying the physiological functions of ginsenoside for the ginseng plant itself is also proposed.

LncRNA CASC15 functions as an oncogene by sponging miR-130b-3p in bladder cancer

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, "LncRNA CASC15 functions as an oncogene by sponging miR-130b-3p in bladder cancer, by X. Yu, Z.-L. Wang, C.-L. Han, M.-W. Wang, Y. Jin, X.-B. Jin, Q.-H. Xia, published in Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2019; 23 (22): 9814-9820-DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_201911_19544-PMID 31799648" has been withdrawn. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. https://www.europeanreview.org/article/19544.

The interaction between circular RNA hsa_circ_0000285 and miR-599 in thyroid cancer

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, "The interaction between circular RNA hsa_circ_0000285 and miR-599 in thyroid cancer, by D. Yang, Y. Jin, S. Cheng, Y. Yang, published in Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2020; 24 (9): 4882-4889-DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_202005_21177-PMID: 32432751" has been withdrawn. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. https://www.europeanreview.org/article/21177.

LncRNA LINP1 promotes proliferation and inhibits apoptosis of gastric cancer cells by repressing RBM5

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, "LncRNA LINP1 promotes proliferation and inhibits apoptosis of gastric cancer cells by repressing RBM5, by X.-C. Lu, H.-Y. Zhou, J. Wu, Y. Jin, X.-M. Yao, X.-Y. Wu, published in Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2020; 24 (1): 137-144-DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_202001_19904-PMID: 31957826" has been withdrawn. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. https://www.europeanreview.org/article/19904.

[Phenotype and genotype analysis of 55 children patients with Wilson's disease]

Objective: To understand the clinical phenotype and spectrum of ATP7B gene mutation in children with Wilson's disease (WD). Methods: A total of 55 cases diagnosed with WD at the Children's Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University from June 2012 to June 2018 were taken as the research subject. ATP7B gene point mutation was detected by direct sequencing after PCR amplification. Heterozygous mutation in children was discovered by sequencing. Furthermore, the long segment mutation of exon was analyzed by multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA). Results: All 55 WD children had varying degree of liver damage symptoms. Among them, 2 cases had combined neurological symptoms. The positive rates of K-F ring (21%), 24-hour urine copper (97.7%), and ceruloplasmin were all abnormal. The results of ATP7B gene had identified 8 homozygous, 41 compound heterozygous and 6 heterozygous in 55 cases. Direct sequencing method had detected ten cases of ATP7B heterozygotes. In addition, MLPA analysis showed that other allele in four cases had a deletion of the ATP7B gene exon. In all cases, 35 different ATP7B gene mutations were detected, including 23 missense mutations, 3 frameshift mutations, 4 nonsense mutations, 3 exon deletions and 2 splicing changes. The most common allele mutation was c.2333G > T/p.R778L in exon 8, with an allele frequency of 36.54%, followed by c.2975C > T/p.P992L in exon 13, with an allele frequency of 14.42%. Conclusion: ATP7B gene c.2333G > T/p.R778L and c.2975C > T/p.P992L mutations are the most common mutations in children with WD in China. WD patients report shows that there are three long deletion mutations in the exon of the ATP7B gene. For WD children whose DNA sequencing is heterozygous ATP7B gene, it is suggested to further use MLPA method to detect deletion mutations of exons.

MiR-182-5p inhibited proliferation and metastasis of colorectal cancer by targeting MTDH

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the role and molecular mechanism of miR-182-5p in the development of colorectal cancer (CRC), thereby providing a theoretical basis for new CRC therapeutic targets.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The expression of miR-182-5p in CRC clinical cases and biological cell lines was detected. On-line target gene prediction and Luciferase reporter gene assay were performed to screen and verify the target of miR-182-5p, respectively. The role of miR-182-5p in CRC cell function was further analyzed.

RESULTS

MiR-182-5p expression was significantly decreased in both CRC tissues and cell lines. Metadherin (MTDH) was screened and verified as a functional target of miR-182-5p. The cell proliferation, invasion and migration ability of CRC cells were significantly inhibited after the up-regulation of miR-182-5p. However, MTDH limited the anti-cancer effects of miR-182-5p in CRC cells.

CONCLUSIONS

Our research demonstrated the inhibitory function of miR-182-5p in CRC. Therefore, the miR-182-5p/MTDH axis was expected to be one of the targets of CRC targeted therapy.

Effects of crocin on frozen-thawed sperm apoptosis, protamine expression and membrane lipid oxidation in Yanbian yellow cattle

Glycerol is used as a bovine semen osmotic cryoprotectant that greatly improves the quality of frozen and thawed bovine sperm. However, high glycerol concentrations can have a toxic effect on frozen and thawed bovine sperm. Therefore, this experiment investigated the effect of replacing a portion of the glycerol in a cryoprotectant solution with crocin on the sperm apoptosis, protamine deficiency and membrane lipid oxidation of frozen and thawed Yanbian yellow cattle sperm. The experiment included a control group (6% glycerol) and four treatment groups: I (3% glycerol), II (3% glycerol +0.5 mM crocin), III (3% glycerol + 1 mM crocin) and IV (3% glycerol + 2 mM crocin). Computer assisted semen analysis was used to detect sperm motility, Hoechst 33,342, propidium iodide, and JC-1 staining were used to analyse sperm viability and mitochondrial membrane potential, chromomycin A3 staining was used to detect protamine deficiency and DNA damage, flow cytometry was used for sperm membrane lipid disorder detection and analysis, and real-time quantitative RT-qPCR was used to detect the mRNA expression levels of protamine-related genes (PRM2, PRM3), sperm acrosome-associated genes (SPACA3), oxidative stress-related genes (ROMO1) and apoptosis-related genes (BCL2, BAX). Compared to the control group, replacing a portion of glycerol with 1 mM crocin significantly improved sperm motility, plasma membrane integrity, membrane lipid disorders (p < .05) and viability, mitochondrial membrane potential, protamine deficiency (p < .01). The expression level of PRM2, PRM3, SPACA3 and BCL2 significantly increased (p < .05), while the expression levels of ROMO1 and BAX significantly decreased (p < .05). Accordingly, the BCL2/BAX ratio significantly increased (p < .05). In summary, the substitution of a portion of glycerol with crocin in cryoprotective solution improved the quality of Yanbian yellow cattle sperm after freezing and thawing.

Genetic variants of the C11orf30-LRRC32 region are associated with childhood asthma in the Chinese population

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES

To investigate whether genetic polymorphisms of C11orf30-LRRC32 region are associated with the development of childhood asthma in the Chinese population.

METHODS

A total of 732 asthma children and 824 age-matched healthy controls were included in the study. Blood samples were collected from the subjects for total IgE analysis, DNA extraction and RNA extraction. Three previously reported asthma-related SNPs were genotyped, including rs7936070 (G/T), rs7927894 (A/G), and rs6592657 (A/G). Blood samples from 50 patients and 50 controls were randomly selected to detect the mRNA expression levels of C11orf30 and LRRC32 in serum.

RESULTS

There were significantly different genotype frequencies between the two groups in terms of rs7936070 and rs7927894. Compared with controls, patients were found to have remarkably higher risk allele frequencies of rs7936070 and rs7927894. Genotype GG of rs7936070 was indicative of remarkably elevated total IgE level as compared with genotype TT and genotype GT. Similarly, genotype AA of rs7927894 was also associated with significantly elevated total IgE level. The serum expression of C11orf30 was significantly lower in the patients than in the controls. The C11orf30 expression was significantly correlated with the total IgE level (r = -0.463, p = 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Variants of C11orf30 were associated with the risk of childhood asthma in the Chinese population. Besides, abnormally decreased expression of C11orf30 was detected in the serum of patients, which was correlated with the total IgE level. The C11orf30 might play a role in asthma via biological pathways involving the regulation of total serum IgE level.

Kallikrein-related peptidase 4 promotes migration and invasion of endometrial stromal cells in endometriosis by inducing epithelial-mesenchymal transition

Endometriosis is a gynecological health problem for women of reproductive stage. Kallikrein 4 is a proliferative factor and has important roles in cancer development and progression. To explore the role of Kallikrein 4 in endometriosis, we detected the expression of Kallikrein 4 in ectopic and normal control endometriosis tissues. Moreover, the underlying influence of Kallikrein 4 on migration and invasion of endometrial stromal cells was investigated. Furthermore, the correlations between this gene and E-cadherin and N-cadherin were also evaluated. The results demonstrated that the expression level of Kallikrein 4 in endometrial tissues was significantly increased compared to normal endometrial tissues, and over-expression of Kallikrein 4 up-regulated expression of N-cadherin but down-regulated E-cadherin in endometrial stromal cells. The ability of migration and invasion of endometrial stromal cells in vitro was increased by up-regulating Kallikrein 4 expression, suggesting that Kallikrein 4 might be involved in the development of ovarian endometriosis.

Study of Open-Charm Decays and Radiative Transitions of the X(3872)

The processes X(3872)→D^{*0}D[over ¯]^{0}+c.c.,γJ/ψ,γψ(2S), and γD^{+}D^{-} are searched for in a 9.0  fb^{-1} data sample collected at center-of-mass energies between 4.178 and 4.278 GeV with the BESIII detector. We observe X(3872)→D^{*0}D^{0}[over ¯]+c.c. and find evidence for X(3872)→γJ/ψ with statistical significances of 7.4σ and 3.5σ, respectively. No evident signals for X(3872)→γψ(2S) and γD^{+}D^{-} are found, and the upper limit on the relative branching ratio R_{γψ}≡{B[X(3872)→γψ(2S)]}/{B[X(3872)→γJ/ψ]}<0.59 is set at 90% confidence level. Measurements of branching ratios relative to decay X(3872)→π^{+}π^{-}J/ψ are also reported for decays X(3872)→D^{*0}D^{0}[over ¯]+c.c.,γψ(2S),γJ/ψ, and γD^{+}D^{-}, as well as the non-D^{*0}D^{0}[over ¯] three-body decays π^{0}D^{0}D^{0}[over ¯] and γD^{0}D^{0}[over ¯].

Measurements of Absolute Branching Fractions of Fourteen Exclusive Hadronic D Decays to η

Using 2.93  fb^{-1} of e^{+}e^{-} collision data taken at a center-of-mass energy of 3.773 GeV with the BESIII detector, we report the first measurements of the absolute branching fractions of 14 hadronic D^{0(+)} decays to exclusive final states with an η, e.g., D^{0}→K^{-}π^{+}η, K_{S}^{0}π^{0}η, K^{+}K^{-}η, K_{S}^{0}K_{S}^{0}η, K^{-}π^{+}π^{0}η, K_{S}^{0}π^{+}π^{-}η, K_{S}^{0}π^{0}π^{0}η, and π^{+}π^{-}π^{0}η; D^{+}→K_{S}^{0}π^{+}η, K_{S}^{0}K^{+}η, K^{-}π^{+}π^{+}η, K_{S}^{0}π^{+}π^{0}η, π^{+}π^{+}π^{-}η, and π^{+}π^{0}π^{0}η. Among these decays, the D^{0}→K^{-}π^{+}η and D^{+}→K_{S}^{0}π^{+}η decays have the largest branching fractions, which are B(D^{0}→K^{-}π^{+}η)=(1.853±0.025_{stat}±0.031_{syst})% and B(D^{+}→K_{S}^{0}π^{+}η)=(1.309±0.037_{stat}±0.031_{syst})%, respectively. The charge-parity asymmetries for the six decays with highest event yields are determined, and no statistically significant charge-parity violation is found.