Circular RNA hsa_circ_0011946 promotes cell growth, migration, and invasion of oral squamous cell carcinoma by upregulating PCNA

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, "Circular RNA hsa_circ_0011946 promotes cell growth, migration, and invasion of oral squamous cell carcinoma by upregulating PCNA, by Y. Meng, E.-Y. Zhao, Y. Zhou, D.-X. Qiang, S. Wang, L. Shi, L.-Y. Jiang, L.-J. Bi, published in Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2020; 24 (3): 1226-1232-DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_202002_20175-PMID: 32096152" has been withdrawn. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. https://www.europeanreview.org/article/20175.

Imaging and Localizing Individual Atoms Interfaced with a Nanophotonic Waveguide

Single particle-resolved fluorescence imaging is an enabling technology in cold-atom physics. However, so far, this technique has not been available for nanophotonic atom-light interfaces. Here, we image single atoms that are trapped and optically interfaced using an optical nanofiber. Near-resonant light is scattered off the atoms and imaged while counteracting heating mechanisms via degenerate Raman cooling. We detect trapped atoms within 150 ms and record image sequences of given atoms. Building on our technique, we perform two experiments which are conditioned on the number and position of the nanofiber-trapped atoms. We measure the transmission of nanofiber-guided resonant light and verify its exponential scaling in the few-atom limit, in accordance with Beer-Lambert's law. Moreover, depending on the interatomic distance, we observe interference of the fields that two simultaneously trapped atoms emit into the nanofiber. The demonstrated technique enables postselection and possible feedback schemes and thereby opens the road toward a new generation of experiments in quantum nanophotonics.

[Analysis of clinical efficacy, safety and prognosis of anlotinib hydrochloride in the treatment of advanced primary liver cancer]

Objective: To retrospectively analyze the clinical efficacy, safety and the main factors affecting the prognosis of anlotinib hydrochloride in the treatment of advanced primary liver cancer. Methods: Fifty-five cases with advanced primary liver cancer who received anlotinib hydrochloride were enrolled. The baseline data of the patients, such as prothrombin time, total bilirubin, albumin, Child-Pugh score, procalcitonin, alpha fetoprotein, extrahepatic metastasis, cirrhosis, portal hypertension, whether or not combined surgery, pathological staging, etc before treatment were recorded. Hematological and imaging results of the patients were reviewed. Adverse events that appeared in patients at any time until the end of follow-up or loss- to- follow-up or death were recorded. The survival curve was plotted by Kaplan-Meier method, and the difference of survival time between groups was examined by log-rank test. Cox regression model of single and multiple factor were used to analyze the factors affecting the prognosis. Results: As of the last follow-up, 2 patients were lost-to-follow-up, 30 died, and 23 survived. The median survival time was 6.5 months (196 days). Grade 3 or higher adverse events included hypertension (12.73%), leukopenia (3.64%), absolute neutropenia (1.82%), thrombocytopenia (9.09%), fatigue (3.64%), anemia (1.82%), and diarrhea (1.82%). Adverse events were effectively controlled. One case had fatal ruptured esophageal varices, which were not medically related. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that total bilirubin (HR = 0.247, P = 0.003), albumin (HR = 0.279, P = 0.003) and procalcitonin (HR = 0.105, P = 0.012) were independent factors affecting the prognosis of advanced HCC. Conclusion: Anlotinib hydrochloride therapy is safe, effective and well tolerated in patients with advanced liver cancer, and total bilirubin, albumin, and procalcitonin are independent factors that affect the prognosis of patients with advanced liver cancer.

Early antiviral treatment contributes to alleviate the severity and improve the prognosis of patients with novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19)

BACKGROUND

At present, the severity of patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been a focal point.

METHODS

To assess the factors associated with severity and prognosis of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2, we retrospectively investigated the clinical, imaging and laboratory characteristics of confirmed 280 cases of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from 20 January to 20 February 2020.

RESULTS

The median age of patients in the mild group was 37.55 years, whilst that in the severe group was 63.04 years. The proportion of patients aged over 65 years in the severe group was significantly higher than that of the mild group (59.04% vs. 10.15%, P < 0.05). 85.54% of severe patients had diabetes or cardiovascular diseases, which was significantly higher than that of the mild group (51.81% vs. 7.11%, P = 0.025; 33.73% vs. 3.05%, P = 0.042). Patients in the mild group experienced earlier initiation of antiviral treatment (1.19 ± 0.45 vs. 2.65 ± 1.06 days in the severe group, P < 0.001). Our study showed that comorbidity, time from illness onset to antiviral treatment and age >=65 were three major risk factors for COVID-19 progression, whilst comorbidity and time from illness onset to antiviral treatment were two major risk factors for COVID-19 recovery.

CONCLUSIONS

The elderly and patients with underlying diseases are more likely to experience a severe progression of COVID-19. It is recommended that timely antiviral treatment should be initiated to slow the disease progression and improve the prognosis.

Addressing Passivation of a Sulfur Electrode in Li-S Pouch Cells for Dramatically Improving Their Cyclic Stability

The effective passivation of a sulfur electrode in Li-S pouch cells is addressed by increasing the discharging cutoff voltage from 1.6 to 2.0 V. This simple method can effectively suppress the generation of solid and insulated Li₂S deposition while reserves the majority of capacity and improves the cyclic stability of Li-S pouch cells. Upon increasing the discharging cutoff voltage from 1.6 to 2.0 V, the Li-S pouch cell loses only 8% of the initial discharge capacity and remarkably promotes the capacity retention rate from 62.4 to 91.6% within 40 cycles at 0.05C. The analysis of electrochemistry and physics of a sulfur cathode demonstrates that the less Li₂S deposition under the discharging cutoff voltage of 2.0 V can ensure fast reaction kinetics in Li-S pouch cells with high areal sulfur loadings and lean electrolyte. The mechanism of the passivation of a sulfur electrode is studied and discussed in detail. This brand new methodology may provide an effective approach to enhance the cyclic stability of a Li-S battery.

Expression of T follicular helper lymphocytes with different subsets and analysis of serum IL-6, IL-17, TGF-β and MMP-3 contents in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the expression levels of T follicular helper (Tfh) with different subsets in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and their serum interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-17 (IL-17), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and matrix metalloproteinase 3 (MMP-3) contents.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The medical records of 45 RA patients in the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology in the First Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College from January 2016 to April 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. They were divided into the RA high activity group (24 cases, group A) (DAS28 score ≥ 5.0) and RA low activity group (21 cases, group B) (3.2 < DAS28 score < 5.0). At the same time, 20 healthy subjects were selected as a control group. Flow cytometry was used to detect the expression levels of Tfh1, Tfh2 and Tfh17, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to detect serum IL-6, IL-17, IL-21 and MMP-3 concentrations. The correlation of Tfh cells with IL-6, IL-17, IL-21 and MMP-3 was analyzed.

RESULTS

Those of peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) Tfh2 and Tfh17 cells were significantly higher in group A than those in group B (p < 0.05). Compared with the control group, the concentrations of serum IL-6, IL-17 and MMP-3 significantly increased (p < 0.001), but that of serum TGF-β markedly decreased in group A and group B (p < 0.01). The concentrations of serum IL-6, IL-17 and MMP-3 were remarkably higher in group A than those in group B (p < 0.001), but that of serum TGF-β was significantly lower in group A than that in group B (p < 0.001). The expression level of PBMC Tfh2 cells, PBMC Tfh17 cells was positively correlated with serum IL-6, IL-17 and MMP-3. The expression levels of Tfh2 and Tfh17 cells are positively correlated with serum IL-6, IL-17 and MMP-3 concentrations, negatively correlated with serum TGF-β concentration.

CONCLUSIONS

Tfh2 and Tfh17 are expected to be new targets for immunotherapy in RA patients.

[Changes and clinical significance of peripheral blood CD8(+)CD25(+)T cells in rheumatoid arthritis patients]

Objective: To investigate the expression of CD8(+)CD25(+)T cells in peripheral blood of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and its correlation with clinical indicators of rheumatoid arthritis. Methods: Peripheral blood was collected from 38 patients with RA, and 20 healthy control subjects, RA patients admitted to Peking University people's hospital from May to October 2018, and record the RA patients with the clinical manifestations and laboratory indexes, extraction in the peripheral blood lymphocytes, using flow cytometry to analyse the percentage of CD8(+)CD25(+)T cells in peripheral blood, by using the software SPASS20 and Prism6 to analyze its correlation with clinical and laboratory indices. Results: The expression of CD8(+)CD25(+)T cells in peripheral blood of RA patients was significantly increased, which was statistically different from that of healthy patients (P<0.05). CD8(+)CD25(+)T cells in peripheral blood of RA patients showed significant positive correlation with ESR(r=0.352,P=0.030), CCP(r=0.312,P=0.047) and DAS28(r=0.330,P=0.043), and negatively correlated with C3 (r=-0.354,P=0.046) and C4(r=-0.440,P=0.010).No significant correlation was found in other indicators. In RA patients, there were statistically significant differences in CD8(+)CD25(+)T cells between the low-disease active group and the high-disease active group(P<0.05), but CD8(+)CD25(+)T cells between the low-disease active group and the moderate-disease active group, or between the moderate-disease active group and the high-disease active group had no significant statistical difference. Conclusion: CD8(+)CD25(+)Tcells in peripheral blood of patients with RA are significantlyincreased, and aresignificantly correlated with laboratory and clinical indicators, which may play an important role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis.

IncRNA NEAT1 aggravates cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury by sponging miR-874-3p

Many lncRNAs have been reported to affect cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. The purpose of this study is to elucidate the role of lncRNA NEAT1 as well as the regulatory mechanism of lncRNA NEAT1/miR-874-3p in cerebral I/R injury. A cellular model of cerebral I/R injury was built. RT-qPCR was used to detect NEAT1 and miR-874-3p expression. Cell viability was detected by MTT assay. The expression of apoptosis-related proteins (Bcl-2 and Bax) was measured by Western blot analysis. The relationship between NEAT1 and miR-874-3p was confirmed by dual luciferase reporter assay. We found that LncRNA NEAT1 was upregulated in the PC12 cells treated by I/R and upregulation of lncRNA NEAT1 can aggravate I/R injury of PC12 cells. Additionally, lncRNA NEAT1 overexpression decreased cell viability and induced apoptosis in PC12 cells treated by I/R. Furthermore, miR-874-3p was confirmed to be a target of lncRNA NEAT1. mR-874-3p and NEAT1 expression are found to be reciprocally inhibited in PC12 cells. In summary, LncRNA NEAT1 aggravates cerebral I/R injury by suppressing miR-874-3p expression.

Design of dental implants at materials level: An overview

Due to the excellent restoration of masticatory function, satisfaction on aesthetics and other superiorities, dental implants represent an effective method to resolve tooth losing and damaging. Current dental implant systems still have problems waiting to be addressed, and problems are centralized on the materials of implant bodies. This review aims to summarize major developments in the field of dental implant materials, starting with an overview on structures, procedures of dental implants and challenges of implant materials. Next, implant materials are examined in three categories, that is, metals, ceramics, and polymers, their mechanical properties, biocompatibility, and bioactivity are summarized. And as an important aspect, strategies of surface modification are also reviewed, along with some finite element analysis to guiding the research direction of implant materials. Finally, the conclusive remarks are outlined to provide an outlook on the future research directions and prospects of dental implants.

The ability of Lactobacillus rhamnosus to bind patulin and its application in apple juice

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ability of Lactobacillus rhamnosus to bind patulin (PAT) in the buffer solution and apple juice. The binding of L. rhamnosus to PAT was reversible, which improved the stability of the bacterial complex. The ability to bind PAT can be enhanced with the inactivation of the strain by high temperature and acid treatment. Acid-treated bacteria had the highest PAT binding rate of 72.73±1.05%. The binding rates of acid and high temperature (121 °C) treatments were increased by 21.37% and 19.15%, respectively. L. rhamnosus showed the best detoxification ability to PAT at 37 °C, where the binding rate reached 50.9±1.03%. When the dose of inactivated bacteria powder was 0.02 g ml−1, the minimum concentration of PAT in apple juice was 0.37 µg ml−1. The addition of the L. rhamnosus inactivated powder did not affect the quality of the juice product and effectively bound the PAT in apple juice.

Synergetic Covalent and Spatial Confinement of Sulfur Species by Phthalazinone-Containing Covalent Triazine Frameworks for Ultrahigh Performance of Li-S Batteries

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries severely suffer from the shuttling of soluble polysulfides intermediates, insulation of sulfur and lithium sulfides, and volumetric expansion of sulfur electrodes, which result in the fast capacity decay and low utilization of active materials. To overcome these issues, a new type of porous phthalazinone-based covalent triazine frameworks (P-CTFs) with inherent N and O atoms has been in situ grown onto conductive reduced graphene oxide (rGO) by the sulfur-mediated cyclization of dinitrile monomers to afford the S/P-CTF@rGO hybrids. The well-designed structure endows the S/P-CTF@rGO composites with several features for enhanced Li-S batteries: (i) the nanoporous structure can spatially trap the sulfur species within the P-CTFs; (ii) the covalent binding of sulfur and polar groups of phthalazinone and triazine in P-CTFs exhibits strong chemical attachment and adsorption with polysulfides and further limits the diffusion of polysulfides; (iii) the conductive rGO and semiconductive P-CTFs help faster electronic transportation and accelerate the electrochemical process. Therefore, the S/P-CTF@rGO cathodes show greatly enhanced electrochemical performances with a high initial specific capacity of 1130 mAh g^-1 at 0.5C and a good capacity retention of 81.4% after 500 cycles, indicating only 0.04% degradation per cycle.

[Impact of artificial disc height on the morphology of cervical facet joint]

Objective: To investigate the impact of implant height on the morphology of cervical facet joints in artificial cervical disc replacement (ACDR). Methods: A finite element model of the cervical spine from C(2) to C(7) was constructed. The surgical processes of ACDR were simulated by insertion of 5 mm, 6 mm or 7 mm Prestige-LP artificial cervical discs. The morphological changes of cervical facet joints were recorded in terms of facet overlap distance, facet overlap area and facet angle. Results: The normal height Prestige-LP cervical disc could restore the natural status of the cervical spine. Compared with the intact condition, the model with ≥2 mm height implant would reduce the overall range of motion (ROM) by 19.2% in flexion, 19.4% in extension, 18.4% in lateral bending and 19.0% in axial rotation. Besides, the ROM at the surgical level reduced by 15.8% in flexion, 15.4% in extension and lateral bending and 19.0% in rotation. The upper and lower adjacent levels (C(4/5) and C(5/6)) showed more obvious changes in ROM, which reduced by 26.8% and 26.5% in flexion, 26.6% in extension, 26.5% and 26.4% in lateral bending, and 26.4% and 26.3% in rotation, respectively. The reduction of facet overlap distance, facet angle and facet overlap area with the ≥2 mm height artifact was 9.6%, 30.7%, and 17.9% respectively at the upper adjacent level, and 22.3%, 35.3% and 28.2% respectively at the surgical level, compared with the intact model.The morphology of facet joints at the lower adjacent level were slightly changed. Conclusion: The implant height selection in ACDR should be in accordance with the physiological intervertebral disc height. Artifact with ≥2 mm in height would obviously change the morphology of facet joints, thus should not be used in clinical practice.

CO2 Nanoenrichment and Nanoconfinement in Cage of Imine Covalent Organic Frameworks for High-Performance CO2 Cathodes in Li-CO2 Batteries

The Li-CO₂ battery is an emerging green energy technology coupling CO₂ capture and conversion. The main drawback of present Li-CO₂ batteries is serious polarization and poor cycling caused by random deposition of lithium ions and big insulated Li₂ CO₃ formation on the cathode during discharge. Herein, covalent organic frameworks (COF) are identified as the porous catalyst in the cathode of Li-CO₂ batteries for the first time. Graphene@COF is fabricated, graphene with thin and uniform imine COF loading, to enrich and confine CO₂ in the nanospaces of micropores. The discharge voltage is raised by higher local CO₂ concentration, which is predicted by the Nernst equation and realized by CO₂ nanoenrichment. Moreover, uniform lithium ion deposition directed by the graphene@COF nanoconfined CO₂ can produce smaller Li₂ CO₃ particles, leading to easier Li₂ CO₃ decomposition and thus lower charge voltage. The graphene@COF cathode with 47.5% carbon content achieves a discharge capacity of 27833 mAh g^-1 at 75 mA g^-1 , while retaining a low charge potential of 3.5 V at 0.5 A g^-1 for 56 cycles.

MicroRNA-15b participates in diabetic retinopathy in rats through regulating IRS-1 via Wnt/β-catenin pathway

OBJECTIVE

To explore the role of microRNA-15b in diabetic retinopathy (DR) and its underlying mechanism.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Diabetic retinopathy rat model was first constructed. Retinal endothelial cells (EC) and retinal pericytes (RP) in DR rats were extracted. The mRNA expression of microRNA-15b in EC and RP cells was detected by qRT-PCR (quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction). Protein expression of insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1) in EC and RP cells was detected by Western blot. After altering microRNA-15b expression by plasmid transfection, cell viability was detected by CCK-8 (cell counting kit-8) assay. Furthermore, the target gene of microRNA-15b was predicted by TargetScan analysis and the binding condition was verified by luciferase reporter gene assay. Finally, rescue experiments were carried out to explore the regulatory effect of microRNA-15b on IRS-1.

RESULTS

MicroRNA-15b was lowly expressed, whereas IRS-1 was highly expressed in EC and RP cells. After overexpression of microRNA-15b, viabilities of EC and RP cells were decreased and β-catenin expression was inhibited. TargetScan predicted that IRS-1 was the downstream gene of microRNA-15b, which was further verified by luciferase reporter gene assay. Rescue experiments indicated that microRNA-15b was capable of regulating IRS-1 via Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

CONCLUSIONS

MicroRNA-15b participates in the development of diabetic retinopathy by targeting IRS-1 via Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

Effects of polyethylene glycol content on the properties of a silk fibroin/nano-hydroxyapatite/polyethylene glycol electrospun scaffold

To study the effects of polyethylene glycol (PEG) content on the mechanical properties and degradation of silk fibroin, nano-hydroxyapatite, and PEG (SF/nHAP/PEG) electrospun scaffolds, and according to the PEG ratio in the scaffold (SF : nHAP : PEG), test groups were divided as follows: PEG-0 (10 : 2), PEG-0.5 (10 : 2 : 0.5), PEG-1 (10 : 2 : 1), and PEG-2 (10 : 2 : 2). A series of tests to determine the mechanical properties, degradation rates, and osteogenic characteristics was undertaken. PEG facilitated SF degradation (PEG-1 > PEG-0.5 > PEG-0 > PEG-2), and the mass loss of the scaffolds in PEG-1 was more than 30%, while in PEG-2 it was less than 20% after 8 days (P < 0.05). The addition of PEG strengthened the mechanical properties of the scaffold (PEG-1 > PEG-2 > PEG-0.5 > PEG-0), as the Young's modulus increased from 41.72 ± 3.40 MPa for PEG-0 to 76.12 ± 3.73 MPa for PEG-1 (P < 0.05). PEG was favorable for the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs (PEG-0.5 > PEG-1 > PEG-2 > PEG-0). The enhancements were attributable to the increased hydrophilicity and nHAP dispersion, as well as to the secondary structure transformation of SF. The PEG content was deemed to be optimal when the SF/nHAP/PEG ratio was equal to 10 : 2 : 1.

Specific immunoglobulin E in nasal secretions for the diagnosis of local allergic rhinitis

BACKGROUND

The diagnostic value of serum specific Immunoglobulin E (sIgE) and nasal allergen provocation test (NAPT) has been well investigated in local allergic rhinitis (LAR). We hypothesized that nasal local sIgE could be used for the diagnosis of LAR instead of NAPT.

METHODS

This was a prospective single center study. Overall, 212 chronic rhinitis patients were screened, of whom 73 were recruited based on negative findings for serum IgE and positive findings for local eosinophils. Ten healthy subjects were also recruited as controls. All participants completed questionnaires at recruitment to record their demographic data, nasal symptom severity, and physician-diagnosed comorbid asthma. Symptom severity was recorded using a visual analogue scale (VAS) of 10 cm and allergic status was assessed by serum sIgE. Nasal secretions were collected for analysis of local sIgE and eosinophils, and NAPT was performed for confirmation of LAR.

RESULTS

Overall, 14 patients demonstrated positive local sIgE results. Twelve of these patients had significantly higher local sIgE levels compared to controls, and also demonstrated positive NAPT results. The VAS scores, nasal airway resistance measured by active rhinomanometry, and the levels of local sIgE, ECP, histamine and leukotriene C4 were significantly increased from baseline values following NAPT. Sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy of local sIgE for diagnosis of LAR were 91.7% respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The measurement of local sIgE levels in nasal secretion is a reliable and effective diagnostic method for LAR.