Development and Validation of a Competitive Risk Model in Elderly Patients With Chromophobe Cell Renal Carcinoma: A Population-Based Study

Background

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common renal malignancy in adults, and chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (chRCC) is the third most common subtype of RCC. We aimed to construct a competitive risk model to predict cancer-specific survival (CSS) in elderly patients with chRCC.

Methods

The clinicopathological information of the patients was downloaded from the SEER database, and the patients were randomly divided into the training and validation cohorts. Patients' risk factors for cancer-specific death (CSM) were analyzed using proportional subdistribution hazard (SH). We constructed a competitive risk model to predict the CSS of elderly chRCC patients. Consistency index (C-index), the area under receiver operating curve (AUC), and a calibration curve were used to validate the model's accuracy. Decision curve analysis (DCA) was used to test the clinical value of the model.

Results

A total of 3,522 elderly patients with chRCC were included in the analysis. Patients were randomly assigned to either the training cohort (N = 2,474) or the validation cohort (N = 1,048). SH analysis found that age, race, T, N, and M stage, tumor size, and surgery were risk factors for CSM. We constructed a competitive risk model to predict patients' CSS. In the training set, the model predicted patients' 1-, 3-, and 5-year CSS with C-indices of 82.2, 80.8, and 78.2, respectively. The model predicted patient 1-, 3-, and 5-year CSS in the validation cohort with C-indices of 84.7, 83.4, and 76.9, respectively. The calibration curve showed that the model's predicted value is almost consistent with the observed value, which indicated that the model has good accuracy. The AUC of the training set and validation queue also suggested that the model has good discrimination. The clinical utility of the DCA model in predicting patients' CSS is higher than that of traditional TNM staging.

Conclusions

We constructed a competitive risk model to predict CSS in elderly patients with chRCC. The model has good accuracy and reliability, which can help doctors and patients to make clinical decisions and follow-up strategies.

Crystallization, thermal and mechanical properties of stereocomplexed poly(lactide) with flexible PLLA/PCL multiblock copolymer

In this work, the synthesized PLLA/PCL multi-block copolymers with different compositions were introduced into a stereocomplexed poly(lactide) (sc-PLA) matrix to accelerate the stereocomplexation of PLA enantiomers and improve its inherent brittleness. The PLLA/PCL multi-block copolymers were in different compositions to adjust the molecular weight of the PLLA block. The structure, molecular weight, crystallization behavior, crystal structure and thermal stability of PLLA/PCL multi-block copolymers were investigated. The results indicated that PLLA/PCL multi-block copolymers with controllable structure and composition were successfully synthesized. On this basis, the blends of sc-PLA and PLLA/PCL multi-block copolymers were prepared by solution casting, and characterized. The results revealed that the introduction of PLLA/PCL multi-block copolymers promoted the stereocomplexation of the PLA enantiomers during the melting crystallization process to obtain a complete stereocomplexed material. But the presence of the PCL block leads to a decrease in the melting temperature of the stereocomplex and difficulty in homogeneous nucleation. Compared with sc-PLA, the elongation at break of the blends was significantly improved and their tensile strengths were only slightly reduced. And the thermal stability and mechanical properties of the blends could be adjusted by controlling the content and composition of PCL/PLLA multi-block copolymers. These results revealed that the degree of stereocomplexation and toughness of sc-PLA were improved, which may expand the application fields of PLA-based materials.

The PLLA/PCL multi-block copolymer was introduced into the stereocomplexed PLA matrix, and its effect on the crystallization, thermal and mechanical properties of the stereocomplexed PLA was discussed.

DNA Hypermethylation-Regulated CX3CL1 Reducing T Cell Infiltration Indicates Poor Prognosis in Wilms Tumour

Objective

To investigate the role of chemokines in Wilms tumours, especially their chemotaxis to immune cells and the role of DNA methylation in regulating the expression level of chemokines.

Methods

RNAseqV2 gene expression and clinical data were downloaded from the TARGET database. DNA methylation data were downloaded from the GEO and cBioPortal database. The difference analysis and Kaplan-Meier(KM) analysis of chemokines were performed by edgeR package. Then predictive model based on chemokines was constructed by lasso regression and multivariate COX regression. ROC curve, DCA curve, Calibration curve, and Nomogram were used to evaluate the prognostic model. MCPcounter and Cibersort algorithm was used to calculate the infiltration of immune cells in Wilms tumour and para-tumour samples. Then the difference analysis of the immune cells was performed. The relationship between chemokines and immune cells were calculated by Pearson correlation. In addition, DNA methylation differences between Wilms tumour and para-tumour samples was performed. The correlation between DNA methylation and mRNA expression was calculated by Pearson correlation. Western blot(WB)and immunofluorescence were used to confirm the differential expression of CX3CL1 and T cells, and the correlation between them.

Results

A total of 16 chemokines were differentially expressed in tumour and para-tumour samples. A total of seven chemokines were associated with survival. CCL2 and CX3CL1 were positively correlated with prognosis, while high expression of CCL3, CCL8, CCL15, CCL18 and CXCL9 predicted poor prognosis. By lasso regression and multivariate COX regression, CCL3, CCL15, CXCL9 and CX3CL1 were finally included to construct a prediction model. The model shows good prediction ability. MCPcounter and Cibersort algorithm both showed that T cells were higher in para-tumour tissues than cancer tissues. Correlation analysis showed that CX3CL1 had a strong correlation with T cells. These were verified by Weston blot and immunofluorescence. DNA methylation analysis showed that various chemokines were different in para-tumours and tumours. CX3CL1 was hypermethylated in tumours, and the degree of methylation was negatively correlated with mRNA expression.

Conclusion

1. There is low T cell infiltration in nephroblastoma. 2. Chemokines such as CX3CL1 indicate a favourable prognosis and positively correlate with the number of T cells. 3. chemokines such as CX3CL1 are negatively regulated by DNA hypermethylation.

Diabetic Retinopathy Grading by Deep Graph Correlation Network on Retinal Images Without Manual Annotations

Background

Diabetic retinopathy, as a severe public health problem associated with vision loss, should be diagnosed early using an accurate screening tool. While many previous deep learning models have been proposed for this disease, they need sufficient professional annotation data to train the model, requiring more expensive and time-consuming screening skills.

Method

This study aims to economize manual power and proposes a deep graph correlation network (DGCN) to develop automated diabetic retinopathy grading without any professional annotations. DGCN involves the novel deep learning algorithm of a graph convolutional network to exploit inherent correlations from independent retinal image features learned by a convolutional neural network. Three designed loss functions of graph-center, pseudo-contrastive, and transformation-invariant constrain the optimisation and application of the DGCN model in an automated diabetic retinopathy grading task.

Results

To evaluate the DGCN model, this study employed EyePACS-1 and Messidor-2 sets to perform grading results. It achieved an accuracy of 89.9% (91.8%), sensitivity of 88.2% (90.2%), and specificity of 91.3% (93.0%) on EyePACS-1 (Messidor-2) data set with a confidence index of 95% and commendable effectiveness on receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and t-SNE plots.

Conclusion

The grading capability of this study is close to that of retina specialists, but superior to that of trained graders, which demonstrates that the proposed DGCN provides an innovative route for automated diabetic retinopathy grading and other computer-aided diagnostic systems.

A Nomogram for Predicting Cancer-Specific Survival in Children With Wilms Tumor: A Study Based on SEER Database and External Validation in China

Background

Wilms tumor (WT) is the most common tumor in children. We aim to construct a nomogram to predict the cancer-specific survival (CSS) of WT in children and externally validate in China.

Methods

We downloaded the clinicopathological data of children with WT from 2004 to 2018 in the SEER database. At the same time, we used the clinicopathological data collected previously for all children with WT between 2013 and 2018 at Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University (Chongqing, China). We analyzed the difference in survival between the patients in the SEER database and our hospital. Cox regression analysis was used to screen for significant risk factors. Based on these factors, a nomogram was constructed to predict the CSS of children with WT. Calibration curve, concordance index (C-index), the area under the receiver operating curve (AUC) and decision curve analysis (DCA) was used to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of the model.

Results

We included 1,045 children with WT in the SEER database. At the same time, we collected 112 children with WT in our hospital. The Kaplan-Meier curve suggested that children in China with WT had a higher mortality rate than those in the United States. Cox regression analysis revealed that age, lymph node density (LND), and tumor stage were significant prognostic factors for the patients in the SEER database. However, the patients in our hospital only confirmed that the tumor stage and the number of positive regional lymph nodes were significant factors. The prediction model established by the SEER database had been validated internally and externally to prove that it had good accuracy and reliability.

Conclusion

We have constructed a survival prognosis prediction model for children with WT, which has been validated internally and externally to prove accuracy and reliability.

Hydrogen spillover assisted by oxygenate molecules over nonreducible oxides

Spontaneous migration of atomic hydrogen species from metal particles to the surface of their support, known as hydrogen spillover, has been claimed to play a major role in catalytic processes involving hydrogen. While this phenomenon is well established on reducible oxide supports, its realization on much more commonly used non-reducible oxides is still challenged. Here we present a general strategy to enable effective hydrogen spillover over non-reducible SiO₂ with aid of gaseous organic molecules containing a carbonyl group. By using hierarchically-porous-SiO₂-supported bimetallic Pt-Fe catalysts with Pt nanoparticles exclusively deposited into the micropores, we demonstrate that activated hydrogen species generated on the Pt sites within the micropores can be readily transported by these oxygenate molecules to Fe sites located in macropores, leading to significantly accelerated hydrodeoxygenation rates on the latter sites. This finding provides a molecule-assisted approach to the rational design and optimization of multifunctional heterogeneous catalysts, reminiscent of the role of molecular coenzymes in bio-catalysis.

Spontaneous migration of H-atoms from metal particles to a nonreducible oxide support is generally limited by thermodynamics. Here, small oxygenate molecules are found to act as effective H-carriers to promote this process and lead to much improved hydrodeoxygenation rates on Pt-Fe/SiO₂ catalysts.

A Web-Based Prediction Model for Cancer-Specific Survival of Elderly Patients With Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Population-Based Study

Background

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is expected in the elderly and poor prognosis. We aim to explore prognostic factors of ccRCC in the elderly and construct a nomogram to predict cancer-specific survival (CSS) in elderly patients with ccRCC.

Methods

Clinicopathological information for all elderly patients with ccRCC from 2004 to 2018 was downloaded from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program. All patients were randomly assigned to a training cohort (70%) or a validation cohort (30%). Univariate and multivariate Cox regression models were used to identify the independent risk factors for CSS. A new nomogram was constructed to predict CSS at 1-, 3-, and 5 years in elderly patients with ccRCC based on independent risk factors. Subsequently, we used the consistency index (C-index), calibration curves, and the area under the receiver operating curve (AUC) and decision curve analysis (DCA) to test the prediction accuracy of the model.

Results

A total of 33,509 elderly patients with ccRCC were enrolled. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses results showed that age, sex, race, marriage, tumor size, histological grade, tumor, nodes, and metastases (TNM) stage, and surgery were independent risk factors for CSS in elderly patients with ccRCC. We constructed a nomogram to predict CSS in elderly patients with ccRCC. The C-index of the training cohort and validation cohort was 0.81 (95% CI: 0.802-0.818) and 0.818 (95% CI: 0.806-0.830), respectively. The AUC of the training cohort and validation cohort also suggested that the prediction model had good accuracy. The calibration curve showed that the observed value of the prediction model was highly consistent with the predicted value. DCA showed good clinical application value of the nomogram.

Conclusion

In this study, we explored prognostic factors in elderly patients with ccRCC. We found that age, sex, marriage, TNM stage, surgery, and tumor size were independent risk factors for CSS. We constructed a new nomogram to predict CSS in elderly patients with ccRCC with good accuracy and reliability, providing clinical guidance for patients and physicians.

Multiple transcriptome analysis of Piwil2-induced cancer stem cells, including piRNAs, mRNAs and miRNAs reveals the mechanism of tumorigenesis and development

BACKGROUND

Cancer stem cells play important roles in the process of tumorigenesis. Our research group obtained cancer stem cell-like cells named Piwil2-iCSCs by reprogramming human preputial fibroblasts (FBs) with the PIWIL2 gene, but the mechanism of Piwil2-iCSCs is still unclear.

METHODS

We sequenced the piRNAs, miRNAs and mRNAs of Piwil2-iCSCs and FBs, and analyzed the differences. Gene Ontology (GO) and, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) were performed on the differentially expressed (DE) mRNAs. In addition, we analyzed the variable shear events and fusion genes in the Piwil2-iCSCs. Target gene prediction and functional enrichment analysis were performed for the DE miRNAs.

RESULTS

A total of 1119 DE mRNAs, 220 DE piRNAs, and 440 DE miRNAs were obtained between the Piwil2-iCSCs and FBs. Functional enrichment analysis showed that the genes with upregulated expression were mainly involved in DNA repair, mismatch repair, base excision repair, and nucleotide excision repair. Genes with downregulated expression were mainly involved in the TGF-β receptor signaling pathway, senescence and autophagy in cancer. More frequent shear events occurred in Piwil2-iCSCs and FBs, especially in intron retention (IR) events. We also identified three fusion genes MCM3AP-C21orf58, LRRFIP2-CAV3 and TMEM184B-DMC1. Enrichment analysis of DE miRNAs showed that they were associated with apoptosis, the TGF-β signaling pathway, and the stem cell regulatory signaling pathway. In particular, target gene prediction of the top three miRNAs with upregulated expression showed that they targeted SMAD, GREM1 and other genes to participate in the regulation of TGF-β and other pathways.

CONCLUSION

PIWIL2-induced cancer stem cells have significantly altered levels of miRNAs, piRNAs and mRNAs.TGF-β, autophagy, apoptosis and other pathways may play an important role in stem cell development. The occurrence of alternative splicing and fusion genes may be related to the occurrence of cancer stem cells.

Amputation Predisposes to Higher Cancer-Specific Mortality Than Limb Salvage Surgery in Pediatric Patients With Osteosarcoma of the Limbs: A Propensity Matching Analysis

Objective

With the development of osteosarcoma treatment, limb salvage surgery is gradually replacing amputation as the primary surgical option. Most pediatric osteosarcomas of the limbs undergo limb-salvage surgery. We aimed to use propensity score matching (PSM) analysis test the difference in cancer-specific mortality (CSM) between amputation and limb-salvage surgery in pediatric patients with Osteosarcoma of the limbs. PSM is a statistical method used to deal with data from an Observational Study. The PSM method is designed to reduce the influence of biases and confounding variables to make a more reasonable comparison between experimental and control groups.

Methods

Patient information was downloaded from the SEER (surveillance, epidemiology, and End Results) database from 2004 to 2018. We included all primary pediatric osteosarcoma patients who underwent limb salvage or amputation. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to explore the factors influencing patient choice of amputation. Differences in CSM and other causes of mortality (OSM) between limb salvage and amputation were analyzed using cumulative incidence plots and competitive risk regression tests after 1:1 proportional propensity score matching.

Results

A total of 1,058 pediatric patients with limbs Osteosarcoma were included. Patients who underwent amputations were more likely to be male (OR 1.4, P = 0.024) and more likely to have distant metastasis (OR 2.1, P < 0.001). Before propensity matching, CSM was 1.4 times higher in patients undergoing amputation than in patients undergoing limb salvage (P = 0.017) and 3.4 times higher in OSM (P = 0.007). After adjustment for propensity matching, CSM was 1.5 times higher in patients undergoing amputation than in patients undergoing limb salvage (P = 0.028), but there was no significant difference in OSM (HR 3.2, P = 0.078).

Conclusions

Our results suggested that amputation is associated with a 1.5-fold increase in CSM in pediatric patients with limbs Osteosarcoma. Therefore, in the surgical selection of pediatric patients with Osteosarcoma, limb salvage surgery should be the first choice in the absence of other contraindications.

Programmed intermittent epidural bolus in parturients: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

BACKGROUND

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of programmed intermittent epidural bolus (PIEB) in parturients.

METHODS

The PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library (from inception to July 2021) were searched for identification of randomized placebo-controlled trials in which PIEB was applied in parturients. The outcomes were the effect of analgesia, satisfaction score, mode of delivery, duration of labor, neonatal condition, and adverse events. The pooled odds ratios (OR), weighted mean difference (WMD), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using random- and fixed-effects models.

RESULTS

PIEB was found to be associated with decreased total consumption of ropivacaine (WMD = -15.83, 95% CI: -19.06 to -12.60, P < .00001; I2 = 61%; P for heterogeneity = .04), total consumption of sufentanil (WMD = -4.93, 95% CI: -6.87 to 2.98, P < .00001; I2 = 68%; P for heterogeneity = .05), numbers of patients who require patient-controlled epidural analgesia bolus (OR = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.14-0.51, P < .0001; I2 = 65%; P for heterogeneity = .01), the number of attempts (WMD = -4.12, 95% CI: -7.21 to -1.04, P = .009; I2 = 100%; P for heterogeneity < .00001), rate of breakthrough pain (OR = 0.47, 95% CI: 0.28-0.80, P = .005; I2 = 47%; P for heterogeneity = .09). Eight studies focus on the duration of analgesia. After by meta-analysis, we found that the pain visual analogue scale (VAS) score at 30 minutes, 2 hours, 4 hours, and 5 hours in PIEB group was significantly lower when compared with control group, (WMD = -0.15, 95% CI: -0.26 to -0.04, P = .006; I2 = 0%; P for heterogeneity = .64), (WMD = -0.79, 95% CI: -1.32 to 0.25, P = .004; I2 = 97%; P for heterogeneity < .00001), (WMD = -1.00, 95% CI: -1.08 to -0.91, P < .00001; I2 = 0%; P for heterogeneity = .67), (WMD = -1.81, 95% CI: -3.23 to -0.39, P = .01; I2 = 98%; P for heterogeneity < .00001), respectively. Nineteen studies discussed the mode of delivery between 2 groups. The results suggest that the rate of normal delivery is significantly higher in PIEB group compared with control group (OR = 1.37, 95% CI: 1.08-1.75, P = .01). The time of first and second stage of labor are significantly shorter in PIEB group compared with control group, the result is (WMD = -10.52, 95% CI: -14.74 to 4.76, P < .00001; I2 = 0%; P for heterogeneity = .86), (WMD = -1.48, 95% CI: -2.26 to -0.69, P = .0002; I2 = 35%; P for heterogeneity = .10), respectively. Thirteen studies concerned the satisfaction score of patients. The satisfaction score of patients in the PIEB group was significantly higher when compared with control group (WMD = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.42-1.39, P = .0003; I2 = 98%; P for heterogeneity < .00001). The Apgar score at 1, 5 minutes in PIEB group are significantly higher (WMD = 0.07, 95% CI: 0.02-0.13 P = .007; I2 = 55%; P for heterogeneity = .04), (WMD = -0.08, 95% CI: -0.12 to -0.05, P < .00001; I2 = 21%; P for heterogeneity = .27), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

PIEB is a good alternative for labor analgesia with better analgesic effect, maternal and infant outcome.

Development and Validation of a Nomogram to Predict Distant Metastasis in Elderly Patients With Renal Cell Carcinoma

Background

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common renal malignant tumor in elderly patients. The prognosis of renal cell carcinoma with distant metastasis is poor. We aim to construct a nomogram to predict the risk of distant metastasis in elderly patients with RCC to help doctors and patients with early intervention and improve the survival rate.

Methods

The clinicopathological information of patients was downloaded from SEER to identify all elderly patients with RCC over 65 years old from 2010 to 2018. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyzed the training cohort's independent risk factors for distant metastasis. A nomogram was established to predict the distant metastasis of elderly patients with RCC based on these risk factors. We used the consistency index (C-index), calibration curve, and area under the receiver operating curve (AUC) to evaluate the accuracy and discrimination of the prediction model. Decision curve analysis (DCA) was used to assess the clinical application value of the model.

Results

A total of 36,365 elderly patients with RCC were included in the study. They were randomly divided into the training cohort (N = 25,321) and the validation cohort (N = 11,044). In the training cohort, univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis suggested that race, tumor histological type, histological grade, T stage, N stage, tumor size, surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy were independent risk factors for distant metastasis elderly patients with RCC. A nomogram was constructed to predict the risk of distant metastasis in elderly patients with RCC. The training and validation cohort's C-indexes are 0.949 and 0.954, respectively, indicating that the nomogram has excellent accuracy. AUC of the training and validation cohorts indicated excellent predictive ability. DCA suggested that the nomogram had a better clinical application value than the traditional TN staging.

Conclusion

This study constructed a new nomogram to predict the risk of distant metastasis in elderly patients with RCC. The nomogram has excellent accuracy and reliability, which can help doctors and patients actively monitor and follow up patients to prevent distant metastasis of tumors.

[Transoral endoscopic resection of benign tumors in parapharyngeal space via medial pterygomandibular raphe approach]

Objective: To explore the surgical methods and effects of transoral endoscopic resection of benign tumors in parapharyngeal space via medial pterygomandibular raphe approach. Methods: The clinical data of 23 patients who underwent resection of benign tumors in parapharyngeal space by endoscopic medial pterygomandibular raphe approach from January 2016 to July 2020 in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University were analyzed retrospectively. There were 14 males and 9 females with a median age of 43 years. The tumors were located in the anterior space of the styloid process in 13 cases and in the posterior space in 10 cases. The smallest tumor volume was 7.3 ml and the largest was 80.2 ml. The preoperative imaging features, the characteristics and risks of this approach in the operation were analyzed, and the feasible mode of operation was explored. Results: All patients completed the operation successfully. The intraoperative blood loss was 20 to 50 ml, with an average of 28.3 ml. The operation time was 40 to 110 min, with an average of 75.4 min. The incision length was 2 to 4 cm, with an average of 3.0 cm. The postoperative pain score was 2 to 4, with an average of 3.2. The postoperative hospital stay was 4 to 9 d, with an average of 6.7 d. Postoperative pathological diagnosis included pleomorphic adenoma (n=12), neurilemmoma (n=10) and basal cell adenoma (n=1). The patients were followed up for 6 to 60 months. There was no postoperative complication such as infection or serious bleeding, and there was no tumor recurrence after operation. Conclusion: Endoscopic resection of benign tumor in parapharyngeal space via medial pterygomandibular raphe approach is a safe, effective, and minimally invasive surgical method for the treatment of tumors in parapharyngeal space.

African swine fever virus cysteine protease pS273R inhibits pyroptosis by noncanonically cleaving gasdermin D

African swine fever (ASF) is a viral hemorrhagic disease that affects domestic pigs and wild boar and is caused by the African swine fever virus (ASFV). The ASFV virion contains a long double-stranded DNA genome, which encodes more than 150 proteins. However, the immune escape mechanism and pathogenesis of ASFV remain poorly understood. Here, we report that the pyroptosis execution protein gasdermin D (GSDMD) is a new binding partner of ASFV-encoded protein S273R (pS273R), which belongs to the SUMO-1 cysteine protease family. Further experiments demonstrated that ASFV pS273R-cleaved swine GSDMD in a manner dependent on its protease activity. ASFV pS273R specifically cleaved GSDMD at G107-A108 to produce a shorter N-terminal fragment of GSDMD consisting of residues 1 to 107 (GSDMD-N_1–107). Interestingly, unlike the effect of GSDMD-N_1–279 fragment produced by caspase-1-mediated cleavage, the assay of LDH release, cell viability, and virus replication showed that GSDMD-N_1–107 did not trigger pyroptosis or inhibit ASFV replication. Our findings reveal a previously unrecognized mechanism involved in the inhibition of ASFV infection-induced pyroptosis, which highlights an important function of pS273R in inflammatory responses and ASFV replication.

African Swine Fever Virus pE199L Induces Mitochondrial-Dependent Apoptosis

African swine fever (ASF) is a severe hemorrhagic disease in swine characterized by massive lymphocyte depletion and cell death, with apoptosis and necrosis in infected lymphoid tissues. However, the molecular mechanism regarding ASFV-induced cell death remains largely unknown. In this study, 94 ASFV-encoded proteins were screened to determine the viral proteins involved in cell death in vitro, and pE199L showed the most significant effect. Ectopic expression of pE199L in porcine cells (CRL-2843) and human cells (HEK293T and HeLa cells) induced cell death remarkably, showing obvious shrinking, blistering, apoptotic bodies, and nuclear DNA fragments. Meanwhile, cell death was markedly alleviated when the expression of pE199L was knocked down during ASFV infection. Additionally, the expression of pE199L caused a loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, release of cytochrome C, and caspase-9 and -3/7 activation, indicating that the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway was involved in pE199L-induced apoptosis. Further investigations showed that pE199L interacted with several anti-apoptotic BCL-2 subfamily members (such as BCL-XL, MCL-1, BCL-W, and BCL-2A1) and competed with BAK for BCL-XL, which promoted BAK and BAX activation. Taken together, ASFV pE199L induces the mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis, which may provide clues for a comprehensive understanding of ASFV pathogenesis.

Biological features and clinical outcome in infant neuroblastoma: a multicenter experience in Beijing

Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common extracranial solid tumor in childhood, with 37% of patients diagnosed during infancy. This study is aimed at evaluating the survival outcome in infants diagnosed with neuroblastoma. This was a retrospective cohort study including patients under the age of 12 months with neuroblastoma from four tertiary referral centers in Beijing, China (Beijing Children's Hospital, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Peking University First Hospital, and Capital Institute of Pediatrics). Two hundred and forty-seven infants with neuroblastoma were included (male = 132 and female = 115). 91.1% (n = 225) patients were classified as having low-risk or intermediate-risk disease and 8.9% (n = 22) as having high-risk disease. The most common metastatic site is distant lymph node (n=89, 36.0%), followed by liver (n=57, 23.1%), bone (n=42, 17.0%), bone marrow (n=37, 15.0%), soft tissue (n=25, 10%), and central nervous system (n=4, 1.6%). MYCN amplification was present in 9.9% of tumor samples, chromosome 1p or 11q aberration in 14%. Treatment involved surgery alone in 9.7% of patients (n=24, all with low-risk disease), surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy in 50.2% (n=124), neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery in 40.1% (n=97), and chemotherapy alone in 0.8% (n=2). 4.9% (n=12) patients died, and the major cause of death is disease progression. Three-year event-free and overall survival were 91.6%±2.1% and 97.4%±1.1%, respectively, in patients with low- or intermediate-risk disease, and 58.7%±11.5% and 63.6%±11.2%, respectively, in those with high-risk disease.Conclusions: Infants with neuroblastoma achieve a reasonable clinical outcome when treated with surgery with or without chemotherapy using a risk-stratified approach in China. Such information will facilitate counseling, therapeutic decision-making, and development of adapted standard-of-care guidelines for future patients in the country. What is Known: • NB is a disease of infancy; 37% of patients are diagnosed as infants. • Most children younger than 12 months of age have a good prognosis even in the presence of metastatic disease. What is New: • Infants with neuroblastoma achieve reasonable clinical outcome when treated with surgery with or without chemotherapy using a risk-stratified approach in China. • CNS metastasis in infants with neuroblastoma is very rare at diagnosis and had a worse prognosis than those without metastasis.

Fabrication of Manganese Oxide/PTFE Hollow Fiber Membrane and Its Catalytic Degradation of Phenol

P-aminophenol is a hazardous environmental pollutant that can remain in water in the natural environment for long periods due to its resistance to microbiological degradation. In order to decompose p-aminophenol in water, manganese oxide/polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) hollow fiber membranes were prepared. MnO₂ and Mn₃O₄ were synthesized and stored in PTFE hollow fiber membranes by injecting MnSO₄·H2O, KMnO₄, NaOH, and H₂O₂ solutions into the pores of the PTFE hollow fiber membrane. The resultant MnO₂/PTFE and Mn₃O₄/PTFE hollow fiber membranes were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and thermal analysis (TG). The phenol catalytic degradation performance of the hollow fiber membranes was evaluated under various conditions, including flux, oxidant content, and pH. The results showed that a weak acid environment and a decrease in flux were beneficial to the catalytic degradation performance of manganese oxide/PTFE hollow fiber membranes. The catalytic degradation efficiencies of the MnO₂/PTFE and Mn₃O₄/PTFE hollow fiber membranes were 70% and 37% when a certain concentration of potassium monopersulfate (PMS) was added, and the catalytic degradation efficiencies of MnO₂/PTFE and Mn₃O₄/PTFE hollow fiber membranes were 50% and 35% when a certain concentration of H₂O₂ was added. Therefore, the manganese oxide/PTFE hollow fiber membranes represent a good solution for the decomposition of p-aminophenol.

Human RGR Gene and Associated Features of Age-Related Macular Degeneration in Models of Retina-Choriocapillaris Atrophy

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a progressive eye disease and the most common cause of blindness among the elderly. AMD is characterized by early atrophy of the choriocapillaris and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). Although AMD is a multifactorial disease with many environmental and genetic risk factors, a hallmark of the disease is the origination of extracellular deposits, or drusen, between the RPE and Bruch membrane. Human retinal G-protein-coupled receptor (RGR) gene generates an exon-skipping splice variant of RGR-opsin (RGR-d; NP_001012740) that is a persistent component of small and large drusen. Herein, the findings show that abnormal RGR proteins, including RGR-d, are pathogenic in an animal retina with degeneration of the choriocapillaris, RPE, and photoreceptors. A frameshift truncating mutation resulted in severe retinal degeneration with a continuous band of basal deposits along the Bruch membrane. RGR-d produced less severe disease with choriocapillaris and RPE atrophy, including focal accumulation of abnormal RGR-d protein at the basal boundary of the RPE. Degeneration of the choriocapillaris was marked by a decrease in endothelial CD31 protein and choriocapillaris breakdown at the ultrastructural level. Fundus lesions with patchy depigmentation were characteristic of old RGR-d mice. RGR-d was mislocalized in cultured cells and caused a strong cell growth defect. These results uphold the notion of a potential hidden link between AMD and a high-frequency RGR allele.

A rapid sap-direct reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction method for detection of dendrobium viroid in Dendrobium plants

Dendrobium viroid (DVd) was first reported in China in 2020, and it is the only viroid known to infect Orchidaceae family plants. In this study, we developed a simple reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method for the rapid detection of DVd in Dendrobium plants. When extracting the sap template from the leaves, they are first clamped between two layers of plastic film, and the sap is pressed out and collected with a pipette. Using this sap, DVd was detected by dot-blot and RT-PCR methods and, the expected amplicons were confirmed by sequencing analysis. The batch analysis of field samples revealed that this method can be used to detect DVd rapidly. The detection method also reduces cross-contamination between different samples and minimizes false positives. Thus, this sap-direct RT-PCR method allows effective and rapid DVd detection in the study of Orchidaceae plants.

Environmentally robust immersion supercritical lens with an invariable sub-diffraction-limited focal spot

Planar metalenses provide an effective way to break the diffraction barrier in the far field. Their physical mechanism and applications have been intensively studied in the past decade. These investigations on sub-diffraction-limited light modulations have only been applied to specified single immersion environments; however, changing immersion environments can severely degrade their focusing performance, limiting their application potential. In this work, we propose and experimentally demonstrate an environmentally robust immersion supercritical lens (SCL) that can work in various immersion environments. The design of such a lens is based on the vectorial Rayleigh-Sommerfeld diffraction theory combined with a multi-objective optimization algorithm. The sub-diffraction-limited focusing effect has been experimentally demonstrated in commonly used media, including air, water, and oil, with refractive indices of 1.0, 1.33, and 1.51, respectively. Moreover, such a lens can maintain its effective numerical aperture at a fixed value, bringing a unique advantage in that the lateral size of the focal spots exhibits a similar value of ${{317}}\;{{\pm}}\;{{7}}\;{\rm{nm}}$ in all three media. Our demonstration provides the feasibility of SCLs in various application scenarios with multi-immersion environments, such as bioimaging, light trapping, and optical storage.

A simple organic multi-analyte fluorescent prober: One molecule realizes the detection to DNT, TATP and Sarin substitute gas

The detections of explosives and chemical warfare agents (CWAs) are always important for global security. In this study, a simple donor (D)- acceptor (A) type small organic fluorescent triazole-based molecule (T1) is reported. T1 is composed of a central 4H-1, 2, 4-triazole (TAZ) "core" and three external triphenylamine (TPA) groups. Its spin-coating films can realize the multi-analyte fluorescent prober to detect DNT (2, 4-dinitrotoluene), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂, the substitute for triacetone triperoxide (TATP)) and diethylchlorophosphate (DCP, the substitute for Sarin) vapors. Additionally, the combination of the triple sensing mechanism in the different channels affords three distinct sets of output-signal responses, these three hazardous compounds could be identified rapidly with high sensitivity and selectivity: fluorescence turn-off response to DNT, fluorescence turn-on response to H₂O₂ and fluorometric-colorimetric dual-channel response to DCP. T1 fluorescent probe is highly advantageous for concurrently monitoring various hazardous target substances and simultaneously possessing the desirable sensitivity and selectivity, excellent reusability. Hereby, this study provides a prototype method to build novel multifunctional fluorescent probes to explosives and CWAs.

Increased SPHK1 and HAS2 Expressions Correlate to Poor Prognosis in Pancreatic Cancer

OBJECTIVE

SPHK1 and HAS2 have been reported to play important roles in tumorigenesis and development. However, their expression and prognostic value in pancreatic cancer (PC) remain unclear. This study is aimed at investigating the expression of SPHK1 and HAS2 on the prognosis of pancreatic cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The expression of SPHK1 and HAS2 in pancreatic cancer tissues was analyzed through TCGA and GTEx databases and validated by qRT-PCR and Western blot in pancreatic cancer cell lines. χ 2 test was used to explore the correlation of the SPHK1 and HAS2 expressions with clinical characteristics. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and ROC curve were used to evaluate the prognostic and diagnostic roles of SPHK1 and HAS2 in pancreatic cancer. Additionally, Spearman correlation analysis was applied to assess the correlation between the SPHK1 and HAS2 in pancreatic cancer. GO analysis and KEGG analysis were applied to explore the possible signaling pathway that SPHK1 and HAS2 coregulated genes mediated.

RESULTS

The expression of SPHK1 and HAS2 was markedly upregulated in pancreatic cancer tissue and cell lines, respectively. Furthermore, there was a significant positive correlation between SPHK1 and HAS2 expressions. ROC curves showed that SPHK1 combine with HAS2 has good diagnostic value in pancreatic cancer patients with 85% sensitivity and 99.4% specificity. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that increased expression of SPHK1 and HAS2 was significantly associated with short overall survival (OS) of pancreatic cancer patients. GO and KEGG results revealed that SPHK1 and HAS2 mainly involved cell proliferation and invasion mediated by extracellular matrix- (ECM-) receptor interaction, focal adhesion, and PI3K-AKT signaling pathways.

CONCLUSIONS

Overexpression of SPHK1 and HAS2 could be important markers for the prognosis of pancreatic cancer.