[Research progress of congenital preauricular fistula]

Congenital preauricular fistula can be sporadic or genetic. When inherited, it exhibits incomplete autosomal dominant genetic patterns. It can occur alone or with other diseases such as branchio-oto-renal syndrome. According to the position of fistula opening, congenital ear fistula can be divided into four categories: congenital preauricular fistula, congenital posterior ear fistula, congenital auricular fistula and congenital external auditory canal fistula. Congenital auricle fistula can be subdivided into congenital auricular fistula, congenital teal fistula, congenital earlobe fistula and so on. The diagnosis of preauricular fistula should be based on its clinical manifestation, and the diagnosis and treatment of special type of preauricular fistula should be emphasized. The treatment methods of congenital preauricular fistula include medicine, incision and surgical excision. According to the clinical practice of us and other scholars, surgical treatment is recommended in the period of acute infection, and the recurrence rate is not increased. The operation method of preauricular fistula, the application of microscope, dye tracer, probe and general anesthesia, and the clear surgical visualization are all helpful to reduce the recurrence rate.

Long non-coding RNA ENST00000434223 inhibits the progression of renal cancer through Wnt/hygro-catenin signaling pathway

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to determine the function of long non-coding RNA (LncRNA) ENST00000434223 (Lnc ENST) in renal carcinoma, and to explore the potential molecular mechanism.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Quantitative Real-Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the expressions of lncRNA ENST00000434223 and Wnt/β-catenin pathway-related mRNAs in tissues and cells of renal cancer. Chi-square test was performed to figure out the relationship between lncRNA ENST00000434223 and clinic-pathologic features of renal cancer patients. Besides, si-NC, si-ENST00000434223, pcDNA-NC and pcDNA-ENST00000434223 were transfected into renal cancer cells. The proliferative ability, metastasis and invasiveness of cells were detected using Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and transwell assay, respectively. Lastly, the activation of the Wnt/hygro-catenin signal transduction pathway was evaluated by TOP/FOP Wnt Luciferase reporter assay and Western blot.

RESULTS

The expressions of Wnt2b and β-catenin were significantly increased in renal carcinoma, while E-cadherin was markedly down-regulated. Lowly expressed ENST00000434223 was involved in the poor prognosis of patients with renal cancer. In addition, down-regulating ENST00000434223 could enhance the viability, metastasis and invasiveness of renal cancer cells. However, overexpressing ENST00000434223 remarkably weakened the above cell functions. At the same time, interference or overexpression of ENST00000434223 could affect the expression level of proteins related to the Wnt/β-catenin signal pathway.

CONCLUSIONS

LncRNA ENST00000434223 inhibits the progression of renal cancer through the Wnt/shell-catenin signal pathway.

[Analysis of occupational pneumoconiosis in Jiangsu province from 2006 to 2017]

Objective: To analyze the characteristics and patterns of occupational pneumoconiosis in Jiangsu Province, China, from 2006 to 2017, and to provide a scientific basis for government departments to develop effective interventions and preventive strategies against occupational pneumoconiosis. Methods: The data of 9327 patients with occupational pneumoconiosis were retrieved from the online report of occupational pneumoconiosis in Jiangsu Province from 2006 to 2017. Excel worksheet and SPSS 20.0 software were used to organize and analyze the data, respectively. An epidemiological statistical analysis was performed on age of onset, length of dust exposure, type of work, industry category, type of pneumoconiosis, annual incidence of pneumoconiosis, regional distribution, enterprise scale, and economic category in those patients. Results: A total of 9 327 patients with occupational pneumoconiosis were reported in Jiangsu Province from 2006 to 2017. In those patients, 8 559 were newly diagnosed and 768 had advanced disease. The male-female ratio was 16.34:1.Patients with stage I pneumoconiosis(6 994, 74.99%) were dominant in all the patients. The mean age of onset and length of dust exposure were 58.5±10.7 and 15.3±10.9 years, respectively. Most of the patients (6 012, 64.46%) had an age of onset between 50 and 69 years. For the length of dust exposure, the highest percentage was observed in patients exposed for no more than 5 years (2 231, 23.92%).The largest number of patients diagnosed with pneumoconiosis(1 200, 12.87%) was reported in 2010. Most of the patients(7 012, 75.18%) were from four cities, i.e, Wuxi (2 090, 22.41%), Yancheng (1 987, 21.30%), Suzhou (1 552, 16.64%), and Xuzhou (1 383, 14.83%). In all the patients, the incidence of silicosis (6791, 72.81%) was highest, followed by coal worker pneumoconiosis (1 364, 14.62%) and electric welder pneumoconiosis (563, 6.04%).Pneumoconiosis complicated by tuberculosis was found in 28 (0.3%) patients.A total of 1616 (17.33%) patients were reported in health, social security, and social welfare industries, while 1474 (15.80%) patients worked for coal mining and washing. Rock drillers (2 818, 30.21%) were dominant in those patients.State-owned economic enterprises reported the largest number of patients(5 441, 58.34%).Patients from small enterprises (4 323, 46.35%) had the highest percentage. Conclusion: Pneumoconiosis is an occupational disease with a high incidence in Jiangsu Province. Pneumoconiosis patients show an industry- and job-centered distribution. The length of dust exposure is decreasing.

AGK Unleashes CD8+ T Cell Glycolysis to Combat Tumor Growth

Elevated glycolytic metabolism is essential for CD8⁺ T cell antitumor function, but cell-intrinsic factors modulating this process remain elusive. In this issue, Hu et al. (2019) show that the lipid kinase acylglycerol kinase (AGK) promotes the glycolytic and functional fitness of CD8⁺ T cells by inactivating PTEN and boosting mTOR activity, thereby promoting antitumor activity.

Evaluating the effects of mobile health intervention on weight management, glycemic control and pregnancy outcomes in patients with gestational diabetes mellitus

PURPOSE

To explore the effects of mobile health (mHealth) intervention on pregnancy weight management, blood glucose control and pregnancy outcomes.

METHODS

A total of 124 patients with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) were selected. Patients were randomly divided into two groups. The 60 patients in the control group received standard outpatient treatment, while the remaining 64 patients received a nurse's online guidance both through a mobile medical App installed on their phone and through regular offline clinical treatment in the mHealth group. Patients were treated for an average of 13 weeks and general conditions, compliance, blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, weight gain, pregnancy, and neonatal outcomes were monitored in both groups longitudinally.

RESULTS

The mHealth group demonstrated higher levels of compliance (83.3 ± 12.5% vs. 70.4 ± 10.1%, t = - 6.293, df = 122, p < 0.001), lower frequency of outpatient service (8.1 ± 1.3 vs. 11.2 ± 1.1, t = 14.285, df = 122, p < 0.001), lower hemoglobin A1C before delivery (4.7 ± 0.2 vs. 5.3 ± 0.3, t = 13.216, df = 122, p < 0.001) as well as the rates of off-target measurements both fasting (4.6 ± 0.4% vs. 8.3 ± 0.6%, t = 40.659, df = 122, p < 0.001) and 2 h post-prandial (7.9 ± 0.7% vs. 14.7 ± 0.8%, t = 50.746, df = 122, p < 0.001). Weight gain in the mHealth group was less than control group (3.2 ± 0.8 vs. 4.8 ± 0.7, t = 11.851, df = 122 p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Mobile health intervention management of gestational diabetes mellitus improves patients' compliance and blood glucose control, and reduces weight gain, thereby reducing the rates of complications in both pregnant women and fetuses during delivery during pregnancy.

Ultrafast electron diffraction from a Bi(111) surface: Impulsive lattice excitation and Debye-Waller analysis at large momentum transfer

The lattice response of a Bi(111) surface upon impulsive femtosecond laser excitation is studied with time-resolved reflection high-energy electron diffraction. We employ a Debye-Waller analysis at large momentum transfer of 9.3 Å^-1 ≤ Δ k ≤ 21.8 Å^-1 in order to study the lattice excitation dynamics of the Bi surface under conditions of weak optical excitation up to 2 mJ/cm² incident pump fluence. The observed time constants τ _int of decay of diffraction spot intensity depend on the momentum transfer Δk and range from 5 to 12 ps. This large variation of τ _int is caused by the nonlinearity of the exponential function in the Debye-Waller factor and has to be taken into account for an intensity drop ΔI > 0.2. An analysis of more than 20 diffraction spots with a large variation in Δk gave a consistent value for the time constant τ_T of vibrational excitation of the surface lattice of 12 ± 1 ps independent on the excitation density. We found no evidence for a deviation from an isotropic Debye-Waller effect and conclude that the primary laser excitation leads to thermal lattice excitation, i.e., heating of the Bi surface.

Erratum: Ultrafast Doublon Dynamics in Photoexcited 1T-TaS_{2} [Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 166401 (2018)]

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.166401.

Akebia Saponin D Regulates the Metabolome and Intestinal Microbiota in High Fat Diet-Induced Hyperlipidemic Rats

Hyperlipidemia is a major component of metabolic syndrome, and regarded as one of the main risk factors causing metabolic diseases. We have developed a therapeutic drug, akebia saponin D (ASD), and determined its anti-hyperlipidemia activity and the potential mechanism(s) of action by analyzing the metabolome and intestinal microbiota. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a high fat diet to induce hyperlipidemia, and then given ASD orally for 8 weeks. Lipid levels in serum were determined biochemically. Metabolites in serum, urine and feces were analyzed by UPLC-Q/TOF-MS, and the structure of the intestinal microbiota was determined by 16S rRNA sequencing. The ASD treatment significantly decreased the levels of TC, TG and LDL-c and increased the serum level of HDL-c. Metabolomics analysis indicated that the ASD treatment mainly impacted seven differential metabolites in the serum, sixteen differential metabolites in the urine and four differential metabolites in feces compared to the model group. The ASD treatment significantly changed eight bacteria at the genus level compared to the model group. In conclusion, ASD treatment can significantly alleviate HFD-induced hyperlipidemia and the hypolipidemic effect of ASD treatment is certainly associated with a systematic change in the metabolism, as well as dynamic changes in the structure of the intestinal microbiota.

Effects of dietary crude protein levels and cysteamine supplementation on meat quality and related indices of finishing pigs

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary crude protein levels and cysteamine (CS) supplementation on meat quality and related indices in longissimus dorsi muscle of finishing pigs. One hundred and twenty barrows were randomly allocated to a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement with five replicates of six pigs each. The primary variations were crude protein levels (14% or 10%) and CS supplemental levels (0 or 140 mg kg−1). After 41 d, 10 pigs per treatment were slaughtered. The results showed that low-protein level diets (LPDs) decreased Warner–Bratzler shear force (P < 0.01) and increased the content of intramuscular fat (P < 0.01). The mRNA expressions of lipogenic genes were up-regulated (P < 0.01), and the mRNA expressions of lipolytic genes were down-regulated (P < 0.01) in pigs fed LPD. LPDs increased the mRNA expressions of μ-calpain, and decreased the mRNA expression of calpastatin (P < 0.01). In addition, CS supplementation increased the mRNA expression of μ-calpain (P < 0.01). In conclusion, LPD improved the meat quality probably through regulating the lipogenesis, lipolysis, and the proteolysis process in muscle. The CS supplementation did not affect the meat quality of finishing pigs. Moreover, no significant interaction between dietary protein levels and CS supplementation for the meat quality of finishing pigs was observed.

A Neuronal Pathway that Commands Deceleration in Drosophila Larval Light-Avoidance

When facing a sudden danger or aversive condition while engaged in on-going forward motion, animals transiently slow down and make a turn to escape. The neural mechanisms underlying stimulation-induced deceleration in avoidance behavior are largely unknown. Here, we report that in Drosophila larvae, light-induced deceleration was commanded by a continuous neural pathway that included prothoracicotropic hormone neurons, eclosion hormone neurons, and tyrosine decarboxylase 2 motor neurons (the PET pathway). Inhibiting neurons in the PET pathway led to defects in light-avoidance due to insufficient deceleration and head casting. On the other hand, activation of PET pathway neurons specifically caused immediate deceleration in larval locomotion. Our findings reveal a neural substrate for the emergent deceleration response and provide a new understanding of the relationship between behavioral modules in animal avoidance responses.

[Effects of PSMB5 on proliferation and bortezomib chemo-resistance in human myeloma cells and its related molecular mechanisms]

Objective: To investigate the effects of proteasome beta 5 subunit (PSMB5) on proliferation and bortezomib (BTZ) chemo-sensitivity of multiple myeloma (MM) and its related molecular mechanisms. Methods: We used two MM cell lines, RPMI 8226 and BTZ drug-resistant cell line RPMI 8226/BTZ100 (hereinafter referred to as BTZ100) , as the research object. PSMB5 was overexpressed or knocked down in two myeloma cell lines via lentivirus transfection. CCK8 assay was used to detect the impact of PSMB5 on cell viability and bortezomib sensitivity in human myeloma cells; Using flow cytometry to test the effects of PSMB5 on apoptosis rate of human myeloma cells under the treatment of bortezomib; Apoptosis-related gene expression of Bax, Bcl-2, p-Akt and cleaved caspase-3 were detected by Western blot. Results: ①PSMB5 overexpression and knockdown were successfully constructed in RPMI 8226 and BTZ100 cells. ②PSMB5 expression was positively correlated with cell proliferation of RPMI 8226 and BTZ100 cells (P<0.05) . ③The cell viability was lower after PSMB5 knockdown in RPMI 8226 cells than control cells under the same concentration of BTZ[IC(50) at 24 h: (7.01±0.47) and (9.64±0.55) nmol/L respectively, t=6.289, P=0.003]. The cell viability was higher after PSMB5 overexpression in RPMI 8226 cells than control cells under the same concentration of BTZ[IC(50) at 24 h: (10.99±0.58) and (9.51±0.37) nmol/L respectively, t=3.724, P=0.020) . PSMB5 expression was negatively correlated with the sensitivity of RPMI 8226 cells to BTZ. The results of BTZ100 cells were similar. ④The expression of PSMB5 was negatively correlated with the apoptosis of RPMI 8226 and BTZ100 under the treatment of BTZ. ⑤Meanwhile, PSMB5 knockdown could increase the expression of pro-apoptosis gene Bax and cleaved caspase-3 and decrease the expression of anti-apoptotic gene Bcl-2 and p-Akt. PSMB5 over-expression has the opposite results. Conclusion: PSMB5 knockdown could improve the bortezomib sensitivity of MM cells via activation of apoptosis signaling. PSMB5 may be a potential therapeutic target for MM.

A disinhibitory mechanism biases Drosophila innate light preference

Innate preference toward environmental conditions is crucial for animal survival. Although much is known about the neural processing of sensory information, how the aversive or attractive sensory stimulus is transformed through central brain neurons into avoidance or approaching behavior is largely unclear. Here we show that Drosophila larval light preference behavior is regulated by a disinhibitory mechanism. In the disinhibitory circuit, a pair of GABAergic neurons exerts tonic inhibition on one pair of contralateral projecting neurons that control larval reorientation behavior. When a larva enters the light area, the reorientation-controlling neurons are disinhibited to allow reorientation to occur as the upstream inhibitory neurons are repressed by light. When the larva exits the light area, the inhibition on the downstream neurons is restored to repress further reorientation and thus prevents the larva from re-entering the light area. We suggest that disinhibition may serve as a common neural mechanism for animal innate preference behavior.

Strong anisotropic nodal lines in the TiBe family

Using first-principles calculations and k·p model analysis, we find that Dirac nodal lines (DNLs) exist in low energy band structures of real materials of the body-centered cubic TiBe family.

Effect of Methylprednisolone on Liver Injury and Endotoxin Levels Following Brain Death in Rats

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Brain death impairs liver function in potential donors and is associated with inflammatory activation. Methylprednisolone treatment after brain death has been shown to reduce inflammatory activity. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of methylprednisolone on liver injury and endotoxin levels in brain-dead rats.

METHODS

Thirty-two rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: a sham-operation group (Sham group), a brain death with methylprednisolone treatment group (Methy group), a brain death with saline treatment group (Saline group), and a brain death group (BD group). The rats were anesthetized and induced by gradually increasing the intra-cranial pressure using a Fogarty catheter balloon for brain death. All of the animals were observed and ventilated for 6 h prior to being euthanized. Hepatic pathologic histology (Knodell histology activity index), liver inflammatory cytokine levels, liver function and endotoxin levels were assessed.

RESULTS

After brain death, methylprednisolone markedly alleviated the Knodell histology activity index of liver injury (P < .05). Additionally, significant reductions in the levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-10 were observed in the Methy group compared to those in the Saline and BD groups (P < .01), whereas no significant differences were found between the Saline and BD groups (P > .05). Interestingly, although the rate of liver injury after brain death in the methylprednisolone treatment group improved, the endotoxin level did not decline in the Methy group compared to the levels in the Saline and BD groups (P > .05).

CONCLUSION

The present study verified that methylprednisolone was protective for liver injury in rats subjected to brain death. This protection appeared to be due to reduced inflammatory activity with no influence on the endotoxin level.

Two agroinfection-compatible fluorescent protein-tagged infectious cDNA clones of papaya leaf distortion mosaic virus facilitate the tracking of virus infection

Papaya leaf distortion mosaic virus (PLDMV, the genus Potyvirus) is an emerging threat to papaya production. Here, agroinfection-compatible fluorescent protein-tagged PLDMV infectious cDNA clones driven by the Cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter were successfully constructed using one-step Gibson assembly. The clones were directly transformed into Agrobacterium tumefaciens to prevent potential problems such as plasmid instability during propagation in Escherichia coli. Ninety-five percent of papaya seedlings infected with PLDMV-GFP or PLDMV-mCherry developed systemic symptoms typical of those caused by wild-type PLDMV. Green and mCherry red fluorescence was observed in leaves, stems, and roots of infected papaya plants. The fluorescent protein-tagged agroinfectious PLDMV cDNA clones were stable in papaya for more than 90 days and during six serial passages at 30-day intervals. The availability of these infectious clones will contribute to research on PLDMV-host interactions and can be applied in the papaya breeding program for PLDMV resistance.

[Application of da Vinci robot's bilateral axillo-breast approach in thyroid surgery of obese patients]

Objective:To discuss the effect of obesity on the operation of thyroid gland surgery and surgical results.Method:The clinical data of 446 patients who underwent robot thyroid surgery through bilateral axillo-breast approach (BABA) from the General Hospital of Jinan Military region from February 2014 to November 2017 were analyzed retrospectively, and the patients were divided into BMI<25 kg/m²; group, BMI 25-30 kg/m²; group and BMI>30 kg/m²; group according to body mass index (BMI). The operative complications were compared between the three groups of benign and malignant patients, such as operation time, postoperative lead flow, postoperative hospitalization time, tumor size (malignant), lymph node metastasis (malignant), cosmetic satisfaction score, laryngeal nerve injury and parathyroid function decrease. Statistical methods using Variance analysis and χ² test to compare the differences between the two groups of indicators, difference is statistically significant (P<0.05).Result:The difference of operation time, postoperative average hospitalization time and postoperative drainage fluid volume in 3 groups was not statistically significant（P>0.05）. ①Intraoperative and postoperative pathological results were benign: BMI<25 kg/m²; group 69 cases, BMI 25-30 kg/m²; group 48 cases, BMI>30 kg/m²; group 8 cases, temporary recurrent laryngeal nerve injury were 1 case, 0 case and 0 case respectively, temporary parathyroid function decrease 3 cases, 2 cases and 1 case. ②Intraoperative and postoperative pathological results were malignant:BMI<25 kg/m²; group 180 cases, BMI 25-30 kg/m²; group 119 cases,BMI>30 kg/m²; group 22 cases, temporary recurrent laryngeal nerve injury were 2 cases,1 case and 0 case respectively, temporary parathyroid dysfunction in 64 cases,29 cases and 5 cases respectively.③1 patient in BMI<25 kg/m²; group had lymphatic leakage after operation, 1 patient in BMI 25-30 kg/m²; group had subcutaneous tunnel hemorrhage, and 1 patient had lymphatic leakage during operation.Conclusion:For overweight or obese patients, the da Vinci robot thyroid operation is reliable, does not increase the risk of surgical complications, but also has a good cosmetic effect.

[Relationship between upper airway volume and polysomnography parameters of patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome]

Objective:To study the relationship among upper airway volume of naso-pharyngeal, yelo-pharyngeal,glosso-pharyngeal, hypo-pharyngeal area which measured by spiral computed tomography three-dimensional reconstruction technique, apnea hypopnea indexes, and the lowest oxygen saturation in patients with OSAHS.Method:①fifty-one patients with OSAHS were received polysomnography, and then were divided into groups by the AHI,LSaO₂ values. ②To measure upper airway volume at normal breath and Müller maneuver state using spiral computed tomography three-dimensional reconstruction technique of CT measurement, and to calculate volume change rate and observe the upper airway compliance. ③To analyses the relationship between upper airway volume and AHI,LSaO₂ values.Result:The smallest upper airway volume of OSAHS was at the velo-pharyngeal level; the volume of velo-pharyngeal level were negatively correlated with AHI during normal respiration and Müller's maneuver state and were positively correlated with LSaO₂; the volume of hypo-pharyngeal were negatively correlated with AHI during normal respiration; the volume of glosso-pharyngeal were positively correlated with LSaO₂ during Müller's maneuver state.Conclusion:①The volume of velo-pharyngeal level with OSAHS patients can reflect the severity of AHI,LSaO₂. ②The measurement of upper airway volume using spiral computed tomography three-dimensional reconstruction technique is good method to evaluate the upper airway compliance of OSAHS patients.

[Comparison of percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy versus transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion in treating upper lumbar disc herniation]

Objective: To compare the efficacy of percutaneous endoscopic transforaminal discectomy (PTED) and transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) in the treatment of high lumbar disc herniation. Methods: The clinical data of patients with high lumbar disc herniation from February 2010 to February 2015 were retrospective analyzed. According to the inclusion criteria, a total of 63 cases were enrolled, including PTED group 33 cases, TLIF group 30 cases. The improvement of the two groups before and after surgery was assessed by visual analogue scale (VAS) and Oswestry dysfunction index (ODI). The operative time, intraoperative blood loss, drainage volume at 48 h postoperatively, hospitalization time, number of fluoroscopy, complication, recurrence rate and postoperative recovery were compared between the two groups. The follow-up period was 12 to 33 months. Results: The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, drainage amount and hospitalization time in PTED group were significantly less than those in TLIF group[(71±19) vs (121±22) min, (30±21) vs (317±50) ml, 0 vs (93±29) ml, (3.5±1.9) vs (12.5±2.1) d]. The number of fluoroscopy in PTED group was significantly higher than TLIF group[(16.2±8.3) vs (6.7±4.2)](all P<0.05). There was no significant difference in VAS score and ODI improvement rate between the two groups after operation (both P>0.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups in the excellent rate of surgery and the recurrence rate (both P>0.05). Conclusions: PTED has the advantages of less trauma and bleeding, rapid postoperative recovery in the treatment of upper lumbar disc herniation compared with TLIF, and the curative effect and recurrence rate are similar with TLIF. Therefore, PTED is an effective method for the treatment of upper lumbar disc herniation.