Effect of Akson Therapy on Acoustic Parameters in Patients with Functional Dysphonia

OBJECTIVE

Functional dysphonia can impair the language expression ability and adversely affect the career development of some patients. Therefore, an active exploration of effective treatment options is imperative. This study investigated the effect of Akson therapy on acoustic parameters in patients with functional dysphonia.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this retrospective analysis, 79 patients with functional dysphonia who received conventional voice correction training from June 2020 to June 2021 were included in the reference group (RG). Our hospital has implemented Akson therapy since July 2021. Correspondingly, 72 patients with functional dysphonia who underwent Akson therapy from July 2021 to July 2022 were enrolled in the observation group (OG). The acoustic parameters such as fundamental frequency (F0), jitter, shimmer, and normalized noise energy (NNE); the aerodynamic parameters including maximum phonation time (MPT), mean airflow rate (MFR), and Voice Handicap Index-10 (VHI-10) score; and the Grade, Roughness, Breathiness, Asthenia, and Strain scale (GRBAS) score were measured before and after treatment and compared between the two groups.

RESULTS

The F0, jitter, shimmer, NNE, MPT, and MFR values as well as the VHI-10 score and the grade (G), roughness (R), and breathiness (B) scores on the GRBAS did not significantly differ between the two groups before treatment (P > 0.05). However, significantly lower F0, jitter, shimmer, NNE, and MFR values and higher MPT levels were found in the OG compared to the RG after treatment (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the VHI-10 score and the G, R, and B scores were significantly lower in the OG than in the RG after treatment (P < 0.001), whereas the asthenia (A) and strain (S) scores remained at 0 before and after treatment.

CONCLUSION

Akson therapy can improve the acoustic parameters of patients with functional dysphonia to a certain extent, indicating its potential application value.

Single-Cell and Spatial Transcriptomics Revealing the Role of IDO1 in HPV+ Cervical Cancer Tumor Immune Microenvironment and Its Implications in Radiotherapy and Immunotherapy

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Persistent infection of human papillomavirus (HPV) is one major etiology of cervical cancer (CC). By now, anti-PD-1 immunotherapy is approved for advanced CC patients, but the response rate was just about 10-20%, tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) might be one factor that affect the efficacy. The indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), a metabolic immune checkpoint, is recently shown to have a correlation-ship with HPV carcinogenesis in CC, with unknown mechanism. This study, using the single cell transcriptomic single-cell sequencing and spatial transcription sequencing analysis/immunologic technology, aimed to exam the role of IDO1 expression in HPV+ CC TIME and explore the changes after radiotherapy.

MATERIALS/METHODS

Newly diagnosed advanced HPV- CC and HPV+ CC patients were tested for the tumor and tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) heterogeneity and their changes after fractionated radiation therapy. Tumor tissues were collected, single cell suspension was made for Single-cell RNA sequencing (SCRNAseq) using the 10 × Genomics, while frozen tissue was embedded for spatial transcriptome sequencing (STRNAseq). Seurat 4.0 was used to cluster and annotate cell clusters and map SCRNAseq data to the STRNAseq data. The specific characters of cell clusters were computed by Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA). SPOTLight and CellChat were used to analyze cell location and interaction respectively.

RESULTS

A total of 28631 cells were clustered into 31 cell subsets in HPV- CC and HPV+ CC tissues, including baseline (Pre HPV- CC and Pre HPV+ CC) and 3-week after radiotherapy (Post 3w HPV- CC and Post 3w HPV+CC). There were 10431 epithelial cells (Epi) in all these 4 tumor tissues, with heterogenous IDO1 expression, including IDO1-high Epi, IDO1-low Epi, and IDO1-neg Epi. Interestingly, more than 99% of Epi in Pre HPV- CC tissues were IDO1-neg cells, while more than 99% in Pre HPV+ CC tissue were IDO1-high. Furthermore, the proportion of IDO1-high Epi in Pre HPV+ CC patient dropped to 16.7% after radiotherapy, while the proportion of IDO1-low Epi rase to 63.3%. Using GSEA, the characters of IDO1-high Epi group was shown to have positive regulation of leukocyte chemotaxis and negative regulation of cell adhesion and differentiation. IDO1-high Epi cells also had the hallmark of interferon gamma response. These cells could mainly receive regulative information of interferon gamma pathway from exhausted CD8 T cells, which could affect the apoptosis of tumor cells.

CONCLUSION

This study comprehensively analyzed the immune suppressive role of IDO1-high Epi cells in HPV+ CC TIME at the single-cell transcriptional scale and explored their functional characters in CC radiotherapy. This would be able to provide more evidence to combine with radiotherapy and immunotherapy to improve patients' prognosis.

Hydroxysafflor yellow A attenuates allergic response of ovalbumin induced allergic rhinitis via Nrf2/HO-1 and inflammatory signaling pathways

Allergic reaction is the most common nasal conditions worldwide and it will remain throughout life. The symptoms of an allergic reaction include sneezing, itching, hives, swelling, difficulty breathing, and a runny nose. Hydroxysafflor yellow A (HYA) is a flavonoid compound which is the active phyto-constituent of flower of Carthamus tinctorius L., and exhibited the various medicinal activities like antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and cardiovascular protective effects. This study aimed to assess the efficacy and mode of action of HYA against the allergic rhinitis induced by ovalbumin in mice. HYA was given orally to the Swiss BALB/s mice once daily, 1 h before, they were challenged with ovalbumin (OVA) via intranasal administration, after that the mice were sensitized via intraperitoneal injection of OVA. Allergic nasal symptoms, body weight, spleen weight, OVA-specific immunoglobulins, inflammatory cytokines, Th17 cytokines and Th17 transcription factors also estimated. HYA had a significant (p < .001) effect on body weight and reduced spleen weight. It effectively decreased the nasal symptoms of allergy such as sneezing, rubbing, and redness. HYA significantly reduced the level of malonaldehyde (MDA) and improved levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase (CAT) and glutathione (GSH). It also remarkably decreased the levels of Th2 cytokines and Th17 transcription factors like RAR-related orphan receptor gamma (ROR-γ), signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and phosphor signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (p-STAT3), while increasing levels of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1). The treatment with HYA improved the lung histology in mice with allergic rhinitis. The results suggest that HYA may have therapeutic potential against ovalbumin-induced allergic rhinitis in mice, by altering the Th17/Treg balance and improving the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway.

Probing many-body dynamics in a two-dimensional dipolar spin ensemble

The most direct approach for characterizing the quantum dynamics of a strongly interacting system is to measure the time evolution of its full many-body state. Despite the conceptual simplicity of this approach, it quickly becomes intractable as the system size grows. An alternate approach is to think of the many-body dynamics as generating noise, which can be measured by the decoherence of a probe qubit. Here we investigate what the decoherence dynamics of such a probe tells us about the many-body system. In particular, we utilize optically addressable probe spins to experimentally characterize both static and dynamical properties of strongly interacting magnetic dipoles. Our experimental platform consists of two types of spin defects in nitrogen delta-doped diamond: nitrogen-vacancy colour centres, which we use as probe spins, and a many-body ensemble of substitutional nitrogen impurities. We demonstrate that the many-body system's dimensionality, dynamics and disorder are naturally encoded in the probe spins' decoherence profile. Furthermore, we obtain direct control over the spectral properties of the many-body system, with potential applications in quantum sensing and simulation.

Genome-wide identification of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) gene family in yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulviadraco) and their expression profiling under the challenge of Aeromonas hydrophila

As serine/threonine protein kinases, mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) take part in cellular metabolism. This work found 14 MAPK genes in the yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulviadraco) genome and evaluated their taxonomy, conserved domains and evolutionary linkages for a better understanding of the MAPK gene family's evolutionary relationship and antibacterial immune response. The findings revealed that several MAPK genes are activated in response to immunological and inflammatory responses. Collinearity research revealed that in yellow catfish and zebrafish, there are six pairs of highly similar MAPK genes, indicating that these genes have been more conserved throughout evolution. The MAPK gene quantification findings revealed that JNK1a, JNK1b, p38delta and p38alpha b expression levels were considerably upregulated, indicating that they act in fish innate immunity. The findings implied that MAPK genes may involve in defence against detrimental microbe in yellow catfish, which will help researchers better understand how MAPK genes work in the innate immune system.

Ononin Shows Anticancer Activity Against Laryngeal Cancer via the Inhibition of ERK/JNK/p38 Signaling Pathway

Background

Laryngeal cancer is a type of head and neck tumor with a poor prognosis and survival rate. The new cases of laryngeal cancer increased rapidly with a higher mortality rate around the world.

Objective

The current research work was focused to unveil the in vitro antitumor effects of ononin against the laryngeal cancer Hep-2 cells.

Methodology

The cytotoxic effects of ononin against the laryngeal cancer Hep-2 cells and normal HuLa-PC laryngeal cells were studied using an 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The intracellular Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) generation, apoptotic cell death, Mitochondrial Membrane Potential (MMP), and cell adhesion on the 25 and 50 µM ononin-treated Hep-2 cells were detected using respective staining assays. The levels of TBARS and antioxidants were assayed using specific kits. The expressions of c-Jun N-terminal kinase 1/2 (JNK1/2), Extracellular Signal-regulated Kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), p38, Phosphatidylinositol-3 Kinase 1/2 (PI3K1/2), and protein kinase-B (Akt) in the ononin-treated Hep-2 cells were investigated using Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) assay.

Results

The ononin treatment effectively inhibited the Hep-2 cell viability but did not affect the viability of HuLa-PC cells. Furthermore, the ononin treatment effectively improved the intracellular ROS accumulation, depleted the MMP, and triggered apoptosis in Hep-2 cells. The Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) were improved, and Glutathione (GSH) levels and Superoxide dismutase (SOD) were depleted in the ononin-administered Hep-2 cells. The ononin treatment substantially inhibited the JNK/ERK/p38 axis in the Hep-2 cells.

Conclusion

Together, the outcomes of this exploration proved that the ononin has remarkable antitumor activity against laryngeal cancer Hep-2 cells.

Comparative molecular dynamics study on interaction of acetamide and glycerol with phospholipid bilayer

BACKGROUND

The exact mechanisms that acetamide and glycerol interact with cell membrane remains a matter of debate.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the microscopic interactions of acetamide and glycerol with phospholipid bilayers at various temperatures.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Molecular dynamics simulations of a hydrated dipalmitoyl-phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) bilayer in the presence of glycerol and acetamide were performed. The system contains 128 lipids and about 700 cryoprotectant molecules, and simulations extended to 15 ns.

RESULT

When compared to glycerol, acetamide shows a stronger affinity with water rather than the lipid bilayer.

CONCLUSION

The knowledge of the mixing dynamics of present system helps to develop better cryoprotective formulas and to propose more optimal cooling/warming protocols.

Severity Assessment of COVID-19 Based on Feature Extraction and V-Descriptors

Digital image feature recognition is significant to industrial information applications, such as bioengineering, medical diagnosis, and machinery industry. In order to supply an effective and reasonable technology of the severity assessment mission of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in this article, we propose a new method that identifies rich features of lung infections from a chest computed tomography (CT) image, and then assesses the severity of COVID-19 based on the extracted features. First, in a chest CT image, the lung contours are corrected for the segmentation of bilateral lungs. Then, the lung contours and areas are obtained from the lung regions. Next, the coarseness, contrast, roughness, and entropy texture features are extracted to confirm the COVID-19 infected regions, and then the lesion contours are extracted from the infected regions. Finally, the texture features and V-descriptors are fused as an assessment descriptor for the COVID-19 severity estimation. In the experiments, we show the feature extraction and lung lesion segmentation results based on some typical COVID-19 infected CT images. In the lesion contour reconstruction experiments, the performance of V-descriptors is compared with some different methods, and various feature scores indicate that the proposed assessment descriptor reflects the infected ratio and the density feature of the lesions well, which can estimate the severity of COVID-19 infection more accurately.

A proof-of-concept study of an automated solution for clinical metagenomic next-generation sequencing

AIMS

Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) has been utilized for diagnosing infectious diseases. It is a culture-free and hypothesis-free nucleic acid test for diagnosing all pathogens with known genomic sequences, including bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites. While this technique greatly expands the clinical capacity of pathogen detection, it is a second-line choice due to lengthy procedures and microbial contaminations introduced from wet-lab processes. As a result, we aimed to reduce the hands-on time and exogenous contaminations in mNGS.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We developed a device (NGSmaster) that automates the wet-lab workflow, including nucleic acid extraction, PCR-free library preparation and purification. It shortens the sample-to-results time to 16 and 18·5 h for DNA and RNA sequencing respectively. We used it to test cultured bacteria for validation of the workflow and bioinformatic pipeline. We also compared PCR-free with PCR-based library prep and discovered no differences in microbial reads. Moreover we analysed results by automation and manual testing and found that automation can significantly reduce microbial contaminations. Finally, we tested artificial and clinical samples and showed mNGS results were concordant with traditional culture.

CONCLUSION

NGSmaster can fulfil the microbiological diagnostic needs in a variety of sample types.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

This study opens up an opportunity of performing in-house mNGS to reduce turnaround time and workload, instead of transferring potentially contagious specimen to a third-party laboratory.

[Advances in research on aquaporins in medical helminthes]

Aquaporins (AQPs) are a class of membrane intrinsic proteins in medical helminthes that specifically mediate the transmembrane transport of water or other solute molecules. Previous studies have demonstrated that AQPs play a critical role in promoting the transmembrane transport of water, osmoregulation, uptake of nutrients, release of toxic metabolic products and transport of antiparasitic drugs, which may serve as promising vaccine candidates and drug targets for parasitic diseases. This review describes the structural characteristics of AQPs in medical helminthes, and discusses the feasibility of these AQPs as antihelminth vaccine candidates and drug targets, so as to provide insights into the development of novel vaccines and drugs against parasitic diseases.

[Advances in research of protein kinase A in parasites: a review]

Protein kinase A (PKA) is an important intracellular substance that regulates substance metabolism and biological functions, which exerts a wide range of biological effects through phosphorylation of specific serine/threonine residues in specific proteins. PKA plays an important role in the cAMP signaling pathway, and is involved in various life activities of parasites. Therefore, investigating the role of PKA in the life activities of parasites may provide insights into the development of novel anti-parasitic targets. The review mainly describes the structure and function of PKA and its role in life activities of parasites.

Protective effects of Lactobacillus plantarum strain P1 against toxicity of the environmental oestrogen di-n-butyl phthalate in rats

Phthalates are contaminants widely distributed in the food-chain, and they are considered as important environmental oestrogens in our lives. In the present study, eight strains of lactic acid bacteria were isolated for their ability to adsorb di-n-butyl-phthalate (DBP), and one of the strains, Lactobacillus plantarum strain P1, was selected for more detailed analyses of its phthalate adsorption capacity in vitro. This study also evaluated the in vivo protective effects of strain P1 against DBP toxicity in rats. Sixteen rats were divided into four groups, and animals received by oral gavage every other day for a period of one month saline with or without strain P1 at 2×10¹¹ cfu/kg followed by maize oil with or without DBP (50 mg/kg). Strain P1 could adsorb more DBP than saline alone, and the concentration of mono-n-butyl phthalate in urine was decreased in animals receiving P1. Furthermore, oestrogenic effects of the different treatments were assessed through counting of sperm and observation of testis, and strain P1 could protect the sexual organs of male rats. Our results suggested that P1 is effective against phthalate toxicity due to its ability to adsorb DBP in vivo and could be considered as a new dietary therapeutic strategy against environmental phtalate toxicity.

[Moderating effect of sense of coherence between occupational stress and depression]

Objective: To explore the moderating effect of sense of coherence in the relationship between occupational stress and depression. Methods: From June to September in 2018, migrant workers were purposively selected from the urban (including office buildings, shopping malls, barber shops or restaurants and other service enterprises) and suburban (including microelectronics, internet, clothing processing and art design and other factories) areas of Shanghai. A total of 3 034 people were investigated and 2 573 valid questionnaires were collected. Patient health questionnaire (PHQ), sense of coherence questionnaire (SOC) and job content questionnaire (JCQ) were used to investigate the levels depression, sense of coherence and occupational stress. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to analyze the moderating effect of sense of coherence on occupational stress and depression, and SPSS PROCESS macro program and Bootstrap method were used to further explore the moderating effect of sense of coherence. Results: The age of total 2 573 migrant workers was (28.24±7.33) years old and 49.79% of them were males. The scores of depression, occupational stress and sense of coherence were 6.67±4.74, 28.45±4.38 and 62.02±10.89, respectively. The depression level was positively correlated with occupational stress (r=0.33, P=0.007), and negatively correlated with sense of coherence (r=-0.53, P=0.003). The hierarchy regression analysis suggested that the interaction between occupational stress and sense of coherence was associated with depression symptom (β=-0.07, P=0.001). Bootstrap analysis showed that occupational stress was not associated with depression symptom with high level of sense of sense of coherence (β=0.04, 95%CI=-0.01-0.10), while occupational stress was associated with depression symptom with low level of sense of sense of coherence (β=0.19, 95%CI=0.14-0.23). Conclusion: The high level of sense of coherence has a moderating effect on the relationship between occupational stress and depressive symptoms, while the low level of sense of coherence does not have this effect.

[Preliminary results of Chinese magnetic sphincter augmentation in treating gastroesophageal reflux disease]

Objective: To examine the preliminary clinical efficacy of Chinese magnetic sphincter augmentation (MSA) in the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Methods: According to the enrollment criteria for the MSA developed by ShengJieKang Co. and Shanghai Chest Hospital (SS-MSA) clinical trial, a total of 19 GERD patients were treated with SS-MSA from August 2018 to January 2020 at Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. The majority of registered cases were male patients with age of (32.2±7.3) years (range: 22 to 50 years), height of (170.7±6.2) cm (range: 160 to 179 cm) and weight of (65.2±10.3) kg (range: 47.5 to 90.0 kg). SS-MSA was implanted via laparoscopy. The major evaluation indexs of postoperative efficacy were the total time of acid exposure within 24 hours and the total number of reflux. Secondary efficacy indicators included: (1) evaluation of the average daily dose of proton pump inhibitor medications; (2) the score of GERD health related quality of life questionnaire (GERD-Q) before and after MSA implantation. Paired design t-test was used to evaluate the efficacy of the SS-MSA. Results: A total of 19 patients underwent SS-MSA surgery successfully. The history of the GERD were 19 (54) months (M(Q(R))). The operation time was 63 (22) minutes and the in-hospital stay was 3 (2) days. No obvious surgical complications occurred. Postoperative adverse events included 14 cases with mild to moderate dysphagia exited after surgery, gradually eased within 1 to 3 months, 1 case with the removal of the device after 1 month of severe swallowing difficulties, 1 case of diarrhea. No corrosion, perforation, displacement occurred. The GERD-Q score (11.0(4.5) vs. 6(1.0), t=4.274, P=0.013), 24-hour acid exposure time (6.2(4.8)% vs. 0.1(0.9)%, t=5.814, P=0.004), and Demeester score (23.72(16.20) vs. 0.96(3.10), t=6.678, P=0.003) were significantly decreased 1 year after surgery(n=5). Proton pump inhibitor reuse rates were 6/18, 5/15, 3/10, and 1/5 in 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after the operation, respectively. Conclusions: SS-MSA implantation is feasible and safe with short hospital stay and rare perioperative complications. The preliminary results is good after 1 year follow-up. It could be expected to be an ideal substitutive for future GERD treatment.

Short- and mid-term outcomes of robotic versus thoraco-laparoscopic McKeown esophagectomy for squamous cell esophageal cancer: a propensity score-matched study

Controversy exists on the advantages of robotic McKeown esophagectomy (RME) versus thoraco-laparoscopic McKeown esophagectomy (TLME). The aim was to evaluate the short- and mid-term outcomes of RME and TLME in the treatment of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). A consecutive series of 652 patients, 280 in RME and 372 in TLME, who underwent minimally invasive McKeown esophagectomy for ESCC at our department from November 2015 to June 2018 was analyzed. A propensity score-matched comparison with clinicopathological covariates was performed between the two groups. Complications were categorized based on the Esophagectomy Complications Consensus Group (ECCG) recommendation. To identify the recurrence, all patients with R0 resection were followed with a median follow-up period of 20.2 months (range 1-33 months). After propensity score matching, 271 patients were identified for each cohort. In the matched cohorts, two patients died within 90 days in TLME, whereas no patients died in RME. RME was associated with similar intraoperative blood loss (P = 0.895), but with shorter surgical duration (244.5 vs. 276.0 min, P < 0.001), shorter thoracic duration (85.0 vs. 102.9 min, P < 0.001) and lower thoracic conversions (0.7% vs. 5.9%, P = 0.001). In spite of the similar results on total and thoracic lymph nodes dissection, RME yielded more lymph nodes along recurrent laryngeal nerve (4.8 vs. 4.1, P = 0.012), as well as the higher incidence of recurrent nerve injury (29.2% vs. 15.1%, P < 0.001) when compared to TLME. Tumor recurrence occurred in 30 patients and was locoregional only in 9 (3.5%) patients, systemic only in 17 (6.7%) patients, and combined in 4 (1.6%) patients in RME, while in 26 patients and was locoregional only in 10 (10.6%) patients, systemic only in 7 (2.8%) patients, and combined in 9 (3.6%) patients in TLME. RME was associated with a lower rate of mediastinal lymph nodes recurrence (2.0% vs. 5.3%, P = 0.044). Overall and disease-free survival was not different between the two cohorts (P = 0.097 and P = 0.248, respectively). RME was shown to be a safe and oncologically effective approach with favorable short- and mid-term outcomes in the treatment of patients with ESCC.

Long non-coding RNA OIP5-AS1 serves as an oncogene in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma by regulating miR-204-5p/ZEB1 axis

Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) is the most common type of laryngeal cancer with poor prognosis. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the biological role of long non-coding RNA OIP5-AS1 in LSCC. The results demonstrated that the expression levels of OIP5-AS1 were significantly increased in LSCC tissues and cell lines. High expression of OIP5-AS1 was closely correlated with lymph node metastasis and advanced clinical stage of LSCC patients. Moreover, in vitro assays showed that OIP5-AS1 overexpression promoted the proliferation, migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of LSCC cells, whereas OIP5-AS1 knockdown exerted suppressive effects on LSCC cells. Furthermore, OIP5-AS1 was confirmed to serve as a competing endogenous RNA of miR-204-5p in LSCC cells, and restoration of miR-204-5p counteracted the OIP5-AS1-mediated oncogenic effects. In conclusion, our study provides promising evidence that lncRNA OIP5-AS1 functions as a tumor promoter in LSCC and may be used as a potential target for LSCC therapy.

Long noncoding RNA ABHD11-AS1 predicts the prognosis of pancreatic cancer patients and serves as a promoter by activating the PI3K-AKT pathway

OBJECTIVE

Accumulating evidence showed aberrant expressions of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) strongly correlated to the development of cancers, including pancreatic cancer (PC). Whether lncRNA ABHD11-AS1 (ABHD11-AS1) is involved in PC remains to be elucidated. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the effects of ABHD11-AS1 on PC and the underlying molecular mechanism.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

RT-PCR was used to detect the expression level of ABHD11-AS1 in both PC tissue and cell lines. Then, the correlation of ABHD11-AS1 expression with clinicopathological features and prognosis was studied. Cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion abilities were detected by MTT, flow cytometry, and transwell assays. We further investigated the effect of abnormal ABHD11-AS1 expression through the PI3K/AKT and EMT pathway by Western blot assays in treated PC cells.

RESULTS

We found that the expression of ABHD11-AS1 was significantly increased in both PC tissues and cell lines. The clinical analysis revealed that a high level of ABHD11-AS1 expression was correlated with distant metastasis, TNM stage, and tumor differentiation. The Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that high ABHD11-AS1 expression levels predicted poorer survival. Moreover, univariate and multivariate analyses confirmed that the expression of ABHD11-AS1 was an independent and significant factor associated with poor overall survival rates. Loss-of-function experiments showed that the knockdown of ABHD11-AS1 suppressed PC cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and EMT in vitro. Mechanistically, the knockdown of ABHD11-AS1 decreased phospho(p) AKT and phospho(p) PI3K expression, but did not affect the AKT and PI3K expression in PC cells CONCLUSIONS: This study suggested that ABHD11-AS1 may potentially function as a valuable prognostic biomarker and a therapeutic target for PC patients.

[Clinical analysis of FRAX in the assessment of fracture risk in patients with rheumatic disease in three medical center]

Objective: The aim is to analyze the fracture risk in rheumatic patients by fracture risk assessment tool (FRAX), which is recommended by World Health Organization (WHO), so that we can prevent the occurrence of osteoporotic fracture earlier. Methods: Totally 617 participants, 204 out-patients with rheumatism, 204 in-patients with rheumatism and 209 healthy controls, from March to October in 2018 of Fourth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Jishuitan Hospital and China-Japan Friendship Hospital, were enrolled in this study. The probability of hip fracture (PHF) and major osteoporotic fracture (PMOF) in 10 years with FRAX were compared, and the differences between taking sleroids or not and with or without bone mass density (BMD) of femoral neck were evaluated. Correlation analysis was conducted between PHF, PMOF and clinical information, including age, disease duration, gender, steroid usage, osteocalcin, P1NP and β-crosslaps. Results: There was no significant difference in PMOF within 10 years (3.455±2.690 vs 2.973±2.149 vs 3.323±1.828) among the three groups (P>0.05), but the PHF (0.986±1.619 vs 0.515±0.873 vs 0.149±0.311) was different (P<0.05). PHF and PMOF increased gradually with age. PMOF of patients without glucocorticoid therapy in 10 years was lower than that of patients with glucocorticoid (3.554±2.584 vs 2.857±2.238, P<0.05). There is no difference between the results of FRAX calculated with BMD or not (3.012±2.231 vs 3.207±2.601, P>0.05). PHF and PMOF were positively correlated with age, course of disease, glucocorticoid use and osteocalcin level, while PHF was negatively correlated with TP1NP among in-patients. Conclusion: The prevalence of 10-year hip fracture calculated by FRAX in rheumatism patients is higher than that of healthy group. FRAX can be used to calculate fracture risk without BMD. Combination of FRAX and bone turnover markers may be more effective in prediction of osteoporotic fracture in rheumatic patients.

Development of Al-TiCN nanocomposites via ultrasonic assisted casting route

This work provides a promising approach to achieve the uniform distribution of TiCN nanoparticles (NPs) in aluminum matrix via a combination of ultrasonic dispersion and fast cooling processing. Microstructure analysis demonstrates that as the cooling rate is increased, the NP distribution in the matrix varies from intergranular to intragranular at micro scale and the NP-matrix interface from incoherent to coherent at nano scale. An analytical model is proposed to unveil the effects of cooling rates on the behavior of NPs at the solidification front. The theoretical analysis reveals that the NP size and cooling rate are the two prominent factors determining the NP distribution during solidification of nanocomposites. The experimental results yield an insight into the understanding of NP-induced microstructural evolution and shed new light on the development of high-performance nanocomposites.

Long non-coding RNA PCAT1 promotes cell migration and invasion in human laryngeal cancer by sponging miR-210-3p

PURPOSE

Laryngeal cancer (LC) is one of the most ordinary head and neck cancers worldwide. In this study, the role of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) PCAT1 in LC was explored.

METHODS

PCAT1 expression in 50 paired tissue samples from LC patients was monitored by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Afterwards, function assays were conducted to explore how PCAT1 participated in metastasis of LC in vitro and in vivo. Then, bio-information software and luciferase assay were utilized to predict the possible target microRNA (miR) of PCAT1 in LC.

RESULTS

PCAT1 was obviously upregulated in LC tissues compared with adjacent tissues. Knockdown of PCAT1 inhibited the ability of cell migration and invasion in LC. Moreover, knockdown of PCAT1 inhibited tumor formation in vivo. Furthermore, miR-210-3p was sponged by PCAT1 in LC cells.

CONCLUSION

PCAT1 was first identified as a novel oncogene in LC and could promote LC cell migration and invasion by sponging miR-210-3p.

Gaseous pollutant exposure affects semen quality in central China: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Limited studies have explored the association between gaseous pollutant exposures and male reproductive outcomes, and findings remained inconsistent.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the potential association  between gaseous pollutants and semen quality within different exposure windows. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We adopted semen quality data of 1852 subjects who attended the Reproductive Medicine Center of Renmin Hospital at Wuhan University during January 1st, 2013, to August 3rd, 2015. A generalized linear model was employed to assess the relationship between each exposure variable and sperm parameters in different exposure windows.

RESULTS

SO₂ exposure with lag 0-90 days was significantly associated with decreased sperm concentration (β: -1.362; 95% CI: -1.844, -0.879), sperm count (β: -2.979; 95% CI: -4.267, -1.691), and PR (β: -0.551; 95% CI: -0.710, -0.393). Similar trends were observed for SO₂ exposure with three other key periods (lag 0-9, 10-14, and 70-90 days). NO₂ exposure with lag 0-90 days was also associated with decreased sperm concentration (β: -0.517; 95% CI: -1.006, -0.027), sperm count (β: -1.914; 95% CI: -3.214, -0.615), and PR (β: -0.264; 95% CI: -0.425, -0.102). No relationship between gaseous pollutant exposure and ejaculate volume was observed in any exposure window.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

Our study indicated a strong adverse effect of gaseous pollutants on semen quality outcomes during the sperm development. Gaseous pollution exposure appeared to be more detrimental in the initial phase of spermatogenesis.

[Experiences of esophageal replacement with ileocolon graft: a series of 34 cases]

Objective: To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of esophageal replacement with ileocolon graft. Methods: Totally 34 cases of esophageal replacement with ileocolon graft from July 2015 to November 2017 at Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University were analyzed retrospectively, including 24 male and 10 female, aging from 7 to 72 years old. Esophageal replacement with ileocolon graft by right and/or middle colic artery as a blood supply using retrosternal route except one subcutaneous route. The primary esophageal disease, postoperative complication rate and quality of life were analyzed. Results: The overall postoperative complication rate was 23.5% (8/34), cervical anastomotic leakage rate of 5.9% (2/34), necrosis of colon graft of 5.9% (2/34). There were 3 patients experienced re-operation including 2 patients with colon graft necrosis and 1 patient with intestinal obstruction after ERC. One patient with colon graft necrosis died of septic shock after reoperation. Six cases of cervical esophago-jejunal anastomosis stenosis and 1 case of diarrhea occurred in the later time. All patients were followed up for a median time of 9 months (range: 1 to 28 months), 32 cases survived but 1 patient died until last follow-up by the end of December 2017. Conclusion: Esophageal replacement with ileocolon graft by right and/or middle colic artery as a blood supply using retrosternal route was safe and effective.

Computer-assisted osteotomy guides and pre-bent titanium plates improve the planning for correction of facial asymmetry

This study investigated the surgical outcomes and accuracy of computer-assisted osteotomy guides and pre-bent titanium plates in the treatment of patients with facial asymmetry. Thirteen patients with facial asymmetry undergoing bimaxillary orthognathic surgery were included. Virtual simulation of Le Fort I osteotomy, sagittal split ramus osteotomy, and genioplasty, if needed, was conducted on the preoperative three-dimensional model. Computer-assisted osteotomy guides and pre-bent titanium plates were produced and used in the actual operation. The postoperative outcome was assessed for facial symmetry and surgical accuracy. All patients were followed up for at least 18 months and their level of satisfaction was investigated. Use of the computer-assisted osteotomy guides and pre-bent titanium plates was successful in all patients. Maxillary canting, mandibular ramus inclination, and mandibular length were corrected on both sides postoperatively. Superimposition of the surgical simulation and postoperative images demonstrated favourable accuracy. Quantitative analysis revealed a mean linear difference of <0.60mm in the maxilla and 1.57mm in the mandible. All patients were satisfied with the surgical outcome; there were no complications or cases of relapse during follow-up. The application of computer-assisted osteotomy guides and pre-bent titanium plates achieved favourable outcomes and accuracy, improving planning for the correction of facial asymmetry.

The accuracy of virtual-surgical-planning-assisted treatment of hemifacial microsomia in adult patients: distraction osteogenesis vs. orthognathic surgery

Hemifacial microsomia (HFM) is a common congenital craniofacial deformity with a high prevalence. Orthognathic surgery and distraction osteogenesis are two conventionally used treatments of HFM. The main objective of this retrospective study was to evaluate the accuracy of two treatments with the help of virtual surgical planning in adult HFM patients. Sixty-eight adult patients with unilateral HFM were enrolled in this study. Preoperative surgical planning and simulation were performed on three-dimensional computed tomography models. Orthognathic surgery or distraction osteogenesis was performed under the guidance of three-dimensional surgical templates. Postoperative evaluation of the intervention was performed by comparison of the affected ramus height, chin deviation and the occlusal cant in surgical planning and actual result. Outcome and feedback information (an average of 14 months) showed that virtual surgical planning was accurately transferred to actual surgery in both surgical approaches. There were no statistical differences between the accuracy of affected ramus height and the occlusal cant in two surgical approaches. The orthognathic group showed significantly higher accuracy in chin deviation. In conclusion, virtual surgical planning and three-dimensional surgical templates were proved to facilitate treatment planning and offer an accurate surgical result in the treatment of adult HFM patients.

[The effect of ambient PM(10) on sperm quality in Wuhan]

Objective: To investigate the effect of exposure to particulate matter ≤10 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM(10)) on sperm quality in different stages of sperm development. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 1 827 patients attending the reproductive medicine center in Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University during April 2013 to January 2015. Air pollution data from January 2013 to January 2015 was obtained from the database of Wuhan Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau. The generalized linear model was employed to assess the association between each exposure variables and sperm parameters for several exposure windows (0-9, 10-14, 15-69, 70-90, 0-90 days before sampling) . Results: The average levels of PM(10) was (116.2±71.6) μg/m(3) during the research period. Sperm volume was (75.4±49.1) ×10(6)/ml in sample population, (29.4±16.2) % in progressive motility and (51.8±21.6) % in total motility. Exposure to PM(10) was inversely associated with sperm concentration (β:-0.319; 95%CI:-0.529,-0.046) during 70-90 lag days. PM(10) exposure during the 0-90 lag days was significantly associated with progressive motility (β:-0.312; 95%CI:-0.527,-0.097) and total motility (β:-0.347; 95%CI:-0.636,-0.059) after adjusted for age, education level, BMI, smoking, abstinence time, temperature, humidity and season. Conclusion: Exposure to PM(10) was associated with statistically significant decrements in sperm concentration and motility, and the adverse impact on sperm concentration was significantly in early phases of spermatogenesis.

[The effects of exposure to ozone on sperm quality in Wuhan]

Objective: To evaluate the effects of exposure to ozone (O(3)) on sperm quality during different stages of spermatogenesis. Methods: All 1 780 subjects attending to the Reproductive Medicine Center in Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University were recruited from April, 4, 2013 to June, 30, 2015. The subjects were living in Wuhan more than 3 months before attending to the program, aged 20 to 40 years. Semen quality (sperm concentration and sperm count) were measured according to standardized protocols. Corresponding daily 8 hours average concentration of O(3), other polluted concentration, average temperature and relative humidity were collected in different time, including lag 0, 10, 70 and 90 d, and lag 0-9 d, lag 10-14 d, lag 70-90 d and lag 0-90 d. After controlling the age, BMI, education level and other confounders, generalized linear Model was used to investigate the association between O(3) and sperm quality during different stages of spermatogenesis. Results: Average daily concentration of O(3) during the study period was (114.20±74.88) μg/m(3) and the mean values of sperm concentration and count were (76.32±50.17) millions/ml and (164.77 ± 133.05) millions/sample, respectively. Exposure to O(3) was associated with decreasing sperm concentration and count. For every 1 μg/m(3) increase of O(3), the decrease of sperm concentration during lag 10, lag 0-9 and lag 10-14 days exposure windows were 0.040 (95%CI: 0.004-0.077) millions/ml, 0.081 (95% CI: 0.003-0.158) millions/ml and 0.059 (95% CI: 0.001-0.116) millions/ml, respectively. And the decrease of sperm count during lag 10, lag 0-9 days exposure windows were 0.105 (95%CI: 0.008-0.202) millions/sample and 0.221 (95% CI: 0.016-0.426) millions/sample. After stratification, in the ozone concentration <P(50) and ≥P(50) groups, and the number of subjects in each exposure windows (lag 0-9, lag 10-14, lag 70-90, lag 0-90 days) were 887 and 893, 890 and 890, 895 and 885, 889 and 891, respectively. Compared with the high ozone concentration group, the effects of low group were more obvious. Furthermore, the effects of low concentration group was the most obvious during lag 10-14 days, for every 1 μg/m(3) increase of O(3), the decrease of sperm concentration was 0.249 (95% CI: 0.028-0.470) millions/ml. After sensitivity analysis, the effects of exposure to ozone on sperm concentration and sperm count remained relatively unchanged. Conclusion: Our study suggested that exposure to O(3) was significantly associated with decreasing semen quality in Wuhan. Moreover, the effects were more obvious during lag 0-9 and lag 10-14 days.

JAK2 tyrosine kinase inhibitor AG490 suppresses cell growth and invasion of gallbladder cancer cells via inhibition of JAK2/STAT3 signaling

The Janus kinase-signal transducers and activators of transcription signaling pathway (JAK/STAT pathway) have displayed a critical role in tumor development and progression in multiple malignancies. Previous studies showed that inhibition of JAK/STAT signaling blocked cell growth and metastasis in cancer cells, however, the antitumor effects of JAK inhibitor AG490 on gallbladder cancer (GBC) have not been reported. Our present study aimed to investigate the effects and associated mechanisms of JAK inhibitor AG490 on cell growth, invasive potential and apoptosis in GBC cells (GBC-SD and SGC-996) indicated by MTT, cell colony formation, Transwell and flow cytometry. As a consequence, we found that JAK2 inhibitor AG490 inhibited cell growth and invasion, and induced cell apoptosis and cycle arrest in GBC-SD and SGC-996 cells. Furthermore, the expression levels of p-JAK2, p-STAT3, VEGFC-/-D and cyclinD1 were downregulated, while p53 expression was upregulated in AG490-treated GBC cells indicated by Western blot assay. Therefore, our findings demonstrate that JAK inhibitor AG490 inhibits growth and invasion of GBC cells via blockade of JAK2/STAT3 signaling and provides the potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of GBC patients.

Association between the Val34Leu polymorphism in blood coagulation factor XIII-A and intracerebral hemorrhage: a meta-analysis

Although the Val34Leu polymorphism in blood coagulation factor XIII-A (FXIII-A) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), the results of research conducted thus far have been inconclusive. In this meta-analysis, we have assessed the association between the FXIII-A Val34Leu polymorphism and ICH risk. Published reports pertaining to this association were retrieved from the PubMed database, and the data from these studies were pooled and statistically analyzed with Stata 12.0. Summary odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were calculated according to a fixed-effect or a random-effect model (as appropriate). The initial search identified 520 articles, only seven of which (retrospective studies) met the inclusion criteria and were included in this meta-analysis. These studies comprised 727 ICH patients and 1968 controls. The results of a combined analysis showed no significant association between the FXIII-A Val34Leu polymorphism and ICH risk in the overall population (Leu/Leu vs Val/Val: OR = 1.41, 95%CI = 0.82-2.43; Val/Leu vs Val/Val: OR = 1.08, 95%CI = 0.89-1.30; dominant model: OR = 1.14, 95%CI = 0.95-1.36; recessive model: OR = 0.72, 95%CI = 0.43-1.22). The results of this meta-analysis suggest that the FXIII-A Val34Leu polymorphism is not associated with ICH risk in a Caucasian population. Further large and well-designed studies must be conducted to confirm this preliminary conclusion.

[Acute impact of cold spells on mortality during 2001-2011 in Jiang'an district of Wuhan, China]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the association between cold spells and nonaccidental mortality from 2001 to 2011 in the Jiang'an District of Wuhan, China.

METHODS

We collected mortality data for December 2001 to 2010 and January to March 2002 to 2011 in the study area. According to the International Classification of Diseases, we stratified the mortality data into three cause-specific categories: nonaccidental mortality, cardiovascular mortality, and respiratory mortality. We also obtained meteorological data (from the China Meteorological Administration) and ambient pollution data (from the Wuhan Environmental Monitoring Center) during the same periods. In the present study, a cold spell was defined as 5 or more consecutive days with daily average temperatures below the 5th percentile of daily mean temperatures (2.58 ℃) from January to December in 2001-2011. A distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM) was applied to assess the acute effect of cold spells on daily nonaccidental mortality.

RESULTS

During the study period, the total number of nonaccidental deaths was 17 119, including 9 403 (75.5%) among individuals aged over 65 years; 7 968 (46.5%) people died of cardiovascular disease. According to this definition, there were a total of 13 cold spell events and 111 days of duration in Wuhan during the study period. Study days were divided into three periods: non-cold spell days, 2008 cold spell days, and cold spell days in other years. Average daily mean temperatures of the above three periods were (8.2±4.5), (-0.7±1.4), and (0.8±1.2) ℃, respectively, corresponding to average daily deaths of 14.0±4.2, 18.2±4.5, and 14.9±4.9 for nonaccidental mortality. After adjusting for long-term trends, seasonal trends, weekdays, holidays, and relative humidity, analysis by the DLNM revealed that cold spells were associated with increased mortality risk, with a cumulative relative risk (RR) of 1.56 (95% CI: 1.36-1.79) at lag 0-27 days in 2008, higher than that in other years with 1.23 (95%CI: 1.08-1.41). Cold spells were not significantly associated with respiratory mortality and people under 65 years of age; however, during the 2008 cold spell RR increased to 1.96 (95% CI: 1.62-2.37) and 1.67 (95% CI: 1.43-1.95) for cardiovascular mortality and older adults (≥65 years old), respectively; both males and females had high mortality risk, with RRs of 1.60 (95%CI:1.33-1.92) and 1.50 (95% CI: 1.23-1.84), respectively. The association between cold spells and mortality remained nearly unchanged with and without adjustment for ambient pollutants (PM10, SO2, and NO2) in the DLNMs.

CONCLUSION

In Wuhan, both the 2008 cold spell and cold spells in other years were significantly associated with increased nonaccidental mortality. People with cardiovascular disease and elderly adults may be more susceptible to the impact of cold spells on mortality.

A pathogenesis-based transcript signature in donor-specific antibody-positive kidney transplant patients with normal biopsies

Affymetrix Human Gene 1.0-ST arrays were used to assess the gene expression profiles of kidney transplant patients who presented with donor-specific antibodies (DSAs) but showed normal biopsy histopathology and did not develop antibody-mediated rejection (AMR). Biopsy and whole-blood profiles for these DSA-positive, AMR-negative (DSA +/AMR-) patients were compared to both DSA-positive, AMR-positive (DSA +/AMR +) patients as well as DSA-negative (DSA -) controls. While individual gene expression changes across sample groups were relatively subtle, gene-set enrichment analysis using previously identified pathogenesis-based transcripts (PBTs) identified a clear molecular signature involving increased rejection-associated transcripts in AMR - patients. Results from this study have been published in Kidney International (Hayde et al., 2014 [1]) and the associated data have been deposited in the GEO archive and are accessible via the following link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/query/acc.cgi?acc=GSE50084.

Therapeutic efficacies of chitosan against Pneumocystis pneumonia of immunosuppressed rat

This study was designed to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of chitosan on Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) in immunosuppressed rats. The PCP rat model was established using intramuscular injections of dexamethasone sodium phosphate. To estimate treatment effects of chitosan on rat PCP, weight gain, lung weight, lung weight/body weight (LW/BW) ratio and per cent survival were measured and the HSP70 mRNA expression of Pneumocystis carinii was detected using real-time PCR analysis. Rat lung tissues were stained with HE, and their pathological changes, inflammatory cells and alveolar macrophages were observed by light microscopy. Rat lymphocyte numbers and the concentrations of IL-10, IFN-γ and TNF-α were measured by flow cytometry and ELISA analysis. Additionally, the ultrastructure of P. carinii was examined by electron microscopy to evaluate the effects of chitosan on the protist. Our results demonstrated that chitosan has some apparent treatment effects on rat PCP by reducing HSP70 mRNA expression and lung inflammation, increasing the concentrations of IL-10 and IFN-γ as well as CD4(+) T-lymphocyte numbers, reducing the CD8(+) T-lymphocyte numbers and the concentration of TNF-α and inducing significant ultrastructural damage to P. carinii. Although its precise therapeutic mechanism has yet to be determined, these results lay a theoretical foundation for PCP chitosan therapy.

Knockdown of Livin inhibits growth and invasion of gastric cancer cells through blockade of the MAPK pathway in vitro and in vivo

Livin, a novel member of the human inhibitors of apoptosis protein family, has been shown to be critical for tumor progression and poor prognosis for several types of malignancies. However, limited reports exist regarding the biological functions of Livin in human gastric cancer (GC). The present study investigated the clinical significance of Livin and caspase-3 (CAS-3) in human GC using immunohistochemistry assay, and explore the potential using RNA interference to knockdown Livin expression, including the subsequent effects on tumor growth and invasion in GC cells in vitro and in vivo. Our results showed that the rate of positive expression of Livin was significantly higher in GC tissues compared to that in adjacent non-cancer tissues (ANCT) (64.1 vs. 30.8%, P<0.001), while CAS-3 was lower in GC tissues than in ANCT (33.3 vs. 66.7%, P=0.001). Livin expression was positively correlated with tumor differentiation and lymph node metastases (P=0.009; P=0.007), while CAS-3 was negatively correlated with them (P=0.036; P=0.002) in patients with GC. Furthermore, knockdown of Livin inhibited cell proliferative activities and invasive potential, and induced cell in situ apoptosis in GC cells, accompanied with decreased expression of p38 MAPK, VEGF and MMP-2 and increased expression of CAS-3. In addition, the tumor volumes in the SGC7901 subcutaneous nude mouse model treated with Lv-shLivin was significantly smaller compared to those of the PBS group (P<0.01). Taken together, our findings indicate that the expression of Livin is increased in human GC and correlates with tumor differentiation and lymph node metastases, while knockdown of Livin inhibits cell growth and invasion through blockade of the MAPK pathway in GC cells, suggesting that Livin may be a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of GC.

Disseminated Rhizopus microsporus infection following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in a child with severe aplastic anemia

Disseminated Rhizopus microsporus infections are uncommon in children and are resistant to echinocandin and azole antifungal agents. We describe a child with severe aplastic anemia who developed disseminated R. microsporus infection following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. R. microsporus was identified microscopically in the hepatic drain culture and was confirmed on the basis of 18S rRNA and 28S rRNA sequence analyses. The patient was treated successfully with hepatic drainage and amphotericin B deoxycholate.

Genome wide gene expression analysis of macrophages from ankylosing spondylitis patients under interferon-gamma treatment

BACKGROUND

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a common and highly heritable arthropathy, but the pathogenesis of which is poorly understood, especially the mechanisms in genomics.

AIM

Our work is aim to study the mechanisms of AS in genomics.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

we used microarray dataset GSE11886 from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). According to our GSEA approach on the microarray datasets related to AS, we have identified the significantly associated pathways with this disease respectively dependent and independent to the factor of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ).

RESULTS

As a result, we have identified 9 most significant pathways in the comparison of AS patients to control under none treatment, including 5 up-regulated and 4 down-regulated pathways in IFN-gamma-independent study. On the contrary, 11 most significantly up-regulated pathways such as renin-angiotensin system, O-Glycan biosynthesis and gap junction in the comparison of AS patients to control under the treatment of IFN in IFN-gamma-dependent study.

CONCLUSIONS

These may be helpful for understanding the mechanisms of AS regulation under interferon-gamma treatment in genome wide.