Alfvén pulse driven spicule-like jets in the presence of thermal conduction and ion-neutral collision in two-fluid regime

We present the formation of quasi-periodic cool spicule-like jets in the solar atmosphere using 2.5-D numerical simulation in two-fluid regime (ions+neutrals) under the presence of thermal conduction and ion-neutral collision. The nonlinear, impulsive Alfvénic perturbations at the top of the photosphere trigger field aligned magnetoacoustic perturbations due to ponderomotive force. The transport of energy from Alfvén pulse to such vertical velocity perturbations due to ponderomotive force is considered as an initial trigger mechanism. Thereafter, these velocity perturbations steepen into the shocks followed by quasi-periodic rise and fall of the cool jets transporting mass in the overlying corona. This article is part of the theme issue 'Partially ionized plasma of the solar atmosphere: recent advances and future pathways'.

Exposure to heavy metal elements may significantly increase serum prostate-specific antigen levels with overdosed dietary zinc

BACKGROUND

Serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a primary metric for diagnosis and prognosis of prostate cancer (PCa). Exposure to heavy metals, such as lead, cadmium, mercury, and zinc can impact PSA levels in PCa patients. However, it is unclear whether this effect also occurs in men without PCa, which may lead to the overdiagnosis of PCa.

METHOD

Data on a total of 5089 American men who had never been diagnosed with PCa were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey performed from 2003-2010. The relationship between serum PSA levels (dependent variable) and concentrations of lead (μmol/L), cadmium (nmol/L), and mercury (μmol/L) were investigated with dietary zinc intake being used as a potential modifier or covariate in a weighted linear regression model and a generalized additive model. A series of bootstrapping analyses were performed to evaluate sensitivity and specificity using these models.

RESULTS

Regression analyses suggested that, in general, lead, cadmium, or mercury did not show an association with PSA levels, which was consistent with the results of the bootstrapping analyses. However, in a subgroup of participants with a high level of dietary zinc intake (≥14.12 mg/day), a significant positive association between cadmium and serum PSA was identified (1.06, 95% CI, P = 0.0268, P for interaction=0.0249).

CONCLUSIONS

With high-level zinc intake, serum PSA levels may rise in PCa-free men as the exposure to cadmium increases, leading to a potential risk of an overdiagnosis of PCa and unnecessary treatment. Therefore, environmental variables should be factored in the current diagnostic model for PCa that is solely based on PSA measurements. Different criteria for PSA screening are necessary based on geographical variables. Further investigations are needed to uncover the biological and biochemical relationship between zinc, cadmium, and serum PSA levels to more precisely diagnose PCa.

Prevalence of urolithiasis in China: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

To estimate the pooled prevalence, as well as the spatial and temporal distribution, of urolithiasis among subjects in China.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We conducted a comprehensive search of both Chinese and English databases to retrieve literature pertaining to the prevalence of urolithiasis in the indigenous Chinese population. A random-effects meta-analysis model was employed to calculate the pooled prevalence of urolithiasis. Subgroup analyses were conducted based on factors such as time, region, gender, and sample size. Prevalence and spatial distribution maps were created based on provinces and latitude/longitude coordinates.

RESULTS

A total of 46 studies conducted in 22 provinces across China were included in this meta-analysis and the pooled prevalence of urolithiasis, kidney stones, ureteric calculi, urethral and bladder stones were 8.1% (95% confidence interval [CI] 5.6-11.1%), 7.8% (95% CI 5.8-10.0%), 3.2% (95% CI 0.6-5.7%), 0.5% (95% CI 0.1-0.9%). Most of the urolithiasis prevalence screening in China was concentrated between 100° E and 120° E, with higher rates observed in low latitude areas. Subgroup analysis of kidney stones revealed that Guangdong (12.7%) and Guangxi (10.3%) had the highest prevalence, with the eastern developed area exhibiting higher rates compared to the west. The prevalence in males was higher than in females (odds ratio 1.67, 95% CI 1.46-1.92), although the gender gap has significantly reduced since 2006. Moreover, a greater sample size is associated with a decreased prevalence of urolithiasis.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of urolithiasis is increasing in China, and there are noteworthy regional or provincial disparities in occurrence. It is worth noting that the current number of screening studies in some areas is insufficient. Additional investigations with appropriate sample sizes should be supplemented in time.

[Protective effects of total saponins from Panax japonicus against high-fat diet-induced testicular Sertoli cell junction damage in mice]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the protective effects of total saponins from Panax japonicus (TSPJ) against high-fat dietinduced testicular Sertoli cell junction damage in mice.

METHODS

Forty male C57BL/6J mice were randomized into normal diet group, high-fat diet group, and low-dose (25 mg/kg) and high-dose (75 mg/kg) TSPJ treatment groups (n=10). The mice in the normal diet group were fed a normal diet, while the mice in the other groups were fed a high-fat diet. After TSPJ treatment via intragastric administration for 5 months, the testes and epididymis of the mice were collected for measurement of weight, testicular and epididymal indices and sperm parameters. HE staining was used for histological evaluation of the testicular tissues and measurement of seminiferous tubule diameter and seminiferous epithelium height. The expression levels of ZO-1, occludin, claudin11, N-cadherin, E-cadherin and β-catenin in Sertoli cells were detected with Western blot, and the localization and expression levels of ZO-1 and β-catenin in the testicular tissues were detected with immunofluorescence assay. The protein expressions of LC3B, p-AKT and p-mTOR in testicular Sertoli cells were detected using double immunofluorescence assay.

RESULTS

Treatment with TSPJ significantly improved high-fat diet-induced testicular dysfunction by reducing body weight (P < 0.001), increasing testicular and epididymal indices (P < 0.05), and improving sperm concentration and sperm viability (P < 0.05). TSPJ ameliorated testicular pathologies and increased seminiferous epithelium height of the mice with high-fat diet feeding (P < 0.05) without affecting the seminiferous tubule diameter. TSPJ significantly increased the expression levels of ZO-1, occludin, N-cadherin, E-cadherin and β-catenin (P < 0.05) but did not affect claudin11 expression in the testicular tissues. Immunofluorescence assay showed that TSPJ significantly increased ZO-1 and β-catenin expression in the testicular tissues (P < 0.001), downregulated LC3B expression and upregulated p-AKT and p-mTOR expressions in testicular Sertoli cells.

CONCLUSION

TSPJ alleviates high-fat diet-induced damages of testicular Sertoli cell junctions and spermatogenesis possibly by activating the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway and inhibiting autophagy of testicular Sertoli cells.

Non-invasive preoperative prediction of Edmondson-Steiner grade of hepatocellular carcinoma based on contrast-enhanced ultrasound using ensemble learning

Purpose

This study aimed to explore the clinical value of non-invasive preoperative Edmondson-Steiner grade of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) using contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS).

Methods

212 cases of HCCs were retrospectively included, including 83 cases of high-grade HCCs and 129 cases of low-grade HCCs. Three representative CEUS images were selected from the arterial phase, portal vein phase, and delayed phase and stored in a 3-dimensional array. ITK-SNAP was used to segment the tumor lesions manually. The Radiomics method was conducted to extract high-dimensional features on these contrast-enhanced ultrasound images. Then the independent sample T-test and the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) were employed to reduce the feature dimensions. The optimized features were modeled by a classifier based on ensemble learning, and the Edmondson Steiner grading was predicted in an independent testing set using this model.

Results

A total of 1338 features were extracted from the 3D images. After the dimension reduction, 10 features were finally selected to establish the model. In the independent testing set, the integrated model performed best, with an AUC of 0.931.

Conclusion

This study proposed an Edmondson-Steiner grading method for HCC with CEUS. The method has good classification performance on independent testing sets, which can provide quantitative analysis support for clinical decision-making.

Correlation of Reduced PTGER3 Expression with Prognosis and Immune Infiltration in Clear Cell Renal Carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Prostaglandin E2 receptor 3 (PTGER3, EP3) is essential for many malignancies growth and metastasis. The role of PTGER3 in kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) was assessed in terms of its prognosis and its association with immune infiltration.

METHODS

Transcriptomic expression profiles of PTGER3 were acquired from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Comparative analysis was performed to evaluate the disparity in PTGER3 expression between KIRC and normal tissues. The discriminative potential of PTGER3 as a distinguishing determinant was assessed through receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Prognostic factors were evaluated employing COX regression and logistic models. Furthermore, the impact of PTGER3 on survival was ascertained utilizing the Kaplan-Meier method. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed utilizing the STRING database. To investigate the correlation between immune infiltration levels and PTGER3 expression, a single-sample Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) method was employed, employing the Gene Set Variation Analysis (GSVA) package and the Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER) database.

RESULTS

Bioinformatics analysis unveiled a significant downregulation of PTGER3 expression in KIRC tissues compared to paraneoplastic tissues (p < 0.001). Furthermore, quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) experiments demonstrated a reduction in PTGER3 expression in 786-O cells in contrast to paraneoplastic tissues (p < 0.01). The ROC curve, employing PTGER3 as a potential diagnostic biomarker, exhibited a substantial area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.929. According to the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, reduced PTGER3 expression increased the chance of negative overall survival (OS) (p = 0.019). A PPI network was constructed, elucidating the interaction patterns between PTGER3 and the top 10 co-expressed genes. An examination of gene enrichment and immune infiltration levels found a link between PTGER3 transcription and immune infiltration levels. Notably, high B cell counts and low Mast cell counts were connected to a poor prognosis in KIRC patients.

CONCLUSIONS

The expression of PTGER3 was found to be diminished in KIRC in comparison to paracancerous tissue. This observation exhibited a correlation with both prognosis and immune cell infiltration. As a result, our findings suggest that PTGER3 could be considered a promising biomarker to forecast KIRC prognosis and as a possible target for immunotherapy.

Genome-Wide CRISPR-Cas9 Screening and Identification of Potential Genes Promoting Prostate Cancer Growth and Metastasis

OBJECTIVE

Identification and validation of genes that functionally account for the growth and metastasis of prostate cancer.

METHODS

DU145-KO cell line was constructed by transfecting DU145 cells with lentivirus packaged with the genome-wide knock-out library. The DU145-KO cells were transplanted into the armpits of immunocompromised Nu/Nu mice, followed by the tissue collection from the lung at week 3 (early lung tissue) or week 7 (late lung tissue with micro-metastasis), as well as from primary tumor site at week 7 (late primary tumor) after inoculation. Lung metastasis was retrieved at various time points for DNA sequencing analysis to identify enriched sgRNAs, thus candidate genes/miRNAs. Further bioinformatics analysis and limited functional validation studies were carried out.

RESULTS

DU145-KO cells promoted the formation of transplanted tumors in mice and promoted the growth and metastasis of primary tumors, compared to the controls (DU145-NC cells). The analysis of sequence data showed that the abundance of sgRNAs significantly changed in the primary tumor and micro-metastasis site. Fifteen target genes (C1QTNF9B, FAM229A, hsa-mir-3929, KRT23, TARS2, CRADD, GRIK4, PLA2G15, LOXL1, SLITRK6, CDC42EP5, SLC2A4, PTGDS, MYL9 and ACOX2 for the enriched sgRNAs) have been selected for experimental validation, which showed that knock-out of any of these genes led to the enhanced potential of invasion and metastasis of DU145 cells.

CONCLUSION

Genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 knock-out screening technology combined with highthroughput sequencing analysis identified genes that potentially relate to prostate tumor invasion and metastasis. Analysis of these genes provided insights into biological pathways relevant to the disease and disclosed innovative markers for diagnosis or prognosis as well as potential targets for therapy.

[Efficacy of omalizumab in the treatment of eosinophilic granulomatous polyangiitis with asthma as the first symptom]

Objective: To investigate the efficacy, and safety of omalizumab in the treatment of eosinophilic granulomatous with polyangiitis (EGPA) with asthma as the first symptom. Method: The clinical characteristics of 22 EGPA patients with asthma as the first symptom treated with omalizumab in the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University from March 2018 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. The asthma control test (ACT) score, the frequency of asthma exacerbation (AE), the Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score (BVAS), the variation rate of peak expiratory flow (PEF), the percentage of PEF to predicted value of PEF (PEFpred%), the percentage of forced expiratory volume in first second (FEV₁) to predicted value of FEV₁ (FEV₁pred%), the dosage of oral corticosteroid (OCS) and other clinical data [M(Q₁, Q₃)] were collected before and after treatment, to observe the efficacy and adverse reactions of omalizumab. Results: There were 22 subjects recruited in this study. The median age was 42 (22-70) years. Eleven of the patients were males. After treated with omalizumab for 4 months, there were 68.2%(15/21) of patients who responded to the treatment. In the response group (n=15), the patients' ACT score increased from 19.0 (16.5, 21.0) to 23.0 (21.5, 24.0) (P=0.001). The frequency of AE decreased from 0.7 (0.3, 1.0) to 0 (0, 0.7) per four mouths (P<0.001). The BVAS decreased from 4.0 (2.0, 6.0) to 2.0 (2.0, 4.0) (P=0.007). The variation rate of PEF decreased from 18.8% (14.0%, 27.7%) to 9.2% (6.8%, 11.9%) (P=0.007). The PEFpred% increased from 80.8% (73.5%, 90.7%) to 100.5% (79.4%, 114.0%) (P=0.005). The maintenance dosage of OCS reduced from 15.0 (10.0, 20.0) mg/d to 8.8 (5.0, 10.0) mg/d (P=0.005). The level of baseline eosinophil in peripheral blood of patients in non-response group was higher than that in response group [11.4% (9.2%, 22.6%) vs 3.4% (1.1%, 6.5%), P<0.05]. A total of 190 injections were performed in 22 patients, and only 4 patients (2.1%) had adverse reactions after a single injection of omalizumab, such as dizziness, swelling of injection site and pruritus. The adverse reactions were tolerable. Conclusions: Omalizumab has certain curative effect on EGPA, can reduce asthmatic symptoms and OCS maintenance dosage, and has a good safety profile. The rate of response to the treatment is higher in patients with mild eosinophilic inflammation.

Construction of a novel rabbit model of ureteral calculi implanted with flowable resin

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to characterize the pathophysiological changes of hydronephrosis caused by ureteral calculi obstruction in a new rabbit ureteral calculi model by implanting flowable resin.

METHODS

Forty New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into two groups: the calculi group and the sham control group. In the calculi group (n = 20), rabbits were operated at left lower abdomen and the left ureter was exposed. Then flowable resin (flowable restorative dental materials) was injected into the left ureter using a 0.45 mm diameter intravenous infusion needle. Then light-cured for 40 s by means of a dental curing light to form calculi. In the sham control group, normal saline was injected into the ureter. Rabbits underwent X-ray and routine blood and urine tests preoperatively, as well as X-ray, CT, dissection, HE staining and routine blood and urine tests on 1, 3, 5 and 7 days postoperatively. Stone formation was assessed by X-ray and unenhanced CT scan after surgery. The pathophysiological changes were evaluated through dissection, HE staining and routine blood and urine tests.

RESULTS

Ureteral calculi models were successfully constructed in 17 rabbits. In calculi group, high-density shadows were observed in the left lower abdomen on postoperative day 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th by X-ray and CT scan. Dissection found obstruction formation of the left ureters, dilatation of the renal pelvis and upper ureter during 7 days after surgery. The renal long-diameters of the left ureters increased only on the 1st postoperative day. HE staining found ureteral and kidney damage after surgery. In calculi group and sham group,the serum creatinine, urea nitrogen, white blood cells and urine red blood cells were raised at day 1 after surgery. However, the indicators returned to normal at day 3, 5, and 7.

CONCLUSIONS

This is a stable, less complicated operation and cost-effective ureteral calculi model by implanting flowable resin. And this novel model may allow us to further understand the pathophysiology changes caused by ureteral calculi obstruction.

[Analysis of the characteristics of HIV-1 molecular transmission network among people aged 50 years and above in Pengzhou city of Sichuan province]

Objective: To describe the characteristics of molecular transmission network of newly diagnosed HIV-1 infected patients, analyze their risk factors related to network access and provide a scientific basis for precise prevention of HIV infection. Methods: For 340 blood samples collected from confirmed HIV-1 infection cases aged ≥50 years in Pengzhou city of Sichuan province from April 2019 to August 2021, nested PCR amplification was used to amplify, clean up and splice clips the pol gene region. The phylogenetic tree was constructed by multi-sequence comparison to distinguish subtypes, and the pairwise genetic distance was calculated. When the genetic distance threshold was 0.90%, the number of clusters was the largest (41), and the molecular transmission network was constructed.The χ² test and logistic regression analysis were performed.The software SPSS 19.0 was used for statistical analysis. Results: A total of 340 samples were successfully amplified (97.06%, 330/340) in 330 samples. 6 HIV-1 subtypes identified, including:CRF01_AE(56.67%,187/330), CRF07_BC(27.88%,92/330), B(11.21%,37/330), CRF08_BC(3.33%,11/330), CRF55_01B(0.61%,2/330) and C(0.30%,1/330).The network entry rate was 58.79% (194/330).The results of logistic regression analysis of the risk factors of HIV-1 molecular transmission network in the research subjects showed that compared with illiteracy, junior high school (OR=0.35, 95%CI:0.13-0.97) and high school/technical secondary school (OR=0.14, 95%CI: 0.02-0.97) had lower possibility of network entry. Compared with farmers, unknown occupations (OR=0.40,95%CI: 0.17-0.95) are less likely to enter the network .Compared with CRF01_AE, CRF07_BC (OR=0.20, 95%CI: 0.11-0.35) and CRF08_BC subtype (OR=0.09, 95%CI: 0.02-0.45) were less likely to enter the network. Conclusions: The sources of AIDS transmission among middle-aged and elderly people of rural areas are diversified in Pengzhou city of Sichuan province. AIDS intervention should focus on middle-aged and elderly farmers with low educational level, and strengthen detection and traceability investigation.

Long Noncoding RNA HAGLROS Promotes the Malignant Progression of Bladder Cancer by Regulating the miR-330-5p/SPRR1B Axis

Bladder cancer (BC) is the most common genitourinary malignancy worldwide, and its aetiology and pathogenesis remain unclear. Accumulating evidence has shown that HAGLROS is closely related to the occurrence and progression of various cancers. However, the biological functions and underlying mechanisms of HAGLROS in BC remain unknown. In the present study, the expression of HAGLROS in BC was determined by public dataset analysis, transcriptome sequencing analysis, qRT–PCR and ISH assays. Gain- or loss-of-function assays were performed to study the biological roles of HAGLROS in BC cells and nude mouse xenograft model. Bioinformatic analysis, qRT–PCR, western blot, immunohistochemistry, FISH assays, subcellular fractionation assays and luciferase reporter assays were performed to explore the underlying molecular mechanisms of HAGLROS in BC. Here, we found that HAGLROS expression is significantly upregulated in BC tissues and cells, and elevated HAGLROS expression was related to higher pathologic grade and advanced clinical stage, which is significant for BC diagnosis. HAGLROS can enhance the growth and metastasis of BC in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, miR-330-5p downregulation reversed the BC cells proliferation, migration and invasion inhibited by silencing HAGLROS. SPRR1B silencing restored the malignant phenotypes of BC cells promoted by miR-330--5p inhibitor. Mechanistically, we found that HAGLROS functions as a microRNA sponge to positively regulate SPRR1B expression by sponging miR-330-5p. Together, these results demonstrate that HAGLROS plays an oncogenic role and may serve as a potential biomarker for the diagnosis and treatment of BC.

High fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio with type 2 diabetes mellitus is associated with poor prognosis in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention: 5-year findings from a large cohort

Funding Acknowledgements

Type of funding sources: Public hospital(s). Main funding source(s): the National Clinical Research Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences

Background

Inflammation plays a crucial role in coronary atherosclerosis progression, and growing evidence has demonstrated that the fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio index (FAR) is associated with the severity of coronary artery disease (CAD). However, the long-term risk of cardiovascular events remains indistinct in patients with different level of FAR and different glycemic metabolism status. This study was to access 5-year clinical outcomes of diabetic and non-diabetic patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with different level of FAR.

Methods

We consecutively enrolled 10,724 patients with CAD hospitalized for PCI and followed up for major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) covering all-cause mortality, non-fatal myocardial infarction, non-fatal ischemic stroke and unplanned coronary revascularization. FAR was computed using the following formula: Fibrinogen (mg/dL) / Albumin (g/L). According to the optimal cut-off value of FAR, which was determined by the surv_cutpoint function of the R package survminer via RStudio software (version 2021.09.0), patients were divided into higher level of FAR (FAR-H) and lower level of (FAR-L) subgroups, and were further categorized into for groups as FAR-H with DM and non-DM, and FAR-L with DM and non-DM.

Results

5,298 patients (58.36 ± 10.36 years, 77.7% male) were ultimately enrolled in the present study. A total of 1,099 (20.7%) MACCEs were documented during the 5-year follow-up. The optimal cut-off value of FAR was 0.0783 by the surv_cutpoint function. Compared to ones with FAR-H and DM, patients with FAR-L and non-DM, FAR-H and non-DM, FAR-L and DM had decreased risk of MACCEs [adjusted hazard ratio (HR): 0.75, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.64-0.89, p = 0.001; HR: 0.006, 95% CI 0.66-0.93, p = 0.006; HR: 0.81, 95% CI 0.68-0.97, p = 0.019]. Notably, non-diabetic patients with lower level of FAR also had lower all-cause mortality risk than those in the FAR-H/DM group (HR: 0.41, 95% CI 0.27-0.63, p &lt; 0.001). Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis also indicated the highest risk of MACCEs in patients with FAR-H and DM than others (p for trend = 0.005). In addition, subgroup analysis revealed consistent effects on 5-year MACCE across various subgroups.

Conclusion

Diabetic patients with higher level of FAR had the worse 5-year outcomes compared with patients in other three groups. The level of FAR may help to identify high-risk individuals in this specific population.

[Establishment of morphological reference values for the differential count of white blood cells in peripheral blood smear, as well as nucleated cells and megakaryocytes in bone marrow smear]

Objective: To establish the morphological reference values for the differential count of white blood cells in peripheral blood smear as well as nucleated cells and megakaryocytes in bone marrow smear. Methods: From April 2012 to June 2020, 4 221 healthy donors for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in Hebei Yanda Lu Daopei Hospital were selected. The median age was 36 (3-72) years old, including 2 520 males and 1 701 females. They were divided into four groups according to age: children group, with age≤14 years old [n=334, 11 (3-14) years old], youth group, with age >14 years old and <45 years old [n=2 855, 33 (15-44) years old], middle-aged adult group, with age ≥45 years old and < 60 years old [n=929, 49 (45-59) years old], and older adult group, with age ≥60 years old [n=103, 62 (60-72) years old]. Gender subgroups were established in each age group. According to different hematopoietic characteristics, the children group were divided into two subgroups: children group 1 [n=48, 6 (3-7) years old] and children group 2 [n=286, 11 (8-14) years old]. According to the clinical routine, 100 white blood cells in peripheral blood, 200 nucleated cells in bone marrow, and cell numbers/4.5 cm² for megakaryocytes were classified and counted. The results of cell count in different age and gender groups were compared, and the reference values of morphological classification were established for different groups with statistical or clinical significance. Results: Due to the existence of statistically significant differences between children and adult groups and different gender subgroups in adults (all P<0.05), the reference values were established for children group and adult gender subgroups. The counts of segmented neutrophils and lymphocytes in peripheral blood were 46.65(43.97-49.32)% and 44.00(10.60-65.10)% in children group 1, 50.73(49.50-51.96)% and 39.55 (38.36-40.74)% in children group 2, and 57.00 (39.00-75.23) % and 33.00 (17.00-52.00) % in adult group, respectively. Bone marrow segmented neutrophils, orthochromatic erythroblasts, and mature lymphocytes were 11.54 (10.68-12.41)%, 14.20 (13.19-15.21)%, and 23.99 (22.06-25.92)% in children group 1, 12.50 (7.00-21.50)%, 15.00(9.50-25.50)%, and 21.02 (20.24-21.81)% in children group 2, 13.50 (7.50-21.00)%, 16.50 (10.50-26.00)%, and 15.50 (7.50-26.00)% in adult male group, and 14.50 (8.00-24.50)%, 14.50 (9.00-23.00)%, and 17.50 (8.50-29.00)% in adult female group, respectively. The myelopoiesis/erythropoiesis ratio in children group, adult male group and adult female group was 1.86∶1 (1.14∶1-3.23∶1), 1.96∶1 (1.12∶1-3.19∶1), 2.22∶1 (1.30∶1-3.69∶1), respectively. The numbers of granular megakaryocytes and thromocytogenic megakaryocytes were 138 (25-567) cells/4.5cm² and 86 (13-328) cells/4.5 cm² in children group, and 92 (13-338) cells/4.5 cm² and 38 (3-162) cells/4.5 cm² in adult group, respectively. Conclusion: The morphological reference values for the differential count of white blood cells in peripheral blood smear as well as nucleated cells and megakaryocytes in bone marrow smear are successfully established, which is helpful to improve the application of morphological examination in disease screening, diagnosis and monitoring.

[Incidence of unintended pregnancy within 2 years after delivery and its influencing factors in China]

Objective: To investigate the present situation of unintended pregnancy within two years postpartum and its influencing factors in China. Methods: Participants who delivered a live birth at 60 hospitals in 15 provinces in the eastern, central and western regions of China during July 2015 to June 2016 were interviewed by using structured questionnaire. Information on occurrence of unintended pregnancy within 2 years after delivery, postpartum contraceptive use, sexual resumption, breastfeeding, and women's socio-demographic characteristics, and so on, were collected. Life-table analysis, cluster log-rank tests and a 2-level Cox regression model were used for data analysis. Results: A total of 18 045 postpartum women were investigated. The cumulative 1- and 2-year unintended pregnancy rates after delivery were 5.3% (95%CI: 4.5%－6.1%) and 13.1% (95%CI: 11.3%－14.8%), respectively. Cox regression model analysis showed that the risk of unintended pregnancy within 2 years postpartum were increased in younger women, ethnic minorities, women with abortion history, and those who had a vaginal delivery with short lactation time and late postpartum contraceptive initiation (all P<0.01). The risk of postpartum unintended pregnancy was not associated with geographic regions and hospitals where women gave a birth (all P>0.05). Conclusions: In China, the risk of unintended pregnancy within 2 years after delivery is relatively high. Service institutions and service providers should improve the quality of postpartum family planning services, promote the use of high effect contraceptive methods, and educate women to use a method at the time of their sexual resumption or even before.

CancerMIRNome: an interactive analysis and visualization database for miRNome profiles of human cancer

MicroRNAs (miRNAs), which play critical roles in gene regulatory networks, have emerged as promising diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for human cancer. In particular, circulating miRNAs that are secreted into circulation exist in remarkably stable forms, and have enormous potential to be leveraged as non-invasive biomarkers for early cancer detection. Novel and user-friendly tools are desperately needed to facilitate data mining of the vast amount of miRNA expression data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and large-scale circulating miRNA profiling studies. To fill this void, we developed CancerMIRNome, a comprehensive database for the interactive analysis and visualization of miRNA expression profiles based on 10 554 samples from 33 TCGA projects and 28 633 samples from 40 public circulating miRNome datasets. A series of cutting-edge bioinformatics tools and machine learning algorithms have been packaged in CancerMIRNome, allowing for the pan-cancer analysis of a miRNA of interest across multiple cancer types and the comprehensive analysis of miRNome profiles to identify dysregulated miRNAs and develop diagnostic or prognostic signatures. The data analysis and visualization modules will greatly facilitate the exploit of the valuable resources and promote translational application of miRNA biomarkers in cancer. The CancerMIRNome database is publicly available at http://bioinfo.jialab-ucr.org/CancerMIRNome.

Epidemiological analysis of cystic echinococcosis and alveolar echinococcosis in an extremely high prevalence region: Population-based survey and host animal monitoring in Shiqu County, China

Echinococcosis is the most common parasitic disease in the Tibetan Plateau, placing a large disease burden on the local population. Shiqu County, located in western Sichuan Tibetan region, had a particularly high prevalence rate of cystic echinococcosis (CE) and alveolar echinococcosis (AE) in previous surveys. From 2015 to 2018, a population-based field survey was conducted to explore the epidemic situation. Epidemiological features were examined through demographic analysis and mapping. In addition, the infection prevalence of Echinococcus in dogs was also investigated and mapped by spatial autoregression. A total of 84,768 people were screened by abdominal ultrasound inspection, and 2,341 CE and 3,930 AE cases were detected, with a corresponding prevalence of 2.76% and 4.64%, respectively. This made Shiqu County one of the most severe echinococcosis endemic regions in the world, especially with regard to AE. The cases were not evenly distributed among towns: particularly, the AE rates in the northwest towns were very high and closely related to the infection rate of neighboring host animals. Simultaneously, a comprehensive prevention project including patient treatment and host management was conducted and achieved preliminary success in source control. According to feces monitoring findings, the infection rate of dogs declined from 26.38% in early 2016 to 3.71% in 2018. Combined with host animal distribution data at the town level, the predicted risk ranks were categorized by risk index and mapped to guide further control operations.

[Influencing factors on the death of HIV/AIDS patients treated with antiviral treatment in Butuo county, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, 2010-2019]

Objective: To understand influencing factors on the deaths of HIV/AIDS patients receiving antireviral treatment in Butuo county of Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture (Liangshan) from 2010 to 2019, to provide data for drug replacement and sustainable antiviral treatment strategy. Methods: A matched case-control study was used to collect basic and follow-up information on AIDS death patients receiving antiviral treatment in Butuo county of Liangshan from 2010 to 2019. The control group was formed by sampling twice the number of cases. The logistic regression model was used to analyze the risk factors affecting mortality. Results: In 3 355 patients of HIV/AIDS treated with antiviral therapy, 1 179 cases in the death group and 2 176 cases in the control group. Including 81.34% were 30-49 years old, 69.09％males, 99.55% Yi nationality, 91.12% were married or cohabitated, 95.77% had junior high school education or below, and 88.41% peasants. Amultivariate logistic stepwise regression model showed that among the death risk factors, age ≥50 years old was 5.08 times (95%CI:3.05-8.48) that of the 18-29, female was 0.70 times (95%CI: 0.52-0.94) than male, the transmission rate of intravenous drug use was 1.43 times (95%CI: 1.06-1.91) that of heterosexual transmission, CD4⁺T lymphocyte (CD4) count ≥350 cells/μl before treatment was 0.38 times (95%CI: 0.30-0.48) that of CD4 <200 cells/μl before treatment, the most recent antiviral treatment regimen containing LPV/r was 0.04 times (95%CI: 0.01-0.18) than that of stavudine (d4T) + lamivudine (3TC) + nevirapine (NVP)/efavirenz (EFV) regimen, drug resistance was 3.40 times (95%CI: 2.13-5.42) of non-drug resistance, non-viral load and non-drug resistance test results were 12.98 times (95%CI: 10.28-16.40) of non-drug resistance. Conclusions: Age, gender, transmission route, CD4 before treatment, the latest antiviral treatment program, and drug resistance test after antiviral therapy were the influencing factors of HIV/AIDS death in Butuo county. It is necessary to expand the coverage of viral load and drug resistance test to change the antiviral therapeutic schedule scientifically and carry out publicity and education on the compliance of patients with antiviral treatment and medical staff training in order to reduce the mortality of patients with antiviral treatment.

Expression and Role of Dickkopf-1 (Dkk1) in Tumors: From the Cells to the Patients

Dickkopf-1 (Dkk1) is a secretory antagonist of the classical Wnt signaling pathway. Many studies have reported that Dkk1 is abnormally expressed in tumor cells, and abnormal expression of Dkk1 can inhibit cell proliferation or induce apoptosis through pro-apoptotic factors, However, due to the differences in tumor environment and the complex regulatory mechanisms in different tumors, Dkk1 has different effects on the progression of different tumors. In many tumors, high expression of Dkk1 may promote tumor metastasis. However, Dkk1, which is highly expressed in other tumors, can inhibit tumor invasion and metastasis. More and more evidence shows that Dkk1 plays a complex and different role in tumor occurrence, development and metastasis in different tumor environments and through a variety of complex regulatory mechanisms. Therefore, Dkk1 may not only be a useful biomarker of metastasis, but also a target for studying the metabolic mechanism of tumor cells and treating tumors in many tumor types. Therefore, this article reviews the research progress on the expression, mechanism and function of Dkk1 in different tumors, and at the same time, based on the public database data, we made a further analysis of the expression of Dkk1 in different tumors.

Association of Total Dietary Intake of Sugars with Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) Concentrations: Evidence from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2003-2010

BACKGROUND

There is increasing evidence that dietary intake of sugars may be a risk factor for prostate cancer (PCa) and elevate the concentration of serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA). However, there is limited evidence of the correlation between total dietary intake of sugars and serum PSA concentrations for adult American males. Herein, we evaluated the association between total dietary intake of sugars and serum PSA concentrations in men without a malignant tumor diagnosis in the United States (US) National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database. Material and Methods. In this secondary data analysis, a total of 6,403 men aged ≥40 years and without malignant tumor history were included from 2003 to 2010. The independent variable of this study was the total dietary intake of sugars, and the dependent variable was serum PSA concentrations. Covariates included dietary, comorbidity, physical examination, and demographic data.

RESULTS

The average age of participants included in this study was 58.1 years (±13.6). After adjusting for the dietary, comorbidity, physical examination, and demographic data, we observed that a dietary intake increase of one gram of total dietary intake of sugars was associated with an increase of serum PSA concentrations by 0.003 ng/mL (after log2 transformed, 95% CI: 0.001 to 0.005) with a P value for trend less than 0.05. Sensitivity analysis using the generalized additive model (GAM) supported the linear association between total dietary intake of sugars and serum PSA concentrations.

CONCLUSION

The total dietary intake of sugars is independently and positively associated with serum PSA concentrations in adult American males who are without a personal history of malignant tumors.

Stillbirths in China: a nationwide survey

Objective

To estimate a stillbirth rate at 24 or more gestational weeks in 2015–2016 and to explore potentially preventable causes in China.

Design

A multi‐centre cross‐sectional study.

Setting

Ninety‐six hospitals distributed in 24 (of 34) provinces in China.

Population

A total of 75 132 births at 24 completed weeks of gestation or more.

Methods

COX Proportional Hazard Models were performed to examine risk factors for antepartum and intrapartum stillbirths. Population attributable risk percentage was calculated for major risk factors. Correspondence analysis was used to explore region‐specific risk factors for stillbirths.

Main outcome measures

Stillbirth rate and risk factors for stillbirth.

Results

A total of 75 132 births including 949 stillbirths were used for the final analysis, giving a weighted stillbirth rate of 13.2 per 1000 births (95% CI 7.9–18.5). Small for gestational age (SGA) and pre‐eclampsia/eclampsia increased antepartum stillbirths by 26.2% and 11.7%, respectively. Fetal anomalies increased antepartum and intrapartum stillbirths by 17.9% and 7.4%, respectively. Overall, 31.4% of all stillbirths were potentially preventable. Advanced maternal age, pre‐pregnant obesity, chronic hypertension and diabetes mellitus were important risk factors in East China; low education and SGA were major risk factors in Northwest, Southwest, Northeast and South China; and pre‐eclampsia/eclampsia and intrapartum complications were significant risk factors in Central China.

Conclusions

The prevalence of stillbirth was 13.2 per 1000 births in China in 2015–2016. Nearly one‐third of all stillbirths may be preventable. Strategies based on regional characteristics should be considered to reduce further the burden of stillbirths in China.

Tweetable abstract

The stillbirth rate was 13.2 per 1000 births in China in 2015–2016 and nearly one‐third of all stillbirths may be preventable.

The stillbirth rate was 13.2 per 1000 births in China in 2015–2016 and nearly one‐third of all stillbirths may be preventable.

Dietary phosphorus intake and serum prostate-specific antigen in non-prostate cancer American adults: A secondary analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2003-2010

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Previous study has reported phosphorus intake is associated prostate cancer (PCa), but the association between phosphorus intake and serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels hasn't been reported in non-history of PCa population. Therefore, we performed a secondary data analysis based on existing data from the public Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (2003-2010) database.

METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN

Totally 6403 participants were selected from NHANES (2003-2010) database. The interested independent and dependent variables were considered as dietary phosphorus intake and PSA level, respectively. Covariates included demographic data, dietary data, physical examination data, and comorbidities. Weighted linear regression and generalized additive models were used to addressing the linear and non-linear link of phosphorus intake to PSA level.

RESULTS

Linear association between phosphorus intake and PSA was not detected [β=0.016 (95% Confidence Interval (CI) -0.012, 0.045)]. But we found an existing nonlinearity. By the recursive algorithm, the inflection point was 1151 mg. On the left side of the inflection point, we did not find the correlation between dietary phosphorus intake (per 100 change) and PSA level [β=-0.04 (95% CI -0.11, 0.02), p=0.2155], while dietary phosphorus intake (per 100 change) positively associated with PSA [β=0.05 (95% CI 0.01, 0.09) p=0.0293] on the right side of inflection point.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a non-linear correlation between dietary phosphorus intake and PSA. Dietary phosphorus intake was positively associated with increased PSA when dietary phosphorus intake is beyond 1151 mg after adjusting other covariates. Over 1151 mg per day dietary phosphorus intake may be the risk factor for PSA increasing.

Molecular detection of Bartonella in ixodid ticks collected from yaks and plateau pikas (Ochotona curzoniae) in Shiqu County, China

Background

Bartonella bacteria have been associated with an increasingly wide range of human and animal diseases. These emerging pathogens have been identified as being globally dispersed. Ticks and small rodents are known hosts of Bartonella and play a significant role in the preservation and circulation of Bartonella in nature. This study investigated the occurrence of hoist spp. in ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) and plateau pikas (Ochotona curzoniae) in Shiqu County, which is located on the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in China. Shiqu County is spread over approximately 26,000 km², with an average altitude of above 4200 m and a vast area of pastureland.

Results

A total of 818 ticks (Dermacentor everestianus, 79.0%, 646/818; Haemaphysalis qinghaiensis, 21.0%, 172/818) were collected from yaks in 4 villages of Shiqu County. Only Bartonella melophagi was detected in tick samples, with a total prevalence of 30.1% (246/818). The infection rates of B. melophagi in ticks from Arizha, Maga, Derongma, and Changxgma were 4.8, 76.8, 12.5, and 18.0%, respectively. The infection rate of B. melophagi in Maga was higher (p < 0.01) than those in other villages. Regarding plateau pikas, the total infection rate of Bartonella spp. was 21.7% (62/286), with 16.7% (12/72), 30.9% (25/81), 13.8% (9/65), and 23.5% (16/68) in Arizha, Maga, Derongma, and Changxgma, respectively. Finally, B. queenslandensis and B. grahamii were detected in plateau pika. No significant difference was observed (p > 0.05) in the infection rates between these study sites.

Conclusion

To date, only D. everestianus and H. qinghaiensis were found in Shiqu County with high infection of Bartonella spp. in the ticks and plateau pika. The threats of Bartonella species to public health should be closely monitored.

A novel 3',5'-diprenylated chalcone induces concurrent apoptosis and GSDME-dependent pyroptosis through activating PKCδ/JNK signal in prostate cancer

Although androgen deprivation therapy may initially be effective in prostate cancer, the disease can gradually progress to castration-resistant prostate cancer, at which point chemotherapy becomes the major clinical strategy. In this study, we demonstrated the anti-cancer potential of a novel 3’,5’-diprenylated chalcone (C10), which selectively inhibited the proliferation of PC3 cells in vitro and in vivo. C10 treatment elevated the proportion of PC3 cells in sub-G1 phase and induced programmed cell death. Interestingly, C10 elicited concurrent Caspase-dependent apoptotic and gasdermin E-dependent pyroptotic events. RNA-Seq and bioinformatics analyses revealed a strong correlation between protein kinase C delta (PKCδ) and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway activation in prostate cancer. PKCδ silencing in PC3 cells suppressed the activation of the JNK pathway and the expression of its downstream genes, including Bax, interleukin-6 and interleukin-1β, which are involved in apoptotic and pyroptotic processes. Moreover, in PC3 cell xenograft tumor tissues, C10 treatment inhibited tumor growth and upregulated PKCδ. These findings suggest that C10 treatment induces the PKCδ/JNK pathway, thereby activating Caspase-3 and inducing the cleavage of PARP and gasdermin E to execute apoptosis and cell-lytic pyroptosis in prostate cancer cells.

Is there a non-linear relationship between dietary protein intake and prostate-specific antigen: proof from the national health and nutrition examination survey (2003-2010)

BACKGROUND

Growing evidence demonstrated that dietary protein intake may be a risk factor for prostate cancer and elevate the level of prostate-specific antigen (PSA). However, proof for the correlation between dietary protein intake and PSA in American adults without prostate tumor history is limited. Our goal was to investigate the association of dietary protein intake with PSA using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (2003-2010) database.

METHODS

After the screening, 6403 participants were included in the study. The interested independent is the dietary protein intake, and the dependent variable is PSA levels, the covariates included demographic, dietary, biological data, and physical examination variables. A weighted linear model and a weighted linear regression model were used to examine the distribution of variables in the covariate differences between the different independent groups according to quartiles. Four models were used to survey the association between dietary protein intake and PSA. We also attempted to find a nonlinear relationship between dietary protein intake and PSA using the GAM model and the penalty spline method and further solved the nonlinear problem using weighted two-piecewise linear model.

RESULTS

The weighted multivariate linear regression analysis demonstrated that dietary protein intake was not independently associated with PSA levels after adjusting potential confounders (β = 0.015, 95%CI:-0.024, 0.055). However, we found the non-linear relationship between dietary protein intake and PSA, whose point was 18.18 g (per 10 g change). The magnitude and confidence intervals for the left and right inflection points are - 0.03 (- 0.09, 0.02) and 0.22 (0.07, 0.36), respectively. On the right side of the inflection point, one gram of increment in protein intake was associated with increased PSA levels by 0.22 (log2 transformation: 0.22, 95%CI: 0.07, 0.36).

CONCLUSIONS

After adjusting for potential covariates, the non-linear correlation between dietary protein intake and PSA was observed. When dietary protein intake exceeded the threshold of 181.8 g, dietary protein intake was positively correlated with elevated PSA levels.

RUNX1-activated upregulation of lncRNA RNCR3 promotes cell proliferation, invasion, and suppresses apoptosis in colorectal cancer via miR-1301-3p/AKT1 axis in vitro and in vivo

PURPOSE

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have participated in progression of colorectal cancer. This study aims to study the role of RUNX1/RNCR3/miR-1301-3p/AKT1 axis in colorectal cancer.

METHODS

The cancer tissues were from patients with colorectal cancer. The qRT-PCR was used to determine expression of lncRNA RNCR3, miR-1301-3p, and AKT1. Both dual-luciferase reporter assay and ChIP assay were conducted to investigate the binding sites of RUNX1 on RNCR3 promoter. Western blot was performed to analyze expression of AKT1 protein. Both dual-luciferase reporter assay and RIP assay were performed to detect the interacting sites between RNCR3 and miR-1301-3p. The CCK-8 assay, soft agar assay, transwell assay, and annexin-V-FITC/PI staining were applied to analyze the cell growth, invasion, and apoptosis, respectively.

RESULTS

The data demonstrated that RNCR3 was elevated in colorectal cancer, and it was negatively correlated with expression of miR-1301-3p which was decreased in cancers. Then, RNCR3 could interact with and suppress miR-1301-3p expression in HCT116 and SW480. Knockdown of RNCR3 or miR-1301-3p overexpression significantly inhibited cell growth, invasion, and increased apoptosis through suppressing expression of Cyclin A1, PCNA, N-cadherin, Bcl-2, and promoting expression of E-cadherin, Bax in vitro and in vivo. RUNX1 was directly bound to RNCR3 promoter to activate RNCR3 expression. Furthermore, overexpression of RNCR3 blocked tumor inhibitory effects of miR-1301-3p on proliferation, colony formation, invasion, and apoptosis in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, RNCR3 and miR-1301-3p synergistically modulated AKT1 expression.

CONCLUSION

RUNX1-activated upregulation of RNCR3 promoted colorectal cancer progression by sponging miR-1301-3p to elevate AKT1 levels in vitro and in vivo.

Patterns of Immune Infiltration in HNC and Their Clinical Implications: A Gene Expression-Based Study

Background: Immune infiltration of head and neck cancer (HNC) highly correlated with the patient's prognosis. However, previous studies failed to explain the diversity of different cell types that make up the function of the immune response system. The aim of the study was to uncover the differences in immune phenotypes of the tumor microenvironment (TME) between HNC adjacent tumor tissues and tumor tissues using CIBERSORT method and explore their therapeutic implications.

Method: In current work, we employed the CIBERSORT method to evaluate the relative proportions of immune cell profiling in 11 paired HNC and adjacent samples, and analyzed the correlation between immune cell infiltration and clinical information. The tumor-infiltrating immune cells of TCGA HNC cohort was analyzed for the first time. The fractions of LM22 immune cells were imputed to determine the correlation between each immune cell subpopulation and survival and response to chemotherapy. Three types of molecular classification were identified via “CancerSubtypes” R-package. The functional enrichment was analyzed in each subtype.

Results: The profiles of immune infiltration in TCGA HNC cohort significantly vary between paired cancer and para-cancerous tissue and the variation could reflect the individual difference. Total Macrophage, Macrophages M0 and NK cells resting were elevated in HNC tissues, while total T cells, total B cells, T cells CD8, B cell navie, T cell follicular helper, NK cells activated, Monocyte and Mast cells resting were decreased when compared to paracancerous tissues. Among each cell immune subtype, T cells regulatory Tregs, B cells naïve, T cells follicular helper, and T cells CD4 memory activated was significantly associated with HNC survival. Three clusters were observed via Cancer Subtypes R-package. Each cancer subtype has a specific molecular classification and subtype-specific immune cell characterization.

Conclusions: Our data suggest a difference in immune response may be an important driver of HNC progression and response to treatment. The deconvolution algorithm of gene expression microarray data by CIBERSOFT provides useful information about the immune cell composition of HNC patients.

Protective effect of resveratrol on kidney in rats with diabetic nephropathy and its effect on endoplasmic reticulum stress

OBJECTIVE

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) can cause chronic renal insufficiency and significantly reduce the life quality of patients with diabetes mellitus, and may eventually lead to death. The study investigated the expression of endoplasmic reticulum stress-related factors, which have important roles in the progress of DN and to explore effects of resveratrol on DN and the possible mechanism.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Specific pathogen free (SPF) grade healthy male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were divided into different groups for different treatments. The diabetic rat model was established by intraperitoneal injection of low-dose streptozotocin (STZ) (40 mg/kg). The normal rats and diabetes model rats were divided into four groups including normal control group (N), normal control + resveratrol (N+R), model group (M), and model + resveratrol group (M+R) for different treatments. The changes of renal histology were observed by immunohistochemistry. Glucose oxidase/peroxidase method was used to measure FPG, UP 24 h content was measured by bicinchoninic acid (BCA) assay, BUN, Scr and Cys C content were measured by automatic biochemical analyzer. The expressions of 78 kDa glucose-regulated protein (GRP78), protein kinase RNA-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK), and activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) and C/EBP-homologous protein (CHOP) were analyzed by Western blot.

RESULTS

Resveratrol treatment significantly reduced the fasting blood glucose level, urinary protein level and renal pathological damage. The phosphorylation of PERK in the kidney of rats with diabetes was up-regulated, while resveratrol treatment reduced this change. The expression of p- PERK, GRP78, ATF4, and CHOP was significantly increased in rats with diabetes, while resveratrol treatment can reduce the increased level of those endoplasmic reticulum stress related factors.

CONCLUSIONS

Resveratrol has a good therapeutic effect on DN in rats without side effect. The mechanism may be related to the regulation of endoplasmic reticulum stress response.

[An analysis on incidence of HIV-1 epidemics among men who have sex with men in Sichuan Province during 2011-2015]

The assay was used in HIV/AIDS surveillance sentinel sites to identify recent HIV-1 infection, to estimate HIV-1 incidence and understand the epidemic trends among men who have sex with men during 2011-2015. During 2011-2015, the HIV-1 incidence of men who have sex with men was 5.16%(95%CI: 4.65%-5.66%) in Sichuan Province. According to<Pilot study on classification criteria of AIDS epidemic in China>, a total of 9 cities had been divided into two type of regions: the first type(the proportion of live HIV/AIDS accounts for more than 0.1% of the permanent population, and the number of live HIV/AIDS has reached 500 cases and above) and the second type(the proportion of live HIV/AIDS accounts for 0.03% to 0.100% of the permanent population, and the number of live HIV/AIDS has reached 100-500 cases). During 2011-2015, the HIV-1 incidence of the second type was 4.24% (95%CI: 3.72%-4.76%). The HIV-1 incidence of men who have sex with men was at a high level. The spread of HIV-1 to the second region was possible.

Systematic analysis of alternative splicing signature unveils prognostic predictor for kidney renal clear cell carcinoma

There is growing evidence that alternative splicing (AS) plays an important role in cancer development. However, a comprehensive analysis of AS signatures in kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) is lacking and urgently needed. It remains unclear whether AS acts as diagnostic biomarkers in predicting the prognosis of KIRC patients. In the work, gene expression and clinical data of KIRC were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and profiles of AS events were downloaded from the SpliceSeq database. The RNA sequence/AS data and clinical information were integrated, and we conducted the Cox regression analysis to screen survival‐related AS events and messenger RNAs (mRNAs). Correlation between prognostic AS events and gene expression were analyzed using the Pearson correlation coefficient. Protein‐protein interaction analysis was conducted for the prognostic AS‐related genes, and a potential regulatory network was built using Cytoscape (version 3.6.1). Meanwhile, functional enrichment analysis was conducted. A prognostic risk score model is then established based on seven hub genes (KRT222, LENG8, APOB, SLC3A1, SCD5, AQP1, and ADRA1A) that have high performance in the risk classification of KIRC patients. A total 46,415 AS events including 10,601 genes in 537 patients with KIRC were identified. In univariate Cox regression analysis, 13,362 survival associated AS events and 8,694 survival‐specific mRNAs were detected. Common 3,105 genes were screen by overlapping 13,362 survival associated AS events and 8,694 survival‐specific mRNAs. The Pearson correlation analysis suggested that 13 genes were significantly correlated with AS events (Pearson correlation coefficient >0.8 or <−0.8). Then, We conducted multivariate Cox regression analyses to select the potential prognostic AS genes. Seven genes were identified to be significantly related to OS. A prognostic model based on seven genes was constructed. The area under the ROC curve was 0.767. In the current study, a robust prognostic prediction model was constructed for KIRC patients, and the findings revealed that the AS events could act as potential prognostic biomarkers for KIRC.

Super-Mini Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy Reduces the Incidence of Postoperative Adverse Events in Pediatric Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study

OBJECTIVE

To assess the safety of the super-mini percutaneous nephrolithotomy (SMP) versus the minimally invasive percutaneous nephrolithotomy (MPCNL) in the treatment of pediatric renal calculus.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed the electronic records of pediatric patients who underwent treatment for renal stones by either SMP or MPCNL from May 2015 to May 2016. We compared the safety of the 2 surgical procedures in the treatment of renal calculus in children by using the generalized estimating equation (GEE) multivariate regression analysis, in which the exposures are the surgical procedures and postoperative adverse events (postoperative complications, fever, and WBC counts) are set as outcome variables.

RESULTS

The study included 39 patients (26 boys and 13 girls), of which 22 underwent MPCNL and 17 underwent SMP, with a mean age of 110.05 ± 45.01 and 93.18 ± 41.72 months, respectively. In the univariate logistic regression model, the surgical procedures showed no significant association with postoperative complications (95% CI 0.0-1.5), fever (95% CI 0.1-2.1), postoperative peripheral WBC (95% CI 0.1-2.2). In the multiple logistic regression analysis, there was an insignificant association between surgical methods and postoperative complications (95% CI 0.28-1.1), fever (95% CI 0.1-1.2), and postoperative peripheral WBC (95% CI 0.03-1.8). While using GEE with multiple dependent variables and MPCNL as a reference, the OR of adverse events was 0.15 and the 95% CI were 0.04-0.55.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared to MPCNL, SMP has a lower incidence of postoperative complications and appears to be a safer treatment for children with kidney stones.

An outbreak of strangles associated with a novel genotype of Streptococcus equi subspecies equi in donkeys in China during 2018

BACKGROUND

Strangles is a highly contagious respiratory disease of equids caused by the bacterium Streptococcus equi subspecies equi.

OBJECTIVES

To identify the cause of an outbreak of strangles that occurred on donkey farms within the Shandong Province of China and determine the prevalence of the disease.

STUDY DESIGN

Cross-sectional.

METHODS

Samples were taken from clinically affected animals to measure the prevalence of strangles within the population of donkeys at six intensive farms in China and identify the SeM type of isolate recovered from affected animals. Diagnosis was confirmed by bacterial isolation, biochemical tests and PCR. Epidemiological data were analysed using Chi-square test and a Fisher's exact two-sided test. The SeM gene of S. equi isolates recovered from affected animals was determined and compared with the SeM database PubMLST-seM.

RESULTS

In July and August 2018, an outbreak of strangles occurred on six donkey farms within the Shandong Province of China. The overall prevalence of disease within the different donkey herds was 13.4%. Younger animals were worst affected with 40.3% (83/206) of donkey foals aged under 1 year exhibiting clinical signs compared with 12.5% (191/1525) of donkeys aged one to 2 years and 3.8% (17/442) of donkeys over 2 years of age. Analysis of SeM sequencing data identified that the farms were affected by the same strain of S. equi, SD201807, which contains the novel 136 allele of SeM.

MAIN LIMITATIONS

Healthy donkeys were not sampled in this study.

CONCLUSIONS

The number of intensive donkey breeding farms in China has risen recently. The higher numbers of animals that are in closer proximity to one another raise the potential for the transmission of infectious diseases such as strangles. This is the first description of a strangles outbreak among donkey herds in China. The Summary is available in Chinese - see Supporting information.

A new hope: the immunotherapy in small cell lung cancer

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is of a high-grade malignancy with a high metastatic potential and poor clinical prognosis. Unfortunately, SCLC initially exhibits a good response to chemotherapy and radiation therapy, but inevitably, relapses decrease patients' chance of survival. Despite tremendous advances on the development of new chemotherapeutic agents, the prognosis of this disease remains poor. Immunotherapy plays a role in eliciting an anticancer response by modulating the patient's immune response of the tumor. Several studies have demonstrated that abnormal autoimmune regulation has a close relationship with SCLC. Thus, several immunotherapy trials are focused on SCLC treatment, including such approaches as immune checkpoints blockers, tumor vaccine, antigenic targets and adoptive cellular immunotherapy to benefit patients with SCLC. To date, the results from immunotherapy in SCLC have not been promising. For example, tumor vaccines have not been demonstrated to have a significant survival benefit. However, there have been many promising advances with immune checkpoints blockers. This review will provide a general overview of immunotherapy in SCLC. The landmark clinical trials in previous successful immunotherapy studies are summarized here. Finally, the challenges of immunotherapy in SCLC are discussed to facilitate the prediction of possible and valuable strategies for future therapy.

The cellular and molecular mechanism of glutaraldehyde-didecyldimethylammonium bromide as a disinfectant against Candida albicans

OBJECTIVES

In our previous research, we have developed a new combination disinfectant, glutaraldehyde-didecyldimethylammonium bromide (GD). It was verified that GD had a strong effect on both Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. In this work, Candida albicans was selected as an object, and it could be killed by GD. We aimed to investigate the cellular and molecular mechanism of GD effecting on C. albicans.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The results of sterilization experiment indicated that GD was effective on C. albicans. Flow cytometry and atomic absorption spectrometry were applied to detect cell membrane damage of C. albicans. Luciferase reaction and Bradford method were carried out to detect ATP content and protein quantitation. Transmission electron microscopy was used for intracellular organelles morphological observation. In order to study changes in mitochondrial membrane potential, Rh 123 was used as an indicator. DNA conformation analysis was performed by molecular modelling and circular dichroism. The results indicated that membrane permeability was increased rapidly owing to GD effect, and the leaked K⁺ and Mg²⁺ were about 12·1 and 12·4 times those of the control, respectively, at 10 min after GD treatment. Simultaneously, ATP and protein also leaked rapidly out of the cell. Mitochondrial membrane potential was destroyed, succinic dehydrogenase activity was significantly decreased and DNA conformation was changed because of GD action.

CONCLUSIONS

Glutaraldehyde-didecyldimethylammonium bromide disinfected C. albicans through distorting cell membrane integrity and permeability, disturbing the intracellular homeostasis by intracellular substances leakage, especially K⁺ , Mg²⁺ , ATP and protein, causing electrolyte imbalance of mitochondria, changing DNA structure, which finally led to cell death.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

This study focused on the cellular and molecular mechanism of GD as a disinfectant against C. albicans. It is important to provide theoretical support to GD against Candida albicans in practical application.

SOCS6 Functions as a Tumor Suppressor by Inducing Apoptosis and Inhibiting Angiogenesis in Human Prostate Cancer

Background:

Our previous studies revealed that the downregulation of Suppressor of cytokine signaling 6 (SOCS6) was correlated with malignant progression of human prostate cancer (PCa).

Aims:

In the current study, we aimed to investigate the tumor suppressive roles of SOCS6 and the underlying mechanisms in PCa.

Methods:

SOCS6 expression in PCa and non-cancerous prostate tissues was compared by immunohistochemistry. Statistical associations of SOCS6 expression with various clinicopathological features and patients prognosis were evaluated. In addition, we investigated SOCS6’s functions by overexpressing it in vitro (cell apoptosis, migration and invasion assays) and in vivo (tumor formation, angiogenesis and apoptosis). Moreover, SOCS6-regulated genes were identified by nextgeneration RNA-sequencing analysis, followed by pathway enrichment analysis and in vitro experimental validation.

Results:

SOCS6 downregulation was significantly associated with advanced clinical stage (P=0.029) and positive lymph node metastasis (P=0.013) in PCa patients. We also identified SOCS6 as an independent prognostic factor for disease-free survival in PCa patients (P=0.045). Moreover, overexpression of SOCS6 inhibited PCa cell invasion, migration, tumor xenografts growth and angiogenesis, but induced PCa cell apoptosis (P values <0.05). Mechanically, we revealed that SOCS6 expression may induce cell apoptosis coincident with down-regulation of Bcl2 and Hspa1a, and may suppress tumor angiogenesis with downregulation of F7, Fak3 and Frzb.

Conclusion:

These findings suggest that the reduced expression of SOCS6 may be predictive of unfavorable prognosis in PCa. Thus, SOCS6 may serve as a tumor suppressor and a novel therapeutic target for this cancer.

Effects of different selenium sources and levels on antioxidant status in broiler breeders

OBJECTIVE

This study was conducted with the objectives to examine the impacts of inorganic selenium (Se) and different types and levels of organic selenium on the serum and tissues Se status and antioxidant capacity in broiler breeders.

METHODS

Five hundred and forty 48-wk-old Lingnan Yellow broiler breeders were randomly assigned to 6 dietary treatments, provided same basal diet (0.04 mg/kg of Se) with 0.15 mg/kg, or 0.30 mg/kg of Se from sodium selenite (SS) or from selenium-enriched yeast (SY) or from selenomethionine (SM). The broiler breeders were slaughtered after an 8-wk experiment.

RESULTS

The results showed that SM was better than SY and SS, 0.30 mg/kg level was better than 0.15 mg/kg level in Se deposition (p<0.05) in serum, liver, kidney, pancreas and muscle; in antioxidant status, organic selenium had better effects than SS in broiler breeders (p<0.05), but SM and SY had a similar result, and 0.15 mg/kg level was better than 0.30 mg/kg (p<0.05).

CONCLUSION

The results demonstrated the evident advantage of supplementation of broiler breeders with 0.15 mg/kg SM, which improved tissue Se concentrations and antioxidant status, and can be considered as the best selenium source.

[Incidence rates of HIV-1 epidemics among 4 high risk groups in Sichuan province during 2011-2015]

Objective: Data from the HIV/AIDS surveillance sentinel sites was used to identify the recent HIV-1 infections and to estimate the HIV-1 incidence and epidemic trends among intravenous drug users (IDU), MSM, female sex workers and men attending the sexually transmitted disease clinics in Sichuan province. Methods: Specimens collected from IDUs, MSM, female sex workers and men attending the sexually transmitted disease clinics sentinel sites were confirmed as HIV-1 positive and tested with BED-CEIA. Annual HIV-1 prevalence and incidence rates were calculated and the incidence was adjusted by McNermar method. Results: A total number of 194 223 serum specimens were collected and HIV antibody tested, with 5 297 HIV-1 positive. 4 640 of the positives underwent BED-CEIA, with 749 identified as recent infections. During 2011-2015, HIV-1 incidence rates of the four types of population appeared as 5.16% (95%CI: 4.65-5.66), 0.22% (95%CI:0.16-0.28), 0.57%(95%CI: 0.45-0.69), 7.53% (95%CI: 6.06-9.01) and 0.44% (95%CI: 0.36-0.53) respectively. Significant differences were seen in the HIV-1 incidence rates. Conclusions: The HIV-1 incidence rates of IDUs from other sentinel sites in Sichuan province, female sex workers and men attending the sexually transmitted disease clinics appeared low, showing that the AIDS prevention and control activities worked effectively. However, the HIV-1 incidence of MSM was still at high level and even rising, suggesting that HIV-1 transmission between MSM and IDUs was possible.

[Bit1 mediates the malignant behaviors in pancreatic cancer and its potential clinical significance]

Objective: To investigate the potential role of Bit1 in the pathogenesis of pancreatic ductal cancer cells(PDAC) and its potential clinical application value. Methods: Real-time PCR and Western blot were employed to detect the expression of Bit1 in six pancreatic cancer cells, then the tool cells were selected to further study the function of Bit1.PolyHEMA was used to monitor the suspended cell culture condition in vitro.The invasion and migration abilities of pancreatic cancer cells were detected through Transwell assay. Western blot and confocal assay were used to explore the potential mechanism of Bit1 in the process of metastasis.The expression of Bit1 was detected through tissue microarray, the potential relationship between Bit1 and other clinical factors were analyzed. Results: The results of real-time PCR and Western blot indicated that the expression of Bit1 was highest in the PANC1 cells and lowest in the Mia paca2 cells (gene: 3.13±0.40 vs. 1.00±0.35, protein: 1.77±1.00 vs. 0.23±0.45). The shBit1 PANC1 and Bit1-OE(over expression) Mia paca2 cells were successfully constructed.Bit1 over expression could promote the anoikis rate of Mia paca2 cells, and Bit knockdown could inhibit the anoikis incidence.Bit1 over expression suppressed the motility and invasion of Mia paca2 cells, but Bit1 knockdown could accelerate the migration and invasion ability of PANC1 cells.Bit1 could potentially affect pancreatic cancer cells' malignant behaviors through epithelial-mesenchymal transition process.Bit1 expression was significantly associated with pancreatic cancer's neural invasion (P<0.05). Conclusions: Bit1 could affect the anoikis incidence of pancreatic cancer, Bit1 negatively affect the migration and invasion abilities of PDAC, the EMT process was potentially involved in the whole modulation process.Bit1 expression is associated with neural invasion in pancreatic cancer patients.

Randomized Study of Ureteral Catheter vs Double-J Stent in Tubeless Minimally Invasive Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy Patients

OBJECTIVE

To prospectively analyze and compare the outcomes of using externalized ureteral catheter (EUC) vs Double-J ureteral stent (DJ) in tubeless minimally invasive percutaneous nephrolithotomy (MPCNL).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A total of 109 patients underwent tubeless MPCNL in our institute and have been enrolled into this study. Fifty-six and 53 patients had EUC and DJ positioning at the conclusion of the procedure, respectively. The two approaches have been compared for operative time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative visual analogue pain scale (VAS) score, analgesic requirement, stent-related symptoms, hospital stay, degree of vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) on the operative side, and complications according to the modified Clavien system.

RESULTS

There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups regarding the mean operative times, mean VAS scores, analgesic requirements, mean hemoglobin drop, mean hospital stay, and overall complication rate. However, compared with DJ group, EUC group presented fewer postoperative stent-related symptoms and less occurrence of severe VUR (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Positioning EUC in tubeless MPCNL is a safe alternative to DJ in patients with renal or upper ureteral calculi. EUC provides several benefits: obviated the need of a second endoscopic procedure, reduced stent-related discomfort, and lowered the occurrence of severe VUR.

Synergistic Effects in Thermoplastic Polyurethanes Incorporating Hybrid Carbon Nanofillers

In this study thermoplastic polyurethane (TPUs) nanocomposites incorporating carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) were prepared via melt blending and compression molding and CNT dispersion was optimized by using non-covalent surface modification (surfactant). Filler dispersion was further improved by combining two fillers with different geometric shape and aspect ratio in hybrid filler nanocomposites. Synergistic effects were observed in the TPU-GNP-CNT hybrid composites, especially when combining GNP and CNT at a ratio of 6 : 4, showing higher tensile modulus and strength with respect to the systems incorporating individual CNTs and GNPs at the same overall filler concentration. This improvement was attributed to the interaction between CNTs and GNPs limiting GNP aggregation and bridging adjacent graphene platelets thus forming a more efficient network. Hybrid systems also exhibited improved creep resistance and recovery ability. Morphological analysis carried out by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) indicated that the hybrid nanocomposite presented slightly smaller and more homogeneous filler aggregates. The well-dispersed nanofillers also favored higher phase separation in TPU, as indicated by atomic force microscopy (AFM), resulting in a better microstructure able to enhance the load transfer and maximize the mechanical and viscoelastic properties.

[Current situation and thoughts on precision medicine about the treatment of tumor in China]

With United States starting"precision medical plan", it is widespread all over the world and opens a new direction to the development of medicine. Our country also starts the plan, trying to take the opportunity. At present, tumor threats human health with high incidence and mortality. In China, the incidence and mortality of tumor has been on the rise.So the tumor has become one of the most important fields of precision medicine.Precision medicine, hoping to reveal the Chinese characteristics of precision medicine, and getting the personal and social maximize health benefits are discussed in the paper.

[The influence of patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing protein 3 on palmitic acid-induced hepatocyte apoptosis]

OBJECTIVE

To explore the influence of patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing protein 3 (PNPLA3) on palmitic acid (PA)-induced hepatocyte apoptosis and its mechanism.

METHODS

Human hepatocarcinoma cell line HepG2 cells were transfected with PNPLA3(WT)-pcDNA3.1 (PNPLA3(WT) group) and PNPLA3(I148M)-pcDNA3.1 (PNPLA3(I148M) group) plasmids respectively to overexpress wild type or mutant type PNPLA3, and cells transfected with empty vector pcDNA3.1 (NC group) were set as control group.After 24 h PA incubation, Oil red staining was used to determine lipid deposition, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling assay (TUNEL) was used to measure apoptosis.Western blot was used to detect the protein level of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and associated apoptosis.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to test lysolecithin (LPC) levels in the cellular supernatant.

RESULTS

After 24 h PA incubation, there was no significant difference in lipid deposition among three groups.Compared to NC group, the cell apoptosis rates of PNPLA3(WT) and PNPLA3(I148M) groups were increased by 2 times and 3 times respectively.The levels of ER stress PRKR-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK) pathway associated proteins, immunoglobulin-binding protein (BIP), p-PERK, p-eIF2α, and ER stress associated apoptosis pathway proteins, CCAAT/enhancer binding homologous protein (CHOP), p53 upregulated modulator of apoptosis (PUMA), Bax, caspase-3 were higher, and were more significant in PNPLA3(I148M) group.The LPC level in the supernatant of PNPLA3(WT) and PNPLA3(I148M) groups were about 5 times and 1.5 times of NC group respectively after PA incubation.

CONCLUSION

PNPLA3 may be involved in palmitic acid-induced apoptosis mediated by hepatocyte ER stress through regulating LPC metabolism.

Analysis of Road Traffic Injuries by Road User Type in Chongqing, China

Objective

Road traffic injuries are caused by many different factors. This study aimed to analyse road user type information in Chongqing, China in order to develop prevention strategies as well as treatment protocols.

Methods

Data from road traffic crashes from Chongqing, China were collected prospectively over a seven-year period (2000 to 2006). The data included the road user type, description of the injury, mortality and Abbreviated Injury Scale. Prevalence and cross-tabulations were included in the analysis.

Results

Forty-nine percent of deaths were pedestrians and 27.84% of deaths were drivers. Head injuries (26.49%) of pedestrians were higher than those of drivers and passengers. Thoracic injuries (22.78%) and spinal injuries (4.44%) of injured passengers were higher than those of drivers and pedestrians. There were significant differences in road user types in both injury severity and injury regions.

Conclusions

The distribution of road traffic injuries in Chongqing, China is different from that in developed countries and other developing countries. In managing traffic injuries, it is necessary to examine other regions besides the head according to the road user type, such as facial injuries of drivers and passengers, and chest and spinal injuries of passengers.

Dean-flow-coupled elasto-inertial three-dimensional particle focusing under viscoelastic flow in a straight channel with asymmetrical expansion-contraction cavity arrays

In this paper, 3D particle focusing in a straight channel with asymmetrical expansion-contraction cavity arrays (ECCA channel) is achieved by exploiting the dean-flow-coupled elasto-inertial effects. First, the mechanism of particle focusing in both Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids was introduced. Then particle focusing was demonstrated experimentally in this channel with Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids using three different sized particles (3.2 μm, 4.8 μm, and 13 μm), respectively. Also, the effects of dean flow (or secondary flow) induced by expansion-contraction cavity arrays were highlighted by comparing the particle distributions in a single straight rectangular channel with that in the ECCA channel. Finally, the influences of flow rates and distances from the inlet on focusing performance in the ECCA channel were studied. The results show that in the ECCA channel particles are focused on the cavity side in Newtonian fluid due to the synthesis effects of inertial and dean-drag force, whereas the particles are focused on the opposite cavity side in non-Newtonian fluid due to the addition of viscoelastic force. Compared with the focusing performance in Newtonian fluid, the particles are more easily and better focused in non-Newtonian fluid. Besides, the Dean flow in visco-elastic fluid in the ECCA channel improves the particle focusing performance compared with that in a straight channel. A further advantage is three-dimensional (3D) particle focusing that in non-Newtonian fluid is realized according to the lateral side view of the channel while only two-dimensional (2D) particle focusing can be achieved in Newtonian fluid. Conclusively, this novel Dean-flow-coupled elasto-inertial microfluidic device could offer a continuous, sheathless, and high throughput (>10 000 s(-1)) 3D focusing performance, which may be valuable in various applications from high speed flow cytometry to cell counting, sorting, and analysis.