Use of Transcriptome Sequencing to Analyze the Effects of Different Doses of an Astragalus-Rhubarb-Saffron Mixture in Mice with Diabetic Kidney Disease

Purpose

To investigate the therapeutic effect and underlying mechanism of a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) mixture consisting of Astragalus, rhubarb, and saffron in a mouse model of diabetic kidney disease (DKD).

Methods

Forty-eight db/db mice received no TCM (DKD model), low-dose TCM, medium-dose TCM, or high-dose TCM, and an additional 12 db/m mice received no TCM (normal control). Intragastric TCM or saline (controls) was administered daily for 24 weeks. Blood glucose, body weight, serum creatinine (SCr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), blood lipids, and urinary microalbumin were measured every four weeks, and the urinary albumin excretion rate (UAER) was calculated. After 24 weeks, kidney tissues were collected for transcriptome sequencing, and the main functions of these genes were determined via functional enrichment analysis.

Results

Compared with the DKD model group, the medium-dose and high-dose TCM groups had significantly decreased levels of SCr, BUN, total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and UAER (all p<0.05). We identified 42 genes that potentially functioned in this therapeutic response, and the greatest effect on gene expression was in the high-dose TCM group. We also performed functional enrichment analysis to explore the potential mechanisms of action of these different genes.

Conclusion

A high-dose of the Astragalus-rhubarb-saffron TCM provided the best prevention of DKD. Analysis of the kidney transcriptome suggested that this TCM mixture may prevent DKD by altering immune responses and oxygen delivery by hemoglobin.

Sophora tonkinensis: response and adaptation of physiological characteristics, functional traits, and secondary metabolites to drought stress

The medicinal plant Sophora tonkinensis is a characteristic Chinese shrub of karst areas. The arid climate in karst areas produces high-quality S. tonkinensis; however, the mechanisms of drought tolerance are not clear, which restricts sustainable plantings of S. tonkinensis. This study involved a 20-day drought stress experiment with potted S. tonkinensis and threee soil water regimes: control (CK), mild drought (MDT), and severe drought (SDT). Plant morphology, biomass, physiological indicators, alkaloid content, and other changes under drought stress were monitored. The content of soluble sugars and proteins, and activity of antioxidant enzymes in leaves and roots were higher under drought than CK, indicating that S. tonkinensis is tolerant to osmotic stress in early drought stages. Content of matrine and oxymatrine increased gradually with increasing drought duration in the short term. The epidermis of S. tonkinensis leaves have characteristics of desert plants, including upper epidermal waxy layer, lower epidermal villi, and relatively sunken stomata, suggesting that S. tonkinensis has strong drought tolerance. In conclusion, drought stress changed the cell structure of S. tonkinensis, induced antioxidant enzyme activity and increased its resistance to drought.

Functional Characterization of the Nuclear Receptor Gene SaE75 in the Grain Aphid, Sitobion avenae

Ecdysteroid hormones are key regulators of insect development and metamorphosis. Ecdysone-inducible E75, a major component of insect ecdysone signaling pathway, has been well characterized in holometabolous insects, however, barely in hemimetabolous species. In this study, a total of four full-length E75 cDNAs from the English grain aphid, Sitobion avenae, were identified, cloned, and characterized. The four SaE75 cDNAs contained 3048, 2625, 2505, and 2179 bp open reading frames (ORF), encoding 1015, 874, 856, and 835 amino acids, respectively. Temporal expression profiles showed that SaE75 expression was low in adult stages, while high in pseudo embryo and nymphal stages. SaE75 was differentially expressed between winged and wingless morphs. RNAi-mediated suppression of SaE75 led to substantial biological impacts, including mortality and molting defects. As for the pleiotropic effects on downstream ecdysone pathway genes, SaHr3 (hormone receptor like in 46) was significantly up-regulated, while Sabr-c (broad-complex core protein gene) and Saftz-f1 (transcription factor 1) were significantly down-regulated. These combined results not only shed light on the regulatory role of E75 in the ecdysone signaling pathway, but also provide a potential novel target for the long-term sustainable management of S. avenae, a devastating global grain pest.

Fast and slow skeletal myosin binding protein-C and aging

Aging is associated with skeletal muscle strength decline and cardiac diastolic dysfunction. The structural arrangements of the sarcomeric proteins, such as myosin binding protein-C (MyBP-C) are shown to be pivotal in the pathogenesis of diastolic dysfunction. Yet, the role of fast (fMyBP-C) and slow (sMyBP-C) skeletal muscle MyBP-C remains to be elucidated. Herein, we aimed to characterize MyBP-C and its paralogs in the fast tibialis anterior (TA) muscle from adult and old mice. Immunoreactivity preparations showed that the relative abundance of the fMyBP-C paralog was greater in the TA of both adult and old, but no differences were noted between groups. We further found that the expression level of cardiac myosin binding protein-C (cMyBP-C), an important modulator of cardiac output, was lowered by age. Standard SDS-PAGE along with Pro-Q Diamond phosphoprotein staining did not identify age-related changes in phosphorylated MyBP-C proteins from TA and cardiac muscles; however, it revealed that MyBP-C paralogs in fast skeletal and cardiac muscle were highly phosphorylated. Mass spectrometry further identified glycogen phosphorylase, desmin, actin, troponin T, and myosin regulatory light chain 2 as phosphorylated myofilament proteins in both ages. MyBP-C protein-bound carbonyls were determined using anti-DNP immunostaining and found the carbonyl level of fMyBP-C, sMyBP-C, and cMyBP-C to be similar between old and adult animals. In summary, our data showed some differences regarding the MyBP-C paralog expression and identified an age-related reduction of cMyBP-C expression. Future studies are needed to elucidate which are the age-driven post-translational modifications in the MyBP-C paralogs.

Bioinformatics prediction and experimental verification of key biomarkers for diabetic kidney disease based on transcriptome sequencing in mice

Background

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is the leading cause of death in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The main objective of this study is to find the potential biomarkers for DKD.

Materials and Methods

Two datasets (GSE86300 and GSE184836) retrieved from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database were used, combined with our RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) results of DKD mice (C57 BLKS-32w db/db) and non-diabetic (db/m) mice for further analysis. After processing the expression matrix of the three sets of data using R software "Limma", differential expression analysis was performed. The significantly differentially expressed genes (DEGs) (-logFC- > 1, p-value < 0.05) were visualized by heatmaps and volcano plots respectively. Next, the co-expression genes expressed in the three groups of DEGs were obtained by constructing a Venn diagram. In addition, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were further analyzed the related functions and enrichment pathways of these co-expression genes. Then, qRT-PCR was used to verify the expression levels of co-expression genes in the kidney of DKD and control mice. Finally, protein-protein interaction network (PPI), GO, KEGG analysis and Pearson correlation test were performed on the experimentally validated genes, in order to clarify the possible mechanism of them in DKD.

Results

Our RNA-seq results identified a total of 125 DEGs, including 59 up-regulated and 66 down-regulated DEGs. At the same time, 183 up-regulated and 153 down-regulated DEGs were obtained in GEO database GSE86300, and 76 up-regulated and 117 down-regulated DEGs were obtained in GSE184836. Venn diagram showed that 13 co-expression DEGs among the three groups of DEGs. GO analysis showed that biological processes (BP) were mainly enriched inresponse to stilbenoid, response to fatty acid, response to nutrient, positive regulation of macrophage derived foam cell differentiation, triglyceride metabolic process. KEGG pathway analysis showed that the three major enriched pathways were cholesterol metabolism, drug metabolism-cytochrome P450, PPAR signaling pathway. After qRT-PCR validation, we obtained 11 genes that were significant differentially expressed in the kidney tissues of DKD mice compared with control mice. (The mRNA expression levels of Aacs, Cpe, Cd36, Slc22a7, Slc1a4, Lpl, Cyp7b1, Akr1c14 and Apoh were declined, whereas Abcc4 and Gsta2 were elevated).

Conclusion

Our study, based on RNA-seq results, GEO databases and qRT-PCR, identified 11 significant dysregulated DEGs, which play an important role in lipid metabolism and the PPAR signaling pathway, which provide novel targets for diagnosis and treatment of DKD.

Efficacy of Apatinib plus S-1 Therapy in the Treatment of Advanced Gastric Cancer Patients and the Effect on the Levels of Tumor Markers and Th1 and Th2-Like Cytokines

Objective

To assess the efficacy of apatinib plus S-1 therapy in the treatment of advanced gastric cancer patients and the effect on the levels of tumor markers and Th1 and Th2-like cytokines.

Methods

From October 2019 to December 2020, 100 patients with advanced gastric cancer assessed for eligibility were recruited and assigned at a ratio of 1 : 1 to receive either S-1 regimen (tegafur, gimeracil, and oteracil potassium capsules) (observation group) or apatinib plus S-1 therapy (experimental group). Outcome measures included clinical efficacy serum tumor marker levels, Th1 and Th2-like cytokine levels, time to progression (TTP), overall survival (OS), and adverse events.

Results

The S-1 therapy plus apatinib was associated with a significantly higher efficacy versus S-1 therapy alone (P < 0.05). The eligible patients given S-1 therapy plus apatinib showed significantly lower levels of serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), glycoantigen 199 (CA199), and glycoantigen 125 (CA125) versus those receiving S-1 therapy (P < 0.05). S-1 therapy plus apatinib outperformed the single therapy of S-1 therapy in mitigating the levels of interferon-γ (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-4 (IL-4), and interleukin-10 (IL-10) (P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups (P > 0.05). S-1 therapy plus apatinib was associated with a significantly shorter TTP (5.2 ± 0.7 months) and a longer OS (9.3 ± 2.5 months) versus S-1 therapy alone (7.1 ± 1.3, 5.1 ± 1.3 months) (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

The efficacy of apatinib plus S-1 therapy showed better improvement in lowering the serum tumor marker levels and ameliorating the Th1 and Th2-like cytokine levels versus S-1 therapy alone, so it is worthy of clinical application.

Association among sleep, depression, and health-related quality of life in patients with non-dialysis chronic kidney disease during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic

BACKGROUND

Sleep disturbance is well documented as a crucial element that impairs health. Depression and health-related quality of life (HRQOL), which on behalf of a patient's overall perception of emotional, physical and social well-being, are increasingly emphasized self-reported health outcomes especially during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Among dialysis patients, sleep disturbance is associated with depression and poorer HRQOL. The study was designed to depict the prevalence of sleep disturbance, and to explore the association among sleep, depression, and HRQOL in patients with non-dialysis chronic kidney disease (CKD) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

A total of 172 non-dialysis CKD patients enrolled in this cross-sectional study, with sociodemographic and clinical data recorded. Sleep, HRQOL, and depression were evaluated via the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Kidney Disease Quality of Life 36-Item Short-Form Survey (KDQOL-36), and the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), respectively.

RESULTS

A total of 100 (58%) met the criteria for poor sleep. Good sleepers had strikingly disparate HRQOL and depression scores compared to poor sleepers. Sleep disorders were significantly associated with decreased HRQOL and increased depression in regression models adjusted or unadjusted for sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Mediation analysis indicated depression was a significant mediator explaining 51% of the relationship between sleep status with physical component summary (PCS) and played a fully mediating role in the association between sleep and mental component summary (MCS).

CONCLUSIONS

Our study suggested the high incidence of sleep disorders in patients with non-dialysis CKD during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the tight associations among sleep, depression, and HRQOL. Considering the negative influences of sleep and depression on HRQOL, appropriate screening and treatment for these treatable health-related domains are necessary for patients with non-dialysis CKD.

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Elevated Anxiety Symptoms of Maintenance Hemodialysis Patients in China: A One-Year Follow-Up Study

Recent studies have shown that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) aggravates anxiety in patients with maintenance hemodialysis (MHD), but it is still unclear how long this adverse effect will last. This study aims to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on the elevated anxiety symptoms of MHD patients 1 year after the outbreak. Assessment of elevated anxiety symptoms was performed on patients with MHD during early COVID-19 (February 17-February 29, 2020) and 1-year follow-up (March 1-March 13, 2021), and a total of 100 patients had completed face-to-face questionnaires at the first and 1-year follow-up. At the beginning of the outbreak, 40% of the patients with MHD had anxiety symptoms [self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) score ≥ 50], and 11% (SAS score: 60-69) and 2% (SAS score ≥ 70) of the patients had moderate and severe anxiety symptoms, respectively. Multivariate analysis shows that possibility of unaccompanied transfer, possibility of family members or themselves being infected in a hospital, added body temperature monitoring during dialysis, and increased medical procedures are the risk factors in elevated anxiety symptoms during early COVID-19. At the 1-year follow-up, the incidence of anxiety symptoms in the same group of patients declined to 28%, and all the patients had mild anxiety symptoms (SAS score: 50-59), which is significantly lower than that of the early COVID-19 pandemic with statistically significant difference (p = 0.003). Increased protective measures taken by the medical staves were the only risk factor in elevated anxiety symptoms during the 1-year follow-up. This study shows that COVID-19 has a direct impact on the deterioration of anxiety symptoms in patients with MHD. With the changes of the requirements for COVID-19 prevention and control, as well as the enhancement of propaganda and education of the pandemic and psychological care, the severity and risk factors of anxiety symptoms in the patients with MHD are changing. Thus, targeted interventions are suggested to improve the psychological endurance of the patients with MHD.

Analysis of SO2 Physisorption by Edge-Functionalized Nanoporous Carbons Using Grand Canonical Monte Carlo Methods and Density Functional Theory: Implications for SO2 Removal

Nanoporous carbons (NPCs) are ideal materials for the dry process of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) due to their rich pore structure and high specific surface area. To study the effect of edge-functionalized NPCs on the physisorption mechanism of sulfur dioxide, different functional groups were embedded at the edge of NPCs, and the physisorption behavior was simulated using the grand canonical Monte Carlo method (GCMC) combined with density functional theory (DFT). The results indicated that the insertion of acidic oxygenous groups or basic nitrogenous groups into NPCs could enhance the physisorption of SO₂. The influence of edge functionalization on the pore structure of NPCs is also analyzed. To further explore the interaction in the adsorption process, the van der Waals (vdW) interaction and electrostatic interaction between the SO₂ molecule and the basic structural unit (BSU) were investigated. Simulated results showed that edge functionalization had limited influence on vdW interaction and did not significantly change the distribution characteristics of vdW interaction. According to the study on electrostatic interaction, edge functionalization was found to promote inhomogeneity of the surface charge of the adsorbent, enhance the polarity of the adsorbent, and thus enhance the physisorption capacity of SO₂. More importantly, we provide an idea for studying the difference in adsorption capacity caused by different functional groups connected to carbon adsorbents.

[ELF4 promotes proliferation and inhibits apoptosis of human insulinoma cells by activating Akt signaling]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effect of overexpression of the oncogenic transcription factor ELF4 on proliferation and apoptosis in human insulinoma cells and explore the underlying mechanism.

METHODS

A human insulinoma BON cell line with stable overexpression of ELF4 (BON-ELF4 cells) was constructed using a recombinant retrovirus vector and the expression of ELF4 protein was verified using Western blotting. MTT assay was used to assess the proliferation of BON-ELF4 cells and BON-Vector cells, and the cell apoptosis induced by treatment with epirubicin (0.1 μmol/L for 24 h) was analyzed by detecting the expressions of cleaved caspase-8, caspase-9, and PARP using Western blotting. Flow cytometry with Annexin VFITC/PI staining was performed to analyze the numbers of apoptotic BON-Vector or BON-ELF4 cells. The expressions of phosphorylated Akt and total Akt in the cells were detected using Western blotting.

RESULTS

BON-ELF4 cell line with stable overexpression of ELF4 was successfully established. ELF4 overexpression significantly promoted the proliferation (P < 0.05) and obviously suppressed epirubicin- induced apoptosis in BON cells, resulting also in significantly reduced expressions of cleaved caspase-8, caspase-9 and PARP (P < 0.05). The results of flow cytometry showed a significantly lower apoptotic rate in BON-ELF4 cells than in BON-Vector cells following epirubicin treatment (6.03% vs 22.90%). The phosphorylation levels of Akt (Thr308 and Ser473) were significantly increased (P < 0.05) while the level of total Akt remained unchanged (P>0.05) in ELF4- overexpressing cells.

CONCLUSION

ELF4 overexpression enhances the proliferation and suppresses apoptosis of insulinomas cells by activating Akt signaling.

Sodium butyrate relieves lung ischemia-reperfusion injury by inhibiting NF-κB and JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathways

OBJECTIVE

Ischemia-reperfusion (IR) is the main cause of acute lung injury (ALI) in clinical lung transplantation, extracorporeal circulation, lung sleeve resection, trauma and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The inflammatory response and oxidative stress following IR are factors that cause and aggravate its secondary damage. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy and mechanism of sodium butyrate (NaB) on lung ischemia-reperfusion injury (LIRI).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We used male C57BL/6 mice to construct the LIRI model and administered the mice with NaB. By examining the expression of inflammatory factors and oxidative stress-related molecules in mouse lung tissue, we investigated the effects of NaB on inflammation and oxidative stress in lung tissue after IR. In addition, the changes in the activity of the NF-κB and JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathways were also examined to determine the mechanism of NaB.

RESULTS

The expression levels of the inflammatory factors (IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α) in lung tissue of mice after IR were significantly increased, while NaB reduced the expression of inflammatory factors. In addition, the oxidative stress level of mouse lung tissue after IR increased significantly, showing the decrease of antioxidant molecules SOD1/2, catalase (CAT), and Peroxiredoxin 1 (Prdx1), while the intake of NaB increased the antioxidant level of mouse lung tissue. The activities of NF-κB and JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathways were significantly increased in lung tissue after IR, whereas NaB inhibited the activity of NF-κB and JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathways.

CONCLUSIONS

NaB relieves LIRI by inhibiting NF-κB and JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathways to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress levels in lung tissue of mice after IR.

ErbB4 in Spinal PV Interneurons Regulates Mechanical Allodynia in Neuropathic Pain via Modulation of Glycinergic Inhibitory Tone

Background

Mechanical allodynia is the most common and challenging symptom associated with neuropathic pain; however, the underlying mechanisms are still unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate whether ErbB4, a receptor for neuregulin-1 (NRG1), participates in the modulation of mechanical allodynia.

Methods

Radiant heat and von Frey filaments were applied to assess nociceptive behaviors. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, immunofluorescence, and small interfering RNA were used to identify the likely mechanisms.

Results

ErbB4 was rapidly and persistently activated in spinal parvalbumin (PV) interneurons after chronic constriction injury (CCI) in mice. Knockdown of ErbB4 in the spinal cord prevented and reversed CCI-induced mechanical allodynia, and activation of ErbB4 by spinal application of NRG1 induced mechanical allodynia in naïve mice. Furthermore, we found that activation of ErbB4 decreased the glycine concentration in the spinal cord, contributing to modulation of mechanical allodynia.

Conclusion

ErbB4 in spinal PV interneurons gates mechanical allodynia in neuropathic pain via regulation of glycinergic inhibitory tone, suggesting that a possible ErbB4-mediated process participates in the development of neuropathic pain.

Does active surveillance avoid overtreatment in prostate cancer? Lessons learned from salvage radical prostatectomies

OBJECTIVE

Determine whether our institution´s active surveillance (AS) protocol is a suitable strategy to minimise prostate cancer overtreatment.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Retrospective analysis of 516 patients on AS after prostate cancer diagnosis. Population divided into "per-protocol" vs "induced" AS depending on fulfilment of protocol´s inclusion criteria. Radical prostatectomies after AS were selected and stratified based on: reclassification, progression or patient anxiety. Clinicopathological features and biochemical relapse-free survival were studied. Primary endpoint was overtreatment ratio based on the presence of insignificant prostate cancer and adverse pathological features in the surgical specimen. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to estimate the biochemical relapse-free survival and compared with log-rank test.

RESULTS

304 patients fulfilled inclusion criteria; 100 proceeded to radical prostatectomy (31% "induced", 69% "per-protocol" AS). Surgery indications were reclassification, progression and anxiety in 66%, 18% and 16% of patients respectively. Rate of positive lymph nodes was higher in the progression group (11%) compared to reclassification and anxiety (5% and 0% respectively, P = .002). Positive surgical margins were more frequently reported in the progression cohort compared to reclassification (28% vs 20%). Median follow-up from diagnosis until last radical prostatectomy was 48.3 months (32.4-70). 3 year biochemical relapse-free survival in the salvage radical prostatectomy was 85.4% (95 CI 78.3-93.2). Insignificant cancer was noticed in 7% of patients (Epstein´s vs 24% Wolters´ criteria). Rate of patients with adverse pathological features was 36%.

CONCLUSIONS

The majority of patients who underwent salvage surgery after AS were not overtreated. Radical prostatectomy should be considered a safe rescue treatment.

Multiple hospitalisations towards the end of life among patients with serious mental illness: A retrospective cohort study in England, UK

Introduction

Multiple hospitalisations towards the end of life is an indicator of poor-quality care. Understanding the characteristics of patients who experience hospitalisations at the end-of-life and how they vary is important for improved care planning.

Objectives

To describe socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of patients diagnosed with serious mental illness who experienced multiple hospitalisations in the last 90 days of life.

Methods

Data for all adult patients with a diagnosis of serious mental illness who died in 2018-2019 in England, UK were extracted from the National Mental Health Services Data Set linked with Hospital Episode Statistics and death registry data. Variables of interest included age, gender, marital status, underlying and contributory cause of death, ethnicity, place of death, deprivation status, urban-rural indicator, and patient’s region of residence. The number of hospitalisations and patient’s sociodemographic & clinical were described using descriptive statistics and percentages, respectively.

Results

Of the 45924 patients, 38.1% (n=17505, Male=42.9%, Female=57.1%, Mean age:78.4) had at least one hospitalisation in the last 90 days of life. The median number of hospitalisations was 2(StdDev:1.64, Minimum=1,Maximum=23). Most of those hospitalised (n=11808, 67.5%), died in a health care establishment (e.g. Hospital or hospice). There were marked geographic differences in the proportions of hospitalisations.The North West region of England recorded the most hospitalisations (n= 2906,16.6%), compared to other regions.

Conclusions

Further analysis is needed to understand factors independently associated with hospitalisations in people with serious mental illness. Funding: This project is supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaborations (ARC) South London.

Perioperative pulmonary aspiration and regurgitation without aspiration in adults: a retrospective observational study of 166,491 anesthesia records

BACKGROUND

Pulmonary aspiration (PA) of gastric contents is a rare but serious perioperative complication. Recent studies focused on pediatric patients, but over a decade has passed since the latest incidence and outcome in adult population have been reported. Patients who experienced regurgitation without aspiration were rarely mentioned. Besides, our department proposed a modified rapid sequence induction (RSI) protocol in 2018 and its preventive effect remained to be examined.

METHODS

A total of 166,491 anesthesia records from March 2015-October 2020 were reviewed. Outcomes from regurgitation events were classified as PA or regurgitation without aspiration following strict criteria. Available information including demographics, anesthetic managements, surgical procedures, and other medical records were reviewed for analysis.

RESULTS

Among the 166,491 anesthesia records, 20 patients had PA (1:8,325), and 20 had regurgitation without aspiration (1:8,325). The morbidity of PA was 1:16,649, and the mortality was 1:55,497. During anesthesia induction, 76.0% of regurgitation events developed aspiration, and the remaining 24.0% had regurgitation without aspiration. But prior to anesthesia induction, only 10.0% regurgitation events developed aspiration. Emergency procedures were associated with serious risks of PA (OR: 27.1, 95% CI: 10.8-68.0) and regurgitation without aspiration (OR: 83.0, 95% CI: 24.3-283.1) compared with elective procedures. The highest incidence of pulmonary aspiration was observed in bronchoscopy procedures (2/1,747). The modified RSI reduced the incidence of regurgitation events during induction in emergency procedures but did not show significant advantages over classic protocol (0:1,055 versus 12:4,469, P=0.139) possibly due to insufficient sample size. The sample size required for future study was estimated based on the current data.

CONCLUSIONS

The incidence of pulmonary aspiration and regurgitation without aspiration was low, especially in elective cases. Regurgitation during anesthesia induction had mostly developed aspiration. Further evaluation of the effect of modified RSI protocol needs a large sample size.

Clash of the calculators: External validation of prostate cancer risk calculators in men undergoing mpMRI and transperineal biopsy

Objective

To compare the accuracy of the European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC) RC, MRI‐ERSPC‐RC, and Prostate Biopsy Collaborative Group (PBCG) RC in patients undergoing transperineal prostate biopsy.

Patients and methods

We identified 392 patients who underwent mpMRI before transperineal prostate biopsy across multiple public and private institutions between January 2017 and August 2019. The estimated probabilities of detecting PCa and significant PCa were calculated using the MRI‐ERSPC‐RC, ERSPC‐RC, and PBCG‐RC. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for each calculator were generated and the area underneath the curve (AUC) was compared. Calibration and clinical utility were assessed with calibration plots and decision curve analysis, respectively.

Results

PCa was detected in 285 patients (72.7%) with significant PCa found in 200 patients (51.1%). ROC curve analysis found the MRI‐ERSPC‐RC outperformed the ERSPC‐RC and PBCG‐RC. For the prediction of PCa, the AUC was 0.756, 0.696, and 0.675 for the MRI‐ERSPC‐RC, ERSPC‐RC, and PBCG‐RC, respectively. The AUC for the prediction of significant PCa was 0.803, 0.745, and 0.746 for the MRI‐ERSPC‐RC, ERSPC‐RC, and PBCG‐RC, respectively.

Conclusions

Our study validated the ERSPC‐RC, MRI‐ERSPC‐RC, and PBCG‐RC in a cohort undergoing transperineal prostate biopsy with the MRI‐ERSPC‐RC performing the best. These RCs may enable improved shared decision making and help to guide patient selection for biopsy.

[Effect of piRNA NU13 in regulating biological behaviors of human Wilms tumor cells in vitro]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the role of the differential piRNA NU13 derived from piwil2-induced cancer stem-like cells (piwil2-iCSCs) in regulating biological behaviors of Wilms tumor cells (G401).

OBJECTIVE

The expressions of piRNA NU13 and NOP56 were detected in Wilms tumor cell line G401 using RT-qPCR. G401 cells were transfected with piRNA NU13 mimics and inhibitor for its over-expression and inhibition, and the transfection efficiency was verified with RT-qPCR. The changes in proliferation of G401 cells after transfection were detected using CCK8 assay, and cell apoptosis was analyzed using flow cytometry. Wound healing assay and Transwell assay were performed to examine the changes in migration and invasion abilities of the transfected cells. The binding of NOP56 and piRNA NU13 was detected using dual luciferase experiment. The protein expressions of MMP2, MMP9, BAX, Bcl2, and NOP56 in the cells were detected with Western blotting.

OBJECTIVE

RTqPCR showed that the expression of piRNA NU13 decreased significantly in human Wilms tumor G401 cells as compared with that in renal tubular epithelial cell line HK2 (P < 0.05), and NOP56 was highly expressed in G401 cells and Wilms tumor tissues (P < 0.05). Over-expression of piRNA NU13 significantly suppressed the proliferation, migration and invasion of G401 cells, promoted cell apoptosis (P < 0.05), inhibited the expression of MMP2, MMP9 and Bcl2, and enhanced the expression of BAX (P < 0.05). The results of dual luciferase experiment showed that piRNA NU13 did not bind to NOP56 directly but regulated the expression of NOP56 in an indirect manner.

OBJECTIVE

piRNA NU13 is down-regulated and NOP56 is highly expressed in Wilms tumor. piNU13 may regulate the expression of NOP56 indirectly to inhibit the proliferation, migration and invasion and promote apoptosis of Wilms tumor cells in vitro.

Does active surveillance avoid overtreatment in prostate cancer? Lessons learned from salvage radical prostatectomies

OBJECTIVE

Determine whether our institution's active surveillance (AS) protocol is a suitable strategy to minimise prostate cancer overtreatment.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Retrospective analysis of 516 patients on AS after prostate cancer diagnosis. Population divided into «per-protocol» vs «induced» AS depending on fulfilment of protocol's inclusion criteria. Radical prostatectomies after AS were selected and stratified based on reclassification, progression or patient anxiety. Clinicopathological features and biochemical relapse-free survival were studied. Primary endpoint was overtreatment ratio based on the presence of insignificant prostate cancer and adverse pathological features in the surgical specimen. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to estimate the biochemical relapse-free survival and compared with log-rank test.

RESULTS

304 patients fulfilled inclusion criteria; 100 proceeded to radical prostatectomy (31% «induced», 69% «per-protocol» AS). Surgery indications were reclassification, progression and anxiety in 66%, 18% and 16% of patients, respectively. Rate of positive lymph nodes was higher in the progression group (11%) compared to reclassification and anxiety (5% and 0%, respectively; P=.002). Positive surgical margins were more frequently reported in the progression cohort compared to reclassification (28% vs 20%). Median follow-up from diagnosis until last radical prostatectomy was 48.3months (32.4-70). Three year biochemical relapse-free survival in the salvage radical prostatectomy was 85.4% (95%CI: 78.3-93.2). Insignificant cancer was noticed in 7% of patients (Epstein's vs 24% Wolters' criteria). Rate of patients with adverse pathological features was 36%.

CONCLUSIONS

The majority of patients who underwent salvage surgery after AS were not overtreated. Radical prostatectomy should be considered a safe rescue treatment.

Exosomal miR-10b-5p mediates cell communication of gastric cancer cells and fibroblasts and facilitates cell proliferation

Tumor microenvironment interacts with gastric cancer (GC) cells and affects tumor development. The communication between GC cells and fibroblasts has not been clearly studied and understood. MiR-10b-5p was found highly expressed in tissue and serum samples of patients with advanced stages (stage III+IV) than that in early stage patients (stage I+II). The expression determination of serum exosomal microRNA was also shown with high expression of miR-10b-5p in GC patients with advanced stages. Dual-luciferase activity assays indicated that miR-10b-5p targeted PTEN in GC cells and KLF11 in fibroblasts. The silence of miR-10b-5p up-regulated the expression of PTEN and repressed PI3K/Akt/mTORC1 signaling in GC cells. Clonogenic assay and MTT assay demonstrated that miR-10b-5p inhibitor could significantly reduce the colony formation and cell viability of GC cells. And the incubation of exosomal miR-10b-5p could increase the proliferation of GC cells. Immunohistochemistry staining revealed that high expression of α-SMA was detected in GC tissues with advanced stages. The overexpression of miR-10b-5p down-regulated KLF11 expression and elevated TGFβR1 expression in fibroblasts. In addition, miR-10b-5p inhibitor blocked the secretion of TGFβ1 in GC cells and the directional migration of fibroblasts. Therefore, up-regulated exosomal miR-10b-5p is involved in the interaction of GC cells and fibroblasts in tumor microenvironment via participating in the regulation of TGFβ signaling pathway.

Human resource management model based on three-layer BP neural network and machine learning

At present, data is in a state of explosive growth. The rapid growth of data collected by enterprises has exceeded the processing capacity of traditional human resource management systems, resulting in their inability to perform data management and data analysis. In order to improve the practicality of the human resource management system, this paper applies machine learning technology to the human resource management system, selects dimensions according to the prediction method, and builds a combined model consisting of an optimized GM (1,1) model and a BP neural network model. The model is implemented by a three-layer BP neural network. In order to verify the performance of the research model, this article conducts research using an entity as an example. The research results show that the method proposed in this paper has certain practical effects and can improve the reference for subsequent related research.

Neuroprotective Effects of Dexmedetomidine on the Ketamine-Induced Disruption of the Proliferation and Differentiation of Developing Neural Stem Cells in the Subventricular Zone

Background: Ketamine disrupts the proliferation and differentiation of developing neural stem cells (NSCs). Therefore, the safe use of ketamine in pediatric anesthesia has been an issue of increasing concern among anesthesiologists and children's parents. Dexmedetomidine (DEX) is widely used in sedation as an antianxiety agent and for analgesia. DEX has recently been shown to provide neuroprotection against anesthetic-induced neurotoxicity in the developing brain. The aim of this in vivo study was to investigate whether DEX exerted neuroprotective effects on the proliferation and differentiation of NSCs in the subventricular zone (SVZ) following neonatal ketamine exposure. Methods: Postnatal day 7 (PND-7) male Sprague-Dawley rats were equally divided into the following five groups: control group (n = 8), ketamine group (n = 8), 1 μg/kg DEX+ketamine group (n = 8), 5 μg/kg DEX+ketamine group (n = 8) and 10 μg/kg DEX+ketamine group (n = 8). Immediately after treatment, rats received a single intraperitoneal injection of BrdU, and the proliferation and differentiation of NSCs in the SVZ were assessed using immunostaining at 24 h after the BrdU injection. In the olfactory behavioral tests, rats in each group were raised until 2 months old, and the buried food test and olfactory memory test were performed. Results: The proliferation of NSCs and astrocytic differentiation in the SVZ were significantly inhibited at 24 h after repeated ketamine exposure in the neonatal period, and neuronal differentiation was markedly increased. Furthermore, pretreatment with moderately high (5 μg/kg) or high doses (10 μg/kg) of DEX reversed ketamine-induced disturbances in the proliferation and differentiation of NSCs. In the behavior tests, repeated neonatal ketamine exposure induced olfactory cognitive dysfunction in the adult stage, and moderately high and high doses of DEX reversed the olfactory cognitive dysfunction induced by ketamine. Conclusions: Based on the present findings, pretreatment with a moderately high (5 μg/kg) or high dose (10 μg/kg) of DEX may alleviate the developmental neurogenesis disorder in the SVZ at 24 h after repeated ketamine exposure and improve olfactory cognitive dysfunction in adulthood.

Serum Cholesterol-Lowering Activity of β-Sitosterol Laurate Is Attributed to the Reduction of Both Cholesterol Absorption and Bile Acids Reabsorption in Hamsters

The research was performed to delineate how β-sitosterol laurate (β-SLE) consumption influenced serum and hepatic lipids. The results showed that 220 mg/5 mL oil/kg body weight of β-SLE robustly reduced serum total triglyceride and cholesterol levels and the epididymal adipocyte size, and efficiently protected hepatic polyunsaturated fatty acids against lipid peroxidation through superoxide dismutase and glutathione transferase activity enhancement and malondialdehyde level reduction. Based on the changes of fecal cholesterol contents, fecal and hepatic bile acid (BAs) levels, and related protein expression, it was concluded that the mechanisms for lowering serum cholesterol by β-SLE involved (i) the enhanced excretion of fecal cholesterol via down-regulation of intestinal Niemann-Pick C1-like 1 protein; (ii) the increased conversion from cholesterol to primary BAs via up-regulation of cholesterol-7α-hydroxylase and sterol 27-hydroxylase, which was induced by the reduced BAs reabsorption through up-regulating ileal apical sodium-dependent bile acid transporter and ileal bile acid-binding protein.

Effect of banana pulp dietary fibers on metabolic syndrome and gut microbiota diversity in high-fat diet mice

Banana (Musa nana Lour.) have the effect of anti-obesity and lipid modulating properties. However, the influences of banana pulp dietary fibers (BP-DF) on metabolic syndrome (MetS) and gut microbiota (GM) are unknown. In this research, we explore a novel strategy for dietary BP-DF on attenuation of lipid metabolic disease, GM disorder, and associated mechanisms in high-fat diet (HFD) mice. BP-DF can strongly suppress on HFD caused body weight and epididymal fat mass gain, and significantly improved serum lipid profiles, liver lipid profiles, and intestinal function. BP-DF also significantly improved fecal short-chain fatty acids formation and fecal ammonia content. BP-DF impacted the intestinal microorganism at all kinds of taxonomic levels by increasing the proportions of beneficial Lactobacillus, Bacteroidales _S24_7_group, and Alloprevotella and decreasing the disease or obesity associated Sutterella, Streptococcaceae, and Erysipelotrichaceae. The experiments show that BP-DF may use as a functional ingredient for preventing obesity, MetS, and intestinal microorganism imbalance. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Obesity result in many metabolic complications, and it poses a great threat to people's health. Nowadays, the introduction of DF may lead to the development of a new strategy in the treatment of obesity and its metabolic syndrome. Our experiments findings show that BP-DF may use as a functional ingredient for preventing obesity, MetS, and intestinal microorganism imbalance. Therefore, BP-DF can be applied to the development and production of functional food, and can also be used as an important food functional ingredient, which can be added to various food, such as bread, noodles, baked goods, cakes, etc., to improve its nutritional value.

LncRNA ZEB1-AS1 promotes pancreatic cancer progression by regulating miR-505-3p/TRIB2 axis

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are crucial regulatory factors in the development and progression of human malignancies. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential mechanism of ZEB1-AS1 in pancreatic cancer (PC). The expression of ZEB1-AS1 in PC tissues and cells was assessed by RT-qPCR. The overall survival rate was evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier analysis. The association between ZEB1-AS1 and miR-505 was verified by dual-luciferase reporter assay. CCK-8 assay was employed to analyze PC cell viability. Transwell assay was employed to detect the migration and invasion of PC cells. Our results revealed that ZEB1-AS1 expression was significantly upregulated in PC tissues and cells, and the high expression of ZEB1-AS1 indicated the low overall survival rate in PC patients. Loss-of-function and gain-of-function assays indicated that knockdown of ZEB1-AS1 inhibited the cell viability, migration and invasion of PC cells, while overexpression of ZEB1-AS1 promoted PC cell progression. Moreover, ZEB1-AS1 upregulated TRIB2 expression via sponging miR-505. Finally, rescue assays demonstrated that TRIB2 overexpression partially abrogated the inhibitory effect of ZEB1-AS1 knockdown on the viability, migration and invasion of PC cells. These results confirmed that ZEB1-AS1 promoted the tumorigenesis of PC through the miR-505/TRIB2 axis, which indicated that ZEB1-AS1 might function as a biomarker for PC treatment and provide a new therapeutic direction in PC.

Mitofusin1 Is a Major Mediator in Glucose-Induced Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition in Lung Adenocarcinoma Cells

Background

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) has been considered a latent mediator of diverse biological processes in cancer. However, the mechanisms involved in high glucose-associated EMT in lung adenocarcinoma (LAD) have not been fully clarified. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether mitofusin1 (MFN1) is involved in the EMT of LAD cells induced by glucose and to identify the molecular mechanism involved in this process.

Materials and Methods

The expression of specific proteins was analysed by Western blotting, immunohistochemistry, co-immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence analysis. The proliferation, migration and invasion of cells were assessed by Cell Counting Kit-8, bromodeoxyuridine incorporation, wound-healing and transwell assays. Lung tissues of adjacent normal regions and lung tissues from patients with LAD and LAD combined with diabetes mellitus were collected to determine the expression and significance of MFN1.

Results

Here, we showed that the expression of MFN1 was increased in LAD tissues compared with adjacent normal tissues and expression was even higher in lung tissues from patients with LAD combined with diabetes. In the lung cancer cell line A549, increased cell proliferation, invasion and EMT induced by high glucose were inhibited by MFN1 silencing. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that inhibiting autophagy reversed the abnormal EMT triggered by high glucose conditions. In addition, our data provide novel evidence demonstrating that PTEN-induced kinase (Pink) is a potential regulator involved in MFN1-mediated cell autophagy, which eventually leads to high glucose-induced proliferation, invasion and EMT of A549 cells.

Conclusion

Taken together, our data show that MFN1 interacts with Pink to induce the autophagic process and that the abnormal occurrence of autophagy ultimately contributes to glucose-induced pathological EMT in LAD.

Macrophage-derived exosomes accelerate wound healing through their anti-inflammation effects in a diabetic rat model

Chronic, subclinical inflammation was often observed in the diabetic wound area, causing inadequate and delayed wound-healing effects by failing to initiate cell migration, proliferation, and extracellular matrix deposition. Therefore, we presented macrophage-derived exosomes (Exos) and explored their potential for inhibiting inflammation and accelerating diabetic wound healing in a skin defect, diabetic rat model. A thorough investigation demonstrated that Exos exerted anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting the secretion of pro-inflammatory enzymes and cytokines. Furthermore, they accelerated the wound-healing process by inducing endothelial cell proliferation and migration to improve angiogenesis and re-epithelialization in diabetic wounds.

A Multistage Refinement Network for Salient Object Detection

Deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have been successfully applied to a wide variety of problems in computer vision, including salient object detection. To accurately detect and segment salient objects, it is necessary to extract and combine high-level semantic features with low-level fine details simultaneously. This is challenging for CNNs because repeated subsampling operations such as pooling and convolution lead to a significant decrease in the feature resolution, which results in the loss of spatial details and finer structures. Therefore, we propose augmenting feedforward neural networks by using the multistage refinement mechanism. In the first stage, a master net is built to generate a coarse prediction map in which most detailed structures are missing. In the following stages, the refinement net with layerwise recurrent connections to the master net is equipped to progressively combine local context information across stages to refine the preceding saliency maps in a stagewise manner. Furthermore, the pyramid pooling module and channel attention module are applied to aggregate different-region-based global contexts. Extensive evaluations over six benchmark datasets show that the proposed method performs favorably against the state-of-the-art approaches.

Enhanced β-glucan and pullulan production by Aureobasidium pullulans with zinc sulfate supplementation

The effects of mineral salts on the production of exopolysaccharides, including β-glucan and pullulan, by Aureobasidium pullulans CCTCC M 2012259 were investigated. Zinc sulfate at certain concentrations decreased dry biomass but favored to the biosynthesis of both exopolysaccharides. When 100 mg/L zinc sulfate was added to the fermentation medium, production of β-glucan and pullulan increased by 141.7 and 10.2%, respectively, when compared with that noted in the control without zinc sulfate addition. To reveal the physiological mechanism underlying improved β-glucan and pullulan production, key enzymes activities, energy metabolism substances, intracellular uridine diphosphate glucose (UDPG) levels, and gene expression were determined. The results indicated that zinc sulfate up-regulated the transcriptional levels of pgm1, ugp, fks, and kre6 genes, increased activities of key enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of UDPG, β-glucan and pullulan, enhanced intracellular UDPG content, and improved energy supply, all of which contributed to the increment in β-glucan and pullulan production. The present study not only provides a feasible approach to improve the production of exopolysaccharides but also contributes to better understanding of the physiological characteristics of A. pullulans.

Detection of severe hypertension in a patient with neurofibromatosis type 1 during anesthesia induction: a case report

Background

Neurofibromatosis type 1 has a higher prevalence of pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma than the general population: 1.0–5.7% versus 0.2–0.6%. Currently, there are no generally accepted guidelines for screening for pheochromocytoma and paragangliomas in asymptomatic patients with neurofibromatosis type 1.

Case presentation

Severe hypertension developed during anesthesia induction in our patient, a 44-year-old Chinese man with neurofibromatosis type 1. We screened for catecholamine level after glioma resection, and the patient was diagnosed with combined pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma.

Conclusions

A delay in diagnosis or lack of a diagnosis in pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma may increase the perioperative morbidity and mortality risk due to excess catecholamine secretion. Therefore, routine pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma screening preoperatively in patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 is very important.

Xanthan Gum Ameliorates Osteoarthritis and Mitigates Cartilage Degradation via Regulation of the Wnt3a/β-Catenin Signaling Pathway

Background

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a joint disease characterized by articular cartilage degeneration and inflammation. We have previously clarified that a xanthan gum (XG) preparation exerts ameliorating effect on a rabbit OA model by regulating matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1 and MMP-3, which are critical proteins in the Wnt3a/β-catenin pathway. Thus, it is reasonable to predict that the Wnt3a/β-catenin pathway is involved in the treatment of OA with XG.

Material/Methods

The effect of XG in OA model animals were observed by hematoxylin and eosin staining (HE), Safranin O staining, and Fast Green staining. Articular cartilage degradation on the medial plateau sides was quantified using the modified Pritzker OARSI score. The levels of IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1β in synovial fluid were determined with ELISA. The protective effect of XG in rat chondrocytes was assessed by CCK8 assay. Moreover, activation of the Wnt3a/β-catenin pathway and the expression of MMP13, ADAMTS5, aggrecan, and collagen II under the influence of XG was measured by Western blot and qRT-PCR.

Results

Our results showed that XG reduced the OARSI score and the concentration of inflammatory cytokines in OA after intra-articular injection. XG acted on Wnt3a/β-catenin in ATDC5 cells in a dose-dependent manner and exhibited a protective effect. XG also decreased the expression of MMP13 and ADAMTS5 and rescued the inhibition of aggrecan and collagen II expression in SNP-stimulated chondrocytes.

Conclusions

These results indicate that the effects of XG are related to the Wnt3a/β-catenin pathway and XG suppresses matrix degradation by inhibiting the expression of MMPs and ADAMTS and promotes aggrecan and collagen II content in the ECM, indicating its favorable potential for use in OA therapy.

Prognostic Value of MTV, SUVmax and the T/N Ratio of PET/CT in Patients with Glioma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: In the past decade, positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) has become an important imaging tool for clinical assessment of tumor patients. Our meta-analysis aimed to compare the predictive value of PET/CT parameters regard to overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) outcomes in glioma.

Methods: Relevant articles were systematically searched in PMC, PubMed, EMBASE and WEB of science. Studies involving the prognostic roles of PET/CT parameters with OS and PFS in glioma patients were evaluated. The impact of metabolic tumor volume (MTV), maximal standard uptake value (SUVmax), and the ratio of uptake in tumor to normal (T/N ratio) on survival was measured by calculating combined hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results: A total of 32 articles with 1715 patients were included. The combined HRs of higher MTV, higher SUVmax and higher T/N ratio for OS were 1.14 (95% CI: 0.98-1.32, P heterogeneity<0.001), 1.69 (95% CI: 1.18-2.41, P heterogeneity<0.001) and 1.68 (95% CI: 1.40-2.01, P heterogeneity< 0.001), respectively. Regarding PFS, the combined HRs were 1.04 (95% CI: 0.97-1.11, P heterogeneity=0.002) with higher MTV, 1.45 (95% CI: 1.11-1.90, P heterogeneity<0.001) with higher SUVmax and 2.07 (95% CI: 1.45-2.95, P heterogeneity<0.001) with higher T/N ratio. Results remained similar in the sub-group analyses.

Conclusion: PET/CT parameters T/N ratio may be a significant prognostic factor in patients with glioma. Evidence of SUVmax and MTV needed more large-scale studies performed to validate. PET/CT scan could be a promising technique to provide prognostic information for these patients.

Abstract P5-18-02: A quantitative centrosomal amplification score (CAS) predicts local recurrence in ductal carcinoma in situ

Background: About 60-80% of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) cases are high-grade (HG) DCIS with an elevated risk of local recurrence (LR) even after a lumpectomy. Patients are often under or over treated due to the lack of accurate recurrence risk prediction models. Current prognostic models such as OncotypeDX and Van Nuys Prognostic Index (VNPI) lack consistency and are limited to a specific subset of patients. Here in this study, we show that the extent of centrosome amplification (CA) in a DCIS lesion can predict the risk of LR after lumpectomy. CA refers to presence of supernumerary or large centrosomes and is a characteristic of pre-invasive lesions, and breast tumors, and promotes erroneous mitoses and chromosomal instability.

Methods: We have pioneered a semi-automated pipeline that integrates immunofluorescence confocal microscopy with digital image analysis and yields a quantitative Centrosomal Amplification Score (CAS) for each patients' tumor sample by evaluating severity and frequency of centrosomal aberrations therein. To this end, we first immunofluorescently stained centrosomes in formalin fixed paraffin embedded resection samples from DCIS patients (discovery cohort n=133 and a validation cohort n=119) using an antibody against γ-tubulin, and co-stained nuclei with DAPI. Next, we imaged the slides and processed the raw 3D image data using IMARIS Biplane 8.2 3D volume rendering software. Finally, we calculated centrosome numbers and volume in ˜250 cells from each patient sample. Using a mathematical algorithm, we generated a composite CAS score for each patient sample by integrating the numerical (CASi) and structural (CASm) aberrations.

Results: We found that DCIS patients with recurrence exhibited higher CAS. Intriguingly, higher CAS was also associated with greater risk of developing ipsilateral breast events [Hazard ratio (HR) =7.58 for discovery cohort and HR=5.8 for validation cohort, p&lt;0.0001] which remained significant (HR=8.5 for discovery and HR=3.39, p&lt;0.0001) after accounting for the confounding factors like age, tumor size, comedo necrosis and radiotherapy. Kaplan Meir survival analysis indicated that high CAS was associated with poor recurrence-free survival (RFS) (p&lt;0.001). For the high and low CAS groups, the 5-year risk of recurrence was 87.5% and 12.5% respectively (p&lt;0.001). In our discovery cohort, a head-to-head comparison of the ability of VNPI and CAS to predict recurrence illuminated that CAS was able to stratify the DCIS group in recurrence and recurrence-free group with much higher significance (p&lt;0.0001) than the Van Nuys Prognostic Index (VNPI) (HRs for CAS- 8.8 vs. VNPI 0.959). Finally, the Harrell's concordance index using SAS PROC PHREG tests yielded that the probability of a patient with poorer/lower RFS to be in the high CAS group is 76.2%.

Conclusion: Our data compellingly show that CAS quantifies the risk of recurrence in DCIS patients with the highest concordance and provides a novel and innovative tool to tailor their treatment based on their risk profile.

Citation Format: Mittal K, Kaur J, Wei G, Toss MS, Osan RM, Janssen EA, Søiland H, Rakha EA, Rida PC, Aneja R. A quantitative centrosomal amplification score (CAS) predicts local recurrence in ductal carcinoma in situ [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-18-02.

Electrical Control of Circular Photogalvanic Spin-Valley Photocurrent in a Monolayer Semiconductor

In a monolayer transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) that lacks structural inversion symmetry, spin degeneracy is lifted by strong spin-orbit coupling, and a distinctive spin-valley locking allows for the creation of valley-locked spin-polarized carriers with a circularly polarized optical excitation. When excited carriers also have net in-plane momentum, spin-polarized photocurrents can be generated at ambient temperature without magnetic fields or materials. The behavior of these spin-polarized photocurrents in monolayer TMDC remains largely unexplored. In this work, we demonstrate the tuning of spin-valley photocurrent generated from the circularly polarized photogalvanic effect in monolayer MoS₂, including magnitude and polarization degree, by purely electric means at room temperature. The magnitude of spin-polarized photocurrent can be modulated up to 45 times larger, and the polarization degree of the total photocurrent can be tuned significantly (here from 0.5 to 16.6%) by gate control. Combined with the atomic thickness and wafer-scale growth capabilities of monolayer TMDC, the efficient electrical tuning of spin-valley photocurrent suggests a pathway to achieve spin-logic processing by local gate architectures in monolayer opto-spintronic devices.

HNF1α Controls Liver Lipid Metabolism and Insulin Resistance via Negatively Regulating the SOCS-3-STAT3 Signaling Pathway

This study is aimed at evaluating the effects, functions, and mechanism of HNF1α on hepatic glycolipid metabolism. In this study, free fatty acid- (FFA-) induced steatosis of hepatocyte liver cell LO2 was used as an in vitro model. The methods of Oil Red O staining, RT-qPCR, western blot, and immunofluorescence staining were used to detect LO2-regulated HNF1α expression and its effects on FFA-induced LO2 cell steatosis, the insulin signaling and SOCS-3-STAT3 signaling pathways, the expression of lipid metabolism-related regulators, and phosphorylation. With increased FFA induction time, the expression of HNF1α in the LO2 fatty degeneration hepatic cells gradually decreased. Downregulation of HNF1α expression aggravated FFA-induced steatosis of LO2 hepatocytes. HNF1α promotes activation of the insulin pathway and oxidative breakdown of fat and inhibits lipid anabolism. Inhibitors of STAT3 can reverse the regulation of decreased HNF1α expression on the insulin signaling pathway and fat metabolism. We also confirmed this pathway using HNF1α-/- mice combining treatment with STAT3 inhibitor NSC 74859 in vivo. HNF1α regulates hepatic lipid metabolism by promoting the expression of SOCS-3 and negatively regulating the STAT3 signaling pathway.