[Impact of changes in malignant tumor death spectrum on life expectancy in Tianjin residents from 1999-2019]

Objective: To analyze the effects of changes in the spectrum of deaths from malignant tumors on the life expectancies of residents of different ages, sexes, and regions (urban or rural) in Tianjin from 1999 to 2019. Methods: The Abridged Life Table method and the Arriaga's decomposition method were used to calculate the effects of changes in spectrum of deaths from malignant tumors on the life expectancies of Tianjin residents of different ages, sexes, and regions. Results: During 1999-2019, the life expectancies increased by 4.96 years and 5.69 years for males and females, respectively, in Tianjin. The decreases in the mortalities from malignant neoplasms contributed 0.12 year (3.30%) and 0.03 year (0.77%) for males and females, respectively, to the increase during 1999-2007, and 0.05 year (3.13%) and 0.12 year (6.08%) for males and females, respectively, during 2007-2019. The decreases in the mortality rates of malignant tumors contributed the most to the increase among residents in the 60-69 years group, and the decreases in mortality rates of lung, gastric, esophageal, and liver cancers had relatively larger contribution. Lung cancer had a negative effect on the life expectancies of men and rural residents, but a positive effect on those of women and urban residents. The significant increases in the mortality rates of lung, colorectal, and pancreatic cancers in the ≥85 years group had a large negative effect on the overall life expectancy. Breast and ovarian cancers contributed negatively to the life expectancy of female residents. Conclusion: The overall increase in the life expectancy in Tianjin from 1999 to 2019 was mainly attributed to the elderly and the decreases in the mortality rates of gastric, esophageal, and liver cancers, among other malignancies, while the increases in the mortality rates of lung, colorectal, gallbladder, pancreatic, and breast cancers were the most significant factors hindering the increase of the life expectancy in Tianjin.

[Acute macular neuroretinopathy: a case report]

A 16-year-old female patient experienced a rapid decline in bilateral visual acuity accompanied by central scotomas for 5 days following coronavirus disease 2019 infection. Ocular examination revealed findings consistent with acute macular neuroretinopathy. Structural en face imaging using optical coherence tomography demonstrated a wedge-shaped lesion with low reflectivity directed towards the fovea in both eyes. B-scan images revealed localized hyperreflective bands involving the outer nuclear layer and photoreceptor layer, with discontinuity of the ellipsoid zone. Based on clinical presentation and examination findings, a diagnosis of bilateral acute macular neuroretinopathy was established.

Bilirubin gates the TRPM2 channel as a direct agonist to exacerbate ischemic brain damage

Stroke prognosis is negatively associated with an elevation of serum bilirubin, but how bilirubin worsens outcomes remains mysterious. We report that post-, but not pre-, stroke bilirubin levels among inpatients scale with infarct volume. In mouse models, bilirubin increases neuronal excitability and ischemic infarct, whereas ischemic insults induce the release of endogenous bilirubin, all of which are attenuated by knockout of the TRPM2 channel or its antagonist A23. Independent of canonical TRPM2 intracellular agonists, bilirubin and its metabolic derivatives gate the channel opening, whereas A23 antagonizes it by binding to the same cavity. Knocking in a loss of binding point mutation for bilirubin, TRPM2-D1066A, effectively antagonizes ischemic neurotoxicity in mice. These findings suggest a vicious cycle of stroke injury in which initial ischemic insults trigger the release of endogenous bilirubin from injured cells, which potentially acts as a volume neurotransmitter to activate TRPM2 channels, aggravating Ca²⁺-dependent brain injury.

[Shandong hilly rural natural population cohort study: method and baseline characteristics of survey subjects]

Objective: To understand the study method and the baseline characteristics of the survey subjects of Shandong hilly rural natural population cohort study, and provide reference for the research of the prevalence and risk factors of common chronic and non-communicable diseases. Methods: Baseline survey, including questionnaire survey, physical examination, biochemical index examination and blood and saliva collection, was conducted in local residents aged 20-79 years in Kongcun and Xiaozhi townships of Pingyin county, Shandong province, from 2017 to 2019. Shandong hilly rural natural population cohort was established and main baseline characteristics of the study subjects were statistically analyzed. Results: A total of 10 296 study subjects aged 54.45 years were included in the study, in whom 40.6% were males. Among the study subjects, 88.3% had education level of junior high school or below, 62.1% were famers, and 90.7% were married. Smokers accounted for 45.6% of men and 0.9% of women, and drinkers accounted for 65.8% of men and 3.0% of women, respectively. The self-reported rates of hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke and tumors were 19.8%, 3.2%, 2.8%, 2.7% and 1.2%, respectively. Conclusion: The Shandong hilly rural cohort natural population study provided important evidence for assessing the risk for common chronic and non-communicable diseases and disease prevention and control in hilly rural areas.

Propofol ameliorates acute postoperative fatigue and promotes glucagon-regulated hepatic gluconeogenesis by activating CREB/PGC-1α and accelerating fatty acids beta-oxidation

Postoperative fatigue (POF) is the most common and long-lasting complication after surgery, which brings heavy burden to individuals and society. Recently, hastening postoperative recovery receives increasing attention, but unfortunately, the mechanisms underlying POF remain unclear. Propofol is a wildly used general anesthetic in clinic, and inspired by the rapid antidepressant effects induced by ketamine at non-anesthetic dose, the present study was undertaken to investigate the anti-fatigue effects and underlying mechanisms of propofol at a non-anesthetic dose in 70% hepatectomy induced POF model in rats. We first showed here that single administration of propofol at 0.1 mg/kg ameliorated acute POF in hepatectomy induced POF rats. Based on metabonomics analysis, we hypothesized that propofol exerted anti-fatigue activity in POF rats by facilitating free fatty acid (FFA) oxidation and gluconeogenesis. We further confirmed that propofol restored the deficit in FFA oxidation and gluconeogenesis in POF rats, as evidenced by the elevated FFA utilization, acetyl coenzyme A content, pyruvic acid content, phosphoenolpyruvic acid content, hepatic glucose output and glycogen storage. Moreover, propofol stimulated glucagon secretion and up-regulated expression of cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB), phosphorylated CREB, peroxlsome prolifeator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α), phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinade1 and carnitine palmitoltransferase 1A. In summary, our study suggests for the first time that propofol ameliorates acute POF by promoting glucagon-regulated gluconeogenesis via CREB/PGC-1α signaling and accelerating FFA beta-oxidation.

Magnitude and temporal trend of acne vulgaris burden in 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019: A analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

BACKGROUND

Acne vulgaris is widespread across the world. Mapping the latest magnitudes and temporal trends of acne vulgaris provides the essential foundation for targeted public policies at the national, regional, and global levels.

METHODS

Complying with the framework of the Global Burden of Disease 2019 Study, the incidence, prevalence and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) on acne vulgaris were retrieved in 204 countries and regions from 1990 to 2019. The average annual percentage change was calculated to depict the temporal trends in age-standardized rates (ASRs) of acne vulgaris burden by region, sex, and age.

RESULTS

Globally, 117.4 [95% uncertainty interval (UI): 103.0, 133.7] million incident cases of acne vulgaris, 231.2 million (95% UI: 208.2, 255.5) prevalent cases and 5.0 (95% UI: 3.0, 7.9) million DALYs were estimated in 2019, with about 47% increase compared with 1990. Moreover, the overall ASRs of acne vulgaris increased by around 0.55% annually over the past three decades. We observed huge disparities in ASRs of acne vulgaris with its changing trends in sex, location, and age. The ASR of acne vulgaris among women was around 1.3 times that of men, but the gender difference was narrowed for the pronounced increase among men. The ASRs of acne vulgaris were higher in high-income regions, but the increasing trend was more pronounced in other regions.

CONCLUSION

The burden rate of acne vulgaris continues to increase in almost all countries. Understanding the specific characteristics of acne vulgaris burden is essential to formulate more effective and targeted interventions for controlling acne burden.

A coliform-targeted metagenomic method facilitating human exposure estimates to Escherichia coli-borne antibiotic resistance genes

Antimicrobial resistance and the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) pose a threat to human health. Community-acquired infections resistant to treatment with first-line antibiotics are increasing, and there are few studies investigating environmental exposures and transmission. Our objective is to develop a novel targeted metagenomic method to quantify the abundance and diversity of ARGs in a faecal indicator bacterium, and to estimate human exposure to resistant bacteria in a natural environment. Sequence data from Escherichia coli metagenomes from 13 bathing waters in England were analysed using the ARGs Online Analysis Pipeline to estimate the abundance and diversity of resistance determinants borne by this indicator bacterium. These data were averaged over the 13 sites and used along with data on the levels of E. coli in English bathing waters in 2016 and estimates of the volume of water that water users typically ingest in an average session of their chosen activityto quantify the numbers of ARGs that water users ingest. Escherichia coli in coastal bathing waters were found to harbour on average 1.24 ARGs per cell. Approximately 2.5 million water sports sessions occurred in England in 2016 that resulted in water users ingesting at least 100 E. coli-borne ARGs.

Accelerated Development of the First-Order Central Auditory Neurons With Spontaneous Activity

In developing sensory systems, elaborate morphological connectivity between peripheral cells and first-order central neurons emerges via genetic programming before the onset of sensory activities. However, how the first-order central neurons acquire the capacity to interface with peripheral cells remains elusive. By making patch-clamp recordings from mouse brainstem slices, we found that a subset of neurons in the cochlear nuclei, the first central station to receive peripheral acoustic impulses, exhibits spontaneous firings (SFs) as early as at birth, and the fraction of such neurons increases during the prehearing period. SFs are reduced but not eliminated by a cocktail of blockers for excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs, implicating the involvement of intrinsic pacemaker channels. Furthermore, we demonstrate that these intrinsic firings (IFs) are largely driven by hyperpolarization- and cyclic nucleotide-gated channel (HCN) mediated currents (I_h), as evidenced by their attenuation in the presence of HCN blockers or in neurons from HCN1 knockout mice. Interestingly, genetic deletion of HCN1 cannot be fully compensated by other pacemaker conductances and precludes age-dependent up regulation in the fraction of spontaneous active neurons and their firing rate. Surprisingly, neurons with SFs show accelerated development in excitability, spike waveform and firing pattern as well as synaptic pruning towards mature phenotypes compared to those without SFs. Our results imply that SFs of the first-order central neurons may reciprocally promote their wiring and firing with peripheral inputs, potentially enabling the correlated activity and crosstalk between the developing brain and external environment.

NAD+ Attenuates Bilirubin-Induced Hyperexcitation in the Ventral Cochlear Nucleus by Inhibiting Excitatory Neurotransmission and Neuronal Excitability

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is an important molecule with extensive biological functions in various cellular processes, including protection against cell injuries. However, little is known regarding the roles of NAD+ in neuronal excitation and excitotoxicity associated with many neurodegenerative disorders and diseases. Using patch-clamp recordings, we studied its potential effects on principal neurons in the ventral cochlear nucleus (VCN), which is particularly vulnerable to bilirubin excitotoxicity. We found that NAD+ effectively decreased the size of evoked excitatory postsynaptic currents (eEPSCs), increased paired-pulse ratio (PPR) and reversed the effect of bilirubin on eEPSCs, implicating its inhibitory effects on the presynaptic release probability (Pr). Moreover, NAD+ not only decreased the basal frequency of miniature EPSCs (mEPSCs), but also reversed bilirubin-induced increases in the frequency of mEPSCs without affecting their amplitude under either condition. Furthermore, we found that NAD+ decreased the frequency of spontaneous firing of VCN neurons as well as bilirubin-induced increases in firing frequency. Whole-cell current-clamp recordings showed that NAD+ could directly decrease the intrinsic excitability of VCN neurons in the presence of synaptic blockers, suggesting NAD+ exerts its actions in both presynaptic and postsynaptic loci. Consistent with these observations, we found that the latency of the first postsynaptic spike triggered by high-frequency train stimulation of presynaptic afferents (i.e., the auditory nerve) was prolonged by NAD+. These results collectively indicate that NAD+ suppresses presynaptic transmitter release and postsynaptic excitability, jointly weakening excitatory neurotransmission. Our findings provide a basis for the exploration of NAD+ for the prevention and treatment of bilirubin encephalopathy and excitotoxicity associated with other neurological disorders.

Riluzole is a promising pharmacological inhibitor of bilirubin-induced excitotoxicity in the ventral cochlear nucleus

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Bilirubin encephalopathy as a result of hyperbilirubinemia is a devastating neurological disorder that occurs mostly in the neonatal period. To date, no effective drug treatment is available. Glutamate-mediated excitotoxicity is likely an important factor causing bilirubin encephalopathy. Thus, drugs suppressing the overrelease of glutamate may protect the brain against bilirubin excitotoxicity. Riluzole is a prescription drug known for its antiglutamatergic function. This study was conducted in the rat's ventral cochlear nucleus, a structure highly sensitive to bilirubin toxicity, to find whether riluzole can be used to inhibit bilirubin toxicity.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

Electrophysiology changes were detected by perforated patch clamp technique. Calcium imaging using Rhod-2-AM as an indicator was used to study the intracellular calcium. Cell apoptosis and necrosis were measured by PI/Hoechst staining.

KEY RESULTS

In the absence of bilirubin, riluzole effectively decreased the frequency of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs) and suppressed neuronal firing but did not change the amplitude of sEPSC and glutamate-activated currents (I(Glu)). Moreover, riluzole inhibited bilirubin-induced increases in the frequency of sEPSC and neuronal firing. Riluzole could prevent the bilirubin-induced increase in intracellular calcium, mediated by AMPA and NMDA receptors. Furthermore, riluzole significantly reduced bilirubin-induced cell death.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

These data suggest that riluzole can protect neurons in the ventral cochlear nucleus from bilirubin-induced hyperexcitation and excitotoxicity through reducing presynaptic glutamate release.

Transport of Sr2+ and SrEDTA2- in partially-saturated and heterogeneous sediments

Strontium-90 has migrated deep into the unsaturated subsurface beneath leaking storage tanks in the Waste Management Areas (WMA) at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Hanford Reservation. Faster than expected transport of contaminants in the vadose zone is typically attributed to either physical hydrologic processes such as development of preferential flow pathways, or to geochemical processes such as the formation of stable, anionic complexes with organic chelates, e.g., ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). The goal of this paper is to determine whether hydrological processes in the Hanford sediments can influence the geochemistry of the system and hence control transport of Sr(2+) and SrEDTA(2-). The study used batch isotherms, saturated packed column experiments, and an unsaturated transport experiment in an undisturbed core. Isotherms and repacked column experiments suggested that the SrEDTA(2-) complex was unstable in the presence of Hanford sediments, resulting in dissociation and transport of Sr(2+) as a divalent cation. A decrease in sorption with increasing solid:solution ratio for Sr(2+) and SrEDTA(2-) suggested mineral dissolution resulted in competition for sorption sites and the formation of stable aqueous complexes. This was confirmed by detection of MgEDTA(2-), MnEDTA(2-), PbEDTA(2-), and unidentified Sr and Ca complexes. Displacement of Sr(2+) through a partially-saturated undisturbed core resulted in less retardation and more irreversible sorption than was observed in the saturated repacked columns, and model results suggested a significant reservoir (49%) of immobile water was present during transport through the heterogeneous layered sediments. The undisturbed core was subsequently disassembled along distinct bedding planes and subjected to sequential extractions. Strontium was unequally distributed between carbonates (49%), ion exchange sites (37%), and the oxide (14%) fraction. An inverse relationship between mass wetness and Sr suggested that sandy sediments of low water content constituted the immobile flow regime. Our results suggested that the sequestration of Sr(2+) in partially-saturated, heterogeneous sediments was most likely due to the formation of immobile water in drier regions having low hydraulic conductivities.

An economic analysis of biomass gasification and power generation in China

With vast territory and abundant biomass resources China appears to have suitable conditions to develop biomass utilization technologies. As an important decentralized power technology, biomass gasification and power generation (BGPG) has a potential market in making use of biomass wastes. In spite of the relatively high cost for controlling secondary pollution by wastewater, BGPG is economically feasible and can give a financial return owing to the low price of biomass wastes and insufficient power supply at present in some regions of China. In this work, experimental data from 1 MW-scale circulating fluidized bed (CFB) BGPG plants constructed recently in China were analyzed; and it was found that the unit capital cost of BGPG is only 60-70% of coal power station and its operation cost is much lower than that of conventional power plants. However, due to the relatively low efficiency of small-scale plant, the current BGPG technology will lose its economic attraction when its capacity is smaller than 160 kW or the price of biomass is higher than 200 Yuan RMB/ton. The development of medium-scale BGPG plants, with capacity ranging from 1000 to 5000 kW, is recommended; as is the demonstration of BGPG technology in suitable enterprises (e.g. rice mill and timber mill) in developing countries where large amounts of biomass wastes are available so that biomass collection and transportation can be avoided and the operation cost can be lowered.

Analysis of loss of heterozygosity on chromosomes 10q, 11, and 16 in medulloblastomas

OBJECT

The loss of genetic material from specific chromosome loci is a common feature in the oncogenesis of tumors and is often indicative of the presence of important tumor suppressor genes at these loci. Recent molecular genetic analyses have demonstrated frequent loss of chromosomes 10q, 11, and 16 in medulloblastomas. The aim of this study was to localize the targeted deletion regions on the three aforementioned chromosomes in medulloblastomas.

METHODS

Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) was examined on chromosomes 10q, 11, and 16 in a series of 22 primary and two recurrent medulloblastomas by using polymerase chain reaction-based microsatellite analysis. The DNA extracted from the tumors and corresponding normal blood samples were amplified independently in the presence of radioactively labeled microsatellite primers, resolved by denaturing gel electrophoresis and processed for autoradiography. The DNA obtained from control blood samples that displayed allelic heterozygosity at a given microsatellite locus were considered informative. Loss of heterozygosity was inferred when the allelic signal intensity of the tumor sample was reduced by at least 40%, relative to that of the constitutional control. The LOH analysis demonstrated that deletions of chromosomes 10q, 11p, and 16q are recurrent genetic events in the development of medulloblastomas. Three subchromosomal regions of loss have been identified and are localized to the deleted in malignant brain tumors 1 [DMBT1] gene site on chromosomes 10q25, 11p13-11p15.1, and 16q24.1-24.3.

CONCLUSIONS

These results indicate that DMBT1 is closely associated with the oncogenesis of medulloblastomas and highlight regions of loss on chromosomes 11p and 16q for further fine mapping and cloning of candidate tumor suppressor genes that are important for the genesis of medulloblastoma.

Detection of multiple gene amplifications in glioblastoma multiforme using array-based comparative genomic hybridization

We have used a new method of genomic microarray to investigate amplification of oncogenes throughout the genome of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Array-based comparative genomic hybridization (array CGH) allows for simultaneous examination of 58 oncogenes/amplicons that are commonly amplified in various human cancers. Amplification of multiple oncogenes in human cancers can be rapidly determined in a single experiment. Tumor DNA and normal control DNA were labeled by nick translation with green- and red-tagged nucleotides, respectively. Instead of hybridizing to normal metaphase chromosomes in conventional comparative genomic hybridization (CGH), the probes of the mixed fluorescent labeled DNA were applied to genomic array templates comprised of P1, PAC, and BAC clones of 58 target oncogenes. The baseline for measuring deviations was established by performing a series of independent array CGH using test and reference DNA made from normal individuals. In the present study, we examined fourteen GBMs (seven cell lines and seven tumours) with CGH and array CGH to reveal the particular oncogenes associated with this cancer. High-level amplifications were identified on the oncogenes/amplicons CDK4, GLI, MYCN, MYC, MDM2, and PDGFRA. The highest frequencies of gains were detected on PIK3CA (64.3%), EGFR (57.1%), CSE1L (57.1%), NRAS (50%), MYCN (42.9%), FGR (35.7%), ESR (35.7%), PGY1 (35.7%), and D17S167 (35.7%). These genes are suggested to be involved in the GBM tumorigenesis.

[Role of pp60c-src in mitogen-activated protein kinase activation of vascular smooth muscle cells]

The effect of pp60c-src on mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation induced by angiotensin II (Ang II) in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) was observed to explore the signal transduction process of VSMCs proliferation mediated by Ang II. Following transfection of the synthetic antisense c-src oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) wrapped in lipofectin into cultured rat VSMCs, pp60c-src content markedly decreased, pp60c-src kinase activity was only 14.4% of control, while MAPK activity was not significantly changed (P>0.05). When these transfected VSMCs were further stimulated by Ang II, the increase in MAPK activity was only 1.6% of control. These data suggest that pp60c-src is needed for MAPK activation in VSMCs stimulated by Ang II, and pp60c-src may be an important signaling molecule in abnormal proliferation of VSMCs.

Detection of chromosomal imbalances in central neurocytomas by using comparative genomic hybridization

OBJECT

Central neurocytomas are rare neuronal tumors commonly found in the intraventricular regions. Little is known about the tumorigenesis of these neoplasms. The aim of this study was to provide an overview of genetic imbalances in central neurocytomas.

METHODS

In this study, comparative genomic hybridization was used to identify DNA sequence copy number changes (losses and gains) in a series of 10 central neurocytomas. Tumor DNA and normal reference DNA were differentially labeled and allowed to cohybridize to normal metaphase chromosomes. After hybridization and fluorescent staining of the bound DNA, regions of gain or of loss of DNA sequences were detected as changes in the tumor/normal fluorescence intensity ratio along the target metaphase chromosomes. A gain of DNA sequence was detected in chromosomes 2p, 10q, and 18q. A protooncogene, Bcl2, which maps to 18q21, was evaluated by immunohistochemical analysis to determine its role in the formation of central neurocytomas.

CONCLUSIONS

In this study the authors identified recurrent genetic changes on chromosomes 2p, 10q, and 18q in central neurocytomas and highlighted chromosomal regions for additional mapping and cloning of candidate genes that are important in the development of central neurocytomas.