Sub-region based radiomics analysis for prediction of isocitrate dehydrogenase and telomerase reverse transcriptase promoter mutations in diffuse gliomas

AIM

To enhance the prediction of mutation status of isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) and telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) promoter, which are crucial for glioma prognostication and therapeutic decision-making, via sub-regional radiomics analysis based on multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A retrospective study was conducted on 401 participants with adult-type diffuse gliomas. Employing the K-means algorithm, tumours were clustered into two to four subregions. Sub-regional radiomics features were extracted and selected using the Mann-Whitney U-test, Pearson correlation analysis, and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator, forming the basis for predictive models. The performance of model combinations of different sub-regional features and classifiers (including logistic regression, support vector machines, K-nearest neighbour, light gradient boosting machine, and multilayer perceptron) was evaluated using an external test set.

RESULTS

The models demonstrated high predictive performance, with area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) values ranging from 0.918 to 0.994 in the training set for IDH mutation prediction and from 0.758 to 0.939 for TERT promoter mutation prediction. In the external test sets, the two-cluster radiomics features and the logistic regression model yielded the highest prediction for IDH mutation, resulting in an AUC of 0.905. Additionally, the most effective predictive performance with an AUC of 0.803 was achieved using the four-cluster radiomics features and the support vector machine model, specifically for TERT promoter mutation prediction.

CONCLUSION

The present study underscores the potential of sub-regional radiomics analysis in predicting IDH and TERT promoter mutations in glioma patients. These models have the capacity to refine preoperative glioma diagnosis and contribute to personalised therapeutic interventions for patients.

Three-dimensional analysis of mandibular morphology asymmetry and temporomandibular joint position in patients with unilateral Brodie bite

OBJECTIVE

Previous studies have shown unilateral posterior crossbite is associated with mandibular asymmetry in morphology and position. However, it remains unclear whether unilateral Brodie bite plays a similar role in mandibular development. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the morphological and positional symmetry of mandibles in patients with unilateral Brodie bite by three-dimensional anaylsis.

METHODS

Fourteen patients with unilateral Brodie bite (mean age 18.43 ± 4.24 years) and fourteen sex- and age-matched patients with normal occlusion (mean age 18.07 ± 5.48 years) underwent cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans. 3D surface mesh models of their mandibles were established using Mimics Research 19.0. The surface matching percentage was compared between the original and mirrored mandible by Geomagic Control X software. Furthermore, the dimension and position of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) were determined for both groups using InVivoDental 5.0.

RESULTS

For surface-to-surface deviation analysis, the percentage of mismatch in patients with unilateral Brodie bite was significantly higher than the control group at ±0.50 mm, ±0.75 mm, and ±1.00 mm tolerance (P < .001). In patients with unilateral Brodie syndrome, the condyles on the scissors-bite side showed a significantly more anterior position (P = .03), greater medial inclination (P < .01), and larger posterior TMJ space (P = .01) than the non-scissors-bite side.

CONCLUSION

Patients with unilateral Brodie bite exhibit a more asymmetrical mandibular morphology, with a greater anterior condylar position and posterior joint space on the scissors-bite side, indicating that early diagnosis and treatment may be necessary for patients with unilateral Brodie bite.

DACH1 attenuated PA-induced renal tubular injury through TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB and TGF-β/Smad signalling pathway

BACKGROUND

Palmitic acid (PA), the major saturated fatty acid in the blood, often induces the initiation and progression of diabetic kidney disease (DKD). However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. DACH1 is an important regulator of kidney functions. Herein, we investigated the roles of DACH1 in PA-induced kidney injury.

METHODS

Clinical data from the NHANES database were subjected to analyse the association between serum PA (sPA), blood glucose and kidney function. Molecular docking of PA was performed with DACH1. Immunohistochemistry, cell viability, annexin V/7-AAD double staining, TUNEL assay, immunofluorescent staining, autophagic flux analysis, qRT-PCR and western blot were performed.

RESULTS

Clinical data confirmed that sPA was increased significantly in the pathoglycemia individuals compared with controls and correlated negatively with renal function. Our findings suggested that PA could dock with DACH1. DACH1 enhances cell viability by inhibiting apoptosis and attenuating autophagy blockage induced by PA. Furthermore, the results demonstrated that DACH1 ameliorated inflammation and fibrosis through TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB and TGF-β/Smad signalling pathway in PA-treated renal tubular epithelial cell line (HK-2).

CONCLUSIONS

This study proved that sPA presents a risk factor for kidney injuries and DACH1 might serve as a protective target against renal function deterioration in diabetic patients.

Assessing measurement invariance of the SEGUE framework among Chinese and Ghanaian patients: A cross-sectional study

Objective

Measurement invariance assesses the psychometric equivalence of a construct across groups or across time. This study aimed to find out whether the newly modified 5-point Likert scale SEGUE Framework for evaluating doctor's communication skills demonstrates measurement invariance among Chinese and Ghanaian patients.

Methods

Measurement invariance tests were conducted using two samples collected from the two cultures respectively (China: N = 598 and Ghana: N = 591). Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was used to test for the factor structure. Multiple-group CFA was used to test the measurement invariance of the SEGUE between the two samples.

Results

The same five-factor model showed acceptable model fit in both Chinese and Ghanaian samples. Cross-cultural measurement invariance tests revealed that scalar invariance was observed across the two samples.

Conclusion

Cross-cultural adaptations of instruments should exhibit measurement invariance to ensure that measures are interpreted and used consistently. Findings of our study suggest that the SEGUE Framework is invariant across the two cultures, which increases confidence in data collection and comparison.

Innovation

This is the first study to establish measurement invariance among Chinese and Ghanaians using the SEGUE Framework which assesses doctors' communication from patients' perspectives.

[Periodic dynamic observation and analysis of cellular and humoral immunity indexes of adults infected with Omicron BA.1]

Objective: To analyze the immunological characteristics and antibody changes of patients infected with the Omicron BA.1 and evaluate the possibility of secondary infection. Methods: A total of 104 patients infected with Omicron BA.1 in the Jinnan District of Tianjin from January 8 to February 2, 2022, were included in the study. The control group and case group were matched 1∶1 based on age, sex and vaccination status. Serum was collected from the case group and control group at 3, 6 and 9 months after infection. The serum levels of interleukin4 (IL-4), IL-5 and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), as well as the positive rates of IgG, IgG1 and IgG2, were detected by ELISA. Results: The highest concentration of IFN-γ in the case group at 6 months after infection was 145.4 pg/ml, followed by a decrease in concentration. The concentrations of IL-4 and IL-5 began to decrease at 6 months after infection (all P<0.001). There was no significant difference in the IgG2 positive rate between the case group and the control group at 6 months after BA.1 infection. However, at 9 months, there was a significant decrease compared to the control group (P=0.003). The ratio of IFN-γ/IL4 at 3 months after infection in the case group was lower than that in the control group (P<0.001). There was no significant difference in the ratio between the case group and the control group at 9 months after infection. Conclusion: The cellular immune function has been impaired at 3 months after infection with BA.1, and the specific cellular immune and humoral immune functions decrease significantly after 6 months, and the risk of secondary infection increases.

Delta-Radiomics Guides Adaptive De-Intensification after Induction Chemotherapy in Locoregionally Advanced Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma in the IMRT Era

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

In the setting of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and induction chemotherapy (IC), the benefits from concurrent chemotherapy remained controversial for locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LANPC). This study aimed to construct a delta-radiomics model for benefit prediction and patient selection for omitting concurrent chemotherapy.

MATERIALS/METHODS

Between December 2009 and December 2015, a total of 718 patients with LANPC treated with IC+IMRT or IC+concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) were retrospectively enrolled and randomly assigned to a training set (n = 503) and a validation set (n = 215). Radiomic features were extracted from magnetic resonance images of pre-IC and post-IC. Interclass correlation coefficients and Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to select robust radiomic features. After univariate Cox analysis, a delta-radiomics signature was built using the LASSO-Cox regression. A nomogram incorporating the delta-radiomics signature and clinical prognostic factors was then developed and evaluated for calibration and discrimination. Risk stratification by the nomogram was evaluated by Kaplan-Meier methods. The primary outcome was overall survival (OS).

RESULTS

The delta-radiomics signature, which comprised 19 selected features, was independently associated with prognosis. It yielded an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.77 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.71 to 0.82) for the training set and 0.71 (95% CI 0.61 to 0.81) for the validation set. The nomogram composed of the delta-radiomic signature, age, T category, N category, pre-treatment Epstein-Barr virus DNA, and treatment showed great calibration and discrimination performance with an AUC of 0.80 (95% CI 0.75 to 0.85) for the training set and 0.75 (95% CI 0.64 to 0.85) for the validation set. Risk stratification by the nomogram excluding the treatment variable resulted in two risk groups with distinct OS. Significant better outcomes were observed in the high-risk patients with IC+CCRT compared to those with IC+IMRT (5-year OS: 73.8% vs. 61.4% in the training set and 85.8% vs. 65.6% in the validation set; all log-rank p < 0.05), while comparable outcomes between IC+CCRT and IC+IMRT were shown for the low-risk patients (95.8% vs. 95.8% in the training set and 92.2% vs. 88.3% in the validation set; all log-rank p > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The delta-radiomics signature was identified as an independent indicator of LANPC. Integrating clinical predictors with the delta-radiomics signature, the radiomics-based nomogram could predict individual's survival outcomes and benefits from concurrent chemotherapy after IC for LANPC. Low-risk patients with LANPC determined by the nomogram may be potential candidates for omission of concurrent chemotherapy following IC in the IMRT era.

Rapid Unpaired CBCT-Based Synthetic CT for CBCT-Guided Adaptive Radiotherapy

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Quantitative cone beam CT (CBCT) is the foundation for image-guided radiation therapy, improving treatment setup, tumor delineation and dose calculation. However, CBCT images suffer from severe artifacts, limiting clinical utility. Deep learning can overcome these limitations, boosting radiographic and dosimetric quality critical for online adaptive radiotherapy (ART). We hypothesize adapted contrastive unpaired translation (CUT), a recent method for image-to-image translation of photographic images, can improve CBCT quality while reducing compute time, demonstrating utility for ART.

MATERIALS/METHODS

Same-day CBCT and quality assurance CT (QACT) images acquired from 79 patients receiving proton therapy for prostate cancer between 2019 and 2020 at a single institution were retrospectively collected. QACT images were acquired for quality assurance in accordance with institutional policy. Seventy-nine patients yielded 102 non-contrast CBCT-QACT image sets. Each QACT image was rigidly registered to the corresponding CBCT and resampled to 1 × 1 × 2 mm to establish uniform voxel size and spacing. CBCT images were randomly shuffled prior to input to the CUT model for unsupervised training and QACT-quality synthetic CT images were generated as outputs. We compared mean absolute error (MAE), structural similarity index measure (SSIM), and Fréchet inception distance (FID) against same-day QACT.

RESULTS

MAE, SSIM, and FID were compared for the CycleGAN and CUT data relative to input QACT and are reported as the mean across five-fold cross-validation ± standard error. CUT achieved superior performance in MAE (19.5 ± 3.9 HU vs. cycleGAN 47.1 ± 25.4) and FID (31.5 ± 6.6 vs cycleGAN 75.9 ± 41.3). MAE indicates pixel-level correspondence to QACT HU intensity values, making the synthetic outputs of CUT useful for dose calculations during ART. FID further demonstrates perceptual visual similarity. SSIM for CycleGAN (0.7 ± 0.2) and CUT (0.8 ± 0.0) were similar, indicating acceptable reproducibility of global structure. CUT was faster and lighter than CycleGAN. CycleGAN contained a total of 28,286,000 parameters; CUT contained 14,703,000, approximately half that of CycleGAN. As a result, CycleGAN computes on a single CT image slice over 0.33s while CUT requires just 0.18s.

CONCLUSION

The contrastive method investigated here was demonstrated to be faster and more accurate than CycleGAN, requiring fewer networks and parameters to achieve superior performance. We demonstrated anatomic boundary preservation and HU fidelity superior to cycleGAN while significantly reducing compute time. We plan to investigate the use of these synthetic CT images in automated segmentation prior to exploration of CUT in a prospective setting.

Initial Experience with the Commercial Electron FLASH Research Extension

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

The purpose of this study was to introduce a new commercial electron FLASH system that has the potential to become widely available for FLASH researchers globally. In this study, we first present the initial acceptance and commissioning tests for the FLASH system, and second, we highlight preliminary FLASH effect results from our cell studies.

MATERIALS/METHODS

A linear accelerator was converted into a commercial research platform with the FLASH Research Extension, enabling the generation of a powerful 16 MeV electron FLASH beam. The dosimetric and stability tests were conducted using various dosimeters (i.e., radiochromic film, optically stimulated luminescent dosimeters (OSLDs), and a plane-parallel ionization chamber). To evaluate the FLASH effect, normal and cancer cell lines were FLASH irradiated using different pulse repetition frequencies (PRF) of 18 pulses/s and 180 pulses/s.

RESULTS

The electron FLASH mode was able to generate over 1 Gy per pulse at the isocenter and a dose rate of up to 690 Gy/s near the accessory mount of the Linac gantry head. The charge collected by the plane-parallel ionization chamber at the highest PRF (i.e., 180 pulses/s) showed a linear relationship with the delivered number of pulses (i.e., 1 to 99 pulses) with a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.9996. The absorbed dose measured using radiochromic film and OSLDs agreed within 3%, on average, and followed an inverse square law as the source-to-axis distance (SAD) varied for which the R2 values were 0.9972 and 0.9955 for radiochromic film and OSLDs, respectively. The profile of the FLASH beam was symmetrical but was not as flat as the conventional 16 MeV electron beam due to the use of a thinner custom scattering foil to reduce the degradation of the ultra-high dose rate. The depth-dose curve beyond the build-up region for the FLASH beam was similar to the conventional 16 MeV electron beam for which the range at 50% the maximum dose (R50) agreed within 0.5 mm. The FLASH beam output remained consistent over a 4-month period with a variation of 2.5%, on average. The FLASH sparing effect was observed in vitro for healthy human pancreatic cells. Furthermore, we observed that the highest PRF beam (180 pulses/s) was more effective at destroying pancreatic cancerous cells while minimizing damage to healthy cells compared to the lowest PRF beam (18 pulses/s).

CONCLUSION

The novel commercial FLASH Research Extension system was dosimetrically characterized for pre-clinical FLASH research, and preliminary in vitro results demonstrated the FLASH effect. Given the prevalence of linear accelerators, this new commercial system has the potential to greatly increase the access to FLASH research.

Commissioning and Initial Validation of Commercial Treatment Planning System for the Electron FLASH Research Extension

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of commissioning the 16 MeV electron FLASH beam in a commercial treatment planning system (TPS) for pre-clinical research purposes. The delivery system consisted of a new commercial solution for which a linear accelerator was modified into a FLASH Research Extension platform. Additionally, preliminary radiation biology results were highlighted to showcase the future use of this system.

MATERIALS/METHODS

To commission a commercial electron Monte Carlo (MC) for dose calculation of a 16 MeV FLASH beam in the TPS, radiochromic film was used to measure the vendor-required beam data, e.g., profiles and percent depth dose (PDD) curves for cone sizes of 6 × 6 cm2, 10 × 10 cm2, and 15 × 15 cm2 as well as an in-air profile for a 40 × 40 cm2 open field (no cone). Once the electron MC beam model was generated, additional measurements were collected for validation and compared against the calculated dose from the TPS. A treatment planning comparison between the newly commissioned FLASH beam and the conventional electron beam was conducted. Specifically, the dose-volume histograms (DVHs) for target volumes and organs at risk were investigated for skin cancer cases previously treated with conventional electron beams. Lastly, the FLASH dose distribution predicted by the electron MC for an in vitro cell study setup was validated with radiochromic film measurements, and initial radiobiology tests were conducted using FLASH and conventional dose-rate electron beams.

RESULTS

The electron MC calculated dose for the 16 MeV electron FLASH beam agreed with measured PDDs within 1% for all field sizes. The beam profile characteristics, such as penumbra, shape, and full width at half maximum, demonstrated good agreement with less than 0.5 mm difference between the TPS and measurements. There were noticeable differences in the profiles of large fields between the FLASH and conventional dose-rate beam models due to the more forward-peaked FLASH beam. For treatment planning, Regarding DVH, the FLASH dose-rate plan provided comparable plan quality to the conventional dose-rate plan, achieving adequate coverage for the target volumes and sparing the healthy organs and tissues. The electron MC dose prediction for the FLASH beam was also found to be in good agreement with the film measurements of the in vitro cell study setup. Furthermore, the FLASH beam was observed to be more effective with a 20 % increase in killing pancreatic cancer cells compared to the conventional dose rate.

CONCLUSION

The study successfully incorporated the 16 MeV electron FLASH Research Extension into the commercial TPS using electron Monte Carlo for dose calculation. This will be valuable for pre-clinical cell and animal studies. This research also enables FLASH treatment planning studies, a key component for the future implementation of FLASH into clinical care. Further research is necessary to incorporate the radiation biology effect of FLASH into the treatment planning system.

[Effect of miR-96-5p targeting IRS1 on apoptosis of PC12 cells induced by aluminum maltol]

Objective: To investigate the effect and mechanism of miR-96-5p on apoptosis of PC12 cells induced by maltol aluminum. Methods: In January 2021, PC12 cells at logarithmic growth phase were divided into blank control group and low, medium and high dose group. Cells in each group were treated with 0, 100, 200 and 400 μmol/L maltol aluminum for 24 hours respectively. Cells were collected and cell apoptosis rates were detected by flow cytometry, miR-96-5p and insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1) mRNA expressions were detected by qRT-PCR, and the protein expression levels of cysteine protease 3 (Caspase3) 、activated cysteine protease 3 (Cleaved-caspase3) 、IRS1、phosphorylated protein kinase B (p-AKT) and phosphorylated glucose synthesis kinase 3β (p-GSK3β) were detected by western blotting. The target binding relationship between miR-96-5p and IRS1 was detected by double luciferase reporter gene experiment. The miR-96-5p inhibitor cells and negative control cells were constructed after transfecting PC12 cells with miR-96-5p inhibitor for 24 hours. The cells were divided into blank control group, negative control group, aluminum exposure group, aluminum exposure+negative control group, aluminum exposure+miR-96-5p inhibition group, and miR-96-5p inhibition group. After transfecting PC12 cells with miR-96-5p inhibition and IRS1 siRNA for 24 h, the cells were divided into aluminum exposure+miR-96-5p inhibition+negative control group and aluminum exposure+miR-96-5p inhibition+IRS1 inhibition group. The control group was cultured in complete culture medium, and cells in the aluminum exposure group were treated with 200 μmol/L maltol aluminum for 24 hours. Cells in each group were collected and the apoptosis rate, miR-96-5p and IRS1 mRNA expression levels, as well as protein expression levels of Caspase3, Cleaved-caspase3, IRS1, p-AKT, and p-GSK3β were measured. Results: After 24 hours of exposure, compared with blank control group and low-dose group, the apoptosis rates, relative expressions of Caspase3 and Cleaved-caspase3 proteins, and relative expressions of miR-96-5p in the medium and high-dose groups of PC12 cells were significantly increased, while the relative expression levels of IRS1 mRNA, IRS1, p-AKT and p-GSK3β proteins were significantly decreased (P<0.05). Targetscan prediction and double luciferase report experiment both proved that IRS1 was a direct target gene of miR-96-5p. In the transfection experiment, compared with the aluminum exposure group, the apoptosis rate, the relative expressions of Caspase3 and Cleaved-caspase3 proteins, the relative expression of miR-96-5p in the aluminum exposure+miR-96-5p inhibition group were significantly decreased, while the relative expression levels of IRS1 mRNA and IRS1, p-AKT and p-GSK3β proteins were significantly increased (P<0.05). In the IRS1 low expression experiment, compared with the aluminum exposure+miR-96-5p inhibition+negative control group, the apoptosis rate, the relative expressions of Caspase3 and Cleaved-caspase3 proteins in the aluminum exposure+miR-96-5p inhibition+IRS1 inhibition group were significantly increased, while the relative expression levels of IRS1 mRNA and IRS1, p-AKT and p-GSK3β proteins were significantly decreased (P<0.05) . Conclusion: The increased expression of miR-96-5p and the targeted inhibition of IRS1 may be one of the mechanisms of apoptosis of PC12 cells induced by maltol aluminum exposure.

Release of Interface Confined Water Significantly Improves Dentin Bonding

Water residue and replacement difficulty cause insufficient adhesive infiltration in demineralized dentin matrix (DDM), which produces a defective hybrid layer and thus a bonding durability problem, severely plaguing adhesive dentistry for decades. In this study, we propose that the unique properties of a highly hydrated interface of the porous DDM can give rise to 1 new type of interface, confined liquid water, which accounts for most of the residue water and may be the main cause of insufficient infiltration. To prove our hypothesis, 3 metal ions with increasing binding affinity and complex stability (Na⁺, Ca²⁺, and Cu²⁺) were introduced respectively to coordinate negatively charged groups such as -PO₄^3-, -COO^- abundant in the DDM interface. Strong chelation of Ca²⁺ and Cu²⁺ rapidly released the confined water, significantly improving penetration of hydrophobic adhesive monomers, while Na⁺ had little effect. A significant decrease of defects in the hybrid layer and a much decreased modulus gap between the hybrid layer and the adhesive layer greatly optimized the microstructure and micromechanical properties of the tooth-resin bonding interface, thus improving the effectiveness and durability of dentin bonding substantially. This study paves the way for a solution to the core scientific issue of contemporary adhesive dentistry: water residue and replacement in dentin bonding, both theoretically and practically.

[Honokiol reduces oxidative stress by activating the SIRT3-MnSOD2 pathway to alleviate hypertriglyceridemia-induced acute pancreatitis in rats]

OBJECTIVE

To determine how honokiol affects the sirtuin-3 (SIRT3)-MnSOD2 pathway and oxidative stress in rats with hypertriglyceridemia-induced acute pancreatitis (HTGP).

METHODS

Thirty 4-week-old male SD rats were randomly divided into two groups for normal feeding and high-fat feeding for 4 weeks, after which the rats with normal feeding were randomized into control group and acute pancreatitis (AP) group (n=6), and those with high-fat feeding were divided into hypertriglyceridemia group, HTGP group, and honokiol treatment group (n=6). In AP, HTGP, and honokiol groups, AP models were established by intraperitoneal injection of cerulean; in honokiol group, the rats received an intraperitoneal injection of 5 mg/kg honokiol 15 min after cerulean injection. Serum TG, IL-6, and TNF-α levels were measured 24 h after the treatments, and pathological changes in the pancreas were observed with HE staining; The levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH) were measured, and SIRT3 and manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD2) expressions were detected using Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Transmission electron microscopy was used to examine the ultrastructure of pancreatic acinar cells and mitochondria.

RESULTS

Compared with the those with normal feeding, the rats with high-fat feeding had significantly elevated serum TG level (P < 0.05). The rat models of AP showed significantly increased serum levels of IL-6, TNF-α, and MDA and decreased GSH level and expressions of SIRT3 and MnSOD2, with obvious edema and inflammatory cell infiltration and enhanced ROS fluorescence intensity in the pancreas and ultrastructural damages of the acinar cells and mitochondria. In rats with HTGP, honokiol treatment significantly decreased serum levels of IL-6, TNF-α, and MDA, increased GSH level and SIRT3 and MnSOD2 expressions, reduced ROS production, and alleviated ultrastructural damage of the acinar cells and mitochondria in the pancreas.

CONCLUSION

Honokiol reduce oxidative stress and alleviates pancreatic injuries in HTGP rats possibly by activating the SIRT3-MnSOD2 pathway.

Formation of Re-Aggregated Neonatal Porcine Islet Clusters Improves In Vitro Function and Transplantation Outcome

Neonatal porcine islet-like cell clusters (NPICCs) are a promising source for islet cell transplantation. Excellent islet quality is important to achieve a cure for type 1 diabetes. We investigated formation of cell clusters from dispersed NPICCs on microwell cell culture plates, evaluated the composition of re-aggregated porcine islets (REPIs) and compared in vivo function by transplantation into diabetic NOD-SCID IL2rγ-/- (NSG) mice with native NPICCs. Dissociation of NPICCs into single cells and re-aggregation resulted in the formation of uniform REPI clusters. A higher prevalence of normoglycemia was observed in diabetic NSG mice after transplantation with a limited number (n = 1500) of REPIs (85.7%) versus NPICCs (n = 1500) (33.3%) (p < 0.05). Transplanted REPIs and NPICCs displayed a similar architecture of endocrine and endothelial cells. Intraperitoneal glucose tolerance tests revealed an improved beta cell function after transplantation of 1500 REPIs (AUC glucose 0-120 min 6260 ± 305.3) as compared to transplantation of 3000 native NPICCs (AUC glucose 0-120 min 8073 ± 536.2) (p < 0.01). Re-aggregation of single cells from dissociated NPICCs generates cell clusters with excellent functionality and improved in vivo function as compared to native NPICCs.

The application of targeted nanopore sequencing for the identification of pathogens and resistance genes in lower respiratory tract infections

Objectives

Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) are one of the causes of mortality among infectious diseases. Microbial cultures commonly used in clinical practice are time-consuming, have poor sensitivity to unculturable and polymicrobial patterns, and are inadequate to guide timely and accurate antibiotic therapy. We investigated the feasibility of targeted nanopore sequencing (TNPseq) for the identification of pathogen and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes across suspected patients with LRTIs. TNPseq is a novel approach, which was improved based on nanopore sequencing for the identification of bacterial and fungal infections of clinical relevance.

Methods

This prospective study recruited 146 patients suspected of having LRTIs and with a median age of 61 years. The potential pathogens in these patients were detected by both TNPseq and the traditional culture workups. We compared the performance between the two methods among 146 LRTIs-related specimens. AMR genes were also detected by TNPseq to prompt the proper utilization of antibiotics.

Results

At least one pathogen was detected in 133 (91.1%) samples by TNPseq, but only 37 (25.3%) samples contained positive isolates among 146 cultured specimens. TNPseq possessed higher sensitivity than the conventional culture method (91.1 vs. 25.3%, P < 0.001) in identifying pathogens. It detected more samples with bacterial infections (P < 0.001) and mixed infections (P < 0.001) compared with the clinical culture tests. The most frequent AMR gene identified by TNPseq was bla _TEM (n = 29), followed by bla _SHV (n = 4), bla _KPC (n = 2), bla _CTX-M (n = 2), and mecA (n = 2). Furthermore, TNPseq discovered five possible multi-drug resistance specimens.

Conclusion

TNPseq is efficient to identify pathogens early, thus assisting physicians to conduct timely and precise treatment for patients with suspected LRTIs.

[Analysis of risk factors for decompensated cirrhosis complicated with sepsis]

Objective: To investigate the related risk factors in patients with decompensated cirrhosis complicated with sepsis. Methods: 1 098 cases with decompensated cirrhosis were collected from January 2018 to December 2020. A total of 492 cases with complete data meeting the inclusion criteria were included. Among them, the sepsis group (240 cases) was complicated with sepsis and the non-sepsis group (252 cases) was not complicated with sepsis. Albumin, cholinesterase, total bilirubin, prothrombin activity, urea, creatinine, international normalized ratio and other indicators of the two groups of patients were collected. Child-Pugh classification and MELD score were performed on two groups of patients. Mann-Whitney U test was used for non-normally distributed measurement data, and rank sum test for grade data. Logistic regression analysis was performed on sepsis-related factors that may affect patients with decompensated cirrhosis complicated with sepsis. Results: 162 cases of gram negative bacteria, 76 cases of gram positive bacteria and 2 cases of Candida were detected. Child-Pugh grade C was mainly in the sepsis group, and Child- Pugh grade A and B was mainly in the non-sepsis group (z=-13.01, P＜0.05). MELD score was significantly higher in patients with sepsis than that of patients without sepsis (z=-12.30, P＜0.05). Neutrophils percentage, C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, and total bilirubin in patients with decompensated cirrhosis complicated with sepsis were 86.90% (79.00%, 91.05%), 48.48 (17.63, 97.55) mg/l,1.34 (0.40, 4.52) ng/l, and 78.50 (32.75149.80) μmol/L, which were significantly higher than that of patients without sepsis [69.55% (58.58%, 75.90%), 5.34 (5.00, 14.94) mg/l, 0.11(0.06,0.24) ng/l, 22.50(15.10,37.55) respectively] μmol/L, P＜0.05], while the albumin level, prothrombin activity level, and the cholinesterase level in sepsis patients were 27.30 (24.45, 30.60) g/L, 46.00% (33.50%, 59.00%), and 1.87 (1.29, 2.66) kU/L, respectively, which was significantly lower than the non-sepsis group [32.65 (28.95, 37.23) g/l, 73.00(59.75～84.85)%, 3.13(2.23～4.59) kU/L, P＜0.05]. Logistic regression analysis showed that serum total bilirubin, albumin, prothrombin activity level and diabetes mellitus were the independent risk factors for complicated sepsis. Conclusion: Patients with decompensated cirrhosis with poor liver function and higher MELD scores are more likely to be complicated with sepsis. Therefore, during the clinical diagnosis and treatment course, patients with decompensated cirrhosis with poor liver reserve function should be actively and dynamically monitored for infection-related indicators such as neutrophil percentage, procalcitonin, C-reactive protein, in an attempt to detect possible potential infections and sepsis, and improve early treatment and prognosis.

[Effects of composite laser technique combined with multipoint microinjection of triamcinolone acetonide in the treatment of hypertrophic scars in burn children]

Objective: To explore the effects of pulsed dye laser (PDL) and ultra-pulsed fractional carbon dioxide laser (UFCL) combined with multipoint microinjection of triamcinolone acetonide in the treatment of red hypertrophic scar at early stage in burn children. Methods: A retrospective cohort before-after control study in the same patients was conducted. From February 2019 to December 2020, a total of 67 burn children who met the inclusion criteria (32 males and 35 females, aged 1 to 12 years) with red hyperplastic scar at early stage, were treated in Hunan Provincial People's Hospital (1st Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University). All the children were treated with composite laser technique (PDL and UFCL) combined with triamcinolone acetonide (hereinafter referred to as combined treatment). After 2 months, they received the second combined treatment. Before the first combined treatment and 6 months after the last combined treatment, the scar of children was evaluated with the patient and observer scar assessment scale (POSAS) by physicians and family members. Six months after the last combined treatment, the satisfaction of the patients' family members with the efficacy was recorded and the overall satisfaction rate was calculated. Adverse reactions were recorded throughout the treatment process. Data were statistically analyzed with paired sample t test. Results: Six months after the last combined treatment, the POSAS scores of children on the thickness, blood vessels distribution, color, surface roughness, texture, scope, and overall evaluation of scar evaluated by the physicians, and the POSAS scores of children on the color, degree of pain, degree of itching, hardness, thickness, shape and size, and overall evaluation of scar evaluated by the family members were significantly lower than those before the first combined treatment (with t values of 17.32, 16.73, 15.00, 14.91, 19.62, 28.74, 29.83, 17.43, 20.52, 29.01, 28.82, 24.91, 20.30, and 42.13, respectively, P<0.01). Six months after the last combined treatment, 62 (93%), 3 (4%), and 2 (3%) children's family members were very satisfied, satisfied, and relatively satisfied with the treatment effect, respectively, and the overall satisfaction rate was 97% (65/67). Six months after the last combined treatment, no scar thickening or infection occurred in all the wounds of children. Conclusions: Composite laser technique combined with multipoint microinjection of triamcinolone acetonide in the treatment of red hypertrophic scar at early stage in burn children can improve the appearance and texture of scar, reduce scar pain and pruritus, with high satisfaction of children's family members to the treatment effect and less adverse reactions.

[Comparison of efficacy and safety between new oral anticoagulants and traditional anticoagulants in patients with liver cirrhosis requiring anticoagulant therapy]

Objective: To compare the advantages and disadvantages of new oral anticoagulants (NOACs) with traditional anticoagulants, in an attempt to evaluate their efficacy and safety in patients with liver cirrhosis requiring anticoagulant therapy. Methods: Relevant literatures were searched from PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, HowNet, Wanfang, VIP and other databases by computer retrieval. The literatures quality was evaluated by NOS. The extracted data were meta-analyzed by RevMan5.3 software. Results: A total of seven studies were included, including one randomized controlled trial and six retrospective cohort studies with a total of 3042 cases. Among them, 1677 and 1365 cases used NOACs and traditional anticoagulants. Meta-analysis results showed that compared with the traditional anticoagulant group, the NOACs group had a lower incidence of massive hemorrhage [OR=0.56, 95%CI (0.37-0.85), P＜0.01] and a higher thrombotic recanalization rate [OR=7.77, 95%CI (3.48~17.34), P＜0.01], and the difference was statistically significant, while there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in comparison to all-cause bleeding rates [OR=0.72, 95%CI (0.13-3.91), P=0.07], all-cause mortality [OR=0.72, 95%CI (0.25-2.07), P=0.54], recurrent embolism and stroke rates [OR=0.90, 95%CI (0.59-1.39), and P=0.64]. Conclusion: Compared with traditional anticoagulants, NOACs have higher safety and better efficacy in the treatment of patients with liver cirrhosis, but it has not been widely used in China. Therefore, large-scale randomized controlled trials and prospective studies are further needed to confirm it in the future.

[The role of RUNX1 in the apoptosis of epithelial cells in nasal polyps]

Objective: To explore the expression of Runt-related transcription factor 1 (RUNX1) in nasal polyps (NPs) tissues and the potential role on apoptosis of primary human nasal epithelial cells (pHNECs) in NPs. Methods: The expression level of RUNX1 in NPs tissues was determined by Western blot (WB) and immunohistochemical staining (IHC). In vitro, TNF-α (20 ng/ml) was used to stimulate pHNECs to establish the apoptosis injury model. Hoechst staining was performed to observe pHNECs apoptosis by kit. Subsequently, quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and WB were utilized to detect the expression of apoptosis-related proteins B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2), BCL2-associated X (BAX) and cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase-3 (Caspase-3) to assess the level of apoptosis. The plasmid of sh-RUNX1-6 was transfected into the pHNECs apoptosis model, then the effect of RUNX1 silence on apoptosis was evaluated by WB and flow cytometry. Statistical analysis was performed by the SPSS 19.0 and GraphPad Prism5 software. Results: The expression of RUNX1 in NPs tissue was significantly higher than that in inferior turbinates, and the difference was statistically significant (0.274±0.042 vs 0.110±0.027, t=9.675, P<0.05). Compared with the inferior turbinates, BAX and Caspase-3 expressions were increased whereas BCL-2 was decreased in NPs, and the differences were statistically significant (BAX 0.346±0.032 vs 0.302±0.037, Caspase-3 0.228±0.061 vs 0.158±0.065, BCL-2 0.090±0.047 vs 0.276±0.057, t value was 2.680, 2.361 and 7.575, respectively, all P<0.05). The expression levels of RUNX1 and apoptosis in pHNECs increased in a time-dependent manner after TNF-α exposure (P<0.05). Plasmid of sh-RUNX1-6 transfected silenced the expression of RUNX1 in pHNECs treated by TNF-α. After silencing RUNX1 in pHNECs apoptosis model, the protein levels of BAX and Caspase-3 were decreased, while the expression of BCL-2 was increased, the rate of apoptosis was decreased (P<0.05). Conclusions: RUNX1 is increased in NPs. Silencing RUNX1 can inhibit the apoptosis and reduce cell inflammatory damage of pHNECs induced by TNF-α.

Cloning, genome structure and expression analysis of MHC class I gene in Korean quail

1. The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is a highly polymorphic region of the genome essential to immune responses and animal health. However, avian MHC genetic structure is different from that of mammals. In this study, the structure and expression of Korean quail MHC class I gene was analysed.2. The quail MHC gene consisted of eight exons and seven introns. The open reading frame of the cDNA was 353 amino acids, and the molecular weight was about 38.91 kDa. Exons 1 and 2 coded for leading peptides and alpha 1 regions, respectively. Exons 3 and 4 encoded alpha 2 and alpha 3 regions. Exons 5 to 8 coded for connecting peptides and transmembrane regions/cytoplasmic regions (TM/CY). The Korean quail MHC class I amino acid sequence shared 87% to 99% homology with Japanese quail and 71% to 75% with chicken. The amino acid shared 40% and 43% homology with humans and mice, respectively.3. Real-time quantitative PCR showed that MHC-I was highly expressed in immune tissues such as the bursa of Fabricius. Moreover, the constructed evolutionary tree was consistent with accepted evolutionary pathways.4. MHC-I is closely related to the host's immune system, and these findings may help to better understand the role of Korean quail MHC-I in the immune system.

De novo ALX4 variant detected in child with non-syndromic craniosynostosis

Current understanding of the genetic factors contributing to the etiology of non-syndromic craniosynostosis (NSC) remains scarce. The present work investigated the presence of variants in ALX4, EFNA4, and TWIST1 genes in children with NSC to verify if variants within these genes may contribute to the occurrence of these abnormal phenotypes. A total of 101 children (aged 45.07±40.94 months) with NSC participated in this cross-sectional study. Parents and siblings of the probands were invited to participate. Medical and family history of craniosynostosis were documented. Biological samples were collected to obtain genomic DNA. Coding exons of human TWIST1, ALX4, and EFNA4 genes were amplified by polymerase chain reaction and Sanger sequenced. Five missense variants were identified in ALX4 in children with bilateral coronal, sagittal, and metopic synostosis. A de novo ALX4 variant, c.799G>A: p.Ala267Thr, was identified in a proband with sagittal synostosis. Three missense variants were identified in the EFNA4 gene in children with metopic and sagittal synostosis. A TWIST1 variant occurred in a child with unilateral coronal synostosis. Variants were predicted to be among the 0.1% (TWIST1, c.380C>A: p. Ala127Glu) and 1% (ALX4, c.769C>T: p.Arg257Cys, c.799G>A: p.Ala267Thr, c.929G>A: p.Gly310Asp; EFNA4, c.178C>T: p.His60Tyr, C.283A>G: p.Lys95Glu, c.349C>A: Pro117Thr) most deleterious variants in the human genome. With the exception of ALX4, c.799G>A: p.Ala267Thr, all other variants were present in at least one non-affected family member, suggesting incomplete penetrance. Thus, these variants may contribute to the development of craniosynostosis, and should not be discarded as potential candidate genes in the diagnosis of this condition.

[Progress of researches on symbionts in the management of mosquito-borne infectious diseases]

Mosquitoes are the main vectors of many infectious diseases, including malaria and yellow fever, which seriously threaten human health across the world. In addition to the use of chemical insecticides, genetic control is a new attempt to currently available interventions used for mosquito vector control. In terms of ecological safety, however, symbiotic control as a novel approach has been proposed for mosquito control. Since there are multiple symbiotic microflora inhabiting in a variety of tissues of mosquitoes, including the digestive tract, they may affect the transmission of mosquito-borne infectious diseases through affecting the lifespan, reproductive competence, and vector competence of the host. In this review, the interactions between symbionts in mosquitoes were summarized, and the research progress of mosquito-associated symbionts in the management of mosquitoborne infectious diseases was reviewed.

Influence of Solid TAIC on Crosslinking LLDPE by Electron Beam Radiation

In this work, solid triallyl isocyanurate (TAIC) has been fabricated and used as the crosslinking sensitizer for linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) crosslinking application. First, 0 phr, 1.5 phr, 3.0 phr, 4.5 phr and 6.0 phr solid TAIC have been added into the LLDPE to study the radiation crosslinking results. The resulting samples are measured by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), etc. The results reveal that the crystallinity, melt point, elongation and volume resistivity decrease when the content of solid TAIC increases in LLDPE from 0 phr to 6.0 phr. However, adding a proper amount of solid TAIC (3.0 phr) can improve the crosslinking degree and tensile strength of LLDPE. Finally, the space charge distribution of the samples has been measured, and the possible mechanism of solid TAIC that affects the LLDPE electrical properties is proposed.

Benchmark Experiment to Prove the Role of Projectile Excited States Upon the Ion Stopping in Plasmas

We report on a precision energy loss measurement and theoretical investigation of 100  keV/u helium ions in a hydrogen-discharge plasma. Collision processes of helium ions with protons, free electrons, and hydrogen atoms are ideally suited for benchmarking plasma stopping-power models. Energy loss results of our experiments are significantly higher than the predictions of traditional effective charge models. We obtained good agreement with our data by solving rate equations, where in addition to the ground state, also excited electronic configurations were considered for the projectile ions. Hence, we demonstrate that excited projectile states, resulting from collisions, leading to capture-, ionization-, and radiative-decay processes, play an important role in the stopping process in plasma.

A73 PERFORMANCE OF ASGE AND ESGE CRITERIA FOR RISK STRATIFICATION FOR CHOLEDOCHOLITHIASIS IN A REAL-WORLD SETTING

Background

Choledocholithiasis (CDL) is a common clinical entity and can lead to serious complications, such as pancreatitis or ascending cholangitis. Endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography (ERCP) is generally the first-line procedure for definitive management of CDL. ERCP has well-established adverse events. Given the risks, patients can be stratified by likelihood of finding CDL on ERCP, thus potentially avoiding an unnecessary procedure in low probability patients. There are three commonly used criteria for this – the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) 2010 criteria, the ASGE 2019 criteria, and the European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) 2019 criteria. These criteria use a mixture of biliary imaging, clinical condition, and liver biochemistry to stratify patients into low, intermediate, and high probability for CDL.

Aims

To test the performance characteristics of the ASGE 2010, ASGE 2019, and ESGE 2019 criteria for probability of CDL on a real-world sample.

Methods

We identified all adult patients who had ERCP done at our local centre for suspected CDL between 2012/01/01 and 2018/10/07. A sample of 1000 cases were chosen. We obtained the patients’ pre-procedural liver biochemistries, pre-procedural imaging in the preceding 6 months, and their ERCP reports. We used a semi-automated algorithm to determine confirmation of CDL. We inferred clinical gallstone pancreatitis using the surrogate of serum lipase at or greater than three times upper limit of normal. We could not capture clinical ascending cholangitis from the collected data. We stratified each patient according to the three guidelines and calculated their performance characteristics.

Results

After manually reviewing visits with incomplete ERCP or repeat ERCP, we analyzed 879 ERCP visits. There were 622 with stone or sludge found on ERCP. The performance characteristics of the high-probability and intermediate-probability criteria of the three guidelines are listed in the table below.

Conclusions

Our results for the 2010 ASGE guidelines high probability patients are in keeping with previous validation studies. There have been only one validation study each of the 2019 ASGE guidelines and the 2019 ESGE guidelines, and our results are different in sensitivity and negative predictive value. Future directions in refining these risk stratification tools are needed, and our project in ongoing in assessing the additional value of trends in liver biochemistry.

Funding Agencies

None

[C-reactive protein and direct bilirubin as the early diagnostic indicators of primary hepatocellular carcinoma combined with macrovascular invasion]

Objective: To explore the early clinical diagnostic indicators in patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) combined with macrovascular invasion. Methods: The clinical data of 180 cases of HCC diagnosed by histopathology examination in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from 2012 to 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. The factors influencing the development of macrovascular invasion in HCC patients were analyzed. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve) was used to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity. Results: Serum C-reactive protein (CRP) level was significantly correlated with various clinical characteristics of HCC patients, including the maximum tumor diameter, tumor number, and macrovascular invasion. Further analysis of the risk factors showed that serum direct bilirubin and CRP were independent risk factors for macrovascular invasion in HCC patients, with odds ratios of 1.747 (95% CI 1.119-2.728, P = 0.014) and 2.376 (95% CI 1.495-3.775, P < 0.001). ROC curve analysis showed that serum CRP, direct bilirubin, and the combination of the both had certain diagnostic value for hepatocellular carcinoma combined with macrovascular invasion. The area under the curve, sensitivity and specificity was 0.724, 0.668, 0.743, 79.1%, 70.1%, 79.1%, and 61.9%, 62.8%, 67.3%, respectively. Conclusion: The combination of CRP with direct bilirubin can be used as an important clinical diagnostic indicator for early diagnosis and prevention of hepatocellular carcinoma combined with macrovascular invasion.

[Effect of pulsed dye laser in combination with ultra-pulsed fractional carbon dioxide laser in treating pediatric burn scars at early stage]

Objective: To explore the effect of combined application of pulsed dye laser (PDL) and ultra-pulsed fractional carbon dioxide laser (UFCL) in the treatment of pediatric large burn scars at early stage. Methods: One hundred and twenty pediatric patients with large burn scars at early stage conforming to the study criteria were admitted to the People's Hospital of Hunan Province from January 2016 to December 2019. Their data were retrospectively analyzed by the method of single case-control study. There were 78 males and 42 females with age of (4.2±0.8) years and scar area of (100.3±0.7) cm(2). PDL combined with UFCL was used for the first time. The treatment interval of PDL was a month and the treatment interval of UFCL was 3 months. The total treatment cycle was 6 months, with 2 PDL treatments alone and two combined treatments. Before the first combined treatment and 6 months after two combined treatments, the curative effect was assessed using Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS) by doctors and family members of pediatric patients. Satisfaction degrees of the family members of pediatric patients were recorded, and the overall satisfaction rate was calculated 6 months after two combined treatments. The adverse effects during the whole treatment course were recorded. Data were statistically analyzed with paired t test. Results: (1) Six months after two combined treatments, the scores of pediatric patients' scar vascularity, pigment, thickness, relief, pliability, surface area, and overall valuation in POSAS by doctors and the scores of pain, itch, color, stiffness, thickness, irregularity, and overall valuation in POSAS by family members of pediatric patients were all significantly lower than those before the first combined treatment (t=16.6, 16.0, 16.9, 14.9, 20.8, 29.3, 30.7, 20.4, 29.3, 18.1, 27.9, 25.8, 20.8, 45.3, P<0.01). The overall evaluation scores by doctors were (8.1±0.8) and (2.7±0.6) points, and the overall evaluation scores by family members of pediatric patients were (8.2±0.8) and (2.4±0.5) points respectively before the first combined treatment and six months after two combined treatments. (2) Six months after two combined treatments, 110 (92%) family members of pediatric patients were very satisfied with the curative effect, 6 (5%) family members of pediatric patients were satisfied, and 4 (3%) family members of pediatric patients were relatively satisfied with no unsatisfied reported. The overall satisfaction rate was 97% (116/120). (3) During the treatment, pruritus and rash appeared in 5 pediatric patients 3 to 4 days after the first treatment; pigmentation appeared in 3 pediatric patients 3 weeks after the first treatment; pruritus and vesicle appeared in 1 patient 1 week after the third treatment. No adverse effects such as aggravated scar or infection were observed on the wounds. Conclusions: In treating pediatric large burn scars at early stage, PDL combined with UFCL has demonstrated significant effect with short treatment cycle, few adverse effects. The combined treatment can alleviate symptoms and improve the quality of pediatric patients' life, and is worthy to be popularized and applied in clinic.

Risk factors for disease progression in patients with mild to moderate coronavirus disease 2019-a multi-centre observational study

Objectives

Since December 2019, the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that emerged in Wuhan city has spread rapidly around the world. The risk for poor outcome dramatically increases once a patient progresses to the severe or critical stage. The present study aims to investigate the risk factors for disease progression in individuals with mild to moderate COVID-19.

Methods

We conducted a cohort study that included 1007 individuals with mild to moderate COVID-19 from three hospitals in Wuhan. Clinical characteristics and baseline laboratory findings were collected. Patients were followed up for 28 days for observation of disease progression. The end point was the progression to a more severe disease stage.

Results

During a follow up of 28 days, 720 patients (71.50%) had recovered or were symptomatically stable, 222 patients (22.05%) had progressed to severe disease, 22 patients (2.18%) had progressed to the critically ill stage and 43 patients (4.27%) had died. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models identified that increased age (hazard ratio (HR) 2.56, 95% CI 1.97–3.33), male sex (HR 1.79, 95% CI 1.41–2.28), presence of hypertension (HR 1.44, 95% CI 1.11–1.88), diabetes (HR 1.82, 95% CI 1.35–2.44), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (HR 2.01, 95% CI 1.38–2.93) and coronary artery disease (HR 1.83, 95% CI 1.26–2.66) were risk factors for disease progression. History of smoking was protective against disease progression (HR 0.56, 95% CI 0.34–0.91). Elevated procalcitonin (HR 1.72, 95% CI 1.02–2.90), urea nitrogen (HR 1.72, 95% CI 1.21–2.43), α-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase (HR 3.02, 95% CI 1.26–7.21) and D-dimer (HR 2.01, 95% CI 1.12–3.58) at baseline were also associated with risk for disease progression.

Conclusions

This study identified a panel of risk factors for disease progression in individuals with mild to moderate COVID-19.

SAT0240 THE PROGNOSIS OF TWO DISTINCT CLINICAL PHENOTYPES OF SLE-PAH

Background:

Based on the characteristics of systemic lupus erythematosus-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension (SLE-PAH), Sunet alhas put forward a scoring system to distinguish two clinical phenotypes as vasculitic and vasculopathic subtypes[1]. A weighted score ≥2 suggested a vasculitic subtype by combining two factors: The time interval between SLE and PAH diagnosis <2 years and ≥2 years were 1 and 0 point; SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) >9, 5-9 and <5 were 2, 1, 0 point, respectively. While the vasculitic subtype seemed to have poorer prognosis in Sun’s research, other study has shown controversial result[2].

Objectives:

To find out the prognosis of two distinct clinical phenotypes of SLE-PAH.

Methods:

Between 2008 and 2019, a SLE-PAH cohort confirmed by right heart catheterization (RHC) from Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital was included. Other groups of pulmonary hypertension were excluded. Based on the scoring system, patients were divided into vasculitic (weighted score≥2) and vasculopathic subtypes (weighted score<2). The endpoint was PAH-related mortality. Survival status were confirmed by clinic follow-up data or phone call.

Results:

A total of 53 SLE-PAH patients were enrolled. The cases of vasculitic and vasculopathic subtype were 14 and 39, respectively. Ten endpoint events occurred. Eight attributed to PAH and the cause could not be traced in two which were still included in study. The pooled 1-, 3-, 5-year survival rates were 85.7%, 78.6%, 65.5% in vasculitic subtype, and 93.9%, 87.5%, 87.5% in vasculopathic subtype, respectively. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed vasculitic subtype tended to have a poorer prognosis than vasculopathic subtype (p=0.16, HR 2.4, 95%CI 0.5-13.8, figure 1).

Figure 1.

Survival curves for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus-pulmonary arterial hypertension (SLE-PAH) in two distinct subtypes. RHC, Right Heart Catheterization.

Conclusion:

The prognosis of the two phenotypes of SLE-PAH was statistically indifferent while the vasculitic subtype showed a trend of worse prognosis. Further studies are needed.

References:

[1]F. Sun, Y. Lei, W. Wu, L. Guo, K. Wang, Z. Chen, W. Xu, X. Wang, T. Li, X. Zhang, S. Ye, Two distinct clinical phenotypes of pulmonary arterial hypertension secondary to systemic lupus erythematosus, Ann Rheum Dis 78(1) (2019) 148-150.

[2]J. Qian, M. Li, J. Zhao, Q. Wang, Z. Tian, X. Zeng, Inflammation in SLE-PAH: good news or not?, Ann Rheum Dis (2018).0:1–2. doi:10.1136/annrheumdis-2018-214605

Disclosure of Interests:

None declared

Effect of miR-200c on migration and proliferation of breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells and BT-549 cells and the possible mechanism

The article "Effect of miR-200c on migration and proliferation of breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells and BT-549 cells and the possible mechanism, by Y. Lei, Y. Ma, Y. Liu, X.-F. Wang, published in Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2020; 24(2):735-739. DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_202001_20053. PMID: 32016976" has been withdrawn from the authors. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause.

Social exclusion influences conditioned fear acquisition and generalization: A mediating effect from the medial prefrontal cortex

Fear acquisition and generalization play key roles in promoting the survival of mammals and contribute to anxiety disorders. While previous research has provided much evidence for the repercussions of social exclusion on mental health, how social exclusion affects fear acquisition and generalization has received scant attention. In our study, participants were divided into two groups according to two Cyberball paradigm conditions (exclusion/inclusion). Both groups underwent a Pavlovian conditioning paradigm, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), and skin conductance response (SCR) assessments. We aimed to determine the effects of social exclusion on fear acquisition and generalization and whether modulation of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) mediates this relationship. Our results showed that socially excluded participants featured significantly higher and lower shock risk scores to safety stimuli (conditioned stimulus, CS-) and threatening stimuli (CS+), respectively, than did socially included subjects during fear acquisition. The exclusion group had increased skin conductance responses (SCRs) to CS and exhibited heightened shock risk and increased SCRs to generalized stimuli compared with the inclusion group. The fNIRS results demonstrated that the CS ​+ ​evoked larger oxy-Hb changes in the mPFC in the inclusion group than in the exclusion group during fear acquisition. Furthermore, the oxy-Hb of left mPFC of CS ​+ ​mediated the effect on the association between social exclusion and perceived risk of CS+ in the fear acquisition. Our results indicate that social exclusion impairs fear acquisition and generalization via the mediation of the mPFC and that social exclusion increases susceptibility to anxiety disorders through bias processing of fear discrimination in fear acquisition and generalization. By studying the role of social relationship in fear acquisition and generalization, our research provides new insights into the pathological mechanisms of anxiety disorder.

LINC00657 promotes the development of colon cancer by activating PI3K/AKT pathway

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to explore whether LINC00657 can regulate cell proliferation and invasion by regulating the PI3K/AKT pathway and thus participate in the occurrence of colon cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) was applied to detect the expression levels of LINC00657 and E-cad in colon cancer tissues and corresponding adjacent tissues obtained from 80 patients, and the correlation was analyzed between LINC00657 expression and clinical information of patients such as prognosis, tumor size, tumor stage, and distant metastasis. The expression of LINC00657 and E-cad in colon cancer cell lines was also examined, and the effect of LINC00657 on tumor cell proliferation was evaluated by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and colony formation experiments. Meanwhile, transwell assay was performed to evaluate the influence of LINC00657 and CAPN7 on cell invasive ability. In addition, the effect of LINC00657 on CAPN7 and PI3K/AKT pathway was detected by Western blot assay.

RESULTS

The expression levels of LINC00657 and E-cad in tumor tissues decreased remarkably, especially in patients who occurred distant metastasis. Compared with patients with highly-expressed LINC00657, the patients with lower level of LINC00657 had a worse prognosis and an advanced tumor size and TNM stage. Similarly, LINC00657 and E-cad also showed a decrease in colon cancer cell lines. After overexpression of LINC00657, cell viability and invasive ability decreased remarkably while cell apoptosis rate increased significantly. In addition, high expression of LINC00657 in an in vitro model significantly promoted CAPN7 expression and inhibited activation of PI3K/AKT pathway.

CONCLUSIONS

LINC00657 had a low expression in colon cancer tissues, which could accelerate cell proliferation and invasion by activating PI3K/AKT pathway and inhibiting CAPN7 expression.

Pseudo CT Estimation using Patch-based Joint Dictionary Learning

Magnetic resonance (MR) simulators have recently gained popularity; it avoids the unnecessary radiation exposure associated with Computed Tomography (CT) when used for radiation therapy planning. We propose a method for pseudo CT estimation from MR images based on joint dictionary learning. Patient-specific anatomical features were extracted from the aligned training images and adopted as signatures for each voxel. The most relevant and informative features were identified to train the joint dictionary learning-based model. The well-trained dictionary was used to predict the pseudo CT of a new patient. This prediction technique was validated with a clinical study of 12 patients with MR and CT images of the brain. The mean absolute error (MAE), peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), normalized cross correlation (NCC) indexes were used to quantify the prediction accuracy. We compared our proposed method with a state-of-the-art dictionary learning method. Overall our proposed method significantly improves the prediction accuracy over the state-of-the-art dictionary learning method. We have investigated a novel joint dictionary Iearning- based approach to predict CT images from routine MRIs and demonstrated its reliability. This CT prediction technique could be a useful tool for MRI-based radiation treatment planning or attenuation correction for quantifying PET images for PET/MR imaging.

[Design of a multifunctional urine bag]

At present, there are many monitoring devices for vital signs parameters for clinical selection, but urine monitoring has not received enough attention. The traditional manual visual measurement, intermittent measurement of urine pH value, and other methods are still in use, so the authors designed a multifunctional urine bag. The urine bag can set up an alarm system per unit time according to patient's age and condition as well as set up urine pH value detection area in hard plastic measuring bottle. This device can not only accurately monitor urine volume per unit time, but also hopefully realize the alarm automation of abnormal urine volume per unit time, as well as real-time dynamic monitoring of urine pH value. It is helpful for medical staff to make accurate judgment on patients' condition changes, to guide the formulation and modification of clinical treatment plans, and to reduce the workload of clinical nursing staff to a certain extent.

Comparison of microRNAs in adipose and muscle tissue from seven indigenous Chinese breeds and Yorkshire pigs

Elucidation of the pig microRNAome is essential for interpreting functional elements of the genome and understanding the genetic architecture of complex traits. Here, we extracted small RNAs from skeletal muscle and adipose tissue, and we compared their expression levels between one Western breed (Yorkshire) and seven indigenous Chinese breeds. We detected the expression of 172 known porcine microRNAs (miRNAs) and 181 novel miRNAs. Differential expression analysis found 92 and 12 differentially expressed miRNAs in adipose and muscle tissue respectively. We found that different Chinese breeds shared common directional miRNA expression changes compared to Yorkshire pigs. Some miRNAs differentially expressed across multiple Chinese breeds, including ssc-miR-129-5p, ssc-miR-30 and ssc-miR-150, are involved in adipose tissue function. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that the target genes of the differentially expressed miRNAs are associated mainly with signaling pathways rather than metabolic and biosynthetic processes. The miRNA-target gene and miRNA-phenotypic traits networks identified many hub miRNAs that regulate a large number of target genes or phenotypic traits. Specifically, we found that intramuscular fat content is regulated by the greatest number of miRNAs in muscle tissue. This study provides valuable new candidate miRNAs that will aid in the improvement of meat quality and production.