Circ-FOXO3 inhibits triple-negative breast cancer growth and metastasis via regulating WHSC1-H3K36me2-Zeb2 axis

Circular RNAs (circRNAs), a subclass of non-coding RNAs characterized by covalently closed continuous loops, play a key role in tumorigenesis and aggressiveness. However, the potential molecular mechanism of circRNAs in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) remains largely unknown. Exploring their roles and mechanisms in TNBC progression may help identify new diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets. In this study, we found that circ-FOXO3 was dramatically downregulated in TNBC tissues and blood samples from patients with TNBC. Notably, low circ-FOXO3 expression in TNBC tissues and bloods was associated with lymph node metastasis and unfavorable outcomes in patients with TNBC. Overexpression of circ-FOXO3 significantly inhibited the growth, invasion, and metastasis of TNBC cells both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, we demonstrated that circ-FOXO3 was predominantly expressed in the cytoplasm and directly interacted with Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome candidate 1 (WHSC1), thereby inhibiting WHSC1 nuclear localization and activity, resulting in the inhibition of H3K36me2 modifications at the Zeb2 promoter, ultimately inhibiting Zeb2 expression and halting TNBC growth and metastasis. Taken together, these results reveal the tumor-suppressive functions of circ-FOXO3 in inhibiting WHSC1-mediated H3K36me2 modification of Zeb2, suggesting that circ-FOXO3 could serve as a potential novel predictive prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for TNBC.

Visualizable intracardiac flow pattern in fetuses with congenital heart defect: pilot study of blood speckle-tracking echocardiography

OBJECTIVES

Blood-flow pattern is an essential factor in cardiovascular development. Recently, blood speckle-tracking echocardiography (BST) based on high-frame-rate ultrasound has emerged as a promising technique for the assessment of blood-flow patterns and properties. The objectives of this study were to determine the feasibility of BST in the fetus and to assess intracardiac blood-flow patterns of fetuses with a congenital heart defect (CHD) using this technique.

METHODS

This was a prospective study consisting of 35 normal fetuses, 35 fetuses with left-sided obstructive lesion (LSOL) and 35 fetuses with right-sided obstructive lesion (RSOL). BST images of fetal intracardiac regions of interest (ROIs), including the left ventricle (LV), right ventricle (RV), ascending aorta (AAo), aortic arch (AA), descending aorta (DAo) and pulmonary artery (PA), were obtained and analyzed. The feasibility of BST was assessed, and blood-flow pattern and number of vortices in the ROIs were recorded.

RESULTS

The median gestational age of the fetuses was 24.7 weeks (range, 19.6-34.3 weeks). BST was feasible in 81.6% of cases, and the cut-off value of depth for an adequate BST image was ≤ 7.9 cm. There were no differences in the presence of vortex/turbulent blood flow in the LV or RV among the three groups. Vortex/turbulent blood flow in the AAo was detected in 0% (0/35), 14.3% (5/35) and 57.1% (20/35) of cases in the control, LSOL and RSOL groups, respectively. The respective values were 5.7% (2/35), 14.3% (5/35) and 51.4% (18/35) for the AA; 0% (0/35), 48.6% (17/35) and 0% (0/35) for the DAo; and 0% (0/35), 40.0% (14/35) and 51.4% (18/35) for the PA. With the exception of the DAo in the RSOL group, vortex/turbulent flow in the great artery ROIs was significantly more common in the LSOL and RSOL groups than in controls (P < 0.01). In the LSOL group, the number of vortices in the AAo, AA, DAo and PA was significantly greater compared with that in controls (P < 0.01). In the RSOL group, the number of vortices in the LV, AAo, AA and PA was significantly greater compared with that in controls (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Fetuses with CHD were more likely to exhibit vortex/turbulent blood flow and increased number of vortices in the great arteries compared with healthy controls. Further research is needed to determine the biomechanical effect of blood-flow patterns, especially vortex flow, on fetal cardiovascular structure and function. © 2023 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Multi-scale structural characteristics of black Tartary buckwheat resistant starch by autoclaving combined with debranching modification

The impact of autoclaving or autoclave-debranching treatments on the multi-scale structure of resistant starch (RS) and the relationship with starch digestion remains unclear, despite their widespread use in its preparation. This work investigated the relationship between RS structure in black Tartary buckwheat and its digestibility by analyzing the effects of autoclaving and autoclave-debranching combined treatments on the multi-scale structure of RS. The results showed that black Tartary buckwheat RS exhibited a more extensive honeycomb-like network structure and enhanced thermal stability than either black Tartary buckwheat native starch (BTBNS) or common buckwheat native starch (CBNS). Autoclaving and autoclaving-debranching converted A-type native starch to V-type and possibly the formation of flavonoid-starch complexes. Autoclaving treatment significantly increased the proportion of short A chain (DP 6-12) and the amylose (AM) content, reduced the viscosity and the total crystallinity. Notably, the autoclave-debranching co-treatment significantly enhanced the resistance of starch to digestion, promoted the formation of perfect microcrystallines, and increased the AM content, short-range ordered degree, and the proportion of long B2 chain (DP 25-36). This study reveals the relationship between the multi-scale structure and digestibility of black Tartary buckwheat RS by autoclaving combined with debranching modification.

JAZF1 safeguards human endometrial stromal cells survival and decidualization by repressing the transcription of G0S2

Decidualization of human endometrial stromal cells (hESCs) is essential for the maintenance of pregnancy, which depends on the fine-tuned regulation of hESCs survival, and its perturbation contributes to pregnancy loss. However, the underlying mechanisms responsible for functional deficits in decidua from recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) patients have not been elucidated. Here, we observed that JAZF1 was significantly downregulated in stromal cells from RSA decidua. JAZF1 depletion in hESCs resulted in defective decidualization and cell death through apoptosis. Further experiments uncovered G0S2 as a important driver of hESCs apoptosis and decidualization, whose transcription was repressed by JAZF1 via interaction with G0S2 activator Purβ. Moreover, the pattern of low JAZF1, high G0S2 and excessive apoptosis in decidua were consistently observed in RSA patients. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that JAZF1 governs hESCs survival and decidualization by repressing G0S2 transcription via restricting the activity of Purβ, and highlight the clinical implications of these mechanisms in the pathology of RSA.

Improved Measurement of the Evolution of the Reactor Antineutrino Flux and Spectrum at Daya Bay

Reactor neutrino experiments play a crucial role in advancing our knowledge of neutrinos. In this Letter, the evolution of the flux and spectrum as a function of the reactor isotopic content is reported in terms of the inverse-beta-decay yield at Daya Bay with 1958 days of data and improved systematic uncertainties. These measurements are compared with two signature model predictions: the Huber-Mueller model based on the conversion method and the SM2018 model based on the summation method. The measured average flux and spectrum, as well as the flux evolution with the ^{239}Pu isotopic fraction, are inconsistent with the predictions of the Huber-Mueller model. In contrast, the SM2018 model is shown to agree with the average flux and its evolution but fails to describe the energy spectrum. Altering the predicted inverse-beta-decay spectrum from ^{239}Pu fission does not improve the agreement with the measurement for either model. The models can be brought into better agreement with the measurements if either the predicted spectrum due to ^{235}U fission is changed or the predicted ^{235}U, ^{238}U, ^{239}Pu, and ^{241}Pu spectra are changed in equal measure.

Precision Measurement of Reactor Antineutrino Oscillation at Kilometer-Scale Baselines by Daya Bay

We present a new determination of the smallest neutrino mixing angle θ_{13} and the mass-squared difference Δm_{32}^{2} using a final sample of 5.55×10^{6} inverse beta-decay (IBD) candidates with the final-state neutron captured on gadolinium. This sample is selected from the complete dataset obtained by the Daya Bay reactor neutrino experiment in 3158 days of operation. Compared to the previous Daya Bay results, selection of IBD candidates has been optimized, energy calibration refined, and treatment of backgrounds further improved. The resulting oscillation parameters are sin^{2}2θ_{13}=0.0851±0.0024, Δm_{32}^{2}=(2.466±0.060)×10^{-3}  eV^{2} for the normal mass ordering or Δm_{32}^{2}=-(2.571±0.060)×10^{-3}  eV^{2} for the inverted mass ordering.

Impaired ascending aortic elasticity in fetuses with tetralogy of Fallot

OBJECTIVES

Aortic wall stiffness has been reported in infants with tetralogy of Fallot (ToF) and may contribute to long-term aortic dilation even after corrective repair surgery. However, little is known about aortic elasticity in fetuses with ToF and the association with neonatal aortic dilation. The objectives of this study were to assess measures of elasticity of the ascending aorta (AAo) in fetuses with ToF and explore the association with neonatal aortic annular dilation in this population.

METHODS

Seventy-six singleton fetuses with ToF and 76 control fetuses of singleton low-risk pregnancies were enroled into this prospective study. Fetal measures of AAo elasticity, including mean longitudinal strain (MLS), global circumferential strain (GCS) and fractional area change (FAC), were assessed by velocity vector imaging. The z-score of the aortic valve (AV) diameter at the level of the annulus, as a measure of aortic annular dilation, was determined in newborns. Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the association between fetal measures of AAo elasticity and neonatal aortic annular dilation (defined as an AV annular z-score > 2) in cases with ToF identified prenatally.

RESULTS

Median MLS, GCS and FAC in fetuses with ToF were lower than those in normal fetuses (7.52% vs 12.15% for MLS, 22.05% vs 29.73% for GCS and 34.2% vs 48.3% for FAC, all P < 0.001). Aortic annular dilation was present in 53/76 (69.7%) newborns with ToF. After adjustment for gestational age at fetal echocardiography and birth weight, fetal MLS, GCS and FAC were independently associated with aortic annular dilation neonatally, with odds ratios of 0.66, 0.78 and 0.82, respectively (P < 0.05). The best cut-off values of these prenatal measures of AAo elasticity for predicting neonatal aortic annular dilation in fetuses with ToF were 9.02% for MLS, 23.56% for GCS and 37.2% for FAC (P < 0.001), with areas under the receiver-operating-characteristics curves of 0.94, 0.91 and 0.93, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Measures of AAo elasticity are decreased in fetuses with ToF. Impaired AAo elasticity in the fetal period is associated with aortic annular dilation postnatally. Additional research is needed to evaluate the relationship between the AAo elasticity injury pattern and degeneration of AAo elasticity under stress as well as the long-term outcome in this population. © 2022 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

A review of ten years of experience using dexamethasone intravitreal implants (Ozurdex) for uveitis

Uveitis is a type of ocular inflammatory disease caused by various etiologies, for which corticosteroids are the main treatment. Dexamethasone Intravitreal implant (DEX-I) has been widely used in the treatment of uveitis across the world. Then, new indications and complications appeared. This review aims to summarize the use of DEX-I in uveitis in the past 10 years. We summarized the clinical data (baseline characteristics, efficacy and safety) and discussed controversies by retrospectively analyzing the articles and cases published in PubMed and Web of Science using the terms "Ozurdex", OR "intravitreal dexamethasone implant", AND "uveitis" from 2010 to 2022. DEX-I is effective in reducing edema, improving inflammation and improving vision when treating various conditions of uveitis including infectious, no-infectious, pediatric uveitis, and surgery-related applications. The efficacy of DEX-I as a monotherapy is related to the following: etiology and course of disease, treatment of systemic diseases, patients' toleration after multiple injections, economic situation, etc. In addition, intravitreal corticosteroids implantation may replace systemic therapy in some patients. In terms of safety, the incidence of high intraocular pressure is about 20.52%, and the incidence of cataract is about 15.51%. DEX-I can effectively treat non-infectious uveitis and some infectious uveitis such as suspected tuberculosis, and its safety is controllable. Further studies are necessary to evaluate the effect of monotherapy and to expand more indications.

TNFα/TNFR1 signal induces excessive senescence of decidua stromal cells in recurrent pregnancy loss

Defects in decidual response are associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes which includes recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL). It is reported that cellular senescence happens during decidualization and pro-senescent decidual response in the luteal phase endometrium is related to RPL. However, the underlying mechanisms of how excessive decidual senescence takes place in RPL decidua cells remain largely unexplored. The senescent phenotype of RPL decidua and tumor necrosis factor receptor 1(TNFR1) expression were analyzed by using our previously published single-cell sequencing dataset of decidua cells from 6 RPL and 5 matched normal decidua, which were further verified by PCR and WB in decidual tissues. Effects of TNFα on the decidual stromal cells (DSCs) senescence and underlying molecular pathways were analyzed using the in vitro decidualization model of human endometrial stromal cells (HESCs). We showed that decidual stroma cells from RPL patients exhibited transcriptomic features of cellular senescence by analysis of single-cell datasets. The TNFα level and TNFR1 expression were increased in RPL decidua tissues. Furthermore, in vitro cell model demonstrated that increased TNFα induced excessive senescence during decidualization and TNFR1/p53/p16 pathway mediates TNFα-induced stromal senescence. In addition, we also found that the expression of IGFBP1 was regulated by TNFα-TNFR1 interaction during decidualization. Taken together, the present findings suggest that the increased secretion of TNFα induced stromal cell excessive senescence in RPL decidua, which is mediated via TNFR1, and thus provide a possible therapeutic target for the treatment of RPL.

Fundus-Vascular Responses to Color Deviation Caused by Non-Oxidative Blue Filtering

Aims

Short-wavelength blue light damaged retina by the oxidative stress in the retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. Filtering blue light from screen could reduce blue hazard, whereas it inevitably altered color-gamut coverage and color-deviation level. Although abnormal fundus-vascular density (FVD) sometimes indicated fundus disease, few researchers noticed its responses to the variation of color-gamut coverage and color-deviation level.

Methods

In this study, we performed cellular experiments and analyzed the RPE cell viabilities (CVs) in spectrums with different blue (455-475 nm) ratios to describe the corresponding oxidative-stress levels. Further, we investigated the effects of color-gamut and deviation on FVD variations during the screen-watching task using human factor experiments with 30 participants (university students, including 17 males and 13 females, 21 to 30 years old).

Results

RPE CVs were similar in different spectrums, implying that non-oxidative blue filtering hardly contributed to CV improvement. Color-deviation level seems to induce more significant effects on the visual function compared to color-gamut coverage, and MTF and FVD presents similar variation trends during the visual task.

Conclusion

Oxidative-free blue filtering contributed little to decrease retinal oxidative stress yet caused color-deviation increase, which caused significant FVD reduction.

Association between maternal oxygenation and brain growth in fetuses with left-sided cardiac obstructive lesions

OBJECTIVE

Impaired brain growth has been observed in fetuses with left-sided obstructive lesions (LSOL). Maternal oxygenation (MO) can alter fetal cerebral oxygenation and vascular reactivity. Our aim was to observe whether brain growth improves during MO in fetuses with LSOL.

METHODS

Forty-six fetuses with LSOL and 23 control fetuses were enrolled in this prospective longitudinal study. Fetuses with LSOL were subgrouped into those with MO (LSOL-MO, n = 23) and those without MO (LSOL-nMO, n = 23). Fetal head circumference (HC) and total intracranial volume (TIV) were evaluated serially at 4-week intervals. Brain biometry and growth were analyzed using linear mixed models adjusted for gestational age and sex. Spearman's correlation coefficients were calculated to identify baseline characteristics predictive of brain growth in the LSOL-MO group.

RESULTS

Duration of MO therapy had significant interaction effects on cerebral biometry in fetuses with LSOL. TIV increased more rapidly after 8 weeks of oxygen exposure and HC was larger after 16 weeks of oxygen exposure in the LSOL-MO group compared with the LSOL-nMO group (P &lt; 0.001). The change in TIV at the final time- point relative to the initial timepoint in the LSOL-MO group correlated negatively with the baseline pulsatility index of the middle cerebral artery (r = -0.58, P = 0.003) and baseline myocardial performance index of the left ventricle (r = -0.68, P &lt; 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

TIV and HC increased faster in fetuses with LSOL which had MO compared with those that did not. Lower cerebral vascular resistance and preserved left heart function at baseline may predict greater cerebral biometric growth during MO. Additional research, including larger serial studies, is needed to confirm these preliminary findings and evaluate the clinical application of MO in this population. © 2022 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Exploring the Mechanism of the Baishao Luoshi Formula Against Post-stroke spasticity by Network Pharmacology and Experimental Validation

Background:

Post-stroke spasticity (PSS) is a major cause of disability leading to severely impaired upper-limb flexibility and ability to walk and move, significantly affecting the quality of life of cerebral infarction patients. There is currently no recognized effective therapy. Alternatively, Chinese traditional medicine has shown promise for PSS treatment. In this regard, the BSLSF has been reported to be effective; however, its underlying mechanism remains unclear.

Objective:

To clarify the main targets and pathways of Baishao Luoshi Formula (BSLSF) during PSS treatment, laying the foundation for further research on its pharmacological effects.

Method:

In this study, network pharmacology and experimental verification were conducted to explore the potential mechanism of BSLSF systematically. After obtaining active ingredients of BSLSF from the TCMSP database, SwissTarget-Prediction and PharMapper were used to uncover BSLSF targets. PSS-related targets were gathered with GeneCards and Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man. The differentially expressed genes between BSLSF and PSS were identified by a Venn plot. The drug-active ingredient-target interaction network and Protein-protein interaction (PPI) were constructed using Cytoscape and further analyzed using the MCC algorithm of CytoHubba plugin.Then, Pathway enrichment and GO biological process enrichment analyses were performed. Subsequently, a mice model of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) was established for the in vivo experiments.

Result:

We found that AKT1, TNF, CASP3, VEGFA, and CREB1 were potential targets during PSS treatment. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses showed that the mechanism of PSS was closely related to synaptic plasticity. And the immunohistochemical staining showed that BSLSF protected against ischemic stroke via the CCR5/CREB signaling pathway and probably affected synaptic plasticity.

Conclusion:

our study validated that treatment with BSLSF protected against ischemic stroke via the CCR5/CREB signaling pathway and could affect synaptic plasticity. In a sense, this study provides the basis for further extensive and in-depth analysis of BSLSF, enabling the quest for new drug targets at the same time.

Deep Underground Laboratory Measurement of ^{13}C(α,n)^{16}O in the Gamow Windows of the s and i Processes

The ^{13}C(α,n)^{16}O reaction is the main neutron source for the slow-neutron-capture process in asymptotic giant branch stars and for the intermediate process. Direct measurements at astrophysical energies in above-ground laboratories are hindered by the extremely small cross sections and vast cosmic-ray-induced background. We performed the first consistent direct measurement in the range of E_{c.m.}=0.24 to 1.9 MeV using the accelerators at the China Jinping Underground Laboratory and Sichuan University. Our measurement covers almost the entire intermediate process Gamow window in which the large uncertainty of the previous experiments has been reduced from 60% down to 15%, eliminates the large systematic uncertainty in the extrapolation arising from the inconsistency of existing datasets, and provides a more reliable reaction rate for the studies of the slow-neutron-capture and intermediate processes along with the first direct determination of the alpha strength for the near-threshold state.

ALKBH5-mediated m6A demethylation of GLUT4 mRNA promotes glycolysis and resistance to HER2-targeted therapy in breast cancer

Resistance to HER2-targeted therapy represents a significant challenge for the successful treatment of breast cancer patients with HER2-positive tumors. Through a global mass spectrometry-based proteomics approach, we discovered that the expression of the N6-methyladenosine (m6A) demethylase ALKBH5 was significantly upregulated in HER2-targeted therapy-resistant breast cancer cells. Elevated expression of ALKBH5 was sufficient to confer resistance to HER2-targeted therapy, and specific knockdown of ALKBH5 rescued the efficacy of trastuzumab and lapatinib in resistant breast cancer cells. Mechanistically, ALKBH5 promoted m6A demethylation of GLUT4 mRNA and increased GLUT4 mRNA stability in a YTHDF2-dependent manner, resulting in enhanced glycolysis in resistant breast cancer cells. In breast cancer tissues obtained from patients with poor response to HER2-targeted therapy, increased expression of ALKBH5 or GLUT4 was observed and was significantly associated with poor prognosis in the patients. Moreover, suppression of GLUT4 via genetic knockdown or pharmacological targeting with a specific inhibitor profoundly restored the response of resistant breast cancer cells to trastuzumab and lapatinib both in vitro and in vivo. In conclusion, ALKBH5-mediated m6A demethylation of GLUT4 mRNA promotes resistance to HER2-targeted therapy, and targeting the ALKBH5/GLUT4 axis has therapeutic potential for treating breast cancer patients refractory to HER2-targeted therapies.

Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) DYRK2 modulates cell apoptosis through phosphorylating p53

In mammals, DYRK2 increases p53 phosphorylation level by interacting with it and then promotes cell apoptosis. However, the function of fish DYRK2 has not yet been elucidated. In this paper, we cloned and identified the coding sequence (CDS) of a grass carp DYRK2 (CiDYRK2) which is 1773 bp in length and encodes 590 amino acids. SMART predictive analysis showed that CiDYRK2 possesses a serine/threonine kinase domain. Subsequently, we used the dsRNA analog polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly (I:C) and Grass carp reovirus (GCRV) to stimulate grass carp and CIK cells for different times and found that CiDYRK2 mRNA was significantly up-regulated both in fish tissues and cells. To explore the function of CiDYRK2, we carried out overexpression and knockdown experiments of CiDYRK2 in CIK cells. Real-time quantitative PCR (Q-PCR), TdT-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay and flow cytometry were used to detect the ratio of BAX/BCL-2 mRNA, the number of TUNEL positive cells, the proportion of Annexin V-positive cells respectively. The results showed that CiDYRK2 significantly up-regulated BAX/Bcl-2 mRNA ratio and increased the number of TUNEL-positive cells, as well as the proportion of Annexin V-positive cells. On the contrary, knock-down of CiDYRK2 significantly down-regulated BAX/Bcl-2 mRNA ratio in the cells. Therefore, CiDYRK2 promoted cell apoptosis. To study the molecular mechanism by which CiDYRK2 promoting cell apoptosis, subcellular localization and immunoprecipitation experiments were used to study the relationship between grass carp DYRK2 and the pro-apoptotic protein p53. The results showed that CiDYRK2 and Cip53 were located and co-localized in the nucleus. Co-immunoprecipitation experiment also showed that CiDYRK2 and Cip53 can bind with each other. We further found that DYRK2 can increase the phosphorylation level of p53. In a word, our results showed that grass carp DYRK2 induces cell apoptosis by increasing the phosphorylation level of p53.

First Measurement of High-Energy Reactor Antineutrinos at Daya Bay

This Letter reports the first measurement of high-energy reactor antineutrinos at Daya Bay, with nearly 9000 inverse beta decay candidates in the prompt energy region of 8-12 MeV observed over 1958 days of data collection. A multivariate analysis is used to separate 2500 signal events from background statistically. The hypothesis of no reactor antineutrinos with neutrino energy above 10 MeV is rejected with a significance of 6.2 standard deviations. A 29% antineutrino flux deficit in the prompt energy region of 8-11 MeV is observed compared to a recent model prediction. We provide the unfolded antineutrino spectrum above 7 MeV as a data-based reference for other experiments. This result provides the first direct observation of the production of antineutrinos from several high-Q_{β} isotopes in commercial reactors.

Charge and Spin Order Dichotomy in NdNiO_{2} Driven by the Capping Layer

Superconductivity in infinite-layer nickelates holds exciting analogies with that of cuprates, with similar structures and 3d-electron count. Using resonant inelastic x-ray scattering, we studied electronic and magnetic excitations and charge density correlations in Nd_{1-x}Sr_{x}NiO_{2} thin films with and without an SrTiO_{3} capping layer. We observe dispersing magnons only in the capped samples, progressively dampened at higher doping. We detect an elastic resonant scattering peak in the uncapped x=0 compound at wave vector (∼⅓,0), remindful of the charge order signal in hole doped cuprates. The peak weakens at x=0.05 and disappears in the superconducting x=0.20 film. The role of the capping on the electronic reconstruction far from the interface remains to be understood.

Grass Carp Mex3A Promotes Ubiquitination and Degradation of RIG-I to Inhibit Innate Immune Response

As one of the Mex3 family members, Mex3A is crucial in cell proliferation, migration, and apoptosis in mammals. In this study, a novel gene homologous to mammalian Mex3A (named CiMex3A, MW368974) was cloned and identified in grass carp, which is 1,521 bp in length encoding a putative polypeptide of 506 amino acids. In CIK cells, CiMex3A is upregulated after stimulation with LPS, Z-DNA, and especially with intracellular poly(I:C). CiMex3A overexpression reduces the expressions of IFN1, ISG15, and pro-inflammatory factors IL8 and TNFα; likewise, Mex3A inhibits IRF3 phosphorylation upon treatment with poly(I:C). A screening test to identify potential targets suggested that CiMex3A interacts with RIG-I exclusively. Co-localization analysis showed that Mex3A and RIG-I are simultaneously located in the endoplasmic reticulum, while they rarely appear in the endosome, mitochondria, or lysosome after exposure to poly(I:C). However, RIG-I is mainly located in the early endosome and then transferred to the late endosome following stimulation with poly(I:C). Moreover, we investigated the molecular mechanism underlying CiMex3A-mediated suppression of RIG-I ubiquitination. The results demonstrated that Mex3A truncation mutant (deletion in the RING domain) can still interact physically with RIG-I, but fail to degrade it, suggesting that Mex3A also acts as a RING-type E3 ubiquitin ligase. Taken together, this study showed that grass carp Mex3A can interact with RIG-I in the endoplasmic reticulum following poly(I:C) stimulation, and then Mex3A facilitates the ubiquitination and degradation of RIG-I to inhibit IRF3-mediated innate antiviral immune response.

Association between the second-stage duration of labor and perinatal outcomes in women with a prior cesarean delivery

Background

The cesarean delivery (CD) rate has been increasing globally. Trial of labor after cesarean delivery (TOLAC) has been used as a key method for the reduction of the CD rate. Little is known, however, about the association between the second-stage duration of TOLAC and adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. This study evaluated the association between perinatal outcomes and the duration of second-stage labor in women undergoing TOLAC.

Methods

A 10-year retrospective cohort study was performed at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, between January 2010 and January 2020. Women undergoing TOLAC who reached the second stage of labor were included in this study. Duration of the second stage of labor was examined as a categorical variable (group I: <0.5 h, group II: 0.5–2 h and group III: ≥2 h) and as a continuous variable to evaluate the association with adverse perinatal outcomes by using multivariable regression models and a Cox proportional hazards regression model adjusting for potential confounders.

Results

Of the 1,174 women who met the inclusion criteria, the median (interquartile range) length of the second stage was 0.5 h (0.3–0.9 h). Among them, 1,143 (97.4%) delivered vaginally and 31 underwent an unplanned CD. As the second-stage duration increased, operative vaginal delivery (OVD), CD, and postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) rates increased. Women in group III had higher risks of OVD (aOR = 11.34; 95% CI [5.06–25.41]), CD (aOR = 4.22; 95% CI [1.32–13.43]), and PPH (aOR = 2.43; 95% CI [1.31–4.50]) compared with group I. Correspondingly, blood loss and the oxytocin used to treat PPH increased significantly, while the postpartum hemoglobin reduced significantly in group III compared with group I. The incidence of uterine rupture, uterine atony, cervical laceration, red blood cell transfusion, and intensive care unit admission were similar in all three groups. Neonatal outcomes were not affected by the second-stage duration.

Conclusions

Women undergoing TOLAC with second-stage duration of ≥2 h have higher odds of OVD, unplanned intrapartum CD, and PPH.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12884-022-04871-0.

Tumor-associated macrophages promote epithelial-mesenchymal transition and the cancer stem cell properties in triple-negative breast cancer through CCL2/AKT/β-catenin signaling

BACKGROUND

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly aggressive subtype of breast cancer with poor prognosis and limited treatment. As a major component of the tumor microenvironment, tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) play an important role in facilitating the aggressive behavior of TNBC. This study aimed to explore the novel mechanism of TAMs in the regulation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cancer stem cell (CSC) properties in TNBC.

METHODS

Expression of the M2-like macrophage marker CD163 was evaluated by immunohistochemistry in human breast cancer tissues. The phenotype of M2 macrophages polarized from Tohoku-Hospital-Pediatrics-1 (THP1) cells was verified by flow cytometry. Transwell assays, wound healing assays, western blotting, flow cytometry, ELISA, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), luciferase reporter gene assays, and immunofluorescence assays were conducted to investigate the mechanism by which TAMs regulate EMT and CSC properties in BT549 and HCC1937 cells.

RESULTS

Clinically, we observed a high infiltration of M2-like tumor-associated macrophages in TNBC tissues and confirmed that TAMs were associated with unfavorable prognosis in TNBC patients. Moreover, we found that conditioned medium from M2 macrophages (M2-CM) markedly promoted EMT and CSC properties in BT549 and HCC1937 cells. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2) secretion by TAMs activated Akt signaling, which in turn increased the expression and nuclear localization of β-catenin. Furthermore, β-catenin knockdown reversed TAM-induced EMT and CSC properties.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides a novel mechanism by which TAMs promote EMT and enhance CSC properties in TNBC via activation of CCL2/AKT/β-catenin signaling, which may offer new strategies for the diagnosis and treatment of TNBC. Video Abstract.

The long-term effect of dental treatment under general anaesthesia or physical restraints on children's dental anxiety and behaviour

AIM

Dental anxiety (DA) is a common problem worldwide because it renders dental treatment in children challenging. This study aimed to evaluate the long-term effect of dental treatment under general anaesthesia (GA) or physical restraints (PR) on children's DA and behaviour.

METHODS

A total of 103 children were recruited and divided into four groups: the GA group, PR group, cooperative (CO) group, and no experience (NE) group. The face version of the Modified Child Dental Anxiety Scale and modified Venham's Clinical Anxiety and Cooperative Behaviour Rating Scale were used to evaluate the level of DA and behaviour.

CONCLUSION

Dental treatment under GA is associated with a higher risk for DA when compared with that under PR in the long term. Increased DA may lead to uncooperative dental behaviour, although the agreement is only moderate.

Joint Determination of Reactor Antineutrino Spectra from ^{235}U and ^{239}Pu Fission by Daya Bay and PROSPECT

A joint determination of the reactor antineutrino spectra resulting from the fission of ^{235}U and ^{239}Pu has been carried out by the Daya Bay and PROSPECT Collaborations. This Letter reports the level of consistency of ^{235}U spectrum measurements from the two experiments and presents new results from a joint analysis of both data sets. The measurements are found to be consistent. The combined analysis reduces the degeneracy between the dominant ^{235}U and ^{239}Pu isotopes and improves the uncertainty of the ^{235}U spectral shape to about 3%. The ^{235}U and ^{239}Pu antineutrino energy spectra are unfolded from the jointly deconvolved reactor spectra using the Wiener-SVD unfolding method, providing a data-based reference for other reactor antineutrino experiments and other applications. This is the first measurement of the ^{235}U and ^{239}Pu spectra based on the combination of experiments at low- and highly enriched uranium reactors.

Cellular and molecular atlas of the placenta from a COVID-19 pregnant woman infected at midgestation highlights the defective impacts on foetal health

Objectives

The impacts of the current COVID‐19 pandemic on maternal and foetal health are enormous and of serious concern. However, the influence of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection at early‐to‐mid gestation on maternal and foetal health remains unclear.

Materials and methods

Here, we report the follow‐up study of a pregnant woman of her whole infective course of SARS‐CoV‐2, from asymptomatic infection at gestational week 20 to mild and then severe illness state, and finally cured at Week 24. Following caesarean section due to incomplete uterine rupture at Week 28, histological examinations on the placenta and foetal tissues as well as single‐cell RNA sequencing (scRNA‐seq) for the placenta were performed.

Results

Compared with the gestational age‐matched control placentas, the placenta from this COVID‐19 case exhibited more syncytial knots and lowered expression of syncytiotrophoblast‐related genes. The scRNA‐seq analysis demonstrated impaired trophoblast differentiation, activation of antiviral and inflammatory CD8 T cells, as well as the tight association of increased inflammatory responses in the placenta with complement over‐activation in macrophages. In addition, levels of several inflammatory factors increased in the placenta and foetal blood.

Conclusion

These findings illustrate a systematic cellular and molecular signature of placental insufficiency and immune activation at the maternal–foetal interface that may be attributed to SARS‐CoV‐2 infection at the midgestation stage, which highly suggests the extensive care for maternal and foetal outcomes in pregnant women suffering from COVID‐19.

Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) PIAS1 inhibits innate immune response via interacting with STAT1

Protein inhibitor of activated signal transducer and activator of transcription (PIAS) family protein involved in gene transcriptional regulation acts as negative regulator in Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT) signaling pathway. But until now, the roles of PIAS in fish are not clear. In this study, we identified the two mammalian PIAS1 orthologs from Ctenopharyngodon idellus, namely CiPIAS1a and CiPIAS1b, respectively. They can respond to the stimulation from Polyribocytidylic acid (Poly I:C), Grass Carp Reovirus (GCRV) and Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) respectively, so we suggested that they could participate in interferon (IFN)-mediated antiviral and antibacterial immune response. The subcellular localization and nuclear cytoplasm extraction showed that CiPIAS1a and CiPIAS1b were mainly distributed in the nucleus. In addition, Co-IP showed that they separately inhibited the phosphorylation of STAT1 via interacting with it, which leads to the reduction of IFN1 expression.

Single-cell transcriptome analysis reveals defective decidua stromal niche attributes to recurrent spontaneous abortion

Objectives

Successful pregnancy involves the homeostasis between maternal decidua and fetoplacental units, whose disruption contributes to compromised pregnancy outcomes, including recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA). The role of cell heterogeneity of maternal decidua in RSA is yet to be illustrated.

Materials and methods

A total of 66,078 single cells from decidua samples isolated from patients with RSA and healthy controls were analysed by unbiased single‐cell RNA sequencing (scRNA‐seq).

Results

Our scRNA‐seq results revealed that stromal cells are the most abundant cell type in decidua during early pregnancy. RSA samples are accompanied by aberrant decidualization and obviously obstructed communication between stromal cells and other cell types, such as abnormal activation of macrophages and NK cells. In addition, the over‐activated TNF superfamily member 12 (TNFSF12, TWEAK) and FASLG in RSA are closely related to stromal cell demise and pregnancy failure.

Conclusions

Our research reveals that the cell composition and communications in normal and RSA decidua at early pregnancy and provides insightful information for the pathology of RSA and will pave the way for pregnancy loss prevention.

The Efficacy of Pyrotinib as a Third- or Higher-Line Treatment in HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients Exposed to Lapatinib Compared to Lapatinib-Naive Patients: A Real-World Study

Background: Pyrotinib is a novel irreversible pan-ErbB receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Evidence of the efficacy of pyrotinib-based treatments for HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC) in patients exposed to lapatinib is limited.

Methods: Ninety-four patients who received pyrotinib as a third- or higher-line treatment for HER2-positive MBC were included in this retrospective study. The primary and secondary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and progression‐free survival (PFS). Propensity score matching (PSM) and inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) analysis were implemented to balance important patient characteristics between groups.

Results: Thirty (31.9%) patients were pretreated with lapatinib and subsequently received pyrotinib as an anti-HER2 treatment, and 64 (68.1%) patients did not receive this treatment. The OS and PFS indicated a beneficial trend in lapatinib-naive group compared to lapatinib-treated group in either the original cohort (PFS: 9.02 vs 6.36 months, p = 0.05; OS: 20.73 vs 14.35 months, p = 0.08) or the PSM (PFS: 9.02 vs 6.08 months, p = 0.07; OS: 19.07 vs 18.00 months, p = 0.61) or IPTW (PFS: 9.90 vs 6.17 months, p = 0.05; OS: 19.53 vs 15.10 months, p = 0.08) cohorts. Subgroup analyses demonstrated lapatinib treatment-related differences in PFS in the premenopausal subgroup and the no prior trastuzumab treatment subgroup, but no significant differences were observed in OS.

Conclusion: Pyrotinib-based therapy demonstrated promising effects in HER2-positive MBC patients in a real-world study, especially in lapatinib-naive patients, and also some activity in lapatinib-treated patients.

Targeting STING attenuates ROS induced intervertebral disc degeneration

OBJECTIVE

DNA damage induced by ROS is considered one of the main causes of nucleus pulposus (NP) cells degeneration during the progression of intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD). cGAS-STING pathway acts as DNA-sensing mechanism for monitoring DNA damage. Recent studies have proved that cGAS-STING contributes to the development of various diseases by inducing inflammation, senescence, and apoptosis. This work explored the role of STING, the main effector of cGAS-STING signaling pathway, in NP degeneration.

METHOD

Immunohistochemistry was conducted to measure STING protein levels in the nucleus pulposus tissues from human and puncture-induced IVDD rat models. TBHP induces degeneration of nucleus pulposus cells in vitro. For in vivo experiments, lv-NC or lv-STING were injected into the central intervertebral disc space. The degeneration level of IVDD was assessed by MRI, X-ray, HE, and Safranin O staining.

RESULTS

We found that the expression of STING was upregulated in human and rat degenerated NP tissue as well as in TBHP-treated NP cells. Overexpression of STING promoted the degradation of extracellular matrix; it also promoted apoptosis and senescence of TBHP-treated and untreated NP cells. Knock-down of STING significantly reversed these effects. Mechanistically, STING activated IRF3, whereas blockage of IRF3 attenuated STING-induced apoptosis, senescence and ECM degradation. In vivo experiments revealed that STING knock-down alleviated puncture-induced IVDD development.

CONCLUSION

STING promotes IVDD progress via IRF3, while suppression of STING may be a promising treatment for IVDD.

Probability of severe postpartum hemorrhage in repeat cesarean deliveries: a multicenter retrospective study in China

To determine the factors predicting the probability of severe postpartum hemorrhage (SPPH) in women undergoing repeat cesarean delivery (RCD). This multicenter, retrospective cohort study involved women who underwent RCD from January 2017 to December 2017, in 11 public tertiary hospitals within 7 provinces of China. The all-variables model and the multivariable logistic regression model (pre-operative, operative and simple model) were developed to estimate the probability of SPPH in development data and external validated in validation data. Discrimination and calibration were evaluated and clinical impact was determined by decision curve analysis. The study consisted of 11,074 women undergoing RCD. 278 (2.5%) women experienced SPPH. The pre-operative simple model including 9 pre-operative features, the operative simple model including 4 pre-operative and 2 intraoperative features and simple model including only 4 closely related pre-operative features showed AUC 0.888, 0.864 and 0.858 in development data and 0.921, 0.928 and 0.925 in validation data, respectively. Nomograms were developed based on predictive models for SPPH. Predictive tools based on clinical characteristics can be used to estimate the probability of SPPH in patients undergoing RCD and help to allow better preparation and management of these patients by using a multidisciplinary approach of cesarean delivery for obstetrician.

Design of ultrathin nanosheet subunits ZnIn2S4 hollow nanocages with enhanced photoelectric conversion for ultrasensitive photoelectrochemical sensing

Herein, a high-efficiency photoactive material, hollow ZnIn₂S₄ nanocages (ZIS-HNCs) composed of ultrathin nanosheets were creatively synthesized via a metal-organic framework (MOF) derived solvothermal method. It had been specified the underlying mechanism of the ZIS-HNCs evolution under the MOF templated surface. Subsequently, the obtained ZIS-HNCs combined with annealing TiO₂ modified electrode (ZIS-HNCs@TiO₂), and the ZIS-HNCs@TiO₂ exhibited intense transient photocurrent. The enhanced photocurrent signal benefited from the multiple light capture effect of ZIS-HNCs, ultrathin nanosheet subunits of ZIS-HNCs, and typical type Ⅱ heterojunction, which could effectively retard the photoexcited electron-hole pairs recombination, and accelerated charge separation and transfer. Taking antibiotic lincomycin (Lin) as a model, a signal-off photoelectrochemical (PEC) aptasensor based on the ZIS-HNCs@TiO₂ was established and manifested a high sensitive detection for Lin with a linear response range from 0.0001 to 0.1 nM as well as an ultralow detection limit of 0.084 pM. Additionally, the proposed PEC aptasensor showed acceptable stability and remarkable selectivity. Therefore, this study provides a promising strategy to design nanomaterials with superior photoelectric activity for PEC sensing applications.

Maternal age at first cesarean delivery related to adverse pregnancy outcomes in a second cesarean delivery: a multicenter, historical, cross-sectional cohort study

Background

To determine the effects of maternal age at first cesarean on maternal complications and adverse outcomes of pregnancy with the second cesarean.

Methods

This was a multicenter, historical, cross-sectional cohort study involving singleton pregnancies ≥28 gestational weeks, with a history of 1 cesarean delivery, and who underwent a second cesarean between January and December 2017 at 11 public tertiary hospitals in 7 provinces of China. We analyzed the effects of maternal age at first cesarean on adverse outcomes of pregnancy in the second cesarean using multivariate logistic regression analysis.

Results

The study consisted of 10,206 singleton pregnancies. Women were at first cesarean between 18 and 24, 25–29, 30–34, and ≥ 35 years of age; and numbered 2711, 5524, 1751, and 220 cases, respectively. Maternal age between 18 and 24 years at first cesarean increased the risk of placenta accreta spectrum (aOR, 1.499; 95% CI, 1.12–2.01), placenta previa (aOR, 1.349; 95% CI, 1.07–1.70), intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (aOR, 1.947; 95% CI, 1.24–3.07), postpartum hemorrhage (aOR, 1.505; 95% CI, 1.05–2.16), and blood transfusion (aOR, 1.517; 95% CI, 1.21–1.91) in the second cesarean compared with the reference group (aged 25–29 years). In addition, maternal age ≥ 35 years at first cesarean was a risk factor for premature rupture of membranes (aOR, 1.556; 95% CI, 1.08–2.24), placental abruption (aOR, 6.464, 95% CI, 1.33–31.51), uterine rupture (aOR, 7.952; 95% CI, 1.43–44.10), puerperal infection (aOR, 6.864; 95% CI, 1.95–24.22), neonatal mild asphyxia (aOR, 4.339; 95% CI, 1.53–12.32), severe asphyxia (aOR, 18.439; 95% CI, 1.54–220.95), and admission to a neonatal intensive care unit (aOR, 2.825; 95% CI, 1.54–5.17) compared with the reference group (aged 25–29 years).

Conclusions

Maternal age between 18 and 24 years or advanced maternal age at first cesarean was an independent risk factor for adverse maternal outcomes with the second cesarean. Advanced maternal age at the first cesarean specifically increased adverse neonatal outcomes with the second. Therefore, decisions as to whether to perform a first cesarean at a young or advanced maternal age must be critically evaluated.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12884-021-03608-9.

Development and Validation of Predictive Models for Vaginal Birth After Cesarean Delivery in China

Background

The rate of delivery by cesarean section is rising in China, where vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) is in its early stages. There are no validated screening tools to predict VBAC success in China. The objective of this study was to identify the variables predicting the likelihood of successful VBAC to create a predictive model.

Material/Methods

This multicenter, retrospective study included 1013 women at ≥28 gestational weeks with a vertex singleton gestation and 1 prior low-transverse cesarean from January 2017 to December 2017 in 11 public tertiary hospitals within 7 provinces of China. Two multivariable logistic regression models were developed: (1) at a first-trimester visit and (2) at the pre-labor admission to hospital. The models were evaluated with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and internally validated using k-fold cross-validation. The pre-labor model was calibrated and a graphic nomogram and clinical impact curve were created.

Results

A total of 87.3% (884/1013) of women had successful VBAC, and 12.7% (129/1013) underwent unplanned cesarean delivery after a failed trial of labor. The AUC of the first-trimester model was 0.661 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.61–0.712), which increased to 0.758 (95% CI: 0.715–0.801) in the pre-labor model. The pre-labor model showed good internal validity, with AUC 0.743 (95% CI: 0.694–0.785), and was well calibrated.

Conclusions

VBAC provides women the chance to experience a vaginal delivery. Using a pre-labor model to predict successful VBAC is feasible and may help choose mode of birth and contribute to a reduction in cesarean delivery rate.

FOXO3a-driven miRNA signatures suppresses VEGF-A/NRP1 signaling and breast cancer metastasis

Metastasis remains the major obstacle to improved survival for breast cancer patients. Downregulation of FOXO3a transcription factor in breast cancer is causally associated with the development of metastasis through poorly understood mechanisms. Here, we report that FOXO3a is functionally related to the inhibition of VEGF-A/NRP1 signaling and to the consequent suppression of breast cancer metastasis. We show that FOXO3a directly induces miR-29b-2 and miR-338 expression. Ectopic expression of miR-29b-2/miR-338 significantly suppresses EMT, migration/invasion, and in vivo metastasis of breast cancer. Moreover, we demonstrate that miR-29b-2 directly targets VEGF-A while miR-338 directly targets NRP1, and show that regulation of miR-29b-2 and miR-338 mediates the ability of FOXO3a to suppress VEGF-A/NRP1 signaling and breast cancer metastasis. Clinically, our results show that the FOXO3a-miR-29b-2/miR-338-VEGF-A/NRP1 axis is dysregulated and plays a critical role in disease progression in breast cancer. Collectively, our findings propose that FOXO3a functions as a metastasis suppressor, and define a novel signaling axis of FOXO3a-miRNA-VEGF-A/NRP1 in breast cancer, which might be potential therapeutic targets for breast cancer.

Community diversity and abundance of ammonia-oxidizing archaea and bacteria in shrimp pond sediment at different culture stages

AIMS

Ammonia oxidation is a significant process of nitrogen cycles in a lot of ecosystems sediments while there are few studies in shrimp culture pond (SCP) sediments. This paper attempted to explore the community diversity and abundance of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) in SCP sediments at different culture stages.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We collected SCP sediments and analysed the community diversity and abundance of AOA and bacteria in shrimp pond sediment at different culture stages using the ammonia monooxygenase (amoA) gene with quantitative PCR (qPCR) and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The AOB-amoA gene abundance was showed higher than AOA-amoA gene abundance in SCP sediments on Day 50 and Day 60 after shrimp larvae introducing into the pond, and the diversity of AOA in SCP sediments was higher than that of AOB. The phylogenetic tree revealed that the most of AOA were the member of Nitrosopumilus and Nitrososphaera, and the majority of AOB sequences were clustered into Nitrosospira, Nitrosomonas clusters 6a and 7. The AOA community has close relationship with total organic carbon (TOC), pH, total phosphorus (TP), nitrate reductase, urease, acid phosphatase and β-glucosidase. The AOB community was related to TOC, C/N and nitrate reductase.

CONCLUSIONS

AOA and AOB play the different ecological roles in SCP sediments at different culture stages.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

Our results suggested that the different community diversity and abundance of AOA and AOB in SCP sediments, which may improve our ecological cognition of shrimp culture stages in SCP ecosystems.

Cloud-cloud collision as drivers of the chemical complexity in Galactic Centre molecular clouds

G+0.693-0.03 is a quiescent molecular cloud located within the Sagittarius B2 (Sgr B2) star-forming complex. Recent spectral surveys have shown that it represents one of the most prolific repositories of complex organic species in the Galaxy. The origin of such chemical complexity, along with the small-scale physical structure and properties of G+0.693-0.03, remains a mystery. In this paper, we report the study of multiple molecules with interferometric observations in combination with single-dish data in G+0.693-0.03. Despite the lack of detection of continuum source, we find small-scale (0.2 pc) structures within this cloud. The analysis of the molecular emission of typical shock tracers such as SiO, HNCO, and CH₃OH unveiled two molecular components, peaking at velocities of 57 and 75 km s^-1. They are found to be interconnected in both space and velocity. The position-velocity diagrams show features that match with the observational signatures of a cloud-cloud collision. Additionally, we detect three series of class I methanol masers known to appear in shocked gas, supporting the cloud-cloud collision scenario. From the maser emission we provide constraints on the gas kinetic temperatures (∼30-150 K) and H₂ densities (10⁴-10⁵ cm^-2). These properties are similar to those found for the starburst galaxy NGC253 also using class I methanol masers, suggested to be associated with a cloud-cloud collision. We conclude that shocks driven by the possible cloud-cloud collision is likely the most important mechanism responsible for the high level of chemical complexity observed in G+0.693-0.03.

Quality assessment of randomized controlled trial abstracts on drug therapy of periodontal disease from the abstracts published in dental Science Citation Indexed journals in the last ten years

Background

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) provide the highest level of evidence and are likely to influence clinical decision-making. This study evaluated the reporting quality of RCT abstracts on drug therapy of periodontal disease and assessed the associated factors.

Material and Methods

The Pubmed database was searched for periodontal RCTs published in Science Citation Indexed (SCI) dental journals from 2010/01/01 to 2019/07/17. Information was extracted from the abstracts according to a modified Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) guideline checklist. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistical analysis and the statistical associations were examined using the linear regression analysis (P <0.05).

Results

This study retrieved 1715 articles and 249 of them were finally included. The average overall CONSORT score was 15.6 ± 3.4, which represented 40.9% (±0.6) of CONSORT criteria filling. The reporting rate of some items (trial design, numbers analyzed, confidence intervals, intention-to-treat analysis or per-protocol analysis, harms, registration) was less than 30%. The adequate reporting rate of some items (participants, randomization, numbers analyzed, confidence intervals, intention-to-treat analysis or per protocol analysis) was no more than 4%. None of the abstracts reported funding. According to the multivariable linear regression results, number of authors (P=0.030), word count (P <0.001), continent (P=0.003), structured format (P <0.001), type of periodontal disease (P <0.001) and international collaboration (P=0.023) have a significant association with reporting quality.

Conclusions

The quality of RCT abstracts on drug therapy of periodontal disease in SCI dental journals remained suboptimal. More efforts should be made to improve RCT abstracts reporting quality.

Key words:Abstracts, RCT, drug therapy, periodontal disease, CONSORT, reporting quality assessment.

Improved Constraints on Sterile Neutrino Mixing from Disappearance Searches in the MINOS, MINOS+, Daya Bay, and Bugey-3 Experiments

Searches for electron antineutrino, muon neutrino, and muon antineutrino disappearance driven by sterile neutrino mixing have been carried out by the Daya Bay and MINOS+ collaborations. This Letter presents the combined results of these searches, along with exclusion results from the Bugey-3 reactor experiment, framed in a minimally extended four-neutrino scenario. Significantly improved constraints on the θ_{μe} mixing angle are derived that constitute the most constraining limits to date over five orders of magnitude in the mass-squared splitting Δm_{41}^{2}, excluding the 90% C.L. sterile-neutrino parameter space allowed by the LSND and MiniBooNE observations at 90% CL_{s} for Δm_{41}^{2}<13  eV^{2}. Furthermore, the LSND and MiniBooNE 99% C.L. allowed regions are excluded at 99% CL_{s} for Δm_{41}^{2}<1.6 eV^{2}.

Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor Sensitizes ERCC1-High Non-small-Cell Lung Cancer Cells to Cisplatin via Regulating miR-149

Resistance to platinum-based chemotherapy becomes a major obstacle in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment. Overexpression of the excision repair cross-complementing 1 (ERCC1) gene is reported to negatively influence the effectiveness of cisplatin-based therapy for NSCLC cells. In this study, we confirm that high ERCC1 expression correlates with cisplatin resistance in NSCLC cells. Importantly, histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACis) re-sensitize ERCC1-high NSCLC cells to cisplatin both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, the HDACi induces the expression of miR-149 by acetylation and activation of E2F1, which directly targets ERCC1 and inhibits ERCC1 expression. Inhibition of miR-149 reverses the promotion effect of HDACis on cisplatin-induced DNA damage and cell apoptosis in ERCC1-high NSCLC cells. In conclusion, this study reveals a novel mechanism by which HDACis re-sensitizes ERCC1-high NSCLC cells to cisplatin via regulation of the E2F1/miR-149/ERCC1 axis, and we propose that combination of HDACis and cisplatin might hold promise to be a more effective therapeutic paradigm for ERCC1-high NSCLCs.

Constraining the External Capture to the ^{16}O Ground State and the E2 S Factor of the ^{12}C(α,γ)^{16}O Reaction

The ^{12}C(α,γ)^{16}O reaction is one of the most crucial reactions in nuclear astrophysics. The E2 external capture to the ^{16}O ground state (GS) has not been emphasized in previous analyses but may make a significant contribution to the ^{12}C(α,γ)^{16}O cross section depending on the value of the GS asymptotic normalization coefficient (ANC). In the present work, we determine this ANC to be 337±45  fm^{-1/2} through the ^{12}C(^{11}B,^{7}Li)^{16}O reaction using a high-precision magnetic spectrograph. This sheds light on the existing large discrepancy of more than 2 orders of magnitude between the previously reported ANC values. Based on the new ANC, we experimentally constrain the GS external capture and show that through interference with the high energy tail of the 2^{+} subthreshold state, a substantial enhancement in the GS S_{E2}(300) factor can be obtained (70±7  keV b) compared to that of a recent review (45 keV b), resulting in an increase of the total S factor from 140 to 162 keV b, which is now in good agreement with the value obtained by reproducing supernova nucleosynthesis calculations with the solar-system abundances. This work emphasizes that the external capture contribution for the ground state transition cannot be neglected in future analyses of the ^{12}C(α,γ)^{16}O reaction.

Cip2a/miR-301a feedback loop promotes cell proliferation and invasion of triple-negative breast cancer

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly aggressive breast cancer subtype and lacks effective targeted therapies. Cancerous inhibitor of protein phosphatase 2A (Cip2a) is an oncogene that is known to inhibit PP2A tumor suppressor activity in human malignancies. We previously demonstrated that Cip2a is a novel target for the treatment of TNBC. However, the functional roles of Cip2a in TNBC progression are still not fully characterized. In this study, we identified that miR-301a is a novel target of Cip2a in TNBC cell lines by miRNA microarray analysis. We found that Cip2a increases E2F1 expression, which in turn transcriptional activates miR-301a by occupying the miR-301a host gene SKA2 promoter. Moreover, we found that miR-301a level is significantly increased in TNBC tissues, and up-regulation of miR-301a is responsible for Cip2a-induced cell proliferation and invasion of TNBC cells. Furthermore, miR-301a feedback promotes the expression of Cip2a via activation of ERK/CREB signaling. Together, our study suggests an auto-regulatory feedback loop between Cip2a and miR-301a and this auto-regulatory loop might play an important role in TNBC progression.