[Small tidal volume hyperventilation relieves intraocular and intracranial pressure elevation in prone spinal surgery: a randomized controlled trial]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effects of different ventilation strategies on intraocular pressure (IOP) and intracranial pressure in patients undergoing spinal surgery in the prone position under general anesthesia.

METHODS

Seventy-two patients undergoing prone spinal surgery under general anesthesia between November, 2022 and June, 2023 were equally randomized into two groups to receive routine ventilation (with Vt of 8mL/kg, Fr of 12-15/min, and etCO2 maintained at 35-40 mmHg) or small tidal volume hyperventilation (Vt of 6 mL/kg, Fr of18-20/min, and etCO2 maintained at 30-35 mmHg) during the surgery. IOP of both eyes (measured with a handheld tonometer), optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD; measured at 3 mm behind the eyeball with bedside real-time ultrasound), circulatory and respiratory parameters of the patients were recorded before anesthesia (T0), immediately after anesthesia induction (T1), immediately after prone positioning (T2), at 2 h during operation (T3), immediately after supine positioning after surgery (T4) and 30 min after the operation (T5).

RESULTS

Compared with those at T1, IOP and ONSD in both groups increased significantly at T3 and T4(P < 0.05). IOP was significantly lower in hyperventilation group than in routine ventilation group at T3 and T4(P < 0.05), and ONSD was significantly lower in hyperventilation group at T4(P < 0.05). IOP was positively correlated with the length of operative time (r=0.779, P < 0.001) and inversely with intraoperative etCO2 at T3(r=-0.248, P < 0.001) and T4(r=-0.251, P < 0.001).ONSD was correlated only with operation time (r=0.561, P < 0.05) and not with IOP (r=0.178, P>0.05 at T3; r=0.165, P>0.05 at T4).

CONCLUSION

Small tidal volume hyperventilation can relieve the increase of IOP and ONSD during prone spinal surgery under general anesthesia.

First Measurement of η Meson Production in Neutrino Interactions on Argon with MicroBooNE

We present a measurement of η production from neutrino interactions on argon with the MicroBooNE detector. The modeling of resonant neutrino interactions on argon is a critical aspect of the neutrino oscillation physics program being carried out by the DUNE and Short Baseline Neutrino programs. η production in neutrino interactions provides a powerful new probe of resonant interactions, complementary to pion channels, and is particularly suited to the study of higher-order resonances beyond the Δ(1232). We measure a flux-integrated cross section for neutrino-induced η production on argon of 3.22±0.84(stat)±0.86(syst) 10^{-41}  cm^{2}/nucleon. By demonstrating the successful reconstruction of the two photons resulting from η production, this analysis enables a novel calibration technique for electromagnetic showers in GeV accelerator neutrino experiments.

Diagnostic value of dynamic contrast enhancement combined with conventional MRI in differentiating benign and malignant lacrimal gland epithelial tumours

AIM

To establish the diagnostic value of the quantitative parameters of dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) combined with conventional MRI in differentiating of benign and malignant lacrimal gland epithelial tumours.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A retrospective analysis of primary lacrimal gland epithelial tumours confirmed by histopathology was conducted. Conventional MRI features and DCE-MRI quantitative parameters were collected and subjected to analysis. The diagnostic value was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 53 patients were enrolled of which 29 had malignant, whereas 24 had benign tumours. Conventional MRI revealed statistically significant differences between benign and malignant tumours regarding maximum tumour diameter, posterior margin characteristic, bone destruction, and erosion. The Ktrans and Kep values obtained by DCE-MRI were higher in malignant than in benign tumours, with a statistically significant (p<0.001 and p=0.022). A type I time-signal intensity (TIC) curve was more frequent in benign tumours, whereas a type II TIC curve was prevalent in malignant tumours (p=0.001). ROC analysis showed that Ktrans had the best diagnostic value of the DCE-MRI parameters (area under the ROC curve [AUC] of 0.822, 75.9% sensitivity, and 83.3% specificity, p<0.001). The combination of conventional MRI and DCE-MRI factors had the best diagnostic value and balanced sensitivity and specificity (AUC of 0.948, 93.1% sensitivity, and 91.7% specificity, p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The present findings indicate that the combination of quantitative parameters of DCE-MRI and image characteristics of conventional MRI have a high diagnostic value for the diagnosis of benign and malignant lacrimal gland epithelial tumours.

[Characteristics and clinical analysis of MLH1 c.463dupC gene mutation in a Lynch syndrome family]

In this study, a case of Lynch syndrome (LS) family line with a novel mutation site in the MLH1 c.463dupC gene was reported and the clinical and pathogenic genetic features of this family were analyzed. A 40-year-old female patient with colon cancer diagnosed at the First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University on October 2, 2020 was retrospectively included. The clinical data of the family were collected and the family lineage was drawn. The family tumor history met the Amsterdam Criteria Ⅱ and the diagnostic criteria of LS in Chinese, which was a typical LS family lineage. A germline code-shift missense mutation c.463dupC in the MLH1 gene located in exon 6, a possible pathogenic variant, was detected by second-generation sequencing (NGS) in the patient. Subsequently, Sanger sequencing was performed on a total of 20 direct lineage members of the family of the MLH1 gene, 7 cases were found to harbor the mutation and included in the LS high-risk control. Follow-up to October 2023 showed that the patient had endometrial and cervical polyps, one case had colorectal cancer, and two cases had intestinal polyps, all were treated with early intervention and therapy; two cases did not show any clinical symptoms. This study is the first to report a new mutation site for the potentially pathogenic MLH1 c.463dupC, providing a rationale for the pathogenicity of the mutation and standardized health management for familial carriers.

Search for Heavy Neutral Leptons in Electron-Positron and Neutral-Pion Final States with the MicroBooNE Detector

We present the first search for heavy neutral leptons (HNLs) decaying into νe^{+}e^{-} or νπ^{0} final states in a liquid-argon time projection chamber using data collected with the MicroBooNE detector. The data were recorded synchronously with the NuMI neutrino beam from Fermilab's main injector corresponding to a total exposure of 7.01×10^{20} protons on target. We set upper limits at the 90% confidence level on the mixing parameter |U_{μ4}|^{2} in the mass ranges 10≤m_{HNL}≤150  MeV for the νe^{+}e^{-} channel and 150≤m_{HNL}≤245  MeV for the νπ^{0} channel, assuming |U_{e4}|^{2}=|U_{τ4}|^{2}=0. These limits represent the most stringent constraints in the mass range 35 Collapse

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PolyNC: a natural and chemical language model for the prediction of unified polymer properties

Language models exhibit a profound aptitude for addressing multimodal and multidomain challenges, a competency that eludes the majority of off-the-shelf machine learning models. Consequently, language models hold great potential for comprehending the intricate interplay between material compositions and diverse properties, thereby accelerating material design, particularly in the realm of polymers. While past limitations in polymer data hindered the use of data-intensive language models, the growing availability of standardized polymer data and effective data augmentation techniques now opens doors to previously uncharted territories. Here, we present a revolutionary model to enable rapid and precise prediction of Polymer properties via the power of Natural language and Chemical language (PolyNC). To showcase the efficacy of PolyNC, we have meticulously curated a labeled prompt-structure-property corpus encompassing 22 970 polymer data points on a series of essential polymer properties. Through the use of natural language prompts, PolyNC gains a comprehensive understanding of polymer properties, while employing chemical language (SMILES) to describe polymer structures. In a unified text-to-text manner, PolyNC consistently demonstrates exceptional performance on both regression tasks (such as property prediction) and the classification task (polymer classification). Simultaneous and interactive multitask learning enables PolyNC to holistically grasp the structure-property relationships of polymers. Through a combination of experiments and characterizations, the generalization ability of PolyNC has been demonstrated, with attention analysis further indicating that PolyNC effectively learns structural information about polymers from multimodal inputs. This work provides compelling evidence of the potential for deploying end-to-end language models in polymer research, representing a significant advancement in the AI community's dedicated pursuit of advancing polymer science.

First Double-Differential Measurement of Kinematic Imbalance in Neutrino Interactions with the MicroBooNE Detector

We report the first measurement of flux-integrated double-differential quasielasticlike neutrino-argon cross sections, which have been made using the Booster Neutrino Beam and the MicroBooNE detector at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. The data are presented as a function of kinematic imbalance variables which are sensitive to nuclear ground-state distributions and hadronic reinteraction processes. We find that the measured cross sections in different phase-space regions are sensitive to different nuclear effects. Therefore, they enable the impact of specific nuclear effects on the neutrino-nucleus interaction to be isolated more completely than was possible using previous single-differential cross section measurements. Our results provide precision data to help test and improve neutrino-nucleus interaction models. They further support ongoing neutrino-oscillation studies by establishing phase-space regions where precise reaction modeling has already been achieved.

Effect of dietary lutein on the egg production, fertility, and oxidative injury indexes of aged hens

OBJECTIVE

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of dietary lutein on egg production, follicles, reproductive hormones, fertility, hatchability, and oxidative injury indexes of hens.

METHODS

Treatments consisted of a control diet (CON) and three lutein-supplementing diets at 25 (L1), 50 (L2), or 75 (L3) mg/kg of diet. Egg production was measured using 576 Arbor Acres breeder hens at 61 to 65 wk and follicles grades, reproductive hormones, fertility, hatchability, tissue lutein contents, and oxidative injury indexes were determined at 65 wk.

RESULTS

The results showed that at 65 wk, lutein- supplementing diets increased (p<0.05) egg production, follicular grades, fertility, hatchability, estradiol (E2), luteinizing hormone, progesterone (PROG), lutein content in the serum and yolk, compared to CON. L2 and L3 showed more pronounced (p<0.05) effects on egg production, PROG, and yolk lutein content than L1. With the increase of lutein doses from 25 to 75 mg/kg, there were linear increases (p<0.05) in egg production, lutein content, and PROG, and a quadratic trend (p<0.05) in E2. For the oxidative injury products, lutein-supplementing diets decreased (p<0.05) malondialdehyde (MDA) and protein carbonyl (PCO) in the serum, MDA and 8-hydroxy 2 deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) in the yolk. There were linear decreases (p<0.05) in 8-OHdG in the serum, MDA, PCO, and 8-OHdG in the yolk, a quadratic trend (p<0.05) on serum 8-OHdG.

CONCLUSION

It is concluded that lutein supplementation can improve egg production and fertility by beneficially regulating reproductive hormones and oxidative status in aged hens.

[Expression changes of NaV channel subunits correlate with developmental maturation of electrophysiological characteristics of rat cerebellar Purkinje neurons]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the variations in the expression of voltage-gated sodium (Na_v) channel subunits during development of rat cerebellar Purkinje neurons and their correlation with maturation of electrophysiological characteristics of the neurons.

METHODS

We observed the changes in the expression levels of Na_V1.1, 1.2, 1.3 and 1.6 during the development of Purkinje neurons using immunohistochemistry in neonatal (5-7 days after birth), juvenile (12-14 days), adolescent (21-24 days), and adult (42-60 days) SD rats. Using whole-cell patch-clamp technique, we recorded the spontaneous electrical activity of the neurons in ex vivo brain slices of rats of different ages to analyze the changes of electrophysiological characteristics of these neurons during development.

RESULTS

The expression of Na_V subunits in rat cerebellar Purkinje neurons showed significant variations during development. Na_V1.1 subunit was highly expressed throughout the developmental stages and increased progressively with age (P < 0.05). Na_V1.2 expression was not detected in the neurons in any of the developmental stages (P > 0.05). The expression level of Na_V1.3 decreased with development and became undetectable after adolescence (P < 0.05). Na_V1.6 expression was not detected during infancy, but increased with further development (P < 0.05). Na_V1.1 and Na_V1.3 were mainly expressed in the early stages of development. With the maturation of the rats, Na_V1.3 expression disappeared and Na_V1.6 expression increased in the neurons. Na_V1.1 and Na_V1.6 were mainly expressed after adolescence. The total Na_V protein level increased gradually with development (P < 0.05) and tended to stabilize after adolescence. The spontaneous frequency and excitability of the Purkinje neurons increased gradually with development and reached the mature levels in adolescence. The developmental expression of Na_V subunits was positively correlated with discharge frequency (r=0.9942, P < 0.05) and negatively correlated with the excitatory threshold of the neurons (r=0.9891, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The changes in the expression levels of Na_V subunits are correlated with the maturation of high frequency electrophysiological properties of the neurons, suggesting thatmature Na_V subunit expressions is the basis of maturation of electrophysiological characteristics of the neurons.

Final Measurement of the ^{235}U Antineutrino Energy Spectrum with the PROSPECT-I Detector at HFIR

This Letter reports one of the most precise measurements to date of the antineutrino spectrum from a purely ^{235}U-fueled reactor, made with the final dataset from the PROSPECT-I detector at the High Flux Isotope Reactor. By extracting information from previously unused detector segments, this analysis effectively doubles the statistics of the previous PROSPECT measurement. The reconstructed energy spectrum is unfolded into antineutrino energy and compared with both the Huber-Mueller model and a spectrum from a commercial reactor burning multiple fuel isotopes. A local excess over the model is observed in the 5-7 MeV energy region. Comparison of the PROSPECT results with those from commercial reactors provides new constraints on the origin of this excess, disfavoring at 2.0 and 3.7 standard deviations the hypotheses that antineutrinos from ^{235}U are solely responsible and noncontributors to the excess observed at commercial reactors, respectively.

Quantitative cardiac MRI parameters for assessment of myocarditis in children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis

AIM

To evaluate the role of quantitative cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI) parameters in myocarditis, including acute and chronic myocarditis (AM and CM), for children and adolescents.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

PRISMA principles were followed. PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and grey literature were searched. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) checklist were utilised for quality assessment. Quantitative CMRI parameters were extracted and a meta-analysis was performed in comparison with healthy controls. The overall effect size was measured as the weighted mean difference (WMD).

RESULTS

Ten quantitative CMRI parameters of seven studies were analysed. Compared with the control group, the myocarditis group reported longer native T1 relaxation time (WMD=54.00, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 33.21,74.79, p<0.001), longer T2 relaxation time (WMD=2.13, 95% CI: 0.98, 3.28, p<0.001), increased extracellular volume (ECV; WMD=3.13, 95% CI: 1.34,4.91, p=0.001), elevated early gadolinium enhancement (EGE) ratio (WMD=1.47, 95% CI: 0.65,2.28, p<0.001), and increased T2-weighted ratio (WMD=0.43, 95% CI: 0.21,0.64, p<0.001). The AM group had longer native T1 relaxation times (WMD=72.02, 95% CI: 32.78,111.27, p<0.001), increased T2-weighted ratios (WMD=0.52, 95% CI: 0.21,0.84 p=0.001), and impaired left ventricular ejection fractions (LVEF; WMD=-5.84, 95% CI: -9.69, -1.99, p=0.003). Impaired LVEF (WMD=-2.24, 95% CI: -3.32, -1.17, p<0.001) was observed in the CM group.

CONCLUSION

Statistical differences can be observed in some CMRI parameters between patients with myocarditis and healthy controls; however, apart from native T1 mapping, there were no large differences in other parameters between two groups, which may reveal the limited benefit of CMRI in assessing myocarditis in children and adolescents.

First Measurement of Quasielastic Λ Baryon Production in Muon Antineutrino Interactions in the MicroBooNE Detector

We present the first measurement of the cross section of Cabibbo-suppressed Λ baryon production, using data collected with the MicroBooNE detector when exposed to the neutrinos from the main injector beam at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. The data analyzed correspond to 2.2×10^{20} protons on target running in neutrino mode, and 4.9×10^{20} protons on target running in anti-neutrino mode. An automated selection is combined with hand scanning, with the former identifying five candidate Λ production events when the signal was unblinded, consistent with the GENIE prediction of 5.3±1.1 events. Several scanners were employed, selecting between three and five events, compared with a prediction from a blinded Monte Carlo simulation study of 3.7±1.0 events. Restricting the phase space to only include Λ baryons that decay above MicroBooNE's detection thresholds, we obtain a flux averaged cross section of 2.0_{-1.7}^{+2.2}×10^{-40}  cm^{2}/Ar, where statistical and systematic uncertainties are combined.

Storage Stability of 6FDA-DMB Polyamic Acid Solution Detected by Gel Permeation Chromatography Coupled with Multiple Detectors

Polyamic acid (PAA) is the precursor of polyimide (PI), and its solution’s properties have a direct influence on the final performances of PI resins, films, or fibers. The viscosity loss of a PAA solution over time is notorious. A stability evaluation and revelation of the degradation mechanism of PAA in a solution based on variations of molecular parameters other than viscosity with storage time is necessary. In this study, a PAA solution was prepared through the polycondensation of 4,4′-(hexafluoroisopropene) diphthalic anhydride (6FDA) and 4,4′-diamino-2,2′-dimethylbiphenyl (DMB) in DMAc. The stability of a PAA solution stored at different temperatures (−18, −12, 4, and 25 °C) and different concentrations (12 wt% and 0.15 wt%) was systematically investigated by measuring the molecular parameters, including Mw, Mn, Mw/Mn, Rg, and [η], using gel permeation chromatography coupled with multiple detectors (GPC-RI-MALLS-VIS) in a mobile phase 0.02 M LiBr/0.20 M HAc/DMF. The stability of PAA in a concentrated solution decreased, as shown by the reduction ratio of Mw from 0%, 7.2%, and 34.7% to 83.8% and that of Mn from 0%, 4.7%, and 30.0% to 82.4% with an increase of temperature from −18, −12, and 4 to 25 °C, respectively, after storage for 139 days. The hydrolysis of PAA in a concentrated solution was accelerated at high temperatures. Notably, at 25 °C, the diluted solution was much less stable than the concentrated one and exhibited an almost linear degradation rate within 10 h. The Mw and Mn decreased rapidly by 52.8% and 48.7%, respectively, within 10 h. Such faster degradation was caused by a greater water ratio and less entanglement of chains in the diluted solution. The degradation of (6FDA-DMB) PAA in this study did not follow the chain length equilibration mechanism reported in literature, given that both Mw and Mn declined simultaneously during storage.

First Constraints on Light Sterile Neutrino Oscillations from Combined Appearance and Disappearance Searches with the MicroBooNE Detector

We present a search for eV-scale sterile neutrino oscillations in the MicroBooNE liquid argon detector, simultaneously considering all possible appearance and disappearance effects within the 3+1 active-to-sterile neutrino oscillation framework. We analyze the neutrino candidate events for the recent measurements of charged-current ν_{e} and ν_{μ} interactions in the MicroBooNE detector, using data corresponding to an exposure of 6.37×10^{20} protons on target from the Fermilab booster neutrino beam. We observe no evidence of light sterile neutrino oscillations and derive exclusion contours at the 95% confidence level in the plane of the mass-squared splitting Δm_{41}^{2} and the sterile neutrino mixing angles θ_{μe} and θ_{ee}, excluding part of the parameter space allowed by experimental anomalies. Cancellation of ν_{e} appearance and ν_{e} disappearance effects due to the full 3+1 treatment of the analysis leads to a degeneracy when determining the oscillation parameters, which is discussed in this Letter and will be addressed by future analyses.

scAnnotate: an automated cell-type annotation tool for single-cell RNA-sequencing data

Motivation

Single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) technology enables researchers to investigate a genome at the cellular level with unprecedented resolution. An organism consists of a heterogeneous collection of cell types, each of which plays a distinct role in various biological processes. Hence, the first step of scRNA-seq data analysis is often to distinguish cell types so they can be investigated separately. Researchers have recently developed several automated cell-type annotation tools, requiring neither biological knowledge nor subjective human decisions. Dropout is a crucial characteristic of scRNA-seq data widely used in differential expression analysis. However, no current cell annotation method explicitly utilizes dropout information. Fully utilizing dropout information motivated this work.

Results

We present scAnnotate, a cell annotation tool that fully utilizes dropout information. We model every gene's marginal distribution using a mixture model, which describes both the dropout proportion and the distribution of the non-dropout expression levels. Then, using an ensemble machine learning approach, we combine the mixture models of all genes into a single model for cell-type annotation. This combining approach can avoid estimating numerous parameters in the high-dimensional joint distribution of all genes. Using 14 real scRNA-seq datasets, we demonstrate that scAnnotate is competitive against nine existing annotation methods. Furthermore, because of its distinct modelling strategy, scAnnotate's misclassified cells differ greatly from competitor methods. This suggests using scAnnotate together with other methods could further improve annotation accuracy.

Availability and implementation

We implemented scAnnotate as an R package and made it publicly available from CRAN: https://cran.r-project.org/package=scAnnotate.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics Advances online.

Alleviating effect of mulberry leaf 1-deoxynojirimycin on resistin-induced hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance in mice

Resistin is upregulated in obese humans and mice, and elevated serum resistin induces insulin resistance and hepatic steatosis. Previous studies have revealed that mulberry 1-deoxynojirimycin (DNJ) is important for a variety of physiological processes, especially carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. However, it remains unclear whether DNJ has a positive effect on insulin resistance and hepatic steatosis, and what the exact mechanism is. Male C57BL/6J mice were treated with resistin with or without DNJ. DNJ reversed the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR)-induced by resistin and significantly decreased triglyceride levels both in the serum and liver. A histological analysis demonstrated that lipid accumulation significantly decreased in the DNJ group compared to the resistin group. A mechanistic analysis showed that DNJ significantly inhibited the resistin-induced decline in enzyme activities of hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) and hepatic lipase (HL) in serum and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) in liver. FAS and Acox13α were significantly altered by resistin but restored by DNJ. Furthermore, DNJ partially but significantly restored insulin-stimulated glucose uptake compared with the resistin group, suggesting that DNJ reversed the insulin sensitivity impaired by hyperresistinemia. Treatment of AML12 cells with DNJ significantly restored the expression level and phosphorylation of Akt. The transcriptional levels of InsR and IRS1, as well as the protein levels of InsR and Glut4 and phosphorylation of PI3K and GSK3β, were also normalized in the DNJ-treated group. In conclusion: mulberry DNJ significantly alleviated liver steatosis and insulin resistance in hyperresistinemia.

Scintillation light detection in the 6-m drift-length ProtoDUNE Dual Phase liquid argon TPC

DUNE is a dual-site experiment for long-baseline neutrino oscillation studies, neutrino astrophysics and nucleon decay searches. ProtoDUNE Dual Phase (DP) is a 6  ×  6  ×  6 m 3 liquid argon time-projection-chamber (LArTPC) that recorded cosmic-muon data at the CERN Neutrino Platform in 2019-2020 as a prototype of the DUNE Far Detector. Charged particles propagating through the LArTPC produce ionization and scintillation light. The scintillation light signal in these detectors can provide the trigger for non-beam events. In addition, it adds precise timing capabilities and improves the calorimetry measurements. In ProtoDUNE-DP, scintillation and electroluminescence light produced by cosmic muons in the LArTPC is collected by photomultiplier tubes placed up to 7 m away from the ionizing track. In this paper, the ProtoDUNE-DP photon detection system performance is evaluated with a particular focus on the different wavelength shifters, such as PEN and TPB, and the use of Xe-doped LAr, considering its future use in giant LArTPCs. The scintillation light production and propagation processes are analyzed and a comparison of simulation to data is performed, improving understanding of the liquid argon properties.

Sleep Disturbances During the Menopausal Transition: The Role of Sleep Reactivity and Arousal Predisposition

BACKGROUND

Sleep disturbances are common during the menopausal transition and several factors can contribute to this increased incidence. This study examined the association between sleep reactivity, arousal predisposition, sleep disturbances, and menopause.

METHODS

Data for this study were derived from a longitudinal, population-based study on the natural history of insomnia. A total of 873 women (40-60 years) were divided into two groups according to their menopausal status at baseline: reproductive (n = 408) and postmenopausal (n = 465). Participants were evaluated annually throughout the five-year follow-up period. Four questionnaires were used to examine sleep quality, insomnia severity, sleep reactivity, and arousal predisposition. The data were analyzed using two approaches: cross-sectional with a multivariate analysis and binary regression, and longitudinal with a linear mixed models using menopausal groups (3) x time (5) design.

RESULTS

Cross-sectional analyses showed that postmenopausal women reported significantly more severe insomnia and poorer sleep quality than reproductive women. Sleep reactivity and arousal predisposition were significant predictors of sleep disturbances. Longitudinal analyses revealed increased sleep disturbances in the two years before and after the menopausal transition. Sleep reactivity and arousal predisposition did not moderate the temporal relationship between menopausal transition and sleep disturbances.

CONCLUSION

More sleep disturbances were reported during the menopausal transition, but those difficulties were not explained by sleep reactivity and arousal predisposition. These results suggest the involvement of other psychophysiological factors in the development of sleep disturbances during the menopause.

Search for an Excess of Electron Neutrino Interactions in MicroBooNE Using Multiple Final-State Topologies

We present a measurement of ν_{e} interactions from the Fermilab Booster Neutrino Beam using the MicroBooNE liquid argon time projection chamber to address the nature of the excess of low energy interactions observed by the MiniBooNE Collaboration. Three independent ν_{e} searches are performed across multiple single electron final states, including an exclusive search for two-body scattering events with a single proton, a semi-inclusive search for pionless events, and a fully inclusive search for events containing all hadronic final states. With differing signal topologies, statistics, backgrounds, reconstruction algorithms, and analysis approaches, the results are found to be either consistent with or modestly lower than the nominal ν_{e} rate expectations from the Booster Neutrino Beam and no excess of ν_{e} events is observed.

AB0784 Symptoms compatible with Rome IV functional bowel disorder in patients with ankylosing spondylitis

Background

Clinical manifestations of gut problems except for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have not been well-established in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). One study investigated that 30% patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) had irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms meeting Rome III criteria.[1]

Objectives

To determine the frequency of symptoms meeting Rome IV functional bowel disorder (FBD) in patients with AS, investigate factors associated with FBD symptoms, and assess whether having FBD symptoms might influence AS disease activity.

Methods

In this cross-sectional study, we consecutively enrolled 153 AS patients without known colonic ulcer and 56 sex- and age-matched controls to evaluate FBD (or its subtypes) symptoms.[2] In AS group, logistic regression models were used to explore whether demographic data, disease activity, level of gut inflammation, drug use, and fibromyalgia [3] were associated with presence of gut symptoms. Finally, potential impacts of gut symptoms on AS disease status were assessed in linear regression models.

Results

Sixty (39.2%) of 153 AS patients had FBD symptoms, which was more prevalent than controls (23.2%). Besides, symptoms compatible with IBS and chronic diarrhea were detected in 18 and 43 AS patients respectively. For AS group, multivariable logistic regression analyses showed that symptoms of FBD, IBS, and chronic diarrhea were negatively associated with using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), and positively associated with comorbid fibromyalgia, respectively. In exploration about effects of FBD (or its subtypes) symptoms on AS disease activity by multivariable linear regression analyses, FBD symptoms and chronic diarrhea had positive associations with assessments of AS respectively.

Conclusion

Patients with AS had frequent symptoms compatible with FBD, IBS, and chronic diarrhea, proportions of which were lower in those with NSAID-use. The improvement of FBD symptoms, especially chronic diarrhea, might be conducive to disease status of AS patients.

References

[1]Wallman JK, et al. Ann Rheum Dis. 2020;79:159-61.

[2]Mearin F, et al. Gastroenterology. 2016;18:S0016-5085(16)00222-5.

[3]Wolfe F, et al. J Rheumatol. 2011;38:1113-22.

Figure 1.

Frequencies with symptoms meeting FBD criteria

Table 1.

Univariable and multivariable associations between gut symptoms and assessments of AS

Gut symptomsUnivariableMultivariableβpβpASDAS-CRPaFBD symptoms0.2340.1120.294< 0.001IBS symptoms0.0390.863Chronic diarrhea0.2170.1720.3010.002BASDAIbFBD symptoms0.747< 0.0010.764< 0.001IBS symptoms0.2020.560Chronic diarrhea0.7610.0020.845< 0.001BAS-GcFBD symptoms0.936< 0.0010.979< 0.001IBS symptoms0.0590.889Chronic diarrhea0.9030.0030.9490.001ASAS HIdFBD symptoms1.941< 0.0011.6730.003IBS symptoms2.2630.0081.7690.046Chronic diarrhea1.5000.0151.3430.030BASFIeFBD symptoms0.4330.0490.4280.048IBS symptoms0.2960.376Chronic diarrhea0.4480.0600.4250.069BASMIfFBD symptoms-0.3730.190-0.4930.075IBS symptoms-0.4420.304Chronic diarrhea-0.1790.564　　

Besides gut symptoms, other clinical variables (Block-1) being chosen into hierarchical multivariable models were as follows: aHLA-B27, lnCRP, and lnESR; bHLA-B27 and lnESR; cHLA-B27 and lnCRP; dsex and TNFi; eHLA-B27, lnESR, and TNFi; fage and lnESR. Missing data ranging from 1-7%.

Disclosure of Interests

None declared

First Measurement of Energy-Dependent Inclusive Muon Neutrino Charged-Current Cross Sections on Argon with the MicroBooNE Detector

We report a measurement of the energy-dependent total charged-current cross section σ(E_{ν}) for inclusive muon neutrinos scattering on argon, as well as measurements of flux-averaged differential cross sections as a function of muon energy and hadronic energy transfer (ν). Data corresponding to 5.3×10^{19} protons on target of exposure were collected using the MicroBooNE liquid argon time projection chamber located in the Fermilab booster neutrino beam with a mean neutrino energy of approximately 0.8 GeV. The mapping between the true neutrino energy E_{ν} and reconstructed neutrino energy E_{ν}^{rec} and between the energy transfer ν and reconstructed hadronic energy E_{had}^{rec} are validated by comparing the data and Monte Carlo (MC) predictions. In particular, the modeling of the missing hadronic energy and its associated uncertainties are verified by a new method that compares the E_{had}^{rec} distributions between data and a MC prediction after constraining the reconstructed muon kinematic distributions, energy, and polar angle to those of data. The success of this validation gives confidence that the missing energy in the MicroBooNE detector is well modeled and underpins first-time measurements of both the total cross section σ(E_{ν}) and the differential cross section dσ/dν on argon.

Assessment of left ventricular systolic synchrony by peak strain dispersion in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the study was to investigate the clinical value of the peak strain dispersion (PSD) in evaluating left ventricular (LV) systolic synchrony in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

58 SLE patients without cardiovascular diseases and 60 healthy subjects were enrolled in the study. Both groups were examined by transthoracic two-dimensional echocardiography. Traditional parameters were measured by conventional echocardiography. Two-dimensional speckle tracking imaging (2D-STI) was used to analyze the PSD and LV global longitudinal strain (LVGLS). Related ultrasound and blood test results were analyzed and compared.

RESULTS

The PSD was significantly higher in SLE patients than in controls (p<0.05). The LVGLS was significantly lower in SLE patients than in controls (p<0.05). The PSD was negatively correlated with the LVGLS.

CONCLUSIONS

LV systolic synchrony is impaired in patients with SLE disease. The PSD can be used as a new reliable index to evaluate LV systolic synchrony.

Search for Neutrino-Induced Neutral-Current Δ Radiative Decay in MicroBooNE and a First Test of the MiniBooNE Low Energy Excess under a Single-Photon Hypothesis

We report results from a search for neutrino-induced neutral current (NC) resonant Δ(1232) baryon production followed by Δ radiative decay, with a ⟨0.8⟩  GeV neutrino beam. Data corresponding to MicroBooNE's first three years of operations (6.80×10^{20} protons on target) are used to select single-photon events with one or zero protons and without charged leptons in the final state (1γ1p and 1γ0p, respectively). The background is constrained via an in situ high-purity measurement of NC π^{0} events, made possible via dedicated 2γ1p and 2γ0p selections. A total of 16 and 153 events are observed for the 1γ1p and 1γ0p selections, respectively, compared to a constrained background prediction of 20.5±3.65(syst) and 145.1±13.8(syst) events. The data lead to a bound on an anomalous enhancement of the normalization of NC Δ radiative decay of less than 2.3 times the predicted nominal rate for this process at the 90% confidence level (C.L.). The measurement disfavors a candidate photon interpretation of the MiniBooNE low-energy excess as a factor of 3.18 times the nominal NC Δ radiative decay rate at the 94.8% C.L., in favor of the nominal prediction, and represents a greater than 50-fold improvement over the world's best limit on single-photon production in NC interactions in the sub-GeV neutrino energy range.

[Efficacy analysis of Venetoclax combined with TKI and dexamethasone-containing low-dose chemotherapy for relapsed/refractory Ph+acute B-lymphoblastic leukemia]

The clinical data of five cases of relapsed/refractory (R/R) Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute B-lymphocytic leukaemia (Ph⁺B-ALL) treated with Bcl-2 inhibitor venetoclax combined with tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) and dexamethasone-containing low-dose chemotherapy regimen at Zhengzhou University Cancer Hospital were analyzed, and the efficacy and safety were evaluated. Ponatinib was used in two of the five patients with T315I mutation, and flumatinib was used in other three patients. The results showed that, of the four minimal residual disease (MRD) positive patients, three achieved complete molecular remission (CMR) in the short term and one was ineffective. Another patient with morphological recurrence reached CR in one month. The overall response rate was 80%. Treatment related adverse reactions included mild skin pigmentation, gastrointestinal reactions, fatigue, and grade Ⅰ-Ⅱ bone marrow suppression.

Joint Measurement of the ^{235}U Antineutrino Spectrum by PROSPECT and STEREO

The PROSPECT and STEREO collaborations present a combined measurement of the pure ^{235}U antineutrino spectrum, without site specific corrections or detector-dependent effects. The spectral measurements of the two highest precision experiments at research reactors are found to be compatible with χ^{2}/ndf=24.1/21, allowing a joint unfolding of the prompt energy measurements into antineutrino energy. This ν[over ¯]_{e} energy spectrum is provided to the community, and an excess of events relative to the Huber model is found in the 5-6 MeV region. When a Gaussian bump is fitted to the excess, the data-model χ^{2} value is improved, corresponding to a 2.4σ significance.

Direct Synthesis of Functional Thermoplastic Elastomer with Excellent Mechanical Properties by Scandium-Catalyzed Copolymerization of Ethylene and Fluorostyrenes

Herein, we report copolymerizations of ethylene (E) and ortho-/meta-/para-fluorostyrenes (S^F =oFS/mFS/pFS) by using quinolyl methylene fluorenyl scandium complex (Flu-CH₂ -Qu)Sc(CH₂ SiMe₃ )₂ . The copolymerizations proceed in a controlled fashion to afford copolymers composed of "soft" ethylene-fluorostyurene (E-S^F ) random segments (T_g =-22.2-5.1 °C) and "hard" crystalline ethylene-ethylene (E-E) segments (T_m =42.3-130.2 °C). The copolymers behave like thermoplastic elastomers at room temperature by showing high stress values up to 39.5 MPa under elongation-at-break above 774 % with elastic recovery over 75 %. The excellent mechanical properties are mainly attributed to the microphase separation of the nanoscale crystalline E-E domain from the amorphous E-S^F copolymer matrix proved by AFM, WAXD and SAXS. The mechanism investigation by the density functional theory (DFT) simulation reveals that the steric bulky and electron-withdrawing ligand of the catalytic precursor prefers E propagation to generate long E-E segments, while the incorporation of S^F is thermodynamic control.

Conformation and persistence length of chitosan in aqueous solutions of different ionic strengths via asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation

Conformation of chitosan in acidic aqueous solutions is strongly influenced by ionic strength, but the conventional employed size exclusion chromatography is limited to high ionic strength. Here we show that conformation of chitosan in acetate buffer down to millimolar ionic strength can be studied via asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation (AF4), where the separation is governed by the diffusion properties of the chitosan molecules and assisted by the electrostatic repulsion of the polyelectrolyte from the channel membrane. The size of chitosan decreases with ionic strength due to increasing screening of the polyelectrolyte effect. The persistence length of chitosan in the solutions, obtained by fitting the conformation plot by the wormlike chain model, decreases linearly with the Debye screening length from 44.5 nm at a salt concentration of 1.25 mM dominated by the electrostatic contribution to 8.6 nm in 800 mM acetate buffer close to its intrinsic persistence length of 7.7 nm.

Search for a Higgs Portal Scalar Decaying to Electron-Positron Pairs in the MicroBooNE Detector

We present a search for the decays of a neutral scalar boson produced by kaons decaying at rest, in the context of the Higgs portal model, using the MicroBooNE detector. We analyze data triggered in time with the Fermilab NuMI neutrino beam spill, with an exposure of 1.93×10^{20} protons on target. We look for monoenergetic scalars that come from the direction of the NuMI hadron absorber, at a distance of 100 m from the detector, and decay to electron-positron pairs. We observe one candidate event, with a standard model background prediction of 1.9±0.8. We set an upper limit on the scalar-Higgs mixing angle of θ<(3.3-4.6)×10^{-4} at the 95% confidence level for scalar boson masses in the range (100-200)  MeV/c^{2}. We exclude, at the 95% confidence level, the remaining model parameters required to explain the central value of a possible excess of K_{L}^{0}→π^{0}νν[over ¯] decays reported by the KOTO collaboration. We also provide a model-independent limit on a new boson X produced in K→πX decays and decaying to e^{+}e^{-}.

POS0921 EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF ACEMETACIN IN THE TREATMENT OF 1215 ACTIVE ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS PATIENTS: DATA FROM A PROSPECTIVE COHORT MANAGED BY SMART-PHONE SPONDYLOARTHRITIS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Background:

Biological DMARDs have widely used in the treatment of AS in last two decades, but NSAIDs still serves as a cornerstone in the treatment. Given the wide use of Acemetacin in AS and relative lack of clinical evidence on the selection of NSAIDs in the treatment of AS, the investigation on acemetacin treating AS is of great significance.

Objectives:

Our study aims to investigate efficacy and safety of acemetacin in the treatment of AS.

Methods:

Data on efficacy and safety is available in 1215 patients from the Chinese Ankylosing Spondylitis Imaging Cohort (CASPIC), which is collected through the Smart-phone SpondyloArthritis Management System (SpAMS)[1]. Patients’ self-assessments are completed online at baseline and every subsequent clinic visit. Physician-reported assessments, laboratory tests, and treatments were recorded by rheumatologists at every clinic visit.

Results:

1215 patients with AS were registered, of whom 992 were treated with acemetacin and 123 were treated with other NSAIDs. The results showed that total back pain and BASFI were significantly improved after three-month treatment of acemetacin, while comparing to other NSAIDs (P=0.027 and 0.015, respectively). After six-month treatment, patients taking acemetacin showed greater improvement in PGA (P=0.013), total back pain (P=0.049), night back pain (P=0.047), BASFI (P=0.042), ASDAS (P=0.007) and CRP (P=0.032) compared to those taking other NSAIDs. During the follow-up periods, no serious adverse events were reported. Mild abnormal liver function occurred in nine patients (9/992) treated with acemetacin and in six patients treated with other NSAIDs (6/123). See Table 1 for details.

Conclusion:

Acemetacin showed better efficacy and acceptable safety profile in the treatment of active ankylosing spondylitis comparing with other NSAIDs.

References:

[1]Ji, X., et al., Improvement of Disease Management and Cost Effectiveness in Chinese Patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis Using a Smart-Phone Management System: A Prospective Cohort Study. BioMed research international, 2019. 2019: p. 2171475.

Table 1.

The comparation of two groups at 0, 3 and 6 months after treatment

Baseline3 months6 months95%CIP95%CIP95%CIPPGA-0.13(-0.49, 0.24)0.494-0.28(-0.74, 0.18)0.235-0.59(-1.06, -1.13)0.013*Total back pain-0.03(-0.37, 0.32)0.889-0.50(-0.94, -0.06)0.027*-0.44(-0.88, -0.002)0.049*Night back pain0.01(-0.36, 0.38)0.956-0.30(-0.75, 0.16)0.203-0.46(-0.91, -0.006)0.047*BASFI-0.30(-0.59, 0.004)0.053-0.55(-0.99, -0.11)0.015*-0.34(-0.67, -0.01)0.042*ASDAS-0.10(-0.29, 0.08)0.287-0.15(-0.46, 0.16)0.342-0.41(-0.70, -0.11)0.007*CRP-4.39(-8.87, 0.10)0.0550.91(-10.39, 12.21)0.874-7.86(-15.03, -0.68)0.032*

Disclosure of Interests:

None declared

POS1481-HPR SEXUAL EXPERIENCE IN MALE PATIENTS WITH ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS: RESULTS FROM A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY OF 113 PATIENTS

Background:

The expression and experience of sexuality is a key part of an individual self-identity1, so it is essential for both healthy individuals and patients. Patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) may be susceptible to sexual issues due to disease activity, dysfunction and comorbid emotional problems. However, sexuality, especially sexual experience, are rarely paid attention in patients with AS.

Objectives:

Our study aims to assess sexual experience in male patients with AS, and analyze the factors affecting sexual experience.

Methods:

This is a cross-sectional study. A total of 113 patients with AS and 46 healthy people were investigated, matched according to age and body mass index. The Sexual Experience Questionnaire is used to assess male sexual experience. Linear regression analysis is used to explore the contributions of clinical variables to worse sexual experience.

Results:

There is a significant difference in the total sexual experience score between AS patients and healthy controls (41.92±8.83 vs 46.98±8.10, P=0.0013). Also, patients with AS have a worse score in all dimensions of sexual experience, including erectile function, individual satisfaction and couple satisfaction, comparing to healthy people. In the regression model after controlling for the effects of age, disease duration and body mass index, disease activity (BASDAI), function (BASFI), mobility (BASMI, chest expansion and finger-floor distance), health index (ASAS HI), sleep quality (PSQI) and psychological status (HADS, HADS-A and HADS-D) are significant determinants of sexual experience, including erectile function (except for chest expansion), individual satisfaction (except for BASMI) and couple satisfaction (except for BASMI). See Table 1 for details.

Table 1.

Multivariable regression analysis of association between sexual experience and clinical outcomes

IndependentSexual experience total scoreErectile functionIndividual satisfactionCouple satisfactionβ (95%CI)Pβ (95%CI)Pβ (95%CI)Pβ (95%CI)PPain total-0.09 (-0.25, 0.07)0.28-0.27 (-0.58, 0.03)0.073-0.51 (-0.91, -0.100.014-0.15 (-0.32, 0.02)0.077BASDAI1.35 (-2.24, -0.45)0.003-0.42 (-0.75, -0.09)0.014-0.72 (-1.16, -0.28)0.001-0.21 (-0.40, -0.02)0.028BASFI-1.80 (-2.59, -1.01)<0.001-0.62 (-0.91, -0.32)<0.001-0.89 (-1.28, -0.50)<0.001-0.30 (-0.47, -0.13)0.001BASMI-1.04 (-2.01, -0.07)0.036-0.47 (-0.82, -0.12)0.008-0.48 (-0.96, 0.001)0.051-0.09 (-0.29, 0.12)0.413Chest expansion1.60 (0.24, 2.96)0.0210.50 (-0.004, 0.99)0.0520.74 (0.07, 1.42)0.0320.36 (0.08, 0.64)0.011Finger-floor distance-0.20 (-0.33, -0.07)0.003-0.07 (-0.11, -0.02)0.009-0.10 (-0.17, -0.03)0.003-0.04 (-0.06, -0.01)0.011ASAS HI-1.27 (-1.64, -0.91)<0.001-0.42 (-0.55, -0.28)<0.001-0.62 (-0.80, -0.43)<0.001-0.24 (-0.32, -0.16)<0.001PSQI-0.60 (-1.11, -0.09)0.021-0.19 (-0.38, -0.004)0.045-0.28 (-0.54, -0.03)0.03-0.13 (-0.23, -0.02)0.019HADS-0.53 (-0.76, -0.29)<0.001-0.18 (-0.27, -0.09)<0.001-0.24 (-0.36, -0.13)<0.001-0.10 (-0.15, -0.05)<0.001HADS-A-0.86 (-1.30, -0.42)<0.001-0.28 (-0.44, -0.12)0.001-0.42 (-0.63, -0.20)<0.001-0.17 (-0.26, -0.07)<0.001HADS-D-0.99 (-1.45, -0.53)<0.001-0.35 (-0.52, -0.19)<0.001-0.44 (-0.67, -0.21)<0.001-0.20 (-0.29, -0.10)<0.001

Conclusion:

Worse sexual experience is associated with increased disease activity, decreased function, poor mobility, decreased health index, poor sleep quality and psychological status. Therefore, special attention to worse sexual experience in patients with AS is essential to assess disease-related suffering and develop new patient management strategies.

References:

[1]Hill J, Bird H, Thorpe R. Effects of rheumatoid arthritis on sexual activity and relationships. Rheumatology (Oxford), 2003. 42(2):280-6.

Disclosure of Interests:

None declared

QSPR modelling for intrinsic viscosity in polymer-solvent combinations based on density functional theory

Linear and nonlinear quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR) models were developed based on a dataset with 65 polymer-solvent combinations. Seven quantum chemical descriptors, dipole moment, hardness, chemical potential, electrophilicity index, total energy, HOMO and LUMO orbital energies, were calculated with density functional theory at the B3LYP/6-31 G(d) level for polymers and solvents. Considering the strong correlation between intrinsic viscosity and weight, size, shape as well as topological structure of polymers and solvents, topological descriptors were also applied in this work. Meanwhile, the most appropriate polymer structure representation was investigated by considering 1-5 monomeric repeating units. The molecular descriptors were first screened by using the genetic algorithms-multiple linear regression (GA-MLR), with coefficient of determinations (r2) of 0.78 and 0.83 for the training set and the prediction set, respectively. The support vector machine model (SVM) model based on the selected descriptors subset showed a r2 value of 0.95 for the training set and 0.93 for the prediction set. All statistical results suggest that the established QSPR models have good predictability. Furthermore, a new test set obtained from the literature was used for further validation. The r2 values were 0.81 for the MLR model and 0.90 for the SVM model.

Prospects for beyond the Standard Model physics searches at the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment: DUNE Collaboration

The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) will be a powerful tool for a variety of physics topics. The high-intensity proton beams provide a large neutrino flux, sampled by a near detector system consisting of a combination of capable precision detectors, and by the massive far detector system located deep underground. This configuration sets up DUNE as a machine for discovery, as it enables opportunities not only to perform precision neutrino measurements that may uncover deviations from the present three-flavor mixing paradigm, but also to discover new particles and unveil new interactions and symmetries beyond those predicted in the Standard Model (SM). Of the many potential beyond the Standard Model (BSM) topics DUNE will probe, this paper presents a selection of studies quantifying DUNE's sensitivities to sterile neutrino mixing, heavy neutral leptons, non-standard interactions, CPT symmetry violation, Lorentz invariance violation, neutrino trident production, dark matter from both beam induced and cosmogenic sources, baryon number violation, and other new physics topics that complement those at high-energy colliders and significantly extend the present reach.

Down-regulation of long non-coding RNA DUXAP8 suppresses proliferation, metastasis and EMT by modulating miR-498 through TRIM44-mediated AKT/mTOR pathway in non-small-cell lung cancer

OBJECTIVE

The long non-coding RNA double homeobox A pseudogene 8 (DUXAP8) was reported to be involved in the initiation and development of multiple cancers. However, the detailed biological role of DUXAP8 in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains unclear. Herein, we aimed to explore the biological function and molecular mechanism of DUXAP8 in NSCLC.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The levels of DUXAP8, microRNA-498 (miR-498) and tripartite motif-44 (TRIM44) were detected by Quantitative Real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The cell proliferation, migration and invasion were detected by 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and transwell assays. Protein expression levels were detected by Western blot. The target relationships among DUXAP8, miR-498 and TRIM44 were predicted by starBase2.0 and confirmed using luciferase reporter and RNA pull-down assays. To detect the role of DUXAP8 in vivo, tumor xenografts were created.

RESULTS

DUXAP8 and TRIM44 were upregulated in NSCLC tissues and cell lines, while miR-498 was downregulated. Functionally, knockdown of DUXAP8 could repress proliferation, migration, invasion, Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) and phosphorylation of AKT/mTOR in NSCLC cells. This inhibition could be restored by inhibiting miR-498 or overexpressing TRIM44. Furthermore, we also observed a positive correlation between DUXAP8 and TRIM44 expression, while the expressions of miR-498 and DUXAP8, as well as miR-498 and TRIM44, were negatively correlated in NSCLC tissues. Importantly, DUXAP8 could regulate the expression of TRIM44 via miR-498. Moreover, knockdown of DUXAP8 notably decreased the xenograft tumor volume, weight and number of metastatic nodules in vivo.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results identified that LncRNA DUXAP8 could regulate cell proliferation, metastasis and EMT in NSCLC cells by inhibiting miR-498 through the activation of TRIM44-mediated AKT/mTOR pathway.