Comparison of different macroinvertebrates bioassessment indices in a large near-natural watershed under the context of metacommunity theory

The metacommunity theory proposes that community structure and biodiversity are influenced by both local processes (such as environmental filtering) and regional processes (such as dispersal). Despite the extensive use of traditional bioassessments based on species-environment relationships, the impact of dispersal processes on these assessments has been largely overlooked. This study aims to compare correlations between various bioassessment indices, including Shannon Weiner (H'), Biological Monitoring Working Party (BMWP), average score per taxon (ASPT), biotic index (BI), and EPT taxa index (EPT), based on macroinvertebrates collected from 147 sampling sites in a subtropical Chinese near-natural catchment. Modified indices were calculated by removing species strongly influenced by dispersal processes to address the influence of dispersal processes. Their relationship with environmental factors was then compared to the original indices. The study employed random forest regression (RFR) to compare the explanatory power of environmental factors using the two sets of indices. The spearman rank correlation analysis was conducted to examine the correlation between indices and environmental factors. The river health assessment was performed based on both modified and original indices. The results reveal significant differences between original and modified indices (especially H' and BI) providing a more accurate reflection of environmental conditions. Furthermore, the sensitivity of the different indices to various environmental factors varied, leading to differences in the bioassessment results between the modified and the original indices. Notably, original H', BMWP, and ASPT overestimated the bioassessment results, whereas the original BI underestimated them. These findings offer valuable insights into bioassessment and river health assessment evaluation within the catchment and other interconnected freshwater ecosystems, such as lakes, reservoirs, and wetlands. Our study underscores the importance of assessing and mitigating the impact of dispersal processes on bioassessment to obtain a more precise representation of the status of freshwater ecosystems.

Celastrol Alleviates Mitochondrial Oxidative Stress and Brain Injury After Intracerebral Hemorrhage by Promoting OPA1-Dependent Mitochondrial Fusion

Mitochondrial oxidative stress is one of the characteristics of secondary brain injury (SBI) after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), contributing largely to the apoptosis of neurons. Celastrol, a quinone methide triterpene that possesses antioxidant and mitochondrial protective properties, has emerged as a neuroprotective agent. However, the activity of celastrol has not been tested in ICH-induced SBI. In this study, we found that celastrol could effectively alleviate neurological function deficits and reduce brain oedema and neuronal apoptosis caused by ICH. Through electron microscopy, we found that celastrol could significantly attenuate mitochondrial morphology impairment. Therefore, we tested the regulatory proteins of mitochondrial dynamics and found that celastrol could reverse the downwards trend of OPA1 expression after ICH. In view of this, by culturing OPA1-deficient primary neurons and constructing neuron-specific OPA1 conditional knockout mice, we found that the protective effects of celastrol on mitochondrial morphology and function after ICH were counteracted in the absence of OPA1. Further experiments also showed that OPA1 is indispensable for the protective effects of celastrol on ICH-induced secondary brain injury. In summary, we have demonstrated that celastrol is a potential drug for the treatment of ICH and have revealed a novel mechanism by which celastrol exerts its antioxidant effects by promoting OPA1-mediated mitochondrial fusion.

Construction and Validation of a Gastric Cancer Diagnostic Model based on Blood Groups and Tumor Markers

Objective: The aim of this study is to explore the value of combined detection of ABO blood group and tumor markers in the diagnosis of gastric cancer. Methods: A total of 3650 gastric cancer patients treated in our center from January 2015 to December 2019, and 5822 controls were recruited, and divided into training set and validation set according to 7:3. The diagnostic and predictive model of gastric cancer was constructed by binary logistic regression method in the training set. The diagnostic value of the prediction model for gastric cancer was evaluated by calculating the prediction probability P value and drawing the Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and was verified in the validation set. Results: The Area under the curve (AUC) of the diagnosis and prediction model in the training set was 0.936 (95%CI: 0.926-0.941), the sensitivity was 81.66%, and the specificity was 98.61%. In the validation set, the AUC was 0.941 (95%CI: 0.932-0.950), the sensitivity was 82.33%, and the specificity was 99.02%. Furthermore, the diagnostic model obtained in this study had a high diagnostic value for early gastric cancer patients in the healthy population (AUC of training set, validation set and total population were 0.906, 0.920 and 0.908, respectively). Conclusions: We constructed a diagnostic model for gastric cancer including blood group and tumor markers, which has high reference value for the diagnosis of gastric cancer patients, and the model can better distinguish early gastric cancer from healthy people.

[Proposal and thoughts on establishing and improving multi-level dental insurance in China]

Oral diseases are highly prevalent in China, while oral health services are generally underutilized and public health resources are wasted. Lacking oral insurance may be one of the leading causes. The basic medical insurance of China does not cover dental care in most cities, which is worthy to further discuss. To better understand the experience of dental insurance from international dental care practice, the dental coverage scope, content, co-pay ratio, and effects of oral insurance on oral health improvement from the abroad countries with typical health insurance systems were summarized by using scoping review. Then, we discussed the coverage scope for dental health of basic medical insurance and private insurance in China. We also analyzed the current issues of dental care coverage and cost-share. At last, we proposed thoughts and suggestions to establish and improve a multi-level oral health insurance system with Chinese characteristics under the basic medical insurance frame. In particular, we gave suggestions on increasing the coverage for high dental care xpenditure by ebasic medical insurance, supplying children and teenagers with preventive dental care, and encouraging private insurance companies to cover dental care expenditure.

Acrylamide-induced meiotic arrest of spermatocytes in adolescent mice by triggering excessive DNA strand breaks: Potential therapeutic effects of resveratrol

Background: Baked carbohydrate-rich foods are the main source of acrylamide (AA) in the general population and are widely consumed by teenagers. Considering the crucial development of the reproductive system during puberty, the health risks posed by AA in adolescent males have raised public concern.Methods: In this study, we exposed 3-week-old male pubertal mice to AA for 4 weeks to evaluate its effect on spermatogenesis using computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA) and historical analysis. Flow cytometric analysis and meiocyte spreading assay were conducted to assess meiosis in mice. The expression of meiosis-related proteins and double-strand break (DSB) proteins were evaluated by immunoblot analyses. Additionally, isolated spermatocytes were used to explore the role of resveratrol in AA-induced damages of meiosis.Results: Our results showed that AA decreased the testicular and epididymal indexes, reduced sperm count and motility, and induced morphological disruption of the testes in pubertal mice. Subsequent meiotic analysis revealed that AA increased the proportion of 4C spermatocytes and decreased the proportion of 1C spermatids. The expression levels of meiosis-related proteins (SYCP3, Cyclin A1 and CDK2) were downregulated, and signaling proteins (γH2AX, p-CHK2 and p-ATM) expression levels were upregulated in AA-treated mice testes. Similar expression patterns were observed in primary spermatocytes treated with AA and these effects were reversed significantly by resveratrol.Conclusions: Our results indicate that AA induces meiotic arrest via persistent activation of DSBs, which may contribute to AA-compromised spermatogenesis. Resveratrol could serve as a potential therapeutic agent against AA-induced meiotic toxicity. These data highlight the importance of natural product supplementation for treating AA-related reproductive toxicity.

Understanding the relative roles of local environmental, geo-climatic and spatial factors for taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic β-diversity of stream fishes in a large basin, Northeast China

The primary objective of this study was to determine the relative roles of local environmental (Local), geo-climatic (Geo), and spatial (Spatial) factors to taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic β-diversity of stream fish in a large basin in Northeast China. We quantified the current biodiversity patterns of fish communities in the Hun-Tai River using β-diversity. We assessed (i) corresponding contributions of turnover and nestedness within the taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic β-diversity of fishes; (ii) correlations among β-diversity facets (i.e., taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic facets); (iii) relative contributions of Local, Geo, and Spatial factors to β-diversity. We collected fish communities from 171 sampling sites. Mantel tests were used to examine the correlation of three facets of β-diversity and their components (i.e., total, nestedness, and turnover). Distance-based redundancy analysis and variation partitioning assess the relative contributions of Local, Geo, and Spatial factors to β-diversity. We found that turnover is the main driving mechanism for β-diversity in fish. Among the facets of β-diversity, taxonomic and phylogenetic facets have strong ecological information association. Spatial factors have a general contribution to various facets of β-diversity and its components. From aspects of fish β-diversity conservation, connectivity and habitat heterogeneity need to be maintained in the entire aquatic environment. In addition, protecting taxonomic β-diversity is helpful for maintaining phylogenetic β-diversity.

Resectability of bilobar liver tumours after simultaneous portal and hepatic vein embolization versus portal vein embolization alone: meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Many patients with bi-lobar liver tumours are not eligible for liver resection due to an insufficient future liver remnant (FLR). To reduce the risk of posthepatectomy liver failure and the primary cause of death, regenerative procedures intent to increase the FLR before surgery. The aim of this systematic review is to provide an overview of the available literature and outcomes on the effectiveness of simultaneous portal and hepatic vein embolization (PVE/HVE) versus portal vein embolization (PVE) alone.

METHODS

A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase up to September 2022. The primary outcome was resectability and the secondary outcome was the FLR volume increase.

RESULTS

Eight studies comparing PVE/HVE with PVE and six retrospective PVE/HVE case series were included. Pooled resectability within the comparative studies was 75 per cent in the PVE group (n = 252) versus 87 per cent in the PVE/HVE group (n = 166, OR 1.92 (95% c.i., 1.13-3.25)) favouring PVE/HVE (P = 0.015). After PVE, FLR hypertrophy between 12 per cent and 48 per cent (after a median of 21-30 days) was observed, whereas growth between 36 per cent and 67 per cent was reported after PVE/HVE (after a median of 17-31 days). In the comparative studies, 90-day primary cause of death was similar between groups (2.5 per cent after PVE versus 2.2 per cent after PVE/HVE), but a higher 90-day primary cause of death was reported in single-arm PVE/HVE cohort studies (6.9 per cent, 12 of 175 patients).

CONCLUSION

Based on moderate/weak evidence, PVE/HVE seems to increase resectability of bi-lobar liver tumours with a comparable safety profile. Additionally, PVE/HVE resulted in faster and more pronounced hypertrophy compared with PVE alone.

Spatial Factors Outperform Local Environmental and Geo-Climatic Variables in Structuring Multiple Facets of Stream Macroinvertebrates' β-Diversity

Simple Summary

One of the key targets of community ecology and biogeography concerns revealing the variability and underlying drivers of biodiversity. Most current studies understand biodiversity based on taxonomic information alone. Our study was based on macroinvertebrates from 179 stream sampling sites in the Hun-Tai River Basin in Northeastern China. The correlation of different facets of β-diversity was compared while revealing the relative contribution of multiple abiotic factors (i.e., local environmental, geo-climatic, and spatial factors) to shaping β-diversity based on taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic information. The results showed that functional β-diversity provides important complementary information to taxonomic and phylogenetic β-diversity. Moreover, spatial factors outperform local environmental and geo-climatic variables in structuring multiple facets of stream macroinvertebrates’ β-diversity. Our study provides guidance for future conservation studies of watershed biodiversity, as well as implications for future studies of β-diversity.

Abstract

One of the key targets of community ecology and biogeography concerns revealing the variability and underlying drivers of biodiversity. Most current studies understand biodiversity based on taxonomic information alone, but few studies have shown the relative contributions of multiple abiotic factors in shaping biodiversity based on taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic information. We collected 179 samples of macroinvertebrates in the Hun-Tai River Basin. We validated the complementarity between the three facets and components of β-diversity using the Mantel test. Distance-based redundancy analysis and variance partitioning were applied to explore the comparative importance of local environmental, geo-climatic, and spatial factors on each facet and component of β-diversity. Our study found that taxonomic and phylogenetic total β-diversity was mainly forced by turnover, while functional total β-diversity was largely contributed by nestedness. There is a strong correlation between taxonomic and phylogenetic β-diversity. However, the correlations of functional with both taxonomic and phylogenetic β-diversity were relatively weak. The findings of variation partitioning suggested that distinct facets and components of macroinvertebrates’ β-diversity were impacted by abiotic factors to varying degrees. The contribution of spatial factors was greater than that of the local environment and geo-climatic factors for taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic β-diversity. Thus, studying different facets and components of β-diversity allows a clearer comprehension of the influence of abiotic factors on diversity patterns. Therefore, future research should investigate patterns and mechanisms of β-diversity from taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic perspectives.

Expression and significance of CDX2, FXR, and TGR5 in esophageal cancer

This study explored the expression and significance of three critical morphogenesis genes in normal esophagus, reflux esophagitis (RE), Barrett's esophagus (BE), esophageal adenocarcinoma (EA), and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Esophageal tissue samples and tissue microarrays were used. CDX2, FXR, and TGR5 protein expression were measured by immunohistochemistry in normal esophageal, RE, BE, EA, and ESCC tissues. All 3 proteins had markedly changed expression during the progression of EA. The expressions of CDX2 and FXR were positively correlated in EA. In addition, TGR5 expression was positively correlated with CDX2 in RE and BE. The expressions of CDX2 and FXR were also positively correlated in ESCC. Although CDX2, FXR, and TGR5 were upregulated in ESCC, these factors might not be markers for the prognosis of ESCC. These results suggested that CDX2, FXR, and TGR5 might play different roles in EA and ESCC. They may represent novel therapeutic targets for patients with these cancers.

M2-like tumor-associated macrophage-related biomarkers to construct a novel prognostic signature, reveal the immune landscape, and screen drugs in hepatocellular carcinoma

Background

M2-like tumor-associated macrophages (M2-like TAMs) have important roles in the progression and therapeutics of cancers. We aimed to detect novel M2-like TAM-related biomarkers in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) via integrative analysis of single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) and bulk RNA-seq data to construct a novel prognostic signature, reveal the “immune landscape”, and screen drugs in HCC.

Methods

M2-like TAM-related genes were obtained by overlapping the marker genes of TAM identified from scRNA-seq data and M2 macrophage modular genes identified by weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) using bulk RNA-seq data. Univariate Cox regression and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analyses were carried out to screen prognostic genes from M2-like TAM-related genes, followed by a construction of a prognostic signature, delineation of risk groups, and external validation of the prognostic signature. Analyses of immune cells, immune function, immune evasion scores, and immune-checkpoint genes between high- and low-risk groups were done to further reveal the immune landscape of HCC patients. To screen potential HCC therapeutic agents, analyses of gene–drug correlation and sensitivity to anti-cancer drugs were conducted.

Results

A total of 127 M2-like TAM-related genes were identified by integrative analysis of scRNA-seq and bulk-seq data. PDLIM3, PAM, PDLIM7, FSCN1, DPYSL2, ARID5B, LGALS3, and KLF2 were screened as prognostic genes in HCC by univariate Cox regression and LASSO regression analyses. Then, a prognostic signature was constructed and validated based on those genes for predicting the survival of HCC patients. In terms of drug screening, expression of PAM and LGALS3 was correlated positively with sensitivity to simvastatin and ARRY-162, respectively. Based on risk grouping, we predicted 10 anticancer drugs with high sensitivity in the high-risk group, with epothilone B having the lowest half-maximal inhibitory concentration among all drugs tested.

Conclusions

Our findings enhance understanding of the M2-like TAM-related molecular mechanisms involved in HCC, reveal the immune landscape of HCC, and provide potential targets for HCC treatment.

Dragon 1 Protocol Manuscript: Training, Accreditation, Implementation and Safety Evaluation of Portal and Hepatic Vein Embolization (PVE/HVE) to Accelerate Future Liver Remnant (FLR) Hypertrophy

STUDY PURPOSE

The DRAGON 1 trial aims to assess training, implementation, safety and feasibility of combined portal- and hepatic-vein embolization (PVE/HVE) to accelerate future liver remnant (FLR) hypertrophy in patients with borderline resectable colorectal cancer liver metastases.

METHODS

The DRAGON 1 trial is a worldwide multicenter prospective single arm trial. The primary endpoint is a composite of the safety of PVE/HVE, 90-day mortality, and one year accrual monitoring of each participating center. Secondary endpoints include: feasibility of resection, the used PVE and HVE techniques, FLR-hypertrophy, liver function (subset of centers), overall survival, and disease-free survival. All complications after the PVE/HVE procedure are documented. Liver volumes will be measured at week 1 and if applicable at week 3 and 6 after PVE/HVE and follow-up visits will be held at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after the resection.

RESULTS

Not applicable.

CONCLUSION

DRAGON 1 is a prospective trial to assess the safety and feasibility of PVE/HVE. Participating study centers will be trained, and procedures standardized using Work Instructions (WI) to prepare for the DRAGON 2 randomized controlled trial. Outcomes should reveal the accrual potential of centers, safety profile of combined PVE/HVE and the effect of FLR-hypertrophy induction by PVE/HVE in patients with CRLM and a small FLR.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT04272931 (February 17, 2020). Toestingonline.nl: NL71535.068.19 (September 20, 2019).

Serum Total Bile Acids in Relation to Gastrointestinal Cancer Risk: A Retrospective Study

Background

Bile acids (BAs) have been proposed to promote gastrointestinal cells carcinogenesis. However, studies on serum total bile acid (TBA) levels and gastrointestinal cancers (GICs) risk are rare.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective case-control study from 2015 to 2019 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Military Medical University, in which 4,256 GICs cases and 1,333 controls were recruited. Patients' demographic, clinical and laboratory data were collected. The odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using binary logistic regression models.

Results

Positive associations were observed between serum TBA levels and risks of esophageal cancer (EC), gastric cancer (GC) and colorectal cancer (CRC). Overall, ORs of EC, GC and CRC risk rose with the TBA levels increasing. After adjustment for potential confounders, the OR of TBA-positive for EC risk was 4.89 (95% CI: 3.20-7.49), followed by GC (OR: 3.92, 95% CI: 2.53-6.08), and CRC (OR: 3.32, 95% CI: 2.04-5.11). Patients aged 60 years or older have a higher risk of GICs, especially for EC patients. Males are associated with a higher risk of GC, while females are associated with a higher risk of CRC. Preoperative serum TBA positive and negative was significantly different in the presence or absence of hematogenous metastasis among EC patients (P=0.014), and lymph node metastasis among GC patients (P=0.018).

Conclusions

This retrospective study showed positive associations between serum TBA level and GICs risk, and a higher serum TBA level constitutes a risk factor for GICs.

The clinicopathological characteristics of early-onset gastric cancer and its evolutionary trends: a retrospective study

Although gastric cancer (GC) is most common in the elderly population, the rate of early-onset gastric cancer (EOGC) is increasing each year. In this study, the clinicopathological information of 9,406 patients who underwent GC resection in our institution from 2000 to 2019 was collected. We compared the clinicopathological characteristics between the EOGC group, in which patients were younger than 40, and the control group, summarizing the evolutionary trends of the EOGC group's characteristics. Then, we focused on the characteristics of EOGC in different sex groups and the evolutionary trends of female EOGC patients' clinicopathological characteristics. The results showed that a greater proportion of the EOGC group was female (47.32% vs. 23.53%), had poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma (84.78% vs. 64.11%), gastric antrum cancer (59.38% vs. 50.72%) and signet ring cell carcinoma (21.13% vs. 8.51%). Over the past 20 years, the proportion of EOGC patients with T4 stage (10.71% to 41.74%), N3 stage (0 to 30.73%) and poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma (70.37% to 92.23%) has increased. In the female EOGC group, there were more patients with stage III-IV disease (57.23% vs. 43.22%), T4 stage (35.85% vs. 22.60%), and poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma (91.88% vs. 78.68%). Additionally, the proportions of T4 stage (16.13% to 50.50%), N3 stage (0% to 31.68%), and poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma (69.23% to 98.97%) gradually increased. In conclusion, our study not only identified unique clinicopathological characteristics of EOGC but also revealed the evolutionary trends of these indicators, which may provide some theoretical basis for the prevention and diagnosis of EOGC.

[Prevalence and frequencies of human papilloma virus types in adenocarcinoma in situ of the uterine cervix]

Objective: To examine the prevalence and frequencies of human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes in cervical adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS). Methods: The cases of cervical AIS with concurrent tests of cytology and HPV typing from January 2007 to February 2020 in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University were collected and analyzed. Results: A total of 478 cases of cervical AIS were obtained. The average age of the patients was 39.4 years (range, 19-81 years). The largest age group was 30-39 years (44.8%), followed by 40-49 years (34.7%). Among the 478 patients, 355 underwent high-risk HPV (hrHPV) testing and had a hrHPV-positive rate of 93.8%. Of the 355 patients, 277 also underwent HPV typing and were mostly positive for either or both HPV16 and HPV18 (93.1%), with 55.6% positive for HPV18 and 48.7% positive for HPV16. Among the 478 cases, 266 cases (55.6%) were diagnosed with both AIS and squamous intraepithelial lesion (SIL), while 212 cases (44.4%) were diagnosed with only AIS. Patients infected with HPV16 in the AIS and SIL group significantly outnumbered those in the AIS alone group (P<0.05). Moreover, the rate of positive cytology was 55.9% (167/299 cases), while that of negative cytology was 44.1% (132/299). Among the 109 patients with negative cytology results and co-tested hrHPV, there were 101 HPV-positive cases (92.7%), of which 88 cases were subject to HPV typing and showed an HPV16/18 positive rate of 94.3% (83/88 cases). Conclusions: The combination of HPV typing and cytological screening can maximize the detection rate of cervical AIS, and should continue to be utilized, ideally on a larger scale, in the future.

The protective effect of hesperidin against renal ischemia-reperfusion injury involves the TLR-4/NF-κB/iNOS pathway in rats

Renal injury is reported to have a high mortality rate. Additionally, there are several limitations to current conventional treatments that are used to manage it. This study evaluated the protective effect of hesperidin against ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-induced kidney injury in rats. Renal injury was induced by generating I/R in kidney tissues. Rats were then treated with hesperidin at a dose of 10 or 20 mg/kg intravenously 1 day after surgery for a period of 14 days. The effect of hesperidin on renal function, serum mediators of inflammation, and levels of oxidative stress in renal tissues were observed in rat kidney tissues after I/R-induced kidney injury. Moreover, protein expression and mRNA expression in kidney tissues were determined using Western blotting and RT-PCR. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining was done for histopathological observation of kidney tissues. The data suggest that the levels of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine in the serum of hesperidin-treated rats were lower than in the I/R group. Treatment with hesperidin also ameliorated the altered level of inflammatory mediators and oxidative stress in I/R-induced renal-injured rats. The expression of p-IκBα, caspase-3, NF-κB p65, Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4) protein, TLR-4 mRNA, and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) was significantly reduced in the renal tissues of hesperidin-treated rats. Histopathological findings also revealed that treatment with hesperidin attenuated the renal injury in I/R kidney-injured rats. In conclusion, our results suggest that hesperidin protects against renal injury induced by I/R by involving TLR-4/NF-κB/iNOS signaling.

[Clinical application of single-port inflatable endoscopic nipple sparing mastectomy with immediate reconstruction using prosthesis implantation]

Objective: To examine the clinical application value of single-port inflatable endoscopic nipple sparing mastectomy with immediate reconstruction using prosthesis implantation in the treatment of early breast cancer. Methods: From February 2014 to July 2019, the clinic-pathological data of 34 early breast cancer patients received single-port inflatable endoscopic nipple sparing mastectomy with immediate reconstruction using prosthesis implantation at Department of General Surgery, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University were retrospectively analyzed and followed up. All the patients were female, with an age of 46(11) years (M(Q_R)) (range: 26 to 64 years). The radical cure degree of operation, cosmetic effect after operation were evaluated. The satisfaction to operation and personal quality of life after operation was accessed by BREAST-Q scale. Results: All surgical procedures were successfully completed. The operation time was (313.4±11.7) minutes (range: 200 to 485 minutes). The blooding-liquid was (33.8±3.3) ml (range: 10 to 100 ml). There were 5 cases (14.7%) of nipple areola necrosis after operation, of which 1 patient received taking the prosthesis out because of prosthesis exposure. There was no capsular contracture or postoperative bleeding case. The follow-up time was 35(17) months (range: 12 to 77 months), and there was one case suffering local recurrence and metastasis, and another suffering metastasis. The scores of postoperative breast satisfaction, psychosocial status, chest wall status and sexual health were 78.32±2.57 (range: 55 to 100), 89.12±2.30 (range: 82 to 100), 91.47±1.33 (range: 43 to 100), and 78.50±2.68 (range: 39 to 100). Conclusion: Single-port inflatable endoscopic nipple sparing mastectomy with immediate reconstruction using prosthesis implantation in the treatment of early breast cancer can achieve provided curative and cosmetic effect on patients with breast cancer, with good patients' postoperative quality of life and satisfaction.

Whole genome expression microarray reveals novel roles for Kif4 in monocyte/macrophage cells

OBJECTIVE

Kinesin superfamily member 4 (Kif4), a conventional kinesin, is a microtubule-dependent molecular motor. The active movement of Kif4 participates in several cellular functions, including DNA repair, mitosis, the transport of macromolecules, survival of neurons and even tumorigenesis and progression. However, the role of Kif4 in monocyte/macrophage cells has not been reported. Our work aimed to increase understanding and further investigations of Kif4 in monocyte/macrophage cells.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

RAW264.7 cells were transfected with Kif4 small interfering RNA (siRNA), and whole genome expression microarray analysis was employed to analyze gene expression after cells treatment with or without Kif4 siRNA.

RESULTS

Our data found multiple differentially expressed genes which were enriched in the top 5 biological processes about innate immune response, immune response, response to interferon-beta, immune system process and cellular response to interferon-beta. 23 most significant pathways had been identified and enriched pathways indicated enrichment in peroxisome, lysosome, fatty acid metabolism, cell adhesion molecules and so on.

CONCLUSIONS

Our work may help understand the roles of Kif4 in monocyte/macrophage cells and would give useful information on basic research and the function of monocyte/macrophage cells.

Hydrodynamic impact on trace metals in sediments in the cascade reservoirs, North China

Cascade reservoirs facilitate the effective use of water resources and help to alleviate existing problems of water shortage in drought-prone regions. However, the geochemical behavior and controlling mechanisms of trace metals in response to the operation of cascade reservoirs are relatively unknown. Here, trace metals (As, Cr, Cu, Li, Ni, Pb and Zn) from thirty sediment cores from cascade reservoirs (Panjiakou and Daheiting Reservoirs) in China were evaluated. Multiple methods including geochemical baseline, geostatistical analysis, factor analysis (FA), and positive matrix factorization (PMF), were combined to assess pollution status, identify and quantify potential anthropogenic sources, and determine the influence of hydrodynamic conditions on trace metals distribution. The results indicate that minor enrichment of trace metals appeared in both cascade reservoirs. However, trace metal concentrations exhibited spatial heterogeneity between two cascade reservoirs, and diverse hotspots of different metals were unexpectedly observed. This can be explained by the following three aspects: (1) Metal hotspots were detected upstream of the cascade dams via geostatistical analysis and FA, particularly for naturally sourced metals (As and Li) where dam interception resulted in higher concentrations in the upstream reservoir. (2) PMF analysis identified agricultural, industrial, and natural sources to account for 23.44%, 41.61%, and 34.95%, respectively, to the metal concentrations in the downstream reservoir. Anthropogenic emissions were the dominant factors influencing the spatial variability of Cu, Pb, and Zn between the cascade reservoirs, with higher concentrations observed in the downstream reservoir. (3) The hydrological regime also influenced the redistribution of human-derived metals, where slower flow velocities at river bends resulted in higher deposition of metal-bearing particles. This study shed light on the spatial distribution of trace metals in response to the construction and operation of cascade reservoirs, and it suggests that trace metal hotspots should be monitored to prevent potential contamination in sediments.

Establishment of geochemical baseline and multiple assessment of vanadium pollution in sediment cores from the two cascade reservoirs, North China

Vanadium (V) is a potential toxic pollutant, and thus, V pollution in reservoir sediment should be scientifically evaluated because reservoirs are the main source of drinking water in China. However, the pollution assessment of V in reservoir sediment is often overestimated or underestimated due to the limitation for selecting local background values. In this study, the selection of the V background value in sediments was based on regional geochemical baseline (RGB) model. Multiple methods including geo-accumulation index (I_geo), potential ecological risk index (EI), and health risk assessment were applied to evaluate V pollution in sediment cores collected from the Panjiakou-Daheiting Reservoirs (PDR). The results show that the mean value of V concentrations in the PDR sediment cores was 92.86 mg/kg (57.69-141.19 mg/kg), which is higher than the soil background in Hebei Province and stream sediment values in China. V concentrations in the Panjiakou Reservoir were higher than those in the Daheiting Reservoir. The RGB value of V was 96.33 mg/kg in the PDR sediments. A comparison of the V concentrations and RGB values in the sampling sites indicated that half of these sites are impacted by anthropogenic inputs. Among the sites influenced by human activity, the average anthropogenic contribution was 9.9%, suggesting that majority of V in the PDR sediments originated from natural source. The pollution assessments of V were evaluated using I_geo and EI with RGB as the background value, and results indicated that the sediments in the PDR were not polluted with V. The environmental impact assessment model was also established for calculating V accumulation in fish due to sediment resuspension. Then, health risk assessment model was applied to further calculate the health risk to residents due to fish consumption. The evaluated target hazard quotient demonstrated that local fish consumption produced no adverse effect on human health during sediment disruption.

RNA interference-mediated knockdown of the transcription factor Krüppel homologue 1 suppresses vitellogenesis in Chilo suppressalis

Vitellogenesis in holometabolous insects involves the production and secretion of vitellogenin (Vg) and other yolk protein precursors in developing oocyte by the fat body, all of which is predominantly orchestrated by juvenile hormone (JH). Krüppel homologue 1 (Kr-h1) is a zinc finger transcription factor that has been demonstrated to be a JH-early inducible gene and to contribute to reproduction. However, the exact molecular function of Kr-h1 in insect reproduction is poorly understood. In the current study, we used the notorious pest Chilo suppressalis as a model system to investigate the role of Kr-h1 in female reproduction. Cloning and sequencing C. suppressalis Kr-h1 revealed that it shares high identity with its homologues from other lepidopteran insects. Moreover, RNA interference-mediated knockdown of CsKr-h1 substantially reduced the transcription of Vg in the fat body, dramatically decreased yolk protein deposition and also impaired oocyte maturation and ovarian development, indicating that Kr-h1 is indispensable for normal vitellogenesis in C. suppressalis. Based on these results, we conclude that Kr-h1 is crucial to reproduction in insects and that targeting this gene could potentially be a new way to suppress rice pests.

Microbial community structure and functional properties in permanently and seasonally flooded areas in Poyang Lake

Water level fluctuations are an inherent feature regulating the ecological structures and functions of lakes. It is vital to understand the effects of water level fluctuations on bacterial communities and metabolic characteristics in freshwater lakes in a changing world. However, information on the microbial community structure and functional properties in permanently and seasonally flooded areas are lacking. Poyang Lake is a typical seasonal lake linked to the Yangtze River and is significantly affected by water level fluctuations. Bottom water was collected from 12 sampling sites: seven inundated for the whole year (inundated areas) and five drained during the dry season (emerged areas). High-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing was used to identify the bacterial communities. The results showed that the taxonomic structure and potential functions of the bacterial communities were significantly different between the inundated and emerged areas. Cyanobacteria was dominant in both areas, but the relative abundance of Cyanobacteria was much higher in the emerged areas than in the inundated areas. Bacterial communities were taxonomically sensitive in the inundated areas and functionally sensitive in the emerged areas. Nitrogen, phosphorus, and dissolved organic carbon concentrations and their ratios, as well as dissolved oxygen, played important roles in promoting the bacterial taxonomic and functional compositional patterns in both areas. According to the metabolic predictions based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, the relative abundance of functional genes related to assimilatory nitrate reduction in the emerged areas was higher than in the inundated areas, and the relative abundance of functional genes related to dissimilatory nitrate reduction in the inundated areas was higher. These differences might have been caused by the nitrogen differences between the permanently and seasonally flooded areas caused by intra-annual water level fluctuations. The relative abundance of functional genes associated with denitrification was not significantly different in the inundated and emerged areas. This study improved our knowledge of bacterial community structure and nitrogen metabolic processes in permanently and seasonally flooded areas caused by water level fluctuations in a seasonal lake.

Identifying Clinically and Functionally Distinct Groups Among Healthy Controls and First Episode Psychosis Patients by Clustering on EEG Patterns

OBJECTIVE

The mismatch negativity (MMN) is considered as a promising biomarker that can inform future therapeutic studies. However, there is a large variability among patients with first episode psychosis (FEP). Also, most studies report a single electrode site and on comparing case-control group differences. Few have taken advantage of the full wealth of multi-channel EEG signals to examine observable patterns. None, to our knowledge, have used machine learning (ML) approaches to investigate neurophysiological derived subgroups with distinct cognitive and functional outcome characteristics. In this study, we applied ML to empirically stratify individuals into homogeneous subgroups based on multi-channel MMN data. We then characterized the functional, cognitive, and clinical profiles of these neurobiologically derived subgroups. We also explored the underlying low frequency range responses (delta, theta, alpha) during MMN.

METHODS

Clinical, neurocognitive, functioning data of 33 healthy controls and 20 FEP patients were collected. 90% of the patients had 6-month follow-up data. Neurocognition, social cognition, and functioning measures were assessed using the NCCB Cognitive Battery, the Awareness of Social Inference Test, UCSD Performance-Based Skills Assessment, and Multnomah Community Ability Scale. Symptom severity was collected using the PANSS. MMN amplitude and single-trial derived low frequency activity across 24 frontocentral channels were used as main variables in the ML k-means clustering analyses.

RESULTS

We found a consistent pattern of two distinctive subgroups. We labeled them as "better functioning" and "poorer functioning" clusters, respectively. Each subgroup can be mapped onto either better or poorer clinical, cognitive, and functioning profiles. Also, we identified two subgroups of patients: one showed improved MMN and one showed worsening of MMN over time. Patients with improved MMN had better follow-up clinical, cognitive, and functioning profile than those with worsening MMN. Among the low frequency bands, delta frequency appeared to be the most relevant to the observed MMN responses in all individuals. However, higher delta responses were not necessarily associated with a better functioning profile, suggesting that delta frequency alone may not be useful in clinical characterization.

CONCLUSIONS

The ML approach could be a robust tool to explore heterogeneity and facilitate the identification of neurobiological homogeneous subgroups in FEP.

Release risk assessment of trace metals in urban soils using in-situ DGT and DIFS model

Urbanization and urban construction lead to entensive environmental deterioration. Trace metals in urban soils pose a threat to urban water bodies and local populations. However, the release ability of labile metals and their release risk in urban soils remains unclear. Here, soils were collected from different functional zones in the Pingshan District (PSD) of Shenzhen. Based on results of soil properties, total contents of trace metals, geochemical index (I_geo), and risk assessment code (RAC), diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) and DGT-induced fluxes in soil (DIFS) model were further used to assess the release risk of trace metals in urban soils. The results showed that the average total concentrations of trace metals (As, Cr, Cu, Pb, and V) were higher than the local soil background values, implying that trace metals accumulated in urban soils. However, the distributions of labile metals determined by DGT were not similar to those of total metal concentrations. Except for As, urban soils from PSD sites exhibited "uncontaminated to moderately contaminated" levels based on the average values of I_geo. Moreover, the pollution and migration of Cu in urban soils are problematic as evidenced by the I_geo and RAC assessments. Release ability of Cu was assessed using parameters of DIFS model (i.e., bioavailability concentrations (C_E), resupply ability (R), response time (T_c), desorption rate (k_-1), and sorption rate (k₁)). Residential areas showed high C_E values for Cu, while the resupply ability was low. Furthermore, considering the influences of R, T_c, k_-1, and k₁, membership function value was used to re-calculate the order of C_E in urban soils. The final results suggested that the agricultural zone exhibited the highest release risk among soils from various functional zones. Therefore, DGT and DIFS model should be effective tools to assess the release risk of trace metals in urban soils.

Novel insights into Pb source apportionment in sediments from two cascade reservoirs, North China

Sediments act as crucial sink and source for metal contamination in aquatic environment of reservoir systems. However, the high complexity and heterogeneity of sediments make it difficult to trace the sources of metals in reservoir sediments. As a toxic metal, how to trace anthropogenic Pb sources in sediments is important for the water quality safety, especially in reservoir. Herein, 98 sediment samples collected from the connected Panjiakou Reservoir (PJKR) and Daheiting Reservoir (DHTR) were analyzed. A novel approach for tracing anthropogenic Pb sources was established by combining the regional geochemical baseline (RGB) and Pb isotopic ratios. The results showed that the mean concentration of Pb in these two reservoirs was 44.59 mg/kg, and the RGB value of Pb was 43.77 mg/kg. Pollution assessments using RGB and enrichment factor indicated that the influence of anthropogenic Pb is greater in DHTR sediments than in PJKR sediments. Based on the RGB model, samples influenced by anthropogenic activities (SS-AA) were screened and found in the DHTR. The anthropogenic Pb contribution in DHTR SS-AA was totally 35.29%. Moreover, the mean value of ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb in DHTR SS-AA (1.107 ± 0.029) was slightly lower than those of natural inputs, indicating there was a small amount of anthropogenic Pb input in DHTR. The anthropogenic Pb sources were further identified using Pb isotopic ratios (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁷Pb) for DHTR SS-AA. Their apportionments were calculated with the help of the RGB model. The results showed that iron mining (20.42%) and coal combustion (14.87%) were the two main anthropogenic Pb sources. Aerosol deposition was likely the main pathway for coal combustion input. The results confirm that the proposed method of combining RGB and Pb isotopic ratios was a good attempt to trace the anthropogenic Pb sources in reservoir sediments.

Molecular cloning, characterisation, and expression analysis of adipocyte fatty acid binding protein gene in Xupu goose (Anser cygnoides domesticus)

1. Adipocyte fatty acid binding protein (A-FABP) plays a key role in fatty acid uptake and intracellular transport. The objective of the present study was to identify and characterise the A-FABP gene in Xupu goose.2. The full-length cDNA of goose A-FABP gene was cloned from the liver tissue using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). The distribution of the goose A-FABP in different tissues was determined by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR).3. The results showed that the full-length cDNA sequence of goose A-FABP was 657 bp, containing a 5'-UTR of 52 bp, a 3'-UTR of 206 bp and an open reading frame (ORF) of 399 bp, which encoded a polypeptide of 132 amino acids (AA).4. The AA sequence of goose A-FABP showed 76.52%, 75.00%, 93.18% and 99.24% identities with previously described homologues from humans (Homo sapiens), mouse (Mus musculus), chicken (Gallus gallus), and duck (Anas platyrhynchos), respectively, and phylogenetic analysis revealed a close relationship among them. The transcript of Xupu goose A-FABP was ubiquitously expressed in all tested tissues, and showed a high-level expression in abdominal fat, sebum and liver.5. A significant positive correlation was identified between A-FABP mRNA abundance in the three adipose tissues and liver weight, ratio of liver to body weight, TG content, and VLDL concentration in the plasma of Xupu goose. A significant negative correlation was observed between the mRNA level of A-FABP and HDL concentration in the plasma of Xupu goose.6. These findings provide a foundation for further research on the function and mechanism of A-FABP in the fat deposition process.

Early life famine exposure to the Great Chinese Famine in 1959-1961 and subsequent pregnancy loss: a population-based study

OBJECTIVE

To explore the relation between famine exposure in early life and subsequent pregnancy loss, including stillbirth, and spontaneous abortion in adulthood.

DESIGN

A population-based, partly ecological study.

SETTING AND POPULATION

Individual data of 58 601 females born around the time of the Great Chinese Famine in 1959-1961.

METHODS

Associations between the famine exposure in early life and pregnancy loss (stillbirth and spontaneous abortion) in adulthood were analysed using negative binomial regression, with the non-exposure group as reference, adjusting for region, highest education, monthly income, alcohol consumption, tobacco use, body mass index in 25-year-olds and metabolic equivalent. Further analyses were stratified by rural versus urban region.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Continuous variables of times of stillbirths and spontaneous abortions were used according to the individual self-reported reproductive history.

RESULTS

No association was found between famine exposure and spontaneous abortion. In contrast, females experiencing the famine during their prenatal period (incidence rate ratio = 1.15, 95% CI 1.00-1.33) or infant period (incidence rate ratio = 1.27, 95% CI 1.12-1.44) were more likely to report stillbirth in later adult life. Such an association appeared stronger in women living in rural regions.

CONCLUSIONS

Early life exposure of famine was associated with an increased risk of stillbirth but not spontaneous abortion in adulthood. The strength of such an association appeared stronger in rural areas. Given the high potential for unmeasured confounding, these associations must be interpreted with caution. Regarding the potential implication that undernutrition in the fetal period is related to reproductive outcome in adulthood, fetal nutritional supply may play an important role in human reproduction.

TWEETABLE ABSTRACT

Exposure to famine in early life was associated with increased pregnancy loss in adulthood.

Functional properties of bacterial communities in water and sediment of the eutrophic river-lake system of Poyang Lake, China

In river-lake systems, sediment and water column are two distinct habitats harboring different bacterial communities which play a crucial role in biogeochemical processes. In this study, we employed Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States to assess the potential functions and functional redundancy of the bacterial communities in sediment and water in a eutrophic river-lake ecosystem, Poyang Lake in China. Bacterial communities in sediment and water had distinct potential functions of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur metabolisms as well as phosphorus cycle, while the differences between rivers and the lake were inconspicuous. Bacterial communities in sediment had a higher relative abundance of genes associated with carbohydrate metabolism, carbon fixation pathways in prokaryotes, methane metabolism, anammox, nitrogen fixation, and dissimilatory sulfate reduction than that of water column. Bacterial communities in water column were higher in lipid metabolism, assimilatory nitrate reduction, dissimilatory nitrate reduction, phosphonate degradation, and assimilatory sulfate reduction than that of sediment bacterial communities. Furthermore, the variations in functional composition were closely associated to the variations in taxonomic composition in both habitats. In general, the bacterial communities in water column had a lower functional redundancy than in sediment. Moreover, comparing to the overall functions, bacterial communities had a lower functional redundancy of nitrogen metabolism and phosphorus cycle in water column and lower functional redundancy of nitrogen metabolism in sediment. Distance-based redundancy analysis and mantel test revealed close correlations between nutrient factors and functional compositions. The results suggested that bacterial communities in this eutrophic river-lake system of Poyang Lake were vulnerable to nutrient perturbations, especially the bacterial communities in water column. The results enriched our understanding of the bacterial communities and major biogeochemical processes in the eutrophic river-lake ecosystems.

Taxonomic structure and potential nitrogen metabolism of microbial assemblage in a large hypereutrophic steppe lake

Recent studies have expanded the interests about microbial community and function following the rapid development of high-throughput sequencing techniques in the freshwater ecosystem. In this study, we aimed to attain a deep understanding of microbial community structure and potential nitrogen metabolism in Hulun Lake, a shallow hypereutrophic steppe lake in the Mongolian Plateau in China. The result demonstrated that cyanobacteria were the most dominant phylum. Network analysis showed both intra- and inter-phylum co-occurrence were pervasive, and there were modular structures in the microbial assemblages. The cluster dominated by proteobacteria was mainly negatively connected to the cluster dominated by both proteobacteria and actinobacteria. Cyanobacteria were tightly clustered together and positively connected to these two clusters. The major nitrogen metabolism pathways were glutamine synthetase-glutamate synthase and assimilatory nitrate reduction, indicating the nitrogen was mainly retained in the lake by microbial uptake. Cyanobacteria contributed 43.25% gene reads involved in the overall nitrogen metabolism but mainly contributed to assimilatory nitrate reduction and nitrogen fixation, aggravating the lake eutrophication. This study adds to our knowledge of microbial assemblages and nitrogen metabolism in the shallow hypereutrophic lake and provided an insight understanding for the purposes of lake ecosystem's protection and efficient management in the Mongolian Plateau.

Distinct Bacterial Communities in Wet and Dry Seasons During a Seasonal Water Level Fluctuation in the Largest Freshwater Lake (Poyang Lake) in China

Water level fluctuations (WLFs) are an inherent feature of lake ecosystems and have been regarded as a pervasive pressure on lacustrine ecosystems globally due to anthropogenic activities and climate change. However, the impacts of WLFs on lake microbial communities is one of our knowledge gaps. Here, we used the high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing approach to investigate the taxonomic and functional dynamics of bacterial communities in wet-season and dry-season of Poyang Lake (PYL) in China. The results showed that dry-season was enriched in total nitrogen (TN), nitrate (NO3 -), ammonia (NH4 +), and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), while wet-season was enriched in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and total phosphorus (TP). Bacterial communities were distinct taxonomically and functionally in dry-season and wet-season and the nutrients especially P variation had a significant contribution to the seasonal variation of bacterial communities. Moreover, bacterial communities responded differently to nutrient dynamics in different seasons. DOC, NO3 -, and SRP had strong influences on bacterial communities in dry-season while only TP in wet-season. Alpha-diversity, functional redundancy, taxonomic dissimilarities, and taxa niche width were higher in dry-season, while functional dissimilarities were higher in wet-season, suggesting that the bacterial communities were more taxonomically sensitive in dry-season while more functionally sensitive in wet-season. Bacterial communities were more efficient in nutrients utilization in wet-season and might have different nitrogen removal mechanisms in different seasons. Bacterial communities in wet-season had significantly higher relative abundance of denitrification genes but lower anammox genes than in dry-season. This study enriched our knowledge of the impacts of WLFs and seasonal dynamics of lake ecosystems. Given the increasingly pervasive pressure of WLFs on lake ecosystems worldwide, our findings have important implications for conservation and management of lake ecosystems.

A novel method for evaluating the potential release of trace metals associated with rainfall leaching/runoff from urban soils

The release of pollutants in soils owing to rainfall is a major challenge related to urbanization. Here, urban soils from different functional zones were collected to evaluate the release risk and estimate their annual release amounts of trace metals (Co and Ni) using multiple techniques, including diffusive gradients in thin-films (DGT), DGT-induced fluxes in sediments (DIFS) model, and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The results indicate that the average concentration of Co (6.55 mg kg^-1) was slightly lower than that of the local soil background, whereas for Ni, the trend was reversed. Risk assessments based on total concentrations show that the soil samples were uncontaminated with Co while uncontaminated to moderately contaminated with Ni. However, the mobility coefficients indicate that Co posed low to medium risk, while Ni posed low risk. Hence, further investigation of DGT measurements and DIFS model show that the DGT-measured Co and Ni concentrations were lower than the corresponding concentrations in solution, leading to low R values and the partial resupply of Co and Ni from the solid phase. The FTIR spectra and elemental analysis suggest that because of the electrostatic attraction and complexation of the hydrosilicate minerals and organic matters, the metal resupply was restrained, resulting in them being only a partial resupply. Moreover, the mobility of Co was mainly controlled by the resupply ability, response time, and desorption rate; while for Ni, the particle concentration and porosity played important roles in determining mobility. In addition, the release amounts of the trace metals were quantified using the binary mixing equation. The estimated annual release amounts of Co and Ni in Pingshan District were 0.44-3.54 t and 1.93-16.47 t, respectively. This study provides an effective in-situ method for estimating the release amounts of trace metals in soils during rainfall combining DGT and DIFS model.

The E3 ubiquitin ligase Cbl-b inhibits tumor growth in multidrug-resistant gastric and breast cancer cells

Most receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) contribute to tumor growth, and their ubiquitination and degradation is related to the inhibition of tumor growth. Our previous study showed that the ubiquitin ligase Cbl-b was expressed at low levels in multidrug-resistant (MDR) gastric cancer cells compared with their parental cells. However, whether enhancement of Cbl-b expression in MDR cancer cells could prevent tumor proliferation via ubiquitination and degradation of RTK remains unclear. In the present study, Cbl-b overexpression reduced cell proliferation in MDR gastric and breast cancer cells, and effectively inhibited tumor growth in vivo. Additionally, Cbl-b overexpression reduced the total protein level of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1R), an important member of the RTK family. Moreover, Cbl-b overexpression promoted interaction of Cbl-b with IGF-1R, and induced ubiquitination and degradation of IGF-1R and inactivation of the IGF-1R pathway. These results suggest that the ubiquitin ligase Cbl-b inhibited tumor growth via ubiquitination and degradation of IGF-1R in MDR gastric and breast cancer cells.

[Effect of death decoy receptor 3 on prognosis of breast cancer and function of breast cancer cells in vitro]

Objective: To study the effect of death decoy receptor 3 on the prognosis of breast cancer and the invasive function of breast cancer cells in vitro. Methods: Expression of DcR3 were assessed qualitatively by Q-PCR to analyze the correlation in 115 mammary tissue samples with a 10-year median follow-up. The expression of DcR3 was examined in MCF7 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines using immunocytochemical staining and RT-PCR. DcR3 knock-down cell sub-lines were constructed. The effects of reduced DcR3 expression were observed by establishing invasion and migration models. Results: Patients were divided into the good prognosis group (n=81) and the poor prognosis group (n=26). The expression of DcR3 in the poor prognosis group (133 350+49 646 copies/50 ng RNA)was significantly higher than that in the good prognosis group (5 393+1 428 copies/50 ng RNA, P=0.020). DcR3 transcripts were found to be increased significantly in grade 2 cancers compared to well differentiated grade 1(82 844±34 068 copies/50 ng RNA, n=39,) vs (5 371±3 500 copies/50 ng RNA, n=20, P=0.029).The DcR3 gene of MCF7 cell line and MDA-MB-231 cell line were successfully knocked out and verified that DcR3 knockout. And the invasion and migration of MCF7 cells were inhibited (P=0.009, P=0.001). However, no significant difference was found in these two aspects of the MDA-MB-231 cell line (P=0.475, P=0.102). Conclusion: DcR3 promotes the capacity of invasion of breast cancer cells and plays an important role in the metastasis of breast cancer. DcR3 detection is helpful to the judgment about prognosis of breast cancer.

MiR-99a-5p regulates proliferation, migration and invasion abilities of human oral carcinoma cells by targeting NOX4

Previous research has showed that miR-99a-5p was a tumor suppressor. The aim of our study was to explore the effect of miR-99a-5p on the vitality and proliferation, migration together with the invasion of oral tumor cells via inhibiting the expression of NOX4. QRT-PCR and Western blot were applied to examine the expression level of miR-99a-5p and NOX4 in human oral tumorous and adjacent tissues. Dual luciferase reporter gene assay was applied to confirm that miR-99a-5p negatively regulated directly on NOX4 in TSCC1 cells. Cell transfection and lentiviral vectors were used to up-regulate expression of miR-99a-5p and NOX4, respectively. Cell proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis and invasion along with the migration in different groups were assessed using MTT assay, colony formation assay, the flow cytometry, transwell assay and the wound healing assay, respectively. MiR-99a-5p was under-expressed in human oral tumor, while NOX4 was over-expressed. There was a negative relationship between miR-99a-5p and NOX4. Up-regulating miR-99a-5p or down-regulating NOX4 suppressed the vitality, proliferation, migration together with invasion of TSCC1 cells. MiR-99a-5p affected the vitality and proliferation, migration together with the invasion of oral tumor cells through targeting NOX4.

Regulatory T cells are an important prognostic factor in breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

The clinical relevance of regulatory T cell (Treg) infiltration in breast cancer (BC) remains controversial, and no recent meta-analysis has been published on this subject. Our aim was to identify the precise relationship between Tregs and the prognosis and clinic-pathological features of BC. Eligible articles were identified with a MEDLINE database search over a period up to March 2015. Our meta-analysis was performed using STATA software 11.0 and Review Manager 5.3. The correlations between Treg infiltration and clinico-pathological features and BC prognosis were analyzed. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses, as well as meta-regression, were conducted. Eighteen published studies (including 8,562 patients) were eligible. Overall survival (OS) and disease-, recurrence-, and progression-free survival (DFS/RFS/PFS) were correlated with Treg infiltration (OR=2.03 (95% CI, 1.40-2.95; P=0.000) and 1.48 (95% CI, 1.00-2.19; P=0.050), respectively), including 3-, 5-, and 10-year mortality rates. In addition, low Treg infiltration was present in estrogen receptor (ER)-positive tumors (P=0.000), progesterone receptor (PR)-positive tumors (P=0.003), Her2-negative tumors (P=0.000) and histological grade I/II tumors (P=0.001). No publication bias was observed with the exception of OS. Subgroup analysis suggested that the mortality rate of the high Treg infiltration subgroup was increased compared with the low Treg infiltration subgroup among ER-positive patients. Treg infiltration indicated a poorer prognosis for BC and is related to ER, PR, and Her2 status and histological grade. Thus, Treg infiltration could help predict outcomes and guide clinical therapy.