First live birth in China after cryopreserved ovarian tissue transplantation to prevent premature ovarian insufficiency

OBJECTIVE

This article reports the first live birth after cryopreserved ovarian tissue transplantation to prevent premature ovarian insufficiency in China.

METHODS

A patient with myelodysplastic syndrome received ovarian tissue cryopreservation before hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and six ovarian cortex strips were thawed and transplanted into her peritoneal pocket 2 years later.

RESULTS

Pregnancy occurred spontaneously 27 months after grafting, and a healthy girl was born at 38 weeks gestation. Until now, the child has developed normally without any major diseases.

CONCLUSIONS

We report the first live birth resulting from ovarian tissue cryopreservation and transplantation in China.

Brain functional changes in individuals with bulimia nervosa: a protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION

Bulimia nervosa (BN) is a disorder with high health and socioeconomic burdens that typically arises in late adolescence and early adulthood. Previous neuroimaging studies have found functional brain changes in patients with BN. This study aims to review the latest neurobiological evidence from studies of individuals with BN, examine the consistency of these findings and evaluate the food addiction hypothesis of the disease.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

A systematic search will be performed using the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase and Web of Science databases, covering the period from database inception to 30 November 2021. Two researchers will be responsible for study selection, quality assessment and data extraction. The anisotropic effect size version of the signed differential mapping method will be used to conduct a coordinate-based meta-analysis. Publication bias will be examined with the Egger test. The quality of studies will be evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

No ethics approval is required for this is a systematic review protocol and does not require the collection of primary data. Findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journal or related conferences.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42022307233.

Longer follow-up intervals following EVAR are safe and appropriate after marked aneurysm sac regression

BACKGROUND

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) shrinkage after endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR) is a surrogate marker for successful exclusion. Our study characterized aneurysm sac remodeling after EVAR to identify a pattern that may be associated with benign AAA behavior and would safely allow a less rigorous follow-up regimen after EVAR.

METHODS

Elective infrarenal EVARs performed between 2008 and 2011 at our institution were retrospectively reviewed. AAA sac diameters using the minor axis measurement from ultrasound imaging or computer tomography angiogram imaging were compared with the baseline diameter from the 1-month postoperative computer tomography angiogram. The primary outcome was a composite of freedom from postoperative reintervention or rupture. We compared those with AAA sacs who regressed to predefined minimum diameter thresholds with those who did not. Outcomes were plotted with Kaplan-Meier curves and compared using log-rank testing and Fine-Gray regression using death as a competing risk, clustered on graft type. For patients whose AAA reached the minimum sac diameter, landmark analysis evaluated ongoing size changes including further regression and sac re-expansion.

RESULTS

A total of 540 patients (aged 75.1 ± 8.2 years; 82.0% male) underwent EVAR with an average preoperative AAA size of 55.2 ± 11.5 mm. The median postoperative follow-up was 5.3 years (interquartile range, 1.4-8.7 years) during which 64 patients underwent reintervention and 4 ruptured. AAA sac regression to ≤40 mm in diameter was associated with improved freedom from reintervention or rupture overall (log-rank, P < .01), which was maintained after controlling for the competing risk of death (P < .01). In 376 patients (70%) whose aneurysm sac remained >40 mm, 99 reinterventions were performed on 63 patients. Of 166 (31%) patients whose sac regressed to ≤40 mm, only 1 patient required a reintervention, and no one ruptured. The mean time to a diameter of ≤40 mm was 2.3 ± 1.9 years. Only eight patients (5%) developed sac re-expansion to >45 mm; all but two occurred at least 3 years after initially regressing to ≤40 mm.

CONCLUSIONS

In long-term follow-up, patients whose minimum AAA sac diameter regressed ≤40 mm after EVAR experienced a very low rate of reintervention, rupture, or sac re-expansion. Most sac re-expansion occurred at least 3 years after reaching this threshold and did not result in clinical events. Increasing follow-up frequency up to 3-year intervals once the AAA sac regresses to 40 mm would carry minimal risk of aneurysm-related morbidity.

[Observation of efficacy and safety of stereotactic-EEG-guided three-dimensional radiofrequency thermocoagulation for the treatment of drug-resistant insular epilepsy]

Objective: To investigate the safety and efficacy of stereotactic-EEG (SEEG)-guided radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RF-TC) with three-dimensional lesioning in the treatment of drug-resistant insular epilepsy. Methods: Seven patients with drug-resistant insular epilepsy who underwent SEEG-guided RF-TC with three-dimensional ablation at the Department of Neurosurgery of Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University from February 2017 to June 2019 were retrospectively enrolled. Presurgical evaluation including semiology, EEG and imaging results suggested that the epileptogenic zone was located in the insular lobe. All patients underwent SEEG recording and three-dimensional RF-TC. Postoperative follow-up was conducted by outpatient visits or telephone, the clinical efficacy was evaluated based on Engel classification and the relevant complications were documented. Results: Seven patients were followed up at 18 months after surgery. Among them, 4 were seizure free (Engel ⅠA), 2 had nondisabling simple partial seizures (Engel ⅠB) and 1 achieved 75% decrease (Engel ⅢA) in seizure frequency. Postoperative complications occurred in 3 patients which included decreased sensation in the right lower extremity, decreased strength in the right upper extremity, glossolalia, decline in memory and comprehension. No permanent neurological dysfunction was detected. Conclusion: SEEG-guided RF-TC with three-dimensional lesioning is minimally invasive, safe and effective in the treatment of drug-resistant insular epilepsy and can serve as a complementary method for resection surgery.

[Oxymatrine improves renal fibrosis and inflammation in diabetic rats by modulating CHK1/2 phosphorylation]

OBJECTIVE

To explore the role of cell cycle checkpoint kinase 1/2 (CHK1/2) in mediating the inhibitory effect of oxymatrine (OMT) against renal inflammation and fibrosis in diabetic rats.

METHODS

SD rats were randomly divided into normal control group, diabetes model group (DM) and OMT treatment group (n=6). HE and Masson staining were used to observe histopathological changes of the renal tissue, and the expressions of CHK1, CHK2, p-CHK1 and p-CHK2 were localized by immunohistochemical staining. The contents of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-1β in the renal tissue were detected using ELISA, and the expression levels of CHK1, CHK2, p-CHK1, p-CHK2, type Ⅲ collagen (Col-Ⅲ), type Ⅳ collagen (Col-Ⅳ), and fibronectin (FN) were determined using Western blotting. The changes in the expressions of CHK1, CHK2, p-CHK1, p-CHK2, Col-Ⅲ, Col-Ⅳ and FN proteins were also examined with Western blotting in NRK-52E cells in response to high glucose exposure, OMT treatment and siRNA-mediated CHK1/2 knockdown.

RESULTS

In diabetic rats, OMT treatment significantly decreased the levels of blood glucose, serum creatinine and 24 h urinary protein (P < 0.05) and obviously improved inflammatory cell infiltration and fibrosis phenotype in the renal tissue (P < 0.05). CHK1 and CHK2 were mainly expressed in the cytoplasm and nuclei of renal tubule cells, and their phosphorylation levels were significantly higher in DM group than in the control group and OMT group. OMT treatment significantly decreased the protein expression levels of p-CHK1, p-CHK2, Col-Ⅲ, Col-Ⅳ and FN in the renal tissue of diabetic rats and in NRK-52E cells exposed to high glucose (P < 0.05). In NRK-52E cells, CHK1/2 knockdown resulted in significant reduction of the protein expressions of p-CHK1/2, Col-Ⅲ, Col-Ⅳ and FN (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The inhibitory effects of OMT against renal inflammation and fibrosis in diabetic rats are mediated probably by lowered phosphorylation levels of CHK1 and CHK2, which result in reduced release of the downstream inflammatory mediators and decreased secretion and deposition of extracellular matrix.

Dapagliflozin decreases atherosclerotic plaque instability via regulating macrophage pyroptosis

Background

Vulnerable plaques are characterized by infiltration of inflammatory cells, playing a key role in the progression of acute coronary events. It's important to clarify the inflammatory mechanism of unstable plaque formation. Several clinical trials have demonstrated that dapagliflozin could reduce major adverse cardiac events in whether diabetic or non-diabetic patients. However, the underlying cardioprotective mechanism of dapagliflozin remains unclear. This study was aimed to investigate the role of dapagliflozin in regulating macrophage pyroptosis and vulnerable plaque formation.

Methods

20 ApoE−/− mice (control) were fed with high fat diet while another 20 ApoE−/− mice were challenged with high fat diet plus dapagliflozin for 12 weeks. The extent and instability of atherosclerotic plaque was determined by oil-red staining, HE staining, immunofluorescence staining and electron microscopy. Changes in subsets of immune cells were evaluated by flow cytometry. Plasma cytokines were assessed by ELISA. Microarray analysis was applied to detect gene expressions while Western blot and real-time PCR was used to assess gene expression levels.

Results

Morphology studies revealed that dapagliflozin could inhibit plaque formation and reduce instability in ApoE−/− mice. FACS data showed that dapagliflozin could decrease CD11b+Ly6Chigh M1 macrophages differentiation and inhibit foam cells formation in ApoE−/− mice. Microarray analysis and in vitro studies exhibited that dapagliflozin could induce the down regulation of NLRP3, caspase-1, IL-1β, IL-18 and MMP-7/10/12/14 to retard macrophage pyroptosis and foam cell formation.

Conclusions

We have characterized a novel role for dapagliflozin in modulating atherosclerotic lesion development and progression. We envision that this study may provide several potential therapeutic targets for treatment of acute coronary syndromes.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: Public Institution(s). Main funding source(s): Shanghai Sailing Program

A New Method of Isolation of Mouse Renal Primary Tubular Epithelial Cells

Kidney diseases are becoming an emerging public health problem. In order to further explore the etiology of various kidney diseases, we improved the methods of isolation of primary cultures of mouse renal tubular epithelial cells. At the first stage, the kidneys were perfused with collagenase solution. To this end, the superior mesenteric artery, celiac artery and thoracic aorta were ligated and perfusion was performed through the abdominal aorta. Then, the cells were isolated ex vivo and their integrity, purity, viability, and concentration were evaluated. The proposed cost-effective and simple method provides high purity and high concentration of primary renal epithelial cells for molecular biology studies of the kidneys.

First pregnancy in China after ovarian tissue transplantation to prevent premature ovarian insufficiency

OBJECTIVE

This article reports the first case of pregnancy after frozen-thawed ovarian tissue transplantation to prevent iatrogenic premature ovarian insufficiency in China.

METHODS

Ovarian tissue cryopreservation was performed in a patient with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) before multi-agent chemotherapy and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Two years later, she showed complete remission from MDS, and six frozen-thawed ovarian tissue strips were transplanted into the peritoneal pocket.

RESULTS

The patient's ovarian activity was restored 3 months after transplantation, and pregnancy occurred spontaneously 27 months after grafting. Until now, the pregnancy has progressed for 30 weeks, and the repeated ultrasound showed normal fetal development.

CONCLUSION

This is the first pregnancy resulting from ovarian tissue cryopreservation and transplantation in China.

Copper stimulates neonicotinoid insecticide thiacloprid degradation by Ensifer adhaerens TMX-23

AIMS

Aims of this study are to elucidate the molecular mechanism of copper-improved thiacloprid (THI) degradation by Ensifer adhaerens TMX-23 and characterize copper resistance of this strain.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Resting cells of E. adhaerens TMX-23 were used to degrade THI, with formation of THI amide and 98·31% of 0·59 mmol l^-1 THI was degraded in 100 min. The addition of copper improved the degradation of THI and showed little inhibitory effects on the growth of E. adhaerens TMX-23. E. adhaerens TMX-23 degraded THI to THI amide by nitrile hydratases (NhcA and NhpA). QPCR analysis indicated that the expression of nhpA was up-regulated in the presence of copper. E. adhaerens TMX-23 nitrile hydratases were purified, and enzyme assay of NhpA exhibited the highest NHase activity toward THI. The addition of copper activated the activity of NhcA. Soil degradation experiment indicated that E. adhaerens TMX-23 could quickly eliminate THI residual in copper-added soil.

CONCLUSIONS

Copper improved THI degradation by E. adhaerens TMX-23 was attributed to the induced expression of nhpA and activated NhcA.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

This study broadens the investigation of regulatory mechanism of NHase expression and provided theoretical basis for using metal-resistant microbes to degrade pesticide in heavy metal co-contaminated environments.

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.

The transcription factors of tall fescue in response to temperature stress

Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) is an important grass species worldwide, but temperature stress severely affects its distribution and yield. Transcription factors (TFs), as the master switches in sophisticated regulatory networks, play essential roles in plant growth development and abiotic stress responses. In this study, the comparative transcriptome analysis was performed to explore the commonalities and differences in the response of TFs to the heat (40 °C), cold (10 °C) and control (22 °C) conditions. A total of 877 TF genes belonging to 35 families were identified. Most of them (784) were differentially expressed genes (DEG), indicating TF genes actively responded to temperature stress. The expression of bZIP and GTF family members was up-regulated when exposed to both heat and cold, but conversely, the expression of the most WRKY and NAC families members decreased. The HSF and GTE families and DREB2B were up-regulated upon heat, while bHLH, MYB, HD-ZIP and ERF families were elevated under cold stress. The TFs involved in 'Plant hormone signal transduction', 'Plant-pathogen interaction', 'Circadian rhythm' play major roles in responding to temperature stresses. The results showed the temperature threats up-regulated the expression of stress tolerance-related genes, and down-regulated those genes associated with growth and disease resistance, indicating TFs exert crucial roles in plant adaptation to an adverse environment. This study profiled the responsive pattern of TFs to temperature stresses, partially explained the mechanism of adaptations of cold-season forage crops and screened many candidate stress-tolerant TF genes.

Assisted reproductive technology service availability, efficacy and safety in mainland China: 2016

STUDY QUESTION

What is the current status of assisted reproductive technology (ART) service availability, efficacy and safety in mainland China?

SUMMARY ANSWER

In this first national report on ART status in mainland China, data on treatment numbers, outcomes and complications in 2016 are provided and analyzed, respectively.

WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY

National ART Service Provision Surveys are conducted in mainland China regularly. Data were analyzed, and this manuscript was written by team members from the National Center for Women and Children's Health, China CDC and the Department of Women and Children Health, National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China.

STUDY DESIGN, SIZE AND DURATION

A cross-sectional nationwide survey was completed in 2018, in which data regarding ART treatments, performed from 1st January to 31st December2016 in 445 ART clinics located in 31 provinces of mainland China, were collected.

PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING AND METHODS

There were in total 451 licensed ART clinics (including artificial insemination clinics) in mainland China in 2016, of which 445 submitted service data. A total of 906 840 cycles were provided by 323 in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics, involving 375 770 conventional IVF cycles, 154 948 intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles, 367 146 frozen embryo transfer (FET) thawing cycles and 8976 preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) treatment cycles. A total of 161 376 artificial (i.e. intrauterine) insemination (AI) cycles were reported by 443 clinics, with 126 872 cycles using the husband's semen (AIH) and 34 504 using donor semen (AID).

MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE

In total, 98.7% of the licensed clinics, contributing to 100% of the ART services (including AID and AIH cycles), were included in this report. (Six clinics provided institutional information only and were excluded.) There were 906 840 in vitro fertilization cycles performed in mainland China with a population of over 1.3 billion inhabitants, with cycles per million inhabitants (C/M) increasing from 360 in 2013 to 657 in 2016, nationwide (range among provinces: 45-3676). After treatment with conventional IVF, the clinical pregnancy rate (PR) per oocyte retrieval cycle was 23.2%, the delivery rate (DR) per oocyte retrieval cycle was 18.7% and the proportion of twin delivery among the total deliveries was 27.9%. For ICSI cycles, the PR, DR and TDR were 20.5%, 16.7% and 27.2%, respectively. For FET per thawing cycles, the PR, DR and TDR were 48.2%, 37.6% and 24.2%. For PGD per diagnosis cycles, the PR, DR and TDR were 38.1%, 29.7% and 4.2%. For AIH cycles, the PR and DR were 13.3% and 10.5%; for AID cycles, the PR and DR were 24.3% and 21.1%, respectively. The total number of live infants born in mainland China in 2016, was 18.46 million, and the number of infants born through ART conducted in 2016 was 311 309, which accounted for 1.69% of the total. The reported rate of birth defects was about 87/10 000. The incidence of moderate to severe ovarian hyper-stimulation syndrome (OHSS) was 11.5 per 1000 oocyte retrieval cycles, and other complications were much more rare.

LIMITATIONS AND REASONS FOR CAUTION

This report is based on the summary data of ART services provided. The success rates were not calculated by age stratification. A low rate of birth defects was reported, which might be confounded by variations in birth follow-up methods, statistical timing and record taking.

WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS

ART service availability has improved significantly in recent years in mainland China. Because China is a vast country, significant imbalances in ART service provision do exist; however, the main efficacy and safety indicators were close to those of western countries.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

N/A.

STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S)

The study was funded by the National Key R&D Program of China (2016YFC1000307-2). There are no competing interests.

Evaluation of pulmonary ventilation in COVID-19 patients using oxygen-enhanced three-dimensional ultrashort echo time MRI: a preliminary study

AIM

To evaluate the lung function of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients using oxygen-enhanced (OE) ultrashort echo time (UTE) MRI.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Forty-nine patients with COVID-19 were included in the study. The OE-MRI was based on a respiratory-gated three-dimensional (3D) radial UTE sequence. For each patient, the percent signal enhancement (PSE) map was calculated using the expression PSE = (S_100% – S_21%)/S_21%, where S_21% and S_100% are signals acquired during room air and 100% oxygen inhalation, respectively. Agreement of lesion detectability between UTE-MRI and computed tomography (CT) was performed using the kappa test. The Mann–Whitney U-test was used to evaluate the difference in the mean PSE between mild-type COVID-19 and common-type COVID-19. Spearman's test was used to assess the relationship between lesion mean PSE and lesion size. Furthermore, the Mann–Whitney U-test was used to evaluate the difference in region of interest (ROI) mean PSE between normal pulmonary parenchyma and lesions. The Kruskal–Wallis test was applied to test the difference in the mean PSE between different lesion types.

RESULTS

CT and UTE-MRI reached good agreement in lesion detectability. Ventilation measures in mild-type patients (5.3 ± 5.5%) were significantly different from those in common-type patients (3 ± 3.9%). Besides, there was no significant correlation between lesion mean PSE and lesion size. The mean PSE of COVID-19 lesions (3.2 ± 4.9%) was significantly lower than that of the pulmonary parenchyma (5.4 ± 3.9%). No significant difference was found among different lesion types.

CONCLUSION

OE-UTE-MRI could serve as a promising method for the assessment of lung function or treatment management of COVID-19 patients.

Deficiency of Mettl3 in Bladder Cancer Stem Cells Inhibits Bladder Cancer Progression and Angiogenesis

RNA N6-methyladenosine is a key step of posttranscriptional modulation that is involved in governing gene expression. The m⁶A modification catalyzed by Mettl3 has been widely recognized as a critical epigenetic regulation process for tumorigenic properties in various cancer cell lines, including bladder cancer. However, the in vivo function of Mettl3 in bladder cancer remains largely unknown. In our study, we found that ablation of Mettl3 in bladder urothelial attenuates the oncogenesis and tumor angiogenesis of bladder cancer using transgenic mouse model. In addition, conditional knockout of Mettl3 in K14⁺ bladder cancer stem cell population leads to inhibition of bladder cancer progression. Coupled with the global transcriptome sequencing and methylated RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing results, we showed that deletion of Mettl3 leads to the suppression of tyrosine kinase endothelial (TEK) and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) through reduced abundance of m⁶A peaks on a specific region. In addition, the depletion of Mettl3 results in the decrease in both messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein levels of TEK and VEGF-A in vitro. Taken together, Mettl3-mediated m⁶A modification is required for the activation of TEK–VEGF-A-mediated tumor progression and angiogenesis. Our findings may provide theoretical basis for bladder cancer treatment targeting Mettl3.

The Prevalence and Negative Effects of Thoracic Hyperkyphosis on Chinese Community-Dwelling Older Adults in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China

BACKGROUND

Globally, 20% to 50% older adults have been found to have thoracic hyperkyphosis. Negative effects on physical performance have been reported. However, there has been a lack of research on the prevalence and negative effects of thoracic hyperkyphosis among Chinese community-dwelling elderly.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study.

SETTING

The communities in Wuhan, China.

PARTICIPANTS

Three hundred and ninety-five Chinese community-dwelling older adults with thoracic hyperkyphosis.

MEASURES

Chinese community-dwelling older adults aged 60 or above lived in Wuhan, China from August to December 2018 were recruited for spine and physical performance assessments. The primary outcome was the prevalence of thoracic hyperkyphosis estimated according to the angle of kyphosis which was measured by manual inclinometers. The secondary outcomes were the effects of thoracic hyperkyphosis on physical performance measured by One-leg Standing Test (OLS), Timed Up AND Go Test (TUG), Chest Expansion Test (CE), Six Minutes Walking Test (6MWT), and Farsi Version of Functional Gait Assessment (FGA). The socio-demographic and health-related information were collected by a questionnaire.

RESULTS

Among 395 participants, the mean angle of kyphosis was 49.0° ± 10.5°, 75.2% of participants had the angle of kyphosis >40° (i.e., having thoracic kyperkyphosis). Compared with older adults having no thoracic hyperkyphosis, older adults with thoracic hyperkyphosis had increased risks performing impaired in OLS (OR=4.55, 95% CI 2.18-9.53, p<0.001), TUG (OR=6.08, 95% CI 2.57-14.40, p<0.001), CE (OR=3.23, 95% CI 1.63-6.38, p=0.001), 6MWT (OR=4.64, 95% CI 1.98-10.86, p<0.001), and FGA (OR=5.18, 95% CI 2.25-11.89, p<0.001) after controlling socio-demographic and health-related factors.

CONCLUSION

The thoracic hyperkyphosis had high prevalence and associated with impaired performance in balance, gait, and cardiopulmonary function tests among Chinese community-dwelling older adults, which calls for the future intervention.

Effect of alprostadil on myocardial fibrosis in rats with diabetes mellitus via TGF-β1/Smad signaling pathway

OBJECTIVE

To observe the influence of alprostadil on myocardial fibrosis in rats with diabetes mellitus (DM) through the transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-β1)/Smad signaling pathway.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Wistar rats were employed to induce models of DM (DM group), and alprostadil treatment group (ALPR group) and control group (NC group) were set up. After successful modeling, blood and myocardial tissues were collected from rats. Next, blood glucose level, liver function, and myocardial function were detected. In addition, hematoxylin-eosin (HE) assay was performed to determine pathological changes. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was carried out to measure serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) and cardiac function indexes such as ejection fraction (EF), Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blotting, which were applied to measure the gene and protein expression levels of important molecules in the proliferation and differentiation of myocardial fibroblasts [including checkpoint kinase 1 (Chek1) and alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA)] and the relevant pathway TGF-β1/Smad2.

RESULTS

The blood glucose level was increased in DM group (p<0.01), suggesting that modeling is successful. The tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), IL⁃6, and IL-1 levels were higher in DM group than in NC group. DM group had significantly elevated serum content of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and creatine kinase (CK), as well as left ventricular end-diastolic dimension (LVEDd) and left ventricular end-systolic dimension (LVESd), but it clearly decreased fractional shortening (FS) and EF in comparison with NC group. Besides, myocardial cells were orderly arranged in NC group, while myocardial fibrosis was observed in DM group. The results of RT-PCR showed that the levels of Collagen, Chek1, α-SMA, TGF-β1, and Smad2 in myocardial fibroblasts were notably lowered in ALPR group, but evidently increased in DM group (p<0.05). According to Western blotting, there were evident decreases in the levels of TGF-β1 and Smad2 in myocardial fibroblasts in ALPR group (p<0.05). The above results suggest that alprostadil represses the expression of the TGF-β1/Smad2 signaling pathway and its relevant molecules, thus further suppressing the fibrosis of myocardial cells.

CONCLUSIONS

Alprostadil treats myocardial fibrosis in DM rats by inhibiting the TGF-β1/Smad2 signaling pathway.

MicroRNA-135 inhibits gastric cancer metastasis by targeting SMAD2

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether microRNA-135 plays a role in the malignant progression of gastric cancer (GC) by regulating SMAD2 and its underlying mechanism.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed to examine microRNA-135 expression in tumor tissue specimens and paracancerous ones of 28 patients with GC, and the interplay between microRNA-135 level and clinical indexes and prognosis of GC patients was also analyzed. Subsequently, when negative control (NC) sequence or microRNA-135 mimics were transfected into GC cell lines, Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), transwell and wound healing assays were used to analyze the impact of microRNA-135 on proliferation and apoptosis of GC cells. Finally, the mechanism of microRNA-135 on the downstream gene SMAD2 was explored by a cell recovery experiment.

RESULTS

QRT-PCR results revealed that in tumor tissues of GC patients, the microRNA-135 level was conspicuously lower than that in the adjacent tissues, and the difference was statistically significant. The overall survival rate was lower in patients with low expression of microRNA-135 compared with patients with a high one. In addition, in the GC cell lines including BGC-823 and SGC-7901, the cell proliferation, as well as invasion and migration ability of microRNA-135 mimics group, was significantly decreased compared with the NC group. Moreover, the research verified that SMAD2 expression in GC cell lines and tissues was markedly increased and negatively correlated with microRNA-135 level. The cell recovery study found that overexpression of SMAD2 can offset the influence of microRNA-135 mimics on proliferation and metastasis of GC cells, thus affecting the malignant progression of GC.

CONCLUSIONS

In this work, microRNA-135 was found conspicuously associated with lymph node or distant metastasis and poor prognosis of GC patients. Additionally, microRNA-135 may inhibit the malignant progression of GC by targeted regulating SMAD2 expression.

Evaluation of an accelerated 3D modulated flip-angle technique in refocused imaging with an extended echo-train sequence with compressed sensing for imaging of the knee: comparison with routine 2D MRI sequences

AIM

To accelerate the acquisition of high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) by using the three-dimensional (3D) matrix sequence with compressed sensing and to compare it with conventional two-dimensional (2D) proton-density (PD) and fast spin-echo (FSE) sequences.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

3D matrix, 2D FSE, and PD sequences were acquired from 68 participants using 3 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Two radiologists scored image quality independently on a four-point scale. The structural similarity index (SSIM), and signal- (SNRs) and contrast-to-noise ratios (CNRs) of different anatomical structures of the knee were assessed and compared between sequences using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and Cohen's kappa.

RESULTS

The median acquisition time reduction was 44.5%. There was a substantial to perfect agreement for the rating between the 3D matrix FSE and 2D FSE or PD sequences when evaluating cartilage, subchondral bone, and ligaments (κ=0.783-872, p>0.05). The mean SSIM values between the 3D matrix FSE and 2D FSE, and between the 3D matrix PD and 2D PD sequences was 0.994 and 0.971, respectively, which are acceptable. No significant differences were found in SNR between the 3D matrix FSE and 2D FSE, and between the 3D matrix PD and 2D PD sequences, even though the SNR appeared to be higher on routine 2D sequences. The CNR of subchondral bone-meniscus, subchondral bone-joint fluid, and meniscus-joint fluid did not differentiate significantly between the 3D matrix sequence and routine 2D sequences.

CONCLUSIONS

3D matrix reduced the acquisition time in routine clinical knee MRI without the loss in image quality, SNR, and CNR.