The Longer the Storage Time, the Higher the Price, the Better the Quality? A 1H-NMR Based Metabolomic Investigation of Aged Ya’an Tibetan Tea (Camellia sinensis)

As an essential beverage beneficial for Tibetan people, Ya’an Tibetan tea has received scarce attention, particularly from the point of view of the characterization of its metabolome. The aim of the study is to systematically characterize the metabolome of Tibetan tea by means of untargeted ¹H-NMR. Moreover, the variations of its metabolome along ageing time are evaluated by taking advantage of univariate and multivariate analyses. A total of 45 molecules are unambiguously identified and quantified, comprising amino acids, peptides and analogues, carbohydrates and derivates, organic acids and derivates, nucleosides, nucleotides and catechins. The concentrations of amino acids, organic acids, carbohydrates and catechins are mainly determined by ageing time. The present study would serve as a reference guide for further work on the Ya’an Tibetan tea metabolome, therefore contributing to the related industries.

Plasma tRF-1:29-Pro-AGG-1-M6 and tRF-55:76-Tyr-GTA-1-M2 as novel diagnostic biomarkers for lung adenocarcinoma

Objective

TRNA-derived fragments (tRFs) and tRNA-derived stress-induced RNAs (tiRNAs) are recognized as novel and potential types of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), and several tRF/tiRNA signatures are closely associated with tumor diagnosis. This study aimed to analyze the expression profiles of plasma tRFs/tiRNAs and to clarify their diagnostic value in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD).

Methods

The differential expression profiles of plasma tRFs/tiRNAs in patients with four patients with early LUAD, four patients with advanced LUAD, and four healthy controls were analyzed using high-throughput sequencing technology. Then, plasma tRFs/tiRNAs were validated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and their diagnostic efficiency was appraised by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. The correlation of candidate plasma tRFs/tiRNAs with clinicopathological features was also analyzed. Finally, bioinformatics analysis was performed to explore and identify the potential biological pathways induced by tRFs/tiRNAs.

Results

The sequencing results revealed that tRFs/tiRNAs from plasma samples in patients with LUAD were differently expressed, supporting the necessity of exploring their potential as biomarkers. The validation results of qRT-PCR demonstrated that the expression level of tRF-1:29-Pro-AGG-1-M6 was downregulated in LUAD, while that of tRF-55:76-Tyr-GTA-1-M2 was upregulated, which was consistent with the sequencing data. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve of tRF-1:29-Pro-AGG-1-M6 and tRF-55:76-Tyr-GTA-1-M2 were 0.882 and 0.896, respectively, which have significant values in the diagnosis of LUAD. The expressions of tRF-1:29-Pro-AGG-1-M6 and tRF-55:76-Tyr-GTA-1-M2 in LUAD were obviously correlated with various clinicopathological features such as tumor–node–metastasis stage, node stage, and the expression levels of carcinoembryonic antigen. In addition, their expression was significantly altered from before to after tumor resection in LUAD patients. The results of Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analyses further indicated that tRF-1:29-Pro-AGG-1-M6 and tRF-55:76-Tyr-GTA-1-M2 are widely distributed and apparently enriched in several tumor-related signaling pathways.

Conclusions

Plasma tRF-1:29-Pro-AGG-1-M6 and tRF-55:76-Tyr-GTA-1-M2 may be promising components in the development of highly sensitive and non-invasive biomarkers for LUAD diagnosis.

Clinical value of plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells Epstein–Barr Virus DNA dynamics on prognosis of allogeneic stem cell transplantation

The application of intracellular and extracellular Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) DNA in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) has been poorly characterized. We conducted a combined prospective-retrospective study of 300 patients who underwent allo-HSCT between 2016 to 2019 in our center and monitored for EBV DNA within the first year after HSCT. Combining the optimal cut-off value of EBV DNA load (7.3×10⁴ copies/10⁶ cells) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and qualitative detection in plasma (400 copies/mL) allowed for the better differentiation of EBV-related posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorders (EBV-PTLD), with increased sensitivity (100%) and specificity (86%), and provided the effective risk stratification of EBV DNA level according to their impact on transplant outcomes. By multivariate analysis, patients with intermediate-level of EBV DNA load (low EBV DNA load in PBMCs or high load in PBMCs but negative in plasma) was associated with superior overall survival (HR 1.92, 95% CI 1.03-3.57, p=0.039) and lower transplant-related mortality (HR 3.35, 95% CI 1.31-8.58, p=0.012) compared to those with high-level (high load in PBMCs and positive in plasma). Notably, high EBV-level group had poor reconstitution of CD4+ and CD8+T cells, and both low and high EBV-level groups showed abnormally increase in IL-10 level within one year. Additionally, patients with peak EBV DNA load in PBMCs during 3-12 months had a higher incidence of chronic graft versus host disease (GVHD) than those within 3 months post transplantation (17.4% vs 13.7%, p=0.029). Collectively, EBV DNA in PBMCs can synergistically predict the risk of EBV-PTLD and GVHD. The intermediate-level of EBV DNA presented in plasma and PBMCs might contribute to a better reconstitution of T cells associated with favorable prognosis of allo-HSCT.

Influence of graft composition in patients with hematological malignancies undergoing ATG-based haploidentical stem cell transplantation

To determine the influence of graft composition in haplo-HSCT, we summarized the long-term consequences of 251 consecutive transplantations from haploidentical donors. For donor-recipient HLA3/6-matched setting, 125 cases used G-CSF-mobilized BM and PBSCs mixtures, while 126 cases only used G-CSF-mobilized PBSCs in HLA4/6-matched transplantation. On the one hand, we wanted to explore the effect of harvests (CD34+ cells and TNCs dosages) on transplantation outcome in the context of haplo-HSCT no matter HLA4/6 or HLA3/6-matched setting. On the other hand, for patients using G-CSF-mobilized BM and PBSCs combination in HLA3/6-matched setting, we attempted to analyze whether TNCs or CD34+ cells from G-CSF-mobilized BM or G-CSF-mobilized PBSCs play the most paramount role on transplantation prognosis. Collectively, patients with hematologic malignancies receiving G-CSF-primed BM and PBSCs harvests had comparable consequences with patients only receiving G-CSF-mobilized PBSCs. Moreover, when divided all patients averagely according to the total amount of transfused nucleated cells, 3-year TRM of the intermediate group (13.06-18.05×10⁸/kg) was only 4.9%, which was remarkably reduced when compared to lower and higher groups with corresponding values 18.3%, 19.6% (P=0.026). The 3-year probabilities of OS and DFS of this intermediate group were 72.6% and 66.5%, which were slightly improved than the lower and higher groups. Most importantly, these data suggest that the transfused nucleated cells from G-CSF-primed BM above than 5.20×10⁸/kg could achieve remarkably lower TRM in haplo-HSCT receiving G-CSF-mobilized BM and PBSCs harvests. These encouraging results suggested that we could improve the efficacy of haplo-HSCT by adjusting the component and relative ratio of transfused graft cells. Nevertheless, the above findings should be confirmed in a randomized prospective comparative research with adequate follow-up.

A Nonlinear Viscoelastic Constitutive Model for Solid Propellant with Rate-Dependent Cumulative Damage

Solid propellant is a composite material exhibiting classic nonlinear viscoelastic mechanical characteristic, which is due in a large part to a cumulative damage process caused by the formation and growth of microflaws inside. The standard relaxation tests and uniaxial tension tests under different velocities of hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) propellant are carried out in this paper, where Digital Image Correlation (DIC) technique is applied to record deformation. The experimental results show that the material mechanical behavior is rate-dependent. It is also observed that the yield stress and failure stress are significantly rate-dependent on the tensile velocity. Based on these experimental results, it can be inferred that the stiffness degradation and damage evolution of HTPB propellant are a rate-dependent processes. Therefore, the damage accumulation of HTPB propellant is considered rate-dependent in this research. In order to describe the mechanical characteristic precisely, a nonlinear viscoelastic constitutive model with rate-dependent cumulative damage is developed. The damage model is developed based on the concept of pseudo strain, in which a Prony series representation of viscoelastic material functions is applied. Besides, a rate-dependent damage variable is introduced into the model through considering the rate-dependent characteristics of cumulative damage process. In addition, a new normalized failure criterion is derived on the basis of the proposed damage model, which is independent of strain-rate after normalization. Finally, it is implemented in commercial finite element software for stress analysis to verify the predictive capacities of the damage model. The accuracy of the constitutive model and failure criterion is validated under uniaxial tensile tests of various strain rates.

Mannose-decorated ginsenoside Rb1 albumin nanoparticles for targeted anti-inflammatory therapy

Ginsenoside Rb1 is a potential anti-inflammatory natural molecule, but its therapeutic efficacy was tremendously hampered by the low solubility and non-targeted delivery. In this study, we innovatively developed a mannose (Man)-modified albumin bovine serum albumin carrier (Man-BSA) to overcome the previously mentioned dilemmas of Rb1. The constructed Man-BSA@Rb1 NPs could improve the solubility and increase the cellular uptake of Rb1, finally leading to the enhanced anti-inflammatory effects. The robust therapeutics of Man-BSA@Rb1 NPs were measured in terms of nitrite, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels, which might be achieved by potently inhibiting nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced Raw264.7 cells. Moreover, the therapeutic efficacy of Man-BSA@Rb1 NPs was further confirmed in the d-Gal/LPS-induced liver injury model. The results indicated that Man-BSA may offer a promising system to improve the anti-inflammatory therapy of Rb1.

Adoption of mobile health services using the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology model: Self-efficacy and privacy concerns

Mobile health (mHealth) services have been widely used in medical services and health management through mobile devices and multiple channels, such as smartphones, wearable equipment, healthcare applications (Apps), and medical platforms. However, the number of the users who are currently receiving the mHealth services is small. In China, more than 70% of internet users have never used mHealth services. Such imbalanced situation could be attributed to users’ traditional concept of medical treatment, psychological factors (such as low self-efficacy) and privacy concerns. The purpose of this study is to explore the direct and indirect effects of mHealth users’ self-efficacy and privacy concerns on their intention to adopt mHealth services, providing guidelines for mHealth service providers to enhance users’ intention of adoption. A questionnaire was designed by the research team and 386 valid responses were collected from domestic participants in China. Based on the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model, a research model integrated self-efficacy and privacy concerns was constructed to investigate their effects on users’ intention to adopt mobile mHealth services. The results show that self-efficacy could facilitate users’ intention to adopt mHealth services, and had a significantly positive effect on perceived ubiquity, effort expectancy, performance expectancy and subjective norm. This study verifies the direct and indirect effects of self-efficacy and privacy concerns on users’ intention to adopt mHealth services, providing a different perspective for studying mHealth adoption behavior. The findings could provide guidelines for mHealth service providers to improve their service quality and enhance users’ intention of adoption.

Golgi stress induces SIRT2 to counteract Shigella infection via defatty-acylation

Enzymes from pathogens often modulate host protein post-translational modifications (PTMs), facilitating survival and proliferation of pathogens. Shigella virulence factors IpaJ and IcsB induce proteolytic cleavage and lysine fatty acylation on host proteins, which cause Golgi stress and suppress innate immunity, respectively. However, it is unknown whether host enzymes could reverse such modifications introduced by pathogens’ virulence factors to suppress pathogenesis. Herein, we report that SIRT2, a potent lysine defatty-acylase, is upregulated by the transcription factor CREB3 under Golgi stress induced by Shigella infection. SIRT2 in turn removes the lysine fatty acylation introduced by Shigella virulence factor IcsB to enhance host innate immunity. SIRT2 knockout mice are more susceptible to Shigella infection than wildtype mice, demonstrating the importance of SIRT2 to counteract Shigella infection.

Here the authors revealed a role for the protein deacetylase SIRT2 in Golgi stress, particularly induced by bacterial infection. Shigella secrete effector proteins such as IcsB, which transfers fatty acyl groups to modify host proteins to evade host immune surveillance. The upregulated SIRT2 counteracts this function by removing the fatty acyl groups and enhancing the killing of Shigella.

p120 regulates E-cadherin expression in nasal epithelial cells in chronic rhinosinusitis

BACKGROUND

The epithelial barrier plays an important role in the regulation of immune homeostasis. The effect of the immune environment on E-cadherin has been demonstrated in previous studies. This discovery prompted new research on the targeting mechanism of E-cadherin in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS).

METHODS

E-cadherin and p120 expression was determined by quantitative RT-PCR, and western blot. The interaction between E-cadherin and p120 was assessed by immunofluorescence staining and coimmunoprecipitation assays. Human nasal epithelial cells (HNECs) were cultured with submerged methods and transfected with p120-specific small interfering RNA. In other experiments, HNECs differentiated with the air-liquid interface (ALI) method were stimulated with various cytokines and Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists. The barrier properties of differentiated HNECs were determined by assessing fluorescent dextran permeability.

RESULTS

E-cadherin and p120 expression was decreased in HNECs from patients with CRS, and the p120 protein expression level was positively correlated with that of E-cadherin. Two isoforms of p120 (p120-1 and p120-3) were expressed in HNECs, with p120-3 being the main isoform. Knocking down p120 in HNECs cultured under submerged conditions significantly reduced the E-cadherin protein expression. The Rac1 inhibitor NSC23766 reversed the protein expression of E-cadherin in p120 knockdown experiments. Inflammatory mediators, including IL-4, TNF-α, TGF- β, LPS and IFN-Î, reduced E-cadherin and p120 protein expression and increased paracellular permeability. Dexamethasone abolished the downregulation of E-cadherin and p120 caused by inflammatory mediators.

CONCLUSIONS

p120 is involved in regulating E-cadherin protein expression in CRS. Dexamethasone may alleviate the reduction in E-cadherin and p120 protein expression caused by inflammatory mediators.

Immunosenescence: A Critical Factor Associated With Organ Injury After Sepsis

Progressive immune dysfunction associated with aging is known as immunosenescence. The age-related deterioration of immune function is accompanied by chronic inflammation and microenvironment changes. Immunosenescence can affect both innate and acquired immunity. Sepsis is a systemic inflammatory response that affects parenchymal organs, such as the respiratory system, cardiovascular system, liver, urinary system, and central nervous system, according to the sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA). The initial immune response is characterized by an excess release of inflammatory factors, followed by persistent immune paralysis. Moreover, immunosenescence was found to complement the severity of the immune disorder following sepsis. Furthermore, the immune characteristics associated with sepsis include lymphocytopenia, thymus degeneration, and immunosuppressive cell proliferation, which are very similar to the characteristics of immunosenescence. Therefore, an in-depth understanding of immunosenescence after sepsis and its subsequent effects on the organs may contribute to the development of promising therapeutic strategies. This paper focuses on the characteristics of immunosenescence after sepsis and rigorously analyzes the possible underlying mechanism of action. Based on several recent studies, we summarized the relationship between immunosenescence and sepsis-related organs. We believe that the association between immunosenescence and parenchymal organs might be able to explain the delayed consequences associated with sepsis.

Green production of a yellow laccase by Coriolopsis gallica for phenolic pollutants removal

As a group of green biocatalysts, fungal laccases have aroused great interest in diverse biotechnological fields. Therein, yellow laccase has advantages over blue laccase in catalytic performance, but it is not common in the reported fungal laccases. Here, we report a yellow laccase from white-rot fungus Coriolopsis gallica NCULAC F1 about its production, purification, characterization, and application. Laccase production in the co-fermentation of pomelo peel and wheat bran reached the enzyme activity by 10,690 U/L after 5 days with a 13.58-time increase. After three steps of purification, laccase increased the specific activity from 30.78 to 188.79 U/mg protein with an activity recovery of 45.64%. The purified C. gallica laccase (CGLac) showed a molecular mass of about 57 kDa. CGLac had a yellow color and no absorption peaks at 610 nm and 330 nm, suggesting that it’s a yellow laccase. CGLac exhibited stability towards temperature (40–60 °C) and neutral pH (6.0–8.0). Fe³⁺ and Mn²⁺ strongly stimulated CGLac activity by 162.56% and 226.05%, respectively. CGLac remained high activities when exposed to organic reagents and putative inhibitors. Additionally, CGLac contributed to 90.78%, 93.26%, and 99.66% removal of phenol, p-chlorophenol and bisphenol A after 120 min, respectively. In conclusion, a green efficient production strategy was introduced for fungal laccase, and the obtained CGLac presented great enzymatic properties and catalytic potential in the removal of phenolic pollutants.

Pomelo peels and wheat bran are great nutritional sources and laccase inducers.

CGLac showed the spectral characteristic of yellow laccase.

CGLac had great stability and catalytic ability for phenolic pollutants removal.

Biopsy-tract haemocoagulase injection reduces major complications after CT-guided percutaneous transthoracic lung biopsy

AIM

To determine whether the injection of haemocoagulase into the biopsy tract can reduce pneumothorax and pulmonary haemorrhage after computed tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous transthoracic lung biopsy (PTLB).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A retrospective study was performed involving patients with undiagnosed pulmonary lesions scheduled for PTLB between January 2020 and March 2021. Patients were assigned to the haemocoagulase group or the non-haemocoagulase group. After CT-guided biopsies were performed with a 17 G coaxial system, patients in the haemocoagulase group received a haemocoagulase injection (0.2-0.5 units) in the biopsy tract as the sheath was withdrawn. Postoperative image studies were performed to evaluate complications, including pneumothorax and pulmonary haemorrhage. Factors, including the patient's position, lesion location, and pathological results, were evaluated to determine their associations with the complications.

RESULTS

A total of 100 patients were included, with 44 men and a mean age of 53 years old. The overall incidences of pneumothorax and pulmonary haemorrhage were 15% and 13%, respectively. The incidences of pneumothorax and pulmonary haemorrhage were statistically significantly lower in the haemocoagulase group (8% and 6%, respectively) than in the non-haemocoagulase group (22% and 20%, respectively; p=0.04 and 0.03, respectively). There was no statistically significant difference in haemoptysis between the haemocoagulase (6%) and non-haemocoagulase (2%) groups (p=0.23). There were also no statistically significant associations of pneumothorax or pulmonary haemorrhage with the patients' positions, lesion location, or pathological results.

CONCLUSION

Biopsy tract haemocoagulase injection reduced the incidences of postoperative pneumothorax and pulmonary haemorrhage after PTLB.

Cordycepin enhances hyperthermia-induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest by modulating the MAPK pathway in human lymphoma U937 cells

BACKGROUND

Hyperthermia induces cancer cell death. However, the cytotoxic effect of hyperthermia is not sufficient. Cordycepin can also induce apoptosis in cancer cells and enhance the antitumoral activity of irradiation. To examine cordycepin-mediated enhancement of hyperthermia-induced apoptosis, this study investigated the combined effects and apoptotic mechanisms of hyperthermia and cordycepin on human leukemia U937 cells.

METHODS

Cell viability and apoptosis were measured using MTT assays, Hoechst 33342 staining and Annexin V/PI double staining. The distribution of the cell cycle and sub-G1 phase, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) were examined by flow cytometry. The expression of related proteins was analyzed by western blotting.

RESULTS

Combined treatment with hyperthermia and cordycepin markedly augmented apoptosis by upregulating Bax and suppressing Bcl-2, Bid and activated caspase 3 and 8 expression, and apoptosis was decreased by Z-VAD-fmk (a pan caspase inhibitor). We also found that the MMP was significantly decreased and excessive ROS generation occurred. The combination treatment also induced arrest in the G2/M phase by downregulating cyclin dependent kinase 1 (CDK1) and cyclin B1 protein expression. Furthermore, it was observed that mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway including ERK, JNK and p38 signals was involved in the induction of apoptosis. The phosphorylated p38 and JNK were increased and ERK phosphorylation was decreased by the combined treatment. In addition, N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) significantly protected the cells by restoring ROS levels and the activity of caspase-3, inactivating the MAPK pathway.

CONCLUSION

Cordycepin significantly enhanced hyperthermia-induced apoptosis and G2/M phase arrest in U937 cells. The combined treatment enhanced apoptosis through the MAPK pathway and mitochondrial dysfunction, and these effects could be rescued by NAC. We report for the first time that cordycepin can be used as a hyperthermia sensitizer to treat leukemia.

Intravoxel incoherent motion diffusion-weighted imaging as a quantitative tool for evaluating disease activity in patients with axial spondyloarthritis

AIM

To determine the correlations between four quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) parameters derived from intravoxel incoherent motion diffusion-weighted images (IVIM DWI) and the semi-quantitative Spondyloarthritis Research Consortium of Canada (SPARCC) score of the sacroiliac joint (SIJ) and five clinical activity indices in patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA).

AND METHODS

A total of 75 patients with axSpA and complete clinical activity indices and SIJ MRI were enrolled to this prospective study. Univariable and multivariable linear regression analyses were performed to evaluate correlations between MRI parameters and clinical activity indices after controlling for confounders. All data were further analysed using Pearson's correlation coefficients (r).

RESULTS

Only pure diffusion coefficient (D) and incoherent perfusion related microcirculation (D∗) were found to be independently positively correlated with several clinical activity indices (all p<0.05). Positive correlations were observed between D and the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI), Patient Global Assessment (PGA), extent of influence of pain, with r of 0.605, 0.402, 0.319, and 0.485 (all p<0.0125). D∗ correlated positively with BASDAI, BASFI, and PGA (r=0.436, 0.356, 0.301, respectively; all p<0.0125).

CONCLUSION

D and D∗ derived from IVIM DWI could be associated with some disease activity indices in patients with axSpA; apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and SPARCC scores were not correlated with these indices. IVIM DWI may be a useful tool for the quantitative assessment of disease activity in patients with axSpA.

Phytochemical, Chemotaxonomic and Bioinformatics Study on Laportea bulbifera (Urticaceae)

Phytochemical investigation of the aerial part of Laportea bulbifera (Siebold & Zucc.) Wedd. (L. bulbifera) showed the isolation of seventeen compounds, including five flavonoids (1-4 and 6), one terpenoid (5), five phenolic acids (7-11), one coumarin (12), two steroids (13-14), and three alkaloids (15-17). Structure elucidations of these compounds were performed on the basis of extensive NMR experiments and compared with the published data in the references. It is remarkable that compounds (3-5) were firstly isolated from the Urticaceae family, compounds (3-8, 11 and 15-17) were firstly obtained from genus Laportea. Furthermore, the result of the chemotaxonomic significance discussion showed that compounds (2-4) may can be served as compound fingerprints to distinguish between species of L. bulbifera and genus Urtica, and what' more, we proposed a bold conjecture that isoflavones can distinguish between species of L. bulbifera and genus Urtica. At the same time, the molecular docking method was used to evaluate the inhibitory effect of these compounds on human steroid 5α-reductase 2 (SRD5α2). The results showed that compounds (1-4 and 6) had better expected effects than the positive drug finasteride can by effectively binding to the active sites of SRD5α2. This study assisted in the future phytochemical and chemotaxonomic research on genus Laportea. Simultaneously, this research provided the theoretical evidence for the application of L. bulbifera in treating benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

Parameters Identification of Rubber-like Hyperelastic Material Based on General Regression Neural Network

In this study, we present a systematic scheme to identify the material parameters in constitutive model of hyperelastic materials such as rubber. This approach is proposed based on the combined use of general regression neural network, experimental data and finite element analysis. In detail, the finite element analysis is carried out to provide the learning samples of GRNN model, while the results observed from the uniaxial tensile test is set as the target value of GRNN model. A problem involving parameters identification of silicone rubber material is described for validation. The results show that the proposed GRNN-based approach has the characteristics of high universality and good precision, and can be extended to parameters identification of complex rubber-like hyperelastic material constitutive.

[Current status and prospect of virtual reality technique's application in wound repair]

As a new technology of drug-free treatment, virtual reality technique has been used in various medical fields, and is being increasingly applied in the field of wound repair. Virtual reality technology can alleviate the pain caused by acute and chronic wounds, relieve the psychological anxiety of patients with wounds, and then facilitate the recovery of patients. This paper reviews the research progress of virtual reality technique's application as a clinical adjuvant therapy in wound repair in three aspects: pain treatment, psychological treatment, and functional rehabilitation, analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of this technique, and discusses the prospects of its further application in the field of wound repair.

[Identification of serological biomarkers for diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis using a protein array-based approach]

OBJECTIVE

To study the cytokine patterns in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and healthy individuals and identify candidate serum biomarkers for clinical diagnosis of RA.

METHODS

This study was conducted among 59 patients diagnosed with RA in our hospital from 2015 to 2019 with 46 age- and gender-matched healthy subjects who received regular physical examinations in our hospital as the control group. Serological autoimmune profiles of 5 RA patients and 5 healthy control subjects were obtained from human cytokine microarrays. We selected 4 differentially expressed cytokines (LIMPII, ROBO3, Periostin and IGFBP-4) and 2 soluble cytokine receptors of interest (2B4 and Tie-2) and examined their serum levels using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 54 RA patients and 41 healthy control subjects. Spearman correlation test was performed to assess the correlation of serum cytokine and soluble receptor expression levels with the clinical features including rheumatoid factor (RF), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), disease activity score (DAS28) and health assessment questionnaire (HAQ). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic capability of these cytokines.

RESULTS

We identified 6 dysregulated cytokines and soluble receptors (2B4, LIMPII, Tie-2, ROBO3, periostin and IGFBP-4) in RA patients (P < 0.01). The serum levels of LIMPII, ROBO3 and periostin were significantly correlated with the disease activity indicators including RF (P < 0.001), CRP (P < 0.001), DAS28 (P < 0.001) and HAQ (P < 0.001) in RA patients. Among the 6 candidate cytokines, 2B4 showed the largest area under the curve (AUC) of 0.861 for RA diagnosis (P < 0.001), followed then by LIMPII, ROBO3, periostin, Tie-2 and IGFBP-4.

CONCLUSION

Serum levels of LIMPII, ROBO3 and periostin can be indicative of the disease activity of RA, and serum 2B4, LIMPII, periostin, ROBO3, IGFBP-4 and Tie-2 levels may serve as biomarkers for the diagnosis of RA.

Sesamin Promotes Osteoporotic Fracture Healing by Activating Chondrogenesis and Angiogenesis Pathways

Osteoporotic fracture has been regarded as one of the most common bone disorders in the aging society. The natural herb-derived small molecules were revealed as potential treatment approaches for osteoporotic fracture healing. Sesamin is a member of lignan family, which possesses estrogenic activity and plays a significant role in modulating bone homeostasis. Our previous study reported the promoting effect of sesamin on postmenopausal osteoporosis treatment. However, the role of sesamin in osteoporotic fracture healing has not been well studied yet. In this study, we further investigated the putative treatment effect of sesamin on osteoporotic fracture healing. Our study indicated that sesamin could activate bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) signaling pathway and further promotes in vitro chondrogenesis and angiogenesis activities. This promoting effect was abolished by the treatment of ERα inhibitor. In the osteoporotic bone fracture model, we demonstrated that sesamin markedly improves the callus formation and increases the cartilaginous area at the early-stage, as well as narrowing the fracture gap, and expands callus volume at the late-stage fracture healing site of the OVX mice femur. Furthermore, the angiogenesis at the osteoporotic fracture site was also significantly improved by sesamin treatment. In conclusion, our research illustrated the therapeutic potential and underlying regulation mechanisms of sesamin on osteoporotic fracture healing. Our studies shed light on developing herb-derived bioactive compounds as novel drugs for the treatment of osteoporotic fracture healing, especially for postmenopausal women with low estrogen level.

[Transoral robotic surgery for treatment of lingual thyroglossal duct cyst]

Objective: To investigate the feasibility, safety and efficacy of transoral robotic surgery (TORS) in the treatment of lingual thyroglossal duct cyst (LTGDC). Methods: The clinical data of 10 patients with LTGDC treated with TORS in Tongji Hospital affiliated to Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology from May 2017 to November 2020 were analyzed retrospectively,including 6 males and 4 females, aged 5-44 years. The cysts were fully exposed, and resection usually started from the cephalic side of lesions. The range of resection was 3 to 5 mm away from the lesions, and partial hyoid bone was removed if necessary. Intra-operative robotic set-up time,operation time and estimated blood loss,and post-operative local bleeding, dyspnea and recovery time for oral intake were analyzed. SPSS 12.0 software was used for statistical analysis. Results: The cysts in all 10 patients were successfully resected by TORS with da Vinci Si surgical system. The mean robotic set-up and exposure time, operation time, estimated intraoperative blood loss and recovery time for oral intake were (15.5±7.1) min, (17.6±7.4) min, (8.9±6.4)ml and (2.3±2.2)days, respectively. No patient required tracheostomy intra-or post-operatively, and no symptoms of airway obstruction, postoperative bleeding, pharyngeal fistula, hoarseness and neurological impairment occurred after operation. The patients were followed up for 5 to 47 months, with median follow-up time of 17 months, and no recurrence was observed. Conclusion: TORS is safe and feasible for resection of LTGDC, with rapid recovery and low recurrence rate.

Comparisons Between modified PTCY and G-CSF/ATG Regimens for Haploidentical Transplantation in Patients with Aplastic Anemia

BACKGROUND

Haploidentical transplantation has become an alternative treatment option for aplastic anemia patients without matched sibling donors or matched unrelated donors. Recently, the post-transplantation cyclophosphamide (PTCY) regimen and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF)/antithymocyte globulin (ATG) regimen have become the most common protocols used worldwide.

OBJECTIVE

We designed this retrospective study to compare the outcomes of patients receiving a modified post-transplantation cyclophosphamide (mPTCY) regimen versus the G-CSF/ATG regimen.

STUDY DESIGN

We retrospectively reviewed and analyzed the clinical data of 130 aplastic anemia patients who underwent haplo-HSCT and received the mPTCY regimen (n=55) or G-CSF/ATG regimen (n=75) between Jan 2013 and Jun 2021 across seven transplant centers.

RESULTS

Neutrophil engraftment was successful in all patients within 30 days in the G-CSF/ATG group. The cumulative neutrophil engraftment rate in the mPTCY group was 96.36% (95% CI, 94.57-97.57, P=0.010). The median time of neutrophil engraftment in the G-CSF/ATG group was 10 (7-28) days, which was more rapid than that observed in the mPTCY group (P <0.001). There were no significant differences in the incidence of graft versus host disease (GVHD) between the two groups. The cumulative incidence of II-IV acute GVHD was 18.40% (95% CI, 4.27-40.31) in the mPTCY group and 19.32% (95% CI, 5.86-38.58) in the G-CSF/ATG group, while the cumulative incidence of III-IV acute GVHD was 7.31% (95% CI, 0.09-37.48) in the mPTCY group and 7.57% (95% CI, 0.20-34.19) in the G-CSF/ATG group. Similarly, no significant difference was observed between the two groups in terms of overall survival (OS), failure-free survival (FFS), and GVHD relapse-free survival (GRFS). The 2-year OS, FFS and GRFS rates were 95.91% (95% CI, 84.59-98.96), 92.25% (95% CI, 80.59-97.03) and 86.68% (95% CI, 73.98-93.44), respectively, in the mPTCY group and 86.67% (95% CI, 76.64-92.59), 81.28% (95% CI, 70.45-88.46) and 77.20% (95% CI, 65.89-85.16), respectively, in the G-CSF/ATG group. The transplantation-related mortality (TRM) rate was significantly higher in the G-CSG/ATG group than in the mPTCY group (13.33% in the G-CSG/ATG group versus 1.96% in the mPTCY group, P=0.022). In multivariate analysis, female donors, a higher hematopoietic cell transplantation comorbidity index (HCT-CI) and III-IV aGVHD were associated with worse survival outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, the mPTCY and G-CSF/ATG regimens led to similar outcomes in AA patients, but quicker engraftment was observed with the ATG/G-CSF regimen, and a lower incidence of TRM was observed with the mPTCY regimen.

Traumatic vertebra and endplate fractures promote adjacent disc degeneration: evidence from a clinical MR follow-up study

OBJECTIVES

The integrity of endplate is important for maintaining the health of adjacent disc and trabeculae. Yet, pathological impacts of traumatic vertebra and endplate fractures were less studied using clinical approaches. This study aims to investigate their effects on the development of adjacent disc degeneration, segmental kyphosis, Modic changes (MCs), and high-intensity zones (HIZs).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Magnetic resonance (MR) images of patients with acute traumatic vertebral compression fractures (T11-L5) were studied. On MR images, endplate fractures were evaluated as present or absent. Disc signal, height, bulging area, sagittal Cobb angle, MCs, and HIZs were measured on baseline and follow-up MR images to study the changes of the disc in relation to vertebra fractures and endplate fractures.

RESULTS

Ninety-seven patients were followed up for 15.4 ± 14.0 months. There were 123 fractured vertebrae, including 79 (64.2%) with endplate fractures and 44 (35.8%) without. Both the adjacent and control discs decreased in signal and height over time (p < 0.001), and the disc adjacent to vertebral fractures had greater signal and height loss than the control disc (p < 0.05). In the presence of endplate fractures, the adjacent discs had greater signal decrease in follow-up (p < 0.05), as compared to those without endplate fractures. Sagittal Cobb angle significantly increased in segments with endplate fractures (p < 0.05). Vertebra fractures were associated with new occurrence of MCs in the fractured vertebra (p < 0.001) but not HIZs in the adjacent disc.

CONCLUSIONS

Traumatic vertebral fractures were associated with accelerated adjacent disc degeneration, which appears to be further promoted by concomitant endplate fractures. Endplate fractures were associated with progression of segmental kyphosis.

Decitabine-Intensified Modified Busulfan/Cyclophosphamide Conditioning Regimen Improves Survival in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients Undergoing Related Donor Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: A Propensity Score Matched Analysis

To identify the benefit of decitabine (Dec)-intensified myeloablative conditioning on the outcomes of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) after related donor hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), we performed a retrospective matched-pair study from a pool of 156 patients to evaluate Dec [20 mg/m²/day intravenously (i.v.) on days -11 to -7]-intensified modified busulfan/cyclophosphamide (mBuCy) conditioning regimen vs. mBuCy regimen in 92 AML patients, with 46 patients in each cohort. The cumulative incidence of grade II-IV acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) was lower in the Dec group (15.2% ± 0.3% vs. 32.6% ± 0.5%, P = 0.033). Compared with mBuCy group (15.5% ± 0.3%), a significantly higher proportion of limited chronic GVHD (cGVHD) in Dec group (35% ± 0.6%) was observed (P = 0.025). Dec-intensified mBuCy conditioning was associated with better 2-year overall survival (OS) and GVHD-free relapse-free survival (GRFS) (81% ± 6.2% vs. 59.4% ± 7.5%, P = 0.03; 58.7% ± 8.1% vs. 40.9% ± 7.3%, P = 0.042; respectively). Our results also elucidated that the Dec group had better 2-year OS and lower 2-year cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) in patients acquiring haploidentical HSCT than that of the mBuCy group (84.8% ± 7.1% vs. 58.2% ± 10.3%, P = 0.047; 17.9% ± 0.8% vs. 40.0% ± 1.0%, P = 0.036; respectively), which did not increase the treatment-related mortality and regimen-associated toxicities. Dec-intensified myeloablative regimen and high-risk stratification were the variables associated with OS, leukemia-free survival (LFS), and GRFS in multivariate analysis. In high-risk patients, no differences were found in CIR, OS, LFS, and GRFS between the two groups. These data indicated that Dec-intensified mBuCy conditioning regimen was associated with better survival than mBuCy regimen in AML patients, especially in patients undergoing haploidentical HSCT.

The Effect of Extracellular Superoxide Dismutase (SOD3) Gene in Lung Cancer

Background

The recognition of new diagnostic and prognostic biological markers for lung cancer, the most severe malignant tumor, is an essential and eager study. In a microenvironment, superoxide dismutase 3 (SOD3) can adjust active oxygen, and it refers to a secreted antioxidant enzyme. It was also found to be cancer-related, and in lung cancer, it was remarkably down-regulated. More and more new cancer research focuses on the function of SOD3. Despite this, there is no good description of SOD3 function in the LC progression.

Methods

Through bioinformatics analysis, we found that SOD3 was a possible novel lung cancer gene in this study. We analyzed data sets from Gene Expression Comprehensive Database (GEO) and the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and SOD3 expression was studied in lung cancer. This study estimated the SOD3 diagnosis and prognosis through gene expression differential display, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), enrichment and genomes (KEGG) analysis, and gene ontology (GO). Then in order to investigate the SOD3 presentation in lung cancer cells, we used Western Blot and also applied Flow cytometry to detect the impact of anti-tumor medicine on tumor cell apoptosis.

Results

We found that the expression level of SOD3 in lung cancer was low (P = 4.218E-29), while the survival of lung cancer patients with high SOD3 expression was shorter (LUSC p =0.00086, LUAD p=0.00038). According to the result of western blot, the expression of SOD3 in tumor cells was higher than that in normal cells. The ratio of early apoptosis induced by anti-cancer drugs was 10.5% in normal cells, 35.1% in squamous cell carcinoma and 36.9% in adenocarcinoma.The SOD3 high expression was associated with poor survival probability by multivariate analysis (HR: 1.006, 95% CI 1.002–1.011, p=0.006). Moreover, SOD3 high expression group had higher ESTIMATE scores, and larger amount of immune infiltrating cells. SOD3 expression is correlated with PDCD1 and CTLA4 expression.

Conclusions

SOD3 gene can be used as a prognostic gene in lung cancer patients, and lung cancer patients with high expression of this gene can reap worse prognostic outcome. It can be used as a new clinical method and prognosticator for lung cancer patients.

Elastic criterion for shear-banding instability in amorphous solids

In amorphous solids, plastic flow is prone to localization into shear bands via an avalanche of shear-transformation (ST) rearrangements of constituent atoms or particles. However, such banding instability still remains a lack of direct experimental evidence. Using a real 3D colloidal glass under shear as proof of principle, we study STs' avalanches into shear banding that is controlled by strain rates. We demonstrate that, accompanying the emergent shear banding, the elastic response fields of the system, typical of a quadrupole for shear and a centrosymmetry for dilatation, lose the Eshelby-type spatial symmetry; instead, a strong correlation appears preferentially along the banding direction. By quantifying the fields' spatial decay, we identify an elastic criterion for the shear-banding instability, that is, the strongly correlated length of dilatation is smaller than the full length of shear correlation. Specifically, ST-induced free volume has to be confined within the elastic shear domain of ST so that those STs can self-organize to trigger shear banding. This physical picture is directly visualized by tracing the real-space evolution of local dilatation and ST particles. The present work unites the two classical mechanisms: free volume and STs, for the fundamental understanding of shear banding in amorphous solids.

Prophylaxis use of vitamin K1 improves coagulation function in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation patients: a retrospective cohort study

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of vitamin K1 in patients undergoing HSCT and find a feasible and safe option for HSCT patients to prevent bleeding.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was performed on 96 HSCT patients admitted to the Department of Hematology of Wuhan Union Hospital from January 2018 to July 2019. Patients were divided into two groups (the vitamin K1 group and the control group) based on the administration of vitamin K1. All patients were reexamined for coagulation function during their hospitalization. The prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), and plasma fibrinogen (FIB) were measured. The relationship between plasma infusion volumes were also analyzed.

RESULTS

In the independent sample T-test analysis, PT and APTT of the vitamin K1 group were significantly shorter than that of the control group after transplantation. There was no obvious difference in plasma FIB levels between the two groups. Total plasma infused volume in the vitamin K1 group was significantly lower than that in the control group.

CONCLUSIONS

Prophylactic intravenous drip of vitamin K1 has a good therapeutic effect on improving the coagulation function in HSCT patients without significant side effects and decreases the plasma transfusion.

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

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

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

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

Cranial Bone Transport Promotes Angiogenesis, Neurogenesis, and Modulates Meningeal Lymphatic Function in Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion Rats

BACKGROUND

Ischemic stroke is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. However, the time window for quickly dissolving clots and restoring cerebral blood flow, using tissue plasminogen activator treatment is rather limited, resulting in many patients experiencing long-term functional impairments if not death. This study aims to determine the roles of cranial bone transport (CBT), a novel, effective, and simple surgical technique, in the recovery of ischemic stroke using middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) rat model.

METHODS

CBT was performed by slowly sliding a bone segment in skull with a special frame and a speed of 0.25 mm/12 hours for 10 days following MCAO. Morris water maze, rotarod test, and catwalk gait analysis were used to study the neurological behaviors, and infarct area and cerebral flow were evaluated during CBT process. Immunofluorescence staining of CD31 and Nestin/Sox2 (sex determining region Y box 2) was performed to study the angiogenesis and neurogenesis. OVA-A647 (ovalbumin-Alexa Fluor 647) was intracisterna magna injected to evaluate the meningeal lymphatic drainage function.

RESULTS

CBT treatment has significantly reduced the ischemic lesions areas and improved the neurological deficits in MCAO rats compared with the rats in the control groups. CBT treatment significantly promoted angiogenesis and neurogenesis in the brain of MCAO rats. The drainage function of meningeal lymphatic vessels in MCAO rats was significantly impaired compared with normal rats. Ablation of meningeal lymphatic drainage led to increased neuroinflammation and aggravated neurological deficits and ischemic injury in MCAO rats. CBT treatment significantly improved the meningeal lymphatic drainage function and alleviated T-cell infiltration in MCAO rats.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provided evidence for the possible mechanisms on how CBT attenuates ischemic stroke injury and facilitates rapid neuronal function recovery, suggesting that CBT may be an alternative treatment strategy for managing ischemic stroke.

Emojis predict dropouts of remote workers: An empirical study of emoji usage on GitHub

Emotions at work have long been identified as critical signals of work motivations, status, and attitudes, and as predictors of various work-related outcomes. When more and more employees work remotely, these emotional signals of workers become harder to observe through daily, face-to-face communications. The use of online platforms to communicate and collaborate at work provides an alternative channel to monitor the emotions of workers. This paper studies how emojis, as non-verbal cues in online communications, can be used for such purposes and how the emotional signals in emoji usage can be used to predict future behavior of workers. In particular, we present how the developers on GitHub use emojis in their work-related activities. We show that developers have diverse patterns of emoji usage, which can be related to their working status including activity levels, types of work, types of communications, time management, and other behavioral patterns. Developers who use emojis in their posts are significantly less likely to dropout from the online work platform. Surprisingly, solely using emoji usage as features, standard machine learning models can predict future dropouts of developers at a satisfactory accuracy. Features related to the general use and the emotions of emojis appear to be important factors, while they do not rule out paths through other purposes of emoji use.

Malnutrition Increases the Risk of Left Ventricular Remodeling

OBJECTIVES

Malnutrition is associated with increased incidence of heart failure (HF). Left ventricular (LV) remodeling is one of the most important processes in the occurrence and evolution of HF. However, the association between nutritional status and LV remodeling is not well known. The study aimed to investigate the association between malnutrition and LV remodeling.

DESIGN

The study was a retrospective observation study.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

We included patients from the registry of Cardiorenal Improvement study from January 2007 to December 2018 at Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital.

MEASUREMENTS

The primary endpoint was LV remodeling, defined as an absolute decrease in LV ejection fraction ≥10% after discharge compared with baseline. Nutritional status was assessed by the Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) score. Eligible patients were divided into absent-mild malnutrition group (CONUT score ≤4) and moderate-severe malnutrition group (CONUT score >4). Univariable and multivariable logistic regression was performed to verify the association between malnutrition and left ventricular remodeling.

RESULTS

A total of 7,217 patients (mean age 61.3±10.5 years, 71.7% male) were included in the final analysis, among which 712 (9.9%) had LV remodeling. The incidence of LV remodeling in moderate-severe malnutrition group was significantly higher than that in absent-mild malnutrition group (12.9% vs. 9.5%, p=0.002). In multivariable logistic regression, moderate-severe malnutrition group was significantly associated with 1.69-fold increased risk of LV remodeling after adjusting confounders (OR: 1.69, CI: 1.32-2.16). Similar results were observed in subgroup stratified by age, gender, and coronary artery disease.

CONCLUSION

Nearly one eighth of patients were classified as moderate-severe malnutrition, 12% of whom had LV remodeling. Moderate-severe malnutrition was associated with 69% increased risk of LV remodeling. Further studies are needed to prospectively evaluate the nutrition-oriented managements on outcomes in LV remodeling.

Preparation and characterization of sodium cellulose sulfate/chitosan composite films loaded with curcumin for monitoring pork freshness

Colorimetric films were prepared by incorporating curcumin into a sodium cellulose sulfate/chitosan composite. The morphology mechanical, and water vapor properties of the films were investigated, and their practical use in pork preservation was evaluated. The formula with the same charge ratio of sodium cellulose sulfate and chitosan had the highest tensile strength (TS). After the addition of curcumin, the tensile strength increased, whereas the water vapor permeability (WVP) decreased. The colorimetric film showed distinguishable color changes between the pH ranges of 3–10. The colorimetric film packaging extended the shelf life of the pork samples by 4 days. Moreover, the composite films were able to effectively monitor pork freshness. In conclusion, curcumin incorporated into sodium cellulose sulfate/chitosan composite films may have great potential in food packaging.

•

Sodium cellulose sulfate/chitosan/curcumin films were produced for food packaging.

•

The properties of composite films were enhanced due to electrostatic interaction.

•

The composite films changed their colors in response to the change of pH.

•

The composite films could monitor the freshness and extend shelf life of pork.

Association of Loss of Occlusal Pairs of Teeth with Sarcopenia in a Chinese Population of Community-Dwelling Elderly

OBJECTIVES

Tooth loss, which usually leads to malnutrition, is common in the elderly. However, limited information is available regarding its association with sarcopenia. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between loss of occlusal pairs of tooth and sarcopenia.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional retrospective study was performed.

SETTING

The elderly who participated in the National Basic Public Health Project in the Maigaoqiao Community Medical Center in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 2850 individuals aged ≥60 years were enrolled.

MEASUREMENTS

Sarcopenia was defined according to the criteria proposed by the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia. A trained dentist assessed oral health status and counted the number of present teeth. Logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the association between the loss of occlusal pairs and sarcopenia.

RESULTS

The prevalence of sarcopenia was 7.1% (201/2850). Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that loss of occlusal pairs was associated with sarcopenia [anterior occlusal pairs (AOPs): odd ratio (OR) = 1.292, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.158-1.442; posterior occlusal pairs (POPs): OR = 1.147, 95% CI = 1.018-1.221]. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that loss of POPs was still an independent risk for sarcopenia (OR = 1.108, 95% CI = 1.007-1.220) after adjustment for traditional confounders. Subgroup analysis showed that loss of POPs was more significantly linked to sarcopenia in those with advanced age (≥80years) (OR = 1.307, 95% CI = 1.116-1.532) and in females (OR = 1.165, 95%CI = 1.038-1.308). Compared to individuals with ≥5 occluding pairs of POPs, those with <5 occluding pairs of POPs had a higher incidence of sarcopenia.

CONCLUSIONS

Loss of POPs is associated with an increased risk of sarcopenia in the elderly in a Chinese population. Further research on the mechanism of the observed causal relationship is needed.

High slew rate pulsed electromagnetic field enhances bone consolidation and shortens daily treatment duration in distraction osteogenesis

Aims

Distraction osteogenesis (DO) is a useful orthopaedic procedure employed to lengthen and reshape bones by stimulating bone formation through controlled slow stretching force. Despite its promising applications, difficulties are still encountered. Our previous study demonstrated that pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) treatment significantly enhances bone mineralization and neovascularization, suggesting its potential application. The current study compared a new, high slew rate (HSR) PEMF signal, with different treatment durations, with the standard Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved signal, to determine if HSR PEMF is a better alternative for bone formation augmentation.

Methods

The effects of a HSR PEMF signal with three daily treatment durations (0.5, one, and three hours/day) were investigated in an established rat DO model with comparison of an FDA-approved classic signal (three hrs/day). PEMF treatments were applied to the rats daily for 35 days, starting from the distraction phase until termination. Radiography, micro-CT (μCT), biomechanical tests, and histological examinations were employed to evaluate the quality of bone formation.

Results

All rats tolerated the treatment well and no obvious adverse effects were found. By comparison, the HSR signal (three hrs/day) treatment group achieved the best healing outcome, in that endochondral ossification and bone consolidation were enhanced. In addition, HSR signal treatment (one one hr/day) had similar effects to treatment using the classic signal (three three hrs/day), indicating that treatment duration could be significantly shortened with the HSR signal.

Conclusion

HSR signal may significantly enhance bone formation and shorten daily treatment duration in DO, making it a potential candidate for a new clinical protocol for patients undergoing DO treatments.

Cite this article: Bone Joint Res 2021;10(12):767–779.

[Atmospheric NH3 Emission Inventory and Analysis of the Driving Force in Zhengzhou City]

In this study, a 2017-based emission inventory of ammonia(NH₃) was established for Zhengzhou by using the emission factor method. The 1 km×1 km gridded emission inventory was mapped using GIS technology. The NH₃ emissions between 2007 and 2017 and driving force between 1989 and 2017 were also analyzed. Results showed that the total 2017-based NH₃ emission in Zhengzhou was 18143.3 t, and the average emission intensity reached 2.4 t·km^-2. The top emission source was from agriculture, accounting for 63.4% of the total emission, followed by fugacity(11.3%). The main contribution sources of livestock were egg poultry, pigs, and cattle. Dengfeng, Xingyang, and Xinmi had the highest emissions, accounting for 19.3%, 16.5%, and 15.6% of the total emission, respectively. The NH₃ emission was higher in the southern and central western regions of Zhengzhou and lower in the northeastern region. The NH₃ emission in Zhengzhou showed a downward trend from 2007 to 2017. The NH₃ emissions from 1987 to 2017 were similar to the environmental Kuznets Curve, i.e., the emissions increased first and then decreased with the increase of per capita gross domestic product(GDP) and urbanization rate.

MiR-27a-3p Promotes Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Through SLC7A11-Mediated-Ferroptosis

Background

Ferroptosis is a newly generated regulatory cell death promoted by the accumulated lipid-based reactive oxygen species (ROS). Solute carrier family 7 member 11 (SLC7A11), the cystine/glutamate antiporter, is known as a ferroptosis executor that exhibits a positive correlation with carcinoma progression because of antioxidant function. Nonetheless, it is yet unclear on the understanding of ferroptosis regulation in lung cancer.

Methods

Database, qRT-PCR, Western-blot (WB), and immunohistochemistry were utilized to determine SLC7A11 expression and function, as well as gene iron related to necrosis in clinical tissue specimens and cells; a ferroptosis inducer, inhibitors, and SLC7A11 lentivirus were used to confirm SLC7A11's biological activity in cell viability, oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation, and iron ion enrichment in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in different cells; lentivirus was used to infect lung adenocarcinoma cell lines to acquire miR-27a-3p overexpression and knockdown cell lines, and to detect SLC7A11 level through qRT-PCR and WB. The influence of upregulated/downregulated miR-27a-3p on ferroptosis and other related biological characteristics of lung adenocarcinoma cell lines was detected.

Results

Upregulated SLC7A11 was shown in NSCLC patients and cells, and increased SLC7A11 had a relation to the poorly prognostic status of NSCLC patients. Besides, a novel miRNA, miR-27a-3p, was an essential modulator of ferroptosis via directly targeting SLC7A11 in NSCLC cells. Overexpressing miR-27a-3p led to SLC7A11 suppression via directly binding to its 3'-UTR, followed by the reduction of erastin-caused ferroptosis. In contrast, inhibited miR-27a-3p resulted in an increase in NSCLC cells' sensitivity to erastin. Of importance, the accumulated lipid ROS and cell death of iron peptide mediated by anti-miR-27a-3p can be eliminated by impeding the glutamylation process. Our literature collectively uncovered that miR-27a-3p modulated ferroptosis by targeting SLC7A11 in NSCLC cells, illustrating the important role of miRNA in ferroptosis.

Conclusion

MiR-27a-3p modulates ferroptosis via targeting SLC7A11 in NSCLC cells, implying the significant role of miR-27a-3p/SLC7A11 in ferroptosis.

Coastal currents regulate the distribution of the particulate organic matter in western Guangdong offshore waters as evidenced by carbon and nitrogen isotopes

The δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N and C/N ratio of the particulate organic matter (POM) in western Guangdong waters were determined to evaluate the impacts of the coastal currents on the POM in spring and summer. The predominance of photosynthetic organic matter in the nearshore was triggered by nutrients brought by the coastal currents in spring and summer, while the proportion of terrestrial organic matter in the offshore was very high in spring but low in summer. In spring, the weaker and narrower coastal currents carried insufficient nutrients (phosphate deficiency) to the offshore and prohibited phytoplankton production. This scenario contributes to the dominance of terrestrial organic matter transported by the cyclonic circulation beyond the coastal currents in the offshore in spring. The Bayesian mixing model reveals that the proportion of terrestrial organic matter (with 75.8% of C₃ plants) in the offshore was higher in spring than in summer (with 33.7% of C₃ plants).

Cytokine release syndrome after haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation with antithymocyte globulin: risk factors analysis and poor impact on outcomes for non-remisssion patients

INTRODUCTION

Cytokine release syndrome (CRS) is a common complication after T-replete HLA haploidentical hematopoietic cell transplantation (haplo-HCT) with PTCy. We aim to assess the incidence, severity, and impact of CRS on clinical outcomes of patients who received haplo-HCT using Beijing Protocol.

METHODS

This was a single-enter retrospective analysis of 286 subjects who received haplo-HCT with Antithymocyte Globulin (ATG).

RESULTS

We identified 147/268 (54.9%) patients who developed CRS, grade 1 CRS (32.5%) and grade ≥2 CRS (22.4%). Eight patients developed severe CRS. The incidence and severity of CRS did not show significant discrimination among patients who received different doses of ATG. By multivariable analysis, age and the disease status at transplantation were significantly associated with the occurrence of CRS (p =.000 and p = .021). In the univariate analysis for the severity of CRS, compared with CRS grade ≥2, patients with CRS grade 0-1 had higher 1-year overall survival (OS) (p = .009). The cumulative incidence of 100-day grades II-IV acute GVHD was 12.4%. The incidence did not show significant differences between patients with CRS or not. The devolvement of CRS is associated with worse OS, inferior disease-free survival, and higher nonrelapse mortality significantly. But the result appeared to be limited to patients in uncomplete remission status before transplantation.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

CRS is less frequent and milder with a protocol based on ATG. CRS can potentially affect the outcomes after haplo-HCT especially for patients in an uncomplete remission. Prospective clinical trials are needed to provide an appropriate scheme for CRS prophylaxis.

[Review of San Xiao Lun]

San Xiao Lun is a posthumous manuscript by Liu Wansu. It discussed the etiology, pathogenesis and therapeutic principles of diabetes with special prescriptions for it. Most references in this book came from the works of Liu Wansu himself and some of them came from the works of other sources, such as The Internal Cannon of Medicine. It can be seen that it was a book with Liu Wansu's rethinking and summerising about diabetes after he completed his other works. San Xiao Lun was first published in Ru Men Shi Qin in the Jin Dynasty. It was also cited by Yi Fang Lei Ju in Korea in 1445. It was fully recorded and published in Ru Men Shi Qin in the Wanli Period in the Ming Dynasty and therefore, became the basic version of the current one. After that, it envolved into Si Ku Quan Shu. In the end of the Qing Dynasty, this book was published independently with the comments by Zhou Xuehai, being one of the books in the Zhous' Series Medical Books(Zhou Shi Yi Xue Cong Shu).

Two isopentenyl resorcinols from Peperomia tetraphylla

Two isopentenyl resorcinols, peperobtusin B and peperobtusin C, have been isolated from Peperomia tetraphylla. Their structures were determined on the basis of spectroscopic methods, especially ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, 2D NMR, and HR-TOF-MS. Two compounds were evaluated for cytostatic activity against G₂, A 549, Hela and HCT 116 cells, but cytostatic activity of both compounds is weak.

[Evaluation of the diagnosis and treatment of cesarean scar pregnancy induced in the second trimester: a national multicenter retrospective study]

Objective: To study the risk factors of adverse pregnancy outcomes for induced abortion of cesarean scar pregnancy in midtrimester. Methods: A national multicenter retrospective study was conducted. A total of 154 singletons pregnant women with cesarean scar pregnancy during the second trimester induced abortion by various reasons in 12 tertiary A hospitals were selected, their pregnant outcomes were observed and the risk factors of serious adverse outcomes were analyzed with univariate and multivariate logstic regression; the role of ultrasound and MRI in predicting placenta accreta and severe adverse outcomes was evaluated, the effectiveness of uterine artery embolization (UAE) in preventing hemorrhage in pregnant women with and without placenta accreta was compared. Results: Among 154 subjects, the rate of placenta accreta was 42.2% (65/154), the rate of postpartum hemorrhage≥1 000 ml was 39.0% (60/154), the rate of hysterectomy was 14.9% (23/154), the rate of uterine rupture was 0.6% (1/154). The risk factor of postpartum hemorrhage≥1 000 ml and hysterectomy was placenta accreta (P<0.01). For each increase in the number of parity, the risk of placenta accreta increased 2.385 times (95%CI: 1.046-5.439; P=0.039); and the risk of placenta accreta decreased with increasing ultrasound measurement of scar myometrium thickness (OR=0.033, 95%CI: 0.001-0.762; P=0.033). The amount of postpartum hemorrhage and hysterectomy rate in the group with placenta accreta diagnosed by ultrasound combined with MRI were not significantly different from those in the group with placenta accreta diagnosed by ultrasound only or MRI only (all P>0.05). For pregnant women with placenta accreta, there were no significant difference in the amount of bleeding and hysterectomy rate between the UAE group [median: 1 300 ml; 34% (16/47)] and the non-embolization group (all P>0.05); in pregnant women without placenta accreta, the amount of bleeding in the UAE group was lower than that in the non-embolization group (median: 100 vs 600 ml; P<0.01), but there was no significant difference in hysterectomy rate [2% (1/56) vs 9% (3/33); P>0.05]. Conclusions: (1) Placenta accreta is the only risk factor of postpartum hemorrhage≥1 000 ml with hysterectomy for induced abortion of cesarean scar pregnancy in midtrimester; multi-parity and ultrasound measurement of scar myometrium thickness are risk factors for placenta accreta. (2) The technique of using ultrasound and MRI in predicting placenta accreta of cesarean scar pregnancy needs to be improved. (3) It is necessary to discuss of UAE in preventing postpartum hemorrhage for induced abortion of cesarean scar pregnancy in midtrimester.