Myokines and Biomarkers of Frailty in Older Inpatients with Undernutrition: A Prospective Study

BACKGROUND

Population aging might increase the prevalence of undernutrition in older people, which increases the risk of frailty. Numerous studies have indicated that myokines are released by skeletal myocytes in response to muscular contractions and might be associated with frailty. This study aimed to evaluate whether myokines are biomarkers of frailty in older inpatients with undernutrition.

METHODS

The frailty biomarkers were extracted from the Gene Expression Omnibus and Genecards datasets. Relevant myokines and health-related variables were assessed in 55 inpatients aged ≥ 65 years from the Peking Union Medical College Hospital prospective longitudinal frailty study. Serum was prepared for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using the appropriate kits. Correlations between biomarkers and frailty status were calculated by Spearman's correlation analysis. Multiple linear regression was performed to investigate the association between factors and frailty scores.

RESULTS

The prevalence of frailty was 13.21%. The bioinformatics analysis indicated that leptin, adenosine 5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), irisin, decorin, and myostatin were potential biomarkers of frailty. The frailty group had significantly higher concentrations of leptin, AMPK, and MSTN than the robust group (p < 0.05). AMPK was significantly positively correlated with frailty (p < 0.05). The pre-frailty and frailty groups had significantly lower concentrations of irisin than the robust group (p < 0.05), whereas the DCN concentration did not differ among the groups. Multiple linear regression suggested that the 15 factors influencing the coefficients of association, the top 50% were the ADL score, MNA-SF score, serum albumin concentration, urination function, hearing function, leptin concentration, GDS-15 score, and MSTN concentration.

CONCLUSIONS

Proinflammatory myokines, particularly leptin, myostatin, and AMPK, negatively affect muscle mass and strength in older adults. ADL and nutritional status play major roles in the development of frailty. Our results confirm that identification of frailty relies upon clinical variables, myokine concentrations, and functional parameters, which might enable the identification and monitoring of frailty.

Long noncoding RNA PCAT-1 promoted ovarian cancer cell proliferation and invasion by suppressing KLF6

OBJECTIVE

Recently, the role of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in tumor progression has caught attention in numerous researchers. In our investigation, lncRNA PCAT-1 was studied to identify how it functioned in the progression of ovarian cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

LncRNA PCAT-1 expression was detected by quantitative Real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) in both ovarian cancer cells and tissue samples. Furthermore, to identify the function of PCAT-1 in ovarian cancer, cell proliferation, transwell assay and Matrigel assay were conducted. In addition, by performing qRT-PCR and Western blot assay, the underlying mechanism was explored.

RESULTS

PCAT-1 expression was remarkably higher in ovarian cancer samples when compared with that in corresponding ones. Moreover, cell proliferation, migration and invasion were inhibited after PCAT-1 was knocked down in ovarian cancer cells. Moreover, the mRNA and protein expression of KLF6 (Krüppel-like factor 6) was upregulated after PCAT-1 was knocked down. Furthermore, the KLF6 expression level was negatively related to the PCAT-1 expression level in ovarian cancer samples.

CONCLUSIONS

We showed that PCAT-1 promotes the progression of ovarian cancer through enhancing cell metastasis and proliferation via suppressing KLF6, which might be a novel therapeutic strategy in ovarian cancer.

Long noncoding RNA PCAT-1 promoted ovarian cancer cell proliferation and invasion by suppressing KLF6

Since this article has been suspected of research misconduct and the corresponding authors did not respond to our request to prove originality of data and figures, "Long noncoding RNA PCAT-1 promoted ovarian cancer cell proliferation and invasion by suppressing KLF6, by H.-P. Liu, D. Lv, J.-Y. Wang, Y. Zhang, J.-F. Chang, Z.-T. Liu, N. Tang, published in Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2019; 23 (11): 4650-4655-DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_201906_18044-PMID: 31210290" has been withdrawn. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. https://www.europeanreview.org/article/18044.

Neuropilin1, a novel independent prognostic factor and therapeutic target in triple-negative breast cancer

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive breast cancer, and thus, has limited treatment options. Neuropilin1 (NRP1) is a multi-functional transmembrane protein that interacts with a number of signaling receptors and plays an important role in cancer progression. Previous studies demonstrated that the expression of NRP1 is activated and promotes the progression of breast cancer particularly in TNBC compared to other molecular subtypes; however, whether or not the level of NRP1 expression is related to the progression of TNBC warrants further study. In the current study, we determined the expression and function of NRP1 and evaluated the clinical significance of NRP1 in patients with TNBC. In addition, we determined whether or not an NRP1 antagonist potentiates the inhibitory effects of paclitaxel (PTX) in patients with TNBC. In our clinical study, NRP1 had higher expression in TNBC tissues than non-TNBC tissues at the same stage, and NRP1 was an independent prognostic factor. Specifically, the high expression of NRP1 was associated with shorter survival in TNBC patients. In addition, TNBC cells treated with NRP1 antagonist significantly potentiated the effect of PTX on cell proliferation, cell migration, and apoptosis. Our findings suggest that NRP1 expression can act as an independent prognostic factor for TNBC patients, and the combination of PTX and an NRP1 antagonist may be an effective treatment regimen for TNBC.

Identification of differential gene expression related to epirubicin-induced cardiomyopathy in breast cancer patients

BACKGROUND

Epirubicin is a potent chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of breast cancer. However, it may lead to cardiotoxicity and cardiomyopathy, and no reliable biomarker was available for the early prediction of epirubicin-induced cardiomyopathy.

METHODS

Global gene expression changes of peripheral blood cells were studied using high-throughput RNA sequencing in three pair-matched breast cancer patients (patients who developed symptomatic cardiomyopathy paired with patients who did not) before and after the full session of epirubicin-based chemotherapy. Functional analysis was conducted using gene ontology and pathway enrichment analysis.

RESULTS

We identified 13 significantly differentially expressed genes between patients who developed symptomatic epirubicin-induced cardiomyopathy and their paired control who did not. Among them, the upregulated Bcl-associated X protein was related to "apoptosis," while the downregulated 5'-aminolevulinate synthase 2 (ALAS2) was related to both "glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism" and "porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism" in pathway enrichment analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

ALAS2 and the metabolic pathways which were involved may play an important role in the development of epirubicin-induced cardiomyopathy. ALAS2 may be useful as an early biomarker for epirubicin-induced cardiotoxicity detection.

Features and clinical significance of the ossification centres in the odontoid process based on micro-computed tomography

BACKGROUND

Microscopic structures of the ossification centres of the odontoid process were studied from the micro-computed tomography (CT) images of the axis, and the potential influence of the ossification centres with different microscopic structures on odontoid process fractures was analysed.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Eighteen odontoid process specimens were randomly collected and scanned by micro-CT. The obtained images were then input into the software for further observation and measurement. Incomplete absorption of the ossification centres in the base was observed, along with the anatomic structure of the regions with incomplete ossification and structural parameters of the trabecular bones.

RESULTS

The microscopic structures of the trabecular bones in the ossification centres in the base of the odontoid process could be clearly visualised from the micro-CT images. Among the 18 odontoid process specimens, 11 specimens were found with incomplete absorption of the ossification centres in the axis, the prevalence reaching up to 61%. Regions with incomplete ossification varied in size and morphology, and their three-dimensional morphology was predominantly oval. Of all structural parameters examined for the trabecular bones, there were only significant differences in the degree of anisotropy between the regions with incomplete absorption of ossification centres and the average vertebral trabecular bones (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Incomplete absorption of the ossification centres in the base of the odontoid process is a relatively prevalent condition. The cavitation effect of the trabecular bones may be the primary cause for odontoid process fractures.

[The application of parental version of pediatric voice-related quality of life in children with voice disorders]

Objective:To evaluate the influence of voice disorders on children's quality of life through the parental version of pediatric voice-related quality of life（pVRQOL）. Method:Three hundred and eighty-six children from August 2017 to December 2018 were enrolled in this study. A total of 214 parents of children had voice disorders（dysphonic group）, and 172 parents of children were without voice disorders（control group）. Both groups were filled out the questionnaire containing the parental version of pVRQOL. Result:① The most common disease in children with voice disorder was vocal fold nodule, and boys were more susceptible to voice disorder than girls（71.5%, 28.5%）; ②In dysphonic group, the scores of total（91.40±8.63, 97.94±4.23）, physiology and function（87.55±10.98, 96.99±6.10）, social emotion（98.86 ±3.29, 99.73±1.08） were lower than those in control group（P<0.01）; ③In dysphonic group, there was a correlation between the parents' overall evaluation of the children's voice quality and the three dimensions of the parental version of pVRQOL（total: r=-0.398, P<0.01, physical function: r=-0.448, P<0.01, social-emotion: r=-0.125, P<0.05）. Conclusion:Voice disorders could cause a negative impact on children's voice related quality of life. pVRQOL could be applied to assess the voice-related quality of life in children with voice disorders.

[A cmparative study of the voice function change in patients who underwent total thyroidectomy between preoperative and postoperative]

Objective:The aim of this study is to investigate the voice function change in patients who underwent total thyroidectomy between preoperative and the third day postoperative, Taking the result data to explore methods for voice protection and be valuable for clinical diagnose and treatment. Method:Three hundred and fifth-three patients with thyroid papillary carcinoma without preoperative vocal dysfunction were treated with total thyroidectomy and single or bilateral central cervical lymph node dissection. At preoperative and the third day postoperative, videostroboscopic, acoustic analysis, voice handicap index 10（VHI-10）are measured. Result: At the third day postoperative, 294 （83.29%）patients have voice symptoms，the most common voice disorder is hoarseness in 105 cases （35.71%），phonasthenia in 78 cases（26.53%），unable speak louderly in 53 cases （18.03%）, unable speak high-pitch in 24 cases （8.16%）, unable speak low-pitch in 29 cases （9.86%）, pronunciation leakage in 5 cases （1.70%）. Videostroboscopic examinations are normal in all patients at the third day postoperative. The total score of VHI-10, Physiology（P）, Emotion（E） dimensions in VHI-10 between preoperative and the third day postoperative are statistically significant （P<0.05）. For male patients, the acoustic analysis （fundamental frequency, Harmonicto Noise Ratio, Shimmer and Maximum phonation time） are statistically significant between preoperative and the third day postoperative （P<0.05）. For female patients, acoustic analysis （fundamental frequency, Harmonicto Noise Ratio, Shimmer, Jitter and Maximum phonation time） are statistically significant between preoperative and the third day postoperative （P<0.05）. Conclusion:These patients who underwent total thyroidectomy with bilateral or unilateral central partment lymph node dissection may develop voice complications even their recurrent laryngealnerve be undamaged during the surgery. Changes in surgery and voice may cause changes in the patient's psychology, suggesting that clinicians need to have adequate communication between doctors and patients before surgery, pay attention to the patient's voice quality and psychological changes, and give positive intervention.

[Clinical diagnosis and treatment of adenoid cystic carcinoma of the external auditory canal]

Objective:To discuss the clinical diagnosis, therapies and prognosis of adenoid cystic carcinoma of external auditory canal.Method:Eleven patients with adenoid cystic carcinoma of external auditory canal, who had been admitted to West China hospital, Sichuan university from April 2009 to October 2015 were recruited and a retrospective analysis was performed.Result:All the 11 patients were treated with surgery except one elderly with T1 stage who was only treated with radiotherapy(RT),1 of the 10 patients treated with surgery were added on radiotherapy after surgery. Following up for 12-104 months,the patient who was treated with RT alone has survived with carcinoma for 51 months by now,among the remainder stage T1 patients,one was reoperated for local recurrence 95 months after surgery, and therefore survived without recurrence.The other 2 patients all survived with free-disease;in the stage T2 patients,one was lost to follow-up after identified local recurrence with pulmonary masses 12 months after surgery, another one committed suicide because of family problems 56 months after operation,and the other one survived without recurrence for 57 months after surgery; the stage T3 patient survived without recurrence for 26 months at present;in the T4 patients, one died after gamma knife therapy for local recurrent disease with brain metastasis 22 months after surgery, another one died from pulmonary metastasis 17 months after surgery,and the other one survived without recurrence for 56 months.Conclusion:Adenoid cystic carcinoma of external auditory canal is a rare disease with high misdiagnosis rate and progresses slowly.Surgery is the preferred therapy.The prognosis is closely related to disease clinical stage at presentation type of pathology and surgical approaches. Adenoid cystic carcinoma of external auditory canal is characteristically susceptible to local recurrence and distant metastasis,inaddition to routine re-exam of ear,the patients should be reviewed carefully to exclude of pulmonary,brain and kidney metastasis during follow-up.

[Clinical analysis of plasma cell granuloma in nasal cavity and nasal sinus]

The plasma cell granuloma occurred in nasal cavity and sinus, which is rarely seen in clinical practice,the common clinical features included nasal congestion,nose bleeding,eye protrusion and olfactory impairment.Its clinical manifestations are similar to the clinical manifestations of malignant tumors, the correct diagnosis depends on histopathology and immunohistochemistry, and surgical treatment is the main method, can be supplemented by hormone therapy, radiotherapy,the prognosis could be better.

[Primary laryngeal Non-Hodgkin' s lymphoma: a case report]

Non-Hodgkin' s lymphoma is a kind of disease which might manifest in varied form. Unlike squamous cell carcinoma, the majority of laryngeal tumors, non-Hodgkin' s lymphoma in larynx is extremely rare. Here we present a primary laryngeal non-Hodgkin' s lymphoma, a 66-year-old female, with a history of recurrent sore throat and hoarseness for over 1 year. Laryngoscope and computed tomography result were presented, and surgical resection was performed under the suspension laryngoscope using CO₂ laser. According to the pathological immunohistochemistry result, the final diagnosis was laryngeal non-Hodgkin' s lymphoma. Postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy was applied. There was no recurrence.

[Effects of voice therapy and psychological intervention on anxious and depressive in patients with voice disorders]

Objective:To investigatethe effect of voice therapy on anxious and depressive in patients with voice disorders.Method:The patients who received voicee therapy in our department from May 2014 to July 2016 were enrolled in our study and evaluated by self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) and self rating depression scale (SDS), before and after voice therapy.result:Before voicee therapy, the score of SAS and SDS were 47.52±11.15 and 48.63±8.70 respectively, which were higher than domestic norm (37.23±12.59 and 41.88±10.57 for SAS and SDS, respecative) with P< 0.05. After voice therapy, the score of SAS and SDS were 38.03±6.95 and 42.21±7.71, which were lower than the score of before voice therapy (P< 0.05). And compared with the domestic norm, the difference was not statistically significant (P> 0.05).Conclusion:The anxiety and depression scores of patients with voice disorders are higher than those of ordinary people. The voice therapy can effectively relieve anxiety and depression of patients with voice disease.

[The diagnosis and treatment of pseudoaneurysm of internal carotid artery in sphenoid sinus(a report of 7 cases)]

Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics,diagnosis methods and treatment of sphenoid sinus internal jugular pseudoaneurysms.Method:Data of 7 cases were retrospectively studied from March 1995 to January 2015.Result:There were five cases had recurrent nasal bleeding, two cases suffered monocular blindness, and one case was blind of both eyes.There was a clear history of head injury in five cases. Four patients were treated with coated stent intervention treatment, one case lost followup, one case suffered right internal carotid artery isolation technique and routine clipping common carotid arteries, and one case was performed emergency right internal carotid artery embolism. Three out of four cases were recovered, and one case occurred hemiplegia.Conclusion:With the history of head injury, recurrent nasal bleeding or stuff with blood, or blindness, the diagnosis of internal carotid artery pseudoaneurysms should be taken into account, and the MRI, MRA and DSA examination are necessary.

[Head and neck alveolar soft-part sarcoma: a review in diagnosis and treatment]

Head and neck alveolar soft part sarcoma(ASPS) is a rare, distinctive sarcoma, typically occurring in infants and children.It displays a relatively fast clinical course, and the ultimate prognosis is poor and is often characterised by late metastases. It is now clear that they are caused by the formation of an ASPL TFE3 fusion gene,and the new molecular target therapies under study may change the possible approach to primary disease.The diagnosis and treatment of head and neck ASPS are reviewed in this article.

[Quality of life analysis of teachers in a primary school in Chengdu]

Objective:To investigate the prevalence of voice disorder and quality of life in the primary school teachers in a certain district of Chengduand examine the correlation between two voice-specific questionnaires.Method:Random sampling survey included 389 teachers from a certain district of Chengdu.Twelve item general health questionnaire(GHQ-12),voice handicap index 10(VHI-10) and voice-related quality of life (V-RQOL) were investigated and routine examination of throat with electronic fiber laryngoscopy were carried out for teachers.Result:There were 189 teachers who had voice disorders(voice disorders group),and 200 teachers who did not have voice disorders(control group).②The total score's difference of V-RQOL and VHI-10,functional(F) and emotion(E) dimensions in VHI-10 between two groups were statistically significant(P<0.05),however,there were no statistically significant difference of GHQ-12 between two groups. The total score of GHQ-12 was positively correlated with VHI-10(r=0.194,P <0.05),while the total score of V-RQOL was negatively correlated with GHQ-12(r=-0.209,P<0.05) and VHI-10 (r=-0.586, P <0.05).Conclusion:Voice disorders can affect teachers' psychology and voice related quality of life.Although the VHI-10 and V-RQOL had correlation,the correlation is not strong.So it is recommended combine VHI-10 and V-RQOL when the quality of life of voice disorders is evaluated.

[Eosinophilic granuloma of the temporal bone: a case report]

One case of Eosinophilic granuloma of the temporal bone was reported which had been misdiagnosed as cholesteatoma.This disease is a rare benign tumour that is lack of specific feature in clinical performances and easy to be misdiagnosed.

[Modified radical mastoidectomy on"drum sinus" type chronic suppurative otitis media:our experience]

Objective:To our experience of modified radical mastoidectomy on "drum sinus" type chronic suppurative otitis media.Method:We measured the size of tympanic sinus,the extent of meningeal plate lowering and the extent of sigmoid ante-displacement in 54 patients of chronic suppurative otitis media,and determined the criterion of "drum sinus".The patients who comply with the criterion received modified radical mastoidectomy and tympanoplasty via epitympanum approach.The patients were followed up for at least 3 months,The time of dry ear,growth of repaired tympanic membrane,and any complications such as dizziness,facial paralysis,cerebrospinal fluid leakage were recorded.Result:Twenty-nine out of the 54 CSOM patients complied with the criterion of drum sinus.Two cases were lost to follow-up.Therefore,27 cases were included in the study.Three months after the operation,the rate of dry ear was 81.5% Tympanic membrane was successfully repaired in 77.8% of the patients.Three cases had dizziness after operation.No facial paralysis or cerebrospinal fluid leakage was observed.Conclusion:For"drum sinus" type chronic suppurative otitis media,the modified radical mastoidectomy and tympanoplasty via epitympanum approach can be taken.

Malus hupehensis NPR1 induces pathogenesis-related protein gene expression in transgenic tobacco

Most commercially grown apple cultivars are susceptible to fungal diseases. Malus hupehensis has high resistance to many diseases affecting apple cultivars. Understanding innate defence mechanisms would help to develop disease-resistant apple crops. Non-expressor of pathogenesis-related genes 1 (NPR1) plays a key role in regulating salicylic acid (SA)-mediated systemic acquired resistance (SAR). MhNPR1 cDNA, corresponding to genomic DNA and its 5' flanking sequences, was isolated from M. hupehensis. Sequence analysis showed that the regulatory mechanism for oligomer-monomer transition of the MhNPR1 protein in apple might be similar to that of GmNPR1 in soybean, but different from that of AtNPR1 in Arabidopsis. No significant differences in MhNPR1 expression were found in M. hupehensis after infection with Botryosphaeria berengeriana, showing that MhNPR1 might be regulated by pathogens at the protein level, as described for Arabidopsis and grapevine. SA treatment significantly induced MhNPR1 expression in leaves, stems and roots, while methyl jasmonate (MeJA) treatment induced MhNPR1 expression in roots, but not in leaves or stems. The expression of MhNPR1 was highly increased in roots, moderately in leaves, and did not change in stems after treatment with 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC). SAR marker genes (MhPR1 and MhPR5) were induced by SA, MeJA and ACC in leaves, stems and roots. Overexpression of MhNPR1 significantly induced the expression of pathogenesis-related genes (NtPR1, NtPR3 and NtPR5) in transgenic tobacco plants and resistance to the fungus Botrytis cinerea, suggesting that MhNPR1 orthologues are a component of the SA defence signalling pathway and SAR is induced in M. hupehensis.