Engineering pH-sensitive dissolution of lipid-polymer nanoparticles by Eudragit integration impacts plasmid DNA (pDNA) transfection

Lipid-polymer nanoparticles offer a promising strategy for improving gene nanomedicines by combining the benefits of biocompatibility and stability associated with the individual systems. However, research to date has focused on poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) and resulted in inefficient transfection. In this study, biocompatible Eudragit constructs E100 and RS100 were formulated as lipid-polymer nanoparticles loaded with pDNA expressing red fluorescent protein (RFP) as a model therapeutic. Using a facile nanoprecipitation technique, a core-shell structure stabilised by lipid-polyethylene glycol (PEG) surfactant was produced and displayed resistance to ultracentrifugation. Both cationic polymers E100 (pH-sensitive dissolution at 5) and RS100 (pH-insensitive dissolution) produced 150-200 nm sized particles with a small positive surface charge (+3-5 mV) and high pDNA encapsulation efficiencies (EE) of 75-90 %. The dissolution properties of the Eudragit polymers significantly impacted the biological performance in human embryonic kidney cells (HEK293T). Nanoparticles composed of polymer RS100 resulted in consistently high cell viability (80-100 %), whereas polymer E100 demonstrated dose-dependent behaviour (20-90 % cell viability). The low dissolution of polymer RS100 over the full pH range and the resulting nanoparticles failed to induce RFP expression in HEK293T cells. In contrast, polymer E100-constructed nanoparticles resulted in reproducible and gradually increasing RFP expression of 26-42 % at 48-72 h. Intraperitoneal (IP) injection of the polymer E100-based nanoparticles in C57BL/6 mice resulted in targeted RFP expression in mouse testes with favourable biocompatibility one-week post-administration. These findings predicate Eudragit based lipid-polymer nanoparticles as a novel and effective carrier for nucleic acids, which could facilitate pre-clinical evaluation and translation of gene nanomedicines.

Development of peptides for targeting cell ablation agents concurrently to the Sertoli and Leydig cell populations of the testes: An approach to non-surgical sterilization

The surgical sterilization of cats and dogs has been used to prevent their unwanted breeding for decades. However, this is an expensive and invasive procedure, and often impractical in wider contexts, for example the control of feral populations. A sterilization agent that could be administered in a single injection, would not only eliminate the risks imposed by surgery but also be a much more cost-effective solution to this worldwide problem. In this study, we sought to develop a targeting peptide that would selectively bind to Leydig cells of the testes. Subsequently, after covalently attaching a cell ablation agent, Auristatin, to this peptide we aimed to apply this conjugated product (LH2Auristatin) to adult male mice in vivo, both alone and together with a previously developed Sertoli cell targeting peptide (FSH2Menadione). The application of LH2Auristatin alone resulted in an increase in sperm DNA damage, reduced mean testes weights and mean seminiferous tubule size, along with extensive germ cell apoptosis and a reduction in litter sizes. Together with FSH2Menadione there was also an increase in embryo resorptions. These promising results were observed in around a third of all treated animals. Given this variability, we discuss how these reagents might be modified in order to increase target cell ablation and improve their efficacy as sterilization agents.

[Diagnostic values of conventional tumor markers and their combination with chest CT for patients with stageⅠA lung cancer]

Objective: To investigate the diagnostic efficiency of conventional serum tumor markers and their combination with chest CT for stage ⅠA lung cancer. Methods: A total of 1 155 patients with stage ⅠA lung cancer and 200 patients with benign lung lesions (confirmed by surgery) treated at the Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from January 2016 to October 2020 were retrospectively enrolled in this study. Six conventional serum tumor markers [carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125), squamous cell carcinoma associated antigen (SCCA), cytokeratin 19 fragment (CYFRA21-1), neuron-specific enolase (NSE), and gastrin-releasing peptide precursor (ProGRP)] and chest thin-slice CT were performed on all patients one month before surgery. Pathology was taken as the gold standard to analyze the difference of positivity rates of tumor markers between the lung cancer group and the benign group, the moderate/poor differentiation group and the well differentiation group, the adenocarcinoma group and the squamous cell carcinoma group, the lepidic and non-lepidic predominant adenocarcinoma groups, the solid nodule group and the subsolid nodule group based on thin-slice CT, and subgroups of ⅠA1 to ⅠA3 lung cancers. The diagnostic performance of tumor markers and tumor markers combined with chest CT was analyzed using the receiver operating characteristic curve. Results: The positivity rates of six serum tumor markers in the lung cancer group and the benign group were 2.32%-20.08% and 0-13.64%, respectively; only the SCCA positivity rate in the lung cancer group was higher than that in the benign group (10.81% and 0, P=0.022). There were no significant differences in the positivity rates of other serum tumor markers between the two groups (all P>0.05). The combined detection of six tumor markers showed that the positivity rate of the lung cancer group was higher than that of the benign group (40.93% and 18.18%, P=0.004), and the positivity rate of the adenocarcinoma group was lower than that of the squamous cell carcinoma group (35.66% and 47.41%, P=0.045). The positivity rates in the poorly differentiated group and moderately differentiated group were higher than that in the well differentiated group (46.48%, 43.75% and 22.73%, P=0.025). The positivity rate in the non-lepidic adenocarcinoma group was higher than that in lepidic adenocarcinoma group (39.51% and 21.74%, P=0.001). The positivity rate of subsolid nodules was lower than that of solid nodules (30.01% vs 58.71%, P=0.038), and the positivity rates of stageⅠA1, ⅠA2 and ⅠA3 lung cancers were 33.33%, 48.96% and 69.23%, respectively, showing an increasing trend (P=0.005). The sensitivity and specificity of the combined detection of six tumor markers in the diagnosis of stage ⅠA lung cancer were 74.00% and 56.30%, respectively, and the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.541. The sensitivity and specificity of the combined detection of six serum tumor markers with CT in the diagnosis of stage ⅠA lung cancer were 83.0% and 78.3%, respectively, and the AUC was 0.721. Conclusions: For stage ⅠA lung cancer, the positivity rates of commonly used clinical tumor markers are generally low. The combined detection of six markers can increase the positivity rate. The positivity rate of markers tends to be higher in poorly differentiated lung cancer, squamous cell carcinoma, or solid nodules. Tumor markers combined with thin-slice CT showed limited improvement in diagnostic efficiency for early lung cancer.

[Effects of the anterolateral thigh chimeric perforator flaps in repairing complex wounds of foot and ankle]

Objective: To investigate the effects of anterolateral thigh chimeric perforator flap in repairing complex wounds of foot and ankle. Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted. From May 2018 to June 2022, 23 patients who met the inclusion criteria were admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University to repair complex wounds of foot and ankle with anterolateral thigh chimeric perforator flaps, including 15 males and 8 females, aged from 20 to 66 years. The wounds were all accompanied by bone exposure and defects, and were complicated with varying degrees of infection. All patients underwent debridement and continuous vacuum sealing drainage treatment for 1 week in stage Ⅰ, with the skin and soft tissue defect area after debridement being 10 cm×5 cm to 22 cm×7 cm. In stage Ⅱ, the anterolateral thigh chimeric perforator flap was used to cover the defective wound, of which the muscle flap was used to fill the deep invalid cavity of the ankle joint or cover bone and internal fixation exposures, and the skin flap was used to cover the superficial wound, with the area of the skin flap ranging from 11 cm×6 cm to 23 cm×8 cm, and the area of the muscle flap ranging from 4.0 cm×2.5 cm to 8.0 cm×5.0 cm. The survival of the flap was observed after operation. During follow-up, the color, texture, appearance, and complications of the flap were observed, the function of ankle joint and its range of dorsiflexion motion and plantar flexion motion were measured, and the scar hyperplasia and muscular hernia in donor area were observed. Results: Ecchymosis and epidermal necrosis occurred at the tip of the flap in 1 patient on 5 days after operation and healed after dressing change for 1 week; the other flaps of patients survived successfully. After 6 to 40 months of follow-up, the color, texture, and shape of flaps were good, but 1 patient was not satisfied with the shape of the flap because of flap swelling; the ankle joint movement was basically normal, the dorsiflexion motion was 15-30°, and the plantar flexion motion was 20-45°; the scar hyperplasia in the donor area of the flap was not obvious, and no muscular hernia occurred. Conclusions: The anterolateral thigh chimeric perforator flap can effectively fill the deep invalid cavity of ankle joint and cover the superficial wound at the same time, with minimal damage to the donor site. So it is an ideal flap for repairing the complex wounds of foot and ankle.

A cross-sectional study of ageing at the mouse neuromuscular junction and effects of an experimental therapeutic approach for dynapenia

Despite prior efforts to understand and target dynapenia (age-induced loss of muscle strength), this condition remains a major challenge that reduces the quality of life in the aged population. We have focused on the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) where changes in structure and function have rarely been systematically studied as a dynamic and progressive process. Our cross-sectional study found neurotransmission at the male mouse NMJ to be biphasic, displaying an early increase followed by a later decrease, and this phenotype was associated with structural changes to the NMJ. A cross-sectional characterization showed that age-induced alterations fell into four age groups: young adult (3-6 months), adult (7-18 months), early aged (19-24 months), and later aged (25-30 months). We then utilized a small molecule therapeutic candidate, GV-58, applied acutely during the later aged stage to combat age-induced reductions in transmitter release by increasing calcium influx during an action potential, which resulted in a significant increase in transmitter release. This comprehensive study of neuromuscular ageing at the NMJ will enable future research to target critical time points for therapeutic intervention. KEY POINTS: Age-induced frailty and falls are the leading causes of injury-related death and are caused by an age-induced loss of muscle strength due to a combination of neurological and muscular changes. A cross-sectional approach was used to study age-induced changes to the neuromuscular junction in a mouse model, and physiological changes that were biphasic over the ageing time course were found. Changes in physiology at the neuromuscular junction were correlated with alterations in neuromuscular junction morphology. An acutely applied positive allosteric gating modifier of presynaptic voltage-gated calcium channels was tested as a candidate therapeutic strategy that could increase transmitter release at aged neuromuscular junctions. These results provide a detailed time course of age-induced changes at the neuromuscular junction in a mouse model and test a candidate therapeutic strategy for weakness.

Priestia megaterium Metabolism: Isolation, Identification of Naringenin Analogues and Genes Elevated Associated with Nanoparticle Intervention

The impact of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) on the biosynthetic manipulation of Priestia megaterium metabolism where an existing gene cluster is enhanced to produce and enrich bioactive secondary metabolites has been studied previously. In this research, we aimed to isolate and elucidate the structure of metabolites of compounds 1 and 2 which have been analyzed previously in P. megaterium crude extract. This was achieved through a PREP-ODS C18 column with an HPLC-UV/visible detector. Then, the compounds were subjected to nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) techniques. Furthermore, bioinformatics and transcriptome analysis were used to examine the gene expression for which the secondary metabolites produced in the presence of AuNPs showed significant enhancement in transcriptomic responses. The metabolites of compounds 1 and 2 were identified as daidzein and genistein, respectively. The real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique was used to assess the expression of three genes (csoR, CHS, and yjiB) from a panel of selected genes known to be involved in the biosynthesis of the identified secondary metabolites. The expression levels of two genes (csoR and yijB) increased in response to AuNP intervention, whereas CHS was unaffected.

Design and Synthesis of Cabazitaxel Loaded Core-Shell Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles with Different Morphologies for Prostate Cancer Therapy

In this work, the synthesis of core-shell ordered mesoporous silica nanoparticles (CSMS) with tunable particle size and shape through a dual surfactant-assisted approach is demonstrated. By varying the synthesis conditions, including the type of the solvent and the concentration of the surfactant, monodispersed and ordered mesoporous silica nanoparticles with tunable particle size (140-600 nm) and morphologies (hexagonal prism (HP), oblong, spherical, and hollow-core) can be realized. Comparative studies of the Cabazitaxel (CBZ)-loaded HP and spherical-shaped CSMS are conducted to evaluate their drug delivery efficiency to PC3 (prostate cancer) cell lines. These nanoparticles showed good biocompatibility and displayed a faster drug release at acidic pH than at basic pH. The cellular uptake of CSMS measured using confocal microscopy, flow cytometry, microplate reader, and ICP-MS (inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry) techniques in PC3 cell lines revealed a better uptake of CSMS with HP morphology than its spherical counterparts. Cytotoxicity study showed that the anticancer activity of CBZ is improved with a higher free radical production when loaded onto CSMS. These unique materials with tunable morphology can serve as an excellent drug delivery system and will have potential applications for treating various cancers.

The effectiveness of global protected areas for climate change mitigation

Forests play a critical role in stabilizing Earth's climate. Establishing protected areas (PAs) represents one approach to forest conservation, but PAs were rarely created to mitigate climate change. The global impact of PAs on the carbon cycle has not previously been quantified due to a lack of accurate global-scale carbon stock maps. Here we used ~412 million lidar samples from NASA's GEDI mission to estimate a total PA aboveground carbon (C) stock of 61.43 Gt (+/- 0.31), 26% of all mapped terrestrial woody C. Of this total, 9.65 + /- 0.88 Gt of additional carbon was attributed to PA status. These higher C stocks are primarily from avoided emissions from deforestation and degradation in PAs compared to unprotected forests. This total is roughly equivalent to one year of annual global fossil fuel emissions. These results underscore the importance of conservation of high biomass forests for avoiding carbon emissions and preserving future sequestration.

Draft genome sequence of potato crop bacterial isolates and nanoparticles-intervention for the induction of secondary metabolites biosynthesis

Introduction

Insights about the effects of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) on the biosynthetic manipulation of unknown microbe secondary metabolites could be a promising technique for prospective research on nano-biotechnology.

Aim

In this research, we aimed to isolate a fresh, non-domesticated unknown bacterium strain from a common scab of potato crop located in Saudi Arabia and study the metabolic profile.

Methodology

This was achieved through genomic DNA (gDNA) sequencing using Oxford Nanopore Technology. The genomic data were subjected to several bioinformatics tools, including canu-1.9 software, Prokka, DFAST, Geneious Prime, and AntiSMASH. We exposed the culture of the bacterial isolate with different concentrations of AuNPs and investigated the effects of AuNPs on secondary metabolites biosynthesis using several analytical techniques. Furthermore, Tandem-mass spectrometric (MS/MS) technique was optimized for the characterization of several significant sub-classes.

Results

The genomic draft sequence assembly, alignment, and annotation have verified the bacterial isolate as Priestia megaterium. This bacterium has secondary metabolites related to different biosynthetic gene clusters. AuNPs intervention showed an increase in the production of compounds with the molecular weights of 254 and 270 Da in a direct-dependent manner with the increase of the AuNPs concentrations.

Conclusion

The increase in the yields of compound 1 and 2 concomitantly with the increase in the concentration of the added AuNPs provide evidences about the effects of nanoparticles on the biosynthesis of the secondary metabolites. It contributes to the discovery of genes involved in different biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) and prediction of the structures of the natural products.

Photoacoustic digital brain and deep-learning-assisted image reconstruction

Photoacoustic tomography (PAT) is a newly developed medical imaging modality, which combines the advantages of pure optical imaging and ultrasound imaging, owning both high optical contrast and deep penetration depth. Very recently, PAT is studied in human brain imaging. Nevertheless, while ultrasound waves are passing through the human skull tissues, the strong acoustic attenuation and aberration will happen, which causes photoacoustic signals' distortion. In this work, we use 180 T1 weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) human brain volumes along with the corresponding magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) brain volumes, and segment them to generate the 2D human brain numerical phantoms for PAT. The numerical phantoms contain six kinds of tissues, which are scalp, skull, white matter, gray matter, blood vessel and cerebrospinal fluid. For every numerical phantom, Monte-Carlo based optical simulation is deployed to obtain the photoacoustic initial pressure based on optical properties of human brain. Then, two different k-wave models are used for the skull-involved acoustic simulation, which are fluid media model and viscoelastic media model. The former one only considers longitudinal wave propagation, and the latter model takes shear wave into consideration. Then, the PA sinograms with skull-induced aberration is taken as the input of U-net, and the skull-stripped ones are regarded as the supervision of U-net to train the network. Experimental result shows that the skull's acoustic aberration can be effectively alleviated after U-net correction, achieving conspicuous improvement in quality of PAT human brain images reconstructed from the corrected PA signals, which can clearly show the cerebral artery distribution inside the human skull.

Stimuli-Responsive Silica Silanol Conjugates: Strategic Nanoarchitectonics in Targeted Drug Delivery

The design of novel drug delivery systems is exceptionally critical in disease treatments. Among the existing drug delivery systems, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) have shown profuse promise owing to their structural stability, tunable morphologies/sizes, and ability to load different payload chemistry. Significantly, the presence of surface silanol groups enables functionalization with relevant drugs, imaging, and targeting agents, promoting their utility and popularity among researchers. Stimuli-responsive silanol conjugates have been developed as a novel, more effective way to conjugate, deliver, and release therapeutic drugs on demand and precisely to the selected location. Therefore, it is urgent to summarize the current understanding and the surface silanols' role in making MSN a versatile drug delivery platform. This review provides an analytical understanding of the surface silanols, chemistry, identification methods, and their property-performance correlation. The chemistry involved in converting surface silanols to a stimuli-responsive silica delivery system by endogenous/exogenous stimuli, including pH, redox potential, temperature, and hypoxia, is discussed in depth. Different chemistries for converting surface silanols to stimuli-responsive bonds are discussed in the context of drug delivery. The critical discussion is culminated by outlining the challenges in identifying silanols' role and overcoming the limitations in synthesizing stimuli-responsive mesoporous silica-based drug delivery systems.

[The performance of digital chest radiographs in the detection and diagnosis of pulmonary nodules and the consistency among readers]

Objective: To investigate the detection and diagnostic efficacy of chest radiographs for ≤30 mm pulmonary nodules and the factors affecting them, and to compare the level of consistency among readers. Methods: A total of 43 patients with asymptomatic pulmonary nodules who consulted in Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from 2012 to 2014 and had chest CT and X-ray chest radiographs during the same period were retrospectively selected, and one nodule ≤30 mm was visible on chest CT images in the whole group (total 43 nodules in the whole group). One senior radiologist with more than 20 years of experience in imaging diagnosis reviewed CT images and recording the size, morphology, location, and density of nodules was selected retrospectively. Six radiologists with different levels of experience (2 residents, 2 attending physicians and 2 associate chief physicians independently reviewed the chest images and recorded the time of review, nodule detection, and diagnostic opinion. The CT imaging characteristics of detected and undetected nodules on X images were compared, and the factors affecting the detection of nodules on X-ray images were analyzed. Detection sensitivity and diagnosis accuracy rate of 6 radiologists were calculated, and the level of consistency among them was compared to analyze the influence of radiologists' seniority and reading time on the diagnosis results. Results: The number of nodules detected by all 6 radiologists was 17, with a sensitivity of detection of 39.5%(17/43). The number of nodules detected by ≥5, ≥4, ≥3, ≥2, and ≥1 physicians was 20, 21, 23, 25, and 28 nodules, respectively, with detection sensitivities of 46.5%, 48.8%, 53.5%, 58.1%, and 65.1%, respectively. Reasons for false-negative result of detection on X-ray images included the size, location, density, and morphology of the nodule. The sensitivity of detecting ≤30 mm, ≤20 mm, ≤15 mm, and ≤10 mm nodules was 46.5%-58.1%, 45.9%-54.1%, 36.0%-44.0%, and 36.4% for the 6 radiologists, respectively; the diagnosis accuracy rate was 19.0%-85.0%, 16.7%-6.5%, 18.2%-80.0%, and 0%-75.0%, respectively. The consistency of nodule detection among 6 doctors was good (Kappa value: 0.629-0.907) and the consistency of diagnostic results among them was moderate or poor (Kappa value: 0.350-0.653). The higher the radiologist's seniority, the shorter the time required to read the images. The reading time and the seniority of the radiologists had no significant influence on the detection and diagnosis results (P>0.05). Conclusions: The ability of radiographs to detect lung nodules ≤30 mm is limited, and the ability to determine the nature of the nodules is not sufficient, and the increase in reading time and seniority of the radiologists will not improve the diagnostic accuracy. X-ray film exam alone is not suitable for lung cancer diagnosis.

[Exploration of family rehabilitation model for children with scar contracture after hand burns]

Objective: To explore the family rehabilitation model for children with scar contracture after hand burns and observe its efficacy. Methods: A retrospective non-randomized controlled study was conducted. From March 2020 to March 2021, 30 children with scar contracture after deep partial-thickness to full-thickness burns of hands, who met the inclusion criteria, were hospitalized in the Burn Center of PLA of the First Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University. According to the rehabilitation model adopted, 18 children (23 affected hands) were included in a group mainly treated by family rehabilitation (hereinafter referred to as family rehabilitation group), and 12 children (15 affected hands) were included in another group mainly treated by hospital rehabilitation (hereinafter referred to as hospital rehabilitation group). In the former group, there were 11 males and 7 females, aged (4.8±2.1) years, who began rehabilitation treatment (3.1±0.8) d after wound healing; in the latter group, there were 7 males and 5 females, aged (4.6±2.1) years, who began rehabilitation treatment (2.8±0.7) d after wound healing. The children in hospital rehabilitation group mainly received active and passive rehabilitation training in the hospital, supplemented by independent rehabilitation training after returning home; after 1-2 weeks of active and passive rehabilitation training in the hospital, the children in family rehabilitation group received active and passive rehabilitation training at home under the guidance of rehabilitation therapists through WeChat platform. Both groups of children were treated for 6 months. During the treatment, they wore pressure gloves and used hand flexion training belts and finger splitting braces. Before treatment and after 6 months of treatment, the modified Vancouver scar scale, the total active movement of the hand method, and Carroll quantitative test of upper extremity function were used to score/rate the scar of the affected hand (with the difference of scar score between before treatment and after treatment being calculated), the joint range of motion (with excellent and good ratio being calculated), and the function of the affected limb, respectively. Data were statistically analyzed with independent sample t test, equivalence test, Fisher's exact probability test, and Mann-Whitney U test. Results: The differences of scar scores of the affected hands of children in family rehabilitation group and hospital rehabilitation group between after 6 months of treatment and those before treatment were 3.0 (2.0, 7.0) and 3.0 (2.0, 8.0) respectively (with 95% confidence interval of 2.37-5.38 and 1.95-5.91). The 95% confidence interval of the difference between the differences of the two groups was -2.43-2.21, which was within the equivalent boundary value of -3-3 (P<0.05). The excellent and good ratios of joint range of motion of the affected hand of children in family rehabilitation group and hospital rehabilitation group were 3/23 and 2/15 respectively before treatment, and 15/23 and 12/15 respectively after 6 months of treatment. The ratings of joint range of motion of the affected hand of children in family rehabilitation group and hospital rehabilitation group after 6 months of treatment were significantly higher than those before treatment (with Z values of 3.58 and 2.30, respectively, P<0.05), but the ratings of joint range of motion of the affected hand between the two groups were similar before treatment and after 6 months of treatment (with Z values of 0.39 and 0.55, respectively, P>0.05). The functional ratings of the affected limbs of children in family rehabilitation group and hospital rehabilitation group after 6 months of treatment were significantly higher than those before treatment (with Z values of 3.98 and 3.51, respectively, P<0.05), but the functional ratings of the affected limbs between the two groups were similar before treatment and after 6 months of treatment (with Z values of 1.27 and 0.38, respectively, P>0.05). Conclusions: The WeChat platform assisted rehabilitation treatment with mainly family rehabilitation, combined with hand flexion and extension brace can effectively reduce the scarring after children's hand burns, improve the joint range of motion of the affected hands, and promote the recovery of affected limb function. The effect is similar to that of hospital-based rehabilitation providing an optional rehabilitation, treatment method for children who cannot continue to receive treatment in hospital.

[A prospective randomized controlled study on the effects of progressive core muscle group training combined with lower limb intelligent rehabilitation training for burn patients with lower limb dysfunction]

Objective: To observe the effect of progressive core muscle group training combined with lower limb intelligent rehabilitation training on burn patients with lower limb dysfunction. Methods: A prospective randomized controlled study was conducted. From March 2017 to May 2020, 60 patients with motor and balance dysfunction after deep partial-thickness burns or full-thickness burns of both lower extremities who met the inclusion criteria were admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Military Medical University. They were divided into simple intelligent rehabilitation group (30 cases, 20 males and 10 females, aged (40±3) years) and combined rehabilitation group (30 cases, 16 males and 14 females, aged (39±3) years) according to the random number table method. The patients in both groups started red light treatment after the wound healing or when the scattered residual wound area was less than 5% total body surface area. After 2 weeks of red light treatment, patients in the combined rehabilitation group started progressive core muscle group training on the basis of lower limb intelligent rehabilitation training in simple intelligent rehabilitation group, and the training time was 6 weeks. Before and after 6 weeks of training, the lower limb motor function was evaluated with the simple Fugl-Meyer scale, the balance capacity was evaluated with the Berg balance scale, and the walking capacity was evaluated with the Holden walking ability rating scale. After 6 weeks of training, a self-designed questionnaire was used to investigate patients' satisfaction for the treatment effect. The patients were followed up for 6 months after the treatment to observe the balance stability of standing on one foot in the flexion position and their participation in activities of daily life. Data were statistically analyzed with independent sample t test, paired sample t test, and chi-square test. Results: Before training, the lower limb motor function score of patients in simple intelligent rehabilitation group was 24.9±2.7, which was close to 23.9±2.3 in combined rehabilitation group (P>0.05). After 6 weeks of training, the lower limb motor function score of patients in combined rehabilitation group was 29.6±3.9, which was significantly higher than 27.3±3.8 in simple rehabilitation group (t=-2.28, P<0.05). The lower limb motor function scores of patients in combined rehabilitation group and simple intelligent rehabilitation group after 6 weeks of training were significantly higher than those before training (with t values of -6.50 and -3.21, respectively, P<0.01). After 6 weeks of training, the balance capacity score of patients in combined rehabilitation group was 41±7, which was significantly higher than 36±5 in simple intelligent rehabilitation group (t=-2.68, P<0.05); the balance capacity scores of patients in combined rehabilitation group and simple intelligent rehabilitation group after 6 weeks of training were significantly higher than those before training (with t values of -8.72 and -8.09, respectively, P<0.01). After 6 weeks of training, the walking capacity grading of patients in combined rehabilitation group was significantly improved compared with that in simple intelligent rehabilitation group (χ2=-2.14, P<0.05), and the walking capacity grading of patients in simple intelligent rehabilitation group and combined rehabilitation group after 6 weeks of training was significantly improved compared with that before treatment (with χ2 values of -4.94 and -5.26, respectively, P<0.01). After 6 weeks of training, the satisfaction score for the treatment effect of patients in combined rehabilitation group was 13.7±1.2, which was significantly higher than 7.8±1.4 in simple intelligent rehabilitation group (t=22.84, P<0.01). The patients in both groups could stand on one foot to maintain balance in the flexion position of lower limb, and their activities of daily life were not affected 6 months after treatment. Conclusions: On the basis of conventional rehabilitation therapy, the combination of progressive core muscle group training and lower limb intelligent rehabilitation training can significantly promote the recovery of lower limb motor and balance function of burn patients.

Systolic blood pressure time in range and long-term clinical outcomes in patients with ischaemic cardiomyopathy

Background

The relationship between systolic blood pressure (SBP) control and long-term clinical outcomes in patients with ischaemic cardiomyopathy remains unclear. It has been previously reported that either too high or too low SBP may lead to a poorer prognosis. But current SBP control metrics may not take into account the possible effects of fluctuating SBP overtime on patients.

Purpose

This study aimed to estimate the association between time in range (TIR) of SBP and long-term clinical outcomes in patients with ischaemic cardiomyopathy.

Methods

This study was a post-hoc analysis of The Surgical Treatment of Ischaemic Heart Failure (STICH) trial, a randomized controlled trial with two hypotheses that enrolled participants with coronary artery disease and left ventricular ejection fraction ≤35%. The SBP target range of the TIR was defined as 110 to 130 mmHg and the SBP TIR was calculated by linear interpolation method. Patients were equally divided into four groups by quartiles of TIR. Multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression models were constructed to compare the effects of different levels of TIR on a 10-year prognosis. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality. Subgroup analyses were performed according to whether patients were assigned to coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) or medical therapy (MED), and in populations with different baseline SBP.

Results

A total of 1194 eligible patients were included according to the purpose of our study. Compared with patients in the quartile 4 group (TIR 77.87–100%), the fully adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of all-cause mortality were 1.32 (0.98–1.78) for quartile 3 group (TIR 54.81–77.63%), 1.40 (1.03–1.90) for quartile 2 group (TIR 32.59–54.67%), and 1.53 (1.14–2.04) for quartile 1 group (TIR 0–32.56%) (P for trend = 0.005). When evaluated TIR as a continuous variable, per 1-SD decrement (29.28%) in TIR significantly increased the incidence of all-cause mortality [1.15 (1.04–1.26)]. Similarly, the decrement in TIR significantly elevated the risk of cardiovascular (CV) mortality and the risk of all-cause mortality plus CV rehospitalization. Consistent results were also observed in subgroup analyses of either CABG or MED, or different baseline SBP, indicating the robustness of our findings.

Conclusions

This study suggested that in patients with ischaemic cardiomyopathy, a higher SBP TIR was significantly associated with a decreased risk of all-cause mortality, CV mortality and the composite of all-cause mortality plus CV rehospitalization, regardless of whether the patient received CABG or MED, and the level of baseline SBP. Our findings support that TIR might be a substitutable metric of SBP control for long-term clinical outcomes in patients with ischaemic cardiomyopathy.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: None.

Evolution and clinical implications of right ventricular dysfunction in ischemic cardiomyopathy with or without coronary artery bypass surgery

Background

The Surgical Treatment of Ischemic Heart Failure (STICH) trial demonstrated that coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) provides additional survival benefits to patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy. However, it remains unclear whether this benefit is affected by preoperative right ventricular (RV) function and how post-therapeutic evolution of RV function influences long-term outcomes.

Purpose

We sought to investigate the implications of baseline RV function on therapeutic decision-making in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy, and to evaluate the prognostic implications of post-therapeutic evolution of RV function.

Methods

Patients with available baseline echocardiographic RV function assessed by experienced Echocardiography Core Laboratory physicians were included from the hypothesis 1 of the STICH trial. The primary outcome was long-term all-cause mortality.

Results

A total of 1042 patients were included, among them 757 (72.7%) had normal RV function, 143 (13.7%) mild right ventricular dysfunction (RVD), and 142 (13.6%) moderate to severe RVD. After a median follow-up of 9.8 years, patients with RVD had a higher risk of all-cause mortality compared with patients with normal RV function [mild RVD: adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 1.32; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.06–1.64; moderate to severe RVD: aHR, 1.74; 95% CI 1.39–2.18]. Although no significant interaction was detected between RVD degree and treatment allocation (P for interaction = 0.399), a gradually decreasing survival benefit associated with CABG was observed among patients with normal RV function (aHR: 0.79; 95% CI: 0.65–0.96), mild RVD (aHR: 0.85; 95% CI: 0.56–1.29), and moderate to severe RVD (aHR: 0.97; 95% CI: 0.67–1.43). Among 746 patients with available RV function assessed at baseline and post-therapeutic 4-month follow-up, there was a gradient of increasing risk for all-cause mortality across patients with consistent normal RV function, recovery of RVD (aHR: 1.20; 95% CI: 0.88–1.64), newly developed RVD (aHR: 1.59; 95% CI: 1.18–2.14), and consistent RVD (aHR: 2.06; 95% CI: 1.60–2.67). Independent predictors of RVD recovery included baseline left ventricular ejection fraction (per 1-percent increment, adjusted odds ratio: 1.04; 95% CI: 1.00–1.09) and mitral regurgitation ≥ grade 2 (adjusted odds ratio: 0.42; 95% CI: 0.21–0.84).

Conclusions

Baseline RVD was associated with an increased risk of long-term mortality in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy, and adding CABG to medical therapy might provide limited survival benefits in patients with moderate to severe RVD. A gradient of increasing risk for mortality was observed across different categories of RV function evolution, which emphasizes the necessity of pre- and post-therapeutic RV assessment for prognostic evaluation.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: None.

Microfluidic formulation of lipid/polymer hybrid nanoparticles for plasmid DNA (pDNA) delivery

Lipid/polymer hybrid nanoparticles loaded with red fluorescent protein (RFP) encoded plasmid DNA (pDNA) was formulated using poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA), cationic lipid DC-cholesterol and surfactant mPEG₂₀₀₀- DSPE. A lipid/ polymer ratio of 1: 10 at 1 mg/mL surfactant concentration was found to be optimal for producing nanoparticles with diameters of 100-120 nm that remained stable upon ultracentrifugation. The production of lipid/ polymer hybrid nanoparticles was investigated using microfluidics with a toroidal mixer design. Our results showed that the flow parameters significantly influenced the physicochemical characteristics of nanoparticles and loading of pDNA was only achieved at flow rate ratio (FRR) of 3: 1. The pDNA associated with nanoparticles was demonstrated to be structurally intact using gel electrophoresis, and the encapsulation efficiency (EE) was measured to be ∼65%. The prepared hybrid nanoparticles resulted in 20% of transfection efficacy in human embryonic kidney cells (HEK293T). This study demonstrated the potential of microfluidics in the development of hybrid nanoparticles for pDNA delivery, thus facilitating the clinical translation of DNA therapeutics.

[Clinical outcomes of transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy vestibular approach assisted with submental mini-incision for early thyroid papillary carcinoma]

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy vestibular approach (TOETVA) assisted with submental mini-incision in early thyroid papillary carcinoma. Methods: A total of 63 patients with early papillary thyroid carcinoma (cT1N0M0) were included who underwent TOETVA from December 2019 to May 2021 in Department of Thyroid Surgery of the Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University. There were 4 males and 59 females, aged from 17 to 46 years old. Of those 36 patients received traditional TOETVA as control and 27 patients accepted modified TOETVA assisted with submental mini-incision. The clinical outcomes of patients in two groups were compared. Chi-square test and t test were used in statistical analyses. Results: Compared to control group, modified TOETVA group had the less mean operation time [(146.63±38.62) minutes vs. (167.78±36.71) minutes, t=-2.21, P=0.031], the shorter time required for returning to normal diet after operation [(2.11±0.89) days vs. (2.72±1.16) days, t=-2.28, P=0.026], and the lower probability of mandibular numbness (0 vs. 16.67%, χ²=4.97, P=0.026). There was no significant difference between two groups in intraoperative blood loss, postoperative drainage volume, number of central lymph nodes dissection, and postoperative complications such as gas embolism, postoperative bleeding, postoperative infection, skin burns, subcutaneous effusion and so on(all P>0.05). After 6 months of operation, the thyroid ultrasound of the patients in two groups showed no recurrence, and the patients were satisfied with their surgical incision appearances. Conclusion: Both the modified and traditional TOETVA show similar efficacies for treatments of early thyroid papillary carcinoma, but the modified TOETVA can reduce the operation time and improve the quality of life.

POS0477 ATTENUATION OF FIBROBLAST ACTIVATION AND FIBROSIS BY ADROPIN IN A HEDGEHOG-DEPENDENT MANNER

Background

Adropin is a secretory protein encoded by the energy homeostasis-associated (ENHO) gene. Emerging evidence indicate its role in metabolism and energy homeostasis, which is known to be deregulated in SSc. However, adropin/ENHO has not been linked to the pathogenesis of fibrosis, tissue remodeling or fibroblast activation so far.

Objectives

The aim of the current study was to investigate the role of adropin/ENHO in the pathogenesis of fibroblast activation and fibrosis in SSc.

Methods

Machine learning and bioinformatics models were used to identify candidate genes regulating fibroblast activation in SSc. The expression of adropin/ENHO in skin samples of SSc patients and healthy individuals was analyzed by quantitative PCR, immunofluorescence and western blot, and validated by in silico data mining. The effects of adropin were analyzed in cultured human fibroblasts, 3D skin equivalents, and complimentary murine models of SSc, including sclerodermatous GvHD (sclGvHD) and bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis mice. RNA sequencing (RNAseq) was performed to identify downstream regulatory pathways.

Results

Biostatistical screening of publically available datasets identified adropin/ENHO as a potential molecular mediator involved in fibroblast activation with pronounced downregulation in SSc skin. We first confirmed the impaired expression of adropin/ENHO in SSc patients and SSc models. TGFβ reduced adropin/ENHO expression in a JNK-dependent manner. Recombinant Adropin peptides in turn inhibited TGFβ-induced fibroblast activation and subsequent fibrosis. Treatment of biologically active peptides adropin34−76 inhibited TGFβ induced fibroblast activation and extracellular matrix (ECM) production in cultured primary dermal fibroblasts, as well as in 3D skin equivalents. Moreover, therapeutical administration of adropin34−76 in mice with preestablished fibrosis exerted potent antifibrotic effects in skin and lungs of two complimentary murine SSc models, sclGvHD and bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis mice. RNAseq demonstrated the antifibrotic effects of adropin were functionally linked to hedgehog signaling and GLI1 deactivation, which experimentally confirmed in vitro and in vivo. Knockdown of GPR19, a putative receptor of adropin, abrogated the therapeutic effect of adropin on αSMA- and GLI1-expression in fibroblasts, indicating adropin may regulate GLI1 signaling and fibroblast activation via GRP19.

Conclusion

We demonstrate a novel regulatory loop of adropin/ENHO in TGFβ signaling: TGFβ inhibits the expression of adropin/ENHO, while recombinant adropin peptides inhibited fibroblast activation by GPR19-dependent inhibition of hedgehog/GLI1 signaling. Our findings characterize adropin peptides as a potential approach to interfere with aberrant fibroblast activation and tissue fibrosis in SSc.

References

[1]Liang R, Šumová B, Cordazzo C, Mallano T, Zhang Y, Wohlfahrt T, Dees C, Ramming A, Krasowska D, Michalska-Jakubus M, Distler O, Schett G, Šenolt L, Distler JH. The transcription factor GLI2 as a downstream mediator of transforming growth factor-β-induced fibroblast activation in SSc. Ann Rheum Dis. 2017 Apr;76(4):756-764. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2016-209698. Epub 2016 Oct 28. PMID: 27793816.

Disclosure of Interests

Minrui Liang: None declared, Jörg H.W. Distler Shareholder of: stock owner of 4D Science, Consultant of: consultancy relationships with Actelion, Active Biotech, Anamar, ARXX, Bayer Pharma, Boehringer Ingelheim, Celgene, Galapagos, GSK, Inventiva, Medac, Novartis, Pfizer, RuiYi and UCB, Grant/research support from: has received research funding from Anamar, Active Biotech, Array Biopharma, ARXX, aTyr, BMS, Bayer Pharma, Boehringer Ingelheim, Cantargia, Celgene, CSL Behring, Galapagos, GSK, Inventiva, Kiniksa, Sanofi-Aventis, RedX, UCB.

Diagnostic Value of Sylvian Fissure Hyperechogenicity in Fetal SAH

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Fetal SAH is an intracranial malformation. The typical diagnostic features of fetal SAH in ultrasound have not been reported. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic value of Sylvian fissure hyperechogenicity by prenatal ultrasound in fetuses with SAH.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The features on ultrasound and MR imaging of 10 fetuses with SAH were reviewed and summarized. The diagnostic value of the Sylvian fissure in fetal SAH by prenatal ultrasound was evaluated.

RESULTS

The typical and most obvious manifestations of SAH during the prenatal period were hyperechogenicity in the subarachnoid cavity, especially in the Sylvian fissure; all 10 cases (10/10) had such manifestations. Other manifestations included a hyperecho in other sulci (6/10), especially in the subfrontal sulcus, superior temporal sulcus, or parieto-occipital sulcus; a hyperecho in the cisterns (8/10), especially in the suprasellar cistern, posterior cranial fossa, cisterna ambiens, or quadrigeminal cistern; and a hyperecho around the anterior and posterior longitudinal fissures (2/10). Combined hemorrhage in the parenchymal layer or ventricles (9/10) was found. In addition, Doppler ultrasound showed that the peak flow velocity in the MCA increased in 6 cases (6/10).

CONCLUSIONS

The homogeneous hyperechogenicity of the Sylvian fissure is an important clue for detecting and diagnosing fetal SAH by prenatal ultrasound. A diagnostic approach has been proposed for fetal SAH, which has great significance in further prognosis.

TLR7 agonist loaded airway epithelial targeting nanoparticles stimulate innate immunity and suppress viral replication in human bronchial epithelial cells

Nanoparticle-based delivery is a strategy for increasing the therapeutic window of inhaled immunomodulatory drugs that have inflammatory activity. TLR7 agonists are a class of immunomodulators that have been considered for the treatment of virus-induced respiratory diseases. However, due to high immune-stimulatory activity, TLR7 agonists, delivered via direct exposure, generally have a narrow therapeutic window. To address this, we have developed lipid/polymer hybrid nanoparticles (NPs) conjugated with anti-EpCAM monoclonal antibody for targeted delivery of TLR7 agonist (CL264) to airway epithelial cells (AECs)² - the primary site of respiratory virus infection. These airway epithelial targeting nanoparticles (AEC-NPs)³ showed safety and biocompatibility, and approximately two-fold increased cellular uptake compared to non-targeting NPs. Upon cell entry, AEC-NPs were able to deliver CL264 to cytoplasm and endosomes where TLR7 is located. CL264 delivered by AEC-NPs significantly increased innate immune response through expression of IFN-β, IFN-λ 2/3 and IFN-stimulated genes and suppressed more than 92% of viral load at 48 hours post-infection compared to the drug alone and non-targeting NPs. In conclusion, AEC-NPs exhibited increased cellular uptake leading to enhanced innate immune activation and suppression of viral replication. These findings support the use of AEC-targeting approach for delivering drugs with a narrow therapeutic window.

Biocompatible Nanomaterials as an Emerging Technology in Reproductive Health; a Focus on the Male

A growing body of research has confirmed that nanoparticle (NP) systems can enhance delivery of therapeutic and imaging agents as well as prevent potentially damaging systemic exposure to these agents by modifying the kinetics of their release. With a wide choice of NP materials possessing different properties and surface modification options with unique targeting agents, bespoke nanosystems have been developed for applications varying from cancer therapeutics and genetic modification to cell imaging. Although there remain many challenges for the clinical application of nanoparticles, including toxicity within the reproductive system, some of these may be overcome with the recent development of biodegradable nanoparticles that offer increased biocompatibility. In recognition of this potential, this review seeks to present recent NP research with a focus on the exciting possibilities posed by the application of biocompatible nanomaterials within the fields of male reproductive medicine, health, and research.

POS0884 THE ENHANCED LIVER FIBROSIS (ELF) SCORE AS A BIOMARKER OF SKIN FIBROSIS IN SYSTEMIC SCLEROSIS

Background:

Serum fibrotic markers for systemic sclerosis (SSc) remain limited. The Enhanced Liver Fibrosis (ELF) score, originally derived and validated in patients with chronic liver disease, is an algorithm combining 3 serum markers, known as procollagen type III amino terminal propeptide (PIIINP), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 1 (TIMP-1), and hyaluronic acid (HA). The combined score was proved to be superior to the single components in reflecting the severity of liver fibrosis. However, the performance of ELF score and its components has not been fully validated in SSc.

Objectives:

To investigate PIIINP, TIMP-1, HA, and the combined algorithm ELF score as fibrotic markers for SSc skin involvement.

Methods:

Eighty SSc patients (44 dcSSc and 36 lcSSc), fulfilling the 2013 ACR/EULAR criteria with the absence of chronic liver diseases, were enrolled. Eighty age- and sex- matched healthy controls were also included. Serum PIIINP and HA levels were quantified by chemiluminescence immunoassay. Serum TIMP-1 levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The ELF score was calculated using the formula ELF score= 2.494 + 0.846*ln(HA) + 0.735*ln(PIIINP) + 0.391*ln(TIMP-1). Results were correlated with clinical profiles including modified Rodnan skin score (mRSS) and interstitial lung disease (ILD).

Results:

Compared with healthy controls, patients with SSc showed significantly elevated serum PIIINP (11.2±4.8 vs. 5.73±1.4μg/L, p<0.001), TIMP-I (123.7±78.6 vs. 67.8±26.5 ng/ml, p<0.001), and ELF score (10.5±0.9 vs. 9.7±0.4, P<0.001). Even higher levels of PIIINP, TIMP-1, and ELF score were observed in dcSSc patients, compared with lcSSc patients (p<0.001, p=0.024, p=0.003, respectively). No significant difference was found in the levels of serum HA between patients and controls. Strong correlations were observed between mRSS and ELF score (r=0.54, p<0.001), and between mRSS and PIIINP(r=0.62, p<0.001), whereas only weak correlations could be observed between mRSS and TIMP-1 (r=0.28, p=0.02), and between mRSS and HA (r=0.26, p=0.03). When stratified by ELF score, using cutoffs proposed for liver fibrosis and cirrhosis, SSc patients with ELF<9.8 showed the lowest mRSS on average, while patients with ELF>11.3 showed the highest (p<0.001). When stratified by serum PIIINP levels, using the 25th and 75th percentiles, SSc patients with serum PIIIINP levels<7.8μg/L showed the lowest mRSS on average, while patients with PIIINP>14.0μg/L showed the highest (p<0.001). Neither the ELF score nor its components showed significant difference between patients with and without ILD.

Conclusion:

The ELF score could be used for reflecting the severity of overall skin involvement in SSc, and serum PIIINP also increased in parallel with the increase of mRSS. Longitudinal prospective studies exploring ELF score or serum PIIINP as fibrotic markers and outcome measures of SSc are warranted.

References:

[1]Lichtinghagen R, Pietsch D, Bantel H, et al. The Enhanced Liver Fibrosis (ELF) score: Normal values, influence factors and proposed cut-off values. Journal of Hepatology. 2013; 59: 236-42.

[2]Abignano G, Blagojevic J, Bissell LA, et al. European multicentre study validates enhanced liver fibrosis test as biomarker of fibrosis in systemic sclerosis. Rheumatology. 2019; 58: 254-59.

Figure 1.

Correlations of mRSS with ELF score (A) and serum PIIINP (B) and distribution of mRSS among different ELF (C) and PIIINP (D) ranges.

Acknowledgements:

The authors have no acknowledgements to declare.

Disclosure of Interests:

None declared

POS0869 PREDICTIVE VALUE OF ANTI-INTERFERON-INDUCIBLE PROTEIN 16 ANTIBODIES FOR DIGITAL ULCERS OF SYSTEMIC SCLEROSIS

Background:

Interferon-inducible protein 16 (IFI-16) is constitutively expressed in vascular endothelial cells and can inhibit the proliferation of human endothelial cells and the formation of capillary-like structures in vitro. Anti-IFI-16 antibodies were reported in 21%-29% of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and were associated with digital vascular events in a few retrospective studies.

Objectives:

To evaluate the presence and the clinical implication of anti-IFI-16 antibodies in Chinese SSc cohort, focusing on the associations with vasculopathy indexes, and to investigate the predictive value of anti-IFI-16 antibodies for the development of digital ulcers (DUs) in SSc prospectively.

Methods:

Patients with SSc presenting to our center between July 2018 and September 2018 were prospectively enrolled. Serum from 42 SSc patients and 42 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were analyzed for anti-IFI-16 antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and was considered positive if the optical density (OD) value was above the mean OD of controls plus two standard deviations. Tissue immunofluorescence was used to evaluate the expression of IFI16 in skin biopsy samples obtained from SSc patients and normal controls. At baseline, nailfold video-capillaroscopy was performed to assess nailfold capillary density of SSc patients. Power Doppler ultrasound was used to grade finger pulp blood flow (0-no observed flow; 1-decreased flow; 2-normal flow), and to measure ulnar and radial artery blood flow and resistive index (RI). All patients were followed up for 6 months to see whether they experienced new onset or recurrent DUs. The association of anti-IFI-16 antibodies with DUs was analyzed using logistic regression.

Results:

Of the 42 SSc patients, 8 (19.0%) were positive for anti-IFI-16 antibodies. Immunofluorescence of skin biopsy samples from SSc patients exhibited enhanced staining of IFI-16 in the dermis, and colocalization with endothelial marker CD31. SSc patients who were positive for anti-IFI-16 antibodies showed higher ulnar artery RI at baseline (0.95±0.09 vs. 0.86±0.09, p=0.015), while no significant differences were found for other vascular parameters, nor for clinical or demographic profiles. Within 6-month follow-up, 14 (33.3%) patients experienced new-onset or recurrent DUs. Univariate logistic regression revealed the presence of DUs at enrollment (p=0.009), anti-IFI-16 antibody (p=0.012), finger pulp blood flow (p=0.027), and ulnar artery RI (p=0.008) could be the predictors for the development of DUs. Multivariate analysis further identified DUs at enrollment (odds ratio [OR]: 10.85; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.61-73.18; p=0.014) and anti-IFI-16 antibody (OR: 15.00; 95% CI: 1.13-199.18; p=0.040) as independent risk factors. Among patients without DUs at enrollment, new-onset ulcers occurred in 80% (4/5) and 4.5% (1/22) of those with and without anti-IFI-16 antibody, respectively (p=0.001).

Conclusion:

Anti-IFI-16 antibody is associated with vasculopathy in SSc and could be used as a novel biomarker for indicating the development of DUs.

References:

[1]McMahan ZH, Shah AA, Vaidya D, et al. Anti-interferon-inducible protein 16 antibodies associate with digital gangrene in patients with Scleroderma. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2016; 68(5): 1262-71.

[2]McMahan ZH, Cottrell TR, Wigley FM, et al. Autoantigens targeted in scleroderma patients with vascular disease are enriched in endothelial lineage cells. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2016; 68(10): 2540–49.

Figure 1.

Multivariate logistic analysis for new or recurrent digital ulcers.

Acknowledgements:

The authors would like to thank Doctor Yi Cheng for performing Power Doppler ultrasound assessment.

Disclosure of Interests:

None declared

Longitudinal health utilities, symptoms and toxicities in patients with ALK-rearranged lung cancer treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors: a prospective real-world assessment

Background

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (tkis) have dramatically improved the survival of patients with ALK-rearranged (ALK+) non-small-cell lung cancer (nsclc). Clinical trial data can generally compare drugs in a pair-wise fashion. Real-world collection of health utility data, symptoms, and toxicities allows for the direct comparison between multiple tki therapies in the population with ALK+ nsclc.

Methods

In a prospective cohort study, outpatients with ALK+ recruited between 2014 and 2018, treated with a variety of tkis, were assessed every 3 months for clinico-demographic, patient-reported symptom and toxicity data and EQ-5D-derived health utility scores (hus).

Results

In 499 longitudinal encounters of 76 patients with ALK+ nsclc, each tki had stable longitudinal hus when disease was controlled, even after months to years: the mean overall hus for each tki ranged from 0.805 to 0.858, and longitudinally from 0.774 to 0.912, with higher values associated with second- or third-generation tkis of alectinib, brigatinib, and lorlatinib. Disease progression was associated with a mean hus decrease of 0.065 (95% confidence interval: 0.02 to 0.11). Health utility scores were inversely correlated to multiple symptoms or toxicities: rho values ranged from -0.094 to -0.557. Fewer symptoms and toxicities were associated with the second- and third-generation tkis compared with crizotinib. In multivariable analysis, only stable disease state and baseline Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status were associated with improved hus.

Conclusions

There was no significant decrease in hus when patients with ALK+ disease were treated longitudinally with each tki, as long as patients were clinically stable. Alectinib, brigatinib, and lorlatinib had the best toxicity profiles and exhibited high mean hus longitudinally in the real-world setting.

[Design and application of static progressive ankle foot orthosis]

The scar contracture of Achilles tendon in burn patients after operation is easy to cause " foot drop" , which leads to ankle dorsiflexion dysfunction. To solve this problem, the authors designed and made a static progressive ankle foot orthosis. The foot support part and the crus support part of the orthotic device are connected by rivets, and the distal end of the foot support part and the proximal end of the crus support part are pulled by the traction belt on both sides, gradually improving the ankle dorsiflexion function. This static progressive ankle foot orthosis is simple, practical, cost-effective, and worthy of clinical promotion.

Effects of supplementing geese with green sweet sorghum stalks on microbiota in segments of the gastrointestinal tract

To explore the effects of supplementing a basal diet with green sweet sorghum stalks on the gut microbiota in geese, one hundred and twenty 28 day old geese were divided into two groups. Group 1 was fed a basal diet and group 2 was fed 92% of the same basal diet with green sweet sorghum stalks ad libitum for 42 days. Three male geese from each group were killed at 70 days old, four gastrointestinal tract segments (duodenum, jejunum, ileum, and caecum) were collected, and the hypervariable V4 region of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene was sequenced. There were obvious changes of microbiome in the caecum compared with the other three intestinal segments after green sweet sorghum stalks were added to the diet. Group 2 had significantly higher alpha diversity in the caecum compared with group 1 (P <0.05). The phyla of bacterial communities in the caecum differed. Group 2 had more abundant Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes, but Proteobacteria were more abundant in group 1. At genus level, Bacteroides was more prevalent in group 2, as were Prevotella and YRC22 (P <0.05). Functional analysis revealed that the carbohydrate metabolism, membrane transport, endocrine system and digestive system metabolic pathways were overrepresented in group 2. In conclusion, caecal microbes might play an important role in digesting green sweet sorghum stalks in geese.Keywords: caecum, goose, microbiome, microbial diversity

Mechanism Investigation of Hyaluronidase-Combined Multistage Nanoparticles for Solid Tumor Penetration and Antitumor Effect

Background

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a major component of extracellular matrix (ECM) and its over expression in tumor tissues contributes to the increase of interstitial fluid pressure (IFP) and hinders the penetration of nanoparticles into solid tumors.

Materials and Methods

We here reported a tumoral microenvironment responsive multistage drug delivery system (NPs-EPI/HAase) which was formed layer by layer via electrostatic interaction with epirubicin (EPI)-loaded PEG-b-poly(2-(diisopropylamino)ethyl methacrylate)-b-poly(2-guanidinoethylmethacrylate) (mPEG-PDPA-PG, PEDG) micelles (NPs-EPI) and hyaluronidase (HAase). In this paper, we focused on the hyaluronidase-combined nanoparticles (NPs-EPI/HAase) for tumor penetration in tumor spheroid and solid tumor models in vitro and in vivo.

Results

Our results showed that NPs-EPI/HAase effectively degrade the HA in ECM and facilitate deep penetration of NPs-EPI into solid tumor. Moreover, NPs-EPI mainly employed clathrin-mediated and macropinocytosis-mediated endocytic pathways for cellular uptake and were subsequently directed to the lysosomes for further drug release triggered by proton sponge effect. Compared with NPs-EPI, the HAase coating group showed an enhanced tumoral drug delivery efficacy and inhibition of tumor growth.

Conclusion

Overall, our studies demonstrated that coating nanoparticles with HAase can provide a simple but efficient strategy for nano-drug carriers to enhance solid tumor penetration and chemotherapeutic efficacy.

MiR-492 exerts tumor-promoting function in prostate cancer through repressing SOCS2 expression

OBJECTIVE

MiRNAs have been verified to play a role in the development and progression of prostate cancer (PCa). However, the role of miR-492 in PCa has not been mentioned. We aim to detect the expression of miR-492 in PCa and explore its underlying mechanism.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The relative expression of miR-492 in PCa tissue samples to normal prostate tissues was detected using quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). The level of miR-492 in PCa-derived cell lines compared with the normal prostate cell line was also measured. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and colony formation assays were employed to investigate the cell proliferation ability. Transwell assay and wound-healing assays were utilized to explore the cell invasion and migration abilities. Luciferase assay and Western blot were utilized to explore the underlying mechanism of miR-492 in PCa cells.

RESULTS

MiR-492 expressed significantly higher in PCa tissues than that in the normal tissues. Its expression level was also over-expressed in PCa cells compared with that in the normal cells. The up-regulation of miR-492 promoted the growth, invasion, and migration of the cells, while down-regulation had the opposite effects. SOCS2 was identified as a potential target for miR-492 in PCa. Silencing of SOCS2 could neutralize the inhibitory function of miR-492 inhibitor in PCa cells.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated that miR-492 was over-expressed in PCa and exerted tumor-promoting function in PCa cells via repressing SOCS2 expression. This might provide a new sight for future accurate therapy for PCa.

Perceived dietary salt intake and the risk of primary liver cancer: a population-based prospective study

BACKGROUND

Although a high-salt diet is associated with high risk of chronic diseases such as hypertension, stroke and cardiovascular disease, little is known about the relationship between a high-salt diet and the risk of primary liver cancer (PLC). Consequently, we prospectively assessed the association of high perceived salt intake with the risk of PLC in the Kailuan Study.

METHODS

In total, 97 006 participants who were healthy adults or free living adults at the baseline (2006) were included in the present study. The data of perceived salt intake were collected via questionnaire and classified into three categories: <6 g day^-1 for low salt intake, 6-10 g day^-1 for intermediate salt intake, >10 g day^-1 for high-salt intake. PLC including hepatocellular carcinoma and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (excluding liver metastasis), and was confirmed by review of medical records. We used a Cox proportional hazards model to analyse the association between high perceived salt diet and the risk of PLC after adjusting for possible confounders, including age, gender, body mass index, high sensitivity-C-reactive protein, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, total cholesterol, triglycerides, alanine aminotransferase, HbsAg positive, cirrhosis, fatty liver, hypertension, diabetes, drinking status, smoking status and physical exercise.

RESULTS

During the follow-up period of 1 113 816 person-years, 397 PLC events were diagnosed. After adjusting for most potential confounders, subjects in intermediate salt intake and high salt intake had a multivariable hazard ratio and 95% confidence interval of 1.49 (0.97-2.29) and 1.98 (1.22-3.22) (P for trend = 0.0042), respectively, compared to low salt intake.

CONCLUSIONS

A higher perceived salt intake was associated with a higher risk of PLC.

[Value of absolute quantification of myocardial perfusion by PET in detecting coronary microvascular disease in patients with non-obstructive coronaries]

Objective: To compare the incidence of coronary microvascular disease (CMVD) between patients with non-obstructive and obstructive coronary arteries. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 97 patients with angina pectoris, who underwent the absolute quantitative PET examination of myocardial perfusion and coronary anatomy examination within 90 days. All patients were divided into two groups: non-obstructive group (72 cases, no stenosis ≥50% in all three coronary arteries) and obstructive group (25 cases, at least one coronary stenosis ≥50%; and at least one coronary stenosis<50%). Quantitative parameters derived from PET including rest myocardial blood flow (RMBF), stress myocardial blood flow (SMBF), coronary flow reserve (CFR) and cardiovascular risk factors were compared between the two groups. CMVD was defined as CFR<2.90 and SMBF<2.17 ml·min(-1)·g(-1). Results: Incidence of CMVD was significant higher in the non-obstructive coronary arteries of the obstructive group than in the non-obstructive coronary arteries of non-obstructive group (47.1% (16/34) vs. 25.5% (55/216), χ(2)=6.738, P=0.009) while incidence of CMVD was similar between non-obstructive and obstructive patients ((44% (11/25) vs. 33.3% (24/72), χ(2)=0.915, P=0.339). RMBF ((0.83±0.14) ml·min(-1)·g(-1) vs. (0.82±0.17) ml·min(-1)·g(-1)), SMBF ((2.13±0.60) ml·min(-1)·g(-1) vs. (1.91±0.50) ml·min(-1)·g(-1)) and CFR (2.59±0.66 vs. 2.36±0.47) were similar between the two groups (all P>0.05). Conclusions: CMVD can occur in non-obstructive coronary arteries in both patients with non-occlusive coronary arteries and patients with obstructive coronary arteries. Prevalence of CMVD is significantly higher in patients with obstructive coronary arteries than in patients with non-obstructive coronary arteries. The CMVD severity is similar between the two groups.

Airway epithelial-targeted nanoparticles for asthma therapy

Asthma is a common chronic inflammatory disease associated with intermittent airflow obstruction caused by airway inflammation, mucus overproduction, and bronchial hyperresponsiveness. Despite current treatment and management options, a large number of patients with asthma still have poorly controlled disease and are susceptible to acute exacerbations, usually caused by a respiratory virus infection. As a result, there remains a need for novel therapies to achieve better control and prevent/treat exacerbations. Nanoparticles (NPs), including extracellular vesicles (EV) and their synthetic counterparts, have been developed for drug delivery in respiratory diseases. In the case of asthma, where airway epithelium dysfunction, including dysregulated differentiation of epithelial cells, impaired barrier, and immune response, is a driver of disease, targeting airway epithelial cells with NPs may offer opportunities to repair or reverse these dysfunctions with therapeutic interventions. EVs possess multiple advantages for airway epithelial targeting, such as their natural intrinsic cell-targeting properties and low immunogenicity. Synthetic NPs can be coated with muco-inert polymers to overcome biological barriers such as mucus and the phagocytic response of immune cells. Targeting ligands could be also added to enhance targeting specificity to epithelial cells. The review presents current understanding and advances in NP-mediated drug delivery to airway epithelium for asthma therapy. Future perspectives in this therapeutic strategy will also be discussed, including the development of novel formulations and physiologically relevant preclinical models.

[Application of low temperature thermoplastic plate combined with special abdominal band in fixing abdominal pedicled flap for repairing 17 patients with deep electric burn wounds in hands]

If the abdominal pedicled flaps are not well fixed after repair of deep electric burn wounds in hands, many problems such as poor blood supply may occur. In order to solve the above problems, we designed and manufactured the individualized low temperature thermoplastic plate combined with special abdominal band to fix abdominal pedicled flaps for repairing of 17 patients (12 males and 5 females, aged 2-35 years) with deep electric burn wounds in hands from February 2016 to August 2018, and achieved the desired results. The shoulder joint, elbow joint, and wrist joint were fixed by low temperature thermoplastic plate according to the 1/2 circumference of the patient's side chest and upper arm, and the braking of wrist joint and elbow joint was strengthened by special abdominal band. Application of the combined method of fixing abdominal pedicled flaps in repairing deep electric burn wounds in hands has high success rate of flap transplantation. It is simple to make and practical, and worthy of clinical promotion.

Protein expressions of AIB1, p53 and Bcl-2 in epithelial ovarian cancer and their correlations with the clinical pathological features and prognosis

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the protein expressions of steroid receptor coactivator amplified in breast cancer 1 (AIB1), apoptosis-related protein p53 and B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) in epithelial ovarian cancer; to analyze the correlations among the expressions of these three proteins; to explore their correlations with the clinical pathological features and prognosis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Immunohistochemistry streptavidin-peroxidase (IHC-SP) method was performed to detect the positive protein expressions of AIB1, Bcl-2, and p53 in the pathological sections of normal ovarian tissues, benign ovarian epithelial tumor, and epithelial ovarian cancer, thereby analyzing the protein expression rates of these genes in different pathological stages, lymphatic metastasis and postoperative recurrent ovarian cancer, and carrying out the correlation analysis of these three proteins.

RESULTS

Positive protein expressions of AIB1, Bcl-2, and p53 were identified in the epithelial ovarian cancer tissues, and with an increase in the tumor staging of ovarian cancer, we found that the positive protein expression rate was gradually augmented. Particularly in ovarian cancer with lymphatic metastasis and postoperative recurrence, the positive expression rate was almost 100%. The protein expression of AIB1 was positively correlated with those of the p53 and Bcl-2.

CONCLUSIONS

We showed that positive expressions of AIB1, Bcl-2, and p53 in ovarian cancer are closely correlated with the pathological staging, metastasis, and recurrence, and the positive protein expression suggests a poor prognosis.

Intracellular tracking of drug release from pH-sensitive polymeric nanoparticles via FRET for synergistic chemo-photodynamic therapy

BACKGROUND

Synergistic therapy of tumor is a promising way in curing cancer and in order to achieve effective tumor therapy with real-time drug release monitoring, dynamic cellular imaging and antitumor activity.

RESULTS

In this work, a polymeric nanoparticle with Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) effect and chemo-photodynamic properties was fabricated as the drug vehicle. An amphiphilic polymer of cyclo(RGDfCSH) (cRGD)-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-Poly(L-histidine) (PH)-poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL)-Protoporphyrin (Por)-acting as both a photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy (PDT) and absorption of acceptor in FRET was synthesized and self-assembled into polymeric nanoparticles with epirubicin (EPI)-acting as an antitumor drug for chemotherapy and fluorescence of donor in FRET. Spherical EPI-loaded nanoparticles with the average size of 150 ± 2.4 nm was procured with negatively charged surface, pH sensitivity and high drug loading content (14.9 ± 1.5%). The cellular uptake of EPI-loaded cRGD-PEG-PH-PCL-Por was monitored in real time by the FRET effect between EPI and cRGD-PEG-PH-PCL-Por. The polymeric nanoparticles combined PDT and chemotherapy showed significant anticancer activity both in vitro (IC50 = 0.47 μg/mL) and better therapeutic efficacy than that of free EPI in vivo.

CONCLUSIONS

This work provided a versatile strategy to fabricate nanoassemblies for intracellular tracking of drug release and synergistic chemo-photodynamic therapy.

CiteSpace-based Document Information Visualization of Literature Published by Journal of Forensic Medicine from 1985 to 2018

Abstract

Objective To analyze a knowledge web of the literature published by Journal of Forensic Medicine from its founding in 1985 to 2018, describe the evolving process of forensic science research and explore the research hotspots and frontiers at present. Methods The literature that was published by Journal of Forensic Medicine from 1985 to 2018 was collected and analyzed in terms of elements, such as emerging research hotspots, high frequency keywords, authors, dispatching units, location of institution and funding, by CiteSpace5.3 information visualization analysis software. Results All disciplines of forensic medicine were continually developing and maturing, and the publication volume of the literature on forensic pathology had the highest weight; in research hotspots, the two categories, research and identification each had their own emphasis; as the main source of contributions to the journal, research institutes accounted for 38.99% of the total number of publications; Shanghai ranked first among all regions with 1 046 articles published. The number of funded articles was generally on the rise, with the number of funded articles published largest in 2015. Conclusion As an authoritative academic journal in the field of forensic science in China, Journal of Forensic Medicine carries the development of forensic science and witnesses the institutional reform of universities and colleges, and offers a wide range of communication and cooperation in terms of technicality and application. Many scholars and scientific research institutions have gained progress continually in various research directions in the form of teamwork; and emerging research hotspots will continue to play a huge role in future practical applications.

NIR-guided dendritic nanoplatform for improving antitumor efficacy by combining chemo-phototherapy

Background

Phototherapy, including photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT), is a promising noninvasive strategy in the treatment of cancers due to its highly localized specificity to tumors and minimal side effects to normal tissues. However, single phototherapy often causes tumor recurrence which hinders its clinical applications. Therefore, developing a NIR-guided dendritic nanoplatform for improving the phototherapy effect and reducing the recurrence of tumors by synergistic chemotherapy and phototherapy is essential.

Methods

A fluorescent targeting ligand, insisting of ICG derivative cypate and a tumor penetration peptide iRGD (CRGDKGPDC), was covalently combined with PAMAM dendrimer to prepare a single agent-based dendritic theranostic nanoplatform iRGD-cypate-PAMAM-DTX (RCPD).

Results

Compared with free cypate, the resulted RCPD could generate enhanced singlet oxygen species while maintaining its fluorescence intensity and heat generation ability when subjected to NIR irradiation. Furthermore, our in vitro and in vivo therapeutic studies demonstrated that compared with phototherapy or chemotherapy alone, the combinatorial chemo-photo treatment of RCPD with the local exposure of NIR light can significantly improve anti-tumor efficiency and reduce the risk of recurrence of tumors.

Conclusion

The multifunctional theranostic platform (RCPD) could be used as a promising method for NIR fluorescence image-guided combinatorial treatment of tumor cancers.

Spatial Patterns of Brain Activity Preferentially Reflecting Transient Pain and Stimulus Intensity

How pain emerges in the human brain remains an unresolved question. Neuroimaging studies have suggested that several brain areas subserve pain perception because their activation correlates with perceived pain intensity. However, painful stimuli are often intense and highly salient; therefore, using both intensity- and saliency-matched control stimuli is crucial to isolate pain-selective brain responses. Here, we used these intensity/saliency-matched painful and non-painful stimuli to test whether pain-selective information can be isolated in the functional magnetic resonance imaging responses elicited by painful stimuli. Using two independent datasets, multivariate pattern analysis was able to isolate features distinguishing the responses triggered by (1) intensity/saliency-matched painful versus non-painful stimuli, and (2) high versus low-intensity/saliency stimuli regardless of whether they elicit pain. This indicates that neural activity in the so-called "pain matrix" is functionally heterogeneous, and part of it carries information related to both painfulness and intensity/saliency. The response features distinguishing these aspects are spatially distributed and cannot be ascribed to specific brain structures.

Plasma cell-free DNA integrity plus circulating tumor cells: a potential biomarker of no distant metastasis breast cancer

Cell-free DNA integrity (cfDI) is a promising diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in breast cancer. However, no specific study has evaluated the diagnostic ability of cfDI in patients with no distant metastasis breast cancer (no-MBC) and benign breast tumor (BBT) to date. We assessed the plasma cfDI of 84 patients with no-MBC and 30 patients with BBT using quantitative PCR and compared it with circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and carbohydrate antigen 153 (CA153). The no-MBC group had significantly lower mean cfDI (0.58) than the BBT group (0.74, p = 0.004). Subgroup analysis showed that decreased cfDI seem to be associated with risk factors such as age 14% (mean cfDI = 0.57), tumor size > 2 cm (mean cfDI = 0.58), and positive lymph node status (mean cfDI = 0.56), but had no statistical significance. McNemar's test suggested that cfDI had stronger diagnostic power than CTCs, cfDNA concentration, or CA153 (p < 0.001). Spearman's rho showed that the correlation coefficient between cfDI and CTCs was 0.278 (p = 0.04) in the no-MBC group. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis also suggested that cfDI was superior to CTCs or CA153. Combined with CTCs, cfDI reduced the false positive rate from 50% to 10.71% and increased the area under the curve value from 0.66 to 0.68. Our results suggest that cfDI is a potential diagnostic biomarker of no-MBC. Using cfDI and CTCs as a combined diagnostic tool for no-MBC could improve diagnostic sensitivity and specificity but more samples will be needed.

Research Status of New Designer Drug Methcathinone in Forensic Toxicology

Methcathinone, a new cathinone designer drug, which is structurally similar to amphetamine analogs, is a central nervous stimulant. Recently, there has been a worldwide rise in its popularity and abuse, and a growing number of cases with disability or even death is reported in several countries, resulting in public concern. The typical symptoms include accelerated heartbeat, high temperature, anxiety, depression, etc. Forensic studies on its toxicity mechanism are rare. This article reviews its toxicological effects, poisoning symptoms, poisoning and addiction mechanisms, and detection methods, to provide theoretical reference for future studies and guidance for related forensic identification.

Highly efficient InGaN green mini-size flip-chip light-emitting diodes with AlGaN insertion layer

We demonstrate highly efficient InGaN-based mini-size green light-emitting diodes (mLEDs) with AlGaN insertion layer in InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells (MQWs) using metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) results reveal that 'V' defects within active region can be effectively reduced by AlGaN insertion layer. Photoluminescence (PL) and time resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) results indicate an increase of radiative recombination efficiency. Very high performance 523 nm InGaN green flip-chip mLEDs (0.025 mm²) with distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) show a high external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 38.0%, a high wall-plug efficiency (WPE) of 32.1% and a low forward voltage of 2.8 V at a working current density of 20 A cm^-2, which are very promising for display application.

[Clinical efficacy observation on combination of narrow-spectrum medium-wave ultraviolet, red light, and low power He-Ne laser in treating post-burn eczema]

Objective: To investigate the clinical effects of combined utilization of narrow-spectrum medium-wave ultraviolet, red light, and low power He-Ne laser on treatment of post-burn eczema. Methods: From July 2014 to July 2017, 80 patients with post-burn eczema who met the study inclusion criteria were treated in our burn rehabilitation center, and their clinical data were analyzed retrospectively. Patients were divided into ultraviolet treatment group, red light treatment group, laser treatment group, and combination treatment group according to the utilized treatment methods, with 20 cases in each group. Patients in ultraviolet treatment group were treated with narrow-spectrum medium-wave ultraviolet once every other day for 10 minutes each time. Patients in red light treatment group and laser treatment group were treated with red-light and low power He-Ne laser respectively once a day for 10 minutes each time. Patients in combination treatment group were treated with combination of the above three methods without sequence or interval time, and the treatment time and interval time were the same as the previously described. All patients were treated for four weeks since the time of admission. The itching degree, surface area of the affected body, degree of keratosis, and degree of cracking of target tissue were evaluated using Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) scoring method after each treatment. Eczema improvement rate was calculated according to the total score of EASI to determine the curative effect. The therapeutic effective time was recorded. The therapeutic effective rate was calculated according to the total scores of EASI before treatment for the first time and 4 weeks after treatment. Besides, the adverse reactions of patients were also observed and recorded. Data were analyzed by Chi-square test, Kruskal-Wallis rank sum test, Wilcoxon signed rank sum test, one-way analysis of variance, Least Significant Difference-t test, and Bonferroni correction. Results: Therapeutic effective times of eczema of patients in ultraviolet treatment group, red light treatment group, and laser treatment group were similar, respectively (13.7±1.3), (16.4±1.6), and (15.1±1.7) d (t=0.32, 0.58, 0.74, P>0.05). The therapeutic effective time of combination treatment group was (6.3±0.9) d, significantly shorter than that of ultraviolet treatment group, red light treatment group, or laser treatment group (t=5.62, 4.72, 4.61, P<0.05 or P<0.01). Compared with those before treatment for the first time, eczema itching degree, surface area of affected body, degree of keratosis, degree of cracking, and total score of EASI of patients in ultraviolet treatment group, red light treatment group, laser treatment group, and combination treatment group showed obvious improvement in 4 weeks after treatment (Z=5.372, 4.392, 4.284, 3.998, 4.092, 3.904, 4.042, 4.216, 3.684, 3.890, 5.081, 4.794, 4.094, 3.493, 3.995, 5.084, 4.903, 4.384, 3.995, 4.063, P<0.05 or P<0.01). Each item score and total score of EASI of eczema of patients in the first three groups were close (P>0.05), while each item score and total score of EASI of eczema of patients in combination treatment group was significantly better than those of ultraviolet treatment group, red light treatment group, and laser treatment group (H=2.482, 2.491, 3.583, 3.462, 6.025, 2.492, 3.693, 3.085, 3.482, 6.042, 5.831, 5.831, 4.893, 4.092, 6.931, P<0.05). Therapeutic effective rates of eczema of patients in ultraviolet treatment group, red light treatment group, and laser treatment group were close, respectively 60%, 60%, and 55% (χ(2)=1.46, 1.63, 0.97, P>0.05). The therapeutic effective rate of eczema of patients in combination treatment group was 90%, significantly higher than that of ultraviolet treatment group, red light treatment group, or laser treatment group (χ(2)=3.43, 4.15, 2.97, P<0.05 or P<0.01). There were no serious adverse reactions appeared in patients of all the four groups after treatment. Three patients in ultraviolet treatment group had local skin erythema, which was alleviated after symptomatic treatment. Conclusions: Combination of narrow-spectrum medium-wave ultraviolet, red light, and low power He-Ne laser in treating post-burn eczema is superior to single therapy in terms of clinical effective time and efficacy, which has no obvious adverse reaction and is worthy of promotion.

Very high external quantum efficiency and wall-plug efficiency 527 nm InGaN green LEDs by MOCVD

We demonstrate very high luminous efficacy InGaN-based green light-emitting diodes (LEDs) grown on c-plane patterned sapphire substrates (PSS) using metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The 527 nm green LEDs show a peak external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 53.3%, a peak wall-plug efficiency (WPE) of 54.1% and a peak luminous efficacy of 329 lm/W, respectively. A high EQE of 38.4%, a WPE of 32.1% and a very low forward voltage of 2.86 V were obtained at a typical working current density of 20 A/cm². By operating low cost green LEDs at a low current density, our devices (0.5 mm²) demonstrating an EQE and a WPE higher than 50% and an efficacy of 259 lm/W at 4 A/cm² with an output power of 24 mW. High crystal quality of the InGaN/GaN MQWs was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the advantage of the epitaxy design was investigated by APSYS software simulation. These results provide a simple way to achieve very high efficiency InGaN green LEDs.

GLI-1 facilitates the EMT induced by TGF-β1 in gastric cancer

OBJECTIVE

To explore how GLI-1 affects the EMT induced by TGF-β1 in gastric cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Following 24 hours of culture of SGC-7901 cells in presence of TGF-β1, we observed the changes in morphology as well as mRNA and protein expressions of GLI-1, E-cadherin and Vimentin by RT-PCR and Western blot. Transwell assay was conducted to evaluate the changes in invasion ability of SGC-7901 cells. Then, SGC-7901 cells were co-treated with TGF-β1 and GANT 61, and changes of the above indexes were also detected using the corresponding methods.

RESULTS

In presence of TGF-β1, EMT was initiated in SGC-7901 cells EMT with increased cell invasion ability, and the mRNA and protein expressions of E-cadherin were downregulated, while those of the GLI-1 and Vimentin were upregulated. Conversely, the co-treatment of TGF-β1 and GANT 61 suppressed the increased cell invasion ability induced only by TGF-β1, and the changes in mRNA and protein expressions of these factors were abolished.

CONCLUSIONS

We found that GLI-1 facilitates the EMT induced by TGF-β1 in SGC-7901 cells, which may serve as a potential target in developing the clinical treatment of gastric cancer.