Visualizable intracardiac flow pattern in fetuses with congenital heart defect: pilot study of blood speckle-tracking echocardiography

OBJECTIVES

Blood-flow pattern is an essential factor in cardiovascular development. Recently, blood speckle-tracking echocardiography (BST) based on high-frame-rate ultrasound has emerged as a promising technique for the assessment of blood-flow patterns and properties. The objectives of this study were to determine the feasibility of BST in the fetus and to assess intracardiac blood-flow patterns of fetuses with a congenital heart defect (CHD) using this technique.

METHODS

This was a prospective study consisting of 35 normal fetuses, 35 fetuses with left-sided obstructive lesion (LSOL) and 35 fetuses with right-sided obstructive lesion (RSOL). BST images of fetal intracardiac regions of interest (ROIs), including the left ventricle (LV), right ventricle (RV), ascending aorta (AAo), aortic arch (AA), descending aorta (DAo) and pulmonary artery (PA), were obtained and analyzed. The feasibility of BST was assessed, and blood-flow pattern and number of vortices in the ROIs were recorded.

RESULTS

The median gestational age of the fetuses was 24.7 weeks (range, 19.6-34.3 weeks). BST was feasible in 81.6% of cases, and the cut-off value of depth for an adequate BST image was ≤ 7.9 cm. There were no differences in the presence of vortex/turbulent blood flow in the LV or RV among the three groups. Vortex/turbulent blood flow in the AAo was detected in 0% (0/35), 14.3% (5/35) and 57.1% (20/35) of cases in the control, LSOL and RSOL groups, respectively. The respective values were 5.7% (2/35), 14.3% (5/35) and 51.4% (18/35) for the AA; 0% (0/35), 48.6% (17/35) and 0% (0/35) for the DAo; and 0% (0/35), 40.0% (14/35) and 51.4% (18/35) for the PA. With the exception of the DAo in the RSOL group, vortex/turbulent flow in the great artery ROIs was significantly more common in the LSOL and RSOL groups than in controls (P < 0.01). In the LSOL group, the number of vortices in the AAo, AA, DAo and PA was significantly greater compared with that in controls (P < 0.01). In the RSOL group, the number of vortices in the LV, AAo, AA and PA was significantly greater compared with that in controls (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Fetuses with CHD were more likely to exhibit vortex/turbulent blood flow and increased number of vortices in the great arteries compared with healthy controls. Further research is needed to determine the biomechanical effect of blood-flow patterns, especially vortex flow, on fetal cardiovascular structure and function. © 2023 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Study on the effect of licochalcone A on intestinal flora in type 2 diabetes mellitus mice based on 16S rRNA technology

Licorice, has a long history in China where it has various uses, including as a medicine, and is often widely consumed as a food ingredient. Licorice is rich in various active components, including polysaccharides, triterpenoids, alkaloids, and nucleosides, among which licochalcone A (LicA) is an active component with multiple physiological effects. Previous studies from our research group have shown that LicA can significantly improve glucose and lipid metabolism and related complications in Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) mice. However, research on the mechanism of LicA in T2DM mice based on intestinal flora has not been carried out in depth. Therefore, in this study, LicA was taken as the research object and the effects of LicA on glucose and lipid metabolism and intestinal flora in T2DM mice induced by streptozotocin (STZ)/high-fat feed (HFD) were explored. The results indicated that LicA could reduce serum TC, TG, and LDL-C levels, increase HDL-C levels, reduce blood glucose, and improve insulin resistance and glucose tolerance. LicA also alleviated pathological damage to the liver. The results also showed that LicA significantly affected the intestinal microbiota composition and increased the α diversity index. β Diversity analysis showed that after the intervention of LicA, the composition of intestinal flora was significantly different from that in the T2DM model group. Correlation analysis showed that the changes in glucose and lipid metabolism parameters in mice were significantly correlated with the relative abundance of Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Helicobacter, and Lachnospiraceae (p < 0.01). Analysis of key bacteria showed that LicA could significantly promote the growth of beneficial bacteria, such as Bifidobacterium, Turicibacter, Blautia, and Faecococcus, and inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria, such as Enterococcus, Dorea, and Arachnococcus. In conclusion, it was confirmed that LicA reversed the imbalanced intestinal flora, and increased the richness and diversity of the species in T2DM mice.

Integration of single-cell RNA sequencing and bulk RNA transcriptome sequencing reveals a heterogeneous immune landscape and pivotal cell subpopulations associated with colorectal cancer prognosis

Introduction

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a highly heterogeneous cancer. The molecular and cellular characteristics differ between the colon and rectal cancer type due to the differences in their anatomical location and pathological properties. With the advent of single-cell sequencing, it has become possible to analyze inter- and intra-tumoral tissue heterogeneities.

Methods

A comprehensive CRC immune atlas, comprising 62,398 immune cells, was re-structured into 33 immune cell clusters at the single-cell level. Further, the immune cell lineage heterogeneity of colon, rectal, and paracancerous tissues was explored. Simultaneously, we characterized the TAM phenotypes and analyzed the transcriptomic factor regulatory network of each macrophage subset using SCENIC. In addition, monocle2 was used to elucidate the B cell developmental trajectory. The crosstalk between immune cells was explored using CellChat and the patterns of incoming and outgoing signals within the overall immune cell population were identified. Afterwards, the bulk RNA-sequencing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were combined and the relative infiltration abundance of the identified subpopulations was analyzed using CIBERSORT. Moreover, cell composition patterns could be classified into five tumor microenvironment (TME) subtypes by employing a consistent non-negative matrix algorithm. Finally, the co-expression and interaction between SPP1+TAMs and Treg cells in the tumor microenvironment were analyzed by multiplex immunohistochemistry.

Results

In the T cell lineage, we found that CXCL13+T cells were more widely distributed in colorectal cancer tissues, and the proportion of infiltration was increased. In addition, Th17 was found accounted for the highest proportion in CD39+CD101+PD1+T cells. Mover, Ma1-SPP1 showed the characteristics of M2 phenotypes and displayed an increased proportion in tumor tissues, which may promote angiogenesis. Plasma cells (PCs) displayed a significantly heterogeneous distribution in tumor as well as normal tissues. Specifically, the IgA+ PC population could be shown to be decreased in colorectal tumor tissues whereas the IgG+ PC one was enriched. In addition, information flow mediated by SPP1 and CD44, regulate signaling pathways of tumor progression. Among the five TME subtypes, the TME-1 subtype displayed a markedly reduced proportion of T-cell infiltration with the highest proportion of macrophages which was correlated to the worst prognosis. Finally, the co-expression and interaction between SPP1+TAMs and Treg cells were observed in the CD44 enriched region.

Discussion

The heterogeneity distribution and phenotype of immune cells were analyzed in colon cancer and rectal cancer at the single-cell level. Further, the prognostic role of major tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and TME subtypes in CRC was evaluated by integrating bulk RNA. These findings provide novel insight into the immunotherapy of CRC.

[Efficacy of decitabine in patients with glucocorticoid-resistant primary immune thrombocytopenia: factors influencing treatment responses]

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of decitabine (DAC) and identify factors influencing treatment responses in patients with primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) who had failed glucocorticoid therapy. Methods: Clinical data of 61 patients with glucocorticoid-resistant ITP who received DAC therapy (5 mg·m(-2)·d(-1)×3 d via intravenous infusion) for at least three cycles with 3-4-week intervals at the Department of Hematology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, from November 2015 to June 2021 were analyzed retrospectively. Results: The 61 patients comprised 20 males and 41 females, with a median age of 45 years (range: 15-81 years). Among them, 43 patients were glucocorticoid-dependent (glucocorticoid-dependent group), while 18 patients were glucocorticoid-resistant (glucocorticoid-resistant group). Following DAC treatment, 12 patients (19.67% ) achieved complete response (CR), and 16 patients (26.23% ) exhibited response (R), resulting in an overall response (OR) rate of 45.90% (28/61). Comparison between the OR group (n=28) and the non-response (NR) group (n=33) revealed significant differences in responses to glucocorticoids (dependent or resistant) and platelet counts before treatment (χ(2)=8.789, P=0.003; z=-2.416, P=0.016). The glucocorticoid-dependent group showed higher platelet counts than the glucocorticoid-resistant group after the second and third cycles of DAC treatment (P=0.032, 0.024). Moreover, the OR rates after the first, second, and third cycles of DAC treatment in the glucocorticoid-dependent group were all higher than those in the glucocorticoid-resistant group (P=0.042, P=0.012, P=0.029). A significant correlation was observed between glucocorticoid dependence and responses to DAC treatment (OR=9.213, 95% CI 1.937-43.820, P=0.005) . Conclusion: DAC demonstrates definitive efficacy with mild adverse effects in a subset of patients with glucocorticoid-resistant primary ITP. Glucocorticoid dependence and higher platelet counts before treatment are associated with a favorable response to DAC therapy.

[Clinical management and prognosis for descending necrotizing mediastinitis]

Objective: To investigate the clinical characteristics, treatment experiences and prognostic factors for descending necrotizing mediastinitis (DNM). Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on the data of 22 patients with DNM diagnosed and treated in Henan Provincial People's Hospital from January 2016 to August 2022, including 16 males and 6 females, aged 29-79 years. After admission, all patients underwent CT scanning of the maxillofacial, cervical, and thoracic regions to confirm their diagnoses. Emergency incision and drainage were performed. The neck incision was treated with continuous vacuum sealing drainage. According to the prognoses, the patients were divided into cure group and death group, and the prognostic factors were analyzed. SPSS 25.0 software was used to analyze the clinical data. Rusults: The main complaints were dysphagia (45.5%, 10/22) and dyspnea (50.0%, 11/22). Odontogenic infection accounted for 45.5% (10/22) and oropharyngeal infection accounted for 54.5% (12/22). There were 16 cases in the cured group and 6 cases in the death group, with a total mortality rate of 27.3%. The mortality rates of DNM typeⅠand typeⅡwere respectively 16.7% and 40%. Compared with the cured group, the death group had higher incidences for diabetes, coronary heart disease and septic shock (all P<0.05). There were statistically significant differences between the cure group and the death group in procalcitonin level (50.43 (137.64) ng/ml vs 2.92 (6.33) ng/ml, M(IQR), Z=3.023, P<0.05) and acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ(APACHEⅡ) score (16.10±2.40 vs 6.75±3.19, t=6.524, P<0.05). Conclution: DNM is rare, with high mortality, high incidence of septic shock, and the increased procalcitonin level and APACHE Ⅱ score combined diabetes and coronary heart disease are the poor prognostic factors for DNM. Early incision and drainage combined with continuous vacuum sealing drainage technique is a better way to treat DNM.

[Study on the features of Clostridioides difficile infection among diarrhea patients in Kunming from 2018 to 2020]

Objective: We analyze the characteristics of Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) infection among diarrhea patients in Kunming from 2018 to 2020 and provide evidence for follow-up surveillance and prevention. Methods: A total of 388 fecal samples of diarrhea patients from four sentinel hospitals in Yunnan Province from 2018 to 2020 were collected. Real-time quantitative PCR was used to detect the fecal toxin genes of C. difficile. The positive fecal samples isolated the bacteria, and isolates were identified by mass spectrometry. The genomic DNA of the strains was extracted for multi-locus sequence typing (MLST). The fecal toxin, strain isolation, and clinical patient characteristics, including co-infection with other pathogens, were analyzed. Results: Among the 388 fecal samples, 47 samples with positive reference genes of C. difficile were positive, with a total positive rate of 12.11%. There were 4 (8.51%) non-toxigenic and 43 (91.49%) toxigenic ones. A total of 18 strains C. difficile were isolated from 47 positive specimens, and the isolation rate of positive specimens was 38.30%. Among them, 14 strains were positive for tcdA, tcdB, tcdC, tcdR, and tcdE. All 18 strains of C. difficile were negative for binary toxins. The MLST results showed 10 sequence types (ST), including 5 strains of ST37, accounting for 27.78%; 2 strains of ST129, ST3, ST54, and ST2, respectively; and 1 strain of ST35, ST532, ST48, ST27, and ST39, respectively. Fecal toxin gene positive (tcdB+) results were statistically associated with the patient's age group and with or without fever before the visit; positive isolates were only statistically associated with the patient's age group. In addition, some C. difficile patients have co-infection with other diarrhea-related viruses. Conclusions: The infection of C. difficile in diarrhea patients in Kunming is mostly toxigenic strains, and the high diversity of strains was identified using the MLST method. Therefore, the surveillance and prevention of C. difficile should be strengthened.

Willingness to vaccinate children against COVID-19 declined during the pandemic

OBJECTIVES

To document the level of vaccine hesitancy in caregivers' of children younger than 12 years of age over the course of the pandemic in Pediatric Emergency Departments (ED). Study design Ongoing multicenter, cross-sectional survey of caregivers presenting to 19 pediatric EDs in the USA, Canada, Israel, and Switzerland during first months of the pandemic (phase1), when vaccines were approved for adults (phase2) and most recently when vaccines were approved for children (phase3).

RESULTS

Willingness to vaccinate rate declined over the study period (59.7%, 56.1% and 52.1% in the three phases). Caregivers who are fully vaccinated, who have higher education, and those worried their child had COVID-19 upon arrival to the ED, were more likely to plan to vaccinate in all three phases. Mothers were less likely to vaccinate early in the pandemic, but this hesitancy attenuated in later phases. Older caregivers were more willing to vaccinate, and caregivers of older children were less likely to vaccinate their children in phase 3. During the last phase, willingness to vaccinate was lowest in those who had a primary care provider but did not rely on their advice for medical decisions (34%). Those with no primary care provider and those who do and rely on their medical advice, had similar rates of willingness to vaccinate (55.1% and 52.1%, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is widespread and growing over time, and public health measures should further try to leverage identified factors associated with hesitancy in order to enhance vaccination rates among children.

Development of a removable three-dimensional magnetic probe system for measuring field null on the NanChang Spherical Tokamak

The field null configuration of a poloidal magnetic field is one of the critical conditions for achieving Ohmic breakdown during the initial discharge of a new tokamak. The issue of the Ohmic breakdown on the NanChang Spherical Tokamak (NCST) is still not solved satisfactorily although plasma currents of about 2 kA were found. Hence, a removable three-dimensional magnetic probe (RTMP) system consisting of 25 magnetic probes was designed, calibrated, and constructed on the NCST to evaluate the field null inside a vacuum vessel. After repeated tests, the RTMP system exhibited outstanding performance in terms of accuracy and stability with errors of about 1%. Meanwhile, the RTMP system successfully measured the toroidal field (TF) coil ripples at the magnetic axis. During experiments, the stray field arising from the TF coil implied a strong link between the flexible connection of the TF coil and the Ohmic breakdown on the NCST. After the field null was effectively modified by using a new flexible connection of the TF coil and controlling the induced current in the poloidal field coil, the NCST tokamak reproducibly obtained 20 kA plasma current with the limiter configuration during the plasma current flat-top phase.

Proteomic global proteins analysis in blast lung injury reveals the altered characteristics of crucial proteins in response to oxidative stress, oxidation-reduction process and lipid metabolic process

Background: Blast lung injury (BLI) is the most common fatal blast injury induced by overpressure wave in the events of terrorist attack, gas and underground explosion. Our previous work revealed the characteristics of inflammationrelated key proteins involved in BLI, including those regulating inflammatory response, leukocyte transendothelial migration, phagocytosis, and immune process. However, the molecular characteristics of oxidative-related proteins in BLI ar still lacking. Methods: In this study, protein expression profiling of the blast lungs obtained by tandem mass tag (TMT) spectrometry quantitative proteomics were re-analyzed to identify the characteristics of oxidative-related key proteins. Forty-eight male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into six groups: control, 12 h, 24 h, 48 h, 72 h and 1 w after blast exposure. The differential protein expression was identified by bioinformatics analysis and verified by western blotting. Results: The results demonstrated that thoracic blast exposure induced reactive oxygen species generation and lipid peroxidation in the lungs. Analysis of global proteins and oxidative-related proteomes showed that 62, 59, 73, 69, 27 proteins (accounted for 204 distinct proteins) were identified to be associated with oxidative stress at 12 h, 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, and 1 week after blast exposure, respectively. These 204 distinct proteins were mainly enriched in response to oxidative stress, oxidation-reduction process and lipid metabolic process. We also validated these results by western blotting. Conclusions: These findings provided new perspectives on blast-induced oxidative injury in lung, which may potentially benefit the development of future treatment of BLI.

The Anti-inflammatory Effect of Chitosan Oligosaccharide on Heart Failure in Mice

Heart failure is currently one of the leading causes of death worldwide, and the inflammatory factors play an important role in its development. Chitosan oligosaccharide (COS), a low-molecular-weight form of chitosan, has many specific biological activities. In this study, COS effects on heart failure were studied for the first time by performing transverse arch constriction (TAC) surgery in mice, as an animal model of heart failure. Our findings revealed that COS administration (in both 40 mg/kg and 80 mg/kg doses) significantly ameliorated TCA-induced left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy as well as the increase in lung and heart weight in mice, while improving TAC-induced LV dysfunction. Both doses effectively attenuated LV cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, while decreasing heart inflammation after heart failure in mice. In conclusion, our results indicated that the supplementation of COS in normal diet might be an effective way to prevent further myocardial tissue damage in patients suffering from heart failure.

Optimal reduction and conversion of range-difference measurements for positioning

For positioning an object with m references, there are m−1 linearly independent range differences and measuring them is essential. However, none of m(m−1) possible range differences should be considered redundant unless their measurements are free of noise and locations of the references are exactly known. From all available range-difference measurements, m range measurements are obtained for positioning based on the least squares principle. The problem formulation treats missing and weighted range-difference measurements simultaneously. The exact relationships among several formulations of least squares positioning are established. A numerical example illustrates the results.

Application of adipose mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes-loaded β-chitin nanofiber hydrogel for wound healing

INTRODUCTION

Clarifying the role and mechanism of exosome gel in wound repair can provide a new effective strategy for wound treatment.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The cellular responses of adipose mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes (AMSC-exos) and the wound healing ability of AMSC-exos-loaded β-chitin nanofiber (β-ChNF) hydrogel were studied in vitro in mouse fibroblasts cells (L929) and in vivo in rat skin injury model. The transcriptome and proteome of rat skin were studied with the use of sequenator and LC-MS/MS, respectively.

RESULTS

80 and 160 μg/mL AMSC-exos could promote the proliferation and migration of mouse fibroblasts cells. Furthermore, AMSC-exos-loaded β-ChNF hydrogel resulted in a significant acceleration rate of wound closure, notably acceleration of re-epithelialization, and increased collagen expression based on the rat full-thickness skin injury model. The transcriptomics and proteomics studies revealed the changes of the expression of 18 genes, 516 transcripts and 250 proteins. The metabolic pathways, tight junction, NF-κB signaling pathways were enriched in Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) Pathway. Complement factor D (CFD) and downstream Aldolase A (Aldoa) and Actn2 proteins in rats treated with AMSC-exos-loaded β-ChNF hydrogel were noticed and further confirmed by ELISA and Western blot.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggested that AMSC-exos-loaded β-ChNF hydrogel could promote wound healing with the mechanism which is related to the effect of AMSC-exos on CFD and downstream proteins.

CircRIP2 aggravates the deterioration of colorectal carcinoma by negatively regulating CBFB

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to detect expression pattern and clinical significance of circRIP2 in colorectal carcinoma (CRC). In the meantime, the regulatory effect of circRIP2 on CRC cell functions is clarified.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Relative levels of circRIP2 in 45 cases of CRC tissues and paracancerous tissues were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Its clinical significance in predicting pathological manifestations of CRC was analyzed. In vitro regulation of circRIP2 on proliferative and migratory abilities of Sw620 and HCT-116 cells was assessed by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), 5-Ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) and transwell assay, respectively. Dual-Luciferase reporter assay and rescue experiments were conducted to reveal the interaction between circRIP2 and its target gene CBFB, as well as their co-regulation on CRC cell functions. At last, in vivo regulation of circRIP2 on CRC growth in nude mice implanted with HCT-116 cells was explored.

RESULTS

CircRIP2 was upregulated in these samples of CRC tissues and cell lines. High level of circRIP2 predicted advanced staging, and high risk of distant metastasis of CRC. In vitro knockdown of circRIP2 weakened proliferative and migratory abilities in Sw620 and HCT-116 cells. CBFB was downregulated in CRC tissues, which was negatively regulated by circRIP2 as its target gene. The attenuated proliferative and migratory abilities in Sw620 and HCT-116 cells with circRIP2 knockdown were abolished by co-silence of circRIP2 and CBFB. Moreover, in vivo knockdown of circRIP2 slowed down CRC growth in nude mice, and upregulated positive expression of CBFB in xenografted CRC tissues.

CONCLUSIONS

CircRIP2 is a potential indicator for predicting tumor staging and distant metastasis of CRC. It aggravates the deterioration of CRC through negatively regulating CBFB.

Locally fitting hyperplanes to high-dimensional data

Problems such as data compression, pattern recognition and artificial intelligence often deal with a large data sample as observations of an unknown object. An effective method is proposed to fit hyperplanes to data points in each hypercubic subregion of the original data sample. Corresponding to a set of affine linear manifolds, the locally fitted hyperplanes optimally approximate the object in the sense of least squares of their perpendicular distances to the sample points. Its effectiveness and versatility are illustrated through approximation of nonlinear manifolds Möbius strip and Swiss roll, handwritten digit recognition, dimensionality reduction in a cosmological application, inter/extrapolation for a social and economic data set, and prediction of recidivism of criminal defendants. Based on two essential concepts of hyperplane fitting and spatial data segmentation, this general method for unsupervised learning is rigorously derived. The proposed method requires no assumptions on the underlying object and its data sample. Also, it has only two parameters, namely the size of segmenting hypercubes and the number of fitted hyperplanes for user to choose. These make the proposed method considerably accessible when applied to solving various problems in real applications.

Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell-loaded β-chitin nanofiber hydrogel promote wound healing in rats

Because of stem cells are limited by the low efficiency of their cell homing and survival in vivo, cell delivery systems and scaffolds have attracted a great deal of attention for stem cells' successful clinical practice. β-chitin nanofibers (β-ChNF) were prepared from squid pens in this study. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy proved that β-ChNFs with the diameter of 5 to 10 nm were prepared. β-ChNF dispersion became gelled upon the addition of cell culture medium. Cell culture experiments showed that β-ChNFs exhibited negligible cytotoxicity towards ADSCs and L929 cells, and it was found that more exosomes were secreted by the globular ADSCs grown in the β-ChNF hydrogel. The vivo experiments of rats showed that the ADSCs-loaded β-ChNF hydrogel could directly cover the wound surface and significantly accelerate the wound healing and promote the generation of epithelization, granulation tissue and collagen. In addition, the ADSCs-loaded β-ChNF hydrogel clearly regulated the expressions of VEGFR, α-SMA, collagen I and collagen III. Finally, we showed that ADSCs-loaded β-ChNF hydrogel activated the TGFβ/smad signaling. The neutralization of TGFβ markedly reduced Smad phosphorylation and the expressions of TIMP1, VEGFR and α-SMA. Taken together, these findings suggest that ADSCs-loaded β-ChNF hydrogel promises for treating wounds that are challenge to heal via conventional methods. Graphical abstract.

Solute carrier family 12 member 8 (SLC12A8) is a potential biomarker and related to tumor immune cell infiltration in bladder cancer

The solute carrier family has been reported to play critical roles in the progression of several cancers; however, the relationship between solute carrier family 12 member 8 (SLC12A8) and bladder cancer (BC) has not been clearly confirmed. This study explores the prognostic value of SLC12A8 for BC and its correlation with immune cell infiltration. We found that the expression of SLC12A8 mRNA was significantly overexpressed in BC tissues compared with noncancerous tissues in multiple public databases, and the result was validated using real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry (IHC). The Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate the prognostic value of SLC12A8 for BC. The high expression of SLC12A8 led to a shorter overall survival time and was an unfavorable prognostic biomarker for BC. The mechanisms of SLC12A8 promoting tumorigenesis were investigated by Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA). Moreover, the correlations of SLC12A8 expression with the tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TICs) in BC were explored using TIMER 2.0 and CIBERSORT. SLC12A8 was associated with CD4+ T cells, dendritic cells, neutrophils, and macrophages infiltration. The expression of SLC12A8 was positively correlated with crucial immune checkpoint molecules. In conclusion, SLC12A8 might be an unfavorable prognostic biomarker in BC related to tumor immune cell infiltration.

The function of floral traits and phenotypic selection in Aconitum gymnandrum (Ranunculaceae)

Floral evolution in angiosperms is thought to be driven by pollinator-mediated selection. Understanding flower integration and adaptation requires resolving the additive and nonadditive contributions of floral pollinator attraction and pollination efficiency traits to fitness components. In this study, a flower manipulation experiment with a factorial design was used to study the adaptive significance of galea height (a putative attraction trait) and entrance width (a putative efficiency trait) in Aconitum gymnandrum Maxim. flowers. Simultaneously, phenotypic selection analysis was conducted to examine selection by pollinators on galea height, entrance width, nectar production and plant height. Increased galea height increased the pollinator visitation rate, which confirmed its attractiveness function. Increasing floral entrance width by spreading the lower sepals increased the seed number per fruit without affecting pollinator visitation. This suggests a pollination efficiency role for the entrance width. The phenotypic selection analysis, however, did not provide evidence of pollinator-mediated selection for either of these traist, but it did for plant height. According to the manipulation treatment and correlational selection results, the combined variation in galea height and entrance width of A. gymnandrum flowers did not have nonadditive effects on female reproductive success. This study demonstrated the adaptive value of A. gymnandrum flowers through manipulation of an attractiveness trait and an efficiency trait. However, neither trait was associated with pollinator-mediated selection. A combination of manipulating traits and determining current phenotypic selection could help to elucidate the mechanism of selection on floral traits involved in different functions and flower integration.

Tandem Mass Tag-Based Quantitative Proteomic Analysis Reveals Pathways Involved in Brain Injury Induced by Chest Exposure to Shock Waves

Recurrent chest blast exposure can lead to brain inflammation, oxidative stress, and mental disorders in soldiers. However, the mechanism that underlies brain injury caused indirectly by chest blasts remains unclear. It is urgent to find additional reliable biomarkers to reveal the intimate details of the pathogenesis of this phenomenon. We used the term tandem mass tag (TMT) labeling combined with liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to screen for differentially expressed proteins in rat brain at different time points after a chest blast. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with the identifier PXD025204. Gene Ontology (GO), the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), the Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID), and Cytoscape analyses were used to analyze the proteomic profiles of blast-exposed rats. In addition, we performed Western blotting to verify protein levels. We identified 6,931 proteins, of which 255 were differentially expressed and 43, 84, 52, 97, and 49 were identified in brain tissues at 12, 24, 48, and 72 h and 1 week after chest blast exposure, respectively. In this study, the GO, KEGG, Clusters of Orthologous Groups of proteins, and Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes/Proteins (STRING) analyses indicated that brain damage caused by chest blast exposure involved many important biological processes and signaling pathways, such as inflammation, cell adhesion, phagocytosis, neuronal and synaptic damage, oxidative stress, and apoptosis. Furthermore, Western blotting confirmed that these differentially expressed proteins and affected signaling pathways were associated with brain damage caused by chest blast exposure. This study identifies potential protein biomarkers of brain damage caused indirectly by chest blast and new targets for the treatment of this condition.

Assessments of bilateral asymmetry with application in human skull analysis

As a common feature, bilateral symmetry of biological forms is ubiquitous, but in fact rarely exact. In a setting of analytic geometry, bilateral symmetry is defined with respect to a point, line or plane, and the well-known notions of fluctuating asymmetry, directional asymmetry and antisymmetry are recast. A meticulous scheme for asymmetry assessments is proposed and explicit solutions to them are derived. An investigation into observational errors of points representing the geometric structure of an object offers a baseline reference for asymmetry assessment of the object. The proposed assessments are applicable to individual, part or all point pairs at both individual and collective levels. The exact relationship between the developed treatments and the widely used Procrustes method in asymmetry assessment is examined. An application of the proposed assessments to a large collection of human skull data in the form of 3D landmark coordinates finds: (a) asymmetry of most skulls is not fluctuating, but directional if measured about a plane fitted to shared landmarks or side landmarks for balancing; (b) asymmetry becomes completely fluctuating if one side of a skull could be slightly rotated and translated with respect to the other side; (c) female skulls are more asymmetric than male skulls. The methodology developed in this study is rigorous and transparent, and lays an analytical base for investigation of structural symmetries and asymmetries in a wide range of biological and medical applications.

Resveratrol ameliorates thoracic blast exposure-induced inflammation, endoplasmic reticulum stress and apoptosis in the brain through the Nrf2/Keap1 and NF-κB signaling pathway

Blast injuries include the various types of internal and external trauma caused by the impact force of high-speed blast waves with multiple mechanisms involved. Thoracic blast exposure could induce neurotrauma as well, but effective therapies are lacking. Resveratrol is a polyphenol flavonoid secreted by plants and has been shown to provide cardiovascular protection and play anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidation and anti-cancer roles. However, the effects of resveratrol on thoracic blast exposure-induced brain injury have not been investigated. To explore this, a mouse model of thoracic blast exposure-induced brain injury was established. Sixty C57BL/6 wild type mice were randomly divided equally into four groups (one control group, one model group, and model groups with 25 or 50 mg/kg resveratrol injected intraperitoneally). As traumatic brain injury often accompanied by mental symptoms, cognitive dysfunction and anxious behavior were evaluated by Y maze, elevated plus maze and open field test. We also examined the mice for histopathological changes by hematoxylin-eosin staining; the expressions of inflammatory-related factors by ELISA; endoplasmic reticulum stress in brain tissue via the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the expressions of inositol-requiring enzyme-α (IRE-α) and C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP); apoptosis by measuring levels of Bax, p53 and Bcl-2. In addition, proteins of related pathways were also studied by western blotting. We found that resveratrol significantly reduced the levels of inflammatory-related factors, including interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-4, and high mobility group box protein 1(HMGB1), and increased the level of anti-inflammatory-related factor, IL-10, under thoracic blast exposure (P < 0.05). Cognitive dysfunction and anxious behavior were also ameliorated by resveratrol. In brain tissue, resveratrol significantly attenuated thoracic blast exposure-induced generation of ROS and expressions of IRE-α and CHOP, lowered the expressions of Bax and p53, and maintained Bcl-2 expression (P < 0.05). Additionally, resveratrol significantly ameliorated thoracic blast exposure-induced increases of Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1) and nuclear factor (NF)-κB and the decrease in nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2(Nrf2) expression in the brain (P < 0.05). Our results indicate that resveratrol has a protective effect on thoracic blast exposure-induced brain injury that is likely mediated through the Nrf2/Keap1 and NF-κB signaling pathways.

Melatonin pretreatment alleviates blast-induced oxidative stress in the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis by activating the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway

Although melatonin has been demonstrated to exert a potent antioxidant effect, the ability of melatonin to alleviate blast-induced oxidative stress in the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis remains unclear. This study aimed to elucidate the effects and underlying mechanism of melatonin pretreatment on the HPG axis disrupted by blast injury. Sixty C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into control, blast, and blast + melatonin groups for behavioral experiments. The elevated maze experiment, open field experiment, and Morris Water Maze experiment were carried out on the 7th, 14th and 28th day after the blast injury. Fifty Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into control, blast, blast + melatonin, and blast + melatonin + luzindole groups for hormone assays and molecular and pathological experiments. Blood samples were used for HPG axis hormone detection and ELISA assays, and tissue samples were used to detect oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, and stress-related protein levels. The results showed that melatonin pretreatment alleviated blast-induced behavioral abnormalities in mice and maintained the HPG axis hormone homeostasis in rats. Additionally, melatonin significantly reduced MDA5 expression and increased the expression of Nrf2/HO-1. Moreover, melatonin significantly inhibited NF-κB expression and upregulated IL-10 expression, and it reversed the blast-induced high expression of caspase-3 and Bax and the low expression of Bcl-2. Furthermore, luzindole counteracted melatonin inhibition of NF-κB and upregulated Nrf2/HO-1. Melatonin significantly alleviated blast-induced HPG axis hormone dyshomeostasis, behavioral abnormalities, oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis, which may be achieved by upregulating the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway. Our study suggested that melatonin pretreatment is a potential treatment for blast-induced HPG axis hormonal and behavioral abnormalities.

[A physician-patient survey for primary immune thrombocytopenia: Chinese subgroup analysis of I-WISh International Survey]

Objective: To explore the impact of primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) on patient's quality of life and emotional well-being, and both the physician and the patient's perception of the treatment. Methods: This study was a Chinese Subgroup analysis of I-WISh survey, including 102 physicians and 286 ITP patients invited to complete the survey. A descriptive analysis of the results of the physician-patient survey was conducted in three parts: symptoms, impact of ITP on quality of life and emotion, and treatment perception. Results: Fatigue and anxiety about unstable platelet counts were the main symptoms after treatment. Physicians reported inadequate frequency of anxiety and fatigue. In terms of quality of life, over 90.0% of patients thought that ITP had a negative impact on their working life/studies, daily tasks, energy, capacity to exercise, and sexual life. With regard to emotion, 60.8% (174/286) patients thought that ITP had a greater impact on overall emotion, concerns about the fluctuation in platelet level (74.8%, 214/286) , disease itself (71.7%, 205/286) and disease progression (68.9%, 197/286) were the common issues, which were similar to the physicians' evaluations. Both physicians and patients agreed that reducing spontaneous bleeding, maintaining a healthy blood count and improving quality of life were the top three important treatment goals. Physicians considered reducing bleeding risk as the most important factor for decision making. Physicians believed that patients receiving glucocorticoid (54.9%, 56/102) were most likely to succeed in achieving sustained response while patients had the best response to thrombopoietin receptor agonist (TPO-RA) treatment, with about 83.9% (240/286) being satisfied with the overall effectiveness of TPO-RA. Conclusions: Physicians in the I-WISh Chinese subgroup had low awareness on patients' fatigue and anxiety. The quality of life and emotion of patients were significantly negatively affected by ITP. There are differences in the selection of treatments between physicians and patients, suggesting that physicians should raise concerns about the quality of life of ITP patients and make individualized treatment options through physician-patient shared decisions.

circSnx12 Is Involved in Ferroptosis During Heart Failure by Targeting miR-224-5p

Circular RNA (circRNA) is a subclass of non-coding RNAs that enables the circular transcripts resistant to the exonuclease digestion. Iron homeostasis is essential for the body to maintain normal physiological functions. At present, the relationship among circRNA, iron metabolism and heart failure remains largely unknown. This study aimed to explore the regulatory mechanism of circRNA and iron metabolism in heart failure. We obtained circRNA, miRNA and mRNA data from public databases and built a ceRNA network. The prediction results were verified in the myocardial tissues of pressure overload-induced heart failure mice through the use of histopathological staining methods, iron and malondialdehyde (MDA) measurement tests, quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), Western blot analysis and luciferase reporter assay. A total of 4 genes related to iron metabolism and oxidative stress were identified, and a ceRNA network involving 7 circRNAs, 7 miRNAs, and 4 mRNAs was constructed using bioinformatics tools. The results of qRT-PCR and Western blot analyses indicated that the expression level of FTH1 was similar with that predicted by bioinformatics analysis. Echocardiographic measurement showed that heart failure mice have lower fractional shortening and ejection fraction. Moreover, the myocardium of heart failure mice displayed obvious fibrosis as well as increased levels of iron and MDA compared to control mice. Besides, circSnx12 could act as an endogenous sponge to bind with miR-224-5p, and the 3'UTR region of FTH1 also had miRNA binding sites. A circRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory network was successfully constructed by identifying differentially expressed genes related to iron metabolism. This new approach reveals potential circRNA targets for the treatment of heart failure.

[Efficacy and safety of generic azacitidine in Chinese patients with higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes: a multicenter, prospective, single-arm study]

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics of the generic azacitidine in Chinese patients with higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes(MDS). Methods: Between October 2013 and 2016, 72 patients were eligible for enrollment at 9 sites from China received generic subcutaneous azacitidine 75 mg·m(-2)·d(-1) for 7 days per 28-day cycle, for ≥6 cycles. Pharmacokinetic blood samples were collected on day 1 of a single-dose. Results: For each patient at cycle 6 or at the time of study discontinuation, whichever came first, the overall response rate, which included complete remission (CR)and partial remission(PR), was 6.9%(5/72), the rate of patients who had the best effect with CR or PR during the treatment was 12.5%(9/72). Patients who were dependent on red-blood-cell transfusions and platelet transfusions at baseline became transfusion independent were 46.3%(19/41)and 41.2% (7/17), respectively. The median time of treatment was 6 cycles, and the median OS was 16.1 months (95%CI 10.9-20.6 months). For 36 patients(50%)received treatment at ≥6 cycles, and the median OS was 22.3 months(95%CI 16.1- not evaluative). Most common grade Ⅲ-Ⅳ hematologic treatment-emergent adverse events were neutropenia(55%), leukopenia(47%), and thrombocytopenia(61%). Pharmacokinetic profiles were similar for generic and original azacitidine in Chinese patients. Conclusion: Generic azacitidine treatment was favorable and safe and can be used as a standard treatment for patients with higher-risk MDS.

Immunorelated gene polymorphisms associated with acute myeloid leukemia

Although the pathogenesis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is still unknown, accumulating evidence has revealed that immune response plays a vital part in the pathogenesis. Here, we investigated the involvement of 21 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of immunorelated genes, including cytokines [interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, IL-9, IL-12A, IL-22, interferon (IFN-α) and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1], transcriptional regulatory genes (TBX21, STAT1, STAT3, STAT5B, STAT6, GATA3, FOXP3 and IRF4) and others (IL2RA, IL6R, NFKBIA) in 269 AML in-patients and 200 healthy controls. Furthermore, we analyzed the relationship between the SNPs and clinical characteristics. Immunorelated SNP genotyping was performed on the Sequenom MassARRAY iPLEX platform. All the SNPs in healthy controls were consistent with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. All final P-values were adjusted by Bonferroni multiple testing. Our results showed that IL-22 (rs2227491) was significantly associated with the white blood cell (WBC) counts. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 5B (STAT-5B) (rs6503691) showed a close relationship with the recurrent genetic abnormalities in patients with AML. We verified the negatively independent effect of age and risk of cytogenetics on overall survival (OS). More importantly, the GG genotype of IL-12A (rs6887695) showed a negative impact on AML prognosis independently. Furthermore, the relative expression of IL-12 was decreased in GG genotype, no matter under a co-dominant or recessive model. However, no correlation was observed between the SNPs mentioned above and disease susceptibility, risk stratification and survival. Our findings suggest that immunorelated gene polymorphisms are associated with prognosis in AML, which may perform as novel inspection targets for AML patients.

Quantitative analysis of the global proteome in lung from mice with blast injury

AIM OF THE STUDY

The mechanism by which primary shock wave causes lung injury is unclear. The aim of this study is to find the changes of protein that can be helpful in understanding blast-induced lung injury.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A quantitative analysis of their global proteome was conducted in lung from mice with blast injury using LC-MS/MS. Protein annotation, unsupervised hierarchical clustering, functional classification, functional enrichment and cluster, and protein-protein interaction analyses were performed. Furthermore, western blotting was used to validate the changed protein levels.

RESULTS

A total of 6498 proteins were identified, of which 5520 proteins were quantified. The fold-change cutoff was set at 1.2; 132 proteins were upregulated, and 104 proteins were downregulated. The bioinformatics analysis indicated that the differentially expressed proteins were involved in the cholesterol metabolism, asthma, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Remarkably, the processes related to the change of oxidative phosphorylation including the NADH dehydrogenase, Cytochrome C reductase, Cytochrome C oxidase and F-type ATPase were significantly upregulated, which were further verified by western blotting.

CONCLUSION

These results confirmed that the oxidative phosphorylation is critical to blast-induced lung injury. LC/MS-based profiling presented candidate target/pathways that could be explored for future therapeutic development.

[Effect and mechanism of low-dose chidamide on the treatment of primary immune thrombocytopenia]

目的

探讨低剂量（0.1 mg/kg）西达本胺治疗原发免疫性血小板减少症（ITP）的作用及机制。

方法

①应用C57BL/6J小鼠建立ITP被动模型，灌胃给予0、0.01、0.1、0.5、5.0 mg/kg西达本胺，观察治疗前后ITP小鼠模型外周血血小板计数。②应用C57BL/6J小鼠建立ITP主动模型，灌胃给予0.1 mg/kg西达本胺，观察治疗前后ITP小鼠模型外周血血小板计数；4周后处死小鼠，流式细胞术检测脾细胞中CD4⁺CD25⁺Foxp3⁺自然调节性T细胞（nTreg）比例并应用ELISA方法检测小鼠外周血IL-6水平。③分离ITP患者外周血单个核细胞，与低剂量西达本胺共培养72 h后检测nTreg细胞比例；免疫磁珠法分离CD4⁺CD25⁺调节性T细胞（Treg细胞）以及CD4⁺CD25⁻效应T细胞，将二者以1∶4比例混合共培养，加入低剂量西达本胺干预，检测Treg细胞对效应T细胞增殖的抑制作用。

结果

①低剂量西达本胺可明显提高ITP被动模型鼠外周血血小板水平。②低剂量西达本胺可显著提高ITP动物模型外周血血小板水平，降低出血相关死亡率。③低剂量西达本胺可显著提高ITP动物模型脾细胞中nTreg比例、降低血清IL-6水平。④低剂量西达本胺可显著提高ITP患者外周血单个核细胞培养体系中nTreg细胞比例、增强Treg细胞对效应T细胞增殖的抑制作用。

结论

低剂量西达本胺可促进nTreg生成、增强Treg细胞的免疫抑制功能、降低IL-6水平，促进免疫耐受，对ITP有较好的治疗作用。

Systolic overload-induced pulmonary inflammation, fibrosis, oxidative stress and heart failure progression through interleukin-1β

Chronic heart failure is associated with increased interleukin-1β (IL-1β), leukocyte infiltration, and fibrosis in the heart and lungs. Here we further studied the role of IL-1β in the transition from left heart failure to pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular hypertrophy in mice with existing left heart failure produced by transverse aortic constriction. We demonstrated that transverse aortic constriction-induced heart failure was associated with increased lung inflammation and cleaved IL-1β, and inhibition of IL-1β signaling using blocking antibodies of clone B122 effectively attenuated further decrease of left ventricular systolic function in mice with existing heart failure. We found that inhibition of IL-1β attenuated lung inflammation, inflammasome activation, fibrosis, oxidative stress, and right ventricular hypertrophy. IL-1β blocking antibodies of clone B122 also significantly attenuated lung T cell activation. Together, these data indicate that IL-1β signaling exerts a causal role for heart failure progression, or the transition from left heart failure to lung remodeling and right heart hypertrophy.

Study of injectable Blueberry anthocyanins-loaded hydrogel for promoting full-thickness wound healing

Injectable hydrogels with high anti-inflammatory and wound-healing properties are highly desirable for clinical application. In the present study, injectable hydrogels were prepared based on carboxymethyl chitosan and oxidized hyaluronic acid. Blueberry anthocyanins (BA), which are known for their antioxidant and antiinflammatory properties, were successfully loaded into the hydrogels. The gelation kinetics and mechanical properties of the hydrogels were investigated. Oxidized hyaluronic acid with an oxidation degree of 38.1% conferred a suitable gelation time (~70 s) and mechanical properties (76.0 kPa compression stress at strain of 80%) of the hydrogel. The injectable BA-loaded hydrogel significantly accelerated the wound healing process in a full-thickness skin wound model in rats, promoted epithelial and tissue regeneration, exerted antiinflammatory effects, and promoted collagen deposition and angiogenesis. Besides, the hydrogel could upregulate the expression of VEGF and IL-10 proteins, downregulate the NF-κB level, and promote macrophage transformation from M1 phenotype to M2. The promotion of the BA-loaded hydrogel on wound healing were mainly realized by its biological effects, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, and regulation of various wound healing related factors. The results suggested that BA and the hydrogels exert synergistic effects in promoting wound healing. Injectable BA-loaded hydrogels appear to be promising candidates for wound healing application.

[Clinicopathological and molecular features of pulmonary enteric adenocarcinoma]

Objective: To investigate the clinicopathological and molecular characteristics of pulmonary enteric adenocarcinoma (PEAC). Methods: The clinical and pathological data of 19 cases of PEAC in the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University were retrospectively collected from 2015 to 2019. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to detect the relevant immunophenotypes, amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) were used to detect the expression of EGFR, KRAS and ALK genes. The patients were followed up, and the relevant literature was reviewed and analyzed. Results: There were 19 cases, including 10 males and 9 females, with a mean age of 58 years (range 33-71 years). Microscopically, the tumors showed moderately to highly differentiated adenoid and/or papillary growth patterns. The tumor cells were highly columnar and sometimes showed pseudostratification. Inflammatory necrosis and scattered nuclear fragmentation were seen in some glandular lumens. IHC showed variable expression of CK7 (19/19), TTF1 (8/19), Napsin A (6/19), villin (17/19), CK20 (16/19) and CDX2 (10/19). Molecular testing showed KRAS mutation in nine cases (9/19), EGFR mutation in one case (1/19), and positive ALK split signal in one case (1/19). In the literature, the reported mutation rate of KRAS in PEAC was much higher than that of EGFR and ALK. All 19 cases underwent surgical resection and 11 cases were subjected to chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Conclusions: PEAC is a rare variant of invasive pulmonary adenocarcinoma, and has similar histological and cytological features to that of colorectal adenocarcinoma. However, detailed medical history, histologic heterogeneity, an IHC combination of CK7(+)/villin(+) and high KRAS mutation rate are the key points of diagnosis. The prognosis needs long-term follow-up and big data statistics.

Tanshinone IIA alleviates blast-induced inflammation, oxidative stress and apoptosis in mice partly by inhibiting the PI3K/Akt/FoxO1 signaling pathway

Although Tanshinone IIA (Tan IIA) has been associated with inflammation, oxidative stress and apoptosis, the effects of Tan IIA on lung blast injury remain uncertain. In this study, we explored the effects of Tan IIA on lung blast injury, studied its possible molecular mechanisms. Fifty C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into the control, blast, blast + Tan IIA, blast + LY294002 (a PI3K inhibitor), or blast + Tan IIA + LY294002 groups. Serum and lung samples were collected 48 h after blast injury. The data showed that Tan IIA significantly inhibited blast-induced increases in the lung weight/body weight and wet/dry (W/D) weight ratios, decreased the CD44^-and CD163-positive inflammatory cell infiltration in the lungs, reduced the IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-6 expression, and enhanced IL-10 expression. Tan IIA also significantly alleviated the increases in MDA5 and IRE-a and the decrease in SOD-1 and reversed the low Bcl-2 expression and the high Bax and Caspase-3 expressions. Additionally, Tan IIA significantly decreased p-PI3K and p-Akt expression and increased p-FoxO1 expression. More importantly, both LY294002 and Tan IIA pretreatment markedly protected against blast-induced inflammation, oxidative stress and apoptosis in lung blast injury. These results suggest that Tan IIA protects against lung blast injury, which may be partly mediated by inhibiting the PI3K/Akt/FoxO1 signaling pathway.

[Proportion and role of CD45+ erythroid progenitor cells in patients with tongue cancer metastasis]

Objective: To investigate the proportion and role of CD45+ erythroid progenitor cells (EPC) in patients with tongue cancer metastasis. Methods: The initial treatment of tongue cancer patients (n=40) from January 2017 to June 2018 in He'nan Provincial People's Hospital was included in this study. According to the presence or absence of lymph node metastasis, they were divided into tumor group (no lymph node metastasis was found in imaging and pathology) and metastasis group (both imaging and pathology confirmed lymph node metastasis). The expression of Ki-67 was detected by immunohistochemistry and the proportion of CD45+CD71+TER119+EPC was detected by flow cytometry. EPC was sorted by flow cytometry, interleukin-10 (IL-10) and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and reactive oxygen species (ROS) was detected by flow cytometry. Transwell was used for tumor invasion test; methyl thiazolyltetrazolium (MTT) assay was used to detect proliferation level. Results: There were 20 cases in the tumor group and metastasis group. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of age, sex, time of onset and size of tumors. Flow cytometry showed that the ratio of CD45+EPC in peripheral blood of tumor group and metastasis group was (1.2±0.2)% and (3.1±0.2)% (t=7.823, P<0.001). Correlation analysis showed that the ratio of CD45+EPC was positively correlated with the proliferation index of Ki-67 cells (r=0.592, P=0.006). The results of flow cytometry showed that the mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of ROS in EPC was 102.1±22.9 in tumor group and 530.0±67.2 in metastasis group (t=6.025,P<0.001). The results of ELISA showed that the mass concentrations of IL-10 and TGF-β in EPC supernatant of tumor group were (10.8±1.6) and (3.2±0.8) μg/L, respectively. The mass concentrations of IL-10 and TGF-beta in EPC supernatant of metastasis group were (26.9±3.7) and (6.4±0.9) μg/L, respectively (t=3.956, P=0.003; t=2.595, P=0.027). Transwell results showed that the proportion of invasive cells in the CD45+EPC group [(40.3±4.4)%] was higher than that in the control group [(17.5±2.2)%] (t=4.607, P=0.001). MTT proliferation experiment showed that the proliferation rate of the CD45+EPC group [(52.0±3.3)%] was higher than that of the control group [(30.5±1.9)%] (t=5.656, P<0.001). Conclusions: The proportion of CD45+EPC in patients with tongue cancer metastasis is significantly increased. CD45+EPC can promote the proliferation and metastasis of tongue cancer by secreting immunosuppressive molecules and ROS.

Isolevuglandin scavenger attenuates pressure overload-induced cardiac oxidative stress, cardiac hypertrophy, heart failure and lung remodeling

Increased levels of reactive isolevuglandins (IsoLGs) are associated with vascular inflammation and hypertension, two important factors affect heart failure (HF) development. The role of IsoLGs in HF development is unknown. Here we studied the role of IsoLG scavenger 2-hydroxybenzylamine (2-HOBA) in transverse aortic constriction (TAC) induced heart failure. We observed that TAC caused a significant increase of IsoLG protein adducts in cardiac and lung tissues in mice. Both IsoLG scavenger 2-hydroxybenzylamine (2-HOBA) and its less reactive isomer 4-hydroxybenzylamine (4-HOBA) significantly attenuated the left ventricular (LV) and lung IsoLGs in mice after TAC. 2-HOBA and 4-HOBA attenuated TAC-induced LV hypertrophy, heart failure, and the increase of lung weight in mice, and also improved TAC-induced LV dysfunction. Moreover, both 2-HOBA and 4-HOBA effectively attenuated LV cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, lung inflammation, lung fibrosis. These findings suggest that methods to reduce IsoLGs may be useful for HF therapy.

HMGA2 Modulates the TGFβ/Smad, TGFβ/ERK and Notch Signaling Pathways in Human Lens Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Multiple signaling pathways coordinately promote epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in lens epithelial cells (LECs), where transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ)-mediated signaling plays a central role. But the mechanism of crosstalk among these pathways remains obscure. The objective of this study is to investigate the regulatory effect of the high mobility group protein A2 (HMGA2) on the signaling pathways in lens fibrosis.

METHODS

The human anterior capsulorhexis specimens were collected. The human SRA01/04 LEC line was cultured and treated with recombinant human TGFβ2 (5ng/ml). For inhibition of signaling pathways, a selective inhibitor SB431542, U0126 or DAPT was added to LECs respectively. The specific small interfering RNA (siRNA) were transfected to LECs for gene silence. The mRNAs expressions were measured by realtime PCR and the proteins expressions were determined by western blot and immunofluorescent staining.

RESULTS

HMGA2 and EMT markers α-smooth muscle actin (SMA), fibronectin (FN) and collagen type I (Col I) were overexpressed in human ASC specimens and TGFβ2 stimulated EMT in LECs. While blockage of EMT by a selective inhibitor of TGFβ/Smad, TGFβ/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) or Notch signaling pathway could significantly inhibited HMGA2 protein expression. And silence of HMGA2 by siRNA could significantly inhibit TGFβ2 induced expression of EMT markers including FN, Col I, collagen type IV (Col IV), key transcription factors Snail and Slug, and remarkably upregulate the epithelial markers E-cadherin and tight junction protein (ZO-1). In addition, silence of HMGA2 gene could abrogate TGFβ2 induced phosphorylation of Smad2, Smad3 as well as ERK1/2. Blockage of HMGA2 could also inhibit the upregulation of Jagged1, Notch2, and Notch3 induced by TGFβ2.

CONCLUSION

This study indicated that HMGA2 functions as a shared effector in TGFβ2- induced lens fibrosis, modulating the signaling network necessary for EMT in a positive feedback loop.