Effect of Vaginal Microecological Alterations on Female Pelvic Organ Prolapse

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS

The objective was to investigate the correlation between endogenous vaginal microecological alterations and female pelvic organ prolapse (POP).

METHODS

Patients who underwent vaginal hysterectomy were retrospectively analyzed as the POP group (n = 30) and the non-POP group (n = 30). The vaginal microbial metabolites and enzyme levels were tested using the dry chemoenzymatic method. The mRNA and protein expression were tested using real-time quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry. SPSS version 25.0 and GraphPad Prism 8.0 were performed for statistical analysis.

RESULTS

Compared with the non-POP group, the vaginal pH, H2O2 positivity and leukocyte esterase positivity were higher in patients with POP (all p < 0.05). Further analysis showed that patients with pelvic organ prolapse quantification (POP-Q) stage IV had higher rates of vaginal pH, H2O2 positivity and leukocyte esterase positivity than those with POP-Q stage III. Additionally, the mRNA expression of decorin (DCN), transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1), and matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) in uterosacral ligament tissues were higher, whereas collagen I and III were lower. Similarly, the positive expression of MMP-3 in uterosacral ligament tissue was significantly upregulated in the POP group compared with the non-POP group (p = 0.035), whereas collagen I (p = 0.004) and collagen III (p = 0.019) in uterosacral ligament tissue were significantly downregulated in the POP group. Correlation analysis revealed that there was a significant correlation between vaginal microecology and collagen metabolism. In addition, MMP-3 correlated negatively with collagen I and collagen III (p = 0.002, r = -0.533; p = 0.002, r = -0.534 respectively), whereas collagen I correlated positively with collagen III (p = 0.001, r = 0.578).

CONCLUSIONS

Vaginal microecological dysbiosis affects the occurrence of female POP, which could be considered a novel therapeutic option.

HMGB1 enhances the migratory and invasive abilities of A2780/DDP cells by facilitating epithelial to mesenchymal transition via GSK‑3β

The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact and mechanism of high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) on the regulation of cell migration and invasion in A2780/DDP cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer cells. After transfecting small interfering (si)RNA-HMGB1 into A2780/DDP cells, Transwell migration and invasion assays were conducted to assess alterations in the cell migratory and invasive abilities. Additionally, western blotting analyses were performed to examine changes in HMGB1, phosphorylated (p)-GSK-3β, GSK-3β, E-cadherin and vimentin expression levels. The results of the present study demonstrated that the migratory and invasive abilities of A2780/DDP cells were significantly higher compared with those of A2780 cells. Additionally, the expression levels of HMGB1, p-GSK-3β and the mesenchymal phenotype marker, vimentin, in A2780/DDP cells were significantly elevated relative to the levels in A2780 cells. Conversely, the expression level of the epithelial phenotype marker, E-cadherin, was markedly decreased compared with that in A2780 cells. Following transfection of A2780/DDP cells with siRNA-HMGB1, there was a significant reduction in the rate of cell migration and invasion. Simultaneously, the expression levels of HMGB1, p-GSK-3β and vimentin were downregulated while the level of E-cadherin was upregulated. It was therefore concluded that the high expression of HMGB1 in A2780/DDP cells enhanced the cell migration and invasion abilities by facilitating epithelial to mesenchymal transition via GSK-3β.

Superior glucose metabolism supports NH4+ assimilation in wheat to improve ammonium tolerance

The use of slow-release fertilizers and seed-fertilizers cause localized high-ammonium (NH4 +) environments in agricultural fields, adversely affecting wheat growth and development and delaying its yield. Thus, it is important to investigate the physiological responses of wheat and its tolerance to NH4 + stress to improve the adaptation of wheat to high NH4 + environments. In this study, the physiological mechanisms of ammonium tolerance in wheat (Triticum aestivum) were investigated in depth by comparative analysis of two cultivars: NH4 +-tolerant Xumai25 and NH4 +-sensitive Yangmai20. Cultivation under hydroponic conditions with high NH4 + (5 mM NH4 +, AN) and nitrate (5 mM NO3 -, NN), as control, provided insights into the nuanced responses of both cultivars. Compared to Yangmai20, Xumai25 displayed a comparatively lesser sensitivity to NH4 + stress, as evident by a less pronounced reduction in dry plant biomass and a milder adverse impact on root morphology. Despite similarities in NH4 + efflux and the expression levels of TaAMT1.1 and TaAMT1.2 between the two cultivars, Xumai25 exhibited higher NH4 + influx, while maintaining a lower free NH4 + concentration in the roots. Furthermore, Xumai25 showed a more pronounced increase in the levels of free amino acids, including asparagine, glutamine, and aspartate, suggesting a superior NH4 + assimilation capacity under NH4 + stress compared to Yangmai20. Additionally, the enhanced transcriptional regulation of vacuolar glucose transporter and glucose metabolism under NH4 + stress in Xumai25 contributed to an enhanced carbon skeleton supply, particularly of 2-oxoglutarate and pyruvate. Taken together, our results demonstrate that the NH4 + tolerance of Xumai25 is intricately linked to enhanced glucose metabolism and optimized glucose transport, which contributes to the robust NH4 + assimilation capacity.

Analysis of Clinical Characteristics and Prognostic Factors Related to EMs Correlation in Ovarian Cancer Patients

Objective

To investigate the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors in patients with endometriosis-associated ovarian cancer.

Methods

In this study, we retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 135 ovarian cancer patients admitted to our hospital from January 2016 to January 2018. Based on the presence of concomitant endometriosis (EMs), the patients were divided into two groups: the Endometriosis-Associated Ovarian Cancer (EAOC) group (n=64) and the non-EAOC (NEAOC) group (n=71). We compared the clinical characteristics of the two groups. Additionally, in the EAOC group, we followed up with patients for 5 years, categorized them into the survival group (n=40) and the deceased group (n=24) based on their prognosis, and conducted univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses to identify influencing factors.

Results

In comparison to the NEAOC group, patients in the EAOC group exhibited higher rates of menopause occurrence, pathological stages I-II, vaginal bleeding, and history of cesarean section, with statistical significance (P < .05). They also had a lower incidence of dysmenorrhea, lymph node metastasis, and abdominal distension, as well as an earlier age of onset, all of which were statistically significant (P < .05). There were no statistically significant differences (P > .05) between the two groups in terms of parity, gravidity, tumor diameter, abdominal pain incidence, and body mass index. Based on prognosis, the patients were categorized into a survival group (n=40) and a deceased group (n=24). Comparison between the two groups showed statistically significant differences (P < .05) in terms of postoperative residue, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and lymph node metastasis. In contrast, there were no statistically significant differences (P > .05) in terms of tumor laterality, histological type, tumor stage, differentiation degree, and vaginal bleeding. The variables with P < .05 were assigned as independent variables, with the prognosis of death as the dependent variable. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that epithelial-mesenchymal transition and lymph node metastasis were independent risk factors for mortality in EAOC patients (P < .05).

Conclusion

Clinical characteristics of EAOC patients show significant differences, with epithelial-mesenchymal transition and lymph node metastasis being identified as independent adverse prognostic factors associated with poor outcomes in EAOC patients. However, this study has limitations such as a relatively small sample size, and further research is therefore necessary.

Enhanced Stomatal Conductance Supports Photosynthesis in Wheat to Improved NH4+ Tolerance

The impact of ammonium (NH4+) stress on plant growth varies across species and cultivars, necessitating an in-depth exploration of the underlying response mechanisms. This study delves into elucidating the photosynthetic responses and differences in tolerance to NH4+ stress by investigating the effects on two wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars, Xumai25 (NH4+-less sensitive) and Yangmai20 (NH4+-sensitive). The cultivars were grown under hydroponic conditions with either sole ammonium nitrogen (NH4+, AN) or nitrate nitrogen (NO3-, NN) as the nitrogen source. NH4+ stress exerted a profound inhibitory effect on seedling growth and photosynthesis in wheat. However, these effects were less pronounced in Xumai25 than in Yangmai20. Dynamic photosynthetic analysis revealed that the suppression in photosynthesis was primarily attributed to stomatal limitation associated with a decrease in leaf water status and osmotic potential. Compared to Yangmai20, Xumai25 exhibited a significantly higher leaf K+ concentration and TaAKT1 upregulation, leading to a stronger stomatal opening and, consequently, a better photosynthetic performance under NH4+ stress. In conclusion, our study suggested stomatal limitation as the primary factor restricting photosynthesis under NH4+ stress. Furthermore, we demonstrated that improved regulation of osmotic substances contributed to higher stomatal conductance and enhanced photosynthetic performance in Xumai25.

Circulating Metabolites and Dental Traits: A Mendelian Randomization Study

It is of great importance to uncover causal biomarkers to gain insight into the pathogenesis of oral diseases and identify novel treatment targets for prevention and treatment thereof. This study aimed to systematically evaluate the causal effects of hundreds of metabolites on 10 dental traits using a 2-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach. Genetic variants from genome-wide association studies of 309 known metabolites were used as instrumental variables. We selected 10 dental traits, including clinical measures of dental diseases, from the Gene-Lifestyle Interactions in Dental Endpoints Consortium and self-reported oral health data from the UK Biobank. The causal relationships between metabolites and dental traits were inferred using the inverse variance-weighted approach and further controlled for horizontal pleiotropy using 5 additional MR methods. After correcting for multiple tests, 5 metabolites were identified as causal biomarkers. Genetically predicted increased levels of mannose were associated with lower risk of bleeding gums (odds ratio [OR] = 0.72; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.61-0.85; P = 9.9 × 10-5). MR also indicated 4 metabolites on the causal pathway to dentures, with fructose (OR = 0.50; 95% CI, 0.36-0.70; P = 5.2 × 10-5) and 1-palmitoleoyl-glycerophosphocholine (OR = 0.67; 95% CI, 0.56-0.81; P = 4.8 × 10-5) as potential protective factors and glycine (OR = 1.22; 95% CI, 1.11-1.35; P = 5.6×10-5) and 1,5-anhydroglucitol (OR = 1.32; 95% CI, 1.14-1.52; P = 1.5 × 10-4) as risk factors. The causal associations were robust in various sensitivity analyses. We further observed some shared metabolites among different dental traits, implying similar biological mechanisms underlying the pathogenic processes. Finally, the pathway analysis revealed several significant metabolic pathways that may be involved in the development of dental disorders. Our study provides novel insights into the combination of metabolomics and genomics to reveal the pathogenesis of and therapeutic strategies for dental disorders. It highlighted 5 metabolites and several pathways as causal candidates, warranting further investigation.

Psychological effects of COVID-19 outbreak on mental health in parents of children with hematopathy

OBJECTIVE

We explored whether parents of children with hematopathy had more psychosocial problems than parents of healthy children during the COVID-19 outbreak.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

An online survey was performed, and a total of 1,116 parents participated. The mental health variables were assessed via the Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ) and the Symptom Checklist-Revised (SCL-90-R).

RESULTS

Compared with parents of healthy children, parents of children with hematopathy have a higher possibility of negative coping style (70.9% vs. 33.2%, p=0.01) and are more concerned with media reports related to the pandemic (37.8% vs. 17.6%, p=0.02). In SCL-90-R somatization, obsessive-compulsive, and anxiety scale, the parents of children with hematopathy have higher scores than parents of healthy children (12.50±1.69 vs. 12.23±1.37, p<0.01; 13.42±6.69 vs. 10.47±2.25, p<0.01; 15.21±5.53 vs. 10.52±2.34, p<0.01, respectively). History of visiting Wuhan, and history of epidemics occurring in the community are independent risk factors of parental obsessive-compulsive and anxiety symptoms (p<0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Parents of children with hematopathy had evident severe symptoms of obsessive-compulsive and anxiety during the outbreak of COVID-19. Providing psychological interventions and beneficial approaches to parents of children with hematopathy urgently needs to be realized.

[Clinical observation on the efficacy and safety of dupilumab in the treatment of moderate to severe atopic dermatitis]

To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of dupilumab in the treatment of moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (AD) in China. A small sample self-controlled study before and after treatment was conducted to retrospective analysis patients with moderate to severe AD treated with dupilumab in the department of dermatology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from July 2020 to March 2022. Dupilumab 600 mg was injected subcutaneously at week 0, and then 300 mg was injected subcutaneously every 2 weeks. The condition was evaluated by SCORAD(severity scoring of atopic dermatitis), NRS(numerical rating scale), DLQI(dermatology life quality index) and POEM(patient-oriented eczema measure). The improvement of SCORAD, NRS, DLQI and POEM was analyzed by paired t test and non-parametric paired Wilcoxon. The results showed that a total of 67 patients with moderate to severe AD received dupilumab treatment, of which 41 patients (the course of treatment was more than 6 weeks) had reduced the severity of skin lesions, improved quality of life and reduced pruritus. A total of 23 patients completed 16 weeks of treatment. At 4, 8, 12 and 16 weeks, SCORAD, NRS, DLQI and POEM decreased compared with the baseline, and the differences were statistically significant. SCORAD (50.13±15.19) at baseline, SCORAD (36.08±11.96)(t=6.049,P<0.001) at week 4,SCORAD (28.04±11.10)(t=10.471,P<0.001) at week 8, SCORAD (22.93±9.72)(t=12.428,P<0.001) at week 12, SCORAD (16.84±7.82)(t=14.609,P<0.001) at week 16, NRS 7(6,8) at baseline, NRS 4(3,5)(Z=-3.861,P<0.001) at week 4, NRS 2(1,4)(Z=-4.088,P<0.001) at week 8, NRS 1(0,2)(Z=-4.206,P<0.001) at week 12, NRS 2(0,2)(Z=-4.222,P<0.001) at week 16, DLQI (13.83±5.71) at baseline, DLQI (8.00±4.02)(t=6.325,P<0.001) at week 4, DLQI (5.61±3.50)(t=8.060,P<0.001) at week 8, DLQI (3.96±1.99)(t=8.717,P<0.001) at week 12, DLQI (2.70±1.89)(t=10.355,P<0.001) at week 16, POEM (18.04±6.41) at baseline, POEM (9.70±4.70)(t=7.031,P<0.001) at week 4, POEM (7.74±3.48)(t=8.806,P<0.001) at week 8, POEM (6.35±3.33)(t=10.474,P<0.001) at week 12, POEM (4.26±2.51)(t=11.996,P<0.001) at week 16. In the 16th week, 100%(23 patients), 91.3%(21 patients), 34.8%(8 patients) and 8.7%(2 patients) of 23 patients reached SCORAD30, SCORAD50, SCORAD70, and SCORAD90 statuses, respectively. There were 82.6%(19 patients), 95.7%(22 patients) and 95.7%(22 patients) of 23 patients with NRS, DLQI and POEM improved by≥4 points compared with baseline. Twelve patients with AD who continued to receive dupilumab after 16 weeks showed further improvement in skin lesions. The adverse events were conjunctivitis and injection site reaction. In conclusion, dupilumab is an effective and safe treatment for moderate and severe AD. However, the longer-term efficacy and safety require further studies involving larger sample sizes and a longer follow-up time.

Chemoradiotherapy Combined with Nab-Paclitaxel plus Cisplatin in Patients with Locally Advanced Borderline Resectable or Unresectable Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Phase I/II Study

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel (nab-PTX) plus cisplatin as the regimen of conversional chemoradiotherapy (cCRT) in locally advanced borderline resectable or unresectable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

MATERIALS/METHODS

Patients with locally advanced ESCC (cT3-4, Nany, M0-1, M1 was limited to lymph node metastasis in the supraclavicular area) were enrolled. All the patients received the cCRT of nab-PTX plus cisplatin. After the cCRT, those resectable patients received esophagectomy; those unresectable patients continued to receive the definitive chemoradiotherapy (dCRT). The locoregional control (LRC), overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), distant metastasis free survival (DMFS), pathological complete response (pCR), R0 resection rate and adverse events (AEs) were calculated.

RESULTS

A total of 45 patients with ESCC treated from October 2019 to May 2021 were finally included. The median follow-up time was 30.3 months. The LRC, OS, EFS, DMFS at 1and 2 years were 81.5%, 86.6%, 64.3%, 73.2% and 72.4%, 68.8%, 44.8%, 52.7% respectively. 21 patients (46.7%) received conversional chemoradiotherapy plus surgery (cCRT+S). The pCR rate and R0 resection rate were 47.6% and 84.0%. The LRC rate at 1 and 2 years were 95.0%, 87.1% in cCRT+S patients and 69.3%, 58.7% in dCRT patients respectively (HR, 5.14; 95% CI, 1.10-23.94; P = 0.021). The OS rate at 1 and 2 years were 95.2% and 84.2% in resectable patients compared to 78.8% and 54.4% in unresectable patients (HR, 3.41; 95% CI, 1.10-10.61; P = 0.024). The toxicities during chemoradiotherapy were tolerated, the most common grade 3-4 toxicities were radiation esophagitis (15.6%).

CONCLUSION

Nab-PTX plus cisplatin were effective and safe as the regimen of conversional chemoradiotherapy of ESCC. The patients receiving conversional chemoradiotherapy plus surgery (cCRT+S) were prone to have a better survival.

[Untargeted metabolomics study of dexamethasone-induced congenital cleft palate in New Zealand rabbits]

Objective: To investigate the metabolic disorders in placental tissues of dexamethasone induced cleft palate mode. Methods: Twelve pregnant rabbits were randomly divided into dexamethasone group (experimental group, 8) and saline control group (4), and a certain amount of dexamethasone and saline were administered intramuscularly to the experimental and control groups respectively from embryonic days (ED) 13 to 16, and placental tissue samples were collected on day 21 of gestation. The corresponding profiles of the embryonic placental tissue samples were obtained by liquid chromatography-triple tandem quadrupole(LC-MS), and the metabolites of the embryonic placental tissues were characterized by principal component analysis among the dexamethasone-treated group with cleft palate (D-CP group), the dexamethasone-treated group without cleft palate (D-NCP group) and the control group. Results: There were significant metabolic differences among the D-CP group, D-NCP group and control group, with a total of 133 differential metabolites (VIP>1, P<0.05) involving in important metabolic pathways including vitamin B6 metabolism, lysine metabolism, arginine anabolic metabolism, and galactose metabolism. The four metabolites, vitamin B6, galactose, lysine and urea, differed among the three groups (P<0.05). There were significant differences in vitamin B6 (0.960±0.249, 0.856±0.368, 1.319±0.322), galactose (0.888±0.171, 1.033±0.182, 1.127±0.127), lysine (1.551±0.924, 1.789±1.435, 0.541±0.424) and urea (0.743±0.142, 1.137±0.301, 1.171±0.457, respectively) levels among control group, D-NCP group and D-CP group (F=5.90, P=0.008; F=5.59, P=0.009; F=4.26, P=0.025; F=5.29, P=0.012). Conclusions: The results indicated that dexamethasone induced cleft palate may be highly correlated with metabolic disorders including vitamin B6 metabolism, lysine metabolism, arginine anabolic metabolism and galactose metabolism.

Improved chloroplast Pi allocation helps sustain electron transfer to enhance photosynthetic low-phosphorus tolerance of wheat

Phosphorus (P) deficit limits high wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) yields. Breeding low-P-tolerant cultivars is vital for sustainable agriculture and food security, but the low-P adaptation mechanisms are largely not understood. Two wheat cultivars, ND2419 (low-P-tolerant) and ZM366 (low-P-sensitive) were used in this study. They were grown under hydroponic conditions with low-P (0.015 mM) or normal-P (1 mM). Low-P suppressed biomass accumulation and net photosynthetic rate (A) in both cultivars, whereas ND2419 was relatively less suppressed. Intercellular CO2 concentration did not decrease with the decline of stomatal conductance. Additionally, maximum electron transfer rate (Jmax) decreased sooner than maximum carboxylation rate (Vcmax). Results indicate that impeded electron transfer is directly responsible for decreased A. Under low-P, ND2419 exhibited greater PSII functionality (potential activity (Fv/Fo), maximum quantum efficiency (Fv/Fm), photochemical quenching (qL) and non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) required for electron transfer than ZM366, resulting more ATP for Rubisco activation. Furthermore, ND2419 maintained higher chloroplast Pi concentrations by enhancing chloroplast Pi allocation, compared with ZM366. Overall, the low-P-tolerant cultivar sustained electron transfer under low-P by enhancing chloroplast Pi allocation, allowing more ATP synthesis for Rubisco activation, ultimately presenting stronger photosynthesis capacities. The improved chloroplasts Pi allocation may provide new insights into improve low-P tolerance.

Melatonin alleviates chromium toxicity by altering chromium subcellular distribution and enhancing antioxidant metabolism in wheat seedlings

The endogenous stimulating molecule melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine, MT) has an important function in mitigating the impact of multiple abiotic stressors. However, the ameliorating effect of MT on chromium (Cr) stress and its mechanisms remains unclear. Therefore, the present study aimed to clarify the mitigating effect of exogenous MT (0 μM and 100 μM) on wheat seedlings under Cr (0 μM and 50 μM) stress stemming from the growth and physiological characteristics, phytochelatin (PC) biosynthesis, Cr subcellular distribution, and antioxidant system of the plants in these treatments. The results showed that endogenous MT application significantly promoted plant growth and improved root morphology of wheat seedlings under Cr stress due to decreased Cr and reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation in both roots and leaves. Accumulation and transport of Cr from roots to leaves were reduced by MT, because enhanced vacuolar sequestration via upregulated PC accumulation, took place, derived from the fact that MT upregulated the expression of key genes for PC synthesis (TaPCS and Taγ-ECS). Furthermore, MT pre-treatment alleviated Cr-induced oxidative damage by diminishing lipid peroxidation and cell apoptosis, profiting from the enhanced scavenging ability of ROS as a result of the MT-induced increase in the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, and glutathione reductase, and the related encoding gene expression levels of TaSOD2, TaCAT, TaAPX, and TaGR. In conclusion, endogenous MT application improved the growth traits, antioxidant system, and decreased Cr accumulation especially at the leaf level in wheat seedlings under Cr stress mainly through enhancing antioxidant enzyme activities and altering Cr subcellular distribution via strengthening PC biosynthesis. The mechanisms of MT-induced plant tolerance to Cr stress could help develop new strategies for secure crop production in Cr-polluted soils.

Deep-learning measurement of intracerebral haemorrhage with mixed precision training: a coarse-to-fine study

AIM

To develop a unified deep-learning-based method for automated intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) segmentation on computed tomography (CT) images with different layer thickness parameters.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 134 patients from an internal database (67 patients) and an external database (called CQ500, 67 patients) were employed. The CT examinations included multiple layer thicknesses such as 0.625, 1.25 and 5 mm. ICH segmentation was performed by a coarse-to-fine strategy, including three stages of three-dimensional (3D) skull-stripping segmentation, 3D ICH localisation segmentation, and two-dimensional (2D) ICH fine segmentation. The three stages shared the same sICHNet for segmentation and employed mixed precision training to speed up the training process. In addition, the 3D contextual information from CT was maintained by formatting the consecutive slices into a three-channel image in the 2D ICH fine segmentation.

RESULTS

Experimental results demonstrated that the coarse-to-fine segmentation strategy achieved the best performance with a mean Dice coefficient of 0.887. ICH volume consistency was observed (p<0.05) between manual and automatic segmentations, and between segmentations of same individual but with different layer thicknesses in internal dataset and external database. Automated segmentation achieved a relatively consistent segmentation time of 20.01 ± 2.03 seconds no matter the layer thickness of the CT images and the extent of ICH. Longitudinal studies with conservative management and surgical treatment were also visualised.

CONCLUSIONS

The coarse-to-fine deep learning strategy achieved the best ICH segmentation performance on CT images. The automated segmentation was 5-42 times faster than manual segmentation given ICH of different extents and using different layer thickness parameters.

Long non-coding RNA MYU promotes ovarian cancer cell proliferation by sponging miR-6827-5p and upregulating HMGA1

Background: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been confirmed to play vital roles in tumorigenesis. LncRNA MYU has recently been reported as an oncogene in several kinds of tumors. However, MYU's expression status and potential involvement in ovarian cancer (OC) remain unclear. In this study, we explored the underlying role of MYU in OC. Methods and results: The expression of MYU was upregulated in OC tissues, and MYU's overexpression was significantly correlated with the FIGO stage and lymphatic metastasis. Knockdown of MYU inhibited cell proliferation in SKOV3 and A2780 cells. Mechanistically, MYU directly interacted with miR-6827-5p in OC cells; HMGA1 is a downstream target gene of miR-6827-5p. Furthermore, MYU knockdown increased the expression of miR-6827-5p and decreased the expression of HMGA1. Restoration of HMGA1 expression reversed the influence on cell proliferation caused by MYU knockdown. Conclusion: MYU functions as a ceRNA that positively regulates HMGA1 expression by sponging miR-6827-5p in OC cells, which may provide a potential target and biomarker for the diagnosis or prognosis of OC.

[Changes of intestinal wall barrier function and its correlation with susceptibility to infection in patients with cirrhotic portal hypertension]

Objective: To investigate the changes of intestinal wall barrier function and its correlation with infection occurrence in patients with cirrhotic portal hypertension. Methods: 263 patients with cirrhotic portal hypertension were split into: the clinically evident portal hypertension (CEPH) combined with infection group (n = 74); CEPH group (n = 104); and Non-CEPH group (n = 85). Among them, 20 CEPH patients and 12 non-CEPH patients in non-infection status were subjected to sigmoidoscopy. Immunohistochemical staining was used to detect the expression of trigger receptor-1 (TREM-1), CD68, CD14, the inducible nitric oxide synthase molecule, and Escherichia coli (E.coli) in the medullary cells of the colon mucosa. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the levels of soluble myeloid cell trigger receptor-1 (sTREM-1), soluble leukocyte differentiation antigen-14 subtype (sCD14-ST) and intestinal wall permeability index enteric fatty acid binding protein (I-FABP). Fisher's exact probability method, one-way ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis-H test, Bonferroni method, and Spearman correlation analysis were used for statistical analysis. Results: The serum sTREM-1 and I-FABP levels were higher in CEPH patients than those of non-CEPH patients in the non-infectious state (P < 0.05), but the difference in blood sCD14-ST levels was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Serum levels of sTREM-1, sCD14-ST, and I-FABP in infected patients were higher than those in patients without a concurrent infection (P < 0.05). Serum sCD14-ST levels were positively correlated with serum sTREM-1, C-reactive protein (CRP), and procalcitonin (PCT), and sTREM-1 levels were also positively correlated with CRP and PCT (r > 0.5, P < 0.001). The rates of CD68, inducible nitric oxide synthase, CD14-positive cells, and E.coli-positive glands were higher in the intestinal mucosa of the CEPH group than those of the control group (P < 0.05). Spearman's correlation analysis showed that the rate of E.coli-positive glands in CEPH patients was positively correlated with the expression of molecular markers CD68 and CD14 in the lamina propria macrophages. Conclusion: Patients with cirrhotic portal hypertension have increased intestinal permeability and inflammatory cells, accompanied by bacterial translocation. Serum sCD14-ST and sTREM-1 can be used as indicators to predict and evaluate the occurrence of infection in patients with cirrhotic portal hypertension.

LncRNA HOTAIR regulates cell invasion and migration in endometriosis through miR-519b-3p/PRRG4 pathway

Endometriosis is a common benign disease in gynecology and has malignant biological behaviors, such as hyperplasia, invasion, metastasis, and recurrence. However, the pathogenesis of endometriosis remains unclear. The present study aimed to investigate whether LncRNA HOTAIR regulates cell invasion and migration in endometriosis by regulating the miR-519b-3p/PRRG4 pathway. The qRT-PCR results showed that the average relative expression of LncRNA HOTAIR was much higher in ectopic endometrial tissues than in eutopic endometrial tissues. Scratch and transwell assays showed that the cell migration and invasion ability of LncRNA HOTAIR overexpression group was significantly higher than those in the control group. Conversely, the LncRNA HOTAIR knockdown group showed the opposite results. Bioinformatics analysis suggested that the downstream target genes of LncRNA HOTAIR were miR-519b-3p and Prrg4. Knockdown of LncRNA HOTAIR can reduce the up-regulation of Prrg4 by miR-519b-3p and then inhibit the invasion and migration ability of endometrial stromal cells. In Conclusion, LncRNA HOTAIR can regulate the ability of invasion and migration of endometrial stromal cells, and its mechanism is proved by regulating the miR-519b-3p/PRRG4 pathway.

[Analysis of FBN1 genemutations in a pedigree with Marfan syndrome]

Mutations in fibrillin-1 (FBN1) were detected in an autosomal dominant Marfan syndrome (MFS) pedigree. The related phenotypes and the significance of mutation screening were discussed. Complete medical and cardiovascular examinations for all pedigree members were performed. Whole exons sequencing (WES) was used to sequence the DNA of the patients and their relatives. The potential pathogenic mutation sites were screened by bioinformatics method. Sanger sequencing was used to verify the mutation sites in the pedigree. The results showed that FBN1 missense mutation was c.6806 T>C in exon 56, resulting in isoleucine being replaced by threonine (p. Ile2269Thr). This mutation has not been reported in Chinese Han population. The occurrence of the mutations strongly correlated with the phenotypes of the patients. The results expand the mutation spectrum of FBN1, and it is helpful to further explore the molecular pathogenesis of MFS and MFS related diseases.

[Clinicopathological features and HER2 expression of metaplastic squamous cell carcinoma of the breast]

Objective: To investigate the clinicopathological features and HER2 expression of metaplastic squamous cell carcinoma (MSCC) of the breast. Methods: A total of 47 MSCC cases diagnosed in the Wuhan Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China from January 2010 to December 2021 were reviewed. The clinical information (including the follow-up data of HER2 positive patients) and pathological features were collected and analyzed. Results: All of the patients were female. Among the 47 cases, 25 were pure squamous cell carcinoma (PSCC) and 22 were mixed metaplastic carcinoma with squamous cell component (MMSC). The median age of the patients was 54 years (range, 29-84 years). The maximum diameter of the mass ranged from 0.8 to 10.0 cm, with a mean value of 3.3 cm, 85.7% (24/28) of the cases were smaller than 5 cm, and only 4 cases were larger than or equal to 5 cm. 89.5% of the MMSC presented with a solid mass. Cystic changes were more commonly found in the PSCC group (50%, P<0.05) than the MMSC group. 36.7% (11/30) of the patients had lymph node metastasis at the time of diagnosis. The squamous cell carcinoma component in all cases showed diffuse or patchy expression of p63, p40 and CK5/6. 55.3% (26/47) of the cases showed triple-negative phenotype. Among the 7 HER2-positive patients, 6 were MMSC group, which had a significantly higher rate of HER2-positivity than that in the PSCC group (1 case). In 1 MMSC case, immunohistochemistry showed HER2 2+in the invasive ductal carcinoma component and HER2 negativity (0) in the squamous cell carcinoma component, but HER2 FISH was negative in invasive ductal carcinoma and positive in squamous cell carcinoma component. Six HER2-positive MSCC patients received anti-HER2-targeted therapy, including two patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with anti-HER2-targeted therapy before surgery. One patient achieved pathological complete remission, while the other achieved partial remission (the residual tumors were squamous cell carcinoma components). After 9-26 months of follow-up, four patients had no disease progression, two patients developed pulmonary metastases, and one patient showed local recurrence. Conclusions: MSCC is a group of heterogeneous diseases. PSCC and MMSC may be two different entities. Most of the MSCC are triple-negative and HER2 positivity is more commonly seen in MMSC with invasive ductal carcinoma component. Some HER2-positive MSCC patients can achieve complete remission or long-term progression-free survival after receiving anti-HER2 targeted therapy, but the squamous cell carcinoma component may be less sensitive to targeted therapy than the invasive ductal carcinoma component.

[Auditory response patterns of mouse primary auditory cortex to sound stimuli]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the auditory response patterns of mouse primary auditory cortex (A1) neurons.

METHODS

In vivo cell-attached recordings and neural network modeling were performed to detect the changes in response patterns of A1 neurons of awake C57BL/6J mice to sound stimulation with varying lengths. A1 neuron signals were recorded for 216 neurons in 20 awake mice using a target sound stimulation sequence, and the classification and response characteristics of A1 neuron response patterns were examined using post-stimulus spike time histograms. To simulate the diversity of the A1 neuron response patterns, an A1 neuron model was established based on the Wilson-Cowan model and integral-firing model. The neuron connection weight parameters in the model were calculated by examining the micro loop structure of the pyramidal neurons, parvalbumin neurons, and somatostatin neurons in the A1 region, and the A1 neural network information coding model was constructed.

RESULTS

The Onset response neurons only had fast spike response within 10 to 40 ms after the beginning of noise stimulation (122 neurons). The Sustained response neurons had spike response continuously during the noise stimulation (26 neurons). The On-off response neurons had fast spike response after the beginning and the end of noise stimulation (40 neurons). The Offset response neurons only had fast spike response within 10 to 40 ms after the end of noise stimulation (22 neurons). In the neural network model, the Onset peak neural activities of A1 pyramidal neurons, parvalbumin neurons, and somatostatin neurons were 0.7483, 0.5236 and 0.9427, respectively, and their response half peak widths were 18.5 ms, 12 ms and 31 ms during the 100 ms noise stimulation, respectively. By changing the feedforward excitation and synaptic inhibition time constants in the model, the neurons generated numerous different types of spike train.

CONCLUSION

The auditory response of mouse A1 neurons to sound stimuli shows mainly the Onset, Sustained, On-off, and Offset response patterns.

Otoacoustic emission and its application in anesthesia

OBJECTIVE

An otoacoustic emission (OAE) is a low-level sound emitted by the cochlea. OAEs are able to objectively evaluate the auditory perception and reflect the functional status of the auditory system. With the characteristics of non-invasiveness, high reliability, and easy manipulation, OAEs have gained wide popularity in clinical audiology and anesthesiology. This review aims to summarize the application of OAE in anesthesia.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study collected data from the databases Web of Science-Clarivate Analytics, PubMed, and Google Scholar in English, covering research in the last 40 years. The keywords were defined as anesthesia, cochlea, OAEs, distortion product otoacoustic emissions, transient evoked otoacoustic emissions, bispectral index, auditory evoked potentials, and depth of anesthesia. Documents that matched defined keywords were selected and reviewed.

RESULTS

Research showed that the types and doses of anesthetic drugs impacted OAEs. Ketamine-based anesthesia has a greater effect on OAE sensitivity over time compared to isoflurane. A higher dose of ketamine-xylazine significantly reduced the amplitude of OAEs. According to those characteristics, OAEs could be used as an objective evaluation method for the effect of anesthetics and have great potential to be applied for anesthetic drug dose control during surgery. OAEs also have been used to detect the cochlear function during anesthesia, which may cause irreversible damage to the cochlea.

CONCLUSIONS

Studies reported that OAEs have been used in anesthesia. However, the existing studies have mainly focused on the influence of anesthetic types or dosages on OAEs. Considering the characteristics of OAEs, such as a convenient measurement, less susceptibility to interference, and fast detection speed, the application of OAE has a great potential in the anesthesia field.

P-378 Effect of luteinized unruptured follicle on the pregnancy outcomes of single high-quality frozen-thawed blastocyst transfer cycles

Study question

Does luteinized unruptured follicle affect the clinical outcome of natural cycles for single high-quality frozen-thawed blastocyst transfer (FBT) cycles?

Summary answer

Luteinized unruptured follicle negatively affects the pregnancy outcomes of single high-quality FBT.

What is known already

Recent evidence revealed that natural ovulation cycle with a corpus luteum for frozen-thawed embryo transfer is superior to hormone replacing therapy cycle in preventing early miscarriage and preeclampsia. However, it remains controversial whether a luteinized unruptured follicle of the natural cycle affect the pregnancy outcomes of FBT.

Study design, size, duration

This was a retrospective cohort study comparing the pregnancy outcomes of singe high-quality FBT among 283 cases of LUF cycles and 1083 cases of ovulation cycles between January 2015 to December 2020 in a private fertility center. The study was approved by the hospital's Ethics Committee.

Participants/materials, setting, methods

A natural cycle for FBT was performed for all included patients, and was categorized into LUF or ovulation group based on the continuously monitoring of transvaginal ultrasound. Pregnancy outcomes were compared between the two groups. Logistic regression analysis was performed to adjust for important confounders. P &lt; 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Main results and the role of chance

Compared to ovulation group, the LUF group was associated with higher proportion of female indication of IVF treatment. There were no statistically significant differences regarding the parental age at oocyte retrieval, body mass index (BMI), cycle rank, infertility duration, proportion of nulliparity and fertilization method, endometrial thickness, and estrogen levels. P levers were higher in the ovulation group than those of LUF (P =0.028). Logistic regression indicated that after controlling for potential confounders, ovulation group was associated with higher incidence of ongoing pregnancy (aOR 1.460, 95% CI: 1.107-1.924) and live birth (aOR 1.455, 95% CI: 1.102-1.919). Ovulation group also had higher clinical pregnancy rate (aOR 1.255, 95% CI: 0.952-1.656) and lower early miscarriage rate (aOR 0.654, 95% CI: 0.394-1.087), but not reach statistical significance. Our results suggested that LUF negatively affected pregnancy outcomes of single high-quality FBT.

Limitations, reasons for caution

The primary limitation of this study was its retrospective nature, and it was difficult to distinguish some confounding factors.

Wider implications of the findings

Clinicians should counsel couples about the negative effect of LUF on the pregnancy outcome of FBT, particularly for those with few high-quality embryos.

Trial registration number

2018YFC1003900/2018YFC1003904, SZSM201502035

P-620 Hormone replacement therapy with GnRH agonist pretreatment improves pregnancy outcomes in patients with previous intrauterine adhesions

Study question

Is there an optimal endometrial preparation protocol of frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) for patients with history of intrauterine adhesions (IUAs)?

Summary answer

Hormone replacement therapy with GnRH agonist pretreatment (HRT+GnRHa) is superior to conventional HRT protocol to improve pregnancy outcomes in patients with IUAs.

What is known already

FET follow hysteroscopic adhesiolysis or therapeutic treatment is being widely adopted in patients with IUAs. Proper endometrial preparation plays a key role to maximize IVF success rate and improve pregnancy results. However, it remains unclear whether there is an optimal endometrial preparation protocol for patients with history of IUAs.

Study design, size, duration

This was a retrospective cohort study of 1002 FET cycles with history IUAs in our fertility center between January 2015 to December 2020. The study was approved by the hospital's Ethics Committee.

Participants/materials, setting, methods

Eight hundred and forty-two conventional HRT cycles and 160 HRT+GnRHa cycles met the inclusion criteria were enrolled. Pregnancy outcomes were compared between the two groups. Logistic regression analysis was performed to adjust for important confounders. P &lt; 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Main results and the role of chance

The HRT+GnRHa group was associated with higher cycle rank (1.79 vs 2.17, P =0.026) and longer infertility duration (3.04 vs 3.69, P =0.000) compared with conventional HRT group. While the latter had a higher proportion of blastocyst embryo transferred (P =0.024). There were no statistically significant differences regarding the parental age at oocyte retrieval, body mass index (BMI), number of total embryos transferred and top embryo transferred, proportion of nulliparity, indication of IVF treatment and fertilization method, and endometrial thickness. Logistic regression indicated that after controlling for potential confounders, the HRT+GnRHa group achieved higher incidence of clinical pregnancy (aOR 1.474, 95% CI: 1.002-2.170, P =0.049), ongoing pregnancy (aOR 1.823, 95% CI: 1.207-2.753, P =0.004), and live birth (aOR 1.975, 95% CI: 1.306-2.988, P =0.000) than the conventional HRT group. The miscarriage rate was comparable between the two groups (aOR 0.613, 95% CI: 0.293-1.283, P =0.194). Our results suggested that HRT+GnRHa is over conventional HRT protocol to improve pregnancy outcomes of patients with previous IUAs.

Limitations, reasons for caution

The primary limitation of this study was its retrospective nature, and it was difficult to distinguish some confounding factors. Besides, there was no grading of IUA severity as most adhesion separation surgeries were not performed in our hospital, and the detailed medical history was not available.

Wider implications of the findings

Our study offers evidence for the superiority of HRT with GnRH-a pretreatment to conventional HRT protocol in improving the pregnancy prognosis of patients with previous IUAs. Our finding deserves further confirmation in clinical practice.

Trial registration number

2018YFC1003900/2018YFC1003904, SZSM201502035

Menopausal hormone therapy: what are the problems in the perception of Chinese physicians?

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate Chinese physicians' perception and attitudes toward menopausal hormone therapy (MHT).

METHODS

This nationwide online survey was conducted in China. Physicians registered in the WeChat groups of the Gynecological Endocrinology Committee of China's Maternal and Child Health Care Association received a message invitation to complete this anonymous online survey from April 2020 to July 2020. Physicians' knowledge of and attitudes toward MHT were surveyed.

RESULTS

In total, 4672 questionnaires were submitted; only completed questionnaires could be submitted. The message was sent to 6021 doctors, so the response rate was 77.6%. Overall, 77.9-92.9% of physicians knew the common indications and contraindications to MHT. Additionally, 90.6%, 85.4%, 80.7% and 37.5% of physicians thought that MHT would increase the risk of venous thrombosis, breast cancer, endometrial cancer and weight gain, respectively. In total, 58.1% of the physicians mistakenly believed that a sex hormone test was one of the necessary examinations to reassess MHT prescription during follow-up visits. We found that 68.5% of physicians would consider using MHT themselves or recommend MHT to their partners in the future, and 11.4% were currently using MHT.

CONCLUSIONS

Most Chinese physicians have basic knowledge of MHT. Their misunderstandings about MHT mainly centered on the risks of endometrial cancer, weight gain and the necessary examinations during follow-up visits. These misunderstandings need to be clarified in future professional training programs.

A comparative evaluation of chemical composition and antimicrobial activities of essential oils extracted from different chemotypes of Cinnamomum camphora (L.) Presl

The purpose of this study is to determine the chemical composition of the essential oils of Cinnamomum camphora (L.) Presl leaves (CCPL) from 5 different habitats in China by GC-MS, and to evaluate their antimicrobial activities against 3 foodborne pathogens, using a paper disc diffusion method. A total of 30 compounds were identified with a predominance of oxygenated monoterpenes, including linalool (42.65%-96.47%), eucalyptol (39.07%-55.35%) and camphor (26.08%) as well as monoterpene hydrocarbons such as sabinene (6.18%-12.93%) and α-terpineol (8.19%-13.81%). Through cluster analysis, CCPL from 5 different habitats can be well divided into 2 categories. Combining with principal component analysis, the habitats can be better correlated with the chemical constituents of the essential oils. The antimicrobial activities of 5 extracted essential oils against 2 gram-negative bacteria and one gram-positive bacteria were assessed. It showed that the essential oil extracted from the CCPL harvested in Jinxi had the strongest antibacterial property. The results of this study provided basis for resource identification of CCPL and quality difference identification of essential oils. Research on the antibacterial properties of several pathogenic strains has proved its application value as a natural food preservative.

Deliver protein across bio-barriers via hexa-histidine metal assemblies for therapy: a case in corneal neovascularization model

Because of their high specificity and low side effects, protein drugs possess a substantial global market. However, the low bioavailability of protein is still a major obstacle to their expanded applications, which is expected to be answered with proper protein formulations. Taking corneal neovascularization (CNV) as an example, we demonstrated a co-assembled system of hexa-histidine and Ava (Avastin) with metal ions (HmA@Ava) could cross the cornea, the most important bio-barrier during the treatment of most diseases of the anterior segment in clinics. We found that the nanosized HmA@Ava efficiently encapsulated Ava with impressive loading capacity without destroying the bioactivity of Ava and assisted Ava penetration through the corneal barriers to effectively inhibit CNV development in an alkali burn rat model with sustained and pH-dependent Ava release. Our results suggested that the co-assembled strategy of protein and HmA is a proper formulation to protein drugs, with promising penetration ability to deliver protein across bio-barriers, which could open a path for topical administration of protein drugs for treatment of various ocular diseases and hold enormous potential for delivery of therapeutic proteins not only for ocular diseases but also for other diseases that require protein treatment.

•

HmA@Ava can bring protein drug, Ava, across over the primary bio-barrier of the anterior segment ​and efficiently treat CNV.

•

HmA@Ava was nanoparticles, with impressive loading capacity without destroying bioactivity of Ava ​and strong pH-dependent release.

•

HmA can open a path for the treatment of eye diseases and hold huge potential to protein drugs to other diseases.

[Study on the feature of cortical auditory evoked potential under different auditory tasks in cochlear implant children]

Objective: To investigate the variation regularity and influencing factors of cortical auditory evoked potential (CAEP) evoked by pure tone, syllable and tone stimuli in cochlear implant (CI) children. Methods: Cortical auditory evoked potential (CAEP) responses were collected from 46 CI children in the sound field. Pure tones with frequencies of 1 kHz and 2 kHz were used as the standard and the deviant respectively in the pure tone stimulation condition. The Chinese Mandarin tokens/ba/-/pa/and/ba1/-/ba4/pairs were used as the stimuli respectively in the syllable and tone stimulation condition. The latency, amplitude and presence rate of P1 and mismatch negative(MMN) were obtained and the correlation between the difficulty of auditory task, the age of hearing month, the duration of severe-profound hearing loss, the wearing history of hearing aid before CI, the hearing threshold of the better ear before CI and the latency and amplitude of P1 and MMN were analyzed. All statistical analyses and figures were conducted using SPSS 25.0. Results: The P1 presence rate of pure tone, syllable and tone group was 100% (17/17), 100% (13/13) and 75.0% (12/16), respectively, with significant difference (χ²=8.214, P=0.016). There was significant difference between pure tone group and tone group (χ²=4.836, P=0.028), but no significant difference between pure tone group and syllable group, syllable group and tone group. The MMN presence rate of pure tone, syllable and tone group was 94.1% (16/17), 84.6% (11/13) and 62.5% (10/16), respectively, but no significant difference among the three groups with different auditory tasks(χ²=0.066, P=0.066). No significant difference was observed among the three groups of different auditory tasks in the latency and amplitude of P1 and MMN. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the latency of P1 was positively correlated with the difficulty of auditory task and the hearing threshold of the better ear before CI, and negatively correlated with hearing age and the history of hearing aid before CI. The latency of MMN was positively correlated with the difficulty of auditory task, and negatively correlated with hearing age. Conclusions: The P1 presence rate of pure tone auditory task is significantly higher than that of tone auditory task. The difficulty of auditory task, hearing age, the history of hearing aid before CI, and the hearing threshold of the better ear before CI has significant effects on the P1 latency. The difficulty of auditory task and hearing age has significant effects on the MMN latency.

Seed soaking with melatonin promotes seed germination under chromium stress via enhancing reserve mobilization and antioxidant metabolism in wheat

Chromium (Cr) pollution has serious harm to crop growth, while little is known on the role of melatonin (MT) on seed germination and physiology in Cr-stressed wheat. The effects of seed soaking with MT on growth, reserve mobilization, osmotic regulation and antioxidant capacity of wheat seeds during germination under hexavalent chromium (100 μM) stress were investigated. The results indicated that Cr toxicity decreased the seed germination rate by 16% and suppressed the growth of germinated seeds compared to unstressed seeds. MT in the concentration-dependent manner increased germination rate and promoted subsequent growth when seeds were exposed to Cr stress, but the effect could be counteracted at high concentration. Seed soaking with MT (100 μM) markedly decreased Cr accumulation in seeds, radicals and coleoptiles by 15%, 6% and 15%, respectively, and enhanced α-amylase activity and soluble sugar and free amino acids content in seeds to improve reserve mobilization under Cr stress, compared with Cr treatment. Furthermore, decreasing the level of osmotic regulators (soluble sugar and soluble protein) in radicles under MT combined with Cr treatment confirmed the reduction of osmotic stress caused by Cr stress. Importantly, MT pretreatment reduced H₂O₂ content by 19% and O₂·^- release rate by 45% in radicles under Cr toxicity compared with Cr-stressed wheat, in terms of promoting scavenging ability and decreasing production ability, which was to upregulate the activities and encoding genes expression levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), ascorbic acid peroxidase (APX) and peroxidase (POD) and to downregulate plasma membrane-bound NADPH oxidase (NOX) encoding genes (TaRbohD, TaRbohF) expression, respectively. In all, these results provided evidence that seed soaking with MT could be a potentially method to protect wheat seeds from Cr toxicity, which effectively ameliorated germination under Cr stress by enhancing reserve mobilization and antioxidant metabolism in wheat.

P–194 Impact of cryopreservation duration on pregnancy outcomes of vitrified-warmed blastocysts transfer using an open-device system

Study question

Is there a negative effect of long-term cryopreservation upon pregnancy outcomes after transfer of vitrified-warmed blastocysts stored in an open-device system?

Summary answer

Prolonged cryopreservation of vitrified blastocysts up to 24 months increased the incidences of clinical pregnancy, ongoing pregnancy, and live birth, while decreased early miscarriage rate.

What is known already

Vitrification is adopted as the dominant approach for cryopreservation of human oocytes and embryos. However, little is known about the potential effect of prolonged storage after vitrification on the genomic integrity and metabolism of embryos. Several studies have sought to decipher the effect of cryopreservation duration on IVF pregnancy outcomes, but few were confined to vitrification and the results were inconsistent.

Study design, size, duration

This retrospective study included 6722 patients undergoing their first vitrified-warmed blastocyst transfer (VBT) cycles from January 2015 to June 2019 in a single fertility center in South China. The study was approved by the hospital’s Ethics Committee.

Participants/materials, setting, methods

A total of 6722 eligible patients were divided into five groups according to the storage duration after vitrification: Group I: 0–3 months; Group II: 3–6 months; Group III: 6–12 months; Group IV: 12–24 months; Group V: 24–36 months. The IVF pregnancy outcomes were compared between groups. Multivariate logistic regression was conducted to evaluate the independent effect of storage duration on pregnancy outcomes.

Main results and the role of chance

The odds of clinical pregnancy outcomes were similar from Group 1 to 4. However, the chance of clinical pregnancy (Group 1 as reference; Group 2: adjusted odds ratio (aOR)= 1.04, 95% CI 0.93–1.17; Group 3: aOR = 1.02, 95% CI 0.84–1.25; Group 4: aOR = 0.93, 95% CI 0.66–1.31; Group 5: aOR = 0.54, 95% CI 0.38–0.76) , ongoing pregnancy (Group 2: aOR=0.99, 95% CI 0.89–1.11; Group 3: aOR = 0.94, 95% CI 0.77–1.14; Group 4: aOR = 0.87, 95% CI 0.62–1.22; Group 5: aOR = 0.41, 95% CI 0.29–0.60), and live birth rate (Group 2: aOR=1.00, 95% CI 0.89–1.12; Group 3: aOR = 0.98, 95% CI 0.81–1.19; Group 4: aOR = 0.91, 95% CI 0.65–1.27; Group 5: aOR = 0.46, 95% CI 0.32–0.66) significantly decreased, while the early miscarriage rate (Group 2: aOR=1.11, 95% CI 0.92–1.35; Group 3: aOR =1.25, 95% CI 0.92–1.70; Group 4: aOR = 1.33, 95% CI 0.77–2.31; Group 5: aOR = 2.42, 95% CI 1.36–4.31) significantly increased as the storage duration increased up to 24–36 months.

Limitations, reasons for caution

The primary limitation of this study was its retrospective nature. Besides, as all these data come from a single IVF treatment center, the results should be confirmed by a larger multicenter study.

Wider implications of the findings: Our study provides more evidence about the negative impact of long-term storage of vitrified embryos on the clinical outcome. Clinicians should adapt FET strategies based on the embryo storage duration.

Trial registration number

Not applicable

[Clinicopathological features and molecular genetic changes of lung salivary gland-type clear cell carcinoma]

Objective: To investigate the clinicopathological features, immunophenotype, differential diagnosis, molecular genetic changes and prognosis of salivary gland-type clear cell carcinoma (CCC) of the lung. Methods: Eight cases of salivary gland-type CCC of the lung diagnosed at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center and Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, China from March 2017 to December 2020 were retrieved and analyzed. The pathological sections of these cases were studied using immunohistochemical staining, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and RNA-seq fusion gene detection based on next generation sequencing technique. The patients were followed up and the relevant literature was reviewed. Results: The 8 patients included 3 males and 5 females, with age ranging from 43 to 64 years (average, 58 years). All patients underwent radical lobectomy and lymph node dissection, while only one had lymph node metastases. The eight patients were followed up for 6 to 45 months, and were all recurrence-free. Histopathologically, the tumor was mainly composed of eosinophilic and clear cells arranged in trabecular, ribbon and nest patterns. Hyalinization was often observed in the stroma around the nest. Immunohistochemical staining showed that 8/8 cases were positive for EMA and CK7; 5/8 cases were positive for p63 and p40; 4/8 cases were positive for SOX10; and the cases were all negative for S-100, SMA and calponin. EWSR1 gene fusion was detected in all cases by FISH. RNA-seq fusion gene was detected in 6 cases based on next generation sequencing. The EWSR1-ATF1 gene fusion was detected in 5 cases, among which one case also had the ATF1-SPTLC2 gene fusion. All 5 cases with EWSR1-ATF1 gene fusion showed that EWSR1 exon 12/13 fused with ATF1 exon 3. And EWSR1-CREM gene fusion was detected in one case. Conclusions: Salivary gland-type CCC of the lung is an extremely rare primary lung tumor arising from the bronchial mucosa. The diagnosis and differential diagnosis of this tumor depend on classic histomorphology, especially the auxiliary detection of EWSR1 fusion gene. The primary treatment choice of this tumor is complete surgical resection. Lymph node metastases may occur, but the overall prognosis is good.

LncRNA PSMA3-AS1 promotes colorectal cancer cell migration and invasion via regulating miR-4429

OBJECTIVE

Many studies have revealed that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are related to various cancers, including colorectal cancer (CRC). This study aims to explore the biological function of lncRNA PSMA3-AS1 in CRC progression.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The expression levels of PSMA3-AS1 and miR-4429 were assessed by RT-qPCR. CRC progression was explored by cell viability, migration, and invasion using CCK-8 and transwell assays. The interaction between PSMA3-AS1 and miR-4429 was verified by bioinformatics analysis, Dual-Luciferase assay, and RIP assay.

RESULTS

It was found that PSMA3-AS1 expression was increased and miR-4429 expression was decreased in CRC tissues and cells. In addition, PSMA3-AS1 interference markedly hindered the proliferation, migration, and invasion of CRC cells. MiR-4429 was a direct target of PSMA3-AS1, and the knockdown of PSMA3-AS1 significantly suppressed miR-4429 expression. The depletion of PSMA3-AS1 inhibited CRC progression, which was neutralized by miR-4429 inhibitor.

CONCLUSIONS

PSMA3-AS1 accelerated CRC progression by regulating miR-4429 expression, which could be used as a potential therapeutic target for CRC patients.

HPV16 infection promotes an M2 macrophage phenotype to promote the invasion and metastasis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

OBJECTIVES

High-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) is an important risk factor for esophageal cancer. Macrophages constitute a crucial immune medium for regulating HPV-related tumors; however, the specific regulatory mechanisms remain unknown. Therefore, the purpose of our current study was to investigate the mechanism by which HPV16E6 regulates macrophages to promote the invasion and metastasis of esophageal cancer.

METHODS

HPV16E6 infection was detected by polymerase chain reaction. Immunohistochemistry was used to verify the distribution of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and MMP-9 expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma tissues (ESCCs), and cancer adjacent normal tissues (CANs) from Kazakh patients. ESCC cells were transfected with a plasmid over-expressing HPV16E6 and non-contact cocultured with macrophages.

RESULTS

The infection rate of HPV16E6 in Kazakh ESCCs was clearly higher than that in CANs (P < 0.05). The density of CD163-positive TAMs was significantly positively correlated with HPV16E6 infection in ESCCs (P < 0.05). After coculturing macrophages and EC9706 cells transfected with the HPV16E6 plasmid, the phenotype of macrophages transformed into M2 macrophages. The migration and invasion ability of ESCC cells were higher in the HPV16E6-transfected and coculture group than in the HPV16E6 empty vector-transfected and non-cocultured HPV16E6-transfected groups (all P < 0.05). The density of M2-like TAMs in ESCCs was positively correlated with the level of MMP-9 expression. MMP-9 expression in the HPV16E6-ESCC coculture macrophages group was substantially higher than that in controls (all P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

HPV16 infection mediates tumor-associated macrophages to promote ESCC invasion and migration.

The value of MRI in identifying pancreatic neuroendocrine tumour G3 and carcinoma G3

AIM

To explore the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) differences between pancreatic neuroendocrine tumour grade 3 (pNET-G3) and pancreatic neuroendocrine carcinoma grade 3 (pNEC-G3).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Between 2009 and 2019, 31 patients underwent pNEN-G3 resection with preoperative MRI in two local hospitals in China. The 31 patients were assigned to a pNET-G3 group (n=13) or a pNEC-G3 group (n=18). The MRI findings between the groups were compared.

RESULTS

There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in lesion size, clinical characteristics, or laboratory indexes. The lesions showed high or slightly higher signal on diffusion-weighted imaging and decreased apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values, which differed between the two groups (p=0.013). The difference between the groups regarding positive enhancement integral, arterial phase and portal phase signal enhancement ratio were statistically significant; however, the delayed phase signal enhancement ratio was not significantly different.

CONCLUSIONS

pNET-G3 and pNEC-G3 showed different characteristics on MRI. In particular, the ADC value and dynamic enhanced imaging could have an important role in distinguishing between the two.

Sex-related differences in arterial spin-labelled perfusion of metabolically active brain structures in neonatal hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy

AIM

To investigate the sex-related differences in arterial spin-labelled (ASL) perfusion of metabolically active brain structures in neonatal hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Seventy-three term neonates were identified for a retrospective case-control study following an institutional review board (IRB) approved protocol. The cerebral pulsed arterial spin labelling values were compared by permutation test to identify metabolically active brain structures with significant perfusion changes between 10 male controls and eight female controls, and between 31 HIE males and 24 HIE females.

RESULTS

In the perfusion comparison between HIE male and female neonates, significantly lower perfusion was found in the thalamus in males (p=0.02). The other brain clusters, including basal ganglia, hippocampus cluster, cingulate gyrus cluster, brainstem cluster, sensorimotor cortex cluster, and cerebellum and peduncle cluster, demonstrated no significant differences between HIE males and females. In the perfusion comparison between male and female controls, there were no significant perfusion changes in those brain clusters.

CONCLUSION

Brain perfusion in neonatal HIE differs between males and females in the thalamus, a metabolically active region within neonates, with males demonstrating lower perfusion. This difference in perfusion may reflect sex-related disparities in response to and recovery from hypoxic-ischaemic events.

Partial thyroxine-binding globulin deficiency in a family with coding region mutations in the TBG gene

PURPOSE

T4-binding globulin (TBG) is the main thyroid hormone (TH) transporter present in human serum. Inherited thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG) deficiency is caused by mutations in the TBG (SERPINA7) gene, which is located on the X chromosome. This study was performed to report and evaluate coding region mutations in TBG gene for partial thyroxine-binding globulin deficiency.

METHODS

A pedigree spanning four generations is described in this study. The proband is a female with partial TBG deficiency. All members of this pedigree underwent thyroid function tests, while Sanger sequencing was used to identify the TBG gene mutations. Bioinformatics databases were used to evaluate the deleterious effects of the mutation(s). Two hundred and seven unrelated individuals were used to evaluate the thyroid function of individuals with different TBG mutations. A one-way ANOVA was used to analyze the impact of the TBG mutations on thyroid function.

RESULTS

TBG gene sequencing results revealed that the proband had a novel mutation in codon 27 leading to alanine to valine substitution (p.A27V). This mutation was associated with lower serum T4 levels (p < 0.0001) when compared to the groups that did not carry the mutation. The previously reported p.L283F mutation was also found in the proband. The hemizygous p.L283F individuals presenting with lower T4 serum and TBG levels (p < 0.001) when compared to wildtype males and females. Both mutations were deleterious upon SIFT and PolyPhen-2 evaluation.

CONCLUSION

Associated with partial thyroxine-binding globulin deficiency, this study reports a novel p.A27V mutation in the TBG gene.

Emodin Reverses the Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition of Human Endometrial Stromal Cells by Inhibiting ILK/GSK-3β Pathway

Purpose

To explore the exact mechanism through which emodin down-regulates the migration and invasion abilities of endometrial stromal cells. Moreover, to explore the theoretical basis of emodin in the treatment of endometriosis.

Patients and Methods

Endometriosis endometrial stromal cells (EESs) were cultured from 15 women with endometriosis and control endometrial stromal cells (CESs) were cultured from 12 women without endometriosis. The levels of proteins were evaluated by Western blot. The migration and invasion abilities of cells were detected by transwell assays.

Results

The abilities of migration and invasion of EESs were much stronger than those of CESs. After treated with emodin, the migration and invasion abilities of EESs and CESs were significantly down-regulated, and the levels of integrin-linked kinase (ILK) and p-GSK-3β were statistically down-regulated in EESs. Besides that, the expression of keratin was up-regulated while the expression of vimentin, β-catenin and slug were all down-regulated by emodin in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Silencing of ILK gene in EESs also achieved the above effects, which were strengthened by emodin. Conversely, exogenous expression of ILK in CESs increased the expression of p-GSK-3β, which were abrogated by emodin. Furthermore, SB216763 increased migration and invasion abilities of CESs by facilitating the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) through up-regulating levels of p-GSK-3β, β-catenin and slug, which were also abrogated by emodin.

Conclusion

Emodin inhibits the migration and invasion abilities of human endometrial stromal cells by reversing the EMT via ILK/GSK-3β pathway. So, emodin may be considered as a promising targeted therapy for endometriosis.

Healthcare resource use of paliperidone palmitate 3-month injection vs. paliperidone palmitate 1-month injection: An analysis of phase III clinical trial hospital data

Introduction

PSY-3011 was a randomized, multicenter, double-blind, non-inferiority study of paliperidone palmitate 3-month injection (PP3M) vs. paliperidone palmitate 1-month injection (PP1M). Adults with schizophrenia were stabilized on PP1M in an open-label (OL) 17-week transition phase. Qualifying subjects at the end of the OL phase were then randomized to PP3M or PP1M in the 48-week double-blind (DB) phase. Healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) between PP3M and PP1M was compared using the HCRU questionnaire during the double-blind (DB) phase.

Methods

HCRU was measured at the start of the OL and DB phases, and every 12 weeks during DB until end of study/early withdrawal. Information included hospitalizations, ER visits, day or night clinic stays, outpatient treatment, daily living conditions, and occupational status. Logistic regressions modeled the probability of hospitalization vs. no hospitalization for psychiatric and social reasons, as well as hospitalizations for psychiatric reasons only, during the DB phase. The models controlled for OL baseline hospitalizations, OL phase hospitalizations, and time in study.

Results

The analysis set included 483 subjects randomized to PP3M and 512 subjects to PP1M during the DB phase. The odds of hospitalization for psychiatric/social reasons during 1 year for PP1M subjects were 1.16 times the odds of hospitalization for PP3M subjects (95% CI: 0.70, 1.93, P = 0.56). For psychiatric reasons only, the odds of hospitalization during 1 year for PP1 M subjects were 1.63 times the odds of hospitalization for PP3M subjects (95% CI: 0.88, 3.02, P = 0.12).

Conclusions

PP3M and PP1M demonstrated similar trends in hospitalizations throughout the course of the study.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Determination of Glucosamine in Raw Materials and Dietary Supplements Containing Glucosamine Sulfate and/or Glucosamine Hydrochloride by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with FMOC-Su Derivatization: Collaborative Study

A collaborative study was conducted for determination of glucosamine in raw materials and dietary supplements containing glucosamine sulfate and/or glucosamine hydrochloride by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with N-(9-fluorenyl-methoxycarbonyloxy) succinimide (FMOC-Su) derivatization. Thirteen blind materials, one pair of which were duplicates, were tested by 12 collaborating laboratories. The test samples consisted of various commercial products, including tablets, capsules, drink mix, and liquids as well as raw materials, blanks, and those for spike recovery analyses. The tests with blank products and products spiked with glucosamine showed good specificity of the method. The average recoveries at spike levels of 100 and 150% of the declared amount were 99.0% with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 2.1%, and 101% with an RSD of 2.3%, respectively. The test results between laboratories on each commercial product were reproducible with RSD values of no more than 4.0%, and the results were repeatable in the same laboratory with an average RSD of 0.7%. HorRat values ranged from 0.5 to 1.7 on both tests of spike recovery and reproducibility between laboratories on commercial products. The average determination coefficient of the calibration curves from the laboratories was 0.9995 with an RSD of 0.03%. All of the 12 collaborating laboratories succeeded in the study and none of their reported test results were outliers, partly indicating the robustness of the method. It is recommended that the method be accepted by AOAC INTERNATIONAL as Official First Action.

Determination of the Content of 4-FMA in Rat Plasma Samples by HPLC-MS/MS Method

Objective To develop a high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry （HPLC-MS/MS） method for the determination of the content of 4-fluoromethamphetamine （4-FMA） in rat plasma, and to provide a methodological basis for the study of the toxicokinetics of 4-FMA in rats. Methods Rat plasma samples were added into internal standard methamphetamine （MA）. Its proteins were precipitated with methanol and then separated with Poroshell 120 EC-C18 chromatographic column. A 0.1% formic acid aqueous solution and a 0.1% formic acid acetonitrile solution were used as the mobile phase at the flow rate of 0.4 mL/min. Electrospray ionization source was used for detection in the multiple reaction monitoring （MRM） mode. Results The linear relationship was good when the mass concentration of 4-FMA in plasma samples was in the range of 5-1 000 ng/mL （r>0.999）. The limit of detection （LOD） was 3 ng/mL and the limit of quantification （LOQ） was 5 ng/mL. The accuracy was expressed as relative error （RE）, and in the range of ±5%, the intra-day precision and inter-day precision （relative standard deviation, RSD） less than 9%, and the extraction recovery rate was more than 90%. The analysis and detection of plasma samples were completed within 2.5 min. Conclusion This study developed a HPLC-MS/MS method for the determination of 4-FMA in rat plasma samples. This method is accurate, rapid, simple and sensitive and can be applied to the study of toxicokinetics of 4-FMA.