Toward High-Quality Sulfide Solid Electrolytes: A Liquid-Phase Approach Featured with an Interparticle Coupled Unification Effect

Sulfide solid electrolytes (SSEs) are highly wanted for solid-state batteries (SSBs). While their liquid-phase synthesis is advantageous over their solid-phase strategy in scalable production, it confronts other challenges, such as low-purity products, user-unfriendly solvents, energy-inefficient solvent removal, and unsatisfactory performance. This article demonstrates that a suspension-based solvothermal method using single oxygen-free solvents can solve those problems. Experimental observations and theoretical calculations together show that the basic function of suspension-treatment is "interparticle-coupled unification", that is, even individually insoluble solid precursors can mutually adsorb and amalgamate to generate uniform composites in nonpolar solvents. This anti-intuitive concept is established when investigating the origins of impurities in SSEs electrolytes made by the conventional tetrahydrofuran-ethanol method and then searching for new solvents. Its generality is supported by four eligible alkane solvents and four types of SSEs. The electrochemical assessments on the former three SSEs show that they are competitive with their counterparts in the literature. Moreover, the synthesized SSEs presents excellent battery performance, showing great potential for practical applications.

Tumor Treatment Response Assessed During the Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy for Nasopharyngeal Patients

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

To evaluate intratumoral treatment response distribution with using FDG-PET/CT during the chemoradiotherapy of nasopharyngeal patients (NPC).

MATERIALS/METHODS

A total of 5 of 30 patients with stage III-IVA NPC were enrolled in the institutional protocol for induction/concurrent chemoradiotherapy with radiation dose of 70 Gy in 33 fractions. For each patient, a pre-radiation treatment FDG-PET/MRI image (SUV0) and a mid-treatment image (SUVm) at the treatment dose of 31.8 Gy were obtained. Followed by deformable PET/MRI registration between SUV0 and SUVm, the tumor voxel SUV reduction ratio was obtained to construct a tumor dose response matrix (DRM). Tumor SUVavid was also constructed by limiting tumor voxel SUVm > a given value. Spatial correlations of the tumor SUV0, SUVm, SUVavid and DRM were determined.

RESULTS

The mean and coefficient variation (CV) of the SUV0, SUVm and DRM for all tumors were 5.05 (52%), 2.72 (49%) and 0.64 (63%) (Table contains the individual data), which were smaller than those on the SUVs of head-n-neck HPV+ patients reported previously due to the induction chemotherapy, but had much larger DRM mean and CV. The inter-tumoral CVs of SUV0 and DRM were 29% and 27%, which were much lower than those of the intra-tumoral CVs 43% and 57%. Meanwhile, the intra-tumoral variations on SUV0 was smaller than the one of head-neck HPV+ patients, but the DRM intra-variation was much larger. There was a weak correlation between SUV0 and SUVm with the correlation coefficient 0.13, a medium correlation of -0.55 between SUV0 and DRM, but a strong correlation, 0.72, between SUVm and DRM. However, the spatial correlation between tumor DRM and SUVavid was getting weaker as the SUVavid value increasing and equal 0.47 with SUVavid value > 3.

CONCLUSION

The spatial dose response DRM for NPC in the concurrent chemoradiotherapy was relatively high, while had relatively low baseline tumor metabolic activity SUV0. It was most likely due to the induction chemotherapy. In addition, the tumor dose response showed vary large intra-tumoral variation. The high correlations between DRM and SUVm imply that SUVavid could be used partially to guide adaptive modification of NPC treatment with carefully selected boundary value.

Tumor Treatment Response Assessed During the Chemo-Radiotherapy for Locally Advanced NSCLC

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

To evaluate the capability of assessing intratumoral treatment response distribution with using FDG-PET/CT during the chemoradiotherapy of locally advanced NSCLC.

MATERIALS/METHODS

Twelve of total 50 patients with stage III NSCLC were enrolled in the institutional protocol for concurrent chemoradiotherapy with treatment dose of 54-60 Gy in 27-30 fractions. For each patient, a pre-treatment FDG-PET/CT image (SUV0) and a mid-treatment image (SUVm) obtained within the treatment dose of 24 ∼ 46 Gy were obtained. Followed by deformable PET/CT registration between SUV0 and SUVm, the tumor voxel SUV reduction ratio was obtained to construct a tumor dose response matrix (DRM). Tumor SUVavid was also constructed by limiting tumor voxel SUVm > a given value. Spatial correlations of the tumor SUV0, SUVm, SUVavid and DRM were determined.

RESULTS

The mean and coefficient variation (CV) of the SUV0, SUVm and DRM for all tumors were 6.56(64%), 2.82(59%) and 0.52(70%) (Table contains the individual data), which were like those on the SUVs and the mean DRM of head-neck HPV- patients reported previously, but much larger on the DRM variation. The inter-tumoral CVs of SUV0 and DRM were 17% and 43%, which were much smaller than those of the intra-tumoral CVs 61% and 55%. Meanwhile, the intra-tumoral variations on both SUV0 and DRM were much larger than those of head-neck HPV- patients. There was a weak correlation between SUV0 and SUVm with the correlation coefficient 0.32, a medium correlation of -0.51 between SUV0 and DRM; 0.58 between SUVm and DRM. It implies that the rule of tumor dose response DRM on treatment modification decision cannot be fully replaced by either SUV0 or SUVm. The spatial correlation between tumor DRM and SUVavid was 0.23 with SUVavid value > 3, which was getting weaker when increasing SUVavid value.

CONCLUSION

Spatial dose response for NSCLC assessed using FDG-PET/CT feedback demonstrated high treatment resistant patterns, which had a large intra-tumoral variation. In addition, the medium correlations of DRM vs SUV0 and DRM vs SUVm imply that all these factors could be used to guide adaptive modification of NSCLC treatment.

Influence of Al doping on the structure and electrochemical performance of the Co-free LiNi0.8Mn0.2O2 cathode material

The transformation from LiNi1-x-yCoxMnyO2 (NCM) cathodes to Co-free LiNi1-xMnxO2 (NM) cathodes is considered as an effective solution for the electric vehicle (EV) industry to deal with the high cost of cobalt. However, severe Li/Ni disorder, structural instability and poor cycling stability are the main obstacles to their practical application. Al doping has proven to be an effective method to improve the electrochemical performance of Ni-rich NCMs. However, with regard to Ni-rich Co-free NM cathodes, the influence of Al doping on the structural stability and electrochemical performance of NM cathodes is still not clear. In this work, Al doped LiNi0.8Mn0.2-xAlxO2 cathodes are designed and their structural stability and electrochemical performance are investigated by a combination of XRD, SEM, TEM, CV, GITT, cycling testing and EIS techniques. As a result, Al doping can effectively inhibit Li/Ni disorder and improve the structural and thermal stability. In detail, 5% is the optimal doping amount for LiNi0.8Mn0.2O2 cathodes to obtain the best electrochemical performance and the LiNi0.8Mn0.15Al0.05O2 cathode shows an excellent capacity retention of 91.97% after 300 cycles at 3.0-4.3 V. This work provides an effective strategy for the development of Ni-rich Co-free NM cathodes.

[Biological function and clinical significance of long non-coding RNA LINC00342 in head and neck squamous carcinoma]

Objective: To investigate the relationship between the long-non-coding RNA LINC00342 expression and the clinicopathological parameters of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and the biological function of LINC00342 in HNSCC cells. Methods: The expression level of LINC00342 in the HNSCC was analyzed using transcriptome sequencing data from TCGA (The Cancer Genome Atlas) database, and the expressions of LINC00342 in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma tissues (LSCC) of 27 patients in the First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University were detected by transcriptome sequencing. The expression levels of LINC00342 in human embryonic lung diploid cells 2BS, HNSCC cell lines FD-LSC-1, CAL-27 and Detroit562 were determined by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). RNAi (RNA interference) was used for LINC00342 knockdown in HNSCC cell lines, and the changes of malignant phenotype in the tumor cells after LINC00342 knockdown were examined by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), colony formation, flow cytometry, transwell invasion and migration assays. Bioinformatics analysis was performed to construct a LINC00342-centered competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) regulatory network, and GO (Gene Ontology) enrichment analysis was performed. Statistical analysis and graphing were performed using SPSS 25.0 software and GraphPad Prism 6 software. Results: Mean LINC00342 levels in HNSCC tissues and TCGA database were higher than that in normal control tissues, but with no significantly statistical difference (P=0.522). LINC00342 expression levels were positively correlated with cervical lymph node metastasis and pathological grade in patients with HNSCC, with higher expression in male patients than in female patients (P<0.05). Transcriptome sequencing analysis showed that mean expression level of LINC00342 in LSCC tissues of 27 patients was significantly higher than that in the paired adjacent normal mucosa tissues (t=1.56, P=0.036). LINC00342 expression was significantly upregulated in HNSCC cell lines FD-LSC-1, CAL-27 and Detroit562 (t-values of -12.17, -23.26 and -388.57, respectively; all P<0.001). Knockdown of LINC00342 by transfecting si-LINC00342-1 and si-LINC00342-2 inhibited HNSCC cell proliferation (t-values of 8.95 and 4.84, 2.70 and 5.55, 2.02 and 3.70, respectively), colony formation (t-values of 6.66 and 6.17, 7.38 and 11.65, 4.90 and 5.79, respectively), migration (t-values of 8.21 and 7.19, 5.76 and 6.46, 6.28 and 9.92, respectively) and invasion abilities (t-values of 9.29 and 10.25, 11.30 and 11.36, 8.02 and 8.66, respectively), but promoting apoptosis in cell lines FD-LSC-1 and CAL-27 (t-values of -2.21 and -5.83, -3.05 and -5.25 respectively) (all P-values<0.05). The LINC00342-centered ceRNA network consists of 10 downregulated microRNA and 647 upregulated mRNA nodes. GO analysis results indicated that LINC00342-regulated mRNAs were enriched in 22 biological processes, 32 molecular functions, and 12 cellular components. Conclusion: High level of LINC00342 is associated with the malignant progression of HNSCC. LINC00342 promotes the proliferation, migration, invasion, and antagonizes apoptosis of HNSCC cells, which serves as a potential molecular marker in HNSCC.

Measuring quality of reporting in systematic reviews of diagnostic test accuracy studies in medical imaging: comparison of PRISMA-DTA and PRISMA

OBJECTIVES

To compare the reporting quality measured by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses of Diagnostic Test Accuracy studies (PRISMA-DTA) vs the original PRISMA checklist for systematic reviews of diagnostic test accuracy studies in imaging and survey the use of PRISMA-DTA by researchers and endorsement by journals.

METHODS

Systematic reviews of DTA studies published in 2020 and 2021 in Quartile 1 and Quartile 3 medical imaging journals (defined by Journal Citation Reports) were identified through PubMed. The reporting of each systematic review was assessed using PRISMA-DTA, PRISMA-2009 and PRISMA-2020. The item scores and overall score were compared among the three checklists. We also examined checklist adoption by the included systematic reviews and surveyed checklist endorsement from author instructions of included journals.

RESULTS

A total of 173 systematic reviews from 66 journals were included. The use of PRISMA-DTA, compared with PRISMA-2009 and PRISMA-2020, identified more issues in the reporting of title (proportion of systematic reviews with proper reporting, 27.2% vs 98.8% vs 98.8%), abstract (39.3% vs 97.1% vs 64.7%), eligibility criteria (67.6% vs 94.2% vs 94.2%), search (28.9% vs 72.3% vs 28.9%), definitions for data extraction (14.5% vs 91.9% vs 91.9%), diagnostic accuracy measures (38.2% vs 93.6% vs 93.6%), synthesis of results (28.9% vs 89.6% vs 73.4%) and results of individual studies (40.5% vs 80.3% vs 80.3%). The overall median reporting score measured by PRISMA-DTA (72.0% (interquartile range (IQR), 66.7-77.8%)) was lower than that measured by PRISMA-2009 (88.9% (IQR, 84.0-92.6%)) and similar to that measured by PRISMA-2020 (74.1% (IQR, 66.7-77.8%)). Additionally, PRISMA-DTA was used by only 43 (24.9%) systematic reviews and endorsed by two (3.0%) journals. These trends remained consistent for reviews published in journals with diverse scientific impact.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of PRISMA-DTA may identify more reporting inadequacies compared with the original PRISMA checklists when assessing diagnostic test accuracy systematic reviews, especially in critical sections such as title, abstract and methods. However, this tool is not commonly used by researchers and is inadequately endorsed by imaging journals. Our findings suggest a strong need to use PRISMA-DTA for reporting of diagnostic test accuracy systematic reviews by authors and its endorsement by journals. © 2022 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Green Synthesis for Battery Materials: A Case Study of Making Lithium Sulfide via Metathetic Precipitation

For some future clean-energy technologies (such as advanced batteries), the concept of green chemistry has not been exercised enough for their material synthesis. Herein, we report a waste-free method of synthesizing lithium sulfide (Li₂S), a critical material for both lithium-sulfur batteries and sulfide-electrolyte-based all-solid-state lithium batteries. The key novelty lies in directly precipitating crystalline Li₂S out of an organic solution after the metathetic reaction between a lithium salt and sodium sulfide. Compared with conventional methods, this method is advantageous in operating at ambient temperatures, releasing no hazardous wastes, and being economically more competitive. To collect the valuable byproduct out of the liquid phases, a "solventing-out crystallization" technique is employed by adding an antisolvent (AS) of low boiling point. The subsequent distillation of the new solution under vacuum evaporates off the AS rather than the high-boiling-point reaction solvent (RS), saving a lot of energy. Consequently, the separated AS and RS containing the unreacted lithium salt can be directly reused. For industrial production, the entire process may be operated continuously in a closed loop without discharging any wastes. Moreover, Li₂S cathodes and sulfide-electrolyte Li₆PS₅Cl derived from the synthesized Li₂S show impressive battery performance, displaying the great potential of this method for practical applications.

Hearing Impairment and Incident Frailty in Later Life: The Health in Men Study (HIMS)

OBJECTIVES

This study is designed to determine if hearing loss is associated with increased risk of frailty in later life.

DESIGN

A prospective cohort study.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

We retrieved data of a community sample of men aged 70 years and above living in the metropolitan region of Perth, Western Australia. 3,285 participants who were free of frailty at the beginning of the study were followed for up to 17 years. Data were retrieved from the Health in Men Study (HIMS) and the Western Australian Data Linkage System (WADLS).

MEASUREMENTS

Hearing loss was defined by self-report or by diagnosis recorded in the WADLS. Incident frailty was assessed using the Hospital Frailty Risk Score (HFRS).

RESULTS

A total of 2,348 (71.5%) men developed frailty during follow up. The adjusted hazard ratio was 1.03 (95% CI: 0.95-1.12). The majority of the participants became frail by age 90 regardless of hearing condition. The time point where half of the group become frail was delayed by 14.4 months for men without hearing loss compared with hearing impaired men.

CONCLUSIONS

Hearing loss is not associated with incident frailty in men aged 70 years or older when frailty was measured by HFRS. However, this statistically non-significant result could be due to the low sensitivity of study measures. Also, we found a trend that men with hearing loss were more likely to develop frailty compared with their normal-hearing peers, suggesting a potential association between hearing loss and frailty.

[Construction of zebrafish models for screening intracranial hemorrhage associated genes]

Objective: To construct zebrafish models for the screening of intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) associated genes. Methods: ICH zebrafish models were constructed through morpholino oligonucleotides (MOs) technique and microinjection technique, and multiple verification was performed from macro and micro perspectives. First, the normal wild-type AB strain zebrafish injected with control MO was used as the control group, and AB zebrafish embryos microinjected with MOs of genes related to development of neural crest-derived cells (NCDCs) were used as the study group, such as col8a1 MO, tfap2α MO, msx1a MO, msx2 MO, and dkk1a MO. Preliminary verification of the model was conducted under a white-light optical microscope. Then, the model was verified by Tg (flk1: gfp; gata1: dsRed) double transgenic zebrafish, with vascular endothelial cells labeled by green fluorescent protein (GFP) and red blood cell labeled by fluorescent protein (dsRed), and thus the location of cerebral hemorrhage can be observed more clearly. Specifically, zebrafish embryos were microinjected with Control MO as the control group and those microinjected with col8a1 MO as the study group. Then the embryos were cultured until 48 hours post-fertilization to observe the leakage of red blood cells under the confocal laser scanning microscope. Finally, Tg (flk1: gfp) transgenic zebrafish was used to verify the model based on the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Through the leakage of dextran-rhodamine and DAPI dyes, the destruction of BBB and the occurrence of cerebral hemorrhage in zebrafish were further clarified, and quantitative statistics were carried out to verify the relationship between NCDCs development related genes and cerebral hemorrhage phenotype, which proved that the modeling was effective. Results: The zebrafish with col8a1, tfap2α, and msx1 mutations in the study group had apparent ICH compared with wildtype zebrafish, and the prevalence of ICH was 18.18% (52/286), 23.04% (62/251), and 35.94% (23/64), respectively. While, the zebrafish with msx2 and dkk1a mutations rarely had ICH, with the ICH prevalence of 1.03% (1/97) and 1.15% (1/87), respectively. The prevalence of red blood cells leakage in Tg (flk1:gfp; gata1:dsred) double transgenic zebrafish injected with Control Mo and col8a1 Mo was 0.37% (1/273) and 18.18% (52/286) (P<0.001). The number of DAPI positive nuclei of Tg (flk1: gfp) transgenic zebrafish injected with Control Mo and col8a1 Mo was 10.05±5.27 and 60.35±3.96 (P<0.001), and the fluorescent intensity of midbrain parenchymal induced by dextran-rhodamin leakage was 2.54±4.70 and 5.13±3.52 (P<0.001). Conclusion: This study successfully constructs the ICH zebrafish models, and ICH-related genes are screened out, such as col8a1, tfap2α, msx1, and so on.

[Effect of D-dimer on the prognosis of patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage based on propensity score matching]

Objective: To evaluate the effect of D-dimer on the prognosis of patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). Methods: A total of 1 658 patients who were first diagnosed with aSAH in West China Hospital of Sichuan University from December 2013 to June 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients were divided into four groups according to the median and quartiles of D-dimer level, including 415 cases, 414 cases, 414 cases, and 415 cases in groups Q₁, Q₂, Q₃, and Q₄, respectively. Groups Q₂, Q₃, Q_4, and group Q₁ were matched by propensity score matching (PSM), and the correlation between D-dimer and each outcome was analyzed by logistic regression. Since there is no general clinical classification standard for D-dimer, this study attempted to reclassify patients into groups q1 (<0.55 mg/L, 94 cases), q2 (0.55-1.65 mg/L, 435 cases), q3 (1.65-5.50 mg/L, 650 cases) and q4 (>5.50 mg/L, 303 cases) based on 1, 3, 5, 10 times of the upper limit of the current clinical reference value. Results: The age of 1 658 aSAH patients were (57±12) years, including 1 068 males and 590 females. After PSM based on the median and quartiles of D-dimer level, there were 318 cases, 318 cases, 251 cases, and 229 cases in groups Q₁, Q₂, Q₃, and Q₄, respectively. Compared with group Q₁ (<1.23 mg/L), the risk of in-hospital infection (OR=2.14, 95%CI: 1.47-3.11, P<0.001), pneumonia (OR=2.22, 95%CI: 1.51-3.28, P<0.001), urinary tract infection (OR=1.75, 95%CI: 1.12-2.75, P=0.014) and intracranial rebleeding (OR=3.59, 95%CI: 1.30-9.91, P=0.013) group Q₄ (>4.95 mg/L) was higher. Likewise, the risk of adverse outcomes in group Q₄ was also higher than that in group Q₁, including unfavorable outcome at discharge (OR=2.12, 95%CI: 1.43-3.14, P<0.001), mortality during hospitalization (OR=3.03, 95%CI: 1.26-7.33, P=0.014), mortality within 90 days (OR=2.33, 95%CI:1.29-4.22, P=0.005), mortality within 180 days (OR=1.92, 95%CI: 1.12-3.29, P=0.018), mortality within 1 year (OR=2.07, 95%CI:1.23-3.47, P=0.006) and mortality during the longest follow-up period (OR=1.97, 95%CI:1.26-3.09, P=0.003). After secondary grouping and PSM based on current clinical reference values, there were 90 cases, 87 cases, 90 cases, and 43 cases, respectively in groups q1, q2, q3 and q4. The risk of nosocomial infection (OR=2.26, 95%CI: 1.14-4.45, P=0.019), blood-borne infection (OR=8.86, 95%CI:1.08-72.78, P=0.042), poor prognosis at discharge (OR=4.92, 95%CI: 2.18-11.07, P<0.001), death within 180 days (OR=3.39, 95%CI: 1.04-11.08, P=0.043), death within 1 year (OR=3.23, 95%CI: 1.10-9.49, P=0.033), and death within the longest follow-up period (OR=3.28, 95%CI: 1.34-8.01, P=0.009) was still higher in group q4 than that in group q1. Conclusion: aSAH patients with high D-dimer level have a higher risk of complications and mortality during hospitalization and worse clinical prognosis.

A Low-Cost Liquid-Phase Method of Synthesizing High-Performance Li6PS5Cl Solid-Electrolyte

Li₆PS₅Cl is an extensively studied sulfide-solid-electrolyte for developing all-solid-state lithium batteries. However, its practical application is hindered by the high cost of its raw material lithium sulfide (Li₂S), the difficulty in its massive production, and its substandard performance. Herein we report an economically viable and scalable method, denoted as "de novo liquid phase method", which enables in synthesizing high-performance Li₆PS₅Cl without using commercial Li₂S but instead in situ making Li₂S from cheap materials of lithium chloride (LiCl) and sodium sulfide. LiCl, a raw material needed for making both Li₂S and Li₆PS₅Cl, can be added at a full-scale in the beginning and unrequired to separate when making the intermediate Li₃PS₄. Such a consecutive feature makes this method time-efficient; and the excess amount of LiCl in the step of making Li₂S also facilitates removing the byproduct of sodium chloride via the common ion effect. The materials cost of this method for Li₆PS₅Cl is ∼ $55/kg, comparable with the practical need of $50/kg. Moreover, the obtained Li₆PS₅Cl shows high ionic conductivity and outstanding cyclability in full battery tests, that is, ∼2 mS/cm and >99.8% retention for 400+ cycles at 1 C, respectively. Thus, this innovative method is expected to pave the way to develop practical sulfide-solid-electrolytes for all-solid-state lithium batteries.

[A nationalsurveyandresults analysisof seizure prophylaxis after aneurismal subarachnoid hemorrhage]

Investigate theclinical practice of seizure prophylaxis after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage in Chinese neurosurgeons.Aquestionnaire for this theme was designed and was sent to respondents through the internet.From July 2021 to October 2021, atotal of forty-three eligible questionnaires were collected. All responders come from affiliated hospitals of medical schools in China. Each of these hospitals admitted more than one hundred patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage per year. Only 9.3% (4/43) of responders disagree with the prophylactic use of anticonvulsants. 86.04% (37/43) of responders perform seizure prophylaxis in clinical practice. Sodium valproate is the most commonly used regimen; 94.59% (35/37) of responders who perform prophylaxis chose this drug. The medication period differs sharply fromlessthan 3 daystolongerthan 14 daysamong different hospitals. The use of EEG was insufficient in Chinese patients. A low seizure rate was reported according to the feedback from Chinese neurosurgeons.In China, seizure prophylaxis after subarachnoid hemorrhage was not yet standardized. Clinicians' mastery of relevant knowledge is still not enough. Carrying out high-quality clinical research can help justify the use of anticonvulsants, which could also positively impact rational drug use.

[A randomized double-blinded placebo-controlled clinical trial of minodronate tablet in postmenopausal Chinese women with osteoporosis]

Objective: To verify the efficacy and safety of daily oral minodronate in postmenopausal women with established osteoporosis. Methods: In this randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial, 262 postmenopausal women were enrolled. Patients were randomized to receive daily oral minodronate 1 mg with supplements of 500 mg calcium and 200 U vitamin D₃ (n=130) or placebo (n=132) with daily supplements of 500 mg calcium and 200 U vitamin D₃, for 48 weeks. The primary endpoint was the average bone mineral density (BMD) change in the lumbar vertebrae 48 weeks post-treatment. Secondary outcome measures was the incidence of vertebral fractures. Safety assessments included the rate of adverse events. Results: At the end of 48 weeks treatment, the average BMD change rate from baseline were: full analysis set results: (3.52±4.82)% in the minodronate group and (2.00±5.74)% in the placebo group; per-protocol set results: (3.99±5.05)% in the minodronate group and (2.07±6.20)% in the placebo group; the differences were all significant (all P<0.05). Vertebral fracture occured in 3 patients (2.3%, 3/132) in the placebo group, and 1 case (0.8%, 1/130) in the minodronate group (P>0.05). The incidence of adverse events was 71.5% (93/130) in the minodronate group and 78.0% (103/132) in the placebo group (P>0.05). Conclusion: Minodronate is effective and safe in the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis without severe side effects.

[Establishment of a rapid risk assessment system for imported COVID-19 cases]

Objective: To develop a rapid risk assessment tool for imported COVID-19 cases and provide reference evidences for prevention and control of COVID-19 at ports. Methods: The information about COVID-19 pandemic and control strategies of 12 concerned countries was collected during July to August 2021, and 12 indexes were selected to assess the importation risk of COVID-19 by risk matrix. Results: The risk for imported COVID-19 cases from 12 countries to China was high or extremely high, and the risk from Russia and the USA was highest. Conclusions: The developed rapid risk assessment tool based on the risk matrix method can be used to determine the risk level of countries for imported COVID-19 cases to China at ports, and the risk of imported COVID-19 was high at Beijing port in August 2021.

Large-scale preparation for efficient polymer-based room-temperature phosphorescence via click chemistry

To achieve efficient polymer-based room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) materials, covalently embedding phosphors into the polymer matrix appeared as the most appealing approach. However, it is still highly challenging to fabricate RTP materials on a large scale because of the inefficient binding engineering and time-consuming covalent reactions. Here, we have proposed a scalable preparation approach for RTP materials by the facile B─O click reaction between boronic acid-modified phosphors and polyhydroxy polymer matrix. The ab initio molecular dynamics simulations demonstrated that the phosphors were effectively immobilized, resulting in the suppressed nonradiative transitions and activated RTP emission. In comparison to the reported covalent binding time of several hours, such a B─O click reaction can be accomplished within 20 s under ambient environment. The developed strategy simplified the construction of polymer-based RTP polymeric materials by the introduction of facile click chemistry. Our success provides inspirations and possibilities for the scale-up production of RTP materials.

[A cross-sectional study on the association between frailty and muscular performances in hospitalized elder patients with coronary artery disease]

Objective: To explore the association between frailty and muscle performances of hospitalized elder adults with coronary artery disease. Methods: A total of 122 hospitalized patients aged 65-85 years old with coronary artery disease from Department of Geriatrics and Cardiology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital between December 2017 and March 2018 were enrolled in the study. A comprehensive geriatric assessment was performed to evaluate existing comorbidity and geriatric syndromes of the patients. Frailty was assessed using the Clinical Fraity Scale. The patients were classified as frail and non-frail, according to the scale. Muscle performances were assessed using grip strength, gait speed, etc. Whole body and appendicular skeletal muscle mass was detected with bioelectrical impedance analysis in patients with reduced grip strength or slowed gait speed. Appendicular skeletal muscle index (ASMI) was calculated. Results: Among all subjects, 28 were with frailty (23.0%) and 94 were without (77.0%). The frail patients were older [(76.7±5.4) years vs. (72.2±5.6)years], had higher Charlson comorbidity index [2.0(1.0,2.75)vs. 1.0(0,2.0)], and higher proportion of malnutrition (14.29% vs. 1.06%), urinary incontinence (39.29% vs. 15.96%), using walking-aid (28.57% vs. 6.38%), and more kinds of taken drugs (8.1±3.0 vs. 6.6±2.7), than the non-frail patients. Prealbumin levels [(207.8±60.0)mg/L vs.(234.3±45.4)mg/L] were lower, and highly sensitive C-reactive protein levels [(5.89±9.57)mg/L vs.(1.89±2.49)mg/L] were higher in the frail patients than in the non-frail patients (all P<0.05). Compared with non-frail patients, the frail patients had poorer grip strength [(19.67±7)kg vs.(29.23±8.29)kg] and slower gait speed [(0.54±0.2)m/s vs.(0.91±0.22)m/s] (all P<0.001). Spearman rank correlation analyses showed that grip strength was positively correlated with the appendicular skeletal muscle mass(r=0.811), whole body skeletal muscle mass(r=0.74) and the ASMI (r=0.783), respectively. Conclusions: The incidence of frailty among hospitalized older adults with coronary artery disease is high. Poor muscle performances were common in these patients. Assessment of frailty and muscle performances can help to evaluate the overall function of older adults with cardiovascular disease in a comprehensive way.

[Analysis on prevalence of physical fitness and related influencing factors among Chinese Han students aged 13-18 years in 2014]

Objective: To analyze the prevalence of physical fitness among Chinese Han students aged 13-18 years in 2014, and explore related influencing factors. Methods: This study recruited 106 881 Han students aged 13-18 years who had taken physical fitness test from Chinese National Survey on Students' Constitution and Health in 2014. After the exclusion of 1 047 students without complete records of physical fitness test, 105 834 students were included in the final analysis. According to the National Student Physical Health Standard modified in 2014, seven indicators including body mass index, vital capacity, 50-m run, sit-and-reach, standing broad jump, pull-ups/curl-ups and endurance run were tested to calculate the total score of students' physical fitness. Students with score ≥60 were regarded as qualified students. Multivariate non-conditional logistic regression model was used to analyze influencing factors of physical fitness. Results: Among Chinese Han students aged 13-18 years, the total score was 70.1±10.7 and the qualified rate was 83.9% (n=88 813). Boys (83.5% (44 197/52 910)) had a lower qualified rate of physical fitness than girls (84.3% (44 616/52 924)) (P<0.001), and 13-15 age group (86.5% (46 255/53 465)) was higher than the 16-18 age group (81.3% (42 558/52 369)) (P<0.001). Except for 16-18-year-old boys from central region, normal body mass index, eastern region, good socioeconomic status, enough PE class, exercise time ≥1 h/d, homework time ≥2 h/d, TV time <1 h/d were all related to high qualified rates of physical fitness (P<0.05). Conclusion: Chinese Han students aged 13-18 years were in good physical condition. The qualified rates of physical fitness were significantly different by gender and age groups. Nutritional status, region, socioeconomic status, PE class, exercise time per day, homework time per day, and TV time per day were related factors of physical fitness.

[Epidemiological features of prevalent influenza A viruses in children with influenza-like illness during the 2004-2017 season in Beijing]

Objective: To analyze and compare the epidemiological features of prevalent influenza A viruses in children in Beijing during 13 consecutive surveillance seasons from 2004 to 2017. Methods: This was a repeated cross section study. Throat swabs were collected weekly from children with influenza-like illnesses (ILI) who presented to the outpatient/emergency department of Children's Hospital, Capital Institute of Pediatrics during the period from September, 2004 to August, 2017. All of the specimens were inoculated into Madin Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells to isolate influenza viruses followed by identifying different types of influenza viruses with reference antisera by hemagglutination-inhibition assay. Descriptive statistics, t test and chi-square test were used to analyze the characteristics of prevalent influenza and characteristics of children infected with different types of influenza viruses. Results: Out of 10 984 specimens from ILI tested for influenza viruses, 1 052 (9.6%) were positive for influenza A viruses, and the positive rate was higher than that of influenza B viruses (6.7%, 741/10 984). Out of 1 052 cases positive for influenza A viruses, 70 cases of seasonal H1N1, 302 cases of 2 009 pandemic H1N1 and 680 cases of H3N2 were identified. The mean age of children with influenza A was (4.2±2.9) years, in whom 55.5% (584/1 052) were male. The mean age of children infected with seasonal H1N1, 2009 pandemic H1N1 and H3N2 was (4.6±2.1) , (4.3±3.1) and (4.2±2.9) years, respectively. There was no significant difference in the mean age among children infected with different subtypes of influenza A viruses (seasonal H1N1 vs. H3N2: t=1.139, P=0.255; 2009 pandemic H1N1 vs. H3N2: t=0.631, P=0.528; seasonal H1N1 vs. 2009 pandemic H1N1: t=0.720, P=0.472), while the mean age of children with influenza B was higher than that of the patients with influenza A ((5.2±2.7) vs. (4.2±2.9) years, t=7.120, P=0.000). The infection rate of influenza A in children with each age group was significantly different from that of influenza B. The infection rate of 2009 pandemic H1N1 and H3N2 increased with age, except for the patients of 0-6 months. Meanwhile, the infection rate of H3N2 in children aged 6 months to 12 years was higher than that of seasonal H1N1 and 2009 pandemic H1N1 (all P<0.05). The influenza A epidemic peaked earlier than that of influenza B when the positive rate of influenza A was higher than that of influenza B, and vice versa. After 2009, circulating strain was substituted by 2009 pandemic H1N1 virus with higher positive rate, while previous seasonal H1N1 had not been detected. The 2009 pandemic H1N1 circulated at high level in two consecutive seasons, which was followed by low level in next season. H3N2 epidemic peaked mostly in winter and spring each year, however, the epidemic wave of H3N2 with high virulence occurred so early in the summer in the year of 2009 H1N1 pandemic. Conclusions: The characteristics of prevalent influenza A viruses in children were different among 13 surveillance seasons from 2004 to 2017 in Beijing. The 2009 pandemic H1N1 and H3N2 became the predominant strains of influenza A virus.

Stronger selective constraint on downstream genes in the oxidative phosphorylation pathway of cetaceans

The oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) pathway is an efficient way to produce energy via adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is critical for sustaining an energy supply for cetaceans in a hypoxic environment. Several studies have shown that natural selection may shape the evolution of the genes involved in OXPHOS. However, how network architecture drives OXPHOS protein sequence evolution remains poorly explored. Here, we investigated the evolutionary patterns of genes in the OXPHOS pathway across six cetacean genomes within the framework of a functional network. Our results show a negative correlation between the strength of purifying selection and pathway position. This result indicates that downstream genes were subjected to stronger evolutionary constraints than upstream genes, which may be due to the dual function of ATP synthase in the OXPHOS pathway. Additionally, there was a positive correlation between codon usage bias and omega (ω = dN/dS) and a negative correlation with synonymous substitution rate (dS), indicating that the stronger selective constraint on genes (with less biased codon usage) along the OXPHOS pathway is attributable to an increase in the rate of synonymous substitution. Surprisingly, there was no significant correlation between protein-protein interactions and the evolutionary estimates, implying that highly connected enzymes may not always show greater evolutionary constraints. Compared with that observed for terrestrial mammals, we found that the signature of positive selection detected in five genes (ATP5J, LHPP, PPA1, UQCRC1 and UQCRQ) was cetacean-specific, reflecting the importance of OXPHOS for survival in hypoxic, aquatic environments.

[Value of evaluating the coronary collateral circulation by transluminal attenuation gradient in patients with chronic total occlusion and related influencing factors]

Objective: To observe the value of evaluating the coronary collateral circulation of chronic total occlusion (CTO) by transluminal attenuation gradient (TAG) and Rentrop grading, and analyze the influencing factors for coronary collateral circulation. Methods: A total of 179 CTO patients admitted to Beijing Anzhen hospital during June 2013 to August 2016 were included in this study.All patients received coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) examination before coronary angiography.Finally, 75 patients (79 vessels) were enrolled.Patients were divided into two groups on the basis of Rentrop classification.The Rentrop 3 was defined as a well-developed coronary collateral circulation group, including 50 CTO vessels, Rentrop 2 or below was defined as poorly-developed collateral circulation group, including 29 vessels.TAG values in patients with various Rentrop grades were analyzed.Univariate and multivariate analysis were used to determine the predictors of collateral circulation. Results: TAG increased consistently in proportion to the angiographic extent of collateral flow (TAG was (-33.6±24.4), (-16.5±15.7) and (-12.8±15.8) HU/10 mm in patients with Rentrop grade 0 or 1, 2 and 3, respectively, P=0.007). Number of good collateral circulation vessels predicted by TAG≥15.6 HU/10 mm was 45(57.0%, 45/79), and 50 (63.3%, 50/79) by Rentrop grade (P=0.383). Prevalence of diabetes was significantly lower (20.8%(10/48) vs. 48.1%(13/27), P=0.01), while history of previous myocardial infarction (MI) was significantly higher (35.4%(17/48) vs. 11.1%(3/27), P=0.02) in patients with good collateral circulation than in patients with poor collateral circulation.The TAG of the good collateral circulation group was significantly higher than in poorly collateral circulation group ((-12.8±15.8) HU/10 mm vs. (-21.2±19.6) HU/10mm, P=0.041). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that history of MI (OR=0.196, 95%CI 0.041-0.936, P=0.041) and diabetes(OR=6.604, 95%CI 1.726-25.274, P=0.006) were independent predictors of coronary collateral circulation. Conclusions: TAG could be used to evaluate status of coronary collateral circulation.Presence of MI history and absence of diabetes history are the two independent predictors of well-developed coronary collateral circulation in CTO patients.

[Molecular biological and clinical characteristics of respiratory syncytial virus in children with bronchiolitis]

Objective: To investigate the clinical characteristics of respiratory syncytial virus(RSV)bronchiolitis and molecular biological characteristics of RSV in children in Beijing. Method: In a systematic retrospective study, 2 296 nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPA) were collected from children diagnosed with bronchiolitis from July 2006 to June 2016 for respiratory virus screening using direct immunofluorescence assay (DFA). For specimens positive for RSV, subgroup A or B was confirmed by real time RT-PCR and genotype of RSV was determined by amplifying the full G glycoprotein gene and sequencing. Clinical data were evaluated by the modified Tal score to compare the severity between RSV subtypes, as well as genotypes. Statistical analyses were performed using t test, Mann-Whitney U test and χ(2) test. Result: In 2 296 bronchiolitis cases, 961(41.9%) were RSV positive, including 719(74.8%) RSV A and 236 (24.6%) RSV B. The dominant RSV subtype changed from year to year: A-A-B-B-A-A-B-AB-A-AB and more bronchiolitis cases were identified in RSV A dominant years. Six genotypes of RSV A (NA1, NA2, NA3, NA4, GA5 and ON1) and 5 genotypes of RSV B (BA3, BA7, BA9, BA10 and CB1) were prevalent in Beijing. The dominant genotypes of RSV A were NA1 (55.9%) with high rates (50.0%-100%) before 2014 and ON1 (39.1%), mainly detected after 2014, while BA9 (90.6%) was the absolute dominant RSV B genotype. No significant difference in the severity of bronchiolitis was shown between cases of RSV A and B. Children positive for NA1 were more likely to stay longer in hospital (Median time: 8 days) compared to the group positive for ON1(Median time: 6 days ) (U=1.035, P=0.005) and had higher proportion of moderate to severe degree symptoms (Moderate: 41.0%, Severe: 10.0%) compared with ON1 group (Moderate: 22.9%, Severe: 4.3%) (U=9.785, P=0.008). In the group positive for ON1, more children had fever (ON1: 38.6%, NA1: 15.0%) (χ(2)=11.064, P=0.001) and more were younger than 3 months(ON1: 54.3%, NA1: 33.0%) (χ(2)=77.408, P<0.001). Conclusion: The dominant RSV subgroup changed from year to year with a shifting pattern. The correlation between RSV genotypes and the severity of disease was documented in the study.

[Prevalence characteristics of influenza viruses in children in Beijing during 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 influenza seasons]

OBJECTIVE

To compare the prevalence characteristics of influenza viruses in children in Beijing during 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 influenza seasons.

METHOD

Throat swabs were collected weekly from children with influenza-like illnesses who visited in Children's Hospital affiliated to Capital Institute of Pediatrics during the period from September 2014 to May 2016.Influenza viruses A and B viruses were detected by real-time RT-PCR, followed by identification of H3N2, H1N1pdm, B/Victoria-like and B/Yamagata-like.The prevalence characteristics of influenza viruses was estimated by means of descriptive statistics.The t test and chi-square test were used to compare median age and gender ratio of infected children among different types of influenza viruses.

RESULT

Out of 1 821 throat swabs collected, 139 (7.6%) were positive for H3N2 and 43 (2.4%) for H1N1pdm and 204 (11.2%) for influenza B virus, including 108 for B/Victoria-like and 96 for B/Yamagata-like.The median age of H1N1pdm infected children ((3.3±2.2) years) was significantly younger than that of H3N2 ((4.7±3.2) years) and influenza B virus((4.9±2.8) years) (H1N1pdm vs. H3N2: t=2.848, P=0.002; H1N1pdm vs. influenza B, t=3.682, P=0.000). Two epidemic peaks were presented in 2014-2015 influenza season, dominated definitely by H3N2 and B/Yamagata-like, respectively, while one delayed peak started at the 51(st) week, 2015, co-circulated with H3N2, H1N1pdm and influenza B viruses, among which B/Victoria-like virus was predominant during the 2015-2016 season.

CONCLUSION

Prevalence characteristics of influenza viruses are different between 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 influenza seasonal epidemics in children in Beijing. It is important to monitor the genetic variations of influenza viruses and to keep close attention to influenza B virus as well as influenza A virus.

Differential expression of miR16 in glioblastoma and glioblastoma stem cells: their correlation with proliferation, differentiation, metastasis and prognosis

The function of miR16 in multiforme glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and its stem cells (GSCs) remains elusive. To this end, we investigated the patterns of miR16 expression in these cells and their correlation with malignant behaviors and clinical outcomes. The levels of miR16 and its targeted genes in tumor tissue of GBM and GBM SGH44, U87, U251 cells as well as their stem cell counterparts were measured by qRT–PCR or western blot or immunohistochemistry. Luciferase reporter assay was used to confirm the binding of miR16 to 3′-UTR of its target genes. The effects of miR16 on malignant behaviors were investigated, including tumor cell viability, soft-agar colony formation, GSCs Matrigel colony forming and migration and invasion as well as nude mice xenograft model. Differentially expression patterns of miR16 in glioblastoma cells and GSCs cells were found in this study. Changes of miR16 targeted genes, Bcl2 (B cell lymphoma 2), CDK6 (Cyclin-dependent kinase 6), CCND1 (cyclin D1), CCNE1 (cyclin E1) and SOX5 were confirmed in glioblastoma cell lines and tissue specimens. In vitro and in vivo studies showed that tumor cell proliferation was inhibited by miR16 mimic, but enhanced by miR16 inhibitor. The expression level of miR16 positively correlates with GSCs differentiation, but negatively with the abilities of migration, motility, invasion and colony formation in glioblastoma cells. The inhibitory effects of miR16 on its target genes were also found in nude mice xenograft model. Our findings revealed that the miR16 functions as a tumor suppressor in GSCs and its association with prognosis in GBM.

[A cross-section study on physical endurance level in primary and middle school students in China, 2014]

Objective: To understand the physical endurance level of primary and middle school students in China in 2014, and identify the factors influencing students'physical endurance. Methods: Data were collected from"National School Student Physical Fitness and Health Surveillance in 2014" , a total of 142 708 primary and middle school students with complete information were included in the analysis. The age, gender and area specific failure rates of endurance running of students were analyzed, the differences were analyzed with χ(2) test, and the factors influencing students' physical endurance were identified with log-binomial regression model. Results: Among the 142 708 students, the failure rate of endurance running was 21.6% (30 867/142 708). The failure rate was 23.7% (16 891/71 388) in boys and 19.6% (13 976/71 320) in girls (χ(2)=347.73, P<0.05). And it was 24.8% in students in urban area (17 713/71 378), higher than that in students in rural area (18.4%, 13 154/71 330) (χ(2)=855.29, P<0.05). The failure rate of endurance running showed an upward trend with age. Insufficient physical education class hour (OR=1.13, 95%CI: 1.11-1.15), not taking breakfast daily (OR=1.22, 95%CI: 1.20-1.25), daily physical exercise time<1 hour (OR=1.44, 95%CI: 1.40-1.48), the screen watching time>2 hours (OR=1.16, 95%CI: 1.14-1.19) and overweight or obesity (OR=1.90, 95%CI: 1.86-1.95) might be the risk factors for the failure of physical endurance. Conclusion: The physical endurance of primary and secondary students in China was not optimistic, and the factors influencing their physical endurance included gender, living area, physical education class time, daily homework time, breakfast, daily exercise time and nutrition status.

[Clinical value of a rapid respiratory syncytial virus antigen detection in point-of-care testing]

Objective: To evaluate the clinical value of a rapid respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) antigen detection in point-of-care testing (POCT). Method: A total of 209 specimens, including 78 throat swabs (TS) and 131 nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPAs), were collected from inpatients who visited the Children's Hospital Affiliated to the Capital Institute of Pediatrics and were diagnosed as acute respiratory infection from 5 January to 7 February, 2015. These specimens were tested for RSV by a rapid antigen detection kit which was compared with reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and direct immunofluorescence assay (DFA) for RSV detection. Result: Compared with DFA for NPAs, the sensitivity and specificity of rapid antigen detection were 83.9% and 97.3%, respectively, with Kappa value of 0.86; Compared with RT-PCR, the sensitivity (NPAs, 74.2%; TS, 77.8%) and specificity (NPAs, 100.0%; TS, 92.0%) of rapid antigen detection were high, too, with Kappa value of 0.74 in NPAs and 0.62 in TS. However, the RSV positive rate of rapid antigen detection in TS (21.7%) from pediatric patients with acute lower respiratory tract infection was lower than that in NPAs (78.3%), as well as that of RT-PCR (7.3% in TS verse 78% in NPAs). The RSV rapid antigen detection kit can be finished in about 10 minutes. Conclusion: With characteristics of high specificity, high sensitivity, being rapid, efficient and easy to operate in comparison with DFA and RT-PCR, RSV rapid antigen detection in this study is suitable for POCT. For pediatric patients with acute respiratory tract infection, NPA was better than TS for RSV detection.

Systematic review and meta-analysis comparing three techniques for pancreatic remnant closure following distal pancreatectomy

BACKGROUND

Established closure techniques for the pancreatic remnant after distal pancreatectomy include stapler, suture and anastomotic closure. However, controversy remains regarding the ideal technique; therefore, the aim of this study was to compare closure techniques and risk of postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF).

METHODS

A systematic review was carried out according to PRISMA guidelines for studies published before January 2014 that compared at least two closure techniques for the pancreatic remnant in distal pancreatectomy. A random-effects model was constructed using weighted odds ratios (ORs).

RESULTS

Thirty-seven eligible studies matched the inclusion criteria and 5252 patients who underwent distal pancreatectomy were included. The primary outcome measure, the POPF rate, ranged 0 from to 70 per cent. Meta-analysis of the 31 studies comparing stapler versus suture closure showed that the stapler technique had a significantly lower rate of POPF, with a combined OR of 0.77 (95 per cent c.i. 0.61 to 0.98; P = 0.031). Anastomotic closure was associated with a significantly lower POPF rate than suture closure (OR 0.55, 0.31 to 0.98; P = 0.042). Combined stapler and suture closure had significantly lower POPF rates than suture closure alone, but no significant difference compared with stapler closure alone.

CONCLUSION

The use of stapler closure or anastomotic closure for the pancreatic remnant after distal pancreatectomy significantly reduces POPF rates compared with suture closure. The combination of stapler and suture closure shows superiority over suture closure alone.

Direct targeting of SUZ12/ROCK2 by miR-200b/c inhibits cholangiocarcinoma tumourigenesis and metastasis

Background:

The multidrug resistance and distant metastasis of cholangiocarcinoma result in high postoperative recurrence and low long-term survival rates. It has been demonstrated that the ectopic expression of miR-200 suppresses the multidrug resistance and metastasis of cancer. However, the expression and function of miR-200 in cholangiocarcinoma has not yet been described.

Methods:

In this study, we identified dysregulated microRNAs (miRNAs, miR) in cholangiocarcinoma tissue by microarray analysis, and subsequent real-time PCR and northern blot analyses validated the expression of candidate miR. We performed functional analyses and investigated the relationship between miR-200b/c expression and the properties of cholangiocarcinoma cells. A dual luciferase assay was applied to examine the effect of miRNAs on the 3′-UTR of target genes, and we demonstrated the function of the target gene by siRNA transfection identifying the downstream pathway via western blotting.

Results:

We found significantly downregulated expression of four miR-200 family members (miR-200a/b/c/429) and then confirmed that ectopic miR-200b/200c inhibits the migration and invasion of cholangiocarcinoma cells both in vitro and in vivo. We found that miR-200b/c influenced the tumourigenesis of cholangiocarcinoma cells including their tumour-initiating capacity, sphere formation, and drug resistance. We further found that miR-200b/c regulated migration and invasion capacities by directly targeting rho-kinase 2 and regulated tumorigenic properties by directly targeting SUZ12 (a subunit of a polycomb repressor complex).

Conclusion:

Our study shows that miR-200b/c has a critical role in the regulation of the tumorigenic and metastatic capacity of cholangiocarcinoma and reveals the probable underlying mechanisms.

A case of severe thallium poisoning successfully treated with hemoperfusion and continuous veno-venous hemofiltration

Thallium poisoning is a rare condition that is often misdiagnosed, delaying appropriate treatment. Left untreated, thallium toxicity can permanently damage the nervous and digestive systems or, in severe cases, lead to paralysis and death. It is most often treated by an oral administration of Prussian blue. Thallium has a long physiological half-life, and Prussian blue cannot sequester thallium outside the digestive tract. Therefore, the first priority in treating severe thallium poisoning is to lower blood levels as soon as possible. We report the case of a patient with supralethal blood levels of thallium treated successfully using combined hemoperfusion (HP) and continuous veno-venous hemofiltration (CVVH). Three rounds of HP alone decreased blood thallium levels by 20.2%, 34.8%, and 32.2%, while each of the five subsequent rounds of CVVH reduced thallium blood levels by 63.5%, 64.2%, 42.1%, 18.6%, and 22.6%. The reversal of symptoms and prevention of lasting neurological damage indicates that HP, CVVH, 2,3-dimercaptopropane-1-sulfonate, neuroprotective agents along with supportive therapy were used successfully to treat a case of severe thallium poisoning.

The role of intestinal mucosa oxidative stress in gut barrier dysfunction of severe acute pancreatitis

BACKGROUND

Severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) is a serious systemic disease with a sustained high mortality rate. Extensive evidence has shown that gut barrier dysfunction plays a critical role in the pathophysiology of SAP.

AIM

Investigating the role of intestinal mucosa oxidative stress in gut barrier dysfunction of SAP.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Twenty-four BALB/c mice were randomly divided into two groups with twelve mice each group. The SAP group mice received six intraperitoneal injections of cerulein (50 µg/kg) at 1-hour intervals, then given one intraperitoneal injection of 10 mg/kg lipopolysaccharide (LPS from E. coli) for inducing SAP. Normal saline was given to the mice of control group. The animals of each group were averaged to two batches. Four and eight hours after the final injection, respectively, mice were anesthetized and blood and tissue samples were harvested for examination. The pathological changes of pancreas and gut were observed and scored. The serum levels of diamine oxidase (DAO), amylase and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) were measured. The contents of malondialdehyde (MDA) and reduced glutathione (GSH) and activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and xanthine oxidase (XO) in gut mucosa were detected. In gut mucosa, the caspase-3 activity was measured and the cell apoptosis and apoptosis index (AI) were determined by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay. The data were analyzed by ANOVA and t-test.

RESULTS

At four and eight hours after SAP induction, the SAP group mice had significantly higher pancreatic and gut pathological scores (p < 0.01) and increased serum levels of amylase (p < 0.05), DAO and TNF-α (p < 0.01) and increased MDA contents and XO activity of gut mucosa (p < 0.01) compared with those of control mice. There were significantly lower GSH contents (p < 0.05) and SOD activity (p < 0.01) of gut mucosa in the SAP mice. It was also observed that the gut mucosa cells of SAP mice had significantly higher caspase-3 activity and apoptosis index (p < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

In SAP, waterfall-style release of inflammatory factors such as TNF-α led to ischemia-reperfusion injury of gut mucosa which resulted in serious oxidative stress and activation of caspase-3 pathway and severe apoptosis of gut mucosa. Therefore, intestinal mucosal oxidative stress may play an important role in the mechanism of gut barrier dysfunction.

SU-E-I-47: Comparison of Risks for Two Medical Imaging Procedures

PURPOSE

Radiologists may need to decide which type of image procedure is most appropriate for a particular patient. One factor relevant in making this decision is the relative risk of secondary cancers due to each relevant procedure. Differences in the risk posed by each method are not just due to the total radiation dose imparted by each procedure, but also the distribution of absorbed dose across various organs in the imaging procedure. Two imaging procedures with the same total radiation dose may pose different risks of differential sensitivity to radiation across organs.

METHODS

New methods of radiation dosimetry enable us to estimate the dose distribution across organs in individual patients. We propose a measure of the relative risk of two medical imaging procedures derived from the hazard function of cancer incidence. The relative risk measure is shown to approximately equal to a weighted sum of the dose difference in each organ. The weights are proportional to organ specific incidence rates. The measure is also sensitive to factors such as the patient's age at exposure to radiation, the attained age and gender, as well as the incidence characteristics of the population to which the patient belongs. We propose to quantify the effects of these factors using information from publically available SEER database for US based patients as well as the LSS study of atomic bomb survivors. The method is illustrated by application to a study comparing chest and abdominal CT scans for a group of pediatric patients.

RESULTS

Fig. 1 shows higher absolute relative risk for those exposed at younger ages, with chest scans being riskier for females while abdominal scans were riskier for males. At higher ages, the relative risk is approximately equal.

CONCLUSIONS

Relative risks can quantify risks comparisons between imaging procedures.

Sequence variants in the bovine PRDM16 gene associated with body weight in Chinese cattle breeds

As a zinc-finger protein, PR domain containing 16 (PRDM16) controls brown fat determination by stimulating brown fat cell production while suppressing the expression of genes for production of white fat cells; mutations in this domain are associated with myelodysplastic syndrome and leukemogenesis. In our study, polymorphisms in exons 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 9 of the PRDM16 gene were detected by PCR-SSCP, DNA sequencing and CRS-PCR-RFLP methods in 1031 cattle of the Chinese breeds: Jiaxian, Nanyang, Qinchuan, and Chinese Holstein. Three mutations (NC_007314.3: g.577 G>T, 614 T>C, 212237 T>C) were detected. Animals with the homozygote genotype had lower body weight and average daily gain than those with the other genotypes. PRDM16 gene-specific SNPs may be useful markers for growth traits for marker-assisted selection programs.

Derivation of male germ cells from induced pluripotent stem cells in vitro and in reconstituted seminiferous tubules

OBJECTIVES

Previous studies have demonstrated that mouse- and human-induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells can differentiate into primordial germ cells in vitro. However, up to now it is not known whether iPS cells would be able to differentiate into male germ cells in vivo. The aim of this study was to explore differentiation potential of iPS cells to male germ cells in vitro and in vivo.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this study, approaches using in vitro retinoic acid induction and in vivo ectopic transplantation were combined to induce iPS cells to become male germ cells.

RESULTS

RT-PCR showed that expression of pre-meiotic and meiotic germ cell-specific genes was enhanced in iPS cell-derived embryoid bodies (EBs) compared to mRNA transcripts of iPS cells. Immunofluorescence analysis revealed that iPS cell-derived EBs positively expressed germ-cell markers VASA, c-Kit and SCP3. Furthermore, iPS cell-derived cells dissociated from EBs were injected with testicular cells into dorsal skin of mice. Histological examination showed that iPS cell-derived cells could reconstitute seminiferous tubules, and meanwhile, iPS cell-derived germ cells could settle at basement membranes of reconstituted tubules.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that iPS cells are able to differentiate into male germ cells in vitro and that reconstituted seminiferous tubules may provide a functional niche for exogenous iPS cell-derived male germ cells. Derivation of male germ cells from iPS cells has potential application for treating male infertility and provides an ideal platform for elucidating molecular mechanisms of male germ-cell development.

LeERF-1, a novel AP2/ERF family gene within the B3 subcluster, is down-regulated by light signals in Lithospermum erythrorhizon

We previously showed that ethylene might be involved in the process of shikonin biosynthesis regulated by light signals. Here, we cloned a full-length cDNA of LeERF-1, a putative ethylene response factor gene, from Lithospermum erythrorhizon using the RACE (rapid amplification of cDNA ends) method. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that LeERF-1 was classified in the B3 subfamily, together with ERF1 and ORA59 of Arabidopsis. Heterologous expression of LeERF-1 in Arabidopsis showed that LeERF-1:eGFP fusion protein was precisely localised to the nucleus, implying that it might function as a transcription factor. Detailed expression analysis with real-time PCR showed that LeERF-1 was significantly down-regulated by white, blue and red light, although the inhibitory effect of red light was relatively weak compared to other light conditions. Tissue-specific expression analysis also indicated that LeERF-1 was dominantly expressed in the roots, which grow in soil in darkness. These patterns are all consistent with the effects of different light signals on regulating formation of shikonin and its derivatives, indicating that LeERF-1 might be a crucial positive regulator, like other B3 subfamily proteins (such as ORCA3 and ORA59), in regulating biosynthesis of secondary metabolites.