DACT2 modulates atrial fibrillation through TGF/ß and Wnt signaling pathways.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common cardiac arrhythmia that seriously affects the quality of life of patients. Effective treatment and prevention are important to control the morbidity and mortality of AF. It has been found that cardiac fibrosis promotes the onset and progression of AF. It is now known that transforming growth factor ß (TGF-ß), an important fibrotic cytokine, plays an important role in cardiac fibrosis by inducing myofibroblast activation via the activation of classical (SMAD-based) and non-classical (non-SMAD-based) signaling pathways. In addition, specific activation of the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway has been shown to promote the transformation of fibroblasts into myofibroblasts. In recent years, a new family of proteins, namely Disheveled-associated antagonist of beta-catenin (DACT) 2, can affect the Wnt/ß-catenin and TGF-ß signaling pathways by regulating the phosphorylation levels of these target proteins, which in turn affects the progression of fibrosis. The present study focuses on the effect of DACT2-guided ß-catenin on atrial fibrosis. It is expected that the summarized information can be helpful in the treatment of AF.

The relationship between serum lipid with sarcopenia: Results from the NHANES 2011-2018 and bidirectional Mendelian randomization study.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between serum lipids and sarcopenia remains unclear due to conflicting results in previous studies. OBJECTIVE: To explore the associations and potential causality between serum lipids, including high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides (TG), and total cholesterol (TC), and sarcopenia. METHODS: Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were analysed using multivariable regression and restricted cubic splines (RCSs) to assess the associations between serum lipids and sarcopenia. Bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) was employed to investigate the causal relationships with sarcopenia-related traits such as appendicular lean mass (ALM), hand grip strength, and usual walking pace. RESULTS: Serum HDL-C and TG levels were inversely associated with ALMBMI, with each 1-unit increase linked to a 0.13 % and 1.32 % decrease, respectively. Elevated TG, but not HDL-C, LDL-C, or TC levels, was significantly associated with an increased risk of sarcopenia (P for trend = 0.001). RCS analysis revealed a log-shaped dose-response relationship between TG and sarcopenia risk (P overall <0.001, P non-linear <0.001), with a cutoff value of 92.75 mg/dL. Genetically predicted HDL-C, LDL-C, and TG were associated with ALM. Conversely, ALM showed an inverse causal relationship with all four serum lipids. Additionally, genetically predicted usual walking pace influenced HDL-C and TG levels (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The study reveals a nonlinear association between TG levels and sarcopenia risk, and a bidirectional association between lipid profiles and muscle mass, underscoring the need for further research to elucidate these mechanisms.

A method of identifying the high-risk mutations of sudden cardiac death at KCNQ1 and KCNH2 genes.

Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) often shows negative anatomy results after a systemic autopsy and the gene mutations of potassium channel play a key role in the etiology of SCD. We established a feasible system to detect SCD-related mutations and investigated the mutations at KCNQ1 and KCNH2 genes in the Chinese population. We established a mutation detection system combined with multiplex PCR, SNaPshot technique, and capillary electrophoresis. We genotyped 101 putative mutations at KCNQ1 and KCNH2 genes in 60 SCD of negative anatomy and 50 controls using the established assay and compared Odd Ratio (OR). Four coding variants were identified in the KCNQ1 gene: S546S, I145I, P448R, and G643S. The mutations of I145I and S546S did not differ significantly in the SCD compared with controls. 21 SCD individuals (35 %) and 1 control individual (2 %) showed a genotype of C/G at P448R (OR = 17.5, 95 % CI [2.40-127.82]). 24 SCD individuals (40 %) and 1 control individual (2 %) showed a genotype of C/G at G643S (OR = 20.0, 95 % CI [2.75-145.25]). We established a robust assay for rapid screening the putative SCD-related mutations in KCNQ1 and KCNH2 genes. The new assay in our study is easily amenable to the majority of laboratories without the need for new specialized equipment. Our method will meet the increasing requirement of mutation screening for SCD in regular DNA laboratories and will help screen mutations in those dead of SCD and their relatives.

Comparison of the Oncological and Functional Outcomes of Brachytherapy and Radical Prostatectomy for Localized Prostate Cancer.

Background and Objectives: To compare the oncological and functional outcomes of brachytherapy (BT) and radical prostatectomy (RP) in patients with localized prostate cancer (PCa). Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from 557 patients with localized PCa who were treated with BT (n = 245) or RP (n = 312) at Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital between January 2012 and December 2017. Biochemical relapse-free survival (bRFS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) were compared by treatment modality. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to evaluate bRFS. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) was measured using the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite (EPIC) questionnaire. Results: The BT group was older and had a higher initial PSA (iPSA). The 5-year bRFS was 82.9% in the BT group versus 80.1% in the RP group (p = 0.570). The 5-year CSS was 96.4% in the BT group versus 96.8% in the RP group (p = 0.967). Based on multivariate Cox regression analysis, Gleason score ≥ 8 was the main independent prognostic factor for bRFS. Regarding the HRQoL, compared with the baseline, both treatments produced a significant decrease in different aspects of HRQoL at 3, 6, and 12 months after treatment. Patients in the BT group had lower HRQoL with regard to urinary irritation/obstruction and bowel function or bother, while patients in the RP group had lower HRQoL concerning urinary incontinence and sexual function or bother. There was no significant difference in HRQoL aspects between the two groups after follow-up for 2 years compared with the baseline. Conclusions: BT provides equivalent oncological control outcomes in terms of bRFS and CSS for patients with localized PCa compared with RP. Gleason score ≥ 8 was the main independent prognostic factor for bRFS. BT had better HRQoL compared with RP, except for urinary irritation/obstruction and bowel function or bother, but returned to baseline after 2 years.

Lower Platelet-to-Lymphocyte Ratio Was Associated with Poor Prognosis for Newborn Patients in NICU.

Background: Platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) is reported to be related to the outcome of intensive care unit (ICU) patients. However, little is known about their associations with prognosis in newborn patients in neonatal ICU (NICU). The aim of the present study was to investigate the prognostic significance of the PLR for newborn patients in the NICU. Methods: Data on newborn patients in the NICU were extracted from the Multiparameter Intelligent Monitoring in Intensive Care III (MIMIC III) database. The initial PLR value of blood examinations within 24 h was analyzed. Spearman's correlation was used to analyze the association of PLR with the length of hospital and ICU stays. The chi-square test was used to analyze the association of PLR with mortality rate. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine whether the PLR was an independent prognostic factor of mortality. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to assess the predictive ability of models combining PLR with other variables. Results: In total, 5240 patients were enrolled. PLR was negatively associated with length of hospital stay and ICU stay (hospital stay: ρ = −0.416, p < 0.0001; ICU stay: ρ = −0.442, p < 0.0001). PLR was significantly correlated with hospital mortality (p < 0.0001). Lower PLR was associated with higher hospital mortality (OR = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.75−0.95, p = 0.005) and 90-day mortality (OR = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.76−0.96, p = 0.010). The prognostic predictive ability of models combining PLR with other variables for hospital mortality was good (AUC for Model 1 = 0.804, 95% CI = 0.73−0.88, p < 0.0001; AUC for Model 2 = 0.964, 95% CI = 0.95−0.98, p < 0.0001). Conclusion: PLR is a novel independent risk factor for newborn patients in the NICU.

Advances in the functions of CTRP6 in the development and progression of the malignancy.

CTRP6, a member of the C1q/TNF-related protein (CTRP) family, has gained increasing scientific interest because of its regulatory role in tumor progression. Previous studies have shown that CTRP6 is closely involved in regulating various pathophysiological processes, including glucose and lipid metabolism, cell proliferation, apoptosis, and inflammation. To date, CTRP6 has been identified as related to eight different malignancies, including lung cancer, oral cancer, gastric cancer, colon cancer, liver cancer, bladder cancer, renal cancer, and ovarian cancer. CTRP6 is reported to be associated with tumor progression by activating a series of related signal networks. This review article mainly discusses the biochemistry and pleiotropic pathophysiological functions of CTRP6 as a new molecular mediator in carcinogenesis, hoping that the information summarized herein could make a modest contribution to the development of novel cancer treatments in the future.

Transcriptomics-based analysis of co-exposure of cadmium (Cd) and 2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47) indicates mitochondrial dysfunction induces NLRP3 inflammasome and inflammatory cell death in renal tubular epithelial cells.

Environmental pollution often releases multiple contaminants resulting in as yet largely uncharacterized additive toxicities. Cadmium (Cd) is a widespread pollutant that induces nephrotoxicity in animal models and humans. However, the combined effect of Cd in causing nephrotoxicity with 2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47), a typical congener of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), has not been evaluated and mechanisms are not completely clear. Here, we applied transcriptome sequencing analysis to investigate the combined toxicity of Cd and BDE-47 in the renal tubular epithelial cell lines HKCs. Cd or BDE-47 exposure decreased cell viability in a dose-dependent manner, and exhibited cell swelling and rounding similar to necrosis, which was exacerbated by co-exposure. Transcriptomic analysis revealed 2191, 1331 and 3787 differentially-expressed genes following treatment with Cd, BDE-47 and co-exposure, respectively. Interestingly, functional annotation and enrichment analyses showed involvement of pathways for oxidative stress, NOD-, LRR- and pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome and inflammatory cell death for all three treatments. Examination of indices of mitochondrial function and oxidative stress in HKC cells showed that the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA) and intracellular calcium ion concentration [Ca2+]i were elevated, while superoxide dismutase (SOD) and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) were decreased. The ratio of apoptotic and necrotic cells and intracellular lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release were increased by Cd or BDE-47 exposure, and was aggravated by co-exposure, and was attenuated by ROS scavenger N-Acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC). NLRP3 inflammasome and pyroptosis pathway-related genes of NLRP3, adaptor molecule apoptosis-associated speck-like protein (ASC), caspase-1, interleukin-18 (IL-18) and IL-1ß were elevated, while gasdermin D (GSDMD) was down-regulated, and protein levels of NLRP3, cleaved caspase-1 and cleaved GSDMD were increased, most of which were relieved by NAC. Our data demonstrate that exposure to Cd and BDE-47 induces mitochondrial dysfunction and triggers NLRP3 inflammasome and GSDMD-dependent pyroptosis leading to nephrotoxicity, and co-exposure exacerbates this effect, which could be attenuated by inhibiting ROS. This study provides a further mechanistic understanding of kidney damage, and co-exposure impact is worthy of concern and should be considered to improve the accuracy of environmental health assessment.

Effect of calcium and magnesium on inflammatory cytokines in accidentally multiple fracture adults: A short-term follow-up.

ABSTRACT: Calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg), which play an important role in several cellular processes, is essential for normal development of the skeleton and maintenance of tissue homeostasis. Deficiency of these elements might delay bone fracture recovery or accelerates bone loss. We aimed to examine whether supplementation of trace element (TE) promotes fracture healing in accidentally fracturing adults by involvement of inflammatory mechanism.A short-term follow-up in clinic was performed. Totally, 117 subjects diagnosed with multiple fractures by traffic accidents were recruited in this study. Serum Ca and Mg levels were measured by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrophotometry. Short-term changes such as serum C-reactive protein, interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha in normal treatment and TE supplement groups were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Student t test and the Spearman correlation were performed to analyze the data.Significantly negative correlations between Ca (r = 0.7032; P < .001) and Mg (r = 0.2719; P < .05) and injury severity score were observed. Serum Ca and Mg were significantly increased at Day 5, 7, and 9 following TE supplements. After treatment, serum C-reactive protein, IL-1ß, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha were significantly reduced whereas cytokine levels of the TE supplement group were found to be lower than that of the normal treatment group after Day 3.These findings suggest that Ca and Mg levels are associated with the injury severity of multiple fractures, and the supplement could reduce the inflammation, which may be beneficial for the bone recovery and disease process.

Custom-Molded Offloading Footwear Effectively Prevents Recurrence and Amputation, and Lowers Mortality Rates in High-Risk Diabetic Foot Patients: A Multicenter, Prospective Observational Study.

BACKGROUND: Recurrence of high-risk diabetic feet, after wound, healing is a common challenge among diabetic patients. Continuous use of an offloading device significantly prevents recurrence of high-risk diabetic feet, although patient adherence is imperative to ensuring this therapy's clinical efficacy. In this study, we explored clinical outcomes of patients with a high-risk diabetic foot who had been prescribed with custom-molded offloading footwear under different adherence conditions. METHODS: A total of 48 patients (17 females and 31 males) with high-risk diabetic feet, who had been with prescribed offloading footwear in 13 medical centers across 4 cities, were enrolled in the current study. The patients were assigned into either continuous offloading therapy (COT, n = 31) or interrupted offloading therapy (IOT, n = 17) groups, according to their adherence to the therapy. All patients were followed up monthly, and differences in recurrence, amputation, and deaths between the groups were analyzed at 4 months after therapy. RESULTS: Forty-eight patients met our inclusion criteria and were therefore included in the final analysis. Among them, 31 were stratified into the COT group and adhered to offloading therapy throughout the study period, whereas 17 were grouped as IOT and exhibited interrupted adherence to offloading therapy. We found statistically significant differences in recurrence rates (0 vs 38.46%, p < 0.01), amputation (0 vs 11.76%, p < 0.01), and deaths (0% vs 5.88%, p < 0.01) between the groups during follow-up. CONCLUSION: Patients' adherence is imperative to efficacy of custom-molded offloading footwear during treatment of high-risk diabetic foot. Further studies are needed to elucidate the role of improved design of the offloading device and the need for enhanced patient education for improved adherence.

Association between acute kidney injury and prognoses of cardiac surgery patients: Analysis of the MIMIC-III database.

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is the most common major complication of cardiac surgery field. The purpose of this study is to investigate the association between acute kidney injury and the prognoses of cardiac surgery patients in the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care III (MIMIC-III) database. Methods: Clinical data were extracted from the MIMIC-III database. Adult (≥18 years) cardiac surgery patients in the database were enrolled. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were employed to assess the associations between acute kidney injury (AKI) comorbidity and 30-day mortality, 90-day mortality and hospital mortality. Different adjusting models were used to adjust for potential confounders. Results: A total of 6,002 patients were involved, among which 485 patients (8.08%) had comorbid AKI. Patients with AKI were at higher risks of prolonged ICU stay, hospital mortality, 90-day mortality (all P < 0.001), and 30-day mortality (P = 0.008). AKI was a risk factor for hospital mortality [Model 1, OR (95% CI) = 2.50 (1.45-4.33); Model 2, OR (95% CI) = 2.44 (1.48-4.02)], 30-day mortality [Model 1, OR (95% CI) = 1.84 (1.05-3.24); Model 2, OR (95% CI) = 1.96 (1.13-3.22)] and 90-day mortality [Model 1, OR (95% CI) = 2.05 (1.37-3.01); Model 2, OR (95% CI) = 2.76 (1.93-3.94)]. Higher hospital mortality, 30-day mortality and 90-day mortality was observed in higher KDIGO grade for cardiac surgery patients with AKI (all P < 0.05). Conclusion: Comorbid AKI increased the risk of hospital mortality, 30-day mortality, and 90-day mortality of cardiac surgery patients in the MIMIC-III database.

Novel Prognostic Predictor for Primary Pulmonary Hypertension: Focus on Blood Urea Nitrogen.

Background: Primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH) is a life-threatening disease associated with increased mortality. The urea cycle pathway plays a major role in PPH severity and treatment response. Little is known about the association of the blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and PPH prognosis. Methods: Clinical data were extracted from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care III (MIMIC-III) database. Adult patients (≥18 years) patients with primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH) in the database were enrolled. Spearman correlation was used to analyze the association of BUN with length of hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) stays. The chi-square test was used to analyze the association of BUN with mortality rate. Survival curves were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared by the log-rank test. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify the BUN as an independent prognostic factor of mortality. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and the area under the curve (AUC) were used to analyze the sensitivity and specificity for mortality. Results: In total, 263 patients who met the selection criteria were enrolled. BUN was significantly positively associated with length of hospital stay and ICU stay (hospital stay: ρ = 0.282, ICU stay: ρ = 0.276; all P < 0.001). Higher hospital, 90-day and 4-year mortality rates were observed in the higher BUN quartile of PPH patients (hospital: P = 0.002; 90-day: P = 0.025; 4-year: P < 0.001). The Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed that patients in higher BUN quartile tended to have lower 4-year survival (Q1:7.65%, Q2: 10.71%; Q3: 14.80%, Q4: 16.84%; P < 0.0001). Logistic regression analyses found a significant association of BUN and mortality (hospital: OR = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.02-1.08, P = 0.001; 90-day: OR = 1.02, 95% CI = 1.00-1.05, P = 0.027; 4-year: OR = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.02-1.08, P = 0.001). Results of ROC and AUC showed that the diagnostic performance of BUN for mortality was moderately good. Conclusion: BUN was positively correlated with the length of hospital stay and ICU stay of PPH patients. Higher BUN was associated with higher hospital, 90-day and 4-year mortality and lower 4-year survival of PPH patients. These findings indicate that BUN can be a novel potential prognostic predictor for PPH.

Allicin ameliorates renal ischemia/reperfusion injury via inhibition of oxidative stress and inflammation in rats.

Allicin has been reported to play a biological role in human pathophysiological processes via interaction with numerous signaling pathways and gene expression alteration. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the protective effects of allicin against renal ischemia/reperfusion injury (RIRI) in rats. In the present study, the RIRI model with 45-min ischemia and 22-h reperfusion in rats was generated and allicin was used as the intervention. Changes in renal tissue pathomorphology, renal function, oxidative stress, inflammatory response and apoptosis were evaluated in the RIRI model in rats. Compared with those in the RIRI group, renal function, renal pathological injury, and anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties were markedly improved in the RIRI+allicin group. Thus, our research suggested that allicin exerted its protective effect against ischemia/reperfusion-induced renal injury by regulating apoptosis, oxidative stress and inflammatory response in rats.

Risk of sudden coronary death based on genetic background in Chinese Han population.

Associations between gene variations and sudden cardiac arrest or coronary artery disease have been reported by genome-wide association studies. However, the implication of the genetic status in cases of sudden coronary death (SCD) from the Chinese Han population has remained to be investigated. The present study established a mini-sequencing system to examine putative death-causing single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using multiplex PCR, single base extension reaction and capillary electrophoresis techniques. A total of 198 samples from the Chinese Han population (age range, 34-71 years; mean age, 53.86 years) were examined using this method. Samples were classified into three groups: Coronary heart disease (CHD, n=70), SCD (n=53) and control (n=75) group. Significant associations were identified for 10, 4 and 6 SNPs in CHD, SCD and sudden death from CHD, respectively, using the χ2 test. The SNPs obtained by binary logistic regression may be used to assess and predict the risk of disease. The predictive accuracy of the SNPs in each prediction model and their area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) values were determined. The AUC of the four SNPs (rs12429889, rs10829156, rs16942421 and rs12155623) to predict CHD was 0.928, the AUC of the six SNPs (rs2389202, rs2982694, rs10183640, rs597503, rs16942421 and rs12155623) to predict SCD was 0.922 and the AUC of the four SNPs (rs16866933, rs4621553, rs10829156 and rs12155623) to predict sudden death from CHD was 0.912. The multifactor dimensionality reduction values were as follows: 0.8690 (prediction model of CHD), 0.7601 (prediction model of SCD) and 0.7628 (prediction model of sudden death from CHD). Taken together, the results of the present study suggested that these SNPs have considerable potential for application in genetic tests to predict CHD or SCD. However, further studies are required to investigate the putative functions of these SNPs.

Advances in forensic diagnosis of electric shock death in the absence of typical electrical marks.

Electrical injury is a relatively uncommon but potentially devastating form of multi-system injury with high morbidity and mortality. In common electric injury cases, it is usually difficult to find characteristic changes of electric injury in major organs by using routine histopathological test methods unless there are landmark traces of electric injury, known as electric marks. How to determine electric shock death, especially in the absence of typical electrical marks on the body surface in some cases (which account for about two-thirds of electric injury cases), remains a challenging problem in forensic practice. Our summary shows that many current related studies have focused their efforts to find characteristic histopathological changes in major organs of the body caused by electric injury. Based on the results obtained through comparison of the literature, we find that it may be more urgent and important to find the optimal autopsy or sampling sites in cases with no typical electric marks, knowing that these sites may often reflect the most significant histopathological changes of electric injury, for instance anatomy and sampling of the anterior wrist and the medial malleolus in cases involving the hand-to-foot electric circuit pathway. In this article, we make a summary of advances in identification methods of electric injury, hoping that it could provide some new insights for further research in this field.

2,2',4,4'-Tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47) activates Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) mediated ROS and NLRP3 inflammasome/p38 MAPK pathway inducing necrosis in cochlear hair cells.

Tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47) is widely used as commercial flame retardants that can be released into the environment and finally enter human body through the food chain. It has been identified to generate neurotoxicity, but little is known about auditory damage and the underlying mechanism following BDE-47 exposure. This study aimed to assess the cell viability with BDE-47 concentration ranging from 0 to 150 µM in mouse organ of Corti-derived cell lines (HEI-OC1). Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) as an environmental sensor, reactive oxygen species (ROS), NLRP3 inflammasome and p38 MAPK pathways were detected. Results: (1) BDE-47 inhibited the viability in a time- and dose-dependent way in HEI-OC1 cells. Cell cycle was arrested in G1 phase by BDE-47; (2) Elevated intracellular ROS, LDH levels and necrosis were found, which was alleviated by pretreatment with ROS scavenger N-acetylcysteine (NAC); (3) AhR plays an essential role in ligand-regulated transcription factor activation by exogenous environmental compounds. We found increased expression of AhR and decreased downstream targets of CYP 1A1 and CYP 1B1 in BDE-47-treated HEI-OC1 cells, which was reversed by the AhR antagonist CH-223191 for 2 h before BDE-47 exposure. No significant change was detected in CYP 2B; (4) Enhanced expressions of NLRP3 and caspase-1 were induced by BDE-47, with up-regulations of both pro-inflammatory factors for IL-1ß, IL-6 and TNF-α, and anti-inflammatory factors for IL-4, IL-10 and IL-13, but down-regulation for IL-1α; (5) Additionally, the p38 MAPK signaling pathway was activated with increased phosphorylation levels of MKK/3/6, p38 MAPK and NF-kB. Overall, our findings illustrate a role of AhR in ROS-induced necrosis of cochlear hair cells by BDE-47 exposure, in which NLRP3 inflammasome and p38 MAPK signaling pathways are activated. The current study first elucidates the sense of hearing damage induced by BDE-47, and cell-specific or mixture exposures in vivo or human studies are needed to confirm this association.

Acute cadmium exposure induces GSDME-mediated pyroptosis in triple-negative breast cancer cells through ROS generation and NLRP3 inflammasome pathway activation.

Cadmium (Cd) exposure can exert an impact on carcinogenicity of breast cancer, however, the mechanism is not fully understood in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). We performed a TNBC MDA-MB-231 cell model and assessed the toxic effect of Cd exposure (0, 10, 20, 50, 60, 80 µM). Cd reduced cell viability in a time- and dose-dependent manner, followed by cell cycle arrest in S phase with alterations of cyclin 1A1, cyclin 1D1 and CDK2. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, apoptosis and pyroptosis were increased, which were relieved by z-VAD. Elevated ROS and NLRP3, caspase-1, IL-1ß and IL-18 were detected, which was attenuated by N-acetylcysteine. Increased bax and decreased caspase-8, caspase-9 and caspase-3 were found. gasdermin E (GSDME) was activated with cleavage of GSDME-NT, which was retarded by z-VAD. Additionally, p38 MAPK signaling pathway was activated. Our data demonstrate GSDME-activated pyroptosis in Cd toxicity, implying a potential impact on TNBC.

Ovarian dysgerminoma with pseudo-Meigs syndrome: A case report.

RATIONALE: Dysgerminoma is a rare malignant tumor of the ovary, more frequently occurring in young women. The main signs of pseudo-Meigs syndrome (PMS) are ascites and hydrothorax accompanying benign or malignant ovarian tumors (no fibroma or fibroma-like tumor). PATIENT CONCERNS: A 19-year-old woman with fever and chest tightness for 2 days. DIAGNOSES: Pectoral-abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan and contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging revealed a large amount of right pleural effusion, a small amount of ascites, and a huge abdominopelvic mass measuring about 29.2cm × 11.8cm × 8.4 cm in the left ovary. The result of hydrothorax examination was consistent with the diagnosis of exudative pleural effusion. In addition, Rivalta-test showed a positive result and lactate dehydrogenase was elevated. The histopathological diagnosis was a giant germ cell tumor, which was consistent with dysgerminoma in terms of both morphology and immunophenotype. Based on these findings, a diagnosis of malignant ovarian neoplasm with PMS was made. INTERVENTIONS: Surgical resection of the tumor was performed. OUTCOMES: The patient recovered well after operation, and the pleural effusion and abdominal ascites vanished. No recurrence was observed during the 1-year follow-up period. LESSONS: Ovarian dysgerminoma with PMS is a rare malignant tumor of the ovary, which often occurs in young women. It should be considered in differential diagnosis of patients with a pelvic mass, ascites and pleural effusion. Early diagnosis and surgical treatment are beneficial to prolonged survival.

Establishment of Rat Model of Insulin Resistance Exposed to Chronic Renal Allograft Dysfunction.

BACKGROUND: The main cause of chronic renal allograft dysfunction (CRAD) still remains unclear. Insulin resistance (IR) may be a potential inducement, but there is insufficient evidence about this association. We aimed to establish a rat model of CRAD complicated with IR and to explore the function and pathologic changes of the renal allograft induced by IR. METHODS: F344-to-Lewis rats of CRAD were fed a high-fat diet to induce IR. They were divided into 3 groups: IR (CRAD+IR), CRAD, and control (CTL). Serum levels of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine (Scr) were measured to evaluate the renal function. The Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA)-IR index was detected by comparing the values of fasting serum insulin levels (FINS) with fasting blood glucose levels (FBG). The pathologic analysis was conducted by the degree of renal lesions including glomerular lesions, renal tubular lesions, hemorrhage, inflammatory cell infiltration, fibrillation, and hyperplasia of the renal interstitium. RESULTS: In the second, third, and fourth month after surgery, serum levels of Scr and BUN in the IR group were reduced more than those in the CRAD group, while they were both higher compared to the CTL group, suggesting that renal function in the CRAD group was declined. The HOMA-IR in the IR group was greater than that in the CRAD and CTL groups, showing that simple high-fat diet feeding significantly and steadily increased FINS and FBG in CRAD complicated with IR rats. Pathologic changes indicated that the CRAD rat model was successfully constructed and was still in the early-middle stages of renal lesions 4 months after surgery, yet IR presented a significant effect on CRAD. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that the stable CRAD complicated with IR rat model can be established through a high-fat diet in CRAD rats in 4 months, and IR could be an influencing factor.