Advancing Ovarian Cancer Therapeutics: The Role of Targeted Drug Delivery Systems.

Ovarian cancer (OC) is the most lethal reproductive system cancer and a leading cause of cancer-related death. The high mortality rate and poor prognosis of OC are primarily due to its tendency for extensive abdominal metastasis, late diagnosis in advanced stages, an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, significant adverse reactions to first-line chemotherapy, and the development of chemoresistance. Current adjuvant chemotherapies face challenges such as poor targeting, low efficacy, and significant side effects. Targeted drug delivery systems (TDDSs) are designed to deliver drugs precisely to the tumor site to enhance efficacy and minimize side effects. This review highlights recent advancements in the use of TDDSs for OC therapies, including drug conjugate delivery systems, nanoparticle drug delivery systems, and hydrogel drug delivery systems. The focus is on employing TDDS to conduct direct, effective, and safer interventions in OC through methods such as targeted tumor recognition and controlled drug release, either independently or in combination. This review also discusses the prospects and challenges for further development of TDDSs. Undoubtedly, the use of TDDSs shows promise in the battle against OCs.

A Highly Robust, Multifunctional, and Breathable Bicomponent Fibers Thermoelectric Fabric for Dual-Mode Sensing.

Wearable thermoelectric (TE) materials are seen as excellent candidates for flexible electronics because of their unique self-powered properties, multistimulus sensing and human waste heat conversion. However, currently reported flexible TE materials still face challenges such as poor durability, uncomfortable wearing and sensing signals crosstalking each other. Herein, this study describes a hot-air cross-linking method for the preparation of multifunctional TE fabrics with enhanced durability. Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fibers with core and sheath structures having different melting points were selected as flexible substrates. Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were embedded stably on the surface of the sheath layer in the presence of heat treatment. The fiber-welded structure created by thermal cross-linking improves the durability of TE fabrics, including consistent mechanical and electrical properties after a 6 h wash test and 6000 compression cycles. The unique fiber structure of TE fabrics ensures excellent breathability (313.7 mm s-1 at 200 Pa), which meets the breathability requirements for human wear. In addition, the fiber-prepared sensors have excellent compressive strain response (20 ms response time and 30 ms recovery time) and precise temperature discrimination (0.17 K minimum discrimination temperature) for accurate real-time monitoring of the sensed signals. Thus, the TE fabrics can be used for human motion recognition, including pulse monitoring, sign language expression, and motions in joint areas. Moreover, the fabricated wearable TE device is connected to a Bluetooth module for wireless transmission, which can be used for mechanical and temperature sensing of the robot arm without signals crosstalking. This new durable TE fabric paves the way for the next generation of smart wearable technology.

Advances in the understanding of the role and mechanism of action of PFKFB3­mediated glycolysis in liver fibrosis (Review).

Liver fibrosis is a pathophysiologic manifestation of chronic liver disease and a precursor to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Glycolysis provides intermediate metabolites as well as energy support for cell proliferation and phenotypic transformation in liver fibers. 6­Phosphofructo­2­kinase/fructose­2,6­bisphosphatase 3 (PFKFB3) is a key activator of glycolysis and plays an important role in the process of glycolysis. The role of PFKFB3­mediated glycolysis in myocardial fibrosis, renal fibrosis and pulmonary fibrosis has been demonstrated, and the role of PFKFB3 in the activation of hepatic stellate cells by aerobic glycolysis has been proven by relevant experiments. The present study reviews the research progress on the role and mechanism of action of PFKFB3­mediated glycolysis in the progression of hepatic fibrosis to discuss the role of PFKFB3­mediated glycolysis in hepatic fibrosis and to provide new ideas for research on PFKFB3 as a target for the treatment of hepatic fibrosis.

A comparative study based on ainuovirine/lamivudine/tenofovir against HIV-1.

BACKGROUND: Ainuovirine, as a third-generation non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor against HIV-1, is widely used in China. To evaluate its therapeutic efficacy and disadvantages, a comparative study based on Ainuovirine had been conducted. METHOD: We investigated 199 people living with HIV-1 who received Ainuovirine (ANV)/lamivudine/tenofovir and 202 people living with HIV-1 who received Efavirenz (EFV)/lamivudine/tenofovir. RESULTS: After 48 weeks of therapy, ANV and EFV showed similar viral inhibitory effects. However, in the ANV group, more participants had CD4/CD8 ratios restored to the normal range, lower levels of triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein, relatively normal liver alanine aminotransferase, and fewer adverse events. CONCLUSION: Therefore, due to its role in immune reconstitution, dyslipidemia, and safety, ANV may be a recommended option for people living with HIV-1.

The Expression and Clinical Significance of USF1 in Newly Diagnosed Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to assess the expression level of upstream stimulator 1 (USF1) in the bone marrow of newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients and investigate its clinical and prognostic significance. METHODS: Bone marrow samples from 60 newly diagnosed AML patients constituted the observation group, while 20 samples from healthy individuals formed the control group. Real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to measure the USF1 expression in both groups and to analyze its correlation with clinicopathological features and prognosis in AML patients. Kaplan-Meier curves were utilized to assess the impact of USF1 on the overall survival (OS) in AML patients. The prognostic factors of AML were examined by using Cox regression analysis. RESULTS: A univariate analysis revealed a significantly higher USF1 expression in the AML patients compared to the control group (p < 0.001), with no difference in the clinicopathological features between the low-expression group and the control group. However, there was a significant difference between the high-expression group and the control group (p < 0.01). Moreover, the OS of the high USF1 expression group was notably shorter than of the low USF1 expression group (p < 0.0001). A multivariate analysis identified high USF1 expression and age ≥ 60 years as independent risk factors for a poor AML prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: High expression of USF1 is linked to a worse prognosis and shorter survival time in AML patients. USF1 may serve as an indicator of prognosis and survival in AML patients and could be a potential target for AML treatment.

Moxibustion pre-treatment attenuates seizure severity during status epilepticus and counteracts the proconvulsant function of the purinergic P2X7 receptor.

Moxibustion, traditional Chinese medicine treatment, involves the warming of specific acupuncture points of the body using ignited herbal materials. Evidence suggests beneficial effects of moxibustion in several brain diseases including epilepsy, however, whether moxibustion pretreatment impacts on seizures and what are the underlying mechanisms remains to be established. Evidence has suggested the purinergic ATP-gated P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) to be involved in the actions of moxibustion. Moreover, P2X7R signalling is now well established to contribute to long-lasting brain hyperexcitability underlying epilepsy development. Whether P2X7R signalling is involved in the seizure-reducing actions of moxibustion has not been investigated to date. For our studies we used C57BL/6 male mice that received moxibustion pre-treatments at the acupoints Zusanli (ST36) and Dazhui (GV14) once daily for either 7, 14, or 21 days. This was followed by an intraperitoneal injection of kainic acid (KA, 30 mg/kg) to induce status epilepticus. Behavioral changes during KA-induced status epilepticus were analyzed according to the Racine scale. Changes in electrographic seizures were analyzed via cortical implanted electroencephalogram (EEG) electrodes. While no effect on seizure severity was observed following 7 days of moxibustion pre-treatment, moxibustion pre-treatment at both ST36 and GV14 for 14 or 21 days significantly reduced KA-induced behavior seizures at a similar rate. Cortical EEG recordings showed that 14 days of moxibustion pre-treatments also reduced electrographic seizures, confirming the anticonvulsant actions of moxibustion pre-treatment. To determine whether moxibustion impacts the pro-convulsant actions of P2X7R signaling, mice were treated with the P2X7R agonist BzATP or P2X7R antagonist A438079. While treatment with the P2X7R agonist BzATP exacerbated seizure severity, treatment with the P2X7R antagonist reduced seizure severity. We further found that moxibustion pre-treatment attenuated epileptic seizures by counteracting the effects of BzATP. These results suggest that moxibustion pre-treatment at the acupoints ST36 and GV14 for 14 days has anti-epileptic effects, which may counteract the proconvulsant functions of the P2X7R.

Revealing nutrient limitation status of microorganisms in the soil of Robinia pseudoacacia plantation through soil stoichiometry and enzyme metrology.

Exploring nutrient limitation in forest soil holds significant implications for forest tending and management. However, current research on nutrient limitation status of microorganisms in Robinia pseudoacacia plantations within the Loess Plateau remains insufficient. To investigate soil microbial nutrient limitation of R. pseu-doacacia plantations on the Loess Plateau, we selected R. pseudoacacia plantations with different afforestation time series (15, 25, 35, and 45 years) and a pile of barren slope cropland (control) in Yongshou County, Shaanxi Province as the research objects. We analyzed the contents of soil organic matter, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus, and the activities of ß-1,4-glucosidase (BG), cellobiose hydrolase (CBH), leucine aminopeptidase (LAP), ß-1,4-N-acetylglucoside (NAG) and phosphatase (AP). We analyzed the soil nutrient limitation by stoichiometry and enzyme metrology. The results showed a shift in soil pH from alkaline to acidic during vegetation restoration process, and that total phosphorus exhibited a gradual decrease over the course of 0 to 25 years. Soil orga-nic matter, total nitrogen and enzyme activities exhibited an increasing trend during the same time frame. However, between 25 and 45 years of age, soil total phosphorus, soil organic matter, total nitrogen, AP and LAP gradually declined while NAG, BG, and CBH initially increased and then decreased. Notably, the values of (BG+CBH)/(LAP+NAG), (BG+CBH)/AP and (LAP+NAG)/AP in R. pseudoacacia plantations were higher than the global average throughout the process of vegetation restoration. In the study area, the vector length was less than 1 and gradually increased, indicating that a progressive increase in microbial carbon limitation during the process of vegetation restoration. The vector angle exceeded 45° and exhibited an overall decreasing trend, suggesting that soil microorganisms were constrained by phosphorus (P) with a gradual deceleration of P limitation, without any nitrogen (N) limitation. The restoration of R. pseudoacacia plantation resulted in significant change in soil physical and chemical properties, while the time series of afforestation also influenced nutrient limitation of soil microorganisms.

Factors influencing food-related quality of life in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: People diagnosed with Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) often have severe dietary restrictions and avoidance due to the uncertainty of intestinal symptoms. Inadequate dietary intake may increase the risk of malnutrition and result in impaired food-related quality of life (FRQoL). Few studies investigated factors influencing FRQoL in patients with IBD. This study aimed to synthesize the existing evidence regarding FRQoL among patients with IBD, including the current situation, measurement instruments, and related influencing factors. METHOD: The comprehensive literature search was conducted in databases including PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, PsycInfo, Cochrane Library, as well as the most commonly used Chinese databases (CNKI, Wanfang and CBM). Studies published between January 2015 and December 2023 on FRQoL in patients with IBD were included. The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal checklist was utilized to evaluate the methodological quality of the selected studies. RESULTS: Finally, only five studies met the inclusion criteria were reviewed, including three cross-sectional studies and two case-control studies. The Food-related quality of life-29 Scale (FR-QoL-29) with a total core of 145 was the most used instrument measuring FRQoL in patients with IBD. The mean scores of FRQoL ranged from 69.9 to 102.3 in adult patients with IBD and 94.3 in children. A diverse range of factors were associated with FRQoL, including socio-demographic, clinical, psychological, diet-related, and nutrient intake factors. CONCLUSIONS: The main influencing factors of FRQoL among patients with IBD included disease activity status, severe symptoms, history of IBD surgery, negative emotion reaction, and restrictive eating behaviour. Clinicians should work in concert with dietitians, keeping an eye on the disease status, nutrition intake, and restrictive eating habits, assessing FRQoL and providing personalized dietary recommendation for the patients with IBD.

Performance evaluation of semi-supervised learning frameworks for multi-class weed detection.

Precision weed management (PWM), driven by machine vision and deep learning (DL) advancements, not only enhances agricultural product quality and optimizes crop yield but also provides a sustainable alternative to herbicide use. However, existing DL-based algorithms on weed detection are mainly developed based on supervised learning approaches, typically demanding large-scale datasets with manual-labeled annotations, which can be time-consuming and labor-intensive. As such, label-efficient learning methods, especially semi-supervised learning, have gained increased attention in the broader domain of computer vision and have demonstrated promising performance. These methods aim to utilize a small number of labeled data samples along with a great number of unlabeled samples to develop high-performing models comparable to the supervised learning counterpart trained on a large amount of labeled data samples. In this study, we assess the effectiveness of a semi-supervised learning framework for multi-class weed detection, employing two well-known object detection frameworks, namely FCOS (Fully Convolutional One-Stage Object Detection) and Faster-RCNN (Faster Region-based Convolutional Networks). Specifically, we evaluate a generalized student-teacher framework with an improved pseudo-label generation module to produce reliable pseudo-labels for the unlabeled data. To enhance generalization, an ensemble student network is employed to facilitate the training process. Experimental results show that the proposed approach is able to achieve approximately 76% and 96% detection accuracy as the supervised methods with only 10% of labeled data in CottonWeedDet3 and CottonWeedDet12, respectively. We offer access to the source code (https://github.com/JiajiaLi04/SemiWeeds), contributing a valuable resource for ongoing semi-supervised learning research in weed detection and beyond.

Curcumin alleviates heatstroke-induced liver injury in dry-heat environments by inhibiting the expression of NF-κB, iNOS, and ICAM-1 in rats.

we aimed to monitor liver injury in rat model during heat stress and heatstroke in dry-heat environment and investigate the effects of curcumin on heatstroke-induced liver injury and the underlying mechanisms. Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into four groups: normal saline (NS), and 50 (50-cur), 100 (100-cur), and 200 mg/kg curcumin (200-cur) groups. They were administered the indicated doses of curcumin by gavage once daily for 7 days. On day 8, the rats were transferred to a simulated climate cabin, At 0, 50, 100, and 150 min, the core temperature (Tc) was measured respectively. After sacrificing the rats, tissue samples were collected, measure histology indices, serum enzymes, lipopolysaccharides (LPSs), cytokines, nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1). The Tc increased with time in all groups. Curcumin alleviation of symptoms and improvement in pathological scores. The level of enzymes, LPS, and cytokines increased during heatstroke in the NS group, but curcumin decreased the levels of these indicators. The differences of the indicators between NS and 200-cur groups at 150 min were significant (P < 0.05). The expression of NF-κB p65, iNOS, and ICAM-1 was upregulated in the NS group at 150 min, but their expression was relatively lower in the curcumin groups (P < 0.05). Thus, our findings indicate acute liver injury during heat stress and heatstroke. The mechanism involves cascade-amplification inflammatory response induced by the gut endotoxin. Furthermore, curcumin alleviated heatstroke-induced liver injury in a dose-dependent manner by downregulating NF-κB, iNOS, and ICAM-1.

Knowledge, attitude, and practice towards enhanced recovery after surgery among patients underwent thoracoscopy surgery.

OBJECTIVE: Thoracoscopy has gained extensive utilization in managing pleural disorders, and enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) can improve patients' prognosis and expedite post-surgical recovery. This study aimed to investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) towards ERAS among patients underwent thoracoscopy surgery. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted between September 2022 and August 2023, among patients underwent thoracoscopy surgery in 6 Secondary or Tertiary hospitals in the author's area. Demographic characteristics and KAP scores were collected by questionnaires, and clinical data were extracted from medical records. RESULTS: A total of 309 valid questionnaires were collected, with 165 (53.40%) males and 202 (65.37%) aged ≤65 years old. The mean scores for KAP were 28.92±7.21 (possible range: 9-45), 53.60±6.73 (possible range: 13-65), and 43.45±5.50 (possible range: 10-50), respectively. SEM confirmed the positive associations between knowledge and attitude (ß = 0.108, P = 0.019), knowledge and practice (ß = 0.096, P = 0.004), and attitude and practice (ß = 0.438, P<0.001). However, the KAP were found not associated with prognosis. CONCLUSION: Patients underwent thoracoscopy surgery showed moderate knowledge, positive attitude, and appropriate practice towards ERAS. Preoperative education, personalized counseling, peer support groups, peer support groups, and follow-up care were recommended in further clinical practice.

Chinese nursing students' academic self-concept and deep learning in online courses: Does psychological capital play a moderating role?

The advent of online education has become indispensable for nursing students seeking to acquire knowledge. However, the efficacy of online education often falls short of initial expectations. Deep learning (DL) can assist learners tackle complex problems and make innovative decisions. Despite its potential, there has been limited exploration into the underlying mechanisms of DL among nursing students, both domestically and globally. This study examined the potential moderating effect of psychological capital (PC) on the association between academic self-concept (AS-c) and DL among nursing students from China enrolled in online courses. Conducted from October 2022 to January 2023, the survey involved 635 nursing students from four public universities in eastern China, utilizing convenience sampling. Data was collected using the AS-c scale, psychological capital scale, and DL scale in online courses. Correlation analyses, univariate analyses, multiple linear regression analyses, and the PROCESS macro were employed for a comprehensive examination. The results revealed a strong positive relationship between nursing students' DL and both their AS-c (r = 0.766, P < 0.01) and PC (r = 0.714, P < 0.01), respectively. Additionally, the effect of AS-c on DL was stronger among individuals with high PC (ß = 0.34, SE = 0.03, P < 0.001) compared to those with low (ß = 0.29, SE = 0.02, P < 0.001) or medium (ß = 0.24, SE = 0.02, P < 0.001) levels of PC, indicating that PC exerts moderating effects and promotes DL among nursing students enrolled in online courses. Based on these findings, several implications are suggested for the theory and practice of facilitating DL.

Tuning the Mechanical Properties of 3D-printed Objects by Mixing Chain Transfer Agents in Radical Promoted Cationic RAFT Polymerization.

The utilization of (cationic) reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization in photoinduced three-dimensional (3D) printing has emerged as a robust technique for fabricating a variety of stimuli-responsive materials. However, methods for precisely adjusting the mechanical properties of these materials remain limited, thereby constraining their broader applicability. In this study, a facile way is introduced to modulate the mechanical properties of 3D printed objects by mixing two chain transfer agents (CTAs) within a radical-promoted cationic RAFT (RPC-RAFT) polymerization-based 3D printing process. Through systematic investigations employing tensile testing and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), the influence of CTA concentration and molar ratio between two CTAs on the mechanical behavior of the printed objects are explored. These findings demonstrate that higher concentrations of CTAs or a greater molar ratio of the more active CTA within the mixed CTAs result in decreased Young's modulus and glass transition temperatures of the printed objects. Moreover, the tensile failure strain increased with the increasing CTA content, i.e., the samples became more ductile. This methodology broadens the toolbox available for tailoring the mechanical properties of 3D printed materials.

Status and hotspot analysis of Qingfei Paidu Decoction for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 based on bibliometric analysis.

Background: Qingfei Paidu Decoction (QFPDD) has played an important role in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 infection in China. The present study aims to perform an econometric analysis and visualization of the literature on the treatment of COVID-19 with QFPDD in the Chinese databases and English databases. Methods: Six databases including such as Chinese databases CNKI, VIP, CBM, WANFANG as well as English databases PubMed, Web of Science were searched for publications related to the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 with QFPDD. The institutions, authors, keywords of each publication were cisualized using the software of CiteSpace. Results: A total of 187 literature on the prevention and treatment of novel coronavirus infection with QFPDD were included, of which 145 (77.5%) were in Chinese and 42 (22.5%) were in English. Those publications were written by 926 authors from 383 institutions. There were 78 theoretical studies (41.7%), 63 clinical studies (33.7%), and 46 basic studies (24.6%). The cooperative institutions with the core of "Institute of Basic Research in Clinical Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences" and "Shanghai University of Chinese Medicine Cross Academy of Science" have been formed, and two core teams with "Wang Yanping" and "Zhang Weidong" have been formed. The keyword analysis showed that the research mainly focuses on pathologic pathogenesis, clinical efficacy, adverse reactions, integrated Chinese and western medicine therapy, network pharmacology research. Conclusion: QFPDD has attracted worldwide attention, mechanism research and clinical research may become a future development trend. Therefore, in-depth basic research and clinical studies with large samples and multi-center cooperation should be carried out to provide high-level evidence-based evidence for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 with QFPDD.

Predictive Value of the Nomogram Model Based on Multimodal Ultrasound Features for Benign and Malignant Thyroid Nodules of C-TIRADS Category 4.

To explore the predictive value of the nomogram model based on multimodal ultrasound features for benign and malignant thyroid nodules of C-TIRADS category 4. A retrospective analysis was conducted on the general conditions and ultrasound features of patients who underwent thyroid ultrasound examination and fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNA) or thyroidectomy at the Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University from April 2020 to April 2023. Predictive signs for benign and malignant nodules of thyroid C-TIRADS category 4 were screened through LASSO regression and multivariate logistic regression analysis to construct a nomogram prediction model. The predictive efficiency and accuracy of the model were assessed through ROC curves and calibration curves. Seven independent risk factors in the predictive model for benign and malignant thyroid nodules of C-TIRADS category 4 were growth pattern, morphology, microcalcifications, SR, arterial phase enhancement intensity, initial perfusion time, and PE [%]. Based on these features, the area under the curve (AUC) of the constructed prediction model was 0.971 (p ＜ .001, 95% CI: 0.952-0.989), with a prediction accuracy of 93.1%. Internal validation showed that the nomogram calibration curve was consistent with reality, and the decision curve analysis indicated that the model has high clinical application value. The nomogram prediction model constructed based on the multimodal ultrasound features of thyroid nodules of C-TIRADS category 4 has high clinical application value.

[Expression of lncRNA UCA1 in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients and Its Clinical Significance].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression level of urothelial carcinoembryonic antigen 1 (lncRNA UCA1) in the bone marrow of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients, and to explore the clinical significance of lncRNA UCA1 expression level in AML patients. METHODS: Bone marrow samples of 50 AML patients were collected as experimental group, and bone marrow samples of 20 iron deficiency anemia (IDA) patients were collected as control group. The relevant clinicopathological characteristics of AML patients were collected. Real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the expression level of lncRNA UCA1 in the experimental and control groups, and the relationships between lncRNA UCA1 expression and clinical pathological characteristics and prognosis in AML patients were analyzed. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to analyze the effect of lncRNA UCA1 on the overall survival (OS) of AML patients; And Cox regression model was used to analyze the factors affecting the prognosis of AML patients. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the expression level of lncRNA UCA1 was significantly elevated in patients with AML (P < 0.001); The proportion of patients with hemoglobin lower than 90 g/L in lncRNA UCA1 high expression group was significantly higher than that in lncRNA UCA1 low expression group (P =0.004); The expression level of lncRNA UCA1 was higher in M1, M2, and M4 subtypes, while it was lower in M0 and M5 subtypes, and the difference was statistically significant (P =0.009). There were no significant difference in sex, age, white blood cell (WBC) count, platelet (PLT) count, bone marrow blasts , chemotherapy regimen and efficacy, karyotype, gene mutation, and prognostic risk stratification between patients in UCA1 high expression group and those in UCA1 low expression group (all P > 0.05). The OS of patients with high expression of lncRNA UCA1 was significantly shorter than that of patients with low expression of lncRNA UCA1 (P =0.0229). CONCLUSION: The expression level of lncRNA UCA1 is significantly upregulated in AML patients. High expression of lncRNA UCA1 is associated with poor clinicopathological features and poor prognosis. Therefore, lncRNA UCA1 can be used as a prognostic indicator and a potential therapeutic target for AML patients.

[Expression and Clinical Significance of LncRNA HEIH in Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression and clinical significance of long noncoding RNA(lncRNA) HEIH in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). METHODS: 50 newly diagnosed AML patients (except M3) admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College from January 2019 to December 2020 were included in the study, with 30 patients with non-hematological malignancies as controls. The relative expression level of lncRNA HEIH in all patients were detected, the correlation of clinical characteristics, gene mutations, FAB classification, efficacy, prognosis and overall survival (OS) of AML patients with the expression level of lncRNA HEIH were analyzed. RESULTS: The expression level of lncRNA HEIH in AML patients was significantly higher than that in patients with non-hematological malignancies (P <0.01). Moreover, AML patients with high white blood cell count (WBC), CEBPA and FLT3 mutations, poor efficacy, and poor prognosis often showed higher expression of lncRNA HEIH, and patients with high lncRNA HEIH expression showed a shorter overall survival (OS). CONCLUSION: lncRNA HEIH shows an unique molecular biological significance in AML patients, which may provide a new approach for diagnosis, monitoring and targeted therapy of AML.

Expression of NAP1L5 in Patients with First Diagnosis of Acute Myeloid Leukemia and its Clinical Significance.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to assess the expression levels of NAP1L5 in individuals diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and to investigate its clinical and prognostic significance in those with primary AML. METHODS: Between June 2021 and June 2023, the Department of Hematology at the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical University collected 100 bone marrow specimens from primary AML patients and 30 from individuals with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) for this medical research study. The researchers gathered comprehensive clinical data from patients diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was utilized to measure the mRNA levels of NAP1L5 in both the ex-perimental and the control group. The investigation involved analyzing the association between NAP1L5 expres-sion related to AML, clinical features, and overall prognosis. The study employed the Kaplan-Meier method to evaluate the impact of NAP1L5 expression on the overall survival time (OS) in AML patients, while the Cox hazard regression model was used to identify significant prognostic factors. RESULTS: NAP1L5 was found to be significantly more expressed in individuals with AML compared to those with ITP. Patients diagnosed with AML and exhibiting elevated NAP1L5 expression levels correlated with older age, ineffective response to chemotherapy, and a more unfavorable prognosis compared to those with lower NAP1L5 expression. Additionally, the group with high expression demonstrated a noticeably decreased overall survival (OS), compared to the group with low expression. Furthermore, a significant association was observed between the elevated NAP1L5 expression levels and an unfavorable clinical outcome in patients diagnosed with AML. CONCLUSIONS: The initial exploration of the elevated expression of NAP1L5 in AML and its clinical significance offers potential targets for AML treatment and prognostic evaluation.

Can social health insurance improve mental health? An analysis of supplementary high-cost illness insurance in China.

OBJECTIVES: China introduced an innovative Supplementary High-Cost Illness Insurance (SHCII) programme to enhance existing social health insurance by providing extra financial support for individuals facing catastrophic illnesses in 2015. The SHCII has notably increased access to healthcare and alleviated financial strain for economically disadvantaged individuals. However, there is a lack of information regarding the programme's impact on the mental health of its beneficiaries. This study aims to assess the impact of SHCII on the mental well-being of middle-aged and older individuals. METHODS: Using data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS; 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2018), this study examined how SHCII affects mental health among middle-aged and older individuals in China using propensity score matching with the time-varying difference-in-differences (DID) method. RESULTS: We found that SHCII implementation can significantly reduce the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD-10) scores of middle-aged and older individuals. This reduction was more pronounced among older individuals with poor self-rated health, chronic disease, and low household wealth when compared to their counterparts. DISCUSSION: The implementation of SHCII has had a significant and positive impact on mental health outcomes. We recommend that governments consider expanding the programme to other areas within China, focusing especially on the most economically disadvantaged segments of the population.