Incomplete Kawasaki disease with muscular weakness and bladder retention: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute systemic immune vasculitis affecting multiple organs and systems in children, and is prevalent in children under 5 years of age. Muscular weakness is a rare manifestation of KD, and only 11 pediatric patients with KD combined with muscular weakness have been reported, of which evidence of myositis was found in 2/3 of the patients, and 1/3 could not be explained by myositis, the mechanism of which is still unclear. Cases of KD combined with bladder retention are even more rare, and there has been only 1 case report of KD combined with bladder retention in a child with no previous underlying disease. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a 22-month-old Asian child with incomplete Kawasaki disease (IKD) who initially presented with fever and progressive muscular weakness in the lower extremities, followed by the bladder and bowel retention abnormalities and rapid onset of heart failure, respiratory failure and shock. The child developed coronary artery ectasia (CAA) without the main clinical features of KD such as rash, conjunctival congestion, desquamation of the extremity endings, orofacial changes and enlarged lymph nodes in the neck. Creatine kinase and electromyography were normal. Temperature gradually normalized and muscle strength recovered slightly after intravenous immunoglobulin. The child could be helped to walk after 1 week of aspirin combined with steroid therapy. CONCLUSIONS: We present the case of a 22-month-old child with IKD. The child began with progressive muscular weakness in the extremities, followed by the bladder and bowel retention abnormalities, and rapidly developed heart failure, respiratory failure, and shock. Despite early failure to detect the disease, the child recovered rapidly and had a favorable prognosis. KD comorbidities with muscular weakness as the main manifestation are uncommon. This is the first case report of IKD combined with both muscular weakness and bladder and bowel retention, which may provide clinicians with diagnostic and therapeutic ideas, as well as a basis for future exploration of the mechanisms of KD combined with muscular weakness or bladder and bowel retention abnormalities.

Regulating interface interaction in alumina/graphene composites with nano alumina coating transition layers.

The structure and properties of graphene/alumina composites are affected by the interface interaction. To demonstrate the influence of interface interaction on the structure of composite materials, a composite without graphene/matrix alumina interface was designed and prepared. We introduced a nano transition layer into the composite by pre-fabricating nano alumina coating on the surface of graphene, thus regulating the influence of interface interaction on the structure of the composite. According to the analysis of laser micro Raman spectroscopy, the structure of graphene was not seriously damaged during the modification process, and graphene was subjected to tensile or compressive stress along the 2D plane. The fracture behavior of the modified graphene/alumina composites is similar to that of pure alumina, but significantly different from that of pure graphene/alumina composites. The elastic modulus and hardness of composite material G/A/A are higher, while its microstructure has better density and uniformity. In situ HRSEM observation showed that there was a transition layer of alumina in the modified graphene/alumina composite. The transition layer blocks or buffers the interfacial stress interaction, therefore, the composite material exhibits a fracture behavior similar to that of pure alumina at this time. This work demonstrates that interface interactions have a significant impact on the structure and fracture behavior of graphene/alumina composites.

Adoption of the cardiopulmonary exercise test in the exercise ability and cardiopulmonary function rehabilitation of coronary artery disease (CAD) patients.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to explore the application of cardiopulmonary exercise testing in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients, evaluate its impact on exercise ability and cardiopulmonary function in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD), and promote the application of cardiopulmonary exercise testing in CAD management. METHODS: Fifty CHD patients after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were recruited and randomly enrolled into the control (Ctrl) group and intervention (Int) group. Routine health education and health education combined with RT training were carried out for the two groups. Blood lipid levels and lung function were compared between the two groups after intervention. Cardiac function was evaluated by Doppler ultrasonography, and cardiopulmonary fitness and exercise ability were evaluated by a cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET). The self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) and self-rating depression scale (SDS) were employed to evaluate negative emotions. The 36-item short-form (SF-36) was adopted to evaluate quality of life. RESULT: Compared with those in the Ctrl group, the levels of serum total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TGs), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) decreased in the Int group, while the levels of high-density lipoprotein increased (P < 0.05). The quantitative load results showed that compared with the Ctrl group, the heart rate (HR) and self-perceived fatigue degree of the Int group decreased, and the ST segment increased (P < 0.05). Compared with the Ctrl group, the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), forced expiratory volume at 1 s (FEV1), ratio of forced expiratory volume to forced vital volume (FEV1/FVC%), and maximum chase volume (MVV) increased in the Int group, while the left ventricular end diastolic diameter and left ventricular end contractile diameter decreased (P < 0.05). The results of the CPET showed that compared with the Ctrl group, minute ventilation/carbon dioxide production slope, VE/VCO2 - Peak, anaerobic threshold (AT), peak oxygen pulse (VO2/HR peak), oxygen uptake efficiency platform (OUEP), increasing power exercise time (IPEt), HR recovery 1 min after exercise, peak load power (Watt peak), and value metabolic equivalent (Watt peak) increased in the Int group (P < 0.05). Compared with the Ctrl group, the SAS and SDS scores in the Int group decreased (P < 0.05). The results of the quality of life evaluation showed that compared with the Ctrl group, the score of the SF-36 dimensions increased in the Int group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: RT training can reduce postoperative blood lipid and quantitative load levels in CAD patients and improve adverse mood. Furthermore, it can improve patients' cardiopulmonary function, cardiopulmonary fitness, exercise ability, and quality of life.

Greater variability in HDL-C was associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline in the middle- and elderly Chinese: A cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies into relationship between high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and cognitive decline were constrained to a single measurement, leaving the association between HDL-C variability and risk of cognitive decline unclear. METHODS: We identified 5930 participants from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) who were devoid for stroke, dementia, and memory-related diseases at baseline and underwent a minimum of 2 sequential health examinations during 2011-2015. Variability in HDL-C was defined as (1) variability independent of the mean (VIM), (2) average real variability (ARV), and (3) standard deviation (SD) of HDL-C change from baseline and follow-up visits. Cognitive function was evaluated in 2018 by Mini-mental state examination (MMSE) in the Chinese version. Logistic regression was employed to explore the association between HDL-C variability and cognitive decline. Odd ratios (OR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) were reported. RESULTS: The study included participants from CHARLS, mean age of 57.84±8.44 years and 44 % male. After adjustment for covariates, the highest quartile of VIM was associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline [OR:1.049, 95 %CI: 1.014-1.086] compared to the lowest quartile. For each SD increment of VIM, the OR was 1.015 (95 %CI:1.003-1.027). Strong dose-response relationships were identified (P for trend: 0.005). Consistent results were obtained for other measures of HDL-C variability (ARV and SD). Similar patterns were identified in different dimensions of cognition. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated HDL-C variability was associated with increased cognitive decline risk. Strategies to reducing HDL-C variability may lower the risks of cognitive decline among the general population.

[Association between exposure to PM_(2.5) and chronic kidney disease in a population with metabolic syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between long-term fine particulate matter(PM_(2.5)) exposure and the risk of chronic kidney disease(CKD) in people with abnormal metabolism syndrome(MS) components. METHODS: Based on health checkup data from a hospital in Beijing, a retrospective cohort study was used to collect annual checkup data from 2013-2019. A questionnaire was used to obtain information on demographic characteristics and lifestyle habits. We measured blood pressure, height, weight, waist circumference, concentrations of triglycerides(TG), fasting glucose, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C). Longitude and latitude were also extracted from the addresses of the study subjects for pollutant exposure data estimation. Logistic regression models were used to explore the estimated effect of long-term PM_(2.5) exposure on the risk of CKD prevalence in people with abnormal MS components. Two-pollutant and multi-pollutant models were developed to test the stability of these result. Subgroup analysis was conducted based on age, the presence of MS, individual MS component abnormalities, and dual-component MS abnormalities. RESULTS: The study included 1540 study subjects with abnormal MS components at baseline, 206 with CKD during the study period. The association between long-term PM_(2.5) exposure and increased risk of CKD in people with abnormal MS fractions was statistically significant, with a 2.26-fold increase in risk of CKD for every 10 µg/m~3 increase in PM_(2.5) exposure(OR=3.26, 95% CI 2.72-3.90). The result in the dual-pollutant models and multi-pollutant models suggested that the association between long-term PM_(2.5) exposure and increased risk of CKD in people with abnormal MS fractions remained stable after controlling for contemporaneous confounding by other air pollutants. The result of subgroup analysis revealed that individuals aged 45 or older, without MS, with TG<1.7 mmol/L, HDL-C≥1.04 mmol/L, without hypertension, and with central obesity and high blood sugar had a stronger association between PM_(2.5) exposure and CKD-related health effects. CONCLUSION: Long-term exposure to PM_(2.5) may increase the risk of CKD in people with abnormal MS components. More attention should be paid to middle-aged and elderly people aged ≥45 years, people with central obesity and hyperglycemia.

Associations between sleep duration trajectories and cognitive decline: A longitudinal cohort study in China.

OBJECT: The relationship between sleep duration trajectories and cognitive decline remains uncertain. This study aims to examine the connections between various patterns of sleep duration and cognitive function. METHODS: Group-based trajectory modeling (GBTM) was employed to identify longitudinal trajectories of sleep duration over four-year follow-up period, while considering age, sex and nap duration as adjustments. Logistic regression was utilized to analyze the association between sleep trajectories and cognition, with odds ratios (OR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) reported. Subgroup analyses based on various demographic characteristics were conducted to explore potential differences in sleep trajectories and cognitive decline across different population subgroups. RESULTS: A total of 5061 participants were followed for four years, and three sleep duration trajectories were identified: high increasing (n = 2101, 41.6 %), stable increasing (n = 2087, 40.7 %), and low decreasing (n = 873, 17.7 %). After adjustment for basic demographic information, health status, and baseline cognition, the high increasing trajectory was found to be associated with cognitive decline in terms of global cognition (OR:1.52,95 %CI:1.18-1.96), mental intactness (OR:1.36,95 %CI:1.07-1.73) and episodic memory (OR:1.33, 95 %CI:1.05-1.67), as compared to stable increasing trajectory. These associations were particularly prominent among the non-elderly population (≤65 years) and those without depressive symptoms. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that both high increasing and low decreasing sleep duration trajectories are linked to cognitive decline, as compared to the stable increasing trajectory. Long-term attention to changes in sleep duration facilitates early prevention of cognitive decline.

mNGS helped diagnose scrub typhus-associated HLH in children: a report of two cases.

Background: Scrub typhus, caused by the Orientia tsutsugamushi (Ot), is a widespread vector-borne disease transmitted by chigger mites. Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is considered to be one of the potentially severe complications. The diagnosis of scrub typhus-associated HLH may be overlooked due to the non-specific clinical characteristics and the absence of pathognomonic eschar. Case presentation: We obtained clinical data from two patients in the South of Sichuan, China. The first case involved a 6-year-old girl who exhibited an unexplained fever and was initially diagnosed with sepsis, HLH, and pulmonary infection. The other patient presented a more severe condition characterized by multiple organ dysfunction and was initially diagnosed with septic shock, sepsis, HLH, acute kidney injury (AKI), and pulmonary infection. At first, a specific examination for scrub typhus was not performed due to the absence of a characteristic eschar. Conventional peripheral blood cultures yielded negative results in both patients, and neither of them responded to routine antibiotics. Fortunately, the causative pathogen Orientia tsutsugamushi (Ot) was detected in the plasma samples of both patients using metagenomics next-generation sequencing (mNGS) and further confirmed by polymerase chain reaction. Subsequently, they both were treated with doxycycline and recovered quickly. Conclusion: The unbiased mNGS provided a clinically actionable diagnosis for an uncommon pathogen-associated infectious disease that had previously evaded conventional diagnostic approaches.

Bioactive compounds and biological functions of medicinal plant-derived extracellular vesicles.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are tiny lipid bilayer-enclosed membrane particles released from a variety of cell types into the surrounding environment. These EVs have massive participated in cell-to-cell communication and interspecies communication. In recent years, plant-derived extracellular vesicles (PDEVs) and "exosome-like" EVs populations found in distinct plants have attracted widespread attention. Especially, research on medicinal plant-derived extracellular vesicles (MPDEVs) are increasing, which are considered a kind of promising natural compound. This review summarizes current knowledge on MPDEVs in terms of bioactive compounds, including small RNA, protein, lipid, and metabolite, have been found on the surface and/or in the lumen of MPDEVs. Moreover, both in vitro and in vivo experiments have shown that MPDEVs exert broad biomedical functions, such as anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antioxidant, modulate microbiota, etc. MPDEVs may be a better substitute than animal-derived extracellular vesicles (ADEVs) because of safety and biocompatibility in the future.

Changes in carbohydrate metabolism and soil microorganisms under the stress of polyamide and polyethylene nanoplastics during rice (Oryza sativa L.) growth.

Nanoplastics (NPs) presence in agricultural soils can affect plant growth and impact the quality of agricultural products. To investigate the effect of polyamide (PA) NPs and polyethylene (PE) NPs on carbohydrate metabolism and soil microorganisms during rice growth, rice seedlings were exposed to soil containing 2 g/kg of 100 nm PA or 100 nm PE powder for 33 d. The results revealed that 100 nm PE reduced shoot length and dry weight of rice by 4.14 % and 15.68 %, respectively. Analyzing the expression of hexokinase-2 (HXK), phosphofructokinase-1 (PFK), pyruvate kinase (PK) and isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH), which are four genes related to carbohydrate metabolism, 100 nm PA decreased the expression of PFK and increased the expression of PK and IDH. 100 nm PE increased the expression of HXK, PFK, PK, and IDH. The results of soil microorganisms showed that 100 nm PA significantly effects on 3 bacterial phyla (Bacteroidota, Deinococcota, and Desulfobacterota), whereas 100 nm PE significantly effects on phylum Rozellomycota, class Umbelopsidomycetes, and an unclassified Firmicutes. Our study provides direct evidence of the negative effects of PA and PE on rice, which may be important for assessing the risk of NPs on agroecosystems.

Association of obesity with cardiovascular disease in the absence of traditional risk factors.

BACKGROUND: The association between obesity and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in people without traditional CVD risk factors is unclear. This study aimed to investigate the association of obesity with CVD and its subtypes in people without traditional CVD risk factors. METHODS: Based on the Kailuan cohort study, the included participants were divided into different groups according to levels of body mass index (BMI) and waist height ratio (WHtR), respectively. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard models were used to evaluate the associations. RESULTS: This study included 31,955 participants [men 63.99%; mean age (48.14 ± 3.33) years]. During a median follow-up period of 12.97 (interquartile range: 12.68-13.17) years, 1298 cases of CVD were observed. Compared with the normal BMI group, the hazard ratios (HRs) for CVD, stroke, and myocardial infarction (MI) in the BMI obese group were 1.31 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.11-1.55), 1.21 (95%CI 1.01-1.46), 1.62 (95%CI 1.13-2.33), respectively. Compared with the WHtR non-obese group, the HRs for CVD, stroke, and MI in the obese group were 1.25(95%CI 1.11-1.41), 1.18 (95%CI 1.03-1.34), 1.57 (95%CI 1.18-2.09), respectively. There was an interaction between age and WHtR (P for interaction was 0.043). The association between WHtR and CVD was stronger in people under 60 years old, with a HR of 1.44 (95%CI 1.24-1.67). CONCLUSION: We found that obesity increased the risk of CVD in people without traditional CVD risk factors. The association of WHtR with CVD was stronger in people under 60 years old.

CO2 electrocatalytic reduction to ethylene and its application outlook in food science.

The efficient conversion of CO2 is considered to be an important step toward carbon emissions peak and carbon neutrality. Presently, great efforts have been devoted to the study of efficient nanocatalysts, electrolytic cell, and electrolytes to achieve high reactivity and selectivity in the electrochemical reduction of CO2 to mono- and multi-carbon (C2+) compounds. However, there are very few reviews focusing on highly reactive and selective ethylene production and application in the field of electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO2RR). Ethylene is a class of multi-carbon compounds that are widely applied in industrial, ecological, and agricultural fields. This review focuses especially on the convertibility of CO2 reduction to generate ethylene technology in practical applications and provides a detailed summary of the latest technologies for the efficient production of ethylene by CO2RR and suggests the potential application of CO2RR systems in food science to further expand the application market of CO2RR for ethylene production.

Enhancing the Treatment of Uncontrolled Inflammation through the Targeted Delivery of TPCA-1-Loaded Nanoparticles.

Uncontrolled inflammation is a pathological state that underlies many diseases. Despite the development of numerous anti-inflammatory agents, the treatment of uncontrolled inflammation remains a challenging task. We developed a targeted delivery system for [5-(p-fluorophenyl)-2-ureido]thiophene-3-carboxamide (TPCA-1), a potent inhibitor of the NF-κB signaling pathway. The system comprises TPCA-1-loaded nanoparticles (NPs) functionalized with a monoclonal antibody (mAb) that specifically binds to the break point of the IgD6 region of the platelet/endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1) extracellular segment that is overexposed on the injured endothelium and activated macrophages during the pathogenesis of inflammation. In vitro binding and cellular uptake experiments revealed that the mAb modification on NPs could significantly enhance uptake by both Raw264.7 and HUVEC compared with unmodified NPs. In studies conducted at the cellular level focusing on anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, this formulation was found to effectively inhibit M1 polarization of macrophages, downregulate the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and reduce the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO). In an animal model of vascular endothelial injury with acute inflammation, these NPs were capable of delivering TPCA-1 to inflammatory lesions in a targeted manner. Compared with the free agent-treated group, the NP-treated group exhibited reduced infiltration of inflammatory cells. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that this targeted delivery of TPCA-1-loaded NPs represents a promising strategy for improved mitigation of uncontrolled inflammation.

ZNF671 methylation test in cervical scrapings for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 and cervical cancer detection.

Effective triage of high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV)+ women is warranted to avoid unnecessary referral and overtreatment. Molecular triage tests have recently begun to impact cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 (CIN3) or cervical cancer (CC), termed CIN3+, detection. We find that zinc finger protein 671 methylation (ZNF671m) test has superior performance for CIN3+ detection in all single molecular triage tests, including HPV16/18 genotyping, paired box gene 1 methylation (PAX1m), and ZNF671m, in the training set. Using ZNF671m test instead of Thinprep cytologic test (TCT) as a single triage strategy or as a combined triage strategy with HPV16/18 genotyping has achieved comparable sensitivity but higher specificity for CIN3+ detection among 391 hrHPV+ women in the validation set. Little attention has been paid to the women with hrHPV- status but detected CIN3+. We find that the CIN3+ risk after a negative result could be reduced further by triage using ZNF671m in hrHPV- patients.

Advances in biomimetic hydrogels for organoid culture.

An organoid is a 3-dimensional (3D) cell culture system that mimics the structural and functional characteristics of organs, and it has promising applications in regenerative medicine, precision drug screening and personalised therapy. However, current culture techniques of organoids usually use mouse tumour-derived scaffolds (Matrigel) or other animal-derived decellularised extracellular matrices as culture systems with poorly defined components and undefined chemical and physical properties, which limit the growth of organoids and the reproducibility of culture conditions. In contrast, some synthetic culture materials have emerged in recent years with well-defined compositions, and flexible adjustment and optimisation of physical and chemical properties, which can effectively support organoid growth and development and prolong survival time of organoid in vitro. In this review, we will introduce the challenge of animal-derived decellularised extracellular matrices in organoid culture, and summarise the categories of biomimetic hydrogels currently used for organoid culture, and then discuss the future opportunities and perspectives in the development of advanced hydrogels in organoids. We hope that this review can promote academic communication in the field of organoid research and provide some assistance in advancing the development of organoid cultivation technology.

MFNG is an independent prognostic marker for osteosarcoma.

BACKGROUND: Osteosarcoma (OS) has been the most common malignancy of the bone in children and adolescents, and the unsatisfactory prognosis of OS sufferers has long been a hard nut. Here, we delved into the markers with a prognostic value for predicting the prognosis of OS patients. METHODS: The messenger RNA (mRNA) sequencing data and clinical data of OS were retrieved from a Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) dataset (GSE39058). Next, prognosis-related genes (PRGs) were filtered with the aid of Kaplan-Meier (K-M) curves and Cox regression analysis (CRA). Later, Gene Ontology (GO) biological process analysis was used in verifying the function of different genes. CCK-8 and cell apoptosis assay were performed to evaluate the function of MFNG in U2OS cells. RESULTS: Among the obtained genes, Manic Fringe (MFNG) had the closest relevance to prognosis and clinical traits, thus becoming the research object herein. In light of the expression level of MFNG, patients fell into high- and low-MFNG groups. Patients with elevated MFNG expression had a worse prognosis, according to the survival analysis. It was unveiled by the univariate and multivariate analyses that MFNG expression was an independent adverse prognostic factor for disease-free survival in OS patients (p = 0.006). Meanwhile, MFNG expression was linked to gender and tumor recurrence, and it was higher in patients with OS recurrence. Moreover, overexpression of MFNG promoted the cell proliferation and inhibited the cell apoptosis of U2OS cells. CONCLUSIONS: The expression level of MFNG negatively correlated with OS progression, and as an independent adverse prognostic factor for disease-free survival in OS patients. Moreover, MFNG regulated the cell proliferation and apoptosis of OS cells.

MoS2 @Polyaniline for Aqueous Ammonium-Ion Supercapacitors.

Ammonium-ion aqueous supercapacitors are raising notable attention owing to their cost, safety, and environmental advantages, but the development of optimized electrode materials for ammonium-ion storage still lacks behind expectations. To overcome current challenges, here, a sulfide-based composite electrode based on MoS2 and polyaniline (MoS2 @PANI) is proposed as an ammonium-ion host. The optimized composite possesses specific capacitances above 450 F g-1 at 1 A g-1 , and 86.3% capacitance retention after 5000 cycles in a three-electrode configuration. PANI not only contributes to the electrochemical performance but also plays a key role in defining the final MoS2 architecture. Symmetric supercapacitors assembled with such electrodes display energy densities above 60 Wh kg-1 at a power density of 725 W kg-1 . Compared with Li+ and K+ ions, the surface capacitive contribution in NH4 + -based devices is lower at every scan rate, which points to an effective generation/breaking of H-bonds as the mechanism controlling the rate of NH4 + insertion/de-insertion. This result is supported by density functional theory calculations, which also show that sulfur vacancies effectively enhance the NH4 + adsorption energy and improve the electrical conductivity of the whole composite. Overall, this work demonstrates the great potential of composite engineering in optimizing the performance of ammonium-ion insertion electrodes.

Efficacy of endoscopic ultrasound and endoscopic resection for esophageal schwannoma.

BACKGROUND: Esophageal schwannoma (ES) is a rare submucosal tumor, and its complete and safe resection is a topic that deserves special attention. AIM: This study aimed to investigate the clinical value of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) in the diagnosis of ES and the clinical efficacy of endoscopic resection for ES. METHODS: The clinical data, endoscopic characteristics, endoscopic treatment, postoperative complications, immunohistochemical results, and follow-up records of patients with ES admitted to the Tianjin Medical University General Hospital from January 2012 to January 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: Under white-light endoscopy, 81.8% (9/11) of lesions were submucosal elevations, covering the normal esophageal epithelium. Two of the lesions with redness and erosive surface. Eight lesions (72.7%) appear on EUS originating from the muscularis propria were homogeneous or inhomogeneous hypoechoic signals. Two lesions were inhomogeneous hyperechoic originating from the submucosa or muscularis propria, respectively. One lesion was homogeneous hypoechoic originating from the submucosa. All lesions had no blood flow signals, cystic changes, or calcification, and were completely removed by submucosal tunnel endoscopic resection (STER) or endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD). All patients did not experience serious adverse events as well as recurrence, metastasis, or cicatricial esophageal stenosis during the follow-up period. CONCLUSION: ES is a rare submucosal lesion, which endoscopic characteristics are difficult to distinguish from other esophageal submucosal tumors. Endoscopic resection can provide a minimally invasive and alternative treatment for ES.

Methylation-mediated silencing of EDN3 promotes cervical cancer proliferation, migration and invasion.

Cervical cancer (CC) remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. However, cervical cancer is preceded by the pre-malignant cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) that can last for up to 20 years before becoming malignant. Therefore, early screening is the key to prevent the progression of cervical lesions into invasive cervical cancer and decrease the incidence. The genes, down-regulated and hypermethylated in cancers, may provide potential drug targets for cervical cancer. In our current study, using the datasets from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) databases, we found that endothelin 3 (EDN3) was downregulated and hypermethylated in cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC). The further analysis in GSE63514 (n=128) dataset and in our samples (n=221) found that the expression of EDN3 was decreased with the degree of cervical lesions. Pyrosequencing was performed to evaluate 4 CpG sites of the EDN3 promoter region in our samples (n=469). The data indicated that the methylation level of EDN3 was increased with the degree of cervical lesions. EDN3 silencing mediated by methylation can be blocked by 5-Azacytidine (5-Aza), a DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) inhibitor, treatment in cervical cancer cell lines. Ethynyldeoxyuridine (EdU) assay, would-healing assay, clone formation assay and transwell assay were conducted to investigate the biological function of EDN3 in cervical cancer cell lines. The results of these experiments confirmed that overexpression of EDN3 could inhibit the proliferation, clone formation, migration and invasion of cervical cancer cells. EDN3 may provide potential biomarker and therapeutic target for CSCC.

Astrocytic connexin 43 deletion ameliorates SNI-induced neuropathic pain by reducing microglia activation.

Neuropathic pain (NP) is a chronic disease caused by damage to the peripheral or central nervous system. Connexin 43 (Cx43), the primary connexin expressed by astrocytes, has been reported to be significantly increased in NP. However, the roles and mechanisms of Cx43 in the development and maintenance of NP remain largely unknown, while microglia activation has been commonly regarded as a key factor of NP. In the present study, we found that Cx43 deletion significantly ameliorated spared nerve injury (SNI)-induced NP and suppressed SNI induced c-Fos expression in the spinal cord. Notably, Cx43 deletion led to much less SNI-induced microglia activation in the spinal cord. These results suggest that astrocyte Cx43 may play a significant role in regulating microglial activation and NP.

Long-term exposure to PM2.5 and PM10 and chronic kidney disease: the Beijing Health Management Cohort, from 2013 to 2018.

Long-term exposure to ambient particulate pollutants (PM2.5 and PM10) may increase the risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD), but the results of previous research were limited and inconsistent. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationships of PM2.5 and PM10 with CKD. This study was a cohort study based on the physical examination data of 2082 Beijing residents from 2013 to 2018 in the Beijing Health Management Cohort (BHMC). A land-use regression model was used to estimate the individual exposure concentration of air pollution based on the address provided by each participant. CKD events were identified based on self-report or medical evaluation (estimated glomerular filtration rate, eGFR less than 60 ml/min/1.73 m2). Finally, the associations of PM2.5 and PM10 with CKD were calculated using univariate and multivariate logistic regression models. During the research period, we collected potentially confounding information. After adjusting for confounders, each 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 and PM10 exposure was associated with an 84% (OR: 1.84; 95% CI: 1.45, 2.33) and 37% (OR: 1.37; 95% CI: 1.15, 1.63) increased risk of CKD. Adjusting for the four common gaseous air pollutants (CO, NO2, SO2, O3), the effect of PM2.5 and PM10 on CKD was significantly enhanced, but the effect of PM10 was no longer significant in the multi-pollutant model. The results of the stratified analysis showed that PM2.5 and PM10 were more significant in males, middle-aged and elderly people over 45 years old, smokers, drinkers, BMI ≥ 24 kg/m2, and abnormal metabolic components. In conclusion, long-term exposure to ambient PM2.5 and PM10 was associated with an increased risk of CKD.