Characteristics of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection in Hospitalized Children Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Thailand.

OBJECTIVES: This study compared the epidemiological and clinical manifestations of patients hospitalized with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection before and during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic at a tertiary care hospital in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand. METHODS: This retrospective observational study utilized data from all cases of laboratory-confirmed RSV infection at Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital from January 2016 to December 2021. Differences in the clinical presentation of RSV infection before (2016 to 2019) and during (2020 to 2021) the COVID-19 pandemic were analyzed and compared. RESULTS: In total, 358 patients hospitalized with RSV infections were reported from January 2016 to December 2021. During the COVID-19 pandemic, only 74 cases of hospitalized RSV infection were reported. Compared to pre-pandemic levels, the clinical presentations of RSV infection showed statistically significant decreases in fever on admission (p=0.004), productive cough (p=0.004), sputum (p=0.003), nausea (p=0.03), cyanosis (p=0.004), pallor (p<0.001), diarrhea (p<0.001), and chest pain (p<0.001). Furthermore, vigilant measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including lockdowns, also interrupted the RSV season in Thailand from 2020 to 2021. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of RSV infection was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand, which also changed the clinical presentation and seasonal pattern of RSV infection in children.

Exploring alternative cytokines as potential biomarkers for latent tuberculosis infection in pregnant women.

BACKGROUND: Interferon gamma release assays (IGRAs) are widely used to determine latent tuberculosis infection status. However, its pregnancy-affected performance and cost-expensive nature warrants for different alternatives for pregnant women. This study aims to evaluate the diagnostic performance of several alternative cytokines, including interleukin 2 (IL-2), interleukin 10 (IL-10), and interferon gamma-induced protein 10 (IP-10) to identify latent tuberculosis status in pregnant women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 123 pregnant womens were recruited for this study. The IGRA status was determined by using QuantiFERON Gold In-Tube. Meanwhile, we measured the level IL-2, IL-10, and IP-10 by using sandwich-microELISA method. We performed normality and comparison test by SPSS. In addition, receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) analyses and the optimal cutoff scores were identified using the EasyROC webtool. RESULTS: We showed that IL-2, IL-10, and IP-10 were able to discriminate between IGRA-negative and IGRA-positive pregnant women. Moreover, IP-10 showed the highest discriminatory and diagnostic performance when compared to IL-2 and IL-10 with area under the curve (AUC) of 0.96 and cutoff point of 649.65 pg/mL. CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that IP-10 can be considered as a promising alternative biomarker for IGRAs to diagnose LTBI in pregnant women.

The predictive value of PRDM2 in solid tumor: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Many studies have reported the presence of Positive Regulatory/Su(var)3-9, Enhancer-of-zeste and Trithorax Domain 2 (PRDM2) downregulation in cancer. However, its potential as a diagnostic biomarker is still unclear. Hence, a systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to address this issue. INTRODUCTION: As of 2018, cancer has become the second leading cause of death worldwide. Thus, cancer control is exceptionally vital in reducing mortality. One such example is through early diagnosis of cancer using tumor biomarkers. Having a function as a tumor suppressor gene (TSG), PRDM2 has been linked with carcinogenesis in several solid tumor. This study aims to assess the relationship between PRDM2 downregulation and solid tumor, its relationship with clinicopathological data, and its potential as a diagnostic biomarker. This study also aims to evaluate the quality of the studies, data reliability and confidence in cumulative evidence. MATERIALS & METHODS: A protocol of this study is registered at the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) with the following registration number: CRD42019132156. PRISMA was used as a guideline to conduct this review. A comprehensive electronic search was performed from inception to June 2019 in Pubmed, Cochrane Library, ProQuest, EBSCO and ScienceDirect. Studies were screened and included studies were identified based on the criteria made. Finally, data synthesis and quality assessment were conducted. RESULTS: There is a significant relationship between PRDM2 downregulation with solid tumor (RR 4.29, 95% CI [2.58-7.13], P < 0.00001). The overall sensitivity and specificity of PRDM2 downregulation in solid tumors is 84% (95% CI [39-98%]) and 86% (95% CI [71-94%]), respectively. There is a low risk of bias for the studies used. TSA results suggested the presence of marked imprecision. The overall quality of evidence for this study is very low. DISCUSSION: We present the first meta-analysis that investigated the potential of PRDM2 downregulation as a diagnostic biomarker in solid tumor. In line with previous studies, our results demonstrated that PRDM2 downregulation occurs in solid tumor. A major source of limitation in this study is the small number of studies. CONCLUSIONS: Our review suggested that PRDM2 is downregulated in solid tumor. The relationship between PRDM2 downregulation and clinicopathological data is still inconclusive. Although the sensitivity and specificity of PRDM2 downregulation are imprecise, its high values, in addition to the evidence that suggested PRDM2 downregulation in solid tumor, hinted that it might still have a potential to be used as a diagnostic biomarker. In order to further strengthen these findings, more research regarding PRDM2 in solid tumors are encouraged.

Genetic and epigenetic aberrations of ABCB1 synergistically boost the acquisition of taxane resistance in esophageal squamous cancer cells.

Taxanes are applied as potent chemotherapeutic agents in the treatment of patients with esophageal cancer, but their usefulness is limited, partly because of acquisition of chemoresistance. In our previous study, we established three taxane resistant esophageal cancer cell lines; significant ABCB1 upregulations were found in all three. However, the responsible mechanism(s) still remains an open question. In this study, we explored possible mechanisms that might contribute to upregulation of ABCB1 in taxane resistant cells. ABCB1 gene amplification was found in taxane resistant cell line RTE-1P, but expressional upregulation cannot be explained only by gene amplification, because gene amplification is one order of magnitude or less whereas gene expression is more than two orders of magnitude. In the parental TE-1, ABCB1 expression was upregulated after treatment with 5-azadeoxycytidine and/or trichostatin A; epigenetic mechanisms may be deeply involved. ABCB1 has two promoters; a downstream promoter was found to play the dominant role in taxane resistant esophageal cancer cell lines. Analyses of CpG islands demonstrated that taxane resistant cells showed unmethylated CGI whereas parental cells were dominantly methylated. In conclusion, we propose that both the ABCB1 gene amplification and aberrations in epigenetic mechanisms are responsible for acquisition of taxane resistance in esophageal cancer cells.

The prognostic value of S100A10 expression in cancer.

S100A10, a member of the S100 protein family, commonly forms a heterotetrameric complex with Annexin A2. This is essential for the generation of cellular plasmin from plasminogen, which leads to a cascade of molecular events crucial for tumor progression. S100A10 upregulation has been reported in a number of cancers, suggesting that it may have potential as a prognostic biomarker, as well as predicting sensitivity to anticancer drugs. This review evaluates the direct and indirect relationships between S100A10 and cancer progression by investigating its role in cancer. Research papers published on PubMed and Google Scholar between 2007-2017 were collated and reviewed. We concluded that S100A10 affects the development of the hallmarks of cancer as explained by Hanahan and Weinberg in 2011, most notably by activating the invasion and metastasis of cancer cells. However, further studies are required to explore the underlying biological mechanisms of S100A10.

Downregulation of tumor-suppressor gene LHX6 in cancer: a systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: LIM Homeobox 6 (LHX6) encodes a LIM homeodomain transcription factor, contributes to tissue development and morphogenesis, and is mostly expressed in medial ganglionic eminence and odontogenic mesenchyme. However, it has been reported to play a role in cancer progression. This narrative review summarizes literatures that emphasize the molecular regulation of LHX6 in tumorigenesis. METHODS: In our systematic review, the PubMed database was used for the literature search using the combination of words that included "LHX6" and "cancer". Relevant studies, including in vitro, in vivo experiments, and clinical studies, were analyzed in this review. RESULTS: We found evidences that LHX6 might be important in the inhibition of tumor cell proliferation, growth, invasion, and metastasis through the suppression of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway. Moreover, LHX6 is observed to be downregulated in certain types of cancer due to hypermethylation, thus hindering its tumor suppressing ability. In addition, hypermethylation can also be used to determine the stage of cancer development. CONCLUSION: The downregulation of LHX6 expression might be responsible in promoting cancer progression. Future studies are necessary to investigate the potential of LHX6 as a novel cancer biomarker as well as its therapeutic implications towards certain types of cancer.

ABCB1 Is Upregulated in Acquisition of Taxane Resistance: Lessons from Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cell Lines.

Esophageal cancer is one of the common malignancies worldwide, particularly in eastern African and Asian countries including Japan. Taxane (paclitaxel or docetaxel) is one of the effective chemotherapeutic reagents for patients with esophageal cancer, but acquisition of chemoresistance frequently occurs; this is one of the most frequent causes for therapeutic failure. In this study, we established three taxane resistant esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cell lines and explored possible mechanisms for the acquisition of chemoresistance. Microarray analyses indicated that the ABCB1 (ATP binding cassette subfamily B member 1) gene was significantly upregulated in taxane resistant esophageal cancer cell lines. Moreover, we found that siRNA mediated ABCB1 knockdown successfully restored drug sensitivity in both paclitaxel and docetaxel resistant esophageal cancer cell lines. In conclusion, we propose that ABCB1 might play a pivotal role in acquisition of taxane resistance and could be a promising target for treatment of patients with esophageal cancer after acquisition of taxane resistance.