lncRNA SNHG4 inhibits ferroptosis by orchestrating miR-150-5p/c-Myb axis in colorectal cancer.

LncRNAs have shown to regulate ferroptosis in colorectal cancer (CRC), but the mechanism remains largely unknown. This study unveiled the mechanism of SNHG4 underlying ferroptosis in CRC. RNA-seq and RT-PCR assay confirmed SNHG4 was decreased after Erastin treatment in CRC cells. Overexpression of SNHG4 inhibited and silence promoted CRC cells ferroptosis. SNHG4 was positively correlated to c-Myb in CRC tissues and both located in cytoplasm of CRC cells. RIP and RNA pull-down assays verified the interaction between SNHG4 and c-Myb. Silence of c-Myb alleviated the suppressing effect on ferroptosis by SNHG4 in CRC cells. Dual-luciferase reporter assay revealed that SNHG4 sponging miR-150-5p in CRC cells. Overexpression of SNHG4 decreased the miR-150-5p and increased c-Myb expression. c-Myb was a direct target gene of miR-150-5p in CRC cells. Moreover, effect of CDO1 on ferroptosis was regulated transcriptionally by c-Myb, overexpression of c-Myb reduce CDO1 expression and enhance the GPX4 levels. The animal models confirmed that regulatory effect of SNHG4 on miR-150-5p and c-Myb after inducing ferroptosis. We concluded that SNHG4 inhibited Erastin-induce ferroptosis in CRC, this effect is via sponging miR-150-5p to regulate c-Myb expression, and activated CDO1/GPX4 axis. These findings provide insights into the regulatory mechanism of SNHG4 on ferroptosis.

SNHG4-mediated PTEN destabilization confers oxaliplatin resistance in colorectal cancer cells by inhibiting ferroptosis.

Oxaliplatin resistance poses a significant challenge in colorectal cancer (CRC) therapy, necessitating further investigation into the underlying molecular mechanisms. This study aimed to elucidate the regulatory role of SNHG4 in oxaliplatin resistance and ferroptosis in CRC. Our findings revealed that treatment with oxaliplatin led to downregulation of SNHG4 expression in CRC cells, while resistant CRC cells exhibited higher levels of SNHG4 compared to parental cells. Silencing SNHG4 attenuated oxaliplatin resistance and reduced the expression of resistance-related proteins MRD1 and MPR1. Furthermore, induction of ferroptosis effectively diminished oxaliplatin resistance in both parental and resistant CRC cells. Notably, ferroptosis induction resulted in decreased SNHG4 expression, whereas SNHG4 overexpression suppressed ferroptosis. Through FISH, RIP, and RNA pull-down assays, we identified the cytoplasmic localization of both SNHG4 and PTEN, establishing that SNHG4 directly targets PTEN, thereby reducing mRNA stability in CRC cells. Silencing PTEN abrogated the impact of SNHG4 on oxaliplatin resistance and ferroptosis in CRC cells. In vivo experiments further validated the influence of SNHG4 on oxaliplatin resistance and ferroptosis in CRC cells through PTEN regulation. In conclusion, SNHG4 promotes resistance to oxaliplatin in CRC cells by suppressing ferroptosis through instability of PTEN, thus serves as a target for patients with oxaliplatin-base chemoresistance.

Implementation and effectiveness of a nurse navigation programme based on noddings' care theory in first-year undergraduate nursing students for professional identity and career planning: A quasi-experimental study.

AIMS: Development and evaluation of the effectiveness of a Nurse Navigation programme based on Noddings' Care theory on two dependent variables which were professional identity and career planning among first-year undergraduate nursing students. BACKGROUND: First-year undergraduate nursing students generally have a low sense of professional identity and career planning, resulting in a loss of nursing power after graduation. Implemention of a Nurse Navigation program based on Noddings' Care theory may be potentially useful in cultivating their professional identity and career planning. DESIGN: A quasi-experimental study. METHODS: A convenience sample of 122 first-year undergraduate nursing students from two medical universities was recruited between September 2021 and June 2022. Students in the experimental group (n = 63) participated in the Nurse Navigation programme based on Noddings' Care theory, which contained four core components, spreading over 50 lessons. Those in the control group (n = 59) underwent a traditional training programme with five components across 44 lessons. The two groups were compared in terms of their level of professional identity by Professional identity questionnaire for nurse students (PIQNS) and career planning by Career planning questionnaire (CPQ) after the training using the t-test. RESULTS: The mean score of professional identity in the experimental group increased significantly from 51.02 ± 8.46 at baseline to 58.02 ± 8.81 after the intervention (p < 0.001), with a large effect size (Cohen's d=0.810). Also, this post-intervention score was statistically significantly higher than that (52.86 ± 9.27) in the control group (p = 0.002), with a medium effect size (Cohen's d=0.571). The mean score of career planning in the experimental group increased significantly from 81.76 ± 9.86 at baseline to 94.52 ± 10.81 after the intervention (p < 0.001), with a large effect size (Cohen's d = 1.233). Also, this post-intervention score was statistically significantly higher than that (88.25 ± 9.30) in the control group (p < 0.001), with a medium effect size (Cohen's d=0.623). CONCLUSIONS: The Nurse Navigation programme based on Noddings' Care theory showed effectiveness in enhancing professional identity and career planning among first-year undergraduate nursing students in China. Further rigorous studies are needed to examine its effectiveness and long-term impacts on these students.

Sodium houttuyfonate plays a protective role in the asthmatic airway by alleviating the NLRP3-related pyroptosis and Th1/Th2 immune imbalance.

BACKGROUND: Houttuynia cordata is an herbal compound that grows in China and exhibits anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antioxidant properties. Additionally, pyroptosis is mediated by the activated NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome after stimulation by various inflammatory factors in asthma. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of sodium houttuyfonate on NLRP3 inflammasome-related pyroptosis and Th1/Th2 immune imbalance in asthma. METHODS: Asthmatic mice model were made, sodium houttuyfonate was injected intraperitoneally to treat the asthmatic mice. Airway reactivity, cell classification and counting in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were measured. Hematoxylin-eosin and periodic acid-Schiff staining were used to analyze airway inflammation and mucus hypersecretion. Beas-2b cells were cultured, LPS, NLRP3 antagonist (Mcc950) and sodium houttuyfonate were used to intervene the Beas-2b cells, NLRP3, ASC, caspase-1, GSDMD, IL-1ß, and IL-18 expression in the lung tissue and cells were analyzed using immunohistochemistry and western blot, while qRT- PCR was performed to analyze the mRNA contents in the pulmonary and the cells, respectively. Th1 and Th2 cytokines (IL-4 and IFN-γ) were detected with ELISA and the proportions of Th1 and Th2 in splenocyte were detected by flow cytometry. RESULTS: Airway reactivity decreased in sodium houttuyfonate group when compared with asthmatic group mice. In the BALF, the numbers of leukocytes, eosinophils, neutrophils, lymphocytes, and macrophages were significantly lower in sodium houttuyfonate group mice than in asthmatic group mice. The proportion of TH1/TH2 cells in spleen cells and IFN-γ /IL-4 in plasma increased in sodium houttuyfonate treatment group when compared with asthma group. Immunohistochemistry, western blot and RT-PCR showed that the expressions of NLRP3, ASC, caspase-1, GSDMD, IL-1ß and IL-18 were decreased in the lung tissue of mice after treated with sodium houttuyfonate when compared with those in the asthma group. However, sodium houttuyfonate combined with dexamethasone induced a stronger effect on NLRP3-related pyroptosis and Th1/Th2 immune imbalance compared to sodium houttuyfonate or dexamethasone alone. Beas-2b cells were cultured in vitro, sodium houttuyfonate can alleviate LPS-induced ASC, casepase-1, GSDMD, IL-18 and IL-1ß increasing, especially in SH (10 µg/ml) treated group, but the effect less than Mcc950. CONCLUSIONS: Sodium houttuyfonate can alleviated NLRP3-related pyroptosis and Th1/Th2 immune imbalance to reduce asthma airway inflammation and airway reactivity.

4-octyl itaconate ameliorates alveolar macrophage pyroptosis against ARDS via rescuing mitochondrial dysfunction and suppressing the cGAS/STING pathway.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a high-mortality pulmonary disorder characterized by an intense inflammatory response and a cytokine storm. As of yet, there is no proven effective therapy for ARDS. Itaconate, an immunomodulatory derivative accumulated during inflammatory macrophage activation, has attracted widespread attention for its potent anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties. This study pointed to explore the protective impacts of 4-octyl itaconate (4-OI) on ARDS. The results showed that lung injury was attenuated markedly after 4-OI pre-treatment, as represented by decreased pulmonary edema, inflammatory cell infiltration, and production of inflammatory factors. LPS stimulation induced NLRP3-mediated pyroptosis in vitro and in vivo, as represented by the cleavage of gasdermin D (GSDMD), IL-18 and IL-1ß release, and these changes could be prevented by 4-OI pretreatment. Mechanistically, 4-OI eliminated mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mtROS) and mtDNA escaping to the cytosol through the opening mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) in alveolar macrophages (AMs) under oxidative stress. In addition, 4-OI pretreatment markedly downregulated cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS), stimulator of interferon genes (STING) expression, and interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) phosphorylation in vitro and in vivo. Meanwhile, inhibition of STING/IRF3 pathway alleviated NLRP3-mediated pyroptosis induced by LPS in vitro. Taken together, this study indicated that 4-OI ameliorated ARDS by rescuing mitochondrial dysfunction and inhibiting NLRP3-mediated macrophage pyroptosis in a STING/IRF3-dependent manner, which further revealed the potential mechanism of itaconate in preventing inflammatory diseases.

Ezrin expression in female reproductive tissues: A review of regulation and pathophysiological implications.

Ezrin, a plasma membrane-microfilament linker, is a cytoskeletal organizer involved in many cellular activities by binding to the membrane protein-ezrin-cytoskeletal protein complex and regulating downstream signal transduction. Increasing evidence demonstrates that ezrin plays an important role in regulating cell polarity, proliferation and invasion. In this study, we analyzed the effects of ezrin on oocytes, follicle development, embryo development and embryo implantation. We reviewed the recent studies on the modalities of ezrin regulation and its involvement in the biological processes of female reproductive physiology and summarized the current research advances in ezrin inhibitors. These studies will provide new strategies and insights for the treatment of diseases.

CCBE1 promotes mitochondrial fusion by inhibiting the TGFß-DRP1 axis to prevent the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma.

The extracellular matrix (ECM), as an important component of the tumor microenvironment, exerts various roles in tumor formation. Mitochondrial dynamic disorder is closely implicated in tumorigenesis, including hyperfission in HCC. We aimed to determine the influence of the ECM-related protein CCBE1 on mitochondrial dynamics in HCC. Here, we found that CCBE1 was capable of promoting mitochondrial fusion in HCC. Initially, CCBE1 expression was found to be significantly downregulated in tumors compared with nontumor tissues, which resulted from hypermethylation of the CCBE1 promoter in HCC. Furthermore, CCBE1 overexpression or treatment with recombinant CCBE1 protein dramatically inhibited HCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, CCBE1 functioned as an inhibitor of mitochondrial fission by preventing the location of DRP1 on mitochondria through inhibiting its phosphorylation at Ser616 by directly binding with TGFßR2 to inhibit TGFß signaling activity. In addition, a higher percentage of specimens with higher DRP1 phosphorylation was present in patients with lower CCBE1 expression than in patients with higher CCBE1 expression, which further confirmed the inhibitory effect of CCBE1 on DRP1 phosphorylation at Ser616. Collectively, our study highlights the crucial roles of CCBE1 in mitochondrial homeostasis, suggesting strong evidence for this process as a potential therapeutic strategy for HCC.

[Treatment of femoral head replacement in elderly patients with femoral neck fracture complicated with uremia].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the treatment method and effect of artificial femoral head replacement for elderly patients with femoral neck fracture complicated with uremia. METHODS: From January 2016 to December 2020, 21 elderly patients with femoral neck fracture complicated with uremia were treated with artificial femoral head replacement. There were 3 males and 18 females, aged 65 to 83 years old with an average of (77.2±1.9) years. All patients were complicated with uremia and required long-term maintenance of hemodialysis. The age of dialysis was 2 to 11 years with an average of (6.3±1.6) years, 2 to 3 times per week. The time from injury to admission to operation was 3 to 7 days with an average of (4.0±2.1) days. The anemia and hypoproteinemia of the patients were corrected preoperatively, and the serum potassium and creatinine indexes of the patients were adjusted by hemodialysis. RESULTS: All the incisions were healed in the first stage, and there were no complications of wound infection, prosthesis loosening, dislocation and deep vein thrombosis. All patients resumed routine hemodialysis in time to maintain the stability of serum creatinine and potassium levels. All 21 patients were followed up for 5 to 23 months with an average of (16.8±2.6) months. Harris scores changed from (24.8±2.5) scores preoperatively to (87.2±3.1) scores postoperatively. CONCLUSION: Elderly patients with femoral neck fracture combined with uremia underwent artificial femoral head replacement surgery, as long as the perioperative treatment is appropriate, with active postoperative rehabilitation treatment, can obtain a good clinical effect.

Coupling effects of mineral components on arsenic transformation during coal combustion.

Exploring arsenic (As) transformation during coal combustion is beneficial for reducing its pollution. Herein, combustion experiments were developed at 1100-1300 °C in a fixed-bed experimental system with 25 types of coal samples. The occurrences of As in coal and combustion products were characterized. All the original forms of As in coal were found to be unstable during combustion. As retained in ash existed as water-soluble and ion-exchangeable and residual forms, but only as residual form at combustion temperature above 1200 °C. The distribution of As in gaseous and solid combustion products varied widely by coal types, which resulted from the coupling effects of multi-minerals in coal. Co-combustion experiments were conducted using As model compounds and pure minerals, by which the interaction of Ca, Fe, Si and Al minerals to retain As was elucidated. The As transformation during coal combustion was primarily attributed to the coupling action of Ca, Fe, Si and Al minerals in coal. As a result, As was retained as Ca-Si-Al-As and Fe-Si-Al-As composite salts in the ash, which have little environmental hazard. Utilizing the coupling effects of multi-minerals during combustion help reduce As pollution from coal-fired plants.

Substance P promotes the progression of bronchial asthma through activating the PI3K/AKT/NF-κB pathway mediated cellular inflammation and pyroptotic cell death in bronchial epithelial cells.

NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing three (NLRP3) inflammasome-mediated pyroptotic cell death and inflammation contribute to the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma, and it is reported that Substance P (SP) plays important role in the process, however, the detailed molecular mechanisms by which SP participates in the aggravation of bronchial asthma have not been fully studied. Here, our clinical data showed that SP and its receptor Neurokinin-1 receptor (NK1R) were significantly elevated in the plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) collected from patients with bronchial asthma, and further pre-clinical experiments evidenced that SP suppressed cell viability, accelerated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, and upregulated ASC, Caspase-1, NLRP3, IL-1ß and IL-18 to promote pyroptotic cell death and cellular inflammation in the human bronchial epithelial cells and asthmatic mice models in vitro and in vivo. Interestingly, SP-induced pyroptotic cell death was reversed by NK1R inhibitor L732138. Then, we uncovered the underlying mechanisms, and found that SP activated the downstream PI3K/AKT/NF-κB signal pathway in a NK1R-dependent manner, and blockage of this pathway by both PI3K inhibitor (LY294002) and NF-κB inhibitor (MG132) reversed SP-induced pyroptotic cell death and recovered cell viability in bronchial epithelial cells. Collectively, we concluded that SP interacted with its receptor NK1R to activate the PI3K/AKT/NF-κB pathway, which further triggered NLRP3-mediated pyroptotic cell death in the bronchial epithelial cells, resulting in the aggravation of bronchial asthma.

A WeChat-Based Mobile Platform for Perioperative Health Education for Gastrointestinal Surgery.

Appropriately instructing and guiding patients before and after surgery is essential for their successful recovery. In recent years, however, the development of the enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol has restricted the opportunity for healthcare professionals to spend time with their patients before and after surgery because of efficiency-driven, shortened hospital stay. Here, we embedded health education information of the perioperative period for gastrointestinal surgery on a WeChat-based mobile platform and evaluated the platform through medical staff evaluation, patient volunteer evaluation, and quantitative grading rubric. Clinicians and nurses believed that the mobile platform was attractively designed and easy to navigate, valuable, and adequate for patient health education. The content of health education was embedded into the WeChat-based mobile platform, thereby allowing patients and caregivers to access information at their own pace and enable repeat reading.

BDNF expression in GISTs predicts poor prognosis when associated with PD-L1 positive tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes.

Substantial evidence indicates that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays an important role in tumorigenesis, in addition to its primary role in neuronal activity. Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), which are the most common mesenchymal neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract, contain multiple types of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) that express relevant immune checkpoint proteins. However, no data have been reported on the role of BDNF in GISTs. This study aimed to investigate the expression pattern and prognostic value of BDNF in GIST patients with different degrees of risk, as well as the relationship between BDNF expression and immune checkpoints. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) demonstrated that higher BDNF expression was more likely to be present in high-risk patients and suggested a poor prognosis. A similar phenomenon was demonstrated in plasma. Even more interesting was that a positive correlation was present between BDNF and PD-L1+ expression on TILs. Moreover, high BDNF expression levels in combination with a high PD-L1+ TIL count predict extremely poor survival. The combination of BDNF expression and TIL PD-L1+ expression as a single biomarker was a powerful significant independent predictor of prognosis. Taken together, BDNF expression may serve as a significant prognostic factor, as the combination of BDNF expression and the PD-L1+ TIL subset led to superior prediction of GIST prognosis. Furthermore, our research coupled a neurotrophin with immunity, which provides novel evidence of neural and immune regulation in a clinical study of GIST.

Network Pharmacology-Based Prediction of Bioactive Compounds and Potential Targets of Wenjing Decoction for Treatment of Endometriosis.

Endometriosis is a chronic estrogen-dependent inflammatory disorder that negatively affects the quality of life in women. The Wenjing decoction (WJD) is a traditional Chinese medicine that has been shown to have a therapeutic effect on endometriosis. Our study systematically explored the mechanism of WJD against endometriosis using a network pharmacology approach. Potentially bioactive compounds of WJD and their possible targets were retrieved from the Traditional Chinese Medicine System Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform. The protein-protein interaction network and herbs-compounds-genes multinetwork were constructed using Cytoscape for visualization. Subsequently, the signaling pathways of common targets were retrieved from the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) databases, and molecular docking was performed using PyRx software. In total, 48 common targets were screened, such as IL6 and ESR1, which were related to inflammation and the endocrine system. The top five bioactive compounds were quercetin, kaempferol, wogonin, beta-sitosterol, and stigmasterol. KEGG enrichment analysis revealed 65 pathways containing inflammatory- and endocrine-related signaling pathways, such as the "TNF signaling pathway" and the "estrogen signaling pathway." Taken together, the results of our network pharmacology analysis predicted that certain active ingredients of WJD might treat endometriosis by regulating inflammation and/or endocrine, which provided references for further understanding and exploration of WJD on endometriosis.

Decreased Expression of MPC2 Contributes to Aerobic Glycolysis and Colorectal Cancer Proliferation by Activating mTOR Pathway.

Mitochondrial Pyruvate Carrier 1 (MPC1), one of the rate-limiting proteins involved in glycolysis metabolism, has been demonstrated as a tumor inhibitor in several cancers. This study was conducted with the aim of exploring the role and underlying mechanisms of MPC2 in colorectal cancer (CRC). Here, we found that MPC2 expression was decreased in CRC samples. According to the analysis on our TMA data, lower expression of MPC2 is correlated with a higher incidence of distant metastasis and lymph node invasion, bigger tumor size, low survival rate of patients, and advanced T stages. Functionally, in vivo/vitro experiments showed that MPC2 knockdown induced CRC cell proliferation and growth, while MPC2 overexpression inhibited the proliferation and growth of CRC. Further study demonstrated that MPC2 knockdown resulted in aerobic glycolysis in CRC cells. Similarly, MPC2 overexpression in CRC cells also caused inhibited aerobic glycolysis. Further study found that MPC2 knockdown in CRC cell lines activated the mTOR signaling pathway, and the addition of rapamycin reversed the promoting effect of MPC2 knockdown on CRC proliferation and glycolysis. Likewise, the addition of MHY1485 also reversed the MPC2 overexpression's role in hindering aerobic glycolysis in CRC cells. Collectively, our study established that low expression of MPC2 led to CRC growth as well as aerobic glycolysis through the regulation of the mTOR pathway in CRC cells, indicating a potential biomarker and therapy target for CRC.

LncRNA SNHG6 promotes breast cancer progression and epithelial-mesenchymal transition via miR-543/LAMC1 axis.

PURPOSE: Breast cancer (BC) is the most prevalent cancer in women with an estimated incidence of 10% and the leading cause of mortality due to its heterogenous property and high metastasis rate. Development of novel therapy is very necessary and requires an understanding of molecular mechanisms. We investigated the function of SNHG6/miR-543/LAMC1 axis in BC. METHODS: Human BC tissues were obtained from diagnosed patients. BC cell lines and normal breast cells were used. QRT-PCR and Western blotting were employed to measure expression levels of SNHG6, miR-543, LAMC1, EMT-related proteins, and PI3K/AKT pathway. Dual-luciferase assay was performed to validate interactions of SNHG6/miR-543 and miR-543/LAMC1. Colony formation assay, flow cytometry, scratch wound healing assay, and transwell assay were utilized to assess the proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion of BC cells. Nude mouse xenograft model was used the evaluate the function of SNHG6/miR-543 in tumor growth in vivo. RESULTS: SNHG6 and LAMC1 were elevated, but miR-543 was reduced in BC tissues and cells. SNHG6 interacted directly with miR-543, while miR-543 targeted LAMC1. Knockdown of SNHG6 suppressed BC cell proliferation, migration, invasion, EMT, and PI3K/AKT pathway, but promoted cell apoptosis, while miR-543 inhibitor or overexpression of LAMC1 reversed those effects. Overexpression of LAMC1 also blocked the effects of miR-543 on BC cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and EMT. Knockdown of SNHG6 restrained BC growth in vivo, while miR-543 inhibitor inhibited that suppression. CONCLUSION: SNHG6 promoted EMT and BC cell proliferation and migration by acting as a miR-543 sponge and disinhibiting LAMC1/PI3K/AKT pathway. SNHG6/miR-543/LAMC1 axis could serve as candidates for the development of therapeutic strategies for BC.

LncRNA HOTAIR Promotes LPS-Induced Inflammation and Apoptosis of Cardiomyocytes via Lin28-Mediated PDCD4 Stability.

Sepsis is one of the primary causes of death in intensive care units. Recently, increasing evidence has identified lncRNA HOTAIR is involved in septic cardiomyopathy. However, the potential mechanism underlying HOTAIR on septic cardiomyopathy is still unknown. H9C2 cells were treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) after transfection with sh-HOTAIR, sh-Lin28, pcDNA3.1-HOTAIR, and pcDNA3.1-PDCD4. qRT-PCR was used to examine the level of HOTAIR, Lin28, PDCD4, and sepsis-related inflammatory cytokines. Flow cytometric analysis was applied to detect cell apoptosis. The interaction between Lin28 and HOTAIR or PDCD4 was verified by RNA pull-down and RIP assay. HOTAIR levels were interfered by AAV9-sh-HOTAIR in LPS-induced septic cardiomyopathy mice. ELISA analysis was used to evaluate TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1ß level. Western blot was used to detect the expression of LIN28 and PDCD4 in mouse cardiomyocytes. Echocardiography was used to evaluate the cardiac function. In our study, knockdown of HOTAIR inhibited LPS-induced inflammation and H9C2 cells apoptosis. HOTAIR promoted LPS-induced inflammatory response and apoptosis of H9C2 cells by enhancing PDCD4 stability. RNA pull-down and RIP assay exhibited that Lin28, a highly conserved RNA-binding protein, was combined with HOTAIR and PDCD4. The in vivo experiments verified that the HOTAIR knockdown alleviated the cardiac function injury and secretion of inflammatory factors caused by sepsis. In conclusion, our findings supported that the HOTAIR/Lin28/PDCD4 axis serves as a critical regulator of sepsis, which may open a new direction for the development of sepsis therapeutic.

Puerarin Alleviates Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Myocardial Fibrosis by Inhibiting PARP-1 to Prevent HMGB1-Mediated TLR4-NF-κB Signaling Pathway.

Myocardial fibrosis (MFs) is a crucial pathological process that results in cardiac failure in the development of multiple cardiovascular diseases. Puerarin could reportedly be used to treat a variety of cardiovascular diseases. However, the exact mechanism of puerarin on MFs was not clear enough. The separated primary cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) were induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and treated with puerarin. The levels of TNF-α, IL-6, HMGB1, PARP-1, α-SMA, collagen-1, collagen-3, NF-κB pathways were examined by ELISA, immunofluorescence, RT-qPCR, western blot and immunohistochemistry assays. In addition, MFs rats' model was established using transverse aortic constriction (TAC), and the degree of fibrosis was certified by masson staining. We successfully separated primary CFs, and certified that LPS induction could upregulate the levels of PARP-1, HMGB1, inflammatory cytokines and fibrosis-related proteins (α-SMA, collagen-1 and collagen-3). In addition, we proved that puerarin could weaken MFs, and PARP-1 and HMGB1 expressions, which were induced by LPS in primary CFs. In terms of mechanism, HMGB1 expression could be promoted by PARP-1, and PARP-1 could attenuate the therapeutic effect of puerarin on LPS-induced MFs. Besides, PARP-1-HMGB1-NF-κB pathway was related to the protective effect of puerarin on MFs. In vivo, we also verified the protective efficacy of puerarin on MFs induced by TAC, and puerarin also regulated HMGB1-mediated TLR4-NF-κB signaling pathway. We demonstrated that puerarin could ameliorate MFs by downregulating PARP-1 to inhibit HMGB1-mediated TLR4-NF-κB signaling pathway in LPS-induced primary CFs and TAC-induced MFs rats' model.

Ultrasound-Guided Diffuse Optical Tomography for Differentiation of Benign and Malignant Breast Lesions: A Meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to assess the diagnostic performance of ultrasound-guided diffuse optical tomography for differentiation of benign and malignant breast lesions. METHODS: The Cochrane Library, PubMed, and Embase databases were searched from inception to February 14, 2016. Sensitivity, specificity, and other information were extracted from the included studies. Sensitivity and specificity were pooled by a bivariate mixed-effects binary regression model. A summary receiver operating characteristic curve was constructed. Heterogeneity and publication bias were explored by Higgins and Deeks tests, respectively. RESULTS: Seven studies including 768 women with 886 lesions were analyzed. The summary sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic odds ratio were 95% (95% confidence interval [CI], 85%-98%), 77% (95% CI, 66%-85%), and 57 (95% CI, 12-267), respectively. The area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve was 91% (95% CI, 89%-94%). No significant heterogeneity or publication bias existed. CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasound-guided diffuse optical tomography is useful for differentiating breast lesions. Especially, its sensitivity is excellent.