Condensed tannin accretions specifically distributed in mesophyll cells of non-salt secretor mangroves help in salt tolerance.

MAIN CONCLUSION: Auto-fluorescent condensed tannins specifically accumulated in mesophyll cells of non-salt secretor mangroves are involved in the compartmentation of Na+ and osmotic regulation, contributing to their salt tolerance. Salinity is a major abiotic stress affecting the distribution and growth of mangrove plants. The salt exclusion mechanism from salt secretor mangrove leaves is quite known; however, salt management strategies in non-salt secretor leaves remain unclear. In this study, we reported the auto-fluorescent inclusions (AFIs) specifically accumulated in mesophyll cells (MCs) of four non-salt secretor mangroves but absent in three salt secretors. The AFIs increased with the leaf development under natural condition, and applied NaCl concentrations applied in the lab. The AFIs in MCs were isolated and identified as condensed tannin accretions (CTAs) using the dye dimethyl-amino-cinnamaldehyde (DMACA), specific for condensed tannin (CT), both in situ leaf cross sections and in the purified AFIs. Fluorescence microscopy and transmission electron microscope (TEM) analysis indicated that the CTAs originated from the inflated chloroplasts. The CTAs had an obvious membrane and could induce changes in shape and fluorescence intensity in hypotonic and hypertonic NaCl solutions, suggesting CTAs might have osmotic regulation ability and play an important role in the osmotic regulation in MCs. The purified CTAs were labeled by the fluorescent sodium-binding benzofuran isophthalate acetoxymethyl ester (SBFI-AM), confirming they were involved in the compartmentation of excess Na+ in MCs. This study provided a new view on the salt resistance-associated strategies in mangroves.

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate and cancer: focus on the role of microRNAs.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a group of small non-coding RNAs that affect gene expression. The role of miRNAs in different types of cancers has been published and it was shown that several miRNAs are inappropriately expressed in different cancers. Among the mechanisms that can cause this lack of proper expression are epigenetics, chromosomal changes, polymorphisms or defects in processing proteins. Recent research shows that phytochemicals, including epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), exert important epigenetic-based anticancer effects such as pro-apoptotic or anti proliferative through miRNA gene silencing. Given that EGCG is able to modulate a variety of cancer-related process i.e., angiogenesis, proliferation, metastasis and apoptosis via targeting various miRNAs such as let-7, miR-16, and miR-210. The discovery of new miRNAs and the differences observed in their expression when exposed to EGCG provides evidence that targeting these miRNAs may be beneficial as a form of treatment. In this review, we aim to provide an overview, based on current knowledge, on how phytochemicals, including epigallocatechin-3-gallate, can be considered as potential miRNAs modulator to improve efficacy of current cancer treatments.

FUNDC1-induced mitophagy protects spinal cord neurons against ischemic injury.

Local ischemia and hypoxia are the most important pathological processes in the early phase of secondary spinal cord injury (SCI), in which mitochondria are the main target of ischemic injury. Mitochondrial autophagy, also known as mitophagy, acts as a selective autophagy that specifically identifies and degrades damaged mitochondria, thereby reducing mitochondria-dependent apoptosis. Accumulating evidence shows that the mitophagy receptor, FUN14 domain-containing 1 (FUNDC1), plays an important role in ischemic injury, but the role of FUNDC1 in SCI has not been reported. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether FUNDC1 can enhance mitophagy and inhibit neuronal apoptosis in the early stage of SCI. In a rat SCI model, we found that FUNDC1 overexpression enhanced neuronal autophagy and decreased neuronal apoptosis in the early stage of injury, thereby reducing spinal cord damage. In vitro studies showed that the neuroprotective effects of FUNDC1 were achieved by inhibiting mitochondria-dependent apoptosis and improving mitochondrial function. In addition, FUNDC1 enhanced mitophagy. The protective effects of FUNDC1 against apoptosis and mitochondrial dysfunction were reversed by 3-methyladenine (3-MA), an autophagy inhibitor. Taken together, our results confirm that FUNDC1 can protect against neuronal loss after SCI by inducing mitophagy, inhibiting mitochondria-dependent apoptosis, and improving mitochondrial function.

METTL3 Affects Spinal Cord Neuronal Apoptosis by Regulating Bcl-2 m6A Modifications After Spinal Cord Injury.

OBJECTIVE: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a severe type of neurological trauma. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification is one of the most common internal modifications of RNA. The role of METTL3, the predominant methylation enzyme of m6A modification, in SCI remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the role of methyltransferase METTL3 in SCI. METHODS: After establishing the oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) model of PC12 cells and rat spinal cord hemisection model, we found that the expression of METTL3 and the overall m6A modification level were significantly increased in neurons. The m6A modification was identified on B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) messenger RNA (mRNA) by bioinformatics analysis, and m6A-RNA immunoprecipitation and RNA immunoprecipitation. In addition, METTL3 was blocked by the specific inhibitor STM2457 and gene knockdown, and then apoptosis levels were measured. RESULTS: In different models, we found that the expression of METTL3 and the overall m6A modification level were significantly increased in neurons. After inducing OGD, inhibition of METTL3 activity or expression increased the mRNA and protein levels of Bcl-2, inhibited neuronal apoptosis, and improved neuronal viability in the spinal cord. CONCLUSION: Inhibition of METTL3 activity or expression can inhibit the apoptosis of spinal cord neurons after SCI through the m6A/Bcl-2 signaling pathway.

Lanspora dorisauae, a new marine fungus from rocky shores in Taiwan.

This article reports a new marine fungus, Lanspora dorisauae (Phomatosporales, Sordariomycetes, Ascomycota), on trapped wood collected in coastal sites of Taiwan. This new fungus was subjected to a morphological examination and a phylogenetic study based on a combined analysis of the 18S, 28S, ITS rDNA, TEF1-α and RPB2 genes. Lanspora dorisauae is characterized by dark-coloured ascomata with a short neck, periphysate ostioles, subclavate, deliquescing asci without an apical ring, presence of wide paraphyses, striated wall ascospores with crown-like appendages on one pole of the ascospores. Phylogenetically, L. dorisauae grouped with Lanspora coronata (type species) with strong support. Lanspora coronata lacks paraphyses and appendages occur on both ends of the ascospores, while paraphyses are present and ascospore appendage is unipolar in L. dorisauae. Lanspora cylindrospora formed a sister clade with L. coronata and L. dorisauae, but it significantly differs in morphology with the latter two species in having cylindrical asci with an apical J- ring, smooth ascospore wall and no ascospore appendages, and may be better referred to a new genus. Lanspora, together with Phomatospora and Tenuimurus, belong to the Phomatosporaceae, Phomatosporales. Phomatospora berkeleyi should be sequenced to test the validity of the order Phomatosporales and the family Phomatosporaceae.

Study on Group Differences in Migrant Workers' Urban Integration in China.

Objective: This manuscript evaluates and tests the group differences in migrant workers' urban integration from the perspectives of individual characteristics and migration characteristics, so as to provide theoretical support and practical guidance for the government to issue more effective assistance policies. Methods: Multilevel comprehensive evaluation method and Entropy method are used to calculate the urban integration level of migrant workers, and one-way ANOVA and optimal scaling regression are used to test the group differences in migrant workers' urban integration. Results: Based on the questionnaire data of 854 migrant workers in China, the scale of migrant workers' urban integration has good reliability and validity. The overall level of migrant workers' urban integration is 49.61% and there exist group differences in migrant workers' urban integration. The impact of education level, income level, and migration time on migrant workers' urban integration is significantly positive, whereas the impact of migration distance on migrant workers' urban integration is significantly negative. The urban integration level of migrant workers who have family members accompanying them is higher than that of migrant workers who have no family members accompanying them. Gender, age, and marriage have no significant impact on migrant workers' urban integration. Strengths and Limitations of This Study: This study aims to measure and test the group differences in migrant workers' urban integration using ANOVA and optimal scaling regression. However, the shortcomings of this study are the selection of the "migrant workers' urban integration" scale and the representativeness of the sample used in this study. Conclusion: There are group differences in migrant workers' urban integration with different education levels, income levels, migration distances, migration times, and statuses of family members accompanying. In the policy of promoting migrant workers' urban integration, we should accurately count the characteristics of migrant workers and give more attention to migrant workers with low education levels, low-income levels, long migration distances, short migration times, and no family accompany.

The Pre-Operative Duration of Symptoms: The Most Important Predictor of Post-Operative Efficacy in Patients with Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy.

Objective. To explore the most important predictors of post-operative efficacy in patients with degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM). Methods. From January 2013 to January 2019, 284 patients with DCM were enrolled. They were categorized based on the different surgical methods used: single anterior cervical decompression and fusion (ACDF) (n = 80), double ACDF (n = 56), three ACDF (n = 13), anterior cervical corpectomy and fusion (ACCF) (n = 63), anterior cervical hybrid decompression and fusion (ACHDF) (n = 25), laminoplasty (n = 38) and laminectomy and fusion (n = 9). The follow-up time was 2 years. The patients were divided into two groups based on the mJOA recovery rate at the last follow-up: Group A (the excellent improvement group, mJOA recovery rate >50%, n = 213) and Group B (the poor improvement group, mJOA recovery rate ≤50%, n = 71). The evaluated data included age, gender, BMI, duration of symptoms (months), smoking, drinking, number of lesion segments, surgical methods, surgical time, blood loss, the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), CCI classification, imaging parameters (CL, T1S, C2-7SVA, CL (F), T1S (F), C2-7SVA (F), CL (E), T1S (E), C2-7SVA (E), CL (ROM), T1S (ROM) and C2-7SVA (ROM)), maximum spinal cord compression (MSCC), maximum canal compromise (MCC), Transverse area (TA), Transverse area ratio (TAR), compression ratio (CR) and the Coefficient compression ratio (CCR). The visual analog score (VAS), neck disability index (NDI), modified Japanese Orthopedic Association (mJOA) and mJOA recovery rate were used to assess cervical spinal function and quality of life. Results. We found that there was no significant difference in the baseline data among the different surgical groups and that there were only significant differences in the number of lesion segments, C2−7SVA, T1S (F), T1S (ROM), TA, CR, surgical time and blood loss. Therefore, there was comparability of the post-operative recovery among the different surgical groups, and we found that there were significant differences in age, the duration of symptoms, CL and pre-mJOA between Group A and Group B. A binary logistic regression analysis showed that the duration of the symptoms was an independent risk factor for post-operative efficacy in patients with DCM. Meanwhile, when the duration of symptoms was ≥6.5 months, the prognosis of patients was more likely to be poor, and the probability of a poor prognosis increased by 0.196 times for each additional month of symptom duration (p < 0.001, OR = 1.196). Conclusion. For patients with DCM (regardless of the number of lesion segments and the proposed surgical methods), the duration of symptoms was an independent risk factor for the post-operative efficacy. When the duration of symptoms was ≥6.5 months, the prognosis of patients was more likely to be poor, and the probability of a poor prognosis increased by 0.196 times for each additional month of symptom duration (p < 0.001, OR = 1.196).

Apelin-13 Protects Neurons by Attenuating Early-Stage Postspinal Cord Injury Apoptosis In Vitro.

Apelin is a 77-amino-acid peptide that is an endogenous ligand for the G protein-coupled receptor APJ (Apelin receptor, APJ). Apelin-13, as the most bioactive affinity fragment of apelin, plays a role in energy metabolism, myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury, and the regulation of the inflammatory response during oxidative stress, but its role in spinal cord injury is still unclear. This research identified and verified the differential expression of apelin in rat spinal cord injured tissues and normal spinal cord tissues by transcriptome sequencing in vivo and proved that apelin-13 protects neurons by strengthening autophagy and attenuating early-stage postspinal cord injury apoptosis in vitro. After constructing the model concerning a rat spinal cord hemisection damage, transcriptome sequencing was performed on the injured and normal spinal cord tissues of rats, which identified the differentially expressed gene apelin, with qRT-PCR detecting the representative level of apelin. The oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) model of PC12 cells was constructed in vitro to simulate spinal cord injury. The OGD injury times were 2 h, 4 h, 6 h, 8 h, and 12 h, and the non-OGD injury group was used as the control. The expression of apelin at each time point was observed by Western blotting. The expression of apelin was the lowest in the 6 h OGD injury group (p < 0.05). Therefore, the OGD injury time of 6 h was used in subsequent experiments. The noncytotoxic drug concentration of apelin-13 was determined with a Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. An appropriate dose of apelin-13 (1 µM) significantly improved cell survival (p < 0.05). Thus, subsequent experiments selected a concentration of 1 µM apelin-13 as it significantly increased cell viability. Finally, we divided the experimental groups into four groups according to whether they received drugs (1 µM apelin-13, 24 h) or OGD (6 h): (1) control group: without apelin-13 or OGD injury; (2) apelin-13 group: with apelin-13 but no OGD injury; (3) OGD group: with OGD injury but without apelin-13; and (4) OGD + apelin-13 group: with apelin-13 and OGD injury. The TUNEL assay and flow cytometry results showed that compared with the OGD group, apoptosis in the OGD+Apelin-13 group was significantly reduced (p < 0.001). Determination of cell viability under different conditions by CCK-8 assay results displays that Apelin-13 can significantly improve the cell viability percentage under OGD conditions (p < 0.001). Western blotting results showed that apelin-13 decreased the expression ratios of apoptosis-related proteins Bax/Bcl-2 and cleaved-caspase3/caspase3 (p < 0.05), increasing the key to Beclin1-dependent autophagy pathway expression of the protein Beclin1. This finding indicates that apelin-13 protects neurons by strengthening autophagy and attenuating early-stage postspinal cord injury apoptosis in vitro.

How Do Fungi Survive in the Sea and Respond to Climate Change?

With the over 2000 marine fungi and fungal-like organisms documented so far, some have adapted fully to life in the sea, while some have the ability to tolerate environmental conditions in the marine milieu. These organisms have evolved various mechanisms for growth in the marine environment, especially against salinity gradients. This review highlights the response of marine fungi, fungal-like organisms and terrestrial fungi (for comparison) towards salinity variations in terms of their growth, spore germination, sporulation, physiology, and genetic adaptability. Marine, freshwater and terrestrial fungi and fungal-like organisms vary greatly in their response to salinity. Generally, terrestrial and freshwater fungi grow, germinate and sporulate better at lower salinities, while marine fungi do so over a wide range of salinities. Zoosporic fungal-like organisms are more sensitive to salinity than true fungi, especially Ascomycota and Basidiomycota. Labyrinthulomycota and marine Oomycota are more salinity tolerant than saprolegniaceous organisms in terms of growth and reproduction. Wide adaptability to saline conditions in marine or marine-related habitats requires mechanisms for maintaining accumulation of ions in the vacuoles, the exclusion of high levels of sodium chloride, the maintenance of turgor in the mycelium, optimal growth at alkaline pH, a broad temperature growth range from polar to tropical waters, and growth at depths and often under anoxic conditions, and these properties may allow marine fungi to positively respond to the challenges that climate change will bring. Other related topics will also be discussed in this article, such as the effect of salinity on secondary metabolite production by marine fungi, their evolution in the sea, and marine endophytes.

Improved safety checklist analysis approach using intelligent video surveillance in the construction industry: a case study.

The construction industry is extremely high risk, and safety checklist analysis is a widely used approach for safety assessment. To overcome its limitations, this article proposes an improved safety checklist analysis approach using intelligent video surveillance to replace on-site inspection. Then, a case study on metro tunnel construction is adopted to illustrate the process. First, the checklist is prepared. Second, the inspection items are correlated with construction areas, and intelligent cameras are positioned to cover the major areas of the construction site to guarantee that all the items can be checked. Thus, problems with inspection items are automatically identified and recorded. Third, the inspection items are marked by a remote scoring mechanism for safety assessment. Finally, the efficiency of the improved approach is tested by a comparative analysis among three groups. The application results indicate the feasibility of the improved approach for evaluating the safety management performance at construction sites.

Mental Health Literacy Levels of Medical Staff in China: An Assessment Based on a Meta-Analysis.

Background: The awareness rate of mental health knowledge among medical staff is an important evaluation index to assess the service capacity of a country or region, and this indicator in China has not been quantitatively evaluated. Study Design: This study systematically combined pertinent quantitative study data from previous related studies to conclude the awareness rate of mental health knowledge among Chinese medical staff. Methods: Related studies from five electronic databases were searched, and a meta-analysis was conducted to obtain the combined result. The primary outcome of the present study was the awareness rate of medical staff or the sample size and the number of those who can answer the relevant questions correctly. We also performed a hierarchical analysis according to the sample group's region and specialty. The awareness rate of medical staff and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. The heterogeneity was assessed with the I 2 test, and Egger's test was used to evaluate publication bias. Results: A total of 15 articles with 11,526 medical staff were included in the present study; the overall awareness rate of mental health knowledge among Chinese medical staff was as low as 81%. The awareness rate of mental health knowledge among medical workers in developed regions is higher than that in developing regions. The awareness rate of mental health among medical staff in the department of psychiatry, non-psychiatry, and community medical staff was 88, 68, and 82%, respectively. Conclusion: The overall awareness rate among medical staff in this country is unsatisfactory, and the awareness rate in developed regions is higher than medical staff in developing regions. Psychiatric hospital staff has a higher awareness rate than community medical staff, and non-psychiatric hospital staff has the lowest awareness rate.

Depression and Coping Styles of College Students in China During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: The rapid spread and uncertain outcome of the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) around the world have caused worry, fear, and stress among the general population. Nevertheless, the prevalence of depression among college students in China during lockdown, following the COVID-19 pandemic, and their coping strategies have not been quantitatively assessed. Objective: We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of depression among college students in China during the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic and assess their coping strategies. Methods: Systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to assess the prevalence of depression among college students in China and their coping strategies. Results: The results indicated that, during lockdown in the COVID-19 pandemic, the prevalence rates of college students in China suffering from mild, moderate, and severe depression were 25% (95% CI = 17-33%), 7% (95% CI = 2-14%), and 2% (95% CI = 1-5%), respectively. Besides, the proportion of college students who use WeChat and Weibo to acquire COVID-19 knowledge was 39% (95% CI = 13-68%), whereas the proportion of college students using mental health application services (APPs) to deal with depression was 59% (95% CI = 41-73%). Conclusions: The prevalence of depression among college students in China was high during the lockdown in the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, considering the adverse outcomes of depression, it is imperative to screen college students in China for depression during the CIVID-19 pandemic and provide them with necessary psychological interventions to control and prevent depression. Social media platforms, such as WeChat and Weibo, and mental health APPs could provide an opportunity for psychological health information dissemination for college students. However, their effectiveness in reducing depression will have to be assessed.

Culturable Fungal Community of Pterocladiella capillacea in Keelung, Taiwan: Effects of Surface Sterilization Method and Isolation Medium.

Fungi associated with macroalgae are less known when compared with those on wood in the marine environment. In this study, we assessed the diversity of fungi associated with the red alga Pterocladiella capillacea at Chao-Jin Park, Keelung, Taiwan. Algal segments of healthy and dead thalli were washed/sterilized with different solutions (sterile artificial seawater, 70% ethanol, and 4% sodium hypochlorite), plated on three different media (glucose-yeast extract-peptone seawater agar (GYPS), potato dextrose seawater agar (PDAS), and artificial seawater agar (SA)), and isolated as pure cultures. Identification was mainly based on BLAST search analysis of the internal transcribed spacers of rDNA (ITS). The highest isolation frequency (no. of segment with fungi/total no. of segment × 100) was in dead thalli (61.23%), thalli washed with seawater (88.38%), and thalli plated on GYPS (62.10%). A total of 3187 isolates were cultured, representing 129 taxa (in 67 genera); the higher species richness was isolated from healthy thalli (119 species), thalli washed with seawater (111 species), and on GYPS (112 species). Ascomycota (Eurotiales, Hypocreales, Capnodiales, Pleosporales, Xylariales) dominated the fungal community in P. capillacea with many basidiomycetous yeasts and few Mucoromycota. Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Penicillium (Ascomycota), and Rhodosporidium (Basidiomycota) were the dominant genera associated with the alga. The surface washing/sterilization schemes of algal thalli affected fungal diversity, but the isolation media used did not. While these genera are known producers of antimicrobial secondary metabolites, they might form a mutualistic relationship with P. capillacea by exchanging nutrients from photosynthesis for protection from microbial diseases.

The awareness rate of mental health knowledge Among Chinese adolescent: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Mental health knowledge is an important part of mental health literacy, which is related to one's attitude and coping style when facing mental illness. The awareness rate of mental health knowledge among adolescents is an effective index to evaluate the effect of school mental health education, and the awareness rate of mental health knowledge among Chinese adolescents has not been effectively evaluated. METHODS: Two electronic databases for English language and 3 electronic databases for Chinese language were searched for relevant studies. Meta-analysis was conducted to analyze the awareness rate among Chinese adolescents. The normal distribution test was conducted using 5 methods. Homogeneity test was conducted, and I > 50% indicates existence of heterogeneity and in this case, the random model was adopted; otherwise, we adopt the fixed model. Funnel plot and Egger test was used to confirm whether publication bias existed. RESULTS: Seventeen studies were included in this study, comprising 22,164 students from different stages of education (10,437 senior middle-school students, 5589 junior middle-school students, and 6138 college students). The awareness rate of mental health knowledge among Chinese adolescents was only 66%; for university students and middle-school students, their awareness rate was 73% and 61%, respectively. The awareness rate among senior middle-school students was as low as that of junior middle-school students. The awareness rate among college students in developed regions was higher than that in developing regions. CONCLUSIONS: The awareness rate of mental health knowledge among Chinese adolescents was lower than the goal set in the national mental health work plan. There are gaps in mental health education in different developed areas. The mental health education among adolescent in Chinese mainland needs to be further strengthened.

Comparative efficacy of seven exercise interventions for symptoms of depression in college students: A network of meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Depression among college students is common, exercise interventions are valued as one of the most widely prescribed interventions for depressed college students, however, it is especially difficult for university administrators to determine which exercise intervention is most effective, and efficacy of exercise interventions among depressed college students have not been evaluated. OBJECTIVES: To systematically review and compare the efficacy of 7 exercise interventions for decrease symptoms of depression in college students. METHOD: A network of meta-analysis (NMA) was conducted to fill the objectives. Five relatived electronic databases were searched for the related articles. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Randomized controlled trials comparing the efficacy of 7 Exercise interventions with usual care of college students with depression were included in the review. MAIN OUTCOMES: The primary outcome of the present study was standardized mean difference (SMD) and the mean change of depressive symptoms. RESULTS: Fourteentrials were identified, including 2010 depressed college students. The result of direct meta-analysis of this review indicated exercise interventions overall had a significantly lower mean depression scores (SMD = -1.13) when compared with usual care. The result of NMA indicated when comparing with badminton intervention, yoga (SMD = -7.7, 95%CI: -14 to -0.93) and Tai chi (SMD = -9.4, 95%CI: -16 to -2.7) can significantly decrease depression scores of the depressed college students. The rank of 7 exercise interventions with respect to efficiently decrease symptom of depressed undergraduates was Tai chi > Yoga > Volleyball > Dance > Run > Basketball > Badminton, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Tai chi exhibited the highest probability that became the most efficacy intervention among the comparions, and Yoga showed the second most effectiveness to alleviate depressive symptoms of depressed college students, and dance ranks the third, followed by run, volleyball, basketball, and badminton respectively.

Comparative risk of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)-induced nausea among Chinese senile depression patients: A network meta-analysis of randomized-controlled trials.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the therapeutic effect of 6 SSRIs among the Chinese senile depression patients. And drug-induced nausea leads to low compliance in elderly depression patients in China, it is urgent to assess the safety of 6 SSRIs with respect to induced-nausea among the Chinese senile depression patients. METHOD: In the present study, a network of meta-analysis was conducted to assess the efficacy of 6 SSRIs among the Chinese senile depression patients, in addition, the safety of 6 SSRIs with respect to induced-nausea among the Chinese senile depression patients was also evaluated. PubMed, Embase databases, WanFang, CNKI, ChongqingWeiPu were searched for the related articles. The primary outcome of this study were the number of effective cases of SSRIs and the number of cases of nausea caused by SSRIs in Chinese elderly depressed patients. Odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals(95%CIs) were calculated within pairwise and network meta-analysis. RESULTS: Twenty eight trials were identified, including 2246 patients, the network meta-analysis indicated that Escitalopram was associated with a lower risk of nausea compared Paroxetine (odds ratios 0.49, 95%CI = 0.34-0.69) when they were used in Chinese elderly depressed patients. Escitalopram also exhibited distinct advantages compared other SSRIs.In terms of drug efficacy, Escitalopram was significantly superior to Paroxetine (OR = 2.26, 95%CI = 1.55-3.37). CONCLUSION: The rank of SSRIs with respect to induced-nausea was: Combination of EP > Fluoxetine > Paroxetine > Citalopram > Sertraline > Fluvoxamine > Escitalopram, respectively.

Clinical value of long noncoding RNA ZEB1 anti-sense1 in cancer patients: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The high expression of long noncoding RNA ZEB1 anti-sense1 (ZEB1-AS1) has been reported in several types of cancer. However, most studies investigating this phenomenon were either case reports or used small patient samples. The objective of this meta-analysis was to clarify the potential clinical values of ZEB1-AS1 in various cancers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The PubMed-MEDLINE, Web of Science, and EMBASE databases were searched, using systematic search terms, to find relevant research reports on this subject. The combined hazards ratios (HRs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to explore the association between ZEB1-AS1 expression and overall survival (OS). The combined odd ratios (ORs) were calculated to evaluate the association between ZEB1-AS1 expression and pathological parameters. Data analysis was conducted in R software version 3.4.2. and Stata version 12.0 (College Station, TX: Stata Corp LP). RESULTS: Ten studies including 963 cancer patients were selected as suitable for this study. The pooled hazards ratio (HR) indicated that high ZEB1-AS1 expression was strongly associated with poor OS (pooled HR = 2.26, 95% CI: 1.80-2.85, P < .0001) in the Chinese cancer patients. Also, a high expression of ZEB1-AS1 was related to metastasis (pooled HR = 3.38, 95% CI: 1.91-6.00, P < .0001), and advanced tumor stage (pooled HR = 0.48, 95% CI: 0.29-0.81, P = .005). The up-regulation of ZEB1-AS1 was not significantly associated with histological differentiation (P = .39), sex (P = .001), and age (P = .372) of cancer patients. CONCLUSION: The high expression of ZEB1-AS1 significantly predicted poor OS, poor metastasis, and high tumor stage in cancer patients, demonstrating that high ZEB1-AS1 expression may serve as a biomarker of poor prognosis in the Chinese cancer patients.

Growth study under combined effects of temperature, pH and salinity and transcriptome analysis revealed adaptations of Aspergillus terreus NTOU4989 to the extreme conditions at Kueishan Island Hydrothermal Vent Field, Taiwan.

A high diversity of fungi was discovered on various substrates collected at the marine shallow-water Kueishan Island Hydrothermal Vent Field, Taiwan, using culture and metabarcoding methods but whether these fungi can grow and play an active role in such an extreme environment is unknown. We investigated the combined effects of different salinity, temperature and pH on growth of ten fungi (in the genera Aspergillus, Penicillium, Fodinomyces, Microascus, Trichoderma, Verticillium) isolated from the sediment and the vent crab Xenograpsus testudinatus. The growth responses of the tested fungi could be referred to three groups: (1) wide pH, salinity and temperature ranges, (2) salinity-dependent and temperature-sensitive, and (3) temperature-tolerant. Aspergillus terreus NTOU4989 was the only fungus which showed growth at 45 °C, pH 3 and 30 ‰ salinity, and might be active near the vents. We also carried out a transcriptome analysis to understand the molecular adaptations of A. terreus NTOU4989 under these extreme conditions. Data revealed that stress-related genes were differentially expressed at high temperature (45 °C); for instance, mannitol biosynthetic genes were up-regulated while glutathione S-transferase and amino acid oxidase genes down-regulated in response to high temperature. On the other hand, hydrogen ion transmembrane transport genes and phenylalanine ammonia lyase were up-regulated while pH-response transcription factor was down-regulated at pH 3, a relative acidic environment. However, genes related to salt tolerance, such as glycerol lipid metabolism and mitogen-activated protein kinase, were up-regulated in both conditions, possibly related to maintaining water homeostasis. The results of this study revealed the genetic evidence of adaptation in A. terreus NTOU4989 to changes of environmental conditions.

Effects of CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+)regulatory T cells on early Plasmodium yoelii 17XL infection in BALB/c mice.

The outcome of Plasmodium yoelii 17XL-infected BALB/c and DBA/2 mice, ranging from death to spontaneous cure, respectively, depends largely on the establishment of effective pro-inflammatory type 1 responses during the early stages of infection and associates with CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+)regulatory T cells (Tregs). Here, effects of Tregs were analysed on early P. yoelii 17XL infection in BALB/c and DBA/2 mice. In vivo depletion of Tregs significantly reversed the inhibited establishment of effective pro-inflammatory type 1 responses in BALB/c mice, indicating that this cell population contributed to the suppression of T-cell function in malaria. Moreover, the proportion and absolute numbers of IL-10-secreting Tregs in BALB/c mice were significantly higher than that found in DBA/2 mice by intracytoplasmic staining, and IL-10 production was correlated with the Tregs population. In addition, in vivo Tregs depletion decreased the production of IL-10 and the apoptosis of CD4+ T cells. Consistently, IL-10R blockade also had the same effect as that of Tregs depletion in P. yoelii 17XL-infected BALB/c mice. Our data demonstrate that Tregs perhaps have an important role in regulating pro-inflammatory type 1 responses in an IL-10-dependent manner and induce CD4+ T cell apoptosis during the early stage of P. yoelii 17XL infection.

Observed Survival Interval: A Supplement to TCGA Pan-Cancer Clinical Data Resource.

To drive high-quality omics translational research using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data, a TCGA Pan-Cancer Clinical Data Resource was proposed. However, there is an out-of-step issue between clinical outcomes and the omics data of TCGA for skin cutaneous melanoma (SKCM), due to the majority of metastatic samples. In clinical cases, the survival time started from the initial SKCM diagnosis, while the omics data were characterized at TCGA sampling. This study aimed to address this issue by proposing an observed survival interval (OBS), which was defined as the time interval from TCGA sampling to patient death or last follow-up. We compared the OBS with the usual recommended overall survival (OS) by associating them with both clinical data and microRNA sequencing data of TCGA-SKCM. We found that the OS of primary SKCM was significantly shorter than that of metastatic SKCM, while the opposite happened if OBS was compared. OS was associated with the pathological stage of both primary and metastatic SKCM, while OBS was associated with the pathological stage of primary SKCM but not that of metastatic SKCM. Five previously cross-validated survival-associated microRNAs were found to be associated with the OBS rather than OS in metastatic SKCM. Thus, the OBS was more appropriate for associating microRNA-omics data of TCGA-SKCM than OS, and it is a timely supplement to TCGA Pan-Cancer Clinical Data Resource.