Identifying the Risk Factors of Allergic Rhinitis Based on Zhihu Comment Data Using a Topic-Enhanced Word-Embedding Model: Mixed Method Study and Cluster Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a chronic disease, and several risk factors predispose individuals to the condition in their daily lives, including exposure to allergens and inhalation irritants. Analyzing the potential risk factors that can trigger AR can provide reference material for individuals to use to reduce its occurrence in their daily lives. Nowadays, social media is a part of daily life, with an increasing number of people using at least 1 platform regularly. Social media enables users to share experiences among large groups of people who share the same interests and experience the same afflictions. Notably, these channels promote the ability to share health information. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to construct an intelligent method (TopicS-ClusterREV) for identifying the risk factors of AR based on these social media comments. The main questions were as follows: How many comments contained AR risk factor information? How many categories can these risk factors be summarized into? How do these risk factors trigger AR? METHODS: This study crawled all the data from May 2012 to May 2022 under the topic of allergic rhinitis on Zhihu, obtaining a total of 9628 posts and 33,747 comments. We improved the Skip-gram model to train topic-enhanced word vector representations (TopicS) and then vectorized annotated text items for training the risk factor classifier. Furthermore, cluster analysis enabled a closer look into the opinions expressed in the category, namely gaining insight into how risk factors trigger AR. RESULTS: Our classifier identified more comments containing risk factors than the other classification models, with an accuracy rate of 96.1% and a recall rate of 96.3%. In general, we clustered texts containing risk factors into 28 categories, with season, region, and mites being the most common risk factors. We gained insight into the risk factors expressed in each category; for example, seasonal changes and increased temperature differences between day and night can disrupt the body's immune system and lead to the development of allergies. CONCLUSIONS: Our approach can handle the amount of data and extract risk factors effectively. Moreover, the summary of risk factors can serve as a reference for individuals to reduce AR in their daily lives. The experimental data also provide a potential pathway that triggers AR. This finding can guide the development of management plans and interventions for AR.

Taurine Prevents AFB1-Induced Renal Injury by Inhibiting Oxidative Stress and Apoptosis.

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is one of the most toxic mycotoxins, which can cause serious kidney damage after ingestion. Taurine protects the kidney, an effect related to its antioxidation and anti-apoptotic actions. In the present study, taurine was administered to detect the protective effect and mechanism of taurine on AFB1-induced renal injury in rats. The results show that taurine ameliorated the increase in serum blood urea nitrogen (BUN), blood creatinine (CRE), blood uric acid (UA), cystatin c (Cys-c), and urinary protein and AKP levels. Taurine also inhibits the content of superoxide dismutase (SOD), total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), and the mRNA expression of SOD, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-quinine oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1), γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase (γ-GCS), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), and glutamate cysteine ligase catalytic (GCLC) in rat kidney tissue. The apoptotic rate of renal cells was decreased by taurine through inhibition of a mitochondrial mechanism. In summary, we found that taurine prevents AFB1-induced renal injury via enhanced antioxidant ability and mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis.

How Social Media Use at Work Affects Improvement of Older People's Willingness to Delay Retirement During Transfer From Demographic Bonus to Health Bonus: Causal Relationship Empirical Study.

BACKGROUND: With the increased older population in China and the subsequent reduced labor force, the "demographic bonus" is disappearing. The Chinese government proposed a Healthy China strategy in 2017. The transfer of the demographic bonus to a "health bonus" extended the working life of people and reduced the negative impact of the population's aging on the labor force structure. OBJECTIVE: This research focuses on the effect of older workers' social media usage at work on their work ability (related to both physical and mental health) and thus their willingness to delay retirement. METHODS: The questionnaire respondents were older than 55 years, and they obtained the questionnaire from social media, from June to July 2018. A total of 1020 valid questionnaires were collected, and SmartPLS 3.28 (SmartPLS GmbH) was used to analyze the data. Effects were analyzed using 2-tailed t tests. RESULTS: (1) Use of social media at work can improve information support (t14=13.318, P<.001), emotional support (t14=13.184, P<.001), and self-efficacy (t14=6.364, P<.001) for older people; (2) information support is the main factor affecting the self-efficacy of older workers (t14=23.304, P<.001), as compared with emotional support (t14=1.799, P=0.07); (3) the impacts of emotional support on work ability (t14=8.876, P<.001) and work stress (t14=9.545, P<.001) are generally higher than those of information support (t14=4.394, P<.001; t14=5.002, P<.001); (4) self-efficacy has an impact on work ability (t14=5.658, P<.001) and work stress (t14=4.717, P<.001); and (5) the impacts of work ability (t14=8.586, P<.001) and work stress (t14=8.579, P<.001) on retirement willingness are greater than those of emotional support (t14=2.112, P=.04) and information support (t14=4.314, P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirms that the use of social media at work has a positive impact on older workers. Based on the findings, we have put forward proposals to extend people's working lives and help governments implement health bonus policies. In the future, we will compare the different values of willingness to delay retirement among older people in different occupations and different cultures.

Long non-coding RNA DBH-AS1 promotes cancer progression in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma by targeting FN1 via RNA-binding protein BUD13.

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBC) is a subtype of lymphoma with the worst prognosis. Existing treatment methods are not effective enough due to its high occurrence of metastasis. Therefore, identification of effective therapeutic targets is becoming increasingly important. In this research, long non-coding RNA dopamine ß hydroxylase antisense RNA 1 (DBH-AS1) was found to be upregulated in DLBC tissues and cells. Knockdown of DBH-AS1 suppressed the proliferation, migration, and invasion of cancer cells. Afterwards, RNA-binding protein BUD13 homolog (BUD13) was found to be upregulated in cancer tissues and cells while binding to DBH-AS1. Fibronectin 1 (FN1) was the downstream messenger RNA (mRNA) of BUD13. FN1 was upregulated in DLBC and was positively correlated with DBH-AS1. Further rescue assays proved that DBH-AS1 mediated FN1 expression by recruiting BUD13. In the meantime, BUD13 stabilized FN1 mRNA to promote FN1 expression. In this way, DBH-AS1/BUD13/FN1 axis was confirmed. A set of rescue assays proved that DBH-AS1 regulated DLBC progression via BUD13 and FN1. The function and mechanism of DBH-AS1 were investigated for the first time in DLBC. DBH-AS1 might become a therapeutic target in lymphoma treatment in the future.

Tracking Knowledge Evolution in Cloud Health Care Research: Knowledge Map and Common Word Analysis.

BACKGROUND: With the continuous development of the internet and the explosive growth in data, big data technology has emerged. With its ongoing development and application, cloud computing technology provides better data storage and analysis. The development of cloud health care provides a more convenient and effective solution for health. Studying the evolution of knowledge and research hotspots in the field of cloud health care is increasingly important for medical informatics. Scholars in the medical informatics community need to understand the extent of the evolution of and possible trends in cloud health care research to inform their future research. OBJECTIVE: Drawing on the cloud health care literature, this study aimed to describe the development and evolution of research themes in cloud health care through a knowledge map and common word analysis. METHODS: A total of 2878 articles about cloud health care was retrieved from the Web of Science database. We used cybermetrics to analyze and visualize the keywords in these articles. We created a knowledge map to show the evolution of cloud health care research. We used co-word analysis to identify the hotspots and their evolution in cloud health care research. RESULTS: The evolution and development of cloud health care services are described. In 2007-2009 (Phase I), most scholars used cloud computing in the medical field mainly to reduce costs, and grid computing and cloud computing were the primary technologies. In 2010-2012 (Phase II), the security of cloud systems became of interest to scholars. In 2013-2015 (Phase III), medical informatization enabled big data for health services. In 2016-2017 (Phase IV), machine learning and mobile technologies were introduced to the medical field. CONCLUSIONS: Cloud health care research has been rapidly developing worldwide, and technologies used in cloud health research are simultaneously diverging and becoming smarter. Cloud-based mobile health, cloud-based smart health, and the security of cloud health data and systems are three possible trends in the future development of the cloud health care field.

Exploring emerging IoT technologies in smart health research: a knowledge graph analysis.

BACKGROUND: At present, Internet of Things technology has been widely used in various fields, and smart health is also one of its important application areas. METHODS: We use the core collection of Web of Science as a data source, using tools such as CiteSpace and bibliometric methods to visually analyze 9561 articles published in the field of smart health research based on the Internet of things (IoT) in 2003-2019, including time distribution, spatial distribution, and literature co-citation analysis and keyword analysis. RESULTS: The field of smart health research based on IoT has developed rapidly since 2014, but has not yet formed a stable network of authors and institutions. In addition, the knowledge base in this field has been initially formed, and most of the published literatures are multi-theme research. CONCLUSIONS: This study discusses the research status, research hotspots and future development trends in this field, and provides important knowledge support for subsequent research.

Visual Analysis on Information Theory and Science of Complexity Approaches in Healthcare Research.

In order to explore the knowledge base, research hotspot, development status, and future research direction of healthcare research based on information theory and complex science, a total of 3031 literature data samples from the core collection of Web of Science from 2003 to 2019 were selected for bibliometric analysis. HistCite, CiteSpace, Excel, and other analytical tools were used to deeply analyze and visualize the temporal distribution, spatial distribution, knowledge evolution, literature co-citation, and research hotspots of this field. This paper reveals the current development of healthcare research field based on information theory and science of complexity, analyzes and discusses the research hotspots and future development that trends in this field, and provides important knowledge support for researchers in this field for further relevant research.

MDM2 provides TOP2 poison resistance by promoting proteolysis of TOP2ßcc in a p53-independent manner.

DNA topoisomerase II (TOP2) is an enzyme that performs a critical function in manipulating DNA topology during replication, transcription, and chromosomal compaction by forming a vital intermediate known as the TOP2-DNA cleavage complex (TOP2cc). Although the TOP2cc is often transient, stabilization can be achieved by TOP2 poisons, a family of anti-cancer chemotherapeutic agents targeting TOP2, such as etoposide (VP-16), and then induce double-strand breaks (DSBs) in cellular DNA. TOP2cc first needs to be proteolyzed before it can be processed by TDP2 for the removal of these protein adducts and to produce clean DNA ends necessary for proper repair. However, the mechanism by which TOP2ßcc is proteolyzed has not been thoroughly studied. In this study, we report that after exposure to VP-16, MDM2, a RING-type E3 ubiquitin ligase, attaches to TOP2ß and initiates polyubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. Mechanistically, during exposure to VP-16, TOP2ß binds to DNA to form TOP2ßcc, which promotes MDM2 binding and subsequent TOP2ß ubiquitination and degradation, and results in a decrease in TOP2ßcc levels. Biologically, MDM2 inactivation abrogates TOP2ß degradation, stabilizes TOP2ßcc, and subsequently increases the number of TOP2ß-concealed DSBs, resulting in the rapid death of cancer cells via the apoptotic process. Furthermore, we demonstrate the combination activity of VP-16 and RG7112, an MDM2 inhibitor, in the xenograft tumor model and in situ lung cancer mouse model. Taken together, the results of our research reveal an underlying mechanism by which MDM2 promotes cancer cell survival in the presence of TOP2 poisons by activating proteolysis of TOP2ßcc in a p53-independent manner, and provides a rationale for the combination of MDM2 inhibitors with TOP2 poisons for cancer therapy.

Prognostic value and therapeutic potential of NEK family in stomach adenocarcinoma.

Never in mitosis gene A-related kinase (NEK) is an 11-membered family of serine/threonine kinases (NEK1-NEK11), which are known to play important roles in the formation and development of cancer. However, few studies have examined the roles of these kinases in the development of stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD). In this study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of the relationships between the NEKs family members and STAD. The differential expression of the NEK genes in STAD was validated using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER) databases, and their prognostic and diagnostic values of NEKs in STAD were assessed using the Kaplan-Meier plotter and TCGA data. The effect of NEK expression on immune cell infiltration in STAD was analysed using the TIMER and TISIDB databases. The expression levels of the majority of the NEK family members were consistently upregulated in STAD, whereas that of NEK10 was downregulated. The upregulation of NEK2/3/4/5/6/8 was closely associated with clinicopathological parameters of patients, and the overexpressed levels of these proteins had good diagnostic value for the disease. NEK1/8/9/10/11 expression correlated with poor overall survival and post-progressive survival, whereas a higher NEK1/6/9/11 level implied worse first progressive survival. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analyses revealed that the NEKs may be related to immunological responses. Additionally, our study confirmed that these kinases correlated with immune cell infiltration and different immune infiltration subtypes in STAD. Our results suggest that NEK9 in particular has the potential to be used as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker of STAD development and progression and an immune target for treatment of the disease. These findings expand our understanding of the biological functions of the NEK family members in STAD.

Exosomal non-coding RNAs in colorectal cancer metastasis.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a type of gastrointestinal cancer with high morbidity and mortality rates, and is often accompanied by distant metastases. Metastasis is a major cause of shortened survival time and poor treatment outcomes for patients with CRC. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the metastasis of CRC remain unclear. Exosomes are a class of small extracellular vesicles that originate from almost all human cells and can transmit biological information (e.g., nucleic acids, lipids, proteins, and metabolites) from secretory cells to target recipient cells. Recent studies have revealed that non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) can be released by exosomes into the tumour microenvironment or specific tissues, and play a pivotal role in tumorigenesis by regulating a series of key molecules or signalling pathways, particularly those involved in tumour metastasis. Exosomal ncRNAs have potential as novel therapeutic targets for CRC metastasis, and can also be used as liquid biopsy biomarkers because of their specificity and sensitivity. Therefore, further investigations into the biological function and clinical value of exosomal ncRNAs will be of great value for the prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment of CRC metastasis.

Prognostic value and therapeutic potential of IAP family in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) ranks as the eighth most prevalent malignancy globally and has the eighth greatest fatality rate when compared to all other forms of cancer. The inhibitor of apoptosis protein (IAP) family comprises a collection of apoptosis-negative modulators characterized by at least one single baculovirus IAP repeat (BIR) domain in its N-terminal region. While the involvement of the IAP family is associated with the initiation and progression of numerous tumours, its specific role in HNSCC remains poorly understood. Thus, this study aimed to comprehensively examine changes in gene expression, immunomodulatory effects, prognosis, and functional enrichment of HNSCC utilising bioinformatics analysis. Elevated levels of distinct IAP family members were observed to varying degrees in HNSCC, with high BIRC2 expression indicating a worse prognosis. Additionally, Gene Ontology and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) were used to probe the enrichment of gene expression and biological processes related to the IAP family in HNSCC. The infiltration levels of immune cells were shown to be strongly associated with the IAP gene expression, as determined by subsequent analysis. Hence, BIRC2 could be an effective immunotherapy target for HNSCC. Collectively, novel knowledge of the biological roles and prognostic implications of IAP family members in HNSCC is presented in this study.

Effect and mechanism of acupuncture on airway smooth muscle relaxation during acute asthma attack in rats. / é’ˆåˆºæ¾å¼›å“®å–˜æ€¥æ€§å‘ä½œå¤§é¼ æ°”é“å¹³æ»‘è‚Œçš„ä½œç”¨æœºåˆ¶.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the effect and mechanism of acupuncture at "Feishu" (BL 13) and "Dingchuan" (EX-B 1), and "Kongzui" (LU 6) and "Yuji" (LU 10) for relaxing the airway smooth muscle in the rats during acute asthma attack and compare the effect among the two pairs of acupoints and the acupoints combination. METHODS: Forty SD male rats with SPF grade were randomly divided into a blank group, a model group, a pair-point A group (acupuncture at "Feishu" [BL 13] and "Dingchuan" [EX-B 1]), a pair-point B group (acupuncture at "Kongzui" [LU 6] and "Yuji" [LU 10]) and a point combination group (acupuncture at "Feishu" [BL 13] , "Dingchuan" [EX-B 1], "Kongzui" [LU 6] and "Yuji" [LU 10]), with 8 rats in each group. Except the rats in the blank group, the model of acute asthma attack was induced by ovalbumin (OVA) combined with aluminum hydroxide gel in the rest groups. Started on the 15th day of modeling, except in the blank group and the model group, acupuncture was delivered in the other groups, 30 min in each intervention, once daily, for 14 days. In each group, the latent period of asthma inducing was measured; the lung resistance (LR) and dynamic lung compliance (Cdyn) were determined using lung function detector; the levels of endothelin-1 (ET-1), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were measured by ELISA; with Masson staining and electron microscopy adopted, the morphology and ultrastructure of airway smooth muscle of the rats were observed; the mRNA and protein expressions of ET-1 and beta-2 adrenergic receptor (ß2-AR) were detected by quantitative real-time fluorescence and Western blot, respectively. RESULTS: Compared with the blank group, the latent period of asthma inducing was shortened (P<0.05), RL increased and Cdyn decreased (P<0.05) with the different concentrations of methacholine (0.025 mg/kg, 0.05 mg/kg, 0.1 mg/kg, 0.2 mg/kg) in the model group. In the pair-point A group, the pair-point B group and the point combination group, the latent period of asthma inducing was prolonged (P<0.05), RL decreased and Cdyn increased (P<0.05) with different concentrations of methacholine when compared with those in the model group; and the latent period of asthma inducing in the point combination group was longer than that in the pair-point A group (P<0.05). Compared with the blank group, the levels of ET-1, TNF-α and cGMP in the serum and BALF were elevated (P<0.05), and those of cAMP reduced (P<0.05) in the model group. The levels of ET-1, TNF-α and cGMP in the serum and BALF were reduced (P<0.05), and those of cAMP elevated (P<0.05) in the pair-point A group, the pair-point B group and the point combination group when compared with those in the model group. In the blank group, the lung tissue was normal structurally. In the model group, the collagen fibers were proliferated increasingly, the smooth muscle was thickened, the mitochondria were swollen, and their cristae disrupted and reduced massively. In the pair-point B group, the collagen fibers were proliferated, the smooth muscle was thicker compared with that in the blank group, the mitochondria were mildly swollen and their cristae disrupted partially. In the pair-point A group and the point combination group, the lung tissue changes were obviously alleviated in comparison with the model group, the mitochondria were slightly swollen and their cristae disrupted occasionally. Compared with the blank group, the mRNA and protein expression of ET-1 increased and that of ß2-AR decreased in the lung tissue of the model group (P<0.05). In the pair-point A group, the pair-point B group and the point combination group, the mRNA and protein expression of ET-1 was reduced and that of ß2-AR elevated in the lung tissue when compared with those in the model group (P<0.05). In comparison with the pair-point A group, the mRNA expression of ß2-AR was elevated in the point combination group (P<0.05). When compared with the pair-point B group, the mRNA expression of ß2-AR increased, the protein expression of ET-1 decreased (P<0.05) in the point combination group. CONCLUSIONS: Acupuncture at "Feishu" (BL 13) and "Dingchuan" (EX-B 1), "Kongzui" (LU 6) and "Yuji" (LU 10), two pairs of acupoints relieves the airway smooth muscle spasm in the rats during acute asthma attack, which may be related to inhibiting the mRNA and protein expression of ET-1 to reduce the excretion of ET-1 and TNF-α; while enhancing the mRNA and protein expression of ß2-AR to balance the levels of cAMP and cGMP. The effect is optimal when acupuncture is delivered at two pairs of acupoints simultaneously.

Internet-Based Healthcare Knowledge Service for Improvement of Chinese Medicine Healthcare Service Quality.

With the development of new-generation information technology and increasing health needs, the requirements for Chinese medicine (CM) services have shifted toward the 5P medical mode, which emphasizes preventive, predictive, personalized, participatory, and precision medicine. This implies that CM knowledge services need to be smarter and more sophisticated. This study adopted a bibliometric approach to investigate the current state of development of CM knowledge services, and points out that accurate knowledge service is an inevitable requirement for the modernization of CM. We summarized the concept of smart CM knowledge services and highlighted its main features, including medical homogeneity, knowledge service intelligence, integration of education and research, and precision medicine. Additionally, we explored the intelligent service method of traditional Chinese medicine under the 5P medical mode to support CM automatic knowledge organization and safe sharing, human-machine collaborative knowledge discovery and personalized dynamic knowledge recommendation. Finally, we summarized the innovative modes of CM knowledge services. Our research will guide the quality assurance and innovative development of the traditional Chinese medicine knowledge service model in the era of digital intelligence.

ATM inhibitor KU60019 synergistically sensitizes lung cancer cells to topoisomerase II poisons by multiple mechanisms.

Type II topoisomerases (TOP2) poisons represent one class of the most successful and widely prescribed chemotherapeutics, which is frontline therapy for a myriad of systemic cancers and solid tumors, including lymphomas, leukemias, and lung cancer. Despite this, treatment with this class of drugs induces unwanted side effects (including cardiovascular morbidity and secondary malignancies). Additionally, the emergence of drug resistance also greatly compromises the clinical use of these drugs. To enhance therapeutic efficiency while lowering unwanted side effects, new insights into effective combination therapy are required. In this study we found that KU60019, a novel, and highly specific ATM kinase inhibitor interferes with the association of ATM with TOP2ß and stabilizes TOP2ß-DNA cleavage complex, thereby impairing the repair of TOP2 poison-induced DSBs and contributes to genome stability, leading to accelerated cell death. In H1299 as well as in A549 lung cancer cell lines, biologically, KU60019 combined with VP-16 (one of the TOP2 poisons) synergistically suppressed the growth of cells and survival and triggered a much higher apoptosis rate. In summary, we provide a proof-of-concept strategy that ATM inhibitors combined with TOP2 poison would synergistically suppresses lung cancer cell survival as well as reduce DNA damage responses, thus may lowering the possibility of cardiotoxicity and secondary malignancy linked to therapy.

Internet Healthcare Policy Analysis, Evaluation, and Improvement Path: Multidimensional Perspectives.

Internet healthcare is a crucial component of the healthcare industry's digital transformation and plays a vital role in achieving China's Healthy China strategy and promoting universal health. To ensure the development of internet healthcare is guided by scientifically sound policies, this study analyzes and assesses current policy texts, aiming to identify potential issues and inadequacies. By examining 134 national-level policy documents, utilizing multiple research methods, including policy bibliometrics, content analysis, and the PMC Index Model, the study investigates policy characteristics, distribution of policy instruments, and evaluation outcomes related to internet healthcare. The study findings reveal that internet healthcare policies place emphasis on enhancing service quality, driving technological innovation, and promoting management standardization. Although policy instruments align with the current stage of internet healthcare development in China, they are plagued by imbalances in implementation. While policies are generally well-formulated, there are discernible discrepancies among them, necessitating the reinforcement and refinement of certain provisions. Hence, it is imperative to strategically optimize the amalgamation and implementation of policy instruments while concurrently endeavoring to achieve a dynamic equilibrium in policy combinations. Furthermore, policymakers should diligently refine the policy content pertaining to its nature and effectiveness in order to fully maximize policy utility.

Expression profile and prognostic values of GATA family members in kidney renal clear cell carcinoma.

To investigate the possible diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers of kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC), an integrated study of accumulated data was conducted to obtain more reliable information and more feasible measures. Using the Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER), University of Alabama at Birmingham Cancer Data Analysis Portal (UALCAN), Human Protein Atlas (HPA), Kaplan-Meier plotter database, Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA2) database, cBioPortal, and Metascape, we analyzed the expression profiles and prognoses of six members of the GATA family in patients with KIRC. Compared to normal samples, KIRC samples showed significantly lower GATA2/3/6 mRNA and protein expression levels. KIRC's pathological grades, clinical stages, and lymph node metastases were closely related to GATA2 and GATA5 levels. Patients with KIRC and high GATA2 and GATA5 expression had better overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS), while those with higher expression of GATA3/4/6 had worse outcomes. The role and underlying mechanisms of the GATA family in cell cycle, cell proliferation, metabolic processes, and other aspects were evaluated based on Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analyses. Furthermore, we found that infiltrating immune cells were highly correlated with GATA expression profiles. These results showed that GATA family members may serve as prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for KIRC.

Immunological role and prognostic value of somatostatin receptor family members in colon adenocarcinoma.

Colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) is among the most prevalent cancers worldwide, ranking as the third most prevalent malignancy in incidence and mortality. The somatostatin receptor (SSTR) family comprises G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), which couple to inhibitory G proteins (Gi and Go) upon binding to somatostatin (SST) analogs. GPCRs are involved in hormone release, neurotransmission, cell growth inhibition, and cancer suppression. However, their roles in COAD remain unclear. This study used bioinformatics to investigate the expression, prognosis, gene alterations, functional enrichment, and immunoregulatory effects of the SSTR family members in COAD. SSTR1-4 are differentially downregulated in COAD, and low SSTR2 expression indicates poor survival. Biological processes and gene expression enrichment of the SSTR family in COAD were further analyzed using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes and Gene Ontology. A strong correlation was observed between SSTR expression and immune cell infiltration. We also quantified SSTR2 expression in 25 COAD samples and adjacent normal tissues using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. We analyzed its correlation with the dendritic cell-integrin subunit alpha X marker gene. The biomarker exploration of the solid tumors portal was used to confirm the correlation between SSTR2 with immunomodulators and immunotherapy responses. Our results identify SSTR2 as a promising target for COAD immunotherapy. Our findings provide new insights into the biological functions of the SSTR family and their implications for the prognosis of COAD.

The NT5DC family: expression profile and prognostic value in pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD) is a malignant tumor with high morbidity and mortality rates. The NT5DC family is an evolutionarily-conserved family of 5'-nucleosidases that catalyze the intracellular hydrolysis of nucleotides. Although the NT5DC family has been linked to the initiation and growth of several cancers, its function in PAAD remains unclear. A series of bioinformatic analyses was used to ascertain the expression, prognosis, gene changes, functional enrichment, and immune regulatory functions of the NT5DC family in PAAD. NT5C2 and NT5DC1/2 mRNA and protein levels are increased in PAAD. Furthermore, the high mRNA expressions of NT5C2, NT5DC2, and NT5DC4 indicate a poor prognosis in patients with PAAD. The enrichment of biological processes and gene expression in the NT5DC family in PAAD were investigated using Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes and Gene Ontology analyses. Further investigations into immune infiltration revealed a close relationship between NT5DC gene expression and immune cell infiltration. These findings provide new insights into the biological function and prognostic value of the NT5DC gene family in PAAD.

Comprehensive analysis of prognostic value and immune infiltration of IAPs family in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a malignant tumor with high morbidity and mortality rates. The inhibitors of apoptosis (IAP) family act as oncogenes in various tumor types; however, their functions in HCC remain unclear. Here, we used integrated bioinformatics analysis and experimental verification to assess the expression and the prognostic and clinical value of the IAP family in HCC. Using the University of Alabama at Birmingham Cancer Data Analysis Portal (UALCAN) and the Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER), we analyzed the expression profiles of IAP family members in HCC tissue, normal tissues, and in patients with different stages and grades of HCC. We further verified the expression level of BIRC2 in 25 HCC samples and matched adjacent normal tissues using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), and analyzed its correlation with the marker gene of T-helper type 1 cells (Th1)-STAT1. Meanwhile, the association between BIRC2 and the immunotherapeutic response or immunomodulators was confirmed using the Biomarker Exploration of Solid Tumors (BEST) database. The results showed that NAIP, BIRC2, BIRC3, XIAP, BIRC5, and BIRC6 mRNAs were overexpressed in HCC. The clinical stages, pathological grades, and other clinicopathological features of HCC were closely related to the expression levels of the IAP family members, especially the BIRC2 and BIRC5, which were found to be potential prognostic biomarkers for HCC. Expression of the IAPs was strongly associated with immune cell infiltration. Based on the infiltrative status of various immune cells, HCC patients with high BIRC2 and BIRC5 expression demonstrated poor overall survival (OS) rates. In patients with HCC, BIRC2 expression was noticeably elevated. Concurrently, the expression levels of BIRC2 and STAT1 showed a favorable correlation. BEST database analysis revealed that BIRC2 was a negative predictor of responsiveness to anti-programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1)/cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 (CTLA-4) inhibitor treatment in HCC, and BIRC2 mRNA expression levels were positively correlated with the expression levels of the immune checkpoint genes programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1), PD-L1, and CTLA-4 in HCC. Consequently, the IAP family may play a role in carcinogenesis and cancer-immune system interactions in HCC. Our results demonstrate that IAP family members may be viable predictive biomarkers and therapeutic targets for HCC.

[Spatial Distribution Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Soil Organic Carbon Density in Yellow River Basin Based on MGWR Model].

As the largest terrestrial carbon pool, the spatial distribution characteristics and influencing factors of soil organic carbon have important implications for global carbon cycle processes. Soil organic carbon density (SOCD) and influencing factors were predicted in the Yellow River basin using a mixed geographically weighted regression (MGWR) model based on soil organic carbon density data and environmental factors. The results showed that:① the SOCD ranged from 0-14.82 kg·m-2 and 0-32.39 kg·m-2 for the soil depths of 0-20 cm and 0-100 cm, with mean values of 3.48 kg·m-2 and 8.07 kg·m-2 and reserves of 2.76 Pg and 6.48 Pg, respectively. The high SOCD value areas were mainly located in the southern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and Loess Plateau, and the low value areas were located in the eastern part of the upper Yellow River and the inland flow area. ②Among the ecosystem types, the SOCD of soil depth in 0-20 cm was in the descending order of:forest>water body and wetland>other>grassland>farmland>settlement>desert, with mean values of 4.52, 4.31, 3.84, 3.73, 2.89, 2.78, and 2.22 kg·m-2, respectively, and the SOCD of the 0-100 cm soil depth was in the descending order of:water bodies and wetlands>forest>other>grassland>farmland>settlement>desert, with mean values of 9.58, 9.58, 8.85, 8.66, 7.07, 6.81, and 5.29 kg·m-2, respectively. The SOCR in descending order was:grassland>farmland>forest>desert>water bodies and wetlands>settlement>others, with 1.40, 0.60, 0.47, 0.11, 0.07, 0.06, and 0.05 Pg at a soil depth of 0-20 cm and 3.31, 1.49, 0.99, 0.26, 0.17, 0.14, and 0.12 Pg at a soil depth of 0-100 cm, respectively. ③ The main factors affecting the SOCD distribution were intercept, profile curvature, NDVI, and precipitation; in addition, curvature and silt also had important effects on the deep SOCD distribution in the Yellow River basin. Among the ecosystem types, precipitation and NDVI were the main factors affecting the SOCD distribution. The intercept also had important effects on the SOCD distribution in the all ecosystems except forests, whereas curvature and silt only had important effects on deserts and other ecosystems. These results revealed the spatial distribution of SOCD, influencing factors, and SOCR in the Yellow River basin and can provide a scientific basis for carbon balance, soil quality evaluation, and ecological management restoration and consolidation in the region.