Poor sleep and reduced quality of life were associated with symptom distress in patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis.

BACKGROUND: The quality of life in patients receiving chronic hemodialysis is compromised despite of the substantial achievements in treatments. Quality of life in hemodialysis patients have been shown to be associated with decreased survival and increased hospitalization. Therefore, it is necessary to incorporate the managements of symptoms and patient self-perceived well-being as measurements of effective treatments for these patients. METHODS: A survey of symptom distress, quality of sleep and quality of life was performed in 301 maintenance hemodialysis patients using Dialysis Symptom Index, Short Form-36, and Pittsburgh Quality of Sleep Index table. Patients were recruited from five hospitals in Guangdong area of China by convenience sampling. RESULTS: The prevalence of various symptoms in maintenance hemodialysis patients was between 23.3 and 80.4 %. These patients had compromised sleep and poor quality of life. Moreover, poor quality of sleep and impaired quality of life were associated with high symptom burden of these patients. CONCLUSION: The patients receiving chronic hemodialysis generally have heavy symptom distress, which could contribute to the disturbed sleep and impaired quality of life of these patients. Measurements of clinical outcomes for hemodialysis patients should include the management of symptoms and morbidity. The ultimate goal of treatments is to improve patient self-perceived quality of life.

Good adaptability of freshmen in medical universities under the Coronavirus 2019 pandemic: a questionnaire-based single center study in China.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the adaptability of freshmen in medical universities to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and to understand the relevant factors affecting their adaptation in medical university. METHODS: Freshmen in a medical university in Guangdong Province were selected and surveyed using a self-administered general questionnaire and a college student adjustment scale prepared by Fang Xiaoyi et al. The results were analyzed statistically. RESULTS: A total of 741 questionnaires were collected and 736 valid questionnaires were recovered. The adaptation level of freshmen in the medical university was moderately high. There were no differences in gender, age, family geographical location, or higher education level, but there were significant differences in major, type of household, only children (yes/no), and voluntary enrollment in medicine (yes/no). The survey showed that 30.3% of the students had discomfort at the beginning of the semester, 92.5% chose medical university voluntarily, and 83.4% expressed their enhanced motivation to study medicine after the COVID-19 outbreak, but 65.1% exhibited influence in study and life caused by COVID-19, which were statistically significant factors affecting the adaptation score. CONCLUSIONS: Freshmen in the medical university are generally well-adjusted with many influencing factors. Medical schools should strengthen adaptability management in order to timely identify the adaptation challenges of the students.

Oncopeptide MBOP Encoded by LINC01234 Promotes Colorectal Cancer through MAPK Signaling Pathway.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) ranks third in incidence rate and second in mortality rate of malignancy worldwide, and the diagnosis and therapeutics of it remain to be further studied. With the emergence of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) and potential peptides derived from ncRNAs across various biological processes, we here aimed to identify a ncRNA-derived peptide possible for revealing the oncogenesis of CRC. Through combined predictive analysis of the coding potential of a batch of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), the existence of an 85 amino-acid-peptide, named MEK1-binding oncopeptide (MBOP) and encoded from LINC01234 was confirmed. Mass spectrometry and Western blot assays indicated the overexpression of MBOP in CRC tissues and cell lines compared to adjacent noncancerous tissues and the normal colonic epithelial cell line. In vivo and in vitro migration and proliferation assays defined MBOP as an oncogenic peptide. Immunoprecipitation trials showed that MEK1 was the key interacting protein of MBOP, and MBOP promoted the MEK1/pERK/MMP2/MMP9 axis in CRC. Two E3-ligase enzymes MAEA and RMND5A mediated the ubiquitin-protease-system-related degradation of MBOP. This study indicates that MBOP might be a candidate prognostic indicator and a potential target for clinical therapy of CRC.

Electrochemical immunosensor based on hollow porous Pt skin AgPt alloy/NGR as a dual signal amplification strategy for sensitive detection of Neuron-specific enolase.

Neuron-specific enolase (NSE) is a specific marker for small cell carcinoma (SCLC). Sandwich-type electrochemical immunosensors are powerful for biomarker analysis, and the electrocatalytic activity of the signal amplification platform and the performance of the substrate are critical to their sensitivity. In this work, N atom-doped graphene functionalized with hollow porous Pt-skin Ag-Pt alloy (HP-Ag/Pt/NGR) was designed as a dual signal amplifier. The hollow porous Pt skin structure improves the atomic utilization and the larger internal cavity spacing significantly increases the number of electroactive centers, thus exhibiting more extraordinary electrocatalytic activity and durability for H2O2 reduction. Using NGR with good catalytic activity as the support material of HP-Ag/Pt, the double amplification of the current signal is realized. For the substrate, polypyrrole-poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PPy-PEDOT) nanotubes were synthesized by a novel chemical polymerization route, which effectively increased the interfacial electron transfer rate. By coupling Au nanoparticles (Au NPs) with PPy-PEDOT, the immune activity of biomolecules is maintained and the conductivity is further enhanced. Under optimal conditions, the linear range was 50 fg mL-1 - 100 ng mL-1, and the limit of detection (LOD) was 18.5 fg mL-1. The results confirm that the developed immunosensor has great promise for the early clinical diagnosis of SCLC.

Metastatic colorectal cancer: Perspectives on long non-coding RNAs and promising therapeutics.

Metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) has long been lethal despite the continuous efforts of researchers worldwide to discover and improve therapeutic regimens. Thanks to the emergence of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), which has strongly reshaped our inherent perspectives on the pathophysiological patterns of disease, research in the field has been reinvigorated. Here, we focus on current understanding of the modes of action of lncRNAs, and review their regulatory roles in metastatic colorectal cancer, and discuss correlated potential lncRNA-based therapeutics. All of the discussed studies share clear and promising perspectives on future diagnostic and therapeutic remedies for metastatic colorectal cancer.

A sandwich-type electrochemical immunosensor based on Au@Pd nanodendrite functionalized MoO2 nanosheet for highly sensitive detection of HBsAg.

In this work, a sandwich-type electrochemical immunosensor was fabricated to the effective detection of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). The designed electrochemical immunosensor was based on Au core and Pd shell nanodendrites loaded on amino functionalized molybdenum dioxide nanosheets (Au@Pd NDS/NH2-MoO2 NSs) as the secondary antibody (Ab2) label and silver nanoparticles were loaded by electrodeposited (D-Ag NPs) on the surface of electrode as the platform. Because of the synergistic effect and abundant catalytic activity sites provided by surface dendrite structure, Au@Pd NDs were more effective than single gold and palladium nanoparticles in catalytic reduction of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). MoO2 had the good catalytic capacity for reduction of H2O2 and favourable electrical conductivity. Hence, the obtained Au@Pd NDS/NH2-MoO2 NSs were more effective than Au@Pd NDs and NH2-MoO2 NSs in catalytic reduction of hydrogen peroxide attribute to a synergistic effect. Also, Ag NPs with admirable electrical conductivity and biocompatibility were used as sensing platforms and primary antibodies (Ab1) carriers, which can accelerate the electron transfer and improve the sensitivity of the immunosensor. Here, the proposed electrochemical immunosensor offered a wide linear interval from 10 fg mL-1 to 100 ng mL-1 and the lower limit of detection of 3.3 fg mL-1 (S/N = 3) for detection of HBsAg under optimal experimental conditions. Furthermore, the accuracy of the actual serum sample analysis was satisfactory, which showed that the electrochemical immunosensor possessed a good application prospect in clinical detection.

Delivery of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGFC) via engineered exosomes improves lymphedema.

BACKGROUND: Lymphedema is a chronic disease results from impaired flow of the lymphatic system. Therefore, reconstruction of lymphatic system is crucial to treat limb lymphedema. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGFC) has been reported to be an important regulator involved in the growth and differentiation of lymphatic endothelial cells; however; the application of exosomes with VEGFC in the treatment of lymphedema has been rarely reported. METHODS: From the membrane-based fusion technology, we constructed engineered exosomes that overexpress CD63-VEGFC fusion protein (CD63-VEGFC/exos). We examined the in vitro effects of CD63-VEGFC/exos on the proliferation, migration, and tube formation of human dermal lymphatic endothelial cells (HDLECs) by MTT assay, migration assay, and tube formation assay, respectively. CD63-VEGFC/exos were embedded in sodium alginate hydrogel and their effect on lymphedema was evaluated by a mouse model. RESULTS: VEGFC could be successfully delivered to lymphatic endothelial cells via engineered CD63-VEGFC/exos. Treatment with CD63-VEGFC/exos resulted in a significant increase in the proliferation, migration, and tube formation of lymphatic endothelial cells. Using CD63-VEGFC/egos in sodium alginate hydrogel enabled a sequenced release of exosomes and markedly improved lymphedema in a mouse model. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings supply a novel adipose tissue-derived stem cell (ADSC)-exo-based strategy that delivers target proteins to lymphatic endothelial cells and thus enhances the treatment of lymphedema.

Effect of Blood Pump Flow and Arteriovenous Fistula Blood Flow on the Blood Pressure and Cardiac Function in Patients Undergoing Maintenance Hemodialysis.

The effect of blood pump flow rate on the cardiac functions of hemodialysis patients with arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is largely unknown. This study aimed to investigate if blood pump flow rate (Qb) and AVF access flow rate (Qa) can affect the cardiac function of Chinese hemodialysis patients. A total of 72 patients undergoing AVF hemodialysis were included from March 2010 to June 2014 and dichotomized into the high- and low-flow groups using the medians of Qb (220 mL/min) and Qa (1000 mL/min) as the cutoffs. The cardiac function parameters were measured by ultrasound dilution technique within the first (t + 30) and the last (t - 30) 30 min of dialysis. At t + 30, Qb-high group had significantly higher systolic blood pressure (SBP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) than Qb-low group. At t - 30, Qb-high group had higher SBP, diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and MAP than Qb-low group. Qa-high group had higher SBP, MAP, cardiac output (CO), cardiac index (CI), central blood volume (CBV), and lower peripheral resistance than Qa-low group. Multiple linear regression showed that at t - 30, Qb was positively correlated with SBP and MAP. Qa was positively correlated with CO, CI, CBV, and PR but negatively correlated with heart rate. Although Qb > 220 mL/min and Qa >1000 mL/min would elevate some parameters, the means of SBP, DBP, MAP remain within the normal range, indicating that appropriate increase in blood pump flow rate has little effect on the cardiac function of hemodialysis patients.

Comparison between nedaplatin and cisplatin plus docetaxel combined with intensity-modulated radiotherapy for locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a multicenter randomized phase II clinical trial.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is highly incident in southern China. Metastasis is the major cause of death in NPC patients. Concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) has been accepted as standard in the treatment of patients with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). However, induction chemotherapy (IC) also has benefits in this disease, especially in the patients with certain high-risk factors such as bulky and/or extensive nodal disease. It has been presented that adding IC to CCRT might be a reasonable approach and need more work to confirm. The optimal chemotherapeutic regimen combined with radiotherapy has not been determined so far. It is important to explore high effective and low toxic chemotherapy for the patients. In the multicenter prospective study, 223 patients with locoregionally advanced untreated NPC were randomized into experimental group and control group. The patients received two cycles of induction chemotherapy (IC) with docetaxel (DOC) plus nedaplatin (NDP) in experimental group every 3 weeks, followed by IMRT concurrent with weekly NDP for six cycles, and NDP was replaced by cisplatin (CDDP) in control group. More patients in experimental group could receive full courses of IC and concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) (P=0.013). There was no significant difference between the two groups in the percentage of reduction of GTVnx and GTVnd after IC (P=0.207 and P=0.107) and CR rate three months after completion of chemoradiotherapy (P=0.565 and P=0.738). With a mean follow-up of 35.1 months, no statistically significant difference in the 3-year OS, LRFS, RRFS, DMFS, and PFS was found. During IC, more patients suffered vomiting in control group (P=0.001). During CCRT, grade 3/4 neutropenia/thrombocytopenia were more common in experimental group (P=0.028 and P=0.035); whereas, severe anemia and vomiting were more common in control group (P=0.0001 and P=0.023). In conclusions, patients with locoregionally advanced NPC showed good tolerance and compliance with a manageable toxicity profile to the regimen of IC with DOC plus NDP followed by concomitant NDP and IMRT, which is as effective as the regimen of DOC plus CDDP as IC followed by concomitant CDDP and IMRT. This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT 01479504).