A Google Trends analysis revealed global public interest and awareness of nasal polyps.

INTRODUCTION: Nasal polyps (NPs) is a common upper airway inflammatory disorder with a huge negative burden on both the quality of life and costs to patients. However, NPs patients remain undiagnosed and untreated in a timely, which may be due to a lack of disease-related awareness. Google Trends (GT) is an online and open tool, which can provide real-world data on health informatics worldwide. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to explore global public interest and awareness in nasal polyps (NPs) by performing a GT analysis. METHODS: Data on relative search volume (RSV) for NPs globally were collected by the public website Google Trends from January 2007 to December 2021. Top-related topics, rising-related topics, and regions were extracted for further analysis. Seasonal variation analysis, the latitude difference analysis, and the rising-related topics between the developed countries and the developing countries were analyzed. A P value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The average searching strength showed an overall increasing trend, although with slight fluctuation. The public interest of NPs focuses on the symptoms and treatment for NPs and changes with time. For seasonal variation countries, the peak for the RSV occurred in winter and the bottom in summer. A region in higher latitudes may yield more RSV than that in lower latitudes. The rising-related topics in the recent 5 years reflected the significant differences in treatment and public interest of NPs between the developed and developing countries. CONCLUSIONS: Google Trends analysis revealed global public interest and awareness of the evolution of trends and related topics in nasal polyps over time. Geographic distribution and seasonal variation may be potential trigger factors for NPs, and the public's interest in treatment especially biologics is rising.

Luteolin alleviated neutrophilic asthma by inhibiting IL-36γ secretion-mediated MAPK pathways.

CONTEXT: Luteolin can affect multiple biological functions, such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and immune enhancement processes. Luteolin can inhibit inflammation of T2-high asthma, but its role in neutrophilic asthma has been insufficently studied. OBJECTIVE: This study determines the effect of luteolin on IL-36γ secretion-mediated MAPK pathway signalling in neutrophilic asthma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The asthma model was established by using ovalbumin/lipopolysaccharide (OVA/LPS). Female 6-8-week-old C57BL/6 mice were divided into control, asthma, luteolin (20 mg/kg) and asthma + luteolin (20 mg/kg) groups. To explore the mechanism of anti-inflammatory effects of luteolin in neutrophilic asthma, Beas-2B cells were treated with luteolin (20 µmol/L), LPS (100 ng/mL), recombinant human IL-36γ protein (rhIL-36γ; 100 ng/mL) or IL-36γ siRNA. RESULTS: IL-36γ secretion and MAPK/IL-1ß signalling were significantly increased in the asthma mouse model compared with the control (p < 0.05). However, the levels of IL-36γ secretion and MAPK/IL-1ß signalling were reduced by luteolin (p < 0.05). In addition, luteolin inhibited IL-36γ and MAPK/IL-1ß levels after LPS (100 ng/mL) stimulation of Beas-2B cells (p < 0.05). We found that in Beas-2B cells, luteolin inhibited activation of the MAPK pathway and IL-1ß secretion following stimulation with rhIL-36γ (100 ng/mL; p < 0.05). Finally, IL-1ß and phosphorylated MAPK levels were found to be lower in the IL-36γ siRNA + LPS (100 ng/mL) group than in the nonspecific control (NC) siRNA + LPS group (p < 0.05). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Luteolin alleviated neutrophilic asthma by inhibiting IL-36γ secretion-mediated MAPK pathways. These findings provided a theoretical basis for the application of luteolin in the treatment of neutrophilic asthma.

Peripheral Circular RNA Profiling from Patients with Allergic Rhinitis Identified hsa_circRNA_404013 as a Potential Diagnostic Biomarker.

INTRODUCTION: The study of peripheral circular RNA (circRNA) expression profile in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) was absent to date, and we aimed to obtain the circRNA expression profile and identify the candidate biomarker from AR. METHODS: circRNA chip was performed to screen differentially expressed circRNAs in the peripheral blood sample from AR patients and healthy controls. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways were analyzed to further search the function of the differential expressed circRNAs. The real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was further used to verify the candidate circRNA and also analyze its potential correlation with clinical parameters. RESULTS: Significantly up-regulated expression level of hsa_circRNA_404013 in AR was obtained by circRNA chip and further verified in 79 AR patients and 48 healthy controls. hsa_circRNA_404013 was significantly positively correlated with nasal discharge, nasal itching, the total nasal symptoms of AR, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression level in peripheral blood. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis results showed that hsa_circRNA_404013 may be used as peripheral blood circulating marker for the diagnosis of AR with the area under curve of 0.8499 (95% CI: 0.783-0.916). In further bioinformatics analysis, hsa_circRNA_404013 may regulate the expression of BDNF through hsa-mir-182-5p contributing to the pathogenesis of AR. CONCLUSION: The expression profile of circRNAs from the peripheral blood sample of AR patients was obtained. The expression of hsa_circRNA_404013 was significantly up-regulated in the peripheral blood of AR patients, which may be used as a circulating marker for AR patients. Furthermore, hsa_circRNA_404013 may regulate the expression level of BDNF through hsa-mir-182-5p in AR pathogenesis.

The safety and tolerability of a one strength dose-escalation scheme for subcutaneous immunotherapy with a native house dust mite extract in Chinese children: A multicenter, randomized, open label clinical trial.

Background: Allergen immunotherapy (AIT) is still the only treatment that may affect the natural cause of allergic disease. This study is to investigate whether an accelerated up-dosing scheme for subcutaneous allergen immunotherapy (SCIT) using a native house dust mite (HDM) allergen extract is as safe as the standard 3-strengths dose-escalation scheme in children with moderate to severe allergic rhinitis or rhinoconjunctivitis with or without asthma in China. Methods: In this multicenter, open label, randomized controlled trial, the children aged 5-14 years were randomized 1:1 either to One Strength group or the Standard group. The dose escalation scheme for patients in the One Strength group included 6 injections of strength 3, whereas the Standard group comprised 14 injections using strength 1, 2, and 3. All treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were recorded and analyzed. The 5-point Likert scale was used to assess tolerability (ChiCTR2100050311). Results: Overall, 101 children were included in the Safety Set (One Strength group: 50 vs. Standard group: 51). A total of 26 TEAEs were reported for 15 children. TEAEs related to AIT occurred in 10 % of the children in the One Strength group and 11.8 % of the Standard group. The number of systemic adverse reactions was comparable in both groups (One Strength: 5 vs. Standard: 4). No serious TEAEs was recorded for either group. 90.0 % of patients in the One Strength group reached the maintenance dose without an interventional dose adjustment due to adverse events, compared to 78.4 % in the Standard group. All patients who completed the dose-escalation phase reached the recommended maintenance dose of 1.0 ml of strength 3.Investigators and patients rated the tolerability of the One Strength regimen slightly better than the Standard scheme. Conclusions: This exploratory study suggests that the accelerated One Strength dose-escalation scheme is comparable in safety and tolerability to the Standard regimen. However, due to the preliminary nature and small sample size, further research with larger sample sizes and robust study designs is necessary for confirmation.

Glucocorticoid-Induced Transcript 1(GLCCI1) SNP rs37937 Is Associated With the Risk of Developing Allergic Rhinitis and the Response to Intranasal Corticosteroids in a Chinese Han Population.

BACKGROUND: Evidence has shown that glucocorticoid-induced transcript 1 (GLCCI1) single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs37937 is associated with asthma. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to investigate whether the GLCCI1 SNP rs37937 is a risk factor for allergic rhinitis (AR) in a Chinese Han population. METHODS: A total of 220 individuals including 109 AR patients and 111 healthy subjects were included. The genotyping of GLCCI1 rs37973 was performed by the SNaPshot method. The correlations of rs37973 polymorphism, AR risk, and clinical characteristics were further analyzed, as well as the treatment response to intranasal corticosteroids (INCS) in AR patients of different genotypes. RESULTS: Three GLCCI1 rs37973 SNP genotypes were identified in both AR patients and healthy subjects. Significant association between rs37973 polymorphism and AR under allele model, dominant model, heterozygote model, and homozygote model were shown. The A allele frequency of SNP rs37973 in AR was significantly higher than that in controls. The serum total immunoglobulin E (IgE) in AR patients of AA genotype was significantly higher than in patients of GA and GG genotype, and the serum total IgE in GA genotype was significantly higher than in GG genotype. Interestingly, after 4 weeks of INCS treatment for AR patients, the improvement of the nasal itching score, sneezing score, runny nose score, total nasal symptom score, and visual analog scale score of the GG genotype were worse than the AA or GA genotype. CONCLUSION: The GLCCI1 rs37937 polymorphism is associated with the risk of developing AR and the response to INCS treatment in the Chinese Han population.

RBM4 regulates cellular senescence via miR1244/SERPINE1 axis.

Cellular senescence serves as a powerful tumor suppressing mechanism that inhibits the proliferation of cancer cells bearing oncogenic mutations at the initial stage of cancer development. RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) play important roles in cancer progression and treatment through distinct functions. However, functions and mechanisms of RNA binding proteins in regulating senescence remain elusive. Here we reported that the RNA binding protein RBM4 contributed to cellular senescence. Depletion of RBM4 induced senescence in different types of cells, including multiple cancer cells. Meanwhile, RBM4 ablation inhibited cancer cell progression both in vitro and in vivo. Specifically, knockdown of RBM4 significantly increased the level of SERPINE1, a known promoter of senescence, thereby inducing the senescence of lung cancer cells. Mechanistically, miR-1244 bound to the 3'-UTR of SERPINE1 to suppress its expression, whereas depletion of RBM4 reduced the level of miR-1244 by promoting the degradation of primary miR-1244 transcripts (pri-miR1244), thus increasing the expression of SERPINE1 and inducing subsequent senescence. Moreover, either SERPINE1 inhibitor or miR-1244 mimics attenuated the RBM4 depletion-induced senescence. Altogether, our study revealed a novel mechanism of RBM4 in the regulation of cancer progression through controlling senescence, providing a new avenue for targeting RBM4 in cancer therapeutics.

RBM4 dictates ESCC cell fate switch from cellular senescence to glutamine-addiction survival through inhibiting LKB1-AMPK-axis.

Cellular senescence provides a protective barrier against tumorigenesis in precancerous or normal tissues upon distinct stressors. However, the detailed mechanisms by which tumor cells evade premature senescence to malignant progression remain largely elusive. Here we reported that RBM4 adversely impacted cellular senescence to favor glutamine-dependent survival of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) cells by dictating the activity of LKB1, a critical governor of cancer metabolism. The level of RBM4 was specifically elevated in ESCC compared to normal tissues, and RBM4 overexpression promoted the malignant phenotype. RBM4 contributed to overcome H-RAS- or doxorubicin-induced senescence, while its depletion caused P27-dependent senescence and proliferation arrest by activating LKB1-AMPK-mTOR cascade. Mechanistically, RBM4 competitively bound LKB1 to disrupt the LKB1/STRAD/MO25 heterotrimeric complex, subsequently recruiting the E3 ligase TRIM26 to LKB1, promoting LKB1 ubiquitination and degradation in nucleus. Therefore, such molecular process leads to bypassing senescence and sustaining cell proliferation through the activation of glutamine metabolism. Clinically, the ESCC patients with high RBM4 and low LKB1 have significantly worse overall survival than those with low RBM4 and high LKB1. The RBM4 high/LKB1 low expression confers increased sensitivity of ESCC cells to glutaminase inhibitor CB-839, providing a novel insight into mechanisms underlying the glutamine-dependency to improve the efficacy of glutamine inhibitors in ESCC therapeutics.

Real-World Safety and Effectiveness of Omalizumab in Moderate to Severe Allergic Asthma Patients in China: A Post-Authorization Study.

Purpose: Omalizumab was first approved in China in 2017 for the treatment of moderate to severe allergic asthma for adult and adolescent patients aged ≥12 years. In accordance with the Chinese Health Authority requirement, the post-authorization safety study (PASS) was conducted to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of omalizumab in a real-world setting in patients with moderate to severe allergic asthma in China over a 24-week observation period. Patients and Methods: This is a single-arm, non-interventional, multicenter, PASS conducted in adult, adolescent, and pediatric patients (≥6 years old) with moderate to severe allergic asthma receiving omalizumab in a real-world clinical setting from 2020 to 2021 in 59 sites of mainland China. Results: In total, 1546 patients were screened and 1528 were enrolled. They were stratified according to age (6 to <12 years [n = 191]; ≥12 years [n = 1336]; unknown [n = 1]). Among the overall population, 23.6% and 4.5% of patients reported adverse events (AEs) and serious adverse events (SAEs), respectively. Among pediatric patients (6 to <12 years), 14.1% and 1.6% patients reported AEs and SAEs, respectively. AEs that led to treatment discontinuation in both age groups were <2%. No new safety signals were reported. Effectiveness results showed improvement in lung function, asthma control, and quality of life (QoL). Conclusion: The findings of the current study demonstrated that the safety profile of omalizumab was consistent with its known profile in allergic asthma, and no new safety signals were reported. Omalizumab treatment was effective in improving the lung function and QoL in patients with allergic asthma.

Dupilumab for alopecia areata treatment: A double-edged sword?

Alopecia areata (AA), which is a common and inflammatory hair loss and one of the most frequent dermatological conditions with higher incidence worldwide, the complex interplay involved multiple factors was contributed to the pathogenesis that consists of immune privilege losing and destruction with autoimmune-mediated in hair follicle also the abnormal regulation of inflammatory pathways was highlighted, although it was remained unclear to date.(J Am Acad Dermatol, 78, 2018, 1) Some treatment options for AA were proposed with great advances in recent years, but the options and efficacy were limited, such as platelet-rich plasma, JAK-STAT inhibitor, PDE4 inhibitor, and others, also the good response with regrow hair of cytokine-targeted therapy like dupilumab, ustekinumab was shown.(Clin Exp Med, 21, 2021, 215; Drugs, 80, 2020, 635) Here, we present a case with onset of AA following dupilumab treatment, the chronological relationship between the AA onset and dupilumab use should be known and emphasized.

Bioinformatics analysis of mRNA profiles and identification of microRNA-mRNA network in CD4+ T cells in seasonal allergic rhinitis.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to discover potential circulating genes and non-coding molecules (micro RNA [miRNA] and circular RNA [circRNA]) in CD4+ T cells in relation to seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR). METHODS: Microarray data of GSE50223 were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) during and outside the pollen season were analyzed using R software and by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analyses. The protein-protein interactions, modules, miRNAs targeting DEGs, merged miRNA-DEG networks, and circRNAs targeted with miRNAs were further analyzed. RESULTS: We identified 211 DEGs during the pollen season and eight DEGs outside the season, of which only MMP12, NR4A2, and CD69 were differentially expressed both during and outside the pollen season. DEGs during the pollen season were enriched in the GO categories 'neutrophil degranulation', 'neutrophil activation involved in immune response', 'neutrophil mediated immunity', and 'neutrophil activation'. A significant module was identified with key nodes of CDK6 and hsa-miR-29b-3p. Six significant circRNAs were also identified. CONCLUSIONS: Some genes, miRNAs, and circRNAs in CD4+ T may play vital roles in SAR and may thus be potential targets for the prevention and treatment of SAR.

Loss of RBMS1 promotes anti-tumor immunity through enabling PD-L1 checkpoint blockade in triple-negative breast cancer.

Immunotherapy has been widely utilized in multiple tumors, however, its efficacy in the treatment of triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) is still being challenged. Meanwhile, functions and mechanisms of RNA binding proteins in regulating immunotherapy for TNBC remain largely elusive. Here we reported that the RNA binding protein RBMS1 is prevalent among immune-cold TNBC. Through a systematic shRNA-mediated screen, we found depletion of RBMS1 significantly reduced the level of programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) in TNBC. Clinically, RBMS1 was increased in breast cancer and its level was positively correlated to that of PD-L1. RBMS1 ablation stimulated cytotoxic T cell mediated anti-tumor immunity. Mechanistically, RBMS1 regulated the mRNA stability of B4GALT1, a newly identified glycosyltransferase of PD-L1. Depletion of RBMS1 destabilized the mRNA of B4GALT1, inhibited the glycosylation of PD-L1 and promoted the ubiquitination and subsequent degradation of PD-L1. Importantly, combination of RBMS1 depletion with CTLA4 immune checkpoint blockade or CAR-T treatment enhanced anti-tumor T-cell immunity both in vitro and in vivo. Together, our findings provided a new immunotherapeutic strategy against TNBC by targeting the immunosuppressive RBMS1.

Environmental and sensitization variations among asthma and/or rhinitis patients between 2008 and 2018 in China.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the changes in allergen sensitization in China secondary to the environmental variations over the past decade. We aimed at investigating the variations in sensitization among asthma and/or rhinitis patients in China between 2008 and 2018. METHODS: This study analyzed cross-sectional data from national surveys conducted in China in 2008 and 2018. After finishing the questionnaire, participants underwent serum specific IgE measurements. A total of 2322 and 2798 patients were enrolled in 2008 and 2018, respectively. The significance of differences in sensitization rates among four regions of China were assessed. Correlation analysis was used to identify the associations of sensitization with climate change and planting of Artemisia desertorum between the two surveys. RESULTS: Compared with 2008, the general sensitization rate to mites significantly increased in 2018, which ranked highest among all tested allergens. Sensitization to pollens, especially Artemisia vulgaris, showed the greatest increase in the north. The annual mean temperature, rainfall and relative humidity in all four regions, and the Artemisia desertorum coverage in the northeastern area, increased significantly in 2018 as compared with 2008. From 2008 to 2018, an increase in Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus sensitization was significantly associated with an increase in relative humidity (r = 0.54, p = 0.037). The increase in A. vulgaris sensitization was significantly associated with the increase in the A. desertorum planting area (r = 0.67, p = 0.006) and with a decrease in rainfall (r = -0.59, p = 0.021). CONCLUSIONS: House dust mites remain the most important allergen in Chinese individuals with asthma and/or rhinitis. Pollen sensitization dramatically increased in northern China. Increases in sensitization to dust mites and Artemisia were related to the increases in humidity and planting area of A. desertorum.

Respiratory tract infections in children with allergic asthma on allergen immunotherapy during influenza season.

To describle how respiratory tract infections (RTIs) that occurred in children with allergic asthma (AA) on allergen immunotherapy (AIT) during an influenza season. Data including clinical symptoms and treatment history of children (those with AA on AIT and their siblings under 14 years old), who suffered from RTIs during an influenza season (Dec 1st, 2019-Dec 31st, 2019), were collected (by face to face interview and medical records) and analyzed. Children on AIT were divided into 2 groups: stage 1 (dose increasing stage) and stage 2 (dose maintenance stage). Their siblings were enrolled as control. During the study period, 49 children with AA on AIT (33 patients in stage 1 and 16 patients in stage 2) as well as 49 children without AA ( their siblings ) were included. There were no significant differences in occurrences of RTIs among the three groups (p > 0.05). Compared with children in the other two groups, patients with RTIs in stage 2 had less duration of coughing and needed less medicine. Children on AIT with maintenance doses had fewer symptoms and recovered quickly when they were attacked by RTIs, which suggested that AIT with dose maintenance may enhance disease resistance of the body.

Safety of semi-depot house dust mite allergen extract in children and adolescents with allergic rhinitis and asthma.

Aim: Multicenter study to investigate the safety of mite extract product Novo-Helisen Depot, Strengths 1 to 3 (NHD3), as subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT), in Chinese children and adolescents with allergic rhinitis (AR) and allergic asthma (AA). Patients & methods: We evaluated SCIT-related adverse events (AEs) during NHD3 14-week initial therapy in children (5-11 years) and adolescents (12-17 years) with perennial symptomatic AR and AA. Results: Among 3600 injections in 250 patients, 361/3600 (10.0%) injections caused SCIT-related AEs in 96/250 (38.4%) patients, 321/3600 injections (8.9%) caused local reactions in 89/250 (35.6%) and 40/3600 injections (1.1%) caused systemic reactions in 23/250 (9.2%). Conclusion: Initial SCIT treatment using NHD3 was safe and well tolerated in Chinese children and adolescents with AR and AA.

RBMS1 regulates lung cancer ferroptosis through translational control of SLC7A11.

Ferroptosis, an iron-dependent nonapoptotic cell death, is a highly regulated tumor suppressing process. However, functions and mechanisms of RNA-binding proteins in regulation of evasion of ferroptosis during lung cancer progression are still largely unknown. Here, we report that the RNA-binding protein RBMS1 participates in lung cancer development via mediating ferroptosis evasion. Through an shRNA-mediated systematic screen, we discovered that RBMS1 is a key ferroptosis regulator. Clinically, RBMS1 was elevated in lung cancer and its high expression was associated with reduced patient survival. Conversely, depletion of RBMS1 inhibited lung cancer progression both in vivo and in vitro. Mechanistically, RBMS1 interacted with the translation initiation factor eIF3d directly to bridge the 3'- and 5'-UTR of SLC7A11. RBMS1 ablation inhibited the translation of SLC7A11, reduced SLC7A11-mediated cystine uptake, and promoted ferroptosis. In a drug screen that targeted RBMS1, we further uncovered that nortriptyline hydrochloride decreased the level of RBMS1, thereby promoting ferroptosis. Importantly, RBMS1 depletion or inhibition by nortriptyline hydrochloride sensitized radioresistant lung cancer cells to radiotherapy. Our findings established RBMS1 as a translational regulator of ferroptosis and a prognostic factor with therapeutic potential and clinical value.

Expert consensus on the use of omalizumab in chronic urticaria in China.

Chronic urticaria (CU) is a debilitating skin disease that lasts for more than 6 weeks with wheals and/or angioedema, including chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) and chronic inducible urticaria (CIndU). In China, the prevalence of this disease is high, more than 1%, and on the rise. CU has a major impact on the quality of life (QoL) of patients who frequently experience sleep disturbance, depression, and anxiety. Nearly one-third of patients with CSU, in China, are resistant to second-generation H1-antihistamines (sgAHs), even at a fourfold dose (second line; off-label). Omalizumab is approved for the treatment of CSU treatment in Europe and shows remarkable efficacy and safety. In China, regulatory approval for the use of omalizumab is pending, and its use in clinical practice varies widely. Consensus on omalizumab CU treatment in China is urgently needed. The aim of this article is to propose a practical omalizumab treatment algorithm for the management of antihistamine-resistant CSU and CIndU in adults and special population including children and adolescents, and pregnant or breast feeding women, to guide daily clinical practice in China. In the development of this consensus, an expert group including mainly dermatologists, allergists, but also pulmonologists, ENTs, immunologists, and pediatricians in Allergic Disease Prevention and Control Committee, Chinese Preventive Medicine Association, reviewed the existing evidence and developed consensus on the use of omalizumab in CU patients from China. The goal of this consensus is to assist clinicians in making rational decisions in the management of refractory CU with omalizumab. The key clinical questions covered by the treatment algorithm are: 1) Omalizumab treatment routine strategy in both CSU and CIndU patients; 2) Recommended dose and treatment duration for different age stratification; 3) Treatment duration for CU patients with other allergic comorbidities; 4) Recommendation on omalizumab stopping strategy.

Soyasapogenol B Attenuates Laryngeal Carcinoma Progression through Inducing Apoptotic and Autophagic Cell Death.

Soyasapogenol B (Soy B), a constituent of soybean, has been shown to exhibit antitumor activities against different types of cancers. However, to our knowledge, no studies so far have investigated the effect of Soy B in human laryngeal carcinoma. This study, therefore, aimed to determine the effect of Soy B in human laryngeal carcinoma cell lines HeP-2 and TU212 and to elucidate the possible underlying mechanisms by which Soy B can induce its antitumor effects. The results showed that Soy B effectively attenuated the cell growth by causing G0/G1 phase cell cycle arrest in laryngeal carcinoma cell lines. Moreover, the percentage of apoptotic and autophagic cells dramatically increased upon exposure to Soy B. Western blotting results confirmed that Soy B can alter the expression levels of established markers of apoptosis and autophagy. Interestingly, both apoptosis inhibitor (ZVAD-fmk) and autophagy inhibitor (3-MA) could partially reverse the effect of Soy B, while blocking autophagy did not cause obvious alteration in the percentage of apoptotic cells. Similarly, in vivo studies validated that Soy B could effectively reduce the size of the tumor and induce apoptosis and autophagy in tumor tissues. Collectively, these results suggested that Soy B can exert anticancer activities against laryngeal carcinoma through inducing apoptotic and autophagic cell death. Our study highlighted the potential role of Soy B as a chemotherapeutic agent for laryngeal carcinoma. Anat Rec, 2019. © 2019 American Association for Anatomy Anat Rec, 303:1851-1858, 2020. © 2019 American Association for Anatomy.

Prevalence and impact of cardiovascular metabolic diseases on COVID-19 in China.

BACKGROUND: Studies have reminded that cardiovascular metabolic comorbidities made patients more susceptible to suffer 2019 novel corona virus (2019-nCoV) disease (COVID-19), and exacerbated the infection. The aim of this analysis is to determine the association of cardiovascular metabolic diseases with the development of COVID-19. METHODS: A meta-analysis of eligible studies that summarized the prevalence of cardiovascular metabolic diseases in COVID-19 and compared the incidences of the comorbidities in ICU/severe and non-ICU/severe patients was performed. Embase and PubMed were searched for relevant studies. RESULTS: A total of six studies with 1527 patients were included in this analysis. The proportions of hypertension, cardia-cerebrovascular disease and diabetes in patients with COVID-19 were 17.1%, 16.4% and 9.7%, respectively. The incidences of hypertension, cardia-cerebrovascular diseases and diabetes were about twofolds, threefolds and twofolds, respectively, higher in ICU/severe cases than in their non-ICU/severe counterparts. At least 8.0% patients with COVID-19 suffered the acute cardiac injury. The incidence of acute cardiac injury was about 13 folds higher in ICU/severe patients compared with the non-ICU/severe patients. CONCLUSION: Patients with previous cardiovascular metabolic diseases may face a greater risk of developing into the severe condition and the comorbidities can also greatly affect the prognosis of the COVID-19. On the other hand, COVID-19 can, in turn, aggravate the damage to the heart.

A Review of the Role of Solvents in Formation of High-Quality Solution-Processed Perovskite Films.

Recently, perovskite solar cells have attracted great attention because of their outstanding photovoltaic performance and ease of fabrication. High-quality perovskite films hold a key in getting highly efficient perovskite solar cells. Solution-processed fabrication technique is the most widely adopted for preparing perovskite films because of its low cost. In the solution-proceed perovskite films, solvents not only play the role of dissolving the solute but also participate in the crystallization of perovskite. In the one-step method, solvents play key roles in controlling morphology, widening process window, and achieving room-temperature crystallization of perovskite films. In addition, the solvents play important roles in controlling the nuclei/growth, suppressing volume expansion during the two-step method. Especially, the solvent can induce grain coarsening during the annealing process. A deep understanding of the multiplicity of roles during the formation of perovskite films will help understand the formation mechanism of perovskite films. Here, a systematic review on the progress in fabrication of high-quality perovskite films by making use of solvent to control the crystallization is presented. Meanwhile, we elucidate the key roles of solvent in the fabrication of high-quality perovskite films.

The structural and electronic properties of In(n)N(n = 1-13) clusters.

The structural and electronic properties of In(n)N(n=1-13) clusters have been investigated by density-functional theory with the generalized gradient approximation. The results indicate that the equilibrium structures of In(n)N are linear for n=1,2, planar for n=3-5, and three dimensional for n=6-13. Maximum peaks were observed for In(n)N clusters at n=3,7,9 on the size dependence for second-order energy difference. These imply that these clusters possess relatively higher stability, which is consistent with the case of binding energy per atom. Moreover, the results show that the bonding in small In(n)N clusters has a little ionic character by Mulliken population analysis. The energy gap between the highest occupied and lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals, the vertical ionization potential and electron vertical affinity (VIP and VEA) form an even-odd alternating pattern with increasing cluster size. In general, the VIP tends to lower as the cluster size increases, while the VEA tends to increase as the cluster size increases.