Genomic Insights into the First Emergence of blaNDM-5-Carrying Carbapenem-Resistant Salmonella enterica Serovar London Strain in China.

Carbapenem-resistant Salmonella enterica (S. enterica) pose a significant threat to public health, causing gastroenteritis and invasive infections. We report the first emergence of a carbapenem-resistant S. enterica serovar London strain, A132, carrying the blaNDM-5 gene in China. Whole-genome sequencing and bioinformatics analysis assigned A132 to be ST155, a multidrug-resistant clone frequently reported in China. The strain A132 exhibited resistance to multiple antibiotics, with 20 acquired antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) identified, predominantly located on the IncFIB plasmid (pA132-1-NDM). Notably, the blaNDM-5 gene was located within an IS26 flanked-class 1 integron-ISCR1 complex, comprising two genetic cassettes. One cassette is the class 1 integron, which may facilitate the transmission of the entire complex, while the other is the blaNDM-5-containing ISCR1-IS26-flanked cassette, carrying multiple other ARGs. Genbank database search based on the blaNDM-5-carrying cassette identified a similar genetic context found in transmissible IncFIA plasmids from Escherichia coli (p91) and Enterobacter hormaechei (p388) with a shared host range, suggesting the potential for cross-species transmission of blaNDM-5. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of Salmonella serovar London ST155 harboring blaNDM-5 gene. Phylogenetic analysis indicated a close relationship between A132 and eight S. London ST155 strains isolated from the same province. However, A132 differed by carrying the blaNDM-5 gene and four unique ARGs. Given the high transmissibility of the F-type plasmid harboring blaNDM-5 and 18 other ARGs, it is imperative to implement vigilant surveillance and adopt appropriate infection control measures to mitigate the threat to public health.

LncRNA MIR100HG Promotes Cell Proliferation in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma by Targeting miR-136-5p/IL-6 Axis.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) features high mortality and poor prognosis. Additionally, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a significant role in developing NPC and other types of cancer. But the functional mechanism of MIR100HG in NPC remains unclear. The long non-coding RNA MIR100HG messenger RNA (mRNA) expression was thoroughly evaluated in NPC tumors and adjacent tissues using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Furthermore, we employed Kaplan-Meier analysis to compare the expression of MIR100HG with survival outcomes. The CCK8 test was utilized to investigate the impact of the lncRNA MIR100HG/miR-136-5p/IL-6 axis on cell proliferation in NPC. The study's findings indicated overexpression of the lncRNA MIR100HG in both NPC tumors and cell lines. This upregulation was associated with a poorer outcome in individuals with NPC. When lncRNA MIR100HG was knocked down in vitro, NPC cell proliferation was inhibited, resulting in tumor suppression. In certain oncogenic capacities, the lncRNA MIR100HG functions as a competitive endogenous RNA for miR-136-5p, hence impeding the inhibitory effect of miR-136-5p on its target gene, IL-6. In summary, the findings of the present investigation suggested that lncRNA MIR100HG exhibits promising characteristics as a potential indicator for the prognosis and diagnosis of NPC.

Meta-analysis of efficacy of Chinese medicine compound combined with concurrent radiotherapy and chemotherapy in the treatment of locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is a prevalent malignant tumor in clinical practice, with the highest incidence rate among otorhinolaryngological malignant tumors. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to comprehensively evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese medicine compound (CMC) combined with concurrent radiotherapy and chemotherapy in the treatment of locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LA-NPC). METHODS: Relevant essays published before November 20, 2021, were retrieved from China National Knowledge Internet (CNKI), China Science and Technology Journal Database (CQVIP), Wanfang database, PubMed, and Web of Science databases. Randomized controlled trials regarding the clinical efficacy of CMC combined with concurrent radiotherapy and chemotherapy in the treatment of LA-NPC were included. RESULTS: A total of 15 publications involving 1324 patients were included in this study, including 665 in the experimental group and 659 in the control group. Meta-analyses revealed that compared with radiotherapy or chemotherapy only, CMC combined with concurrent radiotherapy and chemotherapy for LA-NPC significantly improved the efficacy [risk ratio (RR)=1.15, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) (1.09, 1.20), P<0.00001], the quality of life [RR=1.35, 95% CI (1.13, 1.62), P=0.0009], immune function indices CD4+ levels [RR=6.2, 95% CI (3.64, 8.76), P<0.00001], CD4+/CD8+ [RR=0.33, 95% CI (0.14, 0.53), P=0.0009], and alleviated the decrease in white blood cell counts [RR=0.67, 95% CI (0.52, 0.86), P=0.002]. CONCLUSION: CMC combined with concurrent radiotherapy and chemotherapy for the treatment of LA-NPC can significantly improve the efficacy and reduce severe adverse reactions caused by conventional radiotherapy and chemotherapy. However, due to limitations in the quantity and quality of the included studies, more high-quality, multi-center, and large sample-size studies are needed to provide high-level and high-quality medical evidence for systematic evaluation.

Meta-analysis of risk factors associated with pharyngocutaneous fistulas following total laryngectomy.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the risk factors for pharyngocutaneous fistulas following total laryngectomy. METHODS: PubMed, Web of Science, CNKI, Medline and Wanfang database were utilized to conduct a systematic literature research. Further, sensitivity and publication bias were analyzed to comprehensively estimate the risk factors associated with pharyngocutaneous fistulas following total laryngectomy. RESULTS: Of the 112 studies identified, 25 were included in this analysis. The results showed that age (OR = 0.21, 95% CI 0.11-0.39, P<0.00001), smoking (OR = 3, 95% CI 1.54-5.84, P<0.00001), T-stage (OR = 0.3, 95% CI 0.22-0.4, P<0.00001), previous radiotherapy (OR = 0.31, 95% CI 0.23-0.44, P<0.000001) and preoperative albumin (OR = 0.28, 95% CI 0.16-0.47, P<0.00001) were risk factors associated with pharyngocutaneous fistulas. CONCLUSIONS: This review is a comprehensive analysis of the risk factors associated with pharyngocutaneous fistulas following total laryngectomy. Age, smoking, T-stage, previous radiotherapy and preoperative albumin were found to be the risk factors.

Recent progress in two-dimensional materials for terahertz protection.

With the wide applications of terahertz (THz) devices in future communication technology, THz protection materials are essential to overcome potential threats. Recently, THz metamaterials (MMs) based on two-dimensional (2D) materials (e.g., graphene, MXenes) have been extensively investigated due to their unique THz response properties. In this review, THz protection theories are briefly presented first, including reflection loss and shielding mechanisms. Then, the research progress of graphene and other 2D material-based THz MMs and intrinsic materials are reviewed. MMs absorbers in the forms of single layer, multiple layers, hybrid and tunable metasurfaces show excellent THz absorbing performance. These studies provide a sufficient theoretical and practical basis for THz protection, and superior properties promised the wide application prospects of 2D MMs. Three-dimensional intrinsic THz absorbing materials based on porous and ordered 2D materials also show exceptional THz protection performance and effectively integrate the advantages of intrinsic properties and the structural characteristics of 2D materials. These special structures can optimize the surface impedance matching and enable multiple THz scatterings and electric transmission loss, which can realize high-efficiency absorption loss and active controllable protection performance in ultra-wide THz wavebands. Finally, the advantages and existing problems of current THz protection materials are summarized, and their possible future development and applications are prospected.

MicroRNA-204 inhibits cell migration and invasion in human cervical cancer by regulating transcription factor 12.

Deregulated microRNAs (miRs) and their roles in carcinogenesis have attracted great attention in recent years. Although miR-204 was reportedly dysregulated in various types of cancer, its function and mechanism in cervical cancer remain unknown. The present study focused on the expression and mechanisms of miR-204 in cervical cancer development. Expression of miR-204 in cervical cancer tissues and non-tumor tissues was measured using PCR analysis. The effect of ectopic expression of miR-204 on cell motility was evaluated using wound-healing and Transwell invasion assays. Luciferase activity and western blot assays were used to verify the regulatory effect of miR-204 on its target gene. It was demonstrated that miR-204 was significantly decreased in primary cervical cancer tissues, and that downregulated miR-204 was associated with lymph node metastasis and poor survival. In addition, it was revealed that ectopic expression of miR-204 significantly inhibited the migratory and invasive ability of cervical cancer cells in vitro. In addition, bioinformatic prediction and experimental validation demonstrated that transcription factor 12 (TCF12) was a direct target of miR-204. Overexpression of TCF12 attenuated the inhibitory effect of miR-204 on cell motility. Taken together, the present data indicated that miR-204 is a metastasis-associated gene and may contribute to the progression of cervical cancer by regulating TCF12, providing novel insights, including that miR-204/TCF12 may be an important mechanism for cervical cancer metastasis.

Promoter hypermethylation of MGMT gene may contribute to the pathogenesis of gastric cancer: A PRISMA-compliant meta-analysis.

BECKGROUND: The association of MGMT (O-methyguanine deoxyribonucleic acid methyltransferase) promoter hypermethylation with gastric cancer (GC) risk has been studied extensively, but the results remained unclear. Here, we performed a meta-analysis to evaluate whether promoter hypermethylation of the MGMT gene contributed to gastric pathogenesis. METHODS: Relevant studies were identified by retrieving the PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was applied to assess methodological quality of the included studies. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated to evaluate the association of MGMT promoter hypermethylation with gastric pathogenesis. Moreover, STATA 12.0 software was used to summarize the extracted data in this meta-analysis. RESULTS: Seventeen studies, comprising 1736 cases and 1291 controls, were included in this meta-analysis. The frequency of MGMT promoter hypermethylation in the GC group (32.97%) was significantly higher than those in the control group (18.00%) (OR = 2.83, CI = 1.93-4.15, P < .05). When stratified by cancer subtype, the results indicated that the frequency of MGMT promoter hypermethylation was significantly higher in gastric adenocarcinoma than in control group (OR = 3.47, CI = 1.06-11.35, P < .05). In addition, MGMT promoter hypermethylation significantly promoted distant metastasis and lymph node (LN) metastasis of gastric tumor (for distant metastasis, OR = 4.22, CI = 2.42-7.37, P < .05; for LN metastasis, OR = 1.56, CI = 1.14-2.13, P < .05). A significant association between MGMT promoter hypermethylation and TNM-stage was also found in the present meta-analysis (OR = 2.70, CI = 1.79-4.08, P < .05). CONCLUSION: The results of this meta-analysis suggested that MGMT gene-promoter hypermethylation was significantly associated with an increased risk of GC, especially in Asians. Furthermore, MGMT gene-promoter hypermethylation might be correlated with the distant metastasis and LN metastasis of GC.