Effect of two different techniques of arteriovenous fistula puncture on wound infection in haemodialysis patients.

Safe and effective arteriovenous fistula (AVF) puncture is very important to reduce the wound complications of haemodialysis (HD). For AVF puncture in dialysis patients, there is a lack of clarity and consistency regarding the relative advantage of buttonhole (BH) over rope-ladder (RL) cannulae in terms of wound complications. The study was published in several scientific databases including Cochrane Library, PubMed and Embase by October 2023. Data from all controlled trials looking at the effect of BH and RL on wound complications in haemodialysis patients were included. The articles were written in English, and they were about adult who had AVF while on dialysis. Studies with or without BH or RL treatment were excluded from the analysis. The data was analysed with RevMan5.3 software. Out of 215 trials, 9 were chosen for the final analysis. The study publication dates were between 2000 and 2023. Of these, 17 326 patients received AVF therapy. Among them, there were 3070 BH and 14 256 RL. In 9 studies, RL had a lower risk of postoperative wound infection compared to BH (OR, 3.38; 95% CI, 3.06, 3.73 p < 0.0001); In all 3 studies, there were no statistically significant differences in the risk of post operative bleeding in RL versus BH(OR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.25, 2.33 p = 0.63). Our studies have demonstrated that RL trocars are superior to BH trocars in the prevention of wound infection.

Monolithic Catalysts Supported by Emulsion-Templated Porous Polydivinylbenzene for Continuous Reduction of 4-Nitrophenol.

A monolithic catalyst was fabricated through an emulsion-templating method, postpolymerization modification, and in situ loading of active constituents. To achieve a high specific surface area, divinylbenzene (DVB) was solely employed as the monomer, while the porous structure was adjusted with the porogen content and the types of initiators. Then, anchor points were introduced on the pore wall through nitration and amination of the polymeric scaffold. Using a controlled "silver mirror reaction", monolithic catalysts were obtained after loading of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs), which was verified from morphological and crystallinity characteristics. The catalytic performance of the resultant monolithic catalyst was determined with the model reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP). In static catalysis, the monolithic catalyst was proved to have a reactively high apparent rate constant and a good reusability. Furthermore, a flow reactor was fabricated with the monolithic catalyst, showing a high efficiency and long-term durability for the continuous reduction of 4-NP. This work broadened the adjustment of porous structures and the subsequent application for emulsion-templated monoliths.

Association between dietary selenium intake and the prevalence of osteoporosis and its role in the treatment of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis.

BACKGROUND: Long-term glucocorticoid therapy may lead to osteoporosis (OP). Selenium (Se) is an essential microelement for human health and bone health. This study evaluated the association between dietary Se intake and the prevalence of OP and further explored the potential therapeutic effect of Se on glucocorticoid-induced OP (GIOP) in vivo and in vitro. METHODS: Data were collected from a population-based cross-sectional study conducted in our hospital. OP is diagnosed based on bone mineral density (BMD) measurements using compact radiographic absorptiometry. Dietary Se intake was assessed using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. The association between dietary Se intake and OP prevalence was analyzed by multivariable logistic regression. In animal experiments, male Sprague-Dawley rats were intramuscularly injected with dexamethasone (1 mg/kg) daily to induce GIOP, while different doses of Se were supplemented in rat drinking water for 60 d. BMD and biomechanical parameters of rat femur were measured. The histopathological changes of the femur were observed by HE staining, the number of osteoclasts was observed by TRAP staining, and OCN positive expression was detected by immunohistochemical staining. OPG, RANKL, Runx2, and BMP2 in rat femur were detected by Western blot. Bone turnover markers and oxidative stress markers were measured using commercial kits. MC3T3-E1 cells were induced to osteogenic differentiation, stimulated with DXM (100 µM), and/or treated with Se at different doses. Cell proliferation and apoptosis were assessed by CCK-8 and flow cytometry. ALP activity was detected by ALP staining and cell mineralization was observed by alizarin red staining. RESULTS: Participants with lower dietary Se intake had higher OP prevalence. Se supplementation improved BMD, biomechanical parameters, and histopathological changes of the femur in GIOP rats. Se supplementation also suppressed DXM-induced changes in bone turnover- and oxidative stress-related markers. Under DXM conditions, Se treatment induced MC3T3-E1 cell proliferation, ALP activity, and mineralization. CONCLUSION: Lower Dietary Se intake is associated with OP prevalence. Moreover, Se takes a position in bone protection and anti-oxidative stress in GIOP models. Therefore, Se may be a complementary potential treatment for GIOP.

Effect of preoperative arterial diameter on hospitalization and mortality in patients undergoing hemodialysis with forearm arteriovenous fistula access.

BACKGROUND: As pointed out by the recent Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative Clinical Practice Guideline for Vascular Access, the current quality of evidence supporting preoperative vascular anatomy and patient outcomes is suboptimal and insufficient to make recommendations. This study assessed arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) created with different preoperative arterial diameters on hospitalization and mortality rates in patients undergoing hemodialysis at the authors' center. METHODS: Data from 261 patients who underwent HD between 2017 and 2019 were retrospectively examined. Differences in mortality and hospitalization rates between patients with different preoperative arterial diameters were compared, and risk factors for mortality and hospitalization were analyzed. RESULTS: Smaller preoperative artery diameter (<2 mm) was associated with all-cause mortality (risk ratio [RR] 1.61 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.45-1.90]; p < 0.01), and access-related (RR 1.68 [95% CI 1.24-2.44]; p < 0.01), and congestive heart failure (CHF)-related (RR 0.67 [95% CI 0.38-1.01]; p = 0.04) hospitalization. Longer catheter-dependent duration (⩾60 days) was associated with access-related hospitalization (RR 1.48 [95% CI 1.07-2.11]; p = 0.03), and higher postoperative brachial artery blood flow (⩾1500 mL/min) was associated with CHF-related hospitalization (RR 1.58 [95% CI 1.02-2.29]; p < 0.01). Higher postoperative brachial artery blood flow (⩾1500 mL/min) was associated with all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR] 1.20 [95% CI 1.09-2.32]; p = 0.04), whereas preoperative artery diameter (HR 0.98 [95% CI 0.93-1.86]; p = 0.08) and catheter-dependent duration (HR 1.06 [95% CI 0.47-2.13]; p = 0.82) were not associated with all-cause mortality. CONCLUSION: In this cohort, smaller preoperative artery diameter was associated with all-cause and access-related hospitalizations, while a larger preoperative artery and higher postoperative brachial blood flow were associated with CHF-related hospitalization. However, only higher postoperative brachial blood flow was associated with all-cause mortality.

Ratiometric fluorescence detection of the angiotensin-converting enzyme via single-excitation and double-emission biomass-derived carbon quantum dots.

Efficient and rapid detection of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity is important for preventing hypertension and the discovery of new angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI). In this work, a single-excitation and double-emission biomass-derived carbon quantum dots (CQDs) was prepared and applied for ratiometric fluorescence detection of ACE. Fresh banyan leaves were extracted with ethanol and acetone, and the extracted solution was used as the precursor to produce the carbon quantum dots (BL-CQDs) with single-excitation and double-emission properties. The synthesized BL-CQDs is about 1.7 nm, has a graphene-like structure, contains a variety of hydrophilic functional groups on the surface, and has good fluorescence properties. Its fluorescence intensity ratio (I677/I460) is linear with ACE activity in the range of 0.02-0.8 U l-1. The regression equation is△F=2.5371CACE-0.0311. The method was successfully applied to the determination of ACE activity in pig lung and human serum, and the inhibitory efficiency of the flavonoid extract and captopril tablets on ACE activity was also investigated, which can be applied to the screening of ACEI. The survival rate and fluorescence imaging of Bel-7404 cells under the condition of high concentration BL-CQDs showed BL-CQDs had low cytotoxicity and good biocompatibility. These results indicate that the BL-CQDs can be used as an excellent fluorescent probe, providing a new method for screening ACE activity and plant-derived ACEI.

The effect of early conversion from central venous catheter to arteriovenous fistula on hospitalization and mortality in incident haemodialysis patients.

BACKGROUND: Controversy remains as to whether initiating haemodialysis (HD) with a central venous catheter (CVC) and vascular access conversion are associated with the risk of morbidity and mortality in incident HD patients. METHODS: At our dialysis centre, the vascular access strategy is to create an arteriovenous fistula (AVF) early and use the AVF to initiate HD. In emergency situations, HD is initiated with a CVC and subsequent conversion from a CVC to an AVF as soon as possible. The effects of early AVF conversion on hospitalization and mortality were analysed. RESULTS: At HD initiation, 35.42% used AVF, 15.63% used CVC with immature AVF and 48.96% used CVC, and all patients were able to convert from CVC to AVF within approximately 3 months. Compared to starting HD using an AVF, using a CVC was associated with access-related hospitalizations at 2 years, regardless of whether an AVF was created before (incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 3.02, 95% CI 0.89-10.24, p = 0.03) or after (IRR = 4.10, 95% CI 1.55-10.85, p < 0.01) HD initiation. The Kaplan-Meier method showed that the 2-year survival probability was not statistically significant between the three groups (log-rank χ2 = 0.165, p = 0.921). Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression showed that starting HD with a CVC was not associated with mortality at 2 years (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: In this cohort, initiating HD with a CVC was associated with more access-related hospitalizations. Under the impact of an early AVF conversion strategy, despite initiating HD with a CVC, subsequent conversion from a CVC to an AVF within approximately 3 months had no impact on all-cause mortality in incident HD patients.

Efficient diagnosis of hematologic malignancies using bone marrow microscopic images: A method based on MultiPathGAN and MobileViTv2.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Hematologic malignancies, including the associated multiple subtypes, are critically threatening to human health. The timely detection of malignancies is crucial for their effective treatment. In this regard, the examination of bone marrow smears constitutes a crucial step. Nonetheless, the conventional approach to cell identification and enumeration is laborious and time-intensive. Therefore, the present study aimed to develop a method for the efficient diagnosis of these malignancies directly from bone marrow microscopic images. METHODS: A deep learning-based framework was developed to facilitate the diagnosis of common hematologic malignancies. First, a total of 2033 microscopic images of bone marrow analysis, including the images for 6 disease types and 1 healthy control, were collected from two Chinese medical websites. Next, the collected images were classified into the training, validation, and test datasets in the ratio of 7:1:2. Subsequently, a method of stain normalization to multi-domains (stain domain augmentation) based on the MultiPathGAN model was developed to equalize the stain styles and expand the image datasets. Afterward, a lightweight hybrid model named MobileViTv2, which integrates the strengths of both CNNs and ViTs, was developed for disease classification. The resulting model was trained and utilized to diagnose patients based on multiple microscopic images of their bone marrow smears, obtained from a cohort of 61 individuals. RESULTS: MobileViTv2 exhibited an average accuracy of 94.28% when applied to the test set, with multiple myeloma, acute lymphocytic leukemia, and lymphoma revealed as the three diseases diagnosed with the highest accuracy values of 98%, 96%, and 96%, respectively. Regarding patient-level prediction, the average accuracy of MobileViTv2 was 96.72%. This model outperformed both CNN and ViT models in terms of accuracy, despite utilizing only 9.8 million parameters. When applied to two public datasets, MobileViTv2 exhibited accuracy values of 99.75% and 99.72%, respectively, and outperformed previous methods. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed framework could be applied directly to bone marrow microscopic images with different stain styles to efficiently establish the diagnosis of common hematologic malignancies.

The effect and safety of Bushen Huoxue Method combined with cyclophosphamide in the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease that involves multiple systemic organs. Bushen Huoxue Method (BSHXM) is a traditional Chinese medicine treatment, which is used for the treatment of SLE combining with cyclophosphamide. However, no systematic review has been performed to describe its effectiveness. This study provides a protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis of currently published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reporting the combination of BSHXM and cyclophosphamide for the treatment of SLE, thus providing evidences to support clinical practice. METHODS: RCTs reporting the combination of BSHXM and cyclophosphamide for the treatment of SLE before October 2022 will be searched in the online databases, including the PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP databases and CBM. The Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 (RoB2) tool will be used to evaluate the quality of included RCTs. Meta-analysis will be performed using Stata 14.0. RESULTS: Results to be published in a peer-reviewed journal providing evidence for the efficacy and safety of the combination of BSHXM and cyclophosphamide on the treatment of SLE. CONCLUSIONS: This study will provide a strong basis for the effectiveness and safety of the combination of BSHXM and cyclophosphamide on the treatment of SLE.

Precision therapy for three Chinese families with maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY12).

Maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) is rare monogenic diabetes. However, MODY is often undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. In this study, we aimed to investigate the pathogenic gene for diabetes and provide precise treatment for diabetes patients in three families. Three families with suspected MODY were enrolled and screened for germline mutations using Whole exome sequencing (WES). Candidate pathogenic variants were validated in other family members and non-related healthy controls. Three heterozygous missense mutations in the ABCC8 gene (NM_001287174), c.1555 C>T (p.R519C), c.3706 A>G (p.I1236V), and c.2885 C>T (p.S962L) were found in families A, B, and C, respectively. All mutation sites cosegregated with diabetes, were predicted to be harmful by bioinformatics and were not found in non-related healthy controls. Two probands (onset ages, 8 and 12 years) were sensitive to glimepiride. However, an insufficient dose (2 mg/day) led to ketoacidosis. When the dosage of glimepiride was increased to 4 mg/day, blood sugar remained under control. A dose of 4 mg glimepiride daily also effectively controlled blood sugar in an adult patient 25-year-old. In addition, all patients were sensitive to liraglutide, which could control blood sugar better. These data suggest that ABCC8 was the pathogenic gene in three families with diabetes. Glimepiride (2 mg/day) was not effective in controlling blood sugar in children with ABCC8 mutations, however, 4 mg/daily glimepiride was effective in both adults and children. Moreover, liraglutide was effective in controlling blood sugar in both adults and children with ABCC8 mutations.

The association between platelet-lymphocyte ratio and the risk of all-cause mortality in chronic kidney disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients have high levels of inflammatory mediators. These inflammatory mediators contribute to the increased risk of cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality. Platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) has recently been recognized as a novel inflammatory marker and has been shown to be associated with the prognosis in CKD patients. However, the quality of these studies varies and their results are controversial. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to investigate the relationship between PLR and all-cause mortality in CKD patients. METHODS: A systematic literature search of PubMed, EMBASE, CENTRAL and ISI Web of Science was conducted. The databases were searched from their inception dates up to the latest issue (31 October 2021). Two reviewers independently searched the databases and screened studies. Data were extracted using a standardized collection form. Meta-analysis was performed to compare PLR values between CKD and non-CKD patients, and to investigate the association between PLR and all-cause mortality in CKD patients. This meta-analysis is reported in adherence to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). RESULTS: A total of 11 studies involving 4244 participants were selected. The pooled data indicated that PLR values were significantly higher in CKD patients than non-CKD controls (weighted mean difference = 21.6, 95% CI 17.39-25.81, p < 0.01), and PLR is associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality in CKD patients (hazard ratio = 2.49, 95% CI 1.78-3.49, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with CKD have higher PLR values compared to non-CKD patients. Meanwhile, PLR values were highly associated with all-cause mortality in CKD patients. PLR is a valid predictor as a clinically accessible indicator for patients with CKD.

IL-35 enhances angiogenic effects of small extracellular vesicles in breast cancer.

As an indispensable process for breast cancer metastasis, tumour angiogenesis requires a tight interaction between cancer cells and endothelial cells in tumour microenvironment. Here, we explored the participation of small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) derived from breast cancer cells in modulating angiogenesis and investigated the effect of IL-35 in facilitating this process. Firstly, we characterized breast cancer cells-derived sEVs untreated or treated with IL-35 and visualized the internalization of these sEVs by human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Breast cancer cells-derived sEVs promoted endothelial cell proliferation through facilitating cell cycle progression and enhanced capillary-like structures formation and microvessel formation. Subsequent results proved that IL-35 further reinforced the angiogenic effect induced by breast cancer cells-derived sEVs. Moreover, sEVs from breast cancer cells significantly enhanced tumour growth and microvessel density in breast tumour-bearing mice model. Microarray analysis showed that IL-35 might alter the mRNA profiles of sEVs and activate the Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK signalling pathway. These findings demonstrated that IL-35 indirectly promoted angiogenesis in breast cancer through regulating the content of breast cancer cells-derived sEVs, which could be internalized by HUVECs.

The association between the locations of arteriovenous fistulas and patency rates: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The arteriovenous fistulas (AVF) continue to be the most prevalent type of vascular access for hemodialysis (HD). However, the appropriate locations of AVF are controversial. We conducted the meta-analysis to investigate the differences in patency between upper-arm and forearm AVF. METHODS: PubMed, EMBASE, CENTRAL, and ISI Web of Science were searched to identify studies with differences in AVF patency at different locations. Reviewers searched the database, screened studies according to inclusion criteria, and conducted Meta-analysis. RESULTS: A total of 12 studies involving 3437 patients were selected. Pooled data showed that primary patency (PP) of AVF were higher in upper-arm than forearm at 1 and 2 years (odds ratio [OR] = 1.54, p = 0.0005; OR = 2.45, p = 0.001), but the differences in cumulative patency (CP) were not statistically significant at 1 and 2 years (OR = 2.10, p = 0.08; OR = 2.16, p = 0.1). The differences in PP and CP between upper-arm and forearm AVF in patients older than 65 years were not statistically significant at 1 (OR = 1.61, p = 0.05; OR = 2.05, p = 0.17) and 2 years (OR = 3.40, p = 0.13; OR = 1.38, p = 0.16). In Asian patients, the differences in PP and CP between upper-arm and forearm AVF were not statistically significant at 1 (OR = 1.17, p = 0.41; OR = 1.02, p = 0.94) and 2 years (OR = 2.95, p = 0.08; OR = 1.23, p = 0.41). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the CP of upper-arm and forearm AVF was similar in overall population. There was no difference in PP and CP of AVF between upper-arm and forearm in Asian population or the elderly. The forearm AVF could be consider to be the first choice. for Asian patients or the elderly.

Maturation and survival of arteriovenous fistula: The challenge starts from the preoperative assessment stage.

BACKGROUND: It is necessary to assess the association between the preoperative indicators and the maturation and survival of arteriovenous fistula (AVF). METHODS: We retrospectively identified 236 patients with a new AVF created between 2016 and 2018 in our Dialysis Center. RESULTS: Multivariate Logistic regression showed that preoperative arterial diameter (odds ratio [OR] = 1.452, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.233, 1.710], p < 0.001), preoperative venous diameter (OR = 1.296, 95% CI [1.166, 1.477], p < 0.001), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (OR = 1.187, 95% CI [1.103, 1.277], p < 0.001), and diabetes mellitus (OR = 0.245, 95% CI [0.107, 0.560], p = 0.01) were independent influential factors for AVF maturation. Two years after the AVF surgery follow-up, multivariate Cox proportional-hazards model showed that the preoperative arterial diameter (OR = 0.510, 95% CI [0.320, 0.813], p = 0.005), preoperative venous diameter (OR = 0.940, 95% CI [0.897, 0.985], p = 0.010) and diabetes mellitus (OR = 1.785, 95% CI [1.117, 2.855], p = 0.016) was prognostic factors of AVF survival. The Kaplan-Meier method showed that the primary survival of AVF in patients with different preoperative arterial diameter was statistically significant (log-rank χ2 = 15.415, p < 0.001), while the secondary survival was not statistically significant (log-rank χ2 = 0.131, p = 0.717). CONCLUSION: In our cohort, the preoperative arterial and venous diameter and diabetes mellitus were independent influential factors for AVF maturation and prognostic factors of AVF survival. However, the preoperative LVEF only associated with the maturation of AVF. Meanwhile, smaller arterial diameter (≤2.15 mm) was associated with AVF maturation failure, but did not impact secondary survival of AVF.

LncRNA LINC01088 inhibits the function of trophoblast cells, activates the MAPK-signaling pathway and associates with recurrent pregnancy loss.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to be involved in various cellular processes and to participate in a variety of human diseases. Recently, increasing studies have reported that lncRNAs are related to many reproductive diseases, such as pathogenesis of recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL), preeclampsia (PE) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of LINC01088 in trophoblast cells and its potential role in pathogenesis of RPL. LINC01088 was found to be upregulated in first-trimester chorionic villi tissues from RPL patients. Increased LINC01088 repressed proliferation, migration and invasion of trophoblast cells, and promoted apoptosis of trophoblast cells. Further exploration indicated that LINC01088 decreased the production of nitric oxide (NO) by binding and increasing Arginase-1 and decreasing eNOS protein levels. Importantly, JNK and p38 MAPK-signaling pathways were active after overexpression of LINC01088. In conclusion, our studies demonstrated that LINC01088 plays an important role in the pathogenesis of RPL, and is a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of RPL.

Effects of respiratory training on pulmonary function, bad mood, and quality of life in patients with COVID-19: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: At present, whether respiratory training can improve the lung function, quality of life, and mental health of patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is still controversial. Therefore, in order to provide new evidence-based medicine for clinical treatment, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the effects of respiratory training in improving lung function, quality of life, and mental health of patients with COVID-19. METHODS: Relevant publications were searched from clinical trials. Computer was used to retrieve Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials Repositories, PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases. The retrieval time limit was from the establishment of the database to April 2021. Two researchers independently carried out data extraction and literature quality evaluation on the quality and meta-analysis of the included literature was performed with Revman 5.3 software. RESULTS: The results of this meta-analysis will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal for publication. CONCLUSION: This study will provide reliable evidence-based evidence on the effects of breathing training on lung function, bad mood, and quality of life in patients with COVID-19. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval was not required for this study. The systematic review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal, presented at conferences, and shared on social media platforms. OSF REGISTRATION NUMBER: DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/ZQTGY.

MEG3 aggravates hypoxia/reoxygenation induced apoptosis of renal tubular epithelial cells via the miR-129-5p/HMGB1 axis.

The apoptosis of renal tubular epithelial cells (TECs) during ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) facilitates the progression of acute kidney injury (AKI). This study aimed to probe the role of long noncoding RNA maternally expressed 3 (MEG3) in I/R-induced apoptosis of TECs. In this study, with CoCl2 and hypoxia/reoxygenation treatments, cell models were established to mimic I/R using the human kidney tubular cell line HK-2. In HK-2 cells, expression of MEG3 detected using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), was significantly upregulated after CoCl2 treatment and hypoxia/reoxygenation treatment. The results of cell counting kit-8 assay and flow cytometry suggested that knockdown of MEG3 significantly increased the viability of HK-2 cells but inhibited its apoptosis, while overexpression of MEG3 exerted the reverse effects. Additionally, expression levels of interleukin 6 and tumor necrosis factor-α in the medium were elevated after MEG3 was overexpressed in HK-2 cells. Together with qRT-PCR and Western blot analysis, a dual-luciferase reporter gene assay was used to verify the interactions among MEG3, miR-129-5p, and HMGB1. The results demonstrated that in HK-2 cells, miR-129-5p was a target of MEG3, and HMGB1 served as a target gene of miR-129-5p. Besides this, compared with the control group, the expression levels of MEG3 and HMGB1 in samples derived from AKI patients were remarkably upregulated, and the expression of miR-129-5p was downregulated. Therefore, taken together, we conclude that the overexpression of MEG3 induced by I/R promotes apoptosis of TECs via regulating the miR-129-5p/HMGB1 axis.

MicroRNA-497/fibroblast growth factor-23 axis, a predictive indictor for decreased major adverse cardiac and cerebral event risk in end-stage renal disease patients who underwent continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed at exploring the correlation of microRNA (miR)-497/fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF-23) axis with major adverse cardiac and cerebral event (MACCE) occurrence in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients who underwent continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). METHODS: Totally, 360 ESRD patients who underwent CAPD were enrolled. Their plasma samples were collected to detect miR-497 expression by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and FGF-23 level by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. All patients were followed up for 36 months, and the occurrence of MACCE during the follow-up was documented. RESULTS: MiR-497 expression negatively correlated with FGF-23 level in ESRD patients who underwent CAPD (P < .001). The MACCE occurrence rate at 1, 2, and 3-year was 5.6%, 11.9%, and 15.0%, respectively. Furthermore, miR-497/FGF-23 axis high level (P < .001) and miR-497 high expression (P = .034) correlated with reduced accumulating MACCE occurrence, whereas FGF-23 high level (P = .008) correlated with increased accumulating MACCE occurrence. Forward stepwise multivariate Cox's regression disclosed that miR-497/FGF-23 axis high level (P = .008) was an independent predictive factor for lower accumulating MACCE occurrence, whereas age (≥55 years) (P < .001), body mass index (≥21.7 kg/m2 ) (P = .006), peritoneal dialysis duration (≥61.0 months) (P < .001), C-reactive protein (≥4.7 mg/L) (P = .001), serum uric acid (≥409.4 µmol/L) (P = .009), ß-fibrinogen (≥5.8 mmol/L) (P < .001), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (≥2.7 mmol/L) (P = .003) were independent factors for predicting higher accumulating MACCE occurrence. CONCLUSION: MiR-497/FGF-23 axis holds clinical significance for predicting attenuated MACCE risk in ESRD patients who underwent CAPD.

Correction: The mechanism and regularity of quenching the effect of bases on fluorophores: the base-quenched probe method.

Correction for 'The mechanism and regularity of quenching the effect of bases on fluorophores: the base-quenched probe method' by Huihui Mao et al., Analyst, 2018, 143, 3292-3301.

The mechanism and regularity of quenching the effect of bases on fluorophores: the base-quenched probe method.

The base-quenched probe method for detecting single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) relies on real-time PCR and melting-curve analysis, which might require only one pair of primers and one probe. At present, it has been successfully applied to detect SNPs of multiple genes. However, the mechanism of the base-quenched probe method remains unclear. Therefore, we investigated the possible mechanism of fluorescence quenching by DNA bases in aqueous solution using spectroscopic techniques. It showed that the possible mechanism might be photo-induced electron transfer. We next analyzed electron transfer or transmission between DNA bases and fluorophores. The data suggested that in single-stranded DNA, the electrons of the fluorophore are transferred to the orbital of pyrimidine bases (thymine (T) and cytosine (C)), or that the electron orbitals of the fluorophore are occupied by electrons from purine bases (guanine (G) and adenine (A)), which lead to fluorescence quenching. In addition, the electrons of a fluorophore excited by light can be transmitted along double-stranded DNA, which gives rise to stronger fluorescence quenching. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the quenching efficiency of bases is in the order of G > C ≥ A ≥ T and the capability of electron transmission of base-pairs in double-stranded DNA is in the order of CG[combining low line] ≥ GC[combining low line] > TA[combining low line] ≥ AT[combining low line] (letters representing bases on the complementary strand of the probe are bold and underlined), and the most common commercial fluorophores including FAM, HEX, TET, JOE, and TAMRA could be influenced by bases and are in line with this mechanism and regularity.