MYLK and CALD1 as molecular targets in bladder cancer.

Bladder cancer (BC) is a malignant tumor that occurs in bladder mucosa. However, relationship between myosin light chain kinase (MYLK) and CALD1 and BC remains unclear. The BC datasets GSE65635 and GSE100926 were downloaded from gene expression omnibus by GPL14951 and GPL14550. Multiple datasets were merged and batched. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened and weighted gene co-expression network analysis was performed. gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Gene and Genome analysis, gene set enrichment analysis, immune infiltration analysis, survival analysis and Comparative Toxicogenomics Database were performed. TargetScan screened miRNAs that regulated central DEGs. 1026 DEGs were identified. According to GO analysis, DEGs were mainly enriched in cancer pathway, cGMP-PKG signaling pathway, Apelin signaling pathway and proteoglycans in cancer. The enrichment items are similar to GO and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Gene and Genome enrichment projects for DEGs, which were mainly enriched in cancer pathways and leukocyte trans-endothelial cell migration. Among enrichment projects of metascape, GO has regulation of the enzyme-linked receptor protein signaling pathway and silk-based process, as well as an enrichment network stained by enrichment terms and P values. Nine core genes (ACTA2, MYLK, MYH11, MYL9, ACTG2, TPM1, TPM2, TAGLN and CALD1) were obtained, which were highly expressed in tumor tissue samples and lowly expressed in normal tissue samples. Nine genes were associated with necrosis, inflammation, tumor, edema, and ureteral obstruction. MYLK and CALD1 are highly expressed in the BC. The higher expression of MYLK and CALD1, the worse prognosis.

Study on the Effects of Potential Affecting Factors on the Midurethral Volume by High-Frequency 3-Dimensional Transvaginal Ultrasound.

OBJECTIVES: The anatomic integrity of the female mid urethra is an important factor for urinary continence. However, the associations between the urethral volume and potential affecting factors still remain uncertain. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of potential factors, including age, height, weight, body mass index (BMI), parity number, delivery mode, and menopause, on the midurethral volume to assist in more-accurate evaluations of urethral anatomy and urinary continence mechanisms in clinical practice. METHODS: A total of 244 women were included in this study. All patients had no incontinence symptoms and underwent transvaginal ultrasound examinations. Detailed histories and demographic data were collected. Urethral volumes were acquired, and volume parameters were measured offline, including the urethral sphincter volume (USV), midurethral complex volume (CV), and inner core volume (ICV). Correlations were analyzed by the Spearman test. For categorical variables, an analysis of variance, Mann-Whitney tests, or Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to estimate associations of potential affecting factors and volumes. RESULTS: The mean age, height, weight, and BMI ± SD of the patients were 35.42 ± 9.88 years, 161.50 ± 4.96 cm, 60.72 ± 11.42 kg, and 23.29 ± 4.20 kg/m2 , respectively. Among potential affecting factors, age had a weak correlation with the USV, CV, and ICV (P = .031, .003, and .004; r = 0.140, 0.193, and 0.187), whereas parity numbers significantly affected the USV, CV, and ICV (P = .014, .021, and .026). The urethral volume became larger with increasing parity. Height (P = .391, .637, and .647), weight (P = .077, .130, and .245), BMI (P = .583, .592, and .643), delivery mode (P = .483, .171, and .104), and menopausal status (P = .611, .717, and .830) had no significant impact on the midurethral volume data (USV, CV, and ICV). CONCLUSIONS: The midurethral volume tended to increase with age and parity in continent women.

Prenatal diagnosis of fetal skeletal dysplasia using targeted next-generation sequencing: an analysis of 30 cases.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to provide genetic diagnoses for 30 cases of fetal skeletal dysplasia, and a molecular basis for the future prenatal diagnosis of fetal skeletal dysplasia. METHODS: A total of 30 cases of fetal skeletal dysplasia detected with ultrasound between January 2014 and June 2017 were analyzed. Among these fetuses, 15 fetuses had local skeletal malformations, while 15 fetuses had short limb malformations. Samples of fetal umbilical cord blood, amniotic fluid, and/or aborted tissue were collected from all cases. Karyotyping, whole genome sequencing, and targeted next-generation sequencing of skeletal disease-related pathogenic genes were performed, as needed. Blood samples were taken from the parents for verification using Sanger sequencing. RESULTS: Among the 30 cases of fetal skeletal dysplasia, two cases were diagnosed with trisomy 18. However, none of these cases were identified with any microdeletions or microreplications associated with skeletal dysplasia. Among the 28 chromosomally normal cases with fetal skeletal dysplasia, 21 cases were detected with mutations in genes related to skeletal diseases. Furthermore, collagen gene mutations were detected in six fetuses with short limb malformations, while heterozygous disease-causing mutations in the fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) gene were detected in seven fetuses. The remaining fetuses carried mutations in other various genes, including tumor protein p63 (TP63), cholestenol delta-isomerase (EBP), cholinergic receptor nicotinic gamma subunit (CHRNG), filamin B (FLNB), and SRY-box 9 (SOX9). Three compound heterozygous mutations in CHRNG, COL11A2 and SOX9 were carried by phenotypically healthy parents. CONCLUSION: Targeted next-generation sequencing can significantly improve the prenatal diagnoses of fetal skeletal dysplasia, providing parents with more precision medicine, and improved genetic counseling.

Repeatability of Female Midurethral Measurement Using High-Frequency 3-Dimensional Transvaginal Ultrasonography.

OBJECTIVES: Imaging assessment of the female urethra is critical for diagnosis and treatment of urinary incontinence. High-frequency 3-dimensional (3D) transvaginal ultrasonography (TVUS) is a novel technique for evaluating the female urethra. The aim of this study was to test the repeatability of 3D TVUS between examiners without prior experience with TVUS. METHODS: Fifty women underwent 3D TVUS. Two examiners without prior experience analyzed the urethral volumes and measured the urethral parameters. Two-dimensional (2D) parameters included urethral sphincter length and urethral sphincter thickness; 3D parameters included urethral sphincter volume, midurethral complex volume, and inner core volume. One of the examiners repeated the evaluations 1 month later. Subsequently, the measurements were compared. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients ± SD was 34.1 ± 8.1 (range, 23-55) years; the mean height, weight, and body mass index were 160.44 ± 5.12 (range, 150-173) cm, 61.80 ± 13.64 (range, 45-110) kg, and 23.98 ± 4.91 (range, 17.53-39.92) kg/m2 , respectively. The results of our study showed excellent to good intraobserver repeatability (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC], 0.75-0.87) for the evaluations of all parameters but urethral sphincter length (moderate ICC, 0.53), whereas they showed good to moderate interobserver repeatability (ICC, 0.44-0.77) for all parameters. The repeatability of 3D volumes (ICC, 0.59-0.87) tended to be better than that of 2D parameters (ICC, 0.44-0.76). CONCLUSIONS: The intraobserver and interobserver repeatability of high-frequency 3D TVUS measurements of the female urethra was excellent to moderate between examiners without previous experience. The repeatability of 3D measurements tended to be better than that of 2D parameters.

Inspection and Reconstruction of Metal-Roof Deformation under Wind Pressure Based on Bend Sensors.

Metal roof sheathings are widely employed in large-span buildings because of their light weight, high strength and corrosion resistance. However, their severe working environment may lead to deformation, leakage and wind-lift, etc. Thus, predicting these damages in advance and taking maintenance measures accordingly has become important to avoid economic losses and personal injuries. Conventionally, the health monitoring of metal roofs mainly relies on manual inspection, which unavoidably compromises the working efficiency and cannot diagnose and predict possible failures in time. Thus, we proposed a novel damage monitoring scheme implemented by laying bend sensors on vital points of metal roofs to precisely monitor the deformation in real time. A fast reconstruction model based on improved Levy-type solution is established to estimate the overall deflection distribution from the measured data. A standing seam metal roof under wind pressure is modeled as an elastic thin plate with a uniform load and symmetrical boundaries. The superposition method and Levy solution are adopted to obtain the analytical model that can converge quickly through simplifying an infinite series. The truncation error of this model is further analyzed. Simulation and experiments are carried out. They show that the proposed model is in reasonable agreement with the experimental results.

Metabonomics study on the hot syndrome of traditional Chinese medicine by rapid resolution liquid chromatography combined with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry.

The hot syndrome refers to any feverish conditions during a pathological development, a sub-health phenomenon, and is a potential risk for human health. The metabonomics study on the hot syndrome may provide insight into understanding of its pathology and play a role in the prevention and treatment of its related diseases. In this paper, the rats were dosed with the hot syndrome prescription, ginseng and water. The corresponding urine samples were identified by rapid resolution liquid chromatography combined with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry. More than 1,000 metabolic compounds from different urine samples could be further differentiated by principal component analysis. As a result, the rat body temperature and weight were recognized as the hot syndrome related factors. Some specific metabolites have been discovered as a pattern of the potential biomarkers for the hot syndrome. The results showed that ginseng cannot cause the hot syndrome in a reasonable dose, but the hot syndrome prescription can. It is suggested that ginseng cannot be used only as a tradition Chinese medicine but also as a nutrient. The work showed metabonomics method is a valuable tool in studying mechanism of the hot syndrome.

[Applications of laparoscopic ultrasound in gynecological surgery].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the application value of laparoscopic ultrasonography (LUS) in gynecological surgery. METHODS: Retrospective analyses were performed for 52 cases undergoing LUS during laparoscopic extirpation/excision of gynecological tumors. Aloka 7.5-MHz laparoscopic probe was used to detect the residual lesions during laparoscopic operations. The findings of LUS were compared with those of preoperative transvaginal ultrasound and postoperative pathohistological examinations. RESULTS: Preoperative diagnoses were corrected by LUS in 9 cases. And 34 residual lesions located by LUS were successfully removed. CONCLUSION: With a high detection rate and diagnostic accuracy rate in the diagnosis of gynecologic disease, LUS can locate invisible lesions during laparoscopic operations and provide guidance for radical tumor removal. It is a safe and valuable assistance for gynecologic surgery.