Blood cell count-derived inflammation indices as predictors of the osteoporotic risk of postmenopausal women.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the associations between osteoporosis (OP) and systemic immune inflammation index (SII), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in postmenopausal women. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This retrospective study included 966 postmenopausal women. Logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analyses were applied to explore the relationships between SII, NLR, MLR, and PLR with the bone mineral density (BMD) and risk of OP. RESULTS: Logistic regression analyses showed that SII, PLR, NLR, and MLR had independent negative associations with the OP risk. The ROC curve analysis showed that SII, NLR, and MLR predicted a low BMD, with NLR having the highest predictive value (area under the curve = 0.624). SII > 504.09, PLR > 131.87, NLR > 2.02, and MLR > 0.12 correlated with a particularly high OP risk. CONCLUSIONS: High levels of SII, PLR, NLR, and MLR were associated with a high OP risk. In particular, NLR > 2.02 strongly predicted the risk of OP, thereby representing a valuable and convenient inflammatory marker of the OP risk.

Three-Dimensional Fracture Analysis in Functionally Graded Materials Using the Finite Block Method in Strong Form.

In this paper, the application of the strong-form finite block method (FBM) to three-dimensional fracture analysis with functionally graded materials is presented. The main idea of the strong-form FBM is that it transforms the arbitrary physical domain into a normalized domain and utilizes the direct collocation method to form a linear system. Using the mapping technique, partial differential matrices of any order can be constructed directly. Frameworks of the strong-form FBM for three-dimensional problems based on Lagrange polynomial interpolation and Chebyshev polynomial interpolation were developed. As the dominant parameters in linear elastic fracture mechanics, the stress intensity factors with functionally graded materials (FGMs) were determined according to the crack opening displacement criteria. Several numerical examples are presented using a few blocks to demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the strong-form FBM.

Serum CTRP3 concentrations are positively correlated with disease severity in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis: a population-based cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: Osteoporosis is a leading public health problem that contributes to increasingly high rates of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures among older adults. This study was developed with the goal of assessing serum C1q/TNF-related protein-3 (CTRP3) levels in postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP) patients and exploring the correlations between these levels and PMOP severity. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A population-based cross-sectional study of old women with osteoporosis was conducted. All women underwent both clinical and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry examinations. Serum CTRP3, procollagen type I N propeptide (P1NP), and C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX-1) concentrations in these patients were measured via ELISA. Bone tumor markers were additionally assessed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were utilized to assess the diagnostic performance of CTRP3 when identifying PMOP. RESULTS: This study included 54 PMOP patients, 62 patients with osteopenia, and 60 age-matched patients without PMOP. Serum CTRP3 concentrations in PMOP patients were significantly lower than in the other two groups. Bone mineral density (BMD) was positively correlated with serum CTRP3 levels in all study participants, whereas it was negatively correlated with levels of P1NP and CTX-1. ROC analyses also suggested that reductions in serum CTRP3 levels may offer value as a diagnostic indicator of PMOP. CONCLUSIONS: Present data highlight a close relationship between CTRP3 and PMOP, with lower serum CTRP3 levels being closely associated with BMD, such that they may represent a protective marker for PMOP.

[Application of transcriptome sequencing and fusion genes analysis in the diagnosis of myeloid leukemia with normal karyotype].

Objective: To analyze the possible fusion genes with high-throughput transcriptome sequencing in myeloid leukemia patients with normal karyotype. Methods: From May 2017 to January 2019, three cases of myeloid leukemia patients with normal karyotype and negative for common fusion genes from the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University were selected as the research objects. The transcriptome sequencing of bone marrow mononuclear cells was performed by high-throughput gene sequencing technology. Defuse software was used to analyze the gene fusion sequence in the transcriptome data, reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Sanger sequencing were used to verify the fusion gene with clear pathological significance. Results: All three patients were diagnosed with myeloid leukemia by clinical manifestations, bone marrow cell morphology, immunology, and histochemical staining. Cytogenetic tests showed normal chromosome karyotypes. Fluorescence in situ hybridization and RT-PCR were used to detect BCR-ABL1, PML-RARA, and other common fusion genes. The results were all negative. Transcriptome sequencing and fusion transcripts analysis revealed that these three patients carried rare fusion genes with clear pathological significance, which included BCR-FGFR1, CPSF6-RARG, and NUP98-RARG, respectively. Conclusion: Transcriptome sequencing can accurately analyze rare but pathologically significant fusion genes that may exist in myeloid leukemia patients with normal karyotypes.

[Doxycycline inhibits paraquat-induced pulmonary fibrosis via TGF-ß1/Smad pathway].

Objective: To investigate the possible mechanism of doxycycline inhibiting paraquat-induced pulmonary fibrosis and provide a theoretical basis for its clinical application. Methods: Human lung fibroblast HFL1 cells were selected as the research object in the cell group. Divided into blank group, paraquat group, paraquat+doxycycline group. The expression of TGF-ß1, a-SMA, Smad3 and Smad2 protein was detected by ELISA using 40 ml of paraquat 40 umol/L and 3 mg/L of oleic acid 10 mg/L. In the animal group, 120 healthy and clean SD rats were randomly divided into three groups: blank group, paraquat group, paraquat+doxycycline group. The expression of TGF-ß1, a-SMA, Smad3 and Smad2 protein in lung tissue of mice at 1 day, 3 days, 7 days, 14 days and 21 days was detected by Elisa method. The expression of TGF-ß1, a-SMA, Smad3 and Smad2 protein in lung tissue of 21-day mice was detected by Western Blotting. The pathological changes of lung tissue were observed by HE staining for 1 day, 3 days, 7 days, 14 days and 21 days. Results: In the cell group experiment, the expression of TGF-ß1, a-SMA, Smad3 and Smad2 protein increased gradually with paraquat in the paraquat group, and the expression of TGF-ß1, a-SMA, Smad3 and Smad2 protein was significantly higher than that in the blank group. The difference was statistically significant (P<0.05) . The expressions of TGF-ß1, a-SMA, Smad3 and Smad2 in the paraquat+doxycycline group were significantly lower than those in the paraquat group, but still higher than the blank group, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05) . Conclusion: Doxycycline inhibits paraquat-induced pulmonary fibrosis by inhibiting the expression of TGF-ß1, a-SMA and Smad3, Smad2 proteins.

HDAC1 is indirectly involved in the epigenetic regulation of p38 MAPK that drive the lung cancer progression.

OBJECTIVE: p38 MAPK are a class of protein kinase that may induce or prevent apoptosis in different circumstance. Emerging researches show that it plays a vital role in tumor progression and therefore understanding its dual role in different stages of lung cancer are important to investigate. Also in this study, we planned to understand its upstream target proteins like HDAC1 and uPAR which are responsible for p38 MAPK activation in the pathway. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We initially develop lung cancer mice model by exposing them to high nicotine content tobacco smoke. The pathological stages of initial and advanced lung cancer are observed and confirmed through histological sectioning. The expression of HDAC1, uPAR and p38 MAPK are observed and analyzed in different stages of lung cancer using immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. RESULTS: After 4 and 6 months of regular exposure of high nicotine content smoke, the A/J strain mice develop initial and advanced stage of lung cancer. The initial stage cancer develops thick tissue layers with fibrosis whereas advanced stages of lung cancer show more proliferative cells. The expression of HDAC1 and uPAR shows the minimal expression pattern in control and initial stages of lung cancer, but its expression increased in advanced stage of cancer. In case of phospho-p38 MAPK, mild expression was observed almost in every individual cell in the initial stages of cancer, which implies its protective role in preventing advanced stage of cancer. But in advanced stage of lung cancer, we observed dysregulated overexpression of phospho-p38 MAPK. CONCLUSIONS: The epigenetic regulation of uPAR by HDAC1 confirms its indirect role in regulating p38 MAPK as tumor progress.

[Comparison of different scoring systems in prognosis evaluation of acute poisoning].

Objective: To compare the predictive value of PSS, APACHEII, SAPSII and SOFA in the prognosis evaluation of acute poisoning. Methods: Clinical data (including PSS score, APACHEII score, SAPSII score and SOFA score, within 24 hours after admission) of 231 acute poisoning patients admitted to the emergency intensive care unit EICU of our hospital from January 2015 to October 2016 was retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into the survival group and the dead group according to the 28-day clinical outcomes, comparing the differences of clinical data in each group. To analyze the correlation between PSS score, APACHEII score, SAPSII score and SOFA score in each group, comparing the value and the area under the ROC curve of four scoring systems and evaluate the predictive value of the four scoring systems. Results: Comparing with the survival group and the dead group, PSS score, APACHEII score, SAPSII score and SOFA score were significantly different (P<0.01) . PSS score, APACHEII score, SAPSII score and SOFA score were significantly positive correlation (P<0.01) , the area under the ROC curve (AUC) of the four scoring systems were 0.833, 0.887, 0.843 and 0.843 respectively. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of APACHEII score was higher than PSS score, SAPSII score and SOFA score, the difference was statistically significant (z=2.351, 2.317, 2.217; P=0.019, 0.021, 0.027) , there was no significant difference in the area (AUC) between the three scoring curves (P>0.05) . The cutoff value (cut-off) , sensitivity, specificity and accuracy rates of PSS score, APACHEII score, SAPSII score and SOFA score were (2.5, 93.1%, 50.9%, 61.5%) , (14.5, 82.8%, 75.7%, 77.48%) , (31.5, 77.6%, 76.90%, 77.08%) , (5.5, 77.60%, 74.60%, 75.35%) . Conclusion: PSS score, APACHEII score, SAPSII score and SOFA score can evaluate the prognosis of patients with acute poisoning, but the APACHEII score is better than the other three scoring systems in evaluating the prognosis for its evaluation ability and accuracy rate.

Experimental demonstration of gridless spectrum and time optical switching.

An experimental demonstration of gridless spectrum and time switching is presented. We propose and demonstrate a bit-rate and modulation-format independent optical cross-connect architecture, based on gridless spectrum selective switch, 20-ms 3D-MEMS and 10-ns PLZT optical switches, that supports arbitrary spectrum allocation and transparent time multiplexing. The architecture is implemented in a four-node field-fiber-linked testbed to transport continuous RZ and NRZ data channels at 12.5, 42.7 and 170.8 Gb/s, and selectively groom sub-wavelength RZ channels at 42.7 Gb/s. We also showed that the architecture is dynamic and can be reconfigured to meet the routing requirements of the network traffic. Results show error-free operation with an end-to-end power penalty between 0.8 dB and 5 dB for all continuous and sub-wavelength channels.

Gridless optical networking field trial: flexible spectrum switching, defragmentation and transport of 10G/40G/100G/555G over 620-km field fiber.

We present results from the first gridless networking field trial with flexible spectrum switching nodes and 620 km of installed fibre links. Signals at 10G, 12.25G, 42.7G, DP-QPSK 40G, DP-QPSK 100G and 555G are generated, successfully transported and switched using flexible, custom spectrum allocation per channel. Spectrum defragmentation is demonstrated using integrated SOA-MZI wavelength converters. Results show error-free end-to-end performance (BER<1e-9) for the OOK channels and good pre-FEC BER performance with sufficient margin to FEC limit for the 40G and 100G coherent channels as well as for the 555G super-channel.