Erythroblast transformation-specific-related gene promotes metastasis of oral squamous cell carcinoma by transcriptionally upregulating peroxiredoxin 1.

BACKGROUND: Some studies confirmed that erythroblast transformation-specific-related gene (ERG) may be a pathogenic factor of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). However, the undergoing molecular mechanism has not been elucidated yet. OBJECTIVE: In this study, the investigation will focus on how the transcription factor ERG modulates the biological behaviors of OSCC. METHODS: In this study, cancer tissue specimens and corresponding paracancer tissues were collected from 54 patients. Real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis and Western blots were employed to detect the expression of multiple genes. Cell proliferation assays, Transwell, and flow cytometry assay were utilized to detect the proliferation, invasion, and apoptosis of OSCC cell, respectively. Dual luciferase reporter gene and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays were conducted to verify the regulation of ERG on PRDX1. RESULTS: ERG exhibits high expression levels in OSCC. Inhibition of ERG has been shown to effectively suppress the malignant growth of OSCC cells. Moreover, ERG has been found to transcriptionally upregulate the expression of PRDX1. The knockdown of PRDX1 has demonstrated its ability to inhibit the malignant growth of OSCC cells. Interestingly, when PRDX1 is overexpressed, it attenuates the inhibitory effect of si-ERG on the malignant growth of OSCC cells. This suggests that PRDX1 may play a crucial role in mediating the impact of ERG on malignancy in OSCC cells. CONCLUSION: The transcription factor ERG promotes the expression of PRDX1, which could enhance the proliferation and invasion while inhibiting the apoptosis of OSCC cells.

Investigating key factors of feeding intolerance in severe acute pancreatitis: A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: The complexity of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) and the stress caused by the disease is associated with a high incidence of feeding intolerance. However, the factors influencing feeding incontinence in patients with SAP are diverse. AIMS: To systematically analyse relevant studies that investigate the occurrence of feeding intolerance in patients with SAP, identify the relevant factors of feeding intolerance in such patients and provide a reference for nursing staff to develop relevant intervention measures. DESIGN AND METHODS: This scoping review followed the approach proposed by Arksey and O'Malley. Seven electronic databases were searched from their establishment until August 2023. This included research on the factors influencing feeding intolerance in patients with SAP, determining research questions, completing literature screening and quality evaluation, extracting data and summarizing and analysing the data. The PRISMA extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) statement has also been included. RESULTS: A total of 23 articles were included. The factors influencing feeding intolerance in patients with SAP included the patient's condition, disease, treatment, feeding management and follow-up care. CONCLUSIONS: The factors affecting feeding intolerance in patients with SAP are multifaceted. A personalized nursing care plan should be developed based on relevant risk factors to improve feeding tolerance and comfort in patients with SAP and shorten hospitalization time. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Intensive care nurses should identify the risk factors for feeding intolerance in patients with SAP and implement appropriate interventions. To identify the risk factors, nurses must be updated with courses and training. Moreover, a systematic feeding intolerance prediction program can help intensive care nurses effectively identify the risk factors for feeding.

Regression-based multiple treatment effect estimation under covariate-adaptive randomization.

Covariate-adaptive randomization methods are widely used in clinical trials to balance baseline covariates. Recent studies have shown the validity of using regression-based estimators for treatment effects without imposing functional form requirements on the true data generation model. These studies have had limitations in certain scenarios; for example, in the case of multiple treatment groups, these studies did not consider additional covariates or assumed that the allocation ratios were the same across strata. To address these limitations, we develop a stratum-common estimator and a stratum-specific estimator under multiple treatments. We derive the asymptotic behaviors of these estimators and propose consistent nonparametric estimators for asymptotic variances. To determine their efficiency, we compare the estimators with the stratified difference-in-means estimator as the benchmark. We find that the stratum-specific estimator guarantees efficiency gains, regardless of whether the allocation ratios across strata are the same or different. Our conclusions were also validated by simulation studies and a real clinical trial example.

Enhanced stability of silver nanowire transparent conductive films against ultraviolet light illumination.

Silver nanowires are susceptible to degradation under ultraviolet (UV) light illumination. Encapsulating silver nanowire transparent conductive films (AgNW TCFs) with UV shielding materials usually result in the increasing of the sheet resistance or the decrease of the visible light transparency. Herein, we combine a reducing species (FeSO4) and a thin layer (overcoating) of UV shielding material to solve the stability and the optical performance issues simultaneously. The AgNW TCFs show excellent stability under continuous UV light illumination for 14 h, and their sheet resistance varies only 6%. The dramatic enhancement of the stability against UV light illumination for as-obtained TCFs will make them viable for real-world applications in touch panels and displays.

Effects of multiple firings on the low-temperature degradation of dental yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: The clinical failure of yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (Y-TZP) substrates may be attributed to their susceptibility to low-temperature degradation (LTD). The acceleration of LTD by multiple veneering firings of Y-TZP remains poorly understood. PURPOSE: The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the effects of different numbers of veneering firing cycles on the LTD of Y-TZP. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Ninety bar-shaped specimens were cut from a machinable Y-TZP block and fully sintered. The Y-TZP bars were divided into 3 groups; each group received 1, 3, or 5 veneering porcelain firing cycles. Specimens from each firing cycle (n=10) were then subjected to hydrothermal aging in an autoclave sterilizer for 10 or 20 hours to accelerate the LTD of Y-TZP. Specimens without hydrothermal aging served as the control. XRD was used to characterize phase transformations. The flexural strength and surface Vickers hardness of the 9 subgroups were investigated, and scanning electron microscopy was used to characterize the fractured surface morphology. RESULTS: Hydrothermal aging increased the monoclinic phase, although increased hydrothermal aging time provided no additional effects. Veneering firings did not enhance the influence of hydrothermal aging on phase transformation. No statistical significance was found among the 9 groups in terms of flexural strength or surface Vickers hardness (P>.05). CONCLUSIONS: Additional veneering porcelain firing cycles do not accelerate the LTD of Y-TZP.

Comparative efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors combined with chemotherapy in patients with advanced driver-gene negative non-small cell lung cancer: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of different combinations of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and chemotherapy (CT) in the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: We obtained relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from databases such as PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and The Cochrane Library up to May 31, 2023. The analysis of clinical prognostic factors was performed using R 4.2.3 and STATA 15.0. The main outcomes measured were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS), while secondary outcomes included the objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), and treatment-related adverse events of grade 3-5 severity (Grade ≥3 TRAE). Results: A total of 17 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were conducted between 2012 and 2023, involving 7792 patients. These trials evaluated 11 different treatment methods. The results of these trials showed that in terms of overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS), the combination of tislelizumab with chemotherapy and the combination of camrelizumab with chemotherapy were particularly effective. Moreover, when compared with other combination therapies, pembrolizumab combined with chemotherapy showed superiority in terms of disease control rate (DCR) and objective response rate (ORR). Subgroup analyses further demonstrated that the addition of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) to chemotherapy significantly improved PFS and OS in patients without liver metastasis and in those with brain metastasis. Additionally, carboplatin-based combination therapy was found to confer favorable survival benefits in terms of PFS, while cisplatin-based combination therapy showed the most favorable outcomes in terms of OS. The results of subgroup analyses for overall survival (OS) showed that the combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy yielded positive outcomes in specific subgroups. These subgroups were characterized by PD-L1 Tumor Proportion Score (TPS) of 50 % or higher, usage of anti-PD-1 medications, age below 65, male gender, smoking history, and non-squamous cell carcinoma histology. Superior effectiveness was demonstrated only in extending the progression-free survival (PFS) of female patients and patients with squamous carcinoma. Meanwhile, other patient cohorts did not show the same level of improvement. Conclusions: Tislelizumab, camrelizumab or pembrolizumab combined with chemotherapy may be the optimal first-line treatment strategies for NSCLC.

Synergistic Effect of Rhodiola rosea and Caffeine Supplementation on the Improvement of Muscle Strength and Muscular Endurance: A Pilot Study for Rats, Resistance Exercise-Untrained and -Trained Volunteers.

Multi-level studies have shown that Rhodiola rosea (RHO) and Caffeine (CAF) have the potential to be nutritional supplements to enhance physical performance in resistance exercise-untrained and -trained subjects. This study examined the synergistic effects of RHO (262.7 mg/kg for rats and 2.4 g for volunteers) and CAF (19.7 mg/kg for rats and 3 mg/kg for volunteers) supplementation on improving physical performance in rats, resistance exercise-untrained volunteers and resistance exercise-trained volunteers. Rats and volunteers were randomly grouped into placebo, CAF, RHO and CAF+RHO and administered accordingly with the nutrients during the training procedure, and pre- and post-measures were collected. We found that RHO+CAF was effective in improving forelimb grip strength (13.75%), erythropoietin (23.85%), dopamine (12.65%) and oxygen consumption rate (9.29%) in the rat model. Furthermore, the current results also indicated that the combination of RHO+CAF significantly increased the bench press one-repetition maximum (1RM) (16.59%), deep squat 1RM (15.75%), maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) (14.72%) and maximum repetitions of 60% 1RM bench press (22.15%) in resistance exercise-untrained volunteers. Additionally, despite the excellent base level of the resistance exercise-trained volunteers, their deep squat 1RM and MVIC increased substantially through the synergistic effect of RHO and CAF. In conclusion, combined supplementation of RHO+CAF is more beneficial in improving the resistance exercise performance for both resistance exercise-untrained and -trained volunteers. The present results provide practical evidence that the synergies of RHO and CAF could serve as potential supplementary for individuals, especially resistance exercise-trained subjects, to ameliorate their physical performances effectively and safely.

Identification of QTLs Conferring Resistance to Bacterial Diseases in Rice.

Bacterial panicle blight, bacterial leaf streak, and bacterial brown stripe are common bacterial diseases in rice that represent global threats to stable rice yields. In this study, we used the rice variety HZ, Nekken and their 120 RIL population as experimental materials. Phenotypes of the parents and RILs were quantitatively analyzed after inoculation with Burkholderia glumae, Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola, and Acidovorax avenae subsp. avenae. Genetic SNP maps were also constructed and used for QTL mapping of the quantitative traits. We located 40 QTL loci on 12 chromosomes. The analysis of disease resistance-related candidate genes in the QTL regions with high LOD value on chromosomes 1, 3, 4, and 12 revealed differential expression before and after treatment, suggesting that the identified genes mediated the variable disease resistance profiles of Huazhan and Nekken2. These results provide an important foundation for cloning bacterial-resistant QTLs of panicle blight, leaf streak, and brown stripe in rice.

Association between TRP channels and glutamatergic synapse gene polymorphisms and migraine and the comorbidities anxiety and depression in a Chinese population.

Background: Genetic and environmental factors contribute to migraine and the comorbidities of anxiety and depression. However, the association between genetic polymorphisms in the transient receptor potential (TRP) channels and glutamatergic synapse genes with the risk of migraine and the comorbidities of anxiety and depression remain unclear. Methods: 251 migraine patients containing 49 comorbidities with anxiety and 112 with depression and 600 controls were recruited. A customized 48-plex SNPscan kit was used for genotyping 13 SNPs of nine target genes. Logistic regression was conducted to analyze these SNPs' association with the susceptibility of migraine and comorbidities. The generalized multifactor dimension reduction (GMDR) was applied to analyze the SNP-SNP and gene-environment interactions. The GTEx database was used to examine the effects of the significant SNPs on gene expressions. Results: The TRPV1 rs8065080 and TRPV3 rs7217270 were associated with an increased risk of migraine in the dominant model [ORadj (95% CI): 1.75 (1.09-2.90), p = 0.025; 1.63 (1.02-2.58), p = 0.039, respectively]. GRIK2 rs2227283 was associated with migraine in the edge of significance [ORadj (95% CI) = 1.36 (0.99-1.89), p = 0.062]. In migraine patients, TRPV1 rs222741 was associated with both anxiety risk and depression risk in the recessive model [ORadj (95% CI): 2.64 (1.24-5.73), p = 0.012; 1.97 (1.02-3.85), p = 0.046, respectively]. TRPM8 rs7577262 was associated with anxiety (ORadj = 0.27, 95% CI = 0.10-0.76, p = 0.011). TRPV4 rs3742037, TRPM8 rs17862920 and SLC17A8 rs11110359 were associated with depression in dominant model [ORadj (95% CI): 2.03 (1.06-3.96), p = 0.035; 0.48 (0.23-0.96), p = 0.042; 0.42 (0.20-0.84), p = 0.016, respectively]. Significant eQTL and sQTL signals were observed for SNP rs8065080. Individuals with GRS (Genetic risk scores) of Q4 (14-17) had a higher risk of migraine and a lower risk of comorbidity anxiety than those with Genetic risk scores scores of Q1 (0-9) groups [ORadj (95% CI): 2.31 (1.39-3.86), p = 0.001; 0.28 (0.08-0.88), p = 0.034, respectively]. Conclusion: This study suggests that TRPV1 rs8065080, TRPV3 rs7217270, and GRIK2 rs2227283 polymorphism may associate with migraine risk. TRPV1 rs222741 and TRPM8 rs7577262 may associate with migraine comorbidity anxiety risk. rs222741, rs3742037, rs17862920, and rs11110359 may associate with migraine comorbidity depression risk. Higher GRS scores may increase migraine risk and decrease comorbidity anxiety risk.

The Gut Microbiota in Women Suffering from Gestational Diabetes Mellitus with the Failure of Glycemic Control by Lifestyle Modification.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is prevalent worldwide, leading to a high risk of significant morbidity for both the mother and offspring with complications. Increasing evidences suggest that gut microbiota plays a role in the pathogenesis of GDM. Lifestyle modification is the cornerstones of GDM treatment. However, a number of patients whose blood glucose is not controlled by lifestyle modification still require exogenous insulin to control blood glucose. No observational study is available about the relationship between the gut microbiota in GDM patients and lifestyle modifications. Thus, we investigated the differences in gut microbiota between GDM patients with successful glycemic control (GDM1) and failure of glycemic control (GDM2) by lifestyle modifications. We sequenced the V3-V4 regions of 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) gene from stool samples of 52 singleton pregnant women with 24-28 weeks of gestation. Our results showed that Blautia, Eubacterium_hallii_group, and Faecalibacterium in the gut microbiota showed significant differences among the normoglycemic mother, GDM1, and GDM2 groups, respectively. The combined diagnostic performance of Blautia, Eubacterium_hallii_group, and Faecalibacterium in differentiating GDM2 from GDM was considered as the most reasonable identification indicator. Gut bacteria may participate in the pathological development of GDM2 through the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) signaling pathway. These results indicated that Blautia, Eubacterium_hallii_group, and Faecalibacterium had important characteristic changes in the gut microbiota of women with GDM2.