A site-resolved two-dimensional quantum simulator with hundreds of trapped ions.

A large qubit capacity and an individual readout capability are two crucial requirements for large-scale quantum computing and simulation1. As one of the leading physical platforms for quantum information processing, the ion trap has achieved a quantum simulation of tens of ions with site-resolved readout in a one-dimensional Paul trap2-4 and of hundreds of ions with global observables in a two-dimensional (2D) Penning trap5,6. However, integrating these two features into a single system is still very challenging. Here we report the stable trapping of 512 ions in a 2D Wigner crystal and the sideband cooling of their transverse motion. We demonstrate the quantum simulation of long-range quantum Ising models with tunable coupling strengths and patterns, with or without frustration, using 300 ions. Enabled by the site resolution in the single-shot measurement, we observe rich spatial correlation patterns in the quasi-adiabatically prepared ground states, which allows us to verify quantum simulation results by comparing the measured two-spin correlations with the calculated collective phonon modes and with classical simulated annealing. We further probe the quench dynamics of the Ising model in a transverse field to demonstrate quantum sampling tasks. Our work paves the way for simulating classically intractable quantum dynamics and for running noisy intermediate-scale quantum algorithms7,8 using 2D ion trap quantum simulators.

Realizing Synthetic Dimensions and Artificial Magnetic Flux in a Trapped-Ion Quantum Simulator.

Synthetic dimension is a potent tool in quantum simulation of topological phases of matter. Here we propose and demonstrate a scheme to simulate an anisotropic Harper-Hofstadter model with controllable magnetic flux on a two-leg ladder using the spin and motional states of a single trapped ion. We verify the successful simulation of this model by comparing the measured dynamics with theoretical predictions under various coupling strength and magnetic flux, and we observe the chiral motion of wave packets on the ladder as evidence of the topological chiral edge modes. We develop a quench path to adiabatically prepare the ground states for varying magnetic flux and coupling strength, and we measure the chiral current on the ladder for the prepared ground states, which allows us to probe the quantum phase transition between the Meissner phase and the vortex phase. Our work demonstrates the trapped ion as a powerful quantum simulation platform for topological quantum matter.

Evidence for Chiral Wobbler in Nuclei.

Three ΔI=1 bands with the πg_{9/2}⊗νg_{9/2} configuration have been identified in _{35}^{74}Br_{39}. Angular distribution, linear polarization, and lifetime measurements were performed to determine the multipolarity, type, mixing ratio, and absolute transition probability of the transitions. By comparing these experimental observations with the corresponding fingerprints and the quantum particle rotor model calculations, the second and third lowest bands are, respectively, suggested as the chiral partner and one-phonon wobbling excitation built on the yrast band. The evidence indicates the first chiral wobbler in nuclei.

Probing Complex-Energy Topology via Non-Hermitian Absorption Spectroscopy in a Trapped Ion Simulator.

Non-Hermitian systems generically have complex energies, which may host topological structures, such as links or knots. While there has been great progress in experimentally engineering non-Hermitian models in quantum simulators, it remains a significant challenge to experimentally probe complex energies in these systems, thereby making it difficult to directly diagnose complex-energy topology. Here, we experimentally realize a two-band non-Hermitian model with a single trapped ion whose complex eigenenergies exhibit the unlink, unknot, or Hopf link topological structures. Based on non-Hermitian absorption spectroscopy, we couple one system level to an auxiliary level through a laser beam and then experimentally measure the population of the ion on the auxiliary level after a long period of time. Complex eigenenergies are then extracted, illustrating the unlink, unknot, or Hopf link topological structure. Our work demonstrates that complex energies can be experimentally measured in quantum simulators via non-Hermitian absorption spectroscopy, thereby opening the door for exploring various complex-energy properties in non-Hermitian quantum systems, such as trapped ions, cold atoms, superconducting circuits, or solid-state spin systems.

[Management of liver transplantation perioperative period in acute-on-chronic liver failure].

Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a potentially reversible entity that occurs in patients with chronic liver disease accompanied with or without cirrhosis and is characterized by extrahepatic organ failure and high short-term mortality. Currently, the most effective treatment method for patients with ACLF is liver transplantation; therefore, admission timing and contraindications must be emphasized. The function of vital organs such as the heart, brain, lungs, and kidneys should be actively supported and protected during the liver transplantation perioperative period in patients with ACLF. Focusing on the anesthesia management level during anesthesia selection, intraoperative monitoring, three-stage management, prevention and treatment of post-perfusion syndrome, monitoring and management of coagulation function, volume monitoring and management, and body temperature monitoring management for liver transplantation should strengthen anesthesia management. Additionally, standard postoperative intensive care treatment should be recommended, and grafts and other vital organ functions should be monitored throughout the perioperative period to promote early postoperative recovery in patients with ACLF.

[Analysis of factors affecting the quality of donor corneal endothelial cells].

Objective: To explore the factors influencing the quality of donor corneal endothelium. Methods: A retrospective case series study was conducted. Data from 568 donor corneas obtained from the Shandong Eye Bank between July 1, 2020, and June 30, 2021, were collected for analysis. The corneal endothelium of the donor corneas was observed using corneal endothelial microscopy to assess corneal endothelial cell density (ECD), coefficient of variation, and hexagonal cell ratio (HEX). Relevant factors of corneal donors were collected, including gender, age, cause of death, season of death, time from death to corneal retrieval, and methods of corpse preservation, to investigate their impact on the quality of donor corneal endothelium. The age factor was divided into five age groups: 0-20 years, 21-40 years, 41-60 years, 61-80 years, and >80 years. The time of corneal retrieval was divided into three periods based on the time elapsed since the donor's death: <6 hours, 6-12 hours, and >12 hours. The relationship between these factors and corneal endothelial conditions was analyzed. Results: The 568 donor corneas were obtained from 288 donors, including 225 males (78.13%) and 63 females (21.87%). The mean age was 51.77±18.48 years. The causes of death among donors were as follows: cardiovascular diseases 54.58% (275 individuals), cancer 17.96% (74 individuals), organ failure 14.26% (49 individuals), and accidents 13.20% (64 individuals). The mean time of corneal retrieval after donor death was 140 (76, 400) minutes (ranging from 30 minutes to 45 hours). Among the 145 corneas (25.53%) that had their initial corneal endothelial microscopy examination, the images were not clear, and after thorough rewarming, 106 corneas (18.7%) still had unclear images and could not be analyzed. Among the 462 corneas (81.3%) with clear images, the ECD was (2 602.23±318.40) cells/mm², the coefficient of variation was 36.61%±4.81%, and the HEX was 52.73%±7.15%. The ECD of corneas from older donors was lower compared to younger donors, and the differences between age groups were statistically significant (P<0.001). Corneas from donors who died due to accidents had a higher ECD [(2 829.88±313.90) cells/mm²] compared to those who died from cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and organ failure, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.001). The ECD was highest when corneas were retrieved within 6 hours after death, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). Older donors had higher coefficients of variation but lower HEX values (both P<0.05). Corneas retrieved after a longer time from death had higher coefficients of variation, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05), but there was no statistically significant difference in HEX (P>0.05). Organ failure, cryopreservation, and corneal retrieval time >12 hours were risk factors for unclear corneal endothelial imaging (all P<0.001). Among the 136 corneal endothelial images (23.94%), circular, oval, or band-shaped dark areas were observed, and corneas with dark areas had lower ECD (P<0.05). The longer the time elapsed from death to corneal retrieval, the more dark areas were observed (P<0.001). The presence of dark areas did not affect the coefficient of variation and HEX (P>0.05). Conclusion: Advanced donor age, death due to chronic diseases, longer time elapsed from death to corneal retrieval, and cryopreservation of the body lead to a decrease in the quality of donor corneal endothelium.

Next-generation gene panel testing in adolescents and adults in a medical neuropsychiatric genetics clinic.

Intellectual disability (ID) encompasses a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of neurodevelopmental disorders that may present with psychiatric illness in up to 40% of cases. Despite the evidence for clinical utility of genetic panels in pediatrics, there are no published studies in adolescents/adults with ID or autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study was approved by our institutional research ethics board. We retrospectively reviewed the medical charts of all patients evaluated between January 2017 and December 2019 in our adult neuropsychiatric genetics clinic at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), who had undergone a comprehensive ID/ASD gene panel. Thirty-four patients aged > 16 years, affected by ID/ASD and/or other neuropsychiatric/behavioral disorders, were identified. Pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants were identified in one-third of our cohort (32%): 8 single-nucleotide variants in 8 genes (CASK, SHANK3, IQSEC2, CHD2, ZBTB20, TREX1, SON, and TUBB2A) and 3 copy number variants (17p13.3, 16p13.12p13.11, and 9p24.3p24.1). The presence of psychiatric/behavioral disorders, regardless of the co-occurrence of ID, and, at a borderline level, the presence of ID alone were associated with positive genetic findings (p = 0.024 and p = 0.054, respectively). Moreover, seizures were associated with positive genetic results (p = 0.024). One-third of individuals presenting with psychiatric illness who met our red flags for Mendelian diseases have pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants which can be identified using a comprehensive ID/ASD gene panel (~ 2500 genes) performed on an exome backbone.

[A special on epidemic prevention and control: analysis on expression of 2019-nCoV related ACE2 and TMPRSS2 in eye tissues].

This article was published ahead of print on the official website of Chinese Journal of Ophthalmolog on Apirl 22,2020. Objective: Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and Transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2) are the key proteins for 2019-nCoV entry into host cells. To evaluate the potential infection risk of 2019-nCoV on ocular surface, we compared ACE2 and TMPRSS2 expression among different eye tissues. Methods: Experimental study. Thirty mice were assigned to male, female, aged, diabetic and non-diabetic groups, with 6 mice in each group. Real-time PCR was performed to quantify ACE2 and TMPRSS2 gene expression in conjunctiva, cornea, lacrimal gland, iris, lens, retina, lung, heart, kidney, and liver from male mice. Immunohistochemistry staining was applied to visualize the distribution of the two proteins in different mice tissues, and in human corneal and conjunctival sections. Published transcriptome datasets were extracted to generate the expression comparasion of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 between human conjunctival and corneal tissues, and results were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U test. Female mice, aged mice, STZ-induced diabetic mice, diabetic group control mice were also subjected to ACE2 expression analysis. Results were analyzed using Student's t-test. Results: The expression of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 genes were the highest in conjunctiva among all the six mice eye tissues explored. The expression of these two genes in conjunctiva were lower than that in kidney and lung. ACE2 and TMPRSS2 shared similar expression pattern with the staining concentrated in corneal epithelium, conjunctival epithelium and lacrimal gland serous cells. The expression levels of ACE2 showed gender difference. Female mice had lower ACE2 in conjunctiva and cornea than male mice, with the expression levels being only 43% (t=3.269, P=0.031) and 63% (t=4.080, P=0.015) of that in the male conjunctiva and cornea, respectively. Diabetic mice expressed more ACE2 in conjunctiva (1.21-fold, P>0.05) and lacrimal gland (1.10-fold, P>0.05) compared with the control group. No significant difference on ACE2 expression was found between the aged and young adult mice. The expression level of human conjunctiva ACE2 and TMPRSS2 were significantly higher than that in the cornea (P=0.007), with 5.74-fold and 12.84-fold higher in the conjunctiva than in the corneal epithelium cells, which resembled the situation in mice. Conclusion: The observation of high-level ACE2 and TMPRSS2 expression in conjunctiva among the 6 eye tissues examined suggests that conjunctiva serves as an infection target tissue of 2019-nCoV. (Chin J Ophthalmol, 2020, 56:438-446).

[Correlation between diameter and primary closure rate by internal limiting membrane peeling and air tamponade in large idiopathic macular holes].

Objective: To analyze surgical outcomes by internal limiting membrane peeling and air tamponade in large idiopathic macular holes (IMHs) and the correlation between the minimal diameter and the primary closure rate. Methods: Retrospective study. A total of 282 patients (300 eyes) with IMHs larger than 400 µm who underwent vitrectomy and internal limiting membrane peeling in Beijing Tongren Hospital from July 2015 to January 2019 were enrolled, including 56 males (61 eyes) and 226 females (239 eyes) with an medium age of 65(62, 68) years. Before July 2016, gas tamponade was applied while after that, air tamponade was used. The minimal diameter of the IMH was measured. IMHs were divided into intervals every 50 µm by minimal diameter, and the primary closure rate of the two tamponades were compared between intervals by Chi-square test. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn to show the correlation between the minimal diameter and the primary closure rate by air tamponde. Results: The mean minimal diameter of all the IMHs was (615.7±126.0)µm. In general, the primary closure rate was 91.7% (275/300), and the BCVA at last visit (0.5(0.3, 0.7)) improved significantly (P<0.001) comparing to the preoperative one (0.1(0.05, 0.2)). A total of 187 eyes with air tamponade exhibited a primary closure rate of 88.2%, which was significantly lower (P=0.005) than that with gas tamponade (97.3%). For IMHs with air tamponade, the optimal closure rate was 100% among all intervals; from the interval of (650, 700)µm on, the primary closure rates of every interval gradually decreased and were significantly lower than the optimal one (P<0.05) respectively; the ROC curve revealed that IMHs larger than 664.5 µm tended to exhibit a smaller chance of primary closure. For IMHs ≤650 µm, the two tamponades exhibited comparable primary closure rate (96.1% for air, 100.0% for gas, P=0.17), while for IMHs>650 µm, air tamponade (71.2%) presented significantly lower rate (93.5% for gas, P=0.002). IMHs ≤650 µm exhibited significantly better BCVA compared to those larger (P<0.01), no matter which tamponade was applied. In IMHs ≤650 µm, BCVA exhibited no significant difference between the two tamponades, so as in IMHs>650 µm. Conclusions: For IMHs with air tamponade, the minimal diameter is closely related to both the primary closure rate and the postoperative BCVA. IMHs>650 µm exhibited evidently poorer anatomical and functional outcomes compared with those ≤650 µm, which suggested that maybe other techniques for the internal limiting membrane could be applied to improve surgical outcomes for these large IMHs. (Chin J Ophthalmol, 2019, 55:739-746).

Compensation factors for 3rd order coma in three mirror anastigmatic (TMA) telescopes.

Misalignment induced third-order coma with respect to misaligned parameters in TMA optical systems is derived by using Nodal Aberration Theory, which yields the compensation factors that can be used to accomplish coma compensation in both coaxial and off-axis misaligned TMA telescopes. By using the compensation factors, coma free point for the tertiary mirror in TMA telescopes is derived and proved to be the negative form of the one for the secondary mirror in the Cassegrain telescope. The compensation factors can also be used to design the off-axis TMAs due to their capability of eliminating the coma over the field of view.

Evaluation of mango saponin in broilers: effects on growth performance, carcass characteristics, meat quality and plasma biochemical indices.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the present study was to determine whether mango saponin (MS) could be used as a feed additive in broiler chicks by evaluating growth performance, carcass characteristics, meat quality, and plasma biochemical indices. METHODS: A total of 216 1-d-old Arbor Acres male broiler chicks were randomly assigned into three dietary treatments supplemented with 0 (control), 0.14% (MS 0.14%), or 0.28% (MS 0.28%) MS. Each treatment had six replicates (cages) with 12 chicks each. The feeding trial lasted for six weeks. RESULTS: Compared with the control, dietary supplemented with 0.14% or 0.28% MS increased average daily weight gain of chicks in the grower (22 to 42 d) and the whole (1 to 42 d) phases, and the final body weight of chicks on d 42 was higher in MS supplemented groups (p<0.05). Lower L45 min* (lightness) and L24 h* values, lower b24 h* (yellowness) value, and higher a45 min* (redness) and a24 h* values of the breast muscle were observed in chicks fed with 0.28% MS on d 42 (p<0.05). The total antioxidant capacity in plasma increased in MS 0.14% group on d 21 (p<0.001). Lower contents of plasma total cholesterol and triglyceride were observed in chicks fed with 0.28% MS on d 21 and d 42, whereas the group supplemented with 0.14% MS only decreased plasma triglyceride content on d 21 (p<0.05). The glucose content in plasma decreased in MS 0.28% group on d 42 (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Overall, MS could be used as a feed additive in broiler chicks, and the supplemental level of 0.28% MS in diet could improve growth performance, meat quality, and plasma lipid metabolism in broiler chicks.

Evidence for Octupole Correlations in Multiple Chiral Doublet Bands.

Two pairs of positive-and negative-parity doublet bands together with eight strong electric dipole transitions linking their yrast positive- and negative-parity bands have been identified in ^{78}Br. They are interpreted as multiple chiral doublet bands with octupole correlations, which is supported by the microscopic multidimensionally-constrained covariant density functional theory and triaxial particle rotor model calculations. This observation reports the first example of chiral geometry in octupole soft nuclei.

Genetic association between ACTN3 polymorphism and risk of non-acute ankle sprain.

In this study, we investigated the association between ACTN3 R577X polymorphism and non-acute ankle sprain by measuring the allele frequency and genotype distribution of ACTN3 in a Chinese Han population. We recruited 100 patients with non-acute ankle sprain and 100 healthy controls with no history of ankle injuries. Mass spectrometric analysis of single nucleotide polymorphism was used to analyze the genotype and allele frequencies of ACTN3. Results showed that the genotype frequency of RR in patients was 12.0%, which was significantly lower than that of the controls (24.0%) (OR = 1.7; 95%CI = 1.5-2.7; P = 0.001). The frequency distribution of the R allele in patients and controls were 68.5 and 56.7%, respectively (P = 0.002). Moreover, frequency of the RR genotype exhibited a downward linear trend with increased incidences of ankle sprain. Our results suggest that ACTN3 R577X polymorphism is associated with non-acute ankle sprain in the Chinese Han population.

[Association of sleep quality with hypertension in the elderly of Jino nationality: a multilevel model analysis].

Objective: To evaluate the association of sleep quality with hypertension in the elderly population aged 60 years and older of Jino nationality. Methods: In August 2015, a cross-sectional population-based survey was conducted to investigate the prevalence of hypertension in 805 subjects sampled by multistage stratified and cluster sampling from the elderly population of Jino nationality, the sleep quality was assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI, a poor sleep group was defined as having a global PSQI score>7, a good sleep group was with a score of 7 or less), and the multilevel Logistic regression model was applied to analyze the association of sleep quality with hypertension. Results: A total of 793 eligible participants were available for analysis. Overall, 118 participants (14.9%) were in the poor sleep group, and 675 participants (85.1%) were in the good sleep group. The prevalence of hypertension, prevalence of isolated systolic hypertension, average systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of the poor sleep group were significantly high than those of the good sleep group[73.7%, 22.0%, (139.2±17.7) and (82.5±10.6) mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa) vs 33.0%, 9.0%, (131.2±15.0) and (78.5±8.9) mmHg, all P<0.05]. The results of covariate-adjusted multilevel Logistic regression model indicated that subjective sleep quality (OR=2.64, 95% CI: 1.08-6.44), sleep latency (OR=2.98, 95% CI: 1.52-5.86), sleep disturbance (OR=2.93, 95% CI: 1.06-8.10), daytime dysfunction (OR=3.86, 95% CI: 1.74-8.58) and poor sleep (OR=3.98, 95% CI: 2.05-7.73) had the positive correlation with hypertension. Conclusions: The elderly population of Jino nationality with poor sleep have high SBP and DBP. There are positive associations of PSQI and its components with hypertension in the elderly population of Jino nationality.

Effects of Neuromedin S on the Proliferation of Splenic Lymphocytes and the Cytokine Secretion by Pulmonary Alveolar Macrophages in Pigs in vitro.

Neuromedin S (NMS), a 36-amino acid neuropeptide, has been found to be involved in the regulation of the endocrine activity. It has been also detected in immune tissues in mammals, what suggests that NMS may play an important role in the regulation of immune response. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the presence of NMS receptor 1 (NMU1R) and effect of NMS in pig splenic lymphocytes (SPLs) and pulmonary alveolar macrophages (PAMs). The presence of NMU1R in pig SPLs and PAMs was respectively confirmed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), western blot analysis and immunocytochemical methods. Furthermore, SPL proliferation was analyzed using the 3-(4,5)-dimethyl-thiahiazo-(-2-yl)-3,5-di-phenytetrazoliumromide (MTT) method. Additionally, the secretion of interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in PAMs was all measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. In the present study, the results of RT-PCR and western blot analysis revealed that NMU1R mRNA and protein were both expressed in pig SPLs and PAMs, and the immunocytochemical investigations further revealed that the positive signal of NMU1R immunoreactivity was observed in plasma membranes of both SPLs and PAMs. In the in vitro study, we found that at concentrations of 0.001-1000 nM NMS alone or combined with lipopolysaccharide or phytohemagglutinin significantly increased SPL proliferation. Application of ELISA method showed that NMS could induce the secretion of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1ß, IL-6 and TNF-α in PAMs. These results suggest that NMS can act as a potently positive pro-inflammatory factor and immunomodulatory agent that affects the immune response of immune cells by combining with its receptor NMU1R.

Two-party secret key distribution via a modified quantum secret sharing protocol.

We present and demonstrate a novel protocol for distributing secret keys between two and only two parties based on N-party single-qubit Quantum Secret Sharing (QSS). We demonstrate our new protocol with N = 3 parties using phase-encoded photons. We show that any two out of N parties can build a secret key based on partial information from each other and with collaboration from the remaining N - 2 parties. Our implementation allows for an accessible transition between N-party QSS and arbitrary two party QKD without modification of hardware. In addition, our approach significantly reduces the number of resources such as single photon detectors, lasers and dark fiber connections needed to implement QKD.

Anti-tumor immunity elicited by cross-linking vaccine heat shock protein 72 and alpha-fetoprotein epitope peptide.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies over the world. Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is an oncofetal protein during HCC development, which could generate weaker and less reproducible antitumor protection, and may serve as a target for immunotherapy. Therefore, it is imperative to enhance its immunogenicity and develop therapeutic vaccines to eliminate AFP-expressing tumors. In this study, by using glutaraldehyde cross-linking, we constructed a potential therapeutic peptide vaccine, heat shock protein 72 (HSP72) and AFP epitope peptide (HSP72/AFP-P). ELISPOT was applied to evaluate the quantity of AFP-specific CD8+ T cell that secreted IFN-γ in immunized BALB/C mice. Granzyme B released from natural killer cells and AFP-specific antibody responses in immunized mice were detected by ELISA. The anti-tumor effects were investigated by in vitro cytotoxic T-lymphocyte assays and in vivo tumor therapeutic experiments. The results showed that reconstructed HSP72 and AFP epitope peptide vaccine synergistically exhibited significant increases in AFP-specific CD8+ T cells, natural killer cells responses and impressive antitumor effects against AFP-expressing tumors. Immunization of BALB/C mice with HSP72/AFP-P vaccine elicited stronger T-cells responses. The numbers of IFN-γ-producing CD8+ T cells from mice immunized with HSP72/AFP-P were 30 times more than those from mice immunized with AFP-P, HSP72 or PBS (P < 0.01). The concentration of granzyme B in natural killer cells from mice immunized with HSP72/AFP-P were 15 times higher than that from other groups (P < 0.01). In vitro effector cells from mice immunized with HSP72/AFP-P showed much stronger cytolytic effect on H22 target cells than those from mice vaccinated with AFP-P, HSP72 or PBS (P < 0.01). Priming mice with the reconstructed vaccine exhibited robust strong protective immunity. Mice immunized with HSP72 or AFP-P alone demonstrated higher average tumor volumes than mice immunized with HSP72/AFP-P (P < 0.05). Our study suggests that constructing a tumor vaccine by cross-linking AFP antigen epitope peptide and HSP72 is a promising approach for cancer therapy.

Implications of microRNA-197 downregulated expression in esophageal cancer with poor prognosis.

The aim of this study was to investigate the significance of the microRNA miR-197 expression level in relation to clinicopathological factors and prognoses of esophageal cancer (EC). MicroRNA was extracted using the Taqman(®) MicroRNA Assay from 46 EC patients at the same tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage, but with different prognoses, who underwent surgery. Paracancerous normal tissues were used as controls. The correlation between miR-197 expression and clinicopathologic features was analyzed, and the significance of miR-197 as a prognostic factor and its relationship with survival was determined. miR-197 expression was lower in patients with poor prognosis than in those with good prognosis (P < 0.05). Kaplan-Meier analysis results showed that the miR-197 expression level is significantly correlated with survival time (P = 0.030), and that patients with higher expression of miR-197 had longer survival times. Cox multi-factor model analysis showed that patient prognosis (P = 0.001), tumor length (P = 0.010) and expression (P = 0.042), and survival time were significantly correlated, with corresponding risks of 9.183, 2.318, and 1.925, respectively. This study supports a role of miR-197 as an anti-oncogene and a biomarker for EC and its relationship with other prognostic factors and survival.

Overregulation of microRNA-212 in the poor prognosis of esophageal cancer patients.

There have been few reports evaluating the expression and function of the microRNA miR-212 in esophageal cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between miR-212 expression and clinicopathological factors and prognoses of esophageal cancer. MicroRNA was extracted from 46 esophageal cancer patients using the Taqman MicroRNA assay. All patients were at the same tumor node metastasis stage, but with different prognoses, and had all undergone surgery. The correlation between miR-212 expression and clinicopathological features was analyzed and the significance of miR-212 as a prognostic factor as well as its relationship with survival was determined. miR-212 expression was higher in patients with poor prognoses than in those with good prognoses (P < 0.0001). Kaplan-Meier analysis results showed that the miR-212 expression level was significantly correlated with survival time (P = 0.024). Patients with higher expression of miR-212 showed longer survival times. Cox multi-factor model analysis showed that miR-212 expression was significantly correlated with survival time (P = 0.026). mir-212 is related with prognostic factors and survival time and may be a biomarker for esophageal cancer.

[Clinical and prognostic characteristics of pediatric acute myeloid leukemia with myelodysplasia-related changes under different diagnostic criteria].

Objective: To evaluate the clinical and prognostic differences in acute myeloid leukemia with myelodysplasia-related changes (AML-MRC) children under different diagnostic criteria (World Health Organization (WHO) 2016 and WHO 2022 criteria). Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, clinical characteristics and prognosis information of 260 acute myeloid leukemia (AML) children admitted to Institute of Hematology & Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from August 2017 to August 2021 were analyzed retrospectively. According to WHO 2016 and WHO 2022 diagnostic criteria, patients were divided into AML-MRC group and non-AML-MRC group, the prognostic and genetic differences between two groups were compared respectively. Meanwhile, the characteristics of children with 8 MRC-related genes defined in WHO 2022 diagnostic criteria were described. Mann-Whitney U test, chi-square test were used for comparison between groups. Survival curve was plotted by Kaplan-Meier method, and comparison between groups was performed by Log-Rank method. Results: Among the 260 children, there were 148 males and 112 females. The follow-up time was 26 (16, 38) months. A total of 28 children (10.8%) were diagnosed with AML-MRC according to the WHO 2016 diagnostic criteria. Compared with non-AML-MRC children, the frequency of PTPN11, RUNX11, SH2B3, MPL and STAG2 mutations was higher in AML-MRC children (25.0% (7/28) vs. 4.3% (10/232), 14.3% (4/28) vs. 3.9% (9/232), 10.7% (3/28) vs. 2.2% (5/232), 10.7% (3/28) vs. 2.2% (5/232), 10.7% (3/28) vs. 0.9% (2/232), all P<0.05). The 2-year overall survival (OS) and events free survival (EFS) rate of 28 AML-MRC children under WHO 2016 diagnostic criteria were worse than those of 232 non-AML-MRC children ((62.1±10.8)% vs. (94.5±1.6)%, χ2=22.1,P<0.001;(48.0±10.6)% vs. (70.9±3.2)%, χ2=6.33,P=0.012). Twenty-seven children (10.4%) were eventually diagnosed with AML-MRC according to WHO 2022 criteria, their 2-year OS rate were worse than 233 non-AML-MRC children ((60.8±11.1)% vs. (94.5±1.6)%, χ2=24.49,P<0.001), and there was no statistically significant difference in EFS rate between two groups at 2 years ((55.1±10.8)% vs. (70.1±3.2)%, χ2=2.44, P=0.119). Conclusions: Compared with the 2022 WHO diagnostic criteria, the survival rates of children with AML-MRC under the 2016 WHO diagnostic criteria were worse than that of children without MRC.The new version of the AML-MRC diagnostic criteria emphasizes the importance of genes.