MXene/Carbon Dots Nanozyme Composites for Glutathione Detection and Tumor Therapy.

Co-N-CDs-based MXene nanocomposites (MXene@PDA/Co-N-CDs) were constructed by decorating Co-N-CDs on polydopamine-functionalized MXene nanosheets. Both Co-N-CDs and MXene nanosheets have peroxidase-like activity; when the two materials are combined to form MXene@PDA/Co-N-CDs nanocomposites, the peroxide-like activity can be further enhanced. MXene@PDA/Co-N-CDs could oxidize the substrate 3,3'5,5'-tetramethylbenziline (TMB) to form ox-TMB, as confirmed by detecting the absorption of the blue products. A highly selective colorimetric biosensor was developed for the determination of glutathione (GSH) in the concentration range of 0.3 to 20 µM with a lower detection limit (LOD) of 0.12 µM, which realized the accurate detection of GSH in human serum and urine samples. Moreover, in the tumor microenvironment, MXene@PDA/Co-N-CDs could catalyze hydrogen peroxide to produce hydroxyl free radicals and produce a photothermal effect under the exposure of NIR-I irradiation. The catalytic activity of MXene@PDA/Co-N-CD nanocomposites was fully achieved for the death of cancer cells through photothermal/photodynamic synergistic therapy. The MXene@PDA/Co-N-CDs nanozyme offers multiple applications in GSH detection and tumor therapy.

Preoperative prediction of cervical cancer survival using a high-resolution MRI-based radiomics nomogram.

BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer patients receiving radiotherapy and chemotherapy require accurate survival prediction methods. The objective of this study was to develop a prognostic analysis model based on a radiomics score to predict overall survival (OS) in cervical cancer patients. METHODS: Predictive models were developed using data from 62 cervical cancer patients who underwent radical hysterectomy between June 2020 and June 2021. Radiological features were extracted from T2-weighted (T2W), T1-weighted (T1W), and diffusion-weighted (DW) magnetic resonance images prior to treatment. We obtained the radiomics score (rad-score) using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression and Cox's proportional hazard model. We divided the patients into low- and high-risk groups according to the critical rad-score value, and generated a nomogram incorporating radiological features. We evaluated the model's prediction performance using area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) and classified the participants into high- and low-risk groups based on radiological characteristics. RESULTS: The 62 patients were divided into high-risk (n = 43) and low-risk (n = 19) groups based on the rad-score. Four feature parameters were selected via dimensionality reduction, and the scores were calculated after modeling. The AUC values of ROC curves for prediction of 3- and 5-year OS using the model were 0.84 and 0.93, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our nomogram incorporating a combination of radiological features demonstrated good performance in predicting cervical cancer OS. This study highlights the potential of radiomics analysis in improving survival prediction for cervical cancer patients. However, further studies on a larger scale and external validation cohorts are necessary to validate its potential clinical utility.

Aggressive intraoperative warming and postoperative pulmonary complications in elderly patients recovering from esophageal cancer surgery: sub-analysis of a randomized trial.

Background: Elderly patients having esophagectomies often become hypothermic which may promote complications. We tested the hypothesis that aggressive warming to a core temperature of 37°C reduces postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) in elderly patients having esophageal cancer resections. Methods: This study was a pre-defined sub-study of a multi-center, parallel group, superiority trial (PROTECT). Patients aged >65 years and having elective radical resection of esophageal cancer in a single center were randomly allocated into either aggressive warming group (target intraoperative core temperatures of 37°C) or routine thermal management group (target intraoperative core temperatures of 35.5°C). The primary endpoint was the incidence of PPCs. Secondary endpoints included duration of chest tube drainage and other postoperative complications. Results: A total of 300 patients were included in the primary analysis. PPCs occurred in 27 (18%) of 150 patients in the aggressive warming group and 31 (21%) of 150 patients in the routine thermal management group. The relative risk (RR) of aggressive versus routine thermal management was 0.9 (95% CI: 0.5, 1.4; p = 0.56). The duration of chest drainage in patients assigned to aggressive warming was shorter than that assigned to routine thermal management: 4 (3, 5) days vs. 5 (4, 7) days; hazard ratio (HR) 1.4 [95% CI: 1.1, 1.7]; p = 0.001. Fewer aggressively warmed patients needed chest drainage for more than 5 days: 30/150 (20%) vs. 51/150 (34%); RR:0.6 (95% CI: 0.4, 0.9; p = 0.03). The incidence of other postoperative complications were similar between the two groups. Conclusion: Aggressive warming does not reduce the incidence of PPCs in elderly patients receiving esophagectomy. The duration of chest drainage was reduced by aggressive warming. But as a secondary analysis of a planned sub-group study, these results should be considered exploratory. Clinical trial registration: https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=37099, ChiCTR1900022257.

Emergency decompression for patients with ureteral stones and SIRS: a prospective randomized clinical study.

OBJECTIVE: Patients with ureteral calculi and systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) often require emergency drainage, and percutaneous nephrostomy (PCN) and retrograde ureteral stent insertion (RUSI) are the most commonly used methods. Our study aimed to identify the best choice (PCN or RUSI) for these patients and to examine the risk factors for progression to urosepsis after decompression. METHODS: A prospective, randomized clinical study was performed at our hospital from March 2017 to March 2022. Patients with ureteral stones and SIRS were enrolled and randomized to the PCN or RUSI group. Demographic information, clinical features and examination results were collected. RESULTS: Patients (n = 150) with ureteral stones and SIRS were enrolled into our study, with 78 (52%) patients in the PCN group and 72 (48%) patients in the RUSI group. Demographic information was not significantly different between the groups. The final treatment of calculi was significantly different between the two groups (p < .001). After emergency decompression, urosepsis developed in 28 patients. Patients with urosepsis had a higher procalcitonin (p = .012) and blood culture positivity rate (p < .001) and more pyogenic fluids during primary drainage (p < .001) than patients without urosepsis. CONCLUSION: PCN and RUSI were effective methods of emergency decompression in patients with ureteral stone and SIRS. Patients with pyonephrosis and a higher PCT should be carefully treated to prevent the progression to urosepsis after decompression.Key messageIn this study, we evaluate the best choice (PCN or RUSI) for patients who have ureteral stones and SIRS and to examine the risk factors for progression to urosepsis after decompression. This study found that PCN and RUSI were effective methods of emergency decompression. Pyonephrosis and higher PCT were risk factors for patients to develop to urosepsis after decompression.

The therapeutic effect of an autologous and allogenic mixed glioma cell lysate vaccine in a rat model.

PURPOSE: Tumor immunotherapy has the advantages of high specificity, minimal damage to the patient's body, and a long-lasting anti-tumor effect. However, due to the existence of immune escape phenomenon, the effect of anti-tumor immunotherapy is still poor. Therefore, a cancer vaccine that reverses tumor-associated immunosuppression is a very promising approach for research and treatment. METHODS: Vaccines were prepared using autologous and allogeneic tumor cells and their lysates to syngeneic tumor cell lysates as immunogens. The glioma cell proliferation, apoptosis and the secretion level of MCP-2, IFN-γ were detected to evaluate the efficacy of this treatment against glioma in vitro. In addition, a rat glioma model was established to investigate the anti-tumor effect in vivo, and evaluated its efficacy by observing the changes of CD4 + T cells, CD8 + T cells, NK cells, and the level of IL-2 and IL-10 in peripheral blood before and after treatment. RESULTS: The C6 + 9L glioma cell lysate vaccine (C6 + 9L-CL) not only inhibited the proliferation of glioma cells and promoted their apoptosis in vitro, but also significantly inhibited the tumor growth in vivo and improved the survival time of rats. In addition, the C6 + 9L-CL vaccine enhanced the anti-tumor immune response by promoting the secretion of T cell chemokines MCP-2, IFN-γ and IL-2, and by stimulating the proliferation of T cells and NK cells in peripheral blood and glioma tissues. CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrate the inhibitory effect of molecular mimic vaccines on glioma and provided a theoretical basis for molecular mimic hybrid vaccines as a potential therapeutic approach.

Efficacy of the intraoperative opioid-sparing anesthesia on quality of patients' recovery in video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery: a randomized trial.

Background: We aimed to explore the impact of opioid-sparing anesthesia on patients' quality of recovery after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). We tested the primary hypothesis that our predefined opioid-sparing anesthesia provides better quality of patients' recovery compared to routine anesthesia in VATS. Methods: Patients between 18 and 70 years, scheduled for elective VATS, had an American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class I-III under general anesthesia, were randomly allocated to: routine anesthesia group and opioid-sparing anesthesia group. Patients in the opioid-sparing anesthesia group were mainly given preoperative thoracic paravertebral blockade with intraoperative withholding longer acting opioids. Patients in routine anesthesia group received opioid-based anesthesia. The primary outcome was the Quality of Recovery-15 scale (QoR-15) at 6 hours after surgery. The secondary outcomes included QoR-15 at 24 and 48 hours after surgery, Overall Benefit of Analgesia Score Satisfaction with pain treatment (OBAS) and acute pain intensity at 6, 24 and 48 hours after surgery, and clinical outcomes of recovery after surgery. Results: A total of 159 patients were included in final analysis. The median difference in QoR-15 between opioid-sparing anesthesia and routine anesthesia was 4 (95% CI: 1-6) at 6 hours, 8 (95% CI: 4-12) at 24 hours and 4.7 (95% CI: 1-6) at 48 hours after surgery respectively; 73.4% of patient showed good recovery in opioid-sparing anesthesia group, compared to 53.8% in routine anesthesia group at 24 hours after surgery (P=0.01). Patients demonstrated lower OBAS in opioid-sparing anesthesia group compared to routine anesthesia at all time points after surgery (P<0.05). The pain at most was significantly lower in opioid-sparing anesthesia group compared to routine anesthesia at 6 and 48 hours after surgery (P<0.05). Patients exhibited faster recovery with opioid-sparing anesthesia on time to mobilize and time to first flatus (P<0.01). Conclusions: Our intraoperative opioid-sparing anesthesia cannot improve patients' recovery at 6 hours after VATS lung surgery, but it demonstrates better outcomes at 24 hours after surgery compared to routine anesthesia, reaching to a clinically important difference. Trial Registration: This study is registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR2000031609.

Changes in Quality and Antioxidant Properties of Virgin Olive Oil of 'Cornicabra' According to Fruit Maturation in Longnan, China.

This work aims to study the influence of olive fruit maturity on physicochemical properties and antioxidant activity which determine the quality of virgin olive oils (VOO). According to the results, the values of all parameters were within the range specified by the Codex Alimentarius (2017). With the increase of fruit maturity, the oil content continued to increase until reached the maximum value (20.05%) in the 7th maturity (M7). K232, K270 and peroxide value (PV) decreased with the increase of maturity, while ΔK increased linearly with the increase of maturity. Free fatty acidity (FFA) first decreased and then increased, until reached the maximum value of (0.52 ± 0.03) % in M7. The total polyphenols (TP) and total flavonoids (TF) that characterized the antioxidant properties of olive oil increased with the increase of fruit maturity, which indicated that the oxidative stability (OS) of VOO of 'Cornicabra' increased with the increase of fruit maturity. The oleic acid (C18:1) content remained above 70 % and reached the maximum of (76.68 ± 0.17) % at M7. The values of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) / polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and oleic acid (C18:1) / linoleic acid (C18:2) showed a decreasing trend with the maturity stage. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that the quality of FFA, PV, K232, K270, TP, TF and OS were higher at the 5th maturity (M5), the quality of fatty acid were higher at M7. It can be seen from the analysis that the olive fruit maturity was an important parameter to characterize and distinguish olive oil.

Analysis of Immune Landscape Reveals Prognostic Significance of Cytotoxic CD4+ T Cells in the Central Region of pMMR CRC.

BACKGROUND: Mismatch repair proficient colorectal cancer (pMMR CRC) lacks effective treatments and has a poor prognosis, which can be attributed to the complexity of tumor microenvironment. The coordinated function of immune cells is vital to anti-tumor immunity. However, the spatial characteristics of immune cells in the pMMR CRC immune microenvironment and their relationship with clinical prognosis are not fully understood. Meanwhile, the immune modulatory effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT), which is the first-line treatment of pMMR CRC, needs further investigation. Therefore, this study aims to explore the spatial dynamics of immune cells and its prognostic value in pMMR CRC. METHODS: We analyzed the various immune cells in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumor tissues which were collected from 77 patients with stage II/III of pMMR CRC, including 39 non-NCT treated and 38 NCT treated patients. We used the optimized multiplex immunohistochemistry (mIHC) to identify and quantify the density, type and location of immune cells in pMMR CRC. Multivariate survival analysis was performed to assess the relationship of immune profiles and clinical prognosis of pMMR CRC patients. RESULTS: The densities of most T cell subsets, B cells and macrophages were higher in the central region of the pMMR CRC than in the invasion margin. Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), especially the infiltration of CD4+ GzmB+ T cells in the central region of the tumor was identified to be positively correlated with the prognosis of the patients. Multivariate analysis confirmed that CD4+ GzmB+ T cells population was an independent predictor of disease-free survival (DFS) in non-NCT group. Meanwhile, NCT enhanced the infiltration of CD4+ GzmB+ T cells in the central region of the pMMR CRC, which was also identified as an independent protective factor of overall survival (OS) and DFS in NCT group. CONCLUSION: We demonstrated that the level of CD4+ GzmB+ T cells located in the center of tumor could provide great prognostic value for pMMR CRC patients. And the application of neoadjuvant chemotherapy further improves the infiltration of CD4+ GzmB+ T cells in the central compartment. Further studies into the application of CD4+ GzmB+ T cells in tumor immunotherapy are needed.

KDELR2 promotes breast cancer proliferation via HDAC3-mediated cell cycle progression.

BACKGROUND: Histone deacetylases (HDACs) engage in the regulation of various cellular processes by controlling global gene expression. The dysregulation of HDACs leads to carcinogenesis, making HDACs ideal targets for cancer therapy. However, the use of HDAC inhibitors (HDACi) as single agents has been shown to have limited success in treating solid tumors in clinical studies. This study aimed to identify a novel downstream effector of HDACs to provide a potential target for combination therapy. METHODS: Transcriptome sequencing and bioinformatics analysis were performed to screen for genes responsive to HDACi in breast cancer cells. The effects of HDACi on cell viability were detected using the MTT assay. The mRNA and protein levels of genes were determined by quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting. Cell cycle distribution and apoptosis were analyzed by flow cytometry. The binding of CREB1 (cAMP-response element binding protein 1) to the promoter of the KDELR (The KDEL (Lys-Asp-Glu-Leu) receptor) gene was validated by the ChIP (chromatin immunoprecipitation assay). The association between KDELR2 and protein of centriole 5 (POC5) was detected by immunoprecipitation. A breast cancer-bearing mouse model was employed to analyze the effect of the HDAC3-KDELR2 axis on tumor growth. RESULTS: KDELR2 was identified as a novel target of HDAC3, and its aberrant expression indicated the poor prognosis of breast cancer patients. We found a strong correlation between the protein expression patterns of HADC3 and KDELR2 in tumor tissues from breast cancer patients. The results of the ChIP assay and qRT-PCR analysis validated that HDAC3 transactivated KDELR2 via CREB1. The HDAC3-KDELR2 axis accelerated the cell cycle progression of cancer cells by protecting the centrosomal protein POC5 from proteasomal degradation. Moreover, the HDAC3-KDELR2 axis promoted breast cancer cell proliferation and tumorigenesis in vitro and in vivo. CONCLUSION: Our results uncovered a previously unappreciated function of KDELR2 in tumorigenesis, linking a critical Golgi-the endoplasmic reticulum traffic transport protein to HDAC-controlled cell cycle progression on the path of cancer development and thus revealing a potential therapeutical target for breast cancer.

Potentiating CD8+ T cell antitumor activity by inhibiting PCSK9 to promote LDLR-mediated TCR recycling and signaling.

Metabolic regulation has been proven to play a critical role in T cell antitumor immunity. However, cholesterol metabolism as a key component of this regulation remains largely unexplored. Herein, we found that the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR), which has been previously identified as a transporter for cholesterol, plays a pivotal role in regulating CD8+ T cell antitumor activity. Besides the involvement of cholesterol uptake which is mediated by LDLR in T cell priming and clonal expansion, we also found a non-canonical function of LDLR in CD8+ T cells: LDLR interacts with the T-cell receptor (TCR) complex and regulates TCR recycling and signaling, thus facilitating the effector function of cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTLs). Furthermore, we found that the tumor microenvironment (TME) downregulates CD8+ T cell LDLR level and TCR signaling via tumor cell-derived proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) which binds to LDLR and prevents the recycling of LDLR and TCR to the plasma membrane thus inhibits the effector function of CTLs. Moreover, genetic deletion or pharmacological inhibition of PCSK9 in tumor cells can enhance the antitumor activity of CD8+ T cells by alleviating the suppressive effect on CD8+ T cells and consequently inhibit tumor progression. While previously established as a hypercholesterolemia target, this study highlights PCSK9/LDLR as a potential target for cancer immunotherapy as well.

Annexin A10 is a novel prognostic biomarker of papillary thyroid cancer.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of thyroid cancer (TC) is increasing rapidly worldwide. The target therapy for papillary TC (PTC) is limited, and the studies of PTC prognostic biomarkers are not common. As a new member of annexin A (ANXA) family, the function and clinical significance of ANXA10 in PTC have not been well investigated. METHODS: Expressions of all the 12 ANXA members were detected with qPCR in 12 PTC tissues, and the ANXA10 mRNAs in PTCs and their adjacent normal thyroid tissues were compared. The subcellular location and expression of ANXA10 in 121 PTC patients were investigated with immunohistochemistry, which further classified the patients into subgroups with low or high ANXA10. The clinical significance and prognostic value of ANXA10 were estimated by analyzing its correlation with clinical factors and overall survival rates by the chi-squared test, univariate analyses, and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: ANXA10 had the highest expression in PTCs among all the ANXA members. Moreover, ANXA10 was significantly upregulated in PTC compared with normal thyroid tissues. The PTC patients with low and high expression of ANXA10 took up 70.25% (85/121) and 29.75% (36/121), respectively. ANXA10 expression was associated with tumor size, differentiation, and overall survival rates of PTC. ANXA10 was an independent prognostic biomarker predicting the poor outcome of PTC. CONCLUSIONS: ANXA10 expression was upregulated in PTC, and it was an independent prognostic biomarker of PTC, suggesting that ANXA10 may be a promising target for individual treatment of ANXA10.

Canopy mitigates the effects of nitrogen deposition on soil carbon-related processes in a subtropical forest.

The rapid increases in atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition have greatly affected the carbon (C) cycles of terrestrial ecosystems. Most studies concerning on the effects of N deposition have simulated N deposition by directly applying N to the understory and have therefore not accounted for the possibility of N absorption, retention, and transformation by the canopy. In this study, we compared the effects of understory addition of N (UN), canopy addition of N (CN) at 25 and 50 kg N ha-1 yr-1, and ambient addition of N (CK) on soil carbon-related processes in a subtropical forest. After seven years of addition, the contribution of new C from litter (Fnew) was more than 2× greater with UN treatments than with CN treatments. UN treatments significantly increased the activity of ß-1,4-glucosidase (BG) but reduced the activities of ß-1,4-N-acetylglucosaminidase (NAG), polyphenol oxidase (PPO), and peroxidase (PER). CN treatments, in contrast, did not alter the activities of extracellular enzyme. Compared to CN, UN treatments significantly enhanced soil organic carbon (SOC) and mean weight diameter (MWD, represents soil aggregate stability). Differences in the responses of SOC and MWD to CN and UN treatments were positively correlated with Fnew but negatively correlated with the activities of PPO and PER. The results imply that forest canopy mitigates the effects of atmospheric N inputs on SOC, and that conventional understory N addition might overestimate the positive effects of N deposition on forest soil C-related processes. We suggest that CN rather than UN should be used to simulate the effects of atmospheric N deposition on soil C dynamics in subtropical forests.

Dynamin 2 Is Correlated with Recurrence and Poor Prognosis of Papillary Thyroid Cancer.

BACKGROUND Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is the most common histological type of thyroid cancer. Most PTC patients have favorable outcomes, but 10% of patients still have distant metastases at presentation or during follow-up. Dynamin 2 (DNM2) is the only DNM ubiquitously expressed in human tissues, but its expression and clinical significance in PTC is still unknown. MATERIAL AND METHODS In our study, we investigated the expression of DNM2 in 112 cases of PTC and classified the patients into low and high expression of DNM2. The clinical significance of DNM2 was evaluated by assessing its correlation with the clinicopathological parameters with the chi-square method. The correlations between DNM2 expression and the disease-free survival rate or overall survival rate were assessed with the Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test. The independent prognostic factors of PTC were determined by the Cox-regression hazard model. RESULTS Patients with low and high DNM2 expression accounted for 75% and 25% respectively in the 112 patients with PTC. High DNM2 expression was significantly associated with recurrence (P=0.014) and poor prognosis (P=0.004). In addition to tumor stage, DNM2 expression was an independent prognostic biomarker of PTC, indicating an unfavorable prognosis. CONCLUSIONS DNM2 was an independent PTC biomarker indicating more likely recurrence and poorer prognosis. Detecting DNM2 expression may help to select the high-risk patients for adjuvant therapy.

Evolution of Phenotypic Traits and Main Functional Components in the Fruit of 'Chenggu-32' Olives (Olea europaea L.) Cultivated in Longnan (China).

China has taken olive cultivation as a significant part of its agricultural development. Longnan city of Gansu province was marked into the world olive distribution map by International Olive Oil Council in 1998. However, so far, little research has been done on the growth and development stages of Chinese olives. The objective of this study was to investigate the dynamics changes of several quality characteristics of olive oil at different sampling times. Olive fruit of 'Chenggu-32' grown in Longnan were harvested at twenty-four time periods and used for determination of phenotypic traits and oil quality characteristics: total polyphenols and flavonoids contents, as well as fatty acid composition by using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS) and analysed by using Principal Components Analysis (PCA). Towards maturation, fruit moisture content decreased while oil content increased. Levels of both total flavonoids and total polyphenols contents slightly decreased first then increased. The ratio of unsaturated to saturated fatty acids was close to three. The ratio of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA)/ polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) was from 2.28 to 4.05. The oleic acid (C18:1)/linoleic acid (C18:2) ratio was varied between 5.23 and 10.67 according to different sampling dates. The olive oil had lower oleic acid (C18:1) levels, higher linoleic acid (C18:2), linolenic acid (C18:3), and palmitic acid (C16:0) levels compared to Codex values (2017) in some periods, which is the characteristics fatty acid composition of 'Chenggu-32' variety in Longnan, China.

MiR-28-5p mediates the anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects of curcumin on human diffuse large B-cell lymphoma cells.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects of curcumin on diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) cells and explore the mechanism. METHODS: OCI-LY7 cells were treated with curcumin (2.5, 5, 10, 20, and 40 µM) for 24, 48, or 72 hours. Cell viability and apoptosis were determined using the 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay and TdT-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling staining, respectively. MiR-28-5p expression was detected via qRT-PCR. The binding site of miR-28-5p was predicted using online databases and verified using the dual-luciferase reporter assay. MiR-28-5p overexpression and inhibition were achieved via transfection with an miR-28-5p mimic and inhibitor, respectively. RESULTS: Curcumin decreased the viability of OCI-LY7 cells in a concentration- and time-dependent manner, and these effects were attenuated by miR-28-5p inhibition. MiR-28-5p expression was upregulated by curcumin. Curcumin increased the numbers of apoptotic cells and upregulated cleaved caspase-3 expression, and these effects were attenuated by miR-28-5p inhibition. The dual-luciferase reporter assay confirmed that miR-28-5p directly targets the 3'-untranslated region of BECN1. Curcumin downregulated BECN1 and microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 beta-II/I expression and upregulated p62 expression. CONCLUSIONS: Our results described the curcumin exerted anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects on OCI-LY7 cells through a mechanism potentially involving miR-28-5p.

A case report of primary central nervous system lymphoma.

Most patients with primary central system lymphoma (PCNSL) have immune dysfunction. PCNSL without immune dysfunction is rare and extremely challenging to diagnose. Here, we report the case of a 52-year-old woman without immune dysfunction who presented with PCNSL. The patient died a few months after diagnosis and during treatment. A review of this PCNSL patient's case highlighted that poor interpretation of imaging features and the poor correlation of laboratory test results with clinical findings led to a difficulty in making a diagnosis and administering the best treatment. For an accurate diagnosis of early stage PCNSL, positron-emission tomography computed tomography and corticosteroids should be used cautiously before stereotactic biopsy.

Ageratina adenophora invasions are associated with microbially mediated differences in biogeochemical cycles.

Invasive plant species may alter soil nutrient availability to facilitate their growth and competitiveness. However, the roles and functional mechanisms of plant-associated microbes that mediate these soil biogeochemical cycles remain elusive. Here, we studied how soil microorganisms and their functional processes differed between soils invaded by Ageratina adenophora and adjacent non-invaded soils in a region of China with heavy invasion. Our results indicated that soil nitrogen contents were over 4.32 mg/kg higher (p < 0.05) in both rhizosphere soils and bulk soils dominated by A. adenophora as compared with those in soils dominated by non-invaded plants. Concurrently, soil microbial-mediated functional processes, i.e. nitrogen fixation rate, nitrification rate and ammonification rate, were also significantly (p < 0.05) higher in either rhizosphere soils or bulk soils of invasive A. adenophora. Using a functional gene microarray, we found higher relative abundances of soil microbial genes involved in N cycling processes in A. adenophora soils, e.g. nifH, required for nitrogen fixation, which significantly correlated with ammonia contents (r = 0.35 in bulk soils, r = 0.37 in rhizosphere soils, p < 0.05) and the nitrogen fixation rate (r = 0.44, p < 0.05). We also found that the relative abundances of labile carbon decomposition genes were higher in invasive A. adenophora soils, implying a potential higher availability of carbon. These results suggest that the soil surrounding the invasive plant A. adenophora is a self-reinforcing environment. The plant litter and rhizosphere environment of the invasive may influence soil microbial communities, promoting self-supporting soil processes. Alternatively, the regions invaded by A. adenophora may have already had properties that facilitated these beneficial microbial community traits, allowing easier invasion by the exotics. Both scenarios offer important insights for the mitigation of plant invasion and provide an ecosystem-level understanding of the invasive mechanisms utilized by alien plants.

[Simultaneous determination of 12 preservatives and antioxidants in fruit and vegetable detergents by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry].

A method was established for the simultaneous determination of 12 preservatives and antioxidants in fruit and vegetable detergents by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). First, ethanol was added to remove the water in the sample by rotary evaporation and was extracted with acetonitrile in saturated n-hexane. Finally, the residual surfactant in the sample solution was removed with a saturated sodium chloride solution. The purified sample solution was concentrated and metered volume by acetonitrile. The preservatives and antioxidants were separated on a HP-5MS UI capillary column (30 m×0.25 mm×0.25 µm), and detected in the selective ion monitoring (SIM) mode. The method had a good linearity in the range of 0.1-10 mg/L with correlation coefficients (r2)>0.999, and the limits of detection (LODs) and limits of quantification (LOQs) were in the ranges of 0.010-0.030 mg/kg and 0.030-0.090 mg/kg, respectively. The recoveries of the 12 preservatives and antioxidants at three spiked levels (0.2, 2.0 and 10 mg/kg) were 68.3%-115.3% with the relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 3.1%-11.3%. (n=7) The method is sensitive and accurate, and can be suitable for the determination of preservatives and antioxidants in fruit and vegetable detergents.

Overexpression of SET and MYND Domain-Containing Protein 2 (SMYD2) Is Associated with Tumor Progression and Poor Prognosis in Patients with Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND SET and MYND domain-containing protein 2 (SMYD2), which is identified as a protein-lysine methyltransferase, plays a crucial role in the progression of some tumors such as bladder carcinoma. However, the clinical significance of SMYD2 in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) has not been elucidated. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the expression and role of SMYD2 in human PTC. MATERIAL AND METHODS Clinicopathological analysis was performed in 107 patients with PTC. Expression of SMYD2 was determined by immunohistochemistry staining, quantitative RT-PCR, or Western blotting in PTC tissues, adjacent normal tissues, and PTC cells (K1 and B-CPAP). The prognostic value of SMYD2 in PTC patients was assessed by univariate and multivariate analysis. Clinical outcomes were evaluated by Kaplan-Meier log-rank tests. Cell proliferation was examined in PTC cells following overexpression or knockdown of SMYD2. RESULTS SMYD2 was highly expressed in PTC tissues compared to adjacent thyroid tissues. Additionally, high expression of SMYD2 was significantly related to tumor size, lymph node metastasis, and TNM stage. Moreover, SMYD2 was identified as an independent prognosis factor by multivariate analysis. Using 2 PTC cell lines, K1 and B-CPAP, we demonstrated that high expression of SMYD2 can promote tumor cell proliferation. CONCLUSIONS SMYD2 expression was upregulated in PTC tissues and significantly related to the poorer prognosis of PTC patients. Our studies suggested the potential role of SMYD2 as a new therapeutic target and prognostic biomarker in human PTC.