Digital Surgical Guides in Mandibular Genioplasty: Evaluating Precision Against Conventional Techniques.

BACKGROUND: Mandibular genioplasty, a central procedure in oral and maxillofacial surgery, has traditionally relied on surgeon experience with potential limitations in precision. The advent of digital methods, particularly computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM), offers a promising alternative. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of digital surgical guides in improving the precision of mandibular genioplasty. METHODS: A prospective analysis of 50 patients undergoing genioplasty was performed, 30 in the experimental group using digital surgical guides and 20 in the control group using traditional methods. Three-dimensional reconstructions were obtained using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and digital scans. Osteotomy guides were 3D-printed based on group assignment. Postoperatively, accuracy was assessed by measuring distances between landmarks. RESULTS: The experimental group showed significantly reduced horizontal positioning errors in genioplasty advancement, with no significant differences in vertical errors. For genioplasty retraction, the experimental group showed fewer vertical positioning errors, while horizontal errors remained consistent. CONCLUSIONS: The use of digital surgical guides in mandibular genioplasty significantly improves surgical accuracy, resulting in improved outcomes and patient satisfaction. This study highlights the potential of digital methods in refining oral and maxillofacial surgical procedures. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE III: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.

Association of Lymph Nodes Positive Rate With the Risk of Recurrence in Patients With Stage T1 Papillary Thyroid Cancer.

The incidence of lymph node metastasis in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is common and a significant risk factor for local recurrence; however, its impact on recurrence patterns among low-risk patients remains uncertain. We aimed to elucidate the effect of metastatic lymph node on recurrence type. The medical records of 1209 patients with stage T1 PTC who underwent unilateral thyroidectomy with ipsilateral central lymph node dissection were retrospectively analyzed. The study first identified risk factors for different types of recurrence and then categorized patients as high or low risk based on their lymph node positive ratio (LNPR). The diagnostic accuracy of LNPR in predicting recurrence was compared using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, while differences in recurrence-free survival were assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method. During follow-up, a total of 502 (41.5%) patients had central lymph node metastasis and 52 (4.3%) patients experienced recurrence. Notably, LNPR was significantly higher in relapsed patients compared to nonrelapsed patients, with mean values of 0.45 and 0.23, respectively (P < .001). The recurrence rate of residual thyroid did not differ significantly across different T stages (P = .679), N stages (P = .415), or LNPR risk groups (P = .175). However, the recurrence rate of lymph nodes showed a significant correlation with LNPR (P < .001). The area under the ROC curves for LNPR risk stratification at 5 and 10 years were approximately 0.691 and 0.634, respectively, both of which outperformed N stage. The findings underscore the significance of LNPR's reliability as a prognostic indicator for local lymph node recurrence in patients diagnosed with T1 stage PTC.

Mixotrophic aerobic denitrification facilitated by denitrifying bacterial-fungal communities assisted with iron in micro-polluted water: Performance, metabolic activity, functional genes abundance, and community co-occurrence.

Low-dosage nitrate pollutants can contribute to eutrophication in surface water bodies, such as lakes and reservoirs. This study employed assembled denitrifying bacterial-fungal communities as bio-denitrifiers, in combination with zero-valent iron (ZVI), to treat micro-polluted water. Immobilized bacterial-fungal mixed communities (IBFMC) reactors demonstrated their ability to reduce nitrate and organic carbon by over 43.2 % and 53.7 %, respectively. Compared to IBFMC reactors, IBFMC combined with ZVI (IBFMC@ZVI) reactors exhibited enhanced removal efficiencies for nitrate and organic carbon, reaching the highest of 31.55 % and 17.66 %, respectively. The presence of ZVI in the IBFMC@ZVI reactors stimulated various aspects of microbial activity, including the metabolic processes, electron transfer system activities, abundance of functional genes and enzymes, and diversity and richness of microbial communities. The contents of adenosine triphosphate and electron transfer system activities enhanced more than 5.6 and 1.43 folds in the IBFMC@ZVI reactors compared with IBFMC reactors. Furthermore, significant improvement of crucial genes and enzyme denitrification chains was observed in the IBFMC@ZVI reactors. Iron played a central role in enhancing microbial diversity and activity, and promoting the supply, and transfer of inorganic electron donors. This study presents an innovative approach for applying denitrifying bacterial-fungal communities combined with iron enhancing efficient denitrification in micro-polluted water.

Effect of SlSAHH2 on metabolites in over-expressed and wild-type tomato fruit.

Background: Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is an annual or perennial herb that occupies an important position in daily agricultural production. It is an essential food crop for humans and its ripening process is regulated by a number of genes. S-adenosyl-l-homocysteine hydrolase (AdoHcyase, EC 3.3.1.1) is widespread in organisms and plays an important role in regulating biological methylation reactions. Previous studies have revealed that transgenic tomato that over-express SlSAHH2 ripen earlier than the wild-type (WT). However, the differences in metabolites and the mechanisms driving how these differences affect the ripening cycle are unclear. Objective: To investigate the effects of SlSAHH2 on metabolites in over-expressed tomato and WT tomato. Methods: SlSAHH2 over-expressed tomato fruit (OE-5# and OE-6#) and WT tomato fruit at the breaker stage (Br) were selected for non-targeted metabolome analysis. Results: A total of 733 metabolites were identified by mass spectrometry using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database and the Human Metabolome database (HMDB). The metabolites were divided into 12 categories based on the superclass results and a comparison with the HMDB. The differences between the two databases were analyzed by PLS-DA. Based on a variable important in projection value >1 and P < 0.05, 103 differential metabolites were found between tomato variety OE-5# and WT and 63 differential metabolites were found between OE-6# and WT. These included dehydrotomatine, L-serine, and gallic acid amongst others. Many metabolites are associated with fruit ripening and eight common metabolites were found between the OE-5# vs. WT and OE-6# vs. WT comparison groups. The low L-tryptophan expression in OE-5# and OE-6# is consistent with previous reports that its content decreases with fruit ripening. A KEGG pathway enrichment analysis of the significantly different metabolites revealed that in the OE-5# and WT groups, up-regulated metabolites were enriched in 23 metabolic pathways and down-regulated metabolites were enriched in 11 metabolic pathways. In the OE-6# and WT groups, up-regulated metabolites were enriched in 29 pathways and down-regulated metabolites were enriched in six metabolic pathways. In addition, the differential metabolite changes in the L-serine to flavonoid transformation metabolic pathway also provide evidence that there is a phenotypic explanation for the changes in transgenic tomato. Discussion: The metabolomic mechanism controlling SlSAHH2 promotion of tomato fruit ripening has been further elucidated.

Feasibility of the enhanced neuromuscular blockade recovery protocol with selective use of sugammadex in thyroid surgery with intraoperative neuromonitoring.

BACKGROUND: To investigate feasibility of utilizing enhanced neuromuscular blocking agents with selective recovery protocol during thyroid surgery with intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM). METHODS: Two-hundred and ninety patients were randomized into two groups: group A 0.3 mg/kg rocuronium and group B 0.6 mg/kg. Sugammadex 2 mg/kg was injected if needed followed initial vagal stimulation (V0). Electromyography signals from vagus and recurrent laryngeal nerves before and after resection were recorded as V1, V2, R1, and R2. RESULTS: In group B, 30 patients (20.7%) had V0 signals <100 µV, compared to 9 (6.2%) in group A. After sugammadex administration, 144 patients (99.3%) in both groups achieved positive V1 signals. Group B demonstrated a shorter surgical time from rocuronium injection to V2 stimulation compared to group A, accompanied by a significantly lower incidence of intraoperative body movement (0 vs. 16 patients). CONCLUSIONS: 0.6 mg/kg rocuronium with selective use 2 mg/kg sugammadex for IONM in thyroid surgery can meet both anesthesia and surgery demands.

Subcutaneous implantation after endoscopic and traditional thyroid surgery: a retrospective case report.

Subcutaneous implantation is an unexpected complication of thyroid surgery. Our study aimed to analyze the clinical features and outcomes of implantation after thyroid surgery. We retrospectively searched for the patients with implants of thyroid tumor after surgery from our database prior to August 2023. The clinical and pathological data were reviewed. Six female patients with a mean age of 33.6 ± 13.3 years were enrolled in this study. There was a rare case with mucinous adenocarcinoma, three follicular thyroid carcinoma, and two papillary thyroid carcinoma. The case with primary enteric adenocarcinoma of thyroid with subcutaneous implantation was first reported. The patient with mucinous adenocarcinoma received six courses of TP regimen chemotherapy. Five cases received radioactive iodine therapy. After a mean of 69.5 months of follow-up, one case recurred in the lateral region, and no metastasis or recurrence happened in the other five cases. Although the implantation after thyroid surgery is uncommon, the cases serve as a reminder to take greater care to avoid implantation.

Integrated proteogenomic and metabolomic characterization of papillary thyroid cancer with different recurrence risks.

Although papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) has a good prognosis, its recurrence rate is high and remains a core concern in the clinic. Molecular factors contributing to different recurrence risks (RRs) remain poorly defined. Here, we perform an integrative proteogenomic and metabolomic characterization of 102 Chinese PTC patients with different RRs. Genomic profiling reveals that mutations in MUC16 and TERT promoter as well as multiple gene fusions like NCOA4-RET are enriched by the high RR. Integrative multi-omics analyses further describe the multi-dimensional characteristics of PTC, especially in metabolism pathways, and delineate dominated molecular patterns of different RRs. Moreover, the PTC patients are clustered into four subtypes (CS1: low RR and BRAF-like; CS2: high RR and metabolism type, worst prognosis; CS3: high RR and immune type, better prognosis; CS4: high RR and BRAF-like) based on the omics data. Notably, the subtypes display significant differences considering BRAF and TERT promoter mutations, metabolism and immune pathway profiles, epithelial cell compositions, and various clinical factors (especially RRs and prognosis) as well as druggable targets. This study can provide insights into the complex molecular characteristics of PTC recurrences and help promote early diagnosis and precision treatment of recurrent PTC.

Feasibility and safety of robotic liver resection for huge (≥10 cm) hepatocellular carcinoma in a single centre: A propensity score-matched single-surgeon study.

BACKGROUND: The applicability of robot-assisted resection for huge hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) of ≥10 cm remains contentious with limited available data. METHODS: This retrospective analysis involved 337 patients who underwent robotic liver resection for HCC by a single surgeon. Propensity score matching (PSM) was employed to compare perioperative indicators between patients with regular and huge HCC. RESULTS: The regular HCC group exhibited a shorter median operative duration than the huge HCC group. The IWATE criteria revealed higher scores in the huge HCC group than in the regular HCC group. No significant differences were observed between the two groups in Pringle time, drainage tube removal, duration of hospital stays, blood loss volume, blood product transfusion, margin status, conversion rate to open surgery, bile leakage, in-hospital mortality, and reoperation rate. CONCLUSION: Robotic liver resection is feasible for huge HCC, with effective perioperative risk management potentially improving outcomes for subsequent minimally invasive surgeries.

Comprehensive DNA Methylation Profiling of Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma: Molecular Classification, Potential Therapeutic Target, and Classifier System.

PURPOSE: Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) presents a distinct biological context from other thyroid cancers due to its specific cellular origin. This heterogeneous and rare tumor has a high prevalence of advanced diseases, making it crucial to address the limited therapeutic options and enhance complex clinical management. Given the high clinical accessibility of methylation information, we construct the largest MTC methylation cohort to date. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Seventy-eight fresh-frozen MTC samples constituted our methylation cohort. The comprehensive study process incorporated machine learning, statistical analysis, and in vitro experiments. RESULTS: Our study pioneered the identification of a three-class clustering system for risk stratification, exhibiting pronounced epigenomic heterogeneity. The elevated overall methylation status in MTC-B, combined with the "mutual exclusivity" of hypomethylated sites displayed by MTC-A and MTC-C, distinctively characterized the MTC-specific methylation pattern. Integrating with the transcriptome, we further depicted the features of these three clusters to scrutinize biological properties. Several MTC-specific aberrant DNA methylation events were emphasized in our study. NNAT expression was found to be notably reduced in poor-prognostic MTC-C, with its promoter region overlapping with an upregulated differentially methylated region. In vitro experiments further affirmed NNAT's therapeutic potential. Moreover, we built an elastic-net logistic regression model with a relatively high AUC encompassing 68 probes, intended for future validation and systematic clinical application. CONCLUSIONS: Conducting research on diseases with low incidence poses significant challenges, and we provide a robust resource and comprehensive research framework to assist in ongoing MTC case inclusion and facilitate in-depth dissection of its molecular biological features.

Performance of aerobic denitrifying fungal community for promoting nitrogen reduction and its application in drinking water reservoirs.

The effect of mix-cultured aerobic denitrifying microorganisms on the water remediation has been extensively explored, but little is known about the performance of mix-cultured low efficiency fungi on denitrification. In this study, two kinds of aerobic denitrifying fungi (Trichoderma afroharzianum H1 and Aspergillus niger C1) were isolated from reservoirs, improved the capacity by mix-cultured. The results showed a difference between northern and southern reservoirs, the dominants of genera were Cystobasidium and Acremonium. The removals of total nitrogen (TN) was 12.00%, 7.53% and 69.33% in Trichoderma afroharzianum H1, Aspergillus niger C1 and mix-cultured (C1 and H1) under the denitrification medium. The contents of ATP and electron transport system activity in mix-cultured amendment were increased by 42.54% and 67.52%, 1.72 and 2.91 times, respectively. Besides, the raw water experiment indicated that TN removals were 24.05%, 12.66% and 73.42% in Trichoderma afroharzianum H1, Aspergillus niger C1 and mix-cultured. The removals of dissolved organic carbon in mix-cultured were increased 35.02% and 50.46% compared to Trichoderma afroharzianum H1 and Aspergillus niger C1. Therefore, mix-cultured of two low efficiency aerobic denitrifying fungi has been considered as a novelty perspective for mitigation of drinking water source.

A multicenter prospective study of lateral neck lymph node mapping in papillary thyroid cancer.

Background: Despite the high incidence of lateral neck lymph node (LN) metastasis in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC), the management of the lateral neck remains controversial. We aimed to map the draining LNs in the lateral neck using carbon nanoparticles and explore its potential in neck evaluation. Methods: We conducted a multicenter, prospective study in PTC patients who had non-palpable yet suspicious metastatic lateral LNs on ultrasound and/or computed tomography (CT) but could not be confirmed by fine needle aspiration. Carbon nanoparticle suspension was injected peritumorally into the thyroid and modified lateral neck dissection was subsequently performed. Results: A total of 154 patients were enrolled for analysis. And 5,070 lateral LNs were removed, of which 1,079 (21.3%) were dyed. The median of dyed LNs was 6 per case (range, 1-33). The distribution of dyed LNs in neck compartments was IV > III > IIA > IIB/V, independent of tumor size, location, multifocality or microscopic extra-thyroidal extension (ETE). Compared with undyed LNs, the probabilities of metastasis in dyed LNs were significantly increased in compartment III, IV, V, and II-V (III: 29.3% vs. 15.4%, P<0.001; IV: 26.3% vs. 14.5%, P<0.001; V: 16.7% vs. 3.3%, P=0.005; II-V: 26.3% vs. 10.0%, P<0.001). The relative risks of metastasis in dyed LNs compared with undyed LNs were 1.90, 1.82, 5.04 and 2.62 in compartment III, IV, V, and II-V, respectively. Conclusions: It was the first prospective multicenter study to map the lateral neck LNs with carbon nanoparticles, which could help surgeons visualize the suspicious LNs during surgery. Instead of unguided LN biopsy, this method has a potential role in lateral neck assessment for indeterminate lateral LNs in PTC.

ZmEREB92 plays a negative role in seed germination by regulating ethylene signaling and starch mobilization in maize.

Rapid and uniform seed germination is required for modern cropping system. Thus, it is important to optimize germination performance through breeding strategies in maize, in which identification for key regulators is needed. Here, we characterized an AP2/ERF transcription factor, ZmEREB92, as a negative regulator of seed germination in maize. Enhanced germination in ereb92 mutants is contributed by elevated ethylene signaling and starch degradation. Consistently, an ethylene signaling gene ZmEIL7 and an α-amylase gene ZmAMYa2 are identified as direct targets repressed by ZmEREB92. OsERF74, the rice ortholog of ZmEREB92, shows conserved function in negatively regulating seed germination in rice. Importantly, this orthologous gene pair is likely experienced convergently selection during maize and rice domestication. Besides, mutation of ZmEREB92 and OsERF74 both lead to enhanced germination under cold condition, suggesting their regulation on seed germination might be coupled with temperature sensitivity. Collectively, our findings uncovered the ZmEREB92-mediated regulatory mechanism of seed germination in maize and provide breeding targets for maize and rice to optimize seed germination performance towards changing climates.

Nitrate Protects Microorganisms and Promotes Formation of Toxic Nitrogenous Byproducts during Water Disinfection by Far-UVC Radiation.

Far-UVC radiation is an emerging tool for combating pathogenic microorganisms in water, but its vulnerability to water matrix components remains unclear. We herein report the critical impacts of nitrate during Far-UVC disinfection of water. Nitrate at environmentally relevant concentrations (0.5-10.0 mg-N L-1) significantly inhibits Escherichia coli inactivation by Far-UVC radiation at 222 nm, via prolonging the "lag phase" of inactivation and reducing the inactivation rate constants by 1.08-2.74 times, while it shows negligible impact on E. coli inactivation by UVC radiation at 254 nm. The inhibitory impact of nitrate on Far-UVC disinfection is attributed to its strong light-shielding effect. Although hydroxyl radicals and reactive nitrogen species are generated from Far-UVC photolysis of nitrate at high concentrations of 10-13 and ∼10-7 M, respectively, those radicals are unable to compensate for the light-shielding effect of nitrate on E. coli inactivation. Moreover, reactive nitrogen species lead to the formation of nitrogenous byproducts, which increase the genotoxicity of the water. The findings advance the fundamental photochemistry and radical chemistry of nitrate at 222 nm and provide useful insights to guide the operation of Far-UVC in treating nitrate-containing water.

Promoted aerobic denitrification through denitrifying fungal communities: Co-occurrence patterns and treatment of low C/N micro-polluted water.

Despite the growing interest in using mixed-culture aerobic denitrifying fungal flora (mixed-CADFF) for water remediation, there is limited research on their nitrogen removal performance in low C/N polluted water bodies. To address this knowledge gap, we isolated three mixed-CADFFs from overlying water in urban lakes to evaluate their removal performance. The total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiencies were 93.60 %, 94.64 %, and 95.18 %, while the dissolved organic carbon removal efficiencies were 96.64 %, 95.12 %, and 96.70 % for mixed-CADFF LN3, LN7, and LN15, respectively in the denitrification medium under aerobic conditions at 48 h cultivation. The three mixed-CADFFs could utilize diverse types of low molecular weight carbon sources to drive the aerobic denitrification processes efficiently. The optimal C/N ratio for the mixed-CADFFs were C/N = 10, and then C/N = 15, 7, 5, and 2. The high-throughput sequencing analysis of three mixed-CADFFs indicated that Eurotiomycetes, Cystobasidiomycetes, and Sordariomycetes were the dominant class in the communities at class level. The network analysis showed that the rare fungal species, such as Scedosporium dehoogii Saitozyma, and Candida intermedia presented positively co-occurred with the TN removal and organic matter reduction capacity. Immobilization mixed-CADFFs treatment raw water experiments indicated that three mixed-CADFFs could reduce nearly 62.73 % of TN in the low C/N micro-polluted raw water treatment. Moreover, the cell density and cell metabolism indexes were also increased during the raw water treatment. This study will provides new insight into resource utilization of the mixed-culture aerobic denitrifying fungal community in field of environment restoration.

Structuring healthcare advance directives: Evidence from Chinese end-of-life cancer patients' treatment preferences.

BACKGROUND: Patients' treatment decisions may be influenced by the ways in which treatment options are presented. There is little evidence on how patients with advanced cancer choose preferences for advance directives (ADs) in China. Informed by behavioural economics, we assess whether end-of-life (EOL) cancer patients held deep-seated preferences for their health care and whether default options and order effects influenced their decision-making. METHODS: We collected data on 179 advanced cancer patients who were randomly assigned to complete one of the four types of ADs: comfort-oriented care (CC) AD (comfort default AD); a life extension (LE)-oriented care option (LE default AD); CC (standard CC AD) and LE-oriented (standard LE AD). Analysis of variance test was used. RESULTS: In terms of the general goal of care, 32.6% of patients in the comfort default AD group retained the comfort-oriented choice, twice as many as in the standard CC group without default options. Order effect was significant in only two individual-specific palliative care choices. Most patients (65.9%) appointed their children to make EOL care decisions, but patients choosing the CC goal were twice as likely to ask their family members to adhere to their choices than patients who chose the LE goal. CONCLUSION: Patients with advanced cancer did not hold deep-seated preferences for EOL care. Default options shaped decisions between CC and LE-oriented care. Order effect only shaped decisions in some specific treatment targets. The structure of ADs matters and influence different treatment outcomes, including the role of palliative care. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Between August and November 2018, from 640 cancer hospital medical records fitting the selection criteria at a 3A level hospital in Shandong Province, we randomly selected 188 terminal EOL advanced cancer patients using a random generator programme to ensure all eligible patients had an equal chance of selection. Each respondent completes one of the four AD surveys. While respondents might require support in making their healthcare choices, they were informed about the purpose of our research study, and that their survey choices would not affect their actual treatment plan. Patients who did not agree to participate were not surveyed.

Aerobic Denitrification Enhanced by Immobilized Slow-Released Iron/Activated Carbon Aquagel Treatment of Low C/N Micropolluted Water: Denitrification Performance, Denitrifying Bacterial Community Co-occurrence, and Implications.

The key limiting factors in the treatment of low C/N micropolluted water bodies are deficient essential electron donors for nitrogen removal processes. An iron/activated carbon aquagel (IACA) was synthesized as a slowly released inorganic electron donor to enhance aerobic denitrification performance in low C/N micropolluted water treatment. The denitrification efficiency in IACA reactors was enhanced by more than 56.72% and the highest of 94.12% was accomplished compared with those of the control reactors. Moreover, the CODMn removal efficiency improved by more than 34.32% in IACA reactors. The Illumina MiSeq sequencing consequence explained that the denitrifying bacteria with facultative denitrification, iron oxidation, and iron reduction function were located in the dominant species niches in the IACA reactors (e.g., Pseudomonas, Leptothrix, and Comamonas). The diversity and richness of the denitrifying bacterial communities were enhanced in the IACA reactors. Network analysis indicated that aerobic denitrifying bacterial consortia in IACA reactors presented a more complicated co-occurrence structure. The IACA reactors presented the potential for long-term denitrification operation. This study affords a pathway to utilize IACA, promoting aerobic denitrification during low C/N micropolluted water body treatment.

Research on the role of cellular autophagy in the sensitivity of human tongue cancer cells to radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

OBJECTIVE: This paper aims to investigate the role of cisplatin-induced autophagy in human tongue squamous carcinoma Tca8113 cells. METHODS: After inhibiting the expression of autophagic proteins with different autophagy inhibitors (3-methyladenine, chloroquine), the sensitivity of human tongue squamous cell carcinoma (Tca8113) cells to killing by gradient concentrations of cisplatin and gradient doses of radiation was detected using a colony formation assay. Further, the changes of autophagy expression in Tca8113 cells that had been treated with cisplatin and radiation were detected using western immunoblot, GFP-LC3 fluorescence and transmission electron microscopy. RESULTS: The sensitivity of Tca8113 cells to cisplatin and radiation was significantly increased (P < 0.05) after reducing autophagy expression using different autophagy inhibitors. Meanwhile, the expression of autophagy in the cells was significantly increased by cisplatin and radiation treatment. CONCLUSION: Tca8113 cells upregulated autophagy under the effect of either radiation or cisplatin, and the sensitivity of Tca8113 cells to cisplatin and radiation could be improved by inhibiting autophagy using multiple pathways.

LINC00886 Negatively Regulates Malignancy in Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer.

Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is the most aggressive type of thyroid cancer. This study aimed to identify specific long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) associated with ATC, and further investigated their biological functions and molecular mechanism underlying regulation of malignancy in ATC. We searched for lncRNAs associated with dedifferentiation and screened out specific lncRNAs significantly deregulated in ATC by using transcriptome data of dedifferentiation cancers from Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center (FUSCC) and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The above lncRNAs were analyzed to identify a potential biomarker in thyroid cancer patients from the FUSCC, GEO, and The Cancer Genome Atlas, which was then investigated for its functional roles and molecular mechanism in ATC in vitro. The clinicopathological association analyses revealed that LINC00886 expression was significantly correlated with dedifferentiation and suppressed in ATC. In vitro, LINC00886 was confirmed to negatively regulate cell proliferation, and cell migration and invasion of ATC. LINC00886 physically interacted with protein kinase R (PKR) and affected its stability through the ubiquitin/proteasome-dependent degradation pathway in the ATC cell. Decreased PKR caused by downregulation of LINC00886 enhanced the activity of eukaryotic initiation factor 2α (eIF2α) via reducing phosphorylation of eIF2α and thus promoted protein synthesis to maintain ATC malignancy. Our findings identify LINC00886 as a novel biomarker of thyroid cancer and suggest that LINC00886/PKR/eIF2α signaling is a potential therapeutic target in ATC.

Visible light enhanced persulfate activation for degradation of tetracycline via boosting adsorption of persulfate by ligand-deficient MIL-101(Fe) icosahedron.

In this work, Fe-based metal-organic frameworks (Fe-MOFs) are prepared by a simple solvothermal method, in which acetic acid/N, N-dimethylformamide (HAc/DMF) mixture solvents are employed to regulate the particle morphology, exposed facets and ligand defects. At HAc/DMF = 0/50, 5/45 and 8/42 (volume ratio), the irregular particles (MIL-53(Fe)), elongated icosahedrons (5H-MIL-101(Fe)) and icosahedrons (8H-MIL-101(Fe)) are obtained, respectively. Under visible light irradiation (λ > 420 nm) and the addition of sodium persulfate (PS), 5H-MIL-101(Fe) shows the highest degradation activity for tetracycline (TC). Specifically, 80% of TC has been removed by 5H-MIL-101(Fe) within 25 min, and the degradation kinetics rate is 3.03 times higher than that over MIL-53(Fe). The improvement of catalytic activity is mainly attributed to the active facets exposed and ligand defects of 5H-MIL-101(Fe). Density functional theory (DFT) calculation further confirms that the active facets exposed and ligand defects of 5H-MIL-101(Fe) favor the adsorption and activation of PS, benefiting the generation of •SO4-. Besides, a probable degradation pathway of TC is proposed based on trapping experiments and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) test. Furthermore, the toxicities of intermediates are predicted by the quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) mathematical model. This work demonstrates that visible light enhanced PS activation (Vis-PSA) can more effectively degrade organic pollutants, and this work also provides a simple strategy to precisely regulate ligand defects and actively exposed facets of Fe-MOFs to enhance the adsorption and activation of PS.