Impact of rehabilitation unit-based physical activity therapy versus symptomatic supportive treatment on older patients with advanced cancer: a non-randomized controlled study.

OBJECTIVES: Relatively few studies have investigated the effects of rehabilitation-based physical activity therapy as a treatment for older patients with advanced cancer. This study evaluated the effects of individualized precise and structured exercise interventions, prescribed by a rehabilitation physician, on fatigue, quality of life (QOL), and physical activity in older patients with advanced cancer. METHODS: After admission to the rehabilitation department, older cancer patients were divided into groups receiving conventional symptomatic supportive therapy (SST) or physical activity therapy plus conventional symptomatic supportive therapy (PAT). The SST group was given symptomatic supportive treatment, exercised on their own, and were observed at home after their symptoms improved. The PAT group was required to implement physical exercise along with SST, involving 30 min of moderate-intensity exercise per day and 5 days per week, and were discharged after 4 weeks and instructed to continue to exercise outside the hospital. Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) at 4 and 8 weeks was the primary endpoint of the study, while the secondary endpoints included patients' QOL, physical activity, and exercise adherence rate. RESULTS: Sixty-five patients were included; 37 (56.92%) chose to enter the PAT group, and 28 (43.08%) chose to enter the SST group. After 4 and 8 weeks of treatment, CRF relief and QOL improvement were significantly better in the PAT group than in the SST group (p < 0.05), whereas global health status did not differ between the two treatment groups (T1: p = 0.84; T2: p = 0.92). Mild physical activity significantly increased for the PAT group at T1 and T2 (T1: p = 0.03; T2: p = 0.005). At the T2 time point, the PAT group exhibited a higher level of participation in moderate-intensity physical activities as well as a higher total leisure activity score (p < 0.05). Thirty-three patients (94.29%) completed the PAT exercise program during hospitalization. Only four (12.12%) patients achieved moderate-intensity exercise, while the other 29 (87.88%) patients were able to continue exercising after their exercise intensity was decreased. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of precise and individualized exercise interventions, prescribed by the rehabilitation team, can lead to the reduction of CRF and improvement of QOL, and change in behavior related to physical activity.

The cervical cancer related distribution, coinfection and risk of 15 HPV types in Baoan, Shenzhen, in 2017-2023.

Cervical cancer is one of the most common malignant tumours. Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the main cause of this cancer so that it could be prevented by screening and early treatment. Developing reginal screen protocols of maximum public health efficacy requires in-depth understandings of local HPV distribution and consequential cancer risks. Therefore, test results of HPV genotyping, cytology testing (TCT) and colposcopy inspection with biopsy were collected in this retrospective research. Data included by this research involved 63,906 women received screen related tests from Shenzhen Baoan Shiyan People's Hospital and the subsidiary institutes between 2017.01 and 2023.05. 10,238 colposcopies were performed in this period collecting 8,716 samples and 814 high-grade CIN were discovered. Within the 763 high-grade CIN cases with both TCT and HPV testing results, 232 were tested cytologically normal but only 30 were negative in HPV test. Besides, the rates of high-grade CIN observed in coinfection were all lower than the estimated rates generated from related single infection. HPV 52, 58 and 16 were found to be the most common types in Baoan, Shenzhen. The result also suggested that HPV coinfections should not increase risk for cervical cancers.

ZNF692 drives malignant development of hepatocellular carcinoma cells by promoting ALDOA-dependent glycolysis.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the malignancies with the worst prognosis worldwide, in the occurrence and development of which glycolysis plays a central role. This study uncovered a mechanism by which ZNF692 regulates ALDOA-dependent glycolysis in HCC cells. RT-qPCR and western blotting were used to detect the expression of ZNF692, KAT5, and ALDOA in HCC cell lines and a normal liver cell line. The influences of transfection-induced alterations in the expression of ZNF692, KAT5, and ALDOA on the functions of HepG2 cells were detected by performing MTT, flow cytometry, Transwell, cell scratch, and colony formation assays, and the levels of glucose and lactate were determined using assay kits. ChIP and luciferase reporter assays were conducted to validate the binding of ZNF692 to the KAT5 promoter, and co-IP assays to detect the interaction between KAT5 and ALDOA and the acetylation of ALDOA. ZNF692, KAT5, and ALDOA were highly expressed in human HCC samples and cell lines, and their expression levels were positively correlated in HCC. ZNF692, ALDOA, or KAT5 knockdown inhibited glycolysis, proliferation, invasion, and migration and promoted apoptosis in HepG2 cells. ZNF692 bound to the KAT5 promoter and promoted its activity. ALDOA acetylation levels were elevated in HCC cell lines. KAT5 bound to ALDOA and catalyzed ALDOA acetylation. ALDOA or KAT5 overexpression in the same time of ZNF692 knockdown, compared to ZNF692 knockdown only, stimulated glycolysis, proliferation, invasion, and migration and reduced apoptosis in HepG2 cells. ZNF692 promotes the acetylation modification and protein expression of ALDOA by catalyzing KAT5 transcription, thereby accelerating glycolysis to drive HCC cell development.

Early smoking lead to worse prognosis of COPD patients: a real world study.

BACKGROUND: Smoking remains a major risk factor for the development and progression of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Due to the adolescent smoking associated with worse health state, the age, at which an individual started smoking, might play a key role in shaping the trajectory of COPD development and the severity. METHODS: We conducted an observational study from September 2016 through January 2023 of eligible patients hospitalized with COPD. Patients who started smoking during the alveolar development stage (ADS, smoking initiation ≤ 24 years old) were defined as early smoking patients, and patients who started smoking after ADS (smoking initiation > 24 years old) were defined as late smoking patients. We collected demographic and clinical data characterizing the patients and documented their condition from hospital discharge to follow-up. The primary endpoints were short-term (within one year), 3-year, and long-term (beyond 3 years) all-cause mortality after discharge. RESULTS: Among 697 COPD patients, early smoking patients had a lower smoking cessation rate (P < 0.001) and a higher smoking index (P < 0.001) than late smoking patients. Although adjusted smoking index, early smoking patients still had poorer lung function (P = 0.023), thicker left ventricular diameters (P = 0.003), higher frequency of triple therapy use during stable stage (P = 0.049), and more acute exacerbations in the past year before enrollment (P < 0.05). Survival analysis showed that they had a higher risk of death after discharge within three years (P = 0.004) and beyond three years (P < 0.001). Furthermore, even in early smoking COPD patients who quit smoking after adjusting the smoking index had poorer lung function (P < 0.05) and thicker left ventricular diameters (P = 0.003), and survival analysis also showed that they had a higher long-term mortality rate (P = 0.010) and shorter survival time (P = 0.0128). CONCLUSION: Early smoking COPD patients exhibited multiple adverse clinical outcomes, including heavy cigarette addiction, compromised pulmonary function, augmented left ventricular diameter, and elevated mortality risk. Additional, smoking cessation could not bring enough improvement of health state in early smoking COPD patients as late smoking COPD patients. Consequently, early intervention and specialized cessation approaches for younger smokers are of paramount importance in this context.

Amyloid and Tau as cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers in anti-N-Methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis.

INTRODUCTION: Neuroinfection is associated with the deposition of amyloid-beta (Aß) peptides, and subsequent decrease in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) amyloid levels. However, whether autoimmune encephalitis involves extracellular deposition of Aß peptides in the brain is unreported. METHODS: We examined CSF amyloid and tau values in adults with anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis (NMDAR-E). Forty-two patients with NMDAR-E, 35 patients with viral and bacterial neuroinfections, and 16 controls were included. We measured CSF Aß1-42 (cAß1-42), Aß1-40 (cAß1-40), t-Tau (ct-Tau), and p-Tau181 (cp-Tau181) levels and assessed their efficacies regarding differential diagnosis and predicting prognosis. RESULTS: NMDAR-E patients had lower cAß1-42 levels; however, they were higher than those of patients with bacterial meningitis. ct-Tau levels in NMDAR-E patients were lower than those in patients with neuroinfections. No changes were observed in controls. cAß1-42 and ct-Tau were combined as an excellent marker to distinguish NMDAR-E from neuroinfections. cAß1-42 levels in NMDAR-E patients were positively correlated with Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores. We observed an inverse relationship between cAß1-42 levels and modified Rankin Scale scores. Patients with poor outcomes exhibited low cAß1-42 levels and high levels of several blood parameters. cAß1-42 was the highest quality biomarker for assessing NMDAR-E prognosis. Correlations were found between cAß1-42 and some inflammatory indicators. CONCLUSION: cAß1-42 was decreased in NMDAR-E patients. cAß1-42 levels indicated NMDAR-E severity and acted as a biomarker for its prognosis. Combining cAß1-42 and ct-Tau levels could serve as a novel differential diagnostic marker for NMDAR-E.

Satisfaction with medication in older adult patients with chronic respiratory diseases: a multicenter cross-sectional observational study.

Purpose: To gain insight into medication satisfaction and factors associated with chronic respiratory disease, particularly chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in older adults, focusing on public health issues and improving the health of the older adult population. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2022 to November 2022 in 24 hospitals in different regions of Hunan Province, China. Older adult patient treatment satisfaction was assessed using the Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medication version II. Multiple regression analysis was used to identify factors independently associated with patient treatment satisfaction. Results: Only 15.9% of all patients scored above 80 in the effectiveness domain, while 11.6 and 16.5% scored above 80 in the convenience and global satisfaction domains, respectively, while 17.3% reported having side effects. Interstitial lung disease was associated with lower drug satisfaction than other disorders (p < 0.05). Multifactorial regression analysis showed that age, education background, profession, and smoking status were independently associated with satisfaction among patients with chronic respiratory diseases (p < 0.05). Education background, profession, CAT score, number of acute exacerbations, duration of home oxygenation and duration of home ventilator use were independently associated with satisfaction in patients with COPD (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Low satisfaction with chronic respiratory drug therapy was associated with age, education background, profession and smoking status. Satisfaction was lower for patients with interstitial lung disease. For COPD, CAT score, education background, profession, number of acute exacerbations, home oxygen and ventilator use influence satisfaction. Clinicians can identify appropriate patients and communicate effectively with them throughout treatment and follow-up, vigorously promote smoking cessation and home oxygen therapy, increase medication satisfaction, especially among older adults, and in turn improve public health and the quality of life of older adults.

MFG-E8 stabilized by deubiquitinase USP14 suppresses cigarette smoke-induced ferroptosis in bronchial epithelial cells.

Milk fat globule epidermal growth factor 8 (MFG-E8) participates in a range of cellular processes, including reducing apoptosis and oxidative stress. However, its protective activity against cigarette smoke-induced ferroptosis in the pathogenesis of the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and the modulation of MFG-E8 remain unclear. Here, we showed that cigarette smoke diminished MFG-E8 protein levels but had no significant effect on its mRNA levels in lung tissues of humans and mice and in two human bronchial epithelial cell lines. MFG-E8 could attenuate ferroptosis induced by cigarette smoke extract (CSE) in vivo and in vitro. We identified ubiquitin-specific protease 14 (USP14) as a deubiquitinase of MFG-E8 in human bronchial epithelial cells. USP14 interacted with, deubiquitinated and stabilized MFG-E8. Furthermore, USP14 inhibited CSE-induced MFG-E8 proteasomal degradation. USP14 expression downregulated by CSE decreased MFG-E8 abundance and further reduced the antiferroptotic effect of MFG-E8. These findings suggest that USP14 is an essential regulator of MFG-E8 through the proteasomal pathway and that the USP14/MFG-E8 axis plays a critical role in regulating CSE-induced ferroptosis of bronchial epithelial cells.

Beneficial shift of rhizosphere soil nutrients and metabolites under a sugarcane/peanut intercropping system.

Intercropping systems have been studied as a sustainable agricultural planting pattern to increase soil quality and crop yields. However, the relationships between metabolites and soil physicochemical properties remain poorly understood under sugarcane/peanut intercropping system. Thus, we determined the rhizosphere soil physicochemical properties, and analyzed rhizosphere soil metabolites and root metabolites by metabolomics method under monoculture and intercropping patterns of sugarcane and peanut. The results showed that pH, the contents of total phosphorus (P), total potassium (K), available nitrogen (N), available phosphorus (P), and available potassium (K) were higher in rhizosphere soil of intercropping peanut than monoculture peanut, and the content of total P was higher in rhizosphere soil of intercropping sugarcane than monoculture sugarcane. Sugarcane/peanut intercropping also significantly increased the activities of acid phosphatase and urease in rhizosphere soil. The metabolomics results showed that 32 metabolites, mainly organic acids and their derivatives (25.00%), nucleotides and their metabolites (18.75%), were detected in root and rhizosphere soil samples. In the MP-S (rhizosphere soil of monoculture peanut) vs. IP-S (rhizosphere soil of intercropping peanut) comparison, 47 differential metabolites (42 upregulated) were screened, including glycerolipids (19.15%), organic acids and their derivatives (17.89%), and amino acids and their metabolites (12.77%). In the MS-S (rhizosphere soil of monoculture sugarcane) vs. IS-S (rhizosphere soil of intercropping sugarcane) comparison, 51 differential metabolites (26 upregulated) were screened, including heterocyclic compounds (15.69%), glycerolipids (11.76%), and organic acids and their derivatives (9.80%). The metabolite species from MP-S, MS-S, IP-S, and IS-S were similar, but some metabolite contents were significantly different, such as adenine, adenosine, maltotriose, thermozeaxanthin-13 and PE-NMe (20:0/24:0). Adenine and adenosine were detected in root and rhizosphere soils, and their levels were increased in the intercropping treatment, which were mainly related to enhanced purine metabolism in root and rhizosphere soils under the sugarcane/peanut intercropping system. Importantly, adenine and adenosine were significantly positively correlated with total P and total K contents, acid phosphatase and urease activities, and pH. This study clarified that the sugarcane/peanut intercropping system could improve soil nutrients and enzymes and was related to purine metabolism.

Sulfur enhances cadmium bioaccumulation in Cichorium intybus by altering soil properties, heavy metal availability and microbial community in contaminated alkaline soil.

Cadmium (Cd) contamination seriously threatens the soil health and food safety. Combination of amendment and accumulator plant is a green and effective technique to improve phytoremediation of Cd-contaminated alkaline soil. In this study, a potting experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of sulfur on Cd phytoextraction by Cichorium intybus (chicory). Soil chemical and microbial properties were determined to reveal the mechanism of sulfur-assisting Cd phytoremediation by chicory. Soil pH decreased from 7.77 to the lowest 7.30 with sulfur addition (0.6, 0.9 and 1.2 g kg-1, LS, MS and HS treatment); Electric conductivity, sulfate anion and available cadmium concentration increased gradually with increasing sulfur doses. Cd concentration of shoot and root significantly increased from 1.47 to 4.43 mg kg-1, 6.15 to 20.16 mg kg-1 by sulfur treatment relative to CK, which were attributed to increased available Cd concentration induced by decreased pH. Sulfur treatments significantly increased the Cd bioconcentration factor by 64.1%, 118.6%, 201.0% for shoot, 76.3%, 145.6% and 227.7% for root under LS, MS and HS relative to CK treatment, respectively (P < 0.05). However, only MS treatment significantly improved the Cd removal efficiency by 82.9% in comparison of CK treatment (P < 0.05). Microbial community diversity measured by 16SrRNA showed that Thiobacillus and Actinobacteria were the key and dominant strains of soil microbial communities after sulfur addition, which played a pivotal role in the process of sulfur oxidation involved in decrease of soil pH and the transformation of Cd forms. Correlation analysis and path analysis by structural equation model indicated that soil sulfate anion and Thiobacillus directly affected Cd removal efficiency by chicory in Cd-contaminated alkaline soil. This suggests that combination of sulfur and chicory may provide a way to promote Cd bioaccumulation for phytoremediation of Cd-contaminated alkaline soil.

Dihydroquercetin suppresses cigarette smoke induced ferroptosis in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by activating Nrf2-mediated pathway.

BACKGROUND: Dihydroquercetin (DHQ) is a flavonoid with strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. However, its protective activity against cigarette smoke-induced ferroptosis in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and its underlying mechanisms remain unclear. PURPOSE: The present study was conducted to investigate the protective role of DHQ in the pathogenesis of COPD in vivo and in vitro. METHODS: A cigarette smoke-induced COPD mouse model was established by cigarette smoke (CS) exposure combined with intraperitoneal injection of cigarette smoke extract (CSE). During the modeling process, the mice were intraperitoneally injected with DHQ daily. HBE cells were cultured with CSE with or without pretreatment with DHQ (40, 80 µM) or ML385 (10 µM). Cell viability was assessed by a cell counting kit 8 (CCK-8). The contents of malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were determined by MDA and SOD assay kits, respectively, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation was detected by DCFH-DA assays. Protein expression levels of solute carrier family 7 member 11 (SLC7A11), glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPx4) and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) were measured by western blot. Lipid peroxidation was determined by C11-BODIPY staining. Transmission electron microscopy was used to observe the morphological features of the mitochondria. RESULTS: Treatment with DHQ significantly elevated ferroptosis-related protein (SLC7A11 and GPx4) expression in vivo and in vitro. The mRNA levels of SLC7A11 and GPx4 were also increased after DHQ treatment. The excessive MDA and ROS production and depleted SOD activity induced by CSE were reversed by DHQ. DHQ notably reduced the increased lipid peroxidation induced by CSE in HBE cells. In addition, treatment with DHQ attenuated the morphological changes in the mitochondria caused by CSE. Moreover, we also found that DHQ increased the levels of Nrf2 in a concentration-dependent manner in the cigarette smoke-induced COPD mouse model and CSE-treated HBE cells. Additionally, after administering an Nrf2-specific inhibitor, ML385, to HBE cells, the elevated SLC7A11 and GPx4 mRNA and protein levels induced by DHQ were reversed. Moreover, ML385 treatment attenuated the protective effect of DHQ on lipid peroxidation. CONCLUSION: Our results show that treatment with DHQ significantly reverses the ferroptosis induced by cigarette smoke both in vivo and in vitro via a Nrf2-dependent signaling pathway.

LncRNA FAM83A-AS1 promotes ESCC progression by regulating miR-214/CDC25B axis.

Background: Recent researches have pinpointed that long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) was tightly related to the carcinogenesis. However, the function of lncRNA in esophageal cell squamous carcinoma (ESCC) remains to be explored. In the current study, we assessed the expression pattern and the biological function of FAM83A-AS1 in ESCC. Methods: qRT-PCR was used to detect the expression of FAM83A-AS1, miR-214, and CDC25B expression in ESCC tissues and cell lines. CCK-8, transwell, apoptosis and cell cycle assays were performed to define the function of FAM83A-AS1 in ESCC cells. Furthermore, the regulation of miR-214 by FAM83A-AS1 was defined by qRT- PCR and rescue assays. In addition, the association between CDC25B, miR-214, CDC25B was confirmed by qRT-PCR. Results: Here, we discovered that FAM83A-AS1 was strongly expressed in ESCC tissues. FAM83A-AS1 abundance was associated with TNM stages and the differentiation grade of ESCC patients. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis indicated the high accuracy of FAM83A-AS1 in ESCC diagnosis. Functionally, inhibiting FAM83A-AS1 repressed cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in ESCC. In addition, we found that FAM83A-AS1 accelerated the cell cycle while inhibited cell apoptosis. Mechanistically, we found that FAM83A-AS1 regulated miR-214 expression, and there was a negative correlation between miR-214 and FAM83A-AS1 in ESCC. Rescue assay indicated that miR-214 could impair the suppressing effect of cell migration induced by FAM83A-AS1 depletion. Furthermore, CDC25B was a direct target of miR-214, and FAM83A-AS1 enhanced CDC25B expression while miR-214 positively CDC25B expression in ESCC. Conclusions: Collectively, we concluded that FAM83A-AS1 facilitated ESCC progression by regulating the miR-214/CDC25B axis. Our study showed FAM83A-AS1 may act as a promising target for ESCC diagnosis and therapy.

LncRNA MIR205HG Drives Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Progression by Regulating miR-214/SOX4 Axis.

BACKGROUND: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a common and fatal malignancy, which has posed a great challenge to public health, especially in China. Dysregulation of long non-coding RNAs is involved in the occurrence, development, invasion, and metastasis of multiple cancers including ESCC. However, little is known about the function of MIR205HG in ESCC. METHODS: We used qRT-PCR to detect the expression level of MIR205HG, miR-214, and SOX4 in human ESCC tissues and cell lines. Loss-of-functional assays were performed to test the impact of MIR205HG on cell proliferation, metastasis, and apoptosis process via CCK-8, transwell, and flow cell cytometry assays. Additionally, the downstream molecular mechanism of MIR205HG in ESCC was explored. RESULTS: Here, we found MIR205HG was substantially up-regulated in ESCC, and there was a positive correlation between MIR205HG expression and tumor size and lymphatic metastasis of ESCC patients. Inhibition of MIR205HG attenuated cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Silencing MIR205HG increased G1 phase cell counts and decreased S phase cell counts, along with increased apoptotic cell populations. Notably, the rescue assays indicated that miR-214 could partly reverse the influence of MIR205HG on ESCC cell migration. We also found that SOX4 was a direct target mRNA of miR-214, and MIR205HG could act as a molecular sponge to regulate SOX4 expression in ESCC. CONCLUSION: Taken together, our findings demonstrate that MIR205HG promotes ESCC progression by regulating the miR-214/SOX4 axis. MIR205HG may be a novel candidate target for ESCC diagnosis and therapy.

Corrigendum to "Predictive Value of Plasma MicroRNA-216a/b in the Diagnosis of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2016/1857067.].

Predictive Value of Plasma MicroRNA-216a/b in the Diagnosis of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a common human malignancy with poor survival, which was usually diagnosed at an advanced stage. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a class of single stranded noncoding RNAs with only 17-25 ribonucleotides, were demonstrated to play an important role in lots of cancers. In the recent years, increasing evidence revealed that circulating miRNAs exhibited great potential in the diagnosis of various types of cancers. The present study was designed to evaluate the diagnostic value of plasma miRNA-216a/b for ESCC. Our results showed that the expression level of plasma miRNA-216a/b was significantly lower in ESCC patients compared with that of healthy controls. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis yielded an area under the ROC curve (AUC) value of 0.877 [95% CI (confidence interval): 0.818-0.922] for miRNA-216a and 0.756 (95% CI: 0.685-0.819) for miRNA-216b. Clinical data indicated that plasma miRNA-216a/b were inversely correlated with lymph node metastasis and TNM stage. Additionally, the plasma miRNA-216b expression level was significantly upregulated in postoperative samples compared to preoperative samples. Our study, for the first time, demonstrated that plasma miRNA-216a/b might serve as potential biomarkers for the diagnosis of ESCC and dysregulation of miRNA-216a/b might be involved in the progression of ESCC.

Predictive value of plasma miRNA-718 for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence demonstrated that circulating miRNAs could serve as meaningfully non-invasive and reliable biomarkers for the detection of various cancers. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression level of plasma miRNA-718 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients and its diagnostic value. METHODS: Quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) method was performed to examine the expression levels of plasma miRNA-718 in 120 consecutive ESCC patients and 51 healthy controls. The difference of plasma miRNA-718 expression level between the paired pre- and postoperative patients was compared. The correlation between plasma miRNA-718 expression levels and clinicopathological characteristics was further analyzed and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to evaluate the diagnostic power of plasma miRNA-718 for ESCC. RESULTS: Plasma miRNA-718 expression level of ESCC patients was significantly lower than that of healthy controls. Compared with preoperative patients, the plasma miRNA-718 expression level of postoperative patients was significantly upregulated. Plasma miRNA-718 expression level was inversely correlated with the lymph node metastasis and TNM stage. The ROC curve analysis showed that plasma miRNA-718 yielded AUCs of 0.715, 0.689 and 0.620 for the detection of ESCC patients, early patients with Tis-T1 or early patients with TNM 0-I, respectively. CONCLUSION: Plasma miRNA-718 is downregulated in ESCC patients and might serve as a potential diagnostic marker for ESCC.

[Research advances in iron and zinc transfer from soil to plant in intercropping systems].

Intercropping facilitates the efficient utilization of land, light, water and nutrients. It is, therefore, important to increase the biodiversity of farmland and to develop sustainable ecological agriculture in both theory and practice. Intercropping helps improve the mobilization and uptake of soil iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) and corresponding nutritional status in the plants, thus achieving grain micronutrient biofortification. In this review, phenomena of the improvement of Fe and Zn nutrition in dicotyledonous plants as affected by intercropping with gramineous plants (e.g. maize/peanut intercropping) were summarized. Moreover, the possible mechanisms in relation to interspecific rhizosphere molecular and physiological processes, as well as the changes in interspecific root morphology and distribution and microorganisms in the rhizosphere were elucidated. The accumulation, transfer and distribution of Fe and Zn in the plants in intercropping systems were also reviewed. The possible affecting factors on nutrients of Fe and Zn were analyzed. Based on the present advances in the mobilization and acquisition of soil Fe and Zn, and their accumulation and distribution in plants as well as the related management and environment influence factors, some new research questions were pointed out. Quantitative analysis, dynamic and systemic researches and field studies on Fe and Zn transfer from soil to plant in intercropping systems should be strengthened in the future.

Expression of circulating microRNA-20a and let-7a in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

AIM: To investigate the expressions of microRNA-20a (miR-20a) and let-7a in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and their diagnostic value. METHODS: Seventy patients with ESCC and 40 healthy subjects were enrolled to investigate the expression of miR-20a and let-7a using quantitative real-time PCR. The expression of miR-20a and let-7a was compared between ESCC patients and healthy subjects. The plasma levels of miR-20a and let-7a in relation to patient clinicopathologic parameters, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and the sensitivity and specificity of miR-20a and let-7a in ESCC diagnosis were analyzed. RESULTS: Plasma levels of miR-20a were significantly higher in ESCC patients than in healthy controls, and plasma levels of let-7 were lower in ESCC patients than in healthy controls (both P < 0.05). The area under the ROC curve of miR-20a was 0.767 (95%CI: 0.677-0.857; P < 0.001), when the cut-off value was set at 4.77, the sensitivity and specificity were 64.3% and 75.0%, respectively. The area under the ROC curve of let-7a was 0.829 (95%CI: 0.754-0.904; P < 0.001), when the cut-off value was set at 6.22, the sensitivity and specificity were 74.3% and 85.0%, respectively. Thus, the sensitivity and specificity of let-7a were higher than those of miR-20a. The median relative plasma expression of let-7a in clinical stage III/IV (0.24) was lower than that in stage I/II (0.42), while the expression of miR-20a according to stage was not statistically different. The expressions of miR-20a and let-7a were not related to gender, age, tumor diameter, tumor grade, or pathologic stage. CONCLUSION: Plasma miR-20a and let-7a levels are significantly altered in patients with ESCC and can be used as potential biomarkers in the diagnosis of ESCC.

Dragon's blood dropping pills have protective effects on focal cerebral ischemia rats model.

Dragon's blood is a bright red resin obtained from Dracaena cochinchinensis (Lour.) S.C.Chen (Yunnan, China). As a traditional Chinese medicinal herb, it has great traditional medicinal value and is used for wound healing and to stop bleeding. Its main biological activity comes from phenolic compounds. In this study, phenolic compounds were made into dropping pills and their protective effects were examined by establishing focal cerebral ischemia rats model used method of Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion (MCAO), and by investigating indexes of neurological scores, infarct volume, cerebral index, cerebral water content and oxidation stress. Compared to model group, high, middle and low groups of Dragon's blood dropping pills could improve the neurological function significantly (p<0.01) and reduce cerebral infarct volume of focal cerebral ischemia rats remarkably (p<0.05-0.01). Meanwhile, each group could alleviate cerebral water content and cerebral index (p<0.05-0.01) and regulate oxidative stress of focal cerebral ischemia rats obviously (p<0.05-0.01). Activities of middle group corresponded with that treated with positive control drug. The results obtained here showed that Dragon's blood dropping pills had protective effects on focal cerebral ischemia rats.

Dragon's blood may have radioprotective effects in radiation-induced rat brain injury.

Dragon's blood is a bright red resin obtained from Dracaena cochinchinensis. It is a traditional medicinal that is used for wound healing and to stop bleeding. Its main biological activity appears to be from phenolic compounds found in Dragon's blood. In this study, the radioprotective effects of Dragon's blood were examined after whole brain irradiation of rats with either 100 MeV/u Carbon (12)C(6+) heavy ions or (60)Co γ-rays. The amounts of radiation-induced oxidative stress, inflammatory cytokines and apoptosis in irradiated rat brains were compared with and without Dragon's blood treatment. Compared to the "irradiation only" control group, the Dragon's blood treatment group significantly decreased malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide levels, and increased superoxide dismutase activity and glutathione levels induced by oxidative stress in radiation exposed rats (P < 0.05). Dragon's blood also significantly reduced radiation-induced inflammatory cytokines of tumor necrosis factor-α, interferon-γ and interleukin-6 levels (P < 0.05) and inhibited hippocampal neuronal apoptosis in (60)Co γ-ray irradiated rats. Furthermore, Dragon's blood significantly increased expression of brain-derived neurophic factor and inhibited the expression of pro-apoptotic caspase 3 (P < 0.05-0.01). Finally, Dragon's blood significantly inhibited expression of the AP-1 transcription factor family members c-fos and c-jun proteins (P < 0.05-0.01). The results obtained here suggest that Dragon's blood has radioprotective properties in rat brains after both heavy ions and (60)Co γ-ray exposure.