Knowledge of occupational exposure to HIV among healthcare workers in college campus clinics and tertiary hospitals.

As the number of college students infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has increased significantly in China, the risk of occupational exposure to HIV among healthcare workers (HCW) in college campus clinics has also increased. Our study aimed to evaluate the awareness of HCWs in terms of preventing occupational HIV exposure in college campus clinics compared with HCWs in tertiary hospitals. This cross-sectional study was conducted in nine provinces in China from September to October 2019 (10 college campus clinics, 7 tertiary hospitals). The study's response rate was recorded to be at 87.62% (184 of 210). The knowledge score of HIV among all HCWs was determined to be generally low (67.17 ± 11.17 points), and that of college campus clinics and tertiary hospitals showed no significant difference (66.36 ± 10.36 vs. 67.63 ± 11.61 points, P=0.463). Overall, HCWs in both college campus clinics and tertiary hospitals showed inadequate knowledge regarding occupational HIV exposure. Training for the prevention of occupational HIV exposure should be strengthened in both medical institutions.

MiR-573 suppresses cell proliferation, migration and invasion via regulation of E2F3 in pancreatic cancer.

Background: Pancreatic cancer is among the most lethal malignancies worldwide. In this study, we aimed to determine whether miR-573 could suppress pancreatic cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion by targeting E2F3. Materials and Methods: MiR-573 expression in pancreatic cancer tissues and cell lines was measured using real-time PCR. Target genes of miR-573 were screened using bioinformatics tools and confirmed using dual-luciferase reporter assay and real-time PCR. Pancreatic cancer cells were transfected using an miR-573 mimic or siRNA E2F3. Furthermore, cell proliferation, migration, and invasion were assessed using CCK-8, Edu staining, colony-forming assay, wound healing assay, and transwell assay in vitro. The in vivo effects of miR-573 were verified using tumor xenografts. Differential expression and prognostic analyses of miR-573 and E2F3 were visualized using the Kaplan­Meier plotter and GEPIA. Results: We found that the expression of miR-573 was significantly reduced in pancreatic cancer tissues and cell lines. Overexpression of miR-573 obviously suppressed the proliferation, migration, and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells. The Dual-luciferase assay showed that miR-573 could specifically target E2F3. Furthermore, E2F3 was up-regulated in pancreatic cancer tissues and cell lines and E2F3 down-regulation inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells. The ectopic expression of miR-573 inhibited xenograft tumor growth in vivo. Results from the Kaplan-Meier analysis and GEPIA showed that patients with a high level of miR-573 had a significantly reduced risk of death while those with a high level of E2F3 displayed significant correlation with the tumor stage and suffered worse prognosis. Conclusions: MiR-573 could suppress the proliferation, migration, and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells by targeting E2F3, thereby establishing miR-573 as a novel regulator of E2F3 and indicating its critical role in tumorigenesis, especially in pancreatic cancer.

Serum Levels of Human MIC-1/GDF15 Vary in a Diurnal Pattern, Do Not Display a Profile Suggestive of a Satiety Factor and Are Related to BMI.

The TGF-b superfamily cytokine MIC-1/GDF15 circulates in the blood of healthy humans. Its levels rise substantially in cancer and other diseases and this may sometimes lead to development of an anorexia/cachexia syndrome. This is mediated by a direct action of MIC-1/GDF15 on feeding centres in the hypothalamus and brainstem. More recent studies in germline gene deleted mice also suggest that this cytokine may play a role in physiological regulation of energy homeostasis. To further characterize the role of MIC-1/GDF15 in physiological regulation of energy homeostasis in man, we have examined diurnal and food associated variation in serum levels and whether variation in circulating levels relate to BMI in human monozygotic twin pairs. We found that the within twin pair differences in serum MIC-1/GDF15 levels were significantly correlated with within twin pair differences in BMI, suggesting a role for MIC-1/GDF15 in the regulation of energy balance in man. MIC-1/GDF15 serum levels altered slightly in response to a meal, but comparison with variation its serum levels over a 24 hour period suggested that these changes are likely to be due to bimodal diurnal variation which can alter serum MIC-1/GDF15 levels by about plus or minus 10% from the mesor. The lack of a rapid and substantial postprandial increase in MIC-1/GDF15 serum levels suggests that MIC1/GDF15 is unlikely to act as a satiety factor. Taken together, our findings suggest that MIC-1/GDF15 may be a physiological regulator of energy homeostasis in man, most probably due to actions on long-term regulation of energy homeostasis.