[Interpretation of specification for service of cancer screening for workers].

As the backbone force of China's social and economic construction, the health status of workers is closely related to the nation's productivity and social development. Currently, cancers have become one of the major diseases threatening the health of workers. However, there are still many shortcomings in the cancer screening services for the workers. To standardize cancer screening services for workers, ensure the quality of screening services, and improve the overall screening effectiveness, 19 institutions, including Peking Union Medical College Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, have jointly formulated the Group Standard "Specification for service of cancer screening for workers (T/CHAA 023-2023)". This standard follows the principles of "legality, scientific rigor, advancement, and feasibility" and combines the frontier scientific advances in cancer screening. It clarifies the relevant requirements for service principles, service design, service delivery, service management, service evaluation, and improving worker cancer screening. Implementing this group standard will help connect the common screening needs of workers, employers, and cancer screening service providers, standardize the screening process, improve screening quality, and ultimately increase the early diagnosis rate and survival rate of cancer patients. Consequently, this group standard will help safeguard workers' health rights and interests, ensure the labor force resources, promote the comprehensive coordinated and sustainable development of society, and contribute to realizing the "Healthy China 2030" strategic policy.

[Intervention effect of apocynin on silicosis induced by silica in rats].

Objective: To investigate the intervention effect and its mechanism of apocynin, an inhibitor of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase (NOX) on silicosis induced by silica (SiO(2)) in rats. Methods: In October 2021, 24 SPF SD male rats were divided into control group, silicosis model group and apocynin intervention group according to random number table method, with 8 rats in each group. SiO(2) was exposed by one-time intratracheal instillation. The rats in the apocynin intervention group were intraperitoneally injected with apocynin 50 mg/kg, 3 times a week, on the second day after treatment. The rats were sacrificed 28 days later, and lung coefficients were calculated after lung tissues were weighed. Hematoxylin-eosin staining and Masson staining were used to observe the lung histopathological changes in each group, respectively. The levels of NOX, reactive oxygen species (ROS), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in lung tissue were detected. The expressions of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1ß), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) were determined by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). The level of hydroxyproline (HYP) was detected by alkaline hydrolysate. The expressions of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-ß1), E-cadherin (E-cad) and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) in lung tissue were detected by Western blotting. Results: Compared with the control group, the body weight of silicosis model group was decreased, the lung tissue showed obvious inflammatory infiltration and fibrosis, and the levels of lung coefficient, IL-1ß, IL-6, TNF-α and TGF-ß1 were significantly increased (P<0.05). Compared with the silicosis model group, the lung tissue injury in the apocynin intervention group was significantly improved, the lung coefficient, NOX, ROS, MDA, IL-1ß, IL-6, TNF-α and TGF-ß1 levels were decreased, and the activity of GSH-Px was increased (P<0.05). Compared with the silicosis model group, the expressions of HYP and α-SMA were decreased and the level of E-cad was increased in the apocynin intervention group (P<0.05) . Conclusion: Apocynin may alleviate SiO(2)-induced fibrosis in silicosis rats by reducing oxidative stress, the release of inflammatory factors and inhibiting the process of epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

[Role of blood markers in predicting the failure of prosthesis removal and antibiotic-loaded bone cement spacer implantation for treatment of periprosthetic joint infection].

Objective: To investigate the value of inflammation,coagulation and nutrition markers in predicting the failure of prosthesis removal and antibiotic-loaded bone cement spacer implantation for treatment of periprosthetic joint infection(PJI). Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 70 patients who undertook prosthesis removal and antibiotic-loaded bone cement spacer implantation due to PJI from June 2016 to October 2020 in the Department of Orthopedics,Henan Provincial People's Hospital. There were 28 males and 42 females,aged (65.5±11.9) years (range: 37 to 88 years). Patients were divided into two groups as the successful group and the failed group depended on whether reinfection occurred after prosthesis removal and antibiotic-loaded bone cement spacer implantation at the last follow up. Patient demographics,laboratory values (C-reactive protein (CRP),erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR),ESR and CRP ratio (ESR/CRP),white blood cell count(WBC),platelet count(PLT),hemoglobin(HB),total lymphocyte count(TLC),albumin、fibrinogen(FIB),CRP and albumin ratio (CAR),prognostic nutritional index(PNI)),and reinfection rates were assessed. Comparison between groups was conducted by the independent sample t test or χ2test. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted,and the area under the curve (AUC),optimal diagnostic threshold,sensitivity,and specificity were analyzed to predict the failure of prosthesis removal and antibiotic-loaded bone cement spacer implantation. Results: All patients were followed up for at least two years,and the follow-up time was (38.4±15.2) months (range: 24 to 66 months). Fifteen patients suffered failure after prosthesis removal and antibiotic-loaded bone cement spacer implantation,while the other 55 patients succeeded. The overall failure rate of prosthesis removal and antibiotic-loaded bone cement spacer implantation in PJI treatment was 21.4%. Level of preoperative CRP ((35.9±16.2)mg/L),PLT ((280.0±104.0)×109/L) and CAR (1.3±0.8) in successful group were lower than CRP ((71.7±47.3)mg/L),PLT ((364.7±119.3)×109/L) and CAR (2.5±2.0) in failed group (all P<0.05).Whereas,level of preoperative ESR/CRP (3.3±3.1), Albumin ((35.3±5.2)g/L) and PNI (43.6±6.2) in successful group were higher than ESR/CRP (1.6±1.4),Albumin ((31.3±4.8)g/L) and PNI (39.2±15.1) in failed group (all P<0.05). AUC of ROC curve,optimal threshold value,sensitivity and specificity of CRP,ESR/CRP, PLT, Albumin,CAR and PNI for the predicting failure of prosthesis removal and antibiotic-loaded bone cement spacer implantation were 0.776(95%CI:0.660 to 0.867),35.4 mg/L,86.7%,67.3%;0.725(95%CI:0.605 to 0.825),1.0,60.0%,78.2%;0.713(95%CI:0.593 to 0.815),253,93.3%,47.3%;0.721(95%CI:0.601 to 0.822),35.7,93.3%,49.1%;0.772(95%CI:0.656 to 0.863),1.1,86.7%,67.3%;0.706(95%CI:0.585 to 0.809),45.7,100%,41.8% respectively. Conclusion: In patients with PJI,CRP>35.4,ESR/CRP≤1.0 and CAR>1.1 could predict the failure of prosthesis removal and antibiotic-loaded bone cement spacer implantation.

PRC1 plays an important role in lung adenocarcinoma and is potentially targeted by fostamatinib.

OBJECTIVE: Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is one of the most common cancers in the world. Protein regulator of cytokinesis 1 (PRC1) plays a role in the tumorigenesis and development of several cancers, including LUAD. The aim of the present study is to assess the characteristics of PRC1 in LUAD in order to find a potential drug that targets PRC1. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We investigated the prognostic value of PRC1 in patients with LUAD using Cox analysis of the RNA sequencing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) portal. A link between PRC1 and LUAD progression, cigarette smoking mutation count, aneuploidy, and hypoxia scores was assessed. The relationship between PRC1 and tumor-infiltrating immune cells in LUAD was analyzed and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was used to study the PRC1-related biological process and signal pathways. Potential drugs targeting PRC1 were identified using DrugBank database and molecular docking. RESULTS: PRC1 expression was significantly increased in LUAD. PRC1 could be, therefore, a prognostic biomarker for predicting overall survival in LUAD. PRC1 expression was also related to cancer stage and patient's smoking history. PRC1 positively correlated with mutation count, aneuploidy and hypoxia scores. It was also significantly related to tumor-infiltrating immune cells, especially the activated mast cells. GSEA revealed that PRC1 might be correlated with cell cycle, cytokinesis and p53 signaling pathway. Additionally, fostamatinib was found to be a potential drug targeting PRC1. CONCLUSIONS: PRC1 may have a prognostic value for patients with LUAD, and be correlated with the mutation count, aneuploidy, hypoxia and tumor-infiltrating immune cells. Fostamatinib was found to be a potential drug targeting PRC1 in LUAD.

Author Correction: Long non-coding RNA HEIH modulates CDK8 expression by inhibiting miR-193a-5p to accelerate nasopharyngeal carcinoma progression.

Correction to: European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences 2021; 25 (2): 770-778-DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_202101_24638-PMID: 33577031, published online 31 January 2021. After publication, the authors found some mistakes in the article. There are amendments to this paper. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. https://www.europeanreview.org/article/24638.

Long non-coding RNA HEIH modulates CDK8 expression by inhibiting miR-193a-5p to accelerate nasopharyngeal carcinoma progression.

OBJECTIVE: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is the commonest malignant tumor. In this article, we aimed to examine the molecular role of lncRNA HEIH in the progression of NPC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We assessed the expression of HEIH, miR-193a-5p and CDK8 in NPC tissues and cells by real-time PCR. The cell proliferation, invasion and migration of SUNE-1 cells were examined by CCK-8 and transwell assay. Western blot assay was adopted to measure the protein expression level of CDK8. Dual-Luciferase reporter assay was adopted to evaluate the correlation between HEIH, miR-193a-5p and CDK8. RESULTS: We discovered that HEIH was high expressed and miR-193a-5p was reduced in both NPC tissues and cells. The upregulation of HEIH facilitated cell proliferation, migration and invasion of SUNE-1 cells. In addition, overexpression of miR-193a-5p restrained cell progression of SUNE-1 cells. Moreover, HEIH was proved to be a molecular sponge of miR-193a-5p in NPC. Besides that, CDK8 was found to be a direct target gene of miR-193a-5p in NPC. Furthermore, CDK8 knockdown suppressed cell progression of SUNE-1 cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrated that HEIH overexpression promoted cell progression by sponging miR-193a-5p and upregulating CDK8.

[Surgical treatment of external auricular cholesteatoma involving tympanum and papilloma].

Objective:To explore the operation treatments and their outcomes of external auditory canal cholesteatomas involving the tympanic cavity and mastoid process. Method:Forty-two patients (45 ears) with external auditory canal cholesteatomas were included in this study who were operated. All lesions invaded the tympanic cavity and mastoid process. Excision of cholesteatoma, external auditory canal angioplasty and concha formation were performed. Ossicular chain reconstruction was performed in 3 ears. Mastoidectomy with close technique were performed in 4 ears. Open radical mastoidectomy was performed in 5 ears. Posterior bone-wall of auricular meatus reconstruction was performed in 3 ears. Tympanoplasty was performed in 21 ears. Pure tone audiogram and aural endoscope were carried out after the operation (3 months, 6months, 1 year, 2 years, 3 years…). Result:Stricture of external auditory meatus were occured in 2 ears in 2 and 3 months after surgery respectively. Cholesteatoma recurrence was observed in 2 ears in 1 year after operation. Wet ear was observed in 1 patient and then another operation was performed after 7 months. Besides the patients above, the epitheliums of the cavity were well in all other patients with complete tympanic membranes. Hearing was improved in all patients (hearing by air conduction:5－30 dB HL). Conclusion:According to the range of the external auditory canal cholesteatoma, we took different operation methods including tympanoplasty, open or close radical mastoidectomy and reconstruction of posterior wall of external auditory canal etc. Those methods, including external auditory canal angioplasty, cavity plasty of concha and skin grafting of external auditory canal, could help to prevent scar formation and stricture of external auditory canal, prevent cholesteatoma recurrence and improve hearing.

[Progress of dopamine in obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome].

The etiology and pathogenesis of sleep obstructive apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is not yet definitive, evidence shows that the dysfunction of pharyngeal nerve and the atonia of the muscle innervated by these nerve could play an important role in the progress of OSAHS. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter in the central nervous system which significantly affects the sleep-awake regulation. So far mounting evidence shows that dopamine has a potential role in the modulation of hypoglossal nucleus. The progress of dopamine in obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome is reviewed in this article.

A novel intronic mutation and a missense mutation of MEN1 identified in two Chinese families with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1.

BACKGROUND: Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) caused by MEN1 mutation is widely recognized. To date, 14 novel mutations were reported in Chinese and intronic mutations are getting more attention. AIM: To explore clinical features and MEN1 mutations in two Chinese families suffering from MEN1. METHODS: Nineteen individuals (10 males and 9 females) from two unrelated families with MEN1 were studied. Mutations of MEN1 were analyzed by direct sequencing of PCR products. In vitro splicing analysis was also performed with minigenes containing both wildtype and novel mutant fragments. Through the RNAstructure program, we analyzed the secondary structure of the wild type MEN1 pre-mRNA and then introduced T>G mutation at +2 donor splice site of intron 7. RESULTS: Clinical features of 3 patients in two families were described, and 5 individuals were proven to be carriers of MEN1 mutation without apparent symptoms. A novel splicing site mutation of the intron 7 (IVS7+2 T→G) was identified in the first family. In vitro analysis also verified this mutation caused the aberrant splicing of MEN1 mRNA. With the RNAstructure program, we could figure out that the global secondary structure as well as the number of stems and loops of pre-mRNA greatly changed after this mutation. The mutation c. 1227 C>A (C409X) was identified in another family, which also caused the truncation of menin. CONCLUSION: We reported a novel intronic mutation and a missense mutations in two Chinese families suffering from MEN1.

[The pharmacokinetics of a transdermal preparation of artesunate in mice and rabbits].

Qinghaosu, also known as artemisinin and arteannuin, is a new type of antimalarial drug isolated from Artemisa annua L. Its low solubility in water and oil limited its widespread clinical use. Artesunate (sodium dihydroqinghaosu hydrogen hemisuccinate monoester) is easily soluble in water and is used iv in the treatment of acute cerebral and malignant malaria. However, artesunate was shown to have a very short half-life when given iv in animals as well as in human beings. A transdermal dosage form of artesunic acid had been prepared and was reported to have reliable suppressing and killing effects on plasmobium berghei in mice. This paper reports results of pharmacokinetic studies of this preparation when applied onto a fixed area of the shaved skin of mice and rabbits. Serum concentration of the drug was determined by a method of radioimmunoassay. The drug was found to be easily absorbed from the skin. The serum concentration-time curve is depicted in figures 1. Peak concentration of 1.8 micrograms/ml was reached at about 2 h when a dose of 25 mg/kg was given to rabbits. For mice, peak serum concentrations of 2.05 and 7.11 micrograms/ml were attained in about 0.5 h after doses of 31.3 and 71.4 mg/kg, respectively, while at a dose of 6.7 mg/kg a peak level of 0.82 micrograms/ml (a concentration more than 5000 times the IC50 of artesunate in in vitro tests on plasmodium berghei for antimalarial activity) was attained at about 4 h after application of the drug. The half-lives of the drug were found to be more than 2 h for both mice and rabbits.