Meta-analysis of risk factors associated with suicidal ideation after stroke.

BACKGROUND: Over the past decade, increasing attention has been paid on post stroke suicide (PSS), which is one of complications of stroke. The rates of stroke and suicide are relatively high, especially in Asian populations. Thus, a deeper understanding of the prevalence and epidemiological impact of suicide after stroke is urgently needed. Clinical diagnosis and prevention of PSS are at the incipient stage, but the risk factors responsible for the occurrence of PSS in different regions and stages of the disease remain largely unknown. The present meta-analysis aimed to determine the incidence of PSS at different stages and time courses, and to identify the underlying risk factors for PSS. METHODS: We systematically searched the Cochrane library, Embase, PubMed, CNKI and Web of Science databases from their inception until April 2019.The research articles reporting on the risk factor for PSS were screened and included in the meta-analysis. The data from the included studies were extracted according to the predefined criteria. RESULTS: A total of 12 studies (n = 2,693,036) were included for meta-analyses. Of these studies, 7 reporting suicide prevalence were meta-analyzed. The pooled estimate of suicidal ideation rates after stroke was 12%, which could be influenced by multiple risk factors, including sex, smoking, depression, sleep disorders, previous stroke and low household income. Studies conducted in Asia demonstrated higher suicide prevalence (approximately 15%) compared to other regions. Smoking, low family income, depression, heart disease and sleep disorders were important risk factors for PSS. When compared to PSS of more than 1 year, the incidence of suicide within 1 year after stroke was more likely to be statistically significant. It was found that 4 out of every 1000 stroke survivors tended to commit suicide. The results of this meta-analysis showed that depression (OR = 2.32; p < 0.01) was significantly associated with suicidal ideation, regardless of stroke duration. CONCLUSION: PSS is one of the common complications of stroke. Despite some limitations, we successfully identified the risk factors associated with suicidal ideation after stroke. Notably, depression was significantly associated with suicidal ideation, regardless of stroke duration. Targeting this risk factor may be helpful to improve stroke patient care and prevent suicidal ideation after stroke. Future research will be carried out to assess whether suicidal ideation or thoughts and actual suicide attempts are strongly predictive of suicide deaths after stroke (Registration No. CRD42019128813).

MiR-1260b promotes the migration and invasion in non-small cell lung cancer via targeting PTPRK.

OBJECTIVE: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for 80-85% of lung cancer cases which cause most of cancer-related deaths globally. As our previous study discovered miR-1260b can be regarded as a specific signature for metastasis in NSCLC patients. However, the molecular mechanisms of miR-1260b underlying NSCLC progression and metastasis remain dismal. METHODS: The expression of miR-1260b in NSCLC tissues and cell lines were examined by real-time PCR, the effects of miR-1260b on cell migration, invasion and proliferation were evaluated in vitro. Furthermore, luciferase reporter assay was performed to identify the targets of miR-1260b, and the association between miR-1260b and its target gene was determined by real-time PCR and western blot assay. RESULTS: The results showed that miR-1260b was significantly upregulated in NSCLC cell lines. The inhibition of miR-1260b expression decreased the migratory and invasive rates in A549 cells while miR-1260b overexpression had the opposite effect. Furthermore, PTPRK was identified as a direct target of miR-1260b, and PTPRK expression was inversely correlated with miR-1260b in NSCLC cell lines and clinical tissues. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggested that miR-1260b may play an important role in NSCLC metastasis progression and could serve as a putative target for diagnosis and treatment of NSCLC.

Formation of conductive networks with both segregated and double-percolated characteristic in conductive polymer composites with balanced properties.

Morphological control of conductive networks involves the construction of segregated or double-percolated conductive networks is often reported to reduce the electrical percolation threshold of conductive polymer composites (CPCs) for better balance among electrical conductivity, mechanical properties, and filler content. Herein, the construction of conductive networks with both segregated and double-percolated characteristics is achieved based on polypropylene (PP)/polyethylene (PE) and multi-wall carbon nanotubes (CNTs). CNTs were firstly dispersed in PE; then PE/CNTs were compounded with PP particles well below the melting temperature of PP. It is observed that the percolation threshold (pc) decreases with increasing PP particle size (size 3.6 mm, pc=0.08 wt %), which agrees with previous theoretical prediction and experiment in much smaller particle size range. To further study this, the amount of CNTs in PE is varied. It is shown that the degree of PE/CNTs coating on PP particles varies with CNTs as well as PE content in these composites, and have significant influence on the final electrical property. Furthermore, a model combines classical percolation theory and model for segregated network has been proposed to analyze the effect of particle size, degree of coating and thickness of coating on the percolation behavior of these CPCs. In such a model the percolation of CNTs in PE phase as well as PENT phase in the segregated structure can be described. Overall, through such method, a much better balance among mechanical property, conductivity, and filler content is achieved in these CPCs comparing with the results in literature.

Reactive oxygen species regulate Pseudomonas aeruginosa lipopolysaccharide-induced MUC5AC mucin expression via PKC-NADPH oxidase-ROS-TGF-alpha signaling pathways in human airway epithelial cells.

Mucin overproduction is a hallmark of chronic inflammatory airway diseases, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cystic fibrosis. Excessive production of mucin leads to airway mucus obstruction and contributes to morbidity and mortality in these diseases. The molecular mechanisms underlying mucin overproduction, however, still remain largely unknown. Here, we report that the bacterium P. aeruginosa, an important human respiratory pathogen causing cystic fibrosis, utilizes reactive oxygen species (ROS) to up-regulate MUC5AC mucin expression. Pseudomonas aeruginosa lipopolysaccharide (PA-LPS) induces production of ROS through protein kinase C (PKC)-NADPH oxidase signaling pathway in human epithelial cells. Subsequently, ROS generation by PA-LPS releases transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha), which in turn, leads to up-regulate MUC5AC expression. These findings may bring new insights into the molecular pathogenesis of P. aeruginosa infections and lead to novel therapeutic intervention for inhibiting mucin overproduction in patients with P. aeruginosa infections.