[Comparing the prognostic value of 3 diagnostic criteria of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in preterm infants].

Objective: To compare the prognostic value of 3 diagnostic criteria of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in preterm infants with gestational age<32 weeks. Methods: The retrospective cohort study was conducted to collect the clinical data of 285 preterm infants with BPD admitted to the Department of Neonatology, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University from January 2019 to September 2021, who were followed up regularly after discharge. The primary composite adverse outcome was defined as death or severe respiratory morbidity from 36 weeks of corrected gestational age to 18 months of corrected age, and the secondary composite adverse outcome was defined as death or neurodevelopmental impairment. According to the primary or secondary composite adverse outcomes, the preterm infants were divided into the adverse prognosis group and the non-adverse prognosis group. The 2001 National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) criteria, 2018 NICHD criteria, and 2019 Neonatal Research Network (NRN) criteria were used to diagnose and grade BPD in preterm infants. Chi-square test, Logistic regression analysis, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and Delong test were used to analyze the prognostic value of the 3 diagnostic criteria. Results: The 285 preterm infants had a gestational age of 29.4 (28.1, 30.6) weeks and birth weight of 1 230 (1 000, 1 465) g, including 167 males (58.6%). Among 285 premature infants who completed follow-up, the primary composite adverse outcome occurred in 124 preterm infants (43.5%), and the secondary composite adverse outcome occurred in 40 preterm infants (14.0%). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that severe BPD according to the 2001 NICHD criteria, gradeⅡand Ⅲ BPD according to the 2018 NICHD criteria and grade 2 and 3 BPD according to the 2019 NRN criteria were all risk factors for primary composite adverse outcomes (all P<0.05). ROC curve showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of the 2018 NICHD criteria and 2019 NRN criteria were both higher than that of the 2001 NICHD criteria (0.70 and 0.70 vs. 0.61, Z=4.49 and 3.35, both P<0.001), but there was no significant difference between the 2018 NICHD and 2019 NRN criteria (Z=0.38, P=0.702). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that the secondary composite adverse outcomes were all associated with grade Ⅲ BPD according to the 2018 NICHD criteria and grade 3 BPD according to the 2019 NRN criteria (both P<0.05). ROC curve showed that the AUC of the 2018 NICHD criteria and 2019 NRN criteria were both higher than that of the 2001 NICHD criteria (0.71 and 0.71 vs. 0.58, Z=2.93 and 3.67, both P<0.001), but there was no statistically significant difference between the 2018 NICHD and 2019 NRN criteria (Z=0.02, P=0.984). Conclusion: The 2018 NICHD and 2019 NRN criteria demonstrate good and comparable predictive value for the primary and secondary composite adverse outcomes in preterm infants with BPD, surpassing the predictive efficacy of the 2001 NICHD criteria.

[Application status and progress of intraoperative nerve monitoring in pelvic autonomic nerve preserving radical resection of rectal cancer].

The current treatment strategy for rectal cancer is a comprehensive treatment centered on surgery. The application of total mesorectal excision (TME) has significantly reduced the local recurrence rate and improved the survival prognosis, but a series of pelvic organ dysfunction caused by pelvic autonomic nerve injury during the operation will reduce the postoperative quality of life of patients. Pelvic autonomic nerve preserving (PANP) radical proctectomy has emerged, but the biggest challenge in the implementation process of this technology is the accurate identification of nerves. A series of studies have shown that pelvic intraoperative autonomic monitoring (pIONM) can effectively assist surgeons to identify nerves, The purpose of this article is to introduce the function of pelvic autonomic nerve, the clinical manifestation of postoperative pelvic dysfunction and its relationship with nerve injury, the key points of implementing PANP, and the current situation and research progress of pIONM technology application.

The value of MRI in predicting hepatocellular carcinoma with cytokeratin 19 expression: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIM: To evaluate the overall diagnostic performance of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), different image features, and different image analysis methods in predicting hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with cytokeratin 19 (CK19) expression. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic literature search was performed to identify studies using MRI to predict HCC with CK19 expression between 2012 and 2023. Data were extracted to calculate the pooled sensitivity and specificity. Overall diagnostic performance was assessed using areas under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Subgroup analyses were conducted for specific image features and according to image analysis methods (traditional image feature, radiomics, and combined methods). Z-test statistics was used to analyse the differences in diagnostic performance between combined and individual methods. RESULTS: Eleven studies with 14 datasets (1,278 lesions from 1,264 patients) were included. The overall pooled sensitivity, specificity, and AUC with corresponding 95% confidence intervals were estimated to be 0.72 (0.55, 0.85), 0.88 (0.80, 0.93), and 0.89 (0.86, 0.91) for MRI in predicting HCC with CK19 expression. Combined methods had higher sensitivity than image feature methods (0.86 versus 0.54, p=0.001), with no difference in specificity (0.85 versus 0.87, p=0.641). There were no significant differences between radiomics and combined methods regarding sensitivity (p=0.796) and specificity (p=0.535), respectively. CONCLUSION: MRI shows moderate sensitivity and high specificity in identifying HCC with CK19 expression. The application of radiomics can improve the sensitivity of MRI in identifying HCC with CK19 expression.

[Study on the association between air pollution and respiratory disease of primary school students in Chongqing City].

To analyze the association between exposure to air pollution and respiratory disease of primary school students in Chongqing City. Eight districts and counties were randomly selected based on the air pollution situation in Chongqing City. In each selected district and county, one primary school was randomly selected. A questionnaire survey was conducted on all primary school students in Grades 3-5 by the end of 2019. Air quality data from the nearest environmental monitoring sites were collected. A logistic regression model was used to analyze the impact of the living environment, lifestyle and air pollution on the respiratory disease of surveyed students. This study included 5 918 primary school students, with a prevalence rate of respiratory disease of 21.54%. The prevalence rates of boys and girls were 23.38% and 19.59%, respectively. The average Air quality index (AQI) of the surveyed school was 67, and the rates of exceeding standards of PM10, PM2.5, NO2 and O3 were 1.16%, 6.92%, 0.99% and 5.65%, respectively. The level of SO2 and CO did not exceed the standard. After adjusting for relevant factors, logistic regression analysis showed that primary school students in areas with high exposure to air pollution (OR=2.52), using air pollution related-chemicals at home (OR=1.47), passive smoking (OR=1.27), and keeping pets at home (OR=1.18) had a higher risk of respiratory disease (all P<0.05). In addition, the average annual values of AQI (OR=1.18), PM10 (OR=1.20), PM2.5 (OR=1.35), and NO2 (OR=1.11) increased the risk of respiratory diseases in primary school students (all P<0.05). In conclusion, the respiratory disease of primary school students in Chongqing City is related to the living environment, behavior habits and ambient air quality. The increased exposure concentration of PM10, PM2.5 and NO2 in air pollutants can lead to an increased risk of respiratory disease among primary school students.

Effects of cadmium exposure on metabolism, antioxidant defense, immune function, and the hepatopancreas transcriptome of Cipangopaludina cathayensis.

Cadmium (Cd) is a common contaminant in aquatic environments. However, little is known about the mechanisms underlying Cd toxicity in the freshwater snail Cipangopaludina cathayensis (Heude, 1890). This study to investigate the toxic effects of Cd on the standard metabolism, antioxidant activities, immune function, and hepatopancreas transcriptome profiles of C. cathayensis. C. cathayensis was exposed to 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, or 1.5 mg/L Cd for 3 h, with results showing that Cd significantly inhibited oxygen consumption and ammonia excretion and disrupted the respiratory metabolism of C. cathayensis. In addition, the O:N ratio dropped below 7, indicating that C. cathayensis may rely exclusively on proteins as an energy source under Cd stress. To understand how Cd impacts the antioxidant activities, immune function, and transcriptional profiles, C. cathayensis were exposed to 0.5 (low exposure, L14) or 1.5 (high exposure, H14) mg/L Cd for 14 days. Our results indicate that Cd exposure leads to oxidative stress and immunosuppression, with the latter effect being larger for exposure to higher Cd concentrations. A total of 2172 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified by transcriptome analysis of the hepatopancreas, of which 885 were upregulated and 1287 were downregulated. Gene ontology and KEGG analyses revealed that the DEGs in the H14 group are enriched for energy generation terms and the "oxidative phosphorylation" pathway, respectively. Therefore, up-regulation of energy metabolism may be an adaptive strategy under Cd stress. Moreover, several genes involved in antioxidant activity were downregulated, whereas genes related to reactive oxygen species generation were upregulated. In addition, many immunity-related genes were identified within the DEGs, indicating that Cd toxicity may affect immune defense. Further, DEGs in the H14 group were enriched for disease-associated pathways. Taken together, our results indicate that Cd exposure leads to metabolic disorders, oxidative stress, and immunosuppression and thus may potentially contribute to disease outbreaks.

[Biological function and clinical significance of long non-coding RNA LINC00342 in head and neck squamous carcinoma].

Objective: To investigate the relationship between the long-non-coding RNA LINC00342 expression and the clinicopathological parameters of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and the biological function of LINC00342 in HNSCC cells. Methods: The expression level of LINC00342 in the HNSCC was analyzed using transcriptome sequencing data from TCGA (The Cancer Genome Atlas) database, and the expressions of LINC00342 in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma tissues (LSCC) of 27 patients in the First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University were detected by transcriptome sequencing. The expression levels of LINC00342 in human embryonic lung diploid cells 2BS, HNSCC cell lines FD-LSC-1, CAL-27 and Detroit562 were determined by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). RNAi (RNA interference) was used for LINC00342 knockdown in HNSCC cell lines, and the changes of malignant phenotype in the tumor cells after LINC00342 knockdown were examined by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), colony formation, flow cytometry, transwell invasion and migration assays. Bioinformatics analysis was performed to construct a LINC00342-centered competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) regulatory network, and GO (Gene Ontology) enrichment analysis was performed. Statistical analysis and graphing were performed using SPSS 25.0 software and GraphPad Prism 6 software. Results: Mean LINC00342 levels in HNSCC tissues and TCGA database were higher than that in normal control tissues, but with no significantly statistical difference (P=0.522). LINC00342 expression levels were positively correlated with cervical lymph node metastasis and pathological grade in patients with HNSCC, with higher expression in male patients than in female patients (P<0.05). Transcriptome sequencing analysis showed that mean expression level of LINC00342 in LSCC tissues of 27 patients was significantly higher than that in the paired adjacent normal mucosa tissues (t=1.56, P=0.036). LINC00342 expression was significantly upregulated in HNSCC cell lines FD-LSC-1, CAL-27 and Detroit562 (t-values of -12.17, -23.26 and -388.57, respectively; all P<0.001). Knockdown of LINC00342 by transfecting si-LINC00342-1 and si-LINC00342-2 inhibited HNSCC cell proliferation (t-values of 8.95 and 4.84, 2.70 and 5.55, 2.02 and 3.70, respectively), colony formation (t-values of 6.66 and 6.17, 7.38 and 11.65, 4.90 and 5.79, respectively), migration (t-values of 8.21 and 7.19, 5.76 and 6.46, 6.28 and 9.92, respectively) and invasion abilities (t-values of 9.29 and 10.25, 11.30 and 11.36, 8.02 and 8.66, respectively), but promoting apoptosis in cell lines FD-LSC-1 and CAL-27 (t-values of -2.21 and -5.83, -3.05 and -5.25 respectively) (all P-values<0.05). The LINC00342-centered ceRNA network consists of 10 downregulated microRNA and 647 upregulated mRNA nodes. GO analysis results indicated that LINC00342-regulated mRNAs were enriched in 22 biological processes, 32 molecular functions, and 12 cellular components. Conclusion: High level of LINC00342 is associated with the malignant progression of HNSCC. LINC00342 promotes the proliferation, migration, invasion, and antagonizes apoptosis of HNSCC cells, which serves as a potential molecular marker in HNSCC.

IL-17A as a new circulating bioindicator for non-small cell lung cancer diagnosis and prognosis.

OBJECTIVE: Lung cancer (LC) is the highest contributor to cancer-associated mortality worldwide. Approximately 85% of all LC incidences involve non-small cell LC (NSCLC). Unfortunately, owing to a significant lack of sensitive and robust bioindicators, most patient diagnoses occur at advanced stages of the disease, thereby resulting in extremely poor patient outcomes. Herein, we elucidated the role of interleukin-17A (IL-17A) among NSCLC patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Circulating IL-17A content was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and its diagnostic and prognostic abilities were assessed using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and Kaplan-Meier analysis, respectively. RESULTS: Our analysis revealed that circulating IL-17A levels were significantly augmented among NSCLC vs. control samples. Moreover, based on our area under the curve (AUC) analysis, circulating IL-17A levels fared considerably better than the standard bioindicator carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in both testing and validation cohorts. Notably, we also revealed that the circulating IL-17A levels were accurately and reliably predicted in early-stage NSCLC patients. Besides, we demonstrated a strong correlation between elevated circulating IL-17A expression and worse prognosis among NSCLC patients. CONCLUSIONS: Herein, we demonstrated that circulating IL-17A levels can serve as reliable and potent diagnostic and prognostic bioindicators for NSCLC.

[Value of (11)C-PiB PET/MRI in the evaluation of organ involvement in primary systemic light chain amyloidosis].

Objective: To analyze the value of (11)C-PiB PET/MRI for evaluating organ involvement in patients with primary light chain amyloidosis (pAL) . Methods: The clinical data of 20 patients with pAL and 3 healthy volunteers from January 2019 to October 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The correlation between the organ involvement evaluated by clinical standards and PET/MRI was compared. The relationship between cardiac-related biological indicators, disease stage, and the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) were analyzed. The relationship between 24-hour urinary protein quantification and kidney SUVmax was analyzed. Results: ①In 20 patients (18 newly diagnosed patients and 2 non-newly diagnosed patients) ,(11)C-PiB positive uptake was observed in the heart (15 patients, 75%) , lung (8 patients, 40%) , bone marrow (10 patients, 50%) , muscle (10 patients, 50%) , tongue muscle (7 patients, 35%) , thyroid (6 patients, 30%) , salivary gland (4 patients, 20%) , spleen (2 patients, 10%) , and stomach wall (1 patient, 5%) . ②Organ involvement on (11)C-PiB PET/MRI showed good correlations with the clinical evaluation criteria for the heart and bone marrow. The positive rate of PET/MRI evaluation in the lung, spleen, gland, muscle, and tongue muscle was significantly higher than the clinical criteria. However, (11)C-PiB PET/MRI has limitations in the evaluation of the nervous system and fat tissue. ③To analyze the relationship between cardiac-related biological indexes and the SUVmax of the heart in 13 newly diagnosed patients. Patients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) <50% and interventricular septal thickness (ISV) ≥1.2 cm showed a higher SUVmax than patients with LVEF ≥50% and ISV<1.2 cm (P<0.05) .There are significant differences in the SUVmax of the heart between the Mayo2004 stage and the Mayo2012 stage. The later the disease stage, the higher the SUVmax (P<0.05) . The SUVmax of the heart was positively correlated with cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) (P<0.01) .There was no significant correlation between renal SUVmax and 24-hour urine protein (P>0.05) . Conclusion: Whole body (11)C-PiB PET/MRI, as a visualization system of amyloid protein, is used to qualitatively evaluate organ involvement, which can improve the level of early non-invasive diagnosis. Whole body (11)C-PiB PET/MRI can be used to perform quantitative evaluation of organ levels, especially the heart, which is expected to evaluate organ function and predict disease prognosis more accurately.

[Study on the relationship between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with prior hepatitis B virus infection].

Objective: To explore the role of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with prior hepatitis B virus infection (HBsAg-negative and anti-HBC-positive). Methods: 1605 hospitalized patients who were first diagnosed with HCC at Nanfang Hospital between 2015 to 2017 were retrospectively studied. Patients who developed HCC on the basis of active HBV infection (HBsAg-positive, anti-HBc positive) were used as control. Multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the relationship between NAFLD and HCC in patients with prior hepatitis B virus infection. Results: Among HCC patients with both HBsAg and anti-HCV negative, the proportion of prior HBV infection accounted for 86.7%. NAFLD prevalence was higher in patients with HCC based on prior HBV infection than active HBV infection (19.7% vs. 8.5%, P < 0.001). After adjusting for gender, age, hypertension, alanine aminotransferase, and liver cirrhosis, patients with HCC based on prior HBV infection were more likely to develop NAFLD (OR: 2.29, 95% CI: 1.40-3.74), and this phenomenon was observed only in patients with non-cirrhosis (OR: 5.26, 95% CI: 2.53-10.96) and aged≥50 years (OR: 2.36, 95% CI: 1.33-4.20). Conclusion: NAFLD may be a risk factor for HCC in a previously infected patients with HBV, especially in non-cirrhotic and population aged≥50 years.

[Higher proportion of hepatitis B-related hepatocellular carcinoma combined with metabolic diseases in patients receiving antiviral therapy].

Objective: To investigate the proportion of hepatitis B-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients who have received antiviral therapy and compare the clinical characteristics of HCC patients who have received antiviral therapy with those who have not received antiviral therapy. Methods: Data of 2590 newly diagnosed hepatitis B-related HCC cases who were hospitalized in Nanfang Hospital from 2015 to 2017 were collected. Two independent sample t-tests, Mann-Whitney U test, and χ(2) test were used to compare the clinical characteristics of hepatitis B-related HCC patients who had received antiviral therapy and those who had not received antiviral therapy. Propensity score was used to match some clinical characteristics of the two groups of patients, and the differences in clinical characteristics of the two groups of patients after matching were further compared. Patients with HCC who had not received antiviral therapy were used as reference, and then the clinical characteristics of HCC patients who had received antiviral treatment were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression. Results: Among the 2 590 patients with hepatitis B-related HCC, only 18.10% of patients had received antiviral therapy, while 82.20% of patients who did not receive antiviral therapy met the treatment criteria. HCC patients who had received antiviral therapy were older (P < 0.05), had a higher proportion of liver cirrhosis (P < 0.001), and lower levels of platelets and alanine aminotransferases and smaller maximum tumor diameter (P < 0.001). In terms of metabolic disease, patients who had received antiviral treatment had higher prevalence of diabetes (14.50% vs. 7.70%, P < 0.001), hypertension (16.60% vs. 11.20%, P < 0.05), obesity (28.50% vs. 22.30%, P < 0.05), overweight (53.80% vs. 43.50%, P < 0.001) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (18.30% vs.8.00%, P < 0.001). After matching other different clinical characteristics, the prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in patients who received antiviral therapy was still higher than that of patients who did not receive antiviral therapy (14.50% vs. 9.80%, P < 0.05; 16.60% vs. 10.20%, P < 0.05; 18.30% vs. 7.00%, P < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that HCC patients who had received antiviral therapy had a higher risk of developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (OR: 2.054, 95% CI: 1.404~3.004) than those who had not received antiviral therapy. Conclusion: Among patients with hepatitis B-related HCC, the proportion of patients who have received antiviral therapy is significantly low (under 20%), which suggests that the popularization and promotion of antiviral therapy has a long way to go. Compared with HCC patients who have not received antiviral therapy, the proportion of HCC patients who have received antiviral therapy combined with metabolic diseases is higher; therefore, it is necessary to pay more attention to the role of metabolic factors in the pathogenesis of hepatitis B-related HCC.

Effect of TNF-alpha on endometrial glucose transporter-4 expression in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome through nuclear factor-kappa B signaling pathway activation.

The present study aimed to investigate the possible mechanism of action of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in endometrial glucose transporter-4 (GLUT-4) expression regulation by detecting the expression levels of endometrial inflammatory factors and GLUT-4 in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). A total of 140 patients were included in this study and divided into four groups: the PCOS group, the obesity + PCOS group, the normal group, and the obesity group (n = 35 each). The general clinical data of all patients were collected, and their expression levels of TNF-α, nuclear factor kappa B p65 (NF-κBp65), and GLUT-4 in the endometrium were tested via immunohistochemistry. Endometrial stromal cells were cultured in vitro and treated with TNF-α or pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) + TNF-α, and the expression levels of NF-κBp65, phospho-NF-κBp65 (p-NF-κBp65), and GLUT-4 were tested using Western blotting (WB) before and after treatment. As a result, we got: 1) Compared with the normal group, the abundance of the protein for TNF-α and NF-κBp65 in the endometrium of the patients with PCOS was elevated, while the expression level of GLUT-4 was decreased; the difference was statistically different (P < 0.05). The comparison between the obesity + PCOS group and the PCOS group yielded the same results. 2) According to the WB results, compared with the normal group, the abundance of the protein for endometrial GLUT-4 was decreased in the PCOS group, and the expression levels of p-NF-κBp65 and NF-κBp65 were increased in the obesity + PCOS group; the differences were statistically different (P < 0.05). The addition of TNF-α could decrease the abundance of the protein for GLUT-4 and increase the abundance of the protein for p-NF-κBp65. After treatment with PDTC + TNF-α, the abundance of the protein for p-NF-κBp65 decreased and GLUT-4 increased compared with the TNF-α group; these values were close to those of the control group. We concluded that the abundance of the proteins for local inflammatory factors in the endometrial cells of patients with PCOS was increased, indicating that TNF-α could affect the expression of endometrial GLUT-4 in such patients by activating the p-NF-κBp65 signaling pathway.

[The value of 3.0T magnetic resonance -diffusion kurtosis imaging in the differential diagnosis of rectal mucinous adenocarcinoma and common adenocarcinoma].

Objective: To investigate the value of 3.0T MRI diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) quantitative histogram parameters in the differential diagnosis of rectal mucinous adenocarcinoma (MC) and common adenocarcinoma (AC). Methods: One hundred and ten patients from Department of Radiology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University between September 2015 and September 2019 with complete magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and DKI results confirmed by surgery and pathology were retrospectively analyzed, including 16 patients in MC group and 94 patients in AC group. Two physicians outlined the region of interest (ROI) on the DKI image with b=1 000 s/mm(2), and obtained quantitative DKI parameters, including the diffusion coefficient (D value) and kurtosis coefficient (K value) corrected for non-Gaussian distribution. The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of quantitative parameters of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) were obtained through image registration, and histogram analysis was performed to obtain the mean value, 25th percentile, 50th percentile, 75th percentile, skewness and kurtosis of the above parameters, respectively. The difference between the quantitative histogram parameter analysis results of the rectal MC group and the AC group was evaluated, and the main indicators and multivariate comprehensive analysis indicators was screened, and the effectiveness of quantitative histogram parameters related to histopathological classification in the differential diagnosis of rectal MC and AC was evaluated. Results: There was no significant differences in gender, age, lesion location, T stage or N stage between MC group and AC group (all P>0.05). The multivariate binary logistic stepwise regression screening showed that D50th percentile and K25th percentile are statistically significant indicators (B values were 2 966.166 and -4.550, respectively; Wals values were 9.000 and 15.720, respectively; and P values were 0.003 and <0.001, respectively). The combined area under the curve of the two indictors was 0.85, but there was no statistically significant difference in pairwise comparison using DeLong method (P>0.05). The results of histogram analysis of quantitative parameters measured by the two physicians were consistent, and the inter-group correlation coefficient ranged from 0.880 to 0.981. Conclusions: The quantitative parameter histogram analysis of the DKI double-index model is helpful for the differentiation of rectal MC and AC, in which the D50th percentile and K25th percentile have differential diagnosis significance, and are superior to the ADC value of the single-index model.

MicroRNA-495 attenuates proliferation and inflammatory response in rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes through attenuating ß-catenin pathway.

Fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) exert a critical effect in the occurrence and progress of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). MicroRNA-495 (miR-495) can regulate many growth behaviors in various cell types. Nevertheless, the role of miR-495 is still unclear in RA-FLS. We aimed to explore the role and molecular mechanism of miR-495 in RA. The FLSs and synovial tissue from normal and RA cases were used in the study. RT-PCR analysis was used to examine the expression of miR-495. Western blot assay was conducted to determine the levels of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and ß-catenin. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assays were performed to determine the proliferation of RA-FLS in different treatment groups. The results showed that miR-495 is down-regulated in both RA-synovial tissue and RA-FLSs. Overexpression of miR-495 could inhibit RA-FLS proliferation and inflammatory factors of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-11 and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and decrease the protein expression of MMP-9 and MMP-2. In addition, miR-495 could negatively regulate the expression of ß-catenin in RA-FLSs. We also confirmed that the inhibitory role of miR-495 in RA-FLS is through the regulation of ß-catenin expression. Taken together, miR-495 is downregulated in RA-FLS and RA synovial tissue, and miR-495 inhibits proliferation and inflammatory response in RA-FLS, partially via regulating ß-catenin expression. The miR-495/ß-catenin pathway may serve as a new therapeutic target for RA.

[Psychological health of nurses in operating room participating in organ donation and intervention effect].

Objective: To understand the effect of organ donation surgery on the mental health of nurses in operating room, and to explore the intervention effects. Methods: From Jan.2015 to Dec. 2018, 60 operating room nurses in our hospital participating in organ donation surgery were selected for investigation of mental health, and were intervened by group psychological training, positive psychological intervention, improving shift arrangement system and financial support. The SCL-90 scale and DAP-R scale were used to evaluate before and after intervention. Results: The mean scores of somatization, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, terror, paranoia and psychoticism in SCL-90 scale of 60 operating room nurses were (2.07±0.63) , (2.07±0.69) , (1.88±0.62) , (1.71±0.57) , (1.78±0.67) , (1.71±0.68) , (1.73±0.60) before intervention respectively, which were significantly higher than the Chinese norm (P<0.01) and those[ (1.64±0.60) , (1.46±0.57) , (1.53±0.62) , (1.48±0.60) , (1.28±0.50) , (1.45±0.56) , (1.43±0.52) ] after intervention were lower than before (P<0.01) . Before and after the intervention, the scores of DAP-R scale tended to be death fear dimension and acceptance dimension, the proportion of the death fear dimension was 16.7% (10/60) and 6.7% (4/60) , respectively, and the approaching acceptance dimension was 83.3% (50/60) and 93.3% (56/60) . The proportion of the nurses with scores of SCL-90 scale ≥160 after the intervention was significantly lower than that before the intervention (χ(2)=5.82, P<0.05) . Conclusion: The mental health of nurses in the operating room participating in organ donation surgery is lower; After intervention, the investigated nurses present improved mental health and positively emotional attitude towards death.

MiR-221 affects the proliferation and apoptosis of laryngeal cancer cells through the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of MiR-221 on proliferation and apoptosis of laryngeal carcinoma cells through the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. MATERIALS AND METHODS: LipofectamineTM 2000 liposomes were used to transfer MiR-221 analogue, MiR-221 NC into Hep-2 cells of laryngeal carcinoma. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method was used to detect the expression of MiR-221, MTT method was used to detect the proliferation of cells, flow cytometry was used to detect cell cycle, Western blotting was used to detect the expression of apoptosis proteinase-1 (Apaf-1) and cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK1, CDK2) protein and the activation of phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT). RESULTS: Compared with MiR-221 NC group, the expression of MiR-221 in MiR-221 analogue group was up-regulated (p<0.01), the cell proliferation rate was decreased (p<0.01), the cell cycle was stagnated in the G1 phase (p<0.01), the expression levels of Cyclin A, CDK1, CDK2, PI3K, and p-AKT were significantly down-regulated (p<0.01), and the expression levels of Bax and Apaf-1 were significantly up-regulated (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: MiR-221 analogues can significantly inhibit the proliferation and induce apoptosis of Hep-2 cells in laryngeal cancer, and this is achieved by blocking the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, which also indicates that MiR-221 affects the proliferation and apoptosis of laryngeal cancer cells through the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

Arsenic trioxide-eluting Callispheres beads is more effective and equally tolerant compared with arsenic trioxide/lipiodol emulsion in the transcatheter arterial chemoembolization treatment for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma patients.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) using CalliSpheres beads loading with arsenic trioxide (ATO) (CBATO) in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eighty-six unresectable HCC patients about to receive TACE with CBATO or conventional TACE (cTACE) with ATO were consecutively enrolled and divided into CBATO group (N=38) or cTACE group (N=48), respectively. Treatment response at 3 months (M3) and 6 months (M6) after the first treatment, and the progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were evaluated. Also, the biochemical indexes were documented before treatment, at 7 days, M3, and M6 after the first treatment. RESULTS: The 3-month complete response (CR), overall response rate (ORR), and the 6-month CR, ORR, as well as the disease control rate (DCR) were increased in CBATO group compared with the cTACE group. Also, the TACE with CBATO was an independent predicting factor for lower stable disease+ progressive disease (non-ORR). Besides, PFS and OS were longer in CBATO group compared with cTACE group. Referring to biochemical indexes (including liver function indexes, kidney function indexes, and blood routine indexes), no difference between the two groups was found. As for adverse events, the prevalence of nausea and vomiting was decreased, while the prevalence of other adverse events were similar in CBATO group compared to cTACE group. CONCLUSIONS: TACE with CBATO is more effective and equally tolerant compared with cTACE in treating unresectable HCC patients.

[Concept and clinical application of surgical margin principle on head and neck cancers].

Surgical margin principle is one of the central surgical principles for head and neck cancers. Negative surgical margin is the primary purpose of surgery for head and neck cancers. This paper is based on the current clinical application of surgical margins of head and neck cancers, and it is proposed that surgical margins of head and neck cancers may be classified into three types: surface margin, deep margin, and tissue interface margin in consideration of surgical exposure of tumors. The classification of surgical margins can make the clinical application and the research of surgical margins of head and neck cancers more systematic and clear.

Effect of miR-7 on resistance of breast cancer cells to adriamycin via regulating EGFR/PI3K signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVE: To explore whether micro ribonucleic acid (miR)-7 affects the resistance of breast cancer cells to adriamycin (ADR) through regulating the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)/phosphatidylinositol 3-hydroxy kinase (PI3K) signaling pathway. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MiR-7 expression was compared among MCF-10A, MCF-7 and MCF-7/ADR cells. The MCF-7/ADR cells were divided into three groups, namely miR-7 control group (MCF-7/ADR drug-resistant strains), miR-7 inhibition group (miR-7-inhibited MCF-7/ADR drug-resistant strains) and miR-7 promotion group (MCF-7/ADR drug-resistant strains transfected with miR-7), and the messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expression levels of MCF-7/ADR were evaluated via Western blotting. RESULTS: The expression level of miR-7 was substantially decreased in MCF-7 and MCF-7/ADR cells (p<0.05), and it was lowered more obviously in MCF-7/ADR cells than that in MCF-7 cells (p<0.05). Compared with that in miR-7 control group, miR-7 expression in miR-7 promotion group was notably raised (p<0.05), proving that the sensitivity of MCF-7/ADR cells to ADR was enhanced, while that in miR-7 inhibition group was significantly lowered (p<0.05). Compared with those in miR-7 control group, the mRNA and protein expression levels of EGFR and PI3K were elevated in miR-7 inhibition group (p<0.05), while they were lowered in miR-7 promotion group (p<0.05). Additionally, compared with those in miR-7 control group, the proliferation and apoptosis abilities of cells in miR-7 inhibition group were markedly enhanced (p<0.05) and weakened (p<0.05), respectively, while they were weakened (p<0.05) and significantly strengthened (p<0.05), respectively in miR-7 inhibition group. CONCLUSIONS: MiR-7 plays an important role in the resistance of breast cancer cells to ADR, and its over-expression can inhibit the EGFR/PI3K signaling pathway to raise their sensitivity to the chemotherapy drug ADR.