Uncovering Potentially Therapeutic Phytochemicals, In silico Analysis, and Biological Assessment of South-Chinese Red Dragon Fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus).

Red dragon fruit is gaining popularity globally due to its nutritional value and bioactive components. The study aimed to assess the phytochemical, nutritional composition, antioxidant, antibacterial, and cytotoxic properties of extracts from the South Chinese red dragon fruit peel, flesh, and seeds. Extract fractions with increasing polarity (ethyl acetate

Effects of Catheter Tracking Management on Urinary Tract Function and Infection Rates in Patients With Spinal Cord Injury.

Context: Patients with bone-marrow injuries, such as spinal cord injuries (SCIs), usually have urinary dysfunction, changes to the urethra's anatomical structure, and pathophysiological changes of the urinary system, which can lead to urodynamic changes. If a patient receives improper treatment, repeated infections of the urinary system can easily occur, causing hydronephrosis and damage to renal function. Objective: The study intended to explore the effects of catheter follow-up management for patients with SCIs on the function of the bladder and the urinary tract and on urinary tract infections (UTIs), selecting antibiotics reasonably according to a bacterial culture and drug sensitivity test. Design: The research team designed a randomized controlled trial. Setting: The study took place at the Hebei Cangzhou Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)-Western Medicine (WM) in Cangzhou City, Hebei Province, People's Republic of China. Participants: Participants were 92 patients with SCIs who were treated at the hospital between January 2020 and December 2021. Intervention: The research team randomly divided participants into an intervention group (n = 45) and a control group (n = 47). The control group received routine treatment, while the intervention group received catheter follow-up management. Outcome Measures: At baseline and postintervention after six weeks of treatment, the research team: (1) examined participants' bladder function, (2) examine urodynamic indexes including measurement of the maximum bladder volume, maximum urethral closure pressure, maximum urinary flow rate, and maximum detrusor pressure, and (3) assessed participants' QoL using the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire Abbreviated (WHOQOL-BREF). Results: Improvements in bladder function, urodynamic indexes, QoL, and UTIs occurred in both groups. The intervention group's: (1) total effective rate for bladder function was 91.11%, which was significantly higher than that of the control group (P = .022); (2) maximal bladder volume, urethral closure pressure, and urinary flow rate were 365.59 ± 54.43 ml, 81.19 ± 8.8 cmH2O, and 18.60 ± 2. 43 ml/s, respectively, and were significantly higher than those of the control group (all P = .000); (3) maximal detrusor pressure was 47.48 ± 5.64 cmH2O, which was significantly lower than that of the control group (p=0.000); (4) scores on the WHOQOL-BREF's subdimensions and total score were significantly higher than those in the control group: psychological, 17.92 ± 1.55; physiological, 30.30 ± 1.82; independence, 22.43 ± 1.40; social relations, 16.82 ± 1.32; environment, 21.19 ± 1.85; and total score, 110.02 ±16.64 (all P = .000); (5) incidence of urinary tract infection was 17.78 which was significantly lower than that of the control group (P = .003). The distribution of bacterial species in the UTIs of the intervention and control groups wasn't significantly different (P = .869). The two bacterial groups were Escherichia coli and Enterococcus. Drug sensitivity tests showed that the Escherichia coli were less susceptible to gentamicin, levofloxacin, and piperacillin than to ciprofloxacin, and the Enterococcus were less susceptible to gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, and levofloxacin than to piperacillin. Conclusions: For patients with SCIs, catheter follow-up management can be helpful in restoring the function of the bladder and urinary tract, can improve patients' QoL, and reduce their rate of UTIs. Clinically, medical practitioners should select antibiotics reasonably according to a bacterial culture and drug-sensitivity test.

Inhibition of RhoA/ROCK signalling pathway activity improves neural damage and cognitive deficits in the fluorosis model.

Excessive fluoride intake poses health risks to humans and animals. Many studies have indicated that fluoride exposure can damage the cytoskeleton and synapses, which has negative effects on the intellectual development of humans and animals. Our previous study suggested that the RhoA/ROCK signalling pathway is activated by NaF exposure in HT-22 cells and plays a vital role in cytoskeletal assembly and synaptogenesis. However, the mechanism underlying RhoA/ROCK-mediated cytoskeletal injury induced by fluoride remains unclear. In this study, Neuro-2A cells and ICR mice were used to investigate the effects of RhoA/ROCK activation inhibition on NaF-induced synaptic dysfunction and cognitive impairment. We detected the expression of GAP, RhoA, ROCK1/2, and (p)-MLC in vivo and in vitro model. The results showed that NaF exposure activated the RhoA/ROCK/MLC signalling pathway. We measured the effects of RhoA/ROCK inhibition on synaptic injury and intellectual impairment induced by NaF exposure. In vitro, Y-27632 suppressed activated RhoA/ROCK, attenuated morphological and ultrastructural damage, and decreased the survival rate and synapse-functional protein expression caused by NaF. In vivo, the results showed that the RhoA/ROCK/MLC pathway was inhibited by fasudil and improved pathological damage in the hippocampus, cognitive impairment, and decreased expression of neurofunctional proteins induced by NaF. Overall, these results suggest that fasudil and Y-27632 can reverse neurotoxicity caused by fluoride exposure. Furthermore, inhibition of RhoA/ROCK may be a future treatment for CNS injury, and more detailed studies on other neurodegenerative disease models are required to confirm its effectiveness.

Study on the expression level of NF-κB and clinical evaluations in spinal tuberculosis patients.

Spinal tuberculosis or tuberculous spondylitis is one of the most common types of skeletal tuberculosis. Complications of the spine and spinal cord tuberculosis include destruction of the vertebrae, deformity, and paraplegia. Since in some patients, the clinical manifestations of tuberculosis are unusual and timely diagnosis and treatment of this disease can prevent its serious consequences, so in the present study, some cases of rare manifestations of tuberculosis were investigated. The expression of the NF-κB gene in these patients was also evaluated. In this regard, 36 patients with spinal tuberculosis and 30 healthy individuals (as a control group) were assessed. Clinical symptoms, imaging, laboratory tests, pathology, and response to treatment related to patients with spinal tuberculosis and spinal cord tuberculosis were evaluated. NF-κB expression was also evaluated using the PCR technique in peripheral white blood cell samples. The obtained results were analyzed using SPSS ver. 16, χ2 and T-test statistical methods. Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric tests were used to analyze non-parametric data. The results showed that out of 36 cases of spinal tuberculosis, 29 cases had spinal tuberculosis, five cases had tuberculous radiculomyelitis, one case had spinal intramedullary tuberculoma, and one case had syringomyelia. 52.78% of patients were male, and 70% of cases were observed between the ages of 35 and 55 years. Fever and back pain were seen in more than 80% of cases. The study of NF-κB expression in the control and case groups showed that the NF-κB expression in the case group increased compared to the control group. This increase was statistically significant (P = 0.0071). In general, in the present study, the methods of clinical diagnosis of spinal tuberculosis were evaluated. Also, the amount of NF-κB transcription factor was evaluated as an effective genetic factor in the diagnosis of this disease.

Photonic digital-to-analog conversion using a blue frequency chirp in a semiconductor optical amplifier.

In this Letter, we present a photonic digital-to-analog conversion (DAC) technique based on blue-chirp spectral slicing using a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA). Because the gain change in an SOA leads to a refractive-index change based on the change in intensity of the input data signal, the probe signals experience a dynamic frequency shift to a shorter-wavelength side called a blue-chirp. After passing through the SOA, the probe signals corresponding to the logic level of the input digital signal are extracted by filtering only the blue-chirp component of the probe signals using rectangular-shape filters. In this study, we experimentally demonstrate a 10-Gb/s, 2-bit photonic DAC from a 10-Gb/s digital signal with various data patterns to a four-level amplitude signal assuming an analog signal. In addition, we evaluate the resolution performance of the photonic DAC in terms of differential and integral nonlinearities and an effective number of bits.

Reducible Fraction Dominates the Mobility of Vanadium in Soil Around an Iron Smelter.

Soil samples were collected to determine the pollution status, spatial distribution and mobility of Vanadium (V) in soil around an iron smelter in Panzhihua. The results showed that the topsoils and deep soils were unpolluted to moderately polluted and the subsurface soils was unpolluted with V. V concentrations in the topsoils decreased with the increase of the altitudes and the distances to the smelter. There was a great potential mobility of V in soil and the reductive dissolution of reducible V in the topsoils was responsible for the high concentration of V in the deep soils. Therefore, more attention should be paid to the reducible V when evaluating the mobility of V in soil.

[Transcriptome analysis of "Langmei" fruits and key enzyme genes structure and function prediction involved in citric acid biosynthesis].

Prunus mume "Langmei" is a relict tree species, which fruit has good medicinal value. To understand the biosynthesis pathway of citric acid, the Illumina HiSeq XTen high-throughput sequencing technology was used to get the transcriptome from "Langmei". A total of 38 936 unigenes were obtained by assembling the fruit transcripts, of which 28 311 unigenes were successfully annotated in public databases, 15 193 unigenes were mapped to 265 KEGG metabolic pathways, and 18 908 unigenes were classified into 59 GO functional subclasses, 103 unigenes encoding 15 key enzymes involved in citric acid synthesis pathway were identified and analyzed. The structural model of citrate synthetase in "Langmei" showed that it was a homodimer and the secondary structure of each monomer was mainly composed of alpha helixes. Moreover, the residues in the active site of the citrate synthetase were highly conserved. This study provides a valuable resource for identifying candidate genes involved in the citric acid biosynthesis pathway, and will promote the development and sustainable utilization of genetic resources of "Langmei".

Cavity Formation is a Prognostic Indicator for Pathologic Stage I Invasive Lung Adenocarcinoma of ≥3 cm in Size.

BACKGROUND We investigated the correlation between cavity formation, prognosis, and tumor stage for pathologic stage I invasive lung adenocarcinomas (IADCs) ≤3 cm in size. MATERIAL AND METHODS 2106 candidates with pathologic stage I IADC were identified from Shanghai Chest Hospital between 2009 and 2014. There were 227 patients who were diagnosed as having cavity formation and another 1879 patients who were not (the non-cavitary lung cancer group). Kaplan-Meier analysis curves were conducted to compare the overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS) between these 2 groups. Cox proportional hazards regression was performed to discover the independent risk factors of OS and RFS. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was done to determine the cutoff value of cavity size for predicting prognosis. Furthermore, subgroup analysis was stratified by the size of tumor and the 8th classification of T category. RESULTS Compared with non-cavitary lung cancer group, patients with cavity formation were found to have a higher prevalence of male patients (P=0.015), older age patients (P=0.039), larger size tumors (P=0.004), and worse cancer relapse (P<0.001). Survival analysis found that patients with cavitary IADC had significantly shorter RFS than those with non-cavitary IADC (P=0.001). Further, subgroup analysis confirmed a significantly worse RFS in cavitary IADC group both in stage T1a (P=0.002) and T1b (P<0.001), but not for stage T1c (P=0.962) and T2a (P=0.364). Moreover, cavity formation was still less of a significant predictor of RFS in multivariable analysis (hazard ratio [HR] 1.810, 95% confidence level [CI] 1.229-2.665, P=0.003). The ROC curve showed that the best cutoff value of maximum diameter of the cavity for judging RFS was 5 mm (sensitivity: 0.500; specificity: 0.783). At the same time, multiple cavities were more likely to lead to recurrence (sensitivity: 0.605; specificity: 0.439). CONCLUSIONS Cavitary adenocarcinoma was a worse prognostic indicator compared with non-cavitary adenocarcinoma, especially for cavity >5 mm and multiple cavities. Thus, for stage T1a and T1b, cavitary and non-cavitary IADC should be considered separately.

Effects of ethyl chloride spray on early recovery after total knee arthroplasty: A prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Ethyl chloride spray as a common cooling modality has been widely used in acute sports injuries and joint injection procedures. Several clinical studies reported that use of ethyl chloride has positive effects on swelling, pain reduction and recovery from sports injuries. The main aim of present study was to analyze whether postoperative use of ethyl chloride spray benefits results after primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA). METHODS: Between April 1, 2014 and October 21, 2015, 306 subjects undergoing primary TKA used ethyl chloride spray for improving recovery from the damage from surgery. After exclusion of 31 subjects due to adverse events including periprosthetic joint infection (PJI), deep venous thrombosis (DVT), acute myocardial infarction, finally 275 subjects' data regarding pain score, knee range of motion (ROM), knee girth, time of being able to reach 90° knee flexion and analgesic consumption were analyzed. RESULTS: Significant differences in pain score, knee ROM at each time point and knee girth at on 21st and 28th postoperatively were detected without increased incidence of adverse events. Besides, time of being able to reach 90° knee flexion and analgesic consumption in the treatment group were significantly decreased in comparison to the control group. CONCLUSION: Use of ethyl chloride spray can help patients recovery from the damage from TKA safely.

Characterization and comparative analyses of transcriptomes for in vivo and in vitro produced peri-implantation conceptuses and endometria from sheep.

An increasing number of reports indicate that in vitro fertilization (IVF) is highly associated with long­term side effects on embryonic and postnatal development, and can sometimes result in embryonic implant failure. While high­throughput gene expression analysis has been used to explore the mechanisms underlying IVF-induced side effects on embryonic development, little is known about the effects of IVF on conceptus-endometrial interactions during the peri-implantation period. Using sheep as a model, we performed a comparative transcriptome analysis between in vivo (IVO; in vivo fertilized followed by further development in the uterus) and in vitro produced (IVP; IVF with further culture in the incubator) conceptuses, and the caruncular and intercaruncular areas of the ovine endometrium. We identified several genes that were differentially expressed between the IVO and IVP groups on day 17, when adhesion between the trophoblast and the uterine luminal epithelium begins in sheep. By performing Gene Ontology enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis, we found that, in the conceptus, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were associated mainly with functions relating to cell binding and the cell cycle. In the endometrial caruncular area, DEGs were involved in cell adhesion/migration and apoptosis, and in the intercaruncular area, they were significantly enriched in pathways of signal transduction and transport. Thus, these DEGs are potential candidates for further exploring the mechanism underlying IVF/IVP-induced embryonic implant failure that occurs due to a loss of interaction between the conceptus and endometrium during the peri-implantation period.

Prognostic significance of diagnosed WT1 level in acute myeloid leukemia: a meta-analysis.

The Wilms' tumor 1 (WT1) expression has been recognized in a substantial number of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. Some studies indicated the association of diagnosed WT1 higher expression (WT1(H)) and poor outcome in the AML patients, while other studies had different opinions. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the controversial prognostic significance of diagnosed WT1(H) in AML. Eligible studies were identified from several databases including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library (up to September 2014). The primary end point was overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) was chosen as secondary end point. If possible, we would pool estimate effects (hazard ratio [HR] with 95 % confidence interval [CI]) of outcomes in both fixed and random effects models. Eleven studies, covering 1497 AML patients, were included in this meta-analysis. Pooled HRs indicated that diagnosed WT1(H) had a poor impact on the survival of AML patients (HR for OS, 1.37; HR for DFS, 1.38). Furthermore, diagnosed WT1(H) appeared to be an adverse prognostic indicator in adult AML (HR for OS, 1.43; HR for DFS, 1.41) and non-promyelocytic AML (non-M3 AML) (HR for OS, 1.46; HR for DFS, 1.41). Diagnosed WT1(H) had slightly but significantly poor prognostic impact on OS and DFS of patients with AML in total population and some specific subgroups.

[Microsurgical resection of lumbar intraspinal tumors through paraspinal approach using percutaneous tubular retractor system].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical outcomes and operative techniques of microsurgical resection of lumbar intraspinal tumors through paraspinal approach by percutaneous tubular retractor system. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted to analyze 21 patients with lumbar intraspinal tumors between November 2011 and February 2014, including Schwannoma (n = 19) and meningioma (n = 2) without lumbar instability on preoperative images. The length of tumors was 0.6-2.0 cm. Tracheal intubation anesthesia was performed prior to microsurgery using percutaneous tubular retractor system through paraspinal approach. Operative duration, blood loss volume, postoperative wound pain duration and hospital stay were analyzed. Creatine phosphokinase (CPK-MM) level was recorded at 1 day preoperatively, 1 day, 3 days and 5 days postoperatively. The scores of Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) and visual analog scale (VAS) were analyzed at 1 day preoperatively, 1, 3, 5 days and 6 months postoperatively to evaluate the function status of spinal cord. Computed tomography ( CT) three-dimensional reconstruction of lumbar vertebrae was performed at 1 week postoperatively. Magnetic resonance imaging ( MRI) plain scan and enhanced scan of lumbar vertebrae were conducted preoperatively, 1 week and 6 months postoperatively. RESULTS: Complete removal of tumors was achieved in all patients without the injuries of spinal cord or nerve root. Postoperative scores of JOA and VAS improved versus preoperative ones (P < 0.05). Level of CPK-MM increased 1 day postoperatively and declined to preoperative level at 5 days postoperatively. And th difference was not statistically significant (P < 0.05). Neither residual tumor nor tumor recurrence was detected by MRI plain and enhanced scans. No postoperative spinal instability was identified by CT three-dimensional reconstruction. And no spinal deformity occurred during a follow-up period of 6-28 months. CONCLUSION: Microsurgical resection of lumbar intraspinal tumors using percutaneous tubular retractor system through paraspinal approach minimizes the injuries of paraspinal muscles, facet joint, spinous process and ligaments. This technique offers the advantages of mini-invasiveness, shorter hospital stay, rapid recovery and preserved postoperative spinal stability.

A privacy-preserving publicly verifiable quantum random number generator.

Verifying the quality of a random number generator involves performing computationally intensive statistical tests on large data sets commonly in the range of gigabytes. Limitations on computing power can restrict an end-user's ability to perform such verification. There are also random number-based applications where an honest user needs to publicly demonstrate that the random bits they are using pass the statistical tests without the bits being revealed. Here, we report the implementation of an entanglement-based protocol that allows a third party to publicly perform statistical tests without compromising the privacy of the random bits.

Research on the signaling pathway and the related mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine intervention in chronic gastritis of the "inflammation-cancer transformation".

Objective: The aim of this study is to uncover the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatments for chronic gastritis and their potential targets and pathways involved in the "inflammation-cancer" conversion in four stages. These findings can provide further support for future research into TCM and its active components. Materials and methods: The literature search encompassed PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, CNKI, WanFang, and VIP, employing keywords such as "chronic gastritis", "gastric cancer", "traditional Chinese medicine", "medicinal herb", "Chinese herb", and "natural plant". Results: Herbal remedies may regulate the signaling pathways linked to the advancement of chronic gastritis. Under the multi-target and multi-pathway independent or combined reaction, the inflammatory microenvironment may be enhanced, leading to repair of damaged gastric mucosal cells, buffering the progress of mucosal atrophic degeneration via the decrease of inflammatory factor expression, inhibition of oxidative stress-induced damage, facilitation of microvascular neovascularization in the gastric mucosa and regulation of the processes of gastric mucosal cell differentiation and proliferation. Simultaneously, the decreased expression of inflammatory factors may impact the expression of associated oncogenes and regulate the malignant proliferation of cells, thereby achieving the treatment and prevention objectives of gastric cancer through the reduction of cell metastasis and apoptosis. Conclusion: Chinese medicine formulations and individual drugs can be utilised at various stages of the "inflammation-cancer" progression of chronic gastritis to prevent and treat gastric cancer in a multi-level, multi-targeted, and multi-directional fashion. This can provide guidance for the accurate application of medicines during different stages of "inflammation-cancer" transformation. New insights into the mechanism of inflammation-cancer transformation and the development of novel drugs for chronic gastritis can be gained through an extensive investigation of TCM treatment in this condition.

Genetic variation and evolutionary characteristics of Echovirus 11: new variant within genotype D5 associated with neonatal death found in China.

Echovirus 11 (E11) has gained attention owing to its association with severe neonatal infections. From 2018 to 2023, a surge in severe neonatal cases and fatalities linked to a novel variant of genotype D5 was documented in China, France, and Italy. However, the prevention and control of E11 variants have been hampered by limited background data on the virus circulation and genetic variance. Therefore, the present study investigated the circulating dynamics of E11 and the genetic variation and molecular evolution of genotype D5 through the collection of strains from the national acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) and hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) surveillance system in China during 2000-2022 and genetic sequences published in the GenBank database. The results of this study revealed a prevalent dynamic of E11 circulation, with D5 being the predominant genotype worldwide. Further phylogenetic analysis of genotype D5 indicated that it could be subdivided into three important geographic clusters (D5-CHN1: 2014-2019, D5-CHN2: 2016-2022, and D5-EUR: 2022-2023). Additionally, variant-specific (144) amino acid mutation sites and positive-selection pressure sites (132, 262) were identified in the VP1 region. Cluster-specific recombination patterns were also identified, with CVB5, E6, and CVB4 as the major recombinant viruses. These findings provide a preliminary landscape of E11 circulation worldwide and basic scientific data for further study of the pathogenicity of E11 variants.

Clinical application of liquid biopsy based on circulating tumor DNA in non-small cell lung cancer.

Lung cancer is a widely occurring and deadly malignancy, with high prevalence rates in China and across the globe. Specifically, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) represents about 85% of all lung cancer cases. The 5-year disease-free survival rate after surgery for stage IB-IIIB NSCLC patients (disease-free survival, DFS) has notably declined from 73% to 13%. Early detection of abnormal cancer molecules and subsequent personalized treatment plans are the most effective ways to address this problem. Liquid biopsy, surprisingly, enables safe, accurate, non-invasive, and dynamic tracking of disease progression. Among the various modalities, circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is the most commonly used liquid biopsy modality. ctDNA serves as a credible "liquid biopsy" diagnostic tool that, to a certain extent, overcomes tumor heterogeneity and harbors genetic mutations in malignancies, thereby providing early information on tumor genetic alterations. Despite considerable academic interest in the clinical significance of ctDNA, consensus on its utility remains lacking. In this review, we assess the role of ctDNA testing in the diagnosis and management of NSCLC as a reference for clinical intervention in this disease. Lastly, we examine future directions to optimize ctDNA for personalized therapy.

Analysis of drug resistance in pulmonary tuberculosis patients with positive sputum tuberculosis culture in Northeast China.

Objective: The objective of this study is to determine the drug resistance status of pulmonary tuberculosis patients in Jilin Province. Methods: A retrospective survey was conducted on 395 sputum culture TB-positive patients admitted to the tuberculosis hospital in Jilin Province in 2019. Sputum samples were cultured in acidic Roche medium. Drug sensitivity testing was conducted using the proportional method. Sensitivity was reported if the percentage of drug resistance was less than 1%, and resistance was reported if the percentage was ≥1%. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 22.0. Results: 395 tuberculosis patients with positive sputum tuberculosis culture were included in the study, with 102 being initially treated and 293 being retreated. The study population consisted of 283 males and 112 females. Sex, age, nationality, occupation, marital status, diabetes comorbidity, initial treatment, normal health status, BCG vaccine vaccination, smoking, and alcohol consumption were considered as factors that may affect the rate of multidrug resistance. And only the history of treatment (initial treatment) was associated with multidrug resistance (p = 0.032). This indicates that retreatment is the most significant risk factor for the occurrence of multidrug resistance in tuberculosis. The multidrug resistance rate in retreated patients is 3.764 times higher than that in initially treated patients. Conclusion: The prevalence of multidrug-resistant is higher in retreated patients compared to initially treated patients in the study population. Multidrug resistance is only associated with the treatment history (initial retreatment) and not with other factors.

Efficacy of luteolin on the human gastric cancer cell line MKN45 and underlying mechanism.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the antitumour efficacy of luteolin on gastric cancer (GC) and study the mechanism underpinning the action. METHODS: Effects of luteolin on cell growth inhibition, apoptosis, and cell cycle arrest in MKN45 cells were investigated using the cell counting kit-8 assay. Changes in the mitochondrial membrane potential after luteolin treatment were assessed using 5,5',6,6'-tetra-chloro-1,1',3,3'-tetraethylbenzimidazolcarbocyanineiodi-de (JC-1) staining. To investigate whether apoptotic effect by luteolin is related to the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/v-akt murine thymoma viral oncogene (PI3K/Akt) pathway, cells were additionally treated with LY294002, a PI3K/Akt pathway inhibitor. Moreover, the expressions of apoptosis-related proteins, namely B-cell lymphoma 2(Bcl-2), Bcl-2 associated X protein (Bax), Akt, p-Akt, caspase-3, and cytochrome C, were detected after luteolin treatment. RESULTS: The study revealed that in MKN45 cells, luteolin could inhibit the cell proliferation in a time- and dose-dependent manner; block the cell cycle in the S-phase; induce apoptosis; reduce the mitochondrial membrane potential; increase the expression of Bax, caspase-3, and cytochrome C; and decrease the expression of Bcl-2 and p-Akt. Luteolin might be involved in the PI3K/Akt signalling pathway, indicating that this pathway could be a therapeutic target for GC treatment. CONCLUSION: Luteolin could inhibit the proliferation of GC cells and block the cell cycle in the S-phase. The mechanism of inducing apoptosis in these cells was related to the PI3K/Akt signalling pathway.

Comprehensive analysis of lncRNA-mRNA co-expression networks in HPV-driven cervical cancer reveals the pivotal function of LINC00511-PGK1 in tumorigenesis.

BACKGROUND: Mounting evidence suggests that noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) were involved in various human cancers. However, the role of these lncRNAs in HPV-driven cervical cancer (CC) has not been extensively studied. Considering that HR-HPV infections contribute to cervical carcinogenesis by regulating the expression of lncRNAs, miRNAs and mRNAs, we aim to systematically analyze lncRNAs and mRNAs expression profile to identify novel lncRNAs-mRNAs co-expression networks and explore their potential impact on tumorigenesis in HPV-driven CC. METHODS: LncRNA/mRNA microarray technology was utilized to identify the differentially expressed lncRNAs (DElncRNAs) and mRNAs (DEmRNAs) in HPV-16 and HPV-18 cervical carcinogenesis compared to normal cervical tissues. Venn diagram and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) were used to identify the hub DElncRNAs/DEmRNAs that were both significantly correlated with HPV-16 and HPV-18 CC patients. LncRNA-mRNA correlation analysis and functional enrichment pathway analysis were performed on these key DElncRNAs/DEmRNAs in HPV-16 and HPV-18 CC patients to explore their mutual mechanism in HPV-driven CC. A lncRNA-mRNA co-expression score (CES) model was established and validated by using the Cox regression method. Afterward, the clinicopathological characteristics were analyzed between CES-high and CES-low groups. In vitro, functional experiments were performed to evaluate the role of LINC00511 and PGK1 in cell proliferation, migration and invasion in CC cells. To understand whether LINC00511 play as an oncogenic role partially via modulating the expression of PGK1, rescue assays were used. RESULTS: We identified 81 lncRNAs and 211 mRNAs that were commonly differentially expressed in HPV-16 and HPV-18 CC tissues compared to normal tissues. The results of lncRNA-mRNA correlation analysis and functional enrichment pathway analysis showed that the LINC00511-PGK1 co-expression network may make an important contribution to HPV-mediated tumorigenesis and be closely associated with metabolism-related mechanisms. Combined with clinical survival data, the prognostic lncRNA-mRNA co-expression score (CES) model based on LINC00511 and PGK1 could precisely predict patients' overall survival (OS). CES-high patients had a worse prognosis than CES-low patients and the enriched pathways and potential targets of applicable drugs were explored in CES-high patients. In vitro experiments confirmed the oncogenic functions of LINC00511 and PGK1 in the progression of CC, and revealed that LINC00511 functions in an oncogenic role in CC cells partially via modulating the expression of PGK1. CONCLUSIONS: Together, these data identify co-expression modules that provide valuable information to understand the pathogenesis of HPV-mediated tumorigenesis, which highlights the pivotal function of the LINC00511-PGK1 co-expression network in cervical carcinogenesis. Furthermore, our CES model has a reliable predicting ability that could stratify CC patients into low- and high-risk groups of poor survival. This study provides a bioinformatics method to screen prognostic biomarkers which leads to lncRNA-mRNA co-expression network identification and construction for patients' survival prediction and potential drug applications in other cancers.

A new method for evaluating lung volume: AI-3D reconstruction.

Objective: This study aims to explore the clinical application of an AI-3D reconstruction system in measuring lung volume and analyze its practical value in donor-recipient size matching in lung transplantation. Methods: The study retrospectively collected data from 75 subjects who underwent a plethysmography examination and lung CT at the First Hospital of Jilin University. General data and information related to lung function, and imaging results were collected. The correlation between actual total lung volume (aTLV), predicted total lung volume (pTLV), and artificial intelligence three-dimensional reconstruction CT lung volume (AI-3DCTVol) was analyzed for the overall, male, and female groups. The correlation coefficient and the absolute error percentage with pTLV and AI-3DCTVol were obtained. Results: In the overall, male, and female groups, there were statistical differences (p <0.05) between the pTLV formula and AI-3D reconstruction compared to the plethysmography examination value. The ICC between pTLV and aTLV for all study participants was 0.788 (95% CI: 0.515-0.893), p <0.001. Additionally, the ICC value between AI-3D reconstruction and aTLV was 0.792 (95% CI: 0.681-0.866), p <0.001. For male study participants, the ICC between pTLV and aTLV was 0.330 (95% CI: 0.032-0.617), p = 0.006. Similarly, the ICC value between AI-3D reconstruction and aTLV was 0.413 (95% CI: 0.089-0.662), p = 0.007. In the case of female research subjects, the ICC between pTLV and aTLV was 0.279 (95% CI: 0.001-0.523), p = 0.012. Further, the ICC value between AI-3D reconstruction and aTLV was 0.615 (95% CI: 0.561-0.870), p <0.001. Conclusion: The AI-3D reconstruction, as a convenient method, has significant potential for application in lung transplantation.