LAR Downregulation Protects the Astrocytic U251 and Cocultured SH-SY5Y Cells in a Rotenone-Induced Parkinson's Disease Cell Model.

Leukocyte common antigen-related protein tyrosine phosphatase (LAR) is a member of the protein tyrosine phosphatase family that serves as a key regulator of cellular survival. It is also involved in neurodevelopment and brain disorders. This study was designed to investigate the role of LAR in a cell-based model of Parkinson's disease (PD) in which U251 and SH-SY5Y cells were used as models of astrocytes and dopaminergic neurons, respectively. Cell viability, cell death, cell morphology, protein phosphorylation and expression, ATP levels, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and mitochondrial membrane potential were analyzed in the wild-type (WT) and heterozygous LAR-knockout astrocytoma U251 cells to assess the cell state, signal transduction, and mitochondrial function. LAR downregulation showed a protective effect in rotenone-exposed U251 cells by increasing cell viability, reducing cell mortality, and restoring appropriate cellular morphology. LAR downregulation enhanced IGF-1R phosphorylation and downstream signal transduction as evidenced by increases in the Akt and GSK-3ß phosphorylation, as well as the upregulation of NRF2 and HO-1. The downregulation of LAR also augmented DJ-1 levels in these cells. The enhanced Akt and GSK-3ß phosphorylation contributed to a reduced Bax/Bcl2 ratio and suppressed apoptosis after rotenone exposure. Heterozygous LAR-knockout U251 cells exhibited higher mitochondrial function evidenced by increased mitochondrial membrane potential, ATP contents, and reduced ROS production compared to the WT cells following rotenone exposure. Further studies showed that the astrocytic protection mediated by the heterozygous knockout of LAR was associated with the activation of Akt. A specific Akt inhibitor, MK2206, reduced the cell viability, Akt and GSK3ß phosphorylation, and HO-1 and NRF2 expression in U251 cells exposed to rotenone. Astrocytes provide structural and metabolic support to maintain neuronal health. Astrocytic glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) production is vital for dopaminergic neuron survival. Heterozygous LAR-knockout U251 cells produced higher amounts of GDNF than the WT cells. The SH-SY5Y cells cocultured with heterozygous LAR-knockout U251 cells exhibited greater viability than that of cells cocultured with WT U251 cells in response to rotenone. Together, these findings demonstrate that the heterozygous knockout of LAR in astrocytes can play a key role in protecting both astrocytic cells and cocultured neurons in a rotenone-induced cell-based model of PD. This neuroprotective effect is attributable to the augmentation of IGF1R-Akt-GDNF signaling and the maintenance of astrocytic mitochondrial function.

Role of Mitophagy-based TLR9 Signal Pathway in Neonatal Ventilator-induced Lung Injury.

The study focused on the role of mitophagy in neonatal ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI). Immunoassays were used to study the TLR9 signaling pathway of neonatal VILI, expected to provide a feasible solution for neonatal VILI. The mice were randomly divided into four groups, group A: spontaneous breathing group; group B: normal tidal volume (VT) group (VT=9mL/kg); group C: high VT group (VT=39mL/kg); and group D: ODN2088 (400µg/ Only) intervention + high VT group. The four groups were compared for the expression of inflammatory factors. It was found that as the culture time increased, the expression of TLR9, MyD88, and NF-κBp65 in the lung tissue of the large VT group was significantly higher than those in the spontaneous breathing group and normal VT group, and the differences were statistically significant; and TLR9 inhibitors could activate the TLR9-MyD88 signaling pathway to up-regulate the expression of NF-κB, mediating the release of inflammatory factors to cause VILI.

Preparation of flower-like molybdenum disulfide for solid-phase extraction of N-nitrosoamines in environmental water samples.

In this paper, a flower-like molybdenum disulfide material was prepared by hydrothermal method and was first used as adsorbents in the solid-phase extraction process for enriching N-nitrosoamines. Molybdenum disulfide exhibited three-dimensional petal-like microspheres with about 500 nm in diameter. The relevant analyte extraction and elution parameters (sample volumes, solution pH, washing solvents, elution solvents, and elution volumes) were optimized to improve the solid-phase extraction efficiency. The solid-phase extraction process coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for determining N-nitrosoamines in environmental water samples was established. The limits of detection were in the range of 0.01-0.05 ng/mL. The satisfactory recoveries (68.9-106.1%) were obtained at three different spiked concentrations (2, 5, and 8 ng/mL) in water samples, and the relative standard deviations were between 1.96 and 8.38%. This proposed method not only showed high sensitivity and good reusability but also provided a new adsorbent for enriching trace N-nitrosoamines in environmental water samples.

Interpreting Interaction Effects in Generalized Linear Models of Nonlinear Probabilities and Counts.

Psychology research frequently involves the study of probabilities and counts. These are typically analyzed using generalized linear models (GLMs), which can produce these quantities via nonlinear transformation of model parameters. Interactions are central within many research applications of these models. To date, typical practice in evaluating interactions for probabilities or counts extends directly from linear approaches, in which evidence of an interaction effect is supported by using the product term coefficient between variables of interest. However, unlike linear models, interaction effects in GLMs describing probabilities and counts are not equal to product terms between predictor variables. Instead, interactions may be functions of the predictors of a model, requiring nontraditional approaches for interpreting these effects accurately. Here, we define interactions as change in a marginal effect of one variable as a function of change in another variable, and describe the use of partial derivatives and discrete differences for quantifying these effects. Using guidelines and simulated examples, we then use these approaches to describe how interaction effects should be estimated and interpreted for GLMs on probability and count scales. We conclude with an example using the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study demonstrating how to correctly evaluate interaction effects in a logistic model.

The expression of PHB2 in the cochlea: Possible relation to age-related hearing loss.

Age-related hearing loss (ARHL) is the most prevalent sensory deficit in the elderly, but its mechanism remains unclear. Scaffold protein prohibitin 2 (PHB2) has been widely involved in aging and neurodegeneration. However, the role of PHB2 in ARHL is undeciphered to date. To investigate the expression pattern and the role of PHB2 in ARHL, we used C57BL/6 mice and HEI-OC1 cell line as models. In our study, we have found PHB2 exists in the cochlea and is expressed in hair cells, spiral ganglion neurons, and HEI-OC1 cells. In mice with ARHL, mitophagy is reduced and correspondingly the expression level of PHB2 is decreased. Moreover, after H2 O2 treatment the mitophagy is activated and the PHB2 expression is increased. These findings indicate that PHB2 may exert an important role in ARHL through mitophagy. Findings from this study will be helpful for elucidating the mechanism underlying the ARHL and for providing a new target for ARHL treatment.

Construction of a risk prediction model for Alzheimer's disease in the elderly population.

BACKGROUND: Dementia is one of the greatest global health and social care challenges of the twenty-first century. The etiology and pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) as the most common type of dementia remain unknown. In this study, a simple nomogram was drawn to predict the risk of AD in the elderly population. METHODS: Nine variables affecting the risk of AD were obtained from 1099 elderly people through clinical data and questionnaires. Least Absolute Shrinkage Selection Operator (LASSO) regression analysis was used to select the best predictor variables, and multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to construct the prediction model. In this study, a graphic tool including 9 predictor variables (nomogram-see precise definition in the text) was drawn to predict the risk of AD in the elderly population. In addition, calibration diagram, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and decision curve analysis (DCA) were used to verify the model. RESULTS: Six predictors namely sex, age, economic status, health status, lifestyle and genetic risk were identified by LASSO regression analysis of nine variables (body mass index, marital status and education level were excluded). The area under the ROC curve in the training set was 0.822, while that in the validation set was 0.801, suggesting that the model built with these 6 predictors showed moderate predictive ability. The DCA curve indicated that a nomogram could be applied clinically if the risk threshold was between 30 and 40% (30 to 42% in the validation set). CONCLUSION: The inclusion of sex, age, economic status, health status, lifestyle and genetic risk into the risk prediction nomogram could improve the ability of the prediction model to predict AD risk in the elderly patients.

The ecology of medical care in Shanghai.

BACKGROUND: To better understand the distribution and consumption patterns of resources in different ethnic groups and at different levels of economic development, this paper chose to describe the healthcare seeking behavior in Shanghai. METHODS: The data are from the Sixth Health Service Survey of Shanghai, which encompasses 23,198 permanent residents. Descriptive analyses were conducted to estimate the number of patients who reported health-related symptoms and healthcare-seeking behaviors per 1,000 residents. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine differences in reporting health-related symptoms and healthcare-seeking behaviors by age, gender and area of residence. RESULTS: This paper have mapped the ecology of healthcare in Shanghai in 2018. Of 1000 individuals considered during a 1-month period, 444 reported sickness, 433 received treatment, 288 went to medical institutions, 195 went to primary medical institutions, 86 took a self-healing approach, 26 received TCM services, 7 were hospitalized, and 3 underwent surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Age is a risk factor leading to disease, medical treatment, self-medication, medical institution visits, TCM service, hospitalization and surgery. But age is a protective factor in the use of primary health care services. By gender, the number of people receiving medical services was similar, but women were statistically more likely to have surgery. As the income level increased, the number of patients and people receiving medical services showed a decreasing trend. Compared with the local population, the probability of non-local people visiting medical institutions was lower and statistically significant. Compared with the people who had health insurance, fewer uninsured people reported sickness and utilized healthcare services.

Synthesis of molecularly imprinted polymer adsorbents for solid-phase extraction of strobilurin fungicides from agricultural products.

Molecularly imprinted polymers for strobilurin fungicides were prepared by precipitation polymerization employing azoxystrobin as template molecular together with methacrylic acid monomer and trimethylolpropane triacrylate cross-linker. Morphological characterization showed molecularly imprinted polymers were uniform spherical particles with about 0.2 µm in diameter, while the morphologies of nonimprinted polymers were irregular bulk. The equilibrium binding and selective experiments proved that molecularly imprinted polymers possessed a higher affinity toward four fungicides compared to nonimprinted polymers and heterogeneous binding sites were found in the molecularly imprinted polymers. Molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction conditions, including sample loading solvents, selective washing, and elution solvents, were carefully optimized. The developed method showed good recoveries (70.0-114.0%) with relative standard deviations in range of 1.0-9.8% (n  = â€¯3) for samples (cucumber and peach) spiked at three different levels (10, 50, and 100 µg/ kg). The detection limit (signal/noise = 3) ranged from 0.01 to 0.08 µg/kg. The results demonstrated good potential use of this convenient and highly efficient method for determining trace strobilurin fungicides in agricultural products.

MiR-143-3p suppresses the progression of nasal squamous cell carcinoma by targeting Bcl-2 and IGF1R.

Dysregulated microRNAs (miRNAs) play crucial roles in the occurrence and development of multiple tumours, but their roles in the progression of nasal squamous cell carcinoma (NSCC) remain unknown. The aim of our study was to investigate the potential function and molecular mechanism of miR-143-3p in NSCC. Expression of miRNA and mRNA was detected by quantitative real-time reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR). Forced overexpression of miR-143-3p was established by transfecting mimics into NSCC cell line. Then, we investigated the role of miR-143-3p in human NSCC cell proliferation, apoptosis, cycle and migration by using MTT, flow cytometry and transwell assays. Bioinformatics analysis, qRT-PCR, Western blot and luciferase reporter analysis were performed to validate the relationship between miR-143-3p and its potential targets. We found that miR-143-3p was substantially downregulated in human NSCC tissues and cell line. Forced upregulation of miR-143-3p significantly attenuated cell proliferation and migration. Furthermore, this change could induce apoptosis and G1-phase arrest of NSCC cells. Mechanistically, miR-143-3p directly targeted and significantly suppressed Bcl-2 and IGF1R expression. In summary, miR-143-3p regulation of the proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle and migration of NSCC probably partly depends on inhibition of Bcl-2 and IGF1R, indicating that miR-143-3p may be a novel molecular therapeutic target for NSCC.

A Magnetic Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework Nanohybrid for Fast and Efficient Extraction of Clothianidin, Imidacloprid, Acetamiprid, and Thiacloprid in Water.

A magnetic zeolitic imidazolate framework nanohybrid (Fe3O4/ZIF-8) was synthesized and applied as an efficient magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) adsorbent for fast adsorption and separation of clothianidin, imidacloprid, acetamiprid, and thiacloprid from various water samples. Fe3O4 and ZIF-8 were combined via a simple modified in situ method and the obtained nanohybrid (Fe3O4/ZIF-8) showed both excellent adsorption capacity and convenient magnetic property. ZIF-8 was found to play a dominant role in adsorbing the analytes and π-π interaction was found to be the main adsorption mechanism of analytes by Fe3O4/ZIF-8. Parameters affecting the MSPE efficiency, such as the Fe3O4 amount loaded onto the ZIF-8, salt and pH of the sample solution, extraction time, and the type and volume of desorption solvent, were systematically evaluated. Under the optimum conditions, the developed MSPE coupled with LC-MS/MS achieved good linearities (R² > 0.9940) in the range of 10-800 µg L-1 with low limits of detection (0.03-0.3 µg L-1) and satisfactory recoveries of 79.5-108.2% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) <10%. The method was successfully applied to monitor various water samples and conclusively highlighted the excellent flexibility and practicability of Fe3O4/ZIF-8 for analyzing emerging environmental contaminants in various types of water samples.

Correction to: A molecularly imprinted polymer with integrated gold nanoparticles for surface enhanced Raman scattering based detection of the triazine herbicides, prometryn and simetryn.

The published version of this article, unfortunately, contains error. Author name was corrected as "A. M. Abd EI-Aty" - upper case of "i" in "EI-Aty", instead of "A. M. Abd El-Aty" - lower case of "L". Given in this paper is the correct author name.

A molecularly imprinted polymer with integrated gold nanoparticles for surface enhanced Raman scattering based detection of the triazine herbicides, prometryn and simetryn.

A class-specific molecular imprinted polymer (MIP) is described for simultaneous recognition of prometryn and simetryn prior to their determination via a fingerprint signal (at 974 cm-1 and 1074 cm-1) in the surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra that were acquired in the presence of gold nanoparticles. The imprinted nanoparticles were applied to the analysis of rice and wheat samples spiked with both herbicides. The method has fairly good recoveries (72.7-90.9%) with a relative standard deviation of 1.7-7.8%, and a 20 µg·kg-1 limit of detection. The imprint factors (compared to non-imprinted polymers) are 5.3 for prometryn and 4.2 for simetryn (both at 10 µg·mL-1 of the initial solution). Graphical abstract A MIP-SERS method was developed for simultaneous detection of triazine herbicides (prometryn and simetryn) in food samples.

Residue behaviors and risk assessment of flonicamid and its metabolites in the cabbage field ecosystem.

Flonicamid, a novel selective systemic pesticide, can effectively control a broad range of insect pests. However, the dissipation behaviors and the terminal residues of flonicamid and its metabolites in some crops and soils remain unclear. Herein, an easy, sensitive and reliable method using a modified QuEChERS extraction coupled with LC-MS/MS for the simultaneous analysis of flonicamid and its metabolites in cabbage and soil was developed. Based on this method, the dissipation behaviors of flonicamid and its metabolites as well as their persistence in cabbage and soil during harvest were investigated. Flonicamid degraded rapidly, and the half-lives of flonicamid only and total residues (the sum of flonicamid and its metabolites) were 1.49-4.59 and 1.97-4.99 days in cabbage, and 2.12-7.97 and 2.04-7.62 days in soil, respectively. When 50% flonicamid WG was sprayed once or twice at the recommended dose and 1.5-fold the recommended dose, the highest residues of total flonicamid in cabbage and soil from different pre-harvest intervals (3, 7 and 14 days) were 0.070 and 0.054 mg kg-1, respectively. The risk quotient (RQ) of flonicamid based on the consumption data from China was below 16.84%, indicating that the use of flonicamid is non-hazardous to humans. These results could not only guide the safe and responsible use of flonicamid in agriculture but also help the Chinese government establish the maximum residue level (MRL) for flonicamid in cabbage.

Inactivation of parkin by promoter methylation correlated with lymph node metastasis and genomic instability in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

This study aimed to investigate the inactivation of the parkin gene by promoter methylation and its relationship with genome instability in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Parkin was considered as a tumor suppressor gene in various types of cancers. However, its role in nasopharyngeal carcinoma is unexplored. Genomic instabilities were detected in nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissues by the random amplified polymorphic DNA. The methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction, semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, and immunohistochemical analysis were used to detect methylation and mRNA and protein expression of parkin in 54 cases of nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissues and 16 cases of normal nasopharyngeal epithelia tissues, and in 5 nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell lines (CNE1, CNE2, TWO3, C666, and HONE1) and 1 normal nasopharyngeal epithelia cell line (NP69). mRNA expression of parkin in CNE1 and CNE2 was analyzed before and after methyltransferase inhibitor 5-aza-2-deoxycytidine treatment. The relationship between promoter methylation and mRNA expression, demethylation and mRNA expression, and mRNA and protein expression of the gene and clinical factors and genomic instabilities were analyzed. The mRNA and protein expression levels were significantly reduced in 54 cases of human nasopharyngeal carcinoma compared with 16 cases of normal nasopharyngeal epithelia. Parkin-methylated cases showed significantly lower mRNA and protein expression levels compared with unmethylated cases. After 5-aza-2-deoxycytidine treatment, parkin mRNA expression was restored in CNE1 and CNE2; 92.59% (50/54) of nasopharyngeal carcinoma demonstrated genomic instability. Parkin is frequently inactivated by promoter methylation, and its mRNA and protein expression correlate with lymph node metastasis and genomic instability. Parkin deficiency probably promotes tumorigenesis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

SERS-active metal-organic frameworks with embedded gold nanoparticles.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) has been widely used in the detection of targets and strongly depends on the interaction and the distance between the targets and nanoparticles. Herein, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) were first easily synthesized on a large scale via a water bath method, especially Uio-66 and Uio-67. MOFs embedded with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) for SERS enhancement were successfully fabricated via an impregnation strategy. The synthesized AuNPs/MOF-199, AuNPs/Uio-66, and AuNPs/Uio-67 composites, with LSPR properties and high adsorption capability of MOFs to preconcentrate the analytes close to the surface of the AuNPs, exhibited excellent SERS activity. The effects of the reducing concentrations of sodium citrate on the SERS activity, and the stability and reproducibility of the AuNP/MOFs have been discussed via the detection of acetamiprid. The SERS intensity enhanced by the composites was retained for more than 40 days under ambient conditions with the reducing concentrations of sodium citrate at 0.16%, 0.20%, and 0.16%. The limits of detection with the signal/noise ratio higher than 3 at the characteristic peak 632 cm-1 were 0.02 µM, 0.009 µM, and 0.02 µM for acetamiprid. Most interestingly, the AuNP/MOF-199 composites, whose morphology was long tube sheet, exhibited excellent SERS activity. These novel composites with high sensitivity, stability, and reproducibility provide a new route for the detection of pesticides via the SERS technology.

One-pot synthesis of magnetic zeolitic imidazolate framework/grapheme oxide composites for the extraction of neonicotinoid insecticides from environmental water samples.

Magnetic zeolitic imidazolate framework 67/graphene oxide composites were synthesized by one-pot method at room temperature for the first time. Electrostatic interactions between positively charged metal ions and both negatively charged graphene oxide and Fe3 O4 nanoparticles were expected to chemically stabilize magnetic composites to generate homogeneous magnetic products. The additional amount of graphene oxide and stirring time of graphene oxide, Co2+ , and Fe3 O4 solution were investigated. The zeolitic imidazolate framework 67 and Fe3 O4 nanoparticles were uniformly attached on the surface of graphene oxide. The composites were applied to magnetic solid-phase extraction of five neonicotinoid insecticides in environmental water samples. The main experimental parameters such as amount of added magnetic composites, extraction pH, ionic strength, and desorption solvent were optimized to increase the capacity of adsorbing neonicotinoid insecticides. The results show limits of detection at signal-to-noise ratio of 3 were 0.06-1.0 ng/mL under optimal conditions. All analytes exhibited good linearity with correlation coefficients of higher than 0.9915. The relative standard deviations for five neonicotinoid insecticides in environmental samples ranged from 1.8 to 16.5%, and good recoveries from 83.5 to 117.0% were obtained, indicating that magnetic zeolitic imidazolate framework 67/graphene oxide composites were feasible for analysis of trace analytes in environmental water samples.

Application of B+M-Mode Ultrasonography in Assessing Deglutitive Tongue Movements in Healthy Adults.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate tongue movements during swallowing in healthy adults using the B+M-mode ultrasonography, and to determine a common feature in the M-mode traces for quantitative measurement and individual comparison of tongue movements. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Ninety healthy subjects were divided into 3 groups according to age (20-39, 40-59, and 60-80 years). The tongue movements during 3 saliva swallows were examined using real-time B+M-mode ultrasonography. The M-mode traces of tongue movements were recorded and evaluated. RESULTS: Both intra-individual and inter-individual differences were detected in the M-mode traces during the 3 saliva swallows. Characteristic types were seen during the individual swallowing phases of M-mode traces: 2 activity types in phase I, 2 types in phase IIb, and 3 types in phase III. However, no variations were seen during phase IIa, in which all subjects displayed a continuous upsloping trace. The average range of swallow-related tongue radial displacement during phase IIa decreased gradually with age, while the average duration of tongue movement during phase IIa increased gradually with age. These 2 trends were not statistically significant across age groups. However, differences between sexes were found in both the range of tongue radial displacement and the duration of deglutitive lingual actions during phase IIa in all 3 age groups (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: B+M-mode ultrasonography may offer a quick and safe alternative for the preliminary evaluation of deglutitive tongue movements.

Ti-O-N/Ti composite coating on Ti-6Al-4V: surface characteristics, corrosion properties and cellular responses.

To enhance the corrosion resistance of Ti-6Al-4V and extend its lifetime in medical applications, Ti-O-N/Ti composite coating was synthesized on the surface via plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition (PIIID). Surface morphology and cross sectional morphology of the composite coating were characterized using atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. Although X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic analysis revealed that the Ti-O-N/Ti composite coating was composed of non-stoichiometric titanium oxide, titanium nitride and titanium oxynitride, no obvious characteristic peak corresponding to the crystalline phases of them was detected in the X-ray diffraction pattern. In accordance with Owens-Wendt equation, surface free energy of the uncoated and coated samples was calculated and compared. Moreover, the corrosion behavior of uncoated and coated samples was evaluated by means of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurement, and an equivalent circuit deriving from Randles model was used to fit Bode plots and describe the electrochemical processes occurring at the sample/electrolyte interface. On the basis of the equivalent circuit model, the resistance of the composite coating was 4.7 times higher than that of the passive layer on uncoated samples, indicating the enhanced corrosion resistance after PIIID treatment. Compared to uncoated Ti-6Al-V, Ti-O-N/Ti-coated samples facilitated ostoblast proliferation within 7 days of cell culture, while there was no statistically significant difference in alkaline phosphate activity between uncoated and coated samples during 21 days of cell culture.

Interleukin-10 promoter variants predict HPV-positive tumors and survival of squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx.

Interleukin-10 (IL-10) plays an important role in a host's defense against human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. IL-10 promoter variants may affect its expression level or functional efficiency and, subsequently, susceptibility to and survival of HPV16-associated squamous cell carcinoma of oropharynx (SCCOP). We determined tumor HPV16 DNA and genotyped three IL-10 promoter polymorphisms in 309 incident patients with SCCOP. Compared with the patients with corresponding common homozygous genotypes, patients carrying variant genotypes of IL-10 rs1800871 and rs1800872 were ~2.5 times more likely to have HPV16(+) tumors among patients with SCCOP. Among HPV16(+) patients with SCCOP only, compared to those with the corresponding variant genotypes, the patients with IL-10 rs1800871 and rs1800872 CC genotypes had significantly better survival and ~70-80% reduced risk of death/recurrence after multivariable adjustment. Additionally, functional relevance of these variants was characterized to explore the genotype-phenotype correlation. Our findings indicate that IL-10 genetic variants may be associated with tumor HPV16(+) SCCOP and predict survival of HPV16(+) patients with SCCOP. Larger studies are needed to validate our findings.

[Roles of microRNAs in allergic airway diseases].

The microRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) are a class of short non-coding RNAs regulating protein translation via mRNAs silencing. Studies have shown that microRNAs play critical roles in allergic diseases, tumors, and infections. The allergic airway diseases are characterized by inflammation and hyperresponsiveness of the respiratory tract. Several miRNAs are found to be involved in a series of pathophysiologic processes in allergic airway diseases including inflammatory cells infiltration, cytokines' expressions, airway hyperresponsiveness, and proliferation and change in phenotype of smooth muscle cells. Therefore, miRNAs may be new therapeutic targets for these allgeric diseases. This article reviews the roles of miRNAs in asthma and allergic rhinitis and their molecular biological mechanisms.