MIF as a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for triple-negative breast cancer that correlates with the polarization of M2 macrophages.

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a proinflammatory cytokine that plays a crucial role in antitumor immunity. However, the role of MIF in influencing the tumor microenvironment (TME) and prognosis of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) remains to be elucidated. Using R, we analyzed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data of 41 567 cells from 10 TNBC tumor samples and spatial transcriptomic data from two patients. Relationships between MIF expression and immune cell infiltration, clinicopathological stage, and survival prognosis were determined using samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and validated in a clinical cohort using immunohistochemistry. Analysis of scRNA-seq data revealed that MIF secreted by epithelial cells in TNBC patients could regulate the polarization of macrophages into the M2 phenotype, which plays a key role in modulating the TME. Spatial transcriptomic data also showed that epithelial cells (tumor cells) and MIF were proximally located. Analysis of TCGA samples confirmed that tumor tissues of patients with high MIF expression were enriched with M2 macrophages and showed a higher T stage. High MIF expression was significantly associated with poor patient prognosis. Immunohistochemical staining showed high MIF expression was associated with younger patients and worse clinicopathological staging. MIF secreted by epithelial cells may represent a potential biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of TNBC and may promote TNBC invasion by remodeling the tumor immune microenvironment.

Integration analysis of transcriptome and proteome profiles brings new insights of somatic embryogenesis of two eucalyptus species.

BACKGROUND: Somatic embryogenesis (SE) is recognized as a promising technology for plant vegetative propagation. Although previous studies have identified some key regulators involved in the SE process in plant, our knowledge about the molecular changes in the SE process and key regulators associated with high embryogenic potential is still poor, especially in the important fiber and energy source tree - eucalyptus. RESULTS: In this study, we analyzed the transcriptome and proteome profiles of E. camaldulensis (with high embryogenic potential) and E. grandis x urophylla (with low embryogenic potential) in SE process: callus induction and development. A total of 12,121 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 3,922 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified in the SE of the two eucalyptus species. Integration analysis identified 1,353 (131 to 546) DEGs/DEPs shared by the two eucalyptus species in the SE process, including 142, 13 and 186 DEGs/DEPs commonly upregulated in the callus induction, maturation and development, respectively. Further, we found that the trihelix transcription factor ASR3 isoform X2 was commonly upregulated in the callus induction of the two eucalyptus species. The SOX30 and WRKY40 TFs were specifically upregulated in the callus induction of E. camaldulensis. Three TFs (bHLH62, bHLH35 isoform X2, RAP2-1) were specifically downregulated in the callus induction of E. grandis x urophylla. WGCNA identified 125 and 26 genes/proteins with high correlation (Pearson correlation > 0.8 or < -0.8) with ASR3 TF in the SE of E. camaldulensis and E. grandis x urophylla, respectively. The potential target gene expression patterns of ASR3 TF were then validated using qRT-PCR in the material. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first time to integrate multiple omics technologies to study the SE of eucalyptus. The findings will enhance our understanding of molecular regulation mechanisms of SE in eucalyptus. The output will also benefit the eucalyptus breeding program.

Seed germination ecology of endangered plant Horsfieldia hainanensis Merr. In China.

BACKGROUND: Horsfieldia hainanensis Merr., an indicator species of China's humid tropical rainforests, is endangered due to difficulties with population regeneration. In this study, the biological characteristics and germination adaptability of the seeds were studied for the first time, in order to provide a basis for analyzing the causes of endangerment and strategies for the artificial cultivation of H. hainanensis. The effects of biological characteristics (population, arils, seed coat, seed weight, seed moisture content) and environmental factors (temperature, light, drought, substrate, burial depth) on seed germination and seedling growth of H. hainanensis were studied. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The fruits were found to be capsules containing seeds wrapped in a pericarp and fleshy aril, which provide protection and assist in seed dispersal, but also pose risks to the seeds, as the peel and fleshy aril can become moldy under high temperature and humidity conditions. There were significant differences in fruit morphology and germination characteristics among different populations, and the seed quality of populations in Niandian village, Daxin County, Chongzuo City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region was better. The arils significantly inhibited seed germination, the germination of large seeds was better, and seedling growth from medium seeds was superior. H. hainanensis seeds were sensitive to dehydration, and intolerant to drought and low temperature, which is typical of recalcitrant seeds. The seeds are suitable for germination on a moist substrate surface with good water retention and breathability at 30-35℃.

Wavelength-polarization-multiplexed multichannel perfect vortex array generator based on dielectric metasurface.

The multi-channel perfect vortex (PV) array based on metasurface has important applications in optical communication, particle manipulation, quantum optics, and other fields due to its ultra-thin structure and excellent wavefront control ability. However, it is very challenging to utilize a single metasurface to simultaneously achieve independent channel PV arrays at different wavelengths with low crosstalk and low structural complexity. Here, we propose and design a single rectangular structured metasurface based on TiO2, achieving a multi-channel PV beam array with dual-wavelength and dual-polarization multiplexing. Simulation and experimental results show that when two orthogonal linearly polarized beams with wavelengths of 532 nm and 633 nm are incident on the metasurface, clear PV arrays with corresponding topological charge arrangements can be obtained in different diffraction regions of the same observation plane. The metasurface proposed in this article can enhance the channel capacity of a PV beam array through wavelength-polarization-multiplexing, thus having important application potential in spatial information transmission, high-dimensional information storage, and secure information encryption.

Identification of MYB gene family in medicinal tea tree Melaleuca alternifolia (Maiden and Betche) cheel and analysis of members regulating terpene biosynthesis.

BACKGROUND: The tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) is renowned for its production of tea tree oil, an essential oil primarily composed of terpenes extracted from its shoot. MYB transcription factors, which are one of the largest TF families, play a crucial role in regulating primary and secondary metabolite synthesis. However, knowledge of the MYB gene family in M. alternifolia is limited. METHODS AND RESULTS: Here, we conducted a comprehensive genome-wide analysis of MYB genes in M. alternifolia, referred to as MaMYBs, including phylogenetic relationships, structures, promoter regions, and GO annotations. Our findings classified 219 MaMYBs into four subfamilies: one 5R-MYB, four 3R-MYBs, sixty-one MYB-related, and the remaining 153 are all 2R-MYBs. Seven genes (MYB189, MYB146, MYB44, MYB29, MYB175, MYB162, and MYB160) were linked to terpenoid synthesis based on GO annotation. Phylogenetic analysis with Arabidopsis homologous MYB genes suggested that MYB193 and MYB163 may also be involved in terpenoid synthesis. Additionally, through correlation analysis of gene expression and metabolite content, we identified 42 MYB genes associated with metabolite content. CONCLUSION: The results provide valuable insights into the importance of MYB transcription factors in essential oil production in M. alternifolia. These findings lay the groundwork for a better understanding of the MYB regulatory network and the development of novel strategies to enhance essential oil synthesis in M. alternifolia.

The Expression and Prognostic Significance of ICOS in NSCLC Integrated Pan-Cancer and Multi-Omics Analyses.

Background: Inducible co-stimulator (ICOS) shows great potential in the regulation of innate and adaptive immunity. However, previous studies of ICOS have often been limited to one or two levels. Methods: Using the data from the online database, the immunohistochemistry, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, we investigated the role of ICOS / PD-L1 on patients with NSCLC at the mRNA, protein, and serum levels. Results: Our data revealed that unlike most solid tumors, the mRNA expression of ICOS was down-regulated in NSCLC. In addition, our data also showed that mRNA expression levels in ICOS are negatively associated with poor clinicopathologic grading but positively associated with better prognostic outcomes and higher Tregs infiltration level. Immunohistochemistry showed that ICOS correlated negatively with the T stage; while PD-L1 levels correlated positively with the N stage and FOXP3 levels. Serological biomarker analysis showed that patients with NSCLC had lower sICOS levels, which increased significantly post-surgery, and combined sICOS and sPD-L1 diagnosis improved efficacy and accuracy of disease diagnosis. Conclusion: Our findings support that ICOS suggests lower pathological staging and better prognosis. ICOS is a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for NSCLC.

Dual-wavelength hologram of high transmittance metasurface.

In this work, a simple dielectric metasurface hologram is proposed and designed by combining the electromagnetic vector analysis method and the immune algorithm, which can realize the holographic display of dual wavelength orthogonal-linear polarization light in visible light band, solve the problem of low efficiency of the traditional design method of metasurface hologram, and effectively improve the diffraction efficiency of metasurface hologram. The titanium dioxide metasurface nanorod based on rectangular structure is optimized and designed. When the x-linear polarized light with wavelength of 532 nm and y-linear polarized light with wavelength of 633 nm are incident on the metasurface respectively, different display output images with low cross-talk can be obtained on the same observation plane, and the transmission efficiencies of x-linear and y-linear polarized light are as high as 68.2% and 74.6% respectively in simulation. Then the metasurface is fabricated by Atomic Layer Deposition method. The experimental results are consistent with the design results, which proves that the metasurface hologram designed by this method can completely realize the feasibility of wavelength and polarization multiplexing holographic display, and has potential application value in holographic display, optical encryption, anti-counterfeiting, data storage and other fields.

Long-infrared dual-wavelength linear-polarization-multiplexed confocal metalens based on an all-silicon dielectric.

The metalens has vast applications in biomedicine and industrial manufacturing due to their ultrathin structure and vital ability to manipulate the properties of light waves for long-infrared systems. However, it is difficult for metalens to achieve the confocal function with high focusing efficiency, wide wavelength bandwidth, and low structural complexity. Here, we propose and experimentally demonstrate an all-silicon dielectric metalens composed of arrays of minimalist meta-atoms with a single rectangular nanopillar arranged on a periodic square lattice substrate, which realizes the confocal function of the orthogonal-linear-polarized light with wavelengths of 10.6 µm and 9.3 µm, with focusing efficiencies of 64.94% and 60.03%, respectively. Also, it reveals nearly the diffraction-limited focusing performance. In addition, the metalens can realize precise long-infrared thermal imaging. Moreover, the proposed metalens is compatible with the standard complementary metal oxide semiconductor processes, which can effectively reduce the manufacturing cost and provide a feasible solution for developing planar integrated multifunctional micro-nanophotonic devices in the long-infrared field.

Superior Selective CO2 Adsorption and Separation over N2 and CH4 of Porous Carbon Nitride Nanosheets: Insights from GCMC and DFT Simulations.

Development of high-performance materials for the capture and separation of CO2 from the gas mixture is significant to alleviate carbon emission and mitigate the greenhouse effect. In this work, a novel structure of C9N7 slit was developed to explore its CO2 adsorption capacity and selectivity using Grand Canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) and Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations. Among varying slit widths, C9N7 with the slit width of 0.7 nm exhibited remarkable CO2 uptake with superior CO2/N2 and CO2/CH4 selectivity. At 1 bar and 298 K, a maximum CO2 adsorption capacity can be obtained as high as 7.06 mmol/g, and the selectivity of CO2/N2 and CO2/CH4 was 41.43 and 18.67, respectively. In the presence of H2O, the CO2 uptake of C9N7 slit decreased slightly as the water content increased, showing better water tolerance. Furthermore, the underlying mechanism of highly selective CO2 adsorption and separation on the C9N7 surface was revealed. The closer the adsorption distance, the stronger the interaction energy between the gas molecule and the C9N7 surface. The strong interaction between the C9N7 nanosheet and the CO2 molecule contributes to its impressive CO2 uptake and selectivity performance, suggesting that the C9N7 slit could be a promising candidate for CO2 capture and separation.

Draft genome of the medicinal tea tree Melaleuca alternifolia.

BACKGROUND: Melaleuca alternifolia is a commercially important medicinal tea tree native to Australia. Tea tree oil, the essential oil distilled from its branches and leaves, has broad-spectrum germicidal activity and is highly valued in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. Thus, the study of genome, which can provide reference for the investigation of genes involved in terpinen-4-ol biosynthesis, is quite crucial for improving the productivity of Tea tree oil. METHODS AND RESULTS: In our study, the next-generation sequencing was used to investigate the whole genome of Melaleuca alternifolia. About 114 Gb high quality sequence data were obtained and assembled into 1,838,159 scafolds with an N50 length of 1021 bp. The assembled genome size is about 595 Mb, twice of that predicted by flow cytometer (300 Mb) and k-mer analysis (345 Mb). Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Orthologs analyses indicated that only 11.3% of the conserved single-copy genes were miss. Repetitive regions cover over 40.43% of the genome. A total of 44,369 protein-coding genes were predicted and annotated against Nr, Swissprot, Refseq, COG, KOG, and KEGG database. Among these genes, 32,909 and 16,241 genes were functionally annotated in Nr and KEGG, respectively. Moreover, 29,411 and 14,435 genes were functionally annotated in COG and KOG. Additionally, 457,661 simple sequence repeats and 1109 transcription factors (TFs) form 67 TF families were identified in the assembled genome. CONCLUSION: Our findings provide a draft genome sequencing of M. alternifolia which can act as a reference for the deep sequencing strategies, and are useful for future functional and comparative genomics analyses.

Proteome profiles during early stage of somatic embryogenesis of two Eucalyptus species.

BACKGROUND: Somatic embryogenesis (SE) was recognized as an important tool for plants to propagate. However, our knowledge about the proteins involved in early SE including the callus dedifferentiation is still limited, especially in the economic woody tree - Eucalyptus. RESULTS: We used the data-independent acquisition mass-spectrometry to study the different proteome profiles of early SE of two Eucalyptus species-E. camaldulensis (high regeneratively potential) and E. grandis x urophylla (low regenerative potential). Initially, 35,207 peptides and 7,077 proteins were identified in the stem and tissue-culture induced callus of the two Eucalyptus species. MSstat identified 2,078 and 2,807 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in early SE of E. camaldulensis and E. grandis x urophylla, respectively. They shared 760 upregulated and 420 downregulated proteins, including 4 transcription factors, 31 ribosomal proteins, 1 histone, 3 zinc finger proteins (ZFPs), 16 glutathione transferases, 10 glucosyltransferases, ARF19, WOX8 and PIN1. These proteins might be involved in the early SE of Eucalyptus. By combining the miRNA and RNA-Seq results, some miRNA ~ gene/protein regulatory networks were identified in early SE of Eucalyptus, such as miR160 ~ TPP2, miR164 ~ UXS2, miR169 ~ COX11 and miR535 ~ Eucgr.E01067. Further, we found SERK, WRKY, ZFP and ABC transporter might be related with high SE potential. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, our study identified proteins involved in the early SE and related to the high regeneration potential of Eucalyptus. It greatly enhanced our understanding of the early SE and the SE capacity of Eucalyptus.

Gene expression programs during callus development in tissue culture of two Eucalyptus species.

BACKGROUND: Eucalyptus is a highly diverse genus of the Myrtaceae family and widely planted in the world for timber and pulp production. Tissue culture induced callus has become a common tool for Eucalyptus breeding, however, our knowledge about the genes related to the callus maturation and shoot regeneration is still poor. RESULTS: We set up an experiment to monitor the callus induction and callus development of two Eucalyptus species - E. camaldulensis (high embryogenic potential) and E. grandis x urophylla (low embryogenic potential). Then, we performed transcriptome sequencing for primary callus, mature callus, shoot regeneration stage callus and senescence callus. We identified 707 upregulated and 694 downregulated genes during the maturation process of the two Eucalyptus species and most of them were involved in the signaling pathways like plant hormone and MAPK. Next, we identified 135 and 142 genes that might play important roles during the callus development of E. camaldulensis and E. grandis x urophylla, respectively. Further, we found 15 DEGs shared by these two Eucalyptus species during the callus development, including Eucgr.D00640 (stem-specific protein TSJT1), Eucgr.B00171 (BTB/POZ and TAZ domain-containing protein 1), Eucgr.C00948 (zinc finger CCCH domain-containing protein 20), Eucgr.K01667 (stomatal closure-related actinbinding protein 3), Eucgr.C00663 (glutaredoxin-C10) and Eucgr.C00419 (UPF0481 protein At3g47200). Interestingly, the expression patterns of these genes displayed "N" shape in the samples. Further, we found 51 genes that were dysregulated during the callus development of E. camaldulensis but without changes in E. grandis x urophylla, such as Eucgr.B02127 (GRF1-interacting factor 1), Eucgr.C00947 (transcription factor MYB36), Eucgr.B02752 (laccase-7), Eucgr.B03985 (transcription factor MYB108), Eucgr.D00536 (GDSL esterase/lipase At5g45920) and Eucgr.B02347 (scarecrow-like protein 34). These 51 genes might be associated with the high propagation ability of Eucalyptus and 22 might be induced after the dedifferentiation. Last, we performed WGCNA to identify the co-expressed genes during the callus development of Eucalyptus and qRT-PCR experiment to validate the gene expression patterns. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first time to globally study the gene profiles during the callus development of Eucalyptus. The results will improve our understanding of gene regulation and molecular mechanisms in the callus maturation and shoot regeneration.

Prevalence, characteristics, and distribution of HPV genotypes in women from Zhejiang Province, 2016-2020.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate and understand the prevalence of HPV genotypes and characteristics of female populations in specific areas and the relationship with cervical lesions, which can effectively guide cervical cancer screening and formulate HPV vaccine prevention strategies. METHODS: A total of 77,443 women who visited gynecological clinics and underwent health examinations in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine during 2016-2020 were enrolled in this survey. Cervical samples were collected for HPV DNA genotyping and cervical cytology testing. Cervical biopsies were performed for patients with visible cervical abnormality or abnormal cytological results. RESULTS: The results showed the 5-year overall positive rate was 22.3%, of which the gynecology clinic group had significantly more positive results compared with the health examination group (P < 0.001). The five most common genotypes in Zhejiang Province were HPV 52, 58, CP8304, 16, and 51 (23.9%, 12.7%, 11.7%, 11.7% and 9.3%). HPV infection was age-specific, with the highest infection rate in the age group ≤ 20 compared to other age groups (P < 0.001). HPV infection was also season-specific, with the highest infection rate in spring or winter. The main HPV infection mode was single infection (P = 0.004), but patients ≤ 20 years old were more likely to develop multiple infections (51.0%). HPV 16, 52 and 58 were the main genotypes that caused cytological abnormalities and HPV16, 18, 56, 58 and 66 were independent risk factors for cervical lesions (OR = 2.352, 1.567, 2.000, 1.694, 1.889; all P < 0.05). Further analysis found HPV 16 and 18 were the main genotypes that cause cervical cancer histological abnormalities and were independent risk factors for cervical cancer (OR = 5.647, P < 0.001; OR = 3.495, P = 0.036). CONCLUSION: This article analyzed the prevalence of distribution characteristics of HPV infection and revealed the corelation between HPV infection and cytological and histological abnormalities. Comprehensive results of this survey will help Zhejiang Province to formulate public health policies and provide evidence for future selection of specific HPV vaccines.

The association between ambient temperature and mortality of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Wuhan, China: a time-series analysis.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 has caused a sizeable global outbreak and has been declared as a public health emergency of international concern. Sufficient evidence shows that temperature has an essential link with respiratory infectious diseases. The objectives of this study were to describe the exposure-response relationship between ambient temperature, including extreme temperatures, and mortality of COVID-19. METHODS: The Poisson distributed lag non-linear model (DLNM) was constructed to evaluate the non-linear delayed effects of ambient temperature on death, by using the daily new death of COVID-19 and ambient temperature data from January 10 to March 31, 2020, in Wuhan, China. RESULTS: During the period mentioned above, the average daily number of COVID-19 deaths was approximately 45.2. Poisson distributed lag non-linear model showed that there was a non-linear relationship (U-shape) between the effect of ambient temperature and mortality. With confounding factors controlled, the daily cumulative relative death risk decreased by 12.3% (95% CI [3.4, 20.4%]) for every 1.0 °C increase in temperature. Moreover, the delayed effects of the low temperature are acute and short-term, with the most considerable risk occurring in 5-7 days of exposure. The delayed effects of the high temperature appeared quickly, then decrease rapidly, and increased sharply 15 days of exposure, mainly manifested as acute and long-term effects. Sensitivity analysis results demonstrated that the results were robust. CONCLUSIONS: The relationship between ambient temperature and COVID-19 mortality was non-linear. There was a negative correlation between the cumulative relative risk of death and temperature. Additionally, exposure to high and low temperatures had divergent impacts on mortality.

Transcriptome analysis identifies genes involved in the somatic embryogenesis of Eucalyptus.

BACKGROUND: Eucalyptus, a highly diverse genus of the Myrtaceae family, is the most widely planted hardwood in the world due to its increasing importance for fiber and energy. Somatic embryogenesis (SE) is one large-scale method to provide commercial use of the vegetative propagation of Eucalyptus and dedifferentiation is a key step for plant cells to become meristematic. However, little is known about the molecular changes during the Eucalyptus SE. RESULTS: We compared the transcriptome profiles of the differentiated and dedifferentiated tissues of two Eucalyptus species - E. camaldulensis (high embryogenetic potential) and E. grandis x urophylla (low embryogenetic potential). Initially, we identified 18,777 to 20,240 genes in all samples. Compared to the differentiated tissues, we identified 9229 and 8989 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the dedifferentiated tissues of E. camaldulensis and E. grandis x urophylla, respectively, and 2687 up-regulated and 2581 down-regulated genes shared. Next, we identified 2003 up-regulated and 1958 down-regulated genes only in E. camaldulensis, including 6 somatic embryogenesis receptor kinase, 17 ethylene, 12 auxin, 83 ribosomal protein, 28 zinc finger protein, 10 heat shock protein, 9 histone, 122 cell wall related and 98 transcription factor genes. Genes from other families like ABA, arabinogalactan protein and late embryogenesis abundant protein were also found to be specifically dysregulated in the dedifferentiation process of E. camaldulensis. Further, we identified 48,447 variants (SNPs and small indels) specific to E. camaldulensis, including 13,434 exonic variants from 4723 genes (e.g., annexin, GN, ARF and AP2-like ethylene-responsive transcription factor). qRT-PCR was used to confirm the gene expression patterns in both E. camaldulensis and E. grandis x urophylla. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first time to study the somatic embryogenesis of Eucalyptus using transcriptome sequencing. It will improve our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of somatic embryogenesis and dedifferentiation in Eucalyptus. Our results provide a valuable resource for future studies in the field of Eucalyptus and will benefit the Eucalyptus breeding program.

Progress in Understanding the Physiological and Molecular Responses of Populus to Salt Stress.

Salt stress (SS) has become an important factor limiting afforestation programs. Because of their salt tolerance and fully sequenced genomes, poplars (Populus spp.) are used as model species to study SS mechanisms in trees. Here, we review recent insights into the physiological and molecular responses of Populus to SS, including ion homeostasis and signaling pathways, such as the salt overly sensitive (SOS) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) pathways. We summarize the genes that can be targeted for the genetic improvement of salt tolerance and propose future research areas.

A novel significance score for gene selection and ranking.

MOTIVATION: When identifying differentially expressed (DE) genes from high-throughput gene expression measurements, we would like to take both statistical significance (such as P-value) and biological relevance (such as fold change) into consideration. In gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), a score that can combine fold change and P-value together is needed for better gene ranking. RESULTS: We defined a gene significance score π-value by combining expression fold change and statistical significance (P-value), and explored its statistical properties. When compared to various existing methods, π-value based approach is more robust in selecting DE genes, with the largest area under curve in its receiver operating characteristic curve. We applied π-value to GSEA and found it comparable to P-value and t-statistic based methods, with added protection against false discovery in certain situations. Finally, in a gene functional study of breast cancer profiles, we showed that using π-value helps elucidating otherwise overlooked important biological functions. AVAILABILITY: http://gccri.uthscsa.edu/Pi_Value_Supplementary.asp CONTACT: xy@ieee.org, cheny8@uthscsa.edu SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Concomitant spuriously elevated white blood cell count, a previously underestimated phenomenon in EDTA-dependent pseudothrombocytopenia.

The proportion and potential risk of concomitant spuriously elevated white blood cell count (SEWC) are underestimated in ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)-dependent pseudothrombocytopenia (PTCP). The proportion, kinetics and prevention of SEWC remain poorly understood. A total of 25 patients with EDTA-dependent PTCP were enrolled in this study. With the hematology analyzer Coulter LH 750, we determined the time courses of WBC count, WBC differential and platelet count in EDTA- and sodium citrate-anticoagulated blood, respectively. Blood smears were prepared to inspect the presence of platelet clumps using light microscopy. The effect of automatic instrumental correction on the extent of SEWC was evaluated. The proportion of SEWC was 92% in EDTA-dependent PTCP and 73.9% of SEWCs were within the normal range. The development of SEWC was time-dependent, and neutrophils and lymphocytes were the main subpopulations involved in SEWC. A strong and significant correlation (r = 0.9937, p < 0.001) was found between the increased WBC count and the decreased platelet count. Both corrected and uncorrected WBC counts at 15 minutes or later after blood collection in EDTA were significantly higher than their basal counts, respectively, p < 0.05. Interestingly, in citrated blood, WBC counts after blood collection were not significantly different from its basal counts, p > 0.05. A high proportion of concomitant SEWCs, which are mainly within normal range, are present in patients with EDTA-dependent PTCP. Proper interpretation of SEWC is crucial to avoid clinic errors. SEWC develops in a time-dependent pattern, although the Coulter LH 750 only partly mitigates the extent of SEWC, sodium citrate is able to effectively prevent SEWC.

A cross-sectional study of the relationship between serum liver enzymes level and the incidence of impaired fasting glucose in males and females.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the possible correlation between levels of serum liver enzymes and impaired fasting glucose (IFG) in Chinese adults and to provide a new perspective for the prevention of pre-diabetes. MATERIAL/METHODS: Serum liver enzymes of the samples including alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and g-glutamyl transferase (GGT), as well as plasma glucose, blood lipids, and insulin, were measured. The cumulative incidences of IFG between different quartiles of liver enzymes were compared by the chi-square test. A logistic regression model (binary regression) was used to calculate the odds ratio (OR) of IFG with 95% confidence interval (95% CI). RESULTS: The total incidence of IFG was 20.3% and the cumulative incidence of IFG was higher in men compared to women. In both sexes, IFG is more prevalent in higher quartiles of liver enzymes. After adjusting for age, BMI, blood pressure, triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and total cholesterol (TC), the cumulative incidences of IFG were significantly higher in the highest quartiles of liver enzymes than in the lowest quartiles. A significantly higher cumulative incidence of IFG was found in the highest GGT quartile than in the lowest quartile for woman. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that serum liver enzymes are related to the risk of IFG in Chinese adults. We infer that preserving the hepatic function may be an efficient way to prevent the development of IFG, especially in males.

Identification and characterization of critical values in therapeutic drug monitoring: a retrospective analysis.

Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is a crucial clinical practice that improves pharmacological effectiveness and prevent severe drug-related adverse events. Timely reporting and intervention of critical values during TDM are essential for patient safety. In this study, we retrospectively analyzed the laboratory data to provide an overview of the incidence, distribution pattern and biochemical correlates of critical values during TDM. A total of 19,110 samples were tested for nine drug concentrations between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2020. Of these, 241 critical values were identified in 165 patients. The most common critical values were vancomycin trough (63.4%), followed by tacrolimus trough (16.9%) and digoxin (15.2%). The primary sources of drug critical values were the department of general intensive care unit (ICU), cardiology, and surgery ICU. At baseline or the time of critical value, significant differences were found between the vancomycin, digoxin, and tacrolimus groups in terms of blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, N-terminal Pro-B-Type Natriuretic Peptide (NT-proBNP), and lymphocyte percentage, P < 0.05. Therefore, it is important to prioritize and closely monitor drug concentrations to reduce laboratory critical values during TDM.