TG468: a text graph convolutional network for predicting clinical response to immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy.

Enhancing cancer treatment efficacy remains a significant challenge in human health. Immunotherapy has witnessed considerable success in recent years as a treatment for tumors. However, due to the heterogeneity of diseases, only a fraction of patients exhibit a positive response to immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy. Various single-gene-based biomarkers and tumor mutational burden (TMB) have been proposed for predicting clinical responses to ICI; however, their predictive ability is limited. We propose the utilization of the Text Graph Convolutional Network (GCN) method to comprehensively assess the impact of multiple genes, aiming to improve the predictive capability for ICI response. We developed TG468, a Text GCN model framing drug response prediction as a text classification task. By combining natural language processing (NLP) and graph neural network techniques, TG468 effectively handles sparse and high-dimensional exome sequencing data. As a result, TG468 can distinguish survival time for patients who received ICI therapy and outperforms single gene biomarkers, TMB and some classical machine learning models. Additionally, TG468's prediction results facilitate the identification of immune status differences among specific patient types in the Cancer Genome Atlas dataset, providing a rationale for the model's predictions. Our approach represents a pioneering use of a GCN model to analyze exome data in patients undergoing ICI therapy and offers inspiration for future research using NLP technology to analyze exome sequencing data.

KinomeMETA: a web platform for kinome-wide polypharmacology profiling with meta-learning.

Kinase-targeted inhibitors hold promise for new therapeutic options, with multi-target inhibitors offering the potential for broader efficacy while minimizing polypharmacology risks. However, comprehensive experimental profiling of kinome-wide activity is expensive, and existing computational approaches often lack scalability or accuracy for understudied kinases. We introduce KinomeMETA, an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered web platform that significantly expands the predictive range with scalability for predicting the polypharmacological effects of small molecules across the kinome. By leveraging a novel meta-learning algorithm, KinomeMETA efficiently utilizes sparse activity data, enabling rapid generalization to new kinase tasks even with limited information. This significantly expands the repertoire of accurately predictable kinases to 661 wild-type and clinically-relevant mutant kinases, far exceeding existing methods. Additionally, KinomeMETA empowers users to customize models with their proprietary data for specific research needs. Case studies demonstrate its ability to discover new active compounds by quickly adapting to small dataset. Overall, KinomeMETA offers enhanced kinome virtual profiling capabilities and is positioned as a powerful tool for developing new kinase inhibitors and advancing kinase research. The KinomeMETA server is freely accessible without registration at https://kinomemeta.alphama.com.cn/.

KinomeMETA: meta-learning enhanced kinome-wide polypharmacology profiling.

Kinase inhibitors are crucial in cancer treatment, but drug resistance and side effects hinder the development of effective drugs. To address these challenges, it is essential to analyze the polypharmacology of kinase inhibitor and identify compound with high selectivity profile. This study presents KinomeMETA, a framework for profiling the activity of small molecule kinase inhibitors across a panel of 661 kinases. By training a meta-learner based on a graph neural network and fine-tuning it to create kinase-specific learners, KinomeMETA outperforms benchmark multi-task models and other kinase profiling models. It provides higher accuracy for understudied kinases with limited known data and broader coverage of kinase types, including important mutant kinases. Case studies on the discovery of new scaffold inhibitors for membrane-associated tyrosine- and threonine-specific cdc2-inhibitory kinase and selective inhibitors for fibroblast growth factor receptors demonstrate the role of KinomeMETA in virtual screening and kinome-wide activity profiling. Overall, KinomeMETA has the potential to accelerate kinase drug discovery by more effectively exploring the kinase polypharmacology landscape.

SGLT2i improves kidney senescence by down-regulating the expression of LTBP2 in SAMP8 mice.

Senescent kidney can lead to the maladaptive repairment and predispose age-related kidney diseases. Here, we explore the renal anti-senescence effect of a known kind of drug, sodium-dependent glucose transporters 2 inhibitor (SGLT2i). After 4 months intragastrically administration with dapagliflozin on senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8) strain mice, the physiologically effects (lowering urine protein, enhancing glomerular blood perfusion, inhibiting expression of senescence-related biomarkers) and structural changes (improving kidney atrophy, alleviating fibrosis, decreasing glomerular mesangial proliferation) indicate the potential value of delaying kidney senescence of SGLT2i. Senescent human proximal tubular epithelial (HK-2) cells induced by H2 O2 also exhibit lower senescent markers after dapagliflozin treatment. Further mechanism exploration suggests LTBP2 have the great possibility to be the target for SGLT2i to exert its renal anti-senescence role. Dapagliflozin down-regulate the LTBP2 expression in kidney tissues and HK-2 cells with senescent phenotypes. Immunofluorescence staining show SGLT2 and LTBP2 exist colocalization, and protein-docking analysis implies there is salt-bridge formation between them; these all indicate the possibility of weak-interaction between the two proteins. Apart from reducing LTBP2 expression in intracellular area induced by H2 O2 , dapagliflozin also decrease the concentration of LTBP2 in cell culture medium. Together, these results reveal dapagliflozin can delay natural kidney senescence in non-diabetes environment; the mechanism may be through regulating the role of LTBP2.

Intra- and Peritumoral Based Radiomics for Assessment of Lymphovascular Invasion in Invasive Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Radiomics has been applied for assessing lymphovascular invasion (LVI) in patients with breast cancer. However, associations between features from peritumoral regions and the LVI status were not investigated. PURPOSE: To investigate the value of intra- and peritumoral radiomics for assessing LVI, and to develop a nomogram to assist in making treatment decisions. STUDY TYPE: Retrospective. POPULATION: Three hundred and sixteen patients were enrolled from two centers and divided into training (N = 165), internal validation (N = 83), and external validation (N = 68) cohorts. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: 1.5 T and 3.0 T/dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). ASSESSMENT: Radiomics features were extracted and selected based on intra- and peritumoral breast regions in two magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences to create the multiparametric MRI combined radiomics signature (RS-DCE plus DWI). The clinical model was built with MRI-axillary lymph nodes (MRI ALN), MRI-reported peritumoral edema (MPE), and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC). The nomogram was constructed with RS-DCE plus DWI, MRI ALN, MPE, and ADC. STATISTICAL TESTS: Intra- and interclass correlation coefficient analysis, Mann-Whitney U test, and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression were used for feature selection. Receiver operating characteristic and decision curve analyses were applied to compare performance of the RS-DCE plus DWI, clinical model, and nomogram. RESULTS: A total of 10 features were found to be associated with LVI, 3 from intra- and 7 from peritumoral areas. The nomogram showed good performance in the training (AUCs, nomogram vs. clinical model vs. RS-DCE plus DWI, 0.884 vs. 0.695 vs. 0.870), internal validation (AUCs, nomogram vs. clinical model vs. RS-DCE plus DWI, 0.813 vs. 0.695 vs. 0.794), and external validation (AUCs, nomogram vs. clinical model vs. RS-DCE plus DWI, 0.862 vs. 0.601 vs. 0.849) cohorts. DATA CONCLUSION: The constructed preoperative nomogram might effectively assess LVI. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 2.

Breast cancer screening and early diagnosis in China: a systematic review and meta-analysis on 10.72 million women.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of breast cancer among Chinese women has gradually increased in recent years. This study aims to analyze the situation of breast cancer screening programs in China and compare the cancer detection rates (CDRs), early-stage cancer detection rates (ECDRs), and the proportions of early-stage cancer among different programs. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies in multiple literature databases. Studies that were published between January 1, 2010 and June 30, 2023 were retrieved. A random effects model was employed to pool the single group rate, and subgroup analyses were carried out based on screening model, time, process, age, population, and follow-up method. RESULTS: A total of 35 studies, including 47 databases, satisfied the inclusion criteria. Compared with opportunistic screening, the CDR (1.32‰, 95% CI: 1.10‰-1.56‰) and the ECDR (0.82‰, 95% CI: 0.66‰-0.99‰) were lower for population screening, but the proportion of early-stage breast cancer (80.17%, 95% CI: 71.40%-87.83%) was higher. In subgroup analysis, the CDR of population screening was higher in the urban group (2.28‰, 95% CI: 1.70‰-2.94‰), in the breast ultrasonography (BUS) in parallel with mammography (MAM) group (3.29‰, 95% CI: 2.48‰-4.21‰), and in the second screening follow-up group (2.47‰, 95% CI: 1.64‰-3.47‰), and the proportion of early-stage breast cancer was 85.70% (95% CI: 68.73%-97.29%), 88.18% (95% CI: 84.53%-91.46%), and 90.05% (95% CI: 84.07%-94.95%), respectively. CONCLUSION: There were significant differences between opportunistic and population screening programs. The results of these population screening studies were influenced by the screening process, age, population, and follow-up method. In the future, China should carry out more high-quality and systematic population-based screening programs to improve screening coverage and service.

Right and Left Coronary and Conus Arteries Originating from Three Separate Ostia in the Right Valsalva Sinus in a Japanese Cadaver: A Case Study with Literature Review.

A rare case of an anomalous location of the orifice of the coronary artery was found in a 99-year-old male cadaver undergoing routine dissection. The presence of the right coronary artery (RCA), left coronary artery (LCA), and conus artery (conus branch) originating from the right Valsalva sinus are the characteristic findings of this case. Then, the LCA passed through the aorta and the pulmonary artery. The LCA and RCA branches were normal. These findings are useful for future surgical procedures, including cardiac catheterization.

From 1D to 2D: Controllable Preparation of 2D Ni-MOFs for Supercapacitors.

Controllable modulation strategies between one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) structures have been rarely reported for metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Here, 1D, 1D/2D, and 2D Ni-MOFs can be facilely prepared by adjusting the ratio of Ni2+ and the pyromellitic acid linker. A low-dimensional structure can shorten the transmission distance, while MOFs with a high Ni2+ content can supply rich active sites for oxidation-reduction reactions. The 2D structure Ni-MOF with an optimized Ni2+/pyromellitic acid ratio presents a good performance of 1036 F g-1 at a current density of 1 A g-1 with a comparable rate performance of 62% at 20 A g-1. The study may offer a facile design to control the structure of MOFs for employing in electrochemical energy storage.

Development and validation of a gene model predicting lymph node metastasis and prognosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma based on single-cell and bulk RNA-seq analysis.

BACKGROUND: Lymph node metastasis can independently predict oral squamous cell carcinoma patients' survival. This study would investigate the genetic and cellular differences between oral squamous cell carcinoma with positive and negative lymph node metastases. METHODS: We gathered single-cell RNA sequencing and bulk gene expression data from the Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus databases. Sixty lymph node-metastasis-related genes were discovered with refined single-cell RNA sequencing data analysis, and consensus clustering provided three molecular subtypes of oral squamous cell carcinoma. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator analyses were then utilized to establish a five-gene risk model. CIBERSORT analysis revealed the immune infiltration profile of different risk subgroups. RESULTS: Oral squamous cell carcinoma patients were classified into three subtypes based on the 60 lymph node-metastasis-related key genes identified by single-cell RNA sequencing data. Patients in Subtype 3 showed a tendency for lymph node metastasis and poorer prognosis. Moreover, five biomarkers were selected from the 60 genes to construct a five-gene risk model evaluating the risk of lymph node metastasis. A lower probability of lymph node metastasis and a better prognosis was observed in the low-risk group. The immune infiltration of three different risk groups was explored with CIBERSORT. Besides, further analysis implied different sensitivities of anticancer drugs, including immunotherapy drugs and targeted compounds, in the three risk groups. CONCLUSION: In view of intratumoral heterogeneity, we found 60 genes associated with lymph node metastasis of oral squamous cell carcinoma. Subsequently, we constructed a five-gene signature that could improve the prediction of lymph node metastasis, clinical outcome, and promote individualized treatment strategies for oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Relationship between scapular elevation exercises with different alignments and activity of the trapezius and levator scapulae muscles.

[Purpose] This study aimed to examine whether scapular elevation exercises in sitting positions with different alignments lead to contractions of the trapezius and levator scapulae muscles. [Participants and Methods] The participants were 25 males, measured in four sitting positions with different alignments. Spine alignment was assessed by measuring the head protrusion, upper thoracic spine tilt, and pelvic tilt angles. Upper limb alignment was evaluated using the scapula tilt angle, scapula rotation angle, and distance between scapular spinous processes. Scapular elevation exercises were measured, and the thickness of the trapezius and levator scapulae muscles were measured in resting and elevated positions, with changes in muscle thickness. [Results] The trapezius muscle thickness was greater in the sitting position with less thoracic spine tilt and scapula tilt angles. Conversely, the levator scapulae muscle thickness was greater in the sitting position with more thoracic spine tilt and scapula tilt angles. [Conclusion] Scapular elevation exercises induce separate contractions of the trapezius and levator scapulae muscles by modifying the alignment of the spine and upper limbs.

Predict the role of lncRNA in kidney aging based on RNA sequencing.

BACKGROUND: Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in physiological and pathological processes. However, no studies have been conducted on the relationship between lncRNAs and renal aging. RESULTS: First, we evaluated the histopathology of young (3-month-old) and old (24-month-old) C57BL/6J mouse kidneys. Masson trichrome staining and PAS staining showed interstitial collagen deposition and fibrosis, mesangial matrix expansion, a thicker basement membrane and renal interstitial fibrosis in old mouse kidneys. Senescence-associated ß-galactosidase (SA-ß-gal)-positive areas in the kidneys of old mice were significantly elevated compared to those of young mice. Then, we analyzed the differential expression of lncRNAs and mRNAs in the kidneys of young and old mouse kidneys by RNA-seq analysis. 42 known and 179 novel differentially expressed lncRNAs and 702 differential mRNAs were detected in the mouse kidney. Next, we focused on the differentially expressed mRNAs and lncRNAs by RNA-seq. GO and KEGG analyses were performed based on differentially expressed mRNAs between young and old mouse kidneys. Transregulation based on RIsearch and the correlation coefficient of mRNA-lncRNA were also calculated. The mRNA-lncRNA network was constructed by choosing a Spearman correlation coefficient > 0.9 or <-0.9. GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses revealed that differentially expressed mRNAs participated in aging-related pathways. A total of 10 lncRNAs and trans-regulated mRNAs were constructed. Finally, we validated the role of lncRNA Gm43360 by CCK-8, flow cytometry, western blot and SA-ß-gal staining. The expression level of Adra1a was positively correlated and Csnk1a1 was negatively correlated with lncRNA Gm43360. The cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) results showed that lncRNA Gm43360 promoted cell viability. LncRNA Gm43360 increased the percentage of S phase cells and decreased the percentage of G1 phase cells compared with the negative control. LncRNA Gm43360 decreased the expression of p53, p21 and SA-ß-gal. CONCLUSIONS: LncRNA Gm43360 may play a protective role in kidney aging.

GIT1 is an untolerized autoantigen involved in immunologic disturbance of spermatogenesis.

Male haploid cells, spermatids and spermatozoa, that appear after the establishment of immune tolerance express novel cell surface and intracellular proteins that can be recognized as foreign antigens by the self-immune system. However, these germ cells do not normally evoke a pathological immune response. The immune-privileged micro-circumstance in testis involving the blood-testis-barrier formed by Sertoli cells protects these germ cells from autoimmune attack. We recently found that immunization with heat shock protein family A member 4-like (HSPA4L), one of the new differentiation antigens of haploid cells, induced experimental autoimmune orchitis (EAO) in A/J male mice. In this study, we focused on G protein-coupled receptor kinase interacting protein-1 (GIT1), another haploid cell-specific differentiation antigen, to investigate whether GIT1 is a target autoantigen for EAO induction. GIT1 emulsified with complete Freund's adjuvant was injected subcutaneously into the mice inguinal region once on day 0 and again on day 14, and the optimum condition of EAO induction was determined. Mice immunized with 200 µg GIT1 showed significantly higher incidence of EAO than that of immunization with other concentrations. In particular, significant lymphocytic inflammation and extensive aspermatogenesis were observed in these mice at 120 days after the first immunization. These findings indicate that GIT1 is also a target antigen that induces EAO, like HSPA4L.

Different clinicopathologic features predispose to different patterns of distant metastasis with heterogeneous short-term prognosis in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer.

BACKGROUND: Limited studies have focused on the associated clinicopathologic features and short-term prognostic impacts of metastatic patterns at initial diagnosis in differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). METHODS: Overall, 530 individuals with distant DTC diagnosed between 2010 and 2014 were identified from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Multinomial logistic regression model was used to assess the clinicopathologic factors influencing the pattern of distant metastasis. Kaplan-Meier method and multivariable Cox regression were used to estimate the short-term effects of metastatic patterns on overall (OS) and thyroid cancer-specific survival (TCSS). RESULTS: Fifty, 111, 263, 59 and 47 patients presented with distant lymph node (LN)-only, bone-only, lung-only, bone plus lung, and liver and/or brain metastases (Mets), respectively. Regional lymph node metastasis (LNM) and follicular histotype were the only confirmed risk factors for distant LN-only Mets and bone-only Mets, respectively. Larger tumour size, extrathyroidal extension (ETE) and papillary histotype were associated with lung-only Mets. Synchronous bone and lung Mets were more likely to occur in older patients. In addition, patients with distant LN-only Mets had hardly any negative effect on OS and TCSS, whereas those with synchronous bone and lung or liver/brain Mets predicted unfavourable short-term outcomes, regardless of whether they received total thyroidectomy and radioisotopes. CONCLUSIONS: Different clinicopathologic factors predispose to different patterns of metastases with profound short-term survival differences among DTC patients. Our findings may help to determine effective pretreatment screening for aggressive metastatic patterns at initial diagnosis, and thus to provide additional treatment or access of clinical trials for these patients.

Adenomatoid tumors of ovary mimicking malignancy: report of 2 cases and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Adenomatoid tumors (ATs) are benign tumors originating from the mesothelium. ATs of the ovary are rare, and can easily be confused with malignancy due to the histomorphological diversity. Thus, it is difficult in histopathological and differential diagnosis, especially during intraoperative frozen pathological diagnosis, which directly affects the resection scope of surgery. CASE PRESENTATION: In this study, we reported two patients (58 and 41 year old) with ovarian ATs. AT of patient 1 occurred in both ovaries at different time points and she had been diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis. AT of patient 2 occurred in right ovary. Intraoperative frozen pathological diagnosis was performed in both cases and laparoscopic salpingo-oophorectomy was undergone on the lesion side according to benign freezing diagnostic result. Ovarian ATs, the final diagnoses of the 2 cases were concluded after histological, extensive immunohistochemical (IHC), histochemical, and fluorescence in situ hybridization analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that ovarian ATs may not be related to BAP1 or CDKN2A/p16 mutations. In addition, the case 1 suggests that ATs may be associated with immune dysregulation. When encountering such similar lessions, we recommend that a series of immunohistochemical, histochemical and molecular biological techniques should be used for diagnosis and differential diagnosis to avoid misdiagnosis. Improving understanding of the rare ovarian ATs which mimic malignancy is necessary to prevent overresection.

Effects of experimental pain on the cervical spine reposition errors.

BACKGROUND: Healthy subjects showed normal variance of cervical spine reposition errors of approximately 2 degrees. Effects of experimental pain on cervical spine reposition errors were unknown; thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of experimental pain on cervical spine reposition errors. METHODS: A repeated measured study design was applied. Thirty healthy subjects (12 males) were recruited. Reposition errors were extracted from upright cervical positions before and after cervical flexion movement in healthy subjects before and during experimental neck pain. Cervical spine reposition errors were calculated based on anatomical landmarks of each cervical joint. Reposition errors were extracted in degrees as constant errors and absolute errors for further statistical analysis. Repeated measures analysis of variance (RM-ANOVA) was applied to analyse experimental pain effects on either constant errors or absolute errors of different cervical joints. RESULTS: The cervical spine showed non-significant difference in reposition errors regarding the constant errors (P>0.05) while larger reposition errors regarding the absolute errors during experimental pain compared to before experimental pain (P<0.001). In addition, the pain level joint (C4/C5) and its adjacent joints (C3/C4 and C5/C6) indicated larger reposition errors regarding absolute errors (P=0.035, P=0.329 and P=0.103, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: This study firstly investigated the cervical spine reposition errors in experimental neck pain and further found the joints adjacent to the pain level showed larger errors compared to the distant joints regarding absolute errors. It may imply that the larger reposition errors in specific cervical joint indicate probable injury or pain existed adjacent to the joints.

Effect of Neonicotinoid Pesticides on Japanese Water Systems: Review with Focus on Reproductive Toxicity.

Neonicotinoid pesticides (NPs) are neurotoxic substances. They are highly effective as insecticides owing to their water solubility, permeability, and long-lasting activity. These molecules are structurally similar to nicotine and act as nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonists. The administration of NPs to experimental animals reportedly causes neuromuscular and reproductive disorders. Moreover, recently reported problems caused by NPs include damage to land-dwelling creatures (such as mammals and birds), hydrobiology, and ecosystems. This review summarizes the recent reports on NP concentrations detected in river systems in several Japanese regions. These values were lower than the environmental standard values; however, seasonal variations were observed. Furthermore, reports on NP-induced testicular and ovarian toxicity were examined, revealing that the mechanism of injury is mainly driven by oxidative stress. The use of NPs is declining worldwide, except in Japan; therefore, continuous monitoring remains necessary.

PLCγ1 inhibition-driven autophagy of IL-1ß-treated chondrocyte confers cartilage protection against osteoarthritis, involving AMPK, Erk and Akt.

Previous studies identified the involvement of phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C (PLC) γ1 in some events of chondrocytes. This study aims to investigate whether and how PLCγ1 modulates autophagy to execute its role in osteoarthritis (OA) progression. Rat normal or human OA chondrocytes were pretreated with IL-1ß for mimicking or sustaining OA pathological condition. Using Western blotting, immunoprecipitation, qPCR, immunofluorescence and Dimethylmethylene blue assays, and ELISA and transmission electron microscope techniques, we found that PLCγ1 inhibitor U73122 enhanced Collagen II, Aggrecan and GAG levels, accompanied with increased LC3B-II/I ratio and decreased P62 expression level, whereas autophagy inhibitor Chloroquine partially diminished its effect. Meanwhile, U73122 dissociated Beclin1 from Beclin1-IP3R-Bcl-2 complex and blocked mTOR/ULK1 axis, in which the crosstalk between PLCγ1, AMPK, Erk and Akt were involved. Additionally, by haematoxylin and eosin, Safranin O/Fast green, and immunohistochemistry staining, we observed that intra-articular injection of Ad-shPLCγ1-1/2 significantly enhanced Collagen and Aggrecan levels, accompanied with increased LC3B and decreased P62 levels in a rat OA model induced by anterior cruciate ligament transection and medial meniscus resection. Consequently, PLCγ1 inhibition-driven autophagy conferred cartilage protection against OA through promoting ECM synthesis in OA chondrocytes in vivo and in vitro, involving the crosstalk between PLCγ1, AMPK, Erk and Akt.

Identification of lipid metabolism-related genes as prognostic indicators in papillary thyroid cancer.

Lipid metabolism plays important roles not only in the structural basis and energy supply of healthy cells but also in the oncogenesis and progression of cancers. In this study, we investigated the prognostic value of lipid metabolism-related genes in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). The recurrence predictive gene signature was developed and internally and externally validated based on PTC datasets including The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and GSE33630 datasets. Univariate, LASSO, and multivariate Cox regression analysis were applied to assess prognostic genes and build the prognostic gene signature. The expression profiles of prognostic genes were further determined by immunohistochemistry of tissue microarray using in-house cohorts, which enrolled 97 patients. Kaplan-Meier curve, time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curve, nomogram, and decision curve analyses were used to assess the performance of the gene signature. We identified four recurrence-related genes, PDZK1IP1, TMC3, LRP2 and KCNJ13, and established a four-gene signature recurrence risk model. The expression profiles of the four genes in the TCGA and in-house cohort indicated that stage T1/T2 PTC and locally advanced PTC exhibit notable associations not only with clinicopathological parameters but also with recurrence. Calibration analysis plots indicate the excellent predictive performance of the prognostic nomogram constructed based on the gene signature. Single-sample gene set enrichment analysis showed that high-risk cases exhibit changes in several important tumorigenesis-related pathways, such as the intestinal immune network and the p53 and Hedgehog signaling pathways. Our results indicate that lipid metabolism-related gene profiling represents a potential marker for prognosis and treatment decisions for PTC patients.

Suppressing PLCγ1 enhances osteogenic and chondrogenic potential of BMSCs.

Phosphatidylcholine-specific phospholipase Cγ1 (PLCγ1) is involved in regulating cell metabolism. However, little is known how PLCγ1 directs BMSC differentiation. Here, we investigated the role of PLCγ1 in rat BMSC differentiation into osteoblasts and chondrocytes. The results of Alizarin red and Alcian blue staining showed that PLCγ1 inhibitor U73122 significantly enhanced the mineralization capacity and proteoglycan deposition of BMSCs. The results of qPCR technique and Western blot analysis showed that long-term treatment of U73122 enhanced COL1A1 and OPG mRNA levels and Collagen 1A1, BMP2, and p-Smad1/5/9 protein levels and that short-term treatment of U73122 enhanced COL2A1 and SOX9 mRNA levels and Collagen 2, SOX9, Aggrecan, TGF-ß3, and p-Smad2/3 protein levels. Decreased p-mTOR and p-P38 contributed to enhanced osteogenic potentials of BMSCs and increased p-P38 contributed to enhanced chondrogenic potentials of BMSCs. The scaffold transplantation with U73122+BMSC was more efficacious than BMSC alone for osteochondral defect repair in a rat model. Therefore, suppressing PLCγ1 could improve the capacity to effectively use BMSCs for cell therapy of osteochondral defect.

A microhap panel for kinship analysis through massively parallel sequencing technology.

It is widely recognized that microhaps are powerful markers for different forensic purposes, mainly due to their advantages of both short tandem repeats and single nucleotide polymorphisms, including multiple alleles, low mutation rate, and absence of stutter peaks. In the present study, a panel of 60 microhap loci was developed and utilized in forensic kinship analysis as a preliminary study. Genotyping of microhap was performed by massively parallel sequencing and haplotypes were directly achieved from sequence reads of 73 samples from Chinese Han population. We observed that 49 out of 60 loci have effective number of alleles greater than 3.0 and 10 out of 60 have values above 4.0, with an average value of 3.5598. The heterozygosity values were in a range from 0.5840 to 0.8546 with an average of 0.7268 and the cumulative power of exclusion value of the 60 loci is equal to 1-4.78 × 10-18 . Moreover, we demonstrated the applicability of this method by different relationship inference problems, including identification of single parent-offspring, full-sibling, and second-degree relative. The results indicated that the assembled microhap panel provided more power for relationship inference, than commonly used short tandem repeats or single nucleotide polymorphism system.