Correction: The Untranslated Regions of Classic Swine Fever Virus RNA Trigger Apoptosis.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0088863.].

Effect of fear of falling on turning performance among patients with chronic stroke.

BACKGROUND: Turning difficulties have been reported in stroke persons, but studies have indicated that fall history might not significantly affect turning performance. Fear of falling (FOF) is common after a fall, although it can occur in individuals without a fall history. RESEARCH QUESTION: Could FOF have an impact on turning performance among chronic stroke patients? METHODS: This cross-sectional study recruited 97 stroke persons. They were instructed to perform 180° and 360° turns, and their performance was represented by angular velocity. FOF was evaluated using the Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I). Falls that occurred 12 months prior to the study assessment were recorded. RESULTS: A higher FES-I score was significantly correlated with a decline in angular velocity in all turning tasks after adjustment for demographic data. The correlation remained significant after controlling for falls history. Participants with a high level of FOF exhibited significantly slower angular velocities during all turning tasks compared with those with a low level of FOF. Participants with a moderate level of FOF had a significantly slower angular velocity than did those with a low level of FOF during the 360° turn to the paretic side only. SIGNIFICANCE: A higher level of FOF, regardless of fall history, was significantly associated with a reduced angular velocity during turning. A high level of FOF affected turning performance in all tasks. Turning performance may not be affected by fall experience. Anxiety about falling may have a greater effect on turning performance than does fall history.

Long-term outcomes of active vaccination against de novo hepatitis B among pediatric recipients of living donor liver transplantations with anti-HBc (+) grafts: a retrospective case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Active vaccination has been utilized to prevent de novo hepatitis B virus infection (DNHB) in anti-HBc (+) grafts after liver transplantation (LT). However, the long-term efficacy of active vaccination and graft/patient outcomes of anti-HBc (+) grafts have yet to be comprehensively investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Among 204 pediatric patients enrolled in the study, 82 recipients received anti-HBc (+) grafts. For DNHB prevention, active vaccination was repeatedly administered prior to transplant. Anti-viral therapy was given to patients with pre-transplant anti-HBs<1000 IU/ ml (non-robust response) for 2 years and discontinued when post-transplant patients achieved anti-HBs>1000 IU/mL, while anti-viral therapy was not given in patients with an anti-HBs titer over 1000 IU/mL. The primary outcome was to investigate the long-term efficacy of active vaccination, while the secondary outcomes included the graft and patient survival rates. RESULTS: Among the 82 anti-HBc (+) transplant patients, 68% of recipients achieved a robust immune response, thus not requiring antiviral therapy. Two patients (2.4%) developed DNHB infection, one of which was due to an escape mutant. With a median follow-up of 150 months, the overall 10-year patient and graft survival rates were significantly worse in recipients of anti-HBc (+) grafts than those of anti-HBc (-) grafts (85.2% vs 93.4%, P=0.026; 85.1% vs 93.4%, P=0.034, respectively). Additionally, the 10-year patient and graft outcomes of the anti-HBc (+) graft recipients were significantly worse than those of the anti-HBc (-) graft recipients after excluding early mortality and non-graft mortality values (90.8% vs 96.6%, P=0.036; 93.0% vs 98.3%, P=0.011, respectively). CONCLUSION: Our long-term follow-up study demonstrates that active vaccination is a simple, cost-effective strategy against DNHB infection in anti-HBc (+) graft patients, whereby the need for life-long antiviral therapy is removed. Notably, both the anti-HBc (+) grafts and patients exhibited inferior long-term survival rates, although the exact mechanisms remain unclear.

Prognostic factors of intravesical recurrence after radical nephroureterectomy for upper tract urothelial carcinoma.

PURPOSE: To evaluate predictive factors of increasing intravesical recurrence (IVR) rate in patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) after receiving radical nephroureterectomy (RNUx) with bladder cuff excision (BCE). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 2114 patients were included from the updated data of the Taiwan UTUC Collaboration Group. It was divided into two groups: IVR-free and IVR after RNUx, with 1527 and 587 patients, respectively. To determine the factors affecting IVR, TNM stage, the usage of pre-operative ureteroscopy, and pathological outcomes were evaluated. The Kaplan-Meier estimator was used to estimate the rates of prognostic outcomes in overall survival (OS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), disease-free survival (DFS), and bladder recurrence-free survival (BRFS), and the survival curves were compared using the stratified log-rank test. RESULTS: Based on our research, ureter tumor, female, smoking history, age (< 70 years old), multifocal tumor, history of bladder cancer were determined to increase the risk of IVR after univariate analysis. The multivariable analysis revealed that female (BRFS for male: HR 0.566, 95% CI 0.469-0.681, p < 0.001), ureter tumor (BRFS: HR 1.359, 95% CI 1.133-1.631, p = 0.001), multifocal (BRFS: HR 1.200, 95% CI 1.001-1.439, p = 0.049), history of bladder cancer (BRFS: HR 1.480, 95% CI 1.118-1.959, p = 0.006) were the prognostic factors for IVR. Patients who ever received ureterorenoscopy (URS) did not increase the risk of IVR. CONCLUSION: Patients with ureter tumor and previous bladder UC history are important factors to increase the risk of IVR after RNUx. Pre-operative URS manipulation is not associated with higher risk of IVR and diagnostic URS is feasible especially for insufficient information of image study. More frequent surveillance regimen may be needed for these patients.

The phosphorylation of the movement protein TGBp1 regulates the accumulation of the Bamboo mosaic virus.

Phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of viral movement proteins plays a crucial role in regulating virus movement. Our study focused on investigating the movement protein TGBp1 of Bamboo mosaic virus (BaMV), which is a single-stranded positive-sense RNA virus. Specifically, we examined four potential phosphorylation sites (S15, S18, T58, and S247) within the TGBp1 protein. To study the impact of phosphorylation, we introduced amino acid substitutions at the selected sites. Alanine substitutions were used to prevent phosphorylation, while aspartate substitutions were employed to mimic phosphorylation. Our findings suggest that mimicking phosphorylation at S15, S18 and T58 of TGBp1 might be linked to silencing suppressor activities. The phosphorylated form at these sites exhibits a loss of silencing suppressor activity, leading to reduced viral accumulation in the inoculated leaves. Furthermore, mimicking phosphorylation at residues S15 and S18 could diminish viral accumulation at the single-cell level, while doing so at residue T58 could influence virus movement. However, mimicking phosphorylation at residue S247 does not appear to be relevant to both functions of TGBp1. Overall, our study provides insights into the functional significance of specific phosphorylation sites in BaMV TGBp1, illuminating the regulatory mechanisms involved in virus movement and silencing suppression.

Review articles (Meta-Analyses) effects of walking on cognitive function in individuals with mild cognitive impairment: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is the stage between the expected cognitive decline of normal aging and the more serious decline of dementia. Previous studies have shown that regular exercise can improve cognition and physical performance in older adults. Walking is a low-technology and low-cost exercise that has been proven to improve cognition and mobility in healthy elderly individuals. However, no systematic review or meta-analysis has explored whether walking can improve cognitive function in older adults with MCI. This study aimed to explore the effects of walking interventions on cognitive functions in individuals with MCI. METHODS: In accordance with the PRISMA guidelines, MEDLINE, PubMed, SPORTDiscus, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, CINAHL, Web of Science, Airiti Library, and the National Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations in Taiwan were searched from inception to July 2023. Independent reviewers selected randomized clinical trials (RCT) that compared the effects of walking with no intervention or other exercises in individuals with MCI. The primary outcomes were cognitive functions, and the secondary outcome was walking endurance. Three reviewers independently conducted data extraction. The risk of bias was assessed using the Revised Cochrane Risk of Bias assessment tool. RESULTS: Fourteen RCTs were included in this review. The quality of evidence in these studies was rated as good to excellent. The results of the meta-analysis showed that the individuals with MCI had no significant improvement in cognitive function but had significant improvement in the 6-min walk test (Mean Difference=23.70, p=0.008) after walking interventions compared to no intervention or other exercises. CONCLUSION: Walking intervention has no significant improvement on cognitive functions in older adults with MCI. However, walking induces beneficial effects on aerobic capacity. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This systematic review has the registration number CRD42021283753 on PROSPERO.

Impact of pathological response on oncological outcomes in patients with upper tract urothelial cancer receiving neo-adjuvant chemotherapy.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the rates of pathological complete response (ypT0N0/X) and pathological response (ypT1N0/X or less) in patients with upper tract urothelial cancer who were treated with neo-adjuvant chemotherapy and to examine their impact on oncological outcomes. METHODS: This study is a multi-institutional retrospective analysis of patients with high-risk upper tract urothelial cancer who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radical nephroureterectomy between 2002 and 2021. Logistic regression analyses were used to investigate all clinical parameters for response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Cox proportional hazard models were performed to assess the effect of the response on the oncological outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 84 patients with UTUC who received neo-adjuvant chemotherapy were identified. Among them, 44 (52.4%) patients received cisplatin-based chemotherapy, and 22 (26.2%) patients had a carboplatin-based regimen. The pathological complete response rate was 11.6% (n = 10), and the pathological response rate was 42.9% (n = 36). Multifocal tumors or tumors larger than 3 cm significantly reduced the odds of pathological response. In the multivariable Cox proportional hazard model, pathological response was independently associated with better overall survival (HR 0.38, p = 0.024), cancer-specific survival (HR 0.24, p = 0.033), and recurrence-free survival (HR 0.17, p = 0.001), but it was not associated with bladder recurrence-free survival (HR 0.84, p = 0.69). CONCLUSION: Pathological response after neo-adjuvant chemotherapy and radical nephroureterectomy is strongly associated with patient survival and recurrence, and it might be a good surrogate for evaluating the efficacy of neo-adjuvant chemotherapy in the future.

Overexpression of miR-4669 Enhances Tumor Aggressiveness and Generates an Immunosuppressive Tumor Microenvironment in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Its Clinical Value as a Predictive Biomarker.

Accumulating evidence suggests the involvement of tumor-derived exosomes in the development and recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We previously identified miR-4669 as a highly expressed microRNA in circulating exosomes obtained from patients with post-transplant HCC recurrence. This study aimed to explore how overexpression of miR-4669 affects HCC development and recurrence. The impact of miR-4669 overexpression in Hep3B cells on tumor cell behavior and the tumor microenvironment was evaluated in vitro. In addition, the clinical value of exosomal miR-4669 for the prediction of treatment response to HCC downstaging therapies and following post-transplant HCC recurrence was explored. Overexpression of miR-4669 enhanced migration ability and led to acquired sorafenib resistance with an elevation of sirtuin 1 and long noncoding RNA associated with microvascular invasion. Active release of tumor-derived exosomes and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) contributed to generating an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment through the induction of M2 macrophage polarization. The retrospective analysis demonstrated the clinical value of exosomal miR-4669 for predicting treatment response to HCC downstaging therapies and for risk assessment of post-transplant HCC recurrence. In summary, the present data demonstrate the impact of exosomal miR-4669 on HCC recurrence through the enhancement of tumor aggressiveness and generation of an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment.

Living donor liver transplantation for Barcelona clinic liver cancer (BCLC) intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Barcelona clinic liver cancer (BCLC) stage B (intermediate stage) hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is highly heterogeneous; thus, identifying the most effective treatment for individual patients represents a significant clinical challenge. However, transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is the only recommended treatment option. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the patient characteristics and outcomes of living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) for BCLC stage B HCC. Methods: A total of 516 patients with BCLC stage B HCC who underwent LDLT (n=104) or did not undergo LDLT (non-LDLT; n=412) between 2004 to 2018 were analyzed by propensity score matching (PSM; 1:4) analysis. Factors influencing overall survival (OS) and recurrence were analyzed using Cox's proportional hazards models. Results: Patients treated with LDLT achieved better OS than the non-LDLT group, including liver- and non-liver related survival (all P<0.001). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed age >60 years (P=0.006), a neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) >4 (P=0.016) and >3 locoregional therapies (LRT) before LDLT (P<0.001) were independent risk factors for HCC recurrence. In addition, age >60 years (P<0.001) and >3 LRT before LDLT (P=0.001) were independent risk factors for OS. Using a combination of age, NLR, and LRT before liver transplantation (LT), the patients can be divided into low-risk (none of risk), intermediate-risk (one of risk), and high risk (more than two of risk) groups. There were significant differences in the cumulative HCC recurrence (P<0.001) and mortality (P<0.001) rates among the three groups. Conclusions: LDLT may represent a valuable therapeutic option for selected patients with BCLC stage B HCC.

Preoperative hydronephrosis is an independent protective factor of renal function decline after nephroureterectomy for upper tract urothelial carcinoma.

Objectives: To evaluate the predictive role of pre-nephroureterectomy (NU) hydronephrosis on post-NU renal function (RF) change and preserved eligibility rate for adjuvant therapy in patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC). Patients and methods: This retrospective study collected data of 1018 patients from the Taiwan UTUC Collaboration Group registry of 26 institutions. The patients were divided into two groups based on the absence or presence of pre-NU hydronephrosis. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was calculated pre- and post-NU respectively. The one month post-NU RF change, chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression, and the preserved eligibility rate for adjuvant therapy were compared for each CKD stage. Results: 404 (39.2%) patients without and 614 (60.8%) patients with pre-NU hydronephrosis were enrolled. The median post-NU change in the eGFR was significantly lower in the hydronephrosis group (-3.84 versus -12.88, p<0.001). Pre-NU hydronephrosis was associated with a lower post-NU CKD progression rate (33.1% versus 50.7%, p< 0.001) and was an independent protective factor for RF decline after covariate adjustment (OR=0.46, p<0.001). Patients with pre-NU hydronephrosis had a higher preserved eligibility rate for either adjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy (OR=3.09, 95%CI 1.95-4.69) or immune-oncology therapy (OR=2.31, 95%CI 1.23-4.34). Conclusion: Pre-NU hydronephrosis is an independent protective predictor for post-NU RF decline, CKD progression, and eligibility for adjuvant therapy. With cautious selection for those unfavorably prognostic, non-metastatic UTUC patients with preoperative hydronephrosis, adjuvant rather than neoadjuvant therapy could be considered due to higher chance of preserving eligibility.