Metabolic syndrome, its components, and gastrointestinal cancer risk: a meta-analysis of 31 prospective cohorts and Mendelian randomization study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Cohort studies have linked metabolic syndrome (MetS) to gastrointestinal (GI) cancer risk. We aimed to evaluate the associations between MetS, its components, and combinations of MetS components with eight GI cancers risk. METHODS: We conducted a systematic search of prospective cohort studies and performed a meta-analysis. Subgroup analyses regarding diagnostic criteria, sex, cancer sites, histological subtypes, ethnic groups, and studies adjusted for alcohol consumption were carried out. Mendelian randomization (MR) was employed to evaluate the causality between 17 MetS-related traits and eight GI cancers among Europeans and Asians separately. RESULTS: Meta-analyses of 31 prospective studies indicated that MetS was significantly associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) (RR [95% CI] = 1.13 [1.12-1.15]), esophageal cancer (EC) (RR [95% CI] = 1.17 [1.03-1.32]), gallbladder cancer (GBC) (RR [95% CI] = 1.37[1.10-1.71]), liver cancer (LC) (RR [95% CI] = 1.46 [1.29-1.64]), and pancreatic cancer (PaC) (RR [95% CI] = 1.25 [1.20-1.30]), but not gastric cancer (GC) (RR [95% CI] = 1.11 [0.96-1.28]). Regarding the associations between MetS components and GI cancers risk, the following associations showed statistical significance: obesity-CRC/LC/EC/, hypertriglyceridemia-LC/PaC, reduced high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-CRC/LC/GC/PaC, hyperglycemia-CRC/LC/PaC, and hypertension-CRC/LC/EC/PaC. Sex-specific associations were observed between individual MetS components on GI cancers risk. Among the top three common combinations in both sexes, obesity + HTN + hyperglycemia had the strongest association with CRC risk (RR [95% CI] = 1.54 [1.49-1.61] for males and 1.27 [1.21-1.33] for females). MR analyses revealed causality in 16 exposure-outcome pairs: waist-to-hip ratio/BMI/HbA1c-CRC; BMI/childhood obesity/waist circumference/T2DM/glucose-EC; BMI/waist circumference/cholesterol-LC; cholesterol/childhood obesity/waist circumference/HbA1c-PaC; and HbA1c-GBC. These results were robust against sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Since MetS is reversible, lifestyle changes or medical interventions targeting MetS patients might be potential prevention strategies for GI cancers.

Thriving at work as a mediator of the relationship between psychological resilience and the work performance of clinical nurses.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the relationship between psychological resilience, thriving at work, and work performance among nurses, as well as analyse the mediating role of thriving at work in the relationship between psychological resilience and the work performance of nurses. The findings are intended to serve as a reference for nursing managers to design tailored work performance intervention programs. METHOD: Using convenience sampling, 308 clinical nurses were selected from a tertiary hospital in Changsha City, Hunan Province, China, from February to April 2023. The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), the Thriving at Work Scale, and the Work Performance Scale were employed for the questionnaire survey. Pearson correlation analysis was used to explore the relationship between psychological resilience, thriving at work and work performance. The SPSS 26.0 software's 'Process' plugin was utilised for mediation effect analysis. RESULTS: Significantly positive correlations were found between psychological resilience and thriving at work (r = 0.806, P < 0.01), thriving at work and work performance (r = 0.571, P < 0.01) as well as psychological resilience and work performance (r = 0.572, P < 0.01). Psychological resilience significantly predicted work performance positively (ß = 0.558, t = 11.165, P < 0.01), and this prediction remained significant when thriving at work (the mediating variable), was introduced (ß = 0.371, t = 4.772, P < 0.01). Psychological resilience significantly predicted thriving at work positively (ß = 0.731, t = 20.779, P < 0.01), and thriving at work significantly predicted work performance positively (ß = 0.256, t = 3.105, P < 0.05). The mediating effect size of thriving at work between psychological resilience and work performance was 33.49% (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Thriving at work plays a partial mediating role between psychological resilience and work performance. The level of work performance among clinical nurses was relatively high. Nursing managers can enhance thriving at work by fostering psychological resilience among clinical nurses, thereby further improving their work performance to ensure high-quality and efficient nursing care.

Obesity induces male mice infertility via oxidative stress, apoptosis, and glycolysis.

In brief: The current declining trend in male fertility parallels the increasing prevalence of obesity worldwide. This paper revealed that the poor in vitro fertilization rates and decreased sperm motility in obese mice due to excessive oxidative stress enhanced apoptosis and impaired glucose metabolism in the testes. Abstract: Obesity is an urgent public health problem in recent decades, linked to reduced reproductive potential, and negatively affects the success of assisted reproduction technology. The aim of this study is to investigate the mechanisms underlying impaired male fertility caused by obesity. Male C57BL/6 mice fed a high-fat diet for 20 weeks served as mouse models with moderate (20% < body fat rate (BFR) < 30%) and severe obesity (BFR > 30%). Our results showed poor in vitro fertilization rates and decreased sperm motility in obese mice. Abnormal testicular structures were identified in male mice with moderate and severe obesity. The expression level of malondialdehyde increased with obesity severity. This finding indicates that oxidative stress plays a role in male infertility caused by obesity, which was further confirmed by the decreased expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidases. Our study also found that the expression of cleaved caspase-3 and B-cell lymphoma-2 showed an obesity severity-dependent manner indicating that apoptosis is highly correlated with male infertility caused by obesity. Moreover, the expression of glycolysis-related proteins, including glucose transporter 8, lactate dehydrogenase A, monocarboxylate transporter 2 (MCT2), and MCT4, decreased significantly in the testes of obese male mice, suggesting energy supply for spermatogenesis is impaired by obesity. Taken together, our findings provide evidence that obesity impairs male fertility through oxidative stress, apoptosis, and blockage of energy supply in the testes and suggest that male obesity influences fertility through complex and multiple mechanisms.

PREB inhibits the replication of prototype foamy virus by affecting its transcription.

BACKGROUND: Foamy viruses (FVs) are unique nonpathogenic retroviruses, which remain latent in the host for a long time. Therefore, they may be safe, effective gene transfer vectors. In this study, were assessed FV-host cell interactions and the molecular mechanisms underlying FV latent infection. METHODS: We used the prototype FV (PFV) to infect HT1080 cells and a PFV indicator cell line (PFVL) to measure virus titers. After 48 h of infection, the culture supernatant (i.e., cell-free PFV particles) and transfected cells (i.e., cell-associated PFV particles) were harvested and incubated with PFVL. After another 48 h, the luciferase activity was used to measure virus titers. RESULTS: Through transcriptomics sequencing, we found that PREB mRNA expression was significantly upregulated. Moreover, PREB overexpression reduced PFV replication, whereas endogenous PREB knockdown increased PFV replication. PREB interacted with the Tas DNA-binding and transcriptional activation domains and interfered with its binding to the PFV long terminal repeat and internal promoter, preventing the recruitment of transcription factors and thereby inhibiting the transactivation function of Tas. PREB C-terminal 329-418 aa played a major role in inhibiting PFV replication; PREB also inhibited bovine FV replication. Therefore, PREB has a broad-spectrum inhibitory effect on FV replication. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrated that PREB inhibits PFV replication by impeding its transcription.

CircACTR2 in macrophages promotes renal fibrosis by activating macrophage inflammation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition of renal tubular epithelial cells.

The crosstalk between macrophages and tubular epithelial cells (TECs) actively regulates the progression of renal fibrosis. In the present study, we revealed the significance of circular RNA ACTR2 (circACTR2) in regulating macrophage inflammation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of TECs, and the development of renal fibrosis. Our results showed UUO-induced renal fibrosis was associated with increased inflammation and EMT, hypertrophy of contralateral kidney, up-regulations of circACTR2 and NLRP3, and the down-regulation of miR-561. CircACTR2 sufficiently and essentially promoted the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome, pyroptosis, and inflammation in macrophages, and through paracrine effect, stimulated EMT and fibrosis of TECs. Mechanistically, circACTR2 sponged miR-561 and up-regulated NLRP3 expression level to induce the secretion of IL-1ß. In TECs, IL-1ß induced renal fibrosis via up-regulating fascin-1. Knocking down circACTR2 or elevating miR-561 potently alleviated renal fibrosis in vivo. In summary, circACTR2, by sponging miR-561, activated NLRP3 inflammasome, promoted macrophage inflammation, and stimulated macrophage-induced EMT and fibrosis of TECs. Knocking down circACTR2 and overexpressing miR-561 may, thus, benefit the treatment of renal fibrosis.

[Genetic analysis of a fetus with mosaic trisomy 12 and severe heart defects and a literature review].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the genetic basis for a fetus with severe heart defect and mosaic trisomy 12, and the correlation between chromosomal abnormalities and clinical manifestations and pregnancy outcome. METHODS: A 33-year-old pregnant woman who presented at Lianyungang Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital on May 17, 2021 due to abnormal fetal heart development revealed by ultrasonography was selected as the study subject. Clinical data of the fetus were collected. Amniotic fluid sample of the pregnant women was collected and subjected to G-banded chromosomal karyotyping and chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA). The CNKI, WanFang and PubMed databases were searched with key words, with the retrieval period set as from June 1, 1992 to June 1, 2022. RESULTS: For the 33-year-old pregnant woman, ultrasonography at 22+6 gestational weeks had revealed abnormal fetal heart development and ectopic pulmonary vein drainage. G-banded karyotyping showed that the fetus has a karyotype of mos 47,XX,+12[1]/46,XX[73], with the mosaicism rate being 1.35%. CMA results suggested that about 18% of fetal chromosome 12 was trisomic. A newborn was delivered at 39 weeks of gestation. Follow-up confirmed severe congenital heart disease, small head circumference, low-set ears and auricular deformity. The infant had died 3 months later. The database search has retrieved 9 reports. Literature review suggested that the liveborn infants with mosaic trisomy 12 had diverse clinical manifestations depending on the affected organs, which had included congenital heart disease and/or other organs and facial dysmorphisms, resulting in adverse pregnancy outcomes. CONCLUSION: Trisomy 12 mosaicism is an important factor for severe heart defects. The results of ultrasound examination have important value for evaluating the prognosis of the affected fetuses.

Impacts of abandoned sloping farmland on soil aggregates and aggregate-associated organic carbon in karst rocky desertification areas.

Vegetation restoration after the abandonment of sloping farmland can effectively promote the sequestration of soil organic carbon (SOC), with soil aggregates playing a pivotal role. However, in abandoned farmlands in karst regions with varying degrees of rocky desertification, the relationship between soil aggregates, aggregate-associated organic carbon (AAOC), and total SOC content remains unclear. Taking abandoned sloping farmlands (5 years, 10 years, and 15 years) with different levels of rocky desertification (no rocky desertification, potential rocky desertification, slight rocky desertification, and moderate rocky desertification) in a typical karst area as research objects, this study investigated the dynamic characteristics of the particle size distribution of soil aggregates, total SOC, and AAOC. The results indicated that total SOC content in the 0-20 cm soil layer increased after abandonment in all levels of rocky desertification, peaking after 15 years. The abandoned sloping farmland with moderate desertification showed the best recovery effect. Post-abandonment vegetation restoration increased the content of 5-10 mm soil aggregates, but decreased those of 1-2 mm and < 0.25 mm aggregates. Particularly for 5-10 mm aggregates, the contribution of AAOC to total SOC significantly increased over time. Moreover, a strong correlation was observed between >1 mm aggregates and total SOC (p < 0.05). The increase in total SOC was primarily driven by the growth of AAOC in 5-10 mm aggregates. In general, vegetation restoration is an effective approach for enhancing total SOC content in abandoned sloping farmland with varying degrees of rocky desertification.

Glyphosate spraying exacerbates nitrogen and phosphorus loss in karst slope farmland.

Glyphosate herbicide is an indispensable material in agricultural production. In order to explore the potential environmental effects of glyphosate application in karst slope farmland, this paper used a variable slope steel tank to simulate the surface microtopography and underground pore structure characteristics of karst slope farmland, and combined with artificial rainfall experiments to explore the migration path of glyphosate in karst slope farmland and the impact of spraying glyphosate on soil nitrogen and phosphorus loss. The results showed that under the condition of heavy rain, glyphosate in karst slope farmland was mainly transported and diffused by surface runoff, supplemented by underground runoff; secondly, in different hydrological paths, glyphosate directly affected the content of nitrogen and phosphorus in runoff, and all showed extremely significant positive correlation (p < 0.001). In addition, rainfall conditions such as rainfall intensity, rainfall duration, and runoff affected the content of nitrogen and phosphorus in runoff to varying degrees. In conclusion, the application of glyphosate significantly increased the content of nitrogen and phosphorus in different runoff and accelerated the loss of nitrogen and phosphorus from soil, which not only led to soil degradation, but also threatened the safety of aquatic ecosystem. Therefore, in the prevention and control of agricultural non-point source pollution, the threat of glyphosate to the surrounding aquatic ecosystem cannot be ignored, especially in karst areas with frequent rainstorms and serious water erosion, long-term monitoring and risk assessment of glyphosate are needed.

Antiviral role of IFITM3 in prototype foamy virus infection.

BACKGROUND: Foamy viruses (FVs) are retroviruses with unique replication strategies that cause lifelong latent infections in their hosts. FVs can also produce foam-like cytopathic effects in vitro. However, the effect of host cytokines on FV replication requires further investigation. Although interferon induced transmembrane (IFITMs) proteins have become the focus of antiviral immune response research due to their broad-spectrum antiviral ability, it remains unclear whether IFITMs can affect FV replication. METHOD: In this study, the PFV virus titer was characterized by measuring luciferase activity after co-incubation of PFVL cell lines with the cell culture supernatants (cell-free PFV) or the cells transfected with pcPFV plasmid/infected with PFV (cell-associated PFV). The foam-like cytopathic effects of PFV infected cells was observed to reflect the virus replication. The total RNA of PFV infected cells was extracted, and the viral genome was quantified by Quantitative reverse transcription PCR to detect the PFV entry into target cells. RESULTS: In the present study, we demonstrated that IFITM1-3 overexpression inhibited prototype foamy virus (PFV) replication. In addition, an IFITM3 knockdown by small interfering RNA increased PFV replication. We further demonstrated that IFITM3 inhibited PFV entry into host cells. Moreover, IFITM3 also reduced the number of PFV envelope proteins, which was related to IFITM3 promoted envelope degradation through the lysosomal pathway. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, these results demonstrate that IFITM3 inhibits PFV replication by inhibiting PFV entry into target cells and reducing the number of PFV envelope.

In Situ Crumpling of Gold Nanosheets into Spherical Three-Dimensional Architecture: Probing the Aggregation-Induced Enhancement in Photothermal Properties.

Assembling two-dimensional noble metal nanocrystals into a three-dimensional mesoporous structure is of great value to solve the re-stacking issue for the practical application, which still remains a challenging technique. Herein, we report the one-pot fabrication of gold (Au) nanostructures with a crumpled paper ball-like morphology (Au NCPBs). The success of current work relies on the use of glutathione to crumple the branched Au nanosheets formed during the early stage, into spherical three-dimensional architecture, where the nanosheets are assembled with a mesoporous structure without intimate contact. When working as the agent toward photothermal conversion, the Au NCPBs exhibit enhanced photothermal conversion efficiency (η = 19.9%), as compared to that of flat and wrinkled Au nanosheets. Such an enhancement should be owing to the aggregation-induced effect, where the shortened inter-sheet distance contributes to an increased coupling between the plasmon oscillations/fields of the interacting Au nanosheets. The present study offers a feasible strategy to create spherical architecture of crumpled Au nanosheets and validates their structural advantage in photothermal applications, which could be potentially extended to other metals or alloys.

Calcyphosine promotes the proliferation of glioma cells and serves as a potential therapeutic target.

Calcyphosine (CAPS) was initially identified from the canine thyroid. It also exists in many types of tumor, but its expression and function in glioma remain unknown. Here we explored the clinical significance and the functional mechanisms of CAPS in glioma. We found that CAPS was highly expressed in glioma and high expression of CAPS was correlated with poor survival, in glioma patients and public databases. Cox regression analysis showed that CAPS was an independent prognostic factor for glioma patients. Knockdown of CAPS suppressed the proliferation, whereas overexpression of CAPS promoted the proliferation of glioma both in vitro and in vivo. CAPS regulated the G2/M phase transition of the cell cycle, but had no obvious effect on apoptosis. CAPS affected PLK1 phosphorylation through interaction with MYPT1. CAPS knockdown decreased p-MYPT1 at S507 and p-PLK1 at S210. Expression of MYPT1 S507 phosphomimic rescued PLK1 phosphorylation and the phenotype caused by CAPS knockdown. The PLK1 inhibitor volasertib enhanced the therapeutic effect of temozolomide in glioma. Our data suggest that CAPS promotes the proliferation of glioma by regulating the cell cycle and the PLK1 inhibitor volasertib might be a chemosensitizer of glioma. © 2021 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. on behalf of The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.

Safety and efficacy of pharmacotherapy containing INSTIs and chemotherapy drugs in people living with HIV and concomitant colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Previous clinical data have shown that raltegravir-based antiretroviral therapy (ART) with fewer drug-drug interactions (DDIs) and adverse events (AEs) is a good regimen in patients with HIV infection who need cancer chemotherapy. There are currently few data on ART regimens that include Integrase inhibitors (INSTIs) other than RAL among this patient subgroup. METHODS: We evaluated the safety and efficacy of different kinds of INSTI-based regimens among patients with HIV and concomitant colorectal cancer (CRC) who received antineoplastic agents. RESULTS: From January 2020 to November 2021, 66 patients were enrolled. The patients were divided into three groups: 20 patients treated with dolutegravir (DTG)/lamivudine (3TC)/tenofovir (TDF) (group I), 24 patients treated with DTG/albuvirtide (ABT) (group II), and 22 patients treated with bictegravir (BIC)/tenofovir alafenamide (TAF)/emtricitabine (FTC) (group III). The majority of AEs during treatment were of grade 1-2. Treatment-related AEs of grade 3-4 occurred in 6 patients (9.09%), and no grade 5 AEs occurred. The most common AEs were nausea (100%) and neutrophils (84.85%) attributed to anticancer agents, and there was no significant difference in the incidence of these AEs among the three groups (P > 0.05). Viral load rebound was not observed among pretreated patients during chemotherapy. The viral load of untreated patients who started their ART concomitant with chemotherapy almost decreased to the lower limit of detection 6 months after ART initiation (only one patient in group III had a viral load of 102 copies/ml). At the 6th month, the CD4 count in group I decreased significantly from baseline (P < 0.05). However, the change in CD4 count was not significant in group II (P = 0.457) or group III (P = 0.748). CONCLUSIONS: DTG- or BIC-containing regimens are good options for patients with HIV and concomitant CRC.

Negatively Charged Sulfur Quantum Dots for Treatment of Drug-Resistant Pathogenic Bacterial Infections.

Drug-resistant pathogenic bacteria as a worldwide health threat calls for valid antimicrobial agents and tactics in clinical practice. Positively charged materials usually achieve antibacteria through binding and disrupting bacterial membranes via electrostatic interaction, however, they also usually cause hemolysis and cytotoxicity. Herein, we engineered negatively charged sulfur quantum dots (SQDs) as an efficient broad-spectrum antibiotic to kill drug-resistant bacteria in vitro and in vivo. The SQDs can destroy the bacterial membrane system and affect their metabolism due to the intrinsic antibacterial activity of elemental sulfur and catalytic generation of reactive oxygen species, which exhibit effective therapeutic effect on subcutaneously implanted infection model induced by representative pathogenic Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Plus, the negatively charged surface makes the SQDs have excellent hemocompatibility and low toxicity, which all highlight the critical prospect of the SQDs as a potent biocompatible antibacterial agent in clinical infection therapy.

Changes in RT-PCR test results and symptoms during the menstrual cycle of female individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2: Report of two cases.

The implications of the menstrual cycle for disease susceptibility, development, and severity of acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection are largely unknown. Here, we describe two women infected with SARS-CoV-2 whose real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test results and symptoms changed during the menstrual cycle. The first patient developed a fever on the first day of her menstrual period, and again on the first day of her next menstrual period after hospital discharge. RT-PCR test results were positive during the first menstrual period before admission, but turned negative during hospitalization, and then were positive again during the second menstrual period after hospital discharge. Another one also developed a fever again on the first day of her menstrual period after hospital discharge. RT-PCR test results were negative before admission and during hospitalization, but turned positive during the first menstrual period after hospital discharge. The cases indicate sex hormones may play an important role in SARS-CoV-2 infection. For women with history of exposure to SARS-CoV-2, the management protocol should include assessment of the menstrual status.

3C protease of enterovirus 71 cleaves promyelocytic leukemia protein and impairs PML-NBs production.

BACKGROUND: Enterovirus 71 (EV71) usually infects infants causing hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD), even fatal neurological disease like aseptic meningitis. Effective drug for preventing and treating EV71 infection is unavailable currently. EV71 3C mediated the cleavage of many proteins and played an important role in viral inhibiting host innate immunity. Promyelocytic leukemia (PML) protein, the primary organizer of PML nuclear bodies (PML-NBs), can be induced by interferon and is involved in antiviral activity. PML inhibits EV71 replication, and EV71 infection reduces PML expression, but the molecular mechanism is unclear. METHODS: The cleavage of PMLIII and IV was confirmed by co-transfection of EV71 3C protease and PML. The detailed cleavage sites were evaluated further by constructing the Q to A mutant of PML. PML knockout cells were infected with EV71 to identify the effect of cleavage on EV71 replication. Immunofluorescence analysis to examine the interference of EV71 3C on the formation of PML-NBs. RESULTS: EV71 3C directly cleaved PMLIII and IV. Furthermore, 3C cleaved PMLIV at the sites of Q430-A431 and Q444-S445 through its protease activity. Overexpression of PMLIV Q430A/Q444A variant exhibited stronger antiviral potential than the wild type. PMLIV Q430A/Q444A formed normal nuclear bodies that were not affected by 3C, suggesting that 3C may impair PML-NBs production via PMLIV cleavage and counter its antiviral activities. PML, especially PMLIV, which sequesters viral proteins in PML-NBs and inhibits viral production, is a novel target of EV71 3C cleavage. CONCLUSIONS: EV71 3C cleaves PMLIV at Q430-A431 and Q444-S445. Cleavage reduces the antiviral function of PML and decomposes the formation of PML-NBs, which is conducive to virus replication.

Overexpressed Hsa_circ_0001326 Contributes to the Decreased Cell Viability in SWAN71 Cells by Regulating MiR-186-5p/p27 Kip1 Axis.

Preeclampsia (PE) is a severe pregnancy-specific complication responsible for a majority of maternal and fetal mortality. The dysfunction of trophoblast cells is known to be associated with the etiology of PE. Moreover, elevated expression of hsa_circ_0001326 was found in patients with PE without elucidating specific mechanisms. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the role of hsa_circ_0001326 in the dysfunction of trophoblast cells in vitro. Human trophoblast SWAN71 cells were used in this study. Cell proliferation, apoptosis and cell cycle were detected by 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) staining, cell counting kit-8 assay, Annexin V/propidium iodide (PI) staining and flow cytometry, respectively. Dual luciferase assay was performed to validate the predicted targets. Additionally, Western blot was conducted for protein detection. The results indicated overexpression (OE) of hsa_circ_0001326 remarkably decreased the viability and proliferation of SWAN71 cells. MiR-186-5p was identified as the target of hsa_circ_0001326. Meanwhile, p27 Kip1 was validated as the target of hsa_miR-186-5p. Moreover, the increased apoptosis and decreased migration induced by hsa_circ_0001326 OE were inhibited by p27 Kip1 knockdown. Hsa_circ_0001326 OE upregulated p27 Kip1 and cleaved caspase3 and downregulated CDK2 and cyclin E1 in cells, while these phenomena were reversed by p27 Kip1 knockdown. In addition, hsa_circ_0001326 OE induced G0/G1 cell cycle arrest was also attenuated in the presence of p27 Kip1 knockdown. Taken together, hsa_circ_0001326 OE contributed to the decreased viability of SWAN71 cells by targeting miR-186-5p via upregulation of p27 Kip1. Our findings were helpful to uncover the pathophysiological process of PE, as well as inspire the development of novel targeted therapy against PE.

Silencing of Long Non-coding RNA ENST00000606790.1 Inhibits the Malignant Behaviors of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma through the PI3K/AKT Pathway.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the role and mechanism of lncRNA ENST00000606790.1 (ENST) in promoting the progression of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). METHODS: The expression of ENST in human PTC and normal para-cancerous thyroid (NPTC) tissues or cell lines was determined by RT-qPCR. Cell growth was determined by CCK8 assay. Cell colony formation was determined by cell colony formation assay. Cell cycle analysis was performed by staining cells with PI (Propidium Iodide). Cell invasion was assessed by transwell assay. Protein expression was examined by western-blot. siRNA was constructed to inhibit the expression of ENST. 740-Y-P was used to activate PI3K. The correlation between ENST expression and clinical outcomes was analyzed. RESULTS: ENST was significantly up-regulated in PTC tissues or PTC cell lines (PTC and IHH4 cell lines), compared to NPTC tissues or normal cell lines, respectively. High expression of ENST was strongly correlated to lymph node metastasis and tumor size at diagnosis. Silencing of ENST significantly inhibited cell growth and colony formation, arrested the cell cycle at G2/M phase, upregulated the expression of CHK1, downregulated the expression of CDC25C, and inhibited cell invasion. Silencing of ENST significantly down-regulated the expression of PI3K, p-PI3K, AKT, and p-AKT in IHH4 cells. Furthermore, treatment with the PI3K activator  740-Y-P partially abolished the effect of silencing of ENST on PTC cells. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, our results demonstrated that ENST can promote PTC progression by activating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, suggesting that ENST can serve as a potential biomarker and new therapeutic target for patients with PTC.

Bacterial community response to petroleum contamination in brackish tidal marsh sediments in the Yangtze River Estuary, China.

The brackish tidal marsh in the Baimaosha area of the Yangtze River Estuary was severely contaminated by 400 tons of heavy crude petroleum from a tanker that sank in December 2012. The spill accident led to severe environmental damage owing to its high toxicity, persistence and wide distribution. Microbial communities play vital roles in petroleum degradation in marsh sediments. Therefore, taxonomic analysis, high-throughput sequencing and 16S rRNA functional prediction were used to analyze the structure and function of microbial communities among uncontaminated (CK), lightly polluted (LP), heavily polluted (HP), and treated (TD) sediments. The bacterial communities responded with increased richness and decreased diversity when exposed to petroleum contamination. The dominant class changed from Deltaproteobacteria to Gammaproteobacteria after petroleum contamination. The phylum Firmicutes increased dramatically in oil-enriched sediment by 75.78%, 346.19% and 267.26% in LP, HP and TD, respectively. One of the suspected oil-degrading genera, Dechloromonas, increased the most in oil-contaminated sediment, by 540.54%, 711.27% and 656.78% in LP, HP and TD, respectively. Spore protease, quinate dehydrogenase (quinone) and glutathione-independent formaldehyde dehydrogenase, three types of identified enzymes, increased enormously with the increasing petroleum concentration. In conclusion, petroleum contamination altered the community composition and microorganism structure, and promoted some bacteria to produce the corresponding degrading enzymes. Additionally, the suspected petroleum-degrading genera should be considered when restoring oil-contaminated sediment.

Prevention and control strategies for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 has had a major impact worldwide due to its high infectiousness. Patients with cancer are more susceptible to infection and more likely to have severe events than other patients. This paper proposes management strategies for cancer patients that are beneficial for pandemic control and reduce the impact of the pandemic on cancer patients.

MicroRNA-101-3p suppresses proliferation and migration in hepatocellular carcinoma by targeting the HGF/c-Met pathway.

MicroRNAs are involved in each stage of tumor development. Activation of the hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)/c-Met axis facilitates the proliferation and migration of cancer cells, and the HGF/c-MET pathway provides potential targets for anticancer treatment. However, the interaction between HGF and miRNAs in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unknown. Previous studies have shown that miR-101 is downregulated in various types of cancer and acts as a tumor suppressor, but the role of miR-101 in HCC has not yet been well defined. Here, we show that HGF is upregulated while microRNA-101-3p is significantly downregulated in the tumor tissues of HCC. By combining bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter assays, we demonstrated that HGF is a direct target of miR-101. In vitro experiments indicated that miR-101 inhibits the migration and proliferation of HCC cells by targeting the HGF/c-MET axis, and in vivo studies showed that overexpressed miR-101 dramatically suppresses tumor growth. Therefore, the present study identifies miR-101 as a negative regulator of HGF/c-MET and suggests that miRNAs can be used as targeted drugs for the clinical treatment of HCC.