Low thoracic skeletal muscle is a risk factor for 6-month mortality of severe community-acquired pneumonia in older men in intensive care unit.

BACKGROUND: Patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia (sCAP) admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) often exhibit muscle catabolism, muscle weakness, and/or atrophy, all related to an increased morbidity and mortality. However, the relationship between thoracic skeletal muscle mass and sCAP-related mortality has not been well-studied. Early recognition of sarcopenia in ICU patients with sCAP would benefit their prognosis. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted in Taizhou Hospital of Zhejiang Province, involving 101 patients with sCAP admitted in the ICU between December 2022 and February 2023. We measured the cross-sectional aera of the pectoralis, intercostal, paraspinal, serratus, and latissimus muscles at the T4 vertebral level (T4CSA) using chest computed tomography. Discriminatory thresholds were established by performing receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, with a designated cutoff value of 96.75 cm2 for male patients. This cohort was classified into mortality and survival groups based on a 6-month post-admission outcome. Univariate and multifactorial logistic regression analyses were performed to validate the correlation between low thoracic skeletal muscle area and prognostic outcomes. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 75.39 ± 12.09 years, with an overall 6-month mortality of 73.27%. T4CSA of the 6-month survival group was significantly larger than that in the mortality group for overall cohort. The T4CSA in the survival group was significantly larger than that in the mortality group (104.29 ± 23.98cm2 vs. 87.44 ± 23.0cm2, p = 0.008). T4CSA predicted the 6-month mortality from sCAP in males with an AUC of 0.722 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.582-0.861). The specificity and sensitivity were 71.4% and 71.1%, respectively, (p < 0.05). No significant difference was observed between the two groups in terms of T4CSA. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed that low thoracic skeletal muscle mass increased the risk of all-cause 6-month mortality in ICU patients with sCAP, particularly among male patients.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of children with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

To provide a comprehensive and systematic analysis of demographic characteristics, clinical symptoms, laboratory findings, and imaging features of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in pediatric patients. A meta-analysis was carried out to identify studies on COVID-19 from 25 December 2019 to 30 April 2020. A total of 48 studies with 5829 pediatric patients were included. Children of all ages were at risk for COVID-19. The main illness classification ranged as: 20% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 14%-26%; I2 = 91.4%) asymptomatic, 33% (95% CI: 23%-43%; I2 = 95.6%) mild and 51% (95% CI: 42%-61%; I2 = 93.4%) moderate. The typical clinical manifestations were fever 51% (95% CI: 45%-57%; I2 = 78.9%) and cough 41% (95% CI: 35%-47%, I2 = 81.0%). The common laboratory findings were normal white blood cell 69% (95% CI: 64%-75%; I2 = 58.5%), lymphopenia 16% (95% CI: 11%-21%; I2 = 76.9%) and elevated creatine-kinase MB 37% (95% CI: 25%-48%; I2 = 59.0%). The frequent imaging features were normal images 41% (95% CI: 30%-52%; I2 = 93.4%) and ground-glass opacity 36% (95% CI: 25%-47%; I2 = 92.9%). Among children under 1 year old, critical cases account for 14% (95% CI: 13%-34%; I2 = 37.3%) that should be of concern. In addition, vomiting occurred in 33% (95% CI: 18%-67%; I2 = 0.0%) cases that may also need attention. Pediatric patients with COVID-19 may experience milder illness with atypical clinical manifestations and rare lymphopenia. High incidence of critical illness and vomiting symptoms reward attention in children under 1 year old.

Children with coronavirus disease 2019: A review of demographic, clinical, laboratory, and imaging features in pediatric patients.

There is a current outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), with a global spread. With the rapid increase in the number of infections, an increase is observed in the number of children with COVID-19. Most research findings are regarding adult cases, which are not always transferrable to children. Evidence-based studies are still expected to formulate clinical decisions for pediatric patients. In this review, we included 2597 pediatric patients that reported recently and evaluated the demographic, clinical, laboratory, and imaging features of children with COVID-19. We found that even lymphopenia was the most common lab finding in adults; it infrequently occurred in children (9.8%). Moreover, elevated creatine kinase MB isoenzyme was much more commonly observed in children (27.0%) than that in adults, suggesting that heart injury would be more likely to occur in pediatric patients. Our analysis may contribute to determine the spectrum of disease in children and to develop strategies to control the disease transmission.

Comprehensive analysis of SAUR gene family in citrus and its transcriptional correlation with fruitlet drop from abscission zone A.

Small auxin-up RNA (SAUR) gene family is large, and the members of which can be rapidly induced by auxin and encode highly unstable mRNAs. SAUR genes are involved in various developmental and physiological processes, such as leaf senescence, fruitlet abscission, and hypocotyl development. However, their modes of action in citrus remain unknown. Hereby, a systematic analysis of SAUR gene family in citrus was conducted through a genome-wide search. In this study, a total of 70 SAUR genes, referred to as CitSAURs, have been identified in citrus. The evolutionary relationship and the intro-exon organization were analyzed, revealing strong gene conservation and the expansion of particular functional genes during plant evolution. Expression analysis showed that the major of CitSAUR genes were expressed in at least one tissue and showed distinctive expression levels, indicating the SAUR gene family play important roles in the development and growth of citrus organs. However, there were more than 20 CitSAUR genes such as CitSARU36, CitSAUR37, and CitSAUR54 exhibiting very low expression level in all tissue tested. Twenty-three out of 70 CitSAUR genes were responded to indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) treatment, of which just CitSAUR19 was down-regulated. Additionally, 14 CitSAUR genes exhibited distinct changes during fruitlet abscission, however just 5 of them including CitSAUR06, CitSAUR08, CitSAUR44, CitSAUR61, and CitSAUR64 were associated with fruitlet abscission. The current study provides basic information for the citrus SAUR gene family and will pave the way for deciphering the precise role of SAURs in citrus development and growth as well as fruitlet abscission.

Integrative analysis of key candidate genes and signaling pathways in ovarian cancer by bioinformatics.

BACKGROUND: Ovarian cancer is one of the most common gynecological tumors, and among gynecological tumors, its incidence and mortality rates are fairly high. However, the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer is not clear. The present study aimed to investigate the differentially expressed genes and signaling pathways associated with ovarian cancer by bioinformatics analysis. METHODS: The data from three mRNA expression profiling microarrays (GSE14407, GSE29450, and GSE54388) were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Differentially expressed genes between ovarian cancer tissues and normal tissues were identified using R software. The overlapping genes from the three GEO datasets were identified, and profound analysis was performed. The overlapping genes were used for pathway and Gene Ontology (GO) functional enrichment analysis using the Metascape online tool. Protein-protein interactions were analyzed with the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes/Proteins (STRING). Subnetwork models were selected using the plugin molecular complex detection (MCODE) application in Cytoscape. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to analyze the univariate survival outcomes of the hub genes. The Human Protein Atlas (HPA) database and Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) were used to validate hub genes. RESULTS: In total, 708 overlapping genes were identified through analyses of the three microarray datasets (GSE14407, GSE29450, and GSE54388). These genes mainly participated in mitotic sister chromatid segregation, regulation of chromosome segregation and regulation of the cell cycle process. High CCNA2 expression was associated with poor overall survival (OS) and tumor stage. The expression of CDK1, CDC20, CCNB1, BUB1B, CCNA2, KIF11, CDCA8, KIF2C, NDC80 and TOP2A was increased in ovarian cancer tissues compared with normal tissues according to the Oncomine database. Higher expression levels of these seven candidate genes in ovarian cancer tissues compared with normal tissues were observed by GEPIA. The protein expression levels of CCNA2, CCNB1, CDC20, CDCA8, CDK1, KIF11 and TOP2A were high in ovarian cancer tissues, which was further confirmed via the HPA database. CONCLUSION: Taken together, our study provided evidence concerning the altered expression of genes in ovarian cancer tissues compared with normal tissues. In vivo and in vitro experiments are required to verify the results of the present study.

Corrigendum to "Predictive Value of Plasma MicroRNA-216a/b in the Diagnosis of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2016/1857067.].

Combined analysis of mRNA and miRNA identifies dehydration and salinity responsive key molecular players in citrus roots.

Citrus is one of the most economically important fruit crops around world. Drought and salinity stresses adversely affected its productivity and fruit quality. However, the genetic regulatory networks and signaling pathways involved in drought and salinity remain to be elucidated. With RNA-seq and sRNA-seq, an integrative analysis of miRNA and mRNA expression profiling and their regulatory networks were conducted using citrus roots subjected to dehydration and salt treatment. Differentially expressed (DE) mRNA and miRNA profiles were obtained according to fold change analysis and the relationships between miRNAs and target mRNAs were found to be coherent and incoherent in the regulatory networks. GO enrichment analysis revealed that some crucial biological processes related to signal transduction (e.g. 'MAPK cascade'), hormone-mediated signaling pathways (e.g. abscisic acid- activated signaling pathway'), reactive oxygen species (ROS) metabolic process (e.g. 'hydrogen peroxide catabolic process') and transcription factors (e.g., 'MYB, ZFP and bZIP') were involved in dehydration and/or salt treatment. The molecular players in response to dehydration and salt treatment were partially overlapping. Quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis further confirmed the results from RNA-seq and sRNA-seq analysis. This study provides new insights into the molecular mechanisms how citrus roots respond to dehydration and salt treatment.

Comparison of Adductor Canal Block and Femoral Nerve Block for Postoperative Pain in Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

A total knee arthroplasty (TKA) has always been associated with moderate-to-severe pain. A systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-RCTs was performed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of pain control of adductor canal block (ACB) and femoral nerve block (FNB) after TKA.Relevant literatures about the ACB and FNB after TKA for reducing pain were searched from Medline (1996-January, 2015), Embase (1980-January, 2015), PubMed (1980-January, 2015), Web of Science (1980-January, 2015), and The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. High-quality RCTs and non-RCTs were picked to evaluate the visual analogue scale (VAS) and other outcome. This systematic review and meta-analysis were performed according to the PRISMA statement criteria. The software RevMan 5.30 was used for the meta-analysis.Eight literatures fitted into the inclusion criteria. There were no significant differences in VAS score with rest or mobilization at 4, 24, and 48 h between ACB group and FNB group. There were also no significant differences in the strength of quadriceps and adductor, the length of hospital stay, and complications of vomiting and nausea.Present meta-analysis indicated that ACB shows no superiority than FNB group. Both of them can reduce the pain score after TKA. As referred to which method to adopt, it is determined by the preference of the surgeons and anesthesiologists.

Predictive Value of Plasma MicroRNA-216a/b in the Diagnosis of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a common human malignancy with poor survival, which was usually diagnosed at an advanced stage. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a class of single stranded noncoding RNAs with only 17-25 ribonucleotides, were demonstrated to play an important role in lots of cancers. In the recent years, increasing evidence revealed that circulating miRNAs exhibited great potential in the diagnosis of various types of cancers. The present study was designed to evaluate the diagnostic value of plasma miRNA-216a/b for ESCC. Our results showed that the expression level of plasma miRNA-216a/b was significantly lower in ESCC patients compared with that of healthy controls. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis yielded an area under the ROC curve (AUC) value of 0.877 [95% CI (confidence interval): 0.818-0.922] for miRNA-216a and 0.756 (95% CI: 0.685-0.819) for miRNA-216b. Clinical data indicated that plasma miRNA-216a/b were inversely correlated with lymph node metastasis and TNM stage. Additionally, the plasma miRNA-216b expression level was significantly upregulated in postoperative samples compared to preoperative samples. Our study, for the first time, demonstrated that plasma miRNA-216a/b might serve as potential biomarkers for the diagnosis of ESCC and dysregulation of miRNA-216a/b might be involved in the progression of ESCC.

Predictive value of plasma miRNA-718 for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence demonstrated that circulating miRNAs could serve as meaningfully non-invasive and reliable biomarkers for the detection of various cancers. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression level of plasma miRNA-718 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients and its diagnostic value. METHODS: Quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) method was performed to examine the expression levels of plasma miRNA-718 in 120 consecutive ESCC patients and 51 healthy controls. The difference of plasma miRNA-718 expression level between the paired pre- and postoperative patients was compared. The correlation between plasma miRNA-718 expression levels and clinicopathological characteristics was further analyzed and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to evaluate the diagnostic power of plasma miRNA-718 for ESCC. RESULTS: Plasma miRNA-718 expression level of ESCC patients was significantly lower than that of healthy controls. Compared with preoperative patients, the plasma miRNA-718 expression level of postoperative patients was significantly upregulated. Plasma miRNA-718 expression level was inversely correlated with the lymph node metastasis and TNM stage. The ROC curve analysis showed that plasma miRNA-718 yielded AUCs of 0.715, 0.689 and 0.620 for the detection of ESCC patients, early patients with Tis-T1 or early patients with TNM 0-I, respectively. CONCLUSION: Plasma miRNA-718 is downregulated in ESCC patients and might serve as a potential diagnostic marker for ESCC.