ZC3H13 Enhances the Malignancy of Cervical Cancer by Regulating m6A Modification of CKAP2.

Sustained expression of zinc finger CCCH-type containing 13 (ZC3H13) in tumors is essential for cancer cell malignancy; however, our understanding of its clinical effects and mechanisms in cervical cancer (CC) is limited. In this study, we aimed to reveal the effect on CC progression of ZC3H13-mediated N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification to stabilize cytoskeleton-associated protein 2 (CKAP2) expression. CC tissues and paired adjacent normal tissues were collected from 50 patients. qRT-PCR was used to clarify ZC3H13 and CKAP2 expression levels in the CC tissues. The functional roles of ZC3H13 and CKAP2 in CC were analyzed by detecting the changes in CC cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and tumor growth in vivo. The regulatory relationship between ZC3H13 and CKAP2 was investigated by confirming m6A modification levels and their expression correlation. ZC3H13 and CKAP2 were highly expressed in CC and linked with poor prognosis. We observed that ZC3H13 inhibition decreased CC cell proliferation, invasion, and migration, while its facilitation promoted CC cell malignancy. ZC3H13 mediated m6A modification of CKAP2 to enhance CKAP2 expression in CC cells. Furthermore, CKAP2 overexpression partially restored the malignant phenotypic promotion induced by ZC3H13 overexpression in CC cells. In summary, this study revealed that ZC3H13-mediating m6A modification of CKAP2 promotes CC development. This finding should be conducive to an understanding of the role of ZC3H13-m6A-CKAP2 in CC and should provide an effective therapeutic target for this cancer.

Sexual Dimorphism in the Chinese Endemic Species Hynobius maoershanensis (Urodela: Hynobiidae).

Sexual dimorphism is common in most vertebrate species and has diverse manifestations. The study of sexual dimorphism has critical significance for evolutionary biological and ecological adaptation. In this study, we analysed the morphometric data of Hynobius maoershanensis, a rare and endangered species, to examine sexual dimorphism in size and shape. A total of 61 H. maoershanensis individuals (9 adult females and 52 adult males) were used in this study. We measured 14 morphological variables and weight of each individual. Analysis of covariance using snout-vent length (SVL) as the covariate showed significant differences in head width (HW), tail length (TL), tail height (TH), forelimb length (FLL), hindlimb length (HLL) and space between axilla and groin (AGS) between the male and female. The female AGS was greater than that of the male, whereas males had greater HW, TL, TH, FLL and HLL than females. The findings show that sexual dimorphism is present in terms of shape but not in terms of size. The wider head of the male could improve mating success, and its thicker limbs and longer tail might facilitate courtship. The females' wider AGS may increase reproductive output. Our results support sexual dimorphism in H. maoershanensis, which could be explained by the sexual selection and fecundity theory hypothesis.

Firework Optimization Algorithm-Based Diagnosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Hepatic Cavernous Hemangioma Using MRI Images.

This study was aimed to explore the diagnostic features of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and hepatic cavernous hemangioma (HCH). A fireworks algorithm optimization (FAO) was proposed based on the fireworks algorithm (FA), and it was compared with the maximum between-class variance method (OTSU) and the maximum entropy threshold method (KSW) for analysis. In addition, it was applied to the diagnosis of MRI images of 55 HCC patients in the experimental group (group E) and 55 HCH patients in the control group (group C). It was found that the FAO showed a greatly lower difference function (DF) and a shorter running time in contrast to the OTSU and KSW algorithms (P < 0.05); the diagnostic accuracy (DA) of the T1-weighted image (T1WI) for patients in groups E and C was 85.31% and 95.85%, respectively, and the DA of the T2-weighted image (T2WI) was 97.84% (group E) and 89.71% (group C), respectively. In short, FAO showed an excellent performance in segmentation and reconstruction of MRI images for liver tissue, and T1WI and T2WI of MRI images showed high accuracy in diagnosing the HCC and HCH, respectively.

Impact of edaravone on serum CXC chemokine ligand-13 levels and perioperative neurocognitive disorders in elderly patients with hip replacement.

BACKGROUND: Perioperative neurocognitive disorders (PND) are a series of severe complications in the perioperative and anesthetic periods with a decline in memory, execution ability, and information processing speed as the primary clinical manifestation. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of edaravone (EDA) on PND and peripheral blood C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 13 (CXCL13) levels in elderly patients with hip replacement. METHODS: A total of 160 elderly patients undergoing hip arthroplasty in Affiliated Dongguan People's Hospital of Southern Medical University (from March 2016 to March 2018) were randomly and double-blindly categorized into an EDA group and a control group (CON). Group EDA was administered intravenously EDA 30 min before surgery, and group CON was administered intravenously saline. The cognitive function of the two groups was evaluated 1-day before the operation and at 1 and 12 months after surgery, and the incidence of post-operative delirium was tested on days 1, 3, and 7 after surgery using the Chinese version of the confusion assessment method. Serum CXCL13 and interleukin (IL)-6 concentrations were measured before anesthesia, during surgery (30 min after skin incision), and on days 1, 3, and 7 after surgery. The continuous variables in accordance with normal distribution were tested using the Student's t test, the continuous variables without normal distribution using the Mann-Whitney U test, and categorical variables by the χ2 test or Fisher exact test. RESULTS: The incidence of post-operative delirium within 7 days after surgery was significantly higher in group CON than that in group EDA (31.3% vs. 15.0%, t = -5.6, P < 0.001). The modified telephone interview for cognitive status and activities of daily life scores were significantly higher in the group EDA than those in the group CON at 1 month (39.63 ±â€Š4.35 vs. 33.63 ±â€Š5.81, t = -2.13, P < 0.05 and 74.3 ±â€Š12.6 vs. 61.2 ±â€Š13.1, t = -1.69, P < 0.05) and 12 months (40.13 ±â€Š5.93 vs. 34.13 ±â€Š5.36, t = -3.37, P < 0.05 and 79.6 ±â€Š11.7 vs. 65.6 ±â€Š16.6, t = -2.08, P < 0.05) after surgery; and the incidence of neurocognitive dysfunction was significantly lower in the group EDA than that in the group CON (P < 0.05). Serum CXCL13 and IL-6 concentrations were significantly lower in the group EDA than those in the group CON during and after surgery (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: EDA can significantly reduce the serum concentrations of CXCL13 and IL-6 and improve the PND of patients.