Complete Laparoscopic Type C2 Radical Surgery for Cervical Stump Cancer: No-Look and No-Touch Techniques.

BACKGROUND: Due to previous surgical history and subsequent adhesions between pelvic organs, surgery for cervical stump cancer (CSC) is technically more challenging than surgery for cervical cancer with an intact uterus.1 We aimed to illustrate the related anatomy, surgical steps and techniques of complete laparoscopic type C2 radical surgery (CLRS) for early-stage CSC. METHODS: CLRS for six patients with CSC was performed from January 2021 to January 2022. We demonstrated the detailed skills of parametrial management during CLRS for CSC in case 5 by means of a video. A 58-year-old woman diagnosed with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) 2018 stage IIA1 CSC received CLRS through five operative ports (Fig. 1). RESULTS: The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and gross appearance of the specimen are shown in Fig. 2. The median age and body mass index (BMI) of the six patients were 53 years and 23.8, respectively. The median blood loss was 275 mL; the median time of operation was 218 min; the median length of hospitalization was 15 days; and the median time to recover urinary function was 12 days. One patient underwent postoperative radiation for pathologically proven adenocarcinoma with deep stromal invasion,2 while the other five did not. After a median follow-up of 24 months, no patients experienced complications, recurrence, or death (Table 1). CONCLUSIONS: This study details the skills of CLRS for CSC, especially space development and the 'no-look, no-touch' tumor-free principle. It is helpful for clinicians to perform safe and standardized surgery on patients with early-stage CSC. Fig. 1 Trocar placement of complete laparoscopic type C2 radical surgery for early-stage CSC. CSC cervical stump cancer, S superior, I inferior, R right, L left, U umbilicus Fig. 2 MRI scans and gross appearance of the specimen for case 5 with CSC at FIGO 2018 stage IIA1. The tumor lesion on the cervical stump is indicated by yellow arrows. a Axial T2-weighted image; b DKI image; c ADC map; d sagittal T2-weighted image; e sagittal T1-weighted image; f gross appearance of the surgical specimen. MRI magnetic resonance imaging, CSC cervical stump cancer, FIGO International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics, DKI diffusional kurtosis imaging, ADC apparent diffusion coefficient Table 1 Clinicopathological characteristics, operative details, and outcomes of patients with cervical stump cancer Patient no. Age at diagnosis (years) BMI Reasons for subtotal hysterectomy FIGO 2018 stage Histology Operation Operation time (mins) Blood loss (mL) Urinary catheter (days) Hospital stay (days) Complications Depth of invasion LVSI LNs dissected TNM stage Tumor size (mm) Postoperative radiotherapy Follow-up (months) Recurrence Death 1 50 25.9 Uterine myoma IIA1 ASC CLRS+PLND 221 360 10 12 No Middle one-third N 13 T2a1N0M0 16 No 30 No No 2 55 17.3 Uterine myoma IB1 AC CLRS+PLND 191 270 20 12 No Deep one-third N 24 T1b1N0M0 10 Yes 20 No No 3 50 24.8 Uterine myoma IB1 SC CLRS+PLND 295 310 13 15 No Superficial one-third N 21 T1b1N0M0 15 No 25 No No 4 63 30.1 Uterine myoma IB1 SC CLRS+PLND 213 180 6 16 No Superficial one-third N 25 T1b1N0M0 15 No 19 No No 5 58 20.2 Postpartum hemorrhage IIA1 SC CLRS+PLND 220 100 11 14 No Middle one-third N 21 T2a1N0M0 15 No 24 No No 6 46 22.7 Uterine myoma IB1 SC CLRS+PLND 215 120 14 17 No Superficial one-third N 26 T1b1N0M0 12 No 23 No No BMI body mass index, FIGO International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics, ASC cervical adenosquamous carcinoma, AC cervical adenocarcinoma, SC cervical squamous carcinoma, CLRS+PLND complete laparoscopic radical surgery and pelvic node dissections, LVSI lymphovascular space invasion, N negative, LNs lymph nodes, TNM tumor node metastasis.

CircRAD23B promotes proliferation and carboplatin resistance in ovarian cancer cell lines and organoids.

BACKGROUND: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are involved in the regulation of progression and drug resistance in ovarian cancer (OC). In the present study, we aimed to explore the role of circRAD23B, a newly identified circRNA, in the regulation of carboplatin-resistant OC. METHODS: CircRAD23B expression levels were measured using qRT-PCR. The biological roles of circRAD23B were analysed using CCK-8, colony formation, EDU, flow cytometry, and cell viability assays. RNA pull-down and luciferase assays were used to investigate the interactions of circRAD23B with mRNAs and miRNAs. RESULTS: CircRAD23B was significantly increased in carboplatin-resistant OC tissues. CircRAD23B promoted proliferation and reduced sensitivity to carboplatin in cell lines and patient-derived organoids (PDOs), consistent with in vivo findings. Mechanistically, circRAD23B acted as a molecular sponge, abrogating its inhibitory effect on Y-box binding protein 1 (YBX1) by adsorbing miR-1287-5p. Rescue experiments confirmed that the pro-proliferation and carboplatin resistance mediated by circRAD23B was partially reversed by the upregulation of miR-1287-5p. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrated, for the first time, the role of the circRAD23B/miR-1287-5p/YBX1 axis in OC progression and carboplatin resistance in cell lines, PDOs, and animal models, providing a basis for the development of targeted therapies for patients with OC.

Visceral obesity determined by CT as a predictor of short-term postoperative complications in patients with ovarian cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the association between visceral obesity and short-term postoperative complications in patients with advanced ovarian cancer undergoing cytoreductive surgery. METHODS: The medical records of patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer were reviewed. The visceral fat area, subcutaneous fat area and total fat area at the L3/4 level were measured on a preoperative single-slice CT scan. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to calculate the optimal cutoff value for the visceral fat area. The relationship between the visceral fat area and the characteristics of ovarian cancer patients were analyzed. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate relationship between perioperative characteristics and short-term complications. RESULTS: According to the ROC curve, the best cutoff value of the VFA was 93 cm2. Of the 130 patients, 53.8% (70/130) had visceral obesity. Patients with visceral obesity were older than those with nonvisceral obesity (58.4 years old vs. 52.1 years old, p < 0.001). The proportion of patients with hypertension was higher (35.7 vs. 13.3%, p = 0.003). The total fat area and subcutaneous fat area were larger in patients with visceral obesity (294.3 ± 75.5 vs. 176.2 ± 68.7, p < 0.001; 158.9 ± 54.7 vs. 121.7 ± 52.6, p < 0.001). Compared with patients in the nonvisceral obese group, patients in the visceral obese group were more likely to have postoperative fever (21/70 30.0% vs. 8/60 1.25%, p = 0.023), leading to a longer length of hospital stay (21 days vs. 17 days, p = 0.009). The time from surgery to adjuvant chemotherapy for patients with visceral obesity was shorter (24 days vs. 19 days, p = 0.037). Multivariate analysis showed that visceral obesity (OR = 6.451, p < 0.001) and operation time (OR = 1.006, p < 0.001) were independent predictors of postoperative complications. CONCLUSION: Visceral obesity is an important risk factor for short-term postoperative complications in patients with advanced ovarian cancer undergoing cytoreductive surgery.

Impact of surgical approach on progress of disease by type of histology in stage IA endometrial cancer: a matched-pair analysis.

BACKGROUND: To compare the impact of surgical approach on progression free survival (PFS) stratified by histologic type in women diagnosed with stage IA endometrial cancer. METHODS: Myometrial invasion is classified into no myometrial invasion, <50% and ≥50%, with only no myometrial invasion and <50% are included in stage IA patients. A retrospective study is designed by collecting data from women diagnosed as stage IA endometrial cancer from January 2010 to December 2019 in a tertiary hospital. A propensity score is conducted for 1:1 matching in the low-risk histologic patients. Progression free survival and disease-specific survival data are evaluated by the Kaplan-Meier method and compared by the log-rank test in both the whole population and the matched-pair groups. A sub-group analysis is performed to figure out risk factors associated with the effect of surgical approach on PFS and disease-specific survival (DSS). RESULTS: 534 (84.49%) low-risk histologic endometrial cancer women, with 389 (72.85%) operated by minimally invasive surgery and 145 (27.15%) by open approach, and 98 (15.51%) high-risk histology, with 71 (72.45%) by laparoscopy and 27 (27.55%) by open surgery, are included. Compared to open surgery, laparoscopy results in lower progression free survival in low-risk patients before and after matching (p = 0.039 and p = 0.033, respectively), but shows no difference in high-risk patients (p = 0.519). Myometrial invasion is associated with lower progression free survival in laparoscopy in low-risk histology (p = 0.027). CONCLUSION: Surgical approaches influence progression free survival in stage IA low-risk histologic diseases, especially in those with myometrial invasion, but not in high-risk histologic endometrial cancer.

Solvent Tolerance Improvement of Lipases Enhanced Their Applications: State of the Art.

Lipases, crucial catalysts in biochemical synthesis, find extensive applications across industries such as food, medicine, and cosmetics. The efficiency of lipase-catalyzed reactions is significantly influenced by the choice of solvents. Polar organic solvents often result in a decrease, or even loss, of lipase activity. Conversely, nonpolar organic solvents induce excessive rigidity in lipases, thereby affecting their activity. While the advent of new solvents like ionic liquids and deep eutectic solvents has somewhat improved the activity and stability of lipases, it fails to address the fundamental issue of lipases' poor solvent tolerance. Hence, the rational design of lipases for enhanced solvent tolerance can significantly boost their industrial performance. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the structural characteristics and properties of lipases in various solvent systems and emphasizes various strategies of protein engineering for non-aqueous media to improve lipases' solvent tolerance. This study provides a theoretical foundation for further enhancing the solvent tolerance and industrial properties of lipases.

Bractoppin, a BRCA1 carboxy-terminal domain (BRCT) inhibitor, suppresses tumor progression in ovarian borderline tumor organoids.

Borderline ovarian tumors are a special class of ovarian tumors between benign and malignant, which are not sensitive to traditional chemotherapy regimens, and the development of target drugs is limited due to the lack of cell lines. Tumor organoids can well preserve the genetic characteristics of the primary tumor, but there are only a few reports of application in borderline tumors. In this study, we successfully generated 13 ovarian borderline tumor organoids and tested the antitumor activity of Bractoppin, a BRCA1 carboxy-terminal domain (BRCT) inhibitor. Bractoppin promotes organoid apoptosis. Mechanistically, Bractoppin can inhibit organoid cell cycle progression, inhibit the repair of DSB damage and promote tumor cell apoptosis. In addition, Bractoppin can also promote the apoptosis of ovarian cancer cell lines and inhibit the HR and NHEJ repair ability of tumor cells. We demonstrate the value of ovarian borderline tumor organoids in the exploration of molecular therapy drugs, and Bractoppin may be a valuable small molecule drug in the treatment of BOT.

Preoperative Assessment of MRI-Invisible Early-Stage Endometrial Cancer With MRI-Based Radiomics Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Radiomics-based analyses have demonstrated impact on studies of endometrial cancer (EC). However, there have been no radiomics studies investigating preoperative assessment of MRI-invisible EC to date. PURPOSE: To develop and validate radiomics models based on sagittal T2-weighted images (T2WI) and T1-weighted contrast-enhanced images (T1CE) for the preoperative assessment of MRI-invisible early-stage EC and myometrial invasion (MI). STUDY TYPE: Retrospective. POPULATION: One hundred fifty-eight consecutive patients (mean age 50.7 years) with MRI-invisible endometrial lesions were enrolled from June 2016 to March 2022 and randomly divided into the training (n = 110) and validation cohort (n = 48) using a ratio of 7:3. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: 3-T, T2WI, and T1CE sequences, turbo spin echo. ASSESSMENT: Two radiologists performed image segmentation and extracted features. Endometrial lesions were histopathologically classified as benign, dysplasia, and EC with or without MI. In the training cohort, 28 and 20 radiomics features were selected to build Model 1 and Model 2, respectively, generating rad-score 1 (RS1) and rad-score 2 (RS2) for evaluating MRI-invisible EC and MI. STATISTICAL TESTS: The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator logistic regression method was used to select radiomics features. Mann-Whitney U tests and Chi-square test were used to analyze continuous and categorical variables. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) and decision curve analysis were used for performance evaluation. The area under the ROC curve (AUC), accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were calculated. A P-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Model 1 had good performance for preoperative detecting of MRI-invisible early-stage EC in the training and validation cohorts (AUC: 0.873 and 0.918). In addition, Model 2 had good performance in assessment of MI of MRI-invisible endometrial lesions in the training and validation cohorts (AUC: 0.854 and 0.834). DATA CONCLUSION: MRI-based radiomics models may provide good performance for detecting MRI-invisible EC and MI. EVIDENCE LEVEL: 3 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 2.

The Effect of Diabetes Management Shared Care Clinic on Glycated Hemoglobin A1c Compliance and Self-Management Abilities in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Objective: We aim to evaluate the impact of diabetes management shared care clinic (DMSCC) on glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) compliance and self-management abilities in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: This study was a prospective cohort study of patients with T2DM participating in the DMSCC. At baseline and after management, the HbA1c levels were measured, the HbA1c compliance rate were calculated, and the Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities-6 (SDSCA-6), Diabetes Empowerment Scale-DAWN Short Form (DES-DSF), and Problem Areas in Diabetes Scale-Five-item Short Form (PAID-5) were completed. These pre- and post-management data were compared. Results: A total of 124 eligible patients were enrolled. After the diabetes management of DMSCC, the average HbA1c decreased and the HbA1c compliance rate increased significantly (P < 0.01). SDSCA-6 showed significant improvement in physical activity, glycemic monitoring, smoking (P < 0.01), and taking medication (P < 0.05). DES-DSF suggested a greater willingness to try to effectively treat diabetes (P < 0.05). PAID-5 indicated significant improvement in diabetes-related emotional distress. Conclusion: DMSCC can help patients with T2DM reduce HbA1c, increase HbA1c compliance, improve diabetes self-management behaviors, empowerment, and diabetes-related emotional distress and serve as an effective exploration and practice of diabetes self-management education and support.

CT-based radiomics nomogram analysis for assessing BRCA mutation status in patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer.

BACKGROUND: Radiomics nomogram analysis is widely preoperatively used to assess gene mutations in various tumors. PURPOSE: To explore the value of computed tomography (CT)-based radiomics nomogram analysis for assessing BRCA gene mutation status of patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC). MATERIAL AND METHODS: In total, 96 patients with HGSOC were retrospectively screened and randomly divided into primary (n = 68) and validation cohorts (n = 28). The clinical model was constructed based on clinical features and CT morphological features using univariate and multivariate logistic analyses. Maximum-relevance and minimum-redundancy (mRMR) and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) were performed for feature dimensionality reduction and radiomics score was calculated. The nomogram model combining the clinical model and the radiomics score was constructed using multivariate logistic regression. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were generated to assess models' performance. The calibration analysis and decision curve analysis (DCA) were also performed. RESULTS: The clinical model consisted of CA125 level and supradiaphragmatic lymphadenopathy and yielded an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.69 (primary cohort) and 0.81 (validation cohort). The radiomics model was built with seven selected features and showed an AUC of 0.87 (primary cohort) and 0.81 (validation cohort). The nomogram finally showed the highest AUC of 0.89 (primary cohort) and 0.87 (validation cohort). The nomogram presented favorable calibrations in both the primary and validation cohorts. DCA further confirmed the clinical benefits of the constructed nomogram. CONCLUSION: CT-based radiomics nomogram provides a non-invasive method to discriminate BRCA gene mutation status of HGSOC and potentially helps develop precise medical strategies.

Computer-Aided Lipase Engineering for Improving Their Stability and Activity in the Food Industry: State of the Art.

As some of the most widely used biocatalysts, lipases have exhibited extreme advantages in many processes, such as esterification, amidation, and transesterification reactions, which causes them to be widely used in food industrial production. However, natural lipases have drawbacks in terms of organic solvent resistance, thermostability, selectivity, etc., which limits some of their applications in the field of foods. In this systematic review, the application of lipases in various food processes was summarized. Moreover, the general structure of lipases is discussed in-depth, and the engineering strategies that can be used in lipase engineering are also summarized. The protocols of some classical methods are compared and discussed, which can provide some information about how to choose methods of lipase engineering. Thermostability engineering and solvent tolerance engineering are highlighted in this review, and the basic principles for improving thermostability and solvent tolerance are summarized. In the future, comput er-aided technology should be more emphasized in the investigation of the mechanisms of reactions catalyzed by lipases and guide the engineering of lipases. The engineering of lipase tunnels to improve the diffusion of substrates is also a promising prospect for further enhanced lipase activity and selectivity.

Evaluation of effects of 3% diquafosol ophthalmic solution on preocular tear film stability after trabeculectomy.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the potential effects of 3% diquafosol (DQS) on tear film stability after glaucoma surgery. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed consecutive patients who underwent glaucoma surgery at the glaucoma division of the Henan Eye Institute from January 2020 to January 2021. Clinical parameters, including age, sex, intraocular pressure, and number of glaucoma medications, were tested. Tear film parameters, such as tear meniscus height (TMH), first and average noninvasive tear break-up time (FBUT and ABUT, respectively), and tear film lipid layer grade (TFLL), were evaluated using the Oculus Keratograph 5M. We investigated the differences in clinical and tear film parameters pre- and postoperatively. We compared the baseline and different time points after surgery between the DQS and HA groups and identified the factors associated with changes in the tear film at 8 weeks postoperatively. RESULTS: A total of 101 eyes were included. Early administration of DQS increased TMH, FBUT, ABUT, and TFLL after trabeculectomy (all p < 0.05). In addition, the DQS group showed significantly higher ABUT than the HA group (p < 0.05). DQS use served as an associated parameter for better TMH, FBUT, ABUT, and the TFLL (p < 0.05). DQS and preoperative FBUT were significant independent parameters of postoperative FBUT (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The present study showed that postoperative TMH, FBUT, ABUT, and TFLL significantly increased after early application of DQS, and the efficacy of ABUT was better than that of HA at the early stage in 8 weeks after trabeculectomy (p < 0.05).

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy for patients with international federation of gynecology and obstetrics stages IB3 and IIA2 cervical cancer: a multicenter prospective trial.

BACKGROUND: Preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) has been widely used in developing countries for the treatment of patients with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stages IB3 and IIA2 cervical cancer. However, the effectiveness of NACT and treatment options for NACT-insensitive patients have been concerning. This study will assess prognostic differences between NACT and primary surgery treatment (PST), determine factors associated with prognosis, and explore better adjuvant treatment modalities for NACT-insensitive patients. METHODS: This study analyzed clinical characteristics, pathological characteristics, treatment options, and follow-up information of 774 patients with FIGO stages IB3 and IIA2 cervical cancer from 28 centers from January 2016 to October 2019 who participated in a multicenter, prospective, randomized controlled trial. RESULTS: For patients undergoing NACT, the 5-year OS and PFS rate was 85.8 and 80.5% respectively. They were similar in the PST group. There was no significant difference in OS and PFS between clinical response (CR)/partial response (PR) groups and stable disease (SD)/progressive disease (PD) groups. Apart from deep cervical invasion (p = 0.046) affecting OS for patients undergoing NACT, no other clinical and pathological factors were associated with OS. 97.8% of NACT-insensitive patients opted for surgery. If these patients did not have intermediate- or high-risk factors, whether they had undergone postoperative adjuvant therapy was irrelevant to their prognosis, whereas for patients with intermediate- or high-risk factors, adjuvant chemotherapy resulted in better PFS (chemotherapy vs. no therapy, p < 0.001; chemotherapy vs. radiotherapy, p = 0.019) and OS (chemotherapy vs. no therapy, p < 0.001; chemotherapy vs. radiotherapy, p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: NACT could be a choice for patients with FIGO stages IB3 and IIA2 cervical cancer. The main risk factor influencing prognosis in the NACT group is deep cervical invasion. After systematic treatment, insensitivity to NACT does not indicate a poorer prognosis. For NACT-insensitive patients, Chinese prefer surgery. Postoperative adjuvant therapy in patients with no intermediate- or high-risk factors does not improve prognosis, and chemotherapy in patients with intermediate- and high-risk factors is more effective than radiation therapy and other treatments. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was prospectively registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03308591); date of registration: 12/10/2017.

Exosome-like nanovesicles derived from Phellinus linteus inhibit Mical2 expression through cross-kingdom regulation and inhibit ultraviolet-induced skin aging.

BACKGROUND: Phellinus linteus (PL), which is a typical medicinal fungus, has been shown to have antitumor and anti-inflammatory activities. However, studies on the effect of anti-photoaging are limited. Studies have shown that exosome-like nanovesicles are functional components of many medicinal plants, and miRNAs in exosome-like nanovesicles play a cross-kingdom regulatory role. At present, research on fungi exosome-like nanovesicles (FELNVs) is few. RESULTS: We systematically evaluated the anti-aging effects of PL. FELNVs of PL were isolated, and the functional molecular mechanisms were evaluated. The results of volunteer testing showed that PL had anti-aging activity. The results of component analysis showed that FELNVs were the important components of PL function. FELNVs are nanoparticles (100-260 nm) with a double shell structure. Molecular mechanism research results showed that miR-CM1 in FELNVs could inhibit Mical2 expression in HaCaT cells through cross-kingdom regulation, thereby promoting COL1A2 expression; inhibiting MMP1 expression in skin cells; decreasing the levels of ROS, MDA, and SA-ß-Gal; and increasing SOD activity induced by ultraviolet (UV) rays. The above results indicated that miR-CM1 derived from PL inhibited the expression of Mical2 through cross-kingdom regulation and inhibited UV-induced skin aging. CONCLUSION: miR-CM1 plays an anti-aging role by inhibiting the expression of Mical2 in human skin cells through cross-species regulation.

High butanol/acetone ratio featured ABE production using mixture of glucose and waste Pichia pastoris medium-based butyrate fermentation supernatant.

In this study, butanol (ABE) fermentations were implemented in a 7 L anaerobic fermentor, by directly using the mixture of glucose solution with the corn/waste Pichia pastoris medium-based butyrate fermentation supernatants (BFS II) as the co-substrate, followed by consecutively feeding of the BFS and concentrated glucose solution. When compared with the major index of ABE fermentation using 150 g/L corn-based medium, butanol concentration could be maintained at high level of 12.7-12.8 g/L, butanol/acetone (B/A) largely increased from ~ 2.0 to 4.4-5.0, butanol yield on total carbon sources increased from 0.32-0.34 to 0.39-0.41 (mol base) with a higher butyrate/glucose consumption ratio of 37%-53%. Efficient utilization of butyrate, SO42-, amino acids, oligosaccharides, etc. in BFS II and the intracellular NADH contributed to the ABE fermentation performance improvement. The proposed strategy could be considered as the second utilization of waste Pichia pastoris, which could save raw materials/operating costs, fully use the oligosaccharides/SO42- in BFS II to relieve the working loads in downstream waste water treatment process, and increase fermentation products diversity/flexibility to deal with the varied marketing prices and requirements.

Prohibitin 1 (PHB1) controls growth and development and regulates proliferation and apoptosis in Schistosoma japonicum.

Schistosomiasis is a zoonotic parasitic disease caused by the trematode blood flukes of the genus Schistosoma. The prodigious egg output of females is the main cause of the disease in definitive hosts, while the female worm relies on continuous pairing with the male worm to fuel the growth and maturation of the reproductive organs and egg production. Prohibitin, which contains the functionally interdependent PHB1 and PHB2 subunits in human and some other species, has been proposed to participate in the cell proliferation and apoptosis regulation in mammals. However, little is known about the function of PHB homolog in the growth and reproductive development of schistosomes. Here, we reported the Phb1 gene that was structurally and evolutionarily conserved in Schistosoma japonicum when compared with that of other species from Caenorhabditis elegans to human. Real-time PCR detected that SjPhb1 was highly transcribed in the vitellaria of female worms. SjPhb1 knockdown achieved through the dsRNA-mediated RNAi in vivo resulted in retarded growth, decreased pairing, and fecundity in adult worms, as well as attenuated pathogenicity or virulence of worms to their hosts. Cell proliferation and apoptosis examination found decreased cell proliferation and increased cell apoptosis in SjPhb1 dsRNA-treated worms. Therefore, our study provides the first characterization of S. japonicum PHB1 and reveals its fundamental role in the regulation of growth and development of S. japonicum by specific dsRNA-mediated RNAi in vivo. Our findings prompt for a promising molecular of schistosomes that can be targeted to effectively retard the growth and development of the schistosomes.

Molecular epidemiological characteristics of echovirus 6 in mainland China: extensive circulation of genotype F from 2007 to 2018.

Echovirus 6 (E6) is associated with various clinical diseases and is frequently detected in environmental sewage. Despite its high prevalence in humans and the environment, little is known about its molecular phylogeography in mainland China. In this study, 114 of 21,539 (0.53%) clinical specimens from hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) cases collected between 2007 and 2018 were positive for E6. The complete VP1 sequences of 87 representative E6 strains, including 24 strains from this study, were used to investigate the evolutionary genetic characteristics and geographical spread of E6 strains. Phylogenetic analysis based on VP1 nucleotide sequence divergence showed that, globally, E6 strains can be grouped into six genotypes, designated A to F. Chinese E6 strains collected between 1988 and 2018 were found to belong to genotypes C, E, and F, with genotype F being predominant from 2007 to 2018. There was no significant difference in the geographical distribution of each genotype. The evolutionary rate of E6 was estimated to be 3.631 × 10-3 substitutions site-1 year-1 (95% highest posterior density [HPD]: 3.2406 × 10-3-4.031 × 10-3 substitutions site-1 year-1) by Bayesian MCMC analysis. The most recent common ancestor of the E6 genotypes was traced back to 1863, whereas their common ancestor in China was traced back to around 1962. A small genetic shift was detected in the Chinese E6 population size in 2009 according to Bayesian skyline analysis, which indicated that there might have been an epidemic around that year.

FTO demethylates m6A modifications in HOXB13 mRNA and promotes endometrial cancer metastasis by activating the WNT signalling pathway.

Although many studies have confirmed the relationship between obesity and endometrial cancer (EC), the molecular mechanism between obesity and EC progression has not been elucidated. Overexpression of fat mass and the obesity associated protein FTO leads to weight gain, although recently it has been discovered that FTO can serve as a demethylase which erases N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification and regulates the metabolization of mRNAs. In this study, we found high expression of FTO in metastatic EC and that this action promote both metastasis and invasion in vivo and in vitro. Mechanistically, FTO can catalyse demethylation modification in 3'UTR region of HOXB13 mRNA, thereby abolishing m6A modification recognition with the YTHDF2 protein. Decreasing HOXB13 mRNA decay and increasing HOXB13 protein expression was accompanied by WNT signalling pathway activation and the expression of downstream proteins, leading to tumour metastasis and invasion. We also found the WNT signalling pathway inhibitor ICG-001 can block HOXB13 gene-induced tumour metastasis, therefore ICG-001 may be a promising molecular intervention. This study provides insight into the relationship between obesity and the pathogenesis of endometrial cancer while highlighting future areas of research.

Mechanism by which the combination of SjCL3 and SjGAPDH protects against Schistosoma japonicum infection.

A vaccine is an important method to control schistosomiasis. Molecules related to lung-stage schistosomulum are considered potential vaccine candidates. We previously showed that glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and cathepsin L3 (CL3) displayed differential expression in the lung-stage schistosomula of Schistosoma japonicum cocultured with host cells. In the present study, we prepared the two proteins and detected the protective effects of SjGAPDH by immunizing mice with this protein alone and in combination with SjCL3 with or without Freund's adjuvant. Then, we investigated the possible mechanisms underlying S. japonicum infection. The results showed that vaccination of adjuvanted SjGAPDH decreased the worm burden (37.8%) and egg load (38.1%), and the combination of adjuvanted SjGAPDH and SjCL3 further decreased the worm burden (65.6%) and egg load (70.9%) during Schistosoma japonicum infection. However, the immunization of a combination of adjuvant-free SjGAPDH and SjCL3 displayed a lower protective effect (< 15%) than those of the adjuvanted SjCL3, the adjuvanted SjGAPDH, and a combination of adjuvanted SjGAPDH and SjCL3. Flow cytometric results showed that the frequency of regulatory T cells (Tregs) was lower (P < 0.05) in the group with adjuvanted SjGAPDH and SjCL3 (2.61%) than the remaining groups. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) results indicated that except for the uninfected and infected control groups, the remaining groups displayed a Th1-type shift in immune responses. These results showed the immunization of SjGAPDH resulted in partial protection (approximately 38%); inoculation with a combination of SjCL3 and SjGAPDH in Freund's adjuvant resulted in a high immunoprotective effect (> 65%) against Schistosoma japonicum infection in mice, which was possibly caused by the reduced percentage of Tregs and a Th1-type shift in immune responses; and SjCL3 has no adjuvant-like effect, dissimilar to SmCL3.

Identification of a prognostic signature of epithelial ovarian cancer based on tumor immune microenvironment exploration.

This study aims to develop an immune-related genes (IRGs) prognostic signature to stratify the epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) patients. We identified 332 up- and 154 down-regulated EOC-specific IRGs. As a result, candidate IRGs were idendified to construct prognostic models respectivy for overall survial and progression-free survival. The risk score was validated as a risk factor for prognosis and was used to built a combined nomogram. According to the IRG-related prognostic model, EOC patients were divided into high- and low- risk group and were further explored their association with tumor immune microenvironment (TME). CIBERSORT algorithm showed higher macrophages M1 cell, T cells follicular helper cell and plasma cells infiltrating levels in the low-risk group. In addition, the low-risk group was found with higher immunophenoscore and distinct mutation signatures compared with the high-risk group. These findings may shed light on the development of novel immune biomarkers and target therapy of EOC.

Exploration of a novel prognostic risk signatures and immune checkpoint molecules in endometrial carcinoma microenvironment.

In this study, we devoted to investigate immune-related genes and tumor microenvironment (TME) in EC based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. In total 799 up-regulated and 139 down-regulated immune-related and differentially expressed genes in EC were investigated for functional annotations and prognosis. By a conjoint Cox regression analysis, we built two risk models for OS and DFS, as well as the consistent nomograms. Immune-related pathways were revealed mostly enriched in the low-risk group. By further analyzing TME based on the risk signatures, the higher immune cell infiltration and activation, lower tumor purity and higher tumor mutational burden were found in low-risk group, which presented a better prognosis. Both the expression and immunophenoscore of immune checkpoints PD-1, CTLA4, PD-L1 and PD-L2 increased significantly in low-risk group. These findings may provide new ideas for novel biomarkers and immunotherapy targets in EC.