[Expressions of zinc homeostasis proteins, GPR39 and ANO1 mRNA in the sperm of asthenozoospermia patients and their clinical significance].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the expressions of zinc homeostasis-related proteins, G protein-coupled receptor 39 (GPR39) and ANO1 mRNA in the sperm of patients with asthenozoospermia (AS), and analyze their correlation with sperm motility. METHODS: We collected semen samples from 82 male subjects with PR+NP < 40%, PR < 32% and sperm concentration > 15×106/ml (the AS group, n = 40) or PR+NP ≥ 40%, PR ≥ 32% and sperm concentration > 15×106/ml (the normal control group, n = 42). We analyzed the routine semen parameters and measured the zinc content in the seminal plasma using the computer-assisted sperm analysis system, detected the expressions of zinc transporters (ZIP13, ZIP8 and ZNT10), metallothioneins (MT1G, MT1 and MTF), GPR39, and calcium-dependent chloride channel protein (ANO1) in the sperm by real-time quantitative PCR (RT qPCR), examined free zinc distribution in the sperm by laser confocal microscopy, and determined the expressions of GPR39 and MT1 proteins in the sperm by immunofluorescence staining, followed by Spearman rank correlation analysis of their correlation with semen parameters. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference in the zinc concentration in the seminal plasma between the AS and normal control groups (P>0.05). Compared with the controls, the AS patients showed a significantly reduced free zinc level (P<0.05), relative expressions of MT1G, MTF, ZIP13, GPR39 and ANO1 mRNA (P<0.05), and that of the GPR39 protein in the AS group (P<0.05). No statistically significant differences were observed in the relative expression levels of ZIP8, ZNT10 and MT1 mRNA between the two groups (P>0.05). The relative expression levels of GPR39, ANO1, MT1G and MTF mRNA were positively correlated with sperm motility and the percentage of progressively motile sperm (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The expressions of zinc homeostasis proteins (MT1G, MTF and ZIP13), GPR39 and ANO1 mRNA are downregulated in the sperm of asthenozoospermia patients, and positively correlated with sperm motility.

TNF-α/anti-TNF-α drugs and its effect on pregnancy outcomes.

Pregnancy is a complex biological process. The establishment and maintenance of foetal-maternal interface are pivotal events. Decidual immune cells and inflammatory cytokines play indispensable roles in the foetal-maternal interface. The disfunction of decidual immune cells leads to adverse pregnancy outcome. Tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α, a common inflammatory cytokine, has critical roles in different stages of normal pregnancy process. However, the relationship between the disorder of TNF-α and adverse pregnancy outcomes, including preeclampsia (PE), intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), spontaneous abortion (SA), preterm birth and so on, is still indefinite. In this review, we thoroughly reviewed the effect of TNF-α disorder on pathological conditions. Moreover, we summarized the reports about the adverse pregnancy outcomes (PE, IUGR, SA and preterm birth) of using anti-TNF-α drugs (infliximab, etanercept and adalimumab, certolizumab and golimumab) currently in the clinical studies. Overall, IUGR, SA and preterm birth are the most common adverse pregnancy outcomes of anti-TNF-α drugs. Our review may provide insight for the immunological treatment of pregnancy-related complication, and help practitioners make informed decisions based on the current evidences.

Hsa_circ_0000301 facilitates the progression of cervical cancer by targeting miR-1228-3p/IRF4 Axis.

BACKGROUND: With the broadened application of gene expression profiles analysis, the role of miRNA and circRNA are of increasing concern in recent years, especially during the pathogenesis of cancer. However, to date, the reported on this area in cervical cancer are limited. METHOD: In this study, Weighted Gene Co-Expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) and differential gene expression analysis were utilized to screen out differentially expressed (DE) circular RNAs in cervical cancer, and then we predicted and screened the combined microRNAs (miRNA) and downstream mRNAs to construct circular (circ)RNA-miRNA-mRNA network. RESULT: As a result, a regulatory circular (circ)RNA-miRNA-mRNA with 1 circRNA node, 4 miRNA nodes, 135 mRNA nodes were constructed in an attempt to provide novel biomarkers for the pathogenesis of cervical cancer. In addition, enrichment analysis including Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) were performed on mRNAs in the network. After further screening of mRNAs by two online databases of GEPIA2 and RNAyhrid, precise target genes were obtained. Next, we screened out four target genes (CXCL16, IRF4, OAS3 and PTGER3) by constructing the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, and mapped them to the initial network to reconstruct the circRNA-miRNA-mRNA network. Notably, the low expression of IRF4 was demonstrated to be associated with a significantly poorer overall survival in the GEPIA2 database, which was also verified by the immunofluorescence of the sections in Human Protein Atlas (HPA). The upstream miRNA corresponding to IRF4 is hsa-miR-1228-3p. CONCLUSION: From above concern, it can conclude that hsa_circ_0000301/hsa-miR-1228-3p/IRF4 may be involved in the occurrence and development of cervical cancer. However, the specific mechanism should be further studied and confirmed.

The treatment of macrolide-resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia in children.

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE: In recent years, the resistance of Mycoplasma pneumoniae to macrolide antibiotics has increased significantly. The health systems are facing significant challenges in carrying out the diagnosis and treatment of refractory Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia in children. Levofloxacin is suitable for treating infectious diseases in various systems but limited in children due to arthropathy issues in weight-bearing joints. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of levofloxacin in children with macrolide-resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia. METHODS: We retrospectively enrolled six confirmed cases of refractory Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia who were admitted in the paediatric respiratory ward of Shandong provincial hospital Affiliated to Shandong first Medical University between 1st January 2020 and 29th February 2020. Levofloxacin was given to the patients through the intravenous or oral route as per the following dosages :<5 years, 8-10 mg/kg q12 h; >5 years, 8-10 mg/kg, qd for 10 days. The clinical data were collected and analysed. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The average age of the enrolled cases was six years and nine months (range, four years, and seven months to eleven years and seven months). All cases were found to be drug-resistant and were treated with azithromycin combined with antibacterial drugs. Levofloxacin was used in the patient's refractory to macrolide antibiotics. The temperature of five cases returned to normal 1-2 days after treatment with levofloxacin, and the imaging of the four cases showed expected improvements. The gastrointestinal symptoms, neurological manifestations, joint symptoms, blood parameters, liver and kidney functions, and exercise conditions of the children were closely monitored. The follow-up time of the patients ranged from one week to five months. No drug-related adverse reactions were observed in patients during treatment or during follow-up. WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION: The clinical symptoms and imaging significantly improved after treatment with levofloxacin, and no drug-related adverse reactions were observed. Levofloxacin proved to be an effective and safe drug in the treatment of children with macrolide-resistant mycoplasma pneumonia. This study will provide a reference for evaluating the efficacy and safety of levofloxacin in the paediatric population.

Tumor immunity: A brief overview of tumor­infiltrating immune cells and research advances into tumor­infiltrating lymphocytes in gynecological malignancies (Review).

Tumor immunity is a promising topic in the area of cancer therapy. The 'soil' function of the tumor microenvironment (TME) for tumor growth has attracted wide attention from scientists. Tumor-infiltrating immune cells in the TME, especially the tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), serve a key role in cancer. Firstly, relevant literature was searched in the PubMed and Web of Science databases with the following key words: 'Tumor microenvironment'; 'TME'; 'tumor-infiltrating immunity cells'; 'gynecologic malignancies'; 'the adoptive cell therapy (ACT) of TILs'; and 'TIL-ACT' (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/). According to the title and abstract of the articles, relevant items were screened out in the preliminary screening. The most relevant selected items were of two types: All kinds of tumor-infiltrating immune cells; and advanced research on TILs in gynecological malignancies. The results showed that the subsets of TILs were various and complex, while each subpopulation influenced each other and their effects on tumor prognosis were diverse. Moreover, the related research and clinical trials on TILs were mostly concentrated in melanoma and breast cancer, but relatively few focused on gynecological tumors. In conclusion, the present review summarized the biological classification of TILs and the mechanisms of their involvement in the regulation of the immune microenvironment, and subsequently analyzed the development of tumor immunotherapy for TILs. Collectively, the present review provides ideas for the current treatment dilemma of gynecological tumor immune checkpoints, such as adverse reactions, safety, personal specificity and efficacy.

The impact of early pregnancy metabolic disorders on pregnancy outcome and the specific mechanism.

Miscarriage is the most common complication of pregnancy. The most common causes of early miscarriage are chromosomal abnormalities of the embryo, maternal endocrine abnormalities, organ malformations, and abnormal immune factors. Late miscarriages are mostly caused by factors such as cervical insufficiency. However, the causes of 50% of miscarriages remain unknown. Recently, increasing attention has been given to the role of metabolic abnormalities in miscarriage. In this review, we mainly discuss the roles of four major metabolic pathways (glucose, lipid, and amino acid metabolism, and oxidation‒reduction balance) in miscarriage and the metabolism-related genes that lead to metabolic disorders in miscarriage. Depending on aetiology, the current treatments for miscarriage include hormonal and immunological drugs, as well as surgery, while there are few therapies for metabolism. Therefore, we also summarize the drugs for metabolism-related targets. The study of altered metabolism underlying miscarriage not only helps us to understand the mechanisms involved in miscarriage but also provides an important basis for clinical research on new therapies.

The clinical value of miRNA-21 in cervical cancer: A comprehensive investigation based on microarray datasets.

Previous work has demonstrated that the expression of microRNA-21 (miR-21) is implicated in cervical cancer (CC). However, little is known regarding its associations with clinical parameters. We first conducted a meta-analysis using data from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) microarrays and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Then, enrichment analysis and hub gene screening were performed by bioinformatic methods. Finally, the role of the screened target genes in CC was explored. According to the meta-analysis, the expression of miR-21 in cancer tissues was higher than in adjacent nontumor tissues (P < 0.05). In addition, 46 genes were predicted as potential targets of miR-21. After enrichment analyses, it was detected that these genes were enriched in various cancer pathways, including the phosphatidylinositol signaling system and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway. In this study, bioinformatic tools and meta-analysis validated that miR-21 may function as a highly sensitive and specific marker for the diagnosis of CC, which may provide a novel approach to the diagnosis and treatment of CC.

The Mechanism of Insulin-Like Growth Factor II mRNA-Binging Protein 3 Induce Decidualization and Maternal-Fetal Interface Cross Talk by TGF-ß1 in Recurrent Spontaneous Abortion.

Recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) is defined as the loss of two or more consecutive intrauterine pregnancies that are clinically established early in pregnancy. To date, the etiology and underlying mechanisms of RSA remain unclear. It is widely thought that the impairment of decidualization is inclined to induce subsequent pregnancy failure and leads to the dysregulation of extra-villous trophoblast invasion and proliferation through maternal-fetal cross talk. However, the mechanism of decidualization in RSA has yet to be understood. In our study, we demonstrate that decidual samples from RSA patients have significantly higher insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA-binding protein 3 (IGF2BP3) and lower TGF-ß1 levels compared to healthy controls. In addition, the overexpression of IGF2BP3 in human endometrial stromal cells (hESCs) can lead to the impairment of decidualization in vitro-induced model and the abnormal cell cycle regulation. Furthermore, TGF-ß1 and MMP9 levels were greatly increased after decidualization, whereas IGF2BP3 overexpression inhibited endometrial mesenchymal decidualization by downregulating TGF-ß1, impeding maternal-fetal interface cytokine cross talk, and limiting the ability of trophoblast invasion. In conclusion, our investigation first demonstrates that abnormal elevation of IGF2BP3 in the pregnant endometrium leads to the impairment of decidualization and abnormal trophoblast invasion, thereby predisposing individuals to RSA.

Immune-Related Genes to Construct a Novel Prognostic Model of Breast Cancer: A Chemosensitivity-Based Study.

Chemotherapy combined with surgery is effective for patients with breast cancer (BC). However, chemoresistance restricts the effectiveness of BC treatment. Immune microenvironmental changes are of pivotal importance for chemotherapy responses. Thus, we sought to construct and validate an immune prognostic model based on chemosensitivity status in BC. Here, immune-related and chemosensitivity-related genes were obtained from GSE25055. Then, univariate analysis was employed to identify prognostic-related gene pairs from the intersection of the two parts of the genes, and modified least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) analysis was performed to build a prognostic model. Furthermore, we investigated the efficiency of this model from various perspectives, and further validation was performed using the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) cohorts. We identified seven immune and chemosensitivity-related gene pairs and incorporated them into the Cox regression model. After multilevel validation, the risk model was found to be closely related to the survival rate, various clinical characteristics, tumor mutation burden (TMB) score, immune checkpoints, and response to chemotherapeutic drugs. In addition, the model was verified to exhibit predictive capacity as an independent factor over other candidate clinical features. Notably, the constructed nomogram was more accurate than any single factor. Altogether, the risk score model and the nomogram have potential predictive value and may have important practical implications.

Advances in molecular mechanisms of pelvic organ prolapse (Review).

Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is a common gynecological benign disease occurring in middle-aged and elderly females. Its incidence increases every year. To date, the majority of studies investigating its etiology have not evaluated the underlying molecular mechanisms, which has caused substantial difficulties in the prevention, treatment and prognosis of POP. In the present narrative review, recent research studies concerning the molecular mechanisms of POP were systematically reviewed and the advances were summarized. The association between the incidence of POP and the reduction of the extracellular matrix, activation of oxidative stress, genetic susceptibility, denervation of the pelvic floor and reduction of estrogen infiltration were explored. POP is mainly associated with damage of pelvic floor muscles and connective tissue, which are directly caused by pregnancy and vaginal delivery. The majority of the molecular and genetic mutations associated with POP involve specific components of connective tissue synthesis and degradation. It is likely that macroscopic parameters, such as anatomy, lifestyle and reproductive factors, interact with microscopic parameters, such as physiology and genetics in the female pelvic floor, leading to POP. Additional research studies investigating the molecular mechanisms of POP should be performed, since they may aid public health strategies. In the present narrative review, a summary of these molecular mechanisms underlying the development of POP is provided. This included the relevant proteins and genes involved. On this basis, countermeasures were proposed.

Landscape of Immune Microenvironment in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer and Establishing Risk Model by Machine Learning.

BACKGROUND: Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is an extremely lethal gynecological malignancy and has the potential to benefit from the immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy, whose efficacy highly depends on the complex tumor microenvironment (TME). METHOD AND RESULT: We comprehensively analyze the landscape of TME and its prognostic value through immune infiltration analysis, somatic mutation analysis, and survival analysis. The results showed that high infiltration of immune cells predicts favorable clinical outcomes in EOC. Then, the detailed TME landscape of the EOC had been investigated through "xCell" algorithm, Gene set variation analysis (GSVA), cytokines expression analysis, and correlation analysis. It is observed that EOC patients with high infiltrating immune cells have an antitumor phenotype and are highly correlated with immune checkpoints. We further found that dendritic cells (DCs) may play a dominant role in promoting the infiltration of immune cells into TME and forming an antitumor immune phenotype. Finally, we conducted machine-learning Lasso regression, support vector machines (SVMs), and random forest, identifying six DC-related prognostic genes (CXCL9, VSIG4, ALOX5AP, TGFBI, UBD, and CXCL11). And DC-related risk stratify model had been well established and validated. CONCLUSION: High infiltration of immune cells predicted a better outcome and an antitumor phenotype in EOC, and the DCs might play a dominant role in the initiation of antitumor immune cells. The well-established risk model can be used for prognostic prediction in EOC.

Identification of differentially expressed genes and signaling pathways involved in endometriosis by integrated bioinformatics analysis.

Endometriosis is a common gynecological disease characterized by the presence and growth of endometrial tissue outside the uterus, including the pelvis and abdominal cavity. This condition causes various clinical symptoms, such as non-menstrual pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea and infertility, seriously affecting the health and quality of life of women. To date, the specific mechanism and the key molecules of endometriosis remain uncertain. The purpose of the present study was to elucidate the mechanisms involved in the development and persistence of the disease. A number of mRNA expression profile datasets (namely GSE11691, GSE23339, GSE25628 and GSE78851) were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. These gene expression profiles were normalized, and the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified by integrated bioinformatics analysis. A total of 103 DEGs were screened upon excluding the genes that exhibited inconsistency of expression (P<0.05). Furthermore, the Gene Ontology analysis, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis, and construction of protein-protein interaction networks of DEGs were performed using online software. The results revealed that the DEGs were closely associated with cell migration, adherens junction and hypoxia-inducible factor signaling. In addition, immunohistochemical assay results were found to be consistent with the bioinformatics results. The present study may help us understand underlying molecular mechanisms and the development of endometriosis, which has a great clinical significance for early diagnosis of the disease.

KLF2 regulates neutrophil migration by modulating CXCR1 and CXCR2 in asthma.

Neutrophils are key inflammatory cells in the immunopathogenesis of asthma. Neutrophil migration can be initiated through activation of the CXCR1 and CXCR2 receptors by CXC chemokines, such as IL-8. Although transcription factor KLF2 has been found to maintain T cell migration patterns through repression of several chemokine receptors, whether KLF2 can regulate neutrophil migration via modulation of CXCR1 and CXCR2 is unknown. Here, we aimed to explore the functions of KLF2, CXCR1 and CXCR2 in neutrophil migration in asthma and to establish a regulatory role of KLF2 for CXCR1/2. We demonstrate that with asthma aggravation, the percentages and migration rates of peripheral blood neutrophils gradually increased in asthmatic patients and the guinea pig asthma model. Correspondingly, both the KLF2 mRNA and protein levels in neutrophils were gradually reduced. While CXCR1 and CXCR2 expression was negatively correlated with KLF2. In vitro knockdown of KLF2 dramatically increased the migration of HL-60-drived neutrophil-like cells, which was accompanied by an increase in the CXCR1 and CXCR2 mRNA and protein expression levels. Taken together, our results indicate that decreased KLF2 aggravates asthma progression by promoting neutrophil migration, which is associated with the transcriptional upregulation of CXCR1 and CXCR2. The KLF2 and/or CXCR1/2 expression levels may represent an indicator of asthma severity.

A new factor influencing pathogen detection by molecular assay in children with both mild and severe hand, foot, and mouth disease.

This study aimed to find novel information concerning pathogen detection and some probable coinfection factors in hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD). In this study, 1104 clinically diagnosed HFMD patients were included. Enterovirus 71 (EV71), coxsackievirus A16 (CA16), and 14 different respiratory pathogens were examined from nasopharyngeal swabs using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR). To evaluate the immune activation in HFMD patients, 8 cytokines and IgM antibodies to EV71 and CA16 from mild and severe patients were detected. Our results indicated that the severity of HFMD may affect the pathogen detection. The lower positive rates of enterovirus and respiratory viruses in severe HFMD cases by RT-PCR were probably related to stronger immune response. Therefore, immunological tests such as ELISA are essential supplements to PCR or RT-PCR in order to increase pathogen diagnosis in HFMD, especially in severe cases.