Comparing Sonazoid contrast-enhanced ultrasound to contrast-enhanced CT and MRI for differentially diagnosing renal lesions: a prospective multicenter study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of contrast-enhanced (CE) ultrasound using Sonazoid (SNZ-CEUS) by comparing with contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CE-CT) and contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (CE-MRI) for differentiating benign and malignant renal masses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 306 consecutive patients (from 7 centers) with renal masses (40 benign tumors, 266 malignant tumors) diagnosed by both SNZ-CEUS, CE-CT or CE-MRI were enrolled between September 2020 and February 2021. The examinations were performed within 7 days, but the sequence was not fixed. Histologic results were available for 301 of 306 (98.37%) lesions and 5 lesions were considered benign after at least 2 year follow-up without change in size and image characteristics. The diagnostic performances were evaluated by sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and compared by McNemar's test. RESULTS: In the head-to-head comparison, SNZ-CEUS and CE-MRI had comparable sensitivity (95.60 vs. 94.51%, P = 0.997), specificity (65.22 vs. 73.91%, P = 0.752), positive predictive value (91.58 vs. 93.48%) and negative predictive value (78.95 vs. 77.27%); SNZ-CEUS and CE-CT showed similar sensitivity (97.31 vs. 96.24%, P = 0.724); however, SNZ-CEUS had relatively lower than specificity than CE-CT (59.09 vs. 68.18%, P = 0.683). For nodules > 4 cm, CE-MRI demonstrated higher specificity than SNZ-CEUS (90.91 vs. 72.73%, P = 0.617) without compromise the sensitivity. CONCLUSIONS: SNZ-CEUS, CE-CT, and CE-MRI demonstrate desirable and comparable sensitivity for the differentiation of renal mass. However, the specificity of all three imaging modalities is not satisfactory. SNZ-CEUS may be a suitable alternative modality for patients with renal dysfunction and those allergic to gadolinium or iodine-based agents.

A novel reverse perilesional home phototherapy can promote the repigmentation of vitiligo patches with complete leukotrichia: A 12-week, open-label, double-arm, multicenter, randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Existing phototherapies are ineffective for treating patients with vitiligo with complete leukotrichia. We compared the efficacy of reverse perilesional irradiation, during which only the lesional areas are covered, with conventional narrowband ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) home phototherapy for repigmentation of non-segmental vitiligo in patients with complete leukotrichia. METHODS: This was a 12-week, open-label, double-arm, multicenter clinical trial, with a total of 121 patients with non-segmental vitiligo who were randomly divided into two groups (both received topical tacrolimus): the conventional NB-UVB irradiation (CI) and reverse perilesional NB-UVB irradiation (RI) groups. RESULTS: A statistically significant difference in improvement from baseline was observed in the RI group compared with the findings in the CI group (-30.8% ± 11.8% vs. -25.5% ± 11.05%, respectively [p = .010]; pair-wise comparison p = .900 at week 4, p = .104 at week 8, and p = .010 at week 12). At week 12, the average percentage change from baseline of leukotrichia in the irradiation area significantly decreased from 100% to 82.2% ± 13.65% in the RI group, and from 100% to 88.7% ± 9.64% in the CI group (p = .027). Adverse events were minor, including desquamation, dryness, erythema, and blisters. No severe or lasting side effects were observed during the study. CONCLUSION: RI mediated better repigmentation of vitiligo with complete leukotrichia than CI.

Extraction of Lentinus Edodes Polysaccharides with Ultrasound Enhanced with Deep Eutectic Solvent and Their Structural Characterization and Antioxidant Activity.

Ultrasound extraction (UE) enhanced with deep eutectic solvent (DES) was used to extract Lentinus edodes polysaccharides. Box-Behnken design (BBD) was applied to investigate the influences of water content (10-90 %), solid-liquid solvent (1 : 10-1 : 50 g/mL), time (4-12 min), temperature (40-80 °C) and ultrasonic power (100-500 W) on the yield of Lentinus edodes polysaccharides. The optimal extraction conditions were ultrasonic power of 300 W, extraction time of 8 min, water content of 80 %, a solid-liquid ratio of 1 : 30 g/mL and a temperature of 60 °C, respectively. The highest extraction yield of Lentinus edodes polysaccharide was 10.17 % under optimal conditions. The results of FT-IR, SEM, and monosaccharide composition confirmed that the extracts possessed the characteristics of polysaccharides. In addition, the polysaccharides obtained with the UE enhanced with DES method exhibited higher antioxidant activities than the polysaccharides extracted with the UE method and HWE method. This extraction method can further expand the production efficiency and structural diversity of Lentinus edodes polysaccharides and meet the supply and demand relationship. It can be foreseen that this method can be applied to the extraction of more active substances.

Advances in lipo-solubility delivery vehicles for curcumin: bioavailability, precise targeting, possibilities and challenges.

BACKGROUND: Curcumin (Cur) is a natural pigment containing a diketone structure, which has attracted extensive attention due to its strong functional activities. However, the low solubility and poor stability of Cur limit its low bioavailability and multi-function. It is essential to develop effective measures to improve the unfavorable nature of Cur and maximize its potential benefits in nutritional intervention. SCOPE AND APPROACH: The focus of this review is to emphasize the construction of lipo-solubility delivery vehicles for Cur, including emulsion, nanoliposome and solid liposome. In addition, the potential benefits of vehicles-encapsulated Cur in the field of precise nutrition were summarized, including high targeting properties and multiple disease interventions. Further, the deficiencies and prospects of Cur encapsulated in vehicles for precise nutrition were discussed. KEY FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS: The well-designed lipo-solubility delivery vehicles for Cur can improve its stability in food processing and the digestion in vivo. To meet the nutritional requirements of special people for Cur-based products, the improvement of the bioavailability by using delivery vehicles will provide a theoretical basis for the precise nutrition of Cur in functional food.

Structural properties and bioavailability of curcumin were summarized.The practical problems and challenges in the utilization of curcumin were discussed.Various technologies for preparing lipo-solubility delivery vehicles for curcumin were described.The design of delivery vehicles for curcumin and intervention strategies in precise nutrition was reviewed.

Clinical outcomes of laparoscopic-assisted natural orifice specimen extraction colectomy using a Cai tube for left-sided colon cancer: a prospective randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: The role of laparoscopic-assisted natural orifice specimen extraction (LA-NOSE) colectomy in the treatment of left-sided colon cancer has not been well defined, and there remains confusion about how to conveniently exteriorize specimens through natural orifices. Therefore, we introduced a homemade invention, the Cai tube, to facilitate the extraction of specimens and compared the clinical outcomes of LA-NOSE with conventional laparoscopic (CL) colectomy for left-sided colon cancer. METHODS: From March 2015 to August 2017, patients with left-sided colon cancer were randomly divided into LA-NOSE and CL groups. Specimens were extracted through the anus with the help of a Cai tube (Patent Number: ZL201410168748.2) in the LA-NOSE group. The primary outcome measure was postoperative pain. Secondary outcomes were the duration of operation, postoperative recovery, surgical morbidity, pathological quality of the specimen, and long-term outcomes, including 3-year overall survival, disease-free survival, local recurrence, and overall recurrence. RESULTS: A total of 60 patients (30 per group) were recruited for this study. None of the patients required emergency conversion to conventional laparoscopic or open surgery during the operation. The postoperative maximum pain score was significantly lower in the LA-NOSE group (mean 2.5 vs. 5.1, P = 0.001), as was the additional analgesia requirement (mean 2/30 vs. 10/30, P = 0.021). Patients in the LA-NOSE group experienced a shorter first time to passage of flatus (mean 2.2 vs. 3.1 days, P = 0.026). All patients could control their defecation at 6 months after surgery. The comparison between the two groups showed no significant differences in the operative time, bleeding volume, postoperative hospital stay, surgical morbidity rates, number of lymph nodes harvested, or resection margin status. The mean follow-up was 48 months (range 7-59) and was similar in both groups. The results showed no differences in long-term outcomes between the two groups. CONCLUSION: In the treatment of left-sided colon cancer, compared with conventional laparoscopic colectomy, LA-NOSE colectomy using the Cai tube exhibited lower postoperative pain, shorter recovery of gastrointestinal function, and similar long-term outcomes. REGISTRATION NUMBER: ChiCTR-OOR-15007060 ( http://www.chictr.org.cn/ ).

Brain-targeted nanoreactors prevent the development of organophosphate-induced delayed neurological damage.

BACKGROUND: Organophosphate (OP)-induced delayed neurological damage is attributed to permanent neuropathological lesions caused by irreversible OP-neurocyte interactions, without potent brain-targeted etiological antidotes to date. The development of alternative therapies to achieve intracerebral OP detoxification is urgently needed. METHODS: We designed a brain-targeted nanoreactor by integrating enzyme immobilization and biomimetic membrane camouflaging protocols with careful characterization, and then examined its blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability both in vitro and in vivo. Subsequently, the oxidative stress parameters, neuroinflammatory factors, apoptotic proteins and histopathological changes were measured and neurobehavioral tests were performed. RESULTS: The well-characterized nanoreactors exerted favourable BBB penetration capability both in vitro and in vivo, significantly inhibiting OP-induced intracerebral damage. At the cellular and tissue levels, nanoreactors obviously blocked oxidative stress, cellular apoptosis, inflammatory reactions and brain histopathological damage. Furthermore, nanoreactors radically prevented the occurrence of OP-induced delayed cognitive deficits and psychiatric abnormality. CONCLUSION: The nanoreactors significantly prevented the development of OP-induced delayed neurological damage, suggesting a potential brain-targeted etiological strategy to attenuate OP-related delayed neurological and neurobehavioral disorders.

A Predictive Disease Risk Model for Ankylosing Spondylitis: Based on Integrated Bioinformatic Analysis and Identification of Potential Biomarkers Most Related to Immunity.

Background: The pathogenesis of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is still not clear, and immune-related genes have not been systematically explored in AS. The purpose of this paper was to identify the potential early biomarkers most related to immunity in AS and develop a predictive disease risk model with bioinformatic methods and the Gene Expression Omnibus database (GEO) to improve diagnostic and therapeutic efficiency. Methods: To identify differentially expressed genes and create a gene coexpression network between AS and healthy samples, we downloaded the AS-related datasets GSE25101 and GSE73754 from the GEO database and employed weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA). We used the GSVA, GSEABase, limma, ggpubr, and reshape2 packages to score immune data and investigated the links between immune cells and immunological functions by using single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA). The value of the core gene set and constructed model for early AS diagnosis was investigated by using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results: Biological function and immune score analyses identified central genes related to immunity, key immune cells, key related pathways, gene modules, and the coexpression network in AS. Granulysin (GNLY), Granulysin (GZMK), CX3CR1, IL2RB, dysferlin (DYSF), and S100A12 may participate in AS development through NK cells, CD8+ T cells, Th1 cells, and other immune cells and represent potential biomarkers for the early diagnosis of AS occurrence and progression. Furthermore, the T cell coinhibitory pathway may be involved in AS pathogenesis. Conclusion: The AS disease risk model constructed based on immune-related genes can guide clinical diagnosis and treatment and may help in the development of personalized immunotherapy.

Abnormal expression of long non-coding RNA FGD5-AS1 affects the development of ovarian cancer through regulating miR-107/RBBP6 axis.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are important players in cancer development. LncRNA FGD5-AS1 has been reported as a potential oncogene in ovarian cancer (OC). The present paper focused on the action mechanism of FGD5-AS1 in OC. Clinical OC samples were collected for expression analyses of FGD5-AS1, RBBP6, and miR-107. The expression of FGD5-AS1, RBBP6, and miR-107 in OC cells was altered by transfection. OC cell proliferation was assessed by MTT and colony formation assays, and angiogenesis of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) cultured with OC cell supernatants by matrigel angiogenesis assay. The interactions among FGD5-AS1, miR-107, and RBBP6 were detected by luciferase reporter assay. FGD5-AS1 and RBBP6 were strongly expressed and miR-107 was poorly expressed in clinical OC samples and OC cell lines. FGD5-AS1 or RBBP6 overexpression in Hey and SKOV3 cells could potentiate OC cell proliferation and HUVEC angiogenesis, while FGD5-AS1 or RBBP6 knockdown in OC cells inhibited the above cellular processes. FGD5-AS1 targeted miR-107 to positively regulate RBBP6 expression. Additionally, miR-107 overexpression or RBBP6 knockdown in SKOV3 cells partially reversed the FGD5-AS1-dependent stimulation of OC cell proliferation and HUVEC angiogenesis. FGD5-AS1 may act as a promoter of OC via miR-107/RBBP6 axis.

Protective Effects of a Jellyfish-Derived Thioredoxin Fused with Cell-Penetrating Peptide TAT-PTD on H2O2-Induced Oxidative Damage.

Thioredoxin (Trx) plays a critical role in maintaining redox balance in various cells and exhibits anti-oxidative, anti-apoptotic, and anti-inflammatory effects. However, whether exogenous Trx can inhibit intracellular oxidative damage has not been investigated. In previous study, we have identified a novel Trx from the jellyfish Cyanea capillata, named CcTrx1, and confirmed its antioxidant activities in vitro. Here, we obtained a recombinant protein, PTD-CcTrx1, which is a fusion of CcTrx1 and protein transduction domain (PTD) of HIV TAT protein. The transmembrane ability and antioxidant activities of PTD-CcTrx1, and its protective effects against H2O2-induced oxidative damage in HaCaT cells were also detected. Our results revealed that PTD-CcTrx1 exhibited specific transmembrane ability and antioxidant activities, and it could significantly attenuate the intracellular oxidative stress, inhibit H2O2-induced apoptosis, and protect HaCaT cells from oxidative damage. The present study provides critical evidence for application of PTD-CcTrx1 as a novel antioxidant to treat skin oxidative damage in the future.

Intervention Effects of Deer-Tendon Collagen Hydrolysates on Osteoporosis In Vitro and In Vivo.

Deer tendon, a deer processing byproduct, is an excellent protein source for the preparation of peptides for improving osteoporosis by its high protein content and high nutritional value. The optimal process of collagen acid extraction was implemented and the results showed that the acid concentration was 7%, the material-liquid ratio was 1:25, and the soaking time was 48 h. DTCHs could promote MC3T3-E1 cell proliferation and increase alkaline phosphatase activities in vitro. In addition, compared with the model group, the DTCHs treatment groups with an oral dosage of 350, 750, and 1500 mg/kg rat/day could significantly improve the shape, weight, bone mechanics, and alkaline phosphatase activities of tail-suspended mice. Bone microstructure and mineralization also recovered significantly in vivo. This result is expected to provide the structural and biological information for DTCHs-based functional foods.

Identification of Novel Genes and Associated Drugs in Cervical Cancer by Bioinformatics Methods.

BACKGROUND Cervical cancer is one of the common gynecological tumors that seriously harm women's health, so it is particularly important to accurately explore the underlying mechanism of its occurrence and clinical prognosis. MATERIAL AND METHODS In the GEO database, GEO2R was used to analyze the differentially expressed genes from the 4 databases: GSE6791, GSE9750, GSE63514, and GSE67522. Then, the DAVID website was used to perform Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses. These protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks of DEGS were visualized and analyzed using the STRING website and the hub genes were further screened using the Cytohubba plugin. Lastly, the functions of the hub genes were further analyzed by Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) online tools, Human Protein Atlas (HPA) databases, and the QuartataWeb database. RESULTS In the 4 Profile datasets, 101 cancer tissues and 67 normal tissues were collected. Among the 78 differentially expressed genes in the 4 datasets, 51 genes were upregulated and 27 genes were downregulated. The PPIs of these differentially expressed genes were visualized using Cytoscape and the Interaction Gene Search Tool (STRING). Then, further analysis of hub genes using the GEPIA tool and Kaplan-Meier curves that showed upregulation of CDK1 and PRC1 is associated with better survival, while AURKA is associated with worse survival. Among these hub genes, only AURKA was closely related to the prognosis of cervical cancer, and 21 potential drugs were found. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that AURKA and its drug candidates can improve the individualized diagnosis and treatment of cervical cancer in the future.

Peimine-induced apoptosis and inhibition of migration by regulating reactive oxygen species-mediated MAPK/STAT3/NF-κB and Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathways in gastric cancer MKN-45 cells.

Peimine (PM), a natural product extracted from Fritillaria, has anti-inflammatory, drug resistance reversal, and other pharmacological effects. The purpose of this study was to investigate the antitumor effects and the molecular mechanisms of PM using gastric cancer MKN-45 cells. Cell counting kit-8 assays were used to evaluate the viability of gastric cancer cells after treatment with PM. The results showed that PM significantly reduced the activity of gastric cancer cells, and the effect was most obvious in MKN-45 cells. Annexin V-FITC/propidium iodide staining and flow cytometry were used to assess apoptosis of MKN-45 cells after PM treatment. Our results showed that PM-induced apoptosis of MKN-45 cells. Flow cytometry was also used to determine the mitochondrial membrane potential and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, and to assess PM-induced cell-cycle arrest. Additionally, Western blot was used to analyze the expression of signaling pathway proteins and the relationship between apoptosis and ROS accumulation. Our findings showed that PM destroyed the mitochondria by diminishing the mitochondrial membrane potential. In addition, PM regulated the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), signal transducer and activator of transcription 3, and nuclear factor kappa-B signaling pathways by promoting the accumulation of ROS in MKN-45 cells. PM also caused cell-cycle arrest in the G2/M phase by increasing ROS accumulation. Furthermore, PM inhibited cell migration by regulating the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway. In conclusion, PM plays an anticancer role through endogenous apoptosis pathways and by inhibiting cell migration, and it has the potential to be a useful treatment for gastric cancers.

Biomimetic Nanosponges Enable the Detoxification of Vibrio vulnificus Hemolysin.

Vibrio vulnificus (V. vulnificus) infection-associated multiple antibiotic resistance has raised serious public health concerns. Recently, nanosponges (NSs) have been expected to provide innovative platforms for addressing antibacterial and drug-resistant challenges by targeting various pore-forming toxins (PFTs). In the present study, we constructed NSs to explore the effects and possible mechanism of recombinant V. vulnificus hemolysin (rVvhA)-induced injuries. In vitro, NSs significantly reversed rVvhA-induced apoptosis and necrosis, and improved toxin-induced intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) depletion, and apoptosis signaling pathway disruption. To explore the clinical translation potential of NSs, we established VvhA-induced septicemia and wound infection mouse models, respectively, and further found NSs could notably attenuate rVvhA-induced acute toxicity and septicemia-associated inflammation, as well as local tissue damage. In a conclusion, NSs showed excellent protective effects against rVvhA-induced toxicity, thus providing useful insights into addressing the rising threats of severe V. vulnificus infections.

Subcritical Water Enhanced with Deep Eutectic Solvent for Extracting Polysaccharides from Lentinus edodes and Their Antioxidant Activities.

In the present study, subcritical water extraction (SWE) assisted with deep eutectic solvent (DES) is used to extract Lentinus edodes polysaccharides (LEP). In addition, the antioxidant activity of the polysaccharide samples was also investigated. Based on a single factor test and response surface test, the optimal extraction factors were a liquid-solid solvent of 40:1 mL/g, extraction temperature of 147.23 °C, water content of 39.76% and extraction time of 17.58 min. Under these extraction conditions, the yield of LEP was 6.26 ± 0.08%. Compared with the SWE and hot water extraction (HWE), it improved by 19.24% and 17.01%, respectively. In addition, the results of monosaccharide composition, molecular weight, FT-IR, UV and SEM confirmed that the extracts had the features of polysaccharides. Interestingly, the polysaccharides obtained with the SWE assisted with the DES procedure showed a higher DPPH scavenging activity, hydroxyl radical scavenging activity and hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity, which indicated that the polysaccharides with this method had a stronger antioxidant activity. These findings demonstrated that the SWE-assisted DES is a strong method to obtain polysaccharides from Lentinus edodes for food, biopharmaceutical and other industrial production.

Circular RNA circHECTD1 prevents Diosbulbin-B-sensitivity via miR-137/PBX3 axis in gastric cancer.

BACKGROUNDS: Gastric cancer (GC) is general disease in human digestive system with malignancy. Emerging findings indicated that hsa_circ_0031452 (circHECTD1) was strictly associated with carcinogenesis. Nevertheless, the role of circHECTD1 in drug-resistance still needed to be explained. METHODS: Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was employed to examine the expression profiles of circHECTD1, microRNA (miR)-137, and pre-leukemia transcription factor 3 (PBX3). The function of circHECTD1 in tumorigenesis was evaluated via xenograft tumor model. The IC50 of Diosbulbin-B (DB) was detected using Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8). Cell-cycle and apoptosis were reckoned by flow cytometry. Besides, western blot was administrated to reckon the levels of PBX3 and cell apoptotic indicators. Moreover, the interrelation between miR-137 and circHECTD1 or PBX3 was expounded by dual-luciferase reporter, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) and RNA pull down assays. RESULTS: We uncovered that circHECTD1 was ectopically up-regulated in GC tissues and cells. CircHECTD1 deficiency sensitized DB-treatment in DB-evoked AGS and HGC-27 cells. In vivo assay, circHECTD1 silencing led to the tumor reduction. Also, circHECTD1 served as miR-137 sponge in a sequence-complementary manner. Furthermore, transfection of miR-137 inhibitor markedly eliminated circHECTD1 absence-mediated promotion of DB-sensitivity in GC cells. Moreover, PBX3, a target of miR-137, play a DB-resistant role in GC cells. Fascinatingly, the deletion of PBX3 reversed the impact of miR-137 repression and circHECTD1 knockdown on DB-sensitivity in vitro. CONCLUSIONS: CircHECTD1 served as an oncogene by a novel miR-137/PBX3 axis, which might supply an underlying biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of GC management.

High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Combined With Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Agonist or Levonorgestrel-Releasing Intrauterine System in Treating Dysmenorrhea of Severe Adenomyosis.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) combined with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist or levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) in treating dysmenorrhea in patients with severe adenomyosis. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on 243 patients diagnosed with severe adenomyosis. Patients were divided into H (received HIFU alone), H-G (received HIFU combined with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist), and H-L (received HIFU combined with LNG-IUS) groups. Their clinical results were compared at 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months after treatment. RESULTS: The effective rates of dysmenorrhea relief in the 3 groups after 3 months were 95.24% in the H group, 98.8% in the H-G group, and 94.74% in the H-L group; those after 6 months were 88.10% in the H group, 95.18% in the H-G group, and 84.21% in the H-L group; those after 12 months were 77.38% in the H group, 79.52% in the H-G group, and 96.05% in the H-L group. There was significant difference in effective rates of dysmenorrhea relief among 3 groups after 12 months of treatment, but not 3 or 6 months. In addition, at 12 months after treatment, there were significant differences in the efficacy of dysmenorrhea between patients of different ages or different ablation rates in group H. However, there was no significant difference in the H-G group and the H-L group. CONCLUSIONS: High-intensity focused ultrasound alone is effective in alleviating the symptoms of dysmenorrhea in short term. However, HIFU combined with LNG-IUS improves the therapeutic effect for a longer period.

Weighted gene correlation network analysis identifies the critical long non-coding RNAs participate in the progression of osteosarcoma.

This study aimed to identify more biomarkers associated with osteosarcoma progression via lncRNA-mRNA co-expression network. Dataset GSE99671 was downloaded from GEO database. The mRNAs and lncRNAs that were differentially expressed between tumor and normal samples were screened out. Functional enrichment analysis of differentially expressed mRNAs was carried out, followed by weighted gene correlation network analysis (WGCNA). Based on the lncRNAs and mRNAs, a lncRNA-mRNA co-expression network was constructed. Total 703 mRNAs and 7 lncRNAs were differentially expressed between tumor and normal tissues. The mRNAs were significantly enriched in functions associated with inflammatory response as well as autoimmune thyroid disease and ribosome pathways. WGCNA revealed that ME2 module had a high correlation with tumor, and ST3GAL4, UCK2, PSAT1 etc. had higher connectivity degrees in this module. lncRNA-mRNA co-expression network showed that 12 mRNAs, such as PEMT, COL10A1 and GSTA1, were synergistically expressed with lncRNA TTTY14. Inflammatory response and ribosome synthesis may play important role in osteosarcoma progression. lncRNA TTTY14 may affect the development of osteosarcoma by cooperative expression with PEMT, COL10A1, GSTA1, etc. ST3GAL4, UCK2, PSAT1 as well as TTTY14 may serve as key biomarkers in osteosarcoma.

Interactions between dietary fiber and ferulic acid change the aggregation of glutenin, gliadin and glutenin macropolymer in wheat flour system.

BACKGROUND: Glutenin macropolymer (GMP), glutenin and gliadin proteins are important indicators of the baking quality of dough. This study investigated the impacts of wheat bran and a mixture of ferulic acid (FA) and dietary fiber (DF) on the constitution of gluten proteins. Addition of wheat bran (100 and 150 g kg-1 ) into gluten decreased the gliadin/glutenin ratio, while the addition of different amounts of FA + DF (C1 group: 20 g kg-1 FA and 60 g kg-1 DF; C2 group: 30 g kg-1 FA and 90 g kg-1 DF) had the opposite effect. RESULTS: The GMP contents of wheat bran groups (B1 group: 100 g kg-1 ; B2 group: 150 g kg-1 ) were similar to that of the control group, and disulfide bond contents were increased. However, both GMP and disulfide bond contents of FA + DF groups significantly decreased. The GMP gel properties and microstructures were destroyed after addition of wheat bran and FA + DF. The wheat bran and FA + DF additives induced different effects on the thermal properties and secondary structures of glutenin, gliadin and GMP. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that the interaction mechanism of bran fractions and gluten proteins is not only related to the physicochemical properties of the additives, but also to interactions between the additives and the components of gluten protein. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

The impact of NBUVB on microbial community profiling in the lesional skin of vitiligo subjects.

BACKGROUND: The impact of NBUVB on the cutaneous microbiota of vitiligo patients remains to be fully elucidated. METHODS: To characterize the cutaneous microbiota in vitiligo patients, cutaneous samples from 60 patients with vitiligo and after NBUVB irradiation were profiled using the Illumina MiSeq platform. Alpha diversity estimations revealed higher microbiota diversity in samples from patients with lesional skin. Beta diversity (Principal Component Analysis (PCA)) analysis showed that the bacterial community structure segregated differently between different groups. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant increase in the Sobs, ACE, and Chao indices in the NB group compared with NF group, as determined by t-test. The alpha diversity have no significant difference between NF and DB group. At the phylum level, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria were the most predominant phyla. Propionibacterium and Pseudomonas were the most predominant genera in each group. In addition, Staphylococcus, Bacillus and Prevotella were enriched in DF group compared to DB group. Propionibacterium was enriched in DB group compared to DF group. CONCLUSIONS: Our studies indicate differences in microbial community dynamics of the lesional and non-lesional sites of vitiligo subjects, with greater diversity and higher association between microbial communities of the unaffected site. And NBUVB irradiation might eliminate these differences.

Identification of Hub Genes in High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer Using Weighted Gene Co-Expression Network Analysis.

BACKGROUND High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) is the most malignant gynecologic tumor. This study reveals biomarkers related to HGSOC incidence and progression using the bioinformatics method. MATERIAL AND METHODS Five gene expression profiles were downloaded from GEO. Differentially-expressed genes (DEGs) in HGSOC and normal ovarian tissue samples were screened using limma and the function of DEGs was annotated by KEGG and GO analysis using clusterProfiler. A co-expression network utilizing the WGCNA package was established to define several hub genes from the key module. Furthermore, survival analysis was performed, followed by expression validation with datasets from TCGA and GTEx. Finally, we used single-gene GSEA to detect the function of prognostic hub genes. RESULTS Out of the 1874 DEGs detected from 114 HGSOC versus 49 normal tissue samples, 956 were upregulated and 919 were downregulated. The functional annotation indicated that upregulated DEGs were mostly enriched in cell cycle, whereas the downregulated DEGs were enriched in the MAPK or Ras signaling pathway. Two modules significantly associated with HGSOC were excavated through WGCNA. After survival analysis and expression validation of hub genes, we found that 2 upregulated genes (MAD2L1 and PKD2) and 3 downregulated genes (DOCK5, FANCD2 and TBRG1) were positively correlated with HGSOC prognosis. GSEA for single-hub genes revealed that MAD2L1 and PKD2 were associated with proliferation, while DOCK5, FANCD2, and TBRG1 were associated with immune response. CONCLUSIONS We found that FANCD2, PKD2, TBRG1, and DOCK5 had prognostic value and could be used as potential biomarkers for HGSOC treatment.