Prediction of sepsis among patients with major trauma using artificial intelligence: a multicenter validated cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Sepsis remains a significant challenge in patients with major trauma in the ICU. Early detection and treatment are crucial for improving outcomes and reducing mortality rates. Nonetheless, clinical tools for predicting sepsis among patients with major trauma are limited. This study aimed to develop and validate an artificial intelligence (AI) platform for predicting the risk of sepsis among patients with major trauma. METHODS: This study involved 961 patients, with prospective analysis of data from 244 patients with major trauma at our hospital and retrospective analysis of data from 717 patients extracted from a database in the United States. The patients from our hospital constituted the model development cohort, and the patients from the database constituted the external validation cohort. The patients in the model development cohort were randomly divided into a training cohort and an internal validation cohort at a ratio of 8:2. The machine learning algorithms used to train models included logistic regression (LR), decision tree (DT), extreme gradient boosting machine (eXGBM), neural network (NN), random forest (RF), and light gradient boosting machine (LightGBM). RESULTS: The incidence of sepsis for the model development cohort was 43.44%. Twelve predictors, including gender, abdominal trauma, open trauma, red blood cell count, heart rate, respiratory rate, injury severity score, sequential organ failure assessment score, Glasgow coma scale, smoking, total protein concentrations, and hematocrit, were used as features in the final model. Internal validation showed that the NN model had the highest area under the curve (AUC) of 0.932 (95% CI: 0.917-0.948), followed by the LightGBM and eXGBM models with AUCs of 0.913 (95% CI: 0.883-0.930) and 0.912 (95% CI: 0.880-0.935), respectively. In the external validation cohort, the eXGBM model (AUC: 0.891, 95% CI: 0.866-0.914) had the highest AUC value, followed by the LightGBM model (AUC: 0.886, 95% CI: 0.860-0.906), and the AUC value of the NN model was only 0.787 (95% CI: 0.751-0.829). Considering the predictive performance for both the internal and external validation cohorts, the LightGBM model had the highest score of 82, followed by the eXGBM (81) and NN (76) models. Thus, the LightGBM was emerged as the optimal model, and it was deployed online as an AI application. CONCLUSIONS: This study develops and validates an AI application to effectively assess the susceptibility of patients with major trauma to sepsis. The AI application equips healthcare professionals with a valuable tool to promptly identify individuals at high risk of developing sepsis. This will facilitate clinical decision-making and enable early intervention.

Examining the Use and Application of the WHO Integrated People-Centred Health Services Framework in Research Globally - a Systematic Scoping Review.

Introduction: The World Health Organisation (WHO) accepted the Integrated People-centred Health Services (IPCHS) framework in 2016 as an essential component for achieving universal health coverage in fragmented health systems. We aimed to examine the empirical applications of the WHO IPCHS framework to guide its use in strengthening health-service research. Methods: Academic databases and the IPCHS website were searched for relevant articles published between 2016 and July 2023. Two reviewers independently screened and extracted data on the study design, setting, IPCHS framework components, and facilitators and barriers to implementing the IPCHS strategies. Descriptive and content analyses were conducted. Results: Six studies were identified using the IPCHS framework. Studies have examined a combination of the five IPCHS strategies. All studies reported building strong primary care-based systems and coordinating care for individuals. Continued relationships and trust, co-production of health programmes, diversity of health care team, and technology were major facilitators, while low health literacy, lack of primary setting capacity and healthcare workforce were principal barriers to IPCHS implementation. Conclusion: This scoping review offers an overview of IPCHS strategies employed in healthcare research. Generally, the IPCHS framework remains underutilised in primary research. These results offer guidance for future research to support effective healthcare delivery.

CD97 inhibits osteoclast differentiation via Rap1a/ERK pathway under compression.

Acceleration of tooth movement during orthodontic treatment is challenging, with osteoclast-mediated bone resorption on the compressive side being the rate-limiting step. Recent studies have demonstrated that mechanoreceptors on the surface of monocytes/macrophages, especially adhesion G protein-coupled receptors (aGPCRs), play important roles in force sensing. However, its role in the regulation of osteoclast differentiation remains unclear. Herein, through single-cell analysis, we revealed that CD97, a novel mechanosensitive aGPCR, was expressed in macrophages. Compression upregulated CD97 expression and inhibited osteoclast differentiation; while knockdown of CD97 partially rescued osteoclast differentiation. It suggests that CD97 may be an important mechanosensitive receptor during osteoclast differentiation. RNA sequencing analysis showed that the Rap1a/ERK signalling pathway mediates the effects of CD97 on osteoclast differentiation under compression. Consistently, we clarified that administration of the Rap1a inhibitor GGTI298 increased osteoclast activity, thereby accelerating tooth movement. In conclusion, our results indicate that CD97 suppresses osteoclast differentiation through the Rap1a/ERK signalling pathway under orthodontic compressive force.

First/second-order predefined-time convergent ZNN models for time-varying quadratic programming and robotic manipulator application.

Zeroing neural network (ZNN) model, an important class of recurrent neural network, has been widely applied in the field of computation and optimization. In this paper, two ZNN models with predefined-time convergence are proposed for the time-varying quadratic programming (TVQP) problem. First, in the framework of the traditional ZNN model, the first-order predefined-time convergent ZNN (FPTZNN) model is proposed in combination with a predefined-time controller. Compared with the existing ZNN models, the proposed ZNN model is error vector combined with sliding mode control technique. Then, the FPTZNN model is further extended and the second-order predefined-time convergent ZNN (SPTZNN) model is developed. Combined with the Lyapunov method and the concept of predefined-time stability, it is shown that the proposed FPTZNN and SPTZNN models have the properties of predefined-time convergence, and their convergence time can be flexibly adjusted by predefined-time control parameters. Finally, the proposed FPTZNN and SPTZNN models are compared with the existing ZNN models for the TVQP problem in simulation experiment, and the simulation experiment results verify the effectiveness and superior performance of the proposed FPTZNN and SPTZNN models. In addition, the proposed FPTZNN model for robot motion planning problem is applied and successfully implemented to verify the practicality of the model.

Mechanisms and heterogeneity in the construction of network infrastructure to help rural households bridge the "digital divide".

Addressing the digital divide that plagues rural areas has become an important issue in narrowing the urban-rural gap and achieving common prosperity. This article examines the impact of network infrastructure on rural households' ability to cross the digital divide by using the "broadband rural" strategy as a proxy variable for network infrastructure and combining data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) with a score propensity matched difference-in-differences model (PSM-DID). The results show that network infrastructure can help farmers cross the access and use divide, but does not contribute significantly to crossing the ability divide in the current period. A triple difference model (DDD) was introduced to test the effect of network technology training on the contribution of network infrastructure to the ability gap, and the ability gap needs to be based on the use gap, so there is a delay in the response of the ability gap to policy. Further analysis reveals that network infrastructure mainly facilitates non-farm occupational groups to cross the capability divide, and facilitates middle-aged and young people to cross the digital divide, and does not have significant effects on groups involved in agricultural work and older people. In view of this, the network infrastructure should be continuously promoted, public service training on digital skills should be organized, electronic products and information services should be created exclusively for the elderly group and the group involved in agricultural production, and the ability of farmers to apply the network to their production life should be strengthened.

Lumican is a potential predictor on the efficacy of concurrent chemoradiotherapy in cervical squamous cell carcinoma.

Purpose: To identify new novel biomarkers for predicting the efficacy of concurrent chemoradiotherapy(CCRT) in cervical squamous cell carcinoma(CESC). Methods: Gene expression datasets GSE56363, GSE5787, and GSE168009 were analyzed to identify candidate genes to predict the efficacy of CCRT in CESC. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data from GSE168652 and CESC patients in The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA) were systematically analyzed to explore possible molecular mechanisms. Kaplan-Meier evaluated the correlation between LUM (Lumican) and prognostic significance. The expression of LUM protein in biopsy tissues before CCRT was detected by immunohistochemistry in 15 CESC patients. Results: LUM mRNA levels were significantly upregulated in nonresponders of CESC.patients receiving CCRT and positively correlated with poor therapeutic effect. Furthermore, high expression of LUM influenced the immune microenvironment in CESC patient-derived organoids treated with CCRT. LUM overexpression in CESC cells induced resistance to CCRT, potentially via immune landscape modulation. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) revealed that possible mechanisms underlying resistance to CCRT might involve the PARs and IL1 signaling pathway affecting the immune landscape. Conclusions: High LUM expression is correlated with poor efficacy in CESC patients receiving CCRT, possibly through the PARs and IL1 signaling pathway affecting the immune landscape.

Comparison of serodiagnosis methods for community-acquired Mycoplasma pneumoniae respiratory tract infections in children.

This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic value of chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA), passive particle agglutination (PPA), and indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) in detecting Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in children. Serum samples from 165 children with acute community-acquired respiratory tract infections were examined using CLIA, PPA, and IFA, and consistency coefficient, specificity, and sensitivity were analyzed. Compared with the PPA (titer ≥ 1:160), the consistency coefficients of the immunoglobulin(Ig)M-CLIA, immunoglobulin(Ig)G-CLIA and IgM-IFA methods were 93.94%, 75.76%, and 83.64%, respectively. The positive likelihood ratio (PLR) and specificity of IgM-CLIA was 19.40 and 95.49%, respectively. The consistency coefficient of (IgM+IgG)-CLIA and PPA (titer ≥ 1:160) was 89.1%, and the sensitivity and negative predictive value of (IgM+IgG)-CLIA were 96.88% and 98.94%, respectively. CLIA MP-IgM has high concordance with PPA, and its specificity and sensitivity are higher than those of CLIA MP-IgG and IFA MP-IgM, suggesting its better diagnosis of early MP infection. The sensitivity and negative predictive value of CLIA MP (IgM+IgG) were higher than those of PPA or IFA, indicating that it should be considered as a priority in the diagnosis of MP infection.

Evaluating the Clinical Application of Automatic Chromosome Harvesting for Prenatal Karyotype Analysis.

Objective: The clinical value of an automatic chromosome harvester was evaluated, which included a comparison between the manual and automatic harvesting for the isolation of amniotic fluid cell chromosomes. Methods: Amniotic fluid samples from 96 high-risk gravida cases identified at 17-25 weeks treated at the Prenatal Diagnostic and Reproductive Center from June to July 2022 were collected. These samples underwent both manual and automatic chromosome collection, and their harvest time and number of amniotic cells were compared. These chromosomes were then used to produce karyotypic data for each sample using an automatic chromosomal karyotype analysis system, scan karyotype. Results: The average automatic harvesting time per sample, 3.92 min, was significantly lower than that of the manual harvesting, 7.89 min (p < 0.001). In addition, the average number of cells from the automatic harvesting (4.16 × 106 pieces) was significantly increased when compared with those of the manual group (2.10 × 106 pieces; p < 0.001). Further karyotyping revealed that both sets of chromosomes produced clear bands and good dispersion data, producing no significant differences in these evaluations (p > 0.05). However, the number of analyzable karyotypes obtained using the automatic harvester was significantly higher than those of the manual harvesting (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The automatic chromosome harvester can effectively save time, manual labor and consumables, harvest more analyzable karyotypes, and improve the efficiency of clinical diagnosis. The automatic chromosome harvester is highly stable and repeatable, which has the potential to help achieve large-scale standardized chromosome harvesting and is worthy of widespread clinical promotion.

Identification of SH2 domain-containing proteins and motifs prediction by a deep learning method.

The Src Homology 2 (SH2) domain plays an important role in the signal transmission mechanism in organisms. It mediates the protein-protein interactions based on the combination between phosphotyrosine and motifs in SH2 domain. In this study, we designed a method to identify SH2 domain-containing proteins and non-SH2 domain-containing proteins through deep learning technology. Firstly, we collected SH2 and non-SH2 domain-containing protein sequences including multiple species. We built six deep learning models through DeepBIO after data preprocessing and compared their performance. Secondly, we selected the model with the strongest comprehensive ability to conduct training and test separately again, and analyze the results visually. It was found that 288-dimensional (288D) feature could effectively identify two types of proteins. Finally, motifs analysis discovered the specific motif YKIR and revealed its function in signal transduction. In summary, we successfully identified SH2 domain and non-SH2 domain proteins through deep learning method, and obtained 288D features that perform best. In addition, we found a new motif YKIR in SH2 domain, and analyzed its function which helps to further understand the signaling mechanisms within the organism.

Physiochemical responses of C. elegans under exposure to lanthanum and cerium affected by bacterial metabolism.

The increasing demand for rare earth elements (REEs) in modern applications has drawn significant attention. REEs can be introduced into the environment through REE-containing fertilizers, abandoned REE-rich equipment, and mining, persisting and impacting soil quality, nutrient cycles, and plant growth. Scientists have raised concerns about REEs entering the food chain from the environment and eventually accumulating in organisms. Decades of experimental evidence have shown that these effects include inhibited growth, impaired liver function, and alterations in children's intelligence quotients. However, there exists a paucity of research that has elucidated the metabolic-level biological impacts of REEs. In our study, Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) was used as a model organism to investigate physiological and inherent metabolic changes under exposure to different concentrations of REEs. The diet bacteria of nematodes play a key role in their life and development. Therefore, we investigated the influence of bacterial activity on the nematodes' response to REE exposure. We observed a concentration-dependent accumulation of REEs in nematodes, which consequently led to a reduction in lifespan and alterations in body length. Exposure to a mixed solution of REEs, in comparison to a single REE solution, resulted in greater toxicity toward nematodes. The metabolic results showed that the above changes were closely related to REE-induced amino acid metabolism disorder, membrane disturbance, DNA damage, and oxidative stress. Of note, the presence of living bacteria elicits REE effects in C. elegans. These findings highlight the potential intrinsic metabolic changes occurring in nematodes under REE exposure. Our study raises awareness of the exposure risks associated with REEs, provides valuable insight into the metabolic-level biological impacts of REEs and contributes to the development of effective mitigation strategies to reduce potential risks to human health.

N6-Methyladenosine RNA Modification: An Emerging Immunotherapeutic Approach to Turning Up Cold Tumors.

Immunotherapy is a novel clinical approach that has shown clinical efficacy in multiple cancers. However, only a fraction of patients respond well to immunotherapy. Immuno-oncological studies have identified the type of tumors that are sensitive to immunotherapy, the so-called hot tumors, while unresponsive tumors, known as "cold tumors," have the potential to turn into hot ones. Therefore, the mechanisms underlying cold tumor formation must be elucidated, and efforts should be made to turn cold tumors into hot tumors. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA modification affects the maturation and function of immune cells by controlling mRNA immunogenicity and innate immune components in the tumor microenvironment (TME), suggesting its predominant role in the development of tumors and its potential use as a target to improve cancer immunotherapy. In this review, we first describe the TME, cold and hot tumors, and m6A RNA modification. Then, we focus on the role of m6A RNA modification in cold tumor formation and regulation. Finally, we discuss the potential clinical implications and immunotherapeutic approaches of m6A RNA modification in cancer patients. In conclusion, m6A RNA modification is involved in cold tumor formation by regulating immunity, tumor-cell-intrinsic pathways, soluble inhibitory mediators in the TME, increasing metabolic competition, and affecting the tumor mutational burden. Furthermore, m6A RNA modification regulators may potentially be used as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for different types of cancer. In addition, targeting m6A RNA modification may sensitize cancers to immunotherapy, making it a promising immunotherapeutic approach for turning cold tumors into hot ones.

Expression and potential role of CXCL5 in the pathogenesis of intrauterine adhesions.

OBJECTIVE: C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 5 (CXCL5), a member of the chemokine family, is associated with remodeling of connective tissues. However, its role in formation of intrauterine adhesions (IUA) remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the expression and mechanism underlying the role of CXCL5 in IUA. METHODS: Expression of CXCL5 in IUA was detected by immunohistochemistry in a rat model of IUA and by real-time PCR and western blotting in patients with IUA. The protein levels of matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) and transcription factor p65 in human endometrial cells were assessed by western blotting after CXCL5 overexpression. RESULTS: Protein expression of CXCL5 was significantly decreased in the endometria of IUA rats compared with that of control and sham-operated rats. Real-time PCR and western blotting in patients with IUA showed similar results to those from the rat model. After overexpression, CXCL5 significantly upregulated expression of MMP9 and slightly upregulated expression of p65 in human endometrial cells. CONCLUSIONS: CXCL5 plays an important role in IUA formation after endometrial injury. We propose a molecular mechanism to explain formation of IUA, including downregulation of MMP9 by low CXCL5 expression. These findings provide valuable information for the prevention and targeted therapy of IUA.

Expression and Potential Role of MMP-9 in Intrauterine Adhesion.

OBJECTIVE: Intrauterine adhesions affect menstruation and fertility, and endometrial fibrosis is the final manifestation of IUA. MMP-9 is closely related to fibrosis. The purpose of the study was to assess the role of MMP-9 in intrauterine adhesion (IUA) in rats and patients. METHODS: 40 rats and 24 women were enrolled in this study. 40 rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: IUA group (n = 20), sham group (n = 10), and control group (n = 10). Rat IUA models were established by intrauterine mechanical and chemical injured. In this study, 12 patients of intrauterine adhesions were detected and underwent TCRA (transcervical resection of adhesion) surgery, and endometrial tissue specimens were obtained during operation. One month later, an office hysteroscopy procedure was performed, and endometrial tissue specimens were obtained during operation again (postoperative group). A group of 12 normal age-matched control individuals served as controls underwent hysteroscopy and endometrial sampling. We used immunohistochemistry to detect MMP-9 expressions in rats and human endometrial tissues and to detect MMP-9 protein levels by Western blotting. In addition, we detected mRNA expression levels with qRT-PCR. RESULTS: The expression of MMP-9 in the IUA rats was reduced compared with that in the sham group and Ctrl group (P < 0.05), and the expression of MMP-9 was also reduced in the IUA patients compared with that in the Ctrl group (P < 0.05). The mRNA levels of MMP-9 in the endometrium reflected similar results (P < 0.05). The MMP-9 clearly increased even in the endometrium after TCRA surgery (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that MMP-9 may play an important role in IUA. In the future, more in-depth research should be conducted on MMP-9.

NLRC5 Inhibits Inflammation of Secretory Phase Ectopic Endometrial Stromal Cells by Up-Regulating Autophagy in Ovarian Endometriosis.

Nod-like receptor (NLR) family caspase activation and recruitment domain containing 5 (NLRC5) is a newly identified sub-class of the NLR family. It regulates inflammation and has a key function in innate and adaptive immunologic reactions. Autophagy has been reported to be crucially linked to the pathogenesis of endometriosis. Our recent study identify there is a negative correlation between NLRC5 and autophagy in endometriosis, indicating that NLRC5 and autophagy together act as promising predictors in endometriosis patients. However, the mechanism associating NLRC5 and autophagy in endometriosis is still not completely understood. We hypothesize that autophagy could be involved in NLRC5-mediated inflammation in endometriosis. In order to validate the assumption, we evaluate the effects of NLRC5 and autophagy in the inflammation of ectopic endometrial stromal cells (EESCs) of ovarian endometriosis patients, to specifically determine whether autophagy is involved in NLRC5-mediated inflammation in EESCs. Our results show that over-expression of NLRC5 results in the up-regulation of autophagy in EESCs and inhibition of NLRC5 restricts the level of autophagy in EESCs. Furthermore, over-expression of NLRC5 and promotion of autophagy inhibit interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) expressions, whereas inhibition of NLRC5 and autophagy up-regulate IL-6 and TNF-α expressions in EESCs. Additionally, promotion of autophagy contributes to the NLRC5-mediated inhibition of IL-6 and TNF-α expressions in EESCs; inhibition of autophagy restricts NLRC5-mediated inhibition of IL-6 and TNF-α expressions in EESCs. Our results suggest that over-expression of NLRC5 promotes autophagy, thereby inhibiting inflammation in ovarian endometriosis.

NLRC5 promotes cell migration and invasion by activating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in endometrial cancer.

OBJECTIVE: NOD-like receptor family caspase recruitment domain family domain-containing 5 (NLRC5) is involved in the development of cancer. Our objective was to explore the role of NLRC5 in the progression of endometrial cancer (EC). METHODS: The roles of NLRC5 in migration and invasion of AN3CA EC cells were examined by cell wound-healing assay, Transwell migration, and invasion analysis. Overexpression of NLRC5 was achieved with NLRC5 plasmid, and knockdown of NLRC5 was achieved using small interfering (si)RNA-NLRC5 in AN3CA cells. The expression of NLRC5 was detected by immunohistochemical, western blot, and quantitative real-time PCR. LY294002 was used to inhibit the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT signaling pathway. RESULTS: NLRC5 was downregulated in EC tissue compared with normal endometrium. Overexpression of NLRC5 led to upregulation of cell migration and invasion in AN3CA cells and expression of matrix metallopeptidase (MMP)-9. Inhibition of NLRC5 restricted migration and invasion of AN3CA cells and expression of MMP9. Overexpression of NLRC5 promoted the activation of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Inhibiting PI3K/AKT signaling pathway by using LY294002 blocked the positive role of NLRC5 in migration and invasion of AN3CA cells and expression of MMP9. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that NLRC5 promotes EC progression by activating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

Endophthalmitis associated with fungal keratitis and penetrating injuries in North China.

PURPOSE: To report the laboratory findings, management strategies, and visual outcomes of culture-proven exogenous fungal endophthalmitis in North China. METHODS: The microbiological and treatment records of patients with culture-positive exogenous fungal endophthalmitis who visited the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University from January 2012 to December 2016 were reviewed. RESULTS: A total of 39 eyes (39 patients) were identified over a 5-year period. Exogenous fungal endophthalmitis was associated with penetrating trauma in 22 eyes (56.4%), fungal keratitis in 15 eyes (38.5%), and intraocular surgery in 2 eyes (5.1%). Hyphae were found in 29 of 37 smear samples (78.4%) by direct microscopic examination. Fungal pathogens cultured from 39 samples were identified as 10 genera and 15 species. Filamentous fungi (molds) accounted for 94.9% (37 samples), including Fusarium (19, 48.7%) and Aspergillus (11, 28.2%). Most keratitis cases were caused by Fusarium (11 of 15; 73.3 %). Aspergillus was isolated from nine penetrating ocular trauma cases (9 of 22; 40.9%). Three eyes receiving evisceration had fungal and bacteria coinfection (3 of 39, 7.7%) with Aspergillus and Bacillus. At least, one surgical intervention was performed in all 39 eyes and 28 (71.8%) eyes underwent two or more procedures, including surgeries and intraocular injections. Twenty-nine patients received intraocular antifungal therapy with amphotericin B and/or voriconazole. Visual acuity at discharge from the hospital was significantly better than the initial visual acuity (p < 0.001). Final vision of 20/400 or better was achieved in 22 (56.4%) eyes. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlighted the differences between clinical categories of exogenous fungal endophthalmitis. Trauma was the major etiological factor. Molds were the most common pathogens, with Fusarium ranking first, followed by Aspergillus. Fungal and bacterial coinfection mostly occurred after metal penetrating trauma, and Bacillus was the primary bacterial pathogen. Coinfection may be one reason of evisceration. Immediate intravitreal antifungal therapy combined with vitrectomy was effective for exogenous fungal endophthalmitis. Amphotericin B and voriconazole were commonly used antifungal agents.

TGF-ß1 alleviates HgCl2 induced apoptosis via P38 MAPK signaling pathway in human trophoblast cells.

It is well known that embryonic development can be perturbed by environmental factors such as heavy metals. Mercury is one of the most significant threats to the environment and human health. Mercury can damage many parts of the human body, including lungs, kidneys, nerves and fetus. However, the effect of mercury on human embryo remains unknown. Here, we showed that HgCl2 treatment resulted in a significant increase in apoptosis in HTR-8/SVneo cells. However, the effect of HgCl2 on apoptosis was partially reduced by the combination treatment with TGF-ß1 and HgCl2 in HTR-8/SVneo cells. Moreover, HgCl2 treatment gradually decreased the expression of TGF-ß1 in a dose dependent manner. Furthermore, a P38 MAPK inhibitor, SB202190, decreased the cell apoptosis and caspase activation induced by HgCl2 in trophoblast cells. In addition, TGF-ß1 alleviated HgCl2 induced apoptosis of HTR-8/SVneo cells via p38 MAPK signaling pathway, which was involved in the TAK1 expression. These results might provide a theoretical basis for mercury induced trophoblast associated embryo damage and a potential avenue of intervention.

Stimulative role of ST6GALNAC1 in proliferation, migration and invasion of ovarian cancer stem cells via the Akt signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: Ovarian cancer is known as one of the most common cancers in the world among women. ST6GALNAC1 is highly expressed in cancer stem cells (CSCs), which correlates to high tumor-initiating, self-renewal and differentiation abilities. This present study aims to investigate how ST6GALNAC1 affects ovarian cancer stem cells (OCSCs). METHODS: In order to identify the differentially expressed genes related to ovarian cancer, microarray-based gene expression profiling of ovarian cancer was used, and ST6GALANC1 was one of the identified targets. After that, levels of ST6GALNAC1 in OCSCs and ovarian cancer cells were examined. Subsequently, an Akt signaling pathway inhibitor LY294002 was introduced into the cluster of differentiation 90+ (CD90+) stem cells, and cell proliferation, migration and invasion, levels of CXCL16, EGFR, CD44, Nanog and Oct4, as well as tumorigenicity of OCSCs were examined. RESULTS: By using a comprehensive microarray analysis, it was determined that ST6GALNAC1 was highly expressed in ovarian cancer and it regulated the Akt signaling pathway. High levels of ST6GALNAC1 were observed in OCSCs and ovarian cancer cells. Silencing ST6GALNAC1 was shown to be able to reduce cell proliferation, migration, invasion, self-renewal ability, tumorigenicity of OCSCs. In accordance with these results, the effects of ST6GALNAC1 in OCSCs were dependent on the Akt signaling pathway. CONCLUSIONS: When taken together, our findings defined the potential stimulative roles of ST6GALNAC1 in ovarian cancer and OCSCs, which relied on the Akt signaling pathway.

Expression and potential role of SNF5 in endometrial carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: SNF5 is a key protein in regulating cell proliferation and apoptosis in various cancers. However, the physiological roles of SNF5 in Endometrial carcinoma (EC), which is one of the most frequent malignancies of the female reproduction worldwide, remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the role of SNF5 and its correlation with clinicopathologic characteristics in EC. METHODS: We performed immunohistochemistry to detect the SNF5 expression in 46 endometrial carcinomas and 20 normal endometrium (non-EC) specimens, as well as analyzed the correlations between SNF5 expression and clinicopathologic features of patients using a statistics software (GraphPad Prism V6.0). Western blotting had been used to confirm the protein level of SNF5 in endometrial tissues. In addition, we evaluated the correlations between SNF5 and p21 in EC. RESULTS: The positive immunostaining rate for SNF5 in EC and non-EC specimens were 65% (30/46) and 25% (5/20) respectively, and the expression of SNF5 was dramatically increased in EC compared with the normal endometrium (P < 0.01). The overexpression of SNF5 was associated with the PR levels, but not with age, FIGO stage, grade, lymphatic metastasis, myometrial invasion or ER status. Knockdown of SNF5 inhibits the expression of p21. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that SNF5 plays an important role of promoting oncogenesis in EC. These findings open up the possibility for various novel and effective combination therapies targeting SNF5 in the EC.