The application of tumor cell-derived vesicles in oncology therapy.

Tumor cell-derived vesicles are released by tumor cells, have a phospholipid bilayer, and are widely distributed in various biological fluids. In recent years, it has been found that tumor cell-derived vesicles contain proteins, metabolites and nucleic acids and can be delivered to recipient cells to perform their physiological functions, such as mediating specific intercellular communication, activating or inhibiting signaling pathways, participating in regulating the modulation of tumor microenvironment and influencing tumor development, which can be used for early detection and diagnosis of cancer. In addition, tumor cell-derived vesicles exhibit multiple properties in tumor therapeutic applications and may serve as a new class of delivery systems. In this review, we elaborate on the application of tumor cell-derived vesicles in oncology therapy.

Abdominal center strength training in table tennis players / Treinamento de força do centro abdominal em jogadores de tênis de mesa / Entrenamiento de fuerza del centro abdominal en jugadores de tenis de mesa

ABSTRACT Introduction: A series of reforms in table tennis involving the development trend of table tennis technology and the needs of athletes to improve competitive ability and prevent injuries have presented new requirements for the abdominal center strength of athletes. Objective: Study the impacts of implementing abdominal center strength training on the training of table tennis players. Methods: A broad literature search and experimental comparison were performed. Twenty professional athletes aged 14 to 20 from the men's table tennis team were selected as volunteers for the research, divided into two groups according to the mean, standard deviation, and results of special technical tests. An independent sample t-test was performed on both groups. Results: Significant differences were found for abdominal control, for legs and arms crossed on both ends, for supine posture, and for leg raising (P<0.05). Conclusion: Abdominal center strength training can effectively improve the special ability level of young table tennis players, improve the body control ability in players, and the stability of the shot action. Level of evidence II; Therapeutic studies - investigating the results of treatment.

RESUMO Introdução: Uma série de reformas no tênis de mesa que envolvem a tendência de desenvolvimento da tecnologia do tênis de mesa e as necessidades dos atletas para melhorar a capacidade competitiva e prevenir lesões tem apresentado novos requisitos para a força do centro abdominal dos esportistas. Objetivo: Estudar os impactos da implementação do treinamento de força no centro abdominal no treinamento dos jogadores de tênis de mesa. Métodos: Efetuou-se vasta pesquisa bibliográfica e comparação experimental. Foram selecionados 20 atletas profissionais com idade entre 14 e 20 anos da equipe masculina de tênis de mesa como voluntários para pesquisa, divididos em dois grupos de acordo com a média, desvio padrão e resultados de testes técnicos especiais. Realizou-se um teste T de amostra independente nos dois grupos. Resultados: Foram encontradas diferenças significativas para controle abdominal, para pernas e braços cruzados de ambas as extremidades, para postura supina e para levantamento de pernas (P<0.05). Conclusão: O treinamento da força do centro abdominal pode efetivamente melhorar o nível de habilidade especial dos jovens jogadores de tênis de mesa, melhorar a capacidade de controle corporal nos jogadores e a estabilidade da ação dos tiros. Nível de evidência II; Estudos terapêuticos - investigação dos resultados do tratamento.

RESUMEN Introducción: Una serie de reformas en el tenis de mesa relacionadas con la tendencia de desarrollo de la tecnología del tenis de mesa y las necesidades de los atletas para mejorar la capacidad competitiva y prevenir las lesiones han presentado nuevos requisitos para la fuerza del núcleo abdominal de los atletas. Objetivo: Estudiar los impactos de la implementación del entrenamiento de la fuerza del núcleo abdominal en el entrenamiento de los jugadores de tenis de mesa. Métodos: Se realizó una amplia investigación bibliográfica y una comparación experimental. Se seleccionaron como voluntarios para la investigación 20 atletas profesionales con edades comprendidas entre los 14 y los 20 años del equipo masculino de tenis de mesa, divididos en dos grupos según la media, la desviación estándar y los resultados de las pruebas técnicas especiales. Se realizó una prueba T de muestras independientes en los dos grupos. Resultados: Se encontraron diferencias significativas para el control abdominal, para las piernas y los brazos cruzados de ambas extremidades, para la postura supina y para la elevación de las piernas (P<0,05). Conclusión: El entrenamiento de la fuerza del núcleo abdominal puede mejorar eficazmente el nivel de habilidad especial de los jóvenes jugadores de tenis de mesa, mejorar la capacidad de control del cuerpo en los jugadores y la estabilidad de la acción de tiro. Nivel de evidencia II; Estudios terapéuticos - investigación de los resultados del tratamiento.

Coronary artery bypass on survival in patients with moderate ischemic mitral regurgitation: meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to systematically evaluate the effect of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) or CABG combined with mitral valve surgery (cMVS) on post-operative survival in patients with moderate ischemic mitral valve regurgitation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Databases including PubMed, Web of Science, COCHRANE LIBRARY, WanFang Data, and CNKI Data were searched from inception to January 2020. According to the inclusion criterion, relevant articles were screened. After that we extracted data, assessed quality, and performed meta-analysis using RevMan 5.2. RESULTS: A total of 4 randomized controlled trial and 14 retrospective study involving 4476 patients were included in the study. The CABG group was 2278 and the cMVS group was 1698. The results of meta-analysis showed that compared with CABG group, there were no statistically significant differences in the recent mortality (odds ratio [OR] = 0.88, p = 0.62), 1-year survival (OR = 1.03, p = 0.82), 1-year survival (OR = 1.07, p = 0.62), and long-term survival (OR = 0.95, p = 0.61) of the cMVS group. CONCLUSION: Current evidence indicates that patients in the cMVS group did not benefit from CABG group in survival after surgery.

OBJETIVO: . Evaluar sistemáticamente el efecto del injerto de derivación de la arteria coronaria (CABG) o el injerto de derivación de la arteria coronaria combinados con la cirugía de la válvula mitral (cMVS) sobre la supervivencia posoperatoria en pacientes con insuficiencia valvular mitral isquémica moderada. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: . Se realizaron búsquedas en bases de datos que incluyen Pubmed, Web of Science, COCHRANE LIBRARY, WanFang Data y CNKI Data desde el inicio hasta enero de 2020. De acuerdo con el criterio de inclusión, se seleccionaron los artículos relevantes. Después de eso, extrajimos los datos, evaluamos la calidad y realizamos el metanálisis con RevMan 5.2. RESULTADOS: . Se incluyó un total de 4 ensayos controlados aleatorios (ECA) y 14 estudios retrospectivos con 4476 pacientes. El grupo CABG fue 2278, el grupo cMVS fue 1698. Los resultados del metanálisis mostraron que, en comparación con el grupo CABG, no hubo diferencias estadísticamente significativas en la mortalidad reciente (OR = 0.88, p = 0.62), supervivencia a 1 año (OR = 1.03, p = 0.82), supervivencia a 1 año (OR = 1.07, p = 0.62) y supervivencia a largo plazo (OR = 0.95, p = 0.61) del grupo cMVS. CONCLUSIÓN: . La evidencia actual indica que los pacientes del grupo cMVS no se beneficiaron del grupo CABG en la supervivencia después de la cirugía.

Using native and invasive livebearing fishes (Poeciliidae, Teleostei) for the integrated biological assessment of pollution in urban streams.

Invasive species are increasingly replacing native species, especially in anthropogenically transformed or polluted habitats. This opens the possibility to use invasive species as indicator taxa for the biological assessment of pollution. Integrated biological assessment, however, additionally relies on the application of multiple approaches to quantify physiological or cytogenetic responses to pollution within the same focal species. This is challenging when species are restricted to either polluted or unpolluted sites. Here, we make use of a small group of neotropical livebearing fishes (family Poeciliidae) for the integrated biological assessment of water quality. Comparing urban and suburban stream sections that receive varying degrees of pollution from industrial and domestic waste waters in and around the Brazilian city of Uberlândia, we demonstrate that two members of this family may indeed serve as indicators of water pollution levels. The native species Phalloceros caudimaculatus appears to be replaced by invasive guppies (Poecilia reticulata) at heavily polluted sites. Nevertheless, we demonstrate that both species could be used for the assessment of bioaccumulation of heavy metals (Pb, Cu, and Cr). Ambient (sediment) concentrations predicted concentrations in somatic tissue across species (R2-values between 0.74 and 0.96). Moreover, we used cytogenetic methods to provide an estimate of genotoxic effects of water pollution and found pollution levels (multiple variables, condensed into principal components) to predict the occurrence of nuclear abnormalities (e.g., frequencies of micro-nucleated cells) across species (R2 between 0.69 and 0.83). The occurrence of poeciliid fishes in urban and polluted environments renders this family a prime group of focal organisms for biological water quality monitoring and assessment. Both species could be used interchangeably to assess genotoxic effects of water pollution, which may facilitate future comparative analyses over extensive geographic scales, as members of the family Poeciliidae have become invasive in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide.

Promotion of iron nutrition and growth on peanut by Paenibacillus illinoisensis and Bacillus sp. strains in calcareous soil

ABSTRACT This study aimed to explore the effects of two siderophore-producing bacterial strains on iron absorption and plant growth of peanut in calcareous soil. Two siderophore-producing bacterial strains, namely, YZ29 and DZ13, isolated from the rhizosphere soil of peanut, were identified as Paenibacillus illinoisensis and Bacillus sp., respectively. In potted experiments, YZ29 and DZ13 enhanced root activity, chlorophyll and active iron content in leaves, total nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium accumulation of plants and increased the quality of peanut kernels and plant biomass over control. In the field trial, the inoculated treatments performed better than the controls, and the pod yields of the three treatments inoculated with YZ29, DZ13, and YZ29 + DZ13 (1:1) increased by 37.05%, 13.80% and 13.57%, respectively, compared with the control. Based on terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis, YZ29 and DZ13 improved the bacterial community richness and species diversity of soil surrounding the peanut roots. Therefore, YZ29 and DZ13 can be used as candidate bacterial strains to relieve chlorosis of peanut and promote peanut growth. The present study is the first to explore the effect of siderophores produced by P. illinoisensis on iron absorption.(AU)

Promotion of iron nutrition and growth on peanut by Paenibacillus illinoisensis and Bacillus sp. strains in calcareous soil

ABSTRACT This study aimed to explore the effects of two siderophore-producing bacterial strains on iron absorption and plant growth of peanut in calcareous soil. Two siderophore-producing bacterial strains, namely, YZ29 and DZ13, isolated from the rhizosphere soil of peanut, were identified as Paenibacillus illinoisensis and Bacillus sp., respectively. In potted experiments, YZ29 and DZ13 enhanced root activity, chlorophyll and active iron content in leaves, total nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium accumulation of plants and increased the quality of peanut kernels and plant biomass over control. In the field trial, the inoculated treatments performed better than the controls, and the pod yields of the three treatments inoculated with YZ29, DZ13, and YZ29 + DZ13 (1:1) increased by 37.05%, 13.80% and 13.57%, respectively, compared with the control. Based on terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis, YZ29 and DZ13 improved the bacterial community richness and species diversity of soil surrounding the peanut roots. Therefore, YZ29 and DZ13 can be used as candidate bacterial strains to relieve chlorosis of peanut and promote peanut growth. The present study is the first to explore the effect of siderophores produced by P. illinoisensis on iron absorption.

Promotion of iron nutrition and growth on peanut by Paenibacillus illinoisensis and Bacillus sp. strains in calcareous soil.

This study aimed to explore the effects of two siderophore-producing bacterial strains on iron absorption and plant growth of peanut in calcareous soil. Two siderophore-producing bacterial strains, namely, YZ29 and DZ13, isolated from the rhizosphere soil of peanut, were identified as Paenibacillus illinoisensis and Bacillus sp., respectively. In potted experiments, YZ29 and DZ13 enhanced root activity, chlorophyll and active iron content in leaves, total nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium accumulation of plants and increased the quality of peanut kernels and plant biomass over control. In the field trial, the inoculated treatments performed better than the controls, and the pod yields of the three treatments inoculated with YZ29, DZ13, and YZ29+DZ13 (1:1) increased by 37.05%, 13.80% and 13.57%, respectively, compared with the control. Based on terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis, YZ29 and DZ13 improved the bacterial community richness and species diversity of soil surrounding the peanut roots. Therefore, YZ29 and DZ13 can be used as candidate bacterial strains to relieve chlorosis of peanut and promote peanut growth. The present study is the first to explore the effect of siderophores produced by P. illinoisensis on iron absorption.

Assessing real-time Zika risk in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Confirmed local transmission of Zika Virus (ZIKV) in Texas and Florida have heightened the need for early and accurate indicators of self-sustaining transmission in high risk areas across the southern United States. Given ZIKV's low reporting rates and the geographic variability in suitable conditions, a cluster of reported cases may reflect diverse scenarios, ranging from independent introductions to a self-sustaining local epidemic. METHODS: We present a quantitative framework for real-time ZIKV risk assessment that captures uncertainty in case reporting, importations, and vector-human transmission dynamics. RESULTS: We assessed county-level risk throughout Texas, as of summer 2016, and found that importation risk was concentrated in large metropolitan regions, while sustained ZIKV transmission risk is concentrated in the southeastern counties including the Houston metropolitan region and the Texas-Mexico border (where the sole autochthonous cases have occurred in 2016). We found that counties most likely to detect cases are not necessarily the most likely to experience epidemics, and used our framework to identify triggers to signal the start of an epidemic based on a policymakers propensity for risk. CONCLUSIONS: This framework can inform the strategic timing and spatial allocation of public health resources to combat ZIKV throughout the US, and highlights the need to develop methods to obtain reliable estimates of key epidemiological parameters.

MicroRNA-15a/16-1 Antagomir Ameliorates Ischemic Brain Injury in Experimental Stroke.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Dysregulation of the miR-15a/16-1 cluster in plasma has been reported in patients with stroke as a potential biomarker for diagnostic and prognostic use. However, the essential role and therapeutic potential of the miR-15a/16-1 cluster in ischemic stroke are poorly understood. This study is aimed at investigating the regulatory role of the miR-15a/16-1 cluster in ischemic brain injury and insight mechanisms. METHODS: Adult male miR-15a/16-1 knockout and wild-type mice, or adult male C57 BL/6J mice injected via tail vein with the miR-15a/16-1-specific inhibitor (antagomir, 30 pmol/g), were subjected to 1 hour of middle cerebral artery occlusion and 72 hours of reperfusion. The neurological scores, brain infarct volume, brain water content, and neurobehavioral tests were then evaluated and analyzed. To explore underlying signaling pathways associated with alteration of miR-15a/16-1 activity, major proinflammatory cytokines were measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction or ELISA and antiapoptotic proteins were examined by Western blotting. RESULTS: Genetic deletion of the miR-15a/16-1 cluster or intravenous delivery of miR-15a/16-1 antagomir significantly reduced cerebral infarct size, decreased brain water content, and improved neurological outcomes in stroke mice. Inhibition of miR-15a/16-1 significantly decreased the expression of the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-6, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, vascular cell adhesion molecule 1, tumor necrosis factor alpha, and increased Bcl-2 and Bcl-w levels in the ischemic brain regions. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that pharmacological inhibition of the miR-15a/16-1 cluster reduces ischemic brain injury via both upregulation of antiapoptotic proteins and suppression of proinflammatory molecules. These results suggest that the miR-15a/16-1 cluster is a novel therapeutic target for ischemic stroke.

Application of a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method to the pharmacokinetics, tissue distribution and excretion studies of brazilin in rats.

Brazilin is an important constituent of Caesalpinia sappan L., and has several bioactivities. In this study, a rapid and sensitive analytical method based on high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) has been developed for the determination of brazilin in rat plasma, urine, feces and tissues (brain, heart, liver, lung and kidney and spleen). Biological samples were processed with ethyl acetate containing 5% formic acid extraction, and salicylic acid (SA) was chosen as the internal standard (IS). The separation of brazilin was achieved on an Inspire C18 column (4.6mm×150mm, 5µm) with a mobile phase consisting of methanol/5mM ammonium acetate (80:20, v/v). The MS/MS detection was carried out by monitoring the fragmentation of m/z 285.1→163.0 for brazilin and m/z 137.1→93.1 for SA on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. The total run time was only 5.0min. The analyte showed good linearity over a wide concentration range (R(2)>0.995) and its lower limit of quantification was 2ng/mL. The accuracy and precision ranged from 97.1 to 103.3% and 1.7 to 9.1%, respectively. Recoveries (78.9-93.8%) and matrix effects (81.0-97.8%) were satisfactory in all the biological matrices examined. Stability studies (86.4-99.8%) showed that brazilin was stable during the assay procedure and long-term storage. The assay was successfully applied to plasma pharmacokinetics, tissue distribution and excretion study of rats. The pharmacokinetic parameters, such as half-life, mean residence time, maximum concentration were determined. These preclinical data of brazilin would be useful for the clinical reference.

Effect of thymosin alpha-1 on subpopulations of Th1, Th2, Th17, and regulatory T cells (Tregs) in vitro.

Thymosin alpha 1 (Tα1) has been shown to have beneficial effects on numerous immune system parameters, but little is known about the effects of Tα1 on patients with gastric carcinoma. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of Tα1 on subpopulations of Th1, Th2, Th17, and regulatory T cells (Tregs) in vitro, and to evaluate its efficacy as an immunoregulatory factor in patients with gastric carcinoma. We compared the effect of Tα1 on the frequency of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, especially the CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Tregs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from gastric carcinoma patients (N = 35) and healthy donors (N = 22). We also analyzed the changes in the proliferation of PBMCs in response to treatment with Tα1, and examined the production of Th1, Th2, and Th17 cytokines by PBMCs and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. The treatment of PBMCs from gastric cancer patients, with Tα1 (50 µg/mL) alone increased the percentage of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ (suppressive antitumor-specific Tregs) from 1.68 ± 0.697 to 2.19 ± 0.795% (P < 0.05). Our results indicate that Tα1 increases the percentage of Tregs and IL-1ß, TNF-α, and IL-6 in vitro.

Effect of thymosin alpha-1 on subpopulations of Th1, Th2, Th17, and regulatory T cells (Tregs) in vitro

Thymosin alpha 1 (Tα1) has been shown to have beneficial effects on numerous immune system parameters, but little is known about the effects of Tα1 on patients with gastric carcinoma. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of Tα1 on subpopulations of Th1, Th2, Th17, and regulatory T cells (Tregs) in vitro, and to evaluate its efficacy as an immunoregulatory factor in patients with gastric carcinoma. We compared the effect of Tα1 on the frequency of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, especially the CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Tregs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from gastric carcinoma patients (N = 35) and healthy donors (N = 22). We also analyzed the changes in the proliferation of PBMCs in response to treatment with Tα1, and examined the production of Th1, Th2, and Th17 cytokines by PBMCs and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. The treatment of PBMCs from gastric cancer patients, with Tα1 (50 µg/mL) alone increased the percentage of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ (suppressive antitumor-specific Tregs) from 1.68 ± 0.697 to 2.19 ± 0.795 percent (P < 0.05). Our results indicate that Tα1 increases the percentage of Tregs and IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6 in vitro.