The Relationship Between Benefit Finding and Quality of Life in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: The Mediating Effects of Self-Management.

Objective: To explore the relationships among benefit finding (BF), self-management, and quality of life (QOL) among patients with COPD. Methods: A total of 205 patients with COPD were selected via a convenient sampling method. BF refers to the ability to find meaning or benefit from difficult situations. The Benefit Finding Scale (BFS), self-management scale, and 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (MOS SF-36) were used to investigate BF, self-management and QOL (including a physical component summary (PCS) and a psychological component summary (MCS)). Structural equation modeling was used to examine the relationships among BF, self-management and QOL in patients with COPD and to analyze the effects of BF and self-management on QOL. Results: The total QOL score of patients with COPD was 61.38±21.15, and the PCS and MCS scores were 57.67±23.60 and 65.09±21.24, respectively. BF and self-management had positive predictive effects on both the PCS (ßBF = 0.519, PBF = 0.012; ßself-management = 0.473, Pself-management = 0.012) and MCS (ßBF = 0.425, PBF = 0.013; ßself-management = 0.535, Pself-management = 0.016) of patients with COPD, and self-management mediated the relationships of BF with the PCS (ß = 0.144, P = 0.008) and MCS (ß = 0.162, P = 0.007). Conclusion: The QOL of patients with COPD needs to be improved, especially in terms of physical aspects. Helping COPD patients obtain better BF not only helps them improve their PCS and MCS directly but also indirectly through enhancing self-management to improve their PCS and MCS.

Discovery and validation of colorectal cancer tissue-specific methylation markers: a dual-center retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of colorectal cancer and its precancerous lesions can significantly improve patients' survival rates. The purpose of this research is to identify methylation markers specific to colorectal cancer tissues and validate their diagnostic capability in colorectal cancer and precancerous changes by measuring the level of DNA methylation in stool samples. METHOD: We analyzed samples from six cancer tissues and adjacent normal tissues and fecal samples from 758 participants, including 62 patients with interfering diseases. Bioinformatics databases were used to screen for candidate biomarkers for CRC, and quantitative methylation-specific PCR methods were applied for identification. The methylation levels of the candidate biomarkers in fecal and tissue samples were measured. Logistic regression and random forest models were built and validated using fecal sample data from one of the centers, and the independent or combined diagnostic value of the candidate biomarkers in fecal samples for CRC and precancerous lesions was analyzed. Finally, the diagnostic capability and stability of the model were validated at another medical center. RESULTS: This study identified two colorectal cancer CpG sites with tissue specificity. These two biomarkers have certain diagnostic power when used individually, but their diagnostic value for colorectal cancer and colorectal adenoma is more significant when they are used in combination. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that a DNA methylation biomarker combined diagnostic model based on two CpG sites, cg13096260 and cg12587766, has the potential for screening and diagnosing precancerous lesions and colorectal cancer. Additionally, compared to traditional diagnostic models, machine learning algorithms perform better but may yield more false-positive results, necessitating further investigation.

Relationship among psychological resilience, parental control, and behavioral problems in junior high school students in Guizhou Province / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To investigate the relationships among psychological resilience, parental control, and behavioral problems in middle school students, aiming to provide evidencebased recommendations for the prevention and intervention of behavioral issues in middle school students, as well as for the development of related policies.@*Methods@#A stratified cluster sampling method was used to select 2 745 participants from three cities in Guizhou Province with different levels of economic development from August to December 2021. The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), Parental Control Questionnaire, and Psychological Resilience Questionnaire were administered to junior high school students and their parents. A network analysis method was employed to construct a network analysis model of factors influencing behavioral problems.@*Results@#The detection rate of behavioral problems among junior high school students in Guizhou Province was 22.62%. The scores for psychological resilience (goal focus, emotional control, positive cognition, family support, and interpersonal assistance) and proactive inquiry in behavior control were higher in the group without behavioral problems than in the group with behavioral problems. Scores for psychological control (inducing guilt, with drawing affection, and asserting authority) were higher in the group with behavioral problems than in the group without behavioral problems, with statistically significant differences (t=9.80, 17.76, 6.21, 12.20, 13.18, 6.28, 11.58, 11.10, 10.74, P<0.05). The network model showed that among the same variable factors, the strongest connection weight was between inducing guilt and withdrawing affection, with a weight of 0.79. Between different variables, there were negative correlation between behavioral problems and psychological resilience (goal focus, emotional control, positive cognition, family support, interpersonal assistance) and behavior control (proactive inquiry, behavioral restraint) with correlation coefficients (r=-0.25, -0.42, -0.16, -0.31, -0.33, -0.17, -0.03, P<0.05), respectively. There were positive correlation between psychological control factors (inducing guilt, withdrawing affection, and asserting authority) and behavioral problems (r=0.29, 0.27, 0.27), and a negative correlation between these psychological control factors and psychological resilience factors (goal focus, emotional control, positive cognition, family support, interpersonal assistance)(r=-0.53--0.13)(P<0.05). The strongest connection weight was between withdrawing affection and family support, with a connection weight of -0.53. Family support was an important bridge symptom connecting the entire behavioral problem network model, with a high centrality.@*Conclusions@#The detection rate of behavioral problems among junior high school students in Guizhou Province is relatively high. Assisting adolescents in establishing a supportive family environment facilitates the cultivation of their psychological resilience, thereby mitigating the occurrence of behavioral problems.

Proenkephalin-A secreted by renal proximal tubules functions as a brake in kidney regeneration.

Organ regeneration necessitates precise coordination of accelerators and brakes to restore organ function. However, the mechanisms underlying this intricate molecular crosstalk remain elusive. In this study, the level of proenkephalin-A (PENK-A), expressed by renal proximal tubular epithelial cells, decreases significantly with the loss of renal proximal tubules and increased at the termination phase of zebrafish kidney regeneration. Notably, this change contrasts with the role of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), which acts as an accelerator in kidney regeneration. Through experiments with penka mutants and pharmaceutical treatments, we demonstrate that PENK-A inhibits H2O2 production in a dose-dependent manner, suggesting its involvement in regulating the rate and termination of regeneration. Furthermore, H2O2 influences the expression of tcf21, a vital factor in the formation of renal progenitor cell aggregates, by remodeling H3K4me3 in renal cells. Overall, our findings highlight the regulatory role of PENK-A as a brake in kidney regeneration.

Renal interstitial cells promote nephron regeneration by secreting prostaglandin E2.

In organ regeneration, progenitor and stem cells reside in their native microenvironment, which provides dynamic physical and chemical cues essential to their survival, proliferation, and differentiation. However, the types of cells that form the native microenvironment for renal progenitor cells (RPCs) have not been clarified. Here, single-cell sequencing of zebrafish kidney reveals fabp10a as a principal marker of renal interstitial cells (RICs), which can be specifically labeled by GFP under the control of fabp10a promoter in the fabp10a:GFP transgenic zebrafish. During nephron regeneration, the formation of nephrons is supported by RICs that form a network to wrap the RPC aggregates. RICs that are in close contact with RPC aggregates express cyclooxygenase 2 (Cox2) and secrete prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Inhibiting PGE2 production prevents nephrogenesis by reducing the proliferation of RPCs. PGE2 cooperates with Wnt4a to promote nephron maturation by regulating ß-catenin stability of RPC aggregates. Overall, these findings indicate that RICs provide a necessary microenvironment for rapid nephrogenesis during nephron regeneration.

Prevalence and influencing factors of behavioral problems among adolescents aged 12-16 years in Guizhou Province / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To explore the current status related to behavioral problems among children and adolescents aged 12-16 years old in Guizhou Province, China, and to provide a reference for timely prevention and intervention measures.@*Methods@#To capture different economic development levels, a multistage stratified cluster sampling method was used. A total of 3 217 children and adolescents aged 12-16 years old from six middle schools and six primary schools in Guiyang, Duyun, Kaili City from Guizhou Province participated in this study. The Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and a self designed questionnaire were administered between August and December 2021.@*Results@#The overall detection rate of behavioral problems among the students was 16.60% , and the rate was 14.41% and 18.62% among male and female students, respectively. The results of the Logistic regression analysis showed that good peer relationships ( OR=0.25, 0.16, P <0.05) were associated with a lower risk of behavioral problems in children and adolescents. However, the following factors were associated with an elevated risk of behavioral problems: nonparents as the main caregivers( OR = 1.44 ); children s daily screen time was 1-2 h ( OR =1.47) or more than 2 h( OR =2.75); children who had no sports hobbies( OR = 1.36); father parenting for doting or neglect( OR =1.85, 2.01); maternal parenting for doting( OR = 2.12 ); father had bad life habits( OR =1.69); father and mother were occasionally sick( OR =1.30, 1.38)( P <0.05).@*Conclusion@#Behavioral problems among children and adolescents in Guizhou Province is related to children s unhealthy living habits and various factors in the family environment. It is suggested that families, schools and relevant functional departments give full play to their own advantages and take comprehensive measures to prevent the occurrence of behavioral problems among children and adolescents.

Yield, NNS and prevalence of screening for DM and hypertension among pulmonary tuberculosis index cases and contacts through single time screening: A contact tracing-based study.

INTRODUCTION: Diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension and pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) are catastrophic illnesses that collectively lead to increased mortality and premature death. However, the size of the problem and the appropriate approach to deal with the burden is still unclear. We aimed to evaluate the yield, number needed to screen (NNS) to prevent one death or adverse event for screening DM and hypertension and assess the prevalence and contributors to DM and/or hypertension. METHODS: Based on PTB contact tracing, a cross-sectional study was conducted among 801 PTB index cases and 972 household contacts from April 2019 to October 2020 in Guizhou, China. All the participants were screened for DM and hypertension. The yield was calculated as the proportion of newly detected cases among the study subjects, excluding known cases. The NNS was computed by dividing the number needed to treat for risk factors by the prevalence of the unrecognized diseases. The univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were applied to determine the independent predictors of DM and/or hypertension. RESULTS: Of the 1,773 participants, the prevalence of DM and hypertension was 8.7% (70/801) and 15.2% (122/801) in the PTB patients, 3.2% (31/972) and 14.0% (136/972) in the contacts, respectively. The prevalence of DM and/or hypertension was 21.2% (170/801) among the PTB patients and 15.4% (150/972) among their contacts. The screening yields to detect new cases of DM and hypertension among PTB patients were 1.9% and 5.2%, and that in the contacts were 0.8% and 4.8%, respectively. The NNS for DM was 359 for the PTB cases and 977 for the contacts, 299 for PTB cases and 325 for hypertension, respectively. Older age, under or overweight and obesity, family history hypertension and earlier diagnosis of other chronic conditions were the independent predictors for DM and/or hypertension among both PTB cases and their contacts. CONCLUSION: Screening for DM and hypertension should be mandated in PTB patients and their household contacts to disclose undetected cases of these two conditions during TB contact tracing, which might reduce the potential cardiovascular disease deaths.

Resting heart rate is associated with the risk of metabolic syndrome and its components among Dong adults in southwest China: Cross-sectional findings of the China Multi-Ethnic Cohort Study.

AIMS: High resting heart rate (RHR), one abnormal manifestation of autonomic nervous system, is associated with metabolic disorders. However, the association between RHR and metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components remains controversial. We aimed to explore the link between these two parameters. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 6589 Dong adults (1434 cases of MetS) from the cross-sectional survey of the China Multi-Ethnic Cohort Study. Logistic regression model was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and assess the association between RHR and MetS, clustered metabolic risk, and MetS components. Restricted cubic splines model was used to evaluate the dose response association. RESULTS: A positive association existed between RHR and MetS, and people in the highest RHR quartile had a higher MetS risk (OR 1.75 [95% CI 1.42-2.15]) than those in the lowest quartile. The clustered metabolic risk associated with RHR (p < 0.05). Furthermore, RHR was related to elevated blood pressure (BP), elevated triglycerides (TG) and elevated fasting plasma glucose (FPG); the ORs (95% CIs) for the highest versus lowest RHR quartile were 2.06 (1.75-2.43), 1.37 (1.17-1.62) and 2.53 (2.04-3.14), respectively. Similar results were found in sensitivity and subgroup analyses. Also, non-linear dose response association existed between RHR and MetS and elevated levels of BP, TG and FPG (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: RHR was related to increased risk of MetS, three MetS components (elevated BP, elevated TG and elevated FPG) and the clustered metabolic risk. RHR may be a useful indicator for MetS.

Age-Stratified Cut-Off Values for Serum Levels of N-Terminal ProB-Type Natriuretic Peptide and Mortality from Sepsis in Children Under Age 18 Years: A Retrospective Study from a Single Center.

BACKGROUND The N-terminal fragment of proB-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is an established predictive marker for sepsis-related mortality in adult. This retrospective study aimed to determine age-stratified cut-off values for serum levels of NT-proBNP and mortality from sepsis in children under 18 years. MATERIAL AND METHODS Patients were stratified by age as follows: <1 year, 1-3 years, 4-6 years, and 7-18 years (age groups). The control group consisted of age- and sex-matched healthy children. Serum NT-proBNP levels were detected by laboratory assays in the participants. The appropriate serum NT-proBNP cut-off values for predicting short-term mortality of the sepsis patients were calculated via receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses. RESULTS Among 327 pediatric patients with sepsis, the serum NT-proBNP cut-off concentrations for predicting sepsis-related mortality in the <1 year, 1-3 years, 4-6 years, and 7-18 years age groups were 5000 ng/L, 4500 ng/L, 4100 ng/L, and 3800 ng/L, respectively (P<0.001). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) values for these were 0.815, 0.812, 0.806 and 0.725, respectively (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS This retrospective study provided the age range-specific serum NT-proBNP cut- off concentrations for predicting short-term mortality in children. In children <1 year, 1-3 years, 4-6 years, and 7-18 years, age-stratified cut-off values that predicted sepsis-associated mortality were 5000 ng/L, 4500 ng/L, 4100 ng/L, and 3800 ng/L, respectively.

A systematic and meta-analysis of heterosexual behaviors and HIV prevalence among Chinese men who have sex with men.

Men who have sex with men (MSM) are potentially at high risk for HIV infection, their HIV prevalence far exceeds the national prevalence rate. There are also a number of MSM who have sex with women, mostly unprotected, which can transmit HIV to their female sexual partners and even to the next generation. The purpose of this article is to evaluate the prevalence of heterosexual behaviors in Chinese men who have sex with men and the status of condom utilization as well as HIV infection among MSM with heterosexual behaviors, so as to further improve the investigation and prevention and control of AIDS in MSM population. We systematically searched China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data, VIP Database for Chinese Technical Calligraphy (VIP), Pubmed, and Embase following certain retrieval strategies to find relevant articles published from January 1, 2015 to November 18, 2019, The useful information extracted from qualified articles, Stata 15.1 and Review Manager 5.3 were employed for further meta analysis. The estimated prevalence of heterosexual behaviors among MSM in the past year was 19.0% (95% CI 17.0%, 22.0%). The estimated condom utilization rate of the last heterosexual behavior among MSM and condom adherence rate of heterosexual behaviors among MSM were 51.0% (95% CI 44.0%, 58.0%) and 31.0% (95% CI 25.0%, 38.0%), respectively. And the pooled HIV prevalence in MSM with heterosexual behaviors was 9% (95% CI 6%, 13%). The sensitivity analysis showed that the results were stable. No publication bias was found by Egger's test. There is a high proportion of MSM with heterosexual behaviors and low condom utilization in China. HIV prevalence in MSM with heterosexual behaviors is also high. Therefore, adequate attention should be given to this particular group and measures should be taken in order to reduce the risk of transmission of HIV from subpopulations to the general population.

Establishment of a Drug Screening Model for Cardiac Complications of Acute Renal Failure.

Acute renal failure (ARF) is a clinical critical syndrome with rapid and severe decline of renal function. Complications of ARF, especially its cardiac complications (cardiorenal syndrome type 3, CRS-3), are the main causes of death in patients with ARF. However, the shortage and limited efficacy of therapeutic drugs make it significant to establish new large-scale drug screening models. Based on the Nitroreductase/Metronidazole (NTR/MTZ) cell ablation system, we constructed a Tg(cdh17:Dendra2-NTR) transgenic zebrafish line, which can specifically ablate renal tubular epithelial cells. The absence of renal tubular epithelial cells can lead to ARF in zebrafish larvae. The ARF symptoms, such as heart enlargement, slow heart rate and blood stasis, are similar to the clinical manifestations of human CRS-3. Furthermore, two therapeutic drugs (digoxin and enalapril) commonly used in the clinical treatment of heart failure were also effective in alleviating the symptoms of CRS-3 in zebrafish, which proved the effectiveness of this model. Drug screening further discovered a potential drug candidate, α-lipoic acid, which can effectively alleviate the symptoms of CRS-3 through its antioxidant function. Accordingly, we established a new ARF model of zebrafish, which laid a foundation for large-scale screening of new therapeutic drugs for its complications.

Characterization of the complete mitochondrial genome of Coprinellus micaceus, a wild saprobic mushroom in China.

The Glistening Inkcap (Coprinellus micaceus) is a wild saprobic mushroom in China. In this study, we assembled and annotated its complete mitochondrial genome using raw data sequenced through Illumina NovaSeq 6000 platform (Illumina, San Diego, CA). The length of the C. micaceus mitochondrial genome is 65,450 bp with 33.05% GC content. Totally, 41 genes, including 14 protein-coding genes, 25 tRNAs and 2 rRNAs were identified in the mitochondrial genome. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the mitochondrial genome relationship between C. micaceus and Coprinopsis cinerea was the closest.

Dose-response association between sugar- and artificially sweetened beverage consumption and the risk of metabolic syndrome: a meta-analysis of population-based epidemiological studies.

OBJECTIVE: The associations between sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) and artificially sweetened beverage (ASB) consumption and the risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS) remain controversial. A quantitative assessment of dose-response associations has not been reported. This study aims to assess the associations between the risk of MetS and SSB, ASB, and total sweetened beverage (TSB, the combination of SSB and ASB) consumption by reviewing population-based epidemiological studies. DESIGN: Meta-analysis. SETTING: We searched PubMed, Embase and Web of Science databases prior to 4 November 2019, for relevant studies investigating the SSB-MetS and ASB-MetS associations. A random effects model was used to estimate pooled relative risks (RR) and 95 % CI. Dose-response association was assessed using a restricted cubic splines model. PARTICIPANTS: We identified seventeen articles (twenty-four studies, including 93 095 participants and 20 749 MetS patients). RESULTS: The pooled RR for the risk of MetS were 1·51 (95 % CI 1·34, 1·69), 1·56 (1·32, 1·83) and 1·44 (1·19, 1·75) in high consumption group of TSB, SSB and ASB, respectively; and 1·20 (1·13, 1·28), 1·19 (1·11, 1·28) and 1·31 (1·05, 1·65) per 250 ml/d increase in TSB, SSB and ASB consumption, respectively. Additionally, we found evidence of non-linear, TSB-MetS and SSB-MetS dose-response associations and a linear ASB-MetS dose-response association. CONCLUSIONS: TSB, SSB and ASB consumption was associated with the risk of MetS. The present findings provide evidence that supports reducing intake of these beverages to lower the TSB-, SSB- and ASB-related risk of MetS.

Correlation between psychological control and health risk behaviors of college students’ parents / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To explore the characteristics of psychological control of parents of college students and their correlation with health risk behaviors, and to provide a reference for further improving parenting styles and improving the physical and mental health of college students.@*Methods@#With the method of multi-stage stratified random sampling, 3 318 college students from 6 universities in Guizhou Province were selected. The parents’ psychological control questionnaire and Chinese adolescent health-related behavior questionnaire were used to conduct anonymous field survey.@*Results@#A total of 660 students’ parents have got low score of mental control in low-score group (<26), 1 844 in the middle group (26-49) and 814 in the high group (>49). Students who had suicide plans scored higher in the dimensions of invasion of privacy, inhibition of speech expression, and sense of disability than those who had not(t=4.08, 3.74, 3.82, P<0.01); The scores of smokers in achievement expectation, invasion of privacy and ability ineffectiveness were higher than those of non-smokers(t=7.12, 3.91, 8.10, P<0.01); the scores of drinkers in all dimensions were higher than those of non drinkers(t=9.35, 4.64, 5.90, 8.78, P<0.01); the scores of Internet addicts in all dimensions were higher than those of non-smokers(t=8.92, 14.27, 3.70, 15.94, P<0.01). Spearman correlation analysis showed that smoking, drinking and Internet addiction were positively correlated with parents’ psychological control(r=0.11, 0.15, 0.19, P<0.01).@*Conclusion@#Parents’ psychological control of college students in achievement expectation, ability ineffectiveness and speech inhibition; parents’ psychological control is positively related to smoking, drinking and Internet addiction behavior. Parents should give more active encouragement and guidance to their children and strengthen communication.

Prevalence and risk factors for suicide ideation among middle school students in Guizhou Province / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To analyze the prevalence and associated factors of suicide ideation among adolescent students in Guizhou Province, and to provide scientific evidence for developing strategy. @*Methods@#Multistage stratified cluster sampling method was used to recruit 4 903 adolescents from 14 middle schools in Guizhou Province. China Youth Health Risk Behaviors Questionnaire was used and data were analyzed by using univariate analysis and Logistic regression analysis. @*Results@#Totally 14.3%(703/4 903) middle school students had suicide ideation during the past 12month period, in which 13.2% were boys and 15.4% were girls, more girls were prone to suicide than boys(χ2=5.20, P<0.05); 13.7% junior students, 15.0% senior students, 14.5% Han ethnic students and 14.1% minority students suicide ideation, and the differences between grades and ethnic groups were of no statistical significance (P>0.05). The multivariates Logistic regression analysis showed that risk factors for suicidal ideation included being girl(OR=1.49),higher maternal education(college and above: OR=2.26), suffering psychological bullying over the past 30 days(OR=1.30), taking part in fighting for the past 12 months (OR=1.33), often feeling lonely(OR=1.86), sleeplessness(OR=1.38), deliberate selfinjury(OR=3.58),decreases of daily activities due to depression(OR=1.87), ideation of running away(OR=3.31), internet addiction(OR=1.37), walk violating regulations(OR=2.42), but occasional low mood from academic pressure(OR=0.73) was a protective factor for suicidal ideation(P<0.05).@*Conclusion@#Suicide ideation of middle school students is closely related to campus violence, adverse inner metal experience and unhealthy behavior pattern. All sectors of society should attach great importance and targeted measures to prevent suicide and protect the students.

Prevalence and influencing factors of smoking among college students in Guizhou Province / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To understand the smoking of college students in Guizhou Province and to explore associated factors for better prevention and control of smoking behavior.@*Methods@#A multi-stage stratified random sampling method was used to describe the current smoking situation of college students. And 2 451 college students of different majors and grades from three cities with high, medium and low economic development levels were selected. Besides, we used multivariate logistic regression analysis to analyze the major factors affecting current smoking.@*Results@#Ever smoking rate of college students in Guizhou Province was 50.8%, the peak age of first smoking attempt was 8-13(35.2%); current smoking rate of college students in Guizhou Province was 20.8%. Logistic regression analysis showed that male, upper grade, monthly living expenses of not less than 1 000 yuan, single parents, family smoking and peer smoking were the main risk factors affecting college students’ smoking(OR=5.52,1.44,1.48,1.69,1.47,1.88,P<0.05).@*Conclusion@#College students in Guizhou Province have a higher rate of smoking attempt and low rate of current smoking, as well as low tobacco dependence which is determined by multiple factors. Tobacco hazard education, mental health education and living environment intervention for college students may help reduce the probabitity for tobacco use.

Multifaceted regulation of somatic cell reprogramming by mRNA translational control.

Translational control plays a pivotal role in the regulation of the pluripotency network in embryonic stem cells, but its effect on reprogramming somatic cells to pluripotency has not been explored. Here, we show that eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) binding proteins (4E-BPs), which are translational repressors, have a multifaceted effect on the reprogramming of mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Loss of 4E-BP expression attenuates the induction of iPSCs at least in part through increased translation of p21, a known inhibitor of somatic cell reprogramming. However, MEFs lacking both p53 and 4E-BPs show greatly enhanced reprogramming resulting from a combination of reduced p21 transcription and enhanced translation of endogenous mRNAs such as Sox2 and Myc and can be reprogrammed through the expression of only exogenous Oct4. Thus, 4E-BPs exert both positive and negative effects on reprogramming, highlighting the key role that translational control plays in regulating this process.

Mutation in Phex gene predisposes BALB/c-Phex(Hyp-Duk)/Y mice to otitis media.

Genetic susceptibility underlying otitis media (OM) remains to be understood. We show in this study that mutation in Phex gene predisposes the BALB/c-Phex(Hyp-Duk)/Y (abbreviated Hyp-Duk/Y) mice to OM, which occurs at post-natal day 21 (P21) with an average penetrance of 73%. The OM was identified by effusion in the middle ear cavity and/or thickening of middle ear mucosae, and was characterised by increase in goblet cells, deformity of epithelial cilia and higher expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in cells of the middle ear mucosae. Moreover, the transcription levels of Tlr2, Tlr4, Nfkb1, Ccl4, Il1b and Tnfα in the ears of the Hyp-Duk/Y mice at P35 were significantly upregulated, compared to those of the controls. Higher expression levels of TLR2, TLR4, NF-κB and TNF-α in the middle ears were demonstrated by immunohistochemistry (IHC). However, the OM in the mice was not prevented by azithromycin administration from gestational day 18 to P35. Further study showed that, in contrast to the low mRNA levels of Phex gene in the ears of the Hyp-Duk/Y mice, the mRNA level of Fgf23 was significantly elevated at P9, P14, P21 and P35. Meanwhile, mRNA levels of EP2 (PGE2 receptor), which expressed in the middle ear epithelia as demonstrated by IHC, were already increased at P14 even before the occurrence of OM, indicating that PGE2, an inflammatory mediator, is involved in the OM development in the mutants. Taking together, Phex mutation primarily up-regulates gene expression levels in FGF23 mediated pathways in the middle ears, resulting in cell proliferation and defence impairment at the mucosae and subsequently bacterial infection. The Hyp-Duk/Y mouse is a new genetic mouse model of OM.

Otitis media in a mouse model for Down syndrome.

The Ts65Dn mouse shares many phenotypic characteristics of human Down syndrome. Here, we report that otitis media, characterized by effusion in the middle ear and hearing loss, was prevalent in Ts65Dn mice. Of the 53 Ts65Dn mice tested, 81.1% had high auditory-evoked brainstem response (ABR) thresholds for at least one of the stimulus frequencies (click, 8 kHz, 16 kHz and 32 kHz), in at least one ear. The ABR thresholds were variable and showed no tendency toward increase with age, from 2 to 7 months of age. Observation of pathology in mice, aged 3-4 months, revealed middle ear effusion in 11 of 15 Ts65Dn mice examined, but only in two of 11 wild-type mice. The effusion in each mouse varied substantially in volume and inflammatory cell content. The middle ear mucosae were generally thickened and goblet cells were distributed with higher density in the epithelium of the middle ear cavity of Ts65Dn mice as compared with those of wild-type controls. Bacteria of pathogenic importance to humans also were identified in the Ts65Dn mice. This is the first report of otitis media in the Ts65Dn mouse as a model characteristic of human Down syndrome.

Small papillary tumor in the saccule.

Papillary tumors of the ear are aggressive neoplasms. Previously, a tumor growing in the saccule had not been reported. We report a tumor found incidentally in the saccule of a patient. Serial sections of both temporal bones of the patient were studied in order to analyze the tumor's origin and influence on audio vestibular function. In the right inner ear, there was a small papillary lesion in the saccule, which looked like a papillary tumor without aggression invasion. The tumor was located in the membranous labyrinth of the saccule, not in the endolymphatic duct and sac. It was not related to Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease, nor was it an endolymphatic sac tumor. The tumor did not influence the hearing and vestibular function in the right ear, although this patient presented a severe sensorineural hearing loss and vestibular function loss because of the vestibular schwannoma in the left ear.