Associations between serum trace elements and the risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a multi-center case-control study in Guangdong Province, southern China.

Background: Associations between trace elements and nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) have been speculated but not thoroughly examined. Methods: This study registered a total of 225 newly diagnosed patients with NPC and 225 healthy controls matched by sex and age from three municipal hospitals in Guangdong Province, southern China between 2011 and 2015. Information was collected by questionnaire on the demographic characteristics and other possibly confounding lifestyle factors. Eight trace elements and the level of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) antibody were measured in casual (spot) serum specimens by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively. Restricted cubic splines and conditional logistic regression were applied to assess the relationship between trace elements and NPC risk through single-and multiple-elements models. Results: Serum levels of chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), arsenic (As), strontium (Sr) and molybdenum (Mo) were not associated with NPC risk. Manganese (Mn) and cadmium (Cd) were positively associated with NPC risk in both single-and multiple-element models, with ORs of the highest tertile compared with the reference categories 3.90 (95% CI, 1.27 to 7.34) for Mn and 2.30 (95% CI, 1.26 to 3.38) for Cd. Restricted cubic splines showed that there was a linear increasing trend between Mn and NPC risk, while for Cd there was a J-type correlation. Conclusion: Serum levels of Cd and Mn was positively related with NPC risk. Prospective researches on the associations of the two trace elements with NPC ought to be taken into account within the future.

Analysis of risk factors of hepatocellular carcinoma and establishment of a clinical prognosis model.

Liver cancer is a common malignancy of the digestive system. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for the most majority of these tumors and it has brought a heavy medical burden to underdeveloped countries and regions. Many factors affect the prognosis of HCC patients, however, there is no specific statistical model to predict the survival time of clinical patients. This study derived a risk factor signature of HCC and reliable clinical prediction model by statistically analyzing The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database patient information using an open source package in the python environment.

Inhibition of sepsis-induced acute kidney injury via the circITCH-miR-579-3p-ZEB2 axis.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are linked to the regulation of sepsis-induced acute kidney injury (AKI). However, the function of circITCH in the development of sepsis-induced AKI is still unclear. The levels of circITCH, miR-579-3p and ZEB2 were examined by real-time PCR and immunoblotting. Then, the roles of circITCH in cell viability, apoptosis, and inflammation in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated HK-2 cells were evaluated. The further mechanism was investigated using rescue assays. CircITCH was downregulated in septic AKI patients and LPS-triggered HK-2 cells. CircITCH overexpression restored cell viability in LPS-treated HK-2 cells and restrained apoptosis and inflammatory cytokine production. CircITCH negatively regulated miR-579-3p, thereby upregulating ZEB2 expression. Taken together, circITCH alleviates LPS-induced HK-2 cell injury by regulating miR-579-3p/ZEB2 signal axis, which provides a theoretical basis for AKI therapy.

Synergy of Losartan and chemotherapy for patients with cholangiocarcinoma: A propensity score-matched analysis.

Background: Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a malignant tumor originating from bile duct epithelial cells that no obvious clinical symptoms and specific clinical manifestations are shown in the early stage of CCA. Methods: Propensity score matching (PSM) is a quasi-experimental method in which this study used. Patients were enrolled from Department of General surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University from March 1, 2010, to December 30, 2019. Totally 170 patients with CCA were enrolled in this study. Results: We performed a 1:2 PSM study and found that patients with losartan group showed both comparable median OS (overall survival) and TTR (time to recurrence) to those in the patients without losartan group before PSM. However, after matching, patients with losartan group showed favorable median OS and TTR than those in the patients without losartan group. Then we performed Cox proportional hazards models and found that patients with losartan was an independent factor after multivariable analysis for patients with CCA. Furtherly, we sequenced serial cfDNA were performed in 10 patients with losartan and 9 patients without losartan who received adjuvant chemotherapy after tumor resection. These results showed that the treatment of losartan was related with tumor microenvironment and could be potentially useful to combine the immunotherapy for patients with CCA. Conclusion: In conclusion, this study demonstrated that the treatment of losartan could increase the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy and identified as an independent survival predictor for patients with CCA. Moreover, losartan could be potentially useful to combine the immunotherapy for patients with CCA.

New species of the genus Molanna Curtis, 1834 (Trichoptera, Molannidae) in China inferred from morphology and DNA barcodes.

The male adult of Molannatruncata Ge, Peng & Sun sp. nov. is described and illustrated based on material collected in Si-chuan, China. It could be diagnosed by the subtriangular superior appendages when viewed dorsally, and by the mesal appendages each having a slender thorn and inferior appendages with a tiny inner process. Based on morphology of genitalia, we provide a dichotomous key to adult males of Molanna from the Oriental region. The DNA barcodes (partial mtCOI sequences) of M.truncata sp. nov. are generated and compared with existing sequences of Molanna species from Oriental and Palearctic regions. The mean intraspecific divergence of Molanna was 1.58% with a maximum of 8.50% in M.moesta. The Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery (ABGD) analysis of Molanna inferred 9 OTUs and thresholds of interspecific divergence of 10%. Divergence of M.truncata sp. nov. haplotypes from all other Molanna haplotypes ranged from 10.1% to 18%. We discuss distribution and potential groups of species within the Oriental Molanna species based on morphology.

Furmonertinib (Alflutinib, AST2818) is a potential positive control drug comparable to rifampin for evaluation of CYP3A4 induction in sandwich-cultured primary human hepatocytes.

Furmonertinib (Alflutinib, AST2818), as a third-generation epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor with an advanced efficacy and a relatively wide safety window, has been commercially launched in China recently. However, previous clinical studies demonstrated its time- and dose-dependent clearance in a multiple-dose regimen. In vitro drug metabolism and pharmacokinetic studies have suggested that furmonertinib is mainly metabolized by cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) and can induce these enzymes via an increased mRNA expression. This study investigated two important evaluation criteria of CYP3A4 induction by furmonertinib through quantitative proteomics and probe metabolite formation: simultaneous (1) protein expression and (2) enzyme activity with sandwich-cultured primary human hepatocytes in the same well of cell culture plates. Results confirmed that furmonertinib was a potent CYP3A4 inducer comparable with rifampin and could be used as a positive model drug in in vitro studies to evaluate the induction potential of other drug candidates in preclinical studies. In addition, inconsistencies were observed between the protein expression and enzyme activities of CYP3A4 in cells induced by rifampin but not in groups treated with furmonertinib. As such, furmonertinib could be an ideal positive control in the evaluation of CYP3A4 induction. The cells treated with 10 µM rifampin expressed 20.16 ± 5.78 pmol/mg total protein, whereas the cells induced with 0.5 µM furmonertinib expressed 4.8 ± 0.66 pmol/mg protein compared with the vehicle (0.1% dimethyl sulfoxide), which contained 0.65 ± 0.45 pmol/mg protein. The fold change in the CYP3A4 enzyme activity in the cells treated with rifampin was 5.22 ± 1.13, which was similar to that of 0.5 µM furmonertinib (3.79 ± 0.52).

Five new species of Tinodes (Trichoptera: Psychomyiidae) from China.

Five new species of genus Tinodes Curtis 1834 from China are described, illustrated, and diagnosed based on distinctive characters of male genitalia, including Tinodes falcata n. sp., T. xuzhouorum n. sp., T. shunhuangshanensis n. sp., T. yangae n. sp., and T. lini n. sp. Tinodes falcata n. sp. differs from other members of Tinodes in having an unpaired falcate and strongly sclerotized phallic sheath process. Tinodes xuzhouorum n. sp. differs from T. charmi Malicky 2009 by the relative lengths of the superior appendages and the phallus, the position of the ejaculatory duct, and the angle formed by tergum IX and the superior appendages in lateral view. Tinodes shunhuangshanensis n. sp. can be distinguished from T. sartael Malicky 2017 by the phallic sheath process splitting into paired dorsal branches and an apically incised ventral branch. Tinodes yangae n. sp. differs from T. eris Malicky & Sangpradub 2001 by the dorsal phallic sheath process having extra paired vertical branches. Tinodes lini n. sp. differs from T. dactringa Johanson & Oláh 2008 by the phallic guide with a pair of closely attached dorsal branches.

Description of adult female, larva, and pupa of Glossosoma (Lipoglossa) kamael Malicky 2012 (Trichoptera: Glossosomatidae) associated by COI sequences from China.

The adult female, larva, and pupa of Glossosoma (Lipoglossa) kamael Malicky 2012 from Qinghai Province, China, are described and illustrated. Molecular associations are based on COI sequences. The immature stages of the subgenus Lipoglossa are described for the first time. Biological and habitat information of G. kamael are presented.

Analysis of risk factors of gastrointestinal stromal tumors in different age groups based on SEER database.

Objective: To investigate the risk factors affecting the survival of patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) in different age groups. Methods: Information on 6089 GIST patients was screened from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Risk factor analysis was performed using a chi-square test (univariate analysis). Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method (log-rank test) and the COX proportional hazard model. p Value < .05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Analyzed statistically to reveal that in addition to tumor size, mitotic index, and primary location, age, gender, race, and surgical treatment also were independent risk factors for GISTs. Gender, race, and location of disease influenced the survival rate of patients, which was higher in the young group (≤60 years old) than the elderly group (>60 years). Risk factors such as primary location, tumor diameter, and mitotic index varied significantly between the different age groups. Conclusions: Age, gender, race, and surgical treatment are independent risk factors that influence the prognosis in patients with GISTs. Some risk factors affecting prognosis are age dependent.

TLR4-dependent internalization of CX3CR1 aggravates sepsis-induced immunoparalysis.

Sepsis, the most severe manifestation of infection, poses a major challenge to health-care systems around the world. Limited ability to clean and remove the pathogen renders difficulty in septic patients to recover from the phase of immunoparalysis. The present study found the vital role of CX3CR1 internalization on sepsis-induced immunoparalysis. A mouse model with cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) and cell model with lipopolysaccharides (LPS) were employed to explore the relationship between CX3CR1 internalization and septic immunoparalysis. Immunoparalysis model in mice was established 4 days after CLP with significantly decreased proinflammatory cytokines. Flow cytometry analysis found a decreased surface expression of CX3CR1 during immunoparalysis, which was associated with reduced mRNA level and increased internalization of CX3CR1. G-protein coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2) and ß-arrestin2 were significantly increased during septic immunoparalysis and involved in the internalization of CX3CR1. TLR4-/- or TLR4 inhibitor-treated macrophages exhibited an inhibited expression of GRK2 and ß-arrestin2, along with reduced internalization of CX3CR1. Moreover, the knockdown of GRK2 and ß-arrestin2 inhibited the internalization of CX3CR1 and led to a higher response on the second hit, which was associated with an increased activation of NF-κB. The critical association between internalization of CX3CR1 and immunosuppression in sepsis may provide a novel reference for clinical therapeutics.

Dexmedetomidine for antiemesis in gynecologic surgery: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

PURPOSE: Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is a common complication after gynecological surgeries. This meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of dexmedetomidine on PONV after gynecological surgeries. METHODS: Three main electronic databases including Pub Med, Embase and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were searched by two researchers independently. The metaanalysis was completed using Review Manager. RESULTS: Eleven RCTs with 692 patients were included in this metaanalysis. Dexmedetomidine a bridged postoperative nausea [Risk Ratio (RR)=0.59, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.44 to 0.79] and vomiting [RR=0.48, 95% CI: 0.36 to 0.64] compared with placebo. Despite of higher incidence of intra operative bradycardia [RR 2.87, 95% CI 1.08 to 7.58] and hypotension [RR 4.26, 95% CI 1.43 to 12.69], we found significant decrease in postoperative shivering [RR 0.23, 95% CI 0.13 to 0.40] and pruritus [RR 0.40, 95% CI 0.17 to 0.93] in dexmedetomidine group, as well as the pain scores [standard mean difference (SMD)-0.96, 95% CI-1.37 to-0.54]. Significant reductions in the need for intraoperative fentanyl (RR 0.10, 95% CI 0.01-0.76, I(2) 0%), antiemetic (RR 0.62, 95% CI 0.39-0.99, I(2) 0%) and postoperative analgesic (RR 0.18, 95% CI 0.08-0.42, I(2) 0%) were also elicited. CONCLUSIONS: The current meta-analysis exhibits that dexmedetomidine is superiority to placebo in attenuating the incidence of PONV, postoperative shivering, pruritus, as well as the pain scores in patients undergoing gynecological surgeries. Still, the potential cardiovascular complications should be taken seriously.

Efficacy of dexmedetomidine on postoperative nausea and vomiting: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

PURPOSE: Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is a frequent complication in postoperative period. The aim of the current meta-analysis was to assess the efficacy of dexmedetomidine on PONV. METHODS: Two researchers independently searched PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The meta-analysis was performed with Review Manager. RESULTS: Eighty-two trials with 6,480 patients were included in this meta-analysis. Dexmedetomidine reduced postoperative nausea (Risk Ratio (RR) = 0.61, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.50 to 0.73) and vomiting (RR = 0.48, 95% CI: 0.36 to 0.64) compared with placebo, with an effective dose of 0.5 ug/kg (RR = 0.46, 95% CI: 0.34 to 0.62) and 1.0 ug/kg (RR = 0.29, 95% CI: 0.12 to 0.75), respectively. The antiemetic effect can only be achieved intravenously, not epidurally or intrathecally. The efficacy of dexmedetomidine was similar to that of widely used agents, such as propofol, midazolam etc., but better than opioid analgesics. Moreover, application of dexmedetomidine reduced intraoperative requirement of fentanyl (Standard Mean Difference = -1.91, 95% CI: -3.20 to -0.62). CONCLUSIONS: The present meta-analysis indicates that dexmedetomidine shows superiority to placebo, but not to all other anesthetic agents on PONV. And this efficacy may be related to a reduced consumption of intraoperative opioids.

Efficacy of dexmedetomidine on postoperative nausea and vomiting: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

PURPOSE: Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is a frequent complication in postoperative period. The aim of the current meta-analysis was to assess the efficacy of dexmedetomidine on PONV. METHODS: Two researchers independently searched PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The meta-analysis was performed with Review Manager. RESULTS: Eighty-two trials with 6,480 patients were included in this meta-analysis. Dexmedetomidine reduced postoperative nausea (Risk Ratio (RR) = 0.61, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.50 to 0.73) and vomiting (RR = 0.48, 95% CI: 0.36 to 0.64) compared with placebo, with an effective dose of 0.5 µg/kg (RR = 0.46, 95% CI: 0.34 to 0.62) and 1.0 µg/kg (RR = 0.29, 95% CI: 0.12 to 0.75), respectively. The antiemetic effect can only be achieved intravenously, not epidurally or intrathecally. The efficacy of dexmedetomidine was similar to that of widely used agents, such as propofol, midazolam etc., but better than opioid analgesics. Moreover, application of dexmedetomidine reduced intraoperative requirement of fentanyl (Standard Mean Difference = -1.91, 95% CI: -3.20 to -0.62). CONCLUSIONS: The present meta-analysis indicates that dexmedetomidine shows superiority to placebo, but not to all other anesthetic agents on PONV. And this efficacy may be related to a reduced consumption of intraoperative opioids.

Parachironomus lenz from china and Japan (Diptera, chironomidae).

Members of the genus Parachironomus Lenz known from China and Japan are revised, and a key to their male adults is given. Parachironomuspoyangensis sp. n. is described in this life stage. Parachironomusfrequens (Johannsen) and Parachironomusmonochromus (van der Wulp) are recorded from China for the first time, thus are redescribed from Chinese specimens. Parachironomuskamaabeus Sasa & Tanaka and Parachironomustoneabeus Sasa & Tanaka are new junior synonyms of Parachironomusfrequens. Three Chinese or Japanese species formerly placed in Parachironomus are transferred to other genera, resulting in the new combinations Cryptochironomusinafegeus (Sasa, Kitami & Suzuki), Demicryptochironomus (Irmakia) lobus (Yan, Sæther, Jin & Wang), and Microchironomuslacteipennis (Kieffer). Chironomussauteri Kieffer, Parachironomuskisobilobalis Sasa & Kondo and Parachironomuskuramaexpandus Sasa are removed from Parachironomus; the last of these three denotes a valid species of uncertain generic placement, the first two are nomina dubia.

Efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine on sepsis: a systematic review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used for treatment of sepsis in China, but results still remain equivocal. To evaluate the safety and efficacy of TCM for sepsis, we conducted this Meta-analysis. METHODS: Databases searched included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (up to December 2014). The studies included used routine therapy treating sepsis in the control group and TCM was added on that basis in the experimental group. Methodological quality was assessed by Cochrane criteria for risk of bias. RESULTS: Ten RCTs with 691 participants were identified and analyzed. In the meta-analysis, TCM plus routine therapy reduced the 28-day mortality compared to routine therapy alone, [RR = 0.67; 95% CI: 0.51~0.87; P = 0.002]; The decrease in length of ICU-stay [MD = -1.82; 95% CI: -2.60~-1.04; P<0.00001]; Acute physiology and chronic health evaluation system (APACHE II) score [MD = -2.95; 95% CI: -3.99~-1.91; P<0.00001]; Serum inflammatory factors concentration after treatment [SMD = -0.50; 95% CI:-0.68~-0.33; P<0.00001], including TNF-α [SMD = -0.61; 95% CI: -0.85~-0.38; P<0.00001] and IL-6 [SMD = -0.40; 95% CI: -0.75~-0.04; P = 0.03] in subgroup analysis all had statistical significance. CONCLUSION: Addition of TCM has better effects in participants with sepsis, while more high-quality studies are needed to draw firm conclusion.