CETP inhibition enhances monocyte activation and bacterial clearance and reduces streptococcus pneumonia-associated mortality in mice.

Sepsis is a leading cause of mortality worldwide, and pneumonia is the most common cause of sepsis in humans. Low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels are associated with an increased risk of death from sepsis, and increasing levels of HDL-C by inhibition of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) decreases mortality from intraabdominal polymicrobial sepsis in APOE*3-Leiden.CETP mice. Here, we show that treatment with the CETP inhibitor (CETPi) anacetrapib reduced mortality from Streptococcus pneumoniae-induced sepsis in APOE*3-Leiden.CETP and APOA1.CETP mice. Mechanistically, CETP inhibition reduced the host proinflammatory response via attenuation of proinflammatory cytokine transcription and release. This effect was dependent on the presence of HDL, leading to attenuation of immune-mediated organ damage. In addition, CETP inhibition promoted monocyte activation in the blood prior to the onset of sepsis, resulting in accelerated macrophage recruitment to the lung and liver. In vitro experiments demonstrated that CETP inhibition significantly promoted the activation of proinflammatory signaling in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and THP1 cells in the absence of HDL; this may represent a mechanism responsible for improved bacterial clearance during sepsis. These findings provide evidence that CETP inhibition represents a potential approach to reduce mortality from pneumosepsis.

TCJA-SNN: Temporal-Channel Joint Attention for Spiking Neural Networks.

Spiking neural networks (SNNs) are attracting widespread interest due to their biological plausibility, energy efficiency, and powerful spatiotemporal information representation ability. Given the critical role of attention mechanisms in enhancing neural network performance, the integration of SNNs and attention mechanisms exhibits tremendous potential to deliver energy-efficient and high-performance computing paradigms. In this article, we present a novel temporal-channel joint attention mechanism for SNNs, referred to as TCJA-SNN. The proposed TCJA-SNN framework can effectively assess the significance of spike sequence from both spatial and temporal dimensions. More specifically, our essential technical contribution lies on: 1) we employ the squeeze operation to compress the spike stream into an average matrix. Then, we leverage two local attention mechanisms based on efficient 1-D convolutions to facilitate comprehensive feature extraction at the temporal and channel levels independently and 2) we introduce the cross-convolutional fusion (CCF) layer as a novel approach to model the interdependencies between the temporal and channel scopes. This layer effectively breaks the independence of these two dimensions and enables the interaction between features. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed TCJA-SNN outperforms the state-of-the-art (SOTA) on all standard static and neuromorphic datasets, including Fashion-MNIST, CIFAR10, CIFAR100, CIFAR10-DVS, N-Caltech 101, and DVS128 Gesture. Furthermore, we effectively apply the TCJA-SNN framework to image generation tasks by leveraging a variation autoencoder. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first instance where the SNN-attention mechanism has been employed for high-level classification and low-level generation tasks. Our implementation codes are available at https://github.com/ridgerchu/TCJA.

Assessing and improving active travel around urban hospitals: A case of Xiangya hospital, China.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, there has been a growing trend toward active travel. However, many cities have not given sufficient attention to active transportation, resulting in inadequate safety measures for pedestrians and cyclists. This issue becomes particularly critical around hospitals, closely associated with COVID-19 and where traffic can be more intricate and hazardous. Hence, there is a pressing need for a quantitative assessment of the active travel environment surrounding hospitals to obtain a practical evaluation and devise improvement strategies. This study constructs an Extenics evaluation model to assess the safety, accessibility, traffic pressure, convenience, and comfort of the active travel environment near Xiangya Hospital. Subsequently, optimization strategies are proposed based on the evaluation outcomes. The evaluation results show high traffic pressure around the hospital during peak hours while the infrastructure is insufficient. A diversion strategy must be developed based on the evaluation findings to address safety concerns. Furthermore, issues such as inadequate non-motorized lanes and accessibility facilities in the area are identified. Correspondingly, improvement strategies tailored to the specific problems of each street are suggested based on the evaluation results. While this research focuses on urban hospitals, it aims to offer valuable insights into evaluating and enhancing active travel environments around large public buildings.

Bimetallic polyoxometalates catalysts for efficient lignin depolymerization: Unlocking valuable aromatic compounds from renewable feedstock.

Lignin, a complex and abundant polymer present in lignocellulosic biomass, holds immense potential as a renewable source for the production of valuable aromatic compounds. However, the efficient depolymerization of lignin into these compounds remains a formidable challenge. Here, we present a promising solution by harnessing polyoxometalates (POMs) catalysts, which exhibit improved catalytic performance and selectivity. We synthesized a series of NixCoy@POMs catalysts (POMs: CsPW or CsPMo) and explored their application in the depolymerization of pine lignin, aiming to investigate the influence of different metal species and doping ratios of POMs on catalytic performance. Through meticulous optimization of reaction conditions, we achieved significant yields of valuable aromatic compounds, including methyl vanillate, vanillin, and 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyacetophenone. Furthermore, the Ni0.75Co0.75@CsPMo catalyst demonstrated exceptional efficacy in catalyzing the cracking process of C-C and/or C-O bonds in a ß-O-4 dimer model compound. Notably, our catalyst exhibited outstanding stability over five cycles, underscoring its suitability as an effective heterogeneous catalyst for cyclic lignin depolymerization. This study sheds light on the potential of POMs-based catalysts for advancing lignin valorization and offers new avenues for sustainable biomass conversion into valuable chemicals.

Effect of Preliminary Treatment by Pulsed Electric Fields and Blanching on the Quality of Fried Sweet Potato Chips.

The effects of pulsed electric fields (PEF) and blanching pretreatments on frying kinetics, oil content, color, texture, acrylamide (AA) content, and microstructure have been investigated in this paper. The total PEF pretreatment duration was tPEF = 0.2 s with an intensity of E = 1 kV/cm; blanching was studied at 85 °C for 5 min. The results demonstrated that pretreatment significantly reduced the moisture ratio and oil content by 25% and 40.33%, respectively. The total color change ΔE value of the pretreated samples was lower than that of the untreated samples. In addition, pretreatment increased the hardness of the sample after frying, and the AA content in the fried samples pretreated with PEF + blanching was reduced by approximately 46.10% (638 µg/kg). Finally, fried sweet potato chips obtained by the combined pretreatment exhibited a smoother and flatter cross-sectional microstructure.

Identification of hub genes and potential ceRNA networks of diabetic cardiomyopathy.

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM), a common complication of diabetes, is defined as ventricular dysfunction in the absence of underlying heart disease. Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), including long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs), play a crucial role in the development of DCM. Weighted Gene Co-Expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) was used to identify key modules in DCM-related pathways. DCM-related miRNA-mRNA network and DCM-related ceRNA network were constructed by miRNA-seq to identify hub genes in these modules. We identified five hub genes that are associated with the onset of DCM, including Troponin C1 (Tnnc1), Phospholamban (Pln), Fatty acid binding proteins 3 (Fabp3), Popeye domain containing 2 (Popdc2), and Tripartite Motif-containing Protein 63 (Trim63). miRNAs that target the hub genes were mainly involved in TGF-ß and Wnt signaling pathways. GO BP enrichment analysis found these miRNAs were involved in the signaling of TGF-ß and glucose homeostasis. Q-PCR results found the gene expressions of Pln, Fabp3, Trim63, Tnnc1, and Popdc2 were significantly increased in DCM. Our study identified five hub genes (Tnnc1, Pln, Fabp3, Popdc2, Trim63) whose associated ceRNA networks are responsible for the onset of DCM.

Recent Advances in Application of Polyoxometalates in Lignocellulose Pretreatment and Transformation.

Lignocellulose, composed of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, holds immense promise as a renewable resource for the production of sustainable chemicals and fuels. Unlocking the full potential of lignocellulose requires efficient pretreatment strategies. In this comprehensive review, efforts were taken to survey the latest developments in polyoxometalates (POMs)-assisted pretreatment and conversion of lignocellulosic biomass. An outstanding finding highlighted in this review is that the deformation of the cellulose structure from I to II accompanied by the removal of xylan/lignin through the synergistic effect of ionic liquids (ILs) and POMs resulted in a significant increase in glucose yield and improved cellulose digestibility. Furthermore, successful integration of POMs with deep eutectic solvents (DES) or γ-valerolactone/water (GVL/water) systems has demonstrated efficient lignin removal, opening avenues for advanced biomass utilization. This review not only presents the key findings and novel approaches in POMs-based pretreatment but also addresses the current challenges and prospects for large-scale industrial implementation. By offering a comprehensive assessment of the progress in this field, this review serves as a valuable resource for researchers and industry professionals aiming to harness the potential of lignocellulosic biomass for sustainable chemical and fuel production.

Monolayer NbSe2 Favors Ultralow Friction and Super Wear Resistance.

The urgent demand for atomically thin, superlubricating, and super wear-resistant materials in micro/nanoelectromechanical systems has stimulated the research of friction-reducing and antiwear materials. However, the fabrication of subnanometer-thick films with superlubricating and super wear-resistant properties under ambient conditions remains a huge challenge. Herein, high-quality monolayer (ML) NbSe2 (∼0.8 nm) with ultralow friction and super wear resistance in an atmospheric environment was successfully grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) for the first time. Moreover, compared with few-layered (FL) NbSe2, ML NbSe2 has a lower friction coefficient and better wear resistance. On the basis of density function theory (DFT) calculations, the adhesion and the degree of charge transfer between ML NbSe2 and the substrate is larger than that of the topmost layer to the underlying layers of NbSe2 with two or more layers, which can be used to explain that the ML NbSe2 favors ultralow friction and super wear resistance.

Macroscale Superlubricity with Ultralow Wear and Ultrashort Running-In Period (∼1 s) through Phytic Acid-Based Complex Green Liquid Lubricants.

Liquid superlubricity has attracted much attention, due to its ability to significantly reduce friction on the macroscale. However, the severe wear caused by the long running-in period is still one of the bottlenecks restricting the practical application of liquid superlubricating materials. In this work, the obtained polyethylene glycol-phytic acid (PEG-PA) composite liquid lubricants showed outstanding superlubricating properties (µ ≈ 0.006) for Si3N4/glass friction pairs with an ultrashort running-in period (∼1 s) under high Hertzian contact pressure of ∼758 MPa. More importantly, even after up to 12 h (∼700 m of travel), only about 100 nm deep wear scars were found on the surface of the glass sheet (wear rate = 2.51× 10-9 mm3 N-1 m-1). From the molecular point of view, the water molecules anchored between the two friction pairs have extremely low shear force during the friction process, and the strong hydrogen bond interaction between PEG and PA greatly improves the bearing capacity of the lubricant. This work addresses the challenge of liquid superlubricant simultaneously exhibiting low shear force and high load-carrying capacity and makes it possible to obtain liquid superlubrication performance with an extremely short running-in time.

Surface redox pseudocapacitance boosting Fe/Fe3C nanoparticles-encapsulated N-doped graphene-like carbon for high-performance capacitive deionization.

The practical application of carbon anode in capacitive deionization (CDI) is greatly hindered by their poor adsorption capacity and co-ion effect. Herein, an N-doped graphene-like carbon (NC) decorated with Fe/Fe3C nanoparticles composite (Fe/Fe3C@NC) with large specific surface area and plentiful porosity is fabricated via a facile and scalable method, namely sol-gel method combined with Fe-catalyzed carbonization. As expected, it exhibits superior CDI performance as a Cl-storage electrode, with Cl- adsorption capacity as high as 102.3 mg g-1 at 1000 mg L-1 Cl- concentration and 1.4 V voltage, and a stable capacity of 68.5 mg g-1 for 60 cycles in 500 mg L-1 Cl- concentration and 100 mA g-1 current density. More importantly, on the basis of electrochemical tests, ex-situ X-ray diffraction, ex-situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and XPS analysis with argon ion depth etching, it is revealed that the chlorine storage mechanism of the Fe/Fe3C@NC electrode is dominated by the surface-related redox pseudocapacitance behavior of Fe2+/Fe3+ couple occurring on or near the surface, enabling fast and reversible ion storage. This work proposes an economical and environmentally friendly general method for the design and development of high-performance Cl-storage electrodes for CDI, and offers an in-depth insight into the Cl- storage mechanism of Fe decorated carbon electrodes, further promoting the development of CDI technology.

Study on slow traffic evaluation method of large hospitals in old urban areas based on Extentics.

Now that the coronavirus epidemic continues, hospitals have made a series of control measures, which makes the already relatively backward, slow traffic system around the large hospitals in the old city face more severe problems. This paper, based on the analysis of the current issues of slow traffic in large hospitals in old urban areas, according to the elements affecting slow traffic and the needs of slow traffic around hospitals, safety, accessibility, diversion, convenience, and comfortableness are used as the first level indicators, the index weights are determined by applying Analytic Hierarchy Process, and the comprehensive evaluation model of slow traffic around large hospitals in the old city is constructed by using Extentics. Through the case study, the scientific and practicality of the method is verified, which provides a scientific way for the safe and efficient operation of the slow traffic system around the large hospitals in the old city under the present epidemic control.

The role of post-translational modifications in driving abnormal cardiovascular complications at high altitude.

The high-altitude environment is characterized by hypobaric hypoxia, low temperatures, low humidity, and high radiation, which is a natural challenge for lowland residents entering. Previous studies have confirmed the acute and chronic effects of high altitude on the cardiovascular systems of lowlanders. Abnormal cardiovascular complications, including pulmonary edema, cardiac hypertrophy and pulmonary arterial hypertension were commonly explored. Effective evaluation of cardiovascular adaptive response in high altitude can provide a basis for early warning, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of altitude diseases. At present, post-translational modifications (PTMs) of proteins are a key step to regulate their biological functions and dynamic interactions with other molecules. This process is regulated by countless enzymes called "writer, reader, and eraser," and the performance is precisely controlled. Mutations and abnormal expression of these enzymes or their substrates have been implicated in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases associated with high altitude. Although PTMs play an important regulatory role in key processes such as oxidative stress, apoptosis, proliferation, and hypoxia response, little attention has been paid to abnormal cardiovascular response at high altitude. Here, we reviewed the roles of PTMs in driving abnormal cardiovascular complications at high altitude.

Cloud Follow-Up in Patients With Cardiovascular Implantable Electronic Devices: A Single-Region Study in China.

Background: Due to seriously imbalanced distribution of follow-up clinics in China, routine in-office visits are erratically attended by many cardiovascular implantable electronic device (CIED) patients. Meanwhile, remote monitoring is significantly underutilized. Novel tools to address the current predicament of routine in-office visits in China is urgently needed. Objectives: To assess the reliability and feasibility of cloud follow-up in CIED patients. Methods: A total of 325 CIED patients from 13 hospitals in Sichuan Province, China, were enrolled. Information on patients' sociodemographic and basic clinical characteristics was collected. All devices were tested and programmed with 5G-cloud follow-up platform in a real-time manner. All patients were surveyed about their acceptance of and preferences regarding cloud follow-up compared to routine in-office visits. Results: Compliance with routine in-office visits in this region was 60.6%. None of the patients were enrolled in remote monitoring services. Clinically important predictors of non-compliance were elderly age (≥75 years old), odds ratio (OR) 2.392 (95% confidence interval, 1.111-5.150); needing notification from a follow-up clinic, OR 2.518 (1.179-5.376); and being beyond 15 months post-implantation, OR 5.440 (2.563-11.543). All cloud follow-up sessions were performed safely and efficiently, without any adverse events. 292 (89.8%) patients preferred cloud follow-up for future device management. Conclusion: Compliance with routine in-office visits in this region has much room for improvement. Cloud follow-up addresses the limitations of an imbalanced distribution of follow-up clinics and geographic barriers for in-office CIED evaluation. Thus, cloud follow-up provides a potential solution to the current predicament of routine in-office visits in China.

Low Serum Magnesium Levels Are Associated With Hemorrhagic Transformation After Mechanical Thrombectomy in Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke.

Objective: In patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS), hemorrhagic transformation (HT) is a major complication after mechanical thrombectomy (MT). This study aimed to investigate the relationship between serum magnesium levels and HT after MT. Methods: We collected 199 cases of consecutive AIS that received MT due to acute anterior circulation occlusions in our institution between January 2017 and January 2020. Baseline serum magnesium was obtained from all patients on admission before MT. The patients were divided into two groups based on the occurrence of HT. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to investigate whether magnesium was an independent predictor of HT. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and area under the curve (AUC) were determined. Results: Of the 199 enrolled patients, 40 (20.1%) presented with HT, and 12 (6%) developed symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH). Patients with HT had lower serum magnesium levels compared to those without HT (0.76 [0.69-0.80] vs. 0.84 [0.80-0.90], p < 0.001). The multivariate logistic analysis showed that the serum magnesium level (odds ratio, [OR]: 0.000, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.000-0.001, p < 0.001) was significantly associated with the occurrence of HT. The ROC curve analysis revealed that the serum magnesium level could predict HT with an AUC of.820 (95% CI: 0.750-0.891 p < 0.001). Serum magnesium ≤ 0.80 mmol/L could predict HT with a sensitivity of 79.2% and a specificity of 70.0%. Of interest, the serum magnesium level was not associated with HT when the baseline of serum magnesium was higher than the cut-off value (0.80 mmol/L) in the subgroup analysis. Conclusions: Lower baseline serum magnesium levels (<0.80 mmol/L) on admission are associated with increased risk of HT in AIS patients receiving MT.

Carbon Nanoarchitectonics with Bi Nanoparticle Encapsulation for Improved Electrochemical Deionization Performance.

Electrochemical deionization (EDI) is hopefully the next generation of water treatment technology. Bismuth (Bi) is a promising anode material for EDI, due to its high capacity and selectivity toward Cl-, but the large volume expansion and severe pulverization aggressively attenuated the EDI cycling performance of Bi electrodes. Herein, carbon-layer-encapsulated nano-Bi composites (Bi@C) were prepared by a simple pyrolysis method using a Bi-based metal-organic framework as a precursor. Bi nanoparticles are uniformly coated within the carbon layer, in which the Bi-O-C bond enhances the interaction between Bi and C. Such a structure effectively relieves the stress caused by volume expansion by the encapsulation effect of the carbon layer. Moreover, the introduction of a carbon skeleton provides a conductive network. As a consequence, the Bi@C composite delivered excellent electrochemical performance with a capacity of 537.6 F g-1 at 1 mV s-1. The Cl- removal capacity was up to 133.5 mg g-1 at 20 mA g-1 in 500 mg L-1 NaCl solution. After 100 cycles, the Bi@C electrode still maintains 71.8% of its initial capacity, which is much higher than the 26.3% of the pure Bi electrode. This study provides a promising strategy for improving EDI electrode materials.

Environmental behavior, human health effect, and pollution control of heavy metal(loid)s toward full life cycle processes.

Heavy metal(loid)s (HMs) have caused serious environmental pollution and health risks. Although the past few years have witnessed the achievements of studies on environmental behavior of HMs, the related toxicity mechanisms, and pollution control, their relationship remains a mystery. Researchers generally focused on one topic independently without comprehensive considerations due to the knowledge gap between environmental science and human health. Indeed, the full life cycle control of HMs is crucial and should be reconsidered with the combination of the occurrence, transport, and fate of HMs in the environment. Therefore, we started by reviewing the environmental behaviors of HMs which are affected by a variety of natural factors as well as their physicochemical properties. Furthermore, the related toxicity mechanisms were discussed according to exposure route, toxicity mechanism, and adverse consequences. In addition, the current state-of-the-art of available technologies for pollution control of HMs wastewater and solid wastes were summarized. Finally, based on the research trend, we proposed that advanced in-operando characterizations will help us better understand the fundamental reaction mechanisms, and big data analysis approaches will aid in establishing the prediction model for risk management.

Spinel LiMn2O4 as a Capacitive Deionization Electrode Material with High Desalination Capacity: Experiment and Simulation.

Capacitive deionization (CDI) is a newly developed desalination technology with low energy consumption and environmental friendliness. The surface area restricts the desalination capacities of traditional carbon-based CDI electrodes while battery materials emerge as CDI electrodes with high performances due to the larger electrochemical capacities, but suffer limited production of materials. LiMn2O4 is a massively-produced lithium-ion battery material with a stable spinel structure and a high theoretical specific capacity of 148 mAh·g-1, revealing a promising candidate for CDI electrode. Herein, we employed spinel LiMn2O4 as the cathode and activated carbon as the anode in the CDI cell with an anion exchange membrane to limit the movement of cations, thus, the lithium ions released from LiMn2O4 would attract the chloride ions and trigger the desalination process of the other side of the membrane. An ultrahigh deionization capacity of 159.49 mg·g-1 was obtained at 1.0 V with an initial salinity of 20 mM. The desalination capacity of the CDI cell at 1.0 V with 10 mM initial NaCl concentration was 91.04 mg·g-1, higher than that of the system with only carbon electrodes with and without the ion exchange membrane (39.88 mg·g-1 and 7.84 mg·g-1, respectively). In addition, the desalination results and mechanisms were further verified with the simulation of COMSOL Multiphysics.

Complex effects of moisture conditions and temperature enhanced vegetation growth in the Arid/humid transition zone in Northern China.

Ecosystems in the arid/humid transition zone (AHTZ) of northern China are highly sensitive to climate change and human activities. Accurately assessing the impact of climate change on these ecosystems is important for effectively reducing the risks faced by them under future climate change. In this study, the leaf area index during the selected growing season (LAIGS) was used as an indicator for vegetation activity. After comparison different potential indicators, the growing season temperature (TGS) was used to indicate temperature, and the growing season aridity index (AIGS), which considers the regional water budget, was used to indicate moisture rather than precipitation, which is used more commonly. Correlation analysis and residual trends were used to study the influence of climatic and non-climatic factors on vegetation activity in the AHTZ from 1982 to 2016. The results for regions where LAIGS increased significantly (0.037/10 yr, 53.58% of the study area), the regions where LAIGS dominated by non-climatic factors (18.40%) was larger than areas dominated by climatic factors (9.61%). However, most (25.57%) of the regions in the selected study area were mainly driven by both climatic and non-climatic factors. In about half (49.73%) of the climate-affected regions, significant changes in LAIGS were driven jointly by TGS and AIGS. These regions were mainly in the northern and western Loess Plateau. The regions where changes were driven mainly by AIGS, and those where changes were driven mainly by TGS, each accounted for nearly a quarter of climate-affected regions (24.87% and 25.40%, respectively). The former regions were on the western Songliao Plain, the northern North China Plain, and the northern Loess Plateau, and the latter regions were in the northern Greater Khingan Mountains, on the southern North China Plain, in the western mountains of North China, and on the southern Loess Plateau.

Impact of microRNA-21-5p on the growth of thyroid cancer cells via targeting the recombinant sclerostin domain containing protein 1. / å¾®RNA-21-5p靶向调控含硬化蛋白域蛋白1å¯¹ç”²çŠ¶è ºç™Œç»†èƒžç”Ÿé•¿çš„å½±å“.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the molecular mechanism for thyroid cancer metastasis via analyzing the role of microRNA (miR)-21-5p and its target gene recombinant sclerostin domain containing protein 1 (SOSTDC1) in thyroid cancer. METHODS: The target miR-21-5p was screened through bioinformatics analysis and cell verification, and the thyroid cancer cell lines was transfected with miR-21-5p inhibitor. 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) test, flow cytometry, and cell scratch test were used to detect the proliferation, apoptosis and migration of thyroid cancer cells in the miR-21-5p inhibitor group and the inhibitor control group, respectively. The luciferase report experiment was used to verify the relationship between miR-21-5p and SOSTDC1, Western blotting was used to detect the expression levels and phosphorylation levels of SOSTDC1,phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K), protein kinase B (Akt) and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK), extracellular regulated protein kinases (ERK) in thyroid cancer cells. RESULTS: MiR-21-5p was significantly increased in thyroid cancer cells,which was negatively correlated with SOSTDC1 (r=-0.24, P<0.01). The proliferation and migration of thyroid cancer cells in the miR-21-5p inhibitor group was significantly lower than that in the inhibitor control group (both P<0.01), and the apoptosis rate in the miR-21-5p inhibitor group was significantly higher than that in the inhibitor control group (P<0.01).The luciferase report experiment showed that miR-21-5p could target and regulate the expression level of SOSTDC1, and the expression of PI3K in the miR-21-5p inhibitor group was significantly lower than that in the inhibitor control group (P<0.01). There were no significant changes in Akt and ERK1/2 levels, but the phosphorylation levels of Akt and ERK1/2 in the miR-21-5p inhibitor group were significantly lower than those in the inhibitor control group (both P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: MiR-21-5p in thyroid cancer cells can target the expression of SOSTDC1 and affect the activities of PI3K/Akt and MAPK/ERK, thereby inhibiting the apoptosis of thyroid cancer cells and promoting cell proliferation and migration.

Value of 99mTc-MIBI SPECT/CT in distinguishing between parathyroid lesions and nodular goiter. / 99mTc-MIBI SPECT/CTåœ¨ç”²çŠ¶æ—è ºç— ç¶ä¸Žç»“èŠ‚æ€§ç”²çŠ¶è ºè‚¿é‰´åˆ«è¯Šæ–­ä¸­çš„ä»·å€¼.

OBJECTIVES: Hyperfunctioning parathyroid lesions require surgical resection. 99mTc-methoxyisobutylisonitrile (99mTc-MIBI) single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) plays an important role in the diagnosis of parathyroid lesions. Some nodular goiters have a higher uptake of 99mTc-MIBI, which is difficult to distinguish from hyperfunctioning parathyroid lesions. This study aims to explore the value of 99mTc-MIBI SPECT/CT in the differential diagnosis of parathyroid lesions and nodular goiter. METHODS: This study was a retrospective analysis. A total of 68 patients who were diagnosed as parathyroid lesions by 99mTc-MIBI SPECT/CT were enrolled, with a total of 81 lesions. According to the results of pathological examination after surgical resection, the lesions were divided into a parathyroid lesion group (n=69) and a nodular goiter group (n=12). The target maximum radioactivity count (Tmax) of all lesions was measured. The mean radioactivity count of the aortic arch was used as the background mean radioactivity count (Bmean), and the ratio of the Tmax to Bmean was calculated. The difference in Tmax/Bmean between the 2 groups was compared. The minimum, mean, and maximum of CT density in the lesion were measured. The difference of CT density between the 2 groups was compared. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of patients with parathyroid lesions and patients with nodular goiter was drawn, and the diagnostic efficacy of each CT density value was evaluated. RESULTS: The 99mTc-MIBI radioactive uptake in parathyroid lesions and nodular goiter lesions was significantly concentrated. The CT density values of the 2 lesions were lower than normal thyroid tissue, and the boundary between the 2 lesions and the thyroid was clear or blurred. There was no significant difference in Tmax/Bmean between the 2 groups (P=0.221). The differences in the minimum, mean and maximum of CT density between the 2 groups were statistically significant (all P<0.05). The diagnostic efficiency of maximum of CT density was the best, area under the ROC curve was 0.894 (P<0.001), the cut-off was 91 HU, the sensitivity was 83.3%, and the specificity was 94.2%. CONCLUSIONS: The degree of 99mTc-MIBI radiation uptake in the focus has limited value in differentiating parathyroid lesions from nodular goiter, and the maximum density of CT possesses high diagnostic efficiency.