Cryoprotective effects and mechanisms of soybean oligosaccharides on the grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) surimi during frozen storage.

BACKGROUND: Conventional cryoprotectant mixtures (sucrose and sorbitol) impart excessive sweetness and calories to surimi. Therefore, there is a need to explore alternative cryoprotectants with low sweetness and low-calorie content. The cryoprotective effects and possible mechanisms of soybean oligosaccharides (SBOS) on the frozen stability of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) surimi were investigated during 120 days of frozen storage in a comparison with commercial cryoprotectants (4% sucrose and 4% sorbitol, w/w). RESULTS: SBOS at 6-8% (w/w) and commercial cryoprotectants could restrain water mobility and reduce thawing loss of frozen surimi by increasing non-freezable water content. SBOS could maintain the structural stability of proteins by preventing sulfhydryl groups from being rapidly oxidized to disulfide bonds, retarding the reduction of the solubility, Ca2+-ATPase activity and α-helix content of myofibrillar proteins (MP), as well as hindering the increasing surface hydrophobicity of MP of surimi during 120 days of frozen storage. The introduction of SBOS increased the gel strength and water-holding capacity of frozen-stored surimi. Compared with commercial cryoprotectants, 8% SBOS was more effective in stabilizing protein structure, whereas it was slightly less effective with respect to ice-forming inhibition. CONCLUSION: The results obtained in the present study suggest that 8% SBOS could be potentially developed as a new cryoprotectant for surimi as a result of its ice-forming inhibition abilities and protein structure stability. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Imaging Characteristics of Clear Cell Papillary Renal Cell Carcinoma: Identifying the Sheep in Wolf's Clothing.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to describe the characteristics of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of clear cell papillary renal cell carcinoma (CCPRCC). METHODS: This retrospective study comprised 27 patients diagnosed with 29 tumors of CCPRCC. The study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee and the requirement for the informed consent was waived. The inclusion criteria stipulated pathology-confirmed CCPRCCs with at least one preoperative imaging examination, including CT or MRI. Two experienced radiologists independently analyzed the imaging characteristics, including size, location, growth mode, morphology, texture, density, and enhancement pattern. Paired t-test was used to compare differences in CT Hounsfield unit values and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) imaging between the tumor and the renal cortex. RESULTS: The mean age of the 27 patients was 57.0 ± 14.2 years. Nineteen patients underwent CT, while 12 underwent MRI (There are 4 patients underwent not only CT but also MRI). Among the cases, 26 (96%) were single, and 1 (4%) was multiple, consisting of three lesions. Out of the 29 tumors, 15 (52%) were located in the left kidney and 14 (48%) in the right kidney. The mean tumor diameter was 3.3 ± 1.7 cm. Furthermore, 19 (66%), 3 (10%), and 7 (24%) tumors were solid, cystic, mixed solid, and cystic type, respectively. The growth mode was endogenous and exogenous in 8 (28%) and 21 (72%) tumors, respectively. The tumor shape was irregular and round in 5 (17%) and 24 (83%) tumors, respectively. The CT value of the tumor was approximately 33.2 ± 9.8 HU, which was not significantly different from that of the renal cortex(31.1 ± 6.3HU)(p = 0.343). Furthermore, 7 (24%), 12 (41%), and 3 (10%) had calcification, cystic degeneration, and hemorrhage, respectively. In 12 tumors, hypointense and hyperintense were predominant on T1 and T2-weighted images, respectively. The tumor capsule was found at the edge of 12 tumors. The average ADC value of the tumor (1.54 ± 0.74 × 10-3 mm2/s) and that of the renal cortex(1.68 ± 0.63×10-3mm2 /s) was not statistically significantly different (p = 0.260). The enhancement scanning revealed "wash-in and wash-out" enhancement in 19 (68%) tumors, continuous or progressive enhancement in 6 (21%) tumors, and enhanced cystic wall and central separation in 3 (11%) tumors. CONCLUSION: CCPRCC occurs more likely in middle-aged and elderly individuals, and the tumor is prone to cystic degeneration, with rare bleeding and calcification, and no obvious limitation on MRI diffusion-weighted imaging, which enhancement form performs as mainly "wash-in and washout," but the final diagnosis depends on histopathology.

Proteomic characterization identifies clinically relevant subgroups of soft tissue sarcoma.

Soft tissue sarcoma is a broad family of mesenchymal malignancies exhibiting remarkable histological diversity. We portray the proteomic landscape of 272 soft tissue sarcomas representing 12 major subtypes. Hierarchical classification finds the similarity of proteomic features between angiosarcoma and epithelial sarcoma, and elevated expression of SHC1 in AS and ES is correlated with poor prognosis. Moreover, proteomic clustering classifies patients of soft tissue sarcoma into 3 proteomic clusters with diverse driven pathways and clinical outcomes. In the proteomic cluster featured with the high cell proliferation rate, APEX1 and NPM1 are found to promote cell proliferation and drive the progression of cancer cells. The classification based on immune signatures defines three immune subtypes with distinctive tumor microenvironments. Further analysis illustrates the potential association between immune evasion markers (PD-L1 and CD80) and tumor metastasis in soft tissue sarcoma. Overall, this analysis uncovers sarcoma-type-specific changes in proteins, providing insights about relationships of soft tissue sarcoma.

Value of T1 Mapping in the Non-invasive Assessment of Renal Pathologic Injury for Chronic Kidney Disease Patients.

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to evaluate renal function and pathologic injury in chronic kidney disease (CKD) using T1 mapping. METHODS: We recruited fifteen healthy volunteers (HV) and seventy-five CKD patients to undergo T1 mapping examination, and renal parenchymal T1 values were measured. Spearman correlation analysis was used to evaluate the relevance between the pathologic injury score, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and renal parenchymal T1 values. The diagnostic efficiency of T1 value in evaluating renal pathologic impairment was assessed. RESULTS: In all subjects, renal cortical T1 value was remarkably lower than renal medullary T1 value (P < 0.01). The renal medullary T1 value of HV was considerably lower than that of CKD patients in all stages (P < 0.05). The T1 values were negatively correlated with eGFR (cortex, r = -0.718; medulla, r = -0.645). The T1 values were positively correlated with glomerular injury score (cortex, r = 0.692; medulla, r = 0.632), tubulointerstitial injury score (cortex, r = 0.758; medulla, r = 0.690) (all P < 0.01). The area under the curve (AUC) of renal cortical and medullary T1 values were 0.914 and 0.880 to distinguish moderate-severe from mild renal injury groups. To differentiate mild renal injury group from control group, the AUC values of renal cortical and medullary T1 values were 0.879 and 0.856. CONCLUSION: T1 mapping has potential application value in non-invasively assessing renal pathologic injury in CKD.

LncRNA TDRKH-AS1 promotes breast cancer progression via the miR-134-5p/CREB1 axis.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer (BC) is a prevalent malignancy with complex etiology and varied clinical behavior. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have emerged as key regulators in cancer progression, including BC. Among these, lncRNA TDRKH-AS1 has been implicated in several cancers, but its role in BC remains unclear. METHODS: We conducted a comprehensive investigation to elucidate the role of TDRKH-AS1 in BC. Clinical samples were collected from BC patients, and BC cell lines were cultured. Bioinformatics analysis using the starBase database was carried out to assess TDRKH-AS1 expression levels in BC tissue samples. Functional experiments, including knockdown, colony formation, CCK-8, Transwell, and wound-healing assays, were conducted to determine the role of TDRKH-AS1 in BC cell proliferation and invasion. Luciferase reporter and RIP assays were used to examine the interactions between TDRKH-AS1 and miR-134-5p. In addition, the downstream target gene of miR-134-5p, cAMP response element-binding protein 1 (CREB1), was identified and studied using various methods, including RT-qPCR, immunoprecipitation, and rescue experiments. In vivo experiments using mouse tumor xenograft models were conducted to examine the role of TDRKH-AS1 in BC tumorigenesis. RESULTS: TDRKH-AS1 was found to be significantly upregulated in BC tissues and cell lines. High TDRKH-AS1 expression correlated with advanced BC stages and worse patient outcomes. Knockdown of TDRKH-AS1 led to decreased BC cell proliferation and invasion. Mechanistically, TDRKH-AS1 acted as a sponge for miR-134-5p, thereby reducing the inhibitory effects of miR-134-5p on CREB1 expression. Overexpression of CREB1 partially rescued the effects of TDRKH-AS1 knockdown in BC cells. In vivo studies further confirmed the tumor-promoting role of TDRKH-AS1 in BC. CONCLUSIONS: Our study unveiled a novel regulatory axis involving TDRKH-AS1, miR-134-5p, and CREB1 in BC progression. TDRKH-AS1 functioned as an oncogenic lncRNA by promoting BC cell proliferation and invasion through modulation of the miR-134-5p/CREB1 axis. These findings highlighted TDRKH-AS1 as a potential diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target for BC treatment.

The role of NaHS pretreatment in improving salt stress resistance in foxtail millet seedlings: physiological and molecular mechanisms.

Salt stress is a prevailing abiotic stress in nature, with soil salinization becoming a pressing issue worldwide. High soil salinity severely hampers plant growth and leads to reduced crop yields. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a gas signal molecule, is known to be synthesized in plants exposed to abiotic stress, contributing to enhanced plant stress resistance. To investigate the impact of sodium hydrosulfide hydrate (NaHS, a H2S donor) on millet's response to salt stress, millet seedlings were subjected to pretreatment with 200 µM NaHS, followed by 100 mM NaCl stress under soil culture conditions. The growth, osmotic adjustment substances, antioxidant characteristics, membrane damage, and expression levels of related genes in millet seedlings were detected and analyzed. The results showed that NaHS pretreatment alleviated the inhibition of salt stress on the growth of foxtail millet seedlings, increased the proline content and antioxidant enzyme activities, as well as the expression levels of SiASR4, SiRPLK35 and SiHAK23 genes under salt stress. These findings demonstrated that NaHS pretreatment can enhance salt tolerance in foxtail millet seedlings by regulating the content of osmotic adjustment substances and antioxidant enzyme activity, reducing electrolyte permeability, and activating the expression of salt-resistant genes.

The effect of heat-moisture treatment changed the binding of starch, protein and lipid in rice flour to affect its hierarchical structure and physicochemical properties.

This study investigated the effect of removing proteins, lipids and starch on the structure, physicochemical properties and digestion properties of rice flour (with 30% moisture) treated with heat moisture treatment (HMT). According to the results, HMT caused the adhesion and agglomeration of the rice flour, promoted the binding between starch, protein and lipid molecular chains and led to the formation of complexes (especially starch-lipid complexes), which hindered the removal of non-starch components. Compared to the untreated rice flour, the HMT treated lipid-removal rice flour had small changes in their crystallinity, gelatinization temperature and viscosity property. After removing protein, the crystallinity, peak viscosity, final viscosity, breakdown and starch digestibility were sharply increased. In particular, the peak viscosity increased from 811 cP to 1746 cP and the enthalpy change increased from 5.33 J/g to 10.18 J/g. These findings are helpful in understanding the contribution of removing endogenous proteins and lipids to the physicochemical changes of HMT treated rice flour during its heating process and thus can be helpful in controlling the quality of rice flour through HMT.

Single-cell analysis reveals exosome-associated biomarkers for prognostic prediction and immunotherapy in lung adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Exosomes play a crucial role in tumor initiation and progression, yet the precise involvement of exosome-related genes (ERGs) in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) remains unclear. METHODS: We conducted a comprehensive investigation of ERGs within the tumor microenvironment (TME) of LUAD using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) analysis. Multiple scoring methods were employed to assess exosome activity (EA). Differences in cell communication were examined between high and low EA groups, utilizing the "CellChat" R package. Subsequently, we leveraged multiple bulk RNA-seq datasets to develop and validate exosome-associated signatures (EAS), enabling a multifaceted exploration of prognosis and immunotherapy outcomes between high- and low-risk groups. RESULTS: In the LUAD TME, epithelial cells demonstrated the highest EA, with even more elevated levels observed in advanced LUAD epithelial cells. The high-EA group exhibited enhanced intercellular interactions. EAS were established through the analysis of multiple bulk RNA-seq datasets. Patients in the high-risk group exhibited poorer overall survival (OS), reduced immune infiltration, and decreased expression of immune checkpoint genes. Finally, we experimentally validated the high expression of SEC61G in LUAD cell lines and demonstrated that knockdown of SEC61G reduced the proliferative capacity of LUAD cells using colony formation assays. CONCLUSION: The integration of single-cell and bulk RNA-seq analyses culminated in the development of the profound and significant EAS, which imparts invaluable insights for the clinical diagnosis and therapeutic management of LUAD patients.

The Value of Neoadjuvant Anthracycline-Based Regimens for HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Including 1366 Patients.

Background: The standard recommendation for neoadjuvant therapy for human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer patients is trastuzumab in combination with chemotherapy, but there is no current standard recommendation for appropriate chemotherapy regimens. This meta-analysis evaluated the efficacy and cardiac safety of the concurrent use of anti-HER2 targeted drugs and anthracycline-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for HER2-positive breast cancers. Methods: The pooled odds ratio (OR) rate for pathologic complete response (pCR), the pooled hazard ratio (HR) of overall survival (OS), and the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) decline events were all calculated. Differences in efficacy, prognosis, and cardiac safety were compared between patients receiving an anthracycline-containing regimen (AB) and those treated with non-anthracycline-based (nAB) NAC. Results: A total of 1366 patients in 4 prospective and 3 retrospective studies were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled OR for pCR rate was 0.73 with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 0.43 to 1.24 (P = .246). Subgroup analysis of low tumor burden cases showed no improvement in pCR rate for patients in the AB group compared with nAB, with the pooled OR rate being 0.73 with a 95% CI of 0.37 to 1.44 (P= .357). The 3-year OS rate was 95.63% and 95.54% in the AB and nAB groups, respectively, with no statistical difference (P= .157). There was a significant increase in the rate of LVEF decline of 19.07% in the AB group compared with 13.33% for the nAB group, with an HR of 1.62 and a 95% CI of 1.11 to 2.36 (P = .013). Conclusions: The addition of anthracyclines did not improve pCR rates and survival after neoadjuvant and the increased cardiotoxicity of anthracyclines further limited their application. This study showed that it was feasible to use anti-HER2 drugs without anthracyclines in neoadjuvant therapy for HER2-positive breast cancer patients.

Clinical and epidemiological features of high-risk human papillomavirus infection in patients with cervical intraepithelial lesions.

OBJECTIVE: In this study, we analyzed the clinical and epidemiological features of high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infection in patients with cervical intraepithelial lesions. METHODS: Retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 240 cases of histologically confirmed cervical squamous intraepithelial lesions to determine any correlation between HPV infection characteristics, age distribution, and cervical epithelial lesions. RESULTS: Patients between the ages of 31 and 40 with cervical intraepithelial lesions were more likely to have high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL; 40.7%) than low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL; 31.3%) (P < 0.05). In patients with HSIL, HR-HPV16, HR-HPV33, and HR-HPV52 were the most common types of HPV infection, while in patients with LSIL, HR-HPV16, HR-HPV52, and HR-HPV58 were the most common types of HPV infection. The highest percentage of single infections occurred in the HSIL group (69.6%), followed by the LSIL group (68.8%). HSIL was present in a significant number of patients (28.6%) aged 30 years and above who tested positive for 12 HPV types but negative for TCT. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of HSIL is greatest in younger patients. Patients with cervical epithelial lesions typically have a single infection of a high-risk HPV genotype-HR-HPV16, HR-HPV33, HR-HPV52, or HR-HPV58. Patients aged 30 years and above who test positive for one of 12 types of HPV but negative for TCT are at increased risk for developing HSIL. In order to detect cervical lesions early and begin treatment without delay, colposcopy should be performed regardless of whether or not a high-risk HPV infection is present.

Triple­negative breast cancer cells that survive ionizing radiation exhibit an Axl­dependent aggressive radioresistant phenotype.

This study aimed to investigate the aggressive behavior of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells that had survived ionizing radiation and explore the potential targets of TNBC combination treatment. Consistent with the previous literature, Axl was highly expressed in TNBC and closely associated with the degree of malignancy based on immunohistochemical staining. Using a gradient irradiation method, the ionizing radiation-resistant mouse TNBC cell line 4T-1/IRR was established. It was found that Axl expression was upregulated in 4T-1/IRR cells. After irradiation by X-ray, the cell viability and colony formation ability of 4T-1/IRR cells were significantly increased when compared with the 4T-1 cells. Combined radiotherapy with Axl inhibition by treatment with R428 and small interfering RNA lentivirus targeting Axl infection significantly reduced cell viability, colony formation ability, DNA double-stranded break repair, and the invasive and migratory ability of 4T-1/IRR cells. In vivo, the small animal radiation research platform was applied to precisely administer radiotherapy of the tumor-bearing mice. R428 treatment combined with 6 Gy X-ray significantly inhibited the growth of 4T-1/IRR cells-derived xenograft tumors in the BALB/c mouse. The results of western blotting showed that the critical molecular mechanism involved in the radioresistance of TNBC cells was the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway induced by Axl activation. Thus, it is hypothesized that targeted Axl therapy combined with radiotherapy may have significant potential for the treatment of TNBC.

The RNA binding protein MEX3A promotes tumor progression of breast cancer by post-transcriptional regulation of IGFBP4.

PURPOSE: Breast cancer (BC) is the most frequent malignant tumor in women worldwide with exceptionally high morbidity. The RNA-binding protein MEX3A plays a crucial role in genesis and progression of multiple cancers. We attempted to explore its clinicopathological and functional significance in BC in which MEX3A is expressed. METHODS: The expression of MEX3A detected by RT-qPCR and correlated the results with clinicopathological variables in 53 BC patients. MEX3A and IGFBP4 profile data of BC patients were downloaded from TCGA and GEO database. Kaplan-Meier (KM) analysis was used to estimate the survival rate of BC patients. Western Blot, CCK-8, EdU, colony formation and flow cytometry were performed to investigate the role of MEX3A and IGFBP4 in BC cell proliferation, invasion and cell cycle in vitro. A subcutaneous tumor mouse model was constructed to analyze in vivo growth of BC cells after MEX3A knockdown. The interactions among MEX3A and IGFBP4 were measured by RNA pull-down and RNA immunoprecipitation. RESULTS: The expression of MEX3A was upregulated in BC tissues compared to adjacent tissues and high expression of MEX3A was associated with poor prognosis. Subsequent in vitro studies demonstrated that MEX3A knockdown inhibited BC cells proliferation and migration, as well as xenograft tumor growth in vivo. The expression of IGFBP4 was significantly negatively correlated with MEX3A in BC tissues. Mechanistic investigation showed that MEX3A binds to IGFBP4 mRNA in BC cells, decreasing IGFBP4 mRNA levels, which further activated the PI3K/AKT and other downstream signaling pathways implicated cell cycle progression and cell migration. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that MEX3A plays a prominent oncogenic role in BC tumorigenesis and progression by targeting IGFBP4 mRNA and activating PI3K/AKT signaling, which can be used as a novel therapeutic target for BC.

Neoadjuvant Pyrotinib plus Trastuzumab, Docetaxel, and Carboplatin in Early or Locally Advanced Human Epidermal Receptor 2-Positive Breast Cancer in China: A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Phase 2 Trial.

INTRODUCTION: This multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2 trial compared the efficacy, and safety of adding pyrotinib to trastuzumab, docetaxel, and carboplatin versus placebo, trastuzumab, docetaxel, and carboplatin in Chinese patients with human epidermal receptor 2 (HER2)-positive early or locally advanced breast cancer (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03756064). METHODS: Sixty-nine women with HER2-positive early (T1-3, N0-1, M0) or locally advanced breast cancer (T2-3, N2 or N3, M0; T4, any N, M0) were recruited from October 1, 2019, to June 1, 2021. Before surgery, patients received 6 cycles of orally pyrotinib (400 mg once per day), trastuzumab (8-mg/kg loading dose and 6-mg/kg maintenance doses), docetaxel (75 mg/m2), and carboplatin (AUC = 6 mg/mL·min) or orally placebo, trastuzumab, and docetaxel, and carboplatin every 3 weeks. The primary end point was independent review committee-assessed total pathologic complete response rate. The 2-sided Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test, stratified by age, hormone receptor status, tumor stage, nodal status, cTNM stage, and Ki-67 level was used to compare rates between treatment groups. RESULTS: In total, 69 female patients were randomized (pyrotinib, 36; and placebo, 33; median age, 53 [31-69] years). In the intention-to-treat population, total pathologic complete response rates were 65.5% (19/29) in the pyrotinib group and 33.3% (10/30) in the placebo group (difference, 32.2%, p = 0.013). Diarrhea was been reported in 86.1% of patients (31/36) in the pyrotinib group as the most common adverse events (AEs) and 15.2% of patients (5/33) in the placebo group. But no grade 4 or 5 AEs were reported. CONCLUSION: Treatment with pyrotinib, trastuzumab, docetaxel, and carboplatin resulted in a statistically significant improvement in the total pathologic complete response rate versus placebo, trastuzumab, docetaxel, and carboplatin for the neoadjuvant treatment of HER2-positive early or locally advanced breast cancer in Chinese patients. Safety data were in line with the known pyrotinib safety profile and generally comparable between treatment groups.

Does Bi-Exponential Fitting Perform Better than Mono-Exponential Fitting in IVIM-DWI? An Assessment of Renal Pathological Injury of IgA Nephropathy.

BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease has become one of the world's major public health problems, immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy is a common pathological type of CKD. Delaying the progression of IgA nephropathy has currently become the main clinical treatment strategy, precise evaluation of renal pathological injury during follow-up of patients with IgA nephropathy is important. Therefore, it is imperative to develop an accurate and non-invasive imaging technique for effective follow-up of renal pathological injury in patients with IgA nephropathy. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical value of intravoxel incoherent motion diffusion-weighted imaging (IVIM-DWI) in assessing renal pathological injury in patients with immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy compared with a mono-exponential model. METHODS: Altogether, 80 patients with IgA nephropathy were divided into the mild (41 cases) andmoderate-severe (m-s) renal injury groups (39 cases) according to pathology scores, and 20 healthy volunteers were recruited as controls. All participants underwent IVIM-DWI of the kidneys, and renal parenchymal apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), pure molecular diffusion coefficient (D), pseudo-diffusion coefficient (D*), and perfusion fraction (f) values were measured. One-way analysis of variance, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, and Pearson correlation analysis were performed for all the DWI-derived parameters. RESULTS: The DWI-derived parameters of the m-s renal injury group were significantly lower than those of the mild renal injury and control groups (P < 0.01). The ROC analysis revealed that f had the largest area under the ROC curve for differentiation between the m-s and mild renal injury groups and between the m-s renal injury and control groups. The f had the largest correlation coefficient with renal pathology scores (r=-0.81), followed by the D* (-0.69), ADC (-0.54), and D values (-0.53), respectively (all P<0.01). CONCLUSION: IVIM-DWI demonstrated better diagnostic performance than the mono-exponential model in assessing renal pathological injury in patients with IgA nephropathy.

Long non-coding RNAs in breast cancer stem cells.

Breast cancer, one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers worldwide, is a heterogeneous disease with high rates of recurrence and metastasis that contribute to its high mortality rate. Breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) are a small but significant subset of heterogeneous breast cancer cells that possess stem cell characteristics such as self-renewal and differentiation abilities that may drive metastasis and recurrence. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a class of RNAs that are longer than 200 nucleotides in length and do not possess protein-coding properties. An increasing number of studies have shown that some lncRNAs are abnormally expressed in BCSCs, and have great biological significance in the occurrence, progression, invasion, and metastasis of various cancers. However, the importance of lncRNAs, as well as the molecular mechanisms that regulate and promote the stemness of BCSCs, are still poorly understood. In the current review, we aim to summarize recent studies that highlight the role of lncRNAs in tumor occurrence and progression through BCSCs. In addition, the utility of lncRNAs as biomarkers of breast cancer progression, and their potential use as therapeutic targets for treatment of breast cancer, will be discussed.

Effect of sodium bicarbonate on the physicochemical properties of fermented rice flour and quality characteristics of fermented semi-dried rice noodles.

Considering the effect that fermentation can improve the quality of rice noodles, and given that fermented rice noodles usually have a significantly acidic taste that is not generally acceptable to consumers, this study aimed to neutralize or eliminate the acidic taste of fermented rice noodles by adding sodium bicarbonate, and improve the quality of fermented rice noodles. The physicochemical properties of fermented rice flour and quality characteristics of fermented semi-dried rice noodles were investigated in this study in relation to the addition of sodium bicarbonate (0∼0.5%, w/w). With the increase of sodium bicarbonate addition, the pH value was increased, and lipid and protein content were decreased in rice flour. Meanwhile, thermal properties and farinograph properties showed that the pasting temperature, dough water absorption, dough development time and dough stability time of rice flour increased with the addition of sodium bicarbonate. Pasting properties and rheological properties results showed that a small amount of sodium bicarbonate (0∼0.1%) could increase the pasting viscosity, storage modulus (G'), and loss modulus (G″) of rice flour. Additionally, the hardness and chewiness of semi-dried rice noodles increased with the addition of sodium bicarbonate from 0 to 0.1%. With the addition of a small amount of sodium bicarbonate (0∼0.1%), x-ray diffraction showed that it could increase the crystallinity of semi-dried rice noodles. Low-field nuclear magnetic resonance showed that A21 increased, and A22 and A23 decreased in semi-dried rice noodles. Scanning electron microscope showed that it could enhance the starch-protein interaction and starch-protein formed an ordered and stable network structure. Finally, the principal component analysis showed that the chewiness, texture and eating quality of semi-dried rice noodles were the best with the addition of sodium bicarbonate at 0.1%. This study provides practical value for the application of alkali treatment in rice products and provides a reference for the improvement of related rice noodles products.

Capability of arterial spin labeling and intravoxel incoherent motion diffusion-weighted imaging to detect early kidney injury in chronic kidney disease.

OBJECTIVES: To prospectively investigate the capability of arterial spin labeling (ASL) and intravoxel incoherent motion diffusion-weighted imaging (IVIM-DWI) for the identification of early kidney injury in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients with normal estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). METHODS: Fifty-four CKD patients confirmed by renal biopsy (normal eGFR group [eGFR ≥ 90 mL/min/1.73 m2]: n = 26; abnormal eGFR group [eGFR < 90 mL/min/1.73 m2]: n = 28) and 20 healthy volunteers (HV) were recruited. All subjects were examined by IVIM-DWI and ASL imaging. Renal blood flow (RBF) derived from ASL, true diffusion coefficient (D), pseudo-diffusion coefficient (D*), and perfusion fraction (f) derived from IVIM-DWI were measured from the renal cortex. One-way analysis of variance was used to compare MRI parameters among the three groups. The correlation between eGFR and MRI parameters was evaluated by Spearman correlation analysis. Diagnostic performances of MRI parameters for detecting kidney injury were assessed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. RESULTS: The renal cortical D, D*, f, and RBF values showed statistically significant differences among the three groups. eGFR was positively correlated with MRI parameters (D: r = 0.299, D*: r = 0.569, f: r = 0.733, RBF: r = 0.586). The areas under the curve (AUCs) for discriminating CKD patients from HV were 0.725, 0.752, 0.947, and 0.884 by D, D*, f, and RBF, respectively. D, D*, f, RBF, and eGFR identified CKD patients with normal eGFR with AUCs of 0.735, 0.612, 0.917, 0.827, and 0.733, respectively, and AUC of f value was significantly larger than that of eGFR. CONCLUSION: IVIM-DWI and ASL were useful for detecting underlying pathologic injury in early CKD patients with normal eGFR. KEY POINTS: • The renal cortical f and RBF values in the control group were significantly higher than those in the normal eGFR group. • A negative correlation was observed between the renal cortical D, D*, f, and RBF values and SCr and 24 h-UPRO, while eGFR was significantly positively correlated with renal cortical D, D*, f, and RBF values. • The AUC of renal cortical f values was statistically larger than that of eGFR for the discrimination between the CKD with normal eGFR group and the control group.

Is it possible to use low-dose deep learning reconstruction for the detection of liver metastases on CT routinely?

OBJECTIVES: To compare the image quality and hepatic metastasis detection of low-dose deep learning image reconstruction (DLIR) with full-dose filtered back projection (FBP)/iterative reconstruction (IR). METHODS: A contrast-detail phantom consisting of low-contrast objects was scanned at five CT dose index levels (10, 6, 3, 2, and 1 mGy). A total of 154 participants with 305 hepatic lesions who underwent abdominal CT were enrolled in a prospective non-inferiority trial with a three-arm design based on phantom results. Data sets with full dosage (13.6 mGy) and low dosages (9.5, 6.8, or 4.1 mGy) were acquired from two consecutive portal venous acquisitions, respectively. All images were reconstructed with FBP (reference), IR (control), and DLIR (test). Eleven readers evaluated phantom data sets for object detectability using a two-alternative forced-choice approach. Non-inferiority analyses were performed to interpret the differences in image quality and metastasis detection of low-dose DLIR relative to full-dose FBP/IR. RESULTS: The phantom experiment showed the dose reduction potential from DLIR was up to 57% based on the reference FBP dose index. Radiation decreases of 30% and 50% resulted in non-inferior image quality and hepatic metastasis detection with DLIR compared to full-dose FBP/IR. Radiation reduction of 70% by DLIR performed inferiorly in detecting small metastases (< 1 cm) compared to full-dose FBP (difference: -0.112; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.178 to 0.047) and full-dose IR (difference: -0.123; 95% CI: -0.182 to 0.053) (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: DLIR enables a 50% dose reduction for detecting low-contrast hepatic metastases while maintaining comparable image quality to full-dose FBP and IR. KEY POINTS: • Non-inferiority study showed that deep learning image reconstruction (DLIR) can reduce the dose to oncological patients with low-contrast lesions without compromising the diagnostic information. • Radiation dose levels for DLIR can be reduced to 50% of full-dose FBP and IR for detecting low-contrast hepatic metastases, while maintaining comparable image quality. • The reduction of radiation by 70% by DLIR is clinically acceptable but insufficient for detecting small low-contrast hepatic metastases (< 1 cm).

Evaluation of interstitial fibrosis in chronic kidney disease by multiparametric functional MRI and histopathologic analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the diagnostic value of functional MRI to assess renal interstitial fibrosis in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). METHODS: We prospectively recruited 80 CKD patients who underwent renal biopsies and 16 healthy volunteers to undergo multiparametric functional MRI examinations. The Oxford MEST-C classification was used to score the interstitial fibrosis. The diagnostic performance of functional MRI to discriminate interstitial fibrosis was evaluated by calculating the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. RESULTS: IgA nephropathy (60%) accounted for the majority of pathologic type in the CKD patients. Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) from diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) was correlated with interstitial fibrosis (rho = -0.73). Decreased renal blood flow (RBF) derived from arterial spin labeling (rho = -0.78) and decreased perfusion fraction (f) derived from DWI (rho = -0.70) were accompanied by increased interstitial fibrosis. The T1 value from T1 mapping correlated with interstitial fibrosis (rho = 0.67) (all p < 0.01). The areas under the ROC curve for the discrimination of ≤ 25% vs. > 25% and ≤ 50% vs. > 50% interstitial fibrosis were 0.87 (95% confidence interval, 0.78 to 0.94) and 0.93 (0.86 to 0.98) by ADC, 0.84 (0.74 to 0.91) and 0.94 (0.86 to 0.98) by f, 0.93 (0.85 to 0.98) and 0.90 (0.82 to 0.96) by RBF, and 0.91 (0.83 to 0.96) and 0.77 (0.66 to 0.85) by T1, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Functional MRI parameters were strongly correlated with the interstitial fibrosis of CKD. Therefore, it might a powerful tool to assess interstitial fibrosis of CKD noninvasively. KEY POINTS: • In CKD patients, the renal cortical ADC value decreased and T1 value increased significantly compared with healthy volunteers. • Functional MRI revealed significantly decreased renal perfusion in CKD patients compared with healthy volunteers. • The renal cortical ADC, f, RBF, and T1 values were strongly correlated with the interstitial fibrosis of CKD.

Understanding the Changes in Quality of Semi-Dried Rice Noodles during Storage at Room Temperature.

The changes in semi-dried rice noodles during storage at room temperature (25 ± 2 °C) in terms of microbial growth, cooking quality, color, textural properties, thermal properties, crystallinity, and moisture content, and moisture distribution was examined. Total plate count, cooked broken rate, cooking loss, and b* value increased, while rehydration ratio, L* value, and moisture content decreased during storage. The hardness, adhesiveness, and chewiness of semi-dried rice noodles increased significantly, according to textural properties. DSC and XRD showed that the enthalpy of thermal absorption and crystallinity of semi-dried rice noodles increased from 1.67 J/g and 3.48% to 4.21 J/g and 18.62%, respectively. LF-NMR showed that the weakly bound water content in semi-dried rice noodles decreased by 3.71%, and the bound water content and free water content increased by 3.20% and 0.51%, respectively. The results of correlation analysis showed that the changes in quality during storage of semi-dried rice noodles were influenced by the combination of microbial growth, aging of rice noodles, and moisture migration.