Moyamoya syndrome may result from psoriasis: Four case reports.

BACKGROUND: Moyamoya syndrome (MMS) is a group of diseases that involves more than one underlying disease and is accompanied by moyamoya vascular phenomena. Psoriasis is a chronic immune skin disease closely linked to high blood pressure and heart disease. However, psoriasis-related MMS has not been reported. CASE SUMMARY: We collected data on patients with stroke due to MMS between January 2017 and December 2019 and identified four cases of psoriasis. Case histories, imaging, and hematological data were collected. The average age of the initial stroke onset was 58.25 ± 11.52 years; three cases of hemorrhagic and one case of ischemic stroke were included. The average duration from psoriasis confirmation to the initial MMS-mediated stroke onset was 17 ± 3.56 years. All MMS-related stenoses involved the bilateral cerebral arteries: Suzuki grade III in one case, grade IV in two cases, and grade V in one case. Abnormally elevated plasma interleukin-6 levels were observed in four patients. Two patients had abnormally elevated immunoglobulin E levels, and two had thrombocytosis. All four patients received medication instead of surgery. With an average follow-up time of 2 years, two causing transient ischemic attacks occurred in two patients, and no hemorrhagic events occurred. CONCLUSION: Psoriasis may be a potential risk factor for MMS. Patients with psoriasis should be screened for MMS when they present with neurological symptoms.

Multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment model based on a retrospective cohort study: Pulmonary function and prognosis quality of life in severe COPD.

BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common chronic respiratory disease worsening airflow limitation. OBJECTIVE: To explore pulmonary function rehabilitation, life quality and prognosis in patients with severe COPD. METHODS: Between February 2018 and August 2021, 150 patients with severe COPD cured in our hospital were arbitrarily assigned into the control group (n= 75) and study group (n= 75). The control group received routine treatment and the research group received multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment. The body mass index, airflow obstruction, dyspnea and exercise (BODE), pulmonary function, the number of acute attacks, 6-minute walking distance (6MWD), Borg score and life quality were compared. RESULTS: There was no remarkable difference in BODE score before treatment (P> 0.05). During the 2- and 6-month following treatment, the BODE score of the study group was lower (P< 0.05). In the study group, FEV1 percentage of the predicted value, forced expiratory volume in one second (PPO-FEV1) and the percentage of forced expiratory volume in one second/forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) in the first second were higher (P< 0.05). In the study group, there were fewer acute attacks (P< 0.05). After treatment, the 6MWD of the study group following 2- and 6-month treatment was higher (P< 0.05). The Borg scores of the study group at 2- and 6-months after treatment were lower (P< 0.05). There were no remarkable differences in the score of life quality before treatment (P> 0.05), however, the symptom score, activity score, influence score and total score of the study group were lower after the treatment (P< 0.05). CONCLUSION: The application of multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment model can promote the rehabilitation of pulmonary function of patients with severe COPD, improve their prognosis, slow down the development of the disease and enhance their life quality.

ZCCHC4 Promotes Osteosarcoma Progression by Upregulating ITGB1.

Zinc finger CCHC-type containing 4 (ZCCHC4), RNA binding protein, has been reported to mediate rRNA methylation and affect tumor cell proliferation. However, the role of ZCCHC4 in the regulation of osteosarcoma (OS) remains unknown. ZCCHC4 was highly expressed in OS tissues and cell lines. Overexpression or silencing of ZCCHC4 promoted or inhibited cell proliferation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and motility. Additionally, we proved that ZCCHC4 facilitates OS progression through upregulating integrin ß1 (ITGB1). In the animal model, ZCCHC4 knockdown reduced OS tumor growth and metastases in vivo. Our findings showed that ZCCHC4 promoted the progression of OS through upregulating ITGB1 and suggested that inhibition of ZCCHC4 could be a novel therapeutic strategy for OS.

Vertical Differentiation of Microplastics Influenced by Thermal Stratification in a Deep Reservoir.

Microplastics (MPs) are an emerging environmental concern. However, vertical transport of MPs remains unclear, particularly in deep reservoirs with thermal stratification (TS). In this study, the vertical variation in MP organization, stability, migration, and the driving factors of the profile in a deep reservoir were comprehensively explored. This is the first observation that TS interfaces in a deep reservoir act as a buffer area to retard MP subsidence, especially at the interface between the epilimnion and the metalimnion. Interestingly, there was a size-selection phenomenon for MP sinking. In particular, the high accumulation of large-sized MPs (LMPs; >300 µm) indicated that LMPs were more susceptible to dramatic changes in water density at the TS interfaces. Furthermore, simultaneous analysis of water parameters and MP surface characteristics showed that the drivers of MP deposition were biological to abiotic transitions during different layers, which were influenced by algae and metals. Specifically, scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and microscopic Fourier transform infrared analyses implied that the occurrence of metals on the MP surface can promote MP deposition in the hypolimnion. Our findings demonstrated that TS significantly influenced the MP fate in deep reservoirs, and the hotspot of MP exposure risk for vulnerable benthic organisms on the reservoir floor deserves more attention.

Derivation of new resistance principle on flow-induced morphological response of flexible vegetation.

Water flow under vegetated environments is a noteworthy research topic in environmental hydraulics and restoration ecology, and this research is particularly important for maintaining water transport and streambed stability in water ecosystems. The calculation of the resistance coefficient in vegetated water flow is the core of this research. But there are still problems such as complex expressions and low simulation accuracy in this research field. To solve this scientific problem, this research, based on the theoretical study of environmental hydraulics and genetic algorithm, selected three basic parameters of vegetation submergence, resistance length and curvature degree, and successfully constructed the formula for calculating the resistance coefficient for flexible vegetated flow by using a wide range of data sets. New quantitative relationship between the drag coefficient and the relative roughness of flexible vegetation was established in this study. The formula of drag coefficients for flexible vegetation conditions has a more concise form and can be successfully applied to both flexible and rigid vegetation. As flexible vegetation is deformed under the action of water flow, and the quantitative expressions of Vogel number and relative roughness are given quantitatively through the analysis of its physical properties. Overall, this study improves the basic theoretical study of vegetated flow in environmental fluid dynamics and provides scientific theoretical support for vegetation restoration.

Small-sized microplastics (< 500 µm) in roadside soils of Beijing, China: Accumulation, stability, and human exposure risk.

The potential threats of microplastics (MPs) to human health in urban environment have received increasing attention. Small MPs substantially threaten soil organisms and human beings because they are easily ingested and may adsorb other pollutants to form composite compounds. However, roadside soils as a source and a sink of small MPs in urban environments have not been reported. Here, we studied the small-sized MPs (SMPs, < 500 µm) pollution and human exposure analysis by investigating the MPs in roadside soils in Beijing. SMPs contributed to 88.06% of the high average MPs abundance (22001.67 ± 24482.34 items/kg), and were categorized as uncontaminated to moderately contaminated, assessed by the geo-accumulation index (Igeo). SMPs mainly consisted of polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) with morphotypes of fragment and granule. In particular, highly stable and fragmented MPs were discovered by the conditional fragmentation model. And normal-sized MPs (NMPs 500-5000 µm) NMPs could further fragment into SMPs, indicating that SMPs in roadside soil were further enriched. The estimated infant exposure to SMPs was greater than that in adults, and independent of the polymer types and morphotypes. PP is currently the main pollutant, contributing 65% to the estimated human exposure. Combining the conditional fragmentation model and main polymer types, SMPs likely derived from containers/packaging and fertilizers, and affected by atmospheric transport. This study demonstrated the dominance and potential risk of SMPs in roadside soil, suggesting that health risk assessment for SMPs in urban environment necessitates critical investigation.

CircRAB3IP upregulates twist family BHLH transcription factor (TWIST1) to promote osteosarcoma progression by sponging miR-580-3p.

Circular RNAs (circ RNAs) have been found to play an important role in cancer development. However, the role of circRAB3IP in osteosarcoma (OS) is unclear.In the present study, We found that circRAB3IP was highly expressed in OS tissues and OS cells. High levels of circRAB3IP was correlated with advanced TNM stage, distant metastasis. CircRAB3IP knockdown inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Moreover, circRAB3IP directly binds to miR-580-3p. TWIST1 is directly targeted by miR-580-3p. We also demonstrated that circRAB3IP act as the sponge of miR-580-3p to promote TWIST1 expression. CircRAB3IP promotes OS cells proliferation, migration, and invasion through modulating miR-580-3p/TWIST1 axis. Moreover, circRAB3IP facilitated tumor formation in vivo. Our findings suggested that circRAB3IP acts as an oncogene in OS by regulating miR-580-3p/TWIST1 axis.

Improved Differentiation Ability and Therapeutic Effect of miR-23a-3p Expressing Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Mice Model with Acute Lung Injury.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Implantation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) has been recognized as an effective therapy for attenuating acute lung injury (ALI). This study aims to discover microRNA (miRNA)-mediated improvement of BMSCs-based therapeutic effects. METHODS AND RESULTS: Mice were treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for induction of ALI. BMSCs with lentivirus- mediated expression of miR-23b-3p or fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) were intratracheally injected into the mice with ALI. The expressions of miR-23b-3p, FGF2, Occludin, and surfactant protein C (SPC) in lung tissues were analyzed by immunoblot or quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Histopathological changes in lung tissues were observed via hematoxylin-eosin staining. Lung edema was assessed by the ratio of lung wet weight/body weight (LWW/BW). The levels of interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6, IL-4, and IL-8 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were assessed by ELISA. LPS injection downregulated the expressions of miR-23b-3p, SPC and Occludin in the lung tissues, increased the LWW/BW ratio and aggravated histopathological abnormalities, while upregulating IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-4, and IL-8 in the BALF. Upregulated miR-23b-3p counteracted LPS-induced effects, whereas downregulated miR-23b-3p intensified LPS-induced effects. FGF2, which was downregulated by miR-23b-3p upregulation, was a target gene of miR-23b-3p. Overexpressing FGF2 downregulated the expressions of miR-23b-3p, SPC and Occludin, increased the LWW/BW ratio and aggravated histopathological abnormalities, while upregulating IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-4, and IL-8, and it offset miR-23b-3p upregulation-caused effects on the ALI mice. CONCLUSIONS: Overexpression of miR-23b-3p in BMSCs strengthened BMSC-mediated protection against LPS-induced mouse acute lung injury via targeting FGF2.

STEAP1 facilitates metastasis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition of lung adenocarcinoma via the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway.

Six-transmembrane epithelial antigen of prostate-1 (STEAP1) is a relatively newly identified gene target from prostate cancer, breast cancer, and gastric cancer. However, functions of STEAP1 in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) are still unknown. In the present study, we explored the molecular and cellular mechanisms of STEAP1 in LUAD. Western blot and Q-PCR were conducted to detect the protein and mRNA expressions respectively. The cell proliferation was tested by CCK8 assay. The effects of STEAP1 on the metastasis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of LUAD were evaluated by EdU assay, wound healing assay, and transwell migratory assay. H1650, H358, HCC827, H1299, H23, A549, H1693 were selected as human LUAD cell lines in the study. Results have shown that STEAP1 expression was up-regulated in LUAD cells compared with normal lung epithelial cells. Knockdowning of STEAP1 suppressed the proliferation, migration, and invasion of LUAD epithelial cells. Importantly, after comparing the proliferation, migration, and invasion of LUAD to the corresponding control groups treated in STAT3 inhibitor ADZ1480, we found that STEAP1 regulates EMT via Janus kinase 2/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (JAK2/STAT3) signaling pathway. In conclusion, STEAP1 can serve as a therapeutic target, and it may have important clinical implications for LUAD treatment.

Boron toxicity coefficient calculation and application for ecological risk assessment in reservoir sediments.

B is a potentially toxic element, and its potential ecological influences in aquatic environments have gained increasing attention in recent years, especially in reservoir ecosystems. As the largest freshwater reservoir in China, the estimation of B's ecological risks in the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) is critical for national drinking water safety. However, the lack of a toxicity coefficient (Tc) for B limits its ecological risk assessment (Er) in aquatic environments, especially for sediments. In this study, the Tc of B was carefully calculated, considering toxicological, sedimentological, and ecological ranking factors. The Er for B was then assessed for surface sediments collected from the TGR. Enrichment factors (EFs) were also used to identify the influence of human activities on B. The results show that the average concentrations of B in mainstream and tributary sediments were 53.98 mg/kg and 90.88 mg/kg, respectively, slightly higher than sediment background B values in China (48 mg/kg). Additionally, EFs showed that the tributary sediments were moderately enriched in B. The EF 1.5 value was higher than zero, indicating that the anthropogenic influence in tributary sediments than in mainstream sediments. Moreover, chemical speciation of B in TGR sediments was mainly attributed to the residual fraction, indicating weak migration of B in sediments. Furthermore, after calculating Tc according to the principles of Er, it was found that it is more scientific to assign the Tc of B in sediments a value of 2. Based on this Tc value, the Er in the TGR was assessed and it revealed that B in TGR sediments had low ecological risk. The scientific calculation of the Tc provides an important parameter for B ecological risk assessments in aquatic environments in the future.