Deciphering the formation of granules by n-DAMO and Anammox microorganisms.

Nitrate/nitrite-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation (n-DAMO) process is a promising wastewater treatment technology, but the slow microbial growth rate greatly hinders its practical application. Although high-level nitrogen removal and excellent biomass accumulation have been achieved in n-DAMO granule process, the formation mechanism of n-DAMO granules remains unresolved. To elucidate the role of functional microbes in granulation, this study attempted to cultivate granules dominated by n-DAMO microorganisms and granules coupling n-DAMO with anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Anammox). After long-term operation, dense granules were developed in the two systems where both n-DAMO archaea and n-DAMO bacteria were enriched, whereas granulation did not occur in the other system dominated by n-DAMO bacteria. Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) measurement indicated the critical role of EPS production in the granulation of n-DAMO process. Metagenomic and metatranscriptomic analyses revealed that n-DAMO archaea and Anammox bacteria were active in EPS biosynthesis, while n-DAMO bacteria were inactive. Consequently, more EPS were produced in the systems containing n-DAMO archaea and Anammox bacteria, leading to the successful development of n-DAMO granules. Furthermore, EPS biosynthesis in n-DAMO systems is potentially regulated by acyl-homoserine lactones and c-di-GMP. These findings not only provide new insights into the mechanism of granule formation in n-DAMO systems, but also hint at potential strategies for management of the granule-based n-DAMO process.

Construction and validation of a risk-prediction model for chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment in patients with breast cancer.

PURPOSE: To identify risk factors of chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) and construct and validate a visual prediction model of such for patients with breast cancer. METHODS: A multicenter, descriptive, and cross-sectional design was adopted. Data were collected from ten public tertiary hospitals in China. Cognitive function was assessed by using Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-cognitive function. Socio-demographic, clinical, psychological, and physical indicators were also assessed. The logistic prediction model was constructed by fivefold cross-validation. Then, a nomogram was utilized to visualize the prediction model, which was also evaluated via discrimination, calibration, and decision curve analysis. RESULTS: A total of 71 breast cancer patients had CRCI with a prevalence of 9.58%. This visual prediction model was constructed based on education background, exercise frequency, chemotherapy times, and fatigue and demonstrated good discrimination, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.882. The calibration curve indicated good agreement between experimental and projected values, and the decision curve proved good clinical applicability. CONCLUSION: Education background, exercise frequency, chemotherapy times, and fatigue were associated with high incidence of CRCI. The prediction model exhibits superior performance and has promise as a useful instrument for assessing the likelihood of CRCI in breast cancer patients. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: Our findings could provide breast cancer survivors with risk screening based on CRCI predictors to implement prevention and early intervention, and help patients integrate into society and achieve comprehensive recovery.

Effects of a 12-week exercise-based intervention on weight management in overweight or obese breast cancer survivors: a randomized controlled trial.

PURPOSE: Breast cancer survivors face dual challenges: long-term sequelae of treatment and the risk of recurrent disease. Furthermore, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle can complicate both challenges. We aimed to assess the effect of a 12-week exercise-based weight-management program in overweight/obese breast cancer survivors. METHODS: A two-arm, single-blinded, randomized controlled trial was conducted among 60 overweight/obese, stage 0-III breast cancer survivors. During the 12-week program, the intervention group received weekly information support, fortnightly exercise prescriptions, including aerobic and resistance exercises to perform at home, and one dietary instruction. The control group received information support about weight management and exercise. Weight, body composition, and physical fitness data were collected at baseline, postintervention, and the 3-month follow-up. RESULTS: The intervention group showed significant improvements in body weight and all adiposity indices, including body mass index, waist circumference, and %body fat, in comparison with baseline (P < 0.001) and the control group (P < 0.05). Both groups showed no significant changes in fat-free mass during the 6-month period (P > 0.05). International Physical Activity Questionnaire scores and left grip strength increased significantly in the intervention group in comparison with the baseline (P < 0.01) and the control group (P < 0.05). Right grip strength, lower-body strength, and aerobic endurance showed no significant intergroup differences (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: A combination of exercise prescription and weight-loss interventions yielded clinically meaningful weight loss in overweight/obese breast cancer survivors. These findings may facilitate the incorporation of home-based exercise and weight management into breast cancer treatment and survivorship care.

HSP27 Protects Skin From Ultraviolet B -Induced Photodamage by Regulating Autophagy and Reactive Oxygen Species Production.

Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation has been well documented to be linked with almost all skin problems we know, and both dermis and epidermis may be affected to varying degrees by UV irradiation. Every time when exposed to sunlight without protection, our skin will step closer to photoaging, leading to irreversible consequences ultimately. Heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) is a vital protein involved in cell growth, autophagy, apoptosis, drug resistance, tumor genesis and metastasis. Evidence suggests that the organism is subjected to various internal and external environmental stresses (heat, oxidative stress, organic toxicants, etc.), and HSP27 with high expression has protective function. However, the expression of HSP27 in coping with UV irradiation have not been examined thoroughly. In this study, photodamage models were developed through different doses of UVB irradiation in human epidermal keratinocytes (HEKs) (30 mJ/cm2), human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) (150 mJ/cm2) and mouse skin (2,700 mJ/cm2). HSP27 knockdown decreased cell viability and increased the incidence of UVB-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. We got consistent results in vivo and vitro. Compared with that in the UVB group, the expression of LC3B was significantly lower, while the expression of p62 was significantly higher in the UVB + si-HSP27 group. It was also revealed that HSP27 knockdown reduced the expressions of some antioxidants, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), which accelerated UVB-induced ROS release. Moreover, histological results showed that epidermis was thickened and collagen fibers were disorganized in the UVB + si-HSP27 group. These findings have demonstrated that HSP27 might play a photoprotective role in the UVB-induced skin damage process by maintaining the normal autophagy and antioxidant level. It is implied that HSP27 could be a potential therapeutic target of photodamage. However, determination of the definitive mechanism requires further exploration.

Rapamycin Protects Skin Fibroblasts From UVA-Induced Photoaging by Inhibition of p53 and Phosphorylated HSP27.

Skin aging caused by UV radiation is called photoaging is characterized by skin roughness and dryness accompanied by a significant reduction of dermal collagen. Rapamycin is a macrolide immunosuppressant which has been shown to exhibit "anti-aging" effects in cells and organisms, however, its roles in the skin photoaging remains unclear. Here, we investigate the role of rapamycin and HSP27, which we have previously identified as an inhibitor of UV-induced apoptosis and senescence in HaCat cells, in a UVA-induced photoaging model of primary human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs). Results from senescence-associated beta-galactosidase (SA-ß-gal) staining revealed that rapamycin significantly reduced senescence in UVA-treated HDFs. In addition, treatment with rapamycin significantly increased cell autophagy levels, decreased the expression of p53 and phosphorylated HSP27, and reduced genotoxic and oxidative cellular stress levels in UVA-induced HDFs. Knockdown of HSP27 resulted in a significant increase of MMP-1 and MMP-3 as well as a decrease in type I collagen expression. Rapamycin mitigated these effects by activation of the classical TGF-ß/Smad signaling pathway and increasing the transcriptional activity of MAPK/AP-1. Taken together, these results suggest that rapamycin may potentially serve as a preventive and therapeutic agent for UVA-induced photoaging of the skin.

LncRNA NEAT1 Promotes Deterioration of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Based on In Vitro Experiments, Data Mining, and RT-qPCR Analysis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Accumulated evidence indicates that lncRNA NEAT1 has important roles in various malignant tumors. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis to explore the exact role of NEAT1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: The effects of NEAT1 on cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion were measured by in vitro experiments. The expression level and clinical value of NEAT1 in HCC was evaluated based on data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Oncomine, and in-house real-time quantitative (RT-qPCR). Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway, and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analyses were conducted to investigate the potential molecular mechanisms of NEAT1. RESULTS: NEAT1 siRNA not only inhibited proliferation, migration, and invasion of HCC cells but also induced HCC cell apoptosis. A total of four records from TCGA, Oncomine, and RT-qPCR analysis were combined to assess the expression level of NEAT1 in HCC. The pooled standard mean deviation (SMD) indicated that NEAT1 was up-regulated in HCC (SMD = 0.54; 95% CI, 0.36-0.73; P < 0.0001). The area under the curve value of the summary receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.71. NEAT1 expression was also related to race (P = 0.025) and distant metastasis (P = 0.002). Additionally, the results of GO, KEGG pathway, and PPI network analyses suggest that NEAT1 may promote the progression of HCC by interacting with several tumor-related genes (SP1, MDM4, CREBBP, TRAF5, CASP8, TRAF1, KAT2A, and HIST4H4). CONCLUSIONS: NEAT1 contributes to the deterioration of HCC and provides a potential biomarker for the diagnosis and therapy of HCC.

Immunohistochemical distribution of FOXP3+ regulatory T cells in colorectal cancer patients.

Background: Recent studies have focused on less invasive methods for diagnosing and predicting survival outcomes for colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. Objective: We studied the role of the transcription factor forkhead box P3 (FOXP3) in the tumorigenesis of CRC and investigated its prognostic value in survival outcome estimates. Methods: FOXP3+ regulatory T (Treg) cell levels in CRC and adjacent tissues were measured by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and compared statistically. A literature search was conducted on FOXP3+ Treg cell density and survival rates, including overall survival, disease-free survival, and cancer-specific survival. Meta-analyses were then performed to determine the prognostic value of FOXP3+ Treg cell levels in CRC patients. Results: FOXP3+ Treg cells were increased in CRC tissues over adjacent controls according to the IHC results (t = 14.321; P < 0.001) and cell densities in cases with metastases were higher than those without metastasis (P < 0.05). Cases with serosal infiltration showed higher FOXP3+ Treg cell densities compared to cases without infiltration (P < 0.05) and cell densities in cases differentiated to a lower degree than in cases showing a medium to high degree of differentiation (P < 0.05). Moreover, meta-analysis found a high FOXP3+ Treg cells density in CRC tissues (standardized mean differences = 0.30 [95% CI: 0.03-0.57]), which was correlated with better overall patient survival outcome (hazard ratio = 0.749 [95% CI: 0.648-0.867]). Conclusions: Increased FOXP3+ Treg cells may be an effective marker for tumorigenesis and clinical prognostic evaluation for CRC patients.

Tuberculosis in infants: a retrospective study in China.

To describe the demographics, clinical characteristics and microbiologic findings of infant (≤2 years old) tuberculosis (TB) in a high TB burden country. Between Feb, 2007 and Jun, 2015, 115 TB infants who admitted to our hospital were enrolled in the study. Their clinicopathological characteristics were reviewed and analyzed. The mean age was 10.1 ± 7.4 (SD) months, and 84 of 115 infants (73.0 %) were males. 23 patients (20.0 %) had isolated pulmonary TB, 18 patients (15.7 %) had pulmonary and extrapulmonary TB (EPTB), the remaining 74 patients (64.4 %) had exclusively EPTB. The most common site of EPTB was lymph node (n = 61), 54 cases were left axillary lymph node involvement. 49 of 51 patients (96.1 %) were validated by pathological examination, 5 of 57 patients (8.8 %) were positive on acid fast bacilli smear, and 27 of 103 patients (26.2 %) were confirmed by mycobacterial culture. 29 of 59 patients (49.2 %) were PPD positive, 14 of 30 patients (46.7 %) were T-SPOT.TB positive. The most common complaints of patients were lymph node swelling (53.0 %), fever (36.5 %), cough (28.7 %) and dyspnea (10.4 %). There was significant difference in the time before hospital admission among different types of tuberculosis (P < 0.01), fever was also a factor influencing the time (P < 0.05). In infants, the sensitivities of routine TB tests were low and emphasize the need for improved diagnostics; EPTB was more common than pulmonary TB, tuberculous lymphadenitis constituted a high proportion of EPTB; there appears to be an association between the incidence of axillary lymph node TB and BCG vaccination among infants in China.

Association of XRCC3 Thr241Met polymorphisms and gliomas risk: evidence from a meta-analysis.

The relationship between the X-ray repair cross-complementing group 3 (XRCC3) Thr241Met polymorphism and gliomas remains inclusive or controversial. For better understanding of the effect of XRCC3 Thr241Met polymorphism on glioma risk, a meta-analysis was performed. All eligible studies were identified through a search of PubMed, Elsevier Science Direct, Excerpta Medica Database (Embase) and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM) before May 2013. The association between the XRCC3 Thr241Met polymorphism and gliomas risk was conducted by odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). A total of nine case-control studies including 3,533 cases and 4,696 controls were eventually collected. Overall, we found that XRCC3 Thr241Met polymorphism was significantly associated with the risk of gliomas (T vs. C: OR=1.10, 95%CI=1.01-1.20, P=0.034; TT vs. CC: OR=1.30, 95%CI=1.03-1.65, P=0.027; TT vs. TC/CC: OR=1.29, 95%CI=1.01-1.64, P=0.039). In the subgroup analysis based on ethnicity, the significant association was found in Asian under four models (T vs. C: OR=1.17, 95%CI=1.07-1.28, P=0.00; TT vs. CC: OR=1.79, 95%CI=1.36- 2.36, P=0.00; TT vs. TC/CC: OR=1.75, 95%CI=1.32-2.32, P=0.00; TT/TC vs. CC: OR=1.11,95% CI=1.02-1.20). This meta-analysis suggested that the XRCC3 Thr241Met polymorphism is a risk factor for gliomas, especially for Asians. Considering the limited sample size and ethnicities included in the meta-analysis, further large scale and well-designed studies are needed to confirm our results.

[Protein profiles of multinodular hepatocellular carcinoma with multicentric occurrence or with intrahepatic metastasis].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the protein expression profiles of multinodular hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with multicentric occurrence (MO) or with intrahepatic metastasis (IM). METHODS: 5 IM and 6 MO patients were divided into groups of IM1, IM2, MO1 and MO2 according to the size of node of HCC. Two dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and mass spectrum were used to analyze the protein expression profiles. Western blot was used to confirm the results obtained by mass spectrum. RESULTS: 2-DE of IM1, IM2, MO1 and MO2 indicated that 30 protein dots were differentially expressed in these tumors. By mass spectrum, 25 proteins were identified. Gene ontology classification indicated that these proteins are associated to cell movement, signal transduction, oxidoreduction, lipid metabolism, and amino acid metabolism. CONCLUSION: The protein expression profiles of IM is different from that of MO, 2-DE and mass spectrum can be used to identify the molecular markers of IM and MO of HCC.

[Comparison of indirect immunofluorescence assay and ELISA for detecting antinuclear antibodies and anti-double-stranded DNA antibodies].

OBJECTIVE: To compare indirect immunofluorescence assay (IIFA) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detecting antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and anti-double-stranded DNA antibodies (anti-dsDNA). METHODS: A total of 125 serum samples were obtained from patients with established or suspected autoimmune disease, and 82 samples were used for ANA detection and 57 for anti-dsDNA detection using both IIFA and ELISA. Fourteen samples were examined for both ANA and anti-dsDNA. In cases where discrepancy occurred in the results by the two methods, extractable nuclear antigens were detected using immunoblotting. RESULTS: The positivity rate of ANA detected by IIFA and ELISA was significantly different (87.8% and 73.17%, respectively, P<0.01), but the positivity rate of anti-dsDNA was similar between IIFA and ELISA (77.19% and 71.93%, respectively, P>0.05). The percent agreement between the two testing methods with different cutoff values of ANA and anti-dsDNA showed significant differences (P<0.01), and for some uncommon patterns, the percent agreement of the two methods was lowered in ANA detection but remained unchanged for anti-dsDNA with different ANA patterns. High percent agreements of the two methods were obtained with the cutoff ANA titer of 1:100 and the cutoff anti-dsDNA value of weak positivity, but they demonstrated a significant difference in testing low-titer ANA and anti-dsDNA. CONCLUSION: IIFA is more sensitive than ELISA in detecting the total ANA and anti-dsDNA. ELISA prescreening combined with IIFA can obtain the information of the nuclear pattern and allow the observation of the titer alterations. The combination of two or more testing methods can greatly enhance the accuracy of the results.

[Comparison between Coulter LH-750 and URIT-12 for measuring hemoglobin concentration].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility of URIT-12 hemoglobin analyzer for fast measurement of hemoglobin concentration. METHODS: Hemoglobin concentration was detected in 100 random blood samples using URIT-12 hemoglobin analyzer and Coulter LH-750 hematology analyzer. RESULTS: The two analyzers showed good correlation of the results (r=0.994) without significant difference between them (P>0.05). The linear range of URIT-12 hemoglobin analyzer was 46-240 g/L, and in the repeated measurements (20 times) of 3 batches of blood samples with low, moderate and high hemoglobin concentrations, the within-batch coefficient of variation of URIT-12 hemoglobin analyzer, from low to high concentrations, were 2.13%, 2.17%, and 2.33%, respectively. In the measurement of 4 batches of high-fat, high-bilirubin, high-globin and high-white-blood-cell blood samples, the interference rate of the former 3 samples were all less than 4% by the two devices, but that of the fourth sample was 10% by URIT-12 hemoglobin analyzer and 7% by Coulter LH-750 analyzer. CONCLUSION: The results detected by URIT-12 hemoglobin analyzer have high accuracy and precision and is easy to operate, fast-testing and portable.