The Psychological Effect of Forming WeChat Groups Between Medical Staff and Patients With COVID-19.

Background: This study was conducted in order to explore the effect of psychological intervention based on the use of WeChat with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. Methods: A total of 65 patients with COVID-19, from two wards, were divided into an experimental group and a control group with the ward as the basic unit. Communication concerning routine treatment and nursing was established between the medical staff and patients in the experimental group via WeChat groups. Within 48 h of admission, at 7 days, and on discharge, all 65 patients completed two self-evaluation questionnaires: the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Hospital stay statistics and a satisfaction survey on discharge were also collated for both groups of patients. Results: The PANAS scores of the experimental group were 26.61 ± 7.99 points on admission, 20.81 ± 5.48 points at 7 days, and 19.58 ± 6.61 points on discharge (P < 0.05). The scores of HADS in the experimental group were 27.74 ± 9.35 points on admission, 12.19 ± 1.92 points at 7 days, and 11.71 ± 3.64 points on discharge (P < 0.05). The differences in the PANS and HADS scores between the experimental and control groups at 7 days and on discharge were statistically significant. The discharge satisfaction ratings of the two groups of patients were 99.87 ± 0.34 and 98.68 ± 1.09 points, the difference being statistically significant (t = 5.827, P < 0.05). Conclusion: Establishing WeChat groups between medical staff and patients with COVID-19 and building a bridge for better communication improved patients' positive mentality and their compliance with doctors, shortened their hospital stay, and promoted their recovery.

Xanthoceraside induces cell apoptosis through downregulation of the PI3K/Akt/Bcl-2/Bax signaling pathway in cell lines of human bladder cancer.

BACKGROUND: Xanthoceraside is a component obtained in the husks of Xanthoceras sorbifolia Bunge. Series of researches proved that xanthoceraside had functions of anti-inflammation and anti-tumor effects. However, the mechanisms of xanthoceraside against bladder cancer are unclear. Accordingly, we proposed to investigate xanthoceraside's impacts and potential mechanisms in cells of bladder cancer. METHODS: By using the CCK-8 assay, we measured the viability of cells. With the use of 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining, we examined nuclear fragmentation and chromatin condensation in the nuclei of apoptotic cells. By using flow cytometry, we measured cell apoptosis. By using Western blotting, we tested the expressions of Caspase-9, Caspase-8, Caspase-3, Bcl-xL, P53, and PI3K/Akt/Bcl-2/Bax. RESULTS: The proliferation of cell lines of human bladder cancer T24 and 5637 was suppressed by xanthoceraside significantly in a time- and concentration-dependent way. When cell lines 5637 and T24 were incubated as the xanthoceraside dose increased, the rates of cell apoptosis were upregulated, which was dependent on dose. According to further analysis, xanthoceraside induced apoptosis by upregulating Bax and downregulating the expression of Bcl-xL and Bcl-2. However, xanthoceraside did not change the expression of Caspase-9, Caspase-8, and Caspase-3. Interestingly, xanthoceraside also downregulated the expression of p-PI3K and p-Akt, and upregulated P53. CONCLUSIONS: Xanthoceraside induces cell apoptosis through downregulation of the PI3K/Akt/Bcl-2/Bax signaling pathway in cell lines of human bladder cancer.

Overexpression of Spondin-2 Is Associated with Recurrence-Free Survival in Patients with Localized Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The spondin-2 (SPON2) gene is overexpressed in multiple malignant tumors and may promote tumor aggressiveness. However, its expression profile and functional roles in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) are still unclear. METHODS: SPON2 expression in ccRCC was evaluated using expression data from TCGA and GEO databases, then confirmed by local patient population (94 patients). The clinical significance of SPON2 expression was evaluated. Downregulation of SPON2 was performed using small-interfering RNA (siRNA). The effects of SPON2 silencing on cell proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, and migration in vitro were investigated. RESULTS: SPON2 was overexpressed in the majority of the ccRCC at both mRNA and protein levels. SPON2 expression was significantly correlated with stage, grade, and recurrence (all P < 0.05) in patients with localized ccRCC. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed that SPON2 expression could serve as a predictor of recurrence. SPON2 expression was significantly associated with recurrence-free survival (RFS) in patients with localized ccRCC. Knocking down SPON2 resulted in suppressed cell invasion and migration in vitro. CONCLUSION: SPON2 expression might function as a prognostic biomarker in patients with localized ccRCC.

Overexpression of COL5A1 promotes tumor progression and metastasis and correlates with poor survival of patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: COL5A1 has been identified to be involved in metastasis of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) by bioinformatic analysis. This study aimed to investigate COL5A1 expression and its clinical significance in ccRCC. The function of COL5A1 in ccRCC was further investigated. METHODS: COL5A1 expression was examined in 256 ccRCC tissues and paired adjacent normal renal tissues by immunohistochemistry and real-time quantitative PCR. The clinical significance of COL5A1 expression was evaluated. Downregulation of COL5A1 was achieved using siRNA. The effects of COL5A1 silencing on cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, invasion in vitro, and tumor growth in vivo were investigated. RESULTS: COL5A1 expression was upregulated in the majority of the ccRCC tissues at both protein and mRNA levels. COL5A1 expression was significantly correlated with tumor diameter, tumor stage, tumor grade, distant metastasis, recurrence, necrosis, and sarcomatoid (all P<0.05). COL5A1 expression was also significantly associated with overall survival of ccRCC patients (HR 1.876; P=0.027) and recurrence-free survival of localized ccRCC patients (HR 4.751; P<0.001). The accuracy of TNM, University of California Los Angeles Integrated Staging System, and Mayo clinic stage, size, grade, and necrosis prognostic models was improved when COL5A1 expression was added. CONCLUSION: COL5A1 knockdown significantly inhibited cell proliferation, induced cell apoptosis, inhibited cell migration and invasion in vitro, and inhibited tumor growth in vivo. Therefore, COL5A1 may be a novel prognostic biomarker and a promising therapeutic target for ccRCC.

Baseline Serum Cystatin C Is a Potential Predictor for Acute Kidney Injury in Patients with Acute Pancreatitis.

AIMS: The study is aimed at studying the incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) and exploring the potential predictor for AKI in patients with acute pancreatitis. METHODS: A retrospective study adopting a stratified cohort sampling design was performed in a cohort of patients (n = 237) diagnosed with acute pancreatitis without any renal injury. The following information including age, gender, serum creatinine, serum urea nitrogen, serum uric acid, serum cystatin C, fasting serum glucose, serum amylase, serum lipase, serum choline esterase, total protein, albumin, globulin, total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, total bile acids, glutamic-pyruvic transaminase, glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase, gamma glutamyl transpeptidase, and alkaline phosphatase were collected from each patient when they were diagnosed with acute pancreatitis. Student t-test was conducted to figure out the difference between patients with and without AKI. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used for investigating the predictors for AKI in patients with acute pancreatitis. RESULTS: 18 (7.6%) patients in total had developed AKI among the study group. Compared with patients without AKI (1.01 ± 0.26 mg/L), the level of baseline serum cystatin C (CYS-C) was significantly higher in patients with AKI (3.64 ± 2.17 mg/L, P < 0.001). Baseline serum CYS-C (OR = 203.594, P < 0.001) was the independent and significant predictor for AKI in patients with acute pancreatitis. AKI in patients with acute pancreatitis could be identified with a sensitivity of 88.9% at specificity of 100% (AUC = 0.948, 95% CI 0.879-1.000) by baseline serum CYS-C (cut-off value = 1.865 mg/L). CONCLUSIONS: Baseline serum CYS-C shall be adopted to predict the potential risk of AKI in patients with acute pancreatitis.

CD146 Promoter Polymorphism (rs3923594) Is Associated with Recurrence of Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma in Chinese Population.

INTRODUCTION: CD146 is a membrane signal receptor in tumor-induced angiogenesis. However, limited studies have focused on the CD146 promoter polymorphisms in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between polymorphisms located in the promoter region of the CD146 gene and characteristics of ccRCC in Chinese population. The association between the CD146 promoter polymorphisms and CD146 expression was also investigated in ccRCC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 600 samples including 300 ccRCC patients and 300 healthy controls were collected for analysis of the CD146 promoter polymorphisms by direct sequence. The CD146 expressions were measured by qRT-PCR. RESULTS: We had not found any significant differences in genotypic and allelic frequencies of CD146 promoter polymorphisms between ccRCC patients and controls. The rs3923594 was associated with stage and metastasis (300 cases) and recurrence (263 cases) of ccRCC in Chinese population. A significant association was also observed between the rs3923594 and CD146 expression (227 cases) in ccRCC. CONCLUSIONS: CD146 promoter polymorphisms were not associated with the risk of ccRCC in Chinese population. The rs3923594 was an independent predictor of recurrence in Chinese patients with localized ccRCC.

A systematic review of the epidemiological literature on the risk of urological cancers in systemic lupus erythematosus.

PURPOSE: A grow body of studies has evaluated the risk of development of urological cancer in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with inconclusive results. To clarify the association, a meta-analysis approach was performed to assess the published evidence on urological cancers and SLE. METHODS: Relevant English electronic databases were systematic searched for published studies characterizing the risk of developing urological cancer as a result of SLE. Standardized incidence rate (SIR) with its 95 % confidence interval (CI) of each study was combined using a fixed-/random-effect model in STATA software. RESULTS: A total of 12 papers including 68366 SLE patients were suitable for meta-analysis. Of these, 9 reported the SIR for prostate cancer, 7 for bladder cancer and 6 for kidney cancer. Summary SIRs were 0.77 (95 % CI 0.69-0.87, P < 0.001); 1.75 (95 % CI 0.94-3.23, P = 0.075) and 2.29 (95 % CI 1.25-4.18, P = 0.007), respectively. Significant heterogeneity was noticed in subgroups of bladder and kidney cancer. No obvious publication bias was detected. CONCLUSIONS: Findings from this meta-analysis indicate that SLE is associated with a decreased risk of prostate cancer and an increased risk of kidney cancer.