Effect of different interventions on the treatment of high-risk human papillomavirus infection: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Background: Persistent infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) can lead to cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and cancer. At present, there is no medication that specifically targets HR-HPV infection. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of different interventions in promoting HR-HPV regression using a MeSH meta-analysis method. Methods: A search for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reporting different interventions for the treatment of HR-HPV infection included PubMed, Web of Science, Embase and Cochrane Library from the inception of the databases to March 8, 2023. Two researchers independently screened the articles, extracted data, and evaluated the quality. The literature that met the inclusion criteria was selected, the quality and risk of bias of the included studies were assessed according to the Cochrane 5.1 manual, and NMA was performed using Stata 16.0. The area under the cumulative ranking probability graph (SUCRA) represented the probability that each treatment would be the best intervention. Results: Nine studies involving 961 patients and 7 treatment options were included in the analysis. The results of the network meta-analysis indicated the following rank order in terms of promoting HR-HPV conversion: Anti-HPV biological dressing > vaginal gel > imiquimod > REBACIN® > interferon > probiotics > observation/placebo > Polyphenon E. Conclusion: Anti-HPV biological dressing treatment was found to be significantly effective in promoting HR-HPV conversion. However, further validation of the findings is necessary due to the limited number and quality of studies included in the analysis. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD42023413917.

Linkages of soil CO2 emission with plant functional traits in young subtropical plantations.

Soil respiration is a key process in forest biogeochemical cycling. Exploring the relationship between plant functional traits and soil respiration can help understand the effects of tree species conversion on soil carbon cycling. In this study, we selected 15 common subtropical tree species planted in the logging site of second-generation Chinese fir forest to measure soil CO2 emission fluxes, soil physicochemical properties, leaf and root functional traits of each species, and explored the effects of plant functional traits on soil respiration. The results showed that the annual flux of soil CO2 emissions varied from 7.93 to 22.52 Mg CO2·hm-2, with the highest value under Castanopsis carlesii (22.52 Mg CO2·hm-2) and the lowest value under Taxus wallichiana (7.93 Mg CO2·hm-2). Results of stepwise regression analysis showed that the annual flux of soil CO2 emission decreased with the increases of leaf nitrogen content and fine root diameter, and increased with increasing leaf non-structural carbohydrate. In the structural equation model, leaf non-structural carbohydrate had a direct and significant positive effect on soil CO2 emission fluxes, while leaf nitrogen content and fine root diameter had a direct negative effect by decreasing soil pH and soluble organic nitrogen content. Plantations of different tree species would affect soil CO2 emission directly by changing functional traits related to water and nutrient acquisition or indirectly through soil properties. When creating plantations, we should select tree species based on the relationship between plant functional traits and ecosystem functions, with a view to improving forest productivity and soil carbon sequestration potential.

Effect of different sweeteners on the quality, fatty acid and volatile flavor compounds of braised pork.

This study aimed to assess how several sweeteners (white sugar, Siraitia grosvenorii fruit, mogrosides, and stevia glycoside) affected the flavor, fatty acid composition, and quality of braised pork. The findings indicated that braised meat prepared with sweeteners differed from typical braised pork. When simmered for 60 min, the typical braised pork with white granulated sugar exhibited a significant cooking loss (CL) and little water content. Significantly more than in the group containing Siraitia grosvenorii, mogroside, and stevia glycoside, the Thiobarbituric acid (TBARS) value increased by 14.39% (P < 0.05). The sample in the group that included mogroside had a low CL rate. After 40 min of stewing, the lean pork has the highest L* value, but the 60-min stew sample is nicely colored and stretchy. Mogroside can prevent protein, and lipid oxidation, is thermally stable and reduces CL during stewing. Additionally, Siraitia grosvenorii and stevia glycosides help prevent oxidation from intensifying during stewing. When Siraitia grosvenorii is added, lipid oxidation is significantly inhibited, and stevia glycosides are more beneficial for enhancing meat color. With an increase in heating time, the fatty acids in braised pork reduced; the unsaturated fatty acid (UFA) of the Siraitia grosvenorii fruit (SF) and mg group also fell somewhat, and the UFA: SFA ratio was higher than that of the white sugar (WS) group. The SFA content of the braised meat in the stevia glycoside group was higher than that of the WS group. In all, 75 volatile flavor elements in braised pork were discovered by Gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS). The sweetener increased alcohols, esters, and acids in the braised pork. As stewing time increased, ketones decreased, but aldehydes and esters increased. The pork formed antioxidant peptides with great nutritional value after cooking. Braised pork with mogroside and stevia glycoside additions primarily have some protein color protection and antioxidant effects. This study may offer fresh perspectives on applying natural sweeteners and enhancing braised pork's flavor.

Selection of Reference Genes for Normalization of Gene Expression in Thermobia domestica (Insecta: Zygentoma: Lepismatidae).

Zygentoma occupies a key evolutionary position for understanding the evolution of insect metamorphosis but has received little attention in terms of genetic analysis. To develop functional genomic studies in this insect, we evaluated five candidate internal reference genes for quantitative RT-PCR (qPCR) studies from Thermobia domestica, a representative species of Zygentoma, including Actin 5C (Actin5C), Elongation factor-1 alpha (EF1A), Ribosome protein S26 (RPS26), Ribosome protein L32 (RPL32), and Superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2), at different developmental stages, in various body parts, and under dsRNA microinjection and starvation stresses, using four algorithms (delta Ct, geNorm, NormFinder and BestKeeper) and a comparative algorithm (RefFinder). Specific suitable reference genes were recommended across specific experimental conditions, and the combination of RPS26 and RPL32 was appropriate for all tested samples. Employing our selected reference gene combination, we investigated the gene expression pattern of Myoglianin (Myo), a crucial gene-regulating insect metamorphosis, in ametabolous T. domestica, and demonstrated the efficiency of RNA interference (RNAi) in firebrat nymphs. This study provides a basis for reliable quantitative studies of genes and greatly benefits evolutionary and functional genomics studies in Zygentoma.

Ginkgo Leaf Extract and Dipyridamole Injection as Adjuvant Treatment for Angina Pectoris: A Meta-Analysis of 41 Randomized Controlled Trials.

OBJECTIVE: To provide information about the effectiveness and safety of Ginkgo Leaf Extract and Dipyridamole Injection (GD) as one adjuvant therapy for treating angina pectoris (AP) and to evaluate the relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with meta-analysis. METHODS: RCTs concerning AP treated by GD were searched in China Biology Medicine Disc (SinoMed), PubMed, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database (CNKI), the Chinese Scientifific Journals Database (VIP), Wanfang Database, Embase, and the Cochrane Library, from inception to February, 2017. The Cochrane Risk Assessment Tool was adopted to assess the methodological quality of the RCTs. The Review Manager 5.3 software was utilized to conduct the meta-analysis. RESULTS: A total of 41 RCTs involving 4,462 patients were included in the meta-analysis. The results indicated that the combined use of GD and Western medicine (WM) against AP was associated with a higher total effective rate [risk ratio (RR)=1.25, 95% confifidence interval (CI): 1.21-1.29, P<0.01], total effective rate of electrocardiogram (RR=1.29, 95% CI: 1.21-1.36, P<0.01). Additional, GD combined with WM could decrease the level of plasma viscosity [mean difference (MD)=-0.56, 95% CI:-0,81 to-0.30, P<0.01], fifibrinogen [MD=-1.02, 95% CI:-1.50 to-0.54, P<0.01], whole blood low shear viscosity [MD=-2.27, 95% CI:-3.04 to-1.49, P<0.01], and whole blood high shear viscosity (MD=-0.90, 95% CI: 1.37 to-0.44, P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Comparing with receiving WM only, the combine use of GD and WM was associated with a better curative effect for patients with AP. Nevertheless, limited by the methodological quality of included RCTs more large-sample, multi-center RCTs were needed to confifirm our fifindings and provide further evidence for the clinical utility of GD.

Comparative efficacy of Chinese herbal injections for treating acute cerebral infarction: a network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Chinese herbal injections (CHIs) are prepared by extracting and purifying effective substances from herbs (or decoction pieces) using modern scientific techniques and methods. CHIs combined with aspirin + anticoagulants + dehydrant + neuroprotectant (AADN) are believed to be effective for the treatment of acute cerebral infarction (ACI). However, no randomized controlled trial (RCT) has been performed to directly compare the efficacies of different regimens of CHIs. Therefore, we performed a systematic review and network meta-analysis (NMA) to compare the efficacies of different regimens of CHIs for ACI. METHODS: We conducted an overall and systematic retrieval from literature databases of RCTs focused on the use of CHIs to treat ACI up to June 2016. We used the Cochrane Handbook version 5.1.0 and CONSORT statement to assess the risk of bias. The data were analyzed using STATA 13.0 and WinBUGS 1.4.3 software. RESULTS: Overall, 64 studies with 6225 participants involving 15 CHIs were included in the NMA. In terms of the markedly effective rate, Danhong (DH) + AADN had the highest likelihood of being the best treatment. In terms of the improvement of neurological impairment, Shuxuening (SXN) + AADN had the highest likelihood of being the best treatment. Considering two outcomes, injections of SXN, Yinxingdamo (YXDM), DH, Shuxuetong (SXT), HongHuaHuangSeSu (HHHSS), DengZhanXiXin (DZXX) and Shenxiong glucose (SX) plus AADN were the optimum treatment regimens for ACI, especially SXN + AADN and YXDM + AADN. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the NMA, SXN, YXDM, DH, SXT, HHHSS, DZXX and SX plus AADN showed the highest probability of being the best treatment regimens. Due to the limitations of the present study, our findings should be verified by well-designed RCTs.

The role of peptidylarginine deiminase 4 in ovarian cancer cell tumorigenesis and invasion.

Peptidylarginine deiminase 4 (PADI4) is an enzyme that converts both histone arginine and mono-methyl arginine residues to citrulline, and it has been detected in various subtypes of ovarian cancer. However, the mechanism of action of PADI4 in ovarian carcinogenesis remains unknown. To examine the function of PADI4, we transfected two ovarian cancer cell lines, wild-type p53 A2780 and p53-null SKOV3, with PADI4-siRNA and negative control siRNA. The proliferation of both A2780 and SKOV3 cells decreased significantly following PADI4-siRNA treatment (P A2780 < 0.01; P SKOV3 < 0.001). The invasion and migration ability of A2780 cells also significantly decreased in response to PADI4-siRNA treatment (P < 0.001), but SKOV3 cells showed no such decrease. The apoptotic rate of A2780 cells increased in the presence of PADI4-siRNA, but there was no such increase in SKOV3 cells (P > 0.05). PCR arrays of A2780 cells treated with PADI4-siRNA revealed the up-regulated expression of six genes, including cell death-inducing DFFA-like effector a (CIDEA) and tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 9 (TNFRSF9), and the down-regulation of seven genes, including integrin beta 3 (ITGB3) and BCL2-antagonist/killer 1 (BAK1). These results suggest an important role for PADI4 in the p53 pathway and the regulation of the proliferation, apoptosis, invasion and migration of ovarian cancer cells. Our study also demonstrated that PADI4 contributes to tumor metastasis by regulating the gene expression of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) and WAS/WASL-interacting protein family member 1 (WIPF1).

Difference in glycerol levels between leukemia and normal bone marrow stem cells.

Aquaglyceroporin 9 (AQP9) is considered to be involved in numerous types of carcinogenic processes, particularly in liver carcinoma. AQP9 expression is significantly decreased in the human hepatocellular carcinoma when compared with the non-tumourigenic liver, which leads to increased resistance to apoptosis. In addition, AQP9 is permeable to glycerol and urea. The involvement of AQP9 in leukemia has not been fully delineated. It is proposed that abnormal proliferation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) contributes to leukemia carcinogenesis. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the possible roles of AQP9 in HSCs and its effect on the intracellular glycerol content. HSCs and non-HSCs (nHSCs) were isolated via magnetic-activated cell sorting and then subjected to flow cytometry for evaluation of purity. White blood cells (WBCs) were isolated from peripheral blood from healthy volunteers. Furthermore, AQP9 expression was examined at the mRNA and protein levels using western blotting and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The glycerol content of HSCs, nHSCs and WBCs was evaluated by ELISA. Finally, in order to observe the morphology of HSCs and nHSCs, a blood smear was conducted and the cells were observed with Wright-Giemsa staining. The results indicated that the glycerol content in the HSCs was markedly greater than that in the nHSCs. AQP9 mRNA and protein expression was not detected in the HSCs and nHSCs, but was identified in the WBCs. Moreover, the HSC morphological characteristics included round or oval cells with round, slightly oval or irregularly shaped nuclei. Additionally, the nuclei occupied almost the entire cell, were located in the middle or were biased toward one side, and were stained light purple or red. Overall, our results indicated that intracellular glycerol is involved in HSC proliferation, despite the fact that glycerol is not mediated by AQP9. Hence, our findings may be useful in further understanding the mechanism of leukemia carcinogenesis, and these data may be valuable in developing future therapeutic strategies.