Comprehensive analysis of ETS1 expression and its prognostic value in clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: ETS1, a member of the large ETS domain family of transcription factors, plays a role in the progression of many types of carcinoma. ETS1 expression has been linked to a more favorable prognosis in renal cell carcinoma. The objective of this study was to assess the predictive significance of ETS1 in individuals suffering from clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). METHODS: The correlation between ETS1 expression and ccRCC was analyzed. Data on ETS1 and clinical information for ccRCC patients were obtained from the Cancer Genome Atlas database and analyzed using R software. Then, we presented validation results using RT-qPCR (quantitative reverse transcription PCR). The receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves were generated using the pROC software package to determine the cutoff values for ETS1. Additionally, the ImmuneScore, StromalScore, and ESTIMATEScore were calculated using the ESTIMATES algorithm. The connection between ccRCC and ETS1 was investigated using enrichment analysis based on Gene Oncology and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes. The tumor immunity estimation resource (TIMER) and the integrated repository portal for tumor-immune system interactions (TISIDB) databases were utilized to analyze the association between ETS1 expression and immune cell infiltration in ccRCC. The impact of ETS1 on the survival of ccRCC patients was evaluated using the PrognoScan database. We evaluated the Tumor Mutation Burden (TMB) value between the two sets of samples with high and low ETS1 expression, as well as the differences in gene mutations between the two groups. RESULTS: The mRNA expression of ETS1 in ccRCC was higher compared to normal tissues. Results showed a significant positive correlation between elevated ETS1 expression levels and improved overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), and progression-free survival (PFS), with a P < 0.05. Furthermore, high ETS1 expression levels were closely linked to early tumor stage and prolonged survival time. TMB in the ETS1-high expression group was significantly less than that in the ETS1-low expression group. CONCLUSIONS: Downregulation of ETS1 expression correlated with poor prognosis and immune infiltration in ccRCC, further suggesting that ETS1 may be a biomarker for better prognosis in ccRCC patients.

Efficacy and Safety of Pulse Magnetic Therapy System in Insomnia Disorder: A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: This study's objective is to assess the efficacy and safety of Pulsed Magnetic Therapy System (PMTS) in improving insomnia disorder. METHODS: Participants with insomnia disorder were randomly assigned to receive either PMTS or sham treatment for four weeks (n= 153; PMTS: 76, sham: 77). Primary outcomes are the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) scores at week 0 (baseline), 1, 2, 3, 4 (treatment), and 5 (follow-up). Secondary outcomes are the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index at baseline and week 4, and weekly sleep diary-derived values for sleep latency, sleep efficiency, real sleep time, waking after sleep onset, and sleep duration. RESULTS: The ISI scores of the PMTS group and the sham group were 7.13±0.50, 11.07±0.51 at week 4, respectively. There was a significant group×time interaction for ISI (F3.214, 485.271=24.25, p<0.001, ηp 2=0.138). Only the PMTS group experienced continuous improvement throughout the study; in contrast, the sham group only experienced a modest improvement after the first week of therapy. At the end of the treatment and one week after it, the response of the PMTS group were 69.7% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 58.6%-79.0%), 75.0% (95% CI: 64.1%-83.4%), respectively, which were higher than the response of the sham group (p<0.001). For each of the secondary outcomes, similar group×time interactions were discovered. The effects of the treatment persisted for at least a week. CONCLUSION: PMTS is safe and effective in improving insomnia disorders.

Effects of Freezing and Rewarming Methods on RNA Quality of Blood Samples.

Background: RNA extracted from human blood has been widely applied to biological, medical, and clinical research of numerous diseases. Previous studies have demonstrated that high-quality RNA is indispensable to guarantee the reliability of downstream assays. In this study, we investigated the effects of freezing procedures, rewarming methods, and blood components on RNA quality of blood samples. Methods: Rabbit blood samples were divided into two groups: (1) whole blood (WB) and (2) blood cell components (BCC) with plasma removed. Samples were frozen using four representative freezing procedures (snap freezing in liquid nitrogen, snap freezing at -80°C, traditional slow freezing, and programmable controlled rate freezing) and rewarmed by placing at 4°C or by vortexing. RNA was extracted using the phenol-chloroform RNA extraction method and measured by an Agilent bioanalyzer. Then, human blood was used to verify the best protocol obtained from the rabbit blood experiment. Results: For the four freezing procedures, there were no differences in RNA integrity. For different rewarming methods, RNA integrity number (RIN) values of RNA extracted from frozen WB and BCC samples in the vortex group were above 9, while RNA obtained from WB showed worse quality compared with BCC in the 4°C group. For verification using human blood, RIN values of frozen human WB rewarmed by vortexing ranged from 8.0 to 9.1. Conclusions: Blood components and rewarming methods could affect the RNA quality of blood samples. For scenarios where WB samples have already been cryopreserved, the vortex rewarming method is optimal for high-quality RNA. Otherwise, we would recommend centrifuging fresh WB and cryopreserving it in the form of BCC, which showed a tendency to obtain high-quality RNA by either of the two rewarming methods.

Role of Built Environments on Physical Activity and Health Promotion: A Review and Policy Insights.

As urbanization and motorization continue worldwide, various health issues have emerged as a burden between individuals, families and governments at all levels. Under the prevalence of chronic disease, this review synthesizes research on the impact of the various built environments on the multiple health outcomes from a methodological and mechanistic perspective. Besides, it attempts to provide useful planning and policy implications to promote physical activity and health benefits. The finds show that: (1) Current literature has used a variety of dataset, methods, and models to examine the built environment-health benefit connections from the perspective of physical activity; (2) The prevalence of chronic diseases is inextricably linked to the built environment, and policy interventions related to physical activity and physical and mental wellbeing of urban residents should be emphasized; (3) The impact of the built environment on health is manifested in the way various elements of the physical environment guide the lifestyle of residents, thereby influencing physical activity and travel; (4) Given the changes that have occurred in the built environment during the current urban expansion, the link between urban planning and the public health sector should be strengthened in the future, and the relevant authorities should actively pursue policies that promote urban public health in order to improve the health of residents. Finally, it proposes potential policy insights for urban planning and development toward a healthier city and society.

Homocysteine level is positively and independently associated with serum creatinine and urea nitrogen levels in old male patients with hypertension.

A cross-sectional study to show whether and how serum fasting homocysteine levels are associated with renal function changes in patients with hypertension. Homocysteine levels were associated with serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels with coefficients of 2.04 and 0.07, respectively, only in males and independent of confounders. In addition, low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels were positively and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was negatively associated with serum creatinine level in males; age was positively associated with serum creatinine levels in females. Age was a common risk factor positively associated with BUN levels in both sexes, while total cholesterol (TC) levels and glycemic control were independent risk factors that were positively associated with BUN levels only in males. LDL-C levels and LVEF were negatively associated with BUN levels in females. Body mass index (BMI) was positively associated and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels, high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels and the presence of stroke were negatively associated with serum uric acid levels in male patients. In contrast, only LVEF was positively associated with uric acid levels in females. In conclusion, homocysteine level is an independent risk factor associated with serum creatinine and BUN levels in male patients with hypertension.

Efficacy of combined medication of risedronate sodium and selective estrogen receptor modulator on the postmenopausal osteoporosis.

To evaluate the efficacy of combined medication of risedronate sodium and raloxifene, a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) on the postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP). PMOP patients underwent the combined medication of risedronate sodium and raloxifene (SERM, Treatment group), or only medication of risedronate sodium (Control group). After medication, more significant increases were observed in the bone densities of the lumber vertebra (L1-4) and the neck of left femur of patients in the treatment group. Simultaneously, the levels of estrogen and progesterone in serum decreased sharply in the treatment group. After treatment, P1NP and ß-CTX levels in serum decreased significantly in two groups in comparison with the levels prior to treatment, with evident elevations in the levels of BAP and BGP; similarly, ameliorations in the treatment group were much more evident than those in the control group. In addition, significant declines were identified in the VAS scores of two groups after treatment when comparing to the scores prior to the treatment, and the decline in the treatment group was more evident than that in the control group. Combined medication of risedronate sodium and SERM (raloxifene) performs better in treatment of osteoporosis than the single use of risedronate sodium, without the deterioration of adverse effect of medication.

Miller Fisher syndrome with early intracranial hypertension and delayed bilateral simultaneous facial nerve palsy: a case report.

Miller Fisher syndrome (MFS), a variant of Guillain-Barré syndrome, is characterized by ataxia, areflexia and ophthalmoplegia. This case report describes a 40-year old male that presented with a 3-day history of unsteady walking and numbness on both hands, and a 2-day history of seeing double images and unclear articulation. Lumbar puncture revealed an opening pressure of 260 mm H2O. Plasma serology was positive for anti-ganglioside M1-immunoglobulin M (anti-GM1-IgM) antibodies and negative for anti-ganglioside Q1b (anti-GQ1b) antibodies. The patient was diagnosed with MFS based on the clinical course and neurophysiological findings. On the 4th day of treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), his ataxia and unsteady walking improved, but his bilateral eyeballs were fixed, and over the next few days he developed bilateral peripheral facial paralysis. After 5 days of IVIG treatment, methylprednisolone treatment was offered and the patient's symptoms gradually improved. Early intracranial hypertension and delayed facial nerve palsy may be atypical presentations of MFS. Anti-GM1-IgM antibodies may be the causative antibodies for MFS. If the IVIG therapy does not stop the progression of the disease, the addition of corticosteroid therapy may be effective. However, the relationship between IgM type, anti-GM1 antibody and MFS remains unclear and requires further research.

The interaction between estradiol change and the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) polymorphism is associated with postpartum depressive symptoms.

Although estrogenic fluctuation is considered a major risk factor for postpartum depression (PPD), the effects of the interactions between the genetic background and estradiol (E2) change on PPD are not well understood. Here, a cohort study with 437 postpartum women was carried out to evaluate the role of a serotonin transporter gene polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) and E2 change on the risk of PPD symptoms. The participants were assessed using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and the Self-Rating Depression Scale at 1 and 6 weeks after delivery. The PCR-based restriction fragment length polymorphism method was utilized to examine the genotype distribution of the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism, and the serum levels of E2 were determined in individuals in the third trimester of pregnancy and at 1 week postpartum. A significant association was observed between E2 change and PPD susceptibility in the late postpartum period (6 weeks) [P = 0.002, odds ratio (OR) = 2.341, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.361-4.027], but it was not observed in the early postpartum period (1 week). There was no significant association between the 5-HTTLPR genotype and PPD risk at both the early and late postpartum periods (P > 0.05). However, the interaction between E2 change and the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism could reasonably influence PPD risk. The women who carried the SS genotype with large decreases in E2 showed a significantly higher risk for PPD at both the early (P = 0.002, OR = 2.525, 95% CI = 1.384-4.059) and late postpartum periods (P < 0.001, OR = 3.108, 95% CI = 1.562-4.436) compared with those who carried the SL/LL genotype. This study suggests that there is an association between E2 change in the perinatal period with the 5-HTTLPR genotype and the occurrence of PPD.

Identification of novel ATP7A mutations and prenatal diagnosis in Chinese patients with Menkes disease.

Menkes disease (MD) is a fatal X-linked multisystem disease caused by mutations in ATP7A. In this study, clinical and genetic analysis was performed in 24 male MD patients. Development delay, seizures, kinky coarse hair, and dystonia were found in 24, 22, 24, and 24 patients, respectively. Serum ceruloplasmin/copper tested in 19 patients was low. Abnormal classic features of MD presented in the MRI/MRA of 19 patients. Seventeen mutations of ATP7A were identified in 22 patients. Twelve were novel mutations including three small deletion/insertion, one missense mutation, two nonsense mutations, three splicing-site mutations, and three gross deletions. Twenty-two patients were genetically diagnosed; neither point mutation nor deletion/duplication was found in two of them. c.2179G > A found in five patients might be a hot-spot mutation. Prenatal molecular diagnosis was performed for five unrelated fetuses (1 female and 4 male), which found four fetuses to be wild type and one male carried the same mutation as the proband. This study of the largest sample of Chinese MD patients examined to date discovered the unique phenotype and genotype spectrum in Chinese patients with 12 novel mutations of ATP7A, and that c.2179G > A might be a hot-spot mutation in MD patients. Five successful prenatal diagnosis contributed important information for MD families.

[Classification and management of sternal wound complications after cardiac surgery].

OBJECTIVE: To define the classification of sternal wound complications after cardiac surgery and to explore the appropriate surgical treatment. METHODS: Between July 2008 and January 2014, 260 patients with sternal wound complications after cardiac surgery were treated. There were 124 males and 136 females, aged 11-75 years (mean, 49.5 years). The disease duration was 13-365 days (mean, 26.6 days) with a wound length of 1-25 cm (mean, 13.4 cm). The wounds were divided into type I (n = 70), type II (n = 64), type III (n = 42), type IV (n = 78), and type V (n = 6) according to self-generated classification for sternal wound complications after cardiac surgery. After debridement, wounds of type I and type II were repaired with local flap transplantation; wounds of type III were repaired with local flap transplantation combined with butterfly sternal fixation (n = 28), with bilateral pectoralis muscle flap combined with butterfly sternal fixation (n = 11), and with bilateral pectoralis muscle flap (n = 3); wounds of type IV were repaired with bilateral pectoralis muscle flap (n = 65), rectus abdominis muscle flap (n = 5), and pedicled omental flap (n = 8); and wounds of type V were repaired with pedicled omental flap. RESULTS: All the operations were successfully performed. Three patients died after pedicled omental flap repair, including 1 case of type IV and 2 cases of type V. The hospitalization time were 4-86 days (mean, 18.3 days). Primary wound healing was obtained in 248 cases (96.5%); poor healing occurred in 9 patients, which were cured after second surgery in 8 cases and after the third surgery in 1 case. CONCLUSION: The surgical treatment based on self-generated classification is appropriate to sternal wound complications after cardiac surgery. It can provide clinical evidence for the choice of subsequent operation.

Performance comparison of optical interference cancellation system architectures.

The performance of three optics-based interference cancellation systems are compared and contrasted with each other, and with traditional electronic techniques for interference cancellation. The comparison is based on a set of common performance metrics that we have developed for this purpose. It is shown that thorough evaluation of our optical approaches takes into account the traditional notions of depth of cancellation and dynamic range, along with notions of link loss and uniformity of cancellation. Our evaluation shows that our use of optical components affords performance that surpasses traditional electronic approaches, and that the optimal choice for an optical interference canceller requires taking into account the performance metrics discussed in this paper.

The influence of the genetic and non-genetic factors on bone mineral density and osteoporotic fractures in Chinese women.

To investigate the effects of genetic and non-genetic factors on bone mineral densities (BMDs) and osteoporotic fractures. This was a cross-sectional study to investigate the relationships between 18 SNPs and non-genetic factors with BMDs and osteoporotic fractures in 1012 Chinese Han women. Five SNPs in genes GPR177, CTNNB1, MEF2C, SOX6, and TNFRSF11B were associated with L1-4 or total hip BMDs. rs11898505 in SPTBN1 gene was associated with osteoporotic fractures. Subjects carrying the largest number of risk alleles (highest 10 %) not only had lower BMD values as compared to those carrying the least number of risk alleles (lowest 10 %), they also had a higher risk of fracture [P = 0.002, OR = 2.252, 95 %CI (1.136, 4.463)]. Results from multivariate stepwise regression analysis revealed that age [P < 0.001, OR = 1.038, 95 % CI (1.018, 1.058)], number of falls in a year [P < 0.001, OR = 2.347, 95 % CI (1.459, 3.774)], the G risk allele in rs11898505 [P = 0.023, OR = 1.559, 95 % CI (1.062, 2.290)], and the L1-4 BMD [P = 0.017, OR = 0.286, 95 % CI (0.102, 0.798)] were associated with the occurrence of osteoporotic fractures. Genetic (rs11898505) and non-genetic factors (age, number of falls in a year and L1-4 BMD) could work in concert to contribute to the risk of osteoporotic fractures.

Photonic microwave finite impulse response filter using a spectrally sliced supercontinuum source.

A novel photonic microwave discrete-time finite-impulse response filter is created by spectrally slicing a supercontinuum source, generated from a mode-locked laser. We experimentally demonstrate a four-tap filter with a 28.16 dB extinction ratio. Comparison between measured and predicted magnitude responses shows an excellent match in the performance of the notch filter across the entire bandwidth. The small amount of individual deviation points from the predicted response shows the stability of the amplitude fluctuations between each of the individual, spectral sliced filter taps.

The symptomatology of climacteric syndrome: whether associated with the physical factors or psychological disorder in perimenopausal/postmenopausal patients with anxiety-depression disorder.

PURPOSE: To explore whether the symptoms of climacteric syndrome associated with its physical factors or psychological disorder in perimenopausal/postmenopausal patients with anxiety-depression disorder. METHODS: We recruited 78 climacteric patients with anxiety-depression disorder and 72 control participants in perimenopausal/postmenopausal without anxiety-depression disorder for this study. We measured symptoms using the Greene Climacteric Symptom Scale in all cases. We also collected demographic data and tested sexual hormone, blood pressure, bone density, cognitive, estrogen receptor-alpha (ERα) gene polymorphism as physiological factors, using HARS-14 and CHDS assessed psychological disorder degree. RESULTS: C-MMSE scores as well as Estradiol and progesterone levels in the anxiety-depression disorder group were significantly lower compared to the control group (P < 0.01). In addition, the anxiety-depression disorder group had significantly higher Greene Climacteric Scale scores, as well as somatic symptoms compared to controls (P < 0.01). Moreover, the anxiety, depression and somatic symptoms of the Greene Climacteric Scale were positively correlated with HARS-14 and CHDS scores (P < 0.001) and negatively with estrogen level and C-MMSE scores (P < 0.05) in the anxiety-depression disorder group. Greene Climacteric Scale Symptoms were not significantly correlated with blood pressure, bone density or other factors (P > 0.05). There was no significant change in the allele frequency or the estrogen receptor-alpha gene polymorphisms, between the two groups (P > 0.05); however, the Pp genotype was negatively associated with C-MMSE scores (r = appraises, P = 0.033). LIMITATIONS: The sample size was relatively small. CONCLUSIONS: The symptoms of somatic symptoms in patients with climacteric syndrome and anxiety-depression disorder are associated with the emotional disorder but not with a physical disease. The Pp ERα polymorphism Pvu II is associated with a cognitive decrease.

Signal beating elimination using single-mode fiber to multimode fiber coupling.

We experimentally demonstrate an all-passive fiber-based approach to prevent undesired beating during signal merging and detection. Beating occurs when optical signals of very close or the same wavelength are combined at a coupler and detected using a photodetector. Our approach is based on signal coupling from several single-mode fibers to a single piece of multimode fiber without interference, such that different signals propagate in different modes with different spatial positions inside the multimode fiber. We have investigated signal beating when the signals are coherent, partially coherent, or incoherent with each other. The measured results for single-mode to multimode coupling show signal beating is substantially reduced, resulting in widely opened eye diagrams and error-free bit error rate performance.

2,3-Dicyano-4-[(4-methyl-phenyl-sulfon-yl)-oxy]phenyl 4-methyl-benzene-sulfonate.

In the title compound, C(22)H(16)N(2)O(6)S(2), the dihedral angle formed by the mean planes of the two benzene rings of the 4-methyl-phenyl-sulfonate groups is 21.9 (1)° and these rings form dihedral angles of 48.26 (9) and 52.73 (9)° with the central benzene ring.

Non-invasive prenatal diagnosis of trisomy 21 by reverse transcriptase multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification.

BACKGROUND: Obtaining fetal DNA or RNA by either chorionic villus sampling (CVS) or amniocentesis is currently, the gold standard prenatal diagnosis. However, these invasive procedures carry risk of miscarriage. A reliable method for non-invasive prenatal diagnosis (NIPD) has long been sought to reduce the risk of miscarriage. METHODS: Cell-free fetal RNA was extracted from the plasma of peripheral blood from 121 women 9-20 weeks of pregnancy. Five single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci in PLAC4 gene were analyzed by reverse transcriptase multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (RT-MLPA), followed by capillary electrophoresis. Karyotype analysis was used for confirmation of prenatal diagnosis of trisomy 21. RESULTS: Of 121 samples, 23 were diagnosed with trisomy 21, 87 with normal ploidy, nine had all five SNP loci homozygous and two had one heterozygous SNP locus. Comparing with karyotype analysis, the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of RT-MLPA were 92% and 100%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: RT-MLPA is a convenient and reliable method for the diagnosis of trisomy 21. We have shown that this method has good specificity, high sensitivity, and high throughput, making this technique applicable for NIPD in clinical practice.

Optically active mixed (phthalocyaninato)(porphyrinato) rare earth triple-decker complexes. Synthesis, spectroscopy, and effective chiral information transfer.

With the view to creating novel sandwich-type tetrapyrrole rare earth complexes toward potential applications in material science and chiral catalysis, two new optically active mixed (phthalocyaninato)(porphyrinato) rare earth triple-decker complexes with both (R)- and (S)-enantiomers [M(2)(Pc)(2)(TCBP)] {TCBP = Meso-tetrakis [3,4-(11,12:13,14-di(1',2'-naphtho)-1,4,7,10,15,18-hexaoxacycloeicosa-2,11,13-triene)-phenyl] porphyrinate; M = Eu (1), Y (2)} have been designed and prepared by treating optically active metal free porphyrin (R)-/(S)-H(2)TCBP with M(Pc)(2) in the presence of corresponding M(acac)(3)·nH(2)O (acac = acetylacetonate) in refluxing 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene (TCB). These novel mixed ring rare earth triple-decker compounds were characterized by a wide range of spectroscopic methods including MS, (1)H NMR, IR, electronic absorption, and magnetic circular-dichroism (MCD) spectroscopic measurements in addition to elemental analysis. Perfect mirror image relationship was observed in the Soret and Q absorption regions in the circular-dichroism (CD) spectra of the (R)- and (S)-enantiomers, indicating the optically active nature of these two mixed (phthalocyaninato)(porphyrinato) rare earth triple-decker complexes. This result reveals the effective chiral information transfer from the peripheral chiral binaphthyl units to the porphyrin and phthalocyanine chromophores in the triple-decker molecule because of the intense π-π interaction between porphyrin and phthalocyanine rings. In addition, their electrochemical properties have also been investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV).

All-optical code routing in interconnected optical CDMA and WDM ring networks.

We propose an all-optical hybrid network composed of optical code division multiple access (CDMA) rings interconnecting through a reconfigurable wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) metro area ring. This network retains the advantages of both the optical CDMA and WDM techniques, including asynchronous access and differentiated quality of service, while removing the hard limit on the number of subscribers and increasing network flexibility. The all-optical network is enabled by using nonlinear optical loop mirrors in an add/drop router (ADR) that performs code conversion, dropping, and switching asynchronously. We experimentally demonstrate the functionalities of the ADR in the proposed scheme asynchronously and obtain error-free performance. The bit-error rate measurements show acceptable power penalties for different code routes.