[Research progress of irradiation injuries anti-agents].

Irradiation injuries anti-agents refer to drugs that can inhibit the initial stage of radiation injuries, or reduce the development of radiation injuries and promote the recovery of injuries when used early after irradiation exposure. According to the mechanism of action and the time of intervention, the irradiation injuries anti-agents are divided into four categories: radioprotectors, radiomitigators, radiation therapeutics for external radiation exposure, and anti-agents for internalized radionuclides. In this paper, the research progress of irradiation injuries anti-agents in recent years is reviewed.

Inverse association between systemic immune-inflammation index and bone mineral density in postmenopausal women.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to investigate whether systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) and neutrophil-to-platelet ratio (NLR) were associated with bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal women. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, we enrolled 413 postmenopausal women who never received menopause hormone therapy. The relationship between SII, NLR, and BMD was investigated by linear regression analysis. RESULTS: Significant inverse association was observed between SII and BMD in postmenopausal women. The mean BMD in each quartile of SII level were 0.923, 0.914, 0.900, and 0.876 g/cm2, respectively (p = .011). After adjusting for covariates, SII levels remained significantly associated with BMD (regression coefficients for quartiles 1-3 vs. quartile 4 were 0.035, 0.029, and 0.023, respectively; p for trend <.05). An inverse association was also found between NLR and BMD in postmenopausal women. However, there was no significant association between NLR and BMD after adjusting for covariates. CONCLUSION: The quartile of SII was negatively associated with the mean BMD in postmenopausal women, independent of age, body mass index, sex hormone levels, and other factors. Therefore, SII can be used as a new predictor of bone loss in postmenopausal women.

Inverse association between bone mineral density and fibrinogen in menopausal women.

OBJECTIVE: Inflammatory diseases are risk factors for osteoporosis. We aimed to explore whether fibrinogen, which is linked to chronic inflammation, is associated with bone mineral density (BMD) in menopausal women. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, we analyzed 339 menopausal women from Zhejiang Province between January 2016 and October 2019. Linear regression analysis was performed to assess the relationship between fibrinogen and BMD. RESULTS: Significant inverse association was observed between the serum fibrinogen level and BMD in menopausal women. The mean BMD in each quartile of fibrinogen level was 0.901, 0.897, 0.892, and 0.855 g/cm2, respectively (p = 0.027). After adjusting for age, body mass index, metabolic profiles, blood inflammatory factors, and serum levels of estradiol, calcium, phosphorus, and alkaline phosphatase, fibrinogen levels remained significantly associated with BMD (regression coefficients for quartiles 1-3 vs. quartile 4 were 0.046, 0.027, and 0.036, respectively; p for trend <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Higher fibrinogen levels were associated with lower BMD in menopausal women, which was independent of age, body mass index, estradiol, and other factors. Therefore, serum fibrinogen can be used as a new predictor of reduced BMD in menopausal women.

HSA_CIRC_0004050 on proliferation and apoptosis of A549 cells through ERK/JNK signaling pathway.

The aim of this study was to screen the differentially expressed circular ribonucleic acid (circRNA) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and explore its functional mechanism. Differentially expressed circRNAs in tumor tissues of NSCLC patients were detected via gene microarray and reverse transcriptionquantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The associaton between their expressions and the clinical phenotypes was explored combined with clinical data. The effect of overexpression of hsa_circ_0004050 on the proliferation of A549 cells was detected via cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and CFSE assay. The effect of overexpression of hsa_circ_0004050 (human circular ribonucleic acid_0004050) on the apoptosis of A549 cells was detected using the Annexin V-FITC/PI kit. Then the direct-acting miRNAs of hsa_circ_0004050 were screened using bioinformatics software and luciferase reporter assay, and the direct targets of miR- 1233-3p were explored using bioinformatics software and luciferase reporter assay combined with RTqPCR and Western blotting. The effects of overexpression of miR-1233-3p or knockdown of dual specificity phosphatase 9 (DUSP9) on the cell proliferation and apoptosis affected by overexpression of hsa_circ_0004050 were detected. Western blotting was performed to detect the effects of hsa_circ_0004050 on the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)/c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling pathway. The expression of hsa_ circ_0004050 was significantly lower in tumor tissues than that in para-carcinoma tissues in NSCLC patients. The expression of hsa_circ_0004050 was significantly correlated with TNM stage, tumor size and lymph node metastasis. The results of survival analysis showed that the survival time of patients with a high expression of hsa_circ_0004050 was obviously prolonged. According to the results of phenotype assay, hsa_circ_0004050 could promote apoptosis and inhibit proliferation of A549 cells. In terms of its mechanism, hsa_circ_0004050 could markedly increase the protein expression of DUSP9 via targeting miR-1233-3p in A549 cells, thereby inhibiting the ERK/JNK signaling pathway. Hsa_circ_0004050 may serve as a potential therapeutic target for NSCLC or a biomarker for the diagnosis of NSCLC in the future.

[Analysis on epidemic situation and spatiotemporal changes of COVID-19 in Anhui].

We used the epidemic data of COVID-19 published on the official website of the municipal health commissions in Anhui province to map the spatiotemporal changes of confirmed cases, fit the epidemic situation by the population growth curve at different stages and analyze the epidemic situation in Anhui Province. It was found that the cumulative incidence of COVID-19 was 156/100 000 by February 18, 2020 and the trend of COVID-19 epidemic declined after February 7 with a change from J-shaped curve to S-shaped curve. As the reporting time of cases might be 3-5 days later than the actual onset time, the number of new cases in Anhui province actually began to decline around February 2 to February 4, 2020.

[Feasibility study of blood oxygen level-dependent magnetic resonance imaging in evaluating the response of metastatic lymph nodes of rabbit VX2 tumor to radiotherapy].

Objective: To investigate the feasibility of blood oxygen level-dependent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in evaluating the response of metastatic lymph nodes of rabbit VX2 tumor to radiotherapy. Methods: Twenty-eight healthy New Zealand white rabbits which were provided by the Laboratory Animal Center of Soochow University, male or female, 2 to 3 months, weighing 2 to 3 kg, were used to establish the animal model of VX2 tumor popliteal fossa metastatic lymph node, and then were divided into either the radiotherapy group (n=16) or the control group (n=12). The radiotherapy group received a 20 Gy radiotherapy per rabbit, the control group received sham radiotherapy. All rabbits underwent MRI scan on four time points, including before (0 day), 3rd, 7th and 14th days after radiotherapy. The two parameters of size and R(2*) value (s(-1)) of lymph node were measured. At each time point,two rabbits in each group were sacrificed randomly to resect lymph nodes for pathological examination, and two parameters of microvessel density (MVD, strip/HP) and apoptosis index (AI, %) were analyzed. The parameters among the four time points in each group or between the two groups were compared. The correlation of lymph node size and R(2*) value with MVD or AI was analyzed, respectively. Results: A significant size difference was neither between the two groups or among the each time points in each group (P>0.05). The R(2*) of lymph node in the radiotherapy group was (29.6±1.7),(36.8±2.6),(44.8±5.8) and (57.7±6.2) s(-1) at the time points of 0, 3, 7 and 14 days, respectively, showing a gradual increase trend; MVD was (52.3±2.5),(41.0±3.6),(34.0±3.6) and (22.7±2.5) strip/HP respectively, showing a decreasing trend; AI was 12.8%±0.5%,14.9%±0.6%,20.6%±0.5% and 27.5%±0.7% respectively, showing a gradual increase trend (all P<0.05). In the control group, both R(2*) value and AI among the four time points did not change statistically (all P>0.05), but MVD showed a gradual increase trend,(50.0±3.0),(53.0±1.7),(60.3±2.5) and (70.0±2.0) strip/HP, respectively, P<0.05. There were significant differences in R(2*) and MVD at 3, 7 and 14 days, in AI at 7 and 14 days between the two groups (all P<0.05). There was a linear correlation of R(2*) value, but not of size, with MVD and AI (r=-0.87 and 0.94, respectively). Conclusion: Blood oxygen level-dependent MRI can indirectly reflect the hypoxic status of metastatic lymph nodes after radiotherapy, and has potential value in evaluating the response of metastatic lymph nodes to radiotherapy.