Long non­coding RNAs in multiple myeloma (Review).

Multiple myeloma (MM) is one of the three major malignancies of the hematological system in middle­aged and older individuals. The incidence of MM increases with age and due to its drug resistance and high recurrence, MM seriously harms human health. Long non­coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are RNA molecules with a length of >200 nt and rarely encode proteins. Numerous studies reported that lncRNAs regulate carcinogenesis and cancer progression. MM­associated lncRNAs affect features of tumor cells, including proliferation, apoptosis, adhesion and treatment resistance. The present review aims to summarize the latest findings on the roles of lncRNAs in MM to deepen the understanding of this field and provide insight for developing specific diagnostic tools and effective treatment strategies for MM, including novel biomarkers and targeted lncRNA therapeutics.

The angiogenic genes predict prognosis and immune characteristics in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: Evidence from multi-omics and experimental verification.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinomas (ESCC) is an aggressive disease with five-year overall survival (OS) <15%. The main cause is metastasis rather than local tumor, and angiogenesis plays an important role. Angiogenesis has a significant impact on tumor metastasis, treatment and prognosis. However, the expression pattern of angiogenic genes, its effect on treatment and its relationship with prognosis in ESCC have not been systematically reported. We performed the first and most comprehensive multi-omics analysis of angiogenic genes in patients with ESCC and identified four angiogenic phenotypes that vary in outcome, tumor characteristics, and immune landscape. These subtypes provide not only patient outcomes but also key information that will help to identify immune blocking therapy. In addition, angiogenesis intensity score (AIS) was proposed to quantify tumor angiogenesis ability, and its accuracy as a predictor of prognosis and immunotherapy was verified by external cohort and corresponding cell lines. Our study provides clinicians with guidance for individualized immune checkpoint blocking therapy and anti-angiogenic therapy for ESCC.

Flower-Shaped Mg3Al1-xFex-CO3 Layered Double Hydroxides Derived Adsorbents with Tunable Memory Effect for Environmental Remediation.

Herein, flower-shaped ternary layered double hydroxides (LDHs) Mg3Al1-xFex-CO3 with tunable memory effect as promising adsorbents was developed for the removal of acid red 88 anionic dye. All the samples were prepared using a co-precipitation method and were thoroughly characterized using several analytical techniques. The influence of Fe/(Al + Fe) ratio on the memory effect and dye adsorption capacity of Mg3Al1-xFex-CO3 LDHs was evaluated. Among all samples, Mg3Fe0.1Al0.9CO3 LDH resulted in the best adsorption capacity of 2709 mg/g in the first cycle. Comparing to Mg3Al1-CO3 and Mg3Fe1-CO3 LDHs, it also showed much better cycling performance during 4 cycles at 30 °C and atmospheric pressure. The influence of regeneration temperature was also investigated and found that 400 °C exhibit best performance. The detailed studies demonstrated that the adsorption capacity of Mg3Al1-CO3 can be improved by partially replacing Al by Fe.

Healthcare utilization of bereaved family members following the 1999 Chi-chi earthquake: evidence from administrative data.

OBJECTIVE: Strong earthquakes not only cause death and property damage, but also have continuous repercussions on the survivors' health. This study investigates the impact of the 1999 Chi-chi earthquake to understand how an earthquake disaster affects healthcare utilization differently between individuals who lost co-resident family members (victims) and those who did not (non-victims). METHODS: We utilize the household registration records from the Ministry of the Interior as well as claim data from the Bureau of National Health Insurance in Taiwan from 1998 to 2000. Such datasets enable us to identify the relationship of the survivors with the dead and contain the residents' detailed healthcare utilization records. The difference-in-differences method is used to explore the changes in healthcare utilization. RESULTS: Our results indicate that the victims had a higher probability of using inpatient care than the non-victims; and the victims who lost their parents tended to use more inpatient services than the other victims. As for the changes in outpatient utilization, the difference between victims and non-victims, and among victims who lost different family members appears to be statistically insignificant. CONCLUSION: Compared to non-victims, victims were more likely to use inpatient care after the Earthquake, particularly the victims who lost parents. However, the impacts of the Earthquake on outpatient care are statistically indifferent between victims and non-victims. One possible explanation is that the abundance of primary care and social support services provided by emergency medical assistance teams and/or non-governmental organizations after the Earthquake had substituted for regular outpatient utilization.

Financial incentives and use of Cesarean delivery: Taiwan birth data 2003 to 2007.

OBJECTIVES: The Cesarean section (CS) rate in Taiwan has exceeded 30% since 2000. To lower the CS rate, the Bureau of National Health Insurance in Taiwan raised the payment for vaginal delivery (VD) in May 2005, and also increased the insured's copayment for elective CS in May 2006. This study clarifies the influences of these financial incentives, and explores whether the 2 policies lowered the CS rate. STUDY DESIGN: The materials used are birth cases obtained from a systematic sampling of the original inpatient claim data in the National Health Insurance research database between 2003 and 2007. The empirical analysis of this study groups the birth data into 4 types: VD, unplanned CS, planned CS, and elective CS. METHODS: The 4 delivery types represent the dependent variable. A multinomial logistic regression model was adopted as the empirical method. The policy changes, hospital attributes, and insured status were considered independent variables. RESULTS: Results indicate that the supply-side policy change in May 2005 reduced the number of CS cases. However, the policy effect was not very significant, and the CS rate decreased mainly because of planned CS cases. The demand-side policy change in May 2006 did not lower the rate of elective CS. CONCLUSIONS: The results imply that the financial incentives were not the main consideration for both the demand and supply sides. To encourage more VDs and lower the CS rate, the authorities could consider mechanisms other than adjusting the payment or changing the copayment.