[Outcomes of the second pregnancy after Triple-P procedure in women complicated with placenta accreta spectrum disorders].

Objective: To investigate the safety of the Triple-P procedure in women complicated with severe placenta accreta spectrum disorders (PAS) and its influence on second pregnancy. Methods: From January 2015 to December 2017, the outcomes of the second pregnancy after the Triple-P procedure in 11 pregnant women complicated with PAS in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University and the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University were retrospectively analyzed. Results: By December 2021, a total of 11 pregnant women who underwent the Triple-P procedure for PAS had a second pregnancy, with a median interval of 3 years (2-3 years). Of the 11 pregnant women, 7 delivered after 36 weeks of gestation. The median gestational age was 38 weeks, and 4 terminated within the first trimester. PAS recurred in 1 of 7 pregnant women (1/7) and was associated with placenta previa. All of the 7 pregnant women were delivered by cesarean section, with a median postpartum blood loss of 300 ml (200-450 ml), and only one pregnant woman required blood transfusion. None of the pregnant women were transferred to the intensive care unit, and there were no uterine rupture, bladder injury, puerperal infection, and neonatal adverse outcomes. Conclusion: Pregnant women who underwent the Triple-P procedure for severe PAS could be considered for second pregnancy with strictly management by an experienced multidisciplinary team, which may result in a good outcome.

Magnetic properties of the Ising-like rare earth pyrosilicate: D-Er2Si2O7.

Ising-like spin-1/2 magnetic materials are of interest for their ready connection to theory, particularly in the context of quantum critical behavior. In this work we report detailed studies of the magnetic properties of a member of the rare earth pyrosilicate family, D-Er2Si2O7, which is known to display a highly anisotropic Ising-likeg-tensor and effective spin-1/2 magnetic moments. We used powder neutron diffraction, powder inelastic neutron spectroscopy (INS), and single crystal AC susceptibility to characterize its magnetic properties. Neutron diffraction enabled us to determine the magnetic structure below the known transition temperature (TN= 1.9 K) in zero field, confirming that the magnetic state is a four-sublattice antiferromagnetic structure with two non-collinear Ising axes, as was previously hypothesized. Our powder INS data revealed a gapped excitation at zero field, consistent with anisotropic (possibly Ising) exchange. An applied field of 1 T produces a mode softening, which is consistent with a field-induced second order phase transition. To assess the relevance of D-Er2Si2O7to the transverse field Ising model, we performed AC susceptibility measurements on a single crystal with the magnetic field oriented in the direction transverse to the Ising axes. This revealed a transition at 2.65 T at 0.1 K, a field significantly higher than the mode-softening field observed by powder INS, showing that the field-induced phase transitions are highly field-direction dependent as expected. These measurements suggest that D-Er2Si2O7may be a candidate for further exploration related to the transverse field Ising model.

LncRNA SNHG8 promotes cell migration and invasion in breast cancer cell through miR-634/ZBTB20 axis.

OBJECTIVE: Small nucleolus RNA Host Gene 8 (SNHG8) belongs to a subgroup of long non-coding RNAs. SNHG8 is upregulated in many cancers, such as gastric cancer, liver cancer, and esophageal squamous cell cancer. However, whether SNHG8 is abnormally expressed in breast cancer and its biological functions remain unclear. Therefore, our research intended to determine the expression status of SNHG8 in breast cancer, explore the effects of SNHG8 on the development of breast cancer, and investigate the potential molecular mechanisms in cancer progression. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The expression levels of SNHG8 were detected in tissue samples and cell lines via qRT-PCR. The effects of SNHG8 on viability of breast cancer cells were detected via CCK-8, EdU, transwell, and flow cytometry analyses. RESULTS: qRT-PCR results showed that the expression level of SNHG8 was significantly upregulated in tumor tissues and cell lines. Gene functional studies showed that the downregulation of the expression level of SNHG8 significantly inhibited the breast cancer cells migration and invasion, and induced apoptosis. Meanwhile, we found that SNHG8 served as an inhibitor of miR-634 in tumor tissues. SNHG8 may participate in the malignancy of breast cancer by sponging the miR-634 to increase the expression level of ZBTB20. CONCLUSIONS: The SNHG8-miR-634-ZBTB20 pathway may be a potential target for the treatment of breast cancers.

[Tap-hammer elicited vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials system: its design and preliminary application].

Objective: The aim of this study was to design and perform "Tap-hammer"system that can be used to elicit vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMP) in normal adults and to report the preliminary results of this system. Methods: A triggered Tap-hammer was designed, made and connected with an electric recording system, to form as a system for Tap-VEMP recording. Twenty healthy adult volunteers (7 males and 13 females, aged 20 to 37 years, 40 ears in total) were recruited for air-conducted sound VEMP (ACS-VEMP) and Tap-VEMP examinations. Waveforms and parameters of both VEMPs were recorded and analyzed. SPSS 22.0 software was used for statistical analysis. Results: The response rates of ACS-, Tap-ocular VEMP (oVEMP) and ACS-, Tap-cervical VEMP (cVEMP) were both 100% (40/40). The mean±SD n1 latency, p1 latency, n1-p1 interval, amplitude, and asymmetry ratio (AR%) of Tap-oVEMP were (9.80±2.51)ms, (13.90±3.26)ms, (4.09±1.43)ms, (16.43±9.61)µV, (22.68±17.35)% respectively. The mean±SD p1 latency, n1 latency, p1-n1 interval, amplitude, and asymmetry ratio (AR%) of Tap-cVEMP were (13.26±2.07)ms, (21.84±2.89)ms, (8.58±2.10)ms, (457.65±274.94)µV, (20.42±13.46)% respectively. Both n1 latency and p1 latency of Tap-VEMPs were shorter than those in ACS-VEMPs (P<0.05). No statistical difference could be found between the two stimulation methods in the parameters of n1-p1 interval, amplitude, and asymmetry ratio(P>0.05). Conclusion: The Tap-hammer system can elicit VEMP responses in healthy young people. This system can be used as an alternative stimulation method for bone conduction VEMP.

Overall adjustment acupuncture for postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP): a study protocol for a randomized sham-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Osteoporosis is becoming more prevalent in aging societies worldwide, and the economic burden attributable to osteoporotic fractures is substantial. The medications presently available to treat osteoporosis have side effects. Acupuncture is widely used for treating osteoporotic postmenopausal women because it is non-invasive and has fewer side effects, but the powerful clinical evidence for its efficacy remains insufficient. Our study intends to explore the effect of overall adjustment acupuncture (OA) in the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP). METHODS/DESIGN: This study is a randomized, sham-controlled, patient- and assessor-blinded trial and aims to evaluate the effect of OA in women with PMOP. We will recruit 104 women aged 45-70 years with a diagnosis of PMOP. Participants will be randomly allocated in a 1:1 ratio to the OA group and the sham acupuncture (SA) group. Both groups will receive real herbal medicine treatment as a basic treatment twice a day for 3 months, the OA group receives real acupuncture treatment and the SA group receives placebo acupuncture treatment (non-penetrating, sham skin-needle therapy, sham cupping). All patients will receive acupuncture treatment twice per week for 3 months. The primary outcome is bone mineral density (BMD) and the secondary outcomes include estradiol (E2), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), bone gla protein (BGP), bone alkaline phosphatase (BALP), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP), PPARγ, ß-catenin, FoxO3a levels, visual analog pain scale score (VAS), Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome scores and quality of daily life score (QOL). Outcome measures will be collected at baseline, middle of the treatment (1.5 months), the end of treatment (3 months). The present protocol followed the SPIRIT guidelines and fulfills the SPIRIT Checklist. CONCLUSION: This study will be conducted to compare the efficacy of OA versus SA. This trial should help to evaluate whether OA can effectively prevent and treat PMOP by improving the estrogen levels of postmenopausal women. The mechanism is to improve the imbalance of osteogenic differentiation and lipogenesis of bone-marrow cells under oxidative stress. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ID: ChiCTR1800017581. Registered on 5 August 2018. URL: http://www.chictr.org.cn.

Circ_001680 aggravates the malignant process of gastric carcinoma by targeting MAP2.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to explore the expression pattern and clinical significance of circ_001680 in gastric carcinoma (GC) process. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Circ_001680 levels in 40 pairs of GC and paracancerous ones were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The relationship between circ_001680 and GC clinicopathological parameters was analyzed. AGS and SGC-7901 cells were used for constructing circ_001680 knockdown models by shRNA transfection. Proliferative and metastatic abilities in GC cells with circ_001680 knockdown were examined by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and transwell assay, respectively. Dual-Luciferase reporter assay was conducted to clarify the interaction between circ_001680 and MAP2. Their co-regulation on GC process was detected through rescue experiments. RESULTS: Circ_001680 was highly expressed in GC tissues and cell lines. High level of circ_001680 predicted high incidences of lymphatic and distant metastasis, and poor prognosis in GC patients. Knockdown of circ_001680 suppressed proliferative and metastatic abilities in AGS and SGC-7901 cells. MAP2 was the target gene binding circ_001680, which was lowly expressed in GC. In addition, MAP2 was negatively correlated to circ_001680. Knockdown of MAP2 could abolish the suppressed proliferative and metastatic abilities in GC cells with circ_001680 knockdown. CONCLUSIONS: Circ_001680 is highly expressed in GC tissues and closely related to metastasis and prognosis in GC patients, which promotes the proliferative and metastatic abilities in GC cells by negatively interacting with MAP2.

MiR-593-5p promotes the development of hypoxic-induced pulmonary hypertension via targeting PLK1.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the role of microRNA-593-5p (miR-593-5p) in hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension (HPH), and to explore its underlying mechanism. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were housed in a hypoxia environment 8 hours per day for consecutive 4 weeks. After the establishment of the HPH rat model, we detected the right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP) and right heart hypertrophy index (RVHI) in HPH rats and controls. The expression levels of miR-593-5p and polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) in rat lungs were detected by quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). Subsequently, miR-593-5p mimics and inhibitor were constructed and transfected into cells. The proliferation and migration of pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) were accessed by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and wound healing assay, respectively. The protein level of PLK1 in PASMCs after transfection with miR-593-5p mimics or inhibitor was detected by Western blot. Dual-luciferase reporter gene assay was conducted to verify the binding condition of miR-593-5p and PLK1. Finally, rescue experiments were performed to explore whether the regulatory effect of miR-593-5p on HPH development was associated with PLK1. RESULTS: RVSP and RVHI in rats of the hypoxic group were significantly higher than those of controls. MiR-593-5p was significantly downregulated while PLK1 was remarkably upregulated in lung tissues of HPH rats than those of controls. Similarly, miR-593-5p expression in PASMCs decreased gradually with the prolongation of hypoxia induction. Overexpression of miR-593-5p remarkably inhibited the proliferation and migration of PASMCs. Subsequently, dual-luciferase reporter gene verified the binding condition of miR-593-5p and PLK1. Both the mRNA and protein levels of PLK1 were negatively regulated by miR-593-5p. Also, rescue experiments demonstrated that the inhibitory effects of miR-593-5p on the proliferation and migration of PASMCs could be reversed by PLK1 overexpression. CONCLUSIONS: MiR-593-5p is lowly expressed in lung tissues of HPH rats. Meanwhile, it stimulates the proliferation and migration of PASMCs via targeting PLK1, thereby promoting HPH development.

Formula Derivation for the Probability Distribution of IBS Score in Unrelated Individual Pairs.

OBJECTIVES: To derive the probability equation given by STR allele frequencies of identity by state （IBS） score shared by unrelated individual pairs. METHODS: By comparing the STR genotypes of two unrelated individuals, three mutually exclusive combinations could be obtained： （1） sharing 2 identical alleles, a2=1, otherwise a2=0; （2） sharing 1 identical allele, a1=1, otherwise a1=0; （3） sharing 0 identical allele, a0=1, otherwise a0=0. And the IBS score of the one STR locus in this unrelated individual pair could be given by the formula： ibs=2a2+a1. The probability of a2=1 （p2）, a1=1 （p1） and a0=1 （p0） were derived and expressed in powers of the allele frequencies. Subsequently, for a genotyping system including n independent STR loci, the characteristics of binomial distribution of IBS score shared by a pair of unrelated individuals could be given by p2l and p1l （l=1, 2, …, n）. RESULTS: All the general equations of p2, p1 and p0 were derived from the basic conceptions of a2, a1 and a0, respectively. Given fi （i=1, 2, …, m） as the ith allele frequency of a STR locus, the general equations of p2, p1 and p0 could be respectively expressed in powers of fi： [Formula: see text],[Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. The sum of p2, p1 and p0 must be equal to 1. Then, the binomial distribution of IBS score shared by unrelated individual pairs genotyped with n independently STR loci could be written by： IBS~B（2n, π）, and the general probability, π, could be given by the formula： [Formula: see text]. CONCLUSIONS: In the biological full sibling identification, the probability of null hypothesis corresponding to any specific IBS score can be directly calculated by the general equations presented in this study, which is the basement of the evidence explanation.

CD151 promotes breast cancer metastasis by activating TGF-ß1/Smad signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the expression characteristics of CD151 in breast cancer (BC) and to further study its role in the development of BC and potential regulatory mechanisms. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Quantitative Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the level of CD151 in 82 pairs of BC tissues and adjacent normal ones, and the relationship between CD151 expression and BC pathological parameters and prognosis was analyzed. CD151 expression in BC cells was further validated using qRT-PCR. The CD151 knockdown model was constructed in BC cell lines including MCF-7 and SKBR3 using the small interference RNA. The cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and transwell assay were used to analyze the effect of CD151 on the biological function of BC cells, and finally Western blot was performed to explore its underlying mechanism. RESULTS: QRT-PCR analysis revealed that CD151 level in BC tissues was strikingly higher than that in normal ones, and the difference was statistically significant. Compared with patients with low CD151 level, patients with high CD151 level had worse tumor stage, lymph node metastasis, and distant metastases. The higher the incidence of metastasis, the lower the overall survival rate. Compared with the negative control group, the ability of cell proliferation or invasion and migration in the CD151 knockdown group was significantly reduced. In addition, Western blot results demonstrated that the levels of proteins in TGF-ß1/Smad pathway, including transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1), p-Smad2, p-Smad3, N-cad, Vimentin and MMP-9, were remarkably decreased in cells of si-CD151 group. CONCLUSIONS: The expression of CD151 in BC was significantly increased, which was found evidently associated with BC stage, lymph node or distant metastasis, and poor prognosis. Meanwhile, CD151 may promote the proliferation and invasion of BC by regulating TGF-ß1/Smad pathway.

Decoupling of magnetism and electric transport in single-crystal (Sr1-x A x )2IrO4 (A = Ca or Ba).

We report a systematical structural, transport and magnetic study of Ca or Ba doped Sr2IrO4 single crystals. Isoelectronically substituting Ca2+ (up to 15%) or Ba2+ (up to 4%) ion for the Sr2+ ion provides no additional charge carriers but effectively changes the lattice parameters in Sr2IrO4. In particular, 15% Ca doping considerably reduces the c-axis and the unit cell by nearly 0.45% and 1.00%, respectively. These significant, anisotropic compressions in the lattice parameters conspicuously cause no change in the Néel temperature which remains at 240 K, but drastically reduces the electrical resistivity by up to five orders of magnitude or even precipitates a sharp insulator-to-metal transition at lower temperatures, i.e. the vanishing insulating state accompanies an unchanged Néel temperature in (Sr1-x A x )2IrO4. This observation brings to light an intriguing difference between chemical pressure and applied pressure, the latter of which does suppress the long-range magnetic order in Sr2IrO4. This difference reveals the importance of the Ir1-O2-Ir1 bond angle and homogenous volume compression in determining the magnetic ground state. All results, along with a comparison drawn with results of Tb and La doped Sr2IrO4, underscore that the magnetic transition plays a nonessential role in the formation of the charge gap in the spin-orbit-tuned iridate.

Electrical Control of Structural and Physical Properties via Strong Spin-Orbit Interactions in Sr_{2}IrO_{4}.

Electrical control of structural and physical properties is a long-sought, but elusive goal of contemporary science and technology. We demonstrate that a combination of strong spin-orbit interactions (SOI) and a canted antiferromagnetic Mott state is sufficient to attain that goal. The antiferromagnetic insulator Sr_{2}IrO_{4} provides a model system in which strong SOI lock canted Ir magnetic moments to IrO_{6} octahedra, causing them to rigidly rotate together. A novel coupling between an applied electrical current and the canting angle reduces the Néel temperature and drives a large, nonlinear lattice expansion that closely tracks the magnetization, increases the electron mobility, and precipitates a unique resistive switching effect. Our observations open new avenues for understanding fundamental physics driven by strong SOI in condensed matter, and provide a new paradigm for functional materials and devices.

Role of inflammatory responses in the pathogenesis of human cerebral aneurysm.

We aimed to detect expressional profiles of intracellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in human cerebral aneurysm, in order to investigate the effect of chronic inflammation on the pathogenesis of cerebral aneurysm. Samples from 40 cases of human cerebral aneurysms diagnosed at our hospital were selected along with 20 normal cerebral artery samples. Western blotting and immunohistochemical (IHC) staining were used to reveal expressional profiles of ICAM-1 and NF-κB in the aneurysmal wall of patients and normal cerebral artery tissues. Reverse transcription (RT)-PCR was employed to detect changes in transcript levels of MCP-1 mRNA. Western blotting showed significantly higher expressions of ICAM-1 and NF-κB in patients with cerebral aneurysm compared to the normal group (P < 0.01), which was consistent with IHC staining results. RT-PCR revealed significantly higher MCP-1 transcripts in cerebral aneurysm tissues compared to the normal group (P < 0.01), in addition to a positive relationship between ICAM-1 and NF-κB expression levels. In conclusion, expression levels of ICAM-1, NF-κB, and MCP-1 in patients are significantly elevated, suggesting an enhanced chronic inflammatory response and a significant correlation between inflammatory factors/adhesion molecules and the pathogenesis of cerebral aneurysm.

Administration of low-dose cyclosporine alone for the treatment of elderly patients with membranous nephropathy.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of administration of low-dose cyclosporine A (CsA) alone and the combination of low-dose CsA and a low-dose hormone for the treatment of elderly patients with membranous nephropathy. We divided 27 patients into two groups as follows: low-dose CsA group (group A) and the group receiving a combination of a low-dose hormone and low-dose CsA (group B). The treatment and follow-up times were ≥ 6 months. We observed no difference in gender, age, serum creatinine levels, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and 24-h urinary protein levels between the two groups before treatment; in addition, the rates of complete and partial remission were not different 6 months after treatment. The rate of complications in group B was higher than that in group A (84.6 vs 35.7%, respectively; t = 0.018). While the pretreatment eGFR of patients who achieved remission was significantly higher than that of patients who did not achieve remission, the 24-h urinary protein levels and incidence of hypertension were significantly lower than those of patients who did not achieve remission (t = 0.042, 0.035 and 0.043, respectively). The efficacy of administration of low-dose CsA alone and in combination with a low-dose hormone was similar; the efficacy was related to eGFR, urinary protein levels, and the incidence of hypertension before the treatment. The side effects of administration of CsA alone were significantly lower than those of the combination treatment.

Expression of mTOR and its inhibitory effect on cell proliferation and apoptosis of breast cancer cells.

The aim of this study is to investigate the expression of mTOR in breast cancer and observe the effect of CCI-779 on proliferation and apoptosis of MDA-MB-231 cells. Immunohistochemical staining was used to detect the expression of mTOR protein in breast cancer tissues and MDA-MB-231 cells. MTT assay was used to assess the effect of CCI-779 on proliferation of MDA-MB-231 cells. Annex-inV-FITC/ PI assay was utilized to evaluate the effect of CCI-779 on apoptosis of MDA-MB-231 cells. Among the 71 cases of breast cancer tissues, 54.9% were mTOR-positive that exhibited significantly higher expression than the 32 cases of normal tissues (21.9%); mTOR protein was also found to be expressed in MDA-MB-231 cells. The mTOR inhibitor CCI-779 significantly inhibited the proliferation of MDA-MB-231 cells that was dose- and time-dependent. However, CCI-779 was unable to induce apoptosis of MDA-MB-231 cells as demonstrated with AnnexinV-FITC/PI assay. mTOR plays a key role in the initiation and development of breast cancer, and its inhibitor CCI-779 exerts a strong suppressive activity against MDA-MB-231 cells, suggesting its therapeutic potential to treat breast cancer.

The role of Sep (O-phosphoserine) tRNA: Sec (selenocysteine) synthase (SEPSECS) in proliferation, apoptosis and hormone secretion of trophoblast cells.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether Sep (O-phosphoserine) tRNA: Sec (selenocysteine) synthase (SEPSECS), which plays an essential role in the synthesis of selenoprotein, affects proliferation, apoptosis and hormone secretion of human trophoblast cells. METHODS: Human trophoblast JEG-3 cells were divided into four groups: control group, SEPSECS silenced-expression group, empty vector group and SEPSECS over-expression group. Over-expression and silenced-expression were achieved by transfection with plasmid DNA or RNA oligonucleotide, respectively. 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl] -2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and colony formation assays were performed to investigate cell proliferation, while apoptosis was tested by annexin V-FITC, PI double staining and caspases-3 activation assays, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to determine the level of progesterone (PG) and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). RESULTS: SEPSECS silenced-expression clearly inhibited proliferation of JEG-3 cells (p < 0.05), significantly induced cell apoptosis (p < 0.01) and reduced the production of PG and hCG (p < 0.05). On the contrary, SEPSECS over-expression significantly promoted both cell proliferation (p < 0.01) and secretion of PG and hCG (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: SEPSECS significantly affects proliferation, apoptosis and hormone secretion of human trophoblast cells, suggesting that a potential relationship exists among SEPSECS, cell proliferation, apoptosis and hormone production of human placental trophoblast cells. Furthermore, this may provide a clue to uncover the relationship between selenium and human placental in association with an emphasis on the importance of selenium adequacy during pregnancy.