Comparative and phylogenetic analyses of Loranthaceae plastomes provide insights into the evolutionary trajectories of plastome degradation in hemiparasitic plants.

BACKGROUND: The lifestyle transition from autotrophy to heterotrophy often leads to extensive degradation of plastomes in parasitic plants, while the evolutionary trajectories of plastome degradation associated with parasitism in hemiparasitic plants remain poorly understood. In this study, phylogeny-oriented comparative analyses were conducted to investigate whether obligate Loranthaceae stem-parasites experienced higher degrees of plastome degradation than closely related facultative root-parasites and to explore the potential evolutionary events that triggered the 'domino effect' in plastome degradation of hemiparasitic plants. RESULTS: Through phylogeny-oriented comparative analyses, the results indicate that Loranthaceae hemiparasites have undergone varying degrees of plastome degradation as they evolved towards a heterotrophic lifestyle. Compared to closely related facultative root-parasites, all obligate stem-parasites exhibited an elevated degree plastome degradation, characterized by increased downsizing, gene loss, and pseudogenization, thereby providing empirical evidence supporting the theoretical expectation that evolution from facultative parasitism to obligate parasitism may result in a higher degree of plastome degradation in hemiparasites. Along with infra-familial divergence in Loranthaceae, several lineage-specific gene loss/pseudogenization events occurred at deep nodes, whereas further independent gene loss/pseudogenization events were observed in shallow branches. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that in addition to the increasing levels of nutritional reliance on host plants, cladogenesis can be considered as another pivotal evolutionary event triggering the 'domino effect' in plastome degradation of hemiparasitic plants. These findings provide new insights into the evolutionary trajectory of plastome degradation in hemiparasitic plants.

The protective effect of Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill. polysaccharide on DSS-induced ulcerative colitis in mice via the modulation of gut microbiota and inhibition of NF-κB activation.

BACKGROUND: Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill, a fruit utilized in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), has a long history of medical application. It has been used to treat diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill polysaccharide (SACP) is an important biologically active ingredient that has been shown to have a variety of beneficial effects including immune regulation and anti-oxidative properties. Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a complicated gastrointestinal inflammatory disease. We explore the protective effect of SACP against UC. RESULTS: Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill polysaccharide significantly reduced the disease activity index (DAI) and levels of myeloperoxidase(MPO) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in colonic tissue. It also alleviated weight loss and histopathological damage of mice. The expression of MUC2 and occludin proteins was increased and the barrier function of the colonic mucosa was enhanced by SACP treatment. NF-κB pathway activation was also inhibited and the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines was decreased whereas anti-inflammatory cytokines were increased. 16SrDNA sequencing of fecal flora showed that SACP increased the abundance of Muribaculaceaeunclassified, LachnospiraceaeNK4A136group and reduced the abundance of Bacteroides and Erysipelatoclostridium. CONCLUSION: Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill polysaccharide can protect against Dextran Sulfate Sodium Salt (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis in mice. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of risk prediction models for post-thrombotic syndrome in patients with deep vein thrombosis.

Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to systematically evaluate the prediction models for the risk of post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS) in deep vein thrombosis (DVT) patients. Methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis was guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA). A systematic search on the following electronic database: PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library, and Chinese databases such as WANFANG and CNKI was conducted to look for relevant articles based on the research question. The risk of bias for each studies included was carried out based on Prediction Model Risk of Bias Assessment Tool (PROBAST). Results: We identified 10 studies that developed a total of 13 clinical prediction models for PTS risk in DVT patients, 3 models were externally validated, 2 models were temporally validated. The top 5 predictors were: BMI (N = 9), Varicose vein (N = 6), Baseline Villalta Score (N = 6), Iliofemoral thrombosis (N = 5), and Age (N = 4). The high risk of bias was from the analysis domain, which the number of participants and selection of predictors often did not meet the requirements of PROBAST. A random-effects meta-analysis of C-statistics was conducted, the pooled discrimination was C-statistic 0.75, 95%CI (0.69, 0.81). Conclusion: Among the 13 PTS risk prediction models reported in this study, no prediction model has been applied to clinical practice due to the lack of external validation. In the development of prediction models, most models were not standardized in data analysis. It is recommended that future studies on the design and implementation of prediction models refer to Transparent reporting of a multivariable prediction model for individual prognosis or diagnosis (TRIPOD) and PROBAST.

Applying computerized adaptive testing to the Desires for Speed Questionnaire in the Chinese population: A simulation study.

The current methods for measuring patient-reported outcomes for amphetamine (speed) craving have limitation ability to adapt to the needs of individual patients while maintaining consistency in their scores. This study aimed to investigate whether the 40-item Desires for Speed Questionnaire (DSQ) could be improved for assessing clinical subjects using computerized adaptive testing (CAT). A sample of 677 participants from four drug addiction treatment centers in China was utilized in the study. Two types of analysis were conducted using the response data. First, the psychometric properties of all items were evaluated to meet the requirements of CAT. Second, multiple CAT simulations were carried out using real response data. The results indicated that the CAT method, which only required a small number of items (50%-75%), produced results that were only slightly different from the full DSQ assessment in terms of measuring amphetamine craving and criterion validity. In conclusion, this study suggests that developing a DSQ CAT for clinical subjects is useful as it leads to more efficient measurement without compromising the reliability of the test outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

African Swine Fever Virus Interaction with Host Innate Immune Factors.

African swine fever virus (ASFV) adversely affects pig farming owing to its 100% mortality rate. The condition is marked by elevated body temperature, bleeding, and ataxia in domestic pigs, whereas warthogs and ticks remain asymptomatic despite being natural reservoirs for the virus. Breeding ASFV-resistant pigs is a promising solution for eradicating this disease. ASFV employs several mechanisms to deplete the host antiviral response. This review explores the interaction of ASFV proteins with innate host immunity and the various types of machinery encompassed by viral proteins that inhibit and induce different signaling pathways, such as cGAS-STING, NF-κB, Tumor growth factor-beta (TGF-ß), ubiquitination, viral inhibition of apoptosis, and resistance to ASFV infection. Prospects for developing a domestic pig that is resistant to ASFV are also discussed.

Maternal Variability of Amplitudes of Frequency Fluctuations Is Related to the Progressive Self-Other Transposition Group Intervention in Autistic Children.

The self-to-other model of empathy (SOME) states that a key reason for the empathic deficiency in autistic individuals is the imbalance of the self-other switch. The existing interventions of theory of mind contain training of self-other transposition ability but combined with other cognitive trainings. The self-other distinction brain areas of autistic individuals have been revealed, but the brain areas of the self-other transposition ability and its intervention have not been investigated. There are normalized amplitudes of low-frequency fluctuations (mALFFs) within 0.01-0.1 Hz and many normalized amplitudes of frequency fluctuations (mAFFs) within 0-0.01, 0.01-0.05, 0.05-0.1, 0.1-0.15, 0.15-0.2, and 0.2-0.25 Hz. Therefore, the current study established a progressive self-other transposition group intervention to specifically and systematically improve autistic children's self-other transposition abilities. The transposition test with a three mountains test, an unexpected location test, and a deception test was used to directly measure autistic children's transposition abilities. The Interpersonal Responsiveness Index Empathy Questionnaire with perspective-taking and fantasy subscales (IRI-T) was used to indirectly measure autistic children's transposition abilities. The Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC) was used to measure autistic children's autism symptoms. The experiment was designed with two (intervention: experimental group vs. control group) independent variables and two (test time: pretest vs. posttest or tracking test) × three (test: transposition test vs. IRI-T test vs. ATEC test) dependent variables. Furthermore, it used eyes-closed resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate and compare the relevant maternal mALFFs and average energy rank and energy rank variability of mAFFs of autistic children's transposition abilities, autism symptoms, and intervention effects. The results showed the following: (1) There were many improvements (pretest vs. posttest or tracking test) greater than chance 0 in the experimental group, such as the three mountains, lie, transposition, PT, IRI-T, PT tracking, cognition, behavior, ATEC, language tracking, cognition tracking, behavior tracking, and ATEC tracking improvements. However, there was no improvement greater than chance 0 in the control group. (2) The maternal mALFFs and maternal average energy rank and energy rank variability of mAFFs could predict the autistic children's transposition abilities, autism symptoms, and intervention effects with some overlap and some difference in maternal self-other distinction, sensorimotor, visual, facial expression recognition, language, memory and emotion, and self-consciousness networks. These results indicated that the progressive self-other transposition group intervention successfully improved autistic children's transposition abilities and reduced their autism symptoms; the intervention effects could be applied to daily life and last up to a month. The maternal mALFFs, average energy rank, and energy rank variability of mAFFs were three effective neural indictors of autistic children's transposition abilities, autism symptoms, and intervention effects, and the average energy rank and energy rank variability of mAFFs were two new neural indictors established in the current study. The maternal neural markers of the progressive self-other transposition group intervention effects for autistic children were found in part.

Increased expression of SYCP2 predicts poor prognosis in patients suffering from breast carcinoma.

Overexpression of synaptonemal complex protein-2 (SYCP2) has been identified in various human papillomavirus (HPV)-related carcinomas, whereas its significant role in breast carcinoma remains unclear. The aim of this study was to elucidate the prognostic value and potential function of SYCP2 in breast carcinoma. Herein, data for breast carcinoma patients from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and The Cancer Genome Atlas database (TCGA) were analyzed. The enrichment analysis of SYCP2 including Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), Friends, and GSEA was performed. Kaplan-Meier analysis, Cox regression, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were employed for determining the predictive value of SYCP2 on clinical outcomes in patients suffering from breast carcinoma. A nomogram was generated to predict the effect arising from SYCP2 on prognosis. The association analysis of SYCP2 gene expression and diverse immune infiltration levels was conducted through ssGSEA and ESTIMATE analysis, which consisted of dendritic cell (DC), neutrophil, eosinophil, macrophage, mast cell, NK cell, and other 18 cell subtypes. The results showed that SYCP2 expression was significantly elevated in breast carcinoma tissues as compared with that of normal tissues (p < 0.001). SYCP2 plays a certain role in pathways related to DNA methylation, keratinocyte differentiation, steroid hormone biosynthesis, and immune infiltration. The high expression of SYCP2 had a significant relationship to age, pathological type, ER expression, and PR expression (p < 0.001). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that patients suffering from breast carcinoma characterized by high-SYCP2 expression had a poorer prognosis than patients with low-SYCP2 expression (p = 0.005). Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses revealed that SYCP2 had an independent relationship to overall survival (p = 0.049). Moreover, ROC curves suggested the significant diagnostic ability of SYCP2 for breast carcinoma, and as time went on, SYCP2 had more accurate prognostic efficacy. Furthermore, a high level of SYCP2 expression was found to have a relationship to poor prognosis of breast carcinoma in the subgroups of T3, N0, and M0, and infiltrating ductal carcinoma (HR > 1, p < 0.05). The calibration plot of the nomogram indicated that the SYCP2 model has an effective predictive performance for breast carcinoma patients. Conclusively, SYCP2 plays a vital role in the pathogenesis and progression of human breast carcinoma, so it may serve as a promising prognostic molecular marker of poor survival.

Development and validation of a clinical prediction model for post thrombotic syndrome following anticoagulant therapy for acute deep venous thrombosis.

OBJECTIVES: To identify independent prediction factors for post thrombotic syndrome (PTS) following acute deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and develop a clinical prediction model assessing the risk of PTS in individual patient. METHODS: We prospectively recruited consecutive adult patients with acute DVT who were managed at Shanxi Bethune Hospital, China between June 2014 and December 2016. Investigator assessed PTS using the Villalta scale at 1, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months following diagnosis of DVT. Variable selection was performed by applying the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) with 10-fold cross-validation. Based on these data, we established a clinical prediction model for the development of PTS following DVT. The Bootstrap method was used for internal validation. During the process of model development, we re-collected the information of DVT patients from 2016 to 2017 for a temporal validation. The performance of the prediction model included discrimination and calibration, and clinical utility of prediction model was also evaluated using a decision curve analysis. RESULTS: A total of 808 consecutive patients with acute DVT were enrolled in the training and validation datasets, of which 540 patients were included in the training dataset for the development of prediction model and the other 268 patients were in the other dataset for temporal validation. Seventy-six patients in training dataset developed PTS. The prediction factors associated with PTS were ilio-femoral DVT (OR = 4.835, 95% CI: 2.471-9.463), active cancer (OR = 3.006, 95% CI: 1.404-6.435), history of chronic venous insufficiency (OR = 7.464, 95% CI: 3.568-15.616), previous venous thromboembolism (OR = 6.326, 95% CI: 2.872-13.932), and chronic kidney disease (OR = 9.916, 95% CI: 2.238-43.937), duration of compression therapy <6 months (OR = 2.894, 95% CI: 1.595-5.251). The c index of the prediction model was 0.825 (0.774-0.877), and the c index of internal validation and temporal verification were 0.816 and 0.773 (95% CI: 0.699-0.848), indicated that the prediction model had a good discrimination in predicting PTS risk following DVT. All the calibration curve showed the model had a good calibration. The decision curve analysis showed a better net benefit of prediction model predicting PTS risk within threshold probability ranged from 0% to 72% and 86% to 98% in training dataset, and 0% to 58% in the validation datasets. CONCLUSION: Our prediction model can accurately estimate the likelihood of PTS risk and identify high-risk patients who may develop PTS following DVT based on individual characteristics, but further external validation is still required.

Compression Therapy Following Endovenous Thermal Ablation of Varicose Veins: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to evaluate the necessity for compression therapy with elastic stockings following endovenous thermal ablation (EVTA) for chronic venous insufficiency. METHODS: MedLine, ScienceDirect and the Cochrane Library were searched for the relevant literature according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Two researchers independently extracted data and assessed the quality of the literature. Randomized controlled trials comparing the use of elastic stockings for compression therapy versus no compression therapy following RFA or EVLA for varicose veins were included in this study. The primary outcome of postoperative pain was assessed using the visual analogue pain scale. Secondary outcomes included the bruising score, quality of life, venous clinical severity score, time to return to normal activities, complications, and the rate of saphenous vein occlusion. The mixed effect model or random effect model was used to calculate relative risk (RR), mean difference (MD) or standardized mean difference following the heterogeneity test. Sensitivity analysis was performed for outcomes with high heterogeneity (I2 >50%). Outcomes were described qualitatively for studies that could not be pooled. RESULTS: Six RCTs with 1,045 subjects were included. Overall, postoperative compression therapy significantly reduced the mean pain in the first 10 days post-EVTA (MD = - 4.98,95% CI: -8.71 to -1.24), and the time to return to normal activities (MD = -1.01, 95% CI: -1.97 to -0.06). In terms of the bruising score, the venous clinical severity score, complications (RR = 1.05,95% CI: 0.55-2.00), quality of life at 2 weeks (MD = -0.71,95% CI: -2.09 to 0.67) and 6 months (MD = 0.26,95% CI: -1.22 to 1.74), and the saphenous vein occlusion rate (RR=1.00,95% CI: 0.95-1.04), there were no significant differences between the compression and control groups. CONCLUSION: Our study recommends the routine use of compression therapy with elastic stockings following EVTA of varicose veins to reduce postoperative pain and the time to return to normal activities. However, further multi-center and high-quality randomized clinical trials are needed for the unified treatment for varicose veins, the target population as well as the duration of compression therapy on whether elastic stockings is beneficial following EVTA.

Multimorbidity in the elderly in China based on the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study.

This study aimed to investigate the spatial distribution and patterns of multimorbidity among the elderly in China. Data on the occurrence of 14 chronic diseases were collected for 9710 elderly participants in the 2015 waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). Web graph, Apriori algorithm, age-adjusted Charlson comorbidity index (AAC), and Spatial autocorrelation were used to perform the multimorbidity analysis. The multimorbidity prevalence rate was estimated as 49.64% in the elderly in China. Three major multimorbidity patterns were identified: [Asthma/Chronic lungs diseases]: (Support (S) = 6.17%, Confidence (C) = 63.77%, Lift (L) = 5.15); [Asthma, Arthritis, or rheumatism/ Chronic lungs diseases]: (S = 3.12%, C = 64.03%, L = 5.17); [Dyslipidemia, Hypertension, Arthritis or rheumatism/Heart attack]: (S = 3.96%, C = 51.56, L = 2.69). Results of the AAC analysis showed that the more chronic diseases an elderly has, the lower is the 10-year survival rate (P < 0.001). Global spatial autocorrelation showed a positive spatial correlation distribution for the prevalence of the third multimorbidity pattern in China (P = 0.032). The status of chronic diseases and multimorbidity among the elderly with a spatial correlation is a significant health issue in China.

MiR408-SmLAC3 Module Participates in Salvianolic Acid B Synthesis in Salvia miltiorrhiza.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important regulators of gene expression involved in plant development and abiotic stress responses. Recently, miRNAs have also been reported to be engaged in the regulation of secondary plant metabolism. However, there are few functional studies of miRNAs in medicinal plants. For this study, we obtained Sm-miR408 interference lines to investigate the function of Sm-miR408 in a medicinal model plant (Salvia miltiorrhiza). It was found that inhibiting the expression of Sm-miR408 could increase the content of salvianolic acid B and rosmarinic acid in the roots. The SmLAC3 and Sm-miR408 expression patterns were analyzed by qRT-PCR. A 5' RLM-RACE assay confirmed that Sm-miR408 targets and negatively regulates SmLAC3. Moreover, the overexpression of SmLAC3 in S. miltiorrhiza promoted the accumulation of salvianolic acids in the roots. Furthermore, the lignin content of the roots in overexpressed SmLAC3 lines was decreased. Taken together, these findings indicated that Sm-miR408 modulates the accumulation of phenolic acids in S. miltiorrhiza by targeting SmLAC3 expression levels.

Latcripin-7A from Lentinula edodes C91-3 induces apoptosis, autophagy, and cell cycle arrest at G1 phase in human gastric cancer cells via inhibiting PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling.

Gastric cancer (G.C) is one of the most lethal cancer types worldwide. Current treatment requires surgery along with chemotherapy, which causes obstacles for speedy recovery. The discovery of novel drugs is needed for better treatment of G.C with minimum side effects. Latcripin-7A (LP-7A) is a newly discovered peptide extracted from Lentinula edodes. It is recently studied for its anti-cancer activity. In this study, LP-7A was modeled using a phyre2 server. Anti-proliferation effects of LP-7A on G.C cells were examined via CCK-8, colony formation, and morphology assay. Apoptosis of LP-7A treated G.C cells was evaluated via Hoechst Stain, western blot and flow cytometry. Autophagy was assessed via acridine orange staining and western blot. The cell cycle was assessed via flow cytometry assay and western blot. Pathway was studied via western blot and STRING database. Anti-migratory effects of LP-7A treated G.C cells were analyzed via wound healing, western blot, and migration and invasion assay. LP-7A effectively inhibited the growth of G.C cells by inhibiting the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. G.C cells treated with LP-7A arrested the cell cycle at the G1 phase, contributing to the inhibition of migration and invasion. Furthermore, LP-7A induced apoptosis and autophagy in gastric cancer cells. These results indicated that LP-7A is a promising anti-cancer agent. It affected the proliferation and growth of G.C cells (SGC-7901 and BGC-823) by inducing apoptosis, autophagy, and inhibiting cell cycle at the G1 phase in G.C cells.

SLC15A4 Serves as a Novel Prognostic Biomarker and Target for Lung Adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: SLC15A family members are known as electrogenic transporters that take up peptides into cells through the proton-motive force. Accumulating evidence indicates that aberrant expression of SLC15A family members may play crucial roles in tumorigenesis and tumor progression in various cancers, as they participate in tumor metabolism. However, the exact prognostic role of each member of the SLC15A family in human lung cancer has not yet been elucidated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We investigated the SLC15A family members in lung cancer through accumulated data from TCGA and other available online databases by integrated bioinformatics analysis to reveal the prognostic value, potential clinical application and underlying molecular mechanisms of SLC15A family members in lung cancer. RESULTS: Although all family members exhibited an association with the clinical outcomes of patients with NSCLC, we found that none of them could be used for squamous cell carcinoma of the lung and that SLC15A2 and SLC15A4 could serve as biomarkers for lung adenocarcinoma. In addition, we further investigated SLC15A4-related genes and regulatory networks, revealing its core molecular pathways in lung adenocarcinoma. Moreover, the IHC staining pattern of SLC15A4 in lung adenocarcinoma may help clinicians predict clinical outcomes. CONCLUSION: SLC15A4 could be used as a survival prediction biomarker for lung adenocarcinoma due to its potential role in cell division regulation. However, more studies including large patient cohorts are required to validate the clinical utility of SLC15A4 in lung adenocarcinoma.

Highly degenerate plastomes in two hemiparasitic dwarf mistletoes: Arceuthobium chinense and A. pini (Viscaceae).

MAIN CONCLUSION: The leafless and endophytic habitat may significantly relax the selection pressure on photosynthesis, and plastid transcription and translation, causing the loss/pseudogenization of several essential plastid-encoding genes in dwarf mistletoes. Dwarf mistletoes (Arceuthobium spp., Viscaceae) are the most destructive plant parasites to numerous conifer species worldwide. In this study, the plastid genomes (plastomes) of Arceuthobium chinense Lecomte and A. pini Hawksworth and Wiens were sequenced and characterized. Although dwarf mistletoes are hemiparasites capable of photosynthesis, their plastomes were highly degenerated, as indicated by the smallest plastome size, the lowest GC content, and relatively very few intact genes among the Santalales hemiparasites. Unexpectedly, several essential housekeeping genes (rpoA, rpoB, rpoC1, and rpoC2) and some core photosynthetic genes (psbZ and petL), as well as the rpl33 gene, that is indispensable for plants under stress conditions, were deleted or pseudogenized in the Arceuthobium plastomes. Our data suggest that the leafless and endophytic habit, which heavily relies on the coniferous hosts for nutrients and carbon requirement, may largely relax the selection pressure on photosynthesis, as well as plastid transcription and translation, thus resulting in the loss/pseudogenization of such essential plastid-encoding genes in dwarf mistletoes. Therefore, the higher level of plastome degradation in Arceuthobium species than other Santalales hemiparasites is likely correlated with the evolution of leafless and endophytic habit. A higher degree of plastome degradation in Arceuthobium. These findings provide new insights into the plastome degeneration associated with parasitism in Santalales and deepen our understanding of the biology of dwarf mistletoes.

The complete plastomes of two flowering epiparasites (Phacellaria glomerata and P. compressa): Gene content, organization, and plastome degradation.

A plant parasite obligately parasitizing another plant parasite is referred to as epiparasite, which is extremely rare in angiosperms, and their complete plastome sequences have not been characterized to date. In this study, the complete plastomes of two flowering epiparasites: Phacellaria compressa and P. glomerata (Amphorogynaceae, Santalales) were sequenced. The plastomes of both species are of similar size, structure, gene content, and arrangement of genes to other hemiparasites in Santalales. Their plastomes were characterized by the functional loss of plastid-encoded NAD(P)H-dehydrogenase and infA genes, which strongly coincides with the general pattern of plastome degradation observed in Santalales hemiparasites. Our study demonstrates that the relatively higher level of nutritional reliance on the host plants and the reduced vegetative bodies of P. compressa and P. glomerata do not appear to cause any unique plastome degradation compared with their closely related hemiparasites.

A retrospective multicenter study comparing bupivacaine and ropivacaine in endoscopic ultrasound guided celiac plexus neurolysis.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic ultrasound-guided celiac plexus neurolysis (EUS-CPN) is widely practiced to palliate cancer pain in patients with inoperable abdominal malignancy. During CPN, the dehydrated alcohol is injected to ablate neural tissue and local anesthetics is to minimize the discomfort from alcohol injection. This study aims to compare the efficacy and safety of bupivacaine and ropivacaine in EUS-CPN. METHODS: We retrospectively pooled and analyzed two large EUS centers' 150 consecutive patients underwent EUS-CPN from January 2012 to March 2019. Patients were divided into 3 groups based on the selection of anesthetics: 0.5% ropivacaine (ROPI, n=23), 0.375% bupivacaine (0.375% BUPI, n=21), 0.75% bupivacaine (0.75% BUPI, n=106). Visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to measure pre/post-operative pain at 11 observation points. Additional data were collected from medical records. RESULTS: The incidence of procedure-related pain within 12 hours after CPN was significantly different among the three groups, 10.38% in 0.75% BUPI [OR =0.26 (95% CI: 0.07-0.94); P=0.04], 26.09% in ROPI and 23.81% in 0.375% BUPI group, respectively. The risk of post-procedural arrhythmia was similar between the 0.375% and 0.75% BUPI groups (19.05% versus 18.87%), while relatively lower in ROPI group (13.04%). No patients in any group developed symptoms of CNS toxicity related to anesthetics. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with 0.375% bupivacaine and 0.5% ropivacaine, 0.75% bupivacaine in CPN can reduce post-procedural pain. Ropivacaine shows a tendency of less arrhythmogenic effect in CPN.

Technical and Clinical Aspects of Diagnostic Single-Balloon Enteroscopy in the First Decade of Use: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Single-balloon enteroscopy (SBE) has been widely used in diagnosing small bowel disease. We conducted this study to systematically appraise its technical and clinical performance. METHODS: Studies on SBE published by September 2018 were systematically searched. Technical and clinical performance data were collected and analyzed with descriptive or meta-analysis methods. RESULTS: In total, 54 articles incorporating 4,592 patients (6,036 procedures) were included. Regarding technical parameters, the pooled insertion depths (IDs) for anterograde and retrograde SBE were 209.2 cm and 98.1 cm, respectively. The pooled retrograde ID in Asian countries was significantly greater than that in Western countries (129.0 cm vs 81.1 cm, p<0.001). The pooled anterograde and retrograde procedure times were 57.6 minutes and 65.1 minutes, respectively. The total enteroscopy rate was 21.9%, with no significant difference between Asian and Western countries. Clinically, the pooled diagnostic yield of SBE was 62.3%. Obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB) was the most common indication (50.0%), with a diagnostic yield of 59.5%. Vascular lesions were the most common findings in Western OGIB patients (76.9%) but not in Asian ones (31.0%). The rates of severe and mild adverse events were 0.5% and 2.5%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: SBE is technically efficient and is clinically effective and safe, but total enteroscopy is relatively difficult to achieve with this technique. Etiologies of OGIB in Asian countries differ from those in Western countries.

The Complete Plastomes of Five Hemiparasitic Plants (Osyris wightiana, Pyrularia edulis, Santalum album, Viscum liquidambaricolum, and V. ovalifolium): Comparative and Evolutionary Analyses Within Santalales.

Most species of Santalales (the sandalwood order) are hemiparasites, including both facultative and obligate hemiparasites. Despite its rich diversity, only a small fraction of the species in the sandalwood order have sequenced plastomes. The evolution of parasitism-associated plastome reduction in Santalales remains under-studied. Here, we report the complete plastomes of three facultative hemiparasites (Pyrularia edulis, Cervantesiaceae; Osyris wightiana, and Santalum album, Santalaceae), and two obligate hemiparasites (Viscum liquidambaricolum and Viscum ovalifolium, Viscaceae). Coupled with publicly available data, we investigated the dynamics of plastome degradation in Santalales hemiparasites. Our results indicate that these hemiparasites can be characterized by various degrees of plastome downsizing, structural rearrangement, and gene loss. The loss or pseudogenization of ndh genes was commonly observed in Santalales hemiparasites, which may be correlated to the lifestyle shift from photoautotroph to hemiparasitism. However, the obligate hemiparasites did not exhibit a consistently higher level of gene loss or pseudogenization compared to facultative hemiparasites, which suggests that the degree of plastome reduction is not correlated with the trophic level facultative or obligate hemiparasitism. Instead, closely related taxa tend to possess highly similar plastome size, structure, and gene content. This implies the parasitism-associated plastome degradation in Santalales may evolve in a lineage-specific manner.

Comprehensive analysis of the SLC16A gene family in pancreatic cancer via integrated bioinformatics.

SLC16A family members play crucial roles in tumorigenesis and tumor progression. However, the exact role of distinct members in the SLC16A family in human pancreatic cancer remains unclear. Integrated bioinformatics analysis for the identification of therapeutic targets for certain cancers based on transcriptomics, proteomics and high-throughput sequencing could help us obtain novel information and understand potential underlying molecular mechanisms. In the present study, we investigated SLC16A family members in pancreatic cancer through accumulated data from GEO (Gene Expression Omnibus), TCGA (The Cancer Genome Atlas) and other available databases. The expression profile, clinical application significance and prognostic value of the SLC16A family for patients with pancreatic cancer were explored. SLC16A1, SLC16A3 and SLC16A13 exhibited biomarker potential for prognosis, and we further identified their related genes and regulatory networks, revealing core molecular pathways that require further investigation for pancreatic cancer.

The multifaceted roles of long noncoding RNAs in pancreatic cancer: an update on what we know.

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Due to the shortage of effective biomarkers for predicting survival and diagnosing PC, the underlying mechanism is still intensively investigated but poorly understood. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) provide biological functional diversity and complexity in protein regulatory networks. Scientific studies have revealed the emerging functions and regulatory roles of lncRNAs in PC behaviors. It is worth noting that some in-depth studies have revealed that lncRNAs are significantly associated with the initiation and progression of PC. As lncRNAs have good properties for both diagnostic and prognostic prediction due to their translation potential, we herein address the current understanding of the multifaceted roles of lncRNAs as regulators in the molecular mechanism of PC. We also discuss the possibility of using lncRNAs as survival biomarkers and their contributions to the development of targeted therapies based on the literature. The present review, based on what we know about current research findings, may help us better understand the roles of lncRNAs in PC.