No prognostic impact of staging bone scan in patients with stage IA non-small cell lung cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the survival benefit of preoperative bone scan in asymptomatic patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: This retrospective study included patients with radical resection for stage T1N0M0 NSCLC between March 2013 and December 2018. During postoperative follow-up, we monitored patient survival and the development of bone metastasis. We compared overall survival, bone metastasis-free survival, and recurrence-free survival in patients with or without preoperative bone scan. Propensity score matching and inverse probability of treatment weighting were used to minimize election bias. RESULTS: A total of 868 patients (58.19 ± 9.69 years; 415 men) were included in the study. Of 87.7% (761 of 868) underwent preoperative bone scan. In the multivariable analyses, bone scan did not improve overall survival (hazard ratio [HR] 1.49; 95% confidence intervals [CI] 0.91-2.42; p = 0.113), bone metastasis-free survival (HR 1.18; 95% CI 0.73-1.90; p = 0.551), and recurrence-free survival (HR 0.89; 95% CI 0.58-1.39; p = 0.618). Similar results were obtained after propensity score matching (overall survival [HR 1.28; 95% CI 0.74-2.23; p = 0.379], bone metastasis-free survival [HR 1.00; 95% CI 0.58-1.72; p = 0.997], and recurrence-free survival [HR 0.76; 95% CI 0.46-1.24; p = 0.270]) and inverse probability of treatment weighting. CONCLUSION: There were no significant differences in overall survival, bone metastasis-free survival, and recurrence-free survival between asymptomatic patients with clinical stage IA NSCLC with or without preoperative bone scan.

Quantitative proteomics of the miR-301a/SOCS3/STAT3 axis reveals underlying autism and anxiety-like behavior.

Autism is a widespread neurodevelopmental disorder. Although the research on autism spectrum disorders has been increasing in the past decade, there is still no specific answer to its mechanism of action and treatment. As a pro-inflammatory microRNA, miR-301a is abnormally expressed in various psychiatric diseases including autism. Here, we show that miR-301a deletion and inhibition exhibited two distinct abnormal behavioral phenotypes in mice. We observed that miR-301a deletion in mice impaired learning/memory, and enhanced anxiety. On the contrary, miR-301a inhibition effectively reduced the maternal immune activation (MIA)-induced autism-like behaviors in mice. We further demonstrated that miR-301a bound to the 3'UTR region of the SOCS3, and that inhibition of miR-301a led to the upregulation of SOCS3 in hippocampus. The last result in the reduction of the inflammatory response by inhibiting phosphorylation of AKT and STAT3, and the expression level of IL-17A in poly(I:C)-induced autism-like features in mice. The obtained data revealed the miR-301a as a critical participant in partial behavior phenotypes, which may exhibit a divergent role between gene knockout and knockdown. Our findings ascertain that miR-301a negatively regulates SOCS3 in MIA-induced autism in mice and could present a new therapeutic target for ameliorating the behavioral abnormalities of autism.

Meta-analysis on Asymptomatic Endometrial Thickening and Its Association with Endometrial Cancer Risk in Women Over 50 Years of Age.

Purpose: This study systematically assesses the correlation between asymptomatic endometrial thickening after the age of 50 and the risk of endometrial cancer (EC). Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted using the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, PubMed, ProQuest, and Chinese biomedical literature databases Wanfang, Weipu, and CNG until August 2022. The included literature was analyzed using RevMan 5.3 software to explore heterogeneity in each study. Results: Five studies were finally included. The assessment of odds ratio (OR) heterogeneity between women with endometrial thickening and the risk of EC showed P = .18, I2=95%, indicating significant heterogeneity. A random-effects model was applied for meta-analysis, revealing a result of 0.96, 95% CI (0.92, 1.02), P = .18, indicating no statistical significance between the two groups (P > .05). The funnel plot demonstrated asymmetry, suggesting evident publication bias. Conclusion: There is no consistent correlation between asymptomatic endometrial thickening and the occurrence of EC in individuals over 50 years of age.

Serum food specific IgG antibodies are associated with small bowel inflammation in patients with Crohn's disease.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Food antigens are thought to play a vital role in the initiation and perpetuation of Crohn's disease (CD). The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential association of serum food specific IgG antibodies and small bowel (SB) inflammation in CD patients. METHODS: We conducted a prospective observational study with 96 CD patients. Demographic, disease-related data and inflammatory parameters were collected. Serum food IgG antibodies were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Capsule endoscopy was performed to detect SB inflammation quantified by the Lewis Score. RESULTS: Seventy-eight of (81.3%) CD patients were detected positive for at least one food-specific antibody. The five most prevalent food antibodies in CD patients were tomato, egg, corn, rice, and soybean. Patients with SB inflammation had a higher positive rate of food IgG antibodies (P = 0.010) and more IgG-positive food items (P = 0.010) than those without. Specifically, patients with SB inflammation were more likely to have positive food-specific IgG against egg (P = 0.014), corn (P = 0.014), and wheat (P = 0.048). Additionally, the number of positive food IgGs ≥ 3 and elevated ESR were independently associated with concurrent SB inflammation (P = 0.015 and P = 0.013, respectively). CONCLUSION: Our study confirmed that CD patients with SB inflammation had a higher positive rate of food IgG antibodies and more IgG-positive food items. The number of food positive IgGs ≥ 3 and elevated ESR were independently associated with concurrent SB inflammation.

The transcription factor MdBPC2 alters apple growth and promotes dwarfing by regulating auxin biosynthesis.

Auxin plays important roles throughout plant growth and development. However, the mechanisms of auxin regulation of plant structure are poorly understood. In this study, we identified a transcription factor (TF) of the BARLEY B RECOMBINANT/BASIC PENTACYSTEINE (BBR/BPC) family in apple (Malus × domestica), MdBPC2. It was highly expressed in dwarfing rootstocks, and it negatively regulated auxin biosynthesis. Overexpression of MdBPC2 in apple decreased plant height, altered leaf morphology, and inhibited root system development. These phenotypes were due to reduced auxin levels and were restored reversed after exogenous indole acetic acid (IAA) treatment. Silencing of MdBPC2 alone had no obvious phenotypic effect, while silencing both Class I and Class II BPCs in apple significantly increased auxin content in plants. Biochemical analysis demonstrated that MdBPC2 directly bound to the GAGA-rich element in the promoters of the auxin synthesis genes MdYUC2a and MdYUC6b, inhibiting their transcription and reducing auxin accumulation in MdBPC2 overexpression lines. Further studies established that MdBPC2 interacted with the polycomb group (PcG) protein LIKE HETEROCHROMATIN PROTEIN 1 (LHP1) to inhibit MdYUC2a and MdYUC6b expression via methylation of histone 3 lysine 27 (H3K27me3). Silencing MdLHP1 reversed the negative effect of MdBPC2 on auxin accumulation. Our results reveal a dwarfing mechanism in perennial woody plants involving control of auxin biosynthesis by a BPC transcription factor, suggesting its use for genetic improvement of apple rootstock.

Effect evaluation of traffic guidance in urban underground road diverging and merging areas: A simulator study.

Traffic accidents occur frequently in urban underground road diverging and merging areas due to the limited vision and complex traffic. Well-designed traffic visual guidance is one of the effective measures to alleviate the traffic safety problems in the diverging and merging areas of urban underground roads. In this study, four different integrated traffic guidance schemes (including signs, marking lines and sidewall guidance) were proposed and their effects on drivers' behaviour were investigated through driving simulator experiments and questionnaire survey. To investigate the influence of different schemes, eight variables about driving behaviour and guidance efficiency were assessed for analysis. Finally, a fuzzy comprehensive evaluation model based on analytic hierarchy process (FCE + AHP) was constructed to evaluate the effect of guidance schemes. Vehicle running state, driver operation behaviour and guidance efficiency were mainly considered. The guidance evaluation results obtained by the model were consistent with the conclusions of the driver subjective questionnaire. The results show that reasonable setting of white dotted lines and colour guidance can help drivers find exits quickly and improve driving stability. However, excessive combination of traffic guidance leads to information overload and produces the opposite effect. This study can provide a generic framework for the design and evaluation of traffic guidance facilities of urban underground roads.

Study of peripheral blood inflammatory factor levels and their clinical value in patients with lupus nephritis.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of traditional Chinese and western medicine on the levels of inflammatory cytokines in the peripheral blood of patients with lupus nephritis (LN). METHODS: A total of 80 patients with LN admitted to the hospital from August 2016 to August 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. They were equally separated into an experimental group and a control group by the different types of medications. The control group was treated with western medicine, and the experimental group was treated with the combination of traditional Chinese and western medicines. The therapeutic effects were compared. RESULTS: The levels of IL-6, IL-18 and TNF-α in the experimental group after treatment were (5.47±1.66) pg/ml, (31.66±3.87) pg/ml, and (9.28±3.06) pg/ml, respectively, which were significantly lower than (13.71±3.86) pg/ml, (68.47±4.26) pg/ml, and (22.17±6.54) pg/ml before treatment. The difference was statistically significant (t1 = 12.403, t2 = 40.450, t3 = 11.291, all P<0.001). In the control group after treatment, the levels of IL-6, IL-18 and TNF-α were (12.68±1.32) pg/ml, (68.22±3.42) pg/ml, and (19.78±5.57) pg/ml, respectively. The difference in control and experimental groups was statistically significant (t1 = 21.501, t2 = 44.771, t3 = 10.449, P<0.001). The total effective rate was 95.00% (38/40) in the experimental group and 80.00% (32/40) in control group, (X2 = 4.114, P<0.001). There SLEDAI scores of the experimental group were much lower than control after 8 and 12 weeks of treatment (t1 = 8.186, t2 = 20.776, P<0.001). Moreover, the liver and kidney Yin deficiency symptoms in both groups were significantly improved after treatment (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: The combined treatment of traditional Chinese and western medicine can successfully prevent the secretion of serum IL-6, IL-18 and TNF-α, control the development of disease, boost the therapeutic outcome, and alleviate the immune injury of the body.

Insight into structural characteristics of theabrownin from Pingwu Fuzhuan brick tea and its hypolipidemic activity based on the in vivo zebrafish and in vitro lipid digestion and absorption models.

Fuzhuan brick tea (FBT) is a post-fermented dark tea preferred by consumers for its excellent hypolipidemic activity, and theabrownin (TB) is the main bioactive composition in FBT. This work explored the structural and hypolipidemic properties of TB derived from Pingwu FBT, and investigated whether it exerted hypolipidemic activity by inhibiting intestinal lipid absorption. Structural characterization revealed that TB was an amorphous polymerized phenolic compound rich in hydroxyl and carboxyl groups with good thermostability. In vivo, TB and its fractions with different molecular weights (TB-LT3k, TB-3-10k, TB-10-30k, TB-30-100k, TB-GT100k) significantly reduced the lipid levels of hyperlipidemia zebrafish (P < 0.05). Moreover, TB attenuated hyperlipidemia by inhibiting intestinal lipid absorption, as TB effectively bound to bile acids, inhibited enzymatic activity of pancreatic lipase and cholesterol esterase, influenced micelle formation, and decreased micellar cholesterol solubility. Results facilitated research on TB and offered support for its feasibility as a natural alternative to prevent hyperlipidemia.

The Effect of TLR9, MyD88, and NF-κB p65 in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Purpose: This study was conducted to characterize the expression level of peripheral blood toll-like receptors 9 (TLR9), nuclear factor kappa-B protein 65 (NF-κB p65), and myeloid differentiation factor88 (MyD88) of active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and analyse their clinical significance. Methods: The prospective cohort study enrolled 30 active SLE patients (SG1 group), 30 stable SLE patients (SG2 group), and 20 healthy individuals (RG group) in the First Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University between January 2018 and June 2020. All SLE patients were treated with methylprednisolone tablets. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used to determine the levels of TLR9, MyD88, and NF-κB p65 in the peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC). ELISA was adopted for the determination of serum interleukin (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). Results: Patients in SG1 showed the highest mRNA levels of TLR9, MyD88, and NF-κB p65, followed by SG2, and then RG. SG1 had the highest serum levels of IL-6 and TNF-α, followed by SG2 and RG. The level of TLR9 was positively correlated with the SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI) and negatively correlated with complement component 3 (C3) and complement component 4 (C4). MyD88 and NF-κB p65 were positively correlated with SLEDAI. Conclusion: Compared with a healthy status, SLE induces an increase in TLR9, MyD88, NF-κB p65, IL-6, and TNF-α levels, and the activation of the TLR9-MyD88-NF-κB p65 signal path was associated with the pathogenesis of SLE.

Clinical Efficacy of Gandakang Tablets plus Methylprednisolone in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of Gandakang tablets plus methylprednisolone in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Methods: From February 2015 to February 2019, 60 eligible patients with SLE were recruited and assigned via the random number table method at a ratio of 1 : 1 to receive either methylprednisolone (control group) or Gandakang tablets plus methylprednisolone (observation group). The primary endpoint was clinical efficacy, and the secondary endpoints included Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) score, immunoglobulin (Ig), inflammatory factor levels, and adverse events. Results: Gandakang tablets plus methylprednisolone were associated with a significantly higher treatment efficacy versus methylprednisolone alone (P < 0.05). Gandakang tablets plus methylprednisolone resulted in significantly lower SLEDAI scores and lower levels of IgG, IgM, IgA, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-4 (IL-4), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) versus single medication of methylprednisolone (P < 0.05). The two groups showed a similar incidence of adverse events (P > 0.05). Patients given Gandakang tablets plus methylprednisolone had higher mental health, emotional role, physical role, social functioning, and bodily pain scores versus those receiving the monotherapy of methylprednisolone (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Gandakang tablets plus methylprednisolone is effective in the treatment of SLE by enhancing the patients' immunity, mitigating the inflammatory response, eliminating negative emotions, and improving their quality of life.

SQLE inhibition suppresses the development of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and enhances its sensitivity to chemotherapeutic agents in vitro.

PURPOSE: In this study, we sought to explore the function of seven important enzymes (MSMO1, EBP, HMGCS1, IDI2, DHCR7, FDFT1, and SQLE) involved in cholesterol biosynthesis especially SQLE in PDAC therapy. METHODS AND RESULTS: The TCGA and Oncomine dataset were used to explore the expression of the seven enzymes in normal and cancerous pancreatic individual, and their anti-proliferation efficiency against PDAC cells was measured by cell viability assay. Expression level and prognostic values of SQLE were evaluated by western blot and Kaplan-Meier analysis. The influence of SQLE knockdown by shRNA in PDAC cells was assessed by transwell, colony formation and cell cycle analysis. RNA-seq and GSEA were utilized to investigate the potential mechanisms. The synergistic effect of SQLE inhibitor, terbinafine, combined with six chemotherapeutic drugs in PDAC cells was tested by CCK-8 method. We demonstrated that downregulation of those enzymes especially SQLE significantly suppressed PDAC cells survival. SQLE was upregulated in PDAC cell lines, and the elevated level of SQLE was correlated with poor prognosis in pancreatic cancer samples. SQLE knockdown could significantly inhibit the proliferation and migration of PDAC cells. Cell cycle was blocked in S phase after SQLE silencing. Mechanistically, GSEA analysis with RNA-seq data revealed that SQLE silencing negatively mediated mTORC1 and TNFα/NF-κB signaling pathways. Besides, SQLE inhibitor terbinafine enhanced chemotherapeutic sensitivity of the six compounds. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that SQLE was a novel target for PDAC therapy. The synergism role of SQLE inhibition and chemotherapy may be potential therapeutic strategy for pancreatic cancer treatment.

RNA binding protein POP7 regulates ILF3 mRNA stability and expression to promote breast cancer progression.

RNA binding proteins (RBPs) play pivotal roles in breast cancer (BC) development. As an RBP, Processing of precursor 7 (POP7) is one of the subunits of RNase P and RNase MRP, however, its exact function and mechanism in BC remain unknown. Here, we showed that expression of POP7 was frequently increased in BC cells and in primary breast tumors. Upregulated POP7 significantly promoted BC cell proliferation in vitro and primary tumor growth in vivo. POP7 also increased cell migration, invasion in vitro, and lung metastasis in vivo. Through RNA immunoprecipitation coupled with sequencing (RIP-seq), we found that POP7 bound preferentially to intron regions and POP7-binding peak associated genes were mainly enriched in cancer-related pathways. Furthermore, POP7 regulated Interleukin Enhancer Binding Factor 3 (ILF3) expression through influencing its mRNA stability. Knockdown of ILF3 significantly impaired the increased malignant potential of POP7-overexpressing cells, suggesting that POP7 enhances BC progression through regulating ILF3 expression. Collectively, our findings provide the first evidence for the important role of POP7 and its regulation of ILF3 in promoting BC progression.

Off-label indications of aspirin in gynaecology and obstetrics outpatients at two Chinese tertiary care hospitals: a retrospective cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of off-label aspirin indications and the level of scientific support for off-label indications of aspirin in gynaecology and obstetrics outpatients. DESIGN: A retrospective cross-sectional study. SETTING: Two tertiary hospitals (a general hospital and a women and children's specialised hospital) in Xiamen, a city located on the southeastern coast of China. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 4257 prescriptions were included for 2091 female patients aged >18 who visited the gynaecology and obstetrics outpatient clinics and received aspirin treatment. OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary measure of this study was the proportion of off-label indications and of off-label indications supported by strong scientific evidence. Evidence from clinical guidelines and Micromedex is shown using descriptive statements. On-label indications of drugs in the same class as aspirin were also referred to for off-label aspirin use without strong evidence support. RESULTS: All indications of aspirin on outpatient prescriptions were determined as off-label use in this study. The most frequent off-label indication was recurrent miscarriage (2244 prescriptions, 52.71%). Totally, 30.94% of the prescriptions were supported by strong evidence for indications, including recurrent miscarriage with antiphospholipid syndrome and prophylaxis for pre-eclampsia. No drugs in the same class as aspirin had on-label indications for off-label aspirin use without strong evidence support. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that all indications of aspirin used in gynaecology and obstetrics outpatients at the two tertiary hospitals were off-label and not always supported by strong evidence, implicating that physicians should be cautious when issuing off-label prescriptions. More original clinical research on off-label aspirin use is needed to provide reference for routine clinical practice.

Natural compound library screening identifies Sanguinarine chloride for the treatment of SCLC by upregulating CDKN1A.

OBJECTIVES: Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is notorious for aggressive malignancy without effective treatment, and most patients eventually develop tumor progression with a poor prognosis. There is an urgent need for discovering novel antitumor agents or therapeutic strategies for SCLC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a screening method based on CCK-8 assay to screen 640 natural compounds for SCLC. The effects of Sanguinarine chloride on SCLC cell proliferation, colony formation, cell cycle, apoptosis, migration and invasion were determined. RNA-seq and bioinformatics analysis was performed to investigate the anti-SCLC mechanism of Sanguinarine chloride. Publicly available datasets and samples were analyzed to investigate the expression level of CDKN1A and its clinical significance. Loss of functional cancer cell models were constructed by shRNA-mediated silencing. Quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot were used to measure gene and protein expression. Immunohistochemistry staining was performed to detect the expression of CDKN1A, Ki67, and Cleaved caspase 3 in xenograft tissues. RESULTS: We identified Sanguinarine chloride as a potential inhibitor of SCLC, which inhibited cell proliferation, colony formation, cell cycle, cell migration and invasion, and promoted apoptosis of SCLC cells. Sanguinarine chloride played an important role in anti-SCLC by upregulating the expression of CDKN1A. Furthermore, Sanguinarine chloride in combination with panobinostat, or THZ1, or gemcitabine, or (+)-JQ-1 increased the anti-SCLC effect compared with either agent alone treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings identified Sanguinarine chloride as a potential inhibitor of SCLC by upregulating the expression of CDKN1A. Sanguinarine chloride in combination with chemotherapy compounds exhibited strong synergism anti-SCLC properties, which could be further clinically explored for the treatment of SCLC.

circ-PSD3 promoted proliferation and invasion of papillary thyroid cancer cells via regulating the miR-7-5p/METTL7B axis.

Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is a common tumor malignancy of the endocrine system worldwide. Recently, circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been reported to participate in diverse pathological processes, especially in tumorigenesis. However, the functional role and mechanism of circRNA pleckstrin and Sec7 domain containing 3 (circ-PSD3) in PTC are still unclear. In this study, qRT-PCR results showed that circ-PSD3 was significantly upregulated in PTC tissues and cell lines. Meanwhile, circ-PSD3 overexpression was positively associated with larger tumor size, TNM stage, and lymph node metastasis. Knockdown of circ-PSD3 suppressed the proliferation and invasion of PTC cells. Besides, circ-PSD3 interacted with miR-7-5p to reduce its expression, and methyltransferase like 7B (METTL7B) was verified as a target gene of miR-7-5p. Functionally, inhibition of circ-PSD3 impeded PTC cell proliferation and invasion via targeting miR-7-5p to downregulate METTL7B expression. Taken together, silencing of circ-PSD3 hampered the proliferation and invasion of PTC cells via upregulating the inhibitory effect of miR-7-5p on METTL7B expression. Therefore, circ-PSD3 could be a potential diagnostic biomarker or molecular treatment target for PTC.

Mechanisms of calcium sulfate in alleviating cadmium toxicity and accumulation in pak choi seedlings.

Gypsum (calcium sulfate dihydrate, CaSO4 ·2H2O) is commonly applied to improve soil quality and nutrient supply. Previous studies also suggested it is a cost-effective soil amendment in alleviating cadmium (Cd) toxicity and accumulation in plants. The aim of this study was to investigate how this is achieved. We used pak choi as our research material because it is a popular vegetable in Asia, and as a leafy vegetable, it accumulates higher Cd level than other types of vegetable. Under Cd stress, application of CaSO4 promoted pak choi seedling growth, decreased the oxidative stress in roots, reduced Cd accumulation, and enhanced the photosynthesis in shoots. We revealed the inhibition of Cd2+ absorption by CaSO4 is largely due to the competition between Ca2+ and Cd2+ for ion channels or transporter. Moreover, under Cd stress, CaSO4 facilitated the sulphate assimilation, increased the biosynthesis of phytochelatins, and activated the expression of transporters for vacuolar sequestration. Together, CaSO4 could benefit plant growth and enhance Cd tolerance by suppressing Cd root uptake and lowering the Cd content in cytoplasm.

What Type of Social Support Is Important for Student Resilience During COVID-19? A Latent Profile Analysis.

In the face of the sudden outbreak of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), some students showed resilience in coping with difficulties while some did not. While different types of students showed different levels of resilience, are there significant characteristics among students with similar levels of resilience? In this study, 3,454 students (aged 15-25 years) were surveyed to understand students' perceived social support-coping modes while investigating the demographic characteristics and mental health status of subclasses of different modes. We found that (1) in the two subgroups of students with extremely low and low levels of perceived social support, the source of students' perceived social support did not have a clear orientation; in the two subgroups with moderate and high levels of perceived social support, the most perceived emotional support was from family and friends, while the least perceived support was companionship from teachers, classmates, and relatives, and problems related to the dependability of friends and communication with family. (2) The degree of social support perceived by students is directly proportional to the coping tendency, i.e., as the degree of perceived social support increases, the proportion of students adopting active coping strategies increases while that of students adopting negative coping strategies decreases; thus, we concluded that high levels of emotional support from family and friends can increase students' tendency of adopting positive strategies to cope with difficulties, while problems related to the dependability of friends and communication with family decrease students' tendency of adopting positive coping strategies. (3) Gender had a significant impact on the extremely low and low levels of perceived social support-negative coping tendencies; these subgroups accounted for 34.6% of the total students. Gender showed no significant influence on other subgroups, a school type had no impact on the distribution of the subgroups. (4) The higher the degree of perceived social support, the lower is the degree of students' general anxiety, and the lower is the degree of impact by the COVID-19 pandemic. The subdivision of student groups allows us to design more targeted support programmes for students with different psychological characteristics to help them alleviate stress during the COVID-19 epidemic.

Reactivation of tumour suppressor in breast cancer by enhancer switching through NamiRNA network.

Dysfunction of Tumour Suppressor Genes (TSGs) is a common feature in carcinogenesis. Epigenetic abnormalities including DNA hypermethylation or aberrant histone modifications in promoter regions have been described for interpreting TSG inactivation. However, in many instances, how TSGs are silenced in tumours are largely unknown. Given that miRNA with low expression in tumours is another recognized signature, we hypothesize that low expression of miRNA may reduce the activity of TSG related enhancers and further lead to inactivation of TSG during cancer development. Here, we reported that low expression of miRNA in cancer as a recognized signature leads to loss of function of TSGs in breast cancer. In 157 paired breast cancer and adjacent normal samples, tumour suppressor gene GPER1 and miR-339 are both downregulated in Luminal A/B and Triple Negative Breast Cancer subtypes. Mechanistic investigations revealed that miR-339 upregulates GPER1 expression in breast cancer cells by switching on the GPER1 enhancer, which can be blocked by enhancer deletion through the CRISPR/Cas9 system. Collectively, our findings reveal novel mechanistic insights into TSG dysfunction in cancer development, and provide evidence that reactivation of TSG by enhancer switching may be a promising alternative strategy for clinical breast cancer treatment.

Exocellular polysaccharides extracted from mangrove fungus Paecilomyces Lilacinuson present anti-HSV-1 activity in mice.

This study examined the anti-HSV-1 activity of EPS extracts isolated from mangrove fungus Paecilomyces Lilacinuson after intraperitoneal administration in mice. Mice were experimentally infected with HSV-1 intracranially and treated intraperitoneally with three different doses of EPS extract (6 g/Kg, 8 g/Kg, and 10 g/Kg) for 7 days. One group of 15 mice was infected with HSV-1 but did not receive any treatment, while another group of 15 mice was mock-infected to remain a control group. Animals were observed twice a day for 14 days after virus infection, searching for clinical signs of weight loss, piloerection, isolation, or retardation movement. Compared with the mock-infected group, mortality was significantly increased (p < 0.05) in the virus-infected group and the groups that received 6 g/Kg and 8 g/Kg EPS extract. Interestingly, no significant differences in mortality were found between the 10 g/Kg EPS extract and the mock-infected group. Mortality in the 10 g/Kg EPS extract group was substantially improved compared with virus-infected(p < 0.05). Additionally, EPS extracts inhibited HSV-1 replication in the mice brain in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, the extracts decreased NF-κB protein and mRNA expression and the production of TNF-α in HSV-1-infected mice brain tissue. These effects were also dose-dependent. Our findings suggest that the EPS extract may be a potential candidate for developing an antiviral drug against HSV-1.