Role of interferon alpha-inducible protein 6 in modulating the proliferation, apoptosis and senescence of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells.

Oesophageal cancer is one of the most malignant tumors worldwide. Dysfunction of interferon alpha-inducible protein 6 (IFI6) has been implicated in numerous human diseases, including cancer. We performed the study to investigate the function and potential molecular pathways of IFI6 in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) cells. IFI6 expression was analysed using databases-derived data and paraffin-embedded tissue samples. CCK-8-based analyses and EdU staining, colony formation, ß-galactosidase staining and Annexin V/PI double-staining assays were used to determine the influence of IFI6 on cell growth, senescence and apoptosis. Tumor growth in vivo was investigated in mouse xenograft models. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was performed to identify the transcripts and pathways affected by IFI6. The results showed that IFI6 expression was elevated in ESCC and correlated with poor clinical prognosis (P<0.05). IFI6 was overexpressed and silenced in TE-1 and TE-10 cells using lentiviruses. Upregulation of IFI6 promoted cell growth both in vitro and in vivo, whereas downregulation induced opposite effects. IFI6 overexpression inhibited cell senescence and apoptosis but did not influence cell cycle progression, while IFI6 downregulation increased cell senescence and apoptosis. RNA-seq revealed that 3 mRNAs (EPHA5, CLIP1 and GTF2F2) were consistently associated with both IFI6 overexpression and silencing. IFI6 appeared to modulate TE-1 cells via complex mechanisms. In conclusion, IFI6 plays a positive role in the proliferation of ESCC cells both in vitro and in vivo, which could be a novel therapeutic target for treating ESCC.

[Application of next-generation sequencing in detection of BRCA1/2 and homologous recombination repair pathway multi-genes germline mutation and correlation analysis].

Objective: To investigate the germline mutation status of related genes in breast cancer patients and high-risk individuals by next-generation sequencing. To analyze the correlations between homologous recombination repair (HR) pathway gene mutation status and clinicopathological characteristics of breast cancer patients. To supplement the database of breast cancer related gene mutations in Chinese population. Methods: This study is a cross-sectional study. From October 2020 to September 2021, whole blood samples were collected from 350 breast cancer patients and 49 high-risk individuals, admitted to Peking University People's Hospital and accepted genetic testing voluntarily. Germline mutations in 32 breast cancer related genes were detected by NGS. The clinicopathological characteristics, including age at the onset, family history, unilateral/bilateral tumor, Luminal typing (Luminal A subtype, Luminal B subtype, HER2-enriched subtype and triple negative breast cancer), tumor size and metastasis, were analyzed, and the correlations between HR pathway gene mutation status and clinicopathological characteristics were analyzed by Chi-squared test and Fisher's exact probability test. Results: Among 350 breast cancer patients, 64 (18.3%) cases carried gene pathogenic mutations (including pathogenic and likely pathogenic mutations), including 47 (13.4%) in BRCA1/2, 16 (4.6%) in non-BRCA1/2 genes, 1 (0.3%) in BRCA2 and FANCL. Among 49 high-risk individuals, 7 (14.3%) cases carried gene pathogenic mutations, including 6 (12.3%) in BRCA1/2 and 1 (2%) in ATM genes. BRCA1/2 pathogenic mutations were associated with age at the onset (18%, 8.7%, χ²=6.346, P=0.012), and the BRCA1/2 pathogenic mutation frequency was higher in patients diagnosed at age ≤45 years. HR pathway gene mutations (including pathogenic, likely pathogenic and uncertain significance mutations) were correlated with unilateral/bilateral tumor (49.5%, 68.4%, χ²=4.841, P=0.028) and Luminal typing (45.7%, 62.2%, 32%, 60%, χ²=12.004, P=0.007), and the HR mutation frequencies were higher in patients with bilateral tumor, Luminal B breast cancer and triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). Conclusion: The BRCA1/2 pathogenic mutation frequency in high-risk individuals is similar to that in breast cancer patients, and BRCA1/2 testing is helpful to guide breast cancer screening and prevention in high-risk individuals. Patients with early onset breast cancer, bilateral breast cancer, Luminal B breast cancer and TNBC have higher mutation frequencies of HR pathway genes, and HR pathway genes testing should be conducted as soon as possible to provide laboratory evidence for diagnosis, treatment, prognosis and risk evaluation of breast cancer.

[Application of traction metal clip with fishhook-like device in endoscopic resection].

From July 2020 to June 2021, patients in Jiangyin Hospital Affiliated to Nantong University who met the enrollment criteria were treated with the fishhook-like device during the operation to suture the postoperative wound (group A). Patients with similar conditions and similar size wounds who were treated with a "purse-string suture" to suture the wounds were retrospectively analyzed as the control group (group B). Difference in the suture rate, adverse events, time required for suturing, and number of metal clips were compared between the two groups. The time required for suturing was (7.83±2.41) min in group A and (11.00±3.31) min in group B. The difference was statistically significant (P=0.002). The number of metal clamps used in group A averaged 7.17 pieces/case, and the number of metal clamps used in group B averaged 7.06 pieces/case. The difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05).The traction metal clip with the fishhook-like device is ingeniously designed and easy to operate. It has a good suture effect on the wound after endoscopic resection and effectively prevents postoperative adverse events.

[Lengths of the fixed loop and the adjustable loop in the coarse bone tunnel were compared to influence the widening of the femoral bone tunnel and the function of the knee joint].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of two different femoral cortical suspension devices (fixation loop and adjustable loop) on tunnel widening and knee function in patients following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction for 12 months. METHODS: A total of 60 patients who had undergone anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction were included in this study. According to the length of the loop(n)[n= total length of loop-(total length of femoral tunnel-total length of coarse tunnel)] in the rough bone tunnel, the patients were divided into A (adjustable loop was 0 mm in the coarse bone tunnel), B (fixation loop was greater than 0 mm and less than or equal to 10 mm in the coarse bone tunnel) and C (fixation loop was greater than 10 mm in the coarse bone tunnel) groups, of which 11 cases were in group A, 27 cases in group B and 22 cases in group C. In the three-dimensional reconstruction of the knee joint with multi-slice spiral CT, the widening of the bone tunnel in the three groups was compared. At the same time, IKDC, Lysholm and Tegner scores of the patients in the three groups were compared. RESULTS: There were differences in the widening degree of the femoral canal among groups A, B and C, and the median difference of the widening degree of the femoral tunnel 12 months and immediately after the surgery was A < B < C. The difference of femoral canal widening in group A was significantly different from that in groups B and C (P < 0.05).According to the linear regression the relationship between the difference of the width of the femoral canal and the change of the length (n) of the loop in the coarse canal, it was found that there was a linear relationship between the value of n and the difference of the width of the bone canal. With the increase of the value of n, the difference of the width of the bone canal gradually became larger. The median difference of the width of the middle and superior tunnel was negative, while the median difference of the width of the middle and inferior tunnel was positive. During the follow-up, we found that there were no statistical differences in IKDC, Lysholm and Tegner scores among the three groups one year after surgery (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Twelve months after surgery, compared with group B (fixed loop group) and group C (fixed loop group), group A (adjustable loop group) had less bone tunnel widening.In groups A, B and C, as the length of the loop in coarse bone tunnel gradually increased, the width of bone tunnel became more significant. At the end of 12 months follow-up after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, the medial and inferior femoral tunnel was significantly wider than immediately after surgery, and the medial and superior femoral tunnel had gradually begun to undergo tendon-bone healing. There was no significant difference in knee function scores among groups A, B, and C in the follow-up 12 months after surgery.

[Correlation between serum CCL20 level and disease severity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis].

Objective: To investigate the correlation between serum CCL20 level and disease severity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods: From July 2018 to July 2019, a cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University. The observation group consisted of 105 outpatients and inpatients diagnosed with RA, while the control group was 90 healthy people with age and gender matched physical examination in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University. According to Steinbroker classification, RA patients were divided into Steinbroker grade 2 group (n=35), Steinbroker grade 3 group (n=38) and steinbroker grade 4 group (n=32); according to DAS28 score, RA patients were divided into remission group (DAS28<2.6)(n=39), mild active group (DAS28 2.6-3.2)(n=25), moderate active stage group (DAS28 3.2-5.1)(n=20) and severe active stage group (DAS28 ≥ 5.1)(n=21). The levels of chemokine ligand 20 (CCL20), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were detected by ELISA. The levels of CCL20 in each group were compared, and the correlation between CCL20 and other indicators was analyzed. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of CCL20 in diagnosis of RA was analyzed to explore the correlation between CCL20 and disease severity of RA patients. Results: Compared with the normal control group, the serum CCL20 level in RA patients was significantly increased [(48.1±16.7) pg/ml vs (17.6±5.9) pg/ml, t=19.39, P<0.001]. In addition, serum CCL20 in steinbroker grade 4 group was significantly higher than that in Steinbroker grade 3 group [(59.5±10.1) pg/ml vs (47.4±17.5) pg/ml, t=3.472, P<0.001], and the serum CCL20 level in steinbroker grade 3 group was significantly higher than that in steinbroker grade 2 group [(47.4±17.5) pg/ml vs (38.4±14.6) pg/ml, t=2.370, P<0.001], CCL20 level in steinbroker grade 2 group was significantly higher than that in normal control group [(38.4±14.6) pg/ml vs (17.6±5.9) pg/ml, t=7.738, P<0.001]. In addition, serum CCL20 level was significantly positively correlated with steinbroker score (r=0.505, P<0.001); CCL20 level in active RA patients was significantly higher than that in remission RA patients [(57.2±13.2) pg/ml vs (32.7±8.9) pg/ml, t=10.31, P<0.001]. The serum CCL20 level in severe activity group was significantly higher than that in moderate activity group [(60.6±10.9) pg/ml vs (51.7±16.2) pg/ml, t=0.212, P=0.040], and the serum CCL20 level in moderate activity group was significantly higher than that in mild activity group [(51.7±16.2) pg/ml vs (40.5±18.6) pg/ml, t=0.217, P=0.037]. In addition, there was a significant positive correlation between serum CCL20 level and DAS28 score (r=0.451, P<0.001). In addition, serum CCL20 level was positively correlated with serum CRP (r=0.332, P<0.001). According to the ROC curve, the specificity of steinbroker grade 2 group was 0.53, and the sensitivity was 0.74, AUC was 0.659; the sensitivity of steinbroker grade 3 group was 0.78, and the specificity was 0.69, AUC was 0.734; the sensitivity of mild vs medium stage was 0.64, and the specificity was 0.70, AUC was 0.699; the sensitivity of medium stage vs severe stage was 0.57, and the specificity was 0.68,AUC was 0.678. Conclusion: Serum CCL20 level in RA patients is significantly increased and positively correlated with disease severity, which may be used as a marker to observe and evaluate the progression of RA.

Heterogeneity of enhancement kinetics in dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI and implication of distant metastasis in invasive breast cancer.

AIM: To investigate the heterogeneity of enhancement kinetics for breast tumour in order to demonstrate the predictive power of dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features for distant metastasis (DM) in invasive breast cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Time-signal intensity curve (TIC) patterns from 128 patients with invasive breast cancer were analysed by a pixel-based DCE-MRI analysis. This MRI technique enabled pixels with varying TIC patterns (persistent, plateau, washout and non-enhancement) to be categorised semi-automatically and the percentage of different TIC patterns in each breast tumour to be calculated. The percentage of TIC patterns was compared between the DM and non-DM groups. DM-free survival was estimated using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. RESULTS: This study demonstrated a larger percentage of persistent TIC and non-enhancement TIC was associated with DM in invasive breast cancer. The cut-off values of persistent TIC and non-enhancement TIC were 22.5% and 2.5%. Combining TIC patterns and traditional predictors (tumour size and axillary lymph node status) can improve the prediction efficiency. The multivariable model yielded an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.87 with 0.70 sensitivity and 0.87 specificity in leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV). These predictors showed significant differences in DM-free survival by Kaplan-Meier analysis. CONCLUSION: This study shows that breast tumours with higher heterogeneity are more likely to metastasise, and pixel-based TIC analysis has utility in predicting distant metastasis of invasive breast cancer.

[Application of CiteSpace software in the visualization analysis of work-related musculoskeletal disorders].

Objective: To investigate the visual application of the CiteSpace software in the field of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) . Methods: The literature on WMSDs research, published from 1991 to 2017, was retrieved in Web of Science database. The CiteSpace 5.2 was used to make visualization analysis on the hotspots and tendency of the keywords, authors, countries (regions) and research institutes in relevant literature. Results: A total of 3224 literatures were included in the analysis. The amount of the literatures published was increasing annually. The key word co-occurrence network showed that the research hotspots mainly focused on the study of epidemiology, risk factors, symptoms, and other aspects of WMSDs. The cooperation network and time network of counties and regions showed that America and Europe were at the leading position in the field of WMSD, and the top three were America, Canada and Sweden. The developing countries, like Brazil and China, had also begun to make relative research since 2000. In research cooperation, the collaboration among countries, research institutions was relatively close, and multiple leading core authors and teams were formed in the international arena. Conclusion: The CiteSpace software can directly demonstrate the hotspots and tendency in the area of WMSDs.

[Correlation between breast density and age, breast cancer molecular subtype].

Objective: To explore the correlation between breast density and breast cancer molecular subtype. Methods: The data of 1 407 cases of breast cancer immunohistochemistry and preoperative mammography in Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital from August 2015 to August 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. All cases were divided into four groups: <45 years old, 45-54 years old, 55-64 years old and ≥ 65 years old, and all groups were divided into four molecular subtypes: Luminal A, Luminal B, HER2-enriched and triple-negative according to immunohistochemical results. Person correlation test was used to analyze the correlation between breast density and age; Kruskal-Wallis test was used to analyze the difference in breast density between different molecular subtypes. Results: There was a negative correlation between breast density and age (r=-0.55, P<0.01). Descriptive analysis results showed that the mean breast density of<45 years old, 45-54 years old, 55-64 years old and ≥65 years old was 20.0%±7.3%, 16.2%±8.4%, 10.5%±5.2%, and 7.9%±3.2%, respectively. The mean breast density of Luminal A, Luminal B, HER2-enriched and triple-negative was 14.0%±8.1%, 14.5%±7.6%, 14.8%±7.7% and 13.2%±7.3%, respectively. Kruskal-Wallis test showed significant statistical differences in breast density among molecular subtypes in the group of<45 years old (P<0.05), while no statistical significance in other groups (all P>0.05). Conclusion: There is correlation between breast density and breast cancer molecular subtype in young patients, but whether breast density has a potential evaluation effect on breast cancer molecular subtype still needs to be further studied.

A comparative study of proximal femoral locking compress plate, proximal femoral nail antirotation and dynamic hip screw in intertrochanteric fractures.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to compare the clinical efficacy of three different internal fixation methods, i.e. proximal femoral locking compress plate (PF-LCP), proximal femoral nail antirotation (PFNA) and dynamic hip screw (DHS) system in intertrochanteric femur fracture. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We selected a total of 150 patients with Intertrochanteric femur fracture who were admitted to this hospital between January 2015 and December 2016 for treatment, and those patients were divided into three groups according to the difference in treatment methods, i.e., Group A (n=50), Group B (n=50) and Group C (n=50). For patients in Group A, they received the PF-LCP treatment, patients in Group B received PFNA treatment while those in Group C received DHS treatment; ultimately, clinical efficacy was compared among three groups. RESULTS: In Group B, the efficacy was superior to those in Group A and C in terms of comparison of surgical duration, bleeding amount, time point of callus formation, healing time of fracture and length of stay (LOS) in hospital (p<0.05); after operation, the prevalence rate of complication in Group B was significantly lower than those in Group A and Group C (p<0.05); in comparison of preoperative Harris score among three groups, the different had no statistical significance (p>0.05). The Harris scores in Group B at the 1st, 3rd, and 6th month after operation were all significantly higher than those in Group A and C (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with PF-LCP and DHS, PFDA can better fix the intertrochanteric femur fracture with little effect on blood circulation at the fracture end and slight damage to sclerotin, thereby accelerating the recovery of hip joint function without any increase in prevalence of complications. Therefore, PFDA has a promising clinical efficacy and safety, which is worthy of being promoted in clinical practice.

[Preparation and comparative study of decellularized rat cricoarytenoid dorsalis muscle and gastrocnemius muscle scaffold].

Objective:To prepare and to compare the decellularized rat cricoarytenoid dorsalis muscle and gastrocnemius muscle scaffolds for providing a basis for tissue engineered cricoarytenoid dorsalis muscle.Method:Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into 6 groups with 10 rats in each group.The experimental groups were divided as 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10day groups after decellularization. Muscles were decellularized with 1% sodium dodecyl sulfate and observed by general observation, histological section with hematoxylin eosin staining and collagenous fiber staining, scanning electron microscope images with measurement of pore diameter and area, and DNA extraction and quantification. The control group was not decellularized.Result:The decellularized muscles in experimental groups showed a semitransparent appearance while in control group the fresh muscle showed a ruddy color.Muscle fibers were completely disappeared in cricoarytenoid dorsalis muscle after 4 days decellularization and in gastrocnemius muscle after 8 days decellularzation, the extracellular matrix reserved well and no DNA was detected. Scanning electron microscope revealed a different pore size between decellularized cricoarytenoid dorsalis muscle and gastrocnemius muscle,and the difference was statistically significant. The pore diameter in 4 days decellularized cricoarytenoid dorsalis muscle was larger than the one in 8 days decellularzed gastrocnemius muscle.Conclusion:Compare to gastrocnemius muscle,decellularized cricoarytenoid dorsalis muscle has advantages in pore form and size and more suitable as a scaffold for tissue engineered cricoarytenoid dorsalis muscle.

Analysis of risk factors and prevention strategies of post-ERCP pancreatitis.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the relevant risk factors and preventive measures for post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (post-ERCP) pancreatitis (PEP) so as to improve the diagnosis and treatment levels of ERCP, thus reducing the prevalence rate of PEP. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The clinical data of 278 patients receiving ERCP from January 2014 to December 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. First, the univariate analysis was conducted for the factors such as gender, age, diameter of common bile duct, whether development occurred in the pancreatic duct and other factors. Then, the multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed for factors showing statistical significance in the univariate analysis so as to analyze the independent risk factors for PEP. RESULTS: The success rate of ERCP included in the study was 97.12%. The prevalence rate of PEP was 8.27%. Univariate analysis results showed that the prevalence rate of PEP in the group of patients younger than 60 years old was higher than that in the group of patients older than 60 years old (14.14% vs. 5.03%, p = 0.016); the prevalence rate of PEP in the group of patients with intubation difficulty was higher than that in the group of patients without intubation difficulty (19.61% vs. 5.73%, p = 0.004); the prevalence rate of PEP in the group of patients with operation time more than 60 min was higher than that in the group of patients with operation time less than 60 min (18.60% vs. 6.38%, p = 0.034); the prevalence rate of PEP in the group of patients with the pancreatic duct development was higher than that in the group of patients without the pancreatic duct development (50% vs. 6.72%, p < 0.001); the prevalence rate of PEP in the group of patients placed with nasobiliary drainage catheters was not higher than that in the group of patients not placed with nasobiliary drainage catheters (18.00% vs. 2.81%, p < 0.001). The above five relevant factors were included in the logistic regression equation for the multivariate analysis, which showed that the age less than 60 years old (p = 0.002) and the pancreatic duct development (p = 0.004) were independent risk factors for PEP, and nasobiliary drainage (p = 0.003) was a protective factor for PEP. CONCLUSIONS: The occurrence of PEP is associated with the age less than 60 years old, the pancreatic duct development, intubation difficulty and overlong operation time. Among them, the pancreatic duct development and the age less than 60 years old are independent risk factors for PEP. Placing nasobiliary drainage catheters after operation, avoiding the pancreatic duct development, improving the success rate of intubation, reducing ERCP operation time and other methods, can effectively reduce the occurrence of PEP.

Cerebrospinal fluid-contacting nucleus mediates nociception via release of fractalkine.

Increasing evidence suggests that the cerebrospinal fluid-contacting nucleus (CSF-contacting nucleus) mediates the transduction and regulation of pain signals. However, the precise molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Studies show that release of fractalkine (FKN) from neurons plays a critical role in nerve injury-related pain. We tested the hypothesis that release of FKN from the CSF-contacting nucleus regulates neuropathic pain, in a chronic constriction injury rat model. The results show that FKN is expressed by neurons, via expression of its only receptor CX3CR1 in the microglia. The levels of soluble FKN (sFKN) were markedly upregulated along with the increase in FKN mRNA level in rats subjected to chronic constriction injury. In addition, injection of FKN-neutralizing antibody into the lateral ventricle alleviated neuropathic pain-related behavior followed by reduction in microglial activation in the CSF-contacting nucleus. The results indicate that inhibition of FKN release by the CSF-contacting nucleus may ameliorate neuropathic pain clinically.

[Effect of targeted inhibition of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α by 3-(5'-hydroxymethyl-2'-furyl)-1-benzylindazole on the progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in rats].

Objective: To investigate the effect of targeted inhibition of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) by 3-(5'-hydroxymethyl-2'-furyl)-1-benzylindazole (YC-1) on the progression of non-alcoholic fat liver diseases (NAFLD) in rats. Methods: A total of 72 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into normal group, model group, and intervention group, and the rats were given high-fat feed to establish the rat model of fatty liver disease. After the establishment of the model, the rats in the intervention group were given intraperitoneally injected YC-1 (at a dose of 2 mg/kg) every two weeks and were observed at 4, 8, 12, and 16 weeks. Blood samples and liver tissues were collected after the end of intervention, and blood lipid, biochemical markers for liver function, fasting blood glucose, and insulin were measured. Histopathological examinations were performed, and insulin resistance index was calculated. Real-time PCR was used to measure the mRNA transcriptional levels of HIF-1α, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α, and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), and Western blot was used to measure their protein expression levels. An analysis of variance with group design and the Kruskal-Wallis H test were used for comparison of continuous data between multiple groups, and the least significant difference method was used for comparison between any two groups. P <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Compared with the model group, the intervention group had significant reductions in the serum levels of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, triglyceride, and total cholesterol after 12 weeks of continuous administration (P < 0.05); after 8 weeks of continuous injection of YC-1, the intervention group had significant alleviation in hepatic steatosis and significant improvement in inflammation degree (P < 0.05), and after 12 weeks of continuous injection of YC-1, the intervention group had a significant reduction in liver fibrosis degree (P < 0.05); after 12 and 16 weeks of continuous administration, the intervention group had a significant increase in the mRNA expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α and a significant reduction in the mRNA expression of NF-κB. The protein expression of HIF-1α, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α, and NF-κB in fatty liver tissues at different time points showed similar results as the mRNA expression. There were no significant differences in insulin resistance index at each time point between the model group and the intervention group. Conclusion: Targeted inhibition of YC-1 can effectively delay the progression of experimental fatty liver disease and improve lipid metabolism, but it has no significant effect on insulin resistance.

Preliminary study on diagnosis of lumbar disc degeneration with magnetic resonance T1p, T2 mapping and DWI quantitative detection technologies.

OBJECTIVE: The value of diagnosing lumbar disc degeneration with T1p magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), T2 mapping and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) technologies. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We selected 30 patients diagnosed with lumbar disc herniation (group A), 30 patients with lumbar disc degeneration (group B) and 30 healthy volunteers (group C) and carried out Pfirrmann grading of intervertebral discs (L1-S1 segment) based on conventional T2WI median sagittal images. T1p, T2 mapping and DWI were then applied. RESULTS: Group A primarily had Pfirrmann grades of III-IV, group B had Pfirrmann grades of I-IV and group C had Pfirmann grades of I-II. The differences between the groups were statistically significant (p <0.05). The average T1p, T2 mapping and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of the nucleus pulposus and annulus fibrosus in group A were significantly lower than in group B. The highest values were in group C, and the differences were statistically significant (p <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: T2WI, T1p MRI, T2 Mapping and DWI technologies have different capacities to diagnose lumbar disc degeneration, and have great value in improving diagnostic accuracy.

[Discussion of breast cancer screening model in China].

Cancer screening has been considered as double-edged sword with both advantages and disadvantages. For decades, there have been strong interests in screening strategies for the early detection of cancers to reduce the mortality, especially breast X-ray(mammography)screening. However, several evidences also suggested that the benefit of reduction of breast-cancer mortality with mammography might become a problem due to the repeat mammography, subsequent biopsies, and overdiagnosis. And different screening strategies with different models, different intervals, and different target populations also incurred debates. After systematical analysis and discussion, we suggested to focus on high-risk population, improve the accuracy of screening technique, conduct the informed consent of participants, and explore individual screening mode in the screening of breast cancer.

Integrated microRNA-mRNA analysis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

The main aim of this study was to explore the underlying molecular mechanisms and potential target molecules of pancreatic adenocarcinoma. The miRNA (GSE32678) and mRNA (GSE32676) expression profiles of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and healthy controls were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Differentially expressed miRNA and differentially expressed genes were identified by analyzing the microarray algorithm after data preprocessing. Functional analysis was conducted by the Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Analysis. miRNA-mRNA regulation pairs were obtained in TarMir database. The node degree of hsa-miR-200c, hsa-miR-429, and hsa-miR-200b (miRNA), and EFNB2, MYRIP, and PHF17 (mRNA) were extremely high in the miRNA-mRNA network, indicating that these miRNA and mRNA may play a key role in the development of pancreatic cancer. Our study screened out some target miRNAs and mRNAs for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, which may be helpful in its diagnosis and treatment.

High-Throughput Sequencing Identifies Novel and Conserved Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) microRNAs in Response to Cucumber Green Mottle Mosaic Virus Infection.

Seedlings of Cucumis sativus L. (cv. 'Zhongnong 16') were artificially inoculated with Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus (CGMMV) at the three-true-leaf stage. Leaf and flower samples were collected at different time points post-inoculation (10, 30 and 50 d), and processed by high throughput sequencing analysis to identify candidate miRNA sequences. Bioinformatic analysis using screening criteria, and secondary structure prediction, indicated that 8 novel and 23 known miRNAs (including 15 miRNAs described for the first time in vivo) were produced by cucumber plants in response to CGMMV infection. Moreover, gene expression profiles (p-value <0.01) validated the expression of 3 of the novel miRNAs and 3 of the putative candidate miRNAs and identified a further 82 conserved miRNAs in CGMMV-infected cucumbers. Gene ontology (GO) analysis revealed that the predicted target genes of these 88 miRNAs, which were screened using the psRNATarget and miRanda algorithms, were involved in three functional categories: 2265 in molecular function, 1362 as cellular components and 276 in biological process. The subsequent Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis revealed that the predicted target genes were frequently involved in metabolic processes (166 pathways) and genetic information processes (40 pathways) and to a lesser degree the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites (12 pathways). These results could provide useful clues to help elucidate host-pathogen interactions in CGMMV and cucumber, as well as for the screening of resistance genes.

Study of human acellular amniotic membrane loading bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in repair of articular cartilage defect in rabbits.

The aim of this study was to investigate the repair effect of human acellular amniotic membrane (HAAM) loading bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) on articular cartilage defect in rabbits. Rabbit BMSCs were isolated and cultured, and they were then inoculated on HAAM to prepare the complex of HAAM and BMSCs. Twenty-four rabbits were randomly divided into groups A and B, with 12 animals in each group. The left and right sides were used as the experimental and control sides, respectively. The models of bilateral articular cartilage defect were established. The defect areas on the experimental side in groups A and B were implanted with the complex of HAAM and BMSCs and HAAM alone, respectively. The control sides of the two groups were not implanted with any material. In the 8th and 12th week after surgery, gross observation, histological examination and cartilage defect scoring were performed. In the 8th and 12th postoperative week, gross observation and histological observation showed that dense cartilage-like cells appeared in group A but not in group B, indicating preferable cartilage repair. The cartilage defect score on the experimental side in group A was 5.31 ± 0.68 in the 8th week and 3.23 ± 0.52 in the 12th week, and that in group A was significantly lower than in group B (P < 0.05). HAAM loading BMSCs has a good repair effect on articular cartilage defect under an in vitro environment.

First Report in China of Soft Rot of Ginger Caused by Pythium aphanidermatum.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) is an important commercial crop planted on more than 13,000 ha annually in Anqiu city, Shandong Province, China. From 2010 to 2011, the incidence of Pythium soft rot disease on cv. Laiwu Big Ginger reached 40 to 75% in Anqiu and yield losses of up to 60% were observed. The disease symptoms included brown spots on ginger rhizomes followed by soft rot, stems and leaves above ground becoming withered and yellow, and water soaking on the collar region. The soft rot did not produce offensive odors, which is different from bacterial rots (2). Forty symptomatic rhizomes were sampled from eight farms. Martin's method (1) was used to isolate the pathogen. Ten pieces from each rhizome were washed with sterile distilled water for 30 s and plated on Martin's selective medium at 26°C in a chamber without light. Colonies grew with cottony aerial mycelium. Main hyphae were 5.7 to 9.6 µm wide. Globose sporangia consisting of terminal complexes of swollen hyphal branches were 11.4 to 18.3 µm wide. The average diameter of zoospores was 9.2 µm. The oogonia were globose and smooth, with a diameter of 21 to 33 µm. The sequences of the rRNA gene internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions 1 and 2 and the 5.8S gene of five isolates were amplified using primers ITS1 and ITS4 (4), and the nucleotide sequence was the same as isolate No. 2, which was deposited in GenBank (Accession No. KC594034). A BLAST search showed 99% identity with Pythium aphanidermatum strain 11-R-8 (Accession No. JQ898455.1). Pathogenicity tests of five isolates were carried out in a greenhouse. Sixty plants (cv. Laiwu Big Ginger) were grown for 30 days in plastic pots (diameter 20 cm) in sandy soil (pH 5.48) and inoculated. Ten plants were used as untreated controls. Five isolates were grown on Martin's liquid medium for 72 h and the spores were harvested in sterile distilled water. Aqueous spore suspensions of the five isolates were adjusted with deionized water to 1 × 108 CFU/ml and injected with a syringe into the soil around the rhizome of the plants. Plants were then placed in the greenhouse at 24 to 26°C and assessed for rhizome rot on the 14th day after inoculation. The inoculated isolates were recovered from the diseased rhizomes, confirming their pathogenicity. To our knowledge, this is the first report of ginger Pythium soft rot caused by P. aphanidermatum in China. Ginger Pythium soft rot caused by P. myriotylum is reported in Taiwan (3). References: (1) F. N. Martin. Page 39 in: The Genus Pythium. American Phytopathological Society, St. Paul, MN, 1992. (2) E. E. Trujillo. Diseases of Ginger (Zingiber officinale) in Hawaii, Circular 62, Hawaii Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Hawaii, December 1964. (3) P. H. Wang. Lett. Appl. Microbiol. 36:116, 2003. (4) T. J. White. Page 315 in: PCR Protocols: A Guide to Methods and Applications. Academic Press, San Diego, CA, 1990.