A novel microRNA-182/Interleukin-8 regulatory axis controls osteolytic bone metastasis of lung cancer.

Bone metastasis is one of the main complications of lung cancer and most important factors that lead to poor life quality and low survival rate in lung cancer patients. However, the regulatory mechanisms underlying lung cancer bone metastasis are still poor understood. Here, we report that microRNA-182 (miR-182) plays a critical role in regulating osteoclastic metastasis of lung cancer cells. We found that miR-182 was significantly upregulated in both bone-metastatic human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell line and tumor specimens. We further demonstrated that miR-182 markedly enhanced the ability of NSCLC cells for osteolytic bone metastasis in nude mice. Mechanistically, miR-182 promotes NSCLC cells to secrete Interleukin-8 (IL-8) and in turn facilitates osteoclastogenesis via activating STAT3 signaling in osteoclast progenitor cells. Importantly, systemically delivered IL-8 neutralizing antibody inhibits NSCLC bone metastasis in nude mice. Collectively, our findings identify the miR-182/IL-8/STAT3 axis as a key regulatory pathway in controlling lung cancer cell-induced osteolytic bone metastasis and suggest a promising therapeutic strategy that targets this regulatory axis to interrupt lung cancer bone metastasis.

Tripartite motif-containing 9 promoted proliferation and migration of bladder cancer cells through CEACAM6-Smad2/3 axis.

Studies have shown that tripartite motif-containing (TRIM) family proteins function as E3 ubiquitin ligases and play essential roles in cancer biology. In the present study, we validated a contribution of TRIM9 to bladder cancer progression. 296 patients derived from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and 22 clinical specimens were included, in which accumulated TRIM9 correlated with the poor prognosis and higher relapse in bladder patients. In vitro, TRIM9 promoted bladder cancer cells Biu-87 and T24 cell proliferation and migration. Meanwhile, overexpression of TRIM9 reduced the chemosensitivity in Biu-87 and T24 to mitomycin C (MMC) and gemcitabine (GEM). As an underlying mechanism, we found that TRIM9 stimulated carcinoembryonic antigen 6 (CEACAM6) upregulation, which further facilitated Smad2/3-matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2) signaling activation both in vitro and in vivo. Those results indicated that TRIM9 facilitated bladder cancer development and chemoresistance by CEACAM6-Smad2/3 axis. TRIM9 and its associated molecules could be a potential diagnostic indicator and therapeutic target in bladder cancer.

6-Shogaol and 10-Shogaol Synergize Curcumin in Ameliorating Proinflammatory Mediators via the Modulation of TLR4/TRAF6/ MAPK and NFκB Translocation

Extensive research supported the therapeutic potential of curcumin, a naturally occurring compound, as a promising cytokinesuppressive anti-inflammatory drug. This study aimed to investigate the synergistic anti-inflammatory and anti-cytokine activities by combining 6-shogaol and 10-shogaol to curcumin, and associated mechanisms in modulating lipopolysaccharides and interferon-ɣ-induced proinflammatory signaling pathways. Our results showed that the combination of 6-shogaol-10-shogaol-curcumin synergistically reduced the production of nitric oxide, inducible nitric oxide synthase, tumor necrosis factor and interlukin-6 in lipopolysaccharides and interferon-γ-induced RAW 264.7 and THP-1 cells assessed by the combination index model. 6-shogaol-10-shogaol-curcumin also showed greater inhibition of cytokine profiling compared to that of 6-shogaol-10-shogaol or curcumin alone. The synergistic anti-inflammatory activity was associated with supressed NFκB translocation and downregulated TLR4-TRAF6-MAPK signaling pathway. In addition, SC also inhibited microRNA-155 expression which may be relevant to the inhibited NFκB translocation. Although 6-shogaol-10-shogaol-curcumin synergistically increased Nrf2 activity, the anti-inflammatory mechanism appeared to be independent from the induction of Nrf2. 6-shogaol-10-shogaol-curcumin provides a more potent therapeutic agent than curcumin alone in synergistically inhibiting lipopolysaccharides and interferon-γ induced proinflammatory mediators and cytokine array in macrophages. The action was mediated by the downregulation of TLR4/TRAF6/MAPK pathway and NFκB translocation.

Near-infrared ITO-based photonic hypercrystals with large angle-insensitive bandgaps.

The angle-sensitive photonic bandgap (PBG) is one of the typical features of one-dimensional photonic crystals. Based on the phase-variation compensation effect between the dielectric and hyperbolic metamaterials (HMMs), angle-insensitive PBGs can be realized in photonic hypercrystals. However, since hypercrystals are usually constructed using metal components, these angle-insensitive PBGs are mostly limited to narrow bandwidths in visible range. Here, we replace metal with indium tin oxide (ITO) to construct HMMs in the near-infrared range. In these ITO-based HMMs, we experimentally demonstrate the negative refraction of light in transverse magnetic polarization. With this HMM component, we realize a photonic hypercrystal with an angle-insensitive PBG in the wavelength range of 1.15-2.02 µm. These ITO-based hypercrystals with large angle-insensitive PBGs can find applications in near-infrared reflectors or filters.

Clinical characteristics and prognosis of central nervous system tuberculosis in adults / 中华传染病杂志

Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics of central nervous system tuberculosis in adults and the possible factors affecting the mortality and disability of the patients.Methods:The clinical data of patients diagnosed as "tuberculous meningitis" "tuberculous meningoencephalitis" "tuberculous cerebrospinal meningitis" or "tuberculous brain ubscess" in Huashan Hospital, Fudan University and Jing′an Branch, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University in Shanghai from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2017 were collected, and a retrospective cohort was established. The clinical characteristics were analyzed, Medical Research Council (MRC) grade system was used to assess the severity of meningitis, and the modified Rankin Scale was used to assess the impairment of self-care. Survival rate and disability rate of the cohort were analyzed. Binary logistic regression was used for multivariate analysis. Kaplan-Meier survival curve was used for survival analysis.Results:A total of 161 patients with central nervous system tuberculosis were enrolled. Among the 161 patients, 55 cases (34.2%) were confirmed, 72 cases (44.7%) were highly suspected and 34 cases (21.1%) were suspected diagnosis. There were 56 cases (34.8%) with MRC grade Ⅰ, 76 cases (47.2%) with MRC grade Ⅱ and 29 cases (18.0%) patients with MRC grade Ⅲ before treatment. Up to January 1, 2019, ten (6.2%) patients died, 32 (19.9%) patients lost to follow-up, 119 (73.9%) patients survived. The five-year survival rate was 92.83%. There were 72 patients with no impact on life, 34 patients with moderate impact and 13 patients with severe impact. The disability rate was 39.5% (47/119). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that increasing age (odds ratio ( OR)=1.06, 95%confidence interval ( CI) 1.00 to 1.13, P=0.032) and deterioration of MRC grade during anti-tuberculosis treatment ( OR=89.00, 95% CI4.46 to 1 779.00, P=0.003) were independent risk factors for death. When severe disability and death were used as adverse outcomes, logistic regression analysis showed increasing age ( OR=1.07, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.13, P=0.035) and deterioration of MRC grade during anti-tuberculosis treatment ( OR=77.17, 95% CI4.45 to 1 337.00, P=0.003) were still independent risk factors for adverse outcomes. Conclusions:The mortality of central nervous system tuberculosis in adults in this cohort is relatively low, but the disability rate is still high. Increasing age and deterioration of MRC grade during anti-tuberculosis treatment are independent risk factors for death and disability.

Study on the effect of miR-223-3p regulating transcription factor Rbpj on the differentiation of Th1 and Th17 cells in rats with experimental autoimmune uveitis / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

@#AIM: To investigate the regulatory effect of miR-223-3p on the expression of transcription factor Rbpj and on the differentiation of Th1 and Th17 cells in experimental autoimmune uveitis(EAU)rats.<p>METHODS: The regulatory role of miR-223-3p in Rbpj gene expression was investigated by a dual luciferase expression reporter system. In the present study, 24 female Lewis rats were randomly divided into EAU model group, normal control(NC)group and blank control(BC)group, and each group included 8 rats. The EAU model group was injected with interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein(IRBP)emulsion containing Mycobacterium tuberculin H37RA and complete Freund's adjuvant to induce uveitis, while the NC group was injected with an equal volume of emulsion without IRBP peptide. The rats in the BC group received the same volume of sterile saline solution. At 12d after immunization, the spleen, lymph node and eye tissues in both groups were aseptically isolated, and the expression levels of miR-223-3p and Rbpj RNAs were detected by real-time quantitative PCR(Q-PCR); Meanwhile, the expression levels of Rbpj, IFN-γ and IL-17 proteins were detected by ELISA, and the levels of Th1 and Th17 cell lineages in each tissue from each groups were detected by flow cytometry. <p>RESULTS: The results of dual fluorescein assay indicated that Rbpj was the target gene which regulated by miR-223-3p. At 12d after immunization, compared with NC group, the relative expression levels of miR-223-3p in spleen, lymph node and eye tissues from EAU model rats were 0.33±0.29, 0.11±0.12 and 0.18±0.11, respectively, accompanied by the down-regulated expression, and the differences were statistically significant(all <i>P</i><0.05); Rbpj mRNA levels were 3.00±0.06, 1.52±0.12 and 3.01±0.34, respectively, and were all up-regulated, while the differences were statistically significant(all <i>P</i><0.05). Moreover, the differences in miR-223-3p and Rbpj mRNA levels in spleen, lymph node and eye tissues of rats in the blank control group were not statistically significant compared with those in the NC group(<i>P</i>>0.05); ELISA results revealed that the expression levels of RBPJ, IFN-γ and IL-17 proteins in all tissues from EAU rats at 12d after immunization were significantly higher than those in the NC group( all <i>P</i><0.05), and there was no statistically significant difference in the expression levels of Rbpj, IFN-γ and IL-17 protein in all tissues of rats in the blank control group compared with the NC group(<i>P</i>>0.05); Meanwhile, flow cytometry results showed that the proportions of Th1 and Th17 cell lineages in all tissues from EAU model group were significantly higher than those from the NC group at 12d after immunization, and the differences were statistically significant(all <i>P</i><0.05). Furthermore,there was no significant change in the proportion of Th1 and Th17 cells in each tissue in the BC and NC groups(all <i>P</i> >0.05). <p>CONCLUSION: The miR-223-3p can negatively regulate the expression of the transcription factor Rbpj of Notch signaling pathway. The down-regulated miR-223-3p expression in EAU rats can increase the expression levels of Rbpj gene and protein, and aggravate the differentiation of Th1 and Th17 cells and the expression levels of related molecules IFN-γ and IL-17, which in turn affect the development of uveitis.

Application of two noninvasive scores in predicting the risk of respiratory failure in full-term neonates: a comparative analysis / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To study the value of Silverman-Anderson score versus Downes score in predicting respiratory failure in full-term neonates.@*METHODS@#The convenience sampling method was used to select the full-term neonates with lung diseases who were hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit from July 2020 to July 2021. According to the diagnostic criteria for neonatal respiratory failure, they were divided into a respiratory failure group (65 neonates) and a non-respiratory failure group (363 neonates). Silverman-Anderson score and Downes score were used for evaluation. The receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to compare the value of the two noninvasive scores in predicting respiratory failure in full-term neonates.@*RESULTS@#Among the 428 full-term neonates, 65 (15.2%) had respiratory failure. The Silverman-Anderson score had a significantly shorter average time spent on evaluation than the Downes score [(90±8) seconds vs (150±13) seconds; P<0.001]. The respiratory failure group had significantly higher points in both the Silverman-Anderson and Downes scores than the non-respiratory failure group (P<0.001). The Silverman-Anderson score had an AUC of 0.876 for predicting respiratory failure, with a sensitivity of 0.908, a specificity of 0.694, and a Youden index of 0.602 at the optimal cut-off value of 4.50 points. The Downes score had an AUC of 0.918 for predicting respiratory failure, with a sensitivity of 0.723, a specificity of 0.953, and a Youden index of 0.676 at the optimal cut-off value of 6.00 points. The Downes score had significantly higher AUC for predicting respiratory failure than the Silverman-Anderson score (P=0.026).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Both Silverman-Anderson and Downes scores can predict the risk of respiratory failure in full-term neonates. The Silverman-Anderson score requires a shorter time for evaluation, while the Downes score has higher prediction efficiency. It is recommended to use Downes score with higher prediction efficiency in general evaluation, and the Silverman-Anderson score requiring a shorter time for evaluation can be used in emergency.

Different fixatives influence morphology, antigen preservation, and TUNEL staining in chicken (Gallus gallus) testis.

The optimized fixative for testis is still controversial. This study investigated the effects of Modified Davidson's Fluid (mDF), 4% Paraformaldehyde (4% PFA), and Bouin's Fluid (BF) fixatives on chicken testes in normal/cadmium (Cd) feeding groups using hematoxylin and eosin (HE), immunohistochemistry (IHC), and Terminal Transferase dUTP Nick End Labeling (TUNEL) staining. Compared to the mDF, we established that the testes fixed with 4% PFA and BF in the normal group had severe shrinkage in tubular and interstitial compartments. Moreover, compared with 4% PFA, the number of GATA4-positive Sertoli cells/mm2 reduced by 67.61% in mDF and 80.57% in BF for one seminiferous tubule. The TUNEL assay illustrated that more positive cells/mm2 in mDF group (28.47 ± 11.38) than in 4% PFA (10.49 ± 7.89). In Cd-treated testes, mDF showed more morphological details than 4% PFA and BF. In contrast, the number of GATA4-positive Sertoli cells/mm2 of 4% PFA was higher than that of mDF by 65.78% and BF by 64.80% in a seminiferous tubule. The number of TUNEL positive cells/mm2 in mDF (272.60 ± 34.41) were higher than in 4% PFA (175.91 ± 19.87). These results suggest that mDF fixative is suitable for normal and Cd-treated testis fixation for HE and TUNEL staining in chicken, whereas 4% PFA fixative is better for IHC examination.

Nonreciprocal Tamm plasmon absorber based on lossy epsilon-near-zero materials.

Contrary to conventional Tamm plasmon (TP) absorbers of which narrow absorptance peaks will shift toward short wavelengths (blueshift) as the incident angle increases for both transverse magnetic (TM) and transverse electric (TE) polarizations, here we theoretically and experimentally achieve nonreciprocal absorption in a planar photonic heterostructure composed of an isotropic epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) slab and a truncated photonic crystal for TM polarization. This exotic phenomenon results from the interplay between ENZ and material loss. And the boundary condition across the ENZ interface and the confinement effect provided by the TP can enhance the absorption in the ENZ slab greatly. As a result, a strong and nonreciprocal absorptance peak is observed experimentally with a maximum absorptance value of 93% in an angle range of 60∼70°. Moreover, this TP absorber shows strong angle-independence and polarization-dependence. As the characteristics above are not at a cost of extra nanopatterning, this structure is promising to offer a practical design in narrowband thermal emitter, highly sensitive biosensing, and nonreciprocal nonlinear optical devices.

Quasiperiodic metamaterials empowered non-metallic broadband optical absorbers.

Realizing a polarization-insensitive broadband optical absorber plays a key role in the implementation of microstructure optoelectrical devices with on-demand functionalities. However, the challenge is that most of these devices involve the constituent metals, thus suffering from poor chemical and thermal stability and a complicated manufacturing process. In addition, the extreme contrast between the negative (metallic) and positive (dielectric) real parts of the constituent permittivities can cause additional problems in the design of structural devices. Based on these facts, this work proposes a design of planar broadband one-dimensional structure based on Fibonacci geometry. Experimental results show that the proposed planar structure exhibits high absorptivity behavior independent of polarization and angle in the wavelength range of 300-1000 nm. The absorptivity remains more than 80% when the incident angle is 60°. This proof-of-concept represents a new strategy for realizing non-metallic broadband optical absorbers with advantages of polarization-independence, low-cost, and wide-field-of-view and paves the way for light manipulation under harsh conditions.

Recombinant protein TRAIL-Mu3 enhances the antitumor effects in pancreatic cancer cells by strengthening the apoptotic signaling pathway.

Pancreatic cancer is a highly malignant type of cancer and its treatment remains a major challenge. The novel recombinant protein TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL)-Mu3 has been shown to exert stronger tumor inhibitory effects in colon cancer in vitro and in vivo compared with TRAIL. The present study investigated the antitumor effects of TRAIL-Mu3 on pancreatic cancer cells, and the possible mechanisms were further examined. Compared with TRAIL, TRAIL-Mu3 exhibited significantly higher cytotoxic effects on pancreatic cancer cell lines. The inhibitory effect of TRAIL-Mu3 on the viability of PANC-1 cells was shown to be a caspase-dependent process. The affinity of TRAIL-Mu3 to PANC-1 cell membranes was significantly enhanced compared with TRAIL. In addition, TRAIL-Mu3 upregulated death receptor (DR) expression in PANC-1 cells and promoted the redistribution of DR5 in lipid rafts. Western blotting results demonstrated that TRAIL-Mu3 activated the caspase cascade in a faster and more efficient manner compared with TRAIL in PANC-1 cells. Therefore, TRAIL-Mu3 enhanced the antitumor effects in pancreatic cancer cells by strengthening the apoptotic signaling pathway. The present study indicated the potential of TRAIL-Mu3 for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

Enantioselectivity-Switchable Organocatalytic [4 + 2]-Annulation to Access the Spirooxindole-Norcamphor Scaffold.

An organocatalyzed enantiodivergent synthesis of a multifunctionalized spirooxindole-norcamphor scaffold via a [4 + 2]-annulation between cyclicα, ß-unsaturated ketone and methylene indolinones has been established. The presence of CaCl2 in DMF could reverse the enantioselectivity to facilely deliver the enantiomers of the corresponding spirooxindoles. Both enantiomers of the corresponding spirooxindoles were obtained in excellent yield and diastereo-/enantioselectivity by employing one single prolinosulfonamide catalyst.

Influence of portal vein thrombosis on the prognosis of patients with liver cirrhosis based on propensity score matching / 临床肝胆病杂志

ObjectiveTo investigate the influence of portal vein thrombosis (PVT) on the short-term prognosis of patients with liver cirrhosis and the risk factors for the prognosis of patients with liver cirrhosis. MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of the patients with liver cirrhosis who were hospitalized in our hospital from September 2018 to March 2020, among whom 58 patients with PVT were enrolled as PVT group and 116 patients without PVT were enrolled as non-PVT group, and 44 patients were selected from each group based on propensity score matching (PSM) at a ratio of 1∶1 to balance the covariates between groups. The t-test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups; the chi-square test or the Fisher’s exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. The Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank method were used to analyze survival status and bleeding before and after PSM, and the Cox risk model was used to analyze the risk factors for the prognosis of patients with liver cirrhosis. ResultsBefore PSM, the non-PVT group had a significantly higher overall survival rate than the PVT group (P=0.008), while after PSM, there was no significant difference in overall survival rate between the two groups (P=0.076). Before PSM, the non-PVT group had significantly lower incidence rates of upper gastrointestinal bleeding or rebleeding than the PVT group before and after PSM (P＜0.001), and the results after PSM were consistent with those before PSM (P=0.028). The multivariate analysis of the prognosis of the patients with liver cirrhosis before PSM showed that PVT (hazard ratio ［HR］=2.944, 95% confidence interval ［CI］: 1.364-6.441, P=0.007) and Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score ≥15 (HR=3.531, 95% CI: 1.630-7.650, P=0.001) were risk factors for short-term death of the patients with liver cirrhosis, and the multivariate analysis after PSM showed that MELD score ≥15 (HR=3.312, 95% CI: 1.049-10457, P=0.041) was a risk factor for short-term death of the patients with liver cirrhosis. ConclusionLiver cirrhosis with PVT increases the risk of upper gastrointestinal bleeding or rebleeding, but it is not an independent risk factor for short-term death in patients with liver cirrhosis. MELD score ≥15 is an independent risk factor for short-term death in patients with liver cirrhosis.

Overexpression of mitofusion 2 inhibits acute respiratory distress syndrome pulmonary fibrosis and its mechanism / 中华危重病急救医学

Objective:To study the inhibitory effect of overexpression of mitofusion 2 (Mfn2) protein on acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) pulmonary fibrosis and its mechanism.Methods:Human embryo lung fibroblasts (HELF) were cultured in vitro, and digested and passaged when the adherent rate of HELF reached 80%, and then the cells in good condition were selected for experiment. The ARDS cell model was reproduced by 5 mg/L of lipopolysaccharide (LPS, LPS group); 75 mol/L adenovirus vector carrying mitofusion 2 (Adv-Mfn2) was transfected into HELF (Adv-Mfn2+LPS group); at the same time, blank control group (complete medium culture) and Adv-vector+LPS group were set as controls. The cell proliferation was observed by sulforhodamine B (SRB) method at 0, 12, 24, 36 and 48 hours. After Hoechst 33342 staining, the morphological changes were observed under confocal microscope. Western blotting was used to detect the protein expressions of Bcl-2 and caspase-3. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to detect the gene expressions of Bcl-2 and caspase-3. Results:After LPS stimulation for 12-48 hours, the cell proliferation rates in the LPS group increased gradually, which were significantly higher than those in the blank control group [12 hours: (10.75±1.51)% vs. (0.73±1.22)%, 24 hours: (20.09±1.71)% vs. (1.15±1.12)%, 36 hours: (20.58±1.55)% vs. (1.20±1.12)%, 48 hours: (21.30±1.51)% vs. (1.23±1.10)%, all P < 0.01]. There was no statistically significant difference in the cell proliferation rate between the LPS group and the Adv-vector+LPS group. After overexpression of Mfn2, the cell proliferation rates at 12, 24, 36, 48 hours in the Adv-Mfn2+LPS group were (8.93±1.14)%, (10.52±1.24)%, (10.72±1.30)%, and (10.91±1.20)%, which were significantly lower than those in the LPS group (all P < 0.05). Confocal microscopy showed that some cells in the blank control group had nuclei of different sizes, and some nuclei fragmented or shrank to form apoptotic bodies. The nuclei of the cells in the LPS and Adv-vector+LPS groups were round or oval in size, and only a few apoptotic cells appeared. When Mfn2 was overexpressed, there were more apoptotic cells in the visual field in the Adv-Mfn2+LPS group than LPS group. Western blotting and RT-qPCR results showed that Bcl-2 expressions increased significantly after LPS stimulation in the LPS group as compared with the blank control group [Bcl-2 protein (Bcl-2/GAPDH): 0.68±0.01 vs. 0.29±0.01, Bcl-2 mRNA (2 -ΔΔCT): 2.23±0.34 vs. 1.00±0.00, both P < 0.01], and caspase-3 expressions decreased significantly [caspase-3 protein (caspase-3/GAPDH): 0.37±0.02 vs. 0.66±0.02, caspase-3 mRNA (2 -ΔΔCT): 0.31±0.05 vs. 1.00±0.00, both P < 0.01]. Compared with LPS group, the expressions of Bcl-2 after overexpression of Mfn2 in the Adv-Mfn2+LPS group were down-regulated [Bcl-2 protein (Bcl-2/GAPDH): 0.46±0.01 vs. 0.68±0.01, Bcl-2 mRNA (2 -ΔΔCT): 1.45±0.14 vs. 2.23±0.34, both P < 0.01], and the expressions of caspase-3 were up-regulated [caspase-3 protein (caspase-3/GAPDH): 0.54±0.02 vs. 0.37±0.02, caspase-3 mRNA (2 -ΔΔCT): 0.88±0.10 vs. 0.31±0.05, both P < 0.01]. Conclusion:Mfn2 protein is involved in ARDS pulmonary fibrosis, which may be related to mitochondrial mediated inhibition of cell proliferation.

Research advances in the regulatory role of Notch signaling pathway in the occurrence and development of eye diseases / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

@#The Notch signaling pathway is an evolutionarily highly conserved signaling pathway that exists in a wide variety of tissue cells and plays an important role in embryonic development, cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis, as well as in the maintenance of multicellular biosynthesis, angiogenesis, and the development of various cancers. In recent years, it has been found that the Notch signaling pathway is abnormally activated in cataract, uveitis and other ophthalmic diseases, regulating the process of ocular disease development. This article provides a brief review of the regulatory role of the Notch signaling pathway in the development of ophthalmic diseases.

Clinical and imaging features of middle ear hairy polyps / 中华耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

Objective: To collect the clinical cases of middle ear hairy polyp, and to summarize the imaging features. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of four cases middle ear hairy polyp confirmed by surgical and pathologic between January 2007 and January 2020 at the Affiliated Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University. There were three females, one male, with two left ears and two right ears, aged from 1 to 59 years. The CT and MRI imaging of the patients, and the corresponding clinical manifestations were analyzed. Results: Hairy polyps originated from tympanum in one case, originated from Eustachian tube in two cases, exhibiting recurrent otorrhea without evident inducement. The other case, hairy polyps originated from the Eustachian tube pharyngeal orifice and protruded into the nasopharyngeal cavity, with pharynx discomfort and aural fullness, endoscope showed offwhite polypoid mass with a little hair. All the four cases presented polypoid soft tissue masses on CT and MRI imaging, containing soft tissue wall and a large amount of adipose tissue, with soft tissue in the center of the mass which liked the core, and enhanced. MRI showed stratified arrangement of fat and soft tissue in the wall of the mass. Four cases all had surgical treatment, postoperative pathology examination presented that hair follicles, mature sebaceous glands and other skin appendages were found under squamous epithelium. A large amount of adipose tissue, part of muscle tissue, cartilage tissue, and some fibro-collagenous tissue were proliferated in the mass, accompanied by collagen degeneration. Conclusion: The middle ear hairy polyps has imaging characteristics, the polypoid soft tissue mass usually looks smooth and contains a large amount of adipose tissue, with a soft tissue in the center, and can be suggestively diagnosed by CT and MRI.

Effect of acupuncture on intestinal flora and TLR4 in brain and intestinal tissues in rats with stress gastric ulcer / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To observe the effect of acupuncture at "Guanyuan" (CV 4) and "Xiajuxu" (ST 39) on intestinal flora and Toll-like receptors-4 (TLR4) in brain and intestinal tissue in rats with stress gastric ulcer (SGU), and to explore the possible mechanism of acupuncture for SGU.@*METHODS@#Thirty-one male SD rats were randomly divided into a blank group (@*RESULTS@#Compared with the blank group, the gastric mucosal damage index was significantly increased in the model group (@*CONCLUSION@#Acupuncture at "Guanyuan" (CV 4) and "Xiajuxu" (ST 39) could alleviate SGU in rats, and its mechanism may be related to increasing the diversity of intestinal flora, promoting the disorder of intestinal flora to normal, and reducing the overexpression of TLR4 in brain and intestinal tissues.

Expression of apolipoprotein C1 in clear cell renal cell carcinoma: An oncogenic gene and a prognostic marker.

This study aimed to explore whether APOC1 expression has a function in the biological behavior of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) cells and its possible mechanism. Bioinformatics analysis of data TCGA and OnComine was conducted to explore the expression pattern and prognostic value of APOC1, as well as the relationship between APOC1 expression and clinical indicators. Loss- and gain- of APOC1 function assays were carried out to assess the biological functions of APOC1. Western blotting was applied to detect protein expression. We revealed that APOC1 was upregulated in ccRCC tissues. APOC1 expression was related to gender, grade, pathologic-T, pathologic-stage, and pathologic-M in patients with ccRCC. Meanwhile, Kaplan-Meier analysis evidenced that the high APOC1 expression indicated unfavorable outcomes of ccRCC. Functional experiments in vitro revealed that upregulation of APOC1 in UT33A cells promoted cell proliferation, invasion, and migration, while downregulation of APOC1 in 786-O cells had the opposite effect. Furthermore, epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) was activated in cells with upregulated APOC1 but inhibited in cells with down-regulated APOC1. Collectively, our data suggested that APOC1 was overexpressed in ccRCC cells and promoted the malignant biological behaviors and EMT of ccRCC cells.