The Treatment Effect of Non-Surgical Ear Molding Correction in Children with Mild Cryptotia Deformity.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the treatment effect of non-surgical ear molding correction in children with mild cryptotia deformity. METHODS: 51 cases were collected from 2016 to 2021. They were divided into four groups (6 months-1 year group, 1-3 years group, 3-6 years group, and ≥6 years group). The effective rate, recurrence rate, complication rate, and treatment duration of non-surgical ear molding correction were analyzed among the four groups. RESULTS: 3 months after the end of corrective treatment, the overall effective rate was 92.2% (47/51), the overall recurrence rate was 7.8% (4/51), and there was statistical significance among the four groups (p = 0.001). The overall complication rate was 2.0% (1/51), and there was no statistical significance among the four groups (p = 1.000). There was statistical significance in the treatment duration among the four groups (p < 0.001), and the mean duration of treatment was positively correlated with the age at treatment (p < 0.001, R = 0.614). CONCLUSIONS: We first propose and recommend that the treatment time window for non-surgical ear molding correction be maximally extended to 6 years old in children with mild cryptotia deformity. There is a high success rate of non-surgical ear molding correction in children with mild cryptotia deformity. The complication rate is low. There is a positive correlation between the mean treatment duration and the age at treatment, and the treatment duration increases with the growth of months. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4 Laryngoscope, 133:2122-2128, 2023.

LOXL1-AS1 contributes to the proliferation and migration of laryngocarcinoma cells through miR-589-5p/TRAF6 axis.

BACKGROUND: LOXL1-AS1 is a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) that plays crucial roles in various cancers. However, the functional role of LOXL1-AS1 in laryngocarcinoma remains unclear. Thus we planned to probe into the function and underlying mechanism of LOXL1-AS1 in laryngocarcinoma. METHODS: Gene expression was evaluated in laryngocarcinoma cells using RT-qPCR. The ability of cell proliferation and migration was assessed by CCK8, colony formation, wound healing and transwell assays. The interaction among LOXL1-AS1, miR-589-5p and TRAF6 was detected by Ago2-RIP, RNA pull down and luciferase reporter assays. RESULTS: LOXL1-AS1 was overexpressed in laryngocarcinoma cells. Silencing of LOXL1-AS1 suppressed cell proliferation, migration and EMT in laryngocarcinoma. Moreover, miR-589-5p, the downstream of LOXL1-AS1, directly targeted TRAF6 in laryngocarcinoma. Importantly, LOXL1-AS1 augmented TRAF6 expression in laryngocarcinoma cells by sequestering miR-589-5p. Besides, miR-589-5p worked as a tumor-inhibitor while TRAF6 functioned as a tumor-facilitator in laryngocarcinoma. Of note, rescue experiments both in vitro and in vivo validated that LOXL1-AS1 aggravated the malignancy in laryngocarcinoma by targeting miR-589-5p/TRAF6 pathway. CONCLUSIONS: LOXL1-AS1 promotes the proliferation and migration of laryngocarcinoma cells through absorbing miR-589-5p to upregulate TRAF6 expression.

MiR-30e-5p inhibits the migration and invasion of nasopharyngeal carcinoma via regulating the expression of MTA1.

The study explored the effect of miR-30e-5p on nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). MiR-30e-5p levels in NPC cancer and adjacent normal samples, in metastatic and non-metastatic cancer samples of NPC, and in NP69 cell and five NPC cell lines were determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The relationship between miR-30e-5p and MTA1 was confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter assay, Western blot and qRT-PCR. The viability, migration and invasion of 5-8F and 6-10B cells were determined by CCK-8, scratch test and transwell assays, respectively. The levels of migration-related proteins (vimentin and Snail) and invasion-related proteins (MMP2 and MMP3) in NPC cells were detected by Western blot. The results showed that low expression of miR-30e-5p was associated with HNSC cancer, NPC, metastasis of NPC and NPC cell lines. Overexpressed miR-30e-5p in HNSC cancer and NPC was predictive of a better prognosis of patients. In addition, the viability, migration and invasion were reduced by up-regulating miR-30e-5p in 5-8F cells, but promoted by down-regulated miR-30e-5p in 6-10B cells. MiR-30e-5p reversed the migration and invasion of NPC cells regulated by MTA1, and inhibited migration and invasion of NPC cells via regulating MTA1 expression.

A DFT calculation-inspired Rh(i)-catalyzed reaction via suppression of α-H shift in α-alkyldiazoacetates.

Metal-associated carbenes from diazo compounds promote many useful chemistry transformations in modern organic chemistry. However, compared to α-aryldiazoacetate-derived carbenes (ArDCs), the synthetic application of α-alkyldiazoacetate-derived carbenes (AlDCs) is greatly limited due to intramolecular α-H transfer (elimination) that results in alkenes as the main by-products. An intriguing α-alkyldiazoacetate-involved three-component reaction has been developed following DFT calculation inspiration to provide ß-hydroxyl α-alkyl-α-amino acid derivatives in good yields. The intramolecular α-H shift of an α-alkyldiazoacetate-derived carbene was successfully suppressed by the association of a Rh(i) complex to form the corresponding active ammonium ylide, which was trapped before the fast 1,2-H transfer process. A Rh(i)-chiral diene complex was identified as an effective catalyst to give an asymmetric version of the reaction with good enantioselectivity. This reaction provides insight into extending the efficient transformation of α-alkyldiazoacetate-derived carbenes and their synthetic application.

A Rh(II)-catalyzed multicomponent reaction by trapping an α-amino enol intermediate in a traditional two-component reaction pathway.

Multicomponent reactions (MCRs) represent an ideal organic synthesis tool for the rapid construction of complex molecules due to their step and atom economy. Compared to two-component reactions, the development of new MCRs has been greatly limited during the 170 years since the first MCR was reported. Theoretically, the trapping of an active intermediate generated from two components by a third component could change the traditional two-component reaction pathway, leading to the discovery of MCRs. We report an example of the trapping of α-imino enols generated in situ from 1-sulfonyl-1,2,3-triazoles via α-imino metal carbene species by vinylimine ions using C(2)-substituted indoles and paraformaldehyde as precursors in the presence of a rhodium(II) catalyst. The traditional enol-ketone transformation pathway was suspended by the trapping procedure and efficiently switched to an MCR pathway to produce α-amino-ß-indole ketones in moderate to good yields. Unexpectedly, the resulting products and the theoretical density functional theory (DFT) calculation results indicated that the enolic carbon had a stronger nucleophilicity than the well-known traditional enamic carbon in the trapping process. The reaction mechanism was investigated using control experiments and detailed DFT calculations, and the synthetic application of the products was also illustrated. The developed strategy provides a mild and rapid access to α-amino-ß-indole ketones and suggests a rationale for the discovery of MCRs by trapping an active intermediate with a third component in a traditional two-component reaction pathway.

An ylide transformation of rhodium(I) carbene: enantioselective three-component reaction through trapping of rhodium(I)-associated ammonium ylides by ß-nitroacrylates.

The chiral Rh(I)-diene-catalyzed asymmetric three-component reaction of aryldiazoacetates, aromatic amines, and ß-nitroacrylates was achieved to obtain γ-nitro-α-amino-succinates in good yields and with high diastereo- and enantioselectivity. This reaction is proposed to proceed through the enantioselective trapping of Rh(I)-associated ammonium ylides by nitroacrylates. This new transformation represents the first example of Rh(I)-carbene-induced ylide transformation.