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OBJECTIVE: Atherosclerosis is an inflammation-associated disease resulting in a huge health hazard. Abundance of researches showed that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) played vital roles in atherosclerosis, but the molecular mechanism of nuclear-enriched abundant transcript (NEAT1) has not been fully elucidated yet. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were treated with oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) for constructing the model of atherosclerosis. The detection of NEAT1, microRNA-30c-5p (miR30c-5p), and transcription factor 7 (TCF7) expression was implemented by quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). Cell proliferation and apoptosis were measured by 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-y1)-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) and flow cytometry, respectively. The levels of apoptosis-associated proteins were examined through Western blot and the concentrations of inflammatory cytokines were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The targeted relationship was analyzed by Dual-Luciferase reporter assay. RESULTS: NEAT1 was upregulated in serum of patients with atherosclerosis and HUVECs treated with ox-LDL. Knockdown of NEAT1 exerted the promotion of proliferation but suppression of apoptosis and inflammation in oxLDL-treated HUVECs. Moreover, NEAT1 targeted miR-30c-5p and the overexpression of miR30c-5p reversed the ox-LDL-induced effects in HUVECs. Furthermore, miR-30c-5p directly refrained the TCF7 level, and NEAT1 repression decreased the expression of TCF7 by upregulating miR-30c-5p. The knockdown of NEAT1 afforded the protective effect for HUVECs treated with ox-LDL through miR-30c-5p/TCF7 axis. CONCLUSIONS: The knockdown of NEAT1 overtly motivated proliferation but alleviated the apoptosis and inflammation in ox-LDLtreated HUVECs by miR-30c-5p/TCF7 axis. NEAT1 accelerated the progression of atherosclerosis therapies, functioning as an indicative element. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the role of interleukin-1β (IL- 1β) in the apoptosis of synovial cells in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) rats, and to explore the underlying mechanism. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The apoptosis of the synovial cells in RA rats in the IL-1β group and the control group was analyzed by scoring under an electron microscope. The expressions of cleaved-poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), PARP and anti-apoptosis gene products in synovial cells of IL-1β treated RA rats were explored as well. Meanwhile, the expressions of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl- 2), Bcl-xL, and Active-Caspase3 in the synovial cells of RA rats with IL-1β treatment were evaluated by the Western blotting. To further clarify the relationship between IL-1β and the nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) pathway in the synovial cells of RA rats, the expressions of NF-κB regulated the gene products of matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3), MMP-9, cyclooxygenase- 2 (Cox-2), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in synovial cells of RA rats after that we investigated the treatment with IL-1β (was investigated). In addition, the expression of NF-κB in the synovial cells of RA rats treated with IL-1β was determined. RESULTS: The results showed that, compared with the control group, IL-1β treatment significantly increased the number of apoptotic cells. This meant that IL-1β treatment could promote the apoptosis of the synovial cells (p<0.05). IL-1β treatment significantly promoted the expression level of cleaved-PARP (p<0.05). However, it remarkably reduced the expressions of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL (p<0.05). Meanwhile, the level of the active-Caspase3 in the synovial cells of RA rats treated with IL-1β was significantly enhanced (p<0.01). In comparison with the control group, the IL-1β group exhibited significantly elevated expressions of NF-κB-regulated gene products in the synovial cells of RA rats (p<0.01). Besides, the positive markers of the activated NF-κB were detected in the synovial cells of RA rats in the IL-1β group and the control group. The results demonstrated that they were mainly located in the nucleus of the IL-1β group. CONCLUSIONS: IL-1β can promote the apoptosis of the synovial cells in RA rats via the NF- κB pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) is a rare vasculitis that mainly involves small and medium arteries. It often occurs at the points where the vessels bifurcate, leading to microaneurysm formation, thrombosis, aneurysm rupture and bleeding, and infarction of organs.About a third of cases are associated with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.All tissues and organs of the body can be affected, with skin, joints and peripheral nerves being the most common.The pathological changes were fibrinoid necrosis, inflammatory cell infiltration and luminal thrombosis in the acute stage, and fibrous hyperplasia in the chronic stage.Overall outcomes for the disease have improved in recent decades, mainly reflecting early diagnosis and more effective treatments.The main treatments for PAN are glucocorticoid and cyclophosphamide.Patients with HBV-associated PAN should receive antiviral therapy and plasma exchange.

Objective: To investigate the survival and influencing factors of unexpected small cell lung cancer following surgery. Methods: We respectively reviewed the clinical characters of 104 patients who underwent surgical treatment and be proved as small cell lung cancer by pathology between January 2000 to October 2020 in Chinese PLA General Hospital. Overall survival (OS) of patients was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards analysis. Results: Of 104 patients, 27 cases showed central lesions, and other 77 showed peripheral nodules. The margin of nodules was smooth in 42 cases on CT imaging. The median OS was 34.3 months and 5-year OS rate was 45.8%. Postoperative 5-year OS rates for patients were 52.1%, 45.4%, and 27.8% for clinical stages Ⅰ, Ⅱ, and Ⅲ, respectively. Univariate analyses identified the age, surgical access, surgical approach, N stage, TNM stage and vascular cancer emboli were associated with OS ( P <0.05). The N stage was an independent factor for the OS of patients ( P <0.05). Conclusions: Patients with unexpected SCLC, including Ⅰ, Ⅱ and part ⅢA stage have favorable outcome and can benefit from surgery and systemic postoperative treatment. Standard lobectomy plus systemic lymph node dissection is commended.

Objective: To verify clinical applicability of the non-special perioperative administration for enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) proposed by Japanese scholars in Chinese gastric cancer patients. Methods: The main measures of the non-special perioperative administration for ERAS are as follows: (1) discussion of multiple disciplinary team before surgery; (2) rehabilitation education for patients; (3) no routine bowel preparation before surgery; (4) placement of nasogastric tube for decompression routinely before operation and removal as early as 24 hours after surgery; (5) appropriate rehydration; (6) antibiotic prophylaxis before surgery; (7) place abdominal drainage tubes when necessary; (8) epidural patient-controlled analgesia and oral medication for postoperative pain management; (9) start low-molecular-weight heparin injection 48h after surgery and ambulation every day to prevent deep vein thrombosis; (10) postoperative dietary management and supplement with parenteral nutrition intermittently; (11) remove Foley catheter about 24 hours after surgery. A retrospective cohort study was performed, including 203 patients undergoing radical gastrectomy at Department of Gastroenterology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital from January 2017 to December 2018. Inclusion criteria were patients who were ≤75 years old without distant metastasis by preoperative examination, were diagnosed as gastric adenocarcinoma by postoperative histopathology and had complete clinicopathological and follow-up data. Patients with history of other malignancies and gastrectomy, extensive implantation of the abdominal cavity or malignant ascites by intraoperative exploration, death within 1 month after surgery, and residual gastric cancer were excluded. The perioperative management methods were chosen by patients. There were 123 patients who followed non-special perioperative administration for ERAS (non-special preparation group) and 80 patients who underwent traditional perioperative management (traditional method group). The primary outcomes (postoperative hospital stay, time to the first flatus, time to the first fluid diet, time to the first ambulatory activity, morbidity of postoperative complication, mortality, and readmission rate) and secondary outcomes (operative time, intraoperative blood loss and postoperative pain score) were compared between the two groups. Results: Compared to the traditional method group, the non-special preparation group had shorter time to the first flatus [(3.6±1.1) days vs. (4.8±1.4) days, t =3.134, P =0.003], shorter time to the first liquid diet [(2.6±0.9) days vs. (5.5±1.6) days, t =15.105, P <0.001], shorter time to the first ambulatory activity [(1.9±0.5) days vs. (4.1±1.1) days, t =8.543, P <0.001] and shorter postoperative hospital stay [(9.6±2.3) days vs. (12.9±2.3) days, t =5.020, P <0.001]. Besides, incidences of pancreatic leakage [6.5% (8/123) vs. 16.3% (13/80), χ(2)=4.964, P =0.026], lymphatic leakage [1.6% (2/123) vs. 13.8% (11/80), χ(2)=11.887, P =0.001], peritoneal effusion [2.4% (3/123) vs. 10.0% (8/80), χ(2)=4.032, P =0.045], and gastroparesis [0.8% (1/123) vs. 7.5% (6/80), χ(2)=4.657, P =0.031] in the non-special preparation group were significantly lower. The overall morbidity of postoperative complications and incidences of pulmonary infection and intestinal adhesion were not significantly different between the two groups (all P >0.05). As for the secondary outcomes, compared to the traditional method group, the non-special preparation group had less intraoperative blood loss [(80.4±24.4) ml vs. (100.5±19.4) ml, t =3.134, P =0.003] and lower postoperative pain score [postoperative day 1: (4.4±0.3) vs. (5.3±0.8), t =2.504, P =0.037],while the difference in operative time was not significant ( P >0.05). Conclusion: The non-special perioperative administration for ERAS proposed by Japanese scholars is effective and safe, which has certain clinical applicability and value for Chinese patients with gastric cancer.

Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) play a critical role for the therapy of chronical hepatitis B. DAAs can decrease the production of viral progeny of hepatitis B virus (HBV), breaking the viral dynamic equilibrium between: (1) virion production from hepatocytes and clearance from circulation; (2) replenishment and decay of covalently closed circular (ccc)DNA pool inside infected hepatocytes. Nucleos(t)ide analogues can potently shift the first balance to undetectable viremia in the blood, but have limited or no effect on the second one, thus making it imperative to develop new agents targeting additional step(s) of HBV life cycle. We herein briefly introduce the DAAs currently in development by classifying them as agents affecting the replenishment or the decay of cccDNA pool.

Ras-related protein 25 (Rab25) is involved in many human malignancies. However, its role in chemotherapy response and prognosis in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains unknown. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between Rab25 and chemotherapy sensitivity and prognosis in NSCLC. Rab25 expression was assessed using immunohistochemistry in 324 advanced NSCLC patients. Its correlations with clinical features were analyzed. Sensitivity to cisplatin (DDP) was compared between DDP-sensitive A549 and DDP-resistant A549/DDP cells. Furthermore, small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting Rab25 was used for in vitro experiments. Patients with positive Rab25 expression had a significantly lower chemotherapy response rate (P = 0.004) and poorer overall survival (OS, P = 0.0012) than those with negative Rab25 expression. Multivariate analysis indicated that Rab25 expression was an independent prognostic factor for OS (P = 0.016). Moreover, Rab25 expression was significantly higher in A549/DDP cells than in A549 cells. Knockdown of Rab25 by siRNA suppressed cell migration and invasion. Cisplatin resistance in A549/DDP cells was also partially reversed by Rab25 silencing. Rab25 expression is a potential prognostic index for advanced NSCLC patients and its inhibition may improve chemosensitization in NSCLC treatment.