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Zhenpeng Liao,1,* Wei Liao,1,* Kai Sen Tan,2,* Yueqi Sun,3 Aiqing Peng,1 Yingxian Zhu,4 Haixin He,1 Shuowei Yang,1 Guangfu Xu,1 Rongfei Su,1 Jinyu Yao,3 Yunping Fan,1 Qintai Yang,5 Haiyu Hong1 1Department of Otolaryngology, Allergy Center, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Otolaryngology, National University of Singapore, National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore; 3Department of Otolaryngology, Otorhinolaryngology Hospital, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Anesthesiology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Otolaryngology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this work Objective: Septoplasty has been the definitive treatment for nasal septum deviation, but its postoperative procedure may affect patients’ quality of life. While new procedures in general surgery, such as enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS), can speed up postoperative rehabilitations to improve quality of life, it is rarely applied in the ear–nose–throat field. This study therefore aims to evaluate the application of ERAS in patients with nasal septum deviation as a means of improving perioperative outcomes. Materials and methods: Fifty patients with nasal septum deviation undergoing septoplasty were randomized as ERAS or control group (25 patients in both groups). Patients were investigated for outcomes including length of stay, operating time, bleeding volume, total cost, complications, and Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and visual analog symptom score of nasal obstruction, sleep disturbance, and head facial pain. Results: The preoperative anxiety in ERAS group (SAS 35.4±6.2) was lower than the control group (SAS 43.6±8.6). The anxiety levels in ERAS group (SAS 31.6±5.4) was also reduced compared to the control group (SAS 38.1±10.4) in the 3 days postsurgery, but showed no significant difference thereafter at 7 days postsurgery. In addition, the length of stay and total cost were significantly lower for the ERAS group as well. The visual analog symptom score of nasal obstruction, sleep disturbance, and head facial pain in ERAS group were all also found to be lower than the control group. The only outcomes with no significant differences were the operation time, blood volume, and complications between the groups. Conclusion: Our study indicated ERAS application can reduce hospital charges and postoperative pain in septoplasty, thereby improving patient quality of life and hospital expenses at the same time. Keywords: enhanced recovery after surgery, hospital charges, nasal septum deviation, postoperative pain, septoplasty

Abstract: Urinary incontinence is a common complication following robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP). Urethral length has been identified as a factor affecting postoperative continence recovery. In this meta-analysis, we examined the association between use of the maximal urethral length preservation (MULP) technique and postoperative urinary continence in patients undergoing RARP. We conducted a comprehensive search of PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and the Cochrane Library up to December 31, 2023. The quality of the literature was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. A random-effects meta-analysis was performed to synthesize data and calculate the odds ratio (OR) from eligible studies on continence and MULP. Six studies involving 1869 patients met the eligibility criteria. MULP was positively associated with both early continence (1 month after RARP; Z = 3.62, P = 0.003, OR = 3.10, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.68-5.73) and late continence (12 months after RARP; Z = 2.34, P = 0.019, OR = 2.10, 95% CI: 1.13-3.90). Oncological outcomes indicated that MULP did not increase the overall positive surgical margin rate or the positive surgical margin status at the prostate apex (both P > 0.05). In conclusion, the use of the MULP technique in RARP significantly improved both early and late postoperative continence outcomes without compromising oncological outcomes., (Copyright © 2024 Copyright: ©The Author(s)(2024).)

Melon ( Cucumis melo L.) is a horticultural crop that is planted globally. Cucumis melo L. cv. Baogua is a typical melon that is suitable for studying fruit development because of its ability to adapt to different climatic conditions. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a class of non-coding RNAs longer than 200 nucleotides, which play important roles in a wide range of biological processes by regulating gene expression. In this study, the transcriptome of the Baogua melon was sequenced at three stages of the process of fruit development (14 days, 21 days, and 28 days) to study the role of lncRNAs in fruit development. The cis and trans lncRNAs were subsequently predicted and identified to determine their target genes. Notably, 1716 high-confidence lncRNAs were obtained in the three groups. A subsequent differential expression analysis of the lncRNAs between the three groups revealed 388 differentially expressed lncRNAs. A total of 11 genes were analyzed further to validate the transcriptome sequencing results. Interestingly, the MELO3C001376.2 and MSTRG.571.2 genes were found to be significantly ( P  < 0.05) downregulated in the fruits. This study provides a basis to better understand the functions and regulatory mechanisms of lncRNAs during the development of melon fruit., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declare no conflict of interest., (© Prof. H.S. Srivastava Foundation for Science and Society 2024. Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.)

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD) is a progressive lung dysfunction(disease) caused by long-term inhalation of toxic particles, especially smoking. The continued exposure to harmful substances triggers an abnormal inflammatory response, which causes permanent damage to the respiratory system, ultimately leading to irreversible pathological changes. Lung macrophages(LMs) are key innate immune effectors involved in the recognition, phagocytosis, and clearance of pathogens, as well as in the processing of inhaled hazardous particulate matter(e. g., cigarette smoke and particulate matter). LMs are polarized toward the M1 or M2 phenotype in response to the activation of inflammatory mediators to exert pro-/anti-inflammatory effects, respectively, thus being involved in the pulmonary parenchymal damage(emphysema) and repair(airway remodeling) throughout the process of COPD.In addition, they are responsible for phagocytosis and clearance of apoptotic or necrotic tissue cells, which helps to maintain the stability of the microenvironment in the lungs of COPD patients. Modern studies have revealed that macrophage polarization plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis and development of COPD and is considered a potential target for treating COPD because of its ability to reduce airway inflammation, inhibit tissue remodeling, and combat oxidative stress. In recent years, traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) and its active ingredients have become a hot area in the treatment of COPD by targeting the balance of M1/M2 macrophage polarization. TCM and its active ingredients can intervene in the inflammatory response to promote the repair of the lung tissue in the patients with COPD. This paper reviews the research achievements of TCM and its active ingredients in this field in recent years,aiming to provide a scientific basis and strong support for the precise diagnosis and treatment of COPD.

Serial correlations within temperature time series serve as indicators of the temporal consistency of climate events. This study delves into the serial correlations embedded in global surface air temperature (SAT) data. Initially, we preprocess the SAT time series to eradicate seasonal patterns and linear trends, resulting in the SAT anomaly time series, which encapsulates the inherent variability of Earth's climate system. Employing diverse statistical techniques, we identify three distinct types of serial correlations: short-term, long-term, and nonlinear. To identify short-term correlations, we utilize the first-order autoregressive model, AR(1), revealing a global pattern that can be partially attributed to atmospheric Rossby waves in extratropical regions and the Eastern Pacific warm pool. For long-term correlations, we adopt the standard detrended fluctuation analysis, finding that the global pattern aligns with long-term climate variability, such as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) over the Eastern Pacific. Furthermore, we apply the horizontal visibility graph (HVG) algorithm to transform the SAT anomaly time series into complex networks. The topological parameters of these networks aptly capture the long-term correlations present in the data. Additionally, we introduce a novel topological parameter, Δσ, to detect nonlinear correlations. The statistical significance of this parameter is rigorously tested using the Monte Carlo method, simulating fractional Brownian motion and fractional Gaussian noise processes with a predefined DFA exponent to estimate confidence intervals. In conclusion, serial correlations are universal in global SAT time series and the presence of these serial correlations should be considered carefully in climate sciences., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Gao et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Aim: To assess how medication adherence and home healthcare support influence the role of polypharmacy in induced hypoglycemia events among elderly diabetic patients., Methods: This case-crossover study retrieved records on diabetic patients >=65 years with severe hypoglycemia from 2002 to 2012 in Taiwan. Case period defined as 1-3 days before severe hypoglycemia was compared with a preceding control period of the same length, with an all-washout period of 30 days. Moreover, the modifiable effects of medication adherence and home healthcare service use were evaluated by stratified analysis., Results: Totally 2,237 patients were identified. Polypharmacy use was associated with the risk of severe hypoglycemia. Patients receiving polypharmacy without home healthcare services (aOR: 1.34; 95 % CI: 1.16-1.54) and those with poor adherence to anti-diabetic medications (aOR: 1.48; 95 % CI: 1.24-1.77) were significantly associated with an elevated risk of severe hypoglycemia. In patients with good adherence, non-home healthcare users being prescribed with polypharmacy had a higher risk of severe hypoglycemia. In the group that received home healthcare services, patients with poor adherence using polypharmacy had a higher risk of severe hypoglycemia., Conclusions: Good adherence and receiving home healthcare services were associated with a decreased odds of severe hypoglycemic events in elderly diabetic patients, regardless of the fact whether they were prescribed with polypharmacy., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Recent studies have shown that nucleophagy can mitigate DNA damage by selectively degrading nuclear components protruding from the nucleus. However, little is known about the role of nucleophagy in neurons after spinal cord injury (SCI). Western blot analysis and immunofluorescence were performed to evaluate the nucleophagy after nuclear DNA damage and leakage in SCI neurons in vivo and NSC34 expression in primary neurons cultured with oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) in vitro, as well as the interaction and colocalization of autophagy protein LC3 with nuclear lamina protein Lamin B1. The effect of UBC9, a Small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO) E2 ligase, on Lamin B1 SUMOylation and nucleophagy was examined by siRNA transfection or 2-D08 (a small-molecule inhibitor of UBC9), immunoprecipitation, and immunofluorescence. In SCI and OGD injured NSC34 or primary cultured neurons, neuronal nuclear DNA damage induced the SUMOylation of Lamin B1, which was required by the nuclear Lamina accumulation of UBC9. Furthermore, LC3/Atg8, an autophagy-related protein, directly bound to SUMOylated Lamin B1, and delivered Lamin B1 to the lysosome. Knockdown or suppression of UBC9 with siRNA or 2-D08 inhibited SUMOylation of Lamin B1 and subsequent nucleophagy and protected against neuronal death. Upon neuronal DNA damage and leakage after SCI, SUMOylation of Lamin B1 is induced by nuclear Lamina accumulation of UBC9. Furthermore, it promotes LC3-Lamin B1 interaction to trigger nucleophagy that protects against neuronal DNA damage., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a complication caused by diabetes. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a kind of RNA with a closed circular structure, which has high stability and is involved in many disease-related processes. The mechanism of circRNA TAO kinase 1 (circTAOK1) in the pathogenesis and development of DN is unclear., Methods: CircTAOK1, microRNA (miR)-142-3p, and sex-determining region Y-box transcription factor 6 (SOX6) mRNA levels were analyzed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Cell counting kit-8 (CCK8) and 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) assays were used to analyze cell proliferation. Cell cycle distribution was detected by flow cytometry. Western blot assay was performed to test B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2 associated X (Bax), cleaved-caspase 3, and fibronectin (FN), collagen I (Col I), and collagen IV (Col IV) protein levels. ELISA assay was used to measure interleukin 1β (IL-1β), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) levels. The reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were assessed by the corresponding kits. And the correlation between miR-142-3p and circTAOK1 or SOX6 was confirmed by dual luciferase reporter assay, RNA immunoprecipitation assay and RNA pull down assay., Results: CircTAOK1 and SOX6 expression levels were up-regulated, while miR-142-3p expression was down-regulated in DN serum and HG-treated HK-2 cells. Knockdown of circTAOK1 could inhibit cell injury of HG-induced HK-2 cells. The inhibitory effect of circTAOK1 knockdown on HG-induced HK-2 cell injury was restored by miR-142-3p downregulation. CircTAOK1 acted as a sponge for miR-142-3p, and SOX6 was targeted by miR-142-3p. The overexpression of SOX6 could recover the effect of miR-142-3p overexpression on HG-induced HK-2 cell injury. CircTAOK1 regulated the expression of SOX6 by targeting miR-142-3p., Conclusion: CircTAOK1 knockdown inhibited HG-induced HK-2 cell damage in DN by the miR-142-3p/SOX6 axis., (© 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Objective: To study the effect of a modified behavioral treatment (MBT) on functional anejaculation and analyze the factors influencing the therapeutic efficacy., Methods: We enrolled in this study 59 men aged 24－45 years visiting the Andrology Clinic of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital from August 2019 to May 2021 and complaining of aejaculation in sexual intercourse but normally ejaculating during masturbation. Thirty-nine of the patients underwent conventional behavioral treatment (the CBT group) and the other 20 received MBT, namely, changing the masturbation method combined with audiovisual stimulation during sexual intercourse (the MBT group). We compared the therapeutic effects between the two groups of patients, and analyzed the correlation of the outcomes of MBT with age, abstinence duration, use of audiovisual stimulation, change of the sexual position, mean bilateral testis volume and sex hormone levels., Results: After treatment, 22 (37.29%) of the patients achieved successful ejaculation at least once in sexual intercourse, 11 (55.00%) in the MBT group, and the other 11 (28.21) in the CBT group, with a significantly higher effectiveness rate in the former than in the latter (P<0.05). The effectiveness rate was significantly correlated to the method of standing-position masturbation plus sexual intercourse and reduction in the frequency of masturbation among various strategies of behavioral treatment (P<0.05)., Conclusion: MBT has a certain effect on functional anejaculation, and targeting the previous events of the patient is the key to the therapeutic efficacy. Further exploration of more effective strategies of behavioral treatment will become the trend of development in the management of functional anejaculation.

Aims/introduction: Previous studies have shown that circular ribonucleic acid mediates the occurrence of diabetic nephropathy. This study aimed to analyze the effects of circ&#95;0068087 on high-glucose (HG)-induced human kidney 2 (HK2) cell dysfunction., Materials and Methods: Circ&#95;0068087, miR-580-3p, and progestin and adipoQ receptor 3 (PAQR3) expression were detected by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Cell viability and proliferation were investigated by Cell Counting Kit-8 and EdU assays, respectively. The cell apoptotic rate was assessed by flow cytometry. Inflammatory response was assessed by enzyme-linked immunoassays. Oxidative stress was evaluated by a superoxide dismutase activity assay kit and lipid peroxidation malondialdehyde assay kit. Molecular interaction was identified by dual-luciferase reporter assay., Results: Circ&#95;0068087 and PAQR3 expression were significantly upregulated in diabetic nephropathy patients. HG treatment inhibited HK2 cell proliferation, but induced cell apoptosis, inflammation, oxidative stress and epithelial-mesenchymal transition by regulating circ&#95;0068087. Circ&#95;0068087 acted as a microribonucleic acid-580-3p (miR-580-3p) sponge, and miR-580-3p targeted PAQR3. Furthermore, circ&#95;0068087 depletion repressed PAQR3 expression through miR-580-3p. MiR-580-3p inhibitors or PAQR3 introduction attenuated circ&#95;0068087 silencing mediated-effects in HG-treated HK2 cells., Conclusion: Circ&#95;0068087 promoted HG-induced HK2 cell injuries by the regulation of the miR-580-3p/PAQR3 pathway., (© 2023 The Authors. Journal of Diabetes Investigation published by Asian Association for the Study of Diabetes (AASD) and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Aiming at the difficulty of detecting the modulation transfer function (MTF) of Bayer color cameras during focusing, the traditional scheme is modified in this paper. First, through analysis, it is found that the MTF of the Bayer detector decreased substantially compared to the monochromatic detector, which was caused by the loss of a large amount of light from the Bayer detector. When the MTF is calculated for the color image after de-mosaicing, the degradation of image quality leads to the inability to obtain the full-frequency MTF curve. Therefore, this paper proposes a solution to detect the MTFs of the three primary colors in the Bayer image individually, and then weight the MTFs of each primary color to obtain the MTF of the color image based on the calibration results of the light source. Then, considering the steps of differentiation and Fourier transform in the slanted-edge method, this paper solves the problem of non-uniform sampling of edge spread function by using the modification of the slanted-edge method with non-uniform Fourier transform. Finally, the optimal imaging position of a certain type of Bayer color camera is determined using the methods proposed in this paper. Simulation and test results verify the effectiveness and accuracy of the methods in this paper.

Objective: Clinical characteristics and outcome in COVID-19 with brucellosis patients has not been well demonstrated, we tried to analyze clinical outcome in local and literature COVID-19 cases with brucellosis before and after recovery., Methods: We retrospectively collected hospitalization data of comorbid patients and prospectively followed up after discharge in Heilongjiang Infectious Disease Hospital from January 15, 2020 to April 29, 2022. Demographics, epidemiological, clinical symptoms, radiological and laboratory data, treatment medicines and outcomes, and follow up were analyzed, and findings of a systematic review were demonstrated., Results: A total of four COVID-19 with brucellosis patients were included. One patient had active brucellosis before covid and 3 patients had nonactive brucellosis before brucellosis. The median age was 54.5 years, and all were males (100.0%). Two cases (50.0%) were moderate, and one was mild and asymptomatic, respectively. Three cases (75.0%) had at least one comorbidity (brucellosis excluded). All 4 patients were found in COVID-19 nucleic acid screening. Case C and D had only headache and fever on admission, respectively. Four cases were treated with Traditional Chinese medicine, western medicines for three cases, no adverse reaction occurred during hospitalization. All patients were cured and discharged. Moreover, one case (25.0%) had still active brucellosis without re-positive COVID-19, and other three cases (75.0%) have no symptoms of discomfort except one case fell fatigue and anxious during the follow-up period after recovery. Conducting the literature review, two similar cases have been reported in two case reports, and were both recovered, whereas, no data of follow up after recovery., Conclusion: These cases indicate that COVID-19 patients with brucellosis had favorable outcome before and after recovery. More clinical studies should be conducted to confirm our findings., (Copyright © 2023 The Editorial Board of Biomedical and Environmental Sciences. Published by China CDC. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: This cross-sectional study evaluated the involvement of patients with advanced colorectal cancer (CRC) in treatment decision-making, assessed the treatment efficacy according to their self-reports, and investigated the influencing factors., Methods: Patients with advanced CRC were recruited from 19 hospitals from March 2020 to March 2021 by a multi-stage multi-level sampling method. A self-designed questionnaire was used to collect demographic and clinical characteristics, involvement of CRC patients in treatment decision-making, treatment methods, and self-reported efficacy. Univariate and unordered multinomial logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the factors affecting the involvement in treatment decision-making and self-reported efficacy., Results: We enrolled 4533 patients with advanced CRC. The average age at diagnosis was 58.7 ± 11.8 years. For the treatment method, 32.4% of patients received surgery combined with chemotherapy, 13.1% of patients underwent surgery combined with chemotherapy and targeted therapy, and 9.7% of patients were treated with surgery alone. For treatment decision-making, 7.0% of patients were solely responsible for decision-making, 47.0% of patients shared treatment decision-making with family members, 19.0% of patients had family members solely responsible for treatment decision-making, and 27.0% of patients had their physicians solely responsible for treatment decision-making. Gender, age, education level, family income, marital status, treatment cost, hospital type, and treatment method were significantly associated with the involvement of patients in treatment decision-making. A total of 3824 patients submitted self-reported efficacy evaluations during treatment. The percentage of patients with good self-reported efficacy was 76.5% (for patients treated for the first time), 61.7% (for patients treated for the second time), and 43.2% (for patients treated after recurrence and metastasis), respectively. Occupation, education level, average annual family income, place of residence, time since cancer diagnosis, hospital type, clinical stage, targeted therapy, and involvement in treatment decision-making were the main influencing factors of self-reported efficacy of treatment., Discussion: Conclusively, CRC patients are not highly dominant in treatment decision-making and more likely to make treatment decisions with their family and doctors. Timely and effective communication between doctors and patients can bolster patient involvement in treatment decision-making., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Gu, Xu, Liu, Li, Yu, Zhang, Wang, Wang, Du, Duan, Cao, Zhao, Liu, Huang, Cao, Fan, Feng, Lian, Du, Rezhake, Ma and Qiao.)

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) play a role in sepsis-related autophagy. However, the role of circRNAs in autophagy after sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy (SICM) is unknown, so we explored the circRNA expression profiles associated with autophagy in an acute sepsis mouse model. At a dose of 10 mg/kg, mice were intraperitoneally administered with lipopolysaccharides. The myocardial tissue was harvested after 6 h for microarray analysis, qRT-PCR, and western blotting. Gene Ontology, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis were evaluated, and a competing endogenous RNA network was constructed, to evaluate the role of circRNAs related to autophagy in SICM. In total, 1,735 differently expressed circRNAs were identified in the LPS-treated group, including 990 upregulated and 745 downregulated circRNAs. The expression level of the autophagy-specific protein p62 decreased, while the ratio of LC3 II to LC3 I increased. Additionally, 309 mRNAs and 187 circRNAs were correlated with autophagy in myocardial tissue after SICM. Of these, 179 circRNAs were predicted to function as "miRNA sponges". Some distinctive circRNAs and mRNAs found by ceRNA analysis might be involved in autophagy in SICM. These findings provide insights into circRNAs and identified new research targets that may be used to further explore the pathogenesis of SICM., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Objectives: To explore the utilization, barriers, and factors associated with the targeted treatment of Chinese metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients. Methods: A total of 1,688 mCRC patients from 19 hospitals in 14 cities were enrolled from March 2020 to March 2021 using stratified, multistage cluster sampling. The use of targeted therapy and any barriers patients experienced were collected. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify the factors associated with initiating targeted treatment. Results: About 51.6% of the patients initiated targeted therapy, of whom 44.5%, 20.2%, and 35.2% started first-, second-, and third-line treatment, respectively. The most reported barriers were high medical costs and a lack of belief in the efficacy of targeted therapy. Patients treated in the general hospital, diagnosed at an older age, less educated, and who had a lower family income, no medical insurance, poor health-related quality of life, metastasis outside the liver/lung or systemic metastasis, a shorter duration of mCRC were less likely to initiate targeted therapy. Conclusion: Reduced medical costs and interventional education to improve public awareness could facilitate the use of targeted treatment for mCRC., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they do not have any conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Liu, Zhang, Xu, Shi, Zhao, Du, Liu, Wang, Cao, Ma, Huang, Cao, Li, Fan, Gu, Feng, Zhu, Wang, Du, Zhang, Zhang and Qiao.)

The article "Lixisenatide protects doxorubicin-induced renal fibrosis by activating wNF-κB/TNF-α and TGF-β/Smad pathways", by N.-F. Guo, Y.-J. Cao, X. Chen, Y. Zhang, Y.-P. Fan, J. Liu, X.-L. Chen published in Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2019; 23 (9): 4017-4026. DOI: 10.26355/eurrev&#95;201905&#95;17832-PMID: 31115031 has been retracted by the Editor in Chief for the following reasons: This paper has been questioned on PubPeer (https://pubpeer.com/publications/983F02C9C18817139AE18497C359FA). In particular, concerns were raised about Figures 2A and 5A as the figures result to overlap with previously published papers. The Editorial Office has contacted the corresponding author of the article to provide a reply to the comments on PubPeer and check the raw data. Still, the journal has yet to receive a reply. Therefore, considering the comments released on PubPeer and the lack of response from authors, the Editor in Chief no longer relies on the data presented and decided to withdraw the manuscript. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. https://www.europeanreview.org/article/17832.

The development of drug-resistance in the opportunistic pathogen Escherichia coli has become a global public health concern. Due to the share of similar flora between pets and their owners, the detection of pet-origin antibiotic-resistant E. coli is necessary. This study aimed to detect the prevalence of feline-origin ESBL E. coli in China and to explore the resistance elimination effect of garlic oil to cefquinome on ESBL E. coli . Cat fecal samples were collected from animal hospitals. The E. coli isolates were separated and purified by indicator media and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). ESBL genes were detected by PCR and Sanger sequencing. The MICs were determined. The synergistic effect of garlic oil and cefquinome against ESBL E. coli was investigated by checkerboard assays, time-kill and growth curves, drug-resistance curves, PI and NPN staining, and a scanning electronic microscope. A total of 80 E. coli strains were isolated from 101 fecal samples. The rate of ESBL E. coli was 52.5% (42/80). The prevailing ESBL genotypes in China were CTX-M-1 , CTX-M-14 , and TEM-116 . In ESBL E. coli , garlic oil increased the susceptibility to cefquinome with FICIs from 0.2 to 0.7 and enhanced the killing effect of cefquinome with membrane destruction. Resistance to cefquinome decreased with treatment of garlic oil after 15 generations. Our study indicates that ESBL E. coli has been detected in cats kept as pets. The sensitivity of ESBL E. coli to cefquinome was enhanced by garlic oil, indicating that garlic oil may be a potential antibiotic enhancer.

Bayer filter color cameras are more and more widely used in the field of aerospace remote sensing, but the Bayer filter causes great degradation in image quality; therefore, obtaining a means of achieving the high-precision measurement of the modulation transfer function ( MTF ) of Bayer filter color cameras is an urgent problem. In order to solve this problem, this paper develops a slanted-edge method via three steps: the detection of the slanted edge, the acquisition and processing of the edge spread function (ESF), and the acquisition and processing of the line spread function (LSF). A combination of the Canny operator and Hough transform is proposed for the detection of the slanted edge, which improves the fitting accuracy and anti-interference ability of the algorithm. Further, the Canny operator is improved by constructing an adaptive filter function and introducing the Otsu method, which can more effectively smooth the image and remove its false edges. A method of processing ESF data by combining cubic spline interpolation and Savitzky-Golay (SG) filtering is proposed, which reduces the effects of noise and the non-uniform sampling of ESF on MTF . A method of LSF processing using Gaussian function fitting is proposed to further reduce the effect of noise on MTF . The improved algorithm is verified by the MTF measurement test applied to a specific type of Bayer filter color space camera. The simulation and test results show that the improved slanted-edge method discussed in this paper has greater precision and a better anti-interference ability, and it can effectively solve the difficult problem associated with MTF detection in Bayer filter color space cameras.

Background: The development of antimicrobial resistance in the opportunistic pathogen Escherichia coli has become a global public health concern. Due to daily close contact, dogs kept as pets share the same E. coli with their owners. Therefore, the detection of antimicrobial resistance in canine E. coli is important, as the results could provide guidance for the future use of antibiotics. This study aimed to detect the prevalence of antibiotic-resistance of canine origin E. coli in Shaanxi province and to explore the inhibition effect of magnolol combined with cefquinome on MDR E. coli, so as to provide evidence for the use of antibiotics., Methods: Canine fecal samples were collected from animal hospitals. The E. coli isolates were separated and purified using various indicator media and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Drug-resistance genes [ aacC2, ant(3')-I, aph(3')-II, aac(6')-Ib-cr, aac(3')-IIe, bla KPC , bla IMP -4 , bla OXA , bla CMY , bla TEM -1 , bla SHV , bla CTX - M -1 , bla CTX - M -9 , Qnra, Qnrb, Qnrs, TetA, TetB, TetM, Ermb ] were also detected by PCR. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined for 10 antibiotics using the broth-microdilution method. Synergistic activity of magnolol and cefquinome against multidrug-resistant (MDR) E. coli strains was investigated using checkerboard assays, time-kill curves, and drug-resistance curves., Results: A total of 101 E. coli strains were isolated from 158 fecal samples collected from animal hospitals. MIC determinations showed that 75.25% (76/101) of the E. coli strains were MDR. A total of 22 drug-resistance genes were detected among the 101 strains. The bla TEM -1 gene exhibited the highest detection rate (89.77%). The TetA and Sul gene also exhibited high detection rate (66.34 and 53.47%, respectively). Carbapenem-resistant E. coli strains were found in Shangluo and Yan'an. Additionally, in MDR E. coli initially resistant to cefquinome, magnolol increased the susceptibility to cefquinome, with an FICI (Fractional Inhibitory Concentration Index) between 0.125 and 0.5, indicating stable synergy. Furthermore, magnolol enhanced the killing effect of cefquinome against MDR E. coli . Resistance of MDR E. coli to cefquinome decreased markedly after treatment with magnolol for 15 generations., Conclusion: Our study indicates that antibiotic-resistance E. coli has been found in domestic dogs. After treatment with magnolol extracted from the Chinese herb Houpo ( Magnolia officinalis ), the sensitivity of MDR E. coli to cefquinome was enhanced, indicating that magnolol reverses the resistance of MDR E. coli . The results of this study thus provide reference for the control of E. coli resistance., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Tong, Zhang, Li, Cao, Ding, Yang, Lin, Gao, Sun, Fan, Liu, Qing, Ma and Zhang.)

Purinergic signalling adenosine and its A1 receptors have been demonstrated to get involved in the mechanism of acupuncture (needling therapy) analgesia. However, whether purinergic signalling would be responsible for the local analgesic effect of moxibustion therapy, the predominant member in acupuncture family procedures also could trigger analgesic effect on pain diseases, it still remains unclear. In this study, we applied moxibustion to generate analgesic effect on complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced inflammatory pain rats and detected the purine released from moxibustioned-acupoint by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) approach. Intramuscular injection of ARL67156 into the acupoint Zusanli (ST36) to inhibit the breakdown of ATP showed the analgesic effect of moxibustion was increased while intramuscular injection of ATPase to speed up ATP hydrolysis caused a reduced moxibustion-induced analgesia. These data implied that purinergic ATP at the location of ST36 acupoint is a potentially beneficial factor for moxibustion-induced analgesia., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Background: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a common inflammatory disease in otolaryngology, mainly manifested as nasal congestion, nasal discharge, facial pain/pressure, and smell disorder. CRS with nasal polyps (CRSwNP), an important phenotype of CRS, has a high recurrence rate even after receiving corticosteroids and/or functional endoscopic sinus surgery. In recent years, clinicians have focused on the application of biological agents in CRSwNP. However, it has not reached a consensus on the timing and selection of biologics for the treatment of CRS so far., Summary: We reviewed the previous studies of biologics in CRS and summarized the indications, contraindications, efficacy assessment, prognosis, and adverse effects of biologics. Also, we evaluated the treatment response and adverse reactions of dupilumab, omalizumab, and mepolizumab in the management of CRS and made recommendations., Key Messages: Dupilumab, omalizumab, and mepolizumab have been approved for the treatment of CRSwNP by the US Food and Drug Administration. Type 2 and eosinophilic inflammation, need for systemic steroids or contraindication to systemic steroids, significantly impaired quality of life, anosmia, and comorbid asthma are required for the use of biologics. Based on current evidence, dupilumab has the prominent advantage in improving quality of life and reducing the risk of comorbid asthma in CRSwNP among the approved monoclonal antibodies. Most patients tolerate biological agents well in general with few major or severe adverse effects. Biologics have provided more options for severe uncontrolled CRSwNP patients or patients who refuse to have surgery. In the future, more novel biologics will be assessed in high-quality clinical trials and applied clinically., (© 2023 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Background/Aims . Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disorder that affects the central nervous system (CNS) primarily hallmarked by neuroinflammation and demyelination. The activation of astrocytes exerts double-edged sword effects, which perform an integral function in demyelination and remyelination. In this research, we examined the therapeutic effects of the Bu Shen Yi Sui capsule (BSYS), a traditional Chinese medicine prescription, in a cuprizone- (CPZ-) triggered demyelination model of MS (CPZ mice). This research intended to evaluate if BSYS might promote remyelination by shifting A1 astrocytes to A2 astrocytes. Methods . The effects of BSYS on astrocyte polarization and the potential mechanisms were explored in vitro and in vivo utilizing real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR, immunofluorescence, and Western blotting. Histopathology, expression of inflammatory cytokines (IL-10, IL-1 β , and IL-6), growth factors (TGF- β , BDNF), and motor coordination were assessed to verify the effects of BSYS (3.02 g/kg/d) on CPZ mice. In vitro, A1 astrocytes were induced by TNF- α (30 ng/mL), IL-1 α (3 ng/mL), and C1q (400 ng/mL), following which the effect of BSYS-containing serum (concentration of 15%) on the transformation of A1/A2 reactive astrocytes was also evaluated. Results and Conclusions . BSYS treatment improved motor function in CPZ mice as assessed by rotarod tests. Intragastric administration of BSYS considerably lowered the proportion of A1 astrocytes, but the number of A2 astrocytes, MOG+, PLP+, CNPase+, and MBP+ cells was upregulated. Meanwhile, dysregulation of glutathione peroxidase, malondialdehyde, and superoxide dismutase was reversed in CPZ mice after treatment with BSYS. In addition, the lesion area and expression of proinflammatory cytokines were decreased and neuronal protection factors and anti-inflammatory cytokines were increased. In vitro , BSYS-containing serum suppressed the A1 astrocytic markers' expression and elevated the expression levels of A2 markers in primary astrocytes triggered by C1q, TNF- α , and IL-1 α . Importantly, the miR-155/SOCS1 signaling pathway was involved in the modulation of the A1/A2 phenotype shift. Overall, this study demonstrated that BSYS has neuroprotective effects in myelin repair by modulating astrocyte polarization via the miR-155/SOCS1 pathway., Competing Interests: The authors warrant that they do not have any conflicting interests to disclose., (Copyright © 2022 Zheng Zha et al.)

Methods: The potential active ingredients and corresponding potential targets of BSYS Capsule were obtained from the TCMSP, BATMAN-TCM, Swiss Target Prediction platform, and literature research. Disease targets of CNSD were explored through the GeneCards and the DisGeNET databases. The matching targets of BSYS in CNSD were identified from a Venn diagram. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed using bioinformatics methods. Gene Ontology (GO) function and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were performed to predict the mechanisms of BSYS. Furthermore, the neuroprotective effects of BSYS were evaluated using a cell model of hydrogen peroxide- (H 2 O 2 -) induced cell death in OLN-93 cells., Results: A total of 59 potential bioactive components of BSYS Capsule and 227 intersection targets were obtained. Topological analysis showed that AKT had the highest connectivity degrees in the PPI network. Enrichment analysis revealed that the targets of BSYS in the treatment of CNSD were the PI3K-Akt and MAPK signaling pathway, among other pathways. GO analysis results showed that the targets were associated with various biological processes, including apoptosis, reactive oxygen species metabolic process, and response to oxidative stress, among others. The experimental results demonstrated that BSYS drug-containing serum alleviated the H 2 O 2 -induced increase in LDH, MDA, and ROS levels and reversed the decrease in SOD and mitochondrial membrane potential induced by H 2 O 2 . BSYS treatment also decreased the number of TUNEL (+) cells, downregulated Bcl-2 expression, and upregulated Bax and c-caspase-3 expression by promoting Akt phosphorylation., Conclusion: BSYS Capsule alleviated H 2 O 2 -induced OLN-93 cell injury by increasing Akt phosphorylation to suppress oxidative stress and cell apoptosis. Therefore, BSYS can be potentially used for CNSD treatment. However, the results of this study are only derived from in vitro experiments, lacking the validation of in vivo animal models, which is a limitation of our study. We will further verify the underlying mechanisms of BSYS in animal experiments in the future., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Zheng Zha et al.)

Bi 3+ /Eu 3+ co-doped phosphors can realize multi-color luminescence by adjusting the concentration ratio, which makes it possible to manually control the emission color. On this basis, a series of Bi 3+ /Eu 3+ co-doped phosphors SrLaGa 3 O 7 : x Bi 3+ , y Eu 3+ were prepared. The existence of energy transfer from Bi 3+ to Eu 3+ was verified by spectral analysis. The emission spectra of SrLaGa 3 O 7 : x Bi 3+ show a wide-band peaking at 472 nm. For SrLaGa 3 O 7 : x Bi 3+ , y Eu 3+ , the Bi 3+ → Eu 3+ energy transfer occurs and a series of sharp emitting peaks of Eu 3+ can be observed simultaneously. The relative luminescence intensity of Bi 3+ and Eu 3+ can be modulated by changing the relative concentrations of Bi 3+ and Eu 3+ . Using this mechanism, the color tunable luminescence of SrLaGa 3 O 7 : x Bi 3+ , y Eu 3+ from cyan, through white to orange, and finally to red is realized. By using a 320 nm UV chip and SLG:0.06Bi 3+ ,0.07Eu 3+ white phosphor, a white light-emitting diode (WLED) lamp was fabricated with chromaticity coordinates of (0.3199, 0.3083) and a color rendering index R a of 82. This indicates that the prepared sample is a very promising candidate in the LED field.

The stray-light suppression of a large off-axis three-mirror anastigmatic space camera has been a hot topic, and this study proposes a composite stray-light suppression strategy that effectively suppresses stray light using the combination of a baffle, retaining ring, and internal antistray light measures. Additionally, the light barrier of the third mirror with a three-layered structure was designed to further optimize the composite stray-light suppression system. At the stray-light simulation analysis stage, in view of the limitations of the Torrance-Sparrow scattering analysis model, an analysis model with wide adaptability is proposed, which can be applied to the stray-light simulation analysis of large-size mirrors with rough surfaces. The simulation results indicate that the point source transmittance of the composite stray-light suppression strategy proposed in this paper is of the order of 10 -5 before installing the light barrier of the third mirror, and the veiling glare index of the full field of view is less than 5.8%. After installing the light barrier of the third mirror, the point source transmittance reached the order of 10 -8 , and the veiling glare index of the full field of view was less than 1.31%. Moreover, the influence of the light barrier of the third mirror on the modulation transfer function of the system was less than 2.3%. The modulation transfer function test of the large-width off-axis three-mirror anastigmatic space camera in a simulated vacuum on-orbit environment was completed, and the test results indicated that the negative impact of the light barrier of the third mirror on the modulation transfer function was less than 3.6%. Moreover, an out-of-field imaging test of the space camera was conducted and the results showed that the image was clear, and the SNR reached 80 dB. The simulation and experimental results prove that the solution in this study can effectively solve the problem of stray-light suppression for large off-axis three-mirror anastigmatic space cameras.

Objective: The scientific community knows little about the long-term influence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on olfactory dysfunction (OD). With the COVID-19 pandemic ongoing worldwide, the risk of imported cases remains high. In China, it is necessary to understand OD in imported cases., Methods: A prospective follow-up design was adopted. A total of 11 self-reported patients with COVID-19 and OD from Xi'an No. 8 Hospital were followed between August 19, 2021, and December 12, 2021. Demographics, clinical characteristics, laboratory and radiological findings, and treatment outcomes were analyzed at admission. We surveyed the patients via telephone for recurrence and sequelae at the 1-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up., Results: Eleven patients with OD were enrolled; of these, 54.5% (6/11) had hyposmia and 45.5% (5/11) had anosmia. 63.6% (7/11) reported OD before or on the day of admission as their initial symptom; of these, 42.9% (3/7) described OD as the only symptom. All patients in the study received combined treatment with traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine, and 72.7% (8/11) had partially or fully recovered at discharge. In terms of OD recovery at the 12-month follow-up, 45.5% (5/11) reported at least one sequela, 81.8% (9/11) had recovered completely, 18.2% (2/11) had recovered partially, and there were no recurrent cases., Conclusions: Our data revealed that OD frequently presented as the initial or even the only symptom among imported cases. Most OD improvements occurred in the first 2 weeks after onset, and patients with COVID-19 and OD had favorable treatment outcomes during long-term follow-up. A better understanding of the pathogenesis and appropriate treatment of OD is needed to guide clinicians in the care of these patients., (Copyright © 2022 The Editorial Board of Biomedical and Environmental Sciences. Published by China CDC. All rights reserved.)

LAG1 longevity assurance homolog 2 (LASS2), a highly conserved transmembrane protein, has been reported in several cancer types. However, the roles of LASS2 in glioma biology remain elusive. In the present study, we investigated the expression of LAAS2 in human glioma tissues and the effects of LASS2 on glioma stem cell (GSC) proliferation. Roles of LASS2 in glioma cell migration and invasion were also researched both in vitro and in vivo . Our results demonstrated that the level of LASS2 is gradually reduced with the increase of glioma grade. The level of LASS2 is significantly lower in GSCs than in non GSCs, whereas LASS2 overexpression reduced the sphere formation and promoted the differentiation of CD133 + glioblastoma cells, as was indicated by reduced levels of CD133 and Nestin. In addition, LASS2 overexpression significantly reduced colony formation, migration, and invasion of glioma cells by promoting tumor cell apoptosis and inhibiting epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Overexpression of LASS2 inhibited U-87 MG cell-derived glioma xenograft growth in nude mice in a manner similar to in vitro . Our findings indicate that LASS2 can function as a suppressor of glioma growth, suggesting that modulation of LASS2 expression may contribute to a novel strategy for the management of glioma via inhibition of GSCs., Competing Interests: Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interest exists., (© The author(s).)

Remyelination is a refractory feature of demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Studies have shown that promoting oligodendrocyte precursor cell (OPC) differentiation, which cannot be achieved by currently available therapeutic agents, is the key to enhancing remyelination. Bu Shen Yi Sui capsule (BSYSC) is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine over many years of clinical practice. We have found that BSYSC can effectively treat MS. In this study, the effects of BSYSC in promoting OPCs differentiation and remyelination were assessed using an experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model in vivo and cultured OPCs in vitro. The results showed that BSYSC reduced clinical function scores and increased neuroprotection. The expression of platelet-derived growth factor receptor α (PDGFR- α ) was decreased and the level of 2',3'-cyclic nucleotide 3'-phosphodiesterase (CNPase) was increased in the brains and spinal cords of mice as well as in OPCs after treatment with BSYSC. We further found that BSYSC elevated the expression of miR-219 or miR-338 in the serum exosomes of mice with EAE, thereby suppressing the expression of Sox6, Lingo1, and Hes5, which negatively regulate OPCs differentiation. Therefore, serum exosomes of BSYSC-treated mice (exos-BSYSC) were extracted and administered to OPCs in which miR-219 or miR-338 expression was knocked down by adenovirus, and the results showed that Sox6, Lingo1, and Hes5 expression was downregulated, MBP expression was upregulated, OPCs differentiation was increased, and the ability of OPCs to wrap around neuronal axons was improved. In conclusion, BSYSC may exert clinically relevant effects by regulating microRNA (miR) levels in exosomes and thus promoting the differentiation and maturation of OPCs., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Jing Ji et al.)

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) poses a significant public health burden worldwide. The investigation of the choice of medical facility among CRC patients is helpful for understanding access to health services and improving quality of oncology services to optimize health outcomes. However, there are limited studies on the topic. The objective of this study was to investigate the choice of medical facility and its associated factors among advanced CRC patients., Methods: This cross-sectional multi-center study included a total of 4,589 individuals with advanced CRC from 19 hospitals in 7 geographic regions in China. Participants were recruited by multi-stage stratified sampling. In the first stage, two cities in each geographic region were selected through simple random sampling. In the second stage, one tertiary cancer hospital and/or one general hospital were selected in each city. Data on medical experience and demographics were collected via a questionnaire during face-to-face interviews. Explanatory variables were selected based on the Andersen behavioral model. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were performed to explore the factors associated with the level of medical facility for the first treatment., Results: Hospitals at the prefecture level were the most common medical facility sought by advanced CRC patients for initial medical care (44.9%), the first definite diagnosis (46.3%), the first treatment (39.5%), and regular follow-up (38.9%). However, the first priority was changed to hospitals at the national level for the second treatment (38.0%) and after recurrence and metastasis (45.9%). Female {odds ratios (ORs) ranged from 1.31 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.01-1.71] to 1.41 (95% CI: 1.07-1.87)} and relatively well-educated individuals [ORs ranged from 1.74 (95% CI: 1.20-2.53) to 7.26 (95% CI: 4.18-12.60)] preferred to seek higher-level health facilities. Individuals with metastatic CRC at diagnosis were more likely to visit hospitals in provincial capitals versus hospitals at the county level (OR =1.68, 95% CI: 1.27-2.22). Individuals with "good" health-related quality of life (HRQOL) (OR =0.63, 95% CI: 0.49-0.81) were less likely to seek hospitals at the prefecture level compared with hospitals at the county level., Conclusions: There is a need to improve the oncology services for CRC patients, including the optimization of referral reform policy and the promotion of quality of primary healthcare service. The results may provide evidence to fill the policy-implementation gap and potentially contribute to the improvement of the efficiency of the healthcare system., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://atm.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/atm-22-1020/coif). All authors report that this research was funded by Merck Serono Co. Ltd. The authors have no other conflicts of interest to declare., (2022 Annals of Translational Medicine. All rights reserved.)

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common cancers in China, and most CRC patients have already reached an advanced stage by the time of initial diagnosis. Due to the loss of health as a result of cancer, it has consequence on the treatment which may affect the psychophysical and social impairment of CRC patients. These indicators (psychophysical, function and social impairment) affect the health-related quality of life (HRQOL). There are limited studies that focus on advanced CRC patients in China. This study aimed to assess the HRQOL and its associated factors of advanced CRC patients in China., Methods: This was a cross-sectional, nationwide, hospital-based, and multi-center survey. According to the traditional administrative district definition, we selected 19 hospitals in 7 regions by multi-stage stratified sampling in China. For each eligible CRC patient with stage III or IV in the selected hospitals, socio-demographics, clinical information, and HRQOL were collected based on patients' self-reporting and/or medical records between March 2020 and March 2021. Patients completed the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Colorectal (FACT-C) plus-traditional Chinese version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ)-9., Results: A total of 4,589 CRC patients (mean age 60.1 years, including 2,730 males and 1,859 females) were included. The total score of HRQOL in population was 128.2±24.70. There were significant differences in the overall score of HRQOL in gender, education level, occupation, region, disease type, and disease stage (P<0.05). The score of HRQOL was better in males, undergraduates and above, unemployed/laid-off, and southwestern and central China. Multivariate analysis showed that education level, occupation, location, number of hospitals visited and treatment methods, and gender were associated with utilities of CRC patients., Conclusions: The HRQOL is an important outcome measure for CRC patients. The HRQOL scores differed according to socio-demographic and clinical characteristics, and findings of these factors were associated with education level, occupation, region, number of visited and treatment methods, and gender., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://atm.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/atm-22-991/coif). All authors report this research was funded by Beijing Love Book Cancer Foundation and Merck Serono Co. Ltd. The authors have no other conflicts of interest to declare., (2022 Annals of Translational Medicine. All rights reserved.)

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) causes a substantial disease burden in China. Information on the medical expenditure of CRC patients is critical for decision-makers to allocate medical resources reasonably, however, relevant data is limited in China, especially advanced CRC. The aim of this survey was to quantify the out-of-pocket medical expenditure of advanced CRC and explore associated factors., Methods: A nation-wide, multi-center, cross-sectional survey was conducted from March 2020 to March 2021. Nineteen hospitals in seven geographical regions were selected by multi-stage stratified sampling. For each eligible CRC patient with stage III or IV disease in the selected hospitals, the socio-demographics, clinical information, and range of out-of-pocket medical expenditure data were collected based on patients' self-reporting or medical records. Multivariable logistic analysis was used to explore associated factors of medical expenditure. All statistical analyses were conducted using SAS 9.4., Results: The mean age of the 4,428 advanced CRC patients included was 59.5±11.6 years, 59.6% were male, and 80.1% of patients were in stage III or IV at the time of diagnosis. Besides, 57.2% of patients had an annual household income of less than 50,000 Chinese Yuan (CNY), 40.9% of patients had an out-of-pocket medical expenditure of 50,000-99,999 CNY. As for the affordability of medical expenditure, 33.2% could afford 50,000-99,999 CNY. Multivariate analysis showed that patients who were in the southern [odds ratio (OR): 1.63, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.31-2.03] and southwestern (OR: 1.55, 95% CI: 1.25-1.93), were in stage III at the time of diagnosis (OR: 1.33, 95% CI: 1.13-1.57), visited three or more hospitals (OR: 1.26, 95% CI: 1.04-1.52), had sought cross-regional health care (OR: 1.60, 95% CI: 1.40-1.83), used genetic testing (OR: 1.26, 95% CI: 1.10-1.45) and targeted drugs (OR: 2.12, 95% CI: 1.79-2.51) had higher out-of-pocket medical expenditure., Conclusions: Patients with advanced CRC had a high out-of-pocket medical expenditure. It is necessary to strengthen the prevention and control of CRC to reduce the disease burden; also, it is critical to deepen the reform of the medical system, increase proportion of medical insurance reimbursement, and remove barriers to cross-regional health care., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://atm.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/atm-22-1001/coif). All authors stated that this research was funded by Merck Serono Co., Ltd. The authors have no other conflicts of interest to declare., (2022 Annals of Translational Medicine. All rights reserved.)

Background: The imbalanced allocation of medical resources leads to the occurrence of cross-regional healthcare-seeking in China. Due to the low cure rate, advanced colorectal cancer (CRC) patients may seek cross-regional healthcare for high-level medical facilities. Investigating status of cross-regional healthcare-seeking and its associated factors among advanced CRC patients is important for policymakers to understand access to health services and improve the quality of oncology services., Methods: From March 2020 to March 2021, a cross‑sectional, nation-wide, hospital-based, multi-center survey was conducted. Nineteen hospitals in seven regions were selected by multi-stage stratified sampling. All eligible CRC patients in the selected hospitals were invited to participate in the current study. The outcome variable, cross-regional healthcare-seeking, was defined as seeking health facilities outside the local administration policy of medical insurance. The demographics, clinical information, and medical treatment history of each eligible CRC patient in stage III or IV, were collected through the patients' self-reporting or medical records by trained interviewers. Univariate and multivariate logistic analyses were used to explore the associated factors of cross-regional healthcare-seeking. All statistical analyses were conducted using SAS 9.4., Results: A total of 4,589 individuals with advanced CRC were included. The average age of the patients was 60.1±11.6 years, and 59.5% were males. About 37.5% of the patients suffered from metastatic CRC at first diagnosis. Approximately 36.5% of the patients had sought cross-regional health care previously, and among them, 31.9% had encountered problems. The most common problems included complicated procedures (95.3%), unreimbursed expenses of outpatient service (71.0%), and reimbursement delay (59.4%). Logistic regression analysis showed that patients who completed undergraduate or above [odds ratio (OR) =1.40, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.13-1.73], had an annual household income of more than 100,000 Chinse Yuan (CNY) (OR =1.46, 95% CI: 1.21-1.78), and had metastasis at diagnosis (OR =1.33, 95% CI: 1.18-1.51) were more likely to seek cross-regional health care., Conclusions: About one third of advanced CRC patients seek cross-regional health care, and 31.9% had encountered problems. There is a need to simplify procedures of reimbursement, optimize direct settlement system and referral mechanisms in order to improve the equality of health services., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://atm.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/atm-22-1003/coif). All authors report that the research was funded by Merck Serono Co. Ltd. The authors have no other conflicts of interest to declare., (2022 Annals of Translational Medicine. All rights reserved.)

Background: Biomarkers are a key tool in early detection, prognostication, survival, and predicting treatment response of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, little is known about biomarker testing for CRC patients in real-life clinical practice in China. This study aimed to address the usage of biomarker testing and analyze factors related to its acceptance among Chinese patients with advanced CRC., Methods: A multicenter, cross-sectional, hospital-based clinical epidemiology study was conducted from March 2020 to March 2021. Nineteen hospitals were selected in seven geographical regions of China using stratified, multistage, nonrandomized cluster sampling. Data on demographics and clinical characteristics of each eligible CRC patient in stage III or IV diseases were recorded based on the patients' self-reporting and/or medical records. In addition, information on whether biomarker testing [ RAS, BRAF , and microsatellite instability (MSI)] was performed, the results and timing for performing biomarker testing, and the reasons for refusing biomarker testing were also recorded. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were conducted to explore the potential factors of biomarker testing., Results: A total of 4,526 patients were enrolled in the study, of whom 41.4%, 36.1%, and 28.2% underwent RAS, BRAF , and MSI testing, respectively. RAS, BRAF , and high-level MSI (MSI-high) mutation rates in Chinese patients with advanced CRC were 37.0%, 9.9%, and 8.1%, respectively. The logistic regression analysis revealed that the treating hospital, age at diagnosis, education, family income, tumor site, history of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and metastases were dependent factors affecting the utilization of biomarker testing in advanced CRC in China (P<0.005)., Conclusions: The biomarker testing rate, especially MSI testing, is less prevalent in clinical practice for patients with advanced CRC in China. Our findings may guide the formulation of biomarker testing of CRC strategies in China and other low-income countries., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://atm.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/atm-22-988/coif). All authors report funding from the Beijing Love Book Cancer Foundation and Merck Serono Co., Ltd. The authors have no other conflicts of interest to declare., (2022 Annals of Translational Medicine. All rights reserved.)

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the 3rd most common malignancy globally, and its disease burden is increasing rapidly in China. But CRC patients' knowledge and awareness of CRC have not yet been examined, which could facilitate the identification of targeted population from public for intervention., Methods: A nationwide multicenter cross-sectional survey was conducted in 19 tertiary hospitals (10 cancer hospitals and 9 general hospitals) from March 2020 to March 2021 in China. During study period, all Stage III and IV CRC patients were invited to complete a semi-structured survey that had been designed to collect information about their socio-demographic characteristics, and knowledge and awareness of CRC risk factors and screening. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to identify factors associated with their knowledge and awareness., Results: In total, 4,589 advanced CRC patients were enrolled in this study, of whom, 46.2% were from tertiary cancer hospitals, and 59.5% were male. Patients had a mean age of 60.1±11.6 years. Before diagnosis, 65.1% of the patients had no related knowledge of the CRC risk factors, and 84.9% were unaware of the CRC screening-related information. Only 30.4% of patients had actively sought to acquire CRC-related knowledge before diagnosis. The 3 most common knowledge sources were relatives or friends who had been diagnosed with CRC (13.2%), popular science television/broadcast shows (12.9%), and community publicity and education (9.6%). Generally, knowledge and awareness were positively associated with better education level [odds ratios (ORs) ranged from 1.49 to 2.54, P<0.001], annual household income ranged from 50,000 Chinese Yuan (CNY) to 100,000 CNY (OR =1.32, P<0.001), being manual laborer (OR =1.25, P<0.001) and being white-collar worker (OR =1.47, P<0.001)., Conclusions: Advanced CRC patients' knowledge and awareness of CRC were severely limited before diagnosis. Thus, those who had limited knowledge and awareness should has a priority for intervention., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://atm.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/atm-22-1019/coif). All authors report that this research was funded by Merck Serono Co., Ltd. The authors have no other conflicts of interest to declare., (2022 Annals of Translational Medicine. All rights reserved.)

Background: Sagliker syndrome (SS) is characterized by a severe uglifying facial appearance resulting from untreated or inadequately treated secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT). To date, the craniofacial morphology of patients with SS has yet to be analyzed. The present research sought to cephalometrically evaluate the craniofacial features of patients with SS and to perform an in-depth analysis of their serum biochemical parameters, with the aim of furthering the theoretical basis for the early diagnosis and prevention of SS., Methods: A retrospective chart review of 9 patients who fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for SS were included in this study, and their serum biochemical parameters were collected. After subjecting standard lateral cephalometric radiographic images to correction for distortions caused by magnification followed by digitization, we conducted a cephalometric analysis. Student's two-tailed t tests or Mann-Whitney U tests were used to analyze the data. Thirty-three patients with patients with SHPT alone were also included as controls., Results: The lower anterior facial height (ANS-ME) and total anterior facial height (N-Me) measurements of patients with SS were significantly increased compared to those of the controls. The angles between the Frankfort horizontal, palatal, and occlusal planes and the mandibular plane, were greater in the SS group than in the control group, as was the gonial angle. Patients with SS also exhibited a significantly larger maxillary protrusion angle and relative position of the maxilla to the mandible. Most patients with SS had class II malocclusion, whereas most of the controls exhibited normal occlusion. Soft tissue largely followed the same pattern as craniofacial changes. Our investigation also showed that among patients with SHPT, female sex, longer duration of dialysis, and higher serum levels of alkaline phosphatase and intact parathyroid hormone were associated with development to SS., Conclusions: Patients with SS show facial and biochemical differences compared to patients with SHPT. Female sex, long dialysis duration, and high serum levels of intact parathyroid hormone and alkaline phosphatase may be potential risk factors for SS., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://dx.doi.org/10.21037/atm-21-1544). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (2021 Annals of Translational Medicine. All rights reserved.)

Background: Bu Shen Yi Sui capsule (BSYS) is a traditional Chinese medicine prescription that has shown antineuroinflammatory and neuroprotective effects in treating multiple sclerosis (MS) and its animal model of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Microglia play an important role in neuroinflammation. The M1 phenotype of microglia is involved in the proinflammatory process of the disease, while the M2 phenotype plays an anti-inflammatory role. Promoting the polarization of microglia to M2 in MS/EAE is a promising therapeutic strategy. This study is aimed at exploring the effects of BSYS on microglial polarization in mice with EAE., Methods: The EAE model was established by the intraperitoneal injection of pertussis toxin and subcutaneous injection of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) 35-55 in C57BL/6J mice. The mice were treated with BSYS (3.02 g/kg), FTY720 (0.3 mg/kg), or distilled water by intragastric administration. H&E and LFB staining, transmission electron microscopy, qRT-PCR, immunofluorescence, ELISA, fluorescence in situ hybridization, and western blotting were used to detect the histological changes in myelin, microglial M1/M2 polarization markers, and the expression of key genes involved in EAE. Results and Conclusions . BSYS treatment of EAE mice increased the body weight, decreased the clinical score, and reduced demyelination induced by inflammatory infiltration. BSYS also inhibited the mRNA expression of M1 microglial markers while increasing the mRNA level of M2 markers. Additionally, BSYS led to a marked decrease in the ratio of M1 microglia (iNOS + /Iba1 + ) and an obvious increase in the number of M2 microglia (Arg1 + /Iba1 + ). In the EAE mouse model, miR-124 expression was decreased, and miR-155 expression was increased, while BSYS treatment significantly reversed this effect and modulated the levels of C/EBP α , PU.1, and SOCS1 (target genes of miR-124 and miR-155). Therefore, the neuroprotective effect of BSYS against MS/EAE was related to promoting microglia toward M2 polarization, which may be correlated with changes in miR-124 and miR-155 in vivo., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Zheng Zha et al.)

Objective: Several COVID-19 patients have overlapping comorbidities. The independent role of each component contributing to the risk of COVID-19 is unknown, and how some non-cardiometabolic comorbidities affect the risk of COVID-19 remains unclear., Methods: A retrospective follow-up design was adopted. A total of 1,160 laboratory-confirmed patients were enrolled from nine provinces in China. Data on comorbidities were obtained from the patients' medical records. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate the odds ratio ( OR ) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI ) of the associations between comorbidities (cardiometabolic or non-cardiometabolic diseases), clinical severity, and treatment outcomes of COVID-19., Results: Overall, 158 (13.6%) patients were diagnosed with severe illness and 32 (2.7%) had unfavorable outcomes. Hypertension (2.87, 1.30-6.32), type 2 diabetes (T2DM) (3.57, 2.32-5.49), cardiovascular disease (CVD) (3.78, 1.81-7.89), fatty liver disease (7.53, 1.96-28.96), hyperlipidemia (2.15, 1.26-3.67), other lung diseases (6.00, 3.01-11.96), and electrolyte imbalance (10.40, 3.00-26.10) were independently linked to increased odds of being severely ill. T2DM (6.07, 2.89-12.75), CVD (8.47, 6.03-11.89), and electrolyte imbalance (19.44, 11.47-32.96) were also strong predictors of unfavorable outcomes. Women with comorbidities were more likely to have severe disease on admission (5.46, 3.25-9.19), while men with comorbidities were more likely to have unfavorable treatment outcomes (6.58, 1.46-29.64) within two weeks., Conclusion: Besides hypertension, diabetes, and CVD, fatty liver disease, hyperlipidemia, other lung diseases, and electrolyte imbalance were independent risk factors for COVID-19 severity and poor treatment outcome. Women with comorbidities were more likely to have severe disease, while men with comorbidities were more likely to have unfavorable treatment outcomes., (Copyright © 2020 The Editorial Board of Biomedical and Environmental Sciences. Published by China CDC. All rights reserved.)

Inorganic borate compounds exhibit significant diversity in their structure types, which are associated with interesting optical and magnetic properties. In our work, a new rare-earth polyborate Na 3 GdB 8 O 15 was prepared with an infinite one-dimensional (1D) broad-banded framework of [B 8 O 15 ] ∞ running along the a-axis, in which large Gd 3+ and Na + ions reside to ensure cohesion and neutrality of the structure. The basic fundamental building block (FBB) of [B 8 O 15 ] ∞ is B 16 O 32 , which is composed of five BO 3 and three BO 4 groups and can be written as 5Δ3□: 〈2Δ□〉-〈Δ2□〉〈2Δ□〉. First principle studies reveal that Na 3 GdB 8 O 15 is an indirect bandgap semiconductor and the optical absorption at 280 nm originates from the O 2- → Gd 3+ transition. Solid solutions of Na 3 Gd 1-x Ce x B 8 O 15 and Na 3 Gd 0.98-y Y y Ce 0.02 B 8 O 15 were prepared and exhibited a bluish violet emissive luminescence by near-UV excitation due to the 5d 1 → 4f 1 transition of Ce 3+ . Substitution of Gd 3+ by Y 3+ enhanced the luminescence efficiency and significantly improved the thermal stability. At 423 K, the luminescence intensity of Na 3 Gd 0.58 Y 0.4 Ce 0.02 B 8 O 15 remained 77% of that at 298 K. We hypothesize that Na 3 GdB 8 O 15 is a potential inorganic luminescent host matrix.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common inflammatory demyelinating disorder of the central nervous system. Bu-shen-yi-sui capsule (BSYSC) could significantly reduce the relapse rate, prevent the progression of MS, and enhance remyelination following neurological injury in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an established model of MS; however, the mechanism underlying the effect of BSYSC on remyelination has not been well elucidated. This study showed that exosomes carrying biological information are involved in the pathological process of MS and that modified exosomes can promote remyelination by modulating related proteins and microRNAs (miRs). Here, the mechanism by which BSYSC promoted remyelination via exosome-mediated molecular signals was investigated in EAE mice and oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) in vitro. The results showed that BSYSC treatment significantly improved the body weight and clinical scores of EAE mice, alleviated inflammatory infiltration and nerve fiber injury, protected the ultrastructural integrity of the myelin sheath, and significantly increased the expression of myelin basic protein (MBP) in EAE mice. In an in vitro OPC study, BSYSC-containing serum, especially 20% BSYSC, promoted the proliferation and migration of OPCs and induced OPCs to differentiate into mature oligodendrocytes that expressed MBP. Furthermore, BSYSC treatment regulated the expression of neuropilin- (NRP-) 1 and GTX, downregulated the expression of miR-16, let-7, miR-15, miR-98, miR-486, and miR-182, and upregulated the level of miR-146 in serum exosomes of EAE mice. In conclusion, these results suggested that BSYSC has a neuroprotective effect and facilitates remyelination and that the mechanism underlying the effect of BSYSC on remyelination probably involves regulation of the NRP-1 and GTX proteins and miRs in serum exosomes, which drive promyelination., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of Interests., (Copyright © 2020 Pei-Yuan Zhao et al.)

The relationship between the structure and properties is always a hot topic in the luminescent material field. In this work, a new phosphor KBa 2 (PO 3 ) 5 :Eu 2+ (KBP:Eu) was prepared by a high-temperature solid-state reaction method and characterized by X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL), and electroluminescence studies. The polyphosphate host KBP offers three lattice environments (K1, Ba1, and Ba2) for Eu 2+ ions to realize broad-band emission from 380 to 700 nm under 345 nm excitation. The distributions of Eu 2+ in the three lattice sites can be proven by low-temperature PL and transient fluorescence spectroscopy. Furthermore, temperature-dependent luminescence studies for phosphor KBP:0.02Eu reveal that its luminescence intensity at 150 °C retains about 97% of the initial value at 25 °C. By composing a 365 nm UV chip and KBP:0.02Eu, CaAlSiN 3 :Eu 2+ phosphors, a warm white-light-emitting diode (WLED) was obtained with a correlated color temperature of 5146 K and chromaticity coordinates (0.3404, 0.3384). Therefore, KBP:Eu phosphor is a potential cyan-emitting phosphor used for high-power WLEDs.

Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is seriously affecting the general health due to its high prevalence and associated risk of liver-related consequences and extrahepatic chronic complications. New drugs are urgently needed for the treatment of NAFLD. The purpose of this meta-analysis is to assess the efficacy of incretin-based therapies in patients with NAFLD., Methods: We will search 4 databases for relative studies: PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Web of Science databases and identified all reports of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published from inception to July 2020. Two authors will independently scan the searched articles, extract the data from included articles, and assess the risk of bias by Cochrane tool of risk of bias. Disagreements will be resolved by discussion among authors. All analysis will be performed based on the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. Fixed-effects model or random-effects model will be used to calculate pooled estimates of weighted mean difference (WMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) or odds ratio (OR) with 95% CIs., Results: This systematic review aims to examine the effect of incretin-based therapies on liver histology, liver fat content, liver enzymes, and adverse events in patients with NAFLD., Conclusions: These findings will provide guidance to clinicians and patients on the use of incretin-based therapies for NAFLD.

Purpose: To assess the relationship between metformin use and the severity of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and to investigate the effect of metformin dosage on reducing the incidence of DR., Methods: The study population included patients with newly diagnosed T2DM, who were aged ≥20 years and prescribed with antidiabetic drug therapy lasting ≥90 days, as identified using the National Health Insurance Research Database between 2000 and 2012. We matched metformin users and nonusers by a propensity score. Cox proportional hazard regression analyses were used to compute and compare the risk of developing nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) in metformin users and nonusers., Results: Overall, 10,044 T2DM patients were enrolled. Metformin treatment was associated with a lower risk of NPDR (aHR 0.76, 95% CI 0.68-0.87) and sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy (STDR, aHR 0.29, 95% CI 0.19-0.45); however, the reduction in risk was borderline significant for STDR progression among NPDR patients (aHR 0.54, 95% CI 0.28-1.01). Combination therapy of metformin and DPP-4i exhibited a stronger but inverse relationship with NPDR development (aHR 0.32, 95% CI 0.25-0.41), especially at early (<3 months) stages of metformin prescription. These inverse relationships were also evident at different metformin doses and in adapted Diabetes Complications Severity Index scores (aDCSI). Moreover, combination therapy of metformin with sulfonylureas was associated with an increased risk of NPDR., Conclusion: Metformin treatment in patients with T2DM was associated with a reduced risk of NPDR, and a potential trend was found for a reduced STDR risk in patients who had previously been diagnosed with NPDR. Combining metformin with DPP-4i seemingly had a significantly beneficial effect against NPDR risk, particularly when aDCSI scores were low, and when metformin was prescribed early after T2DM diagnosis. These results may recommend metformin for early treatment of T2DM., Competing Interests: All authors state that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Yu-Pei Fan et al.)

In December 2019, a new type viral pneumonia cases occurred in Wuhan, Hubei Province; and then named "2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV)" by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 12 January 2020. For it is a never been experienced respiratory disease before and with infection ability widely and quickly, it attracted the world's attention but without treatment and control manual. For the request from frontline clinicians and public health professionals of 2019-nCoV infected pneumonia management, an evidence-based guideline urgently needs to be developed. Therefore, we drafted this guideline according to the rapid advice guidelines methodology and general rules of WHO guideline development; we also added the first-hand management data of Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University. This guideline includes the guideline methodology, epidemiological characteristics, disease screening and population prevention, diagnosis, treatment and control (including traditional Chinese Medicine), nosocomial infection prevention and control, and disease nursing of the 2019-nCoV. Moreover, we also provide a whole process of a successful treatment case of the severe 2019-nCoV infected pneumonia and experience and lessons of hospital rescue for 2019-nCoV infections. This rapid advice guideline is suitable for the first frontline doctors and nurses, managers of hospitals and healthcare sections, community residents, public health persons, relevant researchers, and all person who are interested in the 2019-nCoV.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the role of protein kinase D (PKD)1 in regulating the growth, apop-tosis, and drug sensitivity of the squamous carcinoma cell line SCC-25., Methods: The SCC-25 cell line was transfected with either the control-shRNA or PKD1-shRNA plasmids. The stable transfected cells were selected, and the efficiency of PKD1 knockdown was detected by Western blot. The growth and apoptosis of SCC-25 were analyzed with a cell counting kit-8 (CCK8) and flow cytometry. The 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC50) of paclitaxel in the control and PKD1 knockdown cell lines were detected by CCK-8. The expression levels of Bax, Bcl-2, and P-gp were detected by Western blot., Results: PKD1 was constitutively expressed and phosphorylated in various cancer cell lines. Inhibiting the expression of PKD1 in SCC-25 cells by RNA interference could inhibit the growth and promote the apoptosis of SCC-25 cells via downregulating Bcl-2 expression. Additionally, inhibiting PKD1 expression could downregulate the expression of P-gp, thereby decreasing both the IC50 and resistance index of paclitaxel., Conclusions: PKD1 plays an important role in regulating the biobehavior of SCC-25. It is a potential therapeutic target for oral squamous carcinoma.

Ankle joint kinematics is mainly stabilized by the morphology of the talar dome and the articular surface of tibiofibular mortise as well as the medial and lateral ligament complexes. Because of this the bicondylar geometry of talus dome is believed to be crucial for ankle implant design. However, little data exist describing the precise anatomy of the talar dome and the talocrural joint axis. The aim of this study is to document the anatomy of the talar dome and the axis of the talocrural joint using three-dimensional (3D) computed tomographic (CT) modeling. Seventy-one participants enrolled for CT scanning and 3D talar model reconstruction. All the ankles were held in a neutral position during the CT scanning. Six points on the lateral and medial crest of the talar dome were defined. The coordinate of the six points; radii of lateral-anterior (R-LA), lateral-posterior (R-LP), medial-anterior (R-MA), and medial-posterior (R-MP) sections; and inclination angle of the talar dome were measured, and the inclination and deviation angles of the talocrural joint axis were determined. The mean values of R-LA, R-LP, R-MA, and R-MP were 19.23 ± 2.47 mm, 18.76 ± 2.90 mm, 17.02 ± 3.49 mm, and 22.75 ± 3.04 mm. The mean inclination angle of the talar dome was 9.86 ± 3.30 degrees. Gender variation was found in this parameter. The mean inclination and deviation angles were 8.60 ± 0.07 and 0.76 ± 0.69 degrees for the dorsiflexion axis and -7.34 ± 0.07 and 0.09 ± 0.18 degrees for the plantarflexion axis. Bilateral asymmetries between the medial and lateral crest of the talar dome were found, which resulted in different dorsiflexion and plantarflexion axes of the talocrural joint. Currently, no ankle implants replicate this talar anatomy, and these findings should be considered in future implant designs., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2019 Da-Hang Zhao et al.)