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Mounting evidence has shown that miRNA-150 expression is upregulated in gastric cancer (GC) and is associated with gastric carcinogenesis, but the underlying oncogenic mechanism remains elusive. Here, we discovered that miRNA-150 targets the tumor suppressor SUFU to promote cell proliferation, migration, and the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) via the dual activation of Hedgehog (Hh) and Wnt signaling. MiRNA-150 was highly expressed in GC tissues and cell lines, and the level of this miRNA was negatively related to that of SUFU. In addition, both the miRNA-150 and SUFU levels were associated with tumor differentiation. Furthermore, miRNA-150 activated GC cell proliferation and migration in vitro. We found that miRNA-150 inhibitors repressed not only Wnt signaling by promoting cytoplasmic β-catenin localization, but also repressed Hh signaling and EMT. MiRNA-150 inhibition also resulted in significant tumor volume reductions in vivo, suggesting the potential application of miRNA-150 inhibitors in GC therapy. The expression of genes downstream of Hh and Wnt signaling was also reduced in tumors treated with miRNA-150 inhibitors. Notably, anti-SUFU siRNAs rescued the inhibitory effects of miRNA-150 inhibitors on Wnt signaling, Hh activation, EMT, cell proliferation, cell migration, and colony formation. Taken together, these findings indicate that miRNA-150 is oncogenic and promotes GC cell proliferation, migration, and EMT by activating Wnt and Hh signaling via the suppression of SUFU expression.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are covalently closed, endogenous molecules that are widespread in eukaryotes. Recent evidence indicates that circRNAs play important roles in carcinogenesis. Several circRNAs have been reported to comprise translatable RNA; however, whether circRNAs encode functional proteins remains unknown. In our study, circRNA sequencing was carried out using five pathologically diagnosed gastric carcinoma (GC) samples and their paired adjacent normal tissues, we characterized the circRNA GSPT1 (circGSPT1), which is expressed at low levels in GC. Antibody detections, and mass spectrometry were used to validate active circRNA translation. The spanning junction open reading frame in circGSPT1, driven by an internal ribosome entry site (IRES), encodes a functional peptide, termed GSPT1-238aa. Interestingly, GSPT1-238aa tends to select the start codon used to initiate translation. This is the first finding of selective translation driven by IRES. CircGSPT1 and GSPT1-238aa halted the proliferation, migration, and invasion in GC cells in vitro. We also confirmed that the vimentin/Beclin1/14-3-3 complex interacts with GSPT1-238aa and modulates autophagy via the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway in GC cells. Our study reveals that GSPT1-238aa, a novel protein encoded by circGSPT1, halts GC tumorigenesis. We also provide insights into the function and underlying molecular mechanisms of GSPT1-238aa in GC and suggest that this protein represents a novel target for GC treatment.

Although great progress has been made in surgical techniques, traditional radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, gastric cancer (GC) is still the most common malignant tumor and has a high mortality, which highlights the importance of novel diagnostic markers. Emerging studies suggest that different microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in tumorigenesis of GC. In this study, we found that miRNA-192 and -215 are significantly upregulated in GC and promote cell proliferation and migration. Adenomatous polyposis coli (APC), a well-known negative regulator in Wnt signaling, has been proved to be a target of miRNA-192 and -215. Inhibition of miRNA-192 or -215 reduced the Topflash activities and repressed the expression of Wnt signaling pathway proteins, while APC small interfering RNAs reversed the inhibitory effects, suggesting that miRNA-192 and -215 activate Wnt signaling via APC. In addition, APC mediates the cell proliferation and migration regulated by miRNA-192 and -215. Furthermore, APC is downregulated in GC tissues and negatively correlated with the expression of miRNA-192 and -215. In summary, miRNA-192 and -215 target APC and function as oncogenic miRNAs by activating Wnt signaling in GC, revealing to be potential therapeutic targets.

Diabetic overweight patients are more likely to show the progression of kidney damage than the general population. The majority of people in the early stages of kidney damage do not recognize the importance of risk modification, mainly due to the asymptomatic nature of the disease. This study aimed to examine specific risk combinations of lifestyle and BMI regarding the deterioration of kidney function and to explore whether there are gender-based differences among the prediabetic population. Prediabetic participants with normal kidney function were identified via annual health examination from April 2016 to March 2019. The information on health status and lifestyle was collected at enrollment. The study subjects were followed until March 2021 to observe the progression of kidney damage. There were 2241 participants enrolled in this study. Smoking (HR = 3.5, p < 0.001), eating snacks (HR = 3.2, p < 0.001), not engaging in regular exercise (HR = 2.9, p < 0.001), and not having adequate sleep (HR = 3.0, p < 0.001) showed accelerated risks for kidney damage progression among the prediabetic population in males. These lifestyle effects were not observed in females. In conclusion, risk-based modification of lifestyle behavior is important to prevent kidney function damage among the overweight prediabetic population in males.

The complex frequencies of the low-degree toroidal modes are helpful in constraining the mantle structure. In the early years, the traditional method to detect the low-degree toroidal modes is seismic approach, which is primarily limited by the horizontal noise of seismometers. Recently, it has been proved that gravity method is competitive. Therefore, we re-estimated or newly estimated the complex frequencies of the toroidal modes below 1.5 mHz excited by the 2004 Sumatra-Andaman event using gravity method in this paper. The results show that (1) The quality factors of 0T5–0T9 and 1T2–1T3 are estimated from superconducting gravity data for the first time; (2) The estimated frequencies and quality factors for 0T2–0T9 and 1T2–1T3 are consistent with those provided by previous publications, which verifies the correctness and effectiveness of our estimations; (3) The maximum difference of frequencies between our results and those from CPREM is on the order of 0.01 mHz and the maximum difference of quality factors is at the level of 10. Keywords: Low-degree toroidal modes, Superconducting gravity data, Complex frequency, Quality factor

Previous research has found that miRNA-20b is highly expressed in gastric cancer (GC), however, its function and underlying mechanism are not clear. Wnt signaling pathway, implicated in tumorigeneisis, is activated in more than 30% of GC. We would like to characterize the biological behavior of miRNA-20b in terms of modulating Wnt/β-catenin signaling and EMT. We showed that miRNA-20b inhibitors suppressed Topflash/Fopflash dependent luciferase activity and the β-catenin nuclear translocation, resulting in inhibition of Wnt pathway activity and EMT. SUFU, negatively regulating Wnt and Hedgehog signaling pathway, was proved to be targeted by miRNA-20b. Moreover, additional knockdown of SUFU alleviated the inhibitory effect on Wnt pathway activity, EMT, cell proliferation/migration and colony formation caused by miRNA-20b inhibition. In summary, miRNA-20b is an oncogenic miRNA and promoted cell proliferation, migration and EMT in GC partially by activating Wnt pathway via targeting SUFU., miRNA-20b, SUFU, EMT, Wnt/β-catenin.

Background Subxiphoid approach for mediastinal tumor resection was reported to provide a better view and less postoperative pain. Non-intubated video-assisted thoracic surgery (NI-VATS) without muscle relaxant would decrease the possibility of postoperative airway collapse for anterior mediastinal mass operation. Herein, we sought to describe the use of NI-VATS through subxiphoid approach for anterior mediastinal tumor resection. Methods In this retrospective cohort study, patients that underwent subxiphoid VATS resection for anterior mediastinal tumor between December 2015 and September 2019 were divided into two groups: NI-VATS and intubated VATS (I-VATS). Intraoperative and postoperative variables were compared. Results A total of 40 patients were included. Among them, 21 patients received NI-VATS (52.5%) and 19 were treated with I-VATS (47.5%). In total, intraoperative (4/21 vs. 2/19; P=0.446) and postoperative complications (5/21 vs. 7/19; P=0.369) were similar between NI-VATS and I-VATS group. The anesthesia time (231.76 vs. 244.71 min; P=0.218), the operation time (152.35 vs. 143.64 min; P=0.980), chest tube duration (1.81 vs. 1.84 days; P=0.08), the total volume (351.95 vs. 348.00 mL; P=0.223), post-operative pain scores (2.79 vs. 2.93, P=0.413), and the length of stay (9.47 vs. 10.57 days; P=0.970) were all comparable between two groups. Conclusions NI-VATS for mediastinal tumor resection via subxiphoid approach is a safe and technically feasible option in selected patients, which leads to comparable perioperative clinical outcomes when compared with I-VATS via the subxiphoid approach. This technique could be used as an alteration when intubation is not available.

The poor prognosis of late gastric carcinomas (GC) underscores the necessity to identify novel biomarkers for earlier diagnosis and effective therapeutic targets. MiRNA-324-5p has been shown to be over-expressed in GC, however the biological function of miRNA-324-5p implicated in gastric cancer and its downstream targets were not well understood. Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway is aberrantly regulated in GC. We sought to explore if miRNA-324-5p promotes oncogenesis through modulating Wnt signaling and EMT. MiRNA-324-5p is highly expressed in GC based on qRT-PCR and TCGA data. In addition, in vitro cell proliferation, cell migration assays and in vivo animal exenograft were executed to show that miRNA-324-5p is an oncogenic miRNA in GC. MiRNA-324-5p activates Wnt signaling and induces EMT in GC. Further, SUFU was identified as a target of miRNA-324-5p confirmed by western blotting and luciferase assays. Spearson analysis and TCGA data indicate that the expression of SUFU is negatively associated with the expression of miRNA-324-5p. Rescue experiments were performed to determine if SUFU mediates the Wnt activation, EMT and oncogenic function of miRNA-324-5p. MiRNA-324-5p inhibitors plus SUFU siRNAs rescue partially the inhibitory effect on Wnt signaling and EMT caused by miRNA-324-5p inhibitors. Finally, the suppression of cell proliferation, migration, and colony formation ability induced by miRNA-324-5p inhibitors is alleviated by addition of SUFU siRNAs. In summary, miRNA-324-5p is overexpressed in vivo and exerts cell growth and migration-promoting effects through activating Wnt signaling and EMT by targeting SUFU in GC. It represents a potential miRNA with an oncogenic role in human gastric cancer.

Objective Subxiphoid approach for mediastinal tumor resection was reported to provide a better view and less postoperative pain. Non-intubated video-assisted thoracic surgery (NI-VATS) without muscle relaxant would decrease the possibility of postoperative airway collapse for anterior mediastinal mass operation. Herein, we sought to describe the use of NI-VATS through subxiphoid approach for anterior mediastinal tumor resection. Methods Patients that underwent subxiphoid VATS resection for anterior mediastinal tumor between December 2015 and September 2019 were retrospectively included for analysis. Patients were divided into two groups according to airway management: NI-VATS and intubated VATS (I-VATS). Intraoperative and postoperative variables were compared. Results A total of 40 patients were included. Among them, 21 patients received NI-VATS (52.5%) and 19 were treated with I-VATS (47.5%). In total, intraoperative (4/21 vs. 2/19; p = 0.446) and postoperative complications (5/21 vs. 7/19; p = 0.369) were similar between NI-VATS and I-VATS group. The anesthesia time (231.76 vs 244.71 min; p = 0.218), the operation time (152.35 vs 143.64 min; p = 0.980) and the length of stay (9.47 vs 10.57 day; p = 0.970) were similar between the two groups. Chest tube duration was shorter in NI-VATS groups (1.81 vs 1.84 day; p = 0.008), however, the total volume (351.95 vs 348.00 ml; p = 0.223) was similar. The post-operative pain scores (2.79 vs 2.93, P = 0.413) were comparable between two groups. Conclusions NI-VATS for mediastinal tumor resection via subxiphoid approach is a safe and technically feasible option. This technique leads to comparable perioperative clinical outcomes when compared with I-VATS via subxiphoid approach.

A mounting body of evidence has revealed that microRNAs (miRs) serve pivotal roles in various developmental processes, and in tumourigenesis, by binding to target genes and subsequently regulating gene expression. Continued activation of the Wnt/β‑catenin signalling is positively associated with human malignancy. In addition, miR‑194 dysregulation has been implicated in gastric cancer (GC); however, the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of miR‑194 on GC carcinogenesis remain to be elucidated. The present study demonstrated that miR‑194 was upregulated in GC tissues and SUFU negative regulator of Ηedgehog signaling (SUFU) was downregulated in GC cell lines. Subsequently, inhibition of miR‑194 attenuated nuclear accumulation of β‑catenin, which consequently blocked Wnt/β‑catenin signalling. In addition, the cytoplasmic translocation of β‑catenin induced by miR‑194 inhibition was mediated by SUFU. Furthermore, genes associated with the Wnt/β‑catenin signalling pathway were revealed to be downregulated following inhibition of the Wnt signalling pathway by miR‑194 suppression. Finally, the results indicated that cell apoptosis was markedly increased in response to miR‑194 inhibition, strongly suggesting the carcinogenic effects of miR‑194 in GC. Taken together, these findings demonstrated that miR‑194 may promote gastric carcinogenesis through activation of the Wnt/β‑catenin signalling pathway, making it a potential therapeutic target for GC.

SMG‐1,a member of the phosphoinositide kinase‐like kinase family, functioned as a tumor suppressor gene. However, the role of SMG‐1 in GC remain uncharacterized. In this study, regulation of SMG‐1 by miR‐192 and‐215, along with the biological effects of this modulation, were studied in GC. We used gene microarrays to screening and luciferase reporter assays were to verify the potential targets of miR‐192 and‐215. Tissue microarrays analyses were applied to measure the levels of SMG‐1 in GC tissues. Western blot assays were used to assess the signaling pathway of SMG‐1 regulated by miR‐192 and‐215 in GC. SMG‐1 was significantly downregulated in GC tissues.The proliferative and invasive properties of GC cells were decreased by inhibition of miR‐192 and‐215, whereas an SMG‐1siRNA rescued the inhibitory effects. Finally, SMG‐1 inhibition by miR‐192 and‐215 primed Wnt signaling and induced EMT. Wnt signaling pathway proteins were decreased markedly by inhibitors of miR‐192 and‐215, while SMG‐1 siRNA reversed the inhibition apparently. Meanwhile, miR‐192 and‐215 inhitibtors increased E‐cadherin expression and decreased N‐cadherin and cotransfection of SMG‐1 siRNA reversed these effects. In summary, these findings illustrate that SMG‐1 is suppressed by miR‐192 and‐215 and functions as a tumor suppressor in GC by inactivating Wnt signaling and suppressing EMT.

Recently, traditionally non-encoding circRNA has been shown to encode a new protein to play an important role in oncogenesis. Based on the sequencing data and bioinformatics analysis, circAX was screened as an oncogenic circRNA encoding AX-295aa in gastric cancer. CircAX is highly expressed in gastric cancer and associated with lymph node metastasis. We found that circAX promotes GC cell proliferation and migration and it encodes a novel protein AX-295aa. AX-295aa interacts with APC and competitively inhibits AXIN1 binding to APC. It enhances β-catenin nuclear translocation and activates Wnt signaling pathway to promote the carcinogenesis and development of gastric cancer. The study reveals a new regulatory mechanism of circAX and clarify the mechanism by which circAX promotes gastric carcinogenesis. It will ultimately provide novel circRNA molecular markers for early diagnosis and targets for more effective treatment of gastric cancer. Citation Format: Yin Peng, Xiaojing Zhang, Shiqi Deng, Jieqiong He, Wangchun Chen, Xiaohui Zhu, Yuan Yuan, Xianling Feng, Xinmin Fan, Zhe Jin. Novel protein AX-295aa encoded by circAX promotes gastric carcinogenesis by activating Wnt pathway [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 4820.

Large-scale general search engines have been unable to meet the needs of “specialized, sophisticated and deep” information in the field of mineral intelligence services. Vertical search engines have emerged at the historic moment, and the focused crawler is the key technology to achieve vertical search engines. This paper proposes a hybrid topic strategy based on text content and web link structure for the characteristics of mineral information field. In order to improve the topic relevance determination ability of the focused crawler, this article introduces HowNet and the word embedding technology in the field of natural language processing, and combines them to carry out the text-based topic relevance determination; at the same time, it also introduces the HITS algorithm based on the link structure of web pages. The topic strategy based on text content is organically combined with the topic strategy based on the webpage link structure to realize the recognition and prediction of the webpage topic. Simulation experiment results show that the method proposed in this paper can achieve a high recall rate and precision rate for the acquisition of mineral intelligence information on the Internet.

Less than a century ago, gastric cancer (GC) was the most common cancer throughout the world. Despite advances in surgical, chemotherapeutic, and radiotherapeutic treatment, GC remains the number 3 cancer killer worldwide. This fact highlights the need for better diagnostic biomarkers and more effective therapeutic targets. RAB11-FIP2, a member of the Rab11 family of interacting proteins, exhibits potential tumor suppressor function. However, involvement of RAB11-FIP2 in gastric carcinogenesis is yet to be elucidated. In this study, we demonstrated that RAB11-FIP2 was downregulated in GC tissues and constituted a target of the known onco-miRs, miR-192/215. We also showed that functionally, Rab11-FIP2 regulation by miR-192/215 is involved in GC-related biological activities. Finally, RAB11-FIP2 inhibition by miR-192/215 affected the establishment of cell polarity and tight junction formation in GC cells. In summary, this miR-192/215–Rab11-FIP2 axis appears to represent a new molecular mechanism underlying GC progression, while supplying a promising avenue of further research into diagnosis and therapy of GC.

A colorless wavelength division multiplexing passive optical network delivering up/downstream signals and video broadcast signal (VBS) simultaneously is presented in this paper. In this scheme, subcarrier modulation technique is adopted at the optical line terminal. Here un-modulated double-sideband subcarriers and optical carriers operating in different wavelength bands are used for downstream and video broadcast signal transmission, respectively. The use of differential-phase-shift-keying (DPSK) modulation for downstream transmission enables effective upstream transmission by direct re-modulation. The simulation results demonstrated with 2.5-Gb/s up/downstream signals and video broadcasting signal show this approach could work very well.

A highly reliable semi-passive WDM optical network is proposed in this paper. By newly designing passive array scheme in remote node, the network can support ring, grid and three-dimension topologies of optical network units (ONUs). By using optical switches and connecting fibers between the adjacent ONUs, the network can achieve 1:N (N ≥ 2) protection of distribution fiber. By setting a backup fiber, 1 + 1 feeder fiber protection can be realized. By adding optical transceivers in optical line terminals and changing the topology of ONUs, the network can be expanded from two-dimension to three-dimension structure. In addition, it can achieve dynamic bandwidth allocation among the adjacent ONUs.

A reliable dual-fiber ring-tree wavelength-division multiplexing optical access network architecture is proposed in this paper. On the one hand, due to the use of differential phase shift keying modulation, triple-play service including point-to-point service and broadcast service is realized. On the other hand, the wavelengths can be allocated dynamically by means of the special design of the remote node. What is more important is this network architecture can provide flexible protection modes for either single or multiple failures as well. The network survivability could be improved largely.

We propose a novel wavelength division multiplexing passive optical network (WDM-PON) structure enabling multiple protections and dynamic wavelength allocation for optical network units (ONUs). In this scheme, an ONU can get protection from either of the ONUs connecting to it through dual fiber connections, which also serves to realize the bandwidth sharing for ONUs. Moreover, survivability of this network can be further enhanced by increasing the number of ONUs one ONU connects. We experimentally demonstrate the feasibility of the system by simulation in Optisystem.