A metabolic map and artificial intelligence-aided identification of nasopharyngeal carcinoma via a single-cell Raman platform.

Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a complex cancer influenced by various factors. This study explores the use of single-cell Raman spectroscopy as a potential diagnostic tool for investigating biomolecular changes associated with NPC carcinogenesis.

Methods: Seven NPC cell lines, one immortalised nasopharyngeal epithelial cell line, six nasopharyngeal mucosa tissues and seven NPC tissue samples were analysed by performing confocal Raman spectroscopic measurements and imaging.

The Comparison of Biomolecular Changes of Epstein-Barr Virus Infection in Nasopharyngeal Epithelial Cells Using Confocal Raman Microspectroscopy.

Background: Due to its unique fingerprinting properties, Confocal Raman microscopy (CRM) can be used to examine the biomolecular changes of viruses invading and manipulating host cells. Recently, the biochemical changes due to the invasion and infection of B lymphocyte cells, nerve cells, and epithelial cells by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) have been reported. However, biomolecular changes in nasopharyngeal epithelial cells that result from EBV infection are still poorly understood.

Improving regional medical laboratory center report quality through a report recall management system.

Objectives: Currently, most medical laboratories do not have a dedicated software for managing report recalls, and relying on traditional manual methods or laboratory information system (LIS) to record recall data is no longer sufficient to meet the quality management requirements in the large regional laboratory center. The purpose of this article was to describe the research process and preliminary evaluation results of integrating the Medical Laboratory Electronic Record System (electronic record system) laboratory report recall function into the iLab intelligent management system for quality indicators (iLab system), and to introduce the workflow and methods of laboratory report recall management in our laboratory.

Methods: This study employed cluster analysis to extract commonly used recall reasons from laboratory report recall records in the electronic record system.

dbCNV: deleteriousness-based model to predict pathogenicity of copy number variations.

Background: Copy number variation (CNV) is a type of structural variation, which is a gain or loss event with abnormal changes in copy number. Methods to predict the pathogenicity of CNVs are required to realize the relationship between these variants and clinical phenotypes. ClassifyCNV, X-CNV, StrVCTVRE, etc.

Comprehensive analysis of aberrantly expressed circRNAs, mRNAs and lncRNAs in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Background: The location of nasopharyngeal cancer is hidden, so it is difficult to diagnose at an early stage. In this study, we aimed to investigate the expression profiles of circRNAs, mRNAs and IncRNAs and to provide some basis for further studies.

Methods: Expression profiles of circRNAs, mRNAs, and lncRNAs were analyzed using microarray techniques.

Segmental aneuploidies with 1 Mb resolution in human preimplantation blastocysts.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the spectrum and characteristics of segmental aneuploidies (SAs) of <10 megabase (Mb) length in human preimplantation blastocysts.

Methods: Preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy was performed in 15,411 blastocysts from 5171 patients using a validated 1 Mb resolution platform. The characteristics and spectrum of SAs, including the incidence, sizes, type, inheritance pattern, clinical significance, and embryo distribution, were studied.

A Novel Diagnostic Biomarker, PZP, for Detecting Colorectal Cancer in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients Identified by Serum-Based Mass Spectrometry.

Growing evidence has confirmed that populations with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have an increasing risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC). Thus, convenient and effective screening strategies for CRC should be developed for the T2DM population to increase the detection rate of CRC. Twenty serum samples extracted from five healthy participants, five T2DM patients, five CRC patients and five T2DM patients with CRC (T2DM + CRC) were submitted to data-independent acquisition mass spectrometry (DIA-MS) analysis to discover unique differentially altered proteins (DAPs) for CRC in patients with T2DM.

miR-224 Regulates the Aggressiveness of Hepatoma Cells Through the IL-6/STAT3/SMAD4 Pathway.

Background: Previous studies have shown that miR-224 regulates the progression of liver cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the underlying mechanisms.

Methods: The miR-224, p-STAT3 and SMAD4 expression levels were checked with tissue or/and serum samples of HCC patients by qRT-PCR or IHC methods.

An aberrant DNA methylation signature for predicting the prognosis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a common malignancy worldwide with a poor prognosis. DNA methylation is an epigenetic modification that plays a critical role in the etiology and pathogenesis of HNSCC. The current study aimed to develop a predictive methylation signature based on bioinformatics analysis to improve the prognosis and optimize therapeutic outcome in HNSCC.

The Overexpression of NMHC IIA Promoted Invasion and Metastasis of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Cells.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a kind of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) with a strong tendency for metastasis and recurrence. Non-muscle myosin heavy chain IIA (NMHC IIA) plays important roles in recurrence and metastasis of cancers. However, the function and mechanism of NMHC IIA expression in NPC remain unclear.

Analytical performance evaluation of five RT-PCR kits for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.

Background: We aimed to evaluate the analytical performance of five commercial RT-PCR kits (Genekey, Daan, BioGerm, Liferiver, and Yaneng) commonly used in China, since such comparison data are lacking.

Methods: A total of 20 COVID-19 confirmed patients and 30 negative nasopharyngeal swab specimens were analyzed by five kits. The detection ability of five RT-PCR kits was evaluated with 5 concentration gradients diluted by a single positive sample.

MicroRNA-23b-3p promotes pancreatic cancer cell tumorigenesis and metastasis via the JAK/PI3K and Akt/NF-κB signaling pathways.

MicroRNA (miR)-23b-3p plays an important role in tumor growth, proliferation, invasion and migration in pancreatic cancer (PC). However, the function and mechanistic role of miR-23b-3p in the development of PC remains largely unknown. In the present study, the miR-23b-3p levels in the serum of patients with PC were found to be elevated, and the phosphorylation levels of Janus kinase (JAK)2, PI3K, Akt and NF-κВ were found to be upregulated.

Consistency evaluation of Liferiver, Yaneng, Darui, and the Cobas 4800 test for high-risk human papillomavirus screening.

Background: In recent years, several high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) tests have been developed. The assay capabilities need to be systematically reviewed. Here, we compared the clinical sample performance of three novel HR-HPV assays (Liferiver, Yaneng, and Darui) based on different platforms with the widely adopted cobas4800 test.

Development of a novel prognostic signature for predicting the overall survival of bladder cancer patients.

Background: Bladder cancer is one of the most common malignancies. So far, no effective biomarker for bladder cancer prognosis has been identified. Aberrant DNA methylation is frequently observed in the bladder cancer and holds considerable promise as a biomarker for predicting the overall survival (OS) of patients.

LINC00958 and HOXC13-AS as key candidate biomarkers in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma by integrated bioinformatics analysis.

Background: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a malignant tumor with a strong tendency for metastasis and recurrence. Finding effective biomarkers for the early diagnosis of HNSCC is critical for the early treatment and prognosis of patients.

Methods: RNA sequencing data including long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), messenger RNA (mRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) of 141 HNSCC and 44 adjacent normal tissues were obtained from the TCGA.

Up-regulation of miR-155 contributes to TNF-mediated hepatocyte apoptosis in acute liver failure.

Background/aims: Acute liver failure (ALF) is due to severe immune response, resulting in massive apoptosis/necrosis of hepatocytes. The precise mechanism has not been explored yet.

Materials And Methods: The mouse with ALF model was induced by D-GalN/LPS; the hepatic miRNAs expression profile was evaluated by miRNA microarray and verified by RT-PCR.

Upregulated exosomic miR‑23b‑3p plays regulatory roles in the progression of pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the most lethal malignances. Identification of biomarkers for early diagnosis of PC is a key imperative. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to be valuable biomarkers in the context of several cancers.

An Advanced Model to Precisely Estimate the Cell-Free Fetal DNA Concentration in Maternal Plasma.

Background: With the speedy development of sequencing technologies, noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) has been widely applied in clinical practice for testing for fetal aneuploidy. The cell-free fetal DNA (cffDNA) concentration in maternal plasma is the most critical parameter for this technology because it affects the accuracy of NIPT-based sequencing for fetal trisomies 21, 18 and 13. Several approaches have been developed to calculate the cffDNA fraction of the total cell-free DNA in the maternal plasma.

Profiling of downregulated blood-circulating miR-150-5p as a novel tumor marker for cholangiocarcinoma.

Altered microRNA (miRNA) expression plays a role in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) development; thus, detection of blood-circulating miRNAs could be useful as CCA markers. This study profiled serum miRNA levels in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and CCA and then assessed the role of miR-150-5p in CCA progression in vitro. Three samples were randomly selected from each of 50 sera of healthy controls, 30 PSC sera, and 28 CCA sera with matched bile samples for miRNA microarray profiling.

Performance Evaluation of NIPT in Detection of Chromosomal Copy Number Variants Using Low-Coverage Whole-Genome Sequencing of Plasma DNA.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the performance of noninvasively prenatal testing (NIPT) for fetal copy number variants (CNVs) in clinical samples, using a whole-genome sequencing method.

Method: A total of 919 archived maternal plasma samples with karyotyping/microarray results, including 33 CNVs samples and 886 normal samples from September 1, 2011 to May 31, 2013, were enrolled in this study. The samples were randomly rearranged and blindly sequenced by low-coverage (about 7M reads) whole-genome sequencing of plasma DNA.

The complete mitochondrial genome of the Dipodomys ordii (Ord's kangaroo rat).

Ord's kangaroo rat is a kangaroo rat native to western North America. In this study, we first reported the complete mitochondrial genome of Dipodomys ordii that the first has the complete mitochondrial genome in the genus of Heteromyidae. The mitogenome is a circular molecule of 16 257 bp in length, containing 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNAs, 22 transfer RNAs and a putative displacement loop region.

The complete mitochondrial genome of the Monterrey platyfish (Xiphophorus couchianus).

The Monterrey platyfish (Xiphophorus couchianus) is native to the vicinity of Monterrey, Mexico and is listed as Critically Endangered by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Here, we describe the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) sequence of Monterrey platyfish. The genome is 16 638 bp in length, consisting of 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes and 1 non-coding control region.