Sarcopenia-associated factors and their bone mineral density levels in middle-aged and elderly male type 2 diabetes patients.

Background: Chronic hyperglycemia can damage the microcirculation, which impairs the function of various organs and tissues and predisposes individuals to chronic complications. Sarcopenia (SP) is the age-related decline in muscle mass and function that contributes to the sequelae of type 2 diabetes. In particular, diabetic patients are at higher risk of SP because of insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, and decreased physical activity.

Education and metabolic syndrome: a Mendelian randomization study.

Aims: The metabolic syndrome (MetS), a collection of conditions that heighten the risk of disease development and impose economic burdens on patients. However, the causal relationship between education and MetS was uncertain. In this study, the Mendelian randomization (MR) method was employed to elucidate the potential causal link between education and the MetS and its components.

The Impact of Frailty on Chemotherapy Outcomes in Patients With Digestive System Tumors: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: The prevalence of patients with digestive system tumors has been high. In recent years, frailty has been considered to be associated with poor prognosis of digestive system tumors, but there are conflicting research results. A better understanding of the relationship between frailty and outcomes after chemotherapy can help advance the development of oncology care.

Identification of the body fluid donor in mixtures through target mRNA cSNP sequencing.

In forensic practice, mixture stains containing various body fluids are common, presenting challenges for interpretation, particularly in multi-contributor mixtures. Traditional STR profiles face difficulties in such scenarios. Over recent years, RNA has emerged as a promising biomarker for body fluid identification, and mRNA polymorphism has shown excellent performance in identifying body fluid donors in previous studies.

Crizotinib Enhances PARP Inhibitor Efficacy in Ovarian Cancer Cells and Xenograft Models by Inducing Autophagy.

Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPi) can encounter resistance through various mechanisms, limiting their effectiveness. Our recent research showed that PARPi alone can induce drug resistance by promoting autophagy. Moreover, our studies have revealed that anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) plays a role in regulating the survival of ovarian cancer cells undergoing autophagy.

Screening and staging of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with deep learning based on chest X-ray images and clinical parameters.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is underdiagnosed with the current gold standard measure pulmonary function test (PFT). A more sensitive and simple option for early detection and severity evaluation of COPD could benefit practitioners and patients.

Methods: In this multicenter retrospective study, frontal chest X-ray (CXR) images and related clinical information of 1055 participants were collected and processed.

Role cognition of assigned nurses supporting Hubei Province in the fight against COVID-19 in China: a hermeneutic phenomenological study.

Aims: During the COVID-19 epidemic, nurses played a crucial role in clinical treatment. As a special group, front-line nurses, especially those assigned to support Hubei Province in the fight against COVID-19 between February and April 2020, brought diverse experiences from different provinces in China in taking care of COVID-19 patients and role cognition. Therefore, our purpose is to explore the real coping experience and role cognition of front-line nurses during the novel coronavirus outbreak to provide relevant experience references for society and managers in the face of such major public health emergencies in the future.

Autoantibodies, antigen-autoantibody complexes and antigens complement CA125 for early detection of ovarian cancer.

Background: Multiple antigens, autoantibodies (AAb), and antigen-autoantibody (Ag-AAb) complexes were compared for their ability to complement CA125 for early detection of ovarian cancer.

Methods: Twenty six biomarkers were measured in a single panel of sera from women with early stage (I-II) ovarian cancers (n = 64), late stage (III-IV) ovarian cancers (186), benign pelvic masses (200) and from healthy controls (502), and then split randomly (50:50) into a training set to identify the most promising classifier and a validation set to compare its performance to CA125 alone.

Results: Eight biomarkers detected ≥ 8% of early stage cases at 98% specificity.

DIRAS3 induces autophagy and enhances sensitivity to anti-autophagic therapy in KRAS-driven pancreatic and ovarian carcinomas.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and low-grade ovarian cancer (LGSOC) are characterized by the prevalence of KRAS oncogene mutations. DIRAS3 is the first endogenous non-RAS protein that heterodimerizes with RAS, disrupts RAS clustering, blocks RAS signaling, and inhibits cancer cell growth. Here, we found that DIRAS3-mediated KRAS inhibition induces ROS-mediated apoptosis in PDAC and LGSOC cells with KRAS mutations, but not in cells with wild-type KRAS, by downregulating NFE2L2/Nrf2 transcription, reducing antioxidants, and inducing oxidative stress.

The Quality of Life of the Patients with Thoracic Ossification of the Ligamentum Flavum after Surgery Using EQ-5D-5L.

Objective: There is a lack of studies on the quality of life (QoL) after posterior laminectomy in patients with thoracic ossification of the ligamentum flavum (TOLF), and risk factors associated with poor prognosis remain controversial. Therefore, the present study was conducted to illustrate the QoL for TOLF patients after surgery and determine its relationship with their demographic, surgery-related, clinical characteristics and imaging data.

Methods: One hundred and eighteen patients diagnosed with thoracic myelopathy because of TOLF were enrolled in this retrospective study.

Interplay of IL-33 and IL-35 Modulates Th2/Th17 Responses in Cigarette Smoke Exposure HDM-Induced Asthma.

Cigarette smoke (CS) facilitates adverse effects on the airway inflammation and treatment of asthma. Here, we investigated the mechanisms by which CS exacerbates asthma. The roles of IL-33 and IL-35 in asthma development were examined by treatment with IL-33 knockout (IL-33 KO) or transfection of adenovirus encoding IL-35 (Ad-IL-35) in a murine model of cigarette smoke-exposure asthma.

Study on the Interactions of Cyclins with CDKs Involved in Auxin Signal during Leaf Development by WGCNA in .

Cell division plays an indispensable role in leaf morphogenesis, which is regulated via the complexes formed by cyclin and cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK). In this study, gene family analysis, exogenous auxin stimulation, RNA-seq and WGCNA analysis were all used to investigate the molecular mechanisms by which cell-cycle-related factors participated in the auxin signaling pathway on leaf morphogenesis. Sixty-three cyclin members and seventeen CDK members in were identified and systematically analyzed.

The complete chloroplast genome of (salicaceae), a plateau plant species.

Wallich ex Andersson 1851 is a species of genus which mainly grows on mountains above 3000 m at sea level in Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (including the Himalayas and Hengduan Mountains). To determine its phylogenetic position within , we reconstructed complete chloroplast (cp) genome sequence by de novo assembly using whole-genome sequencing data. The completed chloroplast genome was 155,304 bp, with a total GC content of 36.

Seasonal Dynamics of the Upper Respiratory Tract Microbiome in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Introduction: Increasing evidence suggests that seasonal changes can trigger the alternation of airway microbiome. However, the dynamics of the upper airway bacterial ecology of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients across different seasons remains unclear.

Methods: In this study, we present a 16S ribosomal RNA survey of the airway microbiome on 72 swab samples collected in different months (March, May, July, September, and November) in 2019 from 18 COPD patients and from six resampled patients in November in 2020.

Down-expression of Foxj1 on airway epithelium with impaired cilia architecture in non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis implies disease severity.

Introduction: The pathogenesis of non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis has not been clearly clarified. This study aimed to investigate the expression of ciliary regulating protein forkhead box protein j1 (Foxj1) on airway epithelium in non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis and its association with airway cilia structure disorder and disease severity.

Methods: Lung tissue sections excised from 47 patients with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis were included between January 2018 and June 2021.

A CpG-Oligodeoxynucleotide Suppresses Th2/Th17 Inflammation by Inhibiting IL-33/ST2 Signaling in Mice from a Model of Adoptive Dendritic Cell Transfer of Smoke-Induced Asthma.

Tobacco smoke exposure is a major environmental risk factor that facilitates the development and progression of asthma. Our previous study showed that CpG oligodeoxynucleotide (CpG-ODN) inhibits thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP)-dendritic cells (DCs) to reduce Th2/Th17-related inflammatory response in smoke-related asthma. However, the mechanism underlying CpG-ODN -downregulated TSLP remains unclear.

A comprehensive evaluation of microplastic pollution in the Xiangshan Bay of China with special reference to seasonal variation.

Marine microplastic (MP) pollution has drawn global attention due to its potential risk to ecosystem. In the present study, we investigated MP pollution in surface water and sediment of a semi-closed bay: the Xiangshan Bay in the East China Sea in spring and summer. The results showed that MP abundance in surface water increased significantly in summer than spring (0.

Mental health status of medical students during postgraduate entrance examination.

Background: The postgraduate entrance examination can be a milestone for many medical students to advance their careers. An increasing number of students are competing for limited postgraduate offers available, and failure to enter postgraduate studies can have adverse mental health consequences. In this paper, we aim to investigate the mental health status of medical students during the postgraduate application entrance examination and to provide a targeted basis for mental health education and psychological counselling.

Design and Application of Health Education Apps Based on WeChat for Self-Management among Patients.

Background: We started to design and test health education Apps for self-management among patients to provide a rich source of clinical support and information for patients to increase their ability of self-management.

Methods: First, a multidisciplinary research team worked together to design and conduct the research. With their help, we redesigned an apps to incorporate some personalized changes for patients' needs.

Study on the interaction preference between CYCD subclass and CDK family members at the poplar genome level.

Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) control the progression of the cell cycle. D-type cyclin (CYCD) is generally believed to form a complex with CDK and control the G1/S transition. In plants, CYCD and CDK gene families can be divided into 6 (D1-D7) and 7 (CDKA-CDKG) subclasses, respectively.

IL-37 protects against airway remodeling by reversing bronchial epithelial-mesenchymal transition via IL-24 signaling pathway in chronic asthma.

Background: Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is one of the mechanisms of airway remodeling in chronic asthma. Interleukin (IL)-24 has been implicated in the promotion of tissue fibrosis, and increased IL-24 levels have been observed in the nasal secretions and sputum of asthmatic patients. However, the role of IL-24 in asthmatic airway remodeling, especially in EMT, remains largely unknown.

CpG Island Methylation of Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling-1 Gene Induced by HCV Is Associated With HCV-Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS-1) is implicated in both virus infection and carcinogenesis. This study investigated the role of HCV infection on SOCS-1 in normal and HCV-infected tissues and revealed a possible mechanism underlying HCV-induced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) genesis. In total, 10 HCV-HCC tissues, seven adjacent tissues, seven distal tissues, and 16 normal liver tissues were collected.