Raf kinase inhibitor protein combined with phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase offers valuable prognosis in gastrointestinal stromal tumor.

Background: Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most common mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors, such as imatinib, have been used as first-line therapy for the treatment of GISTs. Although these drugs have achieved considerable efficacy in some patients, reports of resistance and recurrence have emerged.

The Daily Intake Levels of Copper, Selenium, and Zinc Are Associated with Osteoarthritis but Not with Rheumatoid Arthritis in a Cross-sectional Study.

The present study examined potential association between the daily intake and serum levels of copper (Cu), selenium (Se), and zinc (Zn) and the risk of osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Daily intake and serum concentrations of Cu, Zn, and Se in 4200 adults from the 2011-2016 NHANES were examined and divided into normal, OA patients, and RA patients. The level of serum Cu was higher in OA and RA than in non-arthritis, while the levels of serum Se and Zn were no different in the three groups.

[Clinical features of children and their family members with family clusters of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infection in Shanghai, China: an analysis of 380 cases].

Objectives: To study the clinical features and prognosis of children and their family members with family clusters of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron variant infection under the admission mode of parent-child ward.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on the medical data of 190 children and 190 family members with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infection who were admitted to Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital, the designated hospital for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), April 8 to May 10, 2022.

Results: Both the child and adult groups were mainly mild COVID-19, and the proportion of mild cases in the child group was higher than that in the adult group (<0.

Formation and removal of 1,N6-dimethyladenosine in mammalian transfer RNA.

RNA molecules harbor diverse modifications that play important regulatory roles in a variety of biological processes. Over 150 modifications have been identified in RNA molecules. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) and 1-methyladenosine (m1A) are prevalent modifications occurring in various RNA species of mammals.

Single-Base Resolution Detection of Adenosine-to-Inosine RNA Editing by Endonuclease-Mediated Sequencing.

RNA molecules contain diverse modifications that play crucial roles in a wide variety of biological processes. Adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-Ino) RNA editing is one of the most prevalent modifications among all types of RNA. Abnormal A-to-InoRNA editing has been demonstrated to be associated with many human diseases.

Notch activation promotes endothelial quiescence by repressing MYC expression via miR-218.

After angiogenesis-activated embryonic and early postnatal vascularization, endothelial cells (ECs) in most tissues enter a quiescent state necessary for proper tissue perfusion and EC functions. Notch signaling is essential for maintaining EC quiescence, but the mechanisms of action remain elusive. Here, we show that microRNA-218 (miR-218) is a downstream effector of Notch in quiescent ECs.

Direct decarboxylation of ten-eleven translocation-produced 5-carboxylcytosine in mammalian genomes forms a new mechanism for active DNA demethylation.

DNA cytosine methylation (5-methylcytosine, 5mC) is the most important epigenetic mark in higher eukaryotes. 5mC in genomes is dynamically controlled by writers and erasers. DNA (cytosine-5)-methyltransferases (DNMTs) are responsible for the generation and maintenance of 5mC in genomes.

Evaluation of serum insulin-like growth factor 1 and its significance in thyroid cancer: An observational study.

Serum insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) is elevated in different cancers. However, relationships between serum IGF-1 and thyroid cancer (TC) are scarce. The present study aimed to investigate the clinical significance of serum IGF-1 in TC.

Family resilience, perceived social support, and individual resilience in cancer couples: Analysis using the actor-partner interdependence mediation model.

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the impact of family resilience on the individual resilience of couples during cancer and explore the potential mediating role of perceived social support and the moderating role of sex in this association in cancer patient-spouse dyads.

Method: The participants were 272 cancer patients and their spouses (N = 544) who completed the Family Resilience Assessment Scale, the Perceived Social Support Scale and the Resilience Scale. We adopted the actor-partner interdependence mediation model to examine whether and how patients' and their spouses' family resilience was associated with their own and their partners' perceived social support and individual resilience.

Feasibility and effect of a guided self-disclosure intervention designed to facilitate benefit finding in breast cancer patients: A pilot study.

Purpose: This pilot study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and effect of a guided self-disclosure intervention (GSDI) promoting benefit finding (BF) for breast cancer patients.

Methods: A total of 40 women with breast cancer were randomized either to a GSDI group, which included a 6-session face-to-face self-disclosure intervention, or to a control group. The Benefit Finding Scale (BFS) was used to measure BF, the Distress Disclosure Index (DDI) was used to measure self-disclosure, and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) was used to measure cognitive reappraisal.

MiR-326 regulates the proliferation and apoptosis of endometrial cancer by targeting Bcl-2.

Aim: MiR-326 has been investigated to be correlated with multiple types of malignancies; however, the role of miR-326 in endometrial cancer (EC) remains rarely reported. The aim of our research is to investigate the functions of miR-326 in EC and the potential molecular mechanism.

Methods: RT-qPCR was performed to compare the expression of miR-326 and Bcl-2 in normal endometrial epithelial cell line (End1/e6e7) and EC cells lines (HEC-1A, Ishikawa), respectively.

Risk factors of obstetric admissions to the intensive care unit: An 8-year retrospective study.

The aim of this study was to identify risk factors among obstetric patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU).The study was conducted in Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University during January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2016. A total of 44,817 pregnant women ≥20 weeks of gestational age were scanned.

Proteomics of Uterosacral Ligament Connective Tissue from Women with and without Pelvic Organ Prolapse.

Purpose: Damage to the uterosacral ligaments is an important contributor to uterine and vaginal prolapse. The aim of this study is to identify differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in the uterosacral ligaments of women with and without pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and analyze their relationships to cellular mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of POP.

Experimental Design: Uterosacral ligament connective tissue from four patients with POP and four control women undergo iTRAQ analysis followed by ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA) of DEPs.

Two new inflammatory markers associated with disease activity score-28 in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: Albumin to fibrinogen ratio and C-reactive protein to albumin ratio.

Background: The albumin to fibrinogen ratio (AFR) and C-reactive protein to albumin ratio (CAR) have emerged as useful biomarkers to predict systemic inflammation. The aim here is to investigate the relation between AFR/CAR and Disease Activity Score of 28 joints (DAS 28) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: This retrospective study included 160 patients with RA and 159 healthy controls.

Clinical and prognostic significance of Raf kinase inhibitory protein expression in gastrointestinal stromal tumors.

Aim: To detect the expression of Raf kinase inhibitory protein (RKIP) in gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) and to analyze its relationship with clinicopatholgical characteristics and prognosis of this disease.

Methods: Sixty-three patients with pathologically diagnosed GISTs who underwent surgical resection at the Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University from January 2011 to January 2015 and had complete clinical, pathological, and follow-up data were included. Immunohistochemical method was used to detect the expression of RKIP in GIST tissue samples from these patients.

Diagnostic Value of Vitamin D Status and Bone Turnover Markers in Rheumatoid Arthritis Complicated by Osteoporosis.

Objective: To research the diagnostic performance of clinical potential bone turnover indexes in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) complicated with osteoporosis (OP).

Methods: This study involved 87 RA patients, 48 with OP, and 39 without OP, and 204 non-RA control patients, including those with systemic lupus erythematosus, ankylosing spondylitis, primary Sjogren's syndrome, systemic sclerosis, and healthy patients. The levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], β-crosslaps (β-CROSSL), parathyroid hormone (PTH) were measured by electrochemiluminescence (ECLIA), and the level of bone alkaline phosphatase (BALP) was measured by lectin affinity method.

[Prokaryotic Expression and Purification of the Notch Ligand and Its Effect on Hematopoiesis after Carbon Tetrachloride Damage].

Objective: To express and purify the mouse endothelial cell-targeted recombinant Notch ligand protein mD1R, and to investigate its effect on hematopoiesis after carbon tetrachloride damage.

Methods: PCR was performed to clone and construct the expression vector pET22b(+)-mD1R. The mD1R successfully transformed into E.

Advances in biomarkers for dermatomyositis.

Dermatomyositis (DM) and polymyositis (PM) are heterogeneous complex autoimmune diseases involving muscle damage. Patients with DM and PM display a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations and serological biomarkers, which may mislead and delay the proper diagnosis. Therefore, specific biomarkers or indicators for diagnosing DM and PM and monitoring disease activity are essential.

Epidemiology and Seasonality of Respiratory Viruses Detected from Children with Respiratory Tract Infections in Wuxi, East China.

BACKGROUND Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are the major causes of mortality and morbidity in children and lead to hospitalization in developing countries. However, little is known about the epidemiology and seasonality of respiratory viruses in the pediatric population in Wuxi, East China. MATERIAL AND METHODS We included all patients 14 years of age and below who presented with signs and symptoms of RTIs between January 2010 and December 2016.

A fusion protein composed of the DSL domain of Dll1 and RGD motif protects cryptic stem cells in irradiation injury.

Intestine is vulnerable to irradiation injury, which induces cell death and compromises regeneration of intestinal crypts. It is well accepted that cryptic stem cells, which are responsible for cryptic regeneration under physiological and pathological conditions, are controlled by multiple cell-intrinsic and environmental signals such as Notch signaling. Therefore, in the present study, we tested whether a soluble Notch ligand tethered to endothelial cells-mD1R-the Delta-Serrate-Lag2 (DSL) domain of mouse Notch ligand Delta-like1 fused with a RGD motif could protect cryptic cells from irradiation-induced intestinal injury.

One-Step Bioconversion of Fatty Acids into C8-C9 Volatile Aroma Compounds by a Multifunctional Lipoxygenase Cloned from Pyropia haitanensis.

The multifunctional lipoxygenase PhLOX cloned from Pyropia haitanensis was expressed in Escherichia coli with 24.4 mg·L yield. PhLOX could catalyze the one-step bioconversion of C18-C22 fatty acids into C8-C9 volatile organic compounds (VOCs), displaying higher catalytic efficiency for eicosenoic and docosenoic acids than for octadecenoic acids.

A novel fabricated material with divergent chemical handles based on UiO-66 and used for targeted photodynamic therapy.

A unique zirconium-based framework named N-UiO-66-NH, which can be used as a fabricated material to achieve the dual functional chemical modification of UiO-66, was synthesized and demonstrated. This work offers a facile and selective covalent post-synthetic modification of UiO-66 by different chemical reactions related to azide- and amino-groups, respectively. Using N-UiO-66-NH as a fabricated material, a newly dual functionalized MOF named E-UiO-66-Pc, in which a carboxyl substituted zinc phthalocyanine (Pc) and Erlotinib (E) were employed as a photosensitizer and targeting moiety, was designed and synthesized via amidation and click chemistry, respectively.

Silicon Phthalocyanines Axially Disubstituted with Erlotinib toward Small-Molecular-Target-Based Photodynamic Therapy.

Small-molecular-target-based photodynamic therapy-a promising targeted anticancer strategy-was developed by conjugating zinc(II) phthalocyanine with a small-molecular-target-based anticancer drug. To prevent self-aggregation and avoid problems of phthalocyanine isomerization, two silicon phthalocyanines di-substituted axially with erlotinib have been synthesized and fully characterized. These conjugates are present in monomeric form in various solvents as well as culture media.

Development of a Time-Resolved Fluorescence Immunoassay for the Diagnosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Based on the Detection of Glypican-3.

Glypican-3(GPC3), an oncofetal protein, is a potential novel marker for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, we attempted to establish a new method to detect serum GPC3 using the antibodies identified in our previous research, and then evaluated its clinical application for the diagnosis of HCC. Herein, a sandwich time-resolved fluorescence immunoassay (TRFIA) for detecting serum GPC3 was developed.

Diagnostic performance of bone metabolic indexes for the detection of stroke.

To explore the diagnostic performance of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), parathyroid hormone (PTH), bone alkaline phosphatase (BALP), and osteocalcin (OC) in predicting stroke.  Methods: This retrospective survey was conducted in The Second Affiliated Hospital to Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, China. involved 121 cerebral infarction patients and 103 cerebral hemorrhage patients as the experimental groups, 100 volunteers as the healthy control group and 80 brain trauma patients as the disease control group.