Genomic Profiling Reveals the Molecular Landscape of Gastrointestinal Tract Cancers in Chinese Patients.

Gastrointestinal tract cancers have high incidence and mortality in China, but their molecular characteristics have not been fully investigated. We sequenced 432 tumor samples from the colorectum, stomach, pancreas, gallbladder, and biliary tract to investigate cancer-related mutations and detail the landscape of microsatellite instability (MSI), tumor mutation burden (TMB), and chromosomal instability (CIN). We observed the highest TMB in colorectal and gastric cancers and the lowest TMB in gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs).

A critical assessment of the potential vertical transmission hypotheses: Implications for research on the early-life infection with COVID-19.

The risk of potential vertical transmission in SARS-CoV-2 infected pregnant women is currently a topic of debate. To explore the correlation between the two, we searched PubMed, Embase®, and Web of Science for studies on vertical transmission of COVID-19. The quality of the studies was evaluated by the Cochrane risk of bias tool.

Circ-Klhl8 overexpression increased the therapeutic effect of EPCs in diabetic wound healing via the miR-212-3p/SIRT5 axis.

Previous studies found that hypoxic pretreatment of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) prior to transplantation had a greater therapeutic effect than untreated EPCs in promoting diabetic wound healing. However, the exact mechanism is uncertain. Here, circRNA expression in EPCs after hypoxic treatment was investigated.

Exosomal mRNA and lncRNA profiles in cord blood of preeclampsia patients.

Background: Exosomes are endosome-derived membrane vesicles that contain numerous RNAs and allow intercellular communication. The roles of mRNAs and lncRNAs from umbilical cord blood exosomes in the development of preeclampsia (PE) remain unclear.

Methods: In the study, microarray technology was used to construct the differential mRNA and lncRNA expression profiles in umbilical cord blood exosomes between PE patients and normal controls.

Impact of perlecan, a core component of basement membrane, on regeneration of cartilaginous tissues.

As an indispensable component of the extracellular matrix, perlecan (Pln) plays an essential role in cartilaginous tissue function. Although there exist studies suggesting that Pln expressed by cartilaginous tissues is critical for chondrogenesis, few papers have discussed the potential impact Pln may have on cartilage regeneration. In this review, we delineate Pln structure, biomechanical properties, and interactive ligands-which together contribute to the effect Pln has on cartilaginous tissue development.

Integration and Segregation of Dynamic Functional Connectivity States for Mild Cognitive Impairment Revealed by Graph Theory Indicators.

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is an intermediate stage between normal aging and dementia. Researchers tend to discuss its early state (early MCI, eMCI) due to its high conversion rate of dementia and poor treatment effect in the middle and late stages. Currently, the research on the disease evolution of the brain functional networks of patients with MCI has gradually become a research hotspot.

Using quantitative imaging to determine the correlation between hypothalamic inflammation and anxiety and depression in young patients with obesity.

Background: To investigate the incidence of anxiety and depressive disorders in young adults with obesity and the correlation between the severity of these disorders and hypothalamic inflammation.

Methods: The severity of anxiety and depressive disorders was assessed using the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), respectively. Hypothalamic inflammation was evaluated by measuring the hypothalamus/amygdala (H/A) signal intensity (SI) ratio in T2-weighted phase quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Novel coronavirus pneumonia detection and segmentation based on the deep-learning method.

Background: Segmentation of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lesions is a difficult task due to high uncertainty in the shape, size and location of the lesions. CT scan image is an important means of diagnosing COVID-19, but it requires doctors to observe a large number of scan images repeatedly to determine the patient's condition. Moreover, the low contrast of CT scan and the presence of tissues such as blood vessels in the background increase the difficulty of diagnosis.

LncRNA NORAD Promotes Vascular Endothelial Cell Injury and Atherosclerosis Through Suppressing Gene Transcription Enhancing H3K9 Deacetylation by Recruiting HDAC6.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a major atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and the leading cause of mortality globally. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play crucial roles in CAD development. To date, the effect of lncRNA non-coding RNA activated by DNA damage (NORAD) on atherosclerosis in CAD remains unclear.

Long noncoding RNA FER1L4 promotes the malignant processes of papillary thyroid cancer by targeting the miR-612/ Cadherin 4 axis.

Background: Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have emerged as crucial regulators in various cancers. However, the functional roles of most lncRNA in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) are not detailly understood. This study aims to investigate the biological function and molecular mechanism of lncRNA Fer-1 like family member 4 (FER1L4) in PTC.

Circular RNA FAT atypical cadherin 1 (circFAT1)/microRNA-525-5p/spindle and kinetochore-associated complex subunit 1 (SKA1) axis regulates oxaliplatin resistance in breast cancer by activating the notch and Wnt signaling pathway.

Increasing evidence has confirmed the vital roles of circular RNAs (CircRNAs) in the drug resistance of breast cancer (BC). Herein, we intended to study the effect of circular RNA FAT atypical cadherin 1 (circFAT1) on BC oxaliplatin (OX) resistance and find out the potential molecular mechanism in it. In this study, mRNA and protein levels of genes were measured by RT-qPCR and western blotting, respectively.

Low miR-1231 expression predicts poor prognosis in non-small-cell lung cancer and accelerates cell proliferation, migration and invasion.

miRNAs have been found to be involved in the tumor progression. This study aimed to assess the prognostic significance and biological function of miRNA-1231 (miR-1231) in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Expression of miR-1231 was measured by using quantitative real-time PCR.

Early Neurological Deterioration and Hypoperfusion Volume Ratio on Arterial Spin Labeling in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke.

Background: Arterial spin labeling (ASL) is a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique used to quantify cerebral blood perfusion by labeling blood water as it flows throughout the brain. Hypoperfusion volume ratio (HVR) can be calculated using proportional hypoperfusion volume on ASL-based cerebral blood flow (CBF). This study aimed to explore the relation between HVR and early neurological deterioration (END) in AIS patients.

Application of multi-label classification models for the diagnosis of diabetic complications.

Background: Early diagnosis for the diabetes complications is clinically demanding with great significancy. Regarding the complexity of diabetes complications, we applied a multi-label classification (MLC) model to predict four diabetic complications simultaneously using data in the modern electronic health records (EHRs), and leveraged the correlations between the complications to further improve the prediction accuracy.

Methods: We obtained the demographic characteristics and laboratory data from the EHRs for patients admitted to Changzhou No.

Two Cu(II) and Co(II) Coordination Polymers: Important Values on Colon Cancer Patients by Reducing Insulin Resistance.

In the current study, via utilizing HL (HL = 2,4-di(3',5'-dicarboxylphenyl)benzoic acid), the symmetrical rigid polycarboxylic acid ligand with V-shape geometry, two new coordination polymers containing Cu(II) and Co(II) have been produced, and their chemical formulae respectively are {[Co(L)(HO)]·6HO} (1) and {[HN(Me)][Cu(L)(HO)]·DMF·HO} (2), leading to a variety kinds of coordination patterns of HL and multifunctional skeletons. Their inhibitory activity on the insulin resistance of colon cancer patients was assessed. In addition, the detailed mechanism of the compound was also investigated.

The Exocrine Differentiation and Proliferation Factor (EXDPF) Gene Promotes Ovarian Cancer Tumorigenesis by Up-Regulating DNA Replication Pathway.

The Exocrine Differentiation and Proliferation Factor (EXDPF) gene could promote exocrine while inhibit endocrine functions. Although it is well known that ovary is an endocrine organ, the functions of EXDPF in ovarian cancer development is still unknown. This study demonstrated that EXDPF gene is significantly higher expressed in ovarian tumors compared to normal ovarian tissue controls.

Tissue sampling for biliary strictures using novel elbow biopsy forceps.

We aim to evaluate the safety and feasibility of novel elbow biopsy forceps with a prebent head for sampling biliary strictures in our institution. A total of 24 patients (15 males and 9 females) with biliary stricture who underwent biliary biopsy during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) using novel elbow biopsy forceps from June 2019 to August 2020 were retrospectively included. The novel biopsy forceps had a head angulation of 30 degrees and were able to cannulate the bile duct and approach the biliary strictures easily to obtain adequate samples.

Echocardiographic evaluation of the effect of poor blood glucose control on left ventricular function and ascending aorta elasticity.

Background And Aims: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is associated with high cardiovascular risk. Preclinical left ventricular (LV) dysfunction and subclinical arterial stiffness have been documented in patients with T2DM. The aims of this study were to investigate whether there were any differences in LV function and ascending aorta elasticity between T2DM patients with controlled [defined as glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) <6.

Constructing Dynamic Brain Functional Networks via Hyper-Graph Manifold Regularization for Mild Cognitive Impairment Classification.

Brain functional networks (BFNs) constructed via manifold regularization (MR) have emerged as a powerful tool in finding new biomarkers for brain disease diagnosis. However, they only describe the pair-wise relationship between two brain regions, and cannot describe the functional interaction between multiple brain regions, or the high-order relationship, well. To solve this issue, we propose a method to construct dynamic BFNs (DBFNs) via hyper-graph MR (HMR) and employ it to classify mild cognitive impairment (MCI) subjects.

microRNA-23 inhibits inflammation to alleviate rheumatoid arthritis via regulating CXCL12.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common systemic, inflammatory and autoimmune disorder. MicroRNAs (miRs) are strongly associated with the initiation and progression of RA. However, the functions and mechanisms underlying miR-23 in RA are not completely understood.

Constructing Dynamic Functional Networks via Weighted Regularization and Tensor Low-Rank Approximation for Early Mild Cognitive Impairment Classification.

Brain functional networks constructed via regularization has been widely used in early mild cognitive impairment (eMCI) classification. However, few methods can properly reflect the similarities and differences of functional connections among different people. Most methods ignore some topological attributes, such as connection strength, which may delete strong functional connections in brain functional networks.

The efficacy and safety of Serenoa repens extract for the treatment of patients with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome: a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Purpose: To perform a placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Serenoa repens extract (SRE) for the treatment of chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS).

Methods: We conducted a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter, clinical phase 4 study of 221 patients with CP/CPPS across 11 centers. Participants were randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio to receive SRE or placebo for 12 weeks.

[Correlation between total cerebral small vessel disease score and retinal vessel diameters in patients with mild stroke].

To explore the relationship between the total cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) score and retinal vessel diameters in patients with mild stroke. The patients with mild stroke who were hospitalized in the Second People's Hospital of Changzhou, Nanjing Medical University from March to December 2019 were continuously collected (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score≤3 points). All patients completed the head magnetic resonance imaging and retinal fundus photography examination, and then the retinal arteriovenous diameter was measured semi-automatically based on the pictures.

The association between retinal vessel abnormalities and H-type hypertension.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between H-type hypertension and retinal vessel abnormalities.

Methods: Hypertensive patients were retrospectively enrolled in this study. According to plasma homocysteine (HCY), patients were divided into isolated hypertension and H-type hypertension groups.

[Biosafety in andrology laboratories during the outbreak of COVID-19].

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) broke out in December 2019 and has been rapidly escalating throughout the world. Clinical findings show that the patients with either symptomatic or asymptomatic COVID-19 can be a potential source of infection. Although respiratory droplets and close contact are considered to be the main routes of transmission, there is the possibility of aerosol transmission in a relatively closed environment.