TAOK1-mediated regulation of the YAP/TEAD pathway as a potential therapeutic target in heart failure.

Background: This study aimed to determine the roles of interleukin (IL)-17, TAO kinase 1 (TAOK1), and NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) in cardiomyocyte pyroptosis and proliferation.

Methods: The IL-17-treated H9C2 cells were used as in vitro heart failure (HF) models. These cells were subjected to TAOK1 overexpression or knockdown and treated with BMS-986299 (NLRP3 inflammasome agonist), MCC950 (NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitor), or verteporfin (Yes-associated protein [YAP] inhibitor).

Impact of monocytic differentiation on acute myeloid leukemia patients treated with venetoclax and hypomethylating agents.

Introduction: Although the combination of venetoclax (VEN) and hypomethylating agents (HMAs) results in impressive efficacy in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), there is still a subset of patients who are refractory. We investigated the outcomes of AML patients with monocytic differentiation who were treated with frontline VEN/HMA.

Methods: A total of 155 patients with newly diagnosed AML treated with frontline VEN/HMA were enrolled in the study.

Impact of AML1/ETO Fusion on the Efficacy of Venetoclax Plus Hypomethylating Agents in Newly Diagnosed Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Background: AML1/ETO fusion confers favorable prognosis in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) treated with intensive chemotherapy (IC). However, the impact of AML1/ETO fusion on the efficacy of venetoclax in the treatment of AML is unclear.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of venetoclax plus hypomethylating agents (VEN/HMAs) in patients with AML1/ETO-positive AML.

Pneumocystis jirovecii with high probability detected in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of chemotherapy-related interstitial pneumonia in patients with lymphoma using metagenomic next-generation sequencing technology.

Background: Previous studies achieved low microbial detection rates in lymphoma patients with interstitial pneumonia (IP) after chemotherapy. However, the metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) is a comprehensive approach that is expected to improve the pathogen identification rate. Thus far, reports on the use of mNGS in lymphoma patients with chemotherapy-related IP remain scarce.

Outcomes of COVID-19 in multiple myeloma patients treated with daratumumab.

Despite concerns about an increased risk of adverse outcomes following coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in multiple myeloma patients treated with anti-CD38 Abs, the impact of COVID-19 on this group of patients is unclear. We tried to evaluate the clinical outcomes of these patients. We collected data from 1036 patients with multiple myeloma and enrolled 509 cases with COVID-19.

Stub1 ameliorates ER stress-induced neural cell apoptosis and promotes locomotor recovery through restoring autophagy flux after spinal cord injury.

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-induced apoptosis and autophagy flux blockade significantly contribute to neuronal pathology of spinal cord injury (SCI). Yet, the molecular interplay between these two distinctive pathways in mediating the pathology of SCI remains largely unexplored. Currently, we aimed at exploring the crucial role of Stub1 in maintaining ER homeostasis and regulating autophagic flux after SCI.

Prognostic value of adjuvant external beam radiotherapy for papillary thyroid cancer based on competitive risk model and propensity score matching.

This study aimed to assess the impact of adjuvant external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) on the survival of patients with locally invasive papillary thyroid carcinoma. This retrospective study used data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database for the diagnosis of papillary thyroid carcinoma, using Cox models to screen for adverse prognostic factors. The prognostic value of using adjuvant external beam radiotherapy in papillary thyroid carcinoma was further evaluated, based on the competing risk model and propensity score matching.

Barrier-penetrating liposome targeted delivery of basic fibroblast growth factor for spinal cord injury repair.

Nanoparticle technologies offer a non-invasive means to deliver basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) for the treatment of spinal cord injury (SCI). However, the inability of bFGF to accumulate at the injury site and inefficient penetration across the blood-spinal cord barrier (BSCB) remain challenges. The present study describes a dual-targeting liposome (bFGF@Lip-Cp&Rp) with injury lesion targeting and BSCB-penetrating capability to deliver bFGF for SCI treatment.

Kruppel-like factor 2 contributes to blood-spinal cord barrier integrity and functional recovery from spinal cord injury by augmenting autophagic flux.

Increasing evidence suggests that acute traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI)-induced defects in autophagy and autophagy-lysosomal pathway (ALP) may contribute to endothelial barrier disruption following injury. Recently, Kruppel-like factor 2 (KLF2) was reported as a key molecular switch on regulating autophagy. Whether KLF2 coordinates endothelial endothelial ALP in SCI is not known.

Identification of dyslipidemia as a risk factor for sudden sensorineural hearing loss: A multicenter case-control study.

Background: Recently, several studies have reported an association between lipid profiles and sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL), yet there is considerable variability between the individual studies in defining the precise association between serum lipids levels and SSNHL. This study sought to identify a possible relationship between dyslipidemia and the prevalence and prognosis of SSNHL.

Methods: A case-control study was carried out at two independent medical centers, including 2,288 SSNHL patients and 2,288 healthy controls.

Baseline Serum Cholesterol Levels Predict the Response of Patients with Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-Based Treatment.

Purpose: Although predictive markers of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-based treatments have been extensively studied, with the exception of programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1), most are not widely used in the clinic due to poor effects or defective practicability. The aim of this study was to identify those patients with high baseline serum cholesterol who benefit from ICI-based treatments.

Patients And Methods: Patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated at Ningbo Medical Center, Li Huili Hospital between August 2017 and December 2019 were enrolled in this retrospective study.

Silencing of PGK1 Promotes Sensitivity to Paclitaxel Treatment by Upregulating XAF1-Mediated Apoptosis in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is known to have aggressive clinical course and a high risk of recurrence. Given the lack of effective targeted therapy options, paclitaxel-based chemotherapy is still the primary option for TNBC patients. However, patients who fail to achieve a complete response during neoadjuvant chemotherapy may be mainly due to sensitivity and resistance to chemotherapy.

A retrospective analysis of bloodstream infections: prevalence, risk factors, and outcome in carbapenem-susceptible and -non-susceptible infections.

Background: (PA) is a leading cause of nosocomial infections, and carbapenem non-susceptible strains are a major threat to patient safety.

Methods: A single center, retrospective comparative analysis of carbapenem-non-susceptible PA (CnSPA) and carbapenem-susceptible PA (CSPA) bloodstream infections (BSIs) was conducted between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2016. Prevalence and risk factors associated with CnSPA BSIs were examined.

High expression of fibroblast growth factor-21 in liposarcoma patients indicated better prognosis and less recurrence.

Liposarcoma is the most common soft tissue malignancy. We investigated the relationship between the expression of fibroblast growth factor -21 protein and recurrence in the liposarcoma tissues from 40 patients. The patients were divided into two groups (low/no- and high-expressing) for further survival analysis according to fibroblast growth factor -21 expression in their tumor tissue.

Ribavirin augments doxorubicin's efficacy in human hepatocellular carcinoma through inhibiting doxorubicin-induced eIF4E activation.

Activation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) is a cellular survival mechanism in response to chemotherapy in cancers. In this work, we demonstrate that targeting eIF4E by ribavirin sensitizes hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell response to doxorubicin. Ribavirin inhibits growth and survival of HCC cells, and to a greater extent than in normal liver cells.

Antibiotic tigecycline enhances cisplatin activity against human hepatocellular carcinoma through inducing mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative damage.

Targeting mitochondrial metabolism has been recently demonstrated to be a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of various cancer. In this work, we demonstrate that antibiotic tigecycline is selectively against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) through inducing mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative damage. Tigecycline is more effective in inhibiting proliferation and inducing apoptosis of HCC than normal liver cells.

Antibiotic drug levofloxacin inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis of lung cancer cells through inducing mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative damage.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide and its clinical management remains challenge. Here, we repurposed antibiotic levofloxacin for lung cancer treatment. We show that levofloxacin is effectively against a panel of lung cancer cell lines via inhibiting proliferation and inducing apoptosis, regardless of cellular origin and genetic pattern, in in vitro cell culture system and in vivo xenograft lung tumor model.

The Role of bFGF in the Excessive Activation of Astrocytes Is Related to the Inhibition of TLR4/NFκB Signals.

Astrocytes have critical roles in immune defense, homeostasis, metabolism, and synaptic remodeling and function in the central nervous system (CNS); however, excessive activation of astrocytes with increased intermediate filaments following neuronal trauma, infection, ischemia, stroke, and neurodegenerative diseases results in a pro-inflammatory environment and promotes neuronal death. As an important neurotrophic factor, the secretion of endogenous basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) contributes to the protective effect of neuronal cells, but the mechanism of bFGF in reactive astrogliosis is still unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that exogenous bFGF attenuated astrocyte activation by reducing the expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and other markers, including neurocan and vimentin, but not nestin and decreased the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), via the regulation of the upstream toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor κB (TLR4/NFκB) signaling pathway.

Obstructive sleep apnoea associated with syringomyelia.

Coexistence of obstructive sleep apnoea and syringomyelia is quite rare. This article discusses three cases of coexisting obstructive sleep apnoea and syringomyelia and looks at the possible mutual influences between the two diseases.

Combined detection of plasma GATA5 and SFRP2 methylation is a valid noninvasive biomarker for colorectal cancer and adenomas.

Aim: To investigate GATA5, SFRP2, and ITGA4 methylation in plasma DNA as noninvasive biomarkers for colorectal cancer (CRC) or adenomas.

Methods: There were 57 CRC patients, 30 adenomas patients, and 47 control patients enrolled in this study. Methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction was used to determine the promoter methylation status of GATA5, SFRP2, and ITGA4 genes in plasma DNA, and their association with clinical outcome in CRC.