Tissue Inhibitor Metalloproteinase-2·IGF-Binding Protein 7 for the Prediction of Acute Kidney Injury following Cardiac Surgery.

Introduction: Cardiac surgery-associated acute kidney injury (CSA-AKI) is a common complication associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Tissue inhibitor metalloproteinase-2·insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 7 (TIMP-2·IGFBP7) determines tubular stress markers, which may occur prior to tubular damage. Previous studies on the use of TIMP-2·IGFBP7 for the prediction of CSA-AKI showed divergent results.

The Chaperone Protein Cct5 is Essential for Hematopoietic Stem Cell Maintenance.

Proper proteostasis is indispensable for the long-term maintenance of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). The TRiC/CCT (chaperonin-containing TCP-1) complex, a key constituent of cellular machinery facilitating accurate protein folding, has remained enigmatic in its specific function within HSPCs. Here we show that conditional knockout (KO) of Cct5 significantly impairs the maintenance of murine HSPCs.

Three-dimensional genome landscape comprehensively reveals patterns of spatial gene regulation in papillary and anaplastic thyroid cancers: a study using representative cell lines for each cancer type.

Background: Spatial chromatin structure is intricately linked with somatic aberrations, and somatic mutations of various cancer-related genes, termed co-mutations (CoMuts), occur in certain patterns during cancer initiation and progression. The functional mechanisms underlying these genetic events remain largely unclear in thyroid cancer (TC). With discrepant differentiation, papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) and anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) differ greatly in characteristics and prognosis.

Fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio is related to the severity of coronary artery disease in chronic kidney disease patients undergoing coronary angiography.

Objectives: This study was to explore the potential relationship between the fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio (FAR) and the presence and severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) in stage 3-5 predialysis chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients.

Design: This study included 978 patients undergoing coronary angiography (CAG). CAD was defined as the presence of obstructive stenosis>50% of the lumen diameter in any of the four main coronary arteries.

CXC- receptor 2 promotes extracellular matrix production and attenuates migration in peripapillary human scleral fibroblasts under mechanical strain.

As the main loading-bearing tissue of eye, sclera exerts an important role in the pathophysiology of glaucoma. Intraocular pressure (IOP) generates mechanical strain on sclera. Recent studies have demonstrated that sclera, especially the peripapillary sclera, undergoes complicated remodelling under the mechanical strain.

Relationship Between Autophagy and Drug Resistance in Tumors.

Multidrug Resistance (MDR) in tumor cells, a phenomenon in which tumor cells become resistant to chemotherapeutic drugs with different chemical structures and mechanisms of action, is a major obstacle to tumor therapy and is an urgent problem to be addressed. Autophagy, widely found in eukaryotic cells, is a lysosome-dependent pathway of self-degradation. In different environments, autophagy can play different roles in the self-protection of cells.

Efficacy and safety of chiglitazar, a novel peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor pan-agonist, in patients with type 2 diabetes: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial (CMAP).

Chiglitazar (Carfloglitazar) is a novel non-thiazolidinedione (TZD) structured peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) pan-agonist that has shown promising effects on glycemic control and lipid regulation in patients with type 2 diabetes in previous clinical studies. This randomized phase 3 trial aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of chiglitazar with placebo in patients with type 2 diabetes with insufficient glycemic control by strict diet and exercise alone. Eligible patients were randomly assigned to receive chiglitazar 32 mg (n = 167), chiglitazar 48 mg (n = 166), or placebo (n = 202) once daily.

RBM5-AS1 promotes radioresistance in medulloblastoma through stabilization of SIRT6 protein.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) contribute to radioresistance in medulloblastoma. Thus, identification of key regulators of medulloblastoma stemness is critical for improving radiotherapy for medulloblastoma. In the present study, we profiled CSC-related long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) between radioresistant and parental medulloblastoma cells.

Combination of biomarker with clinical risk factors for prediction of severe acute kidney injury in critically ill patients.

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) occurs commonly in the intensive care unit (ICU). Insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 7 (IGFBP7) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2 (TIMP-2), known as [TIMP-2] x [IGFBP7] (NephroCheck), have been identified as novel biomarkers for the prediction of AKI risk. However, the effective use of disease biomarkers is indispensable from an appropriate clinical context.

Cytoplasm protein GFAP magnetic beads construction and application as cell separation target for brain tumors.

Background: It is very important to develop a highly efficient cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) detection system with diagnosis and prediction function, for which the detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in CSF is a good choice. In contrast to the past use of epithelial EpCAM as CTCs separation target, a cytoplasm protein of GFAP antibody was first selected to construct highly-sensitive immunomagnetic liposome beads (IMLs). The validation and efficiency of this system in capturing CTCs for brain tumors were measured both in vitro and in vivo.

Influence of patients' clinical features at intensive care unit admission on performance of cell cycle arrest biomarkers in predicting acute kidney injury.

Objectives: Identification of acute kidney injury (AKI) can be challenging in patients with a variety of clinical features at intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and the capacity of biomarkers in this subpopulation has been poorly studied. In our study we examined the influence that patients' clinical features at ICU admission have over the predicting ability of the combination of urinary tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2 (TIMP2) and insulin-like growth factor binding protein 7 (IGFBP7).

Methods: Urinary [TIMP2]•[IGFBP7] were measured for all patients upon admission to ICU.

Quantitative Proteome of Infant Stenotic Ureters Reveals Extracellular Matrix Organization and Oxidative Stress Dysregulation Underlying Ureteropelvic Junction Obstruction.

Purpose: Ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO) is the most frequent cause of congenital hydronephrosis in child. To better investigate the molecular mechanisms of this pathological process, the stenotic ureter proteome of UPJO in infants is compared with their own normal pre-stenotic segments.

Experimental Design: Data independent acquisition-based proteomics are performed to compare proteome between pre-stenotic and stenotic ureter from nine UPJO infants.

Subclinical Contrast-Induced Acute Kidney Injury in Patients Undergoing Cerebral Computed Tomography.

Introduction: The nephrotoxicity of modern contrast media remains controversial. Novel biomarkers of kidney damage may help in identifying a subclinical structural renal injury not revealed by widely used markers of kidney function.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate clinical (contrast-induced acute kidney injury [CI-AKI]) and subclinical CI-AKI (SCI-AKI) after intra-arterial administration of Iodixanol and Iopamidol in patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ≥60 mL/min/1.

D-dimer and diffusion-weighted imaging pattern as two diagnostic indicators for cancer-related stroke: A case-control study based on the STROBE guidelines.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the risk factors and elucidate the clinical characteristics of cancer-associated ischemic stroke to differentiate it from conventional ischemic stroke in China and East Asia. Between June 2012 and June 2016, a retrospective analysis was performed on 609 stroke patients with cancer. They were divided into 3 groups: cancer-stroke group (CSG, 203 cases), stroke group (SG, 203 cases), and cancer group (CG, 203 cases).

Routine Adoption of Urinary [IGFBP7]∙[TIMP-2] to Assess Acute Kidney Injury at Any Stage 12 hours After Intensive Care Unit Admission: a Prospective Cohort Study.

The urinary tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-2 and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 7 ([TIMP-2]∙[IGFBP7]) have been introduced to improve risk prediction of severe acute kidney injury (AKI) within 12 hours of measurement. We performed a prospective cohort study to evaluate if the predictive value of [TIMP-2]∙[IGFBP7] for AKI might continue after 12 hours. We enrolled 442 critically ill adult patients from June to December 2016.

XueBiJing Injection Versus Placebo for Critically Ill Patients With Severe Community-Acquired Pneumonia: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objectives: To investigate whether XueBiJing injection improves clinical outcomes in critically ill patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia.

Design: Prospective, randomized, controlled study.

Setting: Thirty-three hospitals in China.

What Have We Learned about the Use of Cytosorb Adsorption Columns?

Extracorporeal blood purification techniques have emerged and evolved in the recent years as a potential therapy for the purpose of immunomodulation in acute conditions like sepsis. Understanding the extent of immune system dysregulation involved in the pathophysiology of these conditions, resulted in the development of such treatment strategies aiming at restoring a balanced inflammatory response. Beyond conventional continuous renal replacement therapy, high volume hemofiltration, high cut-off membranes, adsorption alone and coupled plasma filtration adsorption are well-described techniques in the literature.

Tissue inhibitor metalloproteinase-2 (TIMP-2) • IGF-binding protein-7 (IGFBP7) levels are associated with adverse outcomes in patients in the intensive care unit with acute kidney injury.

The G1 cell cycle inhibitors tissue inhibitor metalloproteinase-2 (TIMP-2) and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 7 (IGFBP7) have been identified as novel biomarkers for the prediction of moderate to severe acute kidney injury (AKI) risk. However, the prognostic value of [TIMP-2]•[IGFBP7] in predicting adverse outcomes in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with AKI was not previously described. To evaluate this, we conducted a cohort study, measuring [TIMP2]•[IGFBP7] levels in critically ill patients admitted to the ICU and classified the patients as NephroCheck (NC) (+) or NC (-) according to [TIMP-2]•[IGFBP7] values and AKI (+) or AKI (-) according to Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria.

BDNF contributes to the skeletal muscle anti-atrophic effect of exercise training through AMPK-PGC1α signaling in heart failure mice.

Introduction: Exercise training is a coadjuvant therapy in preventive cardiology, and it delays cardiac dysfunction and exercise intolerance in heart failure (HF). However, the mechanisms underlying muscle function improvement and cardioprotection are poorly understood. In this study, we tested whether exercise training would counteract skeletal muscle atrophy via activation of the BDNF pathway in myocardial infarction (MI)-induced HF mice.

ARHGAP17 suppresses tumor progression and up-regulates P21 and P27 expression via inhibiting PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in cervical cancer.

ARHGAP17 has long been thought to be involved in the maintenance of tight junction and epithelial barrier. Recently, a few Rho GTPase activating proteins (RhoGAPs) have been identified as tumor suppressors in some human cancers. The present study aimed to explore ARHGAP17 expression in cervical cancer and the possible function in tumor progression.

SENP1-mediated deSUMOylation of USP28 regulated HIF-1α accumulation and activation during hypoxia response.

Background: The ubiquitin-specific protease 28 (USP28) is an oncogenic deubiquitinase, which plays a critical role in tumorigenesis via antagonizing the ubiquitination and degradation of tumor suppressor protein FBXW7-mediated oncogenic substrates. USP28 controls hypoxia-dependent angiogenesis and metastasis by preventing FBXW7-dependent hypoxia-inducible transcription factor-1α (HIF-1α) degradation during hypoxia. However, it remains unclear how USP28 activation and HIF-1α signaling are coordinated in response to hypoxia.

Copy number variation profile in noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) can identify co-existing maternal malignancies: Case reports and a literature review.

Objective: The coexistence of maternal malignancy and pregnancy has received increasing attention in Noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) studies. Malignancy in pregnant women potentially affects the copy number variation (CNV) profile in NIPT results. Only one case of hematologic cancer has been reported in a Hong-Kong pregnant women, and solid tumors have never been reported in pregnant Chinese women.