Prognostic significance of systemic immune-inflammation index in patients with ovarian cancer: a meta-analysis

BackgroundThe prognosis of several malignancies has been influenced by the systemic immune-inflammation index (SII); however, its association with the prognostic outcome of ovarian cancer (OC) remains controversial. The present meta-analysis focused on the systemic and comprehensive identification of the role of SII in predicting OC prognosis.MethodsWe searched the Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) from inception until March 6, 2023. To predict the prognostic value of SII for overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with OC, we calculated pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs).ResultsThe meta-analysis included six studies involving 1546 patients. The combined results showed that a high SII was significantly associated with poor OS (HR=2.70, 95% CI=1.98–3.67, p<0.001) and poor PFS (HR=2.71, 95% CI=1.78–4.12, p<0.001) in OC patients. These results were confirmed using subgroup and sensitivity analyses.ConclusionOur results concluded that a high SII significantly predicted poor OS and PFS in patients with OC. Therefore, it can be speculated that the SII may have an independent effect on the prognosis of OC

Student Learning Engagement with Emerging Technologies in the EFL Classroom in China: A Case Study

This study investigated learner engagement with emerging technologies as a viable teaching and learning tool. This explorative study was conducted in a public university located in Sichuan Province, China involving 160 sophomore students. Data were collected via a questionnaire consisting of open and close-ended questions. The findings revealed that EFL students frequently used Tencent as the preferred platform for online distance learning. Besides that, the findings demonstrated students’ positive perception of learner-to-learner, learner-to-instructor, and learner-to-content interaction through the support of emerging technologies. Thus, it implies that emerging technologies have the potential to boost a quality learning environment. Keywords: EFL students, learner engagement, emerging technologies eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2023. The Authors. Published for AMER & cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), College of Built Environment, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v8i24.465

Increased incidence of thyroid disease in patients with sarcoidosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Sarcoidosis is a multiple systemic granulomatous disease, and its main pathological feature is non-caseous necrotic epithelial granuloma. The pathogenesis is not fully understood. The prevalence of thyroid disease is like ly higher among individuals with sarcoidosis. However, this association still lacks clinica l evidence. Objective: The aim of this study was to estimate the incidence of thyroid disease in patients with sarcoidosis. Methods: A literature search was conducted using PubMed, Web of Science , Embase, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure literature databases. Fixed- or random-effects models were used for analysis according to heterogeneity. The r esults were subjected to meta-analysis with odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confi dence intervals (CIs). Results: In total, six articles were included in this meta-analysis, wh ich involved 2044 sarcoidosis cases and 5652 controls. The studies found that the incidence of thyroid disease in patients with sarcoidosis was significantly increased compared to the controls (OR 3.28, 95% CI 1.83–5.88). Conclusions: This systematic review is the first to evaluate the incidence o f thyroid disease in sarcoidosis patients, which was increased compared with the controls, suggesting that sarcoidosis patients should be screened for thyroid disease

Association between adipocytokines and diabetic retinopathy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundDiabetic retinopathy (DR) is a common complication of diabetes. The adipocytokines are closely associated with the occurrence and development of diabetes and its related complications. Literature confirms that the level of adiponectin in patients with DR is significantly higher; however, the relationship between other adipocytokines (leptin, chemerin, apelin, and omentin-1) and DR remains unclear.AimThis study aimed to systematically evaluate the association between adipocytokines (leptin, chemerin, apelin, and omentin-1) and DR.MethodsThe PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, EBSCO and Willy databases were used to search for potential studies with keywords such as “diabetic retinopathy” or “DR” in combination with the terms “leptin,” “chemerin”, “apelin” or “omentin-1” in the search titles or abstracts. Standardized mean differences (SMD) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were determined as the results of the meta-analysis.ResultsAfter screening, 18 articles were included in the meta-analysis including 750 DR cases and 993 controls. Leptin and chemerin levels in patients with DR were significantly higher than those in the control group (SMD: 0.68, 95% CI [0.1, 1.26]; SMD: 0.79, 95% CI [0.35, 1.23]). The omentin-1 levels in patients with DR were significantly lower than those in the controls (SMD: –0.85, 95% CI [–1.08, –0.62]).ConclusionsTo the best of our knowledge, this is the first meta-analysis to evaluate the leptin, chemerin, apelin, and omentin-1 levels in patients with DR. Further high-quality studies are warranted to support the association between these adipocytokines and DR.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?RecordID=443770, identifier CRD42023443770

Metabolism of Salvianolic Acid A and Antioxidant Activities of Its Methylated Metabolites

ABSTRACT This study investigated the metabolism of salvianolic acid A (SAA) both in vivo and in vitro. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of drug-containing rat bile samples and bile samples hydrolyzed by glucuronidase revealed a series of methylated conjugates of SAA and its glucuronides, as well as the predominance of the methylation pathway of SAA in rats. For the first time, four major methylated metabolites present in vivo were prepared for structure characterization and bioactivity evaluation using in vitro coincubation systems with rat hepatic cytosol protein as the enzyme donor. By using nuclear magnetic resonance imaging and other spectroscopic methods, these metabolites were unambiguously elucidated as 3-O-methyl-SAA (M1), 39-O-methyl-SAA (M2), 3,30-O-dimethyl-SAA (M3), and 39,30-O-dimethyl-SAA (M4), respectively. Along with results from the enzyme inhibition study, selective formation of these meta-O-methylated derivatives indicated that catechol O-methyltransferase (COMT) is responsible for methylated transformation of SAA. All of these metabolites displayed fairly high antioxidant potency against in vitro rat liver lipid peroxidation with halfmaximal inhibitory concentrations that were much lower than those of the positive controls and even SAA. Overall, the results from this study demonstrate that SAA is a metabolically unstable compound that undergoes rapid methylation metabolism catalyzed by COMT, and these generated O-methylated metabolites may be largely responsible for its in vivo pharmacological effects

Cardioprotective Effects of Salvianolic Acid A on Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury In Vivo and In Vitro

Salvianolic acid A (SAA), one of the major active components of Danshen that is a traditional Chinese medicine, has been reported to possess protective effect in cardiac diseases and antioxidative activity. This study aims to investigate the cardioprotection of SAA in vivo and in vitro using the model of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion in rat and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced H9c2 rat cardiomyoblasts apoptosis. It was found that SAA significantly limited infarct size of ischemic myocardium when given immediately prior to reperfusion. SAA also significantly suppressed cellular injury and apoptotic cell death. Additionally, the results of western blot and phospho-specific antibody microarray analysis showed that SAA could up-regulate Bcl-2 expression and increase the phosphorylation of proteins such as Akt, p42/p44 extracellular signal-related kinases (Erk1/2), and their related effectors. The phosphorylation of those points was related to suppress apoptosis. In summary, SAA possesses marked protective effect on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury, which is related to its ability to reduce myocardial cell apoptosis and damage induced by oxidative stress. The protection is achieved via up-regulation of Bcl-2 expression and affecting protein phosphorylation. These findings indicate that SAA may be of value in cardioprotection during myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury, which provide pharmacological evidence for clinical application

Acupuncture for Lateral Epicondylitis: A Systematic Review

Objective. This systematic review aimed to assess the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for lateral epicondylitis (LE). Methods. Seven databases and the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform Search Portal were searched to identify relevant studies. The data were extracted and assessed by two independent authors, and Review Manager Software (V.5.3) was used for data synthesis with effect estimate presented as standard mean difference (SMD) and mean difference (MD) with a 95% confidence interval. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) was used to assess the level of evidence. Results. Four RCTs with 309 participants were included with poor methodological quality. Participants who received acupuncture and acupuncture plus moxibustion with material insulation were likely to have an improvement in elbow functional status and/or myodynamia. The overall quality rated by GRADE was from very low to low. Two studies reported that the needle pain would be the main reason for the dropout. Conclusion. For the small number of included studies with poor methodological quality, no firm conclusion can be drawn regarding the effect of acupuncture of elbow functional status and myodynamia for LE. This trial is registered with CRD42015016199

Characterization of Spatial Light Modulator Based on the Phase in Fourier Domain of the Hologram and Its Applications in Coherent Imaging

Although digital holography is used widely at present, the information contained in the digital hologram is still underutilized. For example, the phase values of the Fourier spectra of the hologram are seldom used directly. In this paper, we take full advantage of them for characterizing the phase modulation of a spatial light modulator (SLM). Incident plane light beam is divided into two beams, one of which passes the SLM and interferes with the other one. If an image with a single grey scale loads on the SLM, theoretical analysis proves that the phase of the Fourier spectra of the obtained hologram contains the added phase and a constant part relative to the optical distance. By subtracting the phase for the image with the grey scale of 0 from that for the image with other grey scales, the phase modulation can be characterized. Simulative and experimental results validate that the method is effective. The SLM after characterization is successfully used for coherent imaging, which reconfirms that this method is exact in practice. When compared to the traditional method, the new method is much faster and more convenient

Evaluation of the Antidepressant Activity, Hepatotoxicity and Blood Brain Barrier Permeability of Methyl Genipin

Geniposide (GE) is the main bioactive component of Gardeniae Fructus. The hepatotoxicity of geniposide limited clinical application. In order to get a new geniposide derivative that has less hepatotoxicity and still possesses the antidepressant activity, a new C-1 hydroxyl methylation derivative named methyl genipin (MG) was synthesized from geniposide. In the present study, we demonstrated that MG did not increase the liver index, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspirate aminotransferase (AST). Histopathological examination suggested that no toxic damages were observed in rats treated orally with MG (0.72 mmol/kg). More importantly, a 7-day treatment with MG at 0.13, 0.26, and 0.52 mmol/kg/day could reduce the duration of immobility. It showed that the antidepressant-like effects of MG were similar to GE in the tail suspension test and the forced swim test. Furthermore, we found MG could be detected in the brain homogenate of mice treated orally with MG 0.52 mmol/kg/day for 1 day by HPLC. The area under the curve (AUC) of MG in the brain homogenate was enhanced to 21.7 times that of GE. The brain amount and distribution speed of MG were improved significantly after oral administration. This study demonstrated that MG possessed the antidepressant effects and could cross the blood–brain barrier, but had less hepatotoxicity