Genome-Wide Screening for Genetic Alterations in Esophageal Cancer by aCGH Identifies 11q13 Amplification Oncogenes Associated with Nodal Metastasis

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is highly prevalent in China and other Asian countries, as a major cause of cancer-related mortality. ESCC displays complex chromosomal abnormalities, including multiple structural and numerical aberrations. Chromosomal abnormalities, such as recurrent amplifications and homozygous deletions, directly contribute to tumorigenesis through altering the expression of key oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes.To understand the role of genetic alterations in ESCC pathogenesis and identify critical amplification/deletion targets, we performed genome-wide 1-Mb array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) analysis for 10 commonly used ESCC cell lines. Recurrent chromosomal gains were frequently detected on 3q26-27, 5p15-14, 8p12, 8p22-24, 11q13, 13q21-31, 18p11 and 20q11-13, with frequent losses also found on 8p23-22, 11q22, 14q32 and 18q11-23. Gain of 11q13.3-13.4 was the most frequent alteration in ESCC. Within this region, CCND1 oncogene was identified with high level of amplification and overexpression in ESCC, while FGF19 and SHANK2 was also remarkably over-expressed. Moreover, a high concordance (91.5%) of gene amplification and protein overexpression of CCND1 was observed in primary ESCC tumors. CCND1 amplification/overexpression was also significantly correlated with the lymph node metastasis of ESCC.These findings suggest that genomic gain of 11q13 is the major mechanism contributing to the amplification. Novel oncogenes identified within the 11q13 amplicon including FGF19 and SHANK2 may play important roles in ESCC tumorigenesis

The IASLC Lung Cancer Staging Project: A Renewed Call to Participation

Over the past two decades, the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) Staging Project has been a steady source of evidence-based recommendations for the TNM classification for lung cancer published by the Union for International Cancer Control and the American Joint Committee on Cancer. The Staging and Prognostic Factors Committee of the IASLC is now issuing a call for participation in the next phase of the project, which is designed to inform the ninth edition of the TNM classification for lung cancer. Following the case recruitment model for the eighth edition database, volunteer site participants are asked to submit data on patients whose lung cancer was diagnosed between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2019, to the project by means of a secure, electronic data capture system provided by Cancer Research And Biostatistics in Seattle, Washington. Alternatively, participants may transfer existing data sets. The continued success of the IASLC Staging Project in achieving its objectives will depend on the extent of international participation, the degree to which cases are entered directly into the electronic data capture system, and how closely externally submitted cases conform to the data elements for the project

Analysis of respiratory virus detection in hospitalized children with acute respiratory infection during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract Objective It is now understood that the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and its associated containment measures have influenced the epidemiology of other respiratory viruses. This study aimed to characterize respiratory virus infections in pediatric patients hospitalized for acute respiratory infections (ARIs) in East China both prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods We collected nasal secretions from 9782 pediatric ARI patients admitted to Shaoxing Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital between January 2018 and December 2022. We analyzed and compared changes in viral detection rates, epidemiological features, and clinical characteristics. Results A total of 1633 strains from 7 common respiratory viruses were identified, with an overall positive rate of 16.35% (n = 821/5021) in 2018–2019 and 17.06% (n = 812/4761) in 2020–2022. Compared to 2018–2019, the positive rate for RSV significantly increased in 2020–2022, while detection rates for ADV, PIV-2, PIV-3, and flu-B showed reductions (P < 0.05). The RSV-positive rate experienced a more significant increase in winter compared to other seasons both before and during COVID-19 (P < 0.05), whereas PIV-3 predominantly circulated in spring and summer before COVID-19. Conclusion During the COVID-19 pandemic, marked variations in age distribution and seasonality of respiratory virus infections were observed among hospitalized children with ARIs in East China. Non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) implemented during the pandemic yielded a limited impact on common respiratory viruses

Risk of hepatitis B reactivation in HBsAg−/HBcAb+ patients after biologic or JAK inhibitor therapy for rheumatoid arthritis: A meta‐analysis

Abstract Background The risk of hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation after biologic and targeted synthetic disease‐modifying antirheumatic drugs (b/tsDMARDs) therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) combined with HBsAg–/HBcAb+ is still inconsistent. Methods We conducted a systematic review of existing databases from 1977 to August 22, 2021. Studies of RA patients combined with HBsAg−/HBcAb +, treated with b/tsDMARDs and the reported number of HBV reactivation were included. Results We included 26 studies of 2252 HBsAg−/HBcAb+ RA patients treated with b/tsDMARDs. The pooled HBV reactivation rate was 2.0% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.01−0.04; I2 = 66%, p < .01). In the subgroup analysis, the HBV reactivation rate of rituximab (RTX), abatacept, and inhibitors of Janus kinase (JAK), interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), and tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) were 9.0% (95% CI: 0.04−0.15; I2 = 61%, p = .03), 6.0% (95% CI: 0.01−0.13; I2 = 40%, p = .19), 1.0% (95% CI: 0.00−0.03; I2 = 41%, p = .19), 0.0% (95% CI: 0.00−0.02; I2 = 0%, p = .43), 0.0% (95% CI: 0.00−0.01; I2 = 0%, p = .87), respectively. While HBsAb‐ patients have a significant risk of reactivation (odds ratio [OR] = 4.56, 95% CI = 2.45−8.48; I2 = 7%, p = .37), low HBsAb+ group also display a significant risk of reactivation (OR = 5.45, 95% CI: 1.35−21.94; I2 = 0%, p = .46). Conclusions This meta‐analysis demonstrates the highest potential risk of HBV reactivation in HBsAg−/HBcAb+ RA patients receiving RTX treatment, especially HBsAb− patients. Our study furthers the understanding of the prophylactic use of anti‐HBV drugs in such patients. However, it is relative safety to use the inhibitors of IL‐6, TNF‐α, and JAK in these patients

Highly Sensitive and Reproducible SERS Sensor for Biological pH Detection Based on a Uniform Gold Nanorod Array Platform

Conventional research on surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-based pH sensors often depends on nanoparticle aggregation, whereas the variability in nanoparticle aggregation gives rise to poor repeatability in the SERS signal. Herein, we fabricated a gold nanorod array platform via an efficient evaporative self-assembly method. The platform exhibits great SERS sensitivity with an enhancement factor of 5.6 X 10(7) and maintains excellent recyclability and reproducibility with relative standard deviation (RSD) values of less than 8%. On the basis of the platform, we developed a highly sensitive bovine serum albumin (BSA)-coated 4-mercaptopyridine (4-MPy)-linked (BMP) SERS-based pH sensor to report pH ranging from pH 3.0 to pH 8.0. The intensity ratio variation of 1004 and 1096 cm(-1) in 4-MPy showed excellent pH sensitivity, which decreased as the surrounding pH increased. Furthermore, this BMP SERS-based pH sensor was employed to measure the pH value in C57BL/6 mouse blood. We have demonstrated that the pH sensor has great advantages such as good stability, reliability, and accuracy, which could be extended for the design of point-of-care devices

Study on the Optimization of Dry Land Irrigation Schedule in the Downstream Songhua River Basin Based on the SWAT Model

The optimization of irrigation schedules is of great significance for saving water resources and ensuring food security. For the downstream of the Songhua River Basin, the key growth stages of crops were determined by the coupling degree between the effective precipitation and crop water requirement and the sensitivity indexes of the crop water production function. A Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was used to simulate 16 irrigation schedules in different scenarios. Taking four factors into consideration, Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP)-Gray Interconnect Degree Analysis (GIDA) was used to establish the optimal irrigation schedule. The results showed that the key growth stages of corn and soybean were vegetative, reproductive and pod formation, seed enlargement. Deficit treatments were beneficial to improving crop yield and WUE. The optimal schedules were: the corn was irrigated with four times in key growth stages, and the irrigation quota was 21 mm; irrigation occurred six times in both normal and dry year, with quotas of 84 mm and 134 mm, respectively; the soybean was filled with six times in key growth stages, and the irrigation quotas were 10 mm, 28 mm and 89 mm in wet, normal and dry year, respectively. The evaluation method of irrigation schedule provided a theoretical basis for agricultural management and planting in the basin

DataSheet_1_Elevated serum creatinine levels and risk of cognitive impairment in older adults with diabetes: a NHANES study from 2011-2014.pdf

BackgroundThe brain and kidney have similar microvascular structure, which makes them susceptible to certain common pathophysiological processes. In this study, we examined several indicators of kidney injury/function associated with cognitive function in older diabetic patients in the hope of finding effective markers for detecting cognitive impairment (CI).MethodsA total of 2209 older participants (aged ≥60 years) from the 2011-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were analyzed for the association between diabetes and CI using a multiple linear regression analysis model. Using the same approach, we also analyzed the relationship between indicators of kidney injury/function and cognitive function (Animal Fluency Test, Digit Symbol Substitution Test) in the diabetic population.ResultsDiabetes was associated with CI. In age-adjusted model, older diabetics performed significantly poorer on tests of cognitive function compared to normoglycaemic individuals (1.145 points lower on the Animal Fluency Test (P = 0.005) and 7.868 points reduced on the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (P ConclusionSCr, as a sensitive indicator of kidney injury, was significantly associated with CI and can potentially be used as an effective marker for screening CI in older diabetics.</p

Stress-Induced Mucus Secretion and Its Composition by a Combination of Proteomics and Metabolomics of the Jellyfish Aurelia coerulea

Background: Jellyfish respond quickly to external stress that stimulates mucus secretion as a defense. Neither the composition of secreted mucus nor the process of secretion are well understood. Methods: Aurelia coerulea jellyfish were stimulated by removing them from environmental seawater. Secreted mucus and tissue samples were then collected within 60 min, and analyzed by a combination of proteomics and metabolomics using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and ultra-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS), respectively. Results: Two phases of sample collection displayed a quick decrease in volume, followed by a gradual increase. A total of 2421 and 1208 proteins were identified in tissue homogenate and secreted mucus, respectively. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis showed that the mucus-enriched proteins are mainly located in extracellular or membrane-associated regions, while the tissue-enriched proteins are distributed throughout intracellular compartments. Tryptamine, among 16 different metabolites, increased with the largest-fold change value of 7.8 in mucus, which is consistent with its involvement in the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway &lsquo;tryptophan metabolism&rsquo;. We identified 11 metalloproteinases, four serpins, three superoxide dismutases and three complements, and their presence was speculated to be related to self-protective defense. Conclusions: Our results provide a composition profile of proteins and metabolites in stress-induced mucus and tissue homogenate of A. coerulea. This provides insight for the ongoing endeavors to discover novel bioactive compounds. The large increase of tryptamine in mucus may indicate a strong stress response when jellyfish were taken out of seawater and the active self-protective components such as enzymes, serpins and complements potentially play a key role in innate immunity of jellyfish