Bioinformatic-based genetic characterizations of neural regulation in skin cutaneous melanoma

BackgroundRecent discoveries uncovered the complex cancer–nerve interactions in several cancer types including skin cutaneous melanoma (SKCM). However, the genetic characterization of neural regulation in SKCM is unclear.MethodsTranscriptomic expression data were collected from the TCGA and GTEx portal, and the differences in cancer–nerve crosstalk-associated gene expressions between normal skin and SKCM tissues were analyzed. The cBioPortal dataset was utilized to implement the gene mutation analysis. PPI analysis was performed using the STRING database. Functional enrichment analysis was analyzed by the R package clusterProfiler. K-M plotter, univariate, multivariate, and LASSO regression were used for prognostic analysis and verification. The GEPIA dataset was performed to analyze the association of gene expression with SKCM clinical stage. ssGSEA and GSCA datasets were used for immune cell infiltration analysis. GSEA was used to elucidate the significant function and pathway differences.ResultsA total of 66 cancer–nerve crosstalk-associated genes were identified, 60 of which were up- or downregulated in SKCM and KEGG analysis suggested that they are mainly enriched in the calcium signaling pathway, Ras signaling pathway, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, and so on. A gene prognostic model including eight genes (GRIN3A, CCR2, CHRNA4, CSF1, NTN1, ADRB1, CHRNB4, and CHRNG) was built and verified by independent cohorts GSE59455 and GSE19234. A nomogram was constructed containing clinical characteristics and the above eight genes, and the AUCs of the 1-, 3-, and 5-year ROC were 0.850, 0.811, and 0.792, respectively. Expression of CCR2, GRIN3A, and CSF1 was associated with SKCM clinical stages. There existed broad and strong correlations of the prognostic gene set with immune infiltration and immune checkpoint genes. CHRNA4 and CHRNG were independent poor prognostic genes, and multiple metabolic pathways were enriched in high CHRNA4 expression cells.ConclusionComprehensive bioinformatics analysis of cancer–nerve crosstalk-associated genes in SKCM was performed, and an effective prognostic model was constructed based on clinical characteristics and eight genes (GRIN3A, CCR2, CHRNA4, CSF1, NTN1, ADRB1, CHRNB4, and CHRNG), which were widely related to clinical stages and immunological features. Our work may be helpful for further investigation in the molecular mechanisms correlated with neural regulation in SKCM, and in searching new therapeutic targets

Hierarchical Co2P microspheres assembled from nanorods grown on reduced graphene oxide as anode material for Lithium-ion batteries

Transition metal phosphides (TMPs) have been studied as promising electrodes for energy storage and conversion due to their large theoretical capacities and high activities. Herein, a hierarchically structured Co2P coupling with the reduced graphene oxide (RGO) composite (Co2P/RGO) was synthesized by a simple solid state method for Li storage. The Co2P/RGO hybrid composite exhibits a high reversible capacity of 61 mAh g−1 at 60 mA g−1, good rate capability of 327 mAh g−1 at 3000 mA g−1 and long cycle life (397 mAh g−1 at 500 mA g−1 for after 1000 cycles). The excellent electrochemical performance can be attributed to the synergistic effect of Co2P micro/nano architecture and graphene modulation, which provide more activity sites for Li+-ions and maintain the structural integrity of active material. This work may provide a new path for preparation of other metal phosphides as potential electrode materials for application in energy storage fields

Association of interleukin-10 gene polymorphisms with breast cancer in a Chinese population

BACKGROUD: Interleukin-10(IL-10) is a multifunctional cytokine with both immunosuppressive and antiangiogenic functions. Polymorphisms in the IL-10 gene promoter genetically determine interindividual differences in IL-10 production. This study was performed to determined whether polymorphisms in the IL-10 gene promoter were associated with breast cancer in a Chinese Han population. METHODS: We genotyped 315 patients with breast cancer and 322 healthy control subjects for -1082A/G, -819T/C and -592A/C single nucleotide polymorphisms in the promoter region of the IL-10 gene by polymerase chain reactionerestriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). RESULTS: There were no significant differences in genotype, allele, or haplotype frequencies in all three loci between patients and healthy controls. Analysis of breast cancer prognostic and predictive factors revealed that the -1082AA genotype was associated with a significantly increased risk of lymph node (LN) involvement (P = 0.041) and larger tumor size (P = 0.039) at the time of diagnosis. Furthermore, in the haplotype analysis of IL-10 gene, we found that patients carrying ATA haplotype were in higher LN involvement (p = 0.022) and higher tumor stage(p = 0.028) of breast cancer at the time of diagnosis compared with others. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that IL-10 promoter polymorphisms participate in the progression of breast cancer rather than in its initial development in Chinese Han women

Comprehensive phenotypic analysis and quantitative trait locus identification for grain mineral concentration, content, and yield in maize (Zea mays L.)

Biofortification by enhanced mineral density in maize grain through genetic improvement is one of the efficient ways to solve global mineral malnutrition, in which one key step is to detect the corresponding Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL). In this work, a maize recombinant inbred population (RIL) was grown to maturity in four field environments with two locations × two years. Phenotypic data of mineral nutrition concentration, content and yield were determined for grain copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), magnesium (Mg), potassium (K) and phosphorus (P). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed significant effects of genotype, location and year for all investigated traits. Location showed the highest effect for all mineral yields, and Zn and Cu content and concentration, while year had the strongest impact for Mn, K, and P content and concentration. Heritabilities (h2) of different traits varied with higher h2 (72-85%) for mineral concentration and content and lower (48-63%) for nutrient yields. Correlation coefficient analysis revealed significant positive correlations for grain concentration between several minerals. P had the closest correlations to other elements, while Cu had the lowest. When environments were analyzed individually, a total of 28, 25, and 12 QTL were identified for nutrient concentration, content and yield, respectively. Among these QTL, 8 QTL were consistent within traits across different environments. These stable QTL may be most promising for controlling mineral accumulation in maize grain. Co-localization of QTL for different traits was found for 12 chromosome regions, suggesting that common processes might contribute seed nutrient accumulatio

Factors associated with the incidence and the expenditure of self-medication among middle-aged and older adults in China: A cross-sectional study

BackgroundWith the accelerated ageing of population and the growing prevalence of various chronic diseases in China, self-medication plays an increasingly important role in complementing the health care system due to its convenience and economy.ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the incidence of self-medication and the amount of self-medication expenditure among middle-aged and older adults in China, and to explore factors associated with them.MethodsA total of 10,841 respondents aged 45 years and older from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) wave 4 which conducted in 2018 were included as the sample of this study. The two-part model was adopted to identify the association between the incidence of self-medication and the amount of self-medication expenditure and specific factors, respectively.ResultsThe incidence of self-medication among Chinese middle-aged and older adults was 62.30%, and the average total and out-of-pocket (OOP) pharmaceutical expenditure of self-medication of the self-medicated individuals were 290.50 and 264.38 Chinese yuan (CNY) respectively. Participants who took traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), self-reported fair, and poor health status, suffered from one and multiple chronic diseases had strongly higher incidence of self-medication. Older age and multiple chronic diseases were strongly associated with higher expenditure of self-medication. Those who took TCM had more self-medication expenditure, while those who drank alcohol had less.ConclusionOur study demonstrated the great prevalence of self-medication among middle-aged and older adults in China and the large pharmaceutical expenditure that come with it, especially in the high-risk groups of self-medication identified in this paper. These findings enhanced our understanding of self-medication behaviors among Chinese middle-aged and older adults and may contribute to the formulation of targeted public health policy

The predictive value of T-cell chimerism for disease relapse after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

IntroductionChimerism is closely correlated with disease relapse after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). However, chimerism rate is dynamic changes, and the sensitivity of different chimerism requires further research.MethodsTo investigate the predictive value of distinct chimerism for relapse, we measured bone marrow (BM), peripheral blood (PB), and T-cell (isolated from BM) chimerism in 178 patients after allo-HSCT.ResultsReceiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed that T-cell chimerism was more suitable to predict relapse after allo-HSCT compared with PB and BM chimerism. The cutoff value of T-cell chimerism for predicting relapse was 99.45%. Leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) relapse patients’ T-cell chimerism was a gradual decline from 2 months to 9 months after allo-HSCT. Higher risk of relapse and death within 1 year after allo-HSCT. The T-cell chimerism rates in remission and relapse patients were 99.43% and 94.28% at 3 months after allo-HSCT (P = 0.009), 99.31% and 95.27% at 6 months after allo-HSCT (P = 0.013), and 99.26% and 91.32% at 9 months after allo-HSCT (P = 0.024), respectively. There was a significant difference (P = 0.036) for T-cell chimerism between early relapse (relapse within 9 months after allo-HSCT) and late relapse (relapse after 9 months after allo-HSCT) at 2 months after allo-HSCT. Every 1% increase in T-cell chimerism, the hazard ratio for disease relapse was 0.967 (95% CI: 0.948–0.987, P<0.001).DiscussionWe recommend constant monitoring T-cell chimerism at 2, 3, 6, and 9 months after allo-HSCT to predict relapse

Polymorphisms in Epigenetic and Meat Quality Related Genes in Fourteen Cattle Breeds and Association with Beef Quality and Carcass Traits

Improvement for carcass traits related to beef quality is the key concern in beef production. Recent reports found that epigenetics mediates the interaction of individuals with environment and nutrition. The present study was designed to analyze the genetic effect of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in seven epigenetic-related genes (DNMT1, DNMT3a, DNMT3b, DNMT3L, Ago1, Ago2, and HDAC5) and two meat quality candidate genes (CAPN1 and PRKAG3) on fourteen carcass traits related to beef quality in a Snow Dragon beef population, and also to identify SNPs in a total of fourteen cattle populations. Sixteen SNPs were identified and genotyped in 383 individuals sampled from the 14 cattle breeds, which included 147 samples from the Snow Dragon beef population. Data analysis showed significant association of 8 SNPs within 4 genes related to carcass and/or meat quality traits in the beef populations. SNP1 (13154420A>G) in exon 17 of DNMT1 was significantly associated with rib-eye width and lean meat color score (pG) of DNMT3a was significantly associated with six beef quality traits. Those individuals with the wild-type genotype AA of DNMT3a showed an increase in carcass weight, chilled carcass weight, flank thicknesses, chuck short rib thickness, chuck short rib score and in chuck flap weight in contrast to the GG genotype. Five out of six SNPs in DNMT3b gene were significantly associated with three beef quality traits. SNP15 (45219258C>T) in CAPN1 was significantly associated with chuck short rib thickness and lean meat color score (p<0.05). The significant effect of SNP15 on lean meat color score individually and in combination with each of other 14 SNPs qualify this SNP to be used as potential marker for improving the trait. In addition, the frequencies of most wild-type alleles were higher than those of the mutant alleles in the native and foreign cattle breeds. Seven SNPs were identified in the epigenetic-related genes. The SNP15 in CAPN1 could be used as a powerful genetic marker in selection programs for beef quality improvement in the Snow Dragon Beef population